i^!^^ f
,1*^-' W^:
»iA4s
i*.
%
TEN
SERMONS
. 6N VARIOUS SUBJECTS,
SY THE LATE ELHANAN WINCHESTER,
PREACHER OF THE
UNIVERSAL RESTORATION,
HotTDort :
PRlNtED BY W. BURTON, FETTER LANE,
^.VZ> SOLD or
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ADVERTISEMENT.
^TpHE following Difcourfes were taken in (hort»
hand by a conftant hearer of Mr. Winchefter,
and were intended to have been corre<fled and pub-
!i filed by him. But as Providence has difpofed
otherwife, they are prefented to the Public in their
prefent (late. They were publifhed periodically in
the Univerfalift's Mifcellany for the years 1798
and 1799. This mode of publication was adopted
in order to difleminare them, and to make them
cheap. The candid reader will make proper
allowance for a pofllmmous work.
Nov. 19, 1799.
S E R M O N, ^c.
BY THE I.ATE
RLIU^AN JriNCHESTER.
TnEVER before I'UBLISIiED.]
SOLOMON'S SONG, Chap. V. lo.
Mj hcloi-ed is irhile and ruddy ^ the chiefc/i among ten
thoufand.
THE Devil has had fo much influence upon the heads of
even fume good men, as to make them fuppofe that
this very beautitul book of the facred fcriptures is nothing
more than a dialogue between Solonionand Pharaoh's daugh-
ter, and to perfuade others that this was the firft intent of
Solomon in the writing of it \ but that he being an infpired
writer, the book, notwithfcanding the original intention of
its author, was typical of Chrill: and his Church. But let
good men fuppofe what they will, or bad men endeavour by
their vain imagination?, ftcp by Itep, to undermine the au-
thenticity of the holy fcriptures, this book contains in it
(Certain and indubitable evidence of the divinity of its origin.
There are in it feveral expreflions not in the k^ali adiptcd to
create love, and feveral remarks tb.at make it certain that it
could not have been wrote for Pharaoh's daughter.
Would Pharaoh's daughter have ever faid, " Look not
*' upon me becaufc I am black, becaufe the fun harh looked
*' upon me : my mother's children were angry with me,
*' they made ir,e the keeper of the vineyards, bu mine own
♦' vineyard have I not kept." If the brethren of the daugh-
ter of a poor Arabian had turned their filler out to keep the
B vineyards,
vineyard;;, and Hie hud been under the ncecfTity of obeying
thtir imperious diftatts, it is not likely that the daughter of
the great King of Egypt, who gave fcvcral cities to Solomon
as a portion with her, fhould be in fuch a fitnation with her
brethren, or that had they been fo inclined, that Pharaoh
would have permitted it.
But of the Church of Chrill this is true. Her mother's
f(ms have often been angry with her, they have blacken-
ed her charaftcr, they have driven her out into the
wildernefs, they have made her appear as an outcaft of
fociety, a mock, a ridicule, a contempt to mankind. —
This is indeed one proof of her being the fpoufe vi
Jcfus: like her hufjand ilie bears her cfofs, and remem-
bers his words — " Woe be -to von ^^ hen all men fpeak well
*' oi ycu :" nnd this was fpoken of fcrihcs and pharifecs, the
profciFing church of tliat day : aiui the fponfc of Chrift knows
it, (he knows that all that will live godly (hall fuffer perfe-
cution, and that fevcrfly, trorn h lends, Irom* men of the
fame profedion of faith, having before them the hopes of
glory through the fame means ^ this increafes the pains of it,
the fevered wounds ure thofe given by a friend : O, how fe-
vere arc the pangs that arife in the wounded bofom ot a be-
liever, from the contempt, th.e ridicule, the reproach of that
man who profefles u) believe in the Lord Jefus Chrilt ! It
almolt diggers his faith, he trembles for himfelf, and (or his
pcrfccutor. But Chriflians murt exped it : *' their mother's
" children will be angry with them." They were with their
mailer fo enraged, as at lad, under the empty form of
law, tudawluUy to put hiin to death. So they likewifc
ferved the apoltlcs ; Paid fuffered many perils from falfe
brethren, and fo have the martyrs, and fo does the Church
of Chrift now. If t!>cy fuffer not death, as in days paft,
it is bec.iufe they are reflraincd, not by the fpirit of perfecu-
tiun being deli royed, but by the fpirit of the times, which
does not permit it to (hew itfelf in impiifonment, tortures,
and death.
Btit there is one mark evident as the fun when it fliincs,
that this bcautiiul poem refers lo Chrill anil his Church
alcne: mII ■v\ho know anything ab<;ut natural love, know
full well that ii dDc'."- not wiih tov conipititorvs ; it is Llhfh,
narrow, CMifincd, iin.l cannot bear, without the greatell
jealoufy, the lead d-tM-ec of any thing lijre rivilihip ; but
here the fpoufe of Chrilt paints in the moil lively beauuful
chaiaders,
{ 3 )
chara£lers, the glory of her fjioiife, and pointb- out to the
daughters of Jerufalem where ihcy may t-.nd him Here then
is a mark which the vviltlom of Goil has caufed to be fet
upon this book, that no profane wit of man may be able,
confiltent wi:h truth, at any tifrie to turn it into ridicule :
for while the love of man and woman is felfil'n and confined,
full of envy, hatred, jealoufy, an<1 revenue, this book invites
ail to love the beloved obje6\ : '< VViiither is ihy beloved gone,
** O thou faiicit among women ? Whither is thy beloved
" turned afide r that wc may Tcck him with thee," t\'c.
This is indeed the nature of the love of ChriR, when it is
fhed abroad in the heart by believing : it caufes the Chriltian
to paint the objefl of Ids love in the mofl endearing animat-
ing cohnirs ; he ihews how great, how kind, how compaf-
fionatc, how powerful, is the fon of Gad: it giveili fuch a
glorious view of his delire and his a'aiiiiy Jo help the wants
of poor loft creatures, that a!! around are ready with the
daughters of Jerufalem to cry out, •' VVhiiher is thy beloved
•' goner" We long to fee him, to taite of his goodnefs, to
enj )y his favour, to be animated by his prefence : O, tell
us, thou believing fuul, '* whither is thy beloved turned
*< afide, that we may feck him with thee." Was not this
your cafe, O believer, when you hift foi;nd that Chriit died
for you ? Did not you love him ihe clii-f among ten ihou-
fands ? W^as he not to your foul altogether lovely ? Did you
not wifh that all might love him ? Was not your heart ex-
panded by this love, willing that all might come and enjoy
him as you then did r How then did your language glow
wiih divine fervour, when you fpake of the dying Redeemer ;
your v/hole foul as it v.ere breathed in your fpeech, and every
thought appeared as it werj- alive. The love of Chriit, there-
fore, thus ftands diftinguilhed from all carnal love, and by it
fepa.'-ates this book from all danger of mifapplication by any
holy foul ; but on the contrary, gives iiim heavenly language
to exprefs the brightnefs of his th<-.ughts of the greati;efs (;f
the love of Chrift : there not being «jnc palfage in the whole
book but what may fully and properly be applied to Chriit
and his Church.
Having thus difcovered the glorious fubje6l of thi'; poem
to be Chrift, let us now fpeak of his charader. When I
read this book 1 am delighted with it, becaufe it fets forth
in the happieft form of expreffion, thy love, O Jefu^^, to my
foul; I fee thy tendcruefs, and my foul runs on the wings of
B 2 faiih
( 4 )
faith to meet thee, fvvift as «' the chariots of Aminadib."
Speak, O believer, can you love the Lord Jefiis Chrill too
fnuch ? Can he be too precious unto your fouls r Can your
hearts be too full of a fenfo of his goodnefs ? Gr can you
tell how tniich he loved you, when he gave himfcif for you?
O, how did he leave the bofom of the Father, and take our
nature upon him, becoming liable to its infirmities, fuffering
reproach, contempt, ridicule, poverty, becoming a fcorn,
in outcart of fociety, without Ihelter, without home: how
did he -weep over thofe woes fin had brought upon man-,
and at laft die for us, the juli for the unjuft, to bring us to
God. How great indeed! how vart ! how unbounded was
this love ! Surely fuch love " many waters cannot quench
*< it, neither can the floods drown it," It riles fuperior to
pain, forrow, anxiety, and death. It bur(h the bands of
mortality, and triumphs over Hell and tire grave.
This is my beloved. The true believing foul can fay of
Chrift, he is' niy beloved, all my aftedions are his. Our
Lord told the unbelieving Jews, •' If God were your father
<' ye would have loved me, for I proceeded and catne forth
*' Irom the father." Love is here ufed by him as the touch-
ftone of their religion. Let m.en boaft of their faith, and talk
of their works, " he that lovcth not is not of God, for God
** is love." There is no true religion without love being in
the inmoft foul, guiding all the affedions, making every
temper and pailion of the heart fubordinate to it. For God is
a fpirit, and mufl be worfnippcd in fpirit and in truth, and
he is love. Therefore love is that fpi ritual worfhip which
the Father requires : he that lovcth fulhllelh tiie law ; with-
out love to God, to Chrill, to all mankind, the Chriliian is
<lead whilft he liveth ; hut hs that hath this love,- hath ChriH:
fonmd within him and is alive to God, through Jefus
Chrift our Lord. Like C'hriil he is coinparatively dead to
every thing elfc. All things elfe are counted but as dung
and drofs, fo that he may win Chiift. Thou profeHbr of
C hrilliauity, haft thou this love for Chrill? Is it fuperior
both in quantity and quali:y, to every other temper of thy
mind? If not it cannot be accepted ! Thefe are the words*
of the Lord jefus Chrift : of thy redeemer: of him that
bought thee with his ov^'n precious blood. " He that loveih
«< father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me :
^< and he that loveih fon or daughter more than me, is not
<< worthy of iiie ; and he that taketh not up his crf>rs and
" follovvctb
( 5 )
*' followcth after me, is not worthy of me." He cxprefsly
fays, in another place, if the love of our parents, brothers,
filters, wife and children, is not hatred in comparifon of the
love we have for him we cannot be his difciplts ; thercfora
before our love can be accepted by him, it mnft be fiiper-
eniinent unto every other inclinaiiiui, and the Chriftian can
fay thus, I love Chrift, tor he is worthy to be fo loved : my
beloved is worthy to be loved, " he is while and ruddy, the
" chicfclt among ten ihoufands." He is white, pure, holy,
harinlefs, undchled ; he never was dorik-d with an unclean
thought, or an unchalie delire, no not ior a moment. His
bofom was like fnow to fire. If any unholy fire fell upon
him, it was iminediately quenched by his ptirity : i'\n had no
part in him.. For though in all things elfc he wms like unto
man, it was with '* lin only excepted " Chrilt is fpoken of
as being white, ptlre, holy, as the eternal Father ; free from
all lin, in thought, word, or atSlion: as when he wastranf-
figured upon the mount, his garments bcctme by the fplen-
dour of divine glory fo white, that no fuller upon earth could
whiten it. So was his character at all tiuies fo ;ree trom all
impurity, that it was not polfibie for all the malice ot his
enemies to blacken it : many attempted it, but all their flan-
ders fell off from him in a inoment. Ke could appeal to his
enemies, " which of you convinceth mc of fm r" He could
appeal to his accufers. and by the bold integrity of his con-
fellion, force an unjull; judge to declare, " 1 find no fault
in him "
He is alfo ruddy, glorious, and beautiful, though once
marred more than any man, the contempt and fcorn of the
people ; yet when he (hall con.e again in the glory of his
Father, he fhall then be a perfe6t ilandard of perfedt beauty,
far exceeding our fiili parents when they came forth in all
the beauty of paradifaical innocence froin the hands of the
great Creator. Paul faw hiin anrl was (blcken blind by the
fplendour of his divine glory ; and whin the holy apoifle John
beheld him, " he fell at his feet as d -ad." Who can con-
ceive the'greatnefs of the glory that could caufe fuch an ef-
fect. How very beautiful mullChrifl be, when all things in
nature, beautitul as they appear in their prcfcnt degenerate
ffate, are but fparks of hi*< b-jauty by whom they were cre-
ated. All the glory and beauty we have ever feen, are but
fcattercd rays ot his glory : truly we may fay of him that he
indeed is the chicfelt among tenthoufands. How very highly
does
( 6 )
docs David fpcak of him in the xlvth pfalm, " Thon art
** fairer than tlie children of men : grace is poured into thy
*' lips : therefore God hath blcHed thee for ever. Gird thy
*' fword lipoii thy thigh, O mighty o-ie, with thy glory and
" thy m.ijtity : and in thy inajeih' ride profiierouliy, becaufe
*» of truth, and meeknefs, and rii^hieoiifntrs : and thy right
«» hand Ihall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are
" th.arp ii) the hearts of the King's enemies, whereby the
" people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God! is for ever
*' and ever; the fceptre of thy kingdom is a right fctptre ;
•« thou lovcft righteoufnefs and hatcit wickcdnefs; therefore
«' God thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladnefs
" above thy fellows." This is a glorious defcription of
llie King ot Gory. Life, wifdom, and power areafcribed
to the blelTed Redeemer. Whatever is excellent in the
whole creation he pofTelTes in his perfon, with a fomething
that they cannot polTtfs, incommunicable glory ; the meek-
nefs of a Chriftian is in him united wiih the Almighty
failhfulnefs of a God; the tender feelings of a creature;
the unbounded power of a Saviour; the humility of man-
hood, the infinite wifdom of deity, all that is amiable, all
that is defirable, all that is glorious, center in him. He
is altogether lovely ; he is the chiefeft among ten thoufand.
The fcripture never fails to point out unto us the failings
of God's heroes, whether they be in a Mofes, an Aaron,
or a David. It is the hook of truth and the book of God.
It ftridly records what has been without any partiality to
y man ; yet there are fomc chara£lers a^ainft whom
an
no
evil thing is recorded, becaufe no evil was tound in them by
their enemies. Though tlie enemies of Daniel perfuaded the
rerfian monarch to make a law to catch him that they
might put him to death, it. was becaufe fo great was his
uprightnefs, that they would not, with all their m;i1ice,
caft any other ftigma upon his chaiader, than that he
dared ra;her to obey God tlian ir.an No fault is meniiuncd
of the three Avorthies who had the courage to refill the cpm-
ihand of the great King Nebuchadnezzar in wovihipping his
golden image, though backed by oRVrs of pomp, wealth,
and earll)ly glory, or in cafe of rcfufal, to fufF-r a moft aw-
ful death. Neither was there any fault foimd in Samtiel,
the Prophet of the Lord; nrr in CaKb and Jofhua, his
faithful fervants. Thefe, and many other chara(!:^ers, the
fzcred waitings record no fault of. But great and glorious
as
( 7 )
as they were, as he that bnildcth an hoiifc is greater than
the houlc, fo JlTus, the i'wH and only begotten of his father
in his characlt-r uiiiteth all ihat was excellent in all their
charatlers, and is higher in excelling than the highell •,
fiircly, tl'.en, he is wortiiy to be loved!
He was likewife great in power to do good, he healed the
fick, he gave fight to the blind, he unltopped the cars of
the deaf, he caufcd the lame to leap like the hart, and fet
free the man whole body was enflaved by wicked demons;
he fi^ake and the tempcll hearkened to his won!, univcrfal
nature knew his voice, and by obedience to his will con-
telVed his fovercign power. But great as all thefe things
were, fome of them mankind have performed by his per-
miin(>n, and others have impioully pretended to perform ;
bnt there was one tiling bcyontl the imitation of man, fu-
perior to the boli'cd impiety ot wickednefs ever yet to pre-
tend to, that b'.'loiigcd to his charadler, in h.im dwelt the
fuUncfs of the Godhead bodily : artonilhing thought ! Who
can fully comprehend it r He had all wifdom. We know,
fay his Difciplts, that thou knowell all things. He fcarch-
eth the leins and the heart, and trieth out ail our wavs.
Omnipotence bclongeth unto him. The Father hath given
all things into his hands '* Thou hafl: given him," faith
he, " power over all flelh, that he might give eternal life
♦' to as many as thou had given him." " For he hath put
*' all tilings under his feet. But when he hath put all
" things under him, it is manifeft that he is excepted who
" did put all things under him." Here is then omnipotence
in the liands of Chrilt to the utmoft poHible extent, the eter-
nal Father being alone excepted. Om.nifcicr.ee likewife is,
■wherefoeV(.-r two or three are gathered together in my name,
there, faith he, am 1 prefent in the midfl: of them. If he
polTeiTed not this, what folly would it be to call upon his
name ? The Saints have it not, therefore p'-ycr to them
isufelefs; but Jefus is endowed with omnifcience, he is
therefore an ob e6l: of worfnip ; for which reaJon it is faid,
" Wherefore when he b.ingeth in his firfl begotten Son into
" the world he faith, and let all the Angels of God worlliip
** him; and this great this glorious Savioiir is our beloved."
Confid^r likewife his love to Hnners ; furely tjiis, to poor
guilty fallen creatures that lland in need of a Saviour, would
of itfelf alone, be fufiicicnt to engage our affcitions. To
us, indeed, he is the chicfeft among ten thoufand, none in
heaven
( 8 )
heaven or earth are like him. Who like him that dwelt la
imcreated fplcndour in the bofom of the Father, would have
laid by his glory, difrobed himfeit of his Ma elly, and
taken upon himfelf our fin, degraded nature, and atter fuf-
teriiig all polhble human evils at lad to die a painful,
Ihamcful, accurfed death for finners, for his finfid enemies,
his finfui, ungrateful, unjuft enemies. Was ever love like
this ? Human love can go no farther than for a man to lay
down his life for his friend ; and one poor folitary inltance of
this, in the cafe of Damon and Pythias, has appeared, to the
aftoniihment of mankind. Dionyfius, the tyrant of Syracufe,
had condemned Damon to death, and given him permidion to
retire to his own country to fettle his affairs, on condition that
he procured a perfon to remain in prifon, under the equal for-
feiture of his life, if he did not return by the appointed day.
Pythias heard the condition, unfoliciied he accepted the offer
and Damon was fet at liberty. The day arrived, Damon
had not returned, and Pythias was led forth to execution.
Surrounded by the guards, he walked with a Heady pace,
and contented air. The tyrant, upon a moving throne,
drawn by fix milk-white horfes, fat penfive and attentive to
th.e conducl of the prifoner, who came to the fcaffold, vault-
ed lightly upon it, and Ipeholding for fome time the appara-
tus of death, he turned with a pleafing countenance, and ad-
dreiFed the aflTembly :
" My prayers are heard. The gods are propitious ! Yon
<* know, my friends, that the winds have been contrary till
«' yeilerday. Damon could not come, he could not conquer
<* impjllibilities : he will be here to-morrow, and the blood
'* which is Ihed to-day Ihall have ranfomed the life of my
" friend. O, could I erafe from your bofoms every doubt,
*< every mean fiifpicim of the honour of the inan for whiom
*' I am about to fuffjr, I fhould go to my death even as I
<' would to my bridal! Be it fufficieut, in the mi;.m time,,
'* tliat my friend will be found noble, that his truth is un-
.«» impeachable, that he will fpcedily approve it, and that he
*< is MOW on Ills way, hurrying (ui, accufing himLlt, the
«' adverfe elements, and the gods. But I hafte to prevent
** bis fpeed. Executioner, to your office !"
As he pronounced the laft words, a buz began to arifc
among the remoteft of the people ; a diifant voice was hL-ard:
the crowd caught the words, and " Stop, flop the exccu-
" tion," was repeated by the whole all'embly. A nun came
at
( 9 )
at full fpecd. The throng gave way to his approach. He
was mounted on a ftecd covered with foam. In an inltant he
was oft' his horfe, on the fcaffbld, and had Pythias embraced
in his arms. Dionyiius heard, beheld and coni'idered all
with altonilhment. His heart was touched , — his eyes were
opened ;— he defcended from the throne; — he afcended the
fcafFold. — *' Live, live, ye incomparable pair !" Ue exclaim-
ed, ♦* Ye have borne unquellionable teftimony to the exiitcnce
of virtue, and that virtue equally evinces the certainty of the
exiftence of a God to reward it. Live happy, live renown-
ed! and, O, form me by your precepts, as ye have invited
me by your example, to be worthy of the participation of fo
facred a friendfhip.
But Chrirt: laid down his life for his cold-hearted enemies;
he died, the jult one for unjuft wicked men, to bring them to
God. The patriot dies fighting for his country, — he lays
down on the bed of honour, -he has with him fpe£lators of
his courage, — and death or vidory brings him immortal fame.
He knows that he iliall be honoured by his countrymen, and
that his very enemies fhall admire his courage; not fo Chrift:
He had not before him any expedation but of malice, out-
rage and contempt; and nothing but the power of faith,
which by giving, as it were, life to the hope fet before him,
could make him endure the horrors of the crofs, and de-
fpife its fhame, being fuppofed to be an impoftor, and as
fuch treated with the bitteieft revilings and cruel mockings.
It was a great thing in him to fuffer fo cruel a death, when,
by the leaft exertion of his power, he might with eafe have
dcftroyed a world in which fuch cruelties were permitted to
be adcd. under the facred name of J nil ice. We find it very-
difficult to bear trifles from each other and from mankind,
but let us never rnore dare to complain, let us learn to bear
fufFerings from Jefus. He was led like a lamb to the ilaugh-
ter, and as a iheep that is dumb before her (hearers, fo opened
he not his mouth. With patient dignity let us filently imi-
tate our mailer, looking forward to that period when we (hall
ftand before him as fovereign of the world, to receive a re-
ward at his hands.
The words of his mouth were fwcet. Kow fweet, how
eloquently perfuafive mult have been the words of that mouth
whicli could difarm the officers of the furious Pharifees that
came agaiiill him fuUof fiercenefsand rage; but he fo charm-
c«l them with the fweetnefs of his converfation that they went
C away
away without touching him, and told their mafters, never
man fpake like this man. It might be indeed metapiiorical-
ly faid of him, that he calmed the tigers, and the lions licked
his. feet. They not only retufed to perform the unjufl; or-
ders they had received, but even dared to bear alfo a meafurc
of reproach for his fake, for their mafters faid imto them, are
ye alio deceived?
How fweet are the words of his mouth to a poor heavy
laden foul, linking beneath the confcionfnefs of part: tranf-
grelTion, and dreading the awful indignation ot^ Jehovah
againfl: fui. *' Come unto ine all ye that labour and are
heavy laden and I will give you reit ; take my yoke upon
you for it is eafy, and my burtlien for it is light." '< Be of
good cheer," poor trembling iinner, " thy hns are forgiven
thee." O could I repeat unto you all his words that exprcfs
the univerfality of God's everlalling and unchangeable love,
I fliould indeed warm your hearts, and under a fenfc of the
gre^tnefs ot divine benevolence, and the vaflnefs of a Savi-
our's love, your fouls would indeed cry aloud, the words of
his mouth are fweet. We tremble at the wrath of the Al-
mighty from a confcioufnefs of the depravity of our nature,
and our many departures from the light of truth; but now we
behold that Jehovah by hiscondu6l has in our hearts exem-
plified the truth of his word, ** A gentle expreflion turneth
away anger, but grievous words ftir up flrife." We were
enemies to God by our wicked works, but the Son of Go4
has convinced us that by it we were enemies to ourfelves,
that God really hath always loved, and hath now, by the
gift of his well-beloved Son, convinced us of it. His good-
nefs hath led us to repentance, and being now become recon-
ciled to God, with joy of heart we confefs that hii words are
indeed fweet.
Yea, he is altogether lovely. Where has been the man,
but Jefus, of whom this can truly be faid ? Wherever there
is the fmalleft degree of imperfedion, that perfon cannot
be altogether lovely ; for there cannot poffibly be any thing
amiable in imperfection. Every human chara£ler is imper-
fect, but the weaknefs is paifed by, the error is loft in the
fiiperior exccKcncy of the traits that may belong to the per-
fon. In all charaders but that of Chriit, we may ir)ake a
debtor and creditor amount, and ftrike a ballance ; but in
him there is no poflibility of doing it : His charader was all
perfection : " He wus fairer than the fons of men, grace
was poured into his lips." He was no doubt lovely in his
perfon j
[ " ]
perfon ; even in his human body, there appears to have been
fomething particularly plcaling i for it is obferved, that as
he grew in ftaturc it was likewife in favour not only with
God but with men. How lively were his thoughts, they
were continually of peace and not of evil ; always feeking
what good he could do. How oppofite the character of
Chrift to that of Satan, his grand advcrfary ; the one conti-
nually going about to fee what evil he can do, whiKl it was
the bufinefs of our Lord to do good. His actions were al-
ways good, becaufe the principle upon which he performed
them was good. It was a principle of obedience, " 1 come"
faith he, '* not to do my own will, but the will of him that
fent me :" He therefore did the works of God. How good
is Jehovah, who caufcth his fun to rife and his rains to de-
fcend upon the wicked as well as the good ? How very bene-
volent is he, whofe tender mercies arc over all his works, —
who loveth not the death of a firmer, but had rather that he
would turn from his iniquity and live r The Father and the
Son were one, — Chrifl: was in all things like him: He tefti-
fied the greatnefs of his origin by the benevolence of his na-
ture. How amiable, how altogether lovely was his condudl!
Behold him weeping at the tomb of Lazarus ! See him mourn-
ing over Jerufalem, that was about to take away his life !
Look after him as he goeth to Calvary! Behold him com-
forting the mourners ! Hark ! he prayeth for his enemies !
" Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
He is indeed altogether lovely. How lovely was he on
the morning of refurre6lion, comforting the poor mourning
penitent Apoftle, and cloathcd in his refurredion body !
How lovely is he to the hopes of the believer, whofe expec-
tations are confirmed by it, whofe higlieft ambition is to be
like him, and who never thinks of the promifes made unto him
but by faith ; he looks back to the glorious defcription that is
given of his blefled Lord, and by the view is animated to
prels forward with frefii ardor in his courfe, — he runs the
race with renewed vigour, and by faith realizes future glory.
How lovely is he in his afcenfion ! Our friend, our bro-
ther, poficlfed once of like infirmities with ourfelves, and
therefore capable ot feeling for all our wants, and pains, and
cares, — he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and
ftands before the throne of his father forever, to make inter-
ceflion for us. Oh, how lovely, how altogether lovely is he!
C 2 fitting
( 12 )
fitting upon the throne of his glory, and protedting every
believing foul that cafts his care upon him.
If to us he is now fo lovely, only by the exercife of our
faith, how much more lovely will he be when we fliall be-
hold him as he is ? To you that believe, he is indeed precious
now ; but then fhall you fee him at the right hand of God,
and myriads of angels hearing his voice and proud to obey his
command :. All heaven fhall refound with his praife, and
glad earth from her poles re-eclio back the found! All na-
tions fhall then worfhip at his feet, and obey, with holy joy,
his will; then fliall the earth bring forth her increafe, and
God, even our own God, fhall blefs us, and all the ends ot
the earth fhall praife him ; then indeed fhall all know him
to be altogether lovely, perfed in beauty, fupremely excel-
lent in wifdom, power, and glory.
O my foul, do thou now love this Saviour! thou never
canft love him enough! thou canft not love him as he hath lov-
ed thee. Who could ever have thought that fuch perfe£lion
could ever have flooped to fo cruel a death, to redeem thee
from the punifhmeht due to thy crimes. May the thoughts
of fuch tranfcendent love melt my heart to tears, and caufe
my whole foul to overflow with gratitude at the confideration
of fuch unmerited tcndernefs, fuch enduring love. So great,
fo ardent, fo pure is his love, that it might melt an heart of
adamant. May it have upon our fouls its full efFe6l, that
we may believe in him, love him, obey him, and fo prepare
to meet him in his kingdom, and be for ever with him.
CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST SEKMON.
SERMON II
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN WINCHESTER.
[never before published.]
ISAIAH XXI. II and 12.
He calhlh to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the
night? Watchman, what of the night ? The watch-
man faid, the morning conieth, and alfo the night :
If ye will enquire, enquire ye : Return, come.
IF politicians can afTert that the liberty of the prefs is for
the happinefs of mankind, and ought not to be reftrained ;
I can with equal veracity affirm that the liberty of the pul-
pit is for the happinefs of fociety, and ought not, for the
welfare of mankind, to be ever curbed by any power upon
earth, if the charadlers of thofe who fill the minifterial office
are agreeable to the word of divine truth. They ought to be
unreftrained in their fpeech, that they may be able to fpeak
with the more boldnefs, fpeaking in the name of fehovah the
Lord of heaven and earth. In every country where this is
not the cafe, the legiflators are guilty of the blood of their
fellow-creatures, Ezek. xxxiii. 2. and 6. " If the people
*' of the land take a man of their coafts, and fet him tor their
** watchman : If when he feeth the fword come upon the
<' land, he blow the trumpet and warn the people ; then
'* whofoever heareth the found of the trumpet, and taketh
" not warning ; if the fword come and take him away, his
" blood fhall be upon his own head. He heard the found of
'< the
( u )
*' the trumpet, and took not warning, his blood fhall be upon
'* him : But he that taketh warning fhall deliver his foul.
" But if the watchman fee the fwordcome, and blow not the
** trumpet, and the people be not warned ; if the fword
** come, and take any perfon from among them, he is taken
*' away in his iniquity ; but his blood will I recjuire at the
** the watchman's hand." A watchman ought therefore to
have free liberty of fpeech, when he addrelleth a people in
the name of Jehovah ; and it is incumbent upon him to ufe
aright, without defiring or particularly attempting to pleafe
any body of people, or focieiy, or Ce^, or party whatfoever:
neither ought any fervant of the Lord Jefus Chrift to refpe£l
any man on account of his wealth, title, or power. Though
Herod, the mighty tyrant of Judah, heard John the Baptift
gladly, and did many things on account of what he faid to
him, yet how boldly did John reprove him on account of his
wickednefs in taking his brother Philip's wife. John muft
have known that his reproving him would occafion him to
lofe his life, yet the (olemn office of a fervant of the moft
high God, would not admit his parleying with fiefti and
blood; his duty muft be performed, the confequences muft
be left with his God. Neither ought any earthly afFedion to
permit them ever to hide the truth of God ; for the man who
loveth father or mother, wife or children more than Chrift,
is not worthy of him. 1 feldom can read without aftonilli-
ment of the boldnefs of the ancient Prophets in reproving
the abfolute monarchs of the earth. Witnefs the man of
God who warned the wicked king Jeroboam when he ere6led
an altar to his idols, that he might prevent the Ifraelites from
going up to worftiip Jehovah at Jerufalem. Behold Elijah
ftanding before the wicked Ahab ; or the poor defpifed Mi-
caiah making the fame monarch tremble left he fliould hear
the truth from him. With what almoft fupernatural courage
does Jeremiah fpeak to Zedckiah, and (hew him the awful
threatnings of the God of Ifrael that were ready to fall upon
himif he perfifted in his difobcdience to the warning voice.
Sometimes indeed their boldnefs coft them their lives, but in
general they lived to fee the fulfilment of their prophecies.
A man fpeaking therefore from the pulpit in the name of
God, ought to fpeak without reftraint.
Let us examine, firft, the words of the prophecy as they
ftand — the oracle concerning Dumah or Idumea.
The Prophet had been fpeaking of the nations that fur-
rounJed
( 15 )
rounded J udea, and foretelling their different fates, and tak-
ing no notice of any other nations in the world, but of fuch
as were contiguous to Jiidea, or fiich as the Ifraelites had to
do with. Edom had been from the going forth of the chil-
dren of Ifracl from the land of Egypt, one of the moft bitter
enemies the Jewi(h people had todo with: At their coming
up from their hard (lavcry in Egypt, inltead of comforting
them, they met them in warlike array, and refufcd them a
palTage through their borders to the land of Canaan, which
they well knew had been promifed to their fathers by the
God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. Notwithltanding the
very moving meffage of Mofes, they refufed them a palFage
although they offered to pay for the very water that they
or their cattle might drink ; and as then, fo to the end of
their being a nation, they rejoiced at every evil that befel
them, and continually fought opportunities to do them a dif-
fervice. On this wicked nation God had threatened deftruc-
tion, whilit on the Jewifli nation he only threatened fevere
chadifement, hut had promifed that they fliould exilf as a na-
tion while the fun and moon endured, Edom as a nation
has long fince been annihilated, vvhilft on the contrary the
prophecies have been ftridly fulfilled in the prefervation of
the Jewifh people, nor (hall all the combined powers of hell
and earth be ever able to dcftroy them. This accounts for
the ambiguous manner of this prophecy. — A melfenger, a
believing Edomitc, feems to be rcprefcnted as addrefTing the
Prophet, and fays unto him, *« Watchman, what of the
night ? Watchman, what of ths night r" hs much as if he
had faid, I know the wickcdncfs of my countrymen in paft
ages, and 1 kno-.v their prefent iniquity ; Jehovah has re-
peatedly threatened them with deflrudion. You, a Prophet,
Hand like a watchman, overlooking the enemies of the peo-
ple of God : you make known to the children of men that
which is coming on, that thofe who fear God may be prepar-
ed to efcape the impending vengeance. Say, O Prophet !
has the Lord God of Ifrael delivered you any melTage con-
cerning my country ? Isthemeafure of its iniquities yet
filled up ? May I venture to ftay in the land of my forefathers,
or mud I flee for my life ? The Prophet feems to anfwer, I
have no good news for your people ;— the threatenings of the
Moft High muft be accompliflied ; as a nation God hath
("worn he will deftroy them ; the morning of their profperity
is palfed, and the night of deftrudlion hafteneth on : 1 am
not
( i6 )
not now commiflioned to fix the time ; go your way therefore
in peace, and if you dill fhould wifh to know, come and
enquire at fome future opportunity.
In all probability, the enquiring Edomite, difmifled by
the Prophet in this gentle manner, returned home to his
country, and died in peace ; but the nation purfued its wick-
ed courfe, and after being frequently overrun by the furround-
irig nations, was at lad, in the time of the Maccabees, en-
tirely deftroyed as a nation, thofe who efcaped the fword
being incorporated with the Jewifli people ; and as not one
Chiiilian perilhed in the ficge of Jerufalem, I fhould fup-
pofe not one Edomite efcaped.
When this queition was afked, many things that had been
fotetold, then remained to be accomplifhed, which have now
long fmce been fulfilled. Full feventeen centuries have paf-
fed away fince vengeance has been poured out upon that na-
tion. A long, dark, gloomy night this has been to Edom,
and to many other nations, who were the enemies of the
children of Jfrael, according to the word of the Lord by the
prophet Jeremiah xlvi. 28. " I will make a fulfend of all
♦' the nations whither I have driven thee ; but I will not
** make a full end of thee, but corre6l thee in meafure ; yet
•♦ I will not leave thee wholly unpuniflied." The exiflence
therefore of the Jewifh people, amidft the defolation of all
the furrounding nations, is a wonderful iaftance of divine
providence fulfilling prophecy. They, like the Arabians,
have, according to the declarations of God, had the hand ot
all mankind agajnft them ; yet, in the midil of all, they have
been preferved, monuments of juft punifhment, divine faith-
fulnefs and mercy; whilil: all their perfecuting enemies,
however mighty they may have been, have one atter another
been cut off, and nothing is now left but the hiftoric page
to record that they have ever exifled; whilft their defpifed,
hated, oppreiled, feeble Oaies flili live, and fliall foon be ex-
alted from the (hmghil! of contempt and corruption, to prin-
ciples of virtue, to the knowledge of Chrift crucified, to a
throne of dominion, — to be princes and kings throughout the
earth. The intimations of God ought therefore not to be
flighted: Whatfoever he pronounces muft take place: His
purpofes fliall ftand, he will do all his pleafure.
Son of man ! faid the Lord unto Ezekiel, I have made thee
a watchman unto the houfe of Ifrael: therefore, thou fhalt
hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
When
( 17 )
When I fay unto the wicked, O wicked mnn tlioii fhalt
furely die ; if thou do(i: not fpcak to warn the wicked from
h.is way, that wicked man Ihall die in his iniquity, but his
blood will I require at thine hand. And as from the hand
of Ezekicl God would require the blood of thofe who might
perilh, if he did not warn them according to the word of
God, fo will God likevvifc require at the hand of every mi-
nifter the blood of thofe wfio may periOi through his unfaith-
fulncfs, if he warn not his flock when he fecth the fword is
coming; and this is not only applicable to an infpircd nief-
fengcr of the moil high God, but likewife to that minifter-
ing fcrvant who iliall be appointed by the people. But if
he blow the trumpet and warn the people, he (hall deliver
his foul. Happy indeed is that minilfer of the gofpel who
can fay with Paul, I am pure from the blood of all men,
for I have never omitted to declare, according to my knov/-
ledge, the whole counfcl of God.
Perhaps fome of you may fay to mc, Watchman what of
the night r Can you tell us what is coming on r Do you pafs
your time in vifiiing, trifling, finding fault, flander, idlenefs,
in vifitings, and labours of little or no conlequence ? Or do
you fhidv the times and the word of God? What can you
fay, O watchmen ! to dire6t us how to a£t ? 1 know that
fome of you will be ready to put fuch qucftions to me ; they
are folcmn ones ; may the God and Father of our Lord Jc-
fus Chrift write them upon my heart. I regard nor being felf-
condemn-d, le. all that is wrong in meperi!h ; daily would I
be grateftil for perfonal enemies; the falfthoods they aifcrt
teach me patience, and fliall foon be forgot; but the fevers
truths they tell, teach me to know myfeif ; they lay open my
faults, and put it in my power to corre6l my ways.
Paul, writing to yonug Timothy, exhorts him " to give
attendance to reading, to exhortation, to d.)6lrine; meditate
upon thefe things, give thyfelf wholly to them, that thy pro-
fit may appear to all. Take heed unto thyfelf and unto thy
d()<Srine, continue in them, for in doilig ibis thou i^ialt both
fave thyfelf and them that hear thee." He likewife exhorts
him *♦ to (tu.dy to (hew thyfelf approved un'o G(xl, a w ;rk-
man that needeih not to be alhamed, rightly dividing the
word ot divine truth." It furely is as great a dilerace to a
minifter of the gofpel not to be as ready to give an anfwer
concerning any part of the word of God, as it would be or
a counfellor at the bar nc/t to be able to anfwer any quelHon
at law that hh client might put to him. The lead that is
D incuui-
( i8 )
incumbent upon him, I's to have a general knowledge of every
liibjecl in the fcriptures ; he is continually to labour in the
vineyard of his mailer, and by night and day to pray to God
that he would crown with fucccfs the word he has to deliver.
And like Paul, the agt:d fervant of the Lord Jefus Chrift,
continually to fay unto others, " pray for us." Thefe are
the means by which a watchman ought to gain inlbu61:ion ;
every Chriltian might in this way daily grow in wifdom :
but a watchman is dedicated to the fervice of God, and in
his tiirre and all his employments ought to be feparated from
idlenefs and fm, that by purity, by diligence, by faith un-
feigned, he may with all wifdom divide the w^ord of divine
truth fo as to be able to give unto every man that portion he
nccdeth, approving himfelf unto the confciences of all men
that he is a workman that needeth not to be afhamed.
But fay you, " Watchman what of the night?" Yes, it
is night, a dark, gloomy night indeed! In the night coun-
terfeits pafs for current coin, the eye cannot fearch through
the falfe garb that covers them, but with the mofl: careful
iuvedigatiun. Is it not thus with doctrines? Row very many
counterfeits are there that pafs for truth amongfl: even pro-
feflbrs r Falfehoods- are received from father to fon, and
fpread abroad through the world for the do6lrines of the
Lord Jcfus Chrift. O that he, the Sun of righteoufnefs,
would arife, and with the bright beams of the millenium
morn chace away the clouds and darknefs of this night of
error and fuperftition ! then would be feen the full glories
of divine truth, and errors would difappear like the fliadcs of
darknefs before the morning light ; men would then fee the
beauty of the doctrines of the Lord Jefus Chrifl, and it would
be their delight to follow his teaching voice.
I am certain it is the night of Chriftianity, becaufe Chrif-
tians, like men travelling in the night, are apt to millake
each other, owing to the obfcurity of the night ; they know
not each other; tliey millake one another's charadlers and
.principles, and falfehood is taken for truth and truth for falfe-
hood. The man who makes bad coin is guilty, but that
man is not guilty who in a millake takes it for good ; he may
lofe by his carelellhefs or misfortune, but is to be pitied and
iM)t condemned. It is this miltaking of each other's princi-
ples atid charafler which leads them into difputes and wars ;
ih'^y fight under the banners of party, and often through
niiilakc unite the moll difcordant fentiments together to fight
sgainfl the truth. The boll of Chriftians united together
' agaiuit
( 19 J
againft the univerfality and reftoring power of all redeeming
love, is not nriuch (lillimilar to the va(l, unconncdWd, jar-
ring army which Xerxes ot old brought againll little Gixecc.
But I truft the believers in the univerfai loye of God will
oppnfe them, not with the weapons of carnal warfare, bur
with the word and fpirit of truth. Then let profefling
Chriftians through iniltake fight, rsge, and accull: \ tl-.c Chrif-
tian by his peace and humble walk v\ iih God will be up with
them,, for all their wrath will be call away ; and when the
day begins to dawn their adverfaries will fee their folly, will
condemn themfelves, and be alhan-icd before them. Then
Ihall the watchmen in Ifrael fee eye to eye, and an evident
diftindion will be vifible between him who fervcth God
and him who ferveth him not.
In the night ravenous hearts prowl about after ihcir prey j
bears, lions and tigers th^jn go forth in fearch of the unguard-
ed flock, or to feek an opportunity to evade the vigilance of
the fliepherd. In like manner, evil angels now prowl about
in fearch of their unguarded prey^ Thefe are dii^cult to be
encountered ; millions of creatures invifiblc to man, infer-
nal fpirits. Ephef. vi. 12. " For we wreftie not againft
flefli and blood, but againft principalities, againlt powers,
againft the rulers of the darknefs of this World, agaiiiii fpi-
ritual wickcdnefs in the high places." Thefc have ivo good
defigns towards mankind; thefe delight to tempt the chil-
dren of God to fm, that they may accufe them before the
throne of the Moft High, as they did Job of old ; but the
night fhall foon clofe, and they ftiall retire to their dens;
for when the day fpring from on high ftiail arife on the mil-
lenial morn, Satan and his holt (liall be call: into the bottoo)-
lefs pit, and be (hut up, and fealed for a thoufand years,
that he deceive the nations no more for a thoufand years.
-Evil men are likevvife compared to ravenous beafts ; they
compafs me about like dogs, fuiih the Pfalmift, 1 know it is
night by feeing thefe roam at large. Even in London, the
moft civilized city in the world, when I iicar men blafpheme
the Deity, and fpeak evil of the Mo(t fligh, or profanely
uf^e his name, imprecating curfes on themfelves or others it
furely is night ; was it day, the mouths of all would be full
of blcliings: but fm ftalks boldly abroa:!, fcarcely any daring
to condeinn her. If it was day the whole body of unjult
men, whether thieves or extortioners, or thofe who, while
they elude the eye of man by the outward appearance ot vir-
tue, but are fecn by the penetrating eye of Jthovult to Ls
D 2 unjuft
( 20 )
im'iift and defiled, defraiiding men by their weights and
meafures, by their deceit, cunning and fraud, of flie profits
of their labour, would be reformed; they would be con-
f uiuk:^ and aihamed of their iniquity, and would learn to
labour with their own hands, that they might become the
benefadlors of A^ciL'ty, a bleding to mankind.
Was it day, there would be none to rob man of what is
more valuable than his labour, his foul ; not only by falfe
dodrincs, but by inilamins{ the paffions and perverting them
from their proper end. Man was created for the glory of
his God, that by regulating the animated works of creation,
he might create around him univerfal harmony ^ but, alas !
how many are there who, inflead of feeing h their glorj to-
aflift their fellow creatures in the paths of -virtue, are never
pleafed but when they can, by inflaming their paffions, bias
them to all evil! O! it is night, dark night; a night aw-
ful with the fhades of vice which obfcure virtue. Recti-
tude of principle and of life are, indeed, but too little
known ; were it day, fin would fliew its horrid form, ini-
quity would be aihiimed of the uglinefs of its features, and
would flee trom the haimts of men ; iliould it exiil, it
•would be only in fecrct, leaft, Ihonid it be known, it (houlJ
be held up to the reproach and fcorn of mankind. Then
would truth and righteoufnefs flourilh; peace and joy would
abound, and earth would bring forth her increafe, and ( -od,
the tender parent of all, would pour down his blcflings
upon mankind
Was it day, men would fee their true interefts ; then there
would not be heard the roaring of cannon, nor the found of
the trumpet to prepare the army to battle. Once fmce the
formation of man ihere was a glimpfe of light, a faint re-
fem>blance of the brightnefs of the millenial day, under So-
lomon the miighty, the wealthy, the wife ; and, during
the time he obeyed God, the good. Man then lived happy,
and praifed God, the author of every good and perfc6l gift ;
riches flowed in upon them fo abundantly, thnt through the
plenty of gold, filver was a metal but lightly elfccmed Men
lived then in fafiity, every one fitting under his own vine
and fig-tree, enjoying in peaceful content the kind bounties
of the God of tiature. Before that happy reign, and ever
fmce frequent wars have impoverijlied the nations, and
kept this earth comparatively, a dcfert uncultivated wilder-
refs. Was the money that has been fpent in wars fince
the time of our Saviour only, to have been fpent in cnlti-
vatiiiLT
( 21 )
vating the arts of peace, the whole world wouki have been
a gaidt-ii, and a lumdred limes its prefent inhabitants would
have been able to i ave eninycd not only tlie conveiuencies
but likewife the luxuries of life ; but war has defolated the
world, and made the earth barren. But they that fhall live
when tITii. niiiht of defolation fhali cloft , (h:;ll fee the Prince
of Peace, who fhall di'jiel the clouds of ihife and conten-
tion, and caufe war to be no more; then every man fhall
indeed enjoy the bounties of Jehovah, none daring to make
him afraid.
But what time of the night is it ? the fourth and laft
watch : f(Jon Ihall it ciofe ; and he who fhall remain, if
amonglt the faints of God, (hall hail with holy rapture the
coming of the Melhah in the c'ouds of heaven in power .and
great glory. Then indeed fliall the day break, and the
fun fhall arife in all 'he fulncfs of divine 'uitre. whilfl the
clouds of ignorance, fuperflition, talfehood and vice fhall
vanilh at the fplendor of his appearance. The appointed
time for God to favour Sion is not far off; good news to
the nations of the earth, Chriff will foon appear to put an
end to the night of vice and opprefilon, and on you that
fear his name the Sun of righteoufnefs will arife with heal-
ing in his wings. I hail the day ! and through faith with
joy behold the wonderful things God will do for the chil-
dren of men when Jefus fhall lit upon the throne of domi-
nion, and rule with the fccptre of righteoufnefs all the na-
tions of the earth. Then fhall the vallies be exalted, and
the high places be brought low, the crooked fhall be made
{trait, and the rough places fmooth, and all nations fhall
behold the glory of God.
The meanb by which thefe changes fliall be brought about
are earthquakes ; ihey are the inllrumcnts God will make
ufe of to level the mountains and exalt the plains ; they
fhall turn the ffreams of living waters into the dcfart and
make the wildernefs to look gay, and bloom with the rofe, the
box, and the myrtle ; they fhall fcatter plenty through the
fandy defarts of Arabia, and cover the uncultivated wilds
thereof with the lovely charms of vegetation. In thofe flays
Ihall men learn wifdom from the Son of God ; they fhall be
well acquainted with nature, and (hall adore the name, of Je-
hovah, and magnify him for all his works.
How very different is this from the prefent Rate of things !
yet glorious and beautiful as the world will then be, the
brightncfs of the millenial day mufl clofe in a fliort but
awfidly
( ^2 )
awfully dark night to fome, but the brighteft of all days
to others, to fuch as have palled to the regions of glory ; they
fhali fee no more night ; but thofe whom Satan has deceived
fhall, in the height ot their folly, go up againft the Lord
and furround the camp of the faints. Then fliall indeed
the lafl: and mod dreadful of all nights come up«n them,
when the judgment (ball be fet, and the books fhall be open-
ed, and angels and men be judged by Chrift ruid his faints.
Then fhall the thunders roar and the lightnings flafh, wliiUt
the earthquakes Ihake and burft the lolid ground, and from
all parts volcanos fhall pour forth their melted lava and de-
luge the globe with flaming defolation ; then fhall the earth,
and all that is therein, be burnt up ; the lovely farm, the
well-built city, the houfe of prayer, yea even the temple of
Jehovah fliall yield unto the fury of the all devouring flame.
Then fhall the wicked bewail their tranfgrellions. when all
this world fhall be turned into a lake of tire and brimffone.
At that awful moment, of what ufe will be tlie riches of this
world, its pomp, its power, and all its carnal pleafures,
when all Nature fhall be melted into one fiery ruin, and the
niighty ocean fhall itfelf.be turned into flames? Awful
night indeed ! night illuminated onlv by the glooriiy flames
of hell !
How dark and gloomy muft be the ideas of thofe who
fuppofe this night mufi: be perpetual, that all its gloomy
horrors fliall never end ; ideas fufficient to flrike a terror
through the foul, and vail our brighteft hopes, and caft a
cloud over the mofl exalted of our expeiffations. But a day
fhall break upon the eyes of mankind brighter than as yet
ever has been, a day that never more fhall end. I faw, fays
the Revelator, a " new heaven and a new earth ; for the
firfl: heaven and the firfl earth were pafied away, and there
was no more fca." It muft therefore be of the fame fubftance
as this our earth, but of a diflerent form, not having on it
any fca ; a glorious place it will be, the habitation of righ-
teoufnefs; "for the tabernacle of God Ihull be with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they Ihall be his people,
and God himlelf fhall be with them and be their God."
*' And God ihall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and
there fliall be no more death, neither forrow nor crying,
neither fhall there be any more pain, for the former things
arc paired away ; and he that fat upon the throne faid, be-
hold, 1 make all things new."
Is
( 23 )
Is not this do6lrine ftamped with wifdom, power, and
goodnefs, and agreeable to the benevolent command to pray
for all men without wrath or doubting ? He that has given
the command will fulfil its prayer, and Chrifl; fhall fubdue
all things unto himfelf, and then refign his mediatorial king-
dom to the Father, that God may be all in all. And when
he has thus become to his creatures, night fhall for ever ceafe,
and there fliall be light without darknefs and day without
night. O, then, cry unto God and give no reft day or
night until he has eftablilhed Sion, and made her a glory
and honour throughout the whole earth.
EKD OF THE SECOND SERAION,
SERMON
SERMON III
?Y THE LATE
ELIUNAN WINCHESTER.
[nF.VER before ruCLISHED.]
DANIEL VII. 9 and lo.
/ hsheld till the thrones were cafi down,, and the Atic'ieni
of Days dul Jit, whofe gaj'ment was white asftiow,
and the hair of his head like the pure wool : his throne
was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as hurning
fire. A fiery fir earn iffued, and came forth from he-
fore him I thoufand thoufands miniflred unto him^
and ten thoufand times ten thoufand flood before him :
the judgment was fet ami the hooks were opened.
*T^HE prophecies of the Prophet Daniel are fhort, but they
-*■ are very important, for they contain the outlines of moit
of the events thai have as yet happened, or that (hail happen,
from the time that he delivered them until the fecond coming
of the Lord Jcfus Chrilt, when his prophecy ceafcs. So
very particular has Daniel been in fomc parts of his pro-
phecy, that feme have alferted that it was written after the
events had taken place ; but however Individuals, who love
not the truth, or who, being too idle to examine whether
thefe things written therein be fo or not, may have endea-
voured to invalidate thefe prophecies ; yet we, who believe
in the word of Revelation, are convinced that they mulf be
truth, becaufe we know that in this prophecy all that Daniel
foretold is not yet accomplilhcd, but is now going on, as
\vc
(■ 25 )
we itiay daily behold, if we are not wilfully blind to the
accomplilhment of prophecy, and fhall continue To to doj
till the whole is fulhlled. Tliis book contains only tvvelvtf^cj
chapters, yet the learned Bilhop Newton declares that he '
had been (jbliged to (hidy fcveral hidories to explain a fmall
part of it, fo full, yet fo clear, and at the fame time lb con-
cife, is the revelation of the things that were coining to-
pafs that was given to Daniel.
This prophc^cy appears to have been given unto Daniel ia I
a vifion of the night, in which the dream of the prophet, >
under the direction of the fpirit of God, made known thofe
things unto him which he was about to perform ; and the
holy man, taught by the word of God, knew it to be pro-
phetical, and recorded it for the inflru£lion of believers in
after ages. '< In the firO: year of Belfhazzar, King of Baby-
Ion, Daniel had a dream, and vifions of his head upon his
bed : then he wrote the dream and told the fum of the mat-
ters, Daniel fpake and faid, I faw in my vifion by night,
anxl behold the four v.inds of the heavens (trove upon the
great fea, and four beads came up from the fea, divers one
from another. The firft was like a lion, and had eagles
wings ; and I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked,
and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to Hand upon
the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it." The
defciiption of thefe beads are fo very appofite to the empires
they were to reprefent, that it is no very difficult tafk to ap-
ply them. " The firft w^is like a lion." The Babylonian
empire, which if not formed by Nebuchadnezzar, was fo
much increafed under his reign, that il was like a new em-
pire, of prodigious extent, added lo the old one : it was
flrong, exceeding powerful ; like a lion overcoming all the
other empires with which it contended ; mighty as the
lion in the day of battle, and fvvift as the eagle in the rapi-
dity of its conquefts. But the \vings thereof were plucked,
when Nebuchadnezzar, the great and mighty Monarch of
Babylon, afcribed the glory due to the King of kings unto
himfelf : when he forgot that which Daniel had before told
him, that Jehovah, " the Moft High, ruleth in the king-'
dom of men, and giveth it to whomfoever he will, and fct-
tcth up over it the bafeft of men." When forgetful of his
dependence upon this overruling God, Ncbuchadnfzzaf
exclaimed, in the pride of his vain glorious heart, " Is not
this great Babylon that I have built for the houfc of the
kingdom, by the might of mv power, and for the honour
E of
( 26 )
of my Majefty ?" Then were his wings plucked, his dig-
nity was taken away, his power vanifhed like the mifty va-
pour before the folar ray, when there fell a voice from hea-
ven faying, " O Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is fpoken, the
kingdom is departed from thee, and they fliall drive thee
from men, and thy dwelling iliall be wiih the beads of the
iield ; they fhall make thee to eat grafs like oxen, and Ceven
times fhall pafs over thee, until thou knoweft that the Mod
High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom-
foevcr he will* The fame hour was the thing fulfiled upon
Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men, and did eat
grafs as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of hea-
ven, till his hairs were grown like eagles feathers, and his
nails like birds claws." Before this he had been like a fe-
rocious beaft, delighting in carnage and death ; but now,
when recovered from this humiliating ftate, how altered ! a
man's heart was given unto him ; he had fufFered, and he
now ceafed from fm. Love to God guided his ways; and
as it particularly manifefls, or at leaif ought to manifeft
the charader of the man in contradidlion to that of the beaft,
he with his lips glorified Jehovah, and with his tongue made
confeffion of his name. How changed was the great and
mighty tyrant Nebuchadnezzar ! He who had proclaimed,
that whofo fell not down at his command and worfhipped
his golden image, fhould be caft into the midft of a burning
fiery furnace : Behold him now, the meek, the humble man :
at the end of the days allotted for his fufFering, hear him re-
cord in all the dignity of royal language, and yet with the
piety of a fervant of the living God, ** I, Nebuchadnezzar,
lift up mine eyes unto heaven and my underftanding returned
unto me, and I blefTed the Moft High, and I praifed and
honoured him that livcth for ever, whofe dominion is an
everlafting domininon, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are re-
puted as nothing, and he doth according to his will in the
army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and
none can flay his hand, or fay unto him what doft thou ? at
the fame time my reafon returned unto me, and, for the
glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightnefs returned
unto me, and my counfellors and my Lords fought unto me,
and I was eftablifhed in my kingdom, and excellent Majefty
■was added unto me." Wonderful change indeed! furprifmg
alteration! No longer the felf-willed tyrant of mankind,
proud, haughty, and overbearing, fcattering nations and
{ i? )
overturning of kingdoms. No longer boafting of his power,
but afcribing unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name.
Now, faid he, Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praife and extol
and honour the King of Heaven, all whofe works are truth
and his ways judgment, and thole that walk in pride he is
able to abafe."
And this facred truth, not only this haughty Monarch,
but all the vain glorious fons of pride fhall, like him, confefs,
*' the Kings of the earth that are upon the earth, and the
hofl: of the high ones that are on high." Every tyrant who
rules over the children of men for his own glory, and only
intending his own individual advantage, whether he be Lord
over a family or the Monarch of nations, he fhall with Sa-
tan, the head of the atrial principalities and powers, " be
fhut up in the prifon, but after many days they fhall be vi-
fited." ♦' At the end of the days" of their judgment, a
heart of fledi fhall be given unto them ; their reafon fhall
return ; their honour, and their brightnefs, and excellent
Majefty fhall be added unto them ; and they fhall praife, and
extol, and honour the King of Heaven : they fhall own all
his works to be truth, and his ways judgment; and fhall
rejoice in the glorious efficacy of that power which they
now know is able to abafe thofe that walk in pride.
** And behold another beaft, a fecond, like to a bear, and
it raifed up itfelf on one fide, and it had three ribs in the
mouth of it between the teeth of it ; and they faid thus unto
it, arife, devour much flelh." This was the Perfian em-
pire, which, in extent of dominion, was much greater than
the Babylonifh monarchy which had preceded it. It was
like a bear, blood-thirfty and cruel ; of which hiftory gives
very many horrible inflances. It raifed itlelf up on one
fide, or into one dominion, by Cyrus, at the head of his
Perfians, who, at the conqueil of Babylon, was a fubjed
to the King of the Medes, and general of his army ; but
afterwards, upon his death, became Sovereign, and raifed
the Perfians above the Medes, and denominated his prodi-
gious extent of dominion by the name of the kingdom of
Perfia. " It had three ribs in the mouth of it between the
teeth of it \ and they faid thus unto it, ♦* Arife, devour much
flelh." Sir Ifaac Newton, and Bifhop Chandler, with great
probability, explain thefe three ribs, as being the three king-
doms of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which were conquered
by the Medes and Perfians ; and, like ribs, ferved to Itrengthcn
that vaft empire. They were likcwife io the mouth of the
E 2 bear.
( 28 )
bear, between its teeth, being very nnich opprefled by the
Perfians.
And they faid unto it, « Arife, and devour much flefh."
All hiflorians who have defcribed the Perfian monarchy,
fpeak of it as greedy ot blood, delighting in cruelly, exercif-
ing, witiiout the torm of law, the power of lite and death
over their fiibjeds ; pulling off the fkin of men Avhiie alive ;
and for the individual offence of one man deftroying a whole
neighbourhood. This dominion was the moft cruel of any
r.ver exercifed ; the reading only of their punifliments ftrike
the foul with horror.
' ** After this I beheld, and lo! another like a leopard,
•which had lipon the back of it four wings of a fowl, the
leaft had a!fo four heads ; and dominion was given to ir."
This beaft reprefented the Grecian einpire, which was firfl:
formed by Alexander, furnamed the Great, as the leopard is
fmal! compared with the lion and many other of the favage
race ; yet he is remarked for the audacity of his courage,
which often leads him to contend with animals vaftly his fu-
perior in firength. So Alexander, though inferior to num-r
bers in ft:;tiiie and ftrength, at the head of only about thirty
thoufand Greeks, ruHied upon, and overcame the Perfian mo-
narch, at the head of hundreds of thoufands of his braveit
troops. This heart had upon the back of it " four wings of
a fowl," denoting the impetuofity of his flight, in twelve
years Aibjugating to hiinfelf great part of Afia, part of Eu^
iope, and part of Africa. ** The beafl had alfo four heads,"
reprefenting the fom- Captains of Alexander's army, who
Ihared his extenfive dominions among them ; *' and domi-r
nion was given to it." Well might the Prophet obferve,
** the Moft High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth
it to whomfoever he will." It is God alone is the firft caufe
of all fuccefs ; it is true, that he makcth uf'e of means in ger
neral ; but how very feldom is it that human forefight would
think the ineans adequate to the end. What man, who had
never witnefTcd the progrefs of vegetation, could fuppofe the
mighty oak, whofe branches fpread wide over the plain,
could ever have iprung from tjie contemptible acorn ? Or
what politician is iliere, that would not have cond^inned the
fchernc of Alexander, as the extreme of rallied madnefs, in
-atempting, with a few thoufand Macedonians, to overthrow
the wide-extended Perfian monarchy, full of troops, troops
•which only waited the nod of their fovereign, that they
raight march onward to conquefi, gr to death ? But it was
not
( ^-9 )
not of man to gain dominion, but of God, to give it accord-
ing to his plealiirc: as Lord of the Univerfe he has a right to
dilpofe of the government thereof; and he doth difpofe of
them, in judgment, or mercy, as to his infinite wifdom feems
bell, none daring to fay unto them, What doeft thou ?
" After this i faw in the night vifions, and beiield a fourth
beaft, dreadful and terrible, Itrong exceedingly, and it had
great iron teeth : it devoured, and brake in pieces, and Itamp-
ed the refidue with the feet of It ; and it was divers from all
the beads that were before it, and it had ten horns." 7 his
beaft reprefented the Roman Empire, which was, indeed,
*' dreadful and terrible ;" no kingdom was before, or has
been fince, fo exceedingly ftrong, or whofe threats were fo
much dreaded by every other (late. The name of a Roman
made the nations to tremble. We may obferve the terror it
llruck amongit the nations, from what is recorded of Paul,
the prifoner, bound, and about to be fcourged, he cries out,
*f Is it lawful for you to fcourge a man that is a Reman, un-
condemncd? ' The centurion, terrified at the adion he was
about to have performed^ flew wiih anxiety to hio Comman-
der, crying, *' Take heed what thou doelt, for this man is
a Roman !" Wherever the Romans came, they with the edge
of the fword devoured the nations, removing their youth, the
ftrength of the nation:-, into their armies, and fending them
to fight their battles at the fartheft part of their dominions ;
they likewife brake in pieces all the ancient forms of govern-
ment, and by the vail: extent of their dominion, might be
almoft called the maftcrs of the world. " And it was divers
from all the beafts that were before it ;" divers in extent of
dominion, in form of government, and in its political po-
licy as well as duration.
** And it had ten horns," which, as explained by the angel
at the 24th verfe, are " ten kings that fhall rife,*' or, as the
phrafe in Scripture language implies, ten kingdoms ; of
which Machiavel has given us the names, i. The Oftra-
goths in Mxfia, 2. The Vifigoths in Parmonia, 3, The
Sueves and Alans in Gafcoigne and Spain, 4. The Vandals
jn Africa, 5. The Franks in France, 6. The Burgundians
in Burgundy, 7. The Heruli and Turingi in Italy, 8. The
Saxons and Angles in Britcin, 9. The Herns in Hungary,
10. The Lombards, at firft upon the Danube, afterwards in
Italy.
" I confidered the horns, and behold there came up among
them another little horn, before whom there were three of
the
( 3<^ J
*he firft horns, pluckt up by the roots." The leanied Bifliop
Newton fuppoies thefe to be the exarchate of Ravenna, the
kingdom oi Lombardy, and the ftate of Rome (for further
particulars, fee his very excellent Diifertations on the Pro-
phecies). ** And behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes
of a man," denoting his cunning and forefight, and conti-
jiual vigilance to promote his own intereft ; "and a mouth
fpeaking great things," explained afterwards by the angel,
" he (hall fpeak great words againfl the the Mod High."
And what power has, under the pretence of religion, fpoken
fo much againft the truths which infinite wifdom has caufed
to be recorded for our inftrudlion. In ages part he has af-
Xumed the title of God, God's vicegerent upon earth. He
has taken upon him, under this name, to overturn empires,
dethrone kings, and trample upon the necks of Emperors.
He has fet nations in confufion, and by the dint of fuperfti-
tion, through the power of his interdi6l, caufed the dead of
the nations to lie unbuned, who have dared to refufe to pay
obedience to his will.
" I beheld till the thrones were cail down." Nothing can
/hew the wonderful patience of the Deity, more than his
long forbearance with this fourth monarchy, and its ten de-
fcendants, through long fccnes of violence, iniquity and per-
fecntion, from its firft rife, and under all its variety of forms
of Government, to the prefent times. Leaft Chriftians over-
whelmed by their fufferings, tired out by the long continued
perfecutions of Heathen and Aniichriftian Rome, with the
dodrines of Chrill obfcured by unreafonable fuperftitions,
and interefted devices of mankind, fliould be attempted to
give up their faith, and ftop fhort in the purfuit of that
Crown which they were called to ftrive after: Jehovah be-
fore hand, fliewed himfelf the Governor of the univerfe ;
foretelling thofe things that were coming on for many ages.
He declared, that tliis little horn, *' fhould wear out the
faints of the moft high." Whofoever has read the perfecu-
tions of the papal powers in France, in Germany, in Mora-
via, as well as in this coimtry ; cannot but fee, how the
power of Ai'itichrift has worn out the faints of the moft
high. Millions have been put to death, by every fpccies of
tortute, independent of ftill greater numbers who had been
caft out to want, wandering about as the outcali of fociety,
of whom the world was not worthy. When we confider
thefe things, it is not to be wondered at, that God has
taken up fo large a portion of the Scriptures, in foretelling
the dcftrudion of this power.
" I beheld,"
( 31 )
"I beheld," fays Daniel, "till the thrones were caffc
down." The ten thrones into wiiich the kingdom of the
fourth bead was divided; I beheld, I looked forward and
faw the downfall of the Roman Empire, and beyond it ;
even to the hurling down the ten thrones, or kingdoms
which had been ereclcd upon the ruins of that Empire; I
beheld them caft down ; their dominion deltroycd, that union
of church and ftate, wliich had made the name of Chrif-
tianity, governed them by principles contrary to the fpirit
of Chriftianity ; by worldly motives, of wrath, of pride, of
malice, of pomp, of felfilh carnality and worldly minded
craft; inftead of meeknefs, gentleneis, and love,; ufing the
perfuafive arguments of the fvvord, and legal penalties ; in-
head of the perfuafive eloquence of a holy life and convcrfa-
tion ; of facred truth, and the demonftrative power of the
fpirit of Gods I beheld them, fays Daniel, all call down ;
the whole Antichriftian fyflem deftroyed, trampled undcr
foot, the vengeance they had exercifed upon tiie faints of
tne Moft High came home to themfelves ; and they, being
unfupported by the fpirit that was in Chrift,' were fwept
away by overwhelming dellrudtion. The angel fays to John,
in the Revelations, fpeaking of this period, " Come out oi
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her fins, and that
ye receive not of her plagues ; for her fins have reached
unto Heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Re-
ward her, even as flie rewarded vou, and double unto her
double, according to her works : in the cup which ihehatli
filled, fill to her double, &c. &c. Rejoice over her, thou
Heaven, and ye holy Apoflles, and Prophets, for God hath
avenged you on her." Yes! we ought to rejoice over the
fall of Anti-chrift ; they who have iluin the Saints of God,
God will revenge their caufe, and cut their perfecutors off
from the earth, he doth avenge common murder. ** Whr ff>
fheddeth man's blood, by man (hall his blood be fhed." How-
much more will God avenge himfclf upon them who have
dared to deftroy his people r What had before been fhewcd
to Nebuchadnezzar in the vifions of the night, under the
form an image, is in this chapter exhibited to Daniel, un-
der the forms of four favage beads, defcribing the nature of
thofe great monarchies, which were to arife from the time of
Daniel, and to continue t-U tlie fecond coming of Chrift ;
and were till then to be the perfecutors of the Church of
God whether Jewifh or Gentile.
After this follows the fublimc and majeflic defcription of'
Tchovah,
( 32 )
Jehovah, as given in our text. " The ancient of days did
lit." Not our blelTedLorl, but the Eternal Father; the
God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. For
it is faid ver. 13. '* I faw in the night vifions, and behold
one like the Son of Man came in the clouds of Heaven ; and
came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near be-
fore him." They would not have brought Chrift near to
himfelf ; there could not be any greater than Chrift to whom
Chrift could be brought, to receive dominion ; it muft there-
fore have been the immortal God, the Father of our Lord
and Saviour Jefus Chrift.
God had long fince fpoken by the Prophet, faying, Jen
xii. 7. *' I have forfaken mine houfe, I have left mine heri-
tage, I have given the dearly beloved of nny foul into the
hands of her enemies. Judgment having been executed by
him upon his houfe, the Prophet here reprefents him as com-
ing back with mercies to his people ; and fitting upon the
throne of judgment, to execute vengeance upon their ene-
mies. Hov/ awful were the judgments they had executed
upon the Saints of the Moft High! Rev, xiii, 17. " No man
might buy or fell, favc he that had the mark, or the name of
the beaft, or the number of his name." Under the Anti-
chriftian power this was literally fulfilled.
*' The ancient of days." The eternal Godhead is defcribed
by this appellation ; he who was before all days, time itfelf
having fprang forth from his eternal exiftence ; he is the God
of all ages, ruling with uncontrouled fu^ay, all times and pe-
riods ; and therefore is juftly called the King and God of all
the ages. He is the felf-exiftcnt, the firft of all beings. He
fat upon his throne, and his ** garment was white as fnow."
David, fpeaking concerning the Deity, faith, Pfalm civ. 2.
«' Who covereftthyfelf with light as with a garment." When
our blefted Saviour was transfigured upon Mount Tabor, his
garment, through the brightnefs of the light of the glory of
God, became white as fnow, fo as no fuller upon earth could
•whiten it. " And the hair of his head like the pure wool,"
denoting its purity, its brightnefs, and its perfection. " His
throne was like the fiery flame," fhewing the greatnefs of
his wrath againft the tranfgreftions of mankind. *' Our God
is a confuming fire" againft fin ; who then can approach the
fiery flame ? Who can dwell amidft the overflowings of his
furv, when he (hall arife to take vengeance upon the un-
godly, and to cut off tranfgrcflbrs from the earth ? ** His
wheels as burning fire," fublime, awful defcription of th«
fwiftncfs
( 33 )
fwlftnefs of his power, when he fliall come to punifh tranf-
greffion. " A fiery (tream ilhied and came forth before
him," ready to deftroy his enemies. How foon at his woid
were the powers of nature unchained, and the ftreams ot h's
fire, in overwhelming torrents, poured forth upon Sod 'tn and
Gomorrah ? ^nd how foon, at his command, Ihall the inun-
dating fiery torrent turn the mountains, hills, vallics, and (eas,
into one va(l burning lake? At his word, in a moment, fire
Cometh forth to devour his enemies, as he did Dathan :ind Abi-
ram of old ; or as when it came down at the requeft of the
prophet, and dtftroyed the captains and their fifties Fiie,
in the Scriptures is reprefented as one of the dreadful infl u-
ments to execute the judgments of God. God hio^fulf is
compared unto fire, and we know as little about the nature
of fire as wc do about the nature of God the firli caufe of ts
exiftence. It is in fa£l one of the grandcit ftcrets in nature.
God, the immortal Father, is in Scripture called by the name
of fire." ** Our God is a Confuming fire." The Son of
God is called '* the light of the world i" and the fpirit of
God is compared unto wind : ** The wind bloweth where it
lifteth, and thou hearef^ the found thereof, but cand: not tell
whence it cometh, and whither it goeth : fo is every one
that is born of the fpirit." The fire will not burn withoit
the air, and without fire there cannot be light ; they are all
dirtindl from each other ; the imay;ination of man may di-
ftinguiOi them, but his utmoft art cannot feparate them.
How av/fully grand is the attendance of Jehovah in the
courts ot Heaven ! Millions of intelligent, angelic beings
continually rniniftring unto him ; a thoufand thoufand rtood
waiting upon him, whilil ten thoufand times ten thoufand
ftood before him. 1 do not think thefe numbers are given
as being exa6t, but that, on the contrary, they reprefent the
immenfe multitude of the attendants upon J-.hovah as being
innumerable. John the Revelator faw in like manner the
throne of God, and fays that the nimiber of them who attend-
ed before him, ** was ten thoufand times ten thoufand, and
thoufand of thoufands, faying with a loud voice, Worthy is
the Lamb that was (lain to receive power, and riches, and
wifdora, and (trcngth, and honour and glory, and blelling."
The number of God's fervants in the univerfe are not a few ;
if we cotild fee aright, we fhould fee their nimiber far greater
than we can now conceive ; the numbers of the creattires of
God are perhaps as innumerable as the drops of water in the
pcean ; his power is infinite, and the number of beings he
F has
( 34 )
has created, are known only to himfelf. And though fo im-
menfe in multitude, he knows the number of the hairs upon
the heads of each of them ; his knowledge extends to all
their concerns, nothing is fo vaft as to be above his care, nor
fo mmute as to be beneath his notice. When we contem-
plate the invifible world, it yields to the Chriflian one con-
tinued ftream of holy joy, he feels delight ariling from the
thought that the number of pure and happy' beings that love
and obey his God by far exceed the multitudes of thofe that
are ignorant of him, or in rebellion againft him. I cannot
-but think that moral evil never reached any part of the crea-
tion, but that fmall part where we dwell. This earth and
its airy atmofphere are the regions to which the hoft of fallen
angels and men are confined. Thefe are the regions of dark-
nefs, over which Satan ruleth in the hearts of the children of
difobedience. Wh n Satan and his hoft firft fmned, this was
the Tartarus to which they were confined in unknown chains
ofdarknefs; and when this world was created, and man,
the appointed Lord of it had rebelled, power was again given
to "atan over all confined to this lower world. I think this,
becaufe Chrift could never die but once, and he died upon
this our earth. Upon the fuppofition that all the moral evil
that had crept into the creation was confined to this world,
it was wife, it was kind in God, to fend his only begotten
Son into this world to die, that by his death he might reftore
the who!e creation to its original perfection. But if evil ex-
ifted in any other part of creation, there alfo Chrift tnuft have
died, or the love of God could not have been made known
unto them as it has been made known unto us; and the love
of God, therefore, would evidently appear unequal, by not
going forth equally in tender mercies unto all his works :
therefore, as God fent his Son here to die, to mc it is evi-
dent, that here was the only place of moral evil ; and here
Ihall it be confined till all are reftored to the image of God,
their maker ; then may the creature be trulted any and
every where ; but rebels and traitors are not to be truftcd
out of their prifon bounds. Holy angels may be permitted
for wife purpolcs to come here, but impure beings, like
men and devils, cannot go to thein , becaufe God <will have
moral evil confined to its prefent bounds, until it is totally
eradicated : thofe who have ftood virtuous under temptation
may fafely be permitted to vifit the abodes of vice ; and fee
the horrid effedls of it, and contraft it with that happinefs
which themfelvcs experience from their own feparatioa from
all
( 35 )
ail evil, {o that the curfc of fin oiirGod will finally turn into
a blelling ; a blelling unto them who learn from the fad ex-
perience of others, and a blefling unto them who, having
luffered, have ceafed from fin, and now profit by th.cir own
pad experience.
The angels arc fwifter than light : it is computed that the
fun is about 90 or 100 millions of miles dillance from this
our earth; we know how long the beams ot lit!;ht are coming
from that far dillant orb to this our lower world, but an angel
travels far quicker.
With womrrous fpeed the loiar beams, \\k<i thought.
He Iwift outflics.
The moment a command is given from the throne of Je-
hovah, his fwitt-winged meflenger is on this our earth to
execute it : how often has a righteous man in danger called
upon God, and found that in a moment he has fent his angel
to deliver him. When we confider the almofl: innumerable
dangers with which the unprotcdled infant is furroundtd, we
cannot pollibly account for fo many growing up to years of
maturity, but for the interference of thofe heavenly melfen-
gers. who, as our blelled Lord faith, always beholding the
face of his heavenly father, are in the moment of danger fent
by him for their deliverance. We find, indeed, in the loth
chap, of Daniel, that there was an interval of three weeks
between the prayer of Daniel and the anfwer being given to
that prayer; but we are likewife informed, that from the
fird day that Daniel chaftened himfelf before his God, and
fet his heart upon the underftanding his promifes, that his
word was heard, andjan angel fent in anfwer lo his prayer; but
the evil angel, who had the ear of the King of Pcrfia, with-
ftood him for twenty-one days : this, indeed, is a curious anec-
dote, illurtrating the condii6l of Providence in the govern-
ment of man by the inllriunentality of invifible agency.
How fwift and powerful are the enemies of mankind. In
one night an angel flew one hundred and eighty thoufand inen ;
on another memorable occafion, in one night all the fir(l-born
of the whole nation of Egypt were defiroycd. If the crea-
tures of God, the minillering fervants that execute his will,
are fo mighty, how wondertul in power mull he be who
formed themr Tremble before the great and terrible Jeho-
vah, the God of the whole earth ! Tremble before hiin, ye
fons of men, reverence his name, nor dare to difobey his
commands.
F 2 But
( 36 )
But the angels of God are the guardian fpirits of maa~
kind; our Lord fpeaks of the guardian angels of infants;
the maid fcrvant, in the Ads of the Apoftles, thought {lie had
ften rhc ai'gel of Peter; Paul fays, " Are not th^y al: mini-
ftciing fpirits fent forth to minifter unto thofe who are the
heirs ot lalvatioii r" Jews and Gemiles had the fame idea
of them ; and Ihall v^e, who ^all uurftrlves Chriuians, boldly
di card fiich tratlitional evidence, when fupported by the au-
thority of the Word of Truth r
There are i( me who have formed the flrange idea, that
all the r.ngelsot G('d were at one time men ; but this is an
ii-npoflibdiiy, tor all the human beings that have ever been
bcrn into this our world would not amount even to the num-
ber of thofe angels who Itand before the throne of God=
Comp re the Pfalms, ifaiah, Daniel, and the Revelations,
with the glorious fight which Jacob faw when he called the
place Mahanaim, the hoif, from the number of the angels
that he beheld ; and likewife Bethel, the houfe of God, from
the glorious angelic aitendants of the imir.ortal Jehovah, who,
obedient to his voice, afcended and dcfcended, uniting earth
to the manfions of Heaven. Whenever we wander from
Scripvuie, we may imagine any thing ; but whllll we en^
deavour to guide even our thoughts by it, though through hu-
man weaknefs we may err, never can we Ifray tar from the
legions ol tru'.h ; from Scripture it is evident the angels are
a fuperior order of beings, polfelTcd of vaft power, and know-
ledge, and love ; and yet fo humble are they, as to be happy
in being appointed by God to minilter unto mankind; and,
more particularly, io attend upon thofe, who by faith have
become the heirs of falvation.
'* The judgment was fet ;" not that lad judgment men-
tioned in the Revtiaiions, when, *• the fea Ihall give up the
dead which are in it, and death and hell iliall deliver up the
dead which are in them ; and they fnall be judged, every
man according to his works." Judgment doth not take
place until atter the millenial reign of Chrift, and the
tecond rcfurndion ; but the judgincnt that Dar.iel fpeaks of
is that which takeih place atter the thrones are cait down,
and our blell'td Loid ihall appear the ftcond time, when he
fhall come in the glory of his father and his holy angels,
without fin, unto falvaiion : for Daniel fays, '' I faw in the
r.ight tifions, and behold! one like the Son of Man came
with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the ancient of days,
and they brought him near before him, and there was given
him
( 37 )
him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom ; that all people*
and nations, and languages (hould fcrvc- him : his dominion
is an cvtrlal\ing dominion, which Ihall not pafsavvay, and his
kingdom that which (hall not be dcltroycd." It is therefore
evident, that this jvudgrnent taketh place at the fccond coming
of Chrilh prior to the millcnial reign ; tor the kingdom of
Chril^ upon earth, is contraltcd with the other great monar-
chies that had preceded ; tbcy were to have ♦♦ their domi-
nions taken away," but his dominion was not to pafs away ;
from various caul'es their kingdoms were brought to an end,
but the kingdom of Chrilt was to be that kingdc^m which
was to fwallow up every other kingdom, and was not to be
dcdroyed by old age. or furrounding enemies. On the con-
trary, it was to lalt through the niillenial age. and when that
was clofed, it was ftill to go on fubduing all its enemies, un-
til Chrift, having fubjugated every enemy to his government,
deftroytd even a defire to rebel, conferred peace, joy, and
righteoufnefs, upon s'll intelligent crtatures, it Ihould, in the
full zenith of its power, in the meridian fplendour of its
glory, be refigned into the hands of the immonal God, and
pafs away, not by dcftrudiion but into increafed glory, into
never-ei.ding felicity. Thus we find the circumftances, ths
time, and the place, are different in this judgment from that
mcniiontd in the Revelations. That this jiid^^ment was fet,
or appointed, to give the Son of God dominioji over the earth,
when he ihall come to reward all his fcivanis according to
their works ; and give rewards unto all that fear his name,
both great and fmall,
** And the books were opened ;" the books of God's re-
membrance, wherein is recorded the upright condu£t ot
his faints^ Malachi iii. 16. •• A book ot renxmbrance was
written before him, for them that feared ihe Loid, and that
thought upon his name : and they fliall be mine, faiih the
Lord of HoUs, in that day when I iTiake up my jewels ; and
I will fpai'e them, as a man fpareth liis own fon that ferveth
him." The condu^ of the faint of God may be forgot. en
by themfelves, but it i.'^ never forgotten by God ; no doubt,
the virtuous condudl of Mordecai was forgotten by hinifclf ;
contented w ith having done his duty, he had no thoughts of
reward, but a book of rtniimbrance was kept before the
King, and upon its being read, it was found recorded that
which he had done ; and the confequence was, that his ene-
my, the man who fought his life, and the deftrutSlion of his
whole nation, "vvas appointed like a tr.enial fenant to array
hira
( 38 )
him with regal pomp, and walk, proclaiming before him,
** Thus fhall it be done unto the man whom the king de-
lighteth to honour." So Ihall it be in that dav, the book of
remembrance (hall be opened, and even the gift of a cup of
cold water to a difciple of Chrift, becaufe of his being adif-
ciple, fhall be mentioned to their praife ; then (hall royal
robes be given unto them ; they (hall be confidered askings
and priefts unto God : then (hall their enemies fee, and be
adonKhed, and with holy reverence proclaim before them;
thus (hall it be done unto him whom King Jefus dclighteth
to honour ; no more (hall flones and reproach be cafi: at
them, but the nations (hall fhout before them, Kofannah to
him that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Then (hall no good w^orks be forgotten, the forrows, the
reproaches they have borne, and all their labours of love,
fiiall be brought to remembrance ; our God will then open
his book, and every work of obedience fhall be brought to
light: well pleafed at the recolle£lion of them, the guardian
angels of the faints (hall fay, For this, and that, and the other
a6ts of obedience, no honour has been done unto them ;
now (hall they be honoured for their good confeflion, before
men and angels, according to the promifes made unto them
by him who is the true and faithful. He will prove to them
the awful truth of that faying, " Vengeance is mine, and I
will repay, faith the Lord." Yes, Jefus the Mediator (hall
come as Judge, and (hall not keep filence ; he will caufe the
books of remembrance to be opened before his friends and
enemies ; then fhall the good deeds of the one be abundantly
rewarded, and all the evil deeds, even to the hard fayings of
the other, (hall be brought againfl; them.
Confider the majefty of God ; what an awful fubje6f is
this? What are the monarchs of the earth compared with
him? He treads upon princes like worms, and the nations
of the earth are but like grafshoppers before him. Baxter
very juflly obfcrves, that monarchs are but as the great
worms of the earth, and their fubjetSts the little ones, before
God. When, indeed, we think aright of the majefly of
God, and our own littlenefs, we mulf be hutnblcd at the
thought; we muft reverence, we niuft obey him. Shall not
God employ our thoughts ? What ful»jc6l fo worthy of them
as he, our Creator, our Prefcrver, our Reitorer ? What fub-
jed fo grand as the niaje(ty of Jehovah, before whofe pre-
fence the nations are as nothing, and lighter than vanity.
Confider the juftice of God! He rcv/ardcth every man ac-
cording
( 39 )
cording to his works ; he is juft in all his ways ; the Judge
of all the earth will do right ; he is no refpecler of perfons,
but out of every nation, he that fcurcih God, and doeth
righteoufnefs, (hall be accepted of him. He has patience,
and long forbearance ; he is not in hafle to punifli ; judg-
ment is the Itrange work of Jehovah ; but though (low in
the execution ot his threatcnings, yet, unlcfs prevented bv
repentance, his jurtice will repay ; the jiill retribution oi
God is fure ; it overtakes every guilty and unrcformed man,
and will likewife overtake every proud, uiijult, cruel na-
tion : long did he forbear with the ante-deluvian race, with
the Canaanites, with his fervants the Jews, with all the na-
tions of the earth. Oh ! how long has he borne with the de-
filiating powers of Antichrift ; he has permitted them, in his
aftonilhing forbearance, to fpread confulion, ilaughter, and
death, for twelve hundred and fixty years over his Church,
but the days of his patience are exhaulted ^ I will arife, faith
my God, 1 will pour out my vengeance upon their iniquities ,
no longer fhall their guilt, their pride, their oppreflions, their
cruelties, be hidden ; I will demolilh every power that pro-
tedteth them ; 1 will give them blood to drink, for they are
worthy.
It is a dangerous thing to be the enemy of God ; he waits
long before he is willing to correal ; he lovcth not the for-
rows, groans, and pains of his creatures ; but he loveth ur- ;
happy we cannot he unlefs we love him ; we cannot love
him unlefs we are acquainted with him ; to know him is not
pollible, whilft wrath, malice, and felf-will continue; if,
therefore, we will not lay them all at his feet, and follow
Chrift, we mull in this life experience afflidion ; fhould we
efcape it, flill life is Ihort ; and if we are found enemies to
God by wicked works, what fhall we have to endure? It is,
indeed, a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living
God, for our God is a confuming fire ; he can deftroy both
foul and body in hell. O! then, love the Lord your God ;
blefs the hand that leads you to the knowledge of his falva-
lion. O! examine your hearts, and try yourfclves if you
are his enemies, or if you love and fear his name ; if your
heart boweih down to his jullice, obeycth his commands, and
longeth for the coming of Chrift: if you do thefe things,
calm refignation fhall fill your fouls with peace ; happy ftiall
you be here, and happy fhall you be in the kingdom of your
Lord.
LND OF THE THIRD SERMON.
SERMON IV
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN WINCHESTER.
[never before published.]
MARK XIV. 29.
The Son of Man indeed goeth, as it is izrifien of him j
hut wo to that man by zvhom the Son of Man is be-
trayed ; good -were it for that man if he had ne^uer
been born.
THIS pafTage of Scripture has been thought by fome to
be the ftrongeft that could poffibly be brought againft
the dodrine of God's univerfal and efficacious love ; I think
there areftronger pafTages than this, though noobjcflionsfrom
Scripture or reafon can be brought fufficiently ftrong to be
called unanfvverable ; but, on the contrary, a little refle£tion
will, without many words, convince any candid and unpre-
judiced mind, that thofe very paffages, or arguments, will,
without any diftortion of them, be eafily made to prove the
truth of that dodrine they were brought to condemn.
The fm of Judas was exceedingly great, let his motives
have been what they might ; forthegreatnefs or fmallnefs of
a fm depends not on the enormity of the ad, but on the mo-
tives that led to it; the killing of a man may be juftifiable
felf. defence ; the wounding of a man may, on the contrary,
be the compafiing his death, murder! both by the laws of
God and man. Three motives are generally afcribed to
Judas as the caufe of his condu6l : ift. Malice againft the
Saviour for fo frequently dilUnguiOiing him in his difcourles,
and at lad pointing him out in the piefence of the reft of the
difciples
f •" )
iJifciples as tlie individual pcrfon who fhould betray him. It 15
' faid, from that time the Devil entered into Judas : like Satan,
inftead of corrciling his bad principle, he gave up his whole
foul to revenge, aiiddLtermiiicd lodeftroy the carthlyexiltence
ot his mafter, becaufc that malKr knew the depravity of
his heart. If this motive for the condudl of Judas could be
eftabliOied, it would prove the bafeil motive that could poffi-
bly have aduated him, for it is a great crime to imagine the
death of any one, a greater to endeavour to put that imagi-
nation in a way to be compleated ; this is malice prepenle ;
by the laws of every civilized nation, it would be called wil-
ful murder.
2. The next motive afcribed to Judas, is avarice; this
they fay is demonftrable from the epithets which arc applic(i
"to him, a devil, a thief, and from his bearing the bag. I
fufped much the truth of this mofl: commonly recei\ed mo-
tive for his condudl ; had he been a thief, or a covetous man,
\vould he have been trufted with the bag which contained
that which was to fupply all their wants ? Our Lord needed
not that any one fhould tell him what was in man, for he
read the heart, and would not make any one to Cm by put-
ting them into an office where the temptation was greater
than they, from their peculiar propenfity, could have re-
fifted ; he was not the tempter of men, but their Saviour, and
came not to deftroy the fouls of men, but to feek and re-
ftore that which was loft. If avarice had caufed Judas to
betray his mafter, when we confider how wealthy a party
he had to deal with, the Sadducees and Pharifees, the rich,
the mofl: opulent men of the nation, is it not reafonable to
fuppofe that he would have made a demand of wealth equal
to his avaricious difpofition, but how trifling was the fum
he required, thirty pieces of lilver; it appears from the
fmallnefs of it, that avarice was not, could not be his motive.
I remember that many years fince I read a book which 1.
have not from that time ever been able to meet with, this
book laid down a motive for the conciud of Judas which to
me appears to be the mofl: rational and conliftent with the
reft of his condudl of any motive whatever that has fince
been afcribed unto him, and this motive was ambition ;
Judas appears to have poirciled a very large portion of that
ambition which the reft of the difciples exhibited in their
conducSl on various occafions ; they all appear with the reft of
the Jewifh nation to have expedcd that the Mediah would
become at that time a Saviour unto Ifrael from the hand of
G th»
( 42 )
the Romans. They could not behold him firfl: crucified,
and then exalted to the right hand of God, to have all power
cr'iven unto him both i-^ Heaven and in earth, that at the time
appointed by the Fa .er he might come in the clouds of
Heaven, attended b}- ti r- Angels of God, and the Spirits of
the Juft made perf^-cL to take unto himfdf the dominion of
the earth, and fi .iing peculiarly as King upon the throne of
David, through the Jewifh nation, to govern all the vi'orld:
.hence arofe the contempt of the Jews for the mean appear-
ance of Jelus, and hence followed frequent difputes who
Ihould be the greateft in the promifed kingdom amiongft them
who belioved on him, hence they expe£led that he would foon
caff off his difguife, and Ihew the glory of his character to that
nation who would have repeatedly made him King, and to
the temporal exaltation of his faithful difciples. Led aftray
from the path of duty, through this principle of ambition,
I conceive Judas to have been, when he- betrayed his mafter:
many were the timics in which Judas had feen that all power
was given imio Chrift both in Heaven and in earth ; be had
feen the winds obey his voice, he had likev;ife beheld that
creative pov/ers belonged unto him when he caufed the lopt
off limbs of the maimed to fhoot forth anew, as like wife
when he fed the multitudes; he had known him when led
to the brow of the mountain to be cafl. down headlong, ftrike
thofe enemies with temporary blindnefs, and unnoticed walk
through the midft of them ; the miracles that he performed
muft have convinced him that the Father loved him, heard
him always, and granted him whatfoever he afked ; he had
heard Jefus declare that he was the promifed Mefilah ; the
hope of the ancient Patriarchs; the J^on of God ; the King
of Ifrael : feeing all rhefe things, having a heart filled with
ambition, doubtlefs he both hoped and expedled that when
he had betrayed his Lord into the hands of the Pharifees, his
mortal enemies, that whcr. they attempted to defl:roy his life,
he would arife and fhake himfelf as .uoretim.es, and take
unto himfelf, by the great nefs of his j-jwrr, that dominion
■which, by inheriiance, as alfo by prornifc, belonged unto
him, that his nation fhoijld then have \h. government of the
world, and his apoRles, according to the promife made them,
fhould fit upon twelves thrcnes, governing the twelve tribes
of Ifrael. Doubtlefs he rv: . r.;.d thus within his own mind,
three years have I followrd my Lord, and notwithffanding
his repeated declarations that he is the Mefliah, and the va-
rious manifcftxtions of his divine power, 1 am no nearer the
poiTeilion
( 43 )
pofTeflion of the promifed kingdom than I was the firfl day »
what can I do to make my Mailer aOlimc his real cliarader»
fhew his power, and take unto himfclf hi.^ great glory r For
this purpofe I will betray him into the hands of his enemies,
I know their rage and malice againft him ; when they at-
tempt to execute their wicked purpofcs, he will, with a
word, ftrike them dead, and then take the government upon
his fhoulders and rc't^^n from Tea to fea, and from fliore to
fhore, anil from the banks of the fwelling Jordan to the ut-
niofl coafts where the raging ocean dathes the rocky ram-
parts ot the earth ; my Lord knows the htart of his faiihful
fervant, he loves me, he will perceive that the defire of his
exaltation was the caufe of what I did, he will pardon my
zeal, and knowing that it was not hatred to his perfon,
character, or office, but love to him, and anxious longing
to behold his glory, I fliall eafily perfuade hini to forgive
me, and on account of my fuperior anxiety in his caufe, be
exalted to the higheft place of honour in his kingdom,
becaufeby my means the prophecies have been accomplilh-
ed, therefore I (hall be received into the greatell favour,
and have the higheft honours coi ferred upon me.
That which renders this motive the moll probable is that,
when Judas faw all his expedations difappointed, his mafter
led like a lamb to the fiaughter, and inftead of frowning
awful terror, beheld him arraigned at the unjufl: tribunal
of wicked men, meekly fubmitting to all their fcoffings,
fpittings, and contempt, faw him fcourged, crowned with
thorns, and led forth to be cruciiied, he appears to have
been aftonifhed and rcgardlefs of danger; he manifefted his
forrow by hurrying to the priefts, confefling his guilt, return-
ing the reward of his iniquity, and when all would not undo
that which his impatient ambition had done, the violence of
his grief flrangled liim, as I think the paflagc might be ren-
dered xxvii. 5. in Math, which fays, that he hanged himfelf,
particularly as the circumftance mentioned by Peter of his
falling down upon his face, and his bowels gulhing out,
feems to confirm it, there being inftanccs of very violent
grief occafioning fuch a fuffocation.
Great indeed was the crime of Judas, if it went nofmther
than the betraying innocent blood ; when we confider the
difference between a ftate of guilt and a ftato of purity, we
may indeed fay, with our Lord, good were ii for that man
had he never been born. But with how much greater pro-
priety may it be faid, when we confider the perfon of him
G 2 whom
( 44 )
-whotYi he betrayed, his friend, his Lord, the King of Ifrael
the Son of God. Let his motives have been ever fo pure
the awful confequences {hould teach us never to do evil that
good may come, for however we may plead the excufe be-
fore men, the time will come when, with anguifh of foul
and confufion of face, we Ihall own our condemnation to
bejuft. Judas did thus; how painful were the feelings of
his heart, how bitter his refledlions. I have finned, in that
I have betrayed innocent blood: how did he curfe his folly
when thofe who tempted him to evil replied to him, what is
that to us, fee thou to it. Overpowered by the reproaches of
his own foul, groaning under the profpedl of the crucifixion
of his beloved Lord, the violence of his grief overpowered
nature, his inwairds fwelled, his breath was flopped, fufFo-
Cation enfued, he fell down on his face, his fwollen carcafe
burft, and his bowels guflied out — awful ftate! Behold the
inen who defpifed his Lord pafs by the bleeding carcafe, and
whilft they approve the deed he had done, curfe the doer of
it, and brand his name with traitor. Better indeed had it
"been for him had he never been born ; better, far better from
the womb to have palled to peace and joy; ignorant of evil,
to have gone to thofe peaceful abodes where the wicked can
never trouble, and where no contending paffions ere diftur^>
the peaceful breaft.
But v/hen we confider the perfonal confequences it was of
to Judas. He had laboured for three years in the vineyard of
Chrift, and would have had his name, but for this offence,
enrolled amongft the ambaffadors of Chrift, and after a few
fhort years of trial, would haye relied from his labors, walk-
ing in his own uprightnefs, till the coming of Chrift in
glory, then would he have come with him to be high feated
on a glorious throne, to reign with Chriftj and fit as a
Judge over a tribe in Ifrael. But oh! how altered was his
Situation by this offence! his apoftlefhip taken away, the
glory within his reach by one falfe ftep removed, inftead of
a fulncfs of approbation for integrity of condud, confufion
of face at the fight of his maftcr would now clothe his coun-
tenance with fliam.e ; add the perfonal confequences that
Jceep rifing one above another as the effcdls of his fin, and
>ve fhall find no need for endlefs never ceafing flames to juf-
tify the faying of our Lord, good had it been for this man
Jiad he never been born, for then would he not have tanta-
lized himfelf with the profpecfl of glory, to have funk into
fuch defpair and horrors of mind that the tongue of man
( 45 )
cannot defcribe : but unfullied by ambition, and iincon-
taminatcd by fin, his fpirit would have departed from the
womb to the realms of peace, where forrow could never
have clouded his brow, where imagination could not paint
ideal profpe6>s in all the beauties of the garments of trutli,
that they might vanirti in a moment, and leave him to the
horrors of defolaiion, whilfl: refle6lion painted, in dcepeft
tints, the vilenefs of ambition and ingratitude.
Without bringing in the awful ideas of endlefs, tmceafing
punifliment, there has b^cn even in the woes of this life
fomething fo painful to the feelings of the mind, as to caufe
even good men to wilh they hail ncer been born ; and that,
although they were aifured of their Creator's favour, and
were confident of happinefs after death. Holy Job, 3d
Chap, fpake and faid, *• Let the day perifh wherein I was
born ; and the night, wherein it was faid, There is a man child
conceived. Let that day be darknefs. Let not God regard
it from above, neither let the light fliine upon it. Let dark-
nefs and the fliadow of deaih flain it ; let a cloud dwell upon
it ; let tt>e blacknefs of the day terrify it, &c. becaufe it
flmt not up the doors of my mothci 's womb, nor hid forrow
ifrom mine eyes. Why died I not from the wotnb ? Why
did I not give up the ghofi: when I came out ot the belly ?
Why did the knees prevent me, or why the breads that I
fliould fuck ? For now fhould I have been Itdl, and been
quiet, I fhould have ikpt, tiicn fliould I have been at reft:
with kings and counfellors of the earth, which built dcfolate
places for themfelves : or with princes that had gold, who
filled their houfes with filver : or as an hidden untimely-
birth I had not been ; as infants which never faw the light.
There the wicked ceafc from troubling : and there the
weary be at reft. There the prifoners reft together, they
hear not the voice of the opprelTor. The fmall and the
great is there, and the fervant is free from his mafter."
Again, in the loth Chap, v. 18, Job expreftcs the fame
thought that it would have been better for him never to have
been born. •' Wherefore then haft thou brought me forth
out of the womb ? O that I had giveii up the ghoft, and no
eye had feen me ! 1 fliould have been as though I had not
been. 1 fliould have been carried from the womb to the
grave." Yet, was this man afraid of endlcTs mifery ?
Although the day of rcfurredion is at our door, compara-
tively to what it was in his day, yet where is the beft of
men in modern times that exprelfes himfclf with a ftronger
'■' • • confidence
( 46 )
confidence of faith In his corning, who fhall reward every
ipan according to their works, and give rewards to all that
fear his name, both fmall and great. ** I know," faid he,
«• my Redeemer liveth, and he Ihall (land at the latter day
upon the earth ; and though after my fkin worms deftroy
this body, yet in my flefh fhall I fee God, whom 1 fhall fee
for myfelf ; and my eyes ihall behold, and not another,
though my reins be confumed within me." And fo great
was the holy man's confidence in the goodnefs of his Creator,
that he cried out, *' Though he flay me, yet will I truft in
him :" yea, fo confident was he of the integrity of his condu6l,
that he could appeal to the all-fearching eye of the all-feeing
Jehovah for the truth of his innocency ; and could fay,
*' He knoweth the way that I take : when he hath tried me,
I fhall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his Heps,
his ways have I kept and not declined ; neither have I gone
back from the commandment of his lips. I have efteemed
the words of his mouth more than my neceflary food." It
is therefore evident that he had no allufion to endlefs mifery,
yet he wifhed that he had never been born, and that whilft
he had before him a certain profpc^t of a glorious refur-
rection, and a prefent convidion of the integrity of his
ways, with the full approbation of Jehovah to the whole of
his conduct ; for lie never retraced any part of his former
sffertions, but thofe in which he had dared to call God to an
account for his condudl towards him ; therefore, without
.fearing future punifhment, good men may wifh they had
jiever been born.
We, in like manner, find the holy prophet Jeremiah,
20th Chap, expreffing himfelf in furalar language ; he had
fufrered but one night's imprifonment^ and inftead of con-
fidering that thofe who fufFer for well doing the fpirit of
God, and of glory, refteth upon thtm, he foolifhly charged
the Moft High, ** O Lord ! thou liafl deceived me, and I
,am deceived ; thou art flronger than I, and haft prevailed ;
I am in derifion daily ; every one mocketh me. For fince
I fpake, I cried out, I cried violence and fpoil : becaufe
the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a
derifion daily. Then 1 faid, I will not make mention of
,him; nor fpeak any more in his name. But his word was
in my heart, as a burning fire fhut up in my bones, and I
■was weary witli forbearing, and I could not flay. For I
heard the defaming of many, fear on every fide : report,
(fay they) and we will report it. All my familiajs watched
fcr
( 47 )
for my halting ;^ faying, Peradventure he will be enticed,
and we fhall prevail againft him, and we will take our re-
venge on him. But, the Lord is with me as a mighty ter-
rible one : therefore my perfecuters fliall ftiimble, and they
fhall not prevail ; they fliall be greatly afhamed, for they
Ihall not profper ; their concealed iTiaaie fliall not be for-
gotten. But Jehovah of Hofts, who trieth th5 righteous,
•whe feeth the reins and the heart, I fliall behold thy ven-
geance on them, for unto thee have I opened my caufe.
Sing unto the Lord, praifc ye the Lord : for he hath de-
livered the foul of the poor from the hand of evil doers."
Here we behold the ailurednefs of the prophet in the favour
of his God ; he was certain, fully confident in him, in whoni
he believed ; he well knew that he would never leave hitn
nor forfake him ; he looked beyond tlie prefent moment; he
faw his enemies alhamed at their part condu6l ; he beheld
the arms of the Almighty Jehovah around him for his pro-
teflion, and ftriking terror into his foes ; yet, whilft the
majefty of his proteder caufes him to burfl: out into a fong
of praife, even then, at that moment, he lihewife cried
out, <* Curfed be the day wherein 1 w^as born ; let not the
day wherein my mother bare me, be blelfed. Curfed be
the man who brought tidings to my father ; faying, A man
child is born unto thee, making him very glad. And let
that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, and
repented not ; and let him hear the cry in the morning, and
the fliouting at noon tide. Becaufe he flew me not fron; the
womb ; or that my mother might have been my grave, and
her womb always great with me ; wherefore came I out of
the womb to fee labour and furrow, that my days fliould be
confumed with fliame r" Here then fcripture explains ii-
felf, and demonftrates that our Lord had not in his idea at
the time a thought concerning the endlefs mifery of Judas,
for we may obferve that the language of our Lord is always
a comment upon the Old Teftament ; and in this fpeecii
concerning Judas, he ufes an Old Tellament plirafe, a
phrafe which we have ihewn that two good men (ifed, men
who were the fervaiits of the Lord, who were h.is peculiar
favourites, approved of by the Searcher of Hearts for the
integrity of their condu£l, and the perfeflion of their obe-
dience ; yet they, with a certainty of the divine protedlion,
and the full alliirancc of f\iture happincfs, on account of
prefent trouble, wiflied thev had never been born.
That
( 48 )
That which man efteemsa happinefs, as,being th€ fourc*
from whence pleafure flows, is various, according to the
circumftances in whicli mankind happen to be. In the days
of our Lord, when fociety was about to be deftn-yed by-
divine judgment, it was a blefling to have no children, to
have no tie v/hatever that might impede their flight from the
awful troubles which, like an inundating flood, was about
to overwhelm the Jewifli nation ; but in the days of Solo-
mon, when the kingdom was blefled with peace and tem^joral
profperity, that wife prince pronounced him to be a happy
man who was blefled with long life, much wealth, and
many children. This was the middle age of the world,
the moft glorious period it has ever yet known, when the
fons of Ifrael, the firfl: born of God, were governed by the
wifeft; of men, even by him who was a type of the Prince of
Peace. Yet hear, ye Chriftians, what this great, (and 'ere
he fell Into idolatry), this good man hath faid, Ecclef. vi.
V. 3. *' If a man beget an hundred children, and live many
years, fo that the days of hii years be many, and his foul
DC not filled with good, and alfo that he have no burial, I
fay an untimely birth is better than he." What would ye,
who believe in Chrifl:, think of that man, who, after having
lived many years in the enjoyment of the bounties of Provi-
dence, and been the parent of an hundred children, and yet
ihould be difcontented and unfatistied with the good that
God had given him, and unwilling to lay down this frail
body in the duft, from whence it firfl: came ; and who,
after death, (hould not have the honours of an elegant fu^
ncral, would you think fuch a one had better never to have
been born ? Would you not think the blefllngs of Provi-
dence .infinitely fnrpafled the petty honours of a leaden
coflin, a hearfe and fix, cfcutchcons, feathers, and all the
little pomp that attends the burial of the great r I know you
would. You look for glory — for immortality. You be-
lieve that the power of that God, who hath raifcd up your
blelfed mafler, i« capable of coIIeiSling the fcattered frag-
ments of your fratne from the four winds of the heavens,
and of reuniting them, after the fample of the glorified body
of Chrifl Jefus. Yet, fays the great, the wife, the infpired
Solomon, '* I fay an untimely birth is better than he, for
he Cometh in with vanity, and dcparteth in darknefs, and
his name fliall be covered with daiknefs." And what would
this be to you, if your name is written in the Lamb's book
of life J Let darknefs and total oblivion cover your name
from
( 49 )
from the memory of the fons of men, fo you but have it
honoured by your Lord, before his holy angels, and the
fpirits of ju(t men made perfe6l ; grateful for ihe blefTings
you have enjoyed, you dare not to fay, with Solomon, That
the man who hath poficlfed fuch a fuper-abundance of the
bouiuies of Providence, " hath not fcen the fim, nor known
any thing," much lefs dare you to draw a contraft betweea
fuch a one and an untimely birth, and pronounce in favour
of the latter, becaufe " he hath more reft than the other:
yea, though he live a ihoufand years twice told, yet hath he
feen no good," Where, fays the greateft and wifeft of men,
is the difference between the child who never was born,
and the hoary head laden with glory ? It is, faith he, in
favour of the child who never came to the birth, for he hath
never fecn trouble. This language is much ftronger than
that which our Lord ufes concerning Judas ; he only faid.
Good had it been for that man had he never been born ;
not exprening even a thought concerning his future hap-
pinefs or mifery ; and who are we, that we fhould dare to
add to the language of Chrift ? Will he approve of us for
painting, in all the horrors that human language can afford,
the fufferings that Judas ftall undergo throughout a never-
ending eternity ? Or will he not rather fay. Judgement is
my ftrange work, I came not to deftroy but to fave ; and
who art thou that calleft thyfelf by my name, and readeft of
the contrition of a repenting finner, and yet fo defpifeft the
glorious chara(£lcr that belongeth to me as a Saviour, as to
aifert that I fhall endlefsly delight in the grcanS, and anguifh,
and defpair, of a returning prodigal, or an erring child?
How often haft thou bcirayed my caufe, and by the pufilla-
nimity of thy condudl led thy brethren into evil r If I
extend mercy to thee, why not to Judas ? If 1 have over-
looked the pride of thy heart, the felfifhnefs of thy conduft,
the perverfenefs of thy ways, the weaknefs of thy faith,
fhall 1 caft off for ever that man who bore for three years
the crofs with me, that man who fhared my fufferings in
the fltfh, and dared to take a part with me in the reproaches
of mankind ? Go thou, my difciple, and learn that I love
not only to fhew mercy myfelf, but that 1 prefer a love of
mercy, and an exhibition of it in the conduct of my difci-
plcs, before hecatombs of burnt offerings, and all the pomp-
ous facrifices that the pride of humnn nature can caufe to
afcend befoie me.
H As
( 50 ) ,
As our biefTed Lord did not revile Judas, or reproach him,
or fpcak of hitn with harlh epithets, no more did hisapoftles.
Companion and truth dropped from their lips ; they felt for
him, and mention his name with tendernefs, but with vera-
city, afTcmbled together to choofe another apoftle in his room.
We do not hear them exclaiming againft his chara6ler, and
holding him up in the eternity of torments as an objeft of
terror, left any of thcmfclves fhould betray another, or be-
tray their Mafter by betraying his caufe. None of thefe
unkind fpeeches dropped from their lips ; but ' thou. Lord,
■which knoweth the hearts of all men, fhew whether of thefe
two thou haft chofen, that he may take part in this miniftry
;ind apoftleftiip, from which Judas by tranfgreflion fell, that
he might go to his own place." If Judas fell, that he might
go to his own place, and fuch fall was pre-acknowledged by
God in the prophetical writing, what man that calls him-
felf a believer in the fcripture will be bold enough toaflert,
that the intention of that Being, whofe name is love, was to
caufe Judas to fall that he might confign him to endlefs, un-
ceafing mifery ? If Judas had a place peculiarly called his
6wn, I fhould rather think it was a throne in the kingdom
of our Lord, and that his repentance, and public death, were
confidered by Chrift, as a fufficient expiation of the crime
which he had committed ; for our Lord had before faid, that
his twelve apoftles " fliould fit on twelve thrones judging
the twelve tribes of Ifrael. Judas was then alive, and our
Lord never retraced the propnife he then made, and Matthias
was not chofen to fit upon the throne prepared for Judas but
to fill up the part (which was vacated by his death) in the
miniftry, and to compleat the number of apoftles, who were
to be jhe ambaftadors, who were to go over the whole world,
to make known the love of God manifefted in Chrift
Jefus, and to befeech men to be reconciled unto the Father
through him. But to aftert that this place was hell, and that
the fire thereof (hall never ceafe during the exiftence of the
immortal God, I deny, and demand of fuch bold afterters to
come to the wordand to the teftimony to fupport their bold
aflertions; and till they do this, with all my candour I muft
confefs that I believe that evil will befal that man who
evil thinks.
The fouls of children exift before the birth of the child.
Elizabeth faid unto Mary, *' Lo ! as foon as the voice of
thy faliitation founded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my
womb for joy ;" which could not have been unlefs the mat-
ter
( 51 )
Icr of which the babe was formed had been animated by
the fpirit of life, therefore the children carried from the
womb to the grave are the hapfiicft of all human beings;
their eyes bthold no forrow, the found of woe never break-
cth upon iheir ears, anxiety didurbcth not their repofe, they
feel not the pangs of fear, of doubt, of fufpicion, carccometh
not near ihcir bofom, their thoughts are not c-icvatcd by hope,
and then in a moment hurled into dcfpair ; but their bodies
lay down in the filent grave, there undifturbed it deeps with
the alhes of the wife, the witty, the fair and the great,
whilrt the iinmortal part chaunts before the throne of its
Father the overflowing fong of grateful love. Better indeed
had it been for Judas not to have been born, then would he
have efcaped all the woes of hutnan life, and the miferies of
defpair ; the maddening flings of confcicnce, awakened by
ambition, would have been for ever unkown ; ignorant of
nought but forrow ; eternity would have been an unclouded
day, palTed unceafingly in the prefence of his God.
The Great Parent of mankind has manifefled his love to
human nature, by taking at leaft one third of the infants that
are born to himfelf before they are two years old. How
amazing is the providence of God, who feeing all the events
that fhall happen, in mercy takes away unto himfelf fo large
a portion of the human race, whilft they are comparatively
innocent, being free from fin, and pain, and forrow, and un-
contaminated by thofepervertedpafllonsthat hurry thpgrown-
iip man into vice, judgment, and the fecond death. Truly
without (training the point, had it not been proverbial, our
Lord might have faid, Good had it been for Judas had he
never been born. The days will foon arrive when tlie fame
divine love will operate in a different way, Chrilt fhall reign
upon the earth, and then children and the fruit of the womb'
fhall be an heritage from the Lord, for all fhall know Je-
hovah, from the leafl unto the greateft. Thrice happy day5,
when the fcythe of divine love fliall no longer be lifted up to
fweep the children of men from the earth !
1 have been compared with Judas by fome who lia\e
thought that he was doomed to endlefs mifery, and have been
in their efteem found more guilty, and by them doomed to a
much fcverer punifhmcnt. Judas, fay they, only betrayed the
word incarnate, but you the word revecdcd ; the infirmities
of human nature might be urged in liis favour, but having
the whole blaze of revealed truth, your pcivcrfion of it ren-
ders you far more iiicxcufable than he was, and your place in
H 2 heU
( 32 )
hell tenfold hotter than that in which he was confined : but
let me be condemned by man, I fhall (land cleared of the
charge before my God. I therefore rejoice and give thanks
to my God that he hath made known his boundlefs love unto
me, and continually do 1 blefs his name for having called
jne to proclaim it to the children of men : 1 mark the day as
the happieft of my life in which 1 firft ftood up in defence of
the univerfal and efficacious love of God ; for Jehovah faith,
Ifaiah xlv. 22. " Look unto me and be ye faved all the ends
of the earth, for I am God and none elfe. I have fvvorn by
myfelf, the word is gone out of n:iy mouth in righteoufnefs,
and fhall not return, that unto me every knee fhall bow,
every tongue fhall fwear. Surely ! each fhall fay. In the
Lord have I righteoufnefs and ftrength : to him all fhall come,
and "all that are incenfed againil him ihall be afhamed."
Since, therefore, Jehovah hath fworn by himfelf, that unto
him every knee fhall bow, and every tongue fhall fwear,
every creature muft return to his firft eftate of pure, holy,
loving obedience, and every creature muft regain his inheri-
tance, and do homage for it to him who is the Great Creator
and Proprietor of all, even unto Jcfus, by and for whom all
things that are were created; and before this can poflibly take
place, he will know their fincerity, for he fearcheththe hearts
and tryeth the reins, and he will not have a divided heart,
but he will have the whole heart, and that perfedl obedience
to his will, which can alone fpring from a principle of love.
Bowing and fwearing on the part of the criminal, fheweth
pardon and protedlion on the part of the Sovereign ; fince
then God hath fworn by himfelf, that the time fhall come
when every knee fhall bow unto him, and every tongue
fwear unto him, he hath by fo doing fworn that there fhall
come a time when every creature that hath a knee to bow,
or a tongue to fwear witli, fhall find that pardon and protec-
tion from him which he only as a fovercign Lord of all the
earth can beftow. He fays, " the word is gone out of my
mouth in righteoufnefs, and fhall not return." Was I there-
fore to affert that by far the greateft part of mankind fliould
be damned for ever, fome few bigots I might pleafc, but I
ihould contradi61: the word of divine truth ; I fhould give
God the lie, and challenge the faithlulnefs of his promife ;
therefore I dare not do it, for he hath fworn by himfelf, and
the oath fhall be accomplifhed ; every knee in heaven, in
earth, and in hell ftiall bow unto hiiri, and by his name, and
in obedience to his will every tongue ihall fwear. Self
aba fed
( 53 )
abafed with the confcioufnefs of their dependance upon their
God, they (hall contels their guilt and depravity, and own
that in Jehovah alone is all their righteourncfsjand from him
is their itrength. To him alone (hall they come with holy-
reverential joy ; yea, even all thui were incenfed againft him
for his providential condiid, or the purity of his truth fhall
beafliamed and confounded at their pad folly, although they
rejoice that God is pacified towards them, whilrt in Jehovah
the feed of Abraham by faith (hall be juitified, and fhall glory
in his name.
Unlefs the ApoRle Paul can be faid to ufe vain, empty,
liigh founding words, he gives in the ift chapter of the Colof-
fians, the (trongefl proof of the univerfal reftoration, for he
fays of our blelild Lord, that he " is the image of the invi-
fible God, the firft born of every creature ; for by him were
all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
vifible and invilible, whether thrones or dominions, or prin-
cipalities or powers : all things were created by him, and for
him, and he is before all things, and by him all things con-
fi(l,and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the be-
ginning, the firlt-born from the dead, that in all things he
might have the pre-eminence : for it plcafed the Father that
in himdiould ail fulnefs dwell ; and having made peace by the
blood of his crofs. by him to reconcile all fLings imto himfelf ;
by hiwy whether they he things in earth or things in heaven."
Hercthen the Apoltle confines the reconciliation of Chrift to
the all things that he created in heaven or inearth; lor it is not
likelythat he would havechangedthc extent of themeaningof
the words all things, w ithout having given us notice ; his not
having given us fuch notice, I cannot but conclude, that if the
finner or evil fpirit can be produced who was not created by
him, then inflanCk-s are to be produced who Rial I not be re-
conciled by him, for the Apoitic draws a parallel between
the creation of all by and for Chrilt, and the reconciliation of
all by the blood ot the crofs, that he might have the willing
homage of all that were created by and for him. I cannot
therefore but conclude, that the argument of the Apolile
proves that the Redoration of all, is as general and univerfal,
wherever Reconciliation was wanted, as creation itfclf was.
1 dare not to depreciate the reconciliation by Chrid Jcfns,
though by not doing it I diouid lofe every friend I have in
the world, I mud hold it in all the extent which the ffrip-
tures declare, and that not becaufe others do, but becaufe
my God hath Shewed me that it is my duty to do fo ; for I
have
( 5-> )
have not received the do6\rine of the reconciliation of all
from men, but from the fcriptures of divine truth, and I fee
the beauty of the dodlrine, and my foul feels its agreement
with experimental religion, having felt its pov/er and experi-
enced the peace of mind, the joy and righteoufnefs that it
brings, I charge all you who believe in the do£lrine topub-
lilh the glad tidings of reconciliation unto all mankind,
fpread wide abroad the joyful news that God by Chrift is re-
conciling the world unto himfclf, not imputing unto his crea-
tures their trefpaiTes and fins, and that finally all fhall be fub-
dued to bow down to the fceptre of divine love, and own
Jefus the Mediator to be Lord of all to the glory of God the
Father. By thus fpreading aroimd you the glorious news of
univerfal reconciliation with me, you ihall foon behold that
it is a doclrine whofe fruits are bcnevoknce, purity, and
a£live obedience to all the commands of Chrift ; and divine
wifdom has now in mercy to the children of men called forth
various arguments in favour of this dodlrine that have been
for ages part hidden from man, on purpofe that the know-
ledge ot it may harmonize the fcriptures, be in agreement
with reafon, and every attribute of the Deity and ihewantsof
his creatures, and by fo doing deftroy infidelity from the
earth.
There is no poflibillty of difputing fo as to gainfay parti-
cular truths. It is a truth that God hath commanded us in
his word to lift up holy hands for «// without wrath or doubt-
ing; now, can any rnan pray for all without doubting if he
does not believe that God will hearken to his prayer ? If the
heart is filled with the love of God and man, he may wifh it,
but he cannot pray without doubting, if he does not believe
thai \\\s prayer will be anfwered.
When you firft received the pardoning lo^-u^ of Chrifl in all
its frcenefs upon your heart, did you not at that time perceive
'.here was a fufficiency in him to fave, not only you, but all
{he world; nay, ten thoufand worlds had fo many needed it?
and did not your whole foul long and pant that the whole of
the human rac(=- might become partakers of it ; yea, even
your enemies ? Would you have left one of the human race
\!nrc:florcd had your power been equal to your good will }
Is there one of any nation, tribe or family that you would
fiot have wifhed that the blood of Chrift might not blot out
his fins ? On the contrary, had you had it in your power,
wouhl you not gladly have parted with ail fo that you might
favc all ' Had you thought yotir prayers would have been
anfwered.
( 55 )
anfwered, would you not have afked for the falvatlon of all?
and had you poirdred power, would you not have brought all
to the knowledge of and obedience to the truth ? To thefc
qucftionsevery Chriflian will anfwcrin the affirmative. Froni
whence did they obtain this difpofuion, from nature or from
nature's God ? The univerfality of the experience points to
the fource from whence it flows — it was from God the Crea-
tor of all, tiiat the univcrfal love to all, and the ardent dcfire
to do good to all firfl arofe. If then this beneficent temper
came from him, how much more does it dwell in him if the
fmall drop that you, O believer! pofTefs, makes you feel fo
cxquifitely for the happinefs of others ? how unfathom.ably
deep muft the ocean of love be which is in him ? Yours is
indeed but a drop from the ocean, or a fpark from the irrf-
mortal fire, cannot he then accompli(h the purpofes of his
love? You may defire to do the good which you are unable,
your fpirit may be willing whilft your flefh is weak, but that
which God determines he can perform ; he has the means in
his power, and knows well how to guide them, and therefore
he has determined to reflore all, and bring them to the know-
ledge of the truth : he wiU do it ; altho' it may take ages to
accomplifh it. This to us makes it appear long, for he afls
not rafhly like weak man, but confidently and efTcdlually;
he will therefore fo a6l upon his fallen creatures, as to reftorc
them confidently with their knov.ledge and the freedom of
their will, but at lait " all things Ihall be fubdued into
Chrifl, then fliall the Son himfelf be fubjeci unto him that
put all things under him, tl^at God may be all in nil.'*
SERMON
SERMON V.
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN IVINCHESTER.
[never before published.]
JOHN XIV. 1—3.
Let not your hearts he troubled y ye helieve In God, he-
Jieve alfo in me. In my Father s houfe are many
manjions ; if it was not Jo, I ivould have toJdyou ;
/ go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto inyfelf, that where I am, there ye
may he alfo.
NONE of you can poflibly be ignorant that man is born
to trouble ; pain of body, anxiety of mind, frequent
difappointments, with various direful effe&s arifing from
error, prejudice, and ignorance, are as certain fruits of our
prefent fallen eftate, as an efFe6l can follow a caufe. By all
the experience of all mankind, and by all our own paft ex-
perience, it is not in the power of any, or indeed every earthly
poneflion, to keep us from anxiety and trouble; cares will
frequently cloud the mind, and without fomething more folid
than earthly good, for the foul to rell upon, the mind of man
will always find an empty void that wanteth to be filled up ;
a reftlefs craving of fpirit, that panteth for an unknown
fomething to gratify it ; a peace, that human wifdom, the
moff endearing frieiuUhip, though attended with wealth, and
pomp, and glory, can never give. Behold Solomon, the
wife, the rich, the powerful, the glorious \ the fons of God
liftened with attention to the wifdom that dropped from his
lips \ riches were to him as the fund upon the ihores of the
mighty
( 57 )
mighty deep ; nations feared, honoured, and obeyed hlin ;
diftant realms heard ot his fame, and came from the utmoft
bounds of the earth to behold his glory. If tiiefc things
could give happincls, who amongrt the Tons of men would
have had fo large a portion of it ? Yet hear him in the fuU
ncfs of poirellion pronounce their jud culogium, — " v'lnity
of vanities, all is vanity," empty of folid good, light as the
palling ihadow ; they fill not up the immortal mind — wiih
ought — but vexation of fpirit. For us, it is an animating
thought, that infinite goodncfs has propofcd a remedy for all
thefe difquietudes that trouble and perplex the mind in this
tranfuory Hate. Pa'lling, therefore, from the confideration
of what will not fatisty the cxpanfive foul of man, I ihall
proceed to fpeak of thefe things that will render our happi-
nefs permanent.
" Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God!"
What is God ? Where is the defcendant of Adam who cant
explain his nature ? Say ye philofoplicrs, whillt tracing ef-
feds to caufes, have ye been ever able to trace out the Great
Firft Caufe ? Can you tell his form, or point out the mode
of his exigence ? Where is the throne on w hich he fits, or
the etherial palace that contains him ? All, and every quef-
tion concerning him, is as far beyond your anfwering, as
the revolutions of the heavenly bodies ar(: beyond the invefli-
gation of the meanefl reptile that crawls on the earth.
What is God ? Who can tell ? Who think upon fucli
an elevated fubjedl without being overwhelmed with its
magnitude! Of neceflity he mult be eternal; but. alas!
what is eternity r He mud: be infinite ; but who can com-
prehend infinity? So poor is human language found to be,
when it would attempt to pafs the narrow confines of finite
intelligence. Incomprehenfible in his nature, yet he cer-
tainly exifts, or we could never have been. Infinite, un-
bounded in intelligence, muft the Great Creator be, or, he
never could have communicated undcrftanding to fuch an in-
numerable number of beings. Wife is he beyond human
comprehenfion, or he could never have foretold the various
occurrences that Ihould take place, ages before the agents
in thofe tranfa6lions had an exigence. Yes, the Creator
of all is, indeed, in power unbounded, and in wifdom infi-
nite, and far beyond being fearchcd out by the circuhiicrib-
ed underifandiiig of his creature, Man.
The fame argument that teaches us that there is a God,
makes known to us that he is love, it is bv inference alono .
1 ' tl)at
( 58 ) •
fliat we know he exifts. The heavens, the earth, animated
and vegetable nature, all cry aloud that there is a God.
Their order, their proportions, their wonderful economy, in
every minute particular, as well as the aRonifhing regularity
in the combined arrangement of the whole mafs, unerringly
demonftrate the whole to be the workmanfhip of one all-wife
and almighty Intelligence; and the fame mode of reafoning
by inference muft prove that he is love. He could not have
any defign in the formation of any creatures, but to commu-
nicate a degree of happinefs adapted to the capacity he had
given it for enjoyment. A being entirely and completely
happy, could not have a wifh br.t to make others happy alfo.
Undoubtedly he muft have as benign intentions as the crea-
tures he hath made. Whence was the beneficence of human
nature derived ? — Ts it acquired by man, or is it an emana-
tion from divine love ? Of what ufe is the mifery of his
creatures to God; doth their wretchednefs give him glory? —
if not, the Mod High could not have created any being to
be finally miferable.
As the works of creation declare the exiftence of God, and
the exigence of creation manifefts that he is Love; in like
manner the whole of his providence manifefts his goodnefs :
all that lives, and breathes, and moves, has its exiftence
from him ; it is he who fupplicth all their wants ; it is he
that opened wide his liberal hand, and all things are filled
with good ; that tender mercy, that is over all his creatures,
is made manifeft by the whole government of his providence.
The Creator of all nature becomes the fteward of his own
vvorkmanftiip, and condefocnds to fpread the tables of thofc
creatures his hands have formed ; it is he that waits upon
them, he watchelh all their motions, and ftands ready to fup-
ply the defires of every heart.
The book of nature goes thus far, but the book of revela-
tion goes ftill further; it lays open to the underftanding
of man tlie fecret fprings that regulate the providential con-
du6l of duty: there we behold not only wifdom, love,
power, and goodnefs, but heights and depths of them, far be-
yond what the loftieft imagination of the wifeft of men could
dare to have thought of. Had it not been for revelation,
where could we have beheld the love of the J^eity going forth
in a£ls of mercy and benignity to his rebellious creatures.
'How could the finner, man, have known that his Sovereign
would have looked upon him with a propitious eye, and par-
doned his rebellion ? Coufcious guilt, and the awful cx-
pcdation
( 3P )
pc6tation of" defervcd punidimcnt would have fliook h]z
foul with aiiguifh and dcTpair; but the book of revelation
holds forth to man, a God whofc hands are loaded wi'.l
mercies for his creatures in diftrefs ; a God not only capab' ,
but willing, to recover them from their prefent fallen ftate.
A God, whofe charader is, that he is infinite in goodnels,
pardoning iniquity, tranfgreliion, and fin. The heathen
world, with the book of nauire laying open before them, and
aided by tradition to read its facrcd pages; yet doubted this
fublime truth: hence they thought their gods had their bo-
foms ihaken by the fame abominable palhons that agitated
their own troubled breads ; revenge and malice, hatred and
cruelty, fwayed their fceptres over unhappy fiibjeds ; but
with our " Jehovah there is mercy, and with him plenteous
redemption," Pfal. cxxx. 7. therefore, Ifaiah Iv. 7. " Let
the wicked forfakc his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts; and let him turn unto the Lord, for he will have
mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon." For, Job xxx. 27 and 28, " he looketh upon
men, and if any fay, I have finned, and perverted that which
was right, and it profited me not ; he will deliver his foul
from going into the pit, and his life fhall fee the light."
The belief of the exifience of a God is well calculated to
give cafe under the '.roubles of life. We are weak and helplefs,
incapable of forefeeing danger, and equally incapable ot
averting it when feen. The confcioufnefsot an onmiprefent
Being, who not only loves us, but who is continually upon
the watch to do us good, and who always orders all the con-
cerns of this our mortal exifience in fuch a manner, as is
mod conducive for our prefent peace and future glory; is in-
deed a iliought, that mult tend to brighten up the dark (hades
that will continually becloud our temporal journey. It is a
belief that will give us joy under the darkeli difpenfations of
Providence, it will ca'ufc a ray of divine light to pierce
through the gloomy cloud ; it wiU'indeed give confidence to
our ileps, arid chear our hearts with the animating hopes ot
future glory.
In the awful hour of death what comfort doth the belief o-.
the exiftence of God afford to the departing fpirit of the dy-
ing faint. And to ynu, O ye fons of men, what lupport
would fuch a belief yield in that trying hour. — For ycu
foon mult die, — in a few fleeting years ar moft, — and per-
haps days, — hours, — or even moments, and your mortal ex-
igence is over. If you have this btlkf happy are you ; if
I 2 y^'ic
( 60 )
your foul is fixed upon the rock of ages, from a firm pcrfua-
lion that " Jehovah liveth for ever," and, that after death,
yon {hall leave this earth and earthiy things, und feek that
bright abode, where liveth, in light inaccellible, the immor-
tal God ; — how calmly refigned will you meet the awful
Itroke. — De';th, diverted of all his terrors, may Hand before
you, whilft the jaws of the gloomy grave ihall feem deco-
rated with the delights of paradife, to welcome you into thofe
manfions of reft, and peace, and joy.
. The belief of a God, rightly applied, is, therefore, an ani-
mating thought to the believer, in all the various occurrences
of life, whether profperous or adverfe, whether painful or
joyful ; whatfoever may be the fccnes in which he is en-
gaged, in them all he beholdeth the otherwife invifible hand
that guides every fpring for the good of thofe that love him :
he fees that all are but means in the hands of Infinite
Wifdom to occafion greater holinefs here, that he may give
jncreafing glory in the age to come.
" Ye believe in God, believe alfo in me ;" and a joyful
thing it is that we have a Chriil to believe in. What a com-
fort it is to man, that the Son of God took our nature upon
him, and became in all things like unto us, fin only except-
ed. Under every temptation, what a heart-cheering circum-
flance it is for us to know, thus was my Lord tempted, and
he endured the temptalion, he became a conqueror over it,
that he might be able to comfort and fuccour us under all
our temptations. It is he that appoints our trials, and he
well knows our flrength ; and if for the advancement of our
future glory, he permits us to be tried to the uttermod, he
will never permit any temptalion to go beyond our ftrength;
but will make a way of efcape, that we m.ay behold his good-
nefs, rely upon liis care, and evermore confide in his pro-
ted'lion and ailillancc.
When the Son of the riigheil: took human nature upon
him, he took not the regal, or the princely dignity, he had
not his name enrolled amongft the mighty or the wealthy; no
independence of fociety inarkcd tlic fituation t!iat lie choll', but
he took upon him the form of a fervant ; hence all tiie higher
ranks may learn to truft him, for he was higher than the
higheft of them all; he ruled not like them, a few of the
fons of men ; but was the chief prince, the king of king?,
the governor of the whole earth ; therefore the highcfl: ranks
of mankind may indeed fly to him for flieUer, and c;ii\ their
evcrv
( 61 )
every care upon him. But ye lower ranks of fociety, ye poor
dependent fons of men, how has he graced your fituation. —
Are ye poor? — he was dependent upon the bounty of women.
— Does your cottage fcarce (helter you from the fcorching
fun, or midnight blaft r — he had not a place where to lay his
liead. The Creator of heaven and earth, the king of kings,
in his own dominions, wanted that Ihelter himfelf had
provided for fparrows and foxes. Are ye defpifed ? — be-
hold him ridiculed, laughed at, crowned with thorns, mock-
ed, bufTcted, fpit upon. Is your good evil fpoken of r — be-
hold his life, a life fpcnt in the exercife of every adt of bene-
jficence, and yet the fcorn he was of thofe for whom he was
fpending his llrength. Do your friends forfake you in ad-
verfity r In the hour of danger one of his friends betrayed
him, and the refl: forfook him and fled. Are you ill-treated
and falfeiy accufed? — he was marked as a drunkard, a he-
retic, a friend of Satan, his chara6ler blaftcd, and to com-
plete their villainly, under the folemn mockery of law, un-
■juftly put to a cruel death. He has therefore given us
ftrcngth to endure temptation and comfort under all our af-
flictions in every various fituation of life ; for he was in all
tempted, even as wc are ; but in all was without fin for he
never yielded to temptatation; yet the face of his Father was
hidden froin him, when under dreadful agony he cried ' My
God! My God ! Why hall thou forfiiken me r" With what
confidence, with what full afllirance may we truft him in all
the various fcenes of life ! Jefus, our friend, our brother,
our Saviour, he beholds us, he fees our diftrefs, he pities
our weaknefs, he fympathizes with us, he feels for all
our pains, he l^ftens to every groan, he will counfel, aflifl:,
and fiipport us under every affliclion.
The fame Jcfiis is now highly exalted, and fits at the
right hand of the Father. He hath taken human nature with
him to the throne, and by it he has raifed the fons of Adam
higher in the fcale of beings, higher than the Angelic Hod,
thofe pure and Holy Beings who have never fallen from their
allegiance. He that was defpifed and rejc.^ed of mankind
is now highly exalted, and has a name given that is above
every name that can be named in Heaven and on earth ; wc
therefore uho believe on him ought to rejoice in tribula-
tion, knowing that he is both able and willing to deliver us
from all our troubles.
Men of the world laugh at Religion, and make a mock at
'he comforts of it j but Religion, a belief in God, a behold-
ing
( 02 )
ing him in the face of Chrifl Jcfus, as reconciling the world
unto himfelf, is neceffary to deliver a man from the pain that
the troubles of life would otherwifc occafion ; this Religion
alone can give peace in all the fcenes of life, elevating the
foul above the anxieties of hum.an nature — and this religion
is a fruitful tree ; fome of its fruits are,
1. Refignation to the will of God This fweetens the
otherwife unpalatable cup of pain and difappointment, it
takes off the keen edge from afflidion, a certainty of the Di-
vine Government, and the end of it, through refignation,
brings forth patience imder affiiclion; end by the experience
of Divine goodnefs, fills the foul with immortal hope. Thofe
who know the chadening hand of an Almighty Father, or
who behold the Captain of their Salvation placing tliein at
a poft of honour, that, like foldiers, they may manfully en-
dure the fight of faith : — thefe know the fweets of that refig-
nation which arifeth from a knowledge of the Divine Go-
vernmen ; thefe can teftify the holy calmncfs of mind that
it produces; how it levels the inquietude of the foul, and fills
the mind; though enclofed in a tortured body or dafalfrous
fituation; — with peace, — with joy,— with gratiiude, — with
Heaven.
2. Faith in God, and our Lord and Saviour Jefus
Chrift ; produces love to God, becaufe he firft loved us ;
and according to the ftrength of our faith is the greatnefs of
our love. The more we have of this love to the Father and
the Son, the more perfedl will be our obedience to their
commands, the more energy will it give us in the perform-
ance of every duty. This Divine love is calculated to difrufe
joy and gladnefs through every lituation of life we may be
placed in : is it amongif the wealthy and honourable, it gives
us an opportunity of rnanifefling our gratitude to the Author
of all good, and of imitating his condud who opens his
hand and difFufes blefTings on his dependent creatures. Js
poverty our lot ? — Our Father appointed it ; our elder bro-
ther and Sovereign Lord hath borne it ; our heavenly Father
will fupport us under it : he is good, and we are unworthy
cf his tender iriercies ; let our love be manifalled by our
grateful dependancc upon his paternal care.
3. This Ffoly Faith produces !infeigned humility ; with-
out it ther^ is no genuine Chrifiianity : the cjofs of Chrift
humbles the afpiring independence of man ; it lays before
us our depravity, our weaknefs, our helplefs eifate, how ut-
terly incapable we arc of ourfelves to recover the ima^e of
God
( 63 )
God which we have loft by tranlgreflion. Sweet indeed are
the fruits of humilty, it levels all the tormenting paflions of
the foul, and enables the believer to pafs through the ftormy
fea of this life without murnuir or complaint. With holy
Job, in the midli: ofatfli6lion, we fhall cry out, "Naked
came I from my mother's womb." The confcious fcnfe of
our own unworthinefs will prevent our feeling trouble
with intenfenefs, it will blunt the edge of anxiety, and
entirely prevent rage, anguifh, and defpair ; and in the
fiery trials that attend our journey through life, we fhall
liave this confoling refledlion, that if we obtain the fa-
vour of God all the troubles that can befall us are not worthy
of a murmur, and even they fhall pafs away like the fummer
tempeft, giving fuperior luftre by the palfed ftorm. It is
thus that the belief in one Supreme and Almighty God,
and Jcfus of Nazareth, the Son of his love, is calculated to
produce fi^ch difpoHtions of mind and Aich confoling hopes
as are fully capable of making the fleeting moments of time
not only calm, but joyful, through the glorious confequenccs-
that keep continually arifmgto view; like the afcending hills,
one abo'. another, till the fpiritual eye, though aided by all
the powers of imagination, is loft in the diftant profpedl.
The goodnefs of our God has not left us to the powers of
fancy to animate our faith, but on the contrary, paints the
glowing fcenc before us with all the brilliancy of imagina-
tion, whilft Truth, immortal Truth, guides the pencil with
unerring precifion, and then commands us by faith to make
it our own : it bids us take a furvey of the promifed glories,
to realize them, that we may be fupportcd by them under all
the troubles of life, and on wings of faith foar high above all
the aftiidions to which human nature is fubjeft. *♦ in my
Father's houfe," faith our Lord, " there are many manfions,
if it were not fo 1 would have told you."
The Redeemer of men did not come to earth on an er-
rand of deception, he had dwelt in the bofom of the Father
and was well acquainted with the manfions of glory ; he has
promifed to come again and take us to this glory; yet, left
we fhould not be fully faiisfted with that promife, but faint
through uncertainty as we paO'ed onward upon our journey, ,
he has in the facred writings caufcd many of thofe glories
to be particularly marked out; with this hope beyond them,
that the eye hath not fcen nor car heard, nor hath it entered
into the heart of man to concoivc the gloiic; that fhall be re-
vealed. Here
( 64 )
Here below, riches, honours, and plcafures are either (ha-
dows, or, like the fummer brier, beautiful flowers furrounded
by thorns which lacerate the hand that dares to gather then\ ;
not (o the enduring riches, honours, and pleafures which God
hath prepared for them that love him, and hath revealed them
unto us by his Spirit ; thefe fhail not pafs away, they are not
liable to the fluduating viciffitudes of human exiftence, but
are built on the promife of Jehovah, and have his unchange-
able throne for their foundation.
. In this life, a man to be reputed rich mufl have an houfe,
yet this habitation is but tranfient ; if the winds fhake it not,
if the earthquake does not overturn it, yet time fhall under-
mine its foundations, the lofty roofs, the folid walls, and ail
its pompous decorations fhall foon pafs away ; if hiftory re-
cords its name, the fearching eye of the antiquarian fhall
fearch for it in vain, its place fhall not be found, oblivion,
with all its gloomy horrors, fhall cover the once frequented
fpot, whilft Nature reaffumes the domain that art had taken
from her i not Co the habitation we are promifed by Chrift,
when our earthly houfe of this tabernacle is dilTolved ; for
then we fhall have a building of God, an houfe not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens, like the workmanlhip of
Jehovah, in the fun, moon, and ftars, it is ftrong, enduring ;
not like the fhallow art of man, which builds a palace for a
few years : the ravages of time cannot Ihake its fabric, nor
ftll its viciffitudes moulder away its immortal foundations.
But what is a houfe here below without pofTeffions ? With,
all the luxurioufnefs of art bellowed upon it, without a gar-
den or lands, it would be but an ornamented prifon. Man
was not made for the folitary confines of ftone walls, the
world was made for him, earth is his habitation, and the
lord of the univerfe cannot be fatisfied without beholding
his demefncs : — but alas ! thefe demefnes mufl perifh — his
inheritance ftoops beneath the inclement fky — the howling
tempefl overturns his labours and roots up his folid oaks —
the lightning, thunder and rain, pr the want of them, blaft
his nobleft expedations, and overwhelm his inheritance ia
ruins ; not fo the inheritance that his Maker hath promifed,
that is incorruptible, undefiled, and fadcth not away ; the ,
earthquake or tempefl connot injure it, the blight polluteth
it not, ages deflroy not its beauty, for God, the great giver
of it is its preferver, and time, which now mars inheri-
tances, fhall add, with every revolving 9ge, frcfti luftre to
the incorruptible pofTeffion,
(65 )
To be eftecmed a great man now, it is thought neceffary
to have a town refidence in that city which contains the
palace of the king : — but oh, liow poor, how mean is the
habitation ! it appears grand only by comparifon with the
contemptible dwellings with whicli it is furrounded, or from
the wcakncfs of the being who ercded it. How different from
this is that city which is the peculiar rcfidcncc of the Saints,
that glorious city whofe builder and maker is God, the walls
thereof arc like jafpcr, and the materials of which the habi-
tations are eredlcd, bright, tranfparent, and dazzling, like
the purcft burnilhed gold : comparifon here doth not create
imaginary beauty, but every houfe refledls glory upon all,
and the whole bcfpeaks the praife of the Divine Architedt
who planned, and the Almighty hand that finiflicd it.
This earth is liable to various changes, indeed Co much
fo, that the viciOitudes of life, are bccoint proverbial amongft
jnen. But we look for an higher itate ; a ftate that cannot
change, or if it doth, it ihall be from glory to glory, rifing
nearer and nearer continually to the perfc^lion of Deity.
The kingdom of God is a glorious and happy kingdom,
where forrow and pain are not known, the cares of this
mortal life are there forgotten, the laws are righteous and all
the fubjeds happy. It is a kingdom firmly cflabliflted, no
enemy can (hake its throne or overturn its conflitution. It
is firmly fixed on the bafis of eternal love, and cannot bo
moved. Let us then, who arc candidates for this kingdom,
make our calling and ele6lion to it furc, by loving and obey-
ing Jehovah the Sovereign thereof, and placing the mod un-
limited confidence in his wifdom, and goodnefs, and power.
Behold, ye fons of men, fome few of the blellings that at-
tend the Chriftian. Honour is defirable among men ; they
fearch after it as a jewel of ineftimable value. But of hov/
little value is all the earthly honour that can be heaped upon
man compared witli the honour that comes from God! Here
a tew mortal attendants may wait upon us, and perhaps
defpife the obje£l they attend, obey us from fear or interefl,
and behind our backs hold up our follies and infirmities to
ridicule: but at the hour of death behold the Chriftian's aw-
ful pomp ! an heavenly convoy awaits him to carry him to
the Kingdom of Glory. — Behold ye fons of pride, behold the
poor defpifed beggar, Lazarus ! — See him upborne on the
wings of angels to the bofom of Abraham in the Paradifc
of God— what an honour is this! all the folcmn pageantry
cf flate tliai waits upon the carcafe of a Dives, com-
K. pared
(66 )
pared vviih this, is lefs worthy of notice than the yellcv'-
varnifh when contrafted with burnilhed gold ; how it exalts
the charader of a Chriftian ! the pure nndefikd fons of the
morning take pleafure in waiting upon the heirs of falvation.
On earth, that man is honoured who is adtnittcd into the
royal prefence, and permitted to pay pcrfonal homage to
mortal majefcy : but the Chridian foars above eartitly courts
and d) ing kings— Heaven's awful Majeily he pants to view,
and longs to prollrate before the King of kings ; with David
he crieth out, " When Ihall I be admitted into the courts of
the palace of my God."
The Chriftian has felt the infirmities of human nature, '
and knows his liability to fink beneath temptation ; he there-
fore looketh forward with holy expedlaiion to that period
when temptation fhall be no more ; but he fhall be in the
hands of his heavenly Father, kept in unfullied purity till he
fhall again appear on earth to reign with his Lord.
The love of praife is in the bofom of every man, and in
men of enlarged minds, perhaps, has always been the greatefv
ilimulus to a6fion: with what fortitude have they endured
hardlhips, with what patience have they borne adverfity,
with what zeal have they purfued their obje6l— to obtain
the praife of m.en, the praife of a comparatively fmall num-
ber of mankind, and that praife intermingled with ignorance,
envy, jealoufy, hatred, and all the perverted pallions of the
human breaft. But the Chriftian has before him the appro-
bation of his Creator, the high plaudit of the fearcher of
hearts, who fhall before men and angels approve of his con-
du6f with a " well done, good and faithful fervant, enter into
the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the
world. '<- No envy will attend this approbation ; a confciouf-
nefs of the truth of it will raifo effecm in the breaRs of the
angelic hofts, whilfl: the King of kings welcomes them with
** Come ye blelTed of my Father." Happy indeed the fervant
of God who has this approbation ; a liilening world fliall be-
hold him with reverence, whilif the firlf-born fons of God
hail him, welcotne to the manfions of glory.
Higher glories dill await them when their crucified Lord
fliall appear in all the glory of his Father to reign as fove-
reign of the earth ; for they having died in Chriit (hall rife
•with him, fee him as he is, and appear with him in all the
radiant fplendor of thofe morning ft ars, the firft-born fons of
God, Then (hall they be the pricfts of the Moft High, and
their lips fhall teach rightcoufnefs to the fons of men. Ther^
(hall
f 07 )
fhall they fit, like Solomon, on glorious thrones, wliiKt the
nations Hock to their tootltools to catch the wifdom that
fiovveth from their lips. They fhall rule the kingdoms in
rit^hteoufnclV and creaie peace amonglt the nations ui the
earth. Then, throuqh their mitiidration, fliall univcrfal
joy ncrvadc all perplcs, and Gr,d, the inmnrtal parent, fliall
caule the carlli to bring forth iis incrcafc, he lliall pour
down his blcdings upon mankind, and all the ciuis ot the
earth fliall praife hinj.
Crowns arc here too often obtained by treaclicry, and
^ power unjultly got is too apt to be preferved by ads of op-
* prcflion. The fituation of a man implicth not his htnefs
for it : not fo in that kingdom which we look to obtain,
for, Jefus", the great fovcreign thereof, knoweth the capa-
city of each, and it is he that will give a crown of righte-
oufnefs, that fadeth not away, to all that love his appearing;
then will their power be fully eltablifhed in ri<^hteoufnefs,
not liable to arts of defigning traitors, nor fubjcft to the
mifconccptions of mankind — tlicir tiuoncs fhall not be over-
turned, but fliall overturn all their oppofers till the end is
anfwercd for which they were eftabliOied, by the full fubjec-
tion of the whole creation to the will of God.
But higher Itill fhall their glory arife, even far beyond the
imagination of man to conceive, unaided by revelation.
For thus faith the Lord, '* To him that overcometh will I
grant to fit with me on my throne, even as I alfo overcame
and am fet down with my father on his throne." Aflonifhing
thought ! how high doth the ambition of a Chriftian afpire !
unbounded by temporal thrones and the government ot na-
tions, it pants after the throne of God, and longeth to fit
•with his Sovereign on the f^at of dominion, a dignity as far
beyond that of the monan-hs of the Eafl, as the glory of the
lunar orb is exceeded by the fplendor of meridian day.
Surely the confidcration of thefe honours that awnit the
Chriftian Believer is fufHcient to fupport him imder the little
troubles of affliding life — a life in which, notwithftanding
there is much evil, Itill there is alfo much good, yera^ a pre-
ponderating good, good that fhould call forth contioiial gra-
titude. Let the men of the world be difcontentcd and re-
pine under the boimties of Providence ; let not your licarts
be troubled though a cloud fhould be before you and ynnr
paths fliould be darkened. You believe in Chrift ; he has
fealed his promifes with his blood, that we may have a Aire
ground for our hopes, a folid foundation on which our ex-
K 2 pedtations
( 08 )
pe£lations may reft, when we look forward for unceafing
pleafures and continual joy. Independant of the glorious pro-
mifes of which we have been fpeaking, there are lefs de-
lights held forth in the word of Divine truth, that thera
may be a fuitable hope adapted to every difpofition and fitua-
tion of man.
Are you in pain of body or diftrefs of mind? You ftiail be,
delivered from pain, from forrow, from ficknefs, frotn dif-
appointment, from evil tempers and from death ; all inquie-
tude fhall be for ever gone ; the racked mind and tortured
body (hall be no more; all fhall be peace, calm ferenity,
meeknefs, gentlenefs and love ; joy (hall arife within,whilll
the fmiles of peace fhall grace the form divine.
Do you love to fee fplendor, dignity, and glory ? You
Ihall fee the King in his beauty, Jefus, attended by twenty
thoufand thoufand of the angelic hoft, in all the glory of
his Father — you fhall join his train — you fhall behold his
glory, and be like unto him.
Do you love the fweetnefs of friendfhip, and pant for the
fight of them whom your foul loveth ? — Jefus is your friend
and brother, your abfent friend ; how often have you longed
to behold him ! How often have you anticipated the joyful
meeting ! How little and low are the rncetings of earthly
friends compared to the pleafures of meeting with Jefus !
Love and gratitude fhall then call forth every endearing af^
fe£lion of the foul, and melt it into all the extacy of love —
to fee Jefus — him who created us — who died torus — who
hath continually fupported us under every trouble, and who
fhall then have delivered us from all our diflrefles, O my
foul, where art thou ? the reflection carries me beyond the
powers of human language, and fills me with unutterable
blifs.
How often have we here read with admiration of the pity
and fortitude of the Martyrs and Saints of God ! — but there
we fhall know them-— we fhall liften to the tale of pafl
ages, and be filled with admiration at the providential hand
of Deity, the faints of God, the prophets, the apoftles, the
martyrs, the patriarchs, will be our companions; we fhall
hear them recount the wonders of Divine love, and liften
with filent rapture to the extatic tale. What fcenes wilt
thou open to our minds, and how fliall we be aftonifhed at
this unravelling of fuch a combination of events! Glory to
the Highcfl; will be our fong, and obedience our delight.
Here we canpot gratify fully that principle of the human
mind
( eg )
mind that is formed for a£lion : like Deity itfelf the foul of
man is for ever moving : but O how unlike him in the pur-
fuits which give it motion ! But there we fliall be made
rulers over many things ; there will be a variety calculated
to give happincfs, and a knowledge that (hall yield vvifdoni,
that may enjoy the adive fphere, by giving that ability
which fhall enable the foul to fill it up aright. The capa-
city of man is unbounded as his thirit for it, and he Hiall
then find the works of creation and providence are equally
unbounded with his capacity and defires. How grovelling,
therefore, mult be their ambition who fol?ly exercife them-
felves with the trifles of this life, and that have no enjoy-
ments but fuch as are common to the brutes, born as they
are to fuch high enjoyments, b'>rn for dominion, and yet
contented with being flaves! But you, my dear Chrirtian
friends, let not your hearts be troubled at the vicifTitudes of
life, and the various'affli<5lions to which it is expofed. Ye
believe in God! ye likcwife believe in the Lord Jefus
Chrift ! Quickly will time pafs away, and with it all your
affliilions; then, in the manfions of blifs ftiall you hear the
voice of uncreated harmony, and enjoy riches, honours, plea-
fures, and glories, in the prefcnce of God and his Chrift, ages
nvithout end. Amen. Amen.
SERMON
SERMON VI,
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN WINCHESTER.
[never before published. 1
GENESIS XLV. 3.
And his hrcthren could not anfwer him, for they were
troubled at his p-efuice.
TPIE hlflory of Jofeph and his brethren, notwithdanding
it is a true hiitory of fa6\s that have really happened,
was not written on account of the things thcmfelves, but be-
caufe of tise important inllruction it conveys to all who read
it from that time to the prcftnt, as alfo through all fucceed-
ing ages till change fliall be no more. It teachcth us, by
flriking fads, never to be cad down at adverfity, nor ever to
do injuftice to thofe in our pou'er, not knowing how foon the
man who now fitteth on the pinnacle of profperity may be
iliut up with the children of mifery in the habitation of dif-
trefs, or how foon the flave in the prifon of adverfity may be
elevated to the throne of princes. We arc likewile taught
by the relation of fa6ls, that Jehovah who fitteth at the helm
of human affairs, knoweth how to bring about the mofi: im-
portant purpofes by thofe very ways which his enemies take
to thwart his defigns. On this thought I reflea with pecu-
liar pleafure; Jehovah, my all wife Creator, hath a fyftcm for
his condufl towards his creatures ; vaft, intricate, wonder-
ful, glorious, a fyflem that {hall reftore all his works to more
than primreval pcrfedlion, and will accomplifh all his good
pleafure ; the wrath or wickedncfs of his adverfaries fliall not
obftrudl: the accomplifliment of his purpofes, and all their
attempts to fruftrate his defigns, fliall but ferve to fulfill
them. How remarkably was this made manifeft in the cafe
of Jofeph whom God had appointed to be a Great Saviour
to
( n )
to the Seed of Abraliam, and to many nations a type of our
blclleil Lord, the Great Saviour of his people from their fins,
and through them all the nations of the earth.
Goil manifelted himfelf unto Jofcph in a dream, and he
faid unto his brethren *' Hear, 1 pray you, this dream which
«' I have dreamed. For behold we were bemling fhcaves in
♦* the field, and lo, my (heaf arofe, and Hood uprii;ht ; and
** behold your Iheaves llood round about, and made ftbeifancc
*• to my Iheaf." How doth the felfifli pride of the human
heart relilt all government but that of their own will! ihey
can fcarce bear a rival in the exercife of power much lefs
can they bear an equal to be exalted to rule over them, even
ihouch by the fpecial appomtmcnt of God. Jofcph by tell-
ing th.cm his dream did not ufurp dominion, but only fore-
told that which Ihould come to pals in the way of Providence;
it would have been a time to refill when he began to rule ;
fraternal nffcdion ihould have led them into a candid judg-
ment, and true wifdom Ihould have taught them to know that
God could have accomplilhcd his purpofes in the future ad-
vancement of Jofcph, quite confiltently with the welfare of
his brethren, not only fo, but to have made their glory and
happinefs dependant upon it.
Nothing more fully manifefts the folly of mankind than
their unbounded thirll atter dominion, and their envy at the
merit of others. The bretiucn of Jofeph felt as men envious
at the fuperior merit of their brother, and hated him becaufe
of the divine blcfling; they could not bear that he, their
younger brother, Ihould rule over thetn, and fought a proper
opportunity to jirevcnt it. Jacob having large polTefiions of
cattle, his ions were his ihcphcrds, and tended them at a dif-
tance from the vale of Hebron, where Jacob refided ; Jofeph
and Benjamin being the yoimgelt, flayed with their father.
Jacob, ar.xious for his childrc;n's welfare, fent Jofeph to en-
quire after them, no fooner did th.ey fee him at a diftance, but
they cried out, " Behold this dreamer ccmeth ;" and thy con-
fpired together to flay him ; but overcome by the perfuafion
of Riiebcn, who fought an opportunity to refcue him from
their wicked intentions, they cad him into a pit, out of which
they afterwards took him, and fold him to a caravan of Illi-
maelite inerchants, who were pafllng that way to go into
Egypt.
When brotight into Egypt, the Iflimaclitcs fold him unto
Potiphar, an oihcer in the army of Pharoah,anil captain of his
guard. How cltimablc is integrity, when it fprings from
piety,
( 72 )
piety! it makes a man valuable in the eyes even of them who
know not God; it leads them to obferve the difference of the
condu6t between that man whofeareth Jehovah, and him who
feareth him not : true religion giveth a man an holy confi-
dence, it calleth forth his induftry, it maketh a man to be a
calm, a6live member of fociety ; this was the cafe with
Jofcph. The Lord was with him, and he was a profperous
man in the houfe ot his maimer the Egyptian; and his matter
could but notice it, for he faw that the Lord was with him,
and made all the work of his harlds to profper. This caufed
him to have a regard for Jofeph, and made him to Ihew that
regard by outward a6ls ; he promoted Jofeph to be the over-
feer of his houfe and fteward of his polTeihons. This was
indeed the true end of religion. It was the leaven of piety
fermenting the world. The mafter fees the condu6l of his
fervant, and is by it led to fee the hand of Jehovah, Jofeph
here treadsin his father Jacob's fteps, and has, by fo doing, the
blefling of the God of his father Jacob. The mafter fees that
the Lord is with Jofeph, and in confequence he made him
over feer over his houfe and all that he had ; and the Lord blef-
fed the Egyptian for Jofeph's fake, and the blefling of the Lord
was upon all that he had in the houfe and in the field. Happy
indeed is that mafter who has an upright, faithful believer for
his fervant ; and happy that fervant whofe condu6l is fuch as
to bring down the blefling of Jehovah upon his mafter's ha-
bitation; more bleffed is he than the children of princes, for
he is even now an inftrument of communicating bleffings ;
tied up by his fituation from pouring forth from the horn of
plenty with a liberal hand, he by his uprightnefs calleth down
bleflings from heaven, and giveth, by his condud, a thoufand
times more than he receiveth.
Jofeph was a goodly perfon, a handfome well proportion-
ed man ; and his miflrefs, fmitten with his beauty, forgetting
the native modefly of the female, not only longed for, but en-
treated his embraces. But he refufed. The fituation of Jofeph
as houfe fteward, placed him in the way of temptation, and
gave his miftrefs an opportunity to tempt his virtue to the
uimoft, and that by the ftrongeft pafTion of mankind ; but fuch
is the energetic influence of true religion, that it enabled him
to overcome the powerful temptation, and to reafon with
her on the ftrong principles of gratitude and religion, to bring
herbacktothe paths of virtue. ''My mafter, faic^ he, knowcth
Tiol what is with me in the houfe ; he hath committed all that
he hath to my hand j in this houfe there is nooe greater than
1 i
( 73 )
I ; he hath not kept bnck aught but thee, becaiiie thou
art his wife i how then can I do this great wickednc fs, and
fin againrt God?" So Itrong arc tlic palhoiis ot' the children
of Adam, when not controuled by the' higher principles of
piety, founded on the knowledge of tlu: charader oi Jehovah,
that like the raging tempelt, they fwell and beat upon all tho
puny bulwarks of reafon and prudence, until they have fwept
away every vel^ige of them. In vain did Jofeph rcufon and
difpby liis mafter's love and his own fcjrvile condition. She
iViW intreated him day by day, but finding that Ihe could not
Ih.'.ke his piety, watching for opportunity v^-hcn all the men
of the houfe were abfent, (he caught him by his garment,
and faid, ♦* Lie with me;" but he kft his garment in her hand
and tied. Then fhe called the m.en of the houfe, and faid
unto them, " See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to
mock us; he came in unto me to lie vvith me, and I cried
with a loud voice; and it came to pafs, when he heard that
I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with
me and fled and got him out :" and Hie laid up his garment by
her until her Lord came home, when Ihe related to him the
fame fidious tale.
There is not any word more abufed than the word Love.
Love is a pure and holy emanation of the Deity ; it partakes
of his nature, and is only known to dwell in the bofom of the
pofTeflbr, by the benign adions it produces ; it is ever doing
good to the beloved objed, and the longeft returns of ingra-
titude changeth not its nature; like Jehovah him.felf it is un-
changeable. It m.anifelts itfelf by kindncfs, gentlenefs, pa-
tience, meeknefs, forbearance, tendernefs, and ever driving
to communicate, and almoft creating opportunities of doing
good; but love, human love, is a felhlh paffion, it is con-
tinually feeking gratification, it loveth the objed for the
fake of felf, and feeks to do it good for its own enjoyment;
unreturned or unregarded, it manifefts its perverted nature
by hatred, malice, and revenge, as in the wife of Potiphar;
when the pofiellbr of it cannot accomplifh his purpofes, wil-
lingly would he facrifice the honour, charader, and even
life of tl>e beloved objed. "Behold," faid ftie, toher hufband,
behold the Hebrew Have which thou haft brought to us,
came in tmto me to mock me, and it came to pafs, as I lift
up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me and fled
out."
It is not to be wondered at that Jofeph's matter (hould be
wroth with him, and unheard, condemn his faithful fcrvanf
L to
( 74 )
to a piifon, where the king's prifoners were bound ; doubt-
lefs, he was ordered to ciofe conftnement, and to be heavily
fettered, for it is faid by the Pfalinift, *< his feet they hurt
■with fetters, he was laid in iron." But even there, '* The
Lord was with Jofcph and ihewed him mercy, and gave him
favour in the fight ot the keeper of the prifon. And tlie
keeper of the prifon committed to Jofeph's hand all the pri-
foners that were in the prifon, and whatfoever they did there
he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prifon looked not
to any thing that was under his hand, becaufe the Lord was
with him, and that which he did the Lord made it to prof-
per." Happy Jofeph, who could thus arife above flavery and
imprifonment I Truly it may be faid of the righteous man,
all that he doeth fhall profper." It is not with Jofeph as it is
•with too many of the great men of the world, the place did
not make the man great. But the man was good, and
through his piety, whether he Vv^as a (hepherd in the fields,
a fteward of a palace, aprifoner, goaler, or prime minifter,
he was always great, for he ferved Jehovah, and his blefllng
is always on them that fear his name.
*' And it came to pafs after thefe things, that the chief but-
ler, and chief baker of the king of Egypt, had offended their
Lord, and Pharaoh was wroth with them, and he put them
in ward in the houfe of the captain of the guard, into the
prifon, the place wliere Jofeph was bound, and the captain
of the guard charged Jofeph with them, and he ferved them,
and they continued a feafon in ward. And they dreamed a
dream both of them, each man his dream in one night ;
and Jofeph came in imto them in the inorning and looked
upon them, and behold they were fad, and he alked them,
■wherefore look ye fo fadly to day ? And they faid unto him,
we have dreamed a dream, and there is not an interpreter of
it. And Jofeph faid unto them, do not interpretations be-
long to God ; tell me them, I pray you." How concife, and
yet how beautifully did Jofeph take off their attention from
himfelf, who was about to interpret their dreams, and lead
them to the God of Ifratl, who had given the dream?, and was
by him about to give their interpretation ; he was indeed a
wife man, tor he was intimately acquainted with the fountain
of wifdom, and dwelt under a conftant fenfe of the favour of
his God. " And the chief butler faid unto him, in niy dream,
behold a vine was before me, and in the vine three branches,
and it was as though it budded, and the bloffoms fhot forth,
and the clufters thereof brought forth ripe grapes ; and
Pharaoh's
( 73 )
Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I look the grapes and
preffed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into
Pharaoh's hand. And Jofcph faid unto him, this is the in-
terpretation of it. The three branches are three days, yet,
within three days (hall Piiaraoh lift up thine head, and re-
itore thee unto thy place, and thou (lialt deliver Pharaoh'^
cup into his hand, atter the former manner, when thou waft
his butler. But think on me when it (hall be well with thee,
and fhew kiiuinels I pray tliee unto me, and make mention
of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this hotife. For,
indeed, I was Rolen away out of the land of the Hebrews,
and here alfo have I done nothing that they fhould put me
into this dungeon." Alas, poor Jofeph ! the bitternefs of ad-
verfitv brought home to thy wounded heart, thy domeftlc
fire-fide, thine aged parent, thy beloved Benjamin, and thy
hard hearted, envious, cruel brethren. If profperity in the
houfe of Potiphar had made thee forget thy father's houfe,
adverfity again brought every paft endearment to recollec-
tion, and nvide thee, o man of God, become a fuppliant to
an Egyptian prifoner ; but, alas! the butler forgat Jofeph:
no doubt he promifed to requite thy kindnefs and thy wif-
dom, but aflli6Hon part — the iiiltrumcnt of foothing it was
buried in oblivion ; men live for themfelves, none but the
man of God liveth for focicty, and in the day of profperity
delights in recolle^ling and rewarding paft obligations.
*' When the chief baker faw that the interpretation was
good, he laid unto Jofeph, I alfo was in my dream, and
behold, I had three white bafkcts on my head, and in the
iippermoft balket there was all manner of baked meats for
Pharaoh, and the birds did eat them out of the baflcet upon
my head." The interpretation of good to one man, leads
others to try their fortune in the fame lottery, though but
few prizes, yet every one hopes to be a gainer, and meets
more than double difappointnient from his neighbour's
fuccefs, compared with his own mifchance. This was the
cafe of Pharaoh's unhappy baker, he had heard the promifed
rcftoration of the butler, and hoped to meet wiih a like
promife. How dreadful muft have been his difappoiutment,
when Jofeph faid, "This is the interpretation of thy dream.
The three bafkets are three days, vet, within three days (hall
Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and (hall hang thee
on a tree, and the birds fhall eat thy fleOi from offrhee."
Happy is that man who expeclcth not worldly blelTings, for
he can never be difappointtd. Happy, liuicc liappy the be-
L 2 liever.
( 76 )
lievcr, who feeth the hand of Jehovah ordering all thingy,
and is contented that he fhall appoint his itation, his fup-
port, his comforts, his trials, and the length or fiiortnefs of
his journey ; in every fituation of life that man is at home,
he is, indeed, the foldier of Chrift, continually liftening for
the word of command. °
The butler was delivered from his prifon, and for two
years forgot Jofeph. God, as a father, chafteneth thofe
•whom he loveth, that being tried in the furnace of affliclion,
they may come thereout more feparated and purified from
fell and pride, and all the bafe alloy that intermingles with
the fpirit of that man who hath not'known advcrfity. The
child of God may fufFer long, but the eye of his heavenly
Father is upon him, he feeth his arllidion, and lifteneth to
all his cries, helooketh down upon him in his loweftatc, and
will, if requifite, fhake an empire to its foundation, but
that he will work his deliverance. Jofeph, the innocent,
uncomplaining Jofeph, was forgotten for two whole years,
when Pharaoh dreamed two dreams, and in the morning his
fpirit was troubled, and he fent and called for all the magi-
cians of Egypt, and all the wife men thereof, and told them
his dreams but there was none that could interpret them un-
to Pharaoh. O how vain is human wifdotn, with^ all the
foolifh pretenfions of weak or wicked men, to the know-
ledge of the black art, to explain the myfterious revelations
of God ! He that revealcth all things that are to come to pafs
alone can enlighten the mind to expound that which he hath
revealed; none of them could interpret the dreams unto Pha-
raoh. Egypt, at that time renowned for arms, for arts, for
commerce, and for fcience, could not produce a man that
could explain a dream. The monarch of the Ead muft be
troubled, and all the wifdom of the Eaft cannot fpeak peace
unto him. What awiul attention muft have ran through the
court of Pharaoh, and from thence to the city, the country,
and through the nation. The butler, who hr.d long forgotten
Jofeph, isj by the conflernation of the court, brought to re-
member his former comforter. **This day, laid he to Pharaoh,
do I rem.ember my faults, Pharaoh was wroth with his fer-
vant, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's
houfe, both me and the chief baker. And there was with us
a young man, an Hebrew, fervant to the captain of the
guard, and wc told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams,
to each man according to his dream he did interpret ; and it
foon came to pafs, as he interpreted to us, fo it was ; me he
rcftored
( 77 )
reftored to mine office, and kim he hanged. Then Pharaoh
fent and called Jofeph, and ihey brought him hallily out of
the dungeon, lind he (haved, and chanircd his raiment and
came in unto Pharaoh, and Pharaoli laid unto Jofeph, I
have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret
it : and I liave heard fay of thee, that tliou canfl underftand
a dream to interpret it. And Jofeph anfwered Pharaoh, fay-
ing, it is not in me. God ihall give Pharaoh an anfwer of
peace." How pioiilly doth the humbled Jofcpli fpoak ; I
never can read it without being humbled in my own fpirit.
It is not in me \ God ftali give Pharnoit an anfwer of peace.
Fit us, holy Father, for thy work, that in all we do or fay,
we may afcribe gl^ry unto thee.
"And Pharaoh faid unto Jofeph, I ftood upon the bank of
the river, and behold there carne up out of the river, fevea
kitie, fat flefhed, and w^ll favoured, and they fed in a mea-
dow ; and behold feven other kine came up after them, poor
and very ill favoured, and lean liefiied, fuch as I never faw
in all the land of Egypt for badnefs, and the lean and ill
favoured kine did eat up the firft feven tat kine, and when
they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had
eaten them, but they were dill ill favoured, as at the begin-
ning. So I awoke.
*< And I faw in my dream, and behold, fevea ears came up
on one ftalk. full and good ; and behold feven ears, witliered,
thin, and blafted with the eaft wind, fprang up after them,
and the thin ears devoured the i'tven good ears: and I told
this unto the Egyptians, but none cotild declare it unto mc."
And Jofeph faid, the dreams of Pharaoh are one ; God
hath (hewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The feven
good kine are feven years, and the feven good ears are feven
years : and the feven thin and ill favoured kine that came up
after them, are feven years, and the feven empty ears, blaft-
ed with the call wind, lluill be feven years of famine. This
_ is the thing which I have fpoken unto Pharaoh : What God
is about to do he (hewc'Ji unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come
feven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.
And there fhall arife after them, feven years of famine, and
all the plenty fliall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and
the famine (hall confuixie the land, and the plenty Ihall not
be known in the land, by reafon of the famine following it,
for it (hall be very grievous ; and for that the dream was
doubled unto Piiaraoh tv/icc, it is becanfe the thing is e(la-
bli(hed by God, and God will fliortly bring it to pafs. Now,
therefore,
( 78 )
therefore, let Pharaoh look out a man difcreet and wife, and
fet him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and
let him appoint ofEcers over the land, and take up the fifth
part of the land of Egypt in the fcven plenteous years ; and
let ihcm gather all the food of thofe good years that come,
and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh ; and let them
keep food in the cities, and that food fliall be {lore to the
land againfl the feven years famine which ftiall be in the
land of Egypt, that the land perifh not through the famine:
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the
eyes of all his fervants. And Pharaoh faid, Can we find fuch
a one as this, a man in whom is the fpirit of God. And Pha-
raoh faid unto Jofepb, Forfamuch as God has Ihewed thee
ail this, there is none fo difcreet and wife as thou art. Thou
Ihalt be ruler over my houfe, and according to thy word fhall
all my people be ruled, only in the throne will I be greater
than thou. And Pharaoh faid unto Jofeph, See I have fet
thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his
ring from his hand, and put it upon Jofeph's hand, and arrayed
him in a vefture of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his
neck, and he made him to ride in the fecond chariot which
he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee, and he
made him ruler over all the land of Egypt : and Pharaoh, faid
unto Jofeph, I am Pharaoh, without thee (hall no man lift
up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
What believer in the truth of Divine Revelation that is
vvell acquainted with this hiftory of Jofeph, can ever be mad
enough to attempt to vindicate his own chara6ler ? With
holy fortitude did he fuffer under a falfe accufation : no re-
proaches do we hear againft his falfe accufer ; but, like the
Son of God before the Jewifli Sanhcdrirn, he anfwercd not
a word. The fudden elevation of Jofeph, and the caufe of
it, mufl have occafioned much re-examination of all his pafl
condu61:, and call a ray of divine glory over his fiifFering vir-
tue. Worthy indeed was he to rule, who, by his wifdom
and uprightnefs, could fo make known his integrity of con-
duct, as that he flood at no time in need of exculpation. Be
it my motto ; be it yours ; be it the motto of every Chriflian.
God defend us ! What have we to do with the approbation
of mankind ? Let us approve ourfclves in the fight of God,
and he will, in his own good tline, caufe us to be approved
of before the eyes of mankind, then will unjuft afperfions be
made manifeft, and the uprightnefs of our condu6l will biirft
forth, like the bright (hining of the fun through the miily
vapour.
( 79 )
vapour, and the enemies who hated and reproached us (hall
bow the knee and do us reverence, with folemn veneration.
Pharaoh appears in tlic charaiSler of Creation's univerfal
fovereign, he looks not back to all the fay fo's and t'alfe ac-
cufations of mankind : but he at once enters into the charac-
ters of men, and rewards [ofeph according to merit; fo Ihall it
be at the coming of Chrid [cfus of Nazareth, who will enter
into the characters of his faints, and reward them according
to merit ; the fons of men fliall own the juftice of his ap-
pointments, and proclaim, Bow the knee before his firlt-born
fons.
How tranficnt are human ftates ! Jofcph, tiiis day the be-
loved fon of a wealthy parent, dwelling in his father's habi-
tation and being the comfort of his heart ; to-morrow be
hold him fold as a Have itito a itrange land. See him this
day fteward and ruler over the palace and fervants of a
prince ; fee him on the morrow utijultlyaccufed, and call into
prifon : behold him with his eye call down, his legs fettered,
and humbled to the dull, and all his thoughts mournfully re-
fledling upon his cruel degraded ftate. This hour behold him
in his prifon cloaths, his eye fad, his heart heavy, the ways
of the footfteps of Divine Providence fliadowed over with
clouds and darknefs : behold him the next hour blelfed with
the fmiles of a wife and mighty monarch, adorned with all
the outward decoration of human grandeur, whilll the
greateft nation of the earth owns the juftncfs of his exalta-
tion, and liftens with attention for his commands. O hope !
though thou forfakefl: the bofoms of all the rcll of mankind,
thy throne ihould be eredlcd in the heart of the believer, for
he knoweth that Jehovah ruleth, that although his paths may
be in the wliirlwind, and his footlleps in the great deep,
yet he holdeth the reigns of government, and ordcrcth all
the concerns of human life according to the counfel of his
own will.
What a wonderful chain of circumflances attended the
promotion of Jofeph ! Had there been but one link wanting,
the whole would have been deltroyed. Had not Jofeph noticed
the evil conduct of his brethren, they would not have hated
him : If they had not hated him, he would not have been
fold for a flave. if Potiphar had not purchafcd hiin, his wife
would never have been fmittcn with his beauty ; if (he had
not luijuftly accufed him, he would not iiave been cafl into
prifon. If the butler and the baker had not been imprifon-
cd, he could not have interpreted their dreams, nor Piiaraoh's,
nor
( 80 )
nor have been promoted over Egypt, nor faved the lives of
millions, nor would the pofterity of Abra'.iam have gone into
Egypt, as Jehovah had foretold, nor would a nnmberk Ts va-.
riety of the gracious pronnifes of Gud been accompliihed ;
truly, our God doth, indeed, turn the curfe into a blcliing, he
overuled the wickednefs of man, and by it faved many nations
from being deftroyed by famine, and, indeed, in faving. the
feed of Abraham, he faved the "world.
"The feven years of plenty came to pafs, as Jofeph had
foretold, ar.d he ftored up the produce of the fields in the
cities which they furroundtd ; fo wonderful was the produc-
tion of nature, that he gathered corn like fand, in fiich pro-
digious quantities, that he ceafed to number the amoiint of
ih The feven years of famine followed, and dreadfully fe-
vere It was in all the countries furrounding Egypt , but in
Egypt, through the pn vidence of Jofeph, there was bread,
and vv!:en the (lores faved by the people were expended, the
people cried unto Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh faid unto
the Egyptians, go unto Jofeph, and what he fiith unto you -
do." It is btit juft here to obferve the beneficial eiteds oi
good government. Egypt, the granary of the world, would
have been famiflied, had not the commerce of the people
been partially retrained ; had it been wholly retrained, the
ueighbouring nations would have been deitroycd, and vaft
quantities of that corn which was the gift of God for the be-
nefit of mankind at large, v/ould have ulelefsly perifhed ;
but by treafuring up the exceedings of the years of plenty,
and permitting the commercial induftry of the people to be
freely exercifed with the remainder. Eg) pt was enriched, the
nations blefled, and God glorified by his bounty to his
creatures. The mafs of mankind rnufl be governed to be
happy, and happy are they if their governors rule over them
in the fear of the Lord.
Though the land of Canaan was, in after ages, very pro-
ductive in corn, in the days of Jacob, it appears to have been
chiefly pallurage. They foon, therefore, felt the effeds of
the famine, and Jacob faid unto his fons, *' Why do ye look
one upon another r Behold, I have heard there is corn in
Egypt, get you down thither, and buy for us from thence,
that we may live and not die." Jacob well knew the faith-
fulness of God, and that the promifes he had made of the
feed of the woman coming from his loins Ihould, in the tul-
ncfs of time, be accomplKhed, and yet he doth not fay to his
children, you are the chofen of the Lord, have but patience;
' toi-
( 81 )
" for a Hule lime, the windows of lieavcn fiiall be opened,
and bread rained upon you fooncr than you (hall pcrilh—
No! the good old Patriarch well knew that although Jehovah
could do any thing, yet he choofes rather to give to the dili-
gent hand his blcliiug. Why do you look upon one another ?
Perhaps they began to defpair. The fodder is gone, we have
not food for our cattle, they will foon die, and we wlii.her,
fhall we go r Perhaps they began to look with evil eyes
upon each other ; or, if it had not come to this, as yet tiicir
minds began to be humbled, they felt the dependence of their
fituation. FafUng will pull down the lofty thoughts ot man,
and for the time lay his proudelt boalling in the dnfl: ; when
famine comes with all its ghaftly horrors, the tottering knees
fcarcc fuppo'-t the (kin-covered ikeleton. " Why do ye look
upon one another," faid the good old Jacob, ** Behold I have
heard that there is corn in Egypt, cheer up your fpirits, my
fons, if God our Creator has with-held the blefllngs of the
earth from us, he has poured out with a liberal hand to Egypt ;
expetH: not enjoyment without labour, arife, go down to
Egypt and bily corn. Why thould man defpair ? the God
of all fledi feedeth the ravens, and provideth food for man.
This day another labours and we partake of his repaft ; to-
morrow it is our turn to labour, and invite them to the
meal. The God of all fle(h unites fociety by their mutual
wants, and by it givcth the greatelt (hare of bleflings to hirn
that is molt diligent in procuring them.
And the fons of Ifrael came into the land of Egypt to our-
diafe corn, and Jofeph was the governor of the land, and he
it was tiiat fold to all the people of the land. And Jtjfcph's
brethren came and bowed down themfelves before him with
their faces to the earth. When Jofeph faid to his bretluen,
** behold my (lieaf arofe and Rood upright, and behold your
/heaves arofe and ftood round about, and made obeifance to
my (heaf." Had he explained it by faying. Ye (hall willingly
come to me, rejoice in my profperity, and with plealure re-
verence my dignity, would they have believed him ? Would
they not have called him an afpiring fool, an nband ned liar;
and fwore fooner to fufFer any evils than to have- permitted
him to rule over them, or than they would pay him any
homage? Had good old Jacob faid to them, Mv Tons, ;. ou
fee tiie dreadful efre£ls of the famine; but Egypt is a
foreign country, their cuftoms are different from ours, can
you bend your minds willingly to fubmit to any thing the
governor of it may i.ripofe r doubtlefsly they would have
M anfwercd
( ^^2 )
aafvvered yes ; but had he faid, Your brother Jofeph is go-
vernor, you cannot buy corn there unlefs you honaage him
for your fuperior, would they have done it? I think not,
but have anfwered, we will ftarve firft, we will not go down.
This is the true fpirit of the Jews ; they will fooner fufFer
the bitterefl deaths rather than acknowledge Jefus to be the
Melliah. Upon the Continent many have chofe whipping ra-
ther than to pronounce the name of Jefus, although it is a
common name amongft them, fignifying Saviour, or Re-
ftorer, and when they have been at lalt forced to pronounce
it, they have fpit after it, to (hew their abhorrence of the
name. There is not any thing in heaven, earth, or hell, they
fo much hate as the name of Jefus of Nazareth. So did the
])rethren of Jofeph hate him. Was he not innocent, did he
not love them ? Yes ! but he reproved them. Tellafalfehood
of a bad man and he may forgive you, but tell of his evil
deeds and you forfeit his efteem for ever ; all men curfe the
liar, and yet not any who know not God love the truth — ■
They love to hear the truth of their neighbours, but them-
felves they love to deceive, and hope by it to deceive others.
This was the cafe with the Jewifh nation, our Lord teflified
before his Father, and before the nation, that the deeds of
his brethren were evil ; this occafioned their hatred towards
the Son of God, and made them unintentionally fulfill the
prophecy concerning him, that he fliould be a man whom
the nation defpifed and rejected, a man of forrows and ac-
quainted with grief. But as hi? vifage was marred more
than any man's, and his form more than the fons of men,
fo fhall he fprinkle many nations : the kings fhall fhut their
mouths at him, for that which has not been told them fhall
they fee ; and that which they had not heard {hall they con-
fider. Thus faith the Lord, the Redeemer of Ifrael, and his
holy one, to him whom man dcfpifeth, to him whom the
nation abhorreth, to a fervant of rulers kings fhall fee and
arife, princes alfo Ihall worfhip, bccaufe of the Lord that is
faithful. I have propofed this queftion, has there ever been
any man whom the JewiHi nation abhorreth but Jefus of
Nazareth ? I know of no one, not even of all their wicked
kings and falfe prophets, although one of them cod them the
lives of 580,000 men, and, indeed, almofl: deftroyed the
name of the Jewifh nation ; fo that it might be faid, that
from his time begun their defpair of ever regaining their
own land ; yet his name is never mentioned with that con-
tempt which they affix to the name of Jefus ; and yet Jefus
never
( 83 )
never deftroyed them, but he healed the fick and wrought
numerous miracles in their favour, and to thij day they d(j
not attempt to deny it.
Jofeph's brethren never thought to aflc any favour of him,
his name they detefted, and delivered hii pcrfon into the
liands of Grangers : but God knew how to make them bow
the knee bctorc him. He ftnt famine amongft them. Won-
derful the etfccls of famine ! the ftrength faileth, and the foul
becomes depreHed ; bread we muft have, or our life is
gone. This fhall be one of the great means in the hands of
God, to keep in fubjc6lion the nations to Jefus, during his
inillenial reign : no rain (hall come upon ail the nations of
the earth who fend not their annual deputies with homage
and tribute to Jcrufaiem — no rain, no corn, the earth will
not yield her fruits, famine enfues, and awful defolatiou
ihall humble tlie haughty fpirit of man.
God knew how to break the ftaff of bread among the
Egyptians, though fertilifetl by the Nile, as well as in the
land of Canaan, which depended upon the ihowers from hea-
ven. The Egyptians cry to Pharaoh for food. ** Go to
Jofeph," faid he. So now, when the fons of men are in
diftrefs, and cry to God, the Unlverfal Parent. ** Go to
Jefus," faith he, 'Mook unto him ye children of diftrefs."
All ye remote peoples of the earth looked unto him and be
faved. Every knee will he make to bow in homage, and
every tongue fwear allegiance to the name of Jefus. Nothing
can be more difagrceable to his enemies than the thoughts ot
this ; but Jehovah hath fworn, and fhall he not accomplilh ?
Every knee, whether Jew or Gentile, fliall be conftrained to
reverence him whom the Creator delighteth to honour, and
every tongue fliall confefs his goodnefs to the glory of God
the Father.
*' Andjofephfaw his brethren and he knew them, but made
himfelf ftrange unto them, and fpoke roughly unto them.
Whence come ye ? And they faid from the land of Canaan
to buy food : but he faid unto them, ye arc fpics, to fee the
nakednefs of the land ye are come." Doubilefs they thought
this mighty man of Egypt a ftrange fellow, and had many
lofty thoughts at the perfonal affront he put upon tbcra :
had we come to beg his corn, he might have been fo rough
and imperious ; but when we come as cuitomers to purchafe
it, he might have been more civil : but they were hungry,
and famine humbled their language ; Ihev wanted food, and
M 2 it
( Si .)
jt would not do id (peak rafhly to hirr., who alone could fup-
ply their wants. Happy the man who is fo humbled as to
be enabled to manage his tongue; happier (till, if the
thoughts ot his heart are brought into fubjection .
<< You are itrangcrs," faid Jofepli, you are fpies, you are'
coine down from the laud of Canaan to fpy out the barren-
nefs of our country ;" and they faiduniohiin, <' Nay, my
Lord, but to buy food are thy fervants come, we are all one
man's fons, we are true men, thy fervants are no fpies: and he
faid unto them, Nay, but to fee the nakcdncfs of the land
arc ye come. And they laid, thy fervants are twelve bre-
thren, the fons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and
behold, the youngell is this day with our father, and one is
not. And Jofeph faid unto them, That is it I fpake unto
you, faying ye are fpies. Hereby ye fliall be proved : by
the life of Pharaoh, ye fhall not go forth hence, except your
youngeli: brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him
tetchyour brother, and ye Ihall be kept in prifon that your
words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you,
or elfe, by the life of Pharaoh, furely ye are fpies. And he
put them all together into ward three days."
By all this, who would not fuppofe that Jofeph had not
fome fpite againlt his brethren, and was fully refolved to re-
venged himfelf upon them for their former cruelty r On the
tiiird day he fecmed to relent, and fent for them again, and
faid to them, ** This do and live ; I will not entirely ftarvc
you, for I fear God. If ye be true men, let one of your bre-
thren be bound in the houfe of your prifon: go ye, carry
corn for the famine of your houfes : but bring your youngeft
brother unto me, fo Ihall your words be verified, and ye fl)all
i^iot die."
How wifelv did Jofeph work upon their paflions, fo as to
J^ing home their former crime to their minds, and caufe
them to (land felf-condenmed. There is no need for an ac-
cufer when God, by his providential dealings, bringeth a man
to the knowledge of himfelf; guilt and its attendant horrors,
then harrow up the foul, and every thought accufes and con-
demns. The man fiiteth in judgment upon his pail life, and
awfully fever,e is the I'entence that he palfcs. '^Aud they faid
one to another, we are verily guilty concerning oiir brother,-
in that wc faw the anguifli of his foul when he befought us,
and we would not hear, therefore is this diftrefs come upon
us. And Reuben anfwered thcm» faying. Spake I not
unto you, faying, do not fin againft the cliild : and ye would
n ot
( 85 )
not hear. Therefore behold alfo his blood is requJrecT. An<f
they knew not that Jofcph underftood them, tor he fpoke
unto them by an inierpeter."
Thus God adls by man ; he does not fpeak immediateivj
but by his providences, and bringeth man to the recollcdioij
of his guilt, and to the open confelfion of it, crying out with
the publican, Lord, have mercy upon me a (inner. Jofeph
had now brought his brethren to the acknowledgment oli"
their guilt, he carries on the fcene till they by mutual re-
crimination make known to liim who is the moft guilty.
Little did they think of the feelings of jofeph ; he was touch-
ed with their infirmities, he faw the evil of their nature, and
was determined to work in them a radical cure. Judgment
was his (Irange work ; it forced him to turn himfelf about
and weep. He then returned to them again, communed with
them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before
their eyes.
"Then Jofeph commanded to fill their facks with corn, and
to reftore every man's money into his fack, and to give tlieiH
provifion for the way. They had not got far upon their
journey, when opening his fack to give his afs provender,
one of them found his money : and he faid unto his brethren ,
my money is reflored, and lo! it is even in my fack, and
their hearts failed, and they were afraid, faying one to an-
other. What is this that God hath done unto us r" Dread-
fully frightened indeed, to go down into Egypt to buy corn,
and there to be taken for fpies, to pay for that corn, and find
their money ia their facks, and perhaps to be purfued and
taken up for thieves, or when their brother returned with
ihcm to be all feizcd, and cither put to death or fold fur
Haves.
Arrived at home, they acquainted their father with the
rough trcatinent they had received from the Lord of Egypt.
** He took us for fpies, and would have that we came to fearch
out the barrennef^ of the country. It was in vain wc denied it;
in vain we declared our integrity, relating to him all our fa-
mily circumltances ; he imprifoned us, and when he fetus
free, he retained Simeon in cuflody, until wc fliould bring
our youngelt brother, Benjamin, down to confirin, by his
appearance, the truth of our llatcmeut, and then iie woyld
deliver Siineon to us again, and permit us to tratlic in the
land." Ilicy then opened their facks, and to their great
aftonilliment, every man's money was found in his fack ;
fear and horror fcized them, Simeon, a prifoner, and by
fome
( 86 )
fomc finaccountable circumftances, all the money which they
had paid for their corn returned. Doubtlels they thought
the Lord of Egypt will only know the money was not paid,
he will not be acquainted with our integrity, we fhall be
fuppofed to be crafty knaves, Simeon will be ill treated, and
when we return for corn, we (hall be punidied for villainy.
Their aged parent fees their diftrefs, but parental tender-
nefs for his abfent child is only increafed by their afflidion.
** Me have ye bereaved ; you have lopned off the branches
from my withered trunk. Jofeph is not, and Simeon is not,
and will ye take Benjamin away ? All thefe things are againft
ine." Poor old man ! all thy fair expedlations appear to be
blafted, the ftorm feemcd to pelt thy once happy habitation,
thy decayed body feem.ed to have all its props taking away,
and to be about to fink into the grave, deferted, comfortlefs
and alone. When that which is our prefent pride is cut off,
and all our future hope withered, what is man ?
'' And Reuben fpake unto his father, flay my two fons if
I bring him not to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I
will bring him unto thee again." Poor confolation this
to the good old man, to be permitted to flay his grand
children becaufe he had loft his child. Educated in the
tetnpeft, hardened by the inclemency of the weather,
Reuben's foul feems to have poirelTed but little of the tender
affeftions ; guided by the impulfe of the moment, he appears
to have been equally ready to do good or evil. All alive to
the voice of mifery, his utmoft defire was to relieve it by
any means, juft or unjuft ; equally alive to the impulfe of
his pafiions, his utmott defire was to gratify them ; in the
ways of virtue unftable as water ; he never excelled. The
man wliofe principles are not firmly efl;abli(hcd upon the
condu6l of God, he who is not guided by motives fuperior to
the feelings of the fiefli, will never attain any great height of
virtue : his brighteit adions will be like the dazzling light-
ning which altoni flies and deflroys, whilff his common walk
of life is grovelling, if not injurious,
*' The tamine was fore in jhe land, the corn they had
brought from Egypt was expended, they began to feel
the want of bread, and their father faid unto them, go
again, buy us a little food : but Judah faid, The man did
Iblemnly protcft unto us, faying, ye fhall not fee my face
except your brother be with you. If thou wilt fend our bro-
ther with us, we will go down and buy thee food; but if
thou wilt not f-snd \nm we will not go down, for the man
faid
( 87 )
faid unto us, yc fiiall not fee my face except your brother be
with you. And Ifrael faid, wherefore dealt ye fo ill with
me as to tell the man ye had a brother r And they faid the
man afl:ed us ftraitly of our ftatc, and of our kindred, fay-
ing, Is your father yet alive, have ye another brother ? and
we anfwercu him accordingly : Could we certainly know-
that he woulil fay. Bring your brother down ? And Judah
faid unto Ifrael his father, Send the lad with mc, and we will
arife and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou,
and alfo our little ones: I will be fiirety tor him, of my
hand Ihait thou require him. If I bring him not ujito thee,
and fet him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever.
For except we had lingered, furcly now we had returned this
fecond time."
How rational, manly and perfuafive is the fpcech of Judah!
it had the delired efFcd, and the good afFe£lionaic old man
faid, " If it mult be fo novv, do this, take ailvice, foften the
roughnefs of the Lord of Egyj^t with a prefent, do him
homage, make an acknowledgment of his fuperiority, and
gain his favour by fhewing your dependence upon him.
Take of the heft fruits of the Ir.nd in your vefTels, a little
balm, and a little honey, fpices, myrth, nuts and almonds,
and take double money in your hand, and the money that
was brought again in the mouths of your facks, carry it
again in your hand, peradventurc it was an overfight. Take
alfo your brother, and arife, go again unto the man, and God
Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may fend
away your other brother and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of
my children, I am bereaved,"
What flrange ideas had the good old Patriarch of his bed
earthly friend ! Little did he thmk that the man whofe tem-
per he fought to mollify was at that time taking much pains
to make him a joyful parent of virtuous children ; that his
hoary hairs might defcend to the grave crowned with joy and
full of peace. Jufl: fuch ideas have the children of men of
their belt friend, Jefus the Saviour. They behold his rough
treatment of them in all the crofs fcenes of providence, but
they behold not his kind compa/Tion, and the tender fynipathv
of his heart ; in their highcll fnlferings he renders them lcf>.
than, they deferve, and then only aftlids that he may humble
the proud imagination of their heart, and fubdue every lofty
thought into obedience to his will.
Well, down to Egypt they again go, and once more ftand
wilii Benjamin their brother before Jofeph, who bids his
houfe
( ss .)
houfe it'/wnid kill and irakc ready that flicy may dine \\'\d\
him. " And he brought Simeon out unto ihtMin, and brought
them into Jofcph's houfe, and gave them v/atcr to walli their
feet, and he gave tlieir aifes provender: and when Jofeph
came home they brought tlie prefent which was in their hand
into the houfc, and bowed themfelves to him unto the earth.
And he afked of their welfare, and faid, " Is your father
well, the old man of whom ye fpaker Is he yet alive?
And they anfvvercd, Tliy fcrvant our father is in good health ;
he is yet alive, and they bowed down their heads and made
obeifance. And he lift up his eyes and faw his brother Ben-
jamin, his mother's fun, and faid, Is this your younger bro-
ther of wiiom ye fpake unto me ; and he faid, God be gra-
cious unto thee my fon. And Jofeph rnade hafle, for his
boweU' vearned upon his brother, and he fought where to
weep, and he entered into his chamber and wept there. And
lie wafhed his face, and went out and refrained himfelf, and
faid fet on bread."
There is fomething pectliariy beautiful in this part of
the hillory of Jofeph, it Ihews his cbarader in a moft afFed-
ing and amiable point of light. Neither adverfity or profpe-
rity had deftroyed his fraternal love ; his whole foul melted
over his brother, prudence not permitting him to pour forth
his affections till he had tried if his brethren loved Benjamin,
and if affli6lion had brought them to that union that is fo
defireable in a family. The man who has not focial affec-
tion may talk of the tendernefs of his heart, but his anions
give the lie to his words, and canfe him to fland condemned
from his own lips. Whenever I fee a family of children
tmited in love to each other, always anxious to manileft it
l>y kind aftions and mutual forbearance, fhould they have
many and great failings, yet I am confident that 1 then be-
hold a family who have ftrong flamina of virtue, which if
called forth, would make them ornaments to fociety, a glory
to their Maker, a inutual fupport to each other ; fuch a fa-
mily tniglit put fortune's roughed frowns at defiance, and
fmilc amiiin the fcorn, rcpronch and contempt of mankind.
Dinner time caine, and Jofeph arranged them all accord-
ing to their ages, the eldelt firit and the youngcff laft ; and
the men wondered and were aflonifhcd, they could not ac-
count for it. It was all enchanted ground ! He then fent
menos to each of them, but to Benjamin a mcfs of honour,
five times as much as the rcff, being determined to call forlii
all the envy of their hearts if any was left, and they drank
and
( 89 )
atid were merry with him. And he commanded the fteward
of his houfe, faying, " Fill the mens facks with food, as much
as they can carry, and put every man's money in his fack.'«
mouth, and put my cup, the lilver cup, in the lack's mouth of
tlie youngefl:, and his corn money." And he did according as
Jofepli had fpoken, and when the morning was light the men
were font away, they and their afles.
Doubrlels they went merrily on, anticipating the pleafures
of home and the joys of their Other's heart at the light of his
beloved Benjamin. The good treatment they had experienced,
fo contrary to what tiicy expeded, muft have given them a
more than common elevation of fpirit.— When on a fudden
Jofeph's fteward overtakes them and fays, " Wherefore have ye
rewarded evil for good, has not my lord treated you as friends,
has he not returned you the money which you brought to pur-
chafe corn ; are you ftill fo covetous as to fteal his filver cup,
out of which he divineth ? And they faid unto him, where-
fore faith my Lord theie words ? God forbid that thy fervants
fhould do according to this thing. Behold, the money which
we found in our facks mouths we brought again unto thee out
of the land of Canaan ; how then Ihould we fteal out of thy
Lord's houfe filver or gold ; with whomfoever of thy fervants
it is found let him die, and we will be my Lord's bondfmen.
And he faid, now let it be according to your words, he with
whom it is found fliall be my fervant, and ye fliall be blame-
lefs. I^hen they fpeedily took down every man his fack to the
ground, and opened every man his fack. And he fearched, and
he began at the eldeft and he left off at the youngeft, and the
cup was found in Benjamin's fack. Then they rent thei^r
cloathes and laded every man Iiis afs, and returned to the city.'*
" And Judah and his brethren came to Jofeph's houfe (for
he was yet there) and they fell before him on the ground.
Jofeph addreffed them roughly. What deed is this that
vou have done ? Did you not fuppofe that a man like me could
certainly divine? But' Judah modeitly, yet boldly comes for-
ward and faid, what fhyjl we fay unto my Lord ? what (hall
wefpeakr or how ftiall we clear ourfclvts ? God hath found
out the iniquity of thy fervants, behold we are my Lord's fer-
vants, both we and he'alfo with wliom the cup is found.— -God
forbid (cries Jofeph) tliat I (liould dofo, the man in whole hand
the cup is found he Ihall be mv fervant, and as for you, get you
up in peace unto^'our father."
Judah again came forward and makes an oration, which for
beautv, fimnlicitv, and pathos, is one of the moft excellent of
N '^ anv
( ao )
any reconfed in any hiftory facred or proplisne. " O my
Lord ! let thy fervant, 1 pray thee^ fpeak a word in my Lord'a
ear, and let not thine anger burn againft thy fervants, for thou
art even as Pharaoh. My Lord aikedhis fervants, faying, have
y€ a father, or a brother ? and v/c faid unto my Lord, we have a
father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one, and
his brother is dead and he alone is left of his mother, and his
father loveth him. And thou faidefl: unto thy fervants, bring
him down unto me that I may fet mine eyes npon him. And
we faid unto my Lov<l, the lad cannot leave his father, for if lie
ihould leave liis fatlier his father would die. And ihou faidefb
unto thy fervants. Except your youngeft brother comedown
with you, you ihaJI Ice my face no more. And it came to pafs,
when we came up unto tliy ferv,-:int, my failicr, we told hinj
the words of my Lord. And my father iaid, goagiin and buy-
iis a tittle food ; and we laid, we cannot go down, ifom- youngell
brother be not with us ; and thy fervant, my father, faid unta
lis, Ye know that my wife bare me two fons, and the one
went out from me, :rnd ! faid, furely he is torn in pieces, and
I law him not fmce ; and if ye take this alfo from me, and
raifchief befal him, ye fliall bring down my grey hairs with
forrow to the grave. Now, therefore, when 1 come to thy
fervant, my fether and the lad be not with us, feeing that his
jjte is bound up in the lad's life, it (hall come to'pafs, when he
feeth the lad is not with us, that he will die, and thy fervants
fball bring down the grey hairs of thy fervant our father, witlv
forrow" to the grave. For thy fervant became furety for the
lad, faying, If 1 bring him not unto thee, then I rt^all bear the
Mame to my father for ever. Now, therefore, I pray thee let
tiiy fervant abide inllead of the lad, abondfman unto my Lord,
and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how fliall I go to
wy father and the lad be not witii me, left peradventure, I Ihall
ice the evil that ihall come upon my father."
A dilcourfe fo impiefiive, fo full of filial piety, came- home
to every tt'nder feeling of Jofeph's heart ; his end was anfwered,
he faw that his brethren loved their brother, that all the envy
. that rankles in the bofoms of a divided family was dellroyed.
Benjamin was fuppofed to be guilty of theft, yet inftead of up-
braiding they acknovvledge his guilt, and offer their own lives
or liberties-^ to redeem his. This was what Jofepli wanted ta
know,, to fearcli their hearts and call forth every root of bitter-
nefs that might be conce.iled, that every feparate interefl arif-
ing from their having ditlcrent mothers might be deftroyed, i'o-
that be migtit be Enabled to return tliein unto his aged pa-
rent
( 01 )
rent cloathed in meeknefs, gentlencfs, and warni fratenva
love,
Jofeph loved his falher, the fpeech of Judah blew upon tlic
filial flame, it foewed him his aftcdionate aged parent ftili
niourninf;; over his abfcnt child, he could no loivj,er refrain, he
caufcd all the attendants to go out tVom him, he wept aloud,
and laid, " I am Jofep'.i ; doth my father yet live ? and his bre-
thren could not anfwer him, for they were troubled at his pre-
fence. And Jofeph faid unto his brethren, Coine near unto
me I pray vou, and they came near^ and he faid, I am Jofeph
your brother whom ye fold into Egypt. Now, therefore, be
not grieved nor angry with yourfelves that you fold me hither,
for God did fend me before you to preferve lite."
Much inftrudlion is contained in this account of Jofeph ;
the behever can but infer if Gou could ad by fuch intricate
providetice, to bring the brethren of Jofeph to bow down unto
him; cannot he a<5l by the fame myfterious c'.ian of providen-
tial circumflances to bring the Jewilh nation, the brethren of
Jcfus, to be troubled at the prefence of Jefus, to be aflonifhed
at their ingratitude to him, and to bow unto him with a volun-
tary fubje<ftion and pay full homage to his fceptre. If fuch an
intricate plot as this could be laid with fo much wildoin, and
carried on with fuch firm rcfolution by a man like ourfelves ;
fay cannot tlie true Jofeph, him whoconftituted the ages, can-
not he lav down fuch a plan and caufe it to take place as fhall
bring his brethren after the flcfh to bow down unto him. How
are ye flow of heart to believe all that Gotl hath fpoken by his
fervants of old concerning Jcfns the McfTiah. whofe name is
exalted liigh above every name in heaven and on earth, that
he may accomplilh the glorious plan of reftoration which the
immortal Fatl;er harh contrived for all his creatures. ^V"hat an
aftonilhing fcene will that be, when the prefent midnight
fhades of mental darkncfs (lull dllappear at the brightnefs of
the fplendor of Jefus of N:r/,arcth, when he ccmcth in all the
glory of his Father, attended by the ini.umerable holl. of firft
born faints and holy angels.
When Chrift Cni\ came, his bretliren knew him not; they
(aw him him only as the fon of the Carpenter. In like man-
ner, when the brethren of fofeph went down into Egypt,
they knew not Jefeph, they law in him the Lord of Egypt,
but they beheld not in him their brother, all was dark and
wonderful, they were aftoniHied other Grangers fliould be
permitted to buy corn, but that they fliould be accounted as
ijpics, that he iliould permit them to carry corn home with
N 2 them
( 02 )
them to their families, and yet detain Simeon from them. So
when Jefus came he healed tlieir fick ami fupphcd their wants,
but concealed himfelf, the\ law not in his pcrfon the glories of
the Mefliah, they uifcovered not in him the pomp, the fplen-
dor, or outward dignity of the feed of David, the ruler of the
world, and in confequence thereof they reje6^ed hitn. There-
fore, becaufc they reje6ted in the perfon of Chrilt the counfel
of God againft themfelvcs , they have been now for .nany ages
paft, fcattered abroad over the face of the whole earth, the
fcorn, the reproach and contempt of mankind. Still they re-
main the brethren of Jefus — all their ingratitude and blafphe-
mous reproaches have not dcflroyed his fraternal affection for
them — he hath brought them into great diftreffes and will con-
tinue to bring them into greater ; nothing they have ever yet
fuffered is to be compared with what remains for them to fufFer,
as appears by comparing the prophecies of EzekicI with thofc
of Zechariah. Then at the moment of their diftrcfs fliall the
Lord even Jefus appear as their Saviour. Othenhow will their
hearts be troubled when he fliall fay I am Jetus, Jefus v;hom
you mocked, ridiculed, fpit upon, reproached ! Jefus whom
ye crucified, whofe name you have held in abhorrence, whofe
love you have negledled and defpifed ! Aftonifliment and
weeping (hall take hold of them — no wonder when memory re-
calls all their paft ingratitude, when recolk6lion caufesall their
folly and all their crimes to appear before them ; no wonder
that overpowered with (hame and deep contrition, every family
and every individual fliall feek the inmoft retirement to pour
forth their fupplications to that brother whom they have def-
fpifed and rejeded, no longer (hall they refufe to pay obedience
unto him.
Judah could make a fine oration, but when he knew it was
Jofeph whom he had addreffcd, he could fpeak no more. So
{hall it be with the Jewilli nation in that day, when they fhall
look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn. No more
will they attempt to plead their own innocence, and indire6tly
caft the blame upon him with a *' thou faidell: unto thy fer-
vants," but confcioufnefs of guilt and heartfelt contrition will
Utterly filence cvjcry defence, with Lord be merciful tome a
fmner.
Every punifliment God inflicts is full of love, all is intended
to fubdue and humble, that the rebel may know his own heart,
snd feel the plague of it that he may be healed. Great is the
rnalignity of fm, it is of a hardening nature, it groweth upon
the habits till it contaminates the (bul of man. It becomes re-
quifite
( 93 )
quifite to man that he iliould fufFer that he mny ccafc from fin,
and the fame afflidlions which lend to humble the pride of the
huniun heart, tend to fubdue at the fame time the whole foul
of the liiiner into pcrfe(5l obedience to the fceptre of Jefus.
Jofcpli appears to have had as httle of envy, guile, pride, and
revenge in his compofition as any man whatever ; his foul oa
the contrnrv. feems to have been fonned for love and friend-
Ihip, yet he found it necellary to purfue for feme time this
rough my flerious treatment of his bretlircn ; he Jinew that envy,
hatred and malice had guided their at^tinns, and that fuch paf-
ilons were contrary to brotherly love, to domeftic felicity, to
virtue, to prefent enjoyment and to future glory ; his fraternal
affedion and his wiidom led him, therefore, to the exercife of
his power, that he might correal every evil principle that muft
otherwife have been a bar to their happineis ; he longed for
them to be in fuch a ftate that he migiit mingle his foul with
theirs, and have mutual flux and reflux of pure uncontami-
nated fraternnl love from the heart. Thus it is with Chrifi and
his brethren the Jewifh n;uion ; therefore, it was under his di-
rcv^lion that Jerufalem was furro-jnded by the Romans, he favv'
the wives of his brethren hill and eat their own oflspring ; it
was uncier his infpedlion that the walls of his beloved city was
furroundcd by the bodies of his crucihcd brethren, and greater
miferies than thefe by his appointment Ihall take place. Yet
he loved them, he wept over them, he died for them, his heart
is not changed, he ftiJl coinpafiionates their diftrefles whilfl: he
inflicts tliem. It is therefore from his love that they fpring —
the ha?diiefsof their hearts necdeth fuch fevere afllidions to
foften and fubdue them ; all the kind adls that he could poflTibly
have exh'bited, would never make them lubmit, but when they
are come tlirough their own guilt and folly to their vvorfl:
eftate, and as a nation are about to be deftroyed, his rtiewing
himfeH in the air as their Saviour, and bringing them a full de-
liverance, appearing in all tlie glory of his Father, attended by
angelic liofts with the fird born ions of God, exhibiting his
lianus and feet and fide pierced and wounded for them, this
Ihall indeed overpower the ftubbornnefs of their hearts, and
bring them with contrite hearts joyfully to fubmit themfelves
unto him, and if the Jewilh nation who have hitherto relifted
every offer of mercy, can be brought to a voluntary fubmiirioii
to the Son of God, I have no bciitation upon my mind con-
ccaning the full falvation of the Gentiles.
Our Lord favs, if the mighty works which he wrought in
Canaan, had been wrouglit amongfl the heathen in Sodou),
G'jmorrah,
( 94 )
Gomorrah, or Nineveh, they would have long fmce repcnfcd
in I'ackcloth and afties. If Jefus, therefore, knew how to
bring down the ftubbornnefs of their hearts, how eafily can he
lubdue the hearts of all mankind. If he will be gracious to
that ftubborn hardened nation, will he not have n°ercy upon
all and pour forth a fpirit of prayer and fupplication upon all ;
but Chriftians are fond of faying all, all, inviting all, intreat-
ing all, and promifing all, and yet by all meaning only afmall,
puny, pitiful, little petty circle, and not like the fcriptural, a
circle enclofing within it the vaft circumference of creation.
The goodnefs, juftice, and mercy of God muft all harmonize
together, then every attribute of Jehovah will fhine in perfc6t
fplendor and none of his attributes eclipfe each other. In the
means to and final accompliflimeut of the full reftoration of all
the creatures of God, none can flievv which is the greateft, his
wifdom, his power, or his love, but all aie equal for in all hjB
is infinite.
Let me recommend to your further and more leifurely con-
fidcration the charader of Jofeph, who is the greateft of all
the fcriptures types of Chrift Jefus, excepting Mofcs— but Jo-
feph anfwers to the charader of Jefus in fiftv inftances.
Now unto the king, eternal, immortal, invifible, the
•nly wife God, be honour a»id glory to the ageof ages. Amen !
SERMON
SERMON VII
BY THE LATE
ELIUNAN JP7NCIIESTER,
[never before published.]
HOSEA XIII. 14.
J wiU ranfom them from the poucer of the grave : I will
redeem them from death : death ! I will he thy
plagues ; grave ! I will he thy deJirnBion ; repent-
ance Jhall he hid from mine eyes.
IT will be neceHary rightly to underfland thefe worJs, to
confider them in conneiStion witli the whole of the pro-
phecy. God was fpeaking of a rehellious people that he was
determined to deftroy ; notwithftanding all his invitations and
promifes, exhortations, and thrcatenings, they ftill continued
rebellious ; hardening themfelves in iniquity. *' They fin,"
I'aith God, *' More and more, and have made them molten
*' images of their filver, and idols, according to their own un-
*' derfbnding, all of it the work of the craftsman ; they fay of
*' them, let the men that fncrihce kifs the calves," It was
from the iniquity of the Ifraelites, that the anger of Jehovah
was kindled ; tliey having refilled his offers of mercy, he be-
begins toincreafe the fevcrity of his threatenings, and tells them,
*' They fhall be as the morning dew, that paffeth away ; as
** the chafF, that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor ;
** and as the fmoke out of the chimney."
Jehovah had long been gracious unto them, lie had given
fertility to their fields, he had bleffed the labour of their hands ;
traffic had increafed their merchandize, the hand of his Provi-
dence had poured plenty into their lap, they enjoyed his bene-
ficence, and " According to their paflure, 'io were they filled ;
thev
( 96 )
they were filled, and their heart was exalted : Therefore*' faith
Jehovah, " have they forgotten me." Awful confideration !
the ox knoweth his owner, and the afs liis mafler's crib ;
hut Ifrael did not know the hand that liberally fupplied all his
wants. The fons of men fcarce ever confider from whence
their bleffings are derived. They get exalted, and their hearts
are lifted up, and God their maker is difregarded.
God will be known amongft his j)eople, his name fhall be
exalted amongft all the nations ; if his goodnefs leadeth them
not to repentance, his afRidtive difpenfations, fliail manifeft his
power ; the ftubbornnefs of all the enemies of Jehovah Oiall be
lubdued ; they fhall behold his love and kils the rod that fmote
them ; for they fhall be fmitten according to the hardnefs of
their impenitent hearts : for they trcafure up upito themfelves
wrath, againfl the dav of wrath. Thus did Ephraim of old ;
it was the iniquity of Ephraim, that occafioned the denuncia-
tion of the awful judgments that Jehovah by his Prophet, de-
nounces againft them- It was this that as it were, forced the God
of love to fav, '* I will be unto them like a lion ; as a leopard
*' by the way, 1 vvill obferve them, I will meet them as a bear
*' bereaved of her whelps, and vvill rend the caul of their heart ;
*' there will I devour them like a lien, the wild beaft (hall tear
'* them." What language can more fully fpeak fentimentsof
revenge ; love unreturned, breaking forth like a fire. It
feems as though Jehovan, having now cxhaufied all his pa-
tience, was determined to fweep them entirely away with the
befom of deliru61ion. But immediately after this awful de-
nunciation of vengeance, mercy comes flowing in, in a ftrong
and overflowing tide. " O Ifrael ! thou haft delhoycd thyfelf,
hut in me is thine help." Artonifhing thought ! it explains the
whole caufe of the evils that befall mankind. Thou haft def-
troycd thyfelf, no fatality, no decree, no abfolute ncceflfity
for men or nations to fin and ruin themfelves; No ! it is their
own free choice ; happinefs is before them if they will but feek
the good of others, if they will but trace out the revealed con-
du6t of God, aivd imitate it. But they feek their own ad-
vantage, their o\\i\ glory. In their public and private con-
du6t, even in their fulcmn adoration of Deity, they vvill purfue
their own vain imaginations, and not the laws of their Maker,
irhcy corrupt their uudciftandings, their do6trines, their wor-
{hip, their pra6lice ; tlity deftroy themfelves. Tiie leaft de-
viation from truth, is a dcviarioij from wifdom and from hap-
piyefs, and muftincrcafe till mifery and dtftru6tion enfue, un-
lets the arm of Jehovah turn the overwhelming tide with the
rock
( 97 )
rock of affliction. The Jews of old deviated from the wor-
fhip appointed by God; and they deviated not out of contempt,
but that they might honour him : they had his v^^ord, but ftu-
died it not. It was thus that Micah made the molten image,
and appointed a Levite to be the prieft of Jehovah ; and thus
onward they went, by little and little, adding to, or diminifliing
from his law, till gradually they fell into grofs idolatry, and all
its abominations. In like manner the church of Chrift thought
to honour God by adorning the fimplicity of his worfhip with
Jewifli ceremonies ; till, at lafl, they ere(9:ed the throne of an-
tichrift in the temple of Jehovah; whil ft error, fuperftition,
and abomination ri vetted the oppreflive chains of perfecution,
fubftituting found for fenfe, fhew for religion, ignorance for
wifdom, till they had totally deftroyed the purity and fimplicity
of divine truth. Happy indeed is it for the church of God,
that though they deftroy themfelves, in him is their help.
" I will be thy king," faith Jehovah to Ephraim. " Where
is any other that can fave thee in all thy cities ? and thy
judges, of whom thou fai^jft. Give me a king and princes?
1 gave thee a king in mv anger, and took him away in
my wrath." Jehovah here reprefents himfelf by way of
contraft, gratifying the defires of his people in giving them a
king — one chofen from amongft thofe whom he appointed as
judges and faviours to his people, under himfelf the Great
Judge and Saviour. Thefe kings had ruined them by their
foJIy, ignorance, pride, and ambition; he promifesto re-af-
fume his ancient title of Kingof.Ifrael— " I will be thy king;**
and, by the exercife of his fovereignty, to reftore his deflroyed
people to more than their ancient glory. He docs not fay, that
he wiir wait tijl they call upon him to retake his throne; but
he declares, that they fhall cat the fruits of their own felf-de-
pendence ; and that, when they have fufficiently fuffered, for
ever to ceafe from their £n, " I will," faith he, " be thy help;
I will come unto thee in the hour of extremity, manifeft my
loving kindnefs, and help and fave thee, O Ephraim ! I v/ill
not, as I have done before, give thee a king in my anger, be-
caufe of thy pride and felf-dependencc, and take him away in
my wrath becaufe of his rebellion againft me; but I will pity
thine afflictions; in mercy I will (end tliee a deliverer; one
who fhall not rebel againft my will; one who fhall promote
my glory amongft the fons of men; my loving-kindncfs (hall
eftablifh his throne; and to him fliall the nations of the earth
pav their tribute."
O « The
( 98 )
" The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up, his fin is hid. The
forrows of a travaihng woman fliall come upon him ; for he
fhould not ftay long in the place of the breaking forth of chil-
dren." Here God declares, that, in confequence of his folly,
death fhall be the portion of Ephraim. His iniquity is bound
up— -As a bag of money, according to the cuftom of the Eaft,
was bound up when its fum was con:pleted, fo was the iniquity
of EphraiTn; his Cm was hid; his punifoment cnfued : the
forrows of a travailing woman fhould come upon him : fa-
mine, fword, captivit'/, and peftilence, with all thei/ horrors,
fhould come upon him, becaufe he would not iubitiit to the
divine difpenfations ; he U'ould not bend his neck to the yoke
of divine government.
In the midft of thefe awful denunciations of judgment comes
in the words of my text—" I will ranfcm them from the pow-
er of the grave." It is eafy, by comparing the word heie ren-
dered grave, to prove that God, b^ his prophet, did not mean
to fay, that he would fnatch them from the deftruclion he had
threatened ; but, on the contrarv, that they fiiould fuffer, be
fwept off by death, and caft into hell, the place of punifhment,
and afterwards be redeemed from it ; for the fame word occurs
Pfalm ix. 1 8. " For the wicked (hall be turned into /;t7/, and
all the nations that foro;ct God;" as likewife in many other
places : the word, therefore means the receptacle for departed
fpirits : and as Ephraim was to be cut off for his fins, he
was to go to hell to be puniflicd for them, vet even there does
the promife reach. " I will raiifom them from the power of
hell;" the band of hell; which fliall, as it were, be clofed
upon them to hold them faff; I will open it; I will ranfom, I
will deliver them.
We fee, therefore, that it was in confequence of the folly
of Ephraim that he was condemned to death. He was an
Uiiv/ife fon. Alas ! his heavenly father had inflruiSted him in
wifdom, but he rejected the counfel of God ; he would walk
after his own vain imagination : he was indeed unwife, for he
fought for wifdom in his own headffrong will ; in doing what
he thought right in his own eyes. And may not this be the
cafe with fome of you ? In fo large a congregation it is not im-
probable but that there muft be fome unwife, headffrong chil-
dren ; felf-willed^ lovers of thcmfclves ; men and women who
have deffroyed thomlclves. Before I Iwiu my prefent views of
the love of God, I could not behold a large congregation with
my prefent feelings. I cculd but think on the many prefent
whQ
( 99 )
who were called to be partakers of future glory, and how very
few amonglt the number would become cho(en to that happy
fituation. "My foul v/as harrowed up with the horrid idea of
a dreadful eternity of mi(ery, forrow ever new, and anguifli,
pains, and groans for ever young. According to the views I
then had, I was more difpofed to weep over them than invite
them to believe : I confidered the muliitude of them as doomed
by the unfrurtrable will of eternal tate to never ending mifery.
And the j(<ys that arofe at the repentance of a few, v*'ere not
equal to the forrows of my heart for the cndlefs lufFcrings of
the many : the weight of the awful confideration was by far
more than a balance to all popular applaufe : I trembled at the
praifes of Tinners, who might, as 1 thought, be doomed to fuch
everlafting milery.
" I will redeem them from death." This cannot but imply
that Ephraim mull die ; that redemption fliould not take place
upon them in this life. " I will redeem them from death :"
they mult then be under the power of death, or they could not
be redeemed from it. Ephraim had finned gricvouilyj and the
fruit of fin is death, as naturally as that when a woman hath
conceived, fhc in due time bringeth forth her offspring. So
when fin is conceived in the heart, it goeth on to outward
adion, till the fruir, being fully ripe, it bringeth forth death.
This awful confideration is leldom in the heart of the Tinner,
when he is roiling the delicious moriel of iniquity beneath his
tongue, and crieth out " How fweet is it !" Little doth he
then think of the bitternefs, the woe, the mifery that will en-
fue. The talfe may be plcalant on the palate, but how bit-
ter is the digeftion of it. The eyes of the drunkard fpar-
kle with joy when he bcholdcth that the wme is red, when it
giveth its colour in the cup, when it moveth itfell aright in the
glafs J his heart pantcth with delight when he vicwcth the
Iparkling glalsj he feizeth it v/ith rapture, and with his whole
foul purfueth the feilive fcene. But death is in the cup ; his
eyes are inflamed with fire ; his fpirits are elated v/ithout caule ;
he feels fuperior dignity in his natuie j his underftanding is
darkened j his apprehcnfion is gone ; he taketU offence where
none was given ; his dignity is wounded : he findeth that the
pleafing poifon biteth like a lerpent : he hath woe, he hath for-
row : his fpirit is contentious, and his tongue talkative : he
gets quarreUome, and hath wounds without caule. He foi-
getteth the end of his manhood ; perhaps the wife of his bu-
Ibm is forgotten : he beholdeth a ftrange woman ; he longetli
for her embraces, and his heart uttcreth pcrvcrfe things : his
O 2 corporeal
( lOO )
corporeal faculties are weakened ; he roclceth about like the
waves of the ocean ; he is unfteady, like the vcllel that float-
eth upon its billows : his faculties are overpowered ; and al-
though by himfelf he complaineth of being beaten, he waketh
from the fumes of the v/ine, and is covered with aches and
bruifes ; whilft the fevered blood beats the aching temples in
its impetuous courfe. It is not drunkennefs alone that bring-
eth its punifhment with it. No ; every vice is followed by
punifhment ; and every rational man cannot but difcern the
hand of Jehovah in caufing every perverlion of his gifts to be
attended with pain.
I made choice of this vice to illuftrate my fubje61:, becaufe
fome fuppofe it to be of fo trivial a nature, that God will not
regard it. They fay, If it is a fm, it is only a fm againfl
themfelves ; but if they trace out its pernicious confequences,
they mufl. find that it extends its baneful influence from them-
felves to all around them, and renders every one dependent
on them miferable : it deftroys the underllanding, and renders
the governing ima2;e of God lefs than a beaft. To his cofl
every one who delighteth habitually to put the bottle to his
mouth, and is mighty to drink ftrong drink, fhall know, that,
by his habitual drunkennefs, he bath fliut the gates of the mil-
lenial kingdom againft himfelf: he fhall tremble and be afto-
nifhed when he findcth that his name is enrolled with the for-
nicator, adulterer, and murderer. If this fin is fo fevercly.
threatened in the Scriptures of truth, what fhall we fay of the
profane fwearer ! The drunkard may perhaps plead the fever
of his body which maketh him to crave the liquor to quench
his thirfl ; he may perfuade himfelf that his health requires
it ; and if he is overtaken by drunkennefs, it was unintention-
al ; but the fwearer, the man who lightly taketh the name of
his Maker within his polluted lips, or dares madly to wifli
curies upon his fellow-creatures, ftands without excufc. No
temptation whatever has he to plead as an alleviation of his
^uilt. If he believes there is no Gcd, or no future punifh-
nient, he cannot but be confidered as a fool for ufing words
without meaning; and if he beheves that there is a God, his
bold, blafphemous impertinence muft merit the fevereft punifh-
inent at his hands in the day that he cometh to punifh the un-
godly, and them who know him not. 'J'he common fwearer
IS guilty of a crime that Satan and his fallen hoft would trem-
ble at : bad as they are, there is not a devil that would execrate
himfelf-— not one amongit thofe impure fpirits that would call
down damnation on his own head. No ! they exped the awful
prifon
( >oi )
prifon of hell with folemn horror ; they tremble at the nanie
of Jefus ;' they dread the day when he fliall fit in judgment
upon them ; and amongll: all their millions there is not one
that invocates upon his head the vengeance of the living God.
— O man, thou huft efpied the iniquity of the infernal hod,
and thou confignclf them^ without pity, to unceafmg tor-
ments, vet dareft to expect pardon thyfclf, even when thou
fmneft far more than the unhappy inftruments who fcduced
thee from thy allegiance ! Where is the man that would con-
tinually mock the name of an earthlv monarch in his prefence?
Where is the man that would be (o ungrateful as continually
to ridicule his benefactor ? If fuch infiances cannot be pro-
duced, every reflecting mind cannot but pronounce the com-
mon fwearer to be the maddeft and moft ungrateful of human
beings : he mocketh the fovereign Monarch of all nature, and
turns into ridicule bis Creator, Preferver, and daily bountiful
Benefactor.
Numerous, indeed, awfully fo, are the iniquities that will con-
sign men to the fecond death ; all liars (hall have a part in the
lake that burneih with fire and brimflone ; none ihall enter into
the holy city that lo\eth or maketh a^lie It is a folema
thought, when we come to confider how this vice intermin-
gles itfclf with all the concerns of mankind. Behold the
Itatefman, the nobleman, the gentleman, the merchant, the
tradefman, the mechanic, high and low, rich and poor, each
and all have their refpective hes of bufinefs, of poiitends, and
of folly : no ftation leeineth free from it; it feems to have be-
come a part of education ; efteemed neceflary, even by men
calling themfelves Chriftians, to lie with a good grace ; and
whilft they are ready to murder the man viho chargeth them
with the crin?e, they feel no compundtion of hea-'t if it is not
found cut : and ;f they have fufticient impudence to avov/ their
wickednefs, tlicy boaft of it as their glory, I dare not fay that
fome lies poiTefs not Icfs guilt than others ; but this I dare fay,
that no one who loveth or maketh a He fliall have a part in the
holy city. Chriftian, dare to refle6t before you fpeak. Better
indeed would it be to fuffer death than to fpeak fallfihood, and
lofe an habitation in the New Jerufalem, in the city of the liv-
ing God, which Cometh down from heaven. God is truth,
but the liar is untruth ; he is therefore diametrically oppofite to
God. One is light, and courts the clofelt examination ; the
other is darknef«, and avoids it. How then can light and dark-
ncfs have fcllowfhip with each othei? It is true, they are more
or lefs heinous as thev afFcci the liar or die fociety to which he
belongs,
( 102 )
belong?, or the world at large. Some lies involve men in
quarrels, maltce, and death ; others difturb the peace of fami-
lies ; others fet the vi'orld in arms, and cover the field of battle
with o;roans and blood and horror, whilft defolated nations
mourn over their deflrudtion ; others are for the fake of filthy
lucre ; they are diiSfated by felf love, and keep up the jealoufy,
the fufpicion, the mirtrufl of mankind ; others fpring from
pride of heart; and, to prevent the condemnation of man, men
fooliflilv dare the condemnation of Ciod ; others fpring from
the love of lau;:hter; and the merry foul awfully weighs his
fpiritual inheritance againft a joke ? Alas! alas! who fhall
trace out the falfehoods of the human heart and human tongue !
The guilt of them all muil: be according to the malice of the
offender, and the extent of the confequences. But when we
confider the dangers to which men are expofed by habit, by
inclination, by occupation, and by their pafTions, we cannot
but obferve the wifdom of that faying of the apoftle James ;
*' If any man offend not in word, the fame is a perfect man,
and able alfo to bridle the whole body." Almighty Father, give
us more holv refolution that we may at all times fpeak the
truth ; what we would wifh thee to hear, what we may not
repent of when we fliuU be called to appear before thee to
give an account of the deeds done in the body.
Defpifing the gofpel and rejecling the offers of pardon made
unto man by Chrilt Jelus our Lord is another crime that fhall
incur the penalty of the fecond death. When men who have
received the gofpel can become fo hardened in unbelief as to
trample under foot the fon of God, and to account the blood
of the covenant wherewith they were cleanfcd an unholy thing,
it is not to be wotidered at that fuch characters muit meet
with fevere punifhmcnt. They are fick unto death, and yet
the only remedy that c?.n reftore them to healtii the\' reject :
they muft futtcr the pains that their mental difeafe occalions,
till fuch time as that they feel and tremble v/ith horror at its
awful pangs, and gladly take hold by faith of that remedy
which the merciful compalTion of their heavenly Father pro-
videth for their difeafe. If a man will defpife the faithful in-
llruftion given him in the facred v»'ord, there is a great danger
of that man's finring unto death ; for if they who defpifed
the law of Mofes, died without mercy, of how much forer
punifhment muft that man be thought worthy v.-ho rejeds the
ion of God, and tramples upon the mercies of divine good-
ncfs ; who, when God hath made known his love by the gift
of his fon, and he, having believed the divine report, brought
forth
( '03 )
forth fruit unto life, and, through faith, tafted, by that hoj>e
which fuileth not, of the power of the age to come, having,
even in this mortal ftate, realized by faith the glories of the
kingdom of the MefTiah ; if fuch a one turns back into the
kingdom of Satan, through the terror of man, or the powerful
efFecls of filth lucre, the impulfe of his paffion*--, or any other
overcoming evil, there remaineth for him no more facrifice for
Im ; he hath rcjeiStcd the pardon freely bcftovved upon him by
his fovereign ; he hath treated his favours v/ith contempt : he
hath rebelled againlt his iVIakcr, his Redeemer, his Beiiefa(51:or,
and his Sovereign : he mull: fufter the penalty due to his crime ;
the fecond death and all its infernal horrors awaits him ; hell
is now heating for him— for" him, and for every wilful tranf-
greflbr fhall the cloud capped mountains, the mighty con-
cave of this hollow globe, with all the beauties of art and na-
ture be diflblved into one unconfined deluge of burning lava,
the awful lake that burneth with fire and biimftoce throughout
the age of ages, which is the fecond death.
All unrepented fin leads down to death. Awful thought !
— All fin is a deviation from truth; ever}' individual devi-
ation leads the mind of the deviator into darknefs ; and,
through the (hades that cover his path, he makes anotier falfe
Itcp, and from that another, till at laft he flumbles on the gates
of hell and death. Thus David finned when he deviated Irom
that firmnefs with which he ought to have held the reins of his
go\'ernment, when he omitted to punifh Joab for the murder
of Abner. As the reprefentative of Jehovah the king of
Ifrael, he ought not to have faid, " Ye fons of Zeruiah are too
hard for me," but to have enforced the law, and caufcd the
nriurderer to be put to death, that ihe land might not become
polluted with blood: but David from fear deviated from his
duty. And alas !" who is there aniongll us, that, in the fame
fituation, might not have done the fame ? But when we fee
the upholding hand of Jehovah, and the awful confequences of
difobedicnce, we may have our integrity prcferved. To this
one weak flep of David may be attributed the future daring
ambition of Joab, the inceft of /..mon, the fratricide and im-
piety of Ablalom, and all thofe troubles that fh K'k the throne
of David to its centre, and filled his houfe with adultery, with
rebellion, and with death. Repent then, of all your iins ; think
o\er frequently your pnft tranfactions j weigh them in the ba-
lance of the (anctuary, and i;;reatly dare, in all yojr adlions, to
manjfcll yourfclves the djfciples of the fon of God, and prefs
Jorward after a crown that fadcth not away.
But
( I04 )
But what death is that to which Ephraim was fentenced, and
from which he has here the promif? of dcHverancc ? Some fay
it is natural death. But what righteous man would expe6l de-
liverance from that? Would the all- wife Jehovah fpeak of
natural death as the moft dreadful of all puniftiments ? Too
many of the giddy and thoughtlefs of the mafs of mankind,
laughing at it, meet it with unconcern, whilft the righteous,
who know the terrors of the law, and the glories of the age to
come, fufFer it. What is natural death but an extinction of
the prefeot fcene of things ; in itfelf it implies not pleafure or
pain. All muft die — the high, the mighty, and the noble,
with the beggar, the mifer, and the contemptible— It is the
lot of humanity ; and can this he holden up by Jehovah as a
peculiar punifhment that fhould fall upon Ephraim? " I will
tear them like a lion." What, by natural death ? iSo Jehovah
hath already torn Noah the righteous man, who alone was
found worthy to be preferved when a world was cut off. So
he deftroyed Abraham his friend, Alofes the holy maa with
whom he converfed face to face. This deflrudlion of Ephraim
muft therefore be fomething more awful than natural death ;
for all muft die ; and in itfelf death is not a punilhment. If,
therefore, the death of the body had been all that was threat-
ened to befal Ephraim, it would not have been any threat to be
heeded; for where is or has been (except Enoch and Elijah^
the man who did not expeft death ?
The prophet fpeaks of the iniquity of Ephraim as fully
compleated — " The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his
iin is hid." According to the cuftom of the merchants of the
Eaft in their traffic, the money was told out, it was then put
into, a bag, which was bound up, it was marked and fealed,
and it palled current without any future infpeclion
Thus God reprefents himfelf as having told out the iniquities
of Ephraim ; the number of them was compleated ; he there-
fore had (ftill keeping on the funile) bound up the bag, and
laid it by in a place of fecurity, not to be increafed by an accu-
mulation of additional guilt, nor to be diminished by the fm-
fubduing fruits of repentance.
Yes ; " the iniquity of Ephraim was bound up ; his fin was
hid," His guilt being compleated, vengeance was gone forth;
and the prophet fpeaks as feeing the juft judgments of the Al-
mighty as having fwept him away from the world, and placed
him in a place of confcious cxiftence and direful fufFerings —
" 1 he forrows of a travailing woman fhall come upon him :
jhe is an unwifc fon j for he ihould not ftay long in the place
of
( 105 )
^f the breaking forth of children." Here we behold the caiifc
aiul the cfFecl---Thc cauft: of Ephraim's dc(l-ru6lion whs his
folly; he leaned unvvirdy to his own ways, and finned; and
the confequence that followed was, that, after repeated warnino-s
and checks, he was fwept from the earth by the providential
conducl of God, in war, pcftilence, and famine; and in his
future ftate was doomed to forrow, milery, and woe^ comjiared
to the pangs of a woman in labour. Compare this with the
fpccch of VVifdom, in the firfl chapter of Proverbs---" How
long, ye fimplc ones, will ye love iimpllcity? and the fcorncrs
delight in fcorning ? and fools hate knowledge? Turn ye at
my fcproof: behold, I will pour out n',y fpirit upon you ; I
will make known my words unto you. Becaufe I have called,
and ye rcfufed ; 1 have ftretched out mv hand, and no man re-
garded ; but ye have fet at nought all my counfcl, and would
none of my reproof; I alfo will laugh at your calamity ; I
will mock when vour fear cometh; when your fear cometh
like a defolation, and -.our delbuclion cometh as a whirlwind;
Avhcn -diftrefs and anguilh cometh upon you : then fliall they
call upon me, but I will not anfwer ; they fliall fuek me early,
but {hall not find me : becaufe that they hated knowledge, and
did not choofe the fear of the Lord ; they would none of my
counfel, they defpifed all my reproof; therefore (hall thev eat
of the fruit of their own way, and be filled v/ith their own
devices." Here is an awful description of the conduct of God
with the wicked in a future ftate. In the prefcnt period of
exiftence whofoever calleth upon him in the day of adverfity,
although he be a finning Ahab, or an impious Manafleh, he will
hear them, and be then" faviour ; but in that dread ftate, they
lliall call upon Jehovah, as Dives did upon Abraham, and he
will anfwer, *■' Becaufe I have called, and ye have refufed, — I
alfo will laugii at your calamity, I will mock when your fear
cometh." " Son, thou in thy life-time hadH thy good
things, but now thou art tormented." In the prefent ilate
of things, men fee not dillin<Slly the hand of Jehovah ia the
government of his providence ; but in the future ftate there
is, no infidelity-— the devils believe the tormented fpirit
beholdeth the hand cf Jehovah. God doth indeed there
meet his rebellious creatures as a lion; as a leopard he
obferveth them, yea, even as a bear that is robbed of her
whelps. Arrayed in terrors he meetcth them, and iubdueth them
till they tremble at his power. They call upon him tor mercy,
for pardon, for forgivcnefs. "• O tor a drop of water to cool
my tongue, for I am fore tormented in this flame !" Thus
P Jehovah
( io6 )
Jehovah leaveth them to feel pofitive pain, and with it forrow
and an2;uifli of heart for all that is paft. This deadens not
their feelings j no ! it awakens every tender fenfation of foul ;
it calls to mind each endearing tie that fweetened their paffage
through life; and with Dives, they are ready to call upon the
Father of Spirits to exert every natural, moral, and even pre-
ternatural means, to flop their much-loved friends in the mad
career of their impiety, and fnatch them from the painful fuf-
ferings of that death which the Scriptures call bvthe name of
deftruftion — that place of utter darknefs, where there is weep-
ing, wailing, and gnafliing of teeth. Solomon puts this lan-
guage in their mouth (Prov. v.); " How have I hated inftruc-
tion, and my heart defpifed reproof, and have not obeyed the
voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that in-
ftrucled me. I was almoft in all evil, in the midft of the con-
gregation and aflembly." Sinner, look here — Thou mayeft
hide thy fm in thy bofom, but the hand of Jehovah can fearch
it out; there is nothing hidden that fliall not be revealed,
however fecret thy conduct may be. If thou doft not now
repent, and forfake thy fms, though death and the grave cover
it, yet there, even in the gloomy manfions of death, the arm of
Jehovah (hall fliake thy foul, and, with horrid anguifh, bring
thee to mourn over thy pafl- mifconduil:, and acknowledge his
juflice whilft thou fhuddereft at thy paft iniquities.
This is a very gloomy fubjetSt, but how much more gloomy
muft it be to be a fubjefl: of it for days, for weeks, for months,
for years, nay, perhaps for ages ! How wile fhall we be if we
now flrive to avoid it ! We Jcnow that punifhment muft end,
becaufe it is of a corrective nature ; but it muft firft have an-
swered its end ; the fubje6\ of it muft not only fee and love
virtue, but muft loathe vice ; dread it as a ferpent, and flee
from the leaft appearance of it; obedience to God muft be
the only anxious defire of his heart, and his every thought muft
be love. Whether to bring the mind of the wicked to this
ftate will take a revolution of the earth when turned into a
lake of fire, or a fabbath of years, or a period of forty-nine
thoufand years, before the grand jubile is proclaimed, who can
tell ? Things revealed belong unto us and to our children,
but things that are concealed unto God. But though its du-
ration is concealed, its end is not ; and if we may judge from
the reft of the providential conduct of God, the work of re^
ftoration will be gradual : for our Jehovah, although a con-
fuming fire, yet rewardeth every man accordiiig to his
works.
There
( 107 )
There are Come men who attempt to ridicule the Idea of
limited punilhment ; nothing can pleafc their imagination but
cndlefs, unceaiing horrors — fin and blalphemy increafing daily,
ages upon ages, without end ! O my foul ! enter thou not
into their melancholy fancies; but dwell upon the retributive
juftice of God, and fear his holy name. There is no occafioa
for the imagination to blow up the fire of hell into a hotter
furnace than God himfelf has made It, or to lengthen out its
duration — He has defcribed it fufRciently dreadful. Hear, O
finner, and tremble, and turn from thine evil ways, left thou
becomeft a partaker in the threatenings he has pronounced
airainft all that do evil. " Unto the wicked God faith, What
haft thou to do to declare my ftatutes, or that thou fliouldeft take
my covenant in thy mouth, feeing thou hateft inftrucfion, and
cafteft my words behind thee ? VV^hen thou laweft a thief,
thou confentedft unto him, and haft been partaker with adul-
terers. Thou giveft thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue
frameth deceit. Thou fittcft aiid fpcakeft againft thy brother;
thou flandereft thine own mother's fon. Thefe things haft
thou done, and I kept filcnce: thou thoughteft that I was al-
together like thyfelt : but i will reprove thee, and fet them in
order before thine eyes. Now, confider thl:-, ye that forget
God, lelt I tear in pieces, and there be none to deliver."
Dreadful thought ! thut Jehovah, the father of mercies, the au-
thor and fupporter of my exiftence, the God whofe very nature
is love— -that he fhould reprove me for my fins before men and
angels— -that he fliould lay open before me the wonders of his
providential care, and my repeated ails of tranfgreflion ; whilft
with horror I in vain attempt to turn from the loathfome fight.
You who have felt what a bitter thing It is to feel the anguifti
of an acculing confciencc, you can teftify, that this tearing
to pieces of the foul is, if poftiblc, ten thoufand times vvorle
than the moft cruel death. How many, to efcape the tortures
of their own heart, have attempted, by their own hands, to
flee from the fight ; but alas ! when at the bar of Jehovah,
none can deliver! the pangs muft be telt! whilft hell itfelf,
with wide extended portals, ftands ready to receive the unhap-
py fuffcrer, and increafe the anguifti of his mental pains by
pofitive fire ! Oh! 'tis a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God. His gofpcl you have trampled upon, and
. treated his earneft invitations to accept of pardon, with con-
tempt.
When I confider the awful confequences, to the wicked, of
the dav of judgment, I think, and tremble. What, in the prc-
P 2 lent
( io8 )
fent ftate of exigence, can poflibly cprhpenfate for the loiTcs
that may befal me on that day, if 1 now do not make my call-
ing and ele6lion fure ? To have my Maker turn his back upon
me, and fay, I never knew^ )'ou ! To hear him order me out
of his prefence, as unworthy to fct my unhallowed feet in that
holy citv where he dclighteth to dwell ; and not onU there to
lofe my portion, but to have my face covered with fliame and
confufion whenever I behold his glorious face; that face (o
glorious, that none on earth can behold it and live. To be-
hold the Saviour fitting upon the throne of judgment, and lee
him unfold the books which fhall call to light the fecret a6lion's
of my paft life, with all my public tranfgreihons ! Lord, keep
jiie from beholding my fecret fins in the light of thy counte-
nance. Who could endure that awful fight ! Who now can
behold himfelf, though but partlall ■, in the fecret moment of
private recollecTiion, and not be diigufted! But to fee all our
fecret fins, our impure thoughts, and unholy deeds, ftand in ar-
ray, whilit pride and felf-love flee away from the fight, and
leave us a prey to felf-contempt, calling upon the mountains
and rocks to fall upon u«, and hide us from the prefence of the
Majefiy of Heaven—-!
Many men are fond of drawing their companions into the
fame fins as themfclvcs arc guilty of. If you are determined to
make a trial of future judgment yourfelf, Oh, do not this ! The
confcioufnefs of your own guilt will be fully fufficient for you
to bear, without increafing your forrows by the aggravating
reflecSlions of your companions, whom you have made to be
partakers of your fufFerings. As the recolleifion of having
done good gives delight to the godlike mind, fo the reflection
of having occafioned others to fuffer evil, will prove more
troublefome than even all our own fufl-'erings. To look
around you on your former thoughtlefs companions, and fee
them weeping, wailing, and gnafhing their teeth, and to think
at that moment. Had it not been for me they might now have
been in a flate of blifs, enjoying the prefence of their Maker,
and doing his holy will ; but it was 1 that led them into evil ;
I taught them to laugh at divine mercA'. I have robbed them
of their purity, their happinefs, and glory; and caufed them, by
tny tranfgreflions, to be configned to this place ot torments
Oh, then, call no comj^any to traxel with you that downward
road. If you are rcfolved on hellj wifely dare to go alone, that
you may only have perfonal crimes to luftcr for, unaggravatcd
by thu accumulated guilt of others.
I will
( I09 )
1 will not arm this fccoivl death with more terrors than God
himfcU" has done. It is indeed an awful ftute ; but fome have
painted it with additional horrors, they have reprefented it as
Ujjceafing in its duration, and to be continually increafing it^
its guilt and in its puni(hment ; each day adding frefli blafphe-
mies to tho'b that are pa(V, and God, in confequencc, adding
frefh fuel to their fire, whiHt the devil and his angels are the
inilruments in his hands of tormenting the damned fpirits
But where did they learn thele things ? Not from the Scrip-
ture ; that delcribes the punifhmcnt of the fecond death, but
mentions not any of thefe things: they are the flights of fancy,
the invention of fome melancholy brain, and received into the
church as truth in the days of antichrillian darknefs: as the
day of divme knowledge arifes, thefe clouds of fuperitition and
ignorance fhall pafs away.
Believers in divine re\'elation ought not to add to, any more
than they would diminifli from, the language of Scripture : they
fliould at leaft do the facred writings as much jullice as they
would the Commentaries of Ca^far, or the Comedies of Te-
rence ; was this the cafe, inflead of reprefenting the charaiSlcr
of Jehovah as that of an almighty revengeful tvrant, acting
towards his miil.iken creatures without any end, they would
behold in him a companionate father, whofe mercies tail not ;
a benevolent Deit. who loveth e\ery thing that he hath made,
whofe tender mercies are over all his works, rendering his
creatures lefs punifhmcnt than they deferve ; one whole wa-
kened wrath moveth with uiiwiliing feet, whilil his ready mer-
cies fwiftly fly. I know the terrors of the Lord, and would
not, for ten thoufand worlds deceive any man concerning
them ; neither would I blacken the character of my God by
painting it with aggravated horrors— everlafti ng woe, unceaf-
ing tortures, mifery whilft God exifts! — Where are fuch
words to be found ? Not in the language of divine truth, but
in the dodrincs of men. Wherever the word endhj)^ or evfr-
Idjling^ is found in the Scriptures, or any other words ot the
like import, their real meaning muft be determined by com-
paring text and context with the other paflages where the fame
words occur ; but that thev any \\here convev an idea of citr-
riit)\ I den)', and dare to challenge the boldeil: aflertorof the
eternity of hell torments to prove it. By the allertion they
deilroy the harmony of Scripture, erafe the promifes from the
word of God, conlound divine truth, open the flood-gate of
infidelity, and totally dcilroy the doitrinc of retributive juilicc,
Wltll
( no )
with the equality of the ways of Jehovah, the rcwarder of
every man according to his works.
But death itfelf fhall be deftroyed; for thus faith Jehovah
concerning Ephraim, whom he had caufed to fufFer the fecond
death, " 1 will ranfom them from the power of the grave."
This promife is full of grace and goodnefs, made uncondition-
ally to the mofi: wicked and rebellious of people, and (hews
forth the fovereign free grace of God in the moll: ftriking
manner. " I will ranfom," not the righteous, but thofe who
had forgot God their Saviour, who had broken his covenant,
who had defpifed his laws, who had negle6led his worfhip, who
had preferred the fervice of flocks and ftones to the obeying
the living God-— them, faith Jehovah, will I deliver from pofi-
tive pain, infiided as a punifhment for their fins. The hand of
hell was cloied upon them ; I will open it, iaith Jehovah — I
will ranfom them from its power — 1 will unlock its grafp, and
Ephraim Ihall be delivered.
This is an abfolute promife — " I wall ranfom them from
the grave;" not one condition is exprefled. I will do it, {aith
Jehovah; 1 m\felf ; not thine own meiit, nor the merit or
wifdom of others ; but I will ranfom them. I will not- enter
again into covenant v/ith them, upon the performance of the
conditions of which they fhall be delivered from their place of
jufFering; no, unconi'itionally, of my own free will, by my
own free grace, this rcbelliou;:, this difobedient, this gainl'aying
people, 1 will ranloin, faith Jehovah, fron\ the pov/er of the
grave; I will fit them for the enjoyment of life and happinefs >
1 will call them again mv children, and they fhall call me fatherj
for they fl^all be my people, and I will be their God.
I once did not behold the greatncfs of the divine love as I
now do, but verily thought that all fuch as were laved mulf
here believe in the Lord Jefus, and bring forth the fruits of
faith in holy obedience; all the reft I concluded would be end-
lefsh' cut off from peace and righteoufnefs and joy. Upon this
narrow leak, 1 cxclucicd millions of the human race from future-
tiiiis. Examine the bills of mortality, and you will fuui that
more than tv.o thirds of the children of men are favcd without
faith or obedience; witneis the infants who die under two
^cars of age. If God could not fave without thefe, what
would become of them ? They cculd not either believe or
obey, and they mull; be loft; for in Adam all have finned-,
therefore, if faith and obedience here are abfolutely necefl'ary
U.r falvation, they- muff be excluded fi-om future biifs. The
makers.
( I.I )
makers of human articles of laith do not fee the awful extent
which the premifes they lay down mull lead to. Blefled be the
loving kindnefs of God my father, I fee thinj^s now in a very
different light ; I behold that he hath provided a Saviour, and
a great one; and that as they, poor hclplefb innocents, finned
in the loins of Adam without their coiifent or knowledge, in
like manner, without their confent or knowledge, he hath pro-
vided a remedy; and therefore, as in Adam all died, fo in Chrift
fhall all be made alive. Hence arifes the difference of the pro-
vidential conduct of God. On the infant who finneth with-
out his confent or knowledge, falvation is beftdwed without his
confent or knowledge ; but on fuch as have fmned with their
confent and knowledge, falvation cannot be beftowed but with
their confent and knowledge. A child of five years of age
has fome fmall fhare of underftanding ; from five to ten years
old, it is confiderably more ; they are capable of judoing be-
tween what is right and wrong, bad tempers and anions and
good ones. Suppose fuch to die ignorant of that falvation
which cometh by faith, would you doom him to endlefs un-
ceafing mifery ? Cannot tiie feather of fpirits find means to
reftore him to knowledge, purity, and peace? Surely he can;
in him all live, and move, and have their being; and as he
formed them for happinefs, fo he knoweth how to communis
cate it.
You fuppofe the gofpcl is preached to thofe who are grown
to years of difcretion; but they feem to flight it. They who
are come to years of maturity are capable of judging, and yet
fin with their free confent, and with their knowledge. This
•was the cafe of Ephraim ; he had the good news of falvation
preached in figures under the Mofaical difpenfation ; he rejedfed
the proffered mercies ; with the full {-.offcffion of his rational
faculties, he caff away divine truth from him. Now, if Jeho-
vah can fave an infimt under two years of age, without either
his knowledge or confent, and can bring the infantine and
youthful knowledge and confent of others to receive falvation,
has not he pov\er to fubdue the manly underflanding of his
creatures by ways that we know not fully, and joyfully, with
the utmuft: confent of their underftanding, to receive fal-
vation ?
But laying reafoning afide, the promife of Jehovah is abfo-
lute— " I will ranfom them from the power of the grase ; I
will redeem them from death. O death, i will be thy plagues ;
O grave, I will be thy defi:ru6fion ; repentance (hall be hid'frorai
nunc eyes." If the prifon is dcftroyed, the prifoner mufl be
free.
( "O
free. Though Ephralm may be locked up in the prifons of
this eaith, in a prifon fo ftrong that no human arm can poflibly
tleHvcr him, yet, if Jefus, who has all power both in heaven,
earth, and hell, if he pull down the building, ilone by ftone,
iliall he not be able to unchain the unhappy luftl-rer, and ran-
fom hirn from the tyrant's power ? He both can and will do it ;
he will deliver the prifoner out of the pit in which there is no
water. " By the blood of the covenant he will flay unto the
prifoners Go forth." If we fawa prifon pulled entirely down
to the ground, fhould we have a doubt in our minds whether
or not any prifoners were confined therein? Molt undoubt-
edly we fhould, from the Hate of the prilbn, pronounce the imr
pollibility of the cafe. In like manner will the Father of Mer-
cies put it beyond a doubt whether or not there are anv un-
happy creatures in a Hate of fufFeringj he will deflroy the
prifon. " O grave I (or hell) I will be thy deitruclion ;
repentance fliall be hidden from mine eyes." I am glad to
obferve this palTiige here, becaufe it fully confirms the abfolute
and unerring certainty of the action. It is not faid, as when
God was about to dcftroy the earth, that he repented of that
which he had done ; but, on the contrary, that he will not only
perform that which he hath promifed, in deftroying hell and
death, but that all looking back with regret to that which he
had done fliould be for ever done away— ■ repentance fliould be
hidden from his eyes.
I daily make mv requefl to God, through Jtfus, who fhcd
his blood for us, that none who hear me may ever fall into
the condemnation of the fecond death ; for the pangs thereof
are av.'ful beyond the powers of human language to defcribe :
but we muft not difguife the truth ; though awful, they are not
eternal; they are a means to an end ; and in me it would be
fm was I to fay that God would Jiever reftore to immortality
imd blifshis punifhed fubdued creatures; for God hath promif-
ed to ranfom them from death, hell, and the grave.
I call upon m\ own foul, and upon all that hear me, conti-
nually to give God thanks for his great and precious promife
that he will dcftroy hell and death : not that I fear them ; for I
enjoy, through the favour of my God, that continual peace
th:^t none but he can give or take awav. It is not, therefore,
for fear, that I preach this dodlrine. I had hope in the pro-
mifes of my God, and enjoyed the full afllnance c^f faith, be-
foie 1 knew the extent of his love ; but the knowledge thereof
has widened my hope and flrengthened my faith. Seeing,
therefore, lo much power, wildom, and goodnefsj as I now do
in
( "3 )
in the Deity, I feel my thankfulnefs and love increafed ; and
knowing the terrors of the Lord, I exhort you to flee from the
wrath to come, and to lay hold on the age of life.
But fonie may fay, If this doctrine be true, why do not the
■wife, the learned, and the good, the gofpel miniftcrs, the ferv-
ants of the living God, believe it? Alas! my friends, this
was the queftion the Pharifees of old put concerning the Mef-
liah — Have any of the fcribes and Pharifees believed on him ?
Our blefl'ed Lord referred them to Mofes and the prophets —
and to them do I refer you, with this obfervation, that it is evi-
dent, from the apoftolic writings, and thofe of the fathers, that
the doctrine is not new, but that thev believed it, taught it, and
lived under a fcnfe of the power of it. May you do fo, that
you may not be hearers of the word, but doers of it alfo ; that
you may be amongft the number of thofe who fhall form the
chain of true believers from the days of Adam to the fecond
coming of Chrift.
By this doctrine we are taught to know the charac-
ter of God, that it is love and wifdom— we difcern all the
mazes of divine Providence end in univerfal good and
even in the fevereft difpenfations we Itill behold him as our
Father.
This do£trine preferves the believer from infidelity; it takes
him by the hand, and leads him to the oracle of truth, and
caufes him to fee infinite wifdom and unboimded goodnefs in
the whole oeconomy of nature and of grace j the man who
from his youth had been taught this do6trine would not turn
infidel, feeing that he would behold in all the chaftifements of
God, both in this age and in the next, the good of the criminal
was one end intended.
It deftroys bigotry from the hearts of Chrlftians-.-it ends
their perfecutions. No wrath, no malice, no ftrife, no evil
fpeaking, no back-biting, can poiTibly remain in the bofoms
of thofe who receive the djcline in all its connections — they
are not of any party ; but of the great fe<St of the firft-born
whole names are written in heaven ; they are the difcipks of
Jefus, and all their ambition is to be found worthy to be called
by his name.
There is a meafure of felf, of pride, of perverted nature, in
every man, which muft be deftroyed, that God may be all in
^11 : nothing is fo likely to eradicate thefe as the dodtrine of
God's Univerfal love. It is this alone that can harmonize
Q, the
( 114 )
the jarring parties of profeflors ; and when the watchmen
of Ifrael fee eye to eye then, indeed, fhall the earth be
covered with the knowledge of the glory of God. It is for
this purpofe, and not for the love of novelty or defire of
fame, that I preach this do6lrine. And it is my heart's
defire, that all the Lord's people may be prophets, teach-
ing the boundlefs love of God to the fons of men.
END OF THE SEVENTH SERMON.
SERMON VIII,
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN fflNCHESTER.
[never before published.]
COLOSSIANS, I. 13.
Giving thanks unto the Father, mho hath made its meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in
light.
THE whole fentence, as Itftands in connexion, runs thus :
" For this caufe we alfo, fince the day wc heard it, do
not ceafe to pray for you, and to defire that ye might be filled
with the knowledge of his will, in all wifdom and fpi ritual un-
derftanding : that ye might walk, worthy of the Lord, unto all
pleafing, being fruitful in every good work, and increafing in
the knowledge of God ; ftrengthcned with all might, accord-
ing to his glorious power, unto all patience and long fuffering,
with joyfulnefs ; giving thanks unto the Father, who hath
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints
in light ; who hath delivered us from the powers of darknefs,
and hath tranflated us into the kingdom of his dear fon j in
M'hom we have redemption through his blood, even the for-
givcnefs of fins."
This fentence contains almoft the whole of Chriftianity ;
for to be filled with all knowledge of the will of God, in all
wifdom and fpiritual underftanding-— to wall< worthy of the
Lord, unto all well plcafing— to bring forth abundantly the
fruits of good works---going on, continually increafing in the
knowledge of God — having the heart ihengtnened with the
glorious all-fupporting power of divine love, fo as to be ena-
0,2 bled
( "6 )
bled to endure the various viciflitudes and trials of life with
all patience, and long-fufFering with jo fulnefs— to give thanks
unto the Father, through the overflowing gratitude of the
heart, becaufe he hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the faints in light-— having tranflated us out of
the kingdom of darknefs into that of his dear fon~-is, indeed,
to be grateful from a confcioufncf?, that, through the divir.e
favour, we are made partakers of all we can poffibly want to
make us holy here and happy hereafter. In whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgivenefs of fins.
But who is able to fpeak aright of thefe things ? Who can
fully defcribe the riches of divine grace that thele words con-
tain ? May the Father of mercies, by the enlightening ope-
ration of his fpirit, open our underfiandings, and caufe us fpi-
ritually to difcern the greatnefs of his goodnefs, that we may
indeed rejoice in his mercy, make known his truth, and live
to his glory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.
It is not only one of the beft acquifitions, in point of its
confequences, to know the will of God, but it is one of the
mcft pleafmg : yet it is an acquirement no man can have any
chance of obtaining, with any tolerable degree of pcrfc61ion,
without the Scriptu^res. If we take a furvey of mankind, we
fhall find that the ignorance of favage nations increafes with
every generation--- the means of grace decreahng as darknefs
increafes. Their time is fo much taken up in the obtaining
of the neceflaries of life, that little time is left to trace up,
through, a chain of evidence from the woriis of creation,
the being of a God, and the knowledge of what he would
have us to do, or to le.ive undone, it is therefore a great
bleffino- to be pofl'efled of the revealed word of divine trutti j
for from the Bible a man may, with eafe, in a few days, learn
more of the nature of t!ie Deit , the government of his pro-
vidence, and his will concerning us, than, v.'ithout it, many
ages could teach the moft ftudious of men. For therein we
are taught what we ought to do, and examples are given to
us, not only in the condu6l of God, but alfo in the adions of
men— the happinefs that arifes from obedience is difplayed in
the moft ftriking light, as alfo the dreadi'ul confequences of dif-
obedience; no exaggeration, no fall'e colouring, nothing unna-
tural heightens the fcene, but all is fimplicity, truth, and na-
ture—all accords with the experience of all mcjv — In it we
have placed before us the promil'es of CjoJ, to animate us on
cur journey by holy hopes— hopes adapted to the defues of
every rational creature---fuitabl£ to the vvilhes of the moft
ijnoiant
( '■•/ )
ignorant or moft enlightened of men. In it are likewile the
threatening? of God— awful in their nature, but fuitabic to
corretfi the finner, and fufficient to deter all who rightly under-
Hand them, froii doing that which is evil-— and all is written
in the plaineft language; fuch, that any man, poflcfllng plaia
common fenfe, mav fully comprehend. If the tolly and wic-
kednefs of mankind had not caft a veil of obfcurity, b\' mif-
tranllation, fpiritualizing, and myftery, over the word of God,
vaft loads of annotations and commentaries would never have
been written — expofitions which confound the fmiple beauties
of truth, by multiplying words without wifdom.
If it is a bleiling to know the will of God, how much more
blcfled is it to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
ivifdom and fpiritual under/landing I The natural man re-
ceiveth not the things of the fpirit of God, for they are foolifh-
nefs unto him ; .neither can he know them, becaufe they are
fpiritually difcerned. Of whr.t little avail, therefore, is it to
the natural man to be in poftdriop of the v/ill of God, fince,
it being contrary to all his purfaits, quite oppofite to all thofe
things from which he expe<Sls his happinefs, all its precepts,
hopes, and fears are difregarded as foolilhnefs : unbelief hides
the beauties of divine truth from him ; he follows the carnal
purfuits of his appetites, and relilhes notfpiritual enjoyments.
He-therefore mull be in poiiefiion of all wifdom and fpiritual
iinderftanding, to know the power of truths and ta^ reliflh it.
For as the members of the body have each their corporeal fa-
culty of hearmg, feeing, tafting, and fmeii.ij,, any of which
being perverted by difeafe or habit, the right exercife of thaf
faculty is deftroyed, until the evil that is in it is corrected —
even fo it is with regard to the mental faculties. Of what
ler\ ice is the poffeffion of the Scriptures to that man who
I'egards them, as a fealeJ or a ufelefs book ? The having the
wiil of God in his pofTeflion iS of no benefit to him if he
never examines it; it is a large fortune in the pofTeffion of a
man who neglects wealth, an.Tconfiders it as an ufelefs thing.
\n like manner, to be filled with all knowledge of the word of
truth, without having this knowledge in all wifdom and fpi-
ritual uodcrftanding, would be an u(ele(s pofleflion. Of what
avail would it be to know the letter of the word from the be-
ginning of Genefis to the end of the Revelations, without
loving that word, and wifely applying it to increale our faith,
encourage our hopes, give greater fervor to our love, regulate
our actions, and to bow down and fubdue every high and lofty
thought in full obedience to God ? Without all this the word
of
( "8 )
of divine truth In the head, is like riches in the pofTeffion of a
mifer, who has not the heart to make ufe of them : inftead of
a reward being obtained by his fuperior knowledge, it will
only increafe his condemnation.
Not being filled with the knowledge of the will of God,
in all wifdom and fpiritual underftanding, is the reafon that
many, who have been well acquainted with the outward letter
of Scripture, and have talked much about it, and have even
obeyed fome of its commands, and been looked upon by the
world as Chriftians, have neverthelefs turned away into infi-
delity. They never had entered into the fpirit of Chriftianity ;
they had not become one with the Father and the fon ; their
minds and their purfuits were not the fame ; they never had
fully entered into the fpirit of the truth : for if their heart had
been engaged in the fervice of God — if they had been filled
with all wifdom, and their whole fpirit had entered into the
underftanding of it — how great, then, would have been their
love to the word ! how inconceivably precious, would that
word have been unto them ! Happy, truly fo, is the man who
finds this wifdom, even the man who gets this Spiritual un-
derftanding : for the merchandize of it is better than filver,
and the gain thereof than fine gold ; fhe is more preci-
ous than rubies, and all the things thou canft defire are not ta
be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand,
and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of
pleafantnefs, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life
to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that re-
taineth her.
To be wife unto falvation, what a blefling I The Scriptures
of truth are alone able to make us fo. It is aftoniftiing how
they raife, open, refine, and exalt the underftandings of
■ thole who are converted by them, and read them diligently,
entering into the fpirit of them. I have been a happy witnefs
of their efficacious pov/er in enlightening the minds of thofe
who (at in darknefs. My eyes have beheld the men who, in
■their natural or unconverted ftate, have, in their underftanding,
been but a degree above the brutes; but, having been brought
to the knowledge of the truth, and to a relifh of the word,
have acquiied an underftanding that has aftoniftied their for-
mer acquaintance, and a nobility and dignity of manners, that
has commanded the refpeil of mankind— -the word of God
has, indeed, poliftied both body and mmd, as well as fpirit.
Many indeed have been the inftances of men, who, without
natural gifts, without acquired knowledge, without eloquence
of
{ "9 )
of fpeech, or elegance of manners, from no other fource than the
Scriptures, have been the happy inftruments of turnins; many
from darknefs unto hght, and from the fervice of fm and Sa-
tan to love and ferve the only true God. This is the belt
proof that can be given of an improved wifdom. The tree is
known by it? fruits— -that underftanding is brought to the
higheft degree of perfeilion that does moft good : that man's
underftanding is the moll valuably cultivated whofe convcrfa-
tion tends moft to the elory of God and the welfare of man-
kind. ^ ^
But why are we to be defirous of being filled with all wif-
do?n f Not to talk learnedly upon the truths of Scripture—
not to be able to difplay before the fons of men the acquire-
ments of our mind— but that ive may walk worthy of the
Lord. How great a thing is this ! how dehrable is the attain-
ment of it by a Chriftian ! Consider how great is the Lord!
how worthy to be feared, loved, revered, honoured, and obeyed.
There is not one of you but can preach upon this part of my
text. You all know what it is to walk worthy of the Lord ;
yea, there is not even a child here but knows what part of his
condudl would be unworthy of his earthly parent, and would
tend to caft a reflection upon him for the education he had
given him. You all know that lying, fwearing, ftealing, laf-
civioufnefs, uncleannefs, and every other vice, is unworthy of
a Chriftian. Not only- outward acls of wickednefs are un-
worthy of the Lord, but all wrong tempers, fulkinefs, anger,
wrath, malice, uncharitable or uncandid judgment— all thefe
are not worthy of a Chriftian : God is love ! they are contrary
to the nature of the Deity; they are unnatural in one looked
upon as a child of God. In a wicked man they are natural,
for they are diabolical tempers, and it is expedled that the
children of Satan fliould poftefs them. But peace, and love,
and joy, and righteoufneis, belong to the difciples of Jtlus ;
and that fervant a61;s unworthy of his Lord, who does not
poftefs them, and prefs daily after a more full attainment of
them : but he that has the contrary tempers, or commits fuch
unworthy actions, ought not to make mention of the name of
the Lord, left the unworthinefs of his conduit, fhould, in the
eyes of the world, call an odium upon his profeflion, and
tempt luke-warm profelTors to fm. When we refledt upon
the holinefs of the chara6ler of Jehovah, ■wre cannot but be
aftoniflicd at his forbearance in not puniftiing, by fome awful
judgment, fuch ungodly profeftors, that his own fpotlefs cha-
radler may be known to mankind.
To
( I20 )
To walk ivorthy of, the Lord is, in the whole of our con-
duel, to be holy, pure, free from evil in alkour actions, peace-
able, gentle, kind, afFedionate in al! our manners, virtuous,
good, benevolent towards all men, living to the praife and
glory of God our Father : thus did Jefus walk when upon
earth; he was hoi", harmlefs, undefiled, and feparate in all his
a(51:ions from the fmful conducl of the fens of men. His voice
was not heard in vain difputations, noify wranglings, and
brawls, and quarrels; but he was peaceable in his conduct,
gentle in his manners, tender-hearted, and full of pity, over-
flowing with aft'eiSlion, and the fmcereffc love, not only to
thofe who loved him, but to his enemies ; even to thofe who
reviled him, fpit upon him, fcourged him, and crucified him.
He was virtuous in all his condu£l:, and good in all his a6lions,
and like^God his father, v.'hofe tender mercies are continually
itreaming down upon the good and the evil ; fo was he, full
of benevolence to all ; and his outward adions were a con-
ftant manifeftation of the benevolence of his heart, in con-
tinually going about doing good. Now, all who are called
by the name of Chrill, fliould walk even as he walked — wor-
thy of the name of rChrift, as he walked worthy of the name
of God; commending our fouls in well doing unto every -
man's confcience. He, therefore, that would walk worthy of
the Lord, fliould make it his conftant ftudy, to regulate all
his words and works by this noble principle- —love to God
the great creator of all things, with all the heart, the mind,
and Icrength, and love to his neighbour as to himfelf.
That ye 7nay walk %vorthy nf the Lord^ unto allpleafing. •
JJnto all pleofi7ig of God. Now God cannot be pleafed
with him who believes on the fon of God, andyetobe\s
him not. We fhould not be pleafed v/ith a child, or fer\'ant,,
vho knew our will, and yet neg^eded the doing it-— and can
God our father be pleafed with us, if we have the knowledge
of his will, and yet neglect to obey it? Unto all pleafmg of
God ---No man can fuccced in pleafing God and man in all
his adions ; and tnat Chiiftian who would prefer man-pleafmg
to the pleafing of God^' is guilty of a fpecics of blafphemy
againft his Lord; blafiing the nime of Jefus his mailer, by
not caufing his adtions to reflcft upon mankind the conduct
of Chrilt Jefus. We fpcak not, therefore, as men-plcafersi
but as pleafers of God, even of him who tricth the reins and
the heart. If we pleafc God, we fhall pleale all that love God
and know his will : we fhall pleale the fon of God, even him
^ho gave hiralelf a ranfom for us ; for whatfoever pleafeth
the
C 121 )
die Father, pleafeth the fon; and all that you do that dlf-
pleafeth the fon, difpleafeth the Father. If you love not
Chrift, and honour him not by your life and converfation, you
muft difpleafe the Father, who hath commanded all men to
honour the fon even as they honour the Father. If you do
thus walk worthy of the Lord unto all well pleafing of God,
you, by fo doing, plcafe not only the fon of God, but all
the holy angels, thofe pure and fpotlefs I'pirits, who continually
minifter before his throne ; their voices are in your favour;
they approve of your conduct, and fpcaic of your faith and
obedience in the courts of heaven. All the faints of God
will likewife be pleaibd with you ; they wi'l approve of your
walk, and earneftly defire for the inrollmcnt of your name
aniongft the fpiritual worfhippers of Jehovah, even the fpirits
of juft men made perfect. The faints below, who know the
will of the Lord, will approve of your conduct ; they know
that whofoeyer doeth the will of God iliall be accepted of
him ; they therefore take delight m feeing you walk, and in
beholding your upright converfation. Thus heaven and earth
fmile upon you— -the whole church, militant and triumphant,
are pleafed with you— -when your walk is fo worthy of your
Chrillian profefTion, as to be pleafmg unto God. Thofe who
Walk not worthy of their culling will not be pleafed, neither
will thofe who oppofe the golpel: in all probability they will
call your circumfpect conduct hypocrify. But what could
tempt you to hypocrify ? Nothing is to be expefted from the
world by the circumfpe6t Chriftian, but contempt, ridicule, and
reproach. Who would be an hypocritical Chriftian for the
pleafure of being confidered as the dirt and ofFscowering of the
earth ? And from God what could be expected by the hypo-
crite, but wrath and dreadful indignation ? If men were to
have ten thoufand pounds per annum for living a holy, devout,
godlike, humble, benevolent, uleful life, they might be tempted
to be hspocrites ; but where nothing is to be got, and much
to be loft, hypocrify canr.ct be expe«5ted to be very common.
Were men to be under the conftant apprehenfion of the Inqui-
fition, in cafe they made not a p; ofeilion of Chriftianity, they
might be tempted to be hypocrites ; but where the fear lays on
the other fide, and all the plans of pl.afurc, honor, and profit
are againft it, h)pocrify is not a very probable thing. Seeing,
then, that a man cannot gain an. thing from the world by reli-
gion, but has much to endure, it is not likely that, for the plea-
fure of enduring fufferings, men ftiould become religious hy-
pocrites j braving, for the fcorn and reproach of mankind, the
R awful
( I" )
awful indignation of ofFended Deity. Therefore, although I
have heard many charges brought againft people for religious
hypocrify, I believe them not, feeing that a man can get no-
thing by it ; and that, when known, he would be hated by
men in this life, and punifhed by God in the next. Too pre-
cife a Chr^flian cannot be in his obedience, and in every acStion
of his life, nnlefs, indeed, he add traditions to the pure word,
like the fcribes and pharifees of old. When we confider the
temptations to which we are expofed, in our friendlhip, our
vifitings, bufinefTes, and amufements, all call aloud unto us to
watch— for we cannot love God too much, fear him more
than we ought, or obey him too exactly.
But perhaps, fome will fay. If all my adtions require fuch
conftant attention to be paid them, I fhall grow weary in my
way : tired, and worn out with continual attention, perhaps I
fhall turn back into the world, and become an awful monu-
ment of divine iuftice. I am bold to tell thee, O doubting
Chriftian, if thine heart is right there is no danger; for the
things of God are eternally new— they leave no empty vacu-
um of the mind to be filled up; but give thee conftant em-
ployment, and increafed pleafurc in the doing of it. Thou
iliait have a peace in thy bofom that the world knoweth not of,
and pleafures that they cannot enjoy. When death hath clofed
thine eyes, and thou art admitted into the great family of the
firft-born, thou wilt find, that when ten thoufand years have
rolled away, with all thy increafed wifdom, thou wilt find thy-
felf but as an infant in point of knowledge ; the powers of
thy mind flill expanding antj ftretching forward atter the De-
ity: he is the great centre of attraction unto all his creatures,
and he will continually find them increafed employment— em-
ployment fully adapted to the increafed knowledge of his will,
thine enlarged heart, and improved faculties. But even here
below, the more we walk worthy of the Lord, the ftronger and
ftronger fliall we continually grow, and the nearer we draw
to the wifhed for haven, the ftronger fhall we fmell the per-
fumes that arc wafted from the heavenly Canaan ; and. with
Paul of old, we Ihall long for a fafe landing on that imm.ortal
Ihore.
" That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleaf-
ing, being fruitful in every good work" Some men, and they
too profeflbrs of the gofpel, ridicule the idea of good works ;
but the Scriptures, on the contrar v, feem very partial to them ;
they talk much about them, and exhort, not barely to an occa--
iional good work, but to a being fruitful in every good work.
( 123 )
li the gorpel did not find a Chriftian employment, Satan footi
would-— he has a number of things pleafing to the idle man,
to hll up his time-— cards, chit-chat, plays, and many things
clfe, which if not fin, are, at leaft, near of kin to it ; thele
invite the flcfhly paflions of the human heart to the very bor-
ders of iniquity. To the man who lo\es God, time pafies
iWiftly awav in the doing his will. Whatever is done in obe-
dience to the command of God is a good work; and to him
who feels gratitude cf heart to his Creator for the mercies of
redeeming love, fuch good works are trul/ grateful. He feels
no aching void, no idle time tempts him into evil ; between
reading the Scripture, thinking on them, comparing ipiritual
things with (plriiual, performing liis locial and relative duties,
fludying hiftory, biography, ^'c. Sec. feeking out the diftrefTed,
comforting and relieving the afflicted, ordering his family, in-
fl-ru(fling ihem in their duties tb God and man, and innumera-
ble other et ca:teras^ he can fmd fufficicnt employment in good
works for the Chriftian to perform, and fully to enable him to
be fruitful in ihem. If he has any complaint, it is not of
wanting employment, but 6f wanting time fully to enjoy the
delightful employments he has to periorm.
Good works are a fource of continual exertion to the hu-
man mind; the man who will be fruitful in them, muftjoin
tliought and action conflantl^y together. The man who would
be fcripturally ju(i, muft do unto ail men as he would v/ifh
them to do unto him. Eafy as this duty fcems at firft fight,
upon examination we fliall find that it requires us conllantly to
ilt in judgment upon all our adlions, weighing all we do in
the fcales of juflice— holding our felhfh palHons with a fteady
rein— and at laft caufmg lelf-love to decide againft itfelf in
favour of our neighbour.
Again, in our condu.51 of life, what acti\ity of mind is re-
quired, Icaft while wc are generous, we ihould caufe our good
to be evil fpoken of,by being unjuft. Owe no man any thing,
faith our Lord : if we riMitly conllder this command, what a
continual exertion of waichlulnefs would it caufe, to enable us
to bring forth the good works of obedience? What a guard
muft the generous mind put upon itfelf, left, like Saul ot old,
if Ihould prefer facrifice to obedienc.
If negative good v,/orks require fuch a cultivation of (pirit,
to make the Cnriftian fruitful, what muft we fay of the politive
good works which the Chriftian is called to perform, not leav-
ing the others undone! Sucii as feeding the hungry, cloathing
the naked, viliting the lick, the priloner, c^c. fcarching daily
R 2 for
( IH )
for opportunities of doing good, like God our heavenly Father
and Jefus Chi 'ft our great example: and yet, atti r aM thefe
are done, a higher good work, fti'l remainF to be perf- >rmed,
even the examination of our own hearts. This is i'lfleed an
arduous tafk-— toknow ouriel /es, to lit in judgment up'"n our
whole condudf, lo arraign f)ui .elves at our ov. n b.'.r, and caufc
the word of God to nt in judgment upon al! cu- actions, yea,
evei, upon our thoughts aiid vvords, O rny friends, cid we do
this dail', we fhould find many thing; to iv.erid; many a wrong
temper, and n.any a wrong aclicn, that leJi-love had approved
of, would then be held up to abnorrence, and turned frc;ni v,'ith
Ihame.
Notwithftanding the a£li\ ity of the human mind, it docs
rot love 'elt-corredion ; there it is .azy, even to fluggifnnefs.
Be adviled— -dare nobly to flnve to iijcke off thole idle tem-
pers, that would keep you fiom overcoming yourfelf: once
conqut-r thefe, and you will foon be victorious over every other-
temptation Refift the devil, faith the apc^ftle, and he will flee
from you. Begin with thyieif, thy habits, thy wr ng propen-
fities, thy peculiar temptations ; thefe ftrong bulwarks of fin
deftroyed, and th' whole heart brought into full obedience to
the word of truth, thou wilt, indeeo, continually do the will of
thy Father who is in heaven. But fliouldell thou, O Chrif-
tian, look back, like Lot upon Zoar, with an eye of pity, and
fay within thine heart, of the leaft of thy fins, Suffer it to
live; let me enjoy it ; lo ! is it not a little one? Soon Ihalt
thou f.nd, that the pleafmg phantom is of fpeedy growth, and
of fuch increaling power, that his gigantic arms are capable of
entwining chains fo ffrong about thee, that thine utmoft refo-
lution cannot break them.
That you may be fitted to the performance of good works,
let me exhort }ou, as Paul did 'Fjm.othy, to give yourfelves
to meditation. This is, indeed, one of the hardeft and moft
difficult of tafkr : My people do not know, faid Jehovah of
old, and he gives this as a reafon for their ignorance---they
do not conficer. — "J he want of confiderat;on occafions igno-
rance. Would men meditate on the commands, on the threat-
enings, on the ex.imples of divine truth — would they confidcr
the wifdom of God in foretelling, and his faithfulnefs in per-
forming-— would they meditate on his promife?, fee their
grcatnels and their glorv, and by faith realize them, they
would indeed lay in fuch a ftock ot mental abiiitv', with luch
an anxious defire to pleafe God, as would make them fruitful
in every good work. Yes, Chriftian ! never more wouldft thou
be
( 1^5 )
be heard complaining of idle time, of want of emplovment,
of emptinefs of mind, or making any of the frivolous excufes
that ignorance makes, idlenefs takes hold of, and folly pleads
in her behalf. But, on the contrary, a fomething would be
before thee ; a reality, grand, beautiful, and fati s factory ; time
would never hang heavy upon thine hands; between fupplyin*
the wants of nature, performing the neceflary duties of life,
enlightening thine underftanding, and communicating thy
knowledge, ihou wouldft have enough to do, and thou would/t
do it with delight.
" Being fruitful in every good work, and hitreafing in the
knowledge of God" The unhappy caufe of the various fedts
of Chriltians, is their not paying obedience to this precept.— -
Every fe£l has fome part of truth, but none have the whole of
divine truth : they feem to reafon as if they could not go for-
ward in making additions to their prefent flock of knowledge.
Surelv, as the child that has learned his alphabet may be taught
fpelling, reading, fcience, and go on in learning to ten times
the age of man, without having gone a thoufandth part through
even his pofTible human acquirements, fo might the Chriftian,
daily, even through an eternitv, go on mcrealing in the know-
ledge of God— by growth in the knowledge of that which
he laith, and hath faid, doeth, hath done, and rtill will do. Oh
for the arrival of that happy day when fpiritual pride, and party
zeal being deftroyeJ, the know'lcdge of the Lord fhall cover
the earth as the waters cover the lea I
Chriftian friends, when we confider the infirmities of hu-
man nature, we muft acknowledge it is indeed a great thing
for us to know the perfedlions of the Deity! His omnipre-
fence — " Whither fhall I go from thy fpirit ? whither fliall I
flee from thy prefence ? It 1 afcend up into heaven thou art
there : if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I
take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermolt
parts of the fea, even there fhall thy hand lead me, and thy
right hand fhall hold me." Aflonifhing thought ! who can
comprehend the omniprefencc of Deity! Local beings as wc
are, when we only think of it, ,ve are filled with amazement,
and lofl in the contemplating of the magnitude of our medi-
tation.
Contemplate the omnipotence of that Being who formed an
infed, and with the fame hands machined the va(t orrery of
nature! The more v/e are acquainted with geography, by
bringing us to an intimate acquaintacce with the earth, thtr
more will it fill us with fulemn awe. when we meditate on his
almighty
( 126 )
almighty power who formed the earth, the fea, and their vari-
ous innumerable inhabitants. But lift up thine e\eSy O man !
behold the folar orb, and the earth with all the planets dancing
each their diurnal round ; whilft the comets take their un-
known courfes, according to his appointment, and the ftellar
lights bind up and enclofe the whole machine. Truly the hea-
vens declare thy mighty power, O Jehovah ! and the vaft ex-
pance proclaimcth the omnipotence of thine arm. Thou alone
doeft what thou wilt in hell, in earthj and heaven ; and all the
hofts that inhabit them obey thy will. Wonderful art thou in
power, O my God ! who fhall dare to fay to thee on any occa-
iion. Wherefore doeft thou thus ?
The contemplation of the power of God fhould lead us to
ffand in awe of him., and not to deviate from his commands.
It fhould lead us to confider the continual poflibility of his
faithfulncfs. Is any thing too had for the power of that God
■u ho formed all things ? What a fourcc of delight is the con-
templating the power of Jehovah, as manifelled in the work-
manfhip of his hands I I pity the ignorant man, who faunters
■-about complaining of having no'-hing to do, when the vaft
field of nature lays open before him, invites him to the con-
templation of the beauty of its parts, and the aftonifliing ar-
rangement and combination of the whole. Surely the man
who can trifle away his hours in fhuiHing pieces of paper to-
gether, or fits gaping at the fight of nature burlefqued, whilft
the works of his Creator lie unheeded before him, furely fuch
a man can have but an infant foul ! The iron hand of adverfity
muft teach him to think, ere he can fit down with the firft-
born fons of Jcfus, to enjoy the wonderful works of the gre^t
Firft Caufe of all, the Father of Spirits.
Reflcd upon the wifdom of God ; examine thine own form,
toine arms, thine bead, thy body, thy legs; furvey their fym.-
metry; how beautiful! and at the fame time how perfedtly
adapted fcr ufefulnefs ! Examine the unfeen parts, the arteries,
the veins, the pores ; confider the heart, the lights, the liver,
the kidneys ; take jiotice of the m.ufclcs, that give ftrength to
every member, and -the elaftic ligatures, which give motion
whilft they tie each various part togetherr Curioufly and
wonderfully art thcu made, Oman! what wifdom has the
Great ArchiteiSl: manifefted in the formation of thy body!
But rife above the mcrhanifm of thy outward form ; examine
thy mind, .its powers of retention, of thou(;ht, of judgment,
how sftonifliing ! how furpailing knov/lcdgc is man! Examine
his wildcm, manifefted m the bridges, houfes, palaces, bul-
( 1^7 )
warks, he has built. Behold the ftately vefTcI, proirdly failing
0:1 the ocean, and bidding deiiance to the rude tciupelt. This
was the wnorkmanlhip of man. If he is fo wife, how infinite
muft he be in wifdom, who formed him, and millions of fuch
creatures ! endowing them all with intelledual powers. De-
fcend from man, examine the beauty of the mi:.ute'1 infedt,
how exaclly fitted for its end are all its parts. It is the worlc-
manfhip of inhnice wifdom; his creation teems with life;
every part fo combined by his infinite wifdom, that like linJcs
in a chain, each depends upon the other, and the whole upon
him, the great Firft Caufe and Laft End of all things. Its or-
der proclaims the wifdom of its Maker, and the excellency
of his government.
But how great is his goodnefs ! God is love I his tender
mercies are over all his works ; he loveth every thing that he
hath made; his mercy endureth to the future age; to that age
of jubilee when there fhall not be occafion for Jehovah to ex-
erciie his mercy ; for as mercy is the going forth of compallion
in comforting a creature under diftrefs, the period will come
when there will not be a creature under diftrefs, to whom Je-
hovah canfhew mercy: for when all his creatures are fubdued
by Chrifl:~-when he hath reconciled all things, whether they
be of heavenly or earthly original, by the blood of the crofs —
when, by the blood of the covenant, he hath brought forth all
the prifoners out of that pit in which there is no water, then
will (jod be all in all, in every creature ; his will will be the
rule of government ; every heart will be in his image ; the
whole fpirit of e\ ery creature whom God hith created, will be
conformed to the image of his fon. God the Creator will
look upon all things that he hath made, belicld their beauty,
their order, their harmony; and his mercy, which now goeth
forth in acts of compafTion, will then be changed into aftection,
delighj, love; God wiL indeed be ah in all, and all his crea-
tures will be in him.
But as this glorious period hath not yet arrived, behold, O
Chriftian! the goodncls of that God, who, in the condiiil of
his providence, openeth wide his liberal hand, and all things
living are filled with plenteoudicfs. Whin we but confider
the magnitude of London, its numerous inhabitants, .upon
what various caufes depend the fupply of their food, hovir in-
numerably many links there are in the chain that kccpeth them
together, and giveth them food to eat and raiment to [)ut on,
we mull: confefs it is his hand alone which keepeth the chain
unbroken, and preventeth peftilence, famuie, and dcatii. E.v-
teiid
( 1^3 )
tend thy furvey; comprife within thy view the wants of a na-
tion, nay, the wants of a world, and its infinitely innumerable
inhabitants. Reduce thy furvey, confider the hand of that
God who hath hitherto helped thee, O man ! Perhaps thou
art hoary headed, and he hath led thee through the we;iknefs of
infancy, the follies of youth, the independance of manhood,
and here thou art ftill after all thy cares, doubts, fears, dangers,
follies, weaknefs, fins; I fay, here thou art, a monument of his
goodnefs, the child of his providence, the dependant on his
bounty. His goodnefs has perhaps led thee to think again on
thy rebellion and his love, and taught thee not to truft on manj
whofe breath is in his noftrils, but on the living God ; he fup-
plieth thy wants, and giveth thee that peace which the world
knoweth not of." Chriftian, thou oughteft Indeed to join in
the apoftle's prayer, and fa}-, Increafe us in the knowledge of
thee, O God.
" Strengthened with all might." We are all weaknefs and
helpleflhefs of ourfelves: unable to think, or fpeak, or a<5l
aright, but through the might/ power of our God. Was it
not for his communicated power, we {laould be able to do in-
deed but little; but God (Irengthens us with all might; it is
this that fupports us in the midli of doubts, and fears, and
temptations; it is this that enables us to rife above them, and
to come off conquerors ; for we can do all things through
Chrift who ftrengthens us.
" According to his glorious power." And fhall we then
doubt the poflibility of our fuccefs in our fpiritual warfare ? Is
any thing too hard for Jehovah? Is there any befetting fin
which, through his glorious power, we cannot overcome ? Is
there any evil which, being under his proteifion, we need to
fear? It is confidence in this glorious power that renders the
religious man confiftent in his charadter and conduct. Who
can tell the greatnefs of this power ! May you, my friends,
be flrengthened with all might, to overcome every evil, ac-
cording to the greatnefs of this glorious power, by which you
are fupported, and this ihall enable you to acl aright in every
ChrlfUan duty, which otlierwife you would be unable to per-
form.
" Unto all patience and long fufFering with joyfulnefs."
Confcious weaknefs fills a man with fear ; it unmans, and takes
away even the real ffrcngth that a man has : but when a man
has ftrength, and knows it, he can patiently bear the feoffs and
taunts of mankind. Impatience is a proof of cowardice, and
cov/ardice of real or fuppofcd weaknefs: the Chriftian, there-
fore,
( '^9 )
fore, who Is ftrengthened with all might according to the
mighty power of God, mulT: manifcfl it by his patience in all
the alfli(5lions and crofs providences of life, and by his long
forbearance, with jovfulnefs, under the contradiction both of
faints and finners : for it is the temper of Chriilian'ty t;hat muft
manifefl: the reality of it: without thele it is all emptiwelsi
found without kn(e; not the light but the ridicule of man-
kind.
Glorious is the power of Jehovah; it is infinite, bui- grlori-
ous, becaufe its exertions are always direfted by goodnefs.
How wonderfully great doth that power n.anifeft itielf to be ia
the falvation of fallen man ! But it is equalK glorious, be-
caufe the a6t calts a ray of fplendour upon the charailer of
Deity that would not otherw;fe have been vifible. In vain
v^ould fallen creatures have drove to riff above their loft eftate
to aftate of puritv and holinefs, unaided by the divine power;
but the exercife of that power, through the medium of Chrift
Jefus, will not only now fave the firft-born, the eledl of God,
but will finally reftore all fallen creatures to a ftate of perfec-
tion that fliall make the power of Jehovah appear truly glori-
ous; for the whole creation, in all its parts, anfwering the
wife and benevolent purpofes of its good Creator, fhall give
glory to his name by its beautv, harmony, and love.
God, who has this glorious power, is miich readier to be-
flow it upon us than we are to afk it of him. He waiteth to
be gracious ; he treafures up the bounties of his hand, that he
may liberally bellow them upon all his children who feel their
wants and come with faith unto him: he rejtfleth none; and
whenfoever two or three are met together in the name of Jefus
Chrift: his (cn^ what things foevcr taey agree to aik the Father
in his name, believing, they fhall receive.
It is greatly to our fatisfaction to know If we have this pow-
er or have it not; we are not left to the doubts and uncertain
feelings of our hearts, which may be too often excited or de-
prcllcd by outward circumftances, or even by the food which
we eat : v/e know that we are the children of God when we
do his wilj ; we are confident that we are parcakers of this
mighty power when we can do tholi? things which we before
could n()t do; and I know that I have this power, becaufe I
preach the goipel, the good news of falvation by Jefus Chrift,
unto you : for none can preach ihc gofpel unlef^ he is fent.
Contidcnt that 1 preach the gofpel, 1 own the authority from
whence Ipicicli it; not in my own ftrength, but becaufe I am ,
ftrengthened, for this purpofe, with all might, according to his
^ glorious
C 130 )
glorious power, unto all patience, and long fufFering, with joy-
ful nef?.
Do you love (jod? There was a time when you did not
love him. Whence, then, arifeth the difference in your tem-
pers between what yon now arc, and what you then was? Is it
b) the exercife of vour reafon, or b the mighty power of God ?
Do you love the people of God ? This alfo is by his mighty
pBwer ; for as we were enemies to God by wicked works, fo
we hated all that loved him and were obedient unto him.
Do you love your enemies ? No natural man can do this.
If, then, you do more than others, it is God alone that gives
you this power, to reduce the precepts of religion to praSice,
and make the fpeculative opinions of thehigheft degree of hn-
man virtue to be a certainty, nay, enabling you even to rife
high above them, foaring aloft on the wings of holy obedience,
daily drawing nearer and nearer to the perfedions of Deity
The knowledge of my fpiritual ftate is not an imaginary thing;
it arifeth not from certain infatuated feelings of a mind inflated
by fancy, but it arifeth from the full exercife of the judgment.
i know that I pleafe God, and that he approveth of my con-
duct, and hath caufed my name to be written in the book of
life, when lam confcious that I keep his commands, and that I
am enabled by htm to do thofe things which no natural man
can poillbly perform without that power which cometh from
above; but, as that power is ever ready to be btllowed upon
all who aHc for it, it is no difadvantage to man that it muft
come from God.
Givifig thanks unto the Father^ ivho hath made us meet for
the inheritance of the faints in light. 'J 'here is an inheritance
for us with the faints in light; but we mull be made meet for
the enjoyment of it. It is a glorious inheritance-— an inherit-
ance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, re-
ferved in heaven for you who are kept by the powe^ of God,
through faith unto falvation. This inheritance the apoftle
Peter had fuch glorious ideas of, that he fays, " Blcfled be the
God and Father of our Lord Jcfus Chriif, who, according to
his abundant mercv, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the refurreclion of Jcfus Chriit from the dead, to an inhe-
ritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, re-
ferved in heaven for you." Our Lord likewife fpeaks of this
inheritance, John, xiv. " Let not your hearts be troubled ; ye
believe in God, believe alfo in me. In my Father's houlc are
many manfions ; if it were not fo I would have told you. I
j^o to prepare a place fur you. And if I go and prepare a
place
( IJI )
place for voii, I will com£ again, and receive you unto myfeir,
that where I am, there ye mav be alio." Paul lilcewife lived
in holy expectation of a part in this inheritance of the faints
iu light. " For (faith he, 2 Cor. v. i.) we know that if our
earthly houfe of this tabernacle were diiTolved, we have a
building of God, an houfe not made with hands, eternal in the
hea\ens." Again, fpeaking concerning Abraham, Heb. xi.
10. he fay«, he looked for a cicv which hath foundations,
whof« builder and maker is God. The holy men of old fpeak
in the mod exalted human language of this inheritance. 'I'hey
call it a crown of life and glory, a fceptre of rightepufnefs, a
citv whofe builder is God, a kingdom that cannot be moved,
all denoting its ftabllity, its dignity, its power; the meaneft of
thefe defcriptions exalts the confequencc of the inheritJfhce, and
reprefents the Imallcr portion in it as of greater value than all
the prefent kingdoms of the earth ; for like the pafTing fhadows
they flit away, but this inheritance hath Jehovah himlelf for its
founder, and his unchanging promifc for its fupport.
None who believe in the Scriptures can difpute the reality of
this inheritance ; it was the hope of the patriarchs, prophets,
apolfles, and martyrs, and is now the animating hope of every
fmcere believer. At all times light hath been fown for the
righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. They have not,
as yet, beheld this light j they have not experienced this joy ;
clouds and darkncfs have overfliadowed their ways; hope
alone has, with a glimmering light, illumined their fteps ;
but on the millenial morn, when tlje fun of righteoufnefs fhall
arife, then fhall the clouds difperfe, the darknei's Ihall flee away,
and with joy and gladnefs of heart fliall ihey receive, at the
hands of their Lord, the rewards he hath prepared for all that
love and fear his name, and patiently wait for his appearance.
As this is a real inheritance, fo there is a mectnefs requifite
for the taking pofleliion, and for the enjoyment thereof. The
God that hath created the fun, moon, and ftars, that formed
this earth, and hath cloathed all nature with beauties, hath
given man fuch faculties of body ai.d mind, as may enable him
to improve the beauties of nature, and to encreafe his enjoy-
ment with his improvements; inducing man, by motives of
intereft, to exert himfelf in the cultivation of the powers of his
mind, that, by ufcful arts and fcienccs, he may be enabled the
better to enjoy the luxuriant blefTings that his beneficent
Maker hath beftowcd ; and all this only for a few fleeting
da) s ! The hand that formed the mighty monuments of art,
fceth them at farthtll but for a few rolling years, and then they
S 2 pafs
pafs for ever from his view= The fame God that hath given
to nature fuch a profufion of beauties, and to his creature man
fuch a capability of improvement and enjoyment for fo fmal! a
fpace of time, hath furel" prepared fuperior beauties for a future
ftate — beauties that will require more perfe6l faculties and
higher attainments to enjoy them, feeing that his hand hath
formed them to be the enjoyment of ages by the faints in
light. As the concerns of the foul are fuperior to thofe of the
body, fo muft the fpiritual inheritance be fuperior to thefe tem-
poral blefnngs. But however beautiful, however dcfirable,
they cannot be enjoyed unlefs we are made meet for that inhe-
ritance.
Luke XX. 35. our Lord fpeaks of thofe that fhall be account-
ed worthy to obtain that age, and the refurrredtion trom the
dead ; ftrongly implying, that of profefTors there are many
that fhall not be accounted v/orthy to have any part in that in-
heritance, nor even to be amongft the number of thofe who
fhall fhare in the firft refurredlion. Now by comparing thefe
pafiages together we fhai! find that worthinefs and mectnels
are the fame thing ; it is, in fa(5f, a fitnefs for the inheritance.
ift. A fitiiefs for the enjoyment of the inheritance. .
2dly. A fitnefs to perform the duties thereof.
A fitnefs for the enjoyment of the inheritance, implies that
the mind of the inheritor is capable of enjoying the inherit-
ance of the faints in light ; that his temper of mind, and all his
purfuits are like theirs. This is aphilofophlcal propofition.—
Of what ufe would be the beauties of nature to the blind man?
or all the noblell: drains that mufic could produce to the deaf?
In like manner what pleafure could the fpiritual enjoym.ents of
the kingdom of Chrift yield to the carnal mind? As I cannot
live in fire, unlefs my nature is changed, fo I could not live in
the enjoyments of heaven unlefs mv heart was changed-^
unlefs i had a mind fully adapted to the pleafures and purfuits
of the pkce. With the heart of Satan, heaven would be hell
to any one; but change that heart, let it not be the accufer but
■the lover of the brethren— -not the adverfiu-\, but the willing
fubjed of Chrifl, and heaven would be indeed heaven, and all
its glories W(;uid be defirable. In like manner, if you are
meet to eijoy tlie inheritance of the faints of light, )'ou mull:
be a fon of peace, have a heart of love, with 3 lite of holii;eis;
for in this inheritance, there is no hatred, en\ y, animofity, or
ccnteirpt; no irreverence, or ntglc6t of the worfliip of God,
But every knee bows down to him, every heart adores him
^11 is peace,. and joy, and righteoufncfs,
God
( '33 )
God has indeed prepared an inheritance for us, and vvc mull
he made meet for the inheritance. Now it is impoflible that
we fhould be thus meet unlels God hath clcanfcd our hearts--
unlefs we have the fpirit of God formed within us. But al-
though the work is of God, we ought not to be difcoura2;ed,
feeing *:hat he is a God hearing and anfwering prayer — a God
near at hand to all that call upon him.
If God hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the faints in light, we ought to give thanks unto him, for it
is an inheritance worth the enjoying: and we were in time
pafl: enemies unto God by our wicked works; but he hath
made us meet by making us partakers of the divine nature,
having efcaped the corruption that is in the world through luft.
We therefore ought to give thanks unto him, and blefs him
continual! V for his goodhefs, in having called us out of aark-
nefs into light.
JVho hath delivered us from the poiver of darknefs. Cjreat,
awfully fo, is the power of darkneis ! Men, dwelling under
the influence of the enlightening truth of Scripture, know not
the greatnefs thereof; but were they to take a furvev of thofe
•heathen countries where revelation is not known, they would
ftand aftonifhcd and terrified at its oppreffive influence : for
they dread the power of Satan, whom they call the Evil Spirit,
whom they fondly think rules over them like a God j and this
is the reafon that moft favage nations pay more homage to him
out of fear, than to God, their good Creator, out of love. If
afked the reafon, they readily anAver, that he is always ready to
injure thcni, and they therefore find it necelTary to deprecate
his wrath : but the\- are not under the like neceiHty of depre-
cating the Good Spirit, becaufe he loves not to injure thenij
but at all times delights to do them good.
\V hen we look back upon paft ages, and notice the terror
that fhook the hearts of men, from the powers of darknefs,
and their confequent fuperllitious reverence of witches, wiz-
ards, necromancers, and all the numerous train of thofe wi:o
pradtifed the black art, we cannot but obfcrve the power of
darknefs on the human mind, and the infinite obligation we
are under to the Father for the gift of his fon, who hasy by the
gofpel of cur falvation, almoft banilhed all fuch terroi's from
the Chriftian world. As the light of truth Ipreads, the fhades
of errcjr flee away, and (hall continue to fl.e, till truth, by the
brightnefs of its Ibining, filleth the whoie univerfe witti light
and glory. Then men Ihall no more fear the powers of dark-
nefs.
( "34 )
nefs, but thev (hall rejoice in the light continually, and give
conflantpraife to that God from whom it flov/s.
Who hath delivered us froiti the power of darkncfs. Paul
obferves, that hi?: fervants we are whom we obey ; we acknow-
ledge the authority of that fovereign whofe laws we keep
When, therefore, we are the fervants of fin, having the mind
covered with obfcurity, and all our future expedations full of
doubts and fears, and all our prefent enjoyments perverted,
looking for happincfs in the error of our ways, in following
our corrupted inclinations in fearch of good ; being led cap-
tive by Satan at his will; we are then indeed, truly 'fubje6l to
the power of darknefs, v/hich leads us to the doing of things
Contrary to our better knowledge. And this is one reafon why
I cannot admit the do£lrine of philofophical necelTity: the
friends of it aflert that the mind of man always a6ts from ihe
ftrongeft motive. Now I conceive that the fmner a£ls finfully
becaufe he is under the power or influence of a darkened mind ;
for the motives he has to do good are, if poffible, infinitely
ftronger than the motives to do evil, and that even in thole
who commit iniquity : to do good we are led by the pleafures
which arife from the approbation of our confcience, by the be-
nefits that mankind receive from it, and which muft, /even in
this life, return back with tenfold advantage upon ourfelves:
add to this, the good, in all its various ramifications, that
branches out from every virtuous deed, with the various pro-
mifes of future advar.tage that keep towering one above ano-
ther, till the eye of faith itfelf, looking through the telefcope
of truth, is lofl in the contemplation of rhem — Yet with ail
thefe motives to a£iion, behold the innumerahle hofts of the
fons of men who have the word of truth in their poffeflion,
and yet commit iniquity with grecdincfs: it is not from the
ftrongefl motive for action, but from the weakeft, owing to
darknefs having ovcrfhadcwed their mind, and' their perverted
imaginations not being able to penetrate the thick obfcure, or
break ."ifiinder its weighty chains. Since, then, I have every
impuifive motive to do good, and none to do evil but a mo-
mentary gratification, I cannot but conclude that I am under
the power of carkncfs: and would to God, that we ail could
fay, this was the whole caufe of our finning, and not be under
the nece/fity cf adding, that we, bv giving way to iniquity,
arc, at the lame time, under the power of moral depravity.
Bat
( J35 )
But blerted be God, he hath given us his Ton, that we may
be delivered from the power of darknefs; and we are not more
lenfible of "I'ating and drinking, than we were of being deli-
vered from the clouds and thick darknefs which overftiadowed
our fpiritual underftanding, before that we received the know-
ledge of divine tri;th, by faith in Chrift Jefus. I well remem-
ber the time when light pierced through the clouds, and dark-
nefs fled away : I felt new power— freih ftrength fcemed to be
imparted frosn above: the things that I before could not per-
form now feemed very eafy; the chains that before bound my
foul now feemed broken: I beheld the love of, God, like an
overflowing Itrcam, rolling on, and flowing through his valt
creation : I felt the force of divine faithfulnefs comforting and
animating my foul ; T heard it whifper to my heart, / have
loved thee with an everlaftlng love. How forcibly then did
divine goodnei's ftrike my heart, and call forth all its grateful
affections to my God ! I felt, i knew, that I loved God bet-
ter than I loved my father, or mother, or wife, or aiiy other re-
lation ; all the endearing ties of fraternal affection and humaa
friendlhip gave way to the love of my God. There was no-
thing but what I could do or fufFer for his fake. Was not this
a fenlible deliverance from the power of darknefs ?_ Inltead of
living to gratify my paffions, 1 now faw the end of my exifl-
ence, and rejoiced in living to the glory of my God. Inftead
of being filled with wrath and malice, and every evil temper, to
be able to love mv greatelt enemies ! Oh ! it was a chai;ge
furpaffing all my expedlations ! It was indeed a deliverance
that filled my foul with righteouf.iefs, peace, and joy. Now,
my brethren, do you know thefe things^ ? Is the power of
darknefs broken from your minds ? Can you love the Lord
your God with all your heart, foul, and flrength, and your
neighbour as yourfelf ? Do you do good to all, and pray for
all ? If fo, then you are delivered from the powers of dark-
nefs, and fanflated into the kingdom of his dear fon.
The kingdom of his dear fon. Thh is not a kingdom of this
world, but a kingdom called out of the world j a kingdom that
owneth Jefus of Nazjreth to be the anointed of the Father
ami their king: whatfoever he hath commanded, that alone is
clfablffhed in this kingdom ;s the lawj that alone v.hich he
hath foi bidden, they avoid. None are confidered as the fubjefts
of this kingdom, becaufe they attend this or the other church
or chapel, or are runners after the gofpel miniflers of the day—
or for belonging to this, that, or the other denomination of
Chriftia:is---or for eatinj, or drinking, or abflinence-— or the
obferva-
( 136 )
obfervfltion of days, but obedience to the faith, conftitutes the
chara6t-er of a fubjecft of this kingdom, and this fubjeft hath
aionian life j for this is aionian life, to know the only true God,
and Jefus Chrifl, the anointed faviour, whom he bath fent
Now the fulnefs of aionian life is a fulnefs of frbmiffion of all
creation to Jefus-— a bowing of the icnee to him, and ownino-
him to be the ruler, to the glory of God the Father. The
man, therefore, who is tranflated into the kingdom of Chrifr,
and hath aionion life begun in him, that man bows the knee to
Chfift— -he has within him the holy leaven, which iLall keep
fermenting until every thought (hall be brought into full fub-
je£lion to the divine will.
In whcin we have redemption^ throufu Ins bloody even the re~
mijfion of fins. Was it not for this, I lliould live without hope
for mylelf, and for you, my brethren ; nor fhould I have any
hope for any of the fons of men. I am under theneceffity of
confidering all men as fmners ; both Jew and gentile; all are
gone aftray— none doeth good, no, not one. What is there jn
nature that could caule me to fee a God reconciling the world
untohimfcif, not imputing unto them their trefpaffes and fms?
What arguments could I ufe to reclaim men from the error of
their ways ? But bleiTed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jefus Chrift, he hath given his fon to be a ranfom for all ; and
ye, who now believe in him have redemption through his
blood, even the forgivenefs of fms. There is not one upon
earth but needs pardon for the fms that are paft, and that par-
don comes through Chrift alone. There is no other name given,
but the name Jefus, by wi;ich men can be laved. It is he that
died for us, and who has rifen again for our juilification ; and
whofoever believeth on his name, fetteth bis feai to God's ve-
racity ; he is redeemed by the blood of Chrift; he has thejuf-
tification that cometh by faith: to that man God will not im-
pute iniquity, but he cafteth all his fms behind his back. See-
ing, therefore, that God hath fet forth his fon as a propitiation
for our fms, let us, having by faith embraced that lalvation
which he has held out in Chrift Jefus, walk worthy of the
Lord unto all well pleafmg, being fruitful in every good v/ord
and work, and increafmg in the knowledge of God.
£ND OF THE EIGHTH S£Rr.:Oi.\
S E R M O N IX.
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN fFINCHESTER,
[never before PUBLISHED.J
ACTS, VIII. 33.
In his humiliation his judgment was taken a'vay, and who
floall declare his generation f For his life is taken from
the earth.
T^-IIS verfe is a quotation fromlfaiah, liii. but in this place
lofes all its beauty by its incorrectneis. Bi/hop Lowth^
in this, as well as in many other places, has rendered Chrifti-
anity a confiderable fervice by re-lifymg the errors of our
tranflators of the Old Teftanient. This pSfiage he renders
thus :
** By an opprefiive judgment he was taken ofF;
And his manner of life who fhall declare?
For he was cut off from the land of the living."
The word judgment has two fignifications in the Englifh
language: l. It fignifies iinderjianding or reafon\ that faculty
of the mind by which a man wifely determines any tli.ngi
hence it is faid concerning one half-witted, He is quite a fool ;
or concerning any one who fpeaks of that which he doth not
undcrrtand, it is faid, How limply fuch an one talks ! he fpeaks
irrationally; he utters his words upon this bufinefs without?
judgment. Of fuch a charatSler it is written, *' A fuol is
known by his much fpeaking ;" but of the contrary charac-
ter, that '' he fpeaks not of things beyond his reach," fn
this (ei.fe none who read of the calm, determined fclf-poilefiion
of our Lord, when at the judgment-feat, can fuppofe that Luke
T the
( 138 )
the hiftorian ufes thefe words. In his humiliation it is evident,
that, how great foever were his fufFerings, yet his judgment
was not taken from him : no ; he had the full poffelTion of his
rational faculties, and in the exercife of chem-witaeffed " a
good confeflion before Pontius Pilate •," he bore his tellimony
to the truth with that dignity and heroic fortitude which be-
came him as the fon of God.
2. Judgment is taken for a fentence palled upon any man or
thing. An oppreflive judgment is that fentence which over-
bearing power, unduly exercifed, pafTes unjuftly upon unpro-
te£ted innocence; whilftajuft judgment is an upright deter-
mination, paffed after a full and righteous inveftigation : it is in
this fenfe that it is faid, that an unrighteous judge talccth a gift,
which blindeth the eyes of the wife ; making him, for filthy
lucre's fake, examine only one fide of the cafe before him,
perverting the caufe of the fatherlefs and widow, and crufliing
the poor beneath the terrors of oppreiTive law. In this ienfe,
but with a good meaning, it is prophefied concerning the Mef-
Cah, that
« He fliall judge thy people with rlghteoufnels,
And thy poor with judgment,"
It is in this fenfe the hiftorian ufes this quotation—" In his
humiliation his judgment was taken away i" his righteous
judgment; that upright fentence which an upright bench
would have paffed upon an innocent perfon, was, by an oppref-
five judjrment, illegally taken away, in fuch a ,manner, that
none co'uld app^ at the unjuft tribunal to teftify his manner
of life, his innocence of conduft, his wildom, his gentlenefs,
his purity, his goodnefs-, for the arm of iniquity was lifted up
againft him, and his life was fwept away from the earth.
The firlt thing that ftrikcs our attention in thefe words is,
that Chrift went through a fhort but fuiFering ftate of humili-
ation: Ihort, indeed, was his hfe, but great, exceedingly great,
his humiliation! on account of the grandeur of his birth — :he
firft-born of creation, the only begotten fon of the Father— -
as alfo for the glory, the dignity, the. fupreme excellency of his
perfon; for by him, and for him, were all things created, how-
ever elevated above the fons of men in mojelfy and honour,
or how lew foever beneath the lofty fituation of man in their
nature, and in their weaknefs— notwithllanding their excel-
lency or their meannefs, it was his hand that formed them, and
for his government were they created. He wps the eledt of
God, in whom his foul delighted; who dwelt in his bolom
before angels were formed, or this lower nature was, by the
fiat
( 139 )
fiat of almighty power, called forth into exiftence. How
great, therefore, was his humiliation !
<' Borne on the wjiipi. of boundlcfs love,
He lot'c ihVternal throne on high;
Our low clc^':ratlcd ftate to prove,
With man to mourn, for man to die."
He did not degrade his heavenly dignity by condefcending to
be cloathed in the gaudy decorations of human power, but un-L
cloathing himfelf of all power, he made himfelf of no repu-
tation,fwirhout name, wealth, or authority, and took upon him-
felf the form of a fervant, that form which required itritSl and
conllant obedience ; ?nd being thus found amongft his own
people, whom he had called out of the world, amongft his bre-
thren after the flefh, fafliioned as a man like themfclves, they
knew him not as the lun of God; thev received him not as
the Chrift, tne Mefliah, the anointed of God; and he, in this
humiliation of himfelf, to fulfil the will of his Father, and be-
come unto us an example of obedience, became himfelf obe-
dient unto death, even the death of the crofs, ftretched with
limbs'extended to the accurfed tree, and rivetted to the deadly
fpot hy nails penetrating the tender nerves, and all his body fuf-
pended by and fuftained on his wounded members ; d\'ing, for
hours dying, not by weaknefs of conftitution, or a difordered
nature, but by an overwhelming excefs of pain !
Great indeed had been his prior humiliation ! The higheft
ftate of human dignity was degradation of fituation to the fon
of God ; but that degradation was carried on in him from the
womb to the grave. The fon of David to be born in a ftable!
At twelve years of age, with a wifdom of fpeech that aftonifh-
ed the learned, and growing in wifdom ; fo that at years of
maturity wiicn he fpake his enemies were forced to confefs,
that no man ipake like him ; yet notwithftanding his mental
ability, he, on whofe lips the multitudes hung with aftonifli-
ment, even he, wandered about fupported by inc hand of pity!
the fcorn of tne wife, and the ridicule of the profligate— v.'ith-
out a place he could call his own, or a {belter for his head from
the inclement ftorm. Spotlefs in his innocence, the eye of
malice could not find a flaw in his character, )et was he ac-
cufed of blalphemy, of gluttony, of drunkennefs, and of trea-
.ibn ; and at lal}, condemned on unproved charges, and crucified
contrar to the laws of Lis country ; he was numbered with
the tranfgreilbrs ; his life v/as cut off from the earth.
The greatnefs of the humiliauoii of Chmt is moft vifible
when the dignity of his perfon is contraited with the abicwl
T 2 itatc
( I40 )
ftate to which he was reduced. Man is born to forrow. Tt
is neceflary for the infant ruler to be trained in the fchool of
adverfity j he muft learn wifely to govern by his own often
fad experience. But in the Lord Jefus Chrift were hidden
fuch treafures of wifdom and knowledge, that he not only
could create worlds innumerable, and filled with animation,
but he could, nay had for ages, fat upon the throne of govern-
mert, ruling them with underftanding; for him, therefore, to
lay afide the radiant glories of etherial dignity— for him, the
reprefentative of the immortal and invifible Deity-- -for him,
vho being in the form of ^.Jod, thought it no robbery to be
equal with God: for him, I fay, to lay by his government, and
to take upon him the form of a fiibje6t — to be obedient, even
obedie't unto dearh, unto the moft degrading, the moft cruel
of deaths! Oh I this was humiliation! humiliation furpall-
ing the attainment of any rational creature, from the higheft
angel who treads the realms above, to man, the Lord of all this
world below. Far, infinitely far beneath him in dignit)', they
never could, by immeafureable lengths, reach that humiliation
which the foil of God underwent.
Wnat adds greatly to the glory of Chrift, in his humiliation
is, that it was voluntary. No povi^er in heaven, earth, or hell,
could have dethroned him. He might have exclaimed,
*' Leafriie all your forces, all ye pow'rs above,
An6 wiih you Jet the whole creation move,
Ye Hrive in vain. If I but fpeak ihe word.
The fi.it of the Deity is heard ;
And, terror fli uck, ye lay before your Lord.
Even when he had defcended from the throne of creation*
and humbled himfelf to take upon him human nature — when
his own, that he came unto, inftead of receiving him as the an-
nointed of the Father, rejected him, derided h;m, and were
about to put him to an ignominious death, even then, had he
called upon his father, twelve legions of thofe bright and im-
mortal beings who tread the etherial courts, would, in a mo-
ment, have appeared to his relief, and filled with terror and
devaftation that guilty land. Thtie was not a moment of his
miniftration but what he could have advanced hmifelf to what
dignity he pleafed, having all heaven and earth ready at his
cc.nmand, to do all his will, it is this exalts the chara^i-ler —
it i^ this that exhibits, in lively and proper colours, the great
thi gs he did for us. He ('id much for us— -he bare much
frcm the contradidtion of finners f r us; but he bare it vo-
luntarily: he made himfelf of no reputation ; he took upon
himfelf
'( >4i )
himfelf the form of a fcrvant. Where Is the chara£^er recorded
in hillory, but the charadlcr of our Lord Jefiis Chrift, wlio,
for the ;iood cf mankind voluntarily through life, {looped froai
a throne of don'.inion, and became poor and contemptible,
pc fli fTcd of ro J'gnitv, no outward marks cf his former gran-
deur, and fubjert to thatfcorn, derifion, and ill ufage, which fu-
perior wifdom, united with poverty, meets with from hypocrify,
foil;, and I'clf-love, when reproved by it; but added to all t..i?,
he dr mk the bitter cup of divine 'vrath, and died agonifing up-
on the crofs! Mv Gofl ! wlio but thy Jon would have "done
all this? Who but he poflefi'ed love fufficienl to become thus
hun^ bled for our lakes? His love alone was inde-d fuperior
to all motal loves; and b his wond-Trul exercife of it, he
hath finootfied our path to elory and immortalitv. Who
amonfift the Tons cA men would not Lr:ik it hard to be charged
with thofe cinu'S which thou, my Lord, waft charged with?
But if perfcdtlv iniio^enr of every charge that enraged qialice
could bring againft ihem, how cruel w.old they think it! If
filently thev bore the reproach, mankind at large would be con-
vinced of its truth; but fhould thev attempt to defend their
charader, and retort back the falfehoods up m their foul accu-
ftrs, the indignant fcorn of infulted innocence would be con-
ftrued into rage and felf-love attempting to vindicate it^fclf
againft the irrcfiftibic evidence of truth. This feems hard;
but fdently did our icuiocent blciTt d Lord bear all that malice,
rage, envy, prejudice, fuperft.ti'.;n, and ignorance could invent
to blaft his character and pr-. ve/it his uf^ifulnefs. And thus
doth it become his follov/ers to a£ti they fliould follow on in
the fame path that he walked in, and tread in tf.e (ame fteps.
In all things they ought to rife above the foul Ipeeches of a pre-
judiced multitude, committing their caufe into his hand who
judgeth rightly. I have taken a pretty cxtenfive furvey of the
Jayjo's of mankind ; of the defire to criminate on the one part,
and the defire to Ju/iify cncfel/on the other part, and 1 aju on
the whole convinced from experience and obfervation, tha; the
wifeft way for a Chriftian to act, is to keep a conlciei.ce void
of offence towards God and towards man, chearfuily practih.ig
all the relative, focial, and religious duiies, according to the
commands of God, and then leaving every contingent event
depending thereon in his hands, iilentiy biddmg defiasxe lo all
the contumely, and infultmg outrage of the children ot iiclial.
Short as is the walk from this pulpit to the chapel-door, I would
not ftep it to clear my cnaradter from the vileft fianders that
malice could invent. Should Jefus approve of our cha'-acter
when
( H^ )
when he cometh, he will dear it from every afperfion when he
clears his own; he will then make it fhine elorioufly: our
falfe accufers ihall behold and tremble and be confounded:
this will be time enough for our character tofhiie glorioufly,
in innocence, before the eyes of our fellow-creatures. It is
true, this is advice contrary to the wifdom of this world; but
worldly wifdom is fooliflinefs with God ; and they who begin
the difagreeable work of proving and fending, will foon find,
that in this life they need have nothing elfe to do. But v/hen
the trumpet fhall found, and the dead fhall awake, how awful
will be the account they will have to render of their ill-fpent
time, their wrong tempers, their want of faith in the divine
judgments, and that felf-righteous mark of fallen-nature, an
evil pronenefs tofelf-jufliiication!
But after all, the moft humiliating of all the fcencs that our
Lord went through was that of his death. Truly it is an aw-
ful thought toconfider the creator and lord of creation led as a
criminal to the bar of the creature of the creature his own
hands had formed ! to fee him there buiFeted, fpit upon, mocked,
fcourged, crucified ! Was there ever humiliation like this ? No
man could have taken bis Hfe from him : he alone had power
to lay it down, and power to. take it up : therefore it was that
his Father loved him, becaufe he laid down his life for the
iheep. Hers was love! here was a voluntary abafement! an
extreme of humiliating degradation to accomplifli the pur-
pofes of that love. Love imm^nfe !— love infinite! or if
bounded, bounded only by that creation which flood in need of
thefullefl- dilplay of it. Love afcending beyond himfelf to the
immortal Source from whence it was derived, and defcending
to the minuteft workmanfhip infinite v/ifdom had produced ;
expanding all around, and going forth in a6fs of benevolence
to every creature whofe mifery called aloud for mercy.
In this low degrading ilatc of humiUation, hisjudgment wai
taken away; julfice was net done him; every principle of-
equity, as far as man was coiiccrned, was perverted, that he
might unjuflly fuffer an ignominious painful death. Nay,
there was fcarce the appearance of what the Jewifh nation
called law or juflice exeicifcd towards him. They could not
accufe him of committing any crim^e againft the Jcviilhftatci
no, nor even againft Cadar ; nor againfl the laws of Moies.
Not one criminal charge cculd they bring againft him, either
civil, ecclefiaiiical, or moral. One charge, indeed, they proved
againit him-— he taught the people the knowledge of God,
and the way of lalvation. Debaicd indeed, niuft that govern-
ment
( '43 )
mcntbe that could aT: upon fuch a charge — abjecl the flavifh
niindfiof that nation whole rulers dared thus to pervert trutli
and juftice.
<< Should ir e'er come when law fubmits to powV,
With Him refolvc my Heady bofom Iteel,
, Bi-avely to fuffer, though 1 deeply feel ;
Let me, as hitherto, ftilldraw my breath,
In love with life, tho'not in fear of death :
y\Md if oppreflion bring me to the grave,
i\nd m '.rk me dead, Ihe neVr Ihall mark a flave.
Let fober triumphs wait upon my bier,
I won't forgive the friend who iheds o^e tear.
Whether h::'s ravifh'd in life's e:irly morn,
Or in old a^e drops like an car of corn,
Full ripe he falls on nature's noblefl: plan,
Who lives torcafon and who dies a man."
When they accufed him of teaching the people from Gali-
lee to Jerufalem, thev might have added, He not only in-
iJrruiSls their minds, but heals their bodies — not only opens
their underftandings to dilcern rhc truth, and by his inftruc-
tion chafes away the (hades and darlcnefs from their minds, but
helilcewife opens the eyes of the blind, and caufes the dumb
man to fing the praifes of God, whilft he niaketh the lame
man to leap lilce an hart, with holy rapture at the wonderful,
mamfeftation made unto him of the divine goodnefs; and at
the fame time cheers the drooping fpirits of the diftreflcd witli
animating confolations. But thev wanted not to fearch the
truth ; their deeds would not bear to be brought to the light for
examination. Herod and Pontius Pilate, wicked men, yet men
unfhackled by prejudice, men who had no craft to lofe, who,
feared not die being turned out of the fynagogue~-thefe mea
could examine the accufations brought a^ainft him-'-they could
pronounce him guiltlefs— they, fitting o.m the throne of judg-
ment, could aver, " we find no fault in him;" nay, althouglk
the high-priefi hypocritical 1/ rent his cloaths, and fhoated
" Blalphemy!" yet, even before him, Jefus ftood acquitted—
his fall'e witneffes, fuborned to fwear away his life, agreed not
in their teftimony. And the innocent Jefus, ftanding at the
bar, was forced to be appealed to, that, by a perveirfion of his
anfwer, they might have fome colour of evidence, though ut- '
terly diftcrted, that they might pronounce him to be guilty and
worthy of death. Pilate the^ heathen, the unjufl;, rapacious.
Pilate, wbked as he was, pronounced the accuiation that was
brought ^ainii- him, (even if it could be proved) univorthy of
fo fevere x pui.ifltment as death : he could lee through the hypo-
critical v«i) paint«d over with the love of truth, and zeal for,
ther
( H4 )
the character of God. Pilate could fee throngh the veil, and
behold that it was not through holy j.^aloufv that they brou2;ht
him to his bar, but that it was through envy. The contraft
betwixt him and the Pharifees ffruck the connion people
greatly: they heard him gladly; they hung upon his lips; the
gentlenefs of his manners, oppofed to theirs, his holy, harm-
lefs, and undefiled life, while yet he mingled in the comoany of
finners, and led them to the paths of virtue, ^"hewed the Phari-
fees in their proper colours, as proud, adulterous, and over-
bearing, fliunning the company of all but their own fec\^ con-
demning the people by their precepts, making religion an into-
lerable burthen, and, by their lives, deterring from the prddlice
cf it.
Yes, it was through envy th it they delivered the Lord of
life and glory into the ha .ds of Pontius Pilate; they envied
him that purify of life and difintereftednefs of love, which palfed
a filentbut (evere cerifure upon their iniquitous aftions and the
felfifhnefs of all their moft benevolent deeds, tlie/ talked of
purity, fanitity, and truth ; th sy held up themfelves to man-
kind as the fervants of the Moft High God---the pcculiai
worfiiippers of Jehovah; whilft beneath the hypocriticM garb
of outward appearance, a long face, a long prayer, and the
found of a trumpet before them to proclaim their almfgiving :
beneath thefe outward mafks they had a fpirit of felf-iovp, of
pride of heart, a love to filthy lucre, devouring the houics of
the widow, and eating up iheTupport of' the fati)er-efs, and de-
Iblated orphan ; hearts full of adultery, impurity, and all un-
cleannefs : they could not bear the Ihort prayers, the open
countenance, the humble manner, the generous fpirit, the dilin-
tereiied life of our Lord : his hie condemned their a^^lions, his
words pafled fevere cenfures on their iniquitous condud;
therefore, like Jofeph's brethren of old, tney were enraged
againft their brother becaufe he told them the truth, and, their
deeds being evil, rhey could not bear it; becaiife of their ini-
quity and hypocrify they could not endure his life, which was
holy, harmlefs, undefiled, and feparate from fui. In tiie midft of
poverty his lite (hone with an holy luftre ; whiUl they, giving
themfelves up to all iniquity, feeing the woncierkil m'.racles he
performed, the purity of his doitrines diftu'-'ced them much,
his piety more, but his miracles moft of all. It was theie that
cauied them to exclaim. Let us crucify him, left the Romans
come and take away our place and ration. 1 hey beneld thefe
with fear, and trembling, and rage, d-ni exnoried each other to
put him to death ; and, that they might bUft his charader. and
fhew .
( '45 )
fnew before the nation their zeal for the honour of Jehovah,
theyaccufed him of bLifphenny, hut in vain, even with the af-
fiftance of fuborned evidence they could not prove it; the
charge, as every unproved charge docs, returned back upon
their own guilty heads. In vain did they afterwards accufe
him to Pilate; tht* heathen magiftratc, inftcad of being a6^ive
' to punifh, feared. He thought him a good and a virtuous man,
at leaft. Perhaps from the mcflage of his wife, and the man-
ner of our Lord at his bar, he might even have higher though
confufed ideas of the characler of Jefus. Who art thou? faid
Pilate: the judge laid aiide the dignity of fituation, and began
to converfe with the criminal at his bar. He was convinced
that juflice was not done him; that envy accufed and malice
■would deftroy him. But though the outward garb of legal
juliice was put oji, the character of our bleflcd Lord was clear-
ed from everv immorality that malice and injuftice could bring
againd it. Pilate at lad thought that he had hit upon an ex-
pedient which would fave his life, but which, by its not fuc-
ceeding, became the means of putting him to death. " Whom
will ye (faid Pilate) that I rcleafe unto you, Barabbas, or Jefus
who is called Chrift?" Surely, thought Pilate, if I contrad
this infamous murderer and robber with the meek, holy, inno-
cent Jefus, they will behold the immenfity of difference be-^
tween them, and releafe the innocent, but condemn the guilty.
But alas ! to the difgrace of the profeflional world, an heathen
could feel the common fenfations of equity and propriety with-
in his bofom, which a worfhipper of the tiue God could ftifle.
Truly they fhall come from the eail and the weft, the north,
and the fouth, who have felt the impulfe of divine truth within
their br. aft, and have acled upon it, and ftiall be received into
the kingdom, whilft the children of the kingdom, who have
had the whole of revealed truth in their polTeftion, but have
perverted it, or a6ted contrary to it, (ball be caft out. Under
the outward form of religion, it has remained for them alone to
blaft the rharadter of Deity, to pervert his word, to perfscute to
death thofe who called upon his name, and, under pretence of
doing the pure and holy God a fer\ ice, to be guilty of murder
and every irnquit'. Profeftors may call thcmfelves the difci-
pies of Jefus, the true worfhippers of the living God, the
children of the Moft High ; but he that hath not the fpirit o(
God is none of his.
" Whom will ye (faid Pilate) that I releafe unto you, Bar-
abbas, or Jefus who is called Chrift ?" In vain did Pilate rea-
fou with himlelf, If I propofe this atrocious ofFender, this
U breaker
{ «46 )
breaker through every fecial law, this abominable chara>51er,
this murderer, in oppofition to this holy man, they will cer-
tainly reject Barabbas with difdain, and choofe this good man
as an objecl: of their clemency. Surely malice and envy will
be gratified with making him appear in fociety as a pardoned
malefador, without carrying on their wickednefs to the jQied-
ding of innocent blood.
But alas! how miftakenly did Pilate reafon: they faid,
" Not this man, but Barabbas." Thus was our bleffed Lord
purfued through their iniquitous courts of injufi-ice. Examine
with calmnefs every ftep that was taken, and you will find that
through all his judgment, or that upright fentence that fhould
Ijave been pafled upon his a£lions, was, in this awful hour of
his humiliation, taken av/ay, and even the decent forms of juf-
tice were not attended to; when he fpake they fpit in his face,
buffeted him, ridiculed him, fmote him. Was this juftice ?'
Does juftice punifh uncondemned? Was it any other perfon than
our Lord Jefus Chritf that was fo treated, one might fay, the
court that permitted fuch proceedings to take place was more
degraded than the poor innocent lufFerer who was called to en-
dure them : but as the charafter of Jefus, his rank in creation
as judge of quick and dead, infinitely tranfccnded the honours
they bare, fo his humiliation, in being the fufferer in fuch a
degrading of juftice, was infinitely greater than theirs, under
any circumflances, could have been.
He was condemned contrary to their own laws, and contrary
to the legal forms of every civilized nation. The Jews had .a
cuflom that no man fhoujd be taken up on a fufpicion of guilt
on any of their folemn feafl days, or on the days preceding
them, on purpofe to prevent the hilarity of the day being be-
clouded with fuch unpleafant fights. But fo great was their
zeal to condemn the holy Jefus, that, contrary to this cuflom,
they fat up the whole of the night preceding the paflover, that
they might take him; and having apprehended, tried him and
caufed him to be crucified, and this on their mofl folemn fefli-
val, breaking through every fence that wifdom or fuperftition
had eredled, putting him to death on the very day, the hour, and
even the moment of that day when the law which they pro-
feiTed to venerate had ordered the pafcal lamb to be flain. And
in the accomplifhment of their cruel purpofes, they brake
through thofe traditions which they held as facred. It is true
they would not defile themfelves by entering into the judgment
hall; but their confciencc was not fo tender but that they
could bribe men to forfwear themfelves, and folemnly and de-
liberately
( 147 }
liberately take upon themfelves blood -guiltinefs. •Confcience
was delicately tender about the defilements of the fle^, but
perfectly afleep, with all the calmnefs of undifturbed repofe*
concerning the defilements of the fpirit. T hey could not pol-
tute themfeives by entering a court of judicature on a feftival
day, but they could pollute that court by rendering it inftru-
mental- to the murdering of the holv one of Ifrael. Them-
feives they would iiot defile, but cared not how much they de-
iiled him. It was truly of a piece with all carnal, human will-
worfhip; paying tythes of anife and cummin, attending to the
trifling minutiae of unappointed ceremonies, but negledling
the weightier matters of the law, juftice, mercy, and truth.
By their own laws it is faid, that when a criminal was taken
up. he was not, at the fooneft, to be tried before the next day,
and if condemned, not to be executed before the dav after.
And fuch regulations had wifdom in them : it gave an oppor-
'tunity for the accufed toconfider of his fituation, to collect his
friends together, that tiiev might appear to his charafter. It
gave him time to confider the charges that were to be exhi-
bited agaip.ft him : and it gave fome little time for his accufers
to refleft, for their paflions to cool, and for their judgment to be
fully fadsfied concerning the accu(cd perfon's guilt, and of tUeir
own breach of the law, fliould they bear a falfe teflimony. It
likewife gave the judge time to reflect over the fentence
that had been palled- —of the aggregate of little favoura-
ble circuinftances that had appeared i.i evidence, and of
the propriety of enforcing the fentence, or pardoning the
criminal. All thefe wile regulations, in the cafe of our
blefied Lord, were neglected ; he was taken up, tried, caft,
condemned, crucified, and dead, in the fliort fpace of about
fifteen hours ; fo that his manner of lifc^ xvho^ amongft his
friends, could declare? Terror ftruck by the hand of power,
they in the moment of fear had ail forfook him and fled ; and
no time was allowed him to recall them as evidence to fadls
concerning his private lite and public miniftration. Our Lard
feems to allude to this circumftance, John, xviii 20, 21. " Je-
fus anfwered him, I fpake o^.enly to the world, 1 ever taugnt
in tlie fynagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always
refort, and in lecret have J faid nothing. Why aflcefl thou
me ? A(k them which heard me what I have faid unto them;
behold they know what I faid."
Another form of the Jewifh court was, that no procefs
could begin in it dt night. It muiT be began in the face of day
that the accufed might be aware of it, and prepared to guard
^gainft its confequcnces j but this jult regulation was not at-
U 2 tended
tended to; the procefs againft our Lord was began at night, he
was prechided from taking any fteps to exculpate himfelf by the
illegal hafte with which they hurried on his trial, even to the
condemning him to death, as far as they had power, before thq
morning dawn arofe.
By another law, to prevent a confounding of crimes, it was
enadted, that no two criminals could be put to death together,
unlefs their crimes were alike; but, contrary to this law, our
bleffed Lord was crucified between two thieves; numisered
with the tranfgreflbrs. If guilty of the crime he was charged
with, it had been blafphemy, but he was executed not as for
blafphemy, but as for theft ; his judgment was taken azuay ; not
even the forms of equity were preferved ; his trial, condemna-
tion, and execution, were alike unjuft, contrary to every prin-
ciple of law, and in dire6l oppofition to the accuftomed prac-
tices cf his nation. Pilate knew that they condemned him un-
juftly ; perhaps there may be feme one here prefent who may
afk, Why then did Pilate pafs fo unjuft a fentence, feeing that he
had it abfolutely in his power to have refcued him from their
malice. Was not the fentence that he pafled an acknowledge-
ment of hif suilt? The Romans aimed at univerfal dominion
under all then- various forms of governments ; to attain it they
Tuled the nations with mildnefs, and according to their own
jav/s; punifhing with the utmoft feverity the oppreffionsof thofe
whom they appointed as governors, and liftening to every
charge that was brought againft them. Power, whether an
individual or a nation pofieffes it, is the feat of jealoufy; the
leaft fuppofition of an encroachment ftirreth up this dreadful
paffion: it was on this ground that the attempts of Pilate to
releafe Jefus v^ere rendered abortive. The Jews cried out, " If
thou let this man go, thou art not Caefar's friend; who ever
maketh himfelf a king, fpeaketh againft Casfar." Here it
v/as that every virtuous refoluiion ot Pilate was ftaggered : the
.firmnefs of his mind in the defence of innocence was gone.
Pilate had, whilft governor, been guilty of various a6ls of op-
preffion, contrary to the fpirit of the Roman laws ; he faw,
therefore, and he felt the force of the charge, and iank beneath
its weight; he knew the fufpicious nature of Tiberius, and he
felt guilt in his own bofom ; this made him to condemn the in-
jiocent ; him of whom his underftanding was convinced that he
was an holy virtuous man, brought to nis tribunal by the ma-
lice of his enemies. If Pilate had always done as he ought to
have done he w(y(Jd boldly have put them at defiance. But the
Roman governoi could not fay " Witnefs againft me before the
Lord and before his anointed: v/hofe ox have I taken? or
whofe
C 149 )
whnfe afs have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have
I opprefTed? or of whoi'e hands have I received a bribe to blind
mine eyes therewith." It is fm that makes a man to be a cow-
ard, whilfl- innocence cxalteth his courage, and maketh him
bold as a lion. Pilate, had he done at all times his duty, would
have felt the whole ftrength of his fituation ; he would
have known that every good man in Judea would have ap-
proved of his conduft in refilling the malice of bad men againft
an injured innocent charaCiCr; he would have bc;eii convinced
that his conduct not only merited, but would ha e obtained,
the approbation of th- emperor. But, alas! unhappy Pilate {
he knew that thefe bad men could have proved him fo far guil-
tv of the charges that the;, could bring againlt hi -n, as to make
it ftrong prefumpt've evidence that the remainder of it was
well founded. Awful, indeed, is the career of fm ; happy the
man who dreads to take the firft ftep in it; innumerable and
mazv are its paths— he that entereth, wandereth, not knowing
where to ftop. The man who giveth himfelf up to his paf-
fions, of ambition, avarice, luft, revenge, &c. &c. may it not
be faid unto him, " Thou that teacheft another, teacheft thou
not thyfelf?" Can fuch an one reprove, rebuke, or exhort?
"Will not felf-condemnation prevent his duty ? or hypocrify, or
want of felf-knowledge, render his heart callous ? And thus
it was with Pilate ; his own crimes made him to condemn the
innocent.
y^nd zuho Jhall declare his generation? His relations were
far diflant from him— his lifciples had forfook him ; thev
fled, fearing the fame vengeance hung (;ver them as had feized
their innocent mailer he had no friend at hand to plead
his righteous caufe— the fudden arreft of Jcfus appears to
have ft rick en his followers with terror. It is evident, from
the hift jrrcal narrations of the evangelifts, that he was held
in high eftimation bx' a great mafs of the people ; they follow-
ed him from place to place ; thev hung, with filent attention,
on his lips— they had been partakers of his benevolence, and
their bodies had beenrcftored to health by his miraculous pow-
er. The fcribes and Pharifees, the mighty wicked, feared to
touch him, becaufe of the vnuration that the people had for
him. It would, on this account alonr^ have been almoll im-
poffible fur them to have carried their unjuil cruel purpofes
into effecl, had they but given time for hi- '"ittered friends to
have rallied round him, and have boldly dedared his generation^
his manner of life, in thefe humiliating days of this his mortal
generation. But his life was taken from the earth j truly it
was the hour of the power of darknefs.
*' Succe.s
« Succefs attended their infernal wiles:
J?ruis'd in the heel, the woman's facred feed
Felt Satan's force, and fell, yea, proli^rate fell
Beneath the' malice of his vengeful foe."
His life was taken from the earth. O how keen, at that
dread moment, were the feelings of his faithful followers ! Ve-
rily they thought it had been him who (hould have redeemed
Ifrael! Alas! how different ! him whom they had looked to
have feen upon his throne, judging righteoufly, ftands like a
malefailor at the tribunal of injuftice. The Meffiah, the king
of glory, is crowned with thorns, and the reflecting rays from
the polifhed gems of his diadem are changed to ftreams of
blood, gufhing from his thorn-pierced teiTi{)les. Behold the
Jcing of Ifrael, not upon the throne of his glory, with the kings
of Sheba and Seba bringing prefents unto him, and deputies
from every part of the habitable globe proftrating themlelves
before him-— but behold him ftretched out upon the accurfed
tree— crucified like a thief— numbered with the tranfgreffors,
whilft the infulting fons of violence and fuperflition cry aloud,
1' He faid that he fhould fave others— -let him fave himfelf. If
thou be the Meifiah, come down from the crois, and we wiil
believe on thee." ■
JHis life was taken away ; and as he, by his doiSlrines and
examples, taught us to live-— fo, by this his unjulf death, he
has taught us to die. My God ! may I li\'e like him, and, if
called to the awful horrors of his death, may I learn like him,
to glorify thee by my death I
Trul)'tht' wiidom of God is fuperior to the wifdom of man.
Who could have thought the way of the crofs was the path to
glory? But becaufe he hath thus fuffcred, therefore hath his
Father highly exalted hiin, and given him^a name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jefus every knee fhall bow,
in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue
ihould confefs that Jeius Chrift is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. " For the tranfgreffions of my people was he
fmitlcn," faith the prophet. Wonderful in wifdom and good-
nefs is Jchovuh our God ! He taketh not pleafure in the death
or groans of itis creatures; fury is not in him, that it needeth
to be appeafed by the immolation of his only begotten fon ; but
fte findeth out a way by which he may be a jull God, and yet
a juftifier of the ungodly. By fuftcring he perfedeth his Iba
to be the hend^ of creation : by his death he rcheads and re-
unites the whcle of his creatures by love; he gave himlelflor
us, that we might tread in bis ftcps. The ipiiit of love flow-
ctti
( 151 )
cth from him, the head, to his church, and through them to the
whole creation, bringing every creature again into the image
of God, whofe nature, whofe efTence is love.
Here then we behold lUch good as full/ juftifies the Deity ii)
caulins; an innocent perfon to be put to death for the benefit of
the (juilti/. Befidcs, death was not forced upon the Lord by
conitraint ; but good and evil were placed before him; and,
fupported by the hope of the good that was before him, he en-
dured the evil of fuftering for the fake of the glory that fliould
follow— the glory of fubduing, reheading, reuniting all by
love, fhat, all evil being deftroyed, all error correiled, every
rebellion fubducd beneath his feet, he might refign the crown
unto his Father, that God might be all in all. The taking
away the life of the Mediah by the death of the crofs, was, to
the Jews, a Humbling block, and to the Greeks it was foolidi-
ne!s: they could not fee any end to be anfwered by it. The
one expected an all-conquering Mefiiah by the power of the
fword, a victorious fubduer of the nations — the others thought
that an almighty Being could pardon his creatures, and reftore
them to virtue and happinefs, without putting his fon to death
to accomplifh it. To the one party, therefore, the fufFering
ftate of the Mefliah, contrafted with his future glory, was fuch
a {tumbling block, that they could not, nor have they to this
day ilepped over it. But to the wife and learned Greeks, igno-
rant of the prophetic writings, it was foolilhnefs. They
thought it proclaimed a weak, ignorant, though kind being,
defirous to do good, but not knowing, how to do it in the beft
' manner. He did evil in killing the innocent for the guiltv, that
good might come. Neither party entered into the fpirit of
Chriftianity— the all-fubduing power of love, the^ Father
^ving the beloved of his foul to manifeft that, having givea
hiin for our falvation, he was willing, with him, freely to give
us all things. The fon, the Lord and maker of the univerfe,
negligent of his own glory, through the greatncfs of his love,
left the throne of dominion, took the form of a fcrvant, and
being found in fafliion as a man, he became obedient unto
death, even the death of the crofs: dnd this account of the
conduct of Chrifl is introduced by the apoiUe with the ac-
count of the motives or main Ipring of action in him which
led to fuch conduiit, " Look not every man on his own
things, but every man alfo on the things of others. Let this
mind be in you which was alfo in Chrift Jefus." Here, then^
is the moving caufe, the main fpring, of focial happincis, lo
diftant from the conquering hero's ovcr-beaiing fpirit-— fo
contrary
C 15^ )
contrary to the complex vain philofophy of the wiAlom of this
"world— a fpi fit of hoping and enduring; all things— -a fpirit of
feelcing our own good, not by conftraining others to obey us,
or honour us, or pay us tribute---but by doing good to ail-
by being like the Deity, who feeketh not any thing from his
creatures, but openeth wide his liberal hand, and all things liv-
ing are filled with plenteoufnefs.
There was, therefore, a ncceffity for the death of Chrift ; and
how light fo ever Chriftians may confider this fubjeiV, the apof-
tles of our Lor3 reprefent it as the foundation of all our hopes
of falvation ; thev point him out as the only medium of accefs
unto the Father ; and declare that his name is the only name
given whereby we can be faved. Thro' him alone have we
acceptance with God. Let, therefore, the Jew ft'imble over
the threfhold of divine truth— let the wife men of this world
turn it into ridicule— Chrift crucified is our boaft and our
glory; we will glory in the crofs of Chrift, and like him go
without the camp bearing our reproach j Chrift died for our
fms ; the puniftiment of our iniquities was exafted from him,
and by his ftripes are we healed. " By his knowledge fliall my
righteous fervant juftify the multitude, for the punifhment of
their iniquities he fhall bear; therefore will Jehovah diftiibute
unto him the multitude for his portion, and the mighty people
Ihall he fhare for his fpoil ; becaule he poured out his foul unto
death, and was numbered with the tranlgreffors, and he bare
the fin of the multitude, and made interceflion for the tranf-
grefTors. Who his own felf bare our fins in his own body
upon the tree, that we, being dead to fin, fhould live unto righ-
teoufnefs : by whofe ftripes ye were healed."
Viewing, therefor^, the death of our dear Lord and mafter
in this manner, it is truly of confequence unto us that his life
was taken from the earth ; and not unto us only who have re-
turned unto the fhepherd and bifhop of our fouls is his death
of confequence, but unto all the creation of God, for he tafted
death for all ; he gave himftlf a ranfom for all, a teftimony for
its proper feafon.
The grand end of the death of Chrift was, that in Chrifl
God might reconcile the world unto himfelf, not imputing
their trelpafles unto them: it is the not feeing this iniponant
truth that caufes the various denoniinationi> of Chriftians to
have fuch contradted views of the Divine goodnefs. The
whole of their exhortations to each other is built upon the
ground of the Divine enmity to finful creatures; they fee not
the love of God to his creature, but his hatied to the iniq^iity
of
( r53 ■)
of his creature; they behold and expatiate upon the depravity
of the creature, and upon his fearful apprehenfion of the di-
vine veng;eance; but they behold npt the caufe of this ; the
creature, knowing his guilt, but not knowing the divine love,
hates as well as dreads that being whom he confiders as having
all power, and exercifin.^ that power to torment and not to cor-
rccft ; he therefore fhudJcrs at the terrors of the Lord. 1 he
language of Scripture tends to inform the mind of the crea-
ture, and give him right apprchenfions of Deity. It doth not
iiiy, Appcafe the wrath of the majefty of heaven, if fo be he
may be gracious, and may change the hatred gf his'nature to
love. No ! the language of revelation is this— God is love !
God. fo loved the world that he gave his onlv begotten fon,
that whofoever believeth on him might have everlafting life. —
In ChrilFs ftead we pray you, be ye reconciled to God. Sin-
ner, believe on him; God hath for Chrift's fake forgiven thee^
there is JK>t any condemnation for the fuis that are pall:. Why
fhouldefl: thou fhewthy hatred to thy Maker by rebelling againft
his government? O turn unto the Lord, that he may ma-
nifeft that he hath had mercy upon thee— -that he may teftify
that he hath abundantly pardoned thee.
The death of Chrilt, by taking away the enmity of the hu-
man heart to the divine difpenlatton?, taketh away the obftruc-
tions that arc in the way of man's falvation, anJ difpofes him to
return to the Father of mercies: and 1 know of nothing that
tends to humble and fubdue the haughty fpirit of man, like the
fu fFcrings and death of Chrifl:. Oh ! they pierce the foul ! they
fhew him what true greatnefs is. The excellency of the love
of Chrifl humbles, iubdues, and levels in the duft, the ambi-
tion, the towering felf-approbation of man. Ic opens the
eyes of his mind; and, beneath the tinfel drefs of felf-righte-
oufncfs, and the carnal approbation of the world, it lays open
unto him his heart, it forces felf-communion upon him, and
the man judges his actions— --not by their appearance beforie
the eyes of man— but as they appear before the heart-fearching
God ; and v-'hilft thus contounded at himfclf!, the love- of God,
manifeffed in the gift of his fon, burfts forth upon his affonilh-
ed mind, with all the radiance of divine glory. Then, indeed,
doth the Lord Jefus appear the chiefeft among ten thouLand,
the faireR of the fons of men, the altogether lovely: he is, in-
deed, precious to that foul who hath, bv faith, wallied himfclf
white in th.e blood of the lamb. Aftomfned at his pafl rebel-
lions, he now crieth out, I can no longer lin againit fo much
mercy and goodnefs ! Shall 1 l:n that ^racc may abound ? Cjod
X forbid!
C 154 )
forbid I Thus the crofs of Chrift is indeed the mighty power
of God unto falvation in him that helieveth.
It is evident that the fufFerings of Chrift are a very impor-
tant part of divine truth; fo important, that all the prophets
fpake of them, and all the evangelifts have recorded the fulfil-
ment of their prophecies. "When we confider this, whenever
we hear or read of the fufferings of Chrift with attention, it
fliould lead us to felf-condemnation, to a holy gratefulnefs of
hearty and to an abhorrence of ftn; we fhould be led into a
contemplation of the Divine goodnefs, and a holy determina-
tion to aft, confidering ourfelves not as our own, but as his
who has purchafed us with his own blood ; and we fhould
here alfo loar beyond the narrow regions of felf, and fee him
not only the propitiation for our fins, but for the fins of the
whole world, the great reheader and reconciler of all unto
God.
Did Chrift, who knew no fin, fiifFer for us? Then let us
arm ourfelves with the fame mind ; let the fame difpofition be
in us as was alfo in him : he fuffered willingly for us, let us
fufFer willingly for him: let the time paft of our lives fuffice.
Jefus, the fon'of the Moft High, left the bofom of the Father,
and facrificed all the pleafures that his heart panted after, for
our fakes ; Oh, let us facrifice our bofom fiiis for his fake who
gave up his own life upon the tree for us.
Was Chrift meek, gentle, and kind in hi<; manner? when
reviled not reviling again, but permitting himfelf to be led like
a lamb to the flaughter; and as a fheep before his (hearers is
dumb, in like manner was our lamb-like Lord, not opening
his mouth. Do you tread in his fteps, not rendering railing
for railing, but contrarywife, blelfing. In patience poflefs ye
your fiDuls. Be ye filled with meeknefs and humblenefs of
mind to God and man. It is but little that you can fufter here
below — add not to its keennefs by your reftlefiliefs, nor to its
length by your refiftance ; but bear it in the fpirit of Chrift,
and then fhall ye have joy with him when he appeareth.
A lively faith in Jcfus our Lord and Saviour is a matter of
great importance. My faviour that was fmitten for me, fniit-
ten with the tongue of men, with the keen fword of poverty,
and with the heavy ftroke of a cruel and accurfed death, Oh,
may I have,a lively faith in thee-— in thy appearing in the clouds
of heaven in all the Tplendour of divine glory, attended by the
immortal hoft, with the fpirits of juft men made perfed: be-
lieving on the divine promifcs I caft myfelf and ail my con-
( 155 )
ccrns upon thy care, knowing that thou art able to keep to the
uttermoll all that which I have committed unto thee.
My beloved friends, never dcfpair of the mercv of God,
but confider what Chrift has done and fuffered for you; draw
near unto him in the full alTurance of faith, knowing that
thoui^h your fins be as fcarlet, you fha'.l become whiter than
fnow; the mountains of guilt fhall be levelled; and, freed
from the burden of a condemned confcience, you fhall go on
your way rejoicing to his kingdom. Mar he give you all of
his grace, that ye may prepare for the coming kingdom of our
Lord Jefus Chrifl-.
BND OF THE NINTH SERMON.
Xi
SERMON X.
BY THE LATE
ELHANAN fflNCHESTER.
[never before published.]
ACTS, XXVI. 27.
King Agrippa, helUveJi thou the prophets? I knozv that
thou beUiveJI.
HOW very beautiful is this apology for his condua, made
by Paul of Tarfus, before King Agrippa ! Plain and
iimpJe is the voice' of truth, and carries with it ftriking evi-
dence of its ve-acity. Paul had received a learned education,
and attained knowledge furpafTmg thofe who had been through
the fame academic ftudies ; his writings prove him to have been
a very acutelogiclan, very capableof making a moft eloquent de-
fence; and, whi I ft he only appeared to convince the underftandincr
by the force of language, at the fame time to arreft the paffionst
and force them to become willing agents in his caufe; but in-
stead of employmga train of evidence to fet ofFhis caufe by
the powers of oratory, as human wifdcm would have done,
l^aul fimply related facls; he declared his manner of life: he
appealed to thofe who knew him for the truth of the faas he
aliedged, particularly his having been aperfecutor of thofe who
believed in the Lord Jefus Chnft. He fays " I verily thought
Wthm myfelf, that I ought to do many things contrary to
the name of Jefus of Nazareth ; which tilings 1 alfo did in Te-
ruklem ; and many of the faints did I ihut up in prifon, having
received authority from the chief priefts ; and when they were
put to death, I gave my voice againft them; and 1 punifhed
them oft m every fynagogue, and compelled them to blaf-
pMcmej and bang exceedingly mad againft them, I perfecuted
them even unto ftrange cities." It was not likely that fo
zealous
( '57 )
zealous a bigot, one whofe mind was (o firmly fet agninft Chnf-
tianity, would have embraced if, and fuffcred f-> much for it,
unlefs evidence very llrong, and mod exceedingly convincing,
was brought home to his undcrftanding — cvider.ce lufficiently
ftrong to alter the mind of a man full of zeal againfl the doc-
trine, almolt bordering upon phrenzy — a man puffed up with
knowledge, led on by mtcrcft, and fupported in his fullefl ca-
reer by the i.pplaufe'of his country, and by the utmoft fupport
of the great men thereof— -Would he, without the fullefi: con-
vidlion of his mind, have endeavoured to fupport that faith
which he had been fo very eager todeffroy ? Therefore, 1 con-
ceive that the fudden conviction of Paul, next to the refurrec-
tion of our blcfled Lord, is one of the ftrongeO: evidences of
the truth of Chriilianity. The fimplicity of the narration
carries with it a body of evidence in favour of the truth of the
fa6t : " Whereupon as 1 went to Damafcu?, with authority
and commillion from the chief priefts, ac mid-day, C) king !
I faw in the v/ay a, light from heaven, above the brightnefs of
the fun, ftiiniiig round about me and them which journeyed
with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard
a voice fpeaking unto me, and faying, in the Hebrew tongue,
Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me ? It is hard for thee to
kick againft the pricks. And I faid. Who art thou. Lord?
And he faid, I am Jefus, whom thou perfecuteft."
Paul was not afraid of being found in a falfehood; he relates
not a ftory of a thing done in a chamber, but in the face of
day; not in fecret, but in the midft of company; he dreaded
not being confronted with thofe whom he faid were witneflfes of
the fail, although he knew them to be under the power of his
accufers. Confcious innocence, the knowledge that he fpake
the truth, gave him boldncfs before his adverfanes ; if not true,
how eafy fur his accufers to have expofed him for a liar, a hypo-
crite, and a knave— if he had not been fent to Damafcus to per-
fecute--- if thofe fent with him had not been overpowered with
the fplendor of the light, and fallen to the ground, how eafv
was it for them to have proved its falfehood, and legally punifli-
ed him for the deception ! Their elevating the arm of perfecutioa
to crulh him, inllead of legally attempting to eftablilh his guilt,
proves their own wickednefs, the innocence of Paul, and the
truth of Chnftianity. Paul by their conduit (lands acquitted,
and his accuiers itand condemned before the man they had ac-
Cufed as crinr^inal.
" And as he thus fpake for himfelf, Fedus faid, with a loud
voice, Paul, thou art belide thyfelf i much learning doth make
thee
( '5S )
thee mad. But he faid, I am not mad, moil: noble Feftus ;
but fpeak forth the words of truth and fobcrnefs; for the king
knoweth of thefe things, before whom alfo 1 fpeak freely: for
I am perfuaded that none of thefe things are hidden from him j
for this thing was not done in a corner. Kino; Agrippa, be-
lieveft thou the prophets ? I know that thou believeft. Then
Agrippa faid unto Paul, Almoft thou perfuadefl me to be a
Chriftian. And Paul faid, I would to God, that not only thou,
but alfo all that hear me this day, were both almoft, and alto-
gether, fuch as I am, except thefe bonds."
King Agrippa was a wife and under/landing magiflrate, well
acquainted with all the cufloms of the Jewi»h nation, pofleffing
a noble, generous mind ; happy would it have been for him
if he had, indeed, become altogether like Paul in the reception
of the truth of God ; happv would it indeed have been for him,
had he made his earthly fcepter fubmit to the fceptre of the
Lord's anointed. Agrippa lived to fee the de{lru6tion of the
Jewifli nation, and the total overthrow of all its national polity;
what a comfort would Chrivlainity have been to him under the
fcattering abroad of that people over whom he reigned. Chrif-
tianity is a manifeftation of the Divine goodnefs ; the reception
of it is an acknowledgment of the fupremacy of the only true
God, and a confefTion of a holy determination, by a conftant
obedience to his laws, to ovv'n his authority; therefore, to be
perfuaded to be a Chrifb'an, would be no difgrace to the greateft
monarch that ever fwayed a fceptre. All the kings of the
earth fhall come to honour Jehovah, and, by a payment of tri-
bute to his Meffiah, own their fuhjeilion. In the prefence of
the God of the whole earth the Chrillian is a greater charafter,
and bears a higher title than that of any monarch on the globe ;
for he governs himfelf, he is a fpiritual reprefentative of the
Deity : and the glory of a Chriflian as much outlines that of
an earthly monarch, as the fplendor of virtue outfliines all the
pomp and parade of earthly grandeur: all the plcafures of life
are not to be compared with the enjoyment that arifes from
peace of mind, and a confcioufnefs that all our ways are well
pleafmg to God.
Perhaps fome infidel may be here, who, in the midfl of a
land profefling fubjeiticn to the Lord Jcfus Chrift, has lived
the greatefl part of his days without the knowledge of God, and
his Chriff, and yet has been the whole time in fearch^fter hap-
pinefs. Oh that I could bring the doiirines of thenrrofs home
to your mind. You now, at times, doubt the b^l^ of a God,
and yet rejoice to hear that there is a great Firfl^aufe, becaufe
it
C H9 )
it takes away the anxiety from your foul— that cold deadening
fenfation that attends the thought of never ending death. Let
me aflure you, O miferable man, Clirifliinity is u truth, its
principles are foHd, its bafis fure ; it is not a ftrins; of afTertions,
but it refts upon clemonftrative principles ; it caileth not upoa
your credulity, hut it demands your examination, and refts its
evidence with the rlofeft inveftigation of your rational faculties,
and afks for your faith, only as it proves its truth to your en-
lightened judgment. The man who reads the records of hif-
torv, and believes, in confequence, that Julius Casfar landed in
this kingdom, but reading the Scriptures will not believe the
things recorded concerning our Lord Jefus Chrift, he is a cre-
dulous man, he rejects a colle6ted blaze of evidence of things that
can be demonftrated to be facls, whilft he creduloufly places his
faith on a few affertion?, which may be truth, but which has
but a cobweb evidence to fupport them ; for this refts chiefly in
the aflertion of Csefar, and inferential reafoning ; but the doc-
trines, the life, the death, the burial, the relurredion, the af-
cenfion of our Lord, reft upon the declarations of eye wituelles,
friends and enemies, upon the records of nations, upoa monu-
mental teftimonv, upon traditional evidence, upon fulfilment of
prophecy, upon miraculous performances. There is evidence
that the reafoner may examine, and of which no clofe examiner
can poiTibly be a fceptic. All that is recorded of our Lord, from
his birth to his afceniion, are not deeds of darknefs ; the curtain
of night was not fpread over them, and the trumpet of fame af-
terwards employed to found them through the earth. No! mul-
titudes were witnefl'es of their truth, 'i'hough born in a man-
ger, angelic hofts proclaimed the mighty fact, and with I'.ea-
\enly fongs uftiered in the Meftiah's reign^; Ihepherds faw, and
lillened to the lofty praif-', and, obedient to the divine command,
came, examined, and were convinced of its truth, and fpread
the joyful tidings around the nation. By divine teftimon-/, the
facred news was carried to diftant nations, and the fages of the
Eaft became, unintentionall , heralds of it to the court of
Herod, proclaiming to the king of Ilracl that He, whofe right
it was to reign, had come down from heaven to lift up his
ftandard, and to (way his Iceptre over his people. The mira-
cles that he performed, and the doctrines he taught, was iji the
face of multitudes, multitudes who could fee, and judge for
themfelves, concerning the truth of the fadts ; his enemies
themltlves were forced to yield their unwilling teftimony to the
truth. Multitudes faw him die-, the crofs was ercded on a
lofty fpot, and being on a folemo feftival, thoufands could not
but
C i63 )
but obferve it ; upwards of five hundred witnefTed his refurrec-
tion and afcenfion, converfing with him upon the nature of his
kingdom, and for forty days receiving his inflrutftion how to
carry on the woric he had committed to them : and from the
day that he was crucified, to the prefent hour, the breaking of
bread has been a flranding memorial, kept up by his difciples,
of the truth cf thefe things : things not done in a corner, but
in the face of day ; not myfterious things, which might be per-
formed by flight of hand, but things of which the feiifes of the
moft fimple underfranding could well judge ; thofe things
which the pens of many eye v.'itnefrcs have recorded ; the pens
of their adverfaries have confirmed them, and {landing memo-
rials of their truth have, from their firft infi:itution,'from the
time the fafts were performed, been invariably kept up.
Falfehood carries not with it fuch evidence ; more and flronger
evidence it is unreafonable to demand; but if demanded it is to
be obtained : evidence internal in the nature of things ; evi-
dence external in the lives of the profefixjrs, the accomplifhment
of prophecy, and the faithfulnefs of God. Oh then, fearch the
Scriptures, obferve the beauty, the excellence, the juftnefs of
their morality ; lee in them manifefled the wifdom,. goodnefs,
and power of God ; fee how every thing in them is adapted to
the want aiid undcrftanding of man, and particularly when you
invefligate the prophetic writings ; your faith then will be con-
firmed, your mind enlightened, and your whole foul aftonifhed
at the fore-knowledge of God manifeiled in them. They may
be divided into two great heads :
1. Such as related to the firft coming of Chrift, his life, his
death, his refurrciStion, his afcenfion, his glorification at the
right hand of the father, his fecond coming to judge his fer-
vants, and reign over the earth, his fecond judgment of all,
and his final fubduing all unto himfelf.
2. The prophecies that relate to individuals, to cities, to
ftates, and to remarkable fails :• prophecy is of great import-
ance, it is a fure word, a certain confirming teftimony of the
truth of revelation.
" King Agrippa, believeft thou the prophets ?" Thou haft
read them, thou haft heard them commented on ; thou haft con-
fidered them as the divine declaration concerning things to come
deferves to be confidered ; they all fpeak of Jefus ; each hath faid
a fomelhing, lefs or more, upon his fufferings, and his follow-
ing glory. Kuig Agrippa, believeft thou the prophets ? If
thou doft believe, O King, thou muft become a Chriftian,
for they all teftify of Chnft.
O thou
( i6i )
() liioii who art here before me, who haft read over the
records that God hath given concerninp; his ("on, believeft thou
the prophets ? They all tcftify of Jefus, the crucified, but
now the highly exalted laviour. Ihe firft prophecy that ap-
pears concerning the Lord Jelus Chrift, comes under the form
of a threatening, but containcth in it a fulnefs of mercy. Ge-
nefis, iii. 15. *'I will put enmity between thee and the wo-
man, and between thy feci and her feed : it fhall bruife thy
head and thou {halt bruilc his heel." We have an infallible
comment upon this prophecy, by the inlpired John. I John,
iii. 8. " Vhe devil linneth from the beginning ; for this pur-
pofe, the fon of God was manifeited, that he might deftroy the
worl;5 of the devil." Yes, Chrift ftiall bruife the head of
Satan ; he ftiall deltroy his power -, he has even now taken the
prey from the hand of the mighty ; but he will go on refcuino-
captives, overrurning his authority, crufliing to pieces his
power, and delivering from him the children of difobedience,
in whofc heart he now rulecn.
Again, God fpeaking to Abraham, faith, Gen. xxii. 18.
" In thy feed fliall all the nations of the earth be blefled."
Which piophecy Paul explains, Galatians, iii. 16. " To
Abraham and to his feed were the promifes made. He faith not,
and to feeds, as of many, but as of one ; and to thy feed, which
is Chrift." Tnus is the Old Teftament explained and con-
firmed by the new. In the promiie the feed of Abraham is
pointed out, the blefter of all the nations of the earth ; and in
the infpircd comment upon the promili?, the attention is taken
oft' from the various defcendants of Abraham, and fixed upon
one, upon Chrift, the fon of Abraham, the Ion of God, " upon
him, who loved us, and gave himfelf for us."
The fame promife was made and confirmed to Ifaac and to
Jacob, and made to extend beyond all the nations, even unto
all the families of the earth, that the juftification of Chrift may
be upon all, whether believers or unbelievers, even to the
ends of the earth ; for he was appointed the faviour of all, the
propitiatory covering for the fins of the whole world ; and this
juftification is made ours by faith ; being completely " upon
all them that believe :" upon fuch " there is no condemnation ;"
their paft tranfgrefTions are forgiven, their iniquities are co-
vered over, their tranfgrellions are hid, the fun of righteouCiefs
hath arifen upon them with healing in his wings.
Mofcs the faithful fervant of Jeho\ ah, was not only a great
general, a great lawgiver, a faithful hiftorian, and an excellent
poet, but he v. as alio a great prophet. Araongft others of the
Y pro-.
C 162 J
prophecies th?t he delivered, is one recorded, Dcut. xviii. i^.
** 1 he Lord thy God will raife up unto thee a prophet from the
niidftof thy brethren, like unto me ; unto him ye Ihall hearken.
According to all that thou dcfireft of the Lord thy God in Ho-
reb, in the day of the afiembly, faying. Let me not hear again
the voice of the Lord my God ; neither let mc fee this great
fire any more, that 1 die not : and the Lord fkid unto mc, They
have well fpoken that which they have fpoken ; I will raiie them
tip a prophet from amongft their brethren, like unto thee, and
■will put my words in his mouth ; and he fliall fpcak unto them
all that I command him j and it fliall Qome to pal's, that who*
foever will not hearken unto my words which he fliall fpeak in
my name, I will require it of him."
This prophecy can apply to none but the Lord Jefus Chrifl ;
jn him alone does every charaiEler poflefled by Mofcs, of king,.
priefl, and prophet, meet ; and at the fame time, in one not
©f the Aaronical family- David was a king, and a prophetj^
but he was neither a priefl: or a lav^giver. Samuel was a pro-
phet and a judge, or adminifi:rator of the laws of Mofes, but
he was not either a king, a priefl-^ or lawgiver. Every king,
priefl, and prophet, fuftained fomc peculiar char3«Stcr be-
longing to Molbs ; but in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and in him
only, do all the various perfect parts of that characler meet; and
the whole is confirmed in him, as the authority of Mofes was-
confirmed amongfl: the children of Ifrael, by miraculous in-
fluence J all nature heard, and obeyed the voice of the fon of
God ; and teflified, that the Father had exalted him to be z
prince and a faviour unto his people. Mahomet fethimfelf up
for, this prophet whom the God of Ifrael was to raife up ; but
he failed in proolf. Mofcs wrought miracles to prove his mif-
flon, and Chrift wrought miracles to prove his ; but the fword^
and the truncheon of Mahomet was that on which he founded
his claim, and which, without convincing the underftandiag,
fubdued the hearts of the people's beneath him. But our blefied
Lord, defpifed by the great, unbacked bv an army, by the force
of evidence alone, feized the underflanding, and led the w^il-
ling convert into full obedience to his will. How different this
from the condudt of Mahomet ; he demanded the implicit faith
of his conquered flaves ; whilfl Mofes and Chrift demonftrated
the truth of all they faid, and aflvcd of freemen that aflent
wliich publicity of conduct and demonftrative hds had a right
to cxpe<5t i they both called for credence to thofe things which
were feen, felt, and lay open to their clofefl: and codeft ex-
amination.
Chrift
( >63 ) ■
Chiiil was indeed a lawgiver like unto Mofcs : like him h«
gave new laws to the children of Ifracl, the feed of Abra-
liam bv faith; ami by his fovcrcign will, unfupportcd by prieftly
;uithoriiy, he totally annulled all the aiKient rdigious ceremo-
nies that Mofes had nilHtutcd. l\iany prophets before him had
wrought miracles, but the urmo't they had dared to do on tijc
authority of them, was to call bivck the tranfgrefling Tons of
Ifrael to a more cxac^t obedience to the Mofaical inftitutions ;
but Jcfus, haviii;^ eltablifhcd by miracles his divine authority,
then annulled the laws of Mofes ; declaring that thofe inftitu-
tions were on! v typical of that fuperior dilpenfation which he
■caine to inti-oduce, appealing to Moles and the prophets as evi-
dence for hira. Surely then, O king Agrippa, if thou be-
lieved the prophet Moles, thou niuli alfo believe in Jefus ot
Nazareth, for he prophefied of him.
Hearketi to the voice of David : looking beyond the days in
U'hich he livc(', like one having authority, he makes the If-
raelites in their moftfolemn fervices of praife demand, " Why
iio the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ? The
kings of the earth fct themfelves, and their rulers takecounfel
together againft the Lord, and againft his Meffiah." How
exactly did the prophet defcribe the unnatural union of wicked
iiien to condemn our blelFcd Lord ! *' For of a truth againft the
holy Jcfus, the Meifiah, both Herod and Pontius Piiate, with
the gentiles and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together,
to do v\ hatever thy hand and thy counlel, <.) Jehovah, deter-
mined before to be done." This pi'alm contains a {hiking de-
fcrij->tion of the firft grand oppofition made to the perfon, king-
dom, and government of Jefus the Meffiah, and the conle-
quenccs that fhould follow. " H^e that futeih in the heavens
fhall laugh ; the Lord fhall have them in derifion : then (hall
he fpcak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his fore dif-
pleaiure."
Howe\'er powerful the combination might appear to man— -
howe\ er well calculated to ani'wer the deltrudive intentions of
earth and hell — in the eyes ot Jehovah tliey were ridiculous;
he beheld their mad attempts withfcorn-, he fruftrated the evil
of their intentions, and forced tliem to become the willing in-
ifruments of accomplifliing all that he l>efore determined
/hould come to pafs. Let the heathen boali: of their Jove and
fate. Fate is the fovereign will of our Cjod, and all the pow-
ers of hell, and earth, and heaven, leagued together, (hall not
fruilrate it. As well might the feeble fons of mortality at-
tempt to plL'ck the fol.;r orb from its iphere, or calt the fhadow
Y 2 . of
r i64 ) .
of death over its glorious difplay of illuminated nature, as- tor
attempt to oppole and bring to nought the decree-; of infinite-
and incontroulable power. He whofe almighty fiat called aU'
creation into exiftence, has pronounced the decree, " Thv*
art my Ton, this day have I begotten thee. Demand of me, .
and I will give the heathen, thine inheritance; and the uttermolt
parts of the earth thy pofleffion." Yes, O King Agrippa,
I know that thou art acquainted with thefe prophecies: they
are completely fulfilled in Jefus of Nazareth; and he bath dd
manded of the Father that he will accomplifli his promife,
and caufe "the world to know that he fent him" to fubdue
and rule the nations. Be wife, now, therefore, O ye kings!
be inftruded, O ye judges of the earth ! Serve the Lord with
fear, and rejoice with trembling : kifs the fon, left he be angry,
and ye perifli from the wav. When his wrath is kindled but
a little, blefled are all they that put their truft in him."
The book of Pfalms, in the plaineft and moft explicit man-
ner, points out the particulars of the death c^f our blefled Lord.
*' I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of
joint ; my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midft of my
bowels ; my flrength is dried up like a potiherd, and my
tongue cleaveth to my jaws: and thou hail brought me into
the duft: of death For dogs have compafled me ; the afiem-
blv of the wicked have encloled me ; they pierced my hand*
and my feet ; they may tell all my bones ; they look and
ftare upon me; they part my garments among' them, and
cafts lots for my veflure."
It is truly aftonifhing, that any one can believe the prophe-
cies, and not fee them, in the moll wonderful manner, accom-
plifhed in the perfon of our Lord Jefus Chrift. David could
not fpcak thefe things of himfelf; his hands and feet never
were pierced; the weight of his body, Ibpported by his wounded
members, forced not his bones from their fockets ; throuo-h
the agonizing torments of a lingering, cruel death, his heart
melted not like wax within him ; nor through the ficrcenefs of
extreme pain was his mouth parched up ; neither did the hell
hounds of war and rapine furround huri, arid calt lots for his
garments. David could not defcribe cither iiis own fulFcrings
or the fufferings of a man, dying by the extrenuty of pain
upon the ciofs. In thofe days (iich a death was not known ;
it became the ions of l(:ience and politencis to invent fuch an
infernal way of making the innocent and the uncondemncd
pafs from the cares and anxieties of this life to che facred joy*
of a better. For this mode of dying was unknown, till thgr
mad ambitious Alexander, falR-ly called the Great, iiivented
( ><5j )
it as a punifhment on the Tyrians, for Jaring to dtfend the:n-
felves againft his iiiiblence and rapacity. But all the parti-
culars ot" this cruel death met in Jel'us the beloved, the fon of
David. He was poured oat like water; whea from the ex-
treme bitternefs of his f )ul, agon z.ing in the garden, the Iwcac
poured down him, in large >Jr> p , like blood from a lacerar- i
vefTel ; when hung upon the crols, his drained memhtrs mint
have been all disjoii, fd. Alas ! who can tell at that awiul
time the pain he muft ■ ave endured ; a boJy that cOiitainci a
fo'il like his, muft have been made of delicate texture ; liab e
through the whole of his pilgrimage to the fotteft feelings of
humanity; what tortures muft it then ha ^-e felt ! f'hefml
in full polTeirion of every fen!e, whilft tne w.iole frame was
torn and ftrained to the moft excruciating torture ; iiis aea: t,
furely, muft have melted within his fevered body, like wax
before the fcorching fire ; whilfi his wn -le ftiengih, dried up by
the excefs ot anguifh, felt that moft unbearable of paii.s, tha
extreme of debility from an unnerved frame; whilft tl^e moiit-
ening juices, which the God of nature has kindlv provided, lo
Ivbricate the parts in action, were dritjd up, and caufed die
unmoirtened tongue to cleave to the roof of tne parched jaws.
Every thing prophcfied concerning the death of our blcircd
Lord took place, even to the mi.uteft tittle. P^or inftance,
who would not have expeded, from vviiat happens at every
execution, that the furrounding multitude would have melied
into pity, at the tortures of the awiul death he endured ! Hud
he been a murderer, they doubtlefs would have felt for riis
fufferings. We do not find that they made any exultations,
over the two dying thieves, that: were crucified with hi;u ;
they had been robbers, and perhaps worfe, yet tney were not
ii^fulted with their crimes : no triumphant exclamations added
aggravated horrors to their expiring thoughts : but Jclus, t.ic
friend of the fathcrlefs, the conUbrter of the widow; he, wno
had been e)es to the blind, a tongue to tne dumb, and limbs
to the maimed ; he, whoio whole life was one continual Icenc
of benevolence ; even he, when uiijultly and illeiially put to
<iearh, had his dying momenls intuited vviih, " He laved ot'iei-s,
cannot he lave himfeU? If he be the Jcing of Ifrael, let hira
now come down Jrom the crofs." Ihefe were, iivdecd,
the beafts of the people ; fierce, and lirong as the bulls of
13afan ; gaping upon him witli t.ieir mouths like ravening and
roaring lions.
Again, who would have thou2;ht that the pfalm fhould be
accomplifticd, which lays, " They gave me ;ilfo gall for my
meat, and in mv ihirlt they gave mc vinegar to drink.'*
One
C i66 )
One coulfi not have fuppofed, that asiy in a civilized nation
could have been fo cruel j but fo they were. For it is written,
« And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha,
they gave him vinegar to drink naingled with gall j and when
he had tailed thereof he would not drink."
The book of the Pfalms, is the only book thkt fpeaks of his
refurrscSlion from the dead. " Thou v/ilt not leave my foul '
in hell, neither wilt thou fufFer thine lioly one to fee cor-
ruption." Thoun;h but once e.xprefied, yet how exaitly
was it acconvphrned ; as Peter, reafoning upon this pafTage,
has fhcv»-n, that the patriarch David could not poOibly fpeak
of himfelf, for he was dead a-.id burled, and his fepulchrc,
even at that time, was amongft them. " Therefore being a
prophet, and knowing that God had fworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his loin?, acccording to the flefh,
he would raifc up the Mcffiah, to fit upon his throne; he,
feeing this, (pake before-hand of the rclurreition of Chrifi,
that his foul was not left in hell, neither did his fiefh fee
corruption." Glory be to God for the gift of his pro-
phetic word. It is a fure and abundant tef^lmony to the
<io£lrin£s of Chriftiani-t^', of which there is not any more im-
portant than the refurreclion of Chrid ; and therefore, there
is no hillorical fa£l whatfoever that has fuch undeniable evi-
dence of its truth. There is recorded no lefs thai? eleven
tliffcrent appearances of Chrift after his rcfurre£l;o:? from the
tjead; one of which was to five hund.'-ed brethren ; all of whom
appear to have been, in a general way, unbelieving of it, until
idemonrtrated to their fenles that it was fo ; and then fo con-
vinced were they that Jef-^s had arifen from the dead, that it
became within them a coiiilant tpring of at^cion, calling forth
all the powers of their mind and body in its defence. This
made them to march as in triur/iph to the crofs, the fword, or
•the ftakc, proud to feal their teftimon^' with their blood.
. As we appeal to prophecy that the Meillah was to die, and
•.then rife from the dead, fo likewiie lo the facred writings mult
'We appeal to prove thai he oui^ht to afcend up on high.
Speaking of things that were to be, as though they had been
.pall, the Pfalmilt fliouts cxukingly, '■' Thou halt afcended
up on high, thou haft led captivity captive, thou haft re-
ceived gifts tor mer.i, yea, the rebellious alfo, that the Lord
.(jrcd might dwell among them." Again, it is fpoken of in
a moll: triumphayit fong, ^' Lift up your heads, O ye gates !
and be ye lift up, ye everlairing, doors, and the kuig of
glory fha'l come in. Who is this king of glory ? '/'he
'Herd f'ro:i.^ and miglvfy, the Lord mighty in battle. J/ift
( 137 )
»rp your heads, O ye g^tcs ! even lift them up, ye everlafr-
ing doors, and the king of glory {hall come in. Who is
this king of glory? The Lord of holts, he is the king of
glory." With what dignity docs Jelu?, the glorified kin?,
demand the gates of heaven to be opened for his admillion. If
the prophetic defcription is fo grand, how beyond expreffion
glorious muft it have been, to have feen the lovereign cf all
nature, demand admiliiori into thefe blcHed manfions of un-
clouded dav. I think I fpeak but according to the mind of
God, when I rpplv the 4.7th Pfalm to this grand event. " God
is gone up with a fhout, the Lord with the found of a trum-
pet. Sing praifes to God, fing praiies y fmg praill;s unto our
king, fmg praifes : for (jod is the king of all the earth :
frng'ye praifes with underrtanding." Iffuch glorious fong-s
cyf exuUatioa, refoundcd through theetherial courts when Jefus
i^iicendcd up on high, how much more glorious vill be the
delcent ot the fon of God, v/hen attended by angelic miriads
and the firft-born fons of God : he fhall leave the courts of Je-
hovah, and dcfcend to that mountain from which he afcended,
there to claim the kingdom for his own, and the uttcrmoft parts
of the earth for his polTeflioa.
The Pfidmift has taken a look into the etherial courts, in
the cxth Pfalm, and beheld the welcome reception that the
Meffiah, the fon of David, fiiould receive on his return froni
his rtute of debafement and trial here below : '' Jehovah faid
unto my I-ord, fit thou on my right hand until 1 make
thine er.emies thy footftool. Jehovah fhall fend the rod of
thy strength out of Sion ; rule thou in the midfl: of thine ene-
mies. Thy people fhalf be willing in the day of th\- power,
in the beauties of holinefs, from thj womb of the morning,
thou haft the dew of thy youth. Jthovahi hath fworn, and
will not repent, Thou art a prieft for ever after ihe order ot
Melchifedec. Jehovah, at thy right hand fhall ftrike through
kings in the day of his wrath •, he fliall judge among the
hea°hen ; he Ihall fill the places with the dead bodies ; he
ihidl wound the heads over many countries ; he fliall arink
of the brook in the way, therefore (hall he lift up his head."
How exailly does this' pfalmcoincide with the apoltle's lan-
guage concerning the prelent refidence of tlie Lord Jefus
Chrift. " Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine ene-
mies thy footftool i" who, faith the apoftles, " the heaveii-?
muft retain, until the times of the reftitu:ion of all things."
yes, he fliall fit upon the throne of his father, in glory ; until
that long expe<5led period, when furrounded with immortal
honors, he Ihall come cloathcd in power to rule over the
carih.
( i68 )
eanh, anu how the nations beneath his fceptre. In this glo-
rious day of his power, his people, who for fo many a<'es lTav<^
bated his name, Ihall become his vviHintT fubjeds. Like the
drops, of dew upon the herbage, fliall be the number of his
fubjcas, -wlien a ^nation ihall be born unto him in a day—
when Jefus, the fnviour, coineth as the (e^d of David, tf>
claim his paternal inheritance, and as the firil born of Ciod to
be the great High Piiell of the hjinan race ; then fhalj Jeho-
vah judge among the nations ; yea, he fliall ari!e in awful ven-
geance, and fweep the miriads of Gog and Alajrog from the
land ; he fliall fill the valley of the fon of Hinnom with the deail
bodies ; he will go on conquering, and to conquer, bruiling the
beau and ruler of the nations beneath his feet ; he will d^rinlc
continually by the way, of the fountain of life-giving water,
therefore fliall he lift up his head ; yea, he fliall exalt himfelf
glonoufly, for Jehovah will put alt his enemies beneath his
feet.
Jt is on accoimt of the many great changes that will take
place in the flate of the world, and its inhabitants, at the fe-
cond coming of Chrill, with regard to the holinels and happi-
nefs of the one, and the beauty of the other, that the prophets^
and particularly in the Pfalms, with f^jch holyjov, anticipate
the wonders of the Meffiah's reign. " iVJalce a jo.ful node
unto Jehovah, all ye lands, fer-ze Jehovah with' gLdnel!,
come before his preience with Tinging. Know ye ^at Je-
hovah is God, he hath made us, and not we our(elves ; ws
are his people, and the fli-ep of his paflure. Enter into his
gates with thankfgiving, his courts with praifc ; be thankful
and blels his name. For Jehovah is good, his mercv is
everlafling, and his truth is to all generations." Hence it is,
that in this triumphant fong, they look forward to that facred
day, fhouting aloud, " O ling unto Jehovah a new fon(r, for
he iiathdonc marvellous things ; his right hand and his^holv
arm hath gotten him the viaory. Jehovah hath made known
his fidvaiion ; his righteoufncfs hath he openly fhevved in
the light of the heathen j he hath remembered Ins mercy
and his tiuth toward Ifracl. All the ends of the earth have
ken the faivation of our God. Make a joyful noife unto
Jehovah, all the earth : irake a loud noifc, and rejoice, and
ling praile." 'J'hefe glorious exultations are not to be woiv
dcied at, when we conlider the prefent flatc of the world ;
individuals living for themfelves ; opprcilion through all ranks
of mankind direding their adtions, whiHl hypocrify guides
and covers them with a veil of love. Examine the prefent
ftate of mankind, and afk^ where is the village in the world,
wilt re
( i69 )
^'here the happincfs and comfort of the whple is the utmoft
wifh of each individual ? Say, what is man by birth but the
children of one parent; vet, what is man really, but the op-
prcfTor, and the opprelFed ? He that is this dav trod upon^ as
dirt, exerts every power of his mind, that to-morro.v h: may
trample others beneath his feet. This ou ^ht not to b.' , to be
an inftrument of uuiverlal happinel's, is truly the birthright of
of every man ; and when Jeius the Saviour cometh to rule
the earth in righteoufnefs, men will lay claim to this grand and
univerfil prerogative ; the poirefTion thereof fhall fpread peace,
joy, and plenty throughout nature's wide domain. Jefus the
conqueror comes, not to drag his conquered aflals at his cha-
riot wheels ; not to beaflilize the fons of men ; but he cometh
to deftroy oppreflion, to give univerfal peace, to lay a foun-
dation for the recovery of his fallen creatures, and to finally
and fully reftore to happinefs and duty, the perverted works of
God. All hail ! thou Son of the Higheft ; foon mayefl thou
appear, and commence the promifed period of univerfal and
unending blifs.
Influenced by the prophetic fpirit, the prophets often fpealc
of the things that were to be as though they were. Thus
Ifaiah, fpealcing of the birth of the Meiilah, fays, " Unto us
a child is born, unto us a fon is given ; and the governme^ic
fhall be upon his fhoulder ; and his name Ihall be called.
Wonderful, Counfcllor, the Mighty God, the Everlaffing
Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increale of his govern-
ment, and peace, there fhall be no end ; upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to eftablifli it
with judgment and with juftice, from hencefjrth even for
ever ; the zeal of the Lord of Hofts will perform this."
Again, he fpeaks of Chrift, " Behold a virgin fliall conceive,
and bear a fon, and fhall call his name Emmanuel." The fa-
cred hiltorians record thcfe prophecies as fulfilled in the perfoii
of our blcfled Lord. After having related the miraculous
conception of the blefTed virgin, he makes this obfervation,
" Now all this was done, that it ntigb.t be fulfilled which was
fpoken of the Lord, by the prophet, faying, Behold a virgin
fhall be with child, and fhall bring forth a (on, and they fhall
call his nJimc, Emmanuel, which being interpreted, is, God
with us." Again, Ifaiah fpeaks of the miracles that he fliall
perform, as a proof of his MefTiahfhip. "• Behold my fervant
whom I uphold, mine eledt in whom mv foul delightcth ; f
have put my fpirit upon him; he flaall bring forth judgement
•Jiito the gentiles j he fhall not cry, nor lift up, nor caufe his
Z ' voice
( 170 )
Voice to be hejrd in the ftreet. A bruifed reed fliall he not
brealc, and the fmoking flax fhall he not quench ; he ftial!
bring forth judgment unto truth ; he fhall not fail, nor be
difcouraged, till he have fet judgment in the earth, and the
ifles fhall wait for his law. Thus faith God the Lord, he that
created the heavens, and ftretched them out ; he that fpread
forth the earth, and that which comethout of it ; he that
giveth breath unto the people upon it, and fpirit to them that
walk therein, T, the Lord, have called thee m righteoufnef',
and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for
a covenant for the people, for a light of the gentiles ; to open
the blind eyes, to bring the prifoners from the prifon, and thcni
that fit in darknefs out of the prifon houfe." Many other
pafTages of the prophecies fpeak of the temper, the conducl,
and the deeds of the Mefliah who was to come. In confor-
mity to thefe prophecies, when John fent his difciples to afic
him, " Art thou he that was to come, or are we to look for
another ?" In that very hour he gave them an anfwer, not
in word, but by fa6ts ; he accompliflied the prophecies. Li
that fame hour " he cured many of their infirmities and plagues,
and of evil fpirits, and unto many that were blind he gave fight.
Then Jefus anfwering, faid unto them. Go your way, ard tell
John what things you have feen and heard, how that the blind
fee, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deaf hear,,
the dead are raifed, to the poor the gofptl is preached, and
blefled is he wholbever fliall not be offended in me." Thus
we find the facred oracles, in whatfoever they foretell, leave no
doubt upon the mind concerning its accomplifhment, becaufe
all their proofs are appeals to the underftanding of man; they
demand our faith according to the ftrength of their evidence.
Another character is by Ifaiah applied to our Lord ; a cha- ^
radler which, like all the other marks of the Meffiah, can only
be faid properly to belong to him. " As many were ajtonifhed
at thee, (his vifage was fo marred more than any man, and his
form more than the fons of men,) fo fliall he fprinkle many
nations ; the kings fhall fliut their mouths at him, for that
which had not been told them fliall they fee, and that which
they had not heard fliall they confider." Wha: a contrafl is
here between the fuffering and the glorified ftate of the Mefliah.
In none doth thefe characters meet, but in the Lord Jcfus
Chriflj he was defpiied and abhorred by the nation, the beauty
of his countenance was marred by the flreaming blood iffiiing
from his thorn bepierced temples, and his form (by the anguifh
of his foul, a$ peculiarly the man of forrow, added to the hor-
( I?' )
ror of his fufferings) wr.s more disfio-ured thun the fens of men.*'
But fince bis afccnhon how has he fprinkled many nations !
He haf; rained down upon them fho<vcrs of heavenly truth ; and
when he conieih to reign on this earth, then fliall tht' whole
multitude of the nations he watered hv him ; then fhall they
indeed live, and the kings of the earth fliall bring their triSutes
and lay at his feet, whilft they themfclves ftind liftening to
catch truth ami wifd^m as it flows from his nnouth. Yea, they
fliall behold fuch glory as they could not hnve conceived coulj
pofiibiy have been, and fuch heights and depths of knowledge
as the never before heard of fliall they then meditate- upon.
It is an impoflib'lit',- to read the prophecies with attention,
without beholdin:: Jel'us of Nazareth, as rcprefented in the gof-
pcl, in the moft prominent features. The whole ot the jiiid.
chap, of Ifaiah, contains fuch a detcripticn of the fufFerings
of our Lord, and his mode of burial, that was there not de-
monftrative evidence of its exiftence for centuries before the
facts happened, we fhould be almoft tempted to think an eye-
witnefs of the tranfactions had recorded them. " He was led
like a lamb to the (laughter, and as a ihecp before her fljearers
is dumb, fo opened he not his mouth. He was taken from
prifon, and from judgement, and who fiiall declare his gene-
ration ? For be was cut off" out of the land of the living ;
for the tranfgreflion of my people was h: fl^ricken ; and he
made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich was his
tomb." Sa\, do you believe the prophet^ ? # What ;'. number
of little particulars are here. The MefTiah, the king of Ifrael,
fliall fland like a vile malefactor at the bar of JMdgement, and
there be filent amidft all theacculations that fhould be brought
againfl: him ; that he, the hope of Ifrael, the dcfirr of nations, un-
protected, and unrefifting, Ihould be brougiit forth hkealamb
from the flock, to be offered up in facnfice ; that he fliould
die an infamous death, and yet have an honourable burial,
were things mconfiffent and incredible. Say, doff thou be-
lieve the prophets ? Then, canft thou read of the death of
]<^(\.i^^ and not believe upon him ?
Zechariah, fpeaking of the entire difTcjlution of the covenant
whicii God had made with the children of Ifrael as a nation,
mentions one circumftunce that fliould at that time take place.
*' And i laid unto them, if ye think good give me my price,
and if not, forbear ; fo they weighed for my price thirty
pieces of filver. And the Lord faid unto me, caff it unto the
potter, a goodly price, that I was prized at of them. And 1
took the thirty pieces of filver, and caii them to the potter, in
Z 2 the
( 172 )
the houfe of the Lord." How circurnftantially exadl; did Judas
fulfil this prophecy. Surely this f^(5l could not have been un-
known to King Agnppa ; Paul, therefore, might with great
propriety of application fay unto him, Believefl thou the pro-
phets ?
Equally exa£l, Micah declares the place of the Mefliah's
birth. " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be
little among the thoufands of Judah, out of thee fhall he come
forth unto me, to be a ruler in Ifrael, whofe goings forth have
been from old, from everlafting." This prophecr, though a
fingular one, concerning the birth-place of the Mefliah, yet
was literally accorrplifhed, although to fulfil it the whole Ro-
man empire was fet in motion. When the virgin conceived,
fhe was about eighty miles diftant from Bethlehem. Auguftus,
the greateft ot the Roman Emperors, was, on his part, unin-
tentionslly made the inflrument of its fulfilment ; he decreed
the whcle of the empire fhould be taxed. Three things, as far as
regards our Lord, are very remarkable in this taxation. I. As
it accomplifhed the prophecy, by caufing Jofeph and Mary to
journey to Bethl-hem, the place of their family refidence. 2.
It proves that Jofeph and Ma/y, being of the family of David,
were heirs of David :, for the taxation was upon landed pro-
perty. The inheritance of the family of David was at Bethle-
hem ; had they been younger branches they would have had no
inheritance to be taxed ; but beint'^ the heirs of that family, it
was necefiary, fortthe prefervation of the family pofTeffio-i, that
they fliould perfonally appear to be enrolled. 3. It precifely
fixes the period when our Saviour came to take away fin by
the facrifice of himfelf when Auguftus was Emperor of
Rome, ahd Cyrenius Governor of Syria. By this means alfo
tbe records of the heathen empire became the re^cords of the
Chriftian faith. Truly, the earth belongeth unto Jehovah, and
he ruleth all things according to the counfels of his own will.
Say, O infidel ! wilt thou not believe the prophets ? Such
an extraordinarv coincidence of circumftances could not be the
work of chance, but is a wonderful manifeftation of the al-
mighty over-ruling power of God.
Many things there are, befides the do£lrines of the crofs,
that are treated of by the prophets. By the prophetical writings
we do more than barely defend Chriftianity from the attacks of
infidelity ; for to defend Chriftianity is a flight thing ; let the
infidel bring all his boarted artillery of reafon, let him make
itrong his battery, let him mount his cannon, let him pour in
his heaviell fire, (till firm and unfhaken ftand its bulwarks,
even
( '73 )
even though defended by a weak believer, indifferently well
acquainted with d' -ne revelation. Yea, more, whilft dil"-
courfini!; on tiie prophecies relating to other matters, vv^ may
turn aOaiJants, and drive the re?roning dcifl: from all his ftroag
holds. For inftance, the mode of life of the Arabians, and
their pref.TV;ition, as a people diftincl from all others, cannot
be accoun'-f; i fir b ■ natural caufes. A wea!c, defeiicclefs
people, contemptible in^rheir perfons and arms, have been at-
tacked by viJcll dilcipliued armies, commanded b,' the greateft
conquerors, ?nd yet they have never been conquered ; but
weak, and difunited as thev are, yet they have always li;ed by
pillage, and at times have conquered the fineft parts, and the
iTinfli: populous of the inhabited globe. Reafon w'.l!, in vain,
be unable to account for this ; we cannot unravel the myfte-
ri?s thereof; every other nation has its rifmg, its meridian,
•Ami its fctting fun; but this nation, though driven back, otc
times to its ancient boundarie"?, always have thofe boundaries
unbroken. Invincible when fjrrounded by conquerors ; free
amidil nations of flavcs ; freebooters and r ^bhers amoTL'fl: the
ci\ilized nations of the glob:-: revelation unfolds the myltcry.
It is there we find that it is Jehovah, who giveth bounds to the
nations, that hath given .-.rdbia to the descendants ot Iihaiael,
and declared thai l.e Ihould be a wild man, his hand agiinir every
man, and every man's hand ag^i^ft him, and that he (li )uld
dweii in the prcfence cf all .lis brethren. Nutn; ig hi ■. in-
finite forefight could have foretold, and infinite powe: > : i.ld
have fo ordered circumftancv?, th ;t a man's whole poltcriiy
fliou'd thus for many ages, be adting agairll every man, r.nd
every man againft them, and yet fhould be prcf-ir-.eJ uncon-
querable amidil 'urrounding enemies. Yet this is the Cdlc
v/itn the whole nt that nation, and tiiey give this as a realoa
for it, that t. ir father Iflimael ga^ e them liberty to attack,
enflave, anu pujage every man, but oy illvine authority, pro-
mifed them, tnat they Ihould nevei be enllaved.
Inlikj manner the Lord bv Mofes threatcf.s the IfraJites
in cale ot difobedience, that lie will " fcattcr them aniongfi:
all /people,, fron the one end of the earth even unto the otier;
and ti,e:e thou (halt fcrve other gods, which neirher tn m nor
thy fai hers have known, even wood and ftone ; and a.nonglt
thefe n.itions thou fiia't have no eafe, neither thai! the fole of
thy foot have relf ; but tiie Lord fhali give thee there a trem-
bling heart, and fading of eyes, and iorrow of mind." And
in like manner the other propnets fpcak of this people; and be-
hold, ye infidels, .it this dav the acconipufli:nent of it. They
( 174 )
have reiecTled the prophet like unto Mofes, ajid for It they are
cut off from being the people of God ; and yet, in the midft of
all, the', dwell alone, a nation, a defpilcd nation, in the midft of
the naiions. Where are the Midianites, the Moabites, the
Ifhiraelite?, and many other nations, the ancient enemies of
the Jews ? They are cut off from amjofl the nations, even
their names are alnioft lofl- from the records of the earth ; but
this poor humbled people ilill remain, and will continue fo to
do, a diflinil people, till their elder brother, the abhorred of
the nation, till he fhall come again the lecond time, without
iin, unto their falvation.
The prophets prophefied of the Meffiah, even Jcfus of Na-
zareth, and the truth of their prophecies have been eftablifhed
by the fulfilment of their denunciations againft fuch of the na-
tions and cities as were cruel and oppreffive to the children of
Ifrael. Where is Nineveh, the mighty, containing fuch a
rumber of inhabitants ? her name is perifhed from the face of
f ' earth. Where is Babylon the lofty, the queen of cities,
and the miftrefs of the nations ? her ftrength is decayed, her
beauty is gone, the veftiges of her former foundations are bu-
ried beneath the floods, and the beauty of the fertile plains,
which furroundcd her have loft their ancient glory, and are
almoft pathlefs as the fandy defert. Where is Tyre, the mer-
chant of the nations, the ruler of the mighty waters, fhe,
whofe fnowy plumage winged her a path over the ftormy
deep ? Alas ! fhe is gone, her bulwarks lay plunged beneath
thole feas which they formerly govtrned, her lofty palaces are
fallen, and the folid rock is alone left, a humble monument of
her former lituation and her prefent ruin. Should any one,
pafling through this populous town, furvey the numerous
mightx fabrics which exalt their heads unto the heavens, whilft
their folid foundations, like nature's primreval rocks, are buried
deep into the bowels of the earth — fliould fuch a one, ad-
miring its vail: extent, its opulence, and magnificence, be tolci
by feme halUl'arved, contemptible locking (ervant of the living
God, " Thus, faith the Lord, Behold, I am againft thee, O 1
deflroying J>ondon, who deftroyeth all the earth, and I will
ftretch out niy hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the
rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain, and they (hall not
take of thee a ftone for a corner, nor a {tone for a foundation, '
but] thoudialt be defolate for ever, faith the Lord j" Who
would think it ci edible? the prophet of tb^ Lord would be con-
lidered as a madman, or punifhcd as a vagabond ! his miffion
would be rejected, and coiifidercd as impoilibie i yet thus did
God,
( "75 )
(lOtl, by the mouth of Jeremiah, threaten Babylon, the glory
of ths worlJ, and the pride and wonder of the whole earth.
And it is come to pafs ; her broad walls, with the hundred
ftronrr towers upon them, her beautiful lianging gardens, her
ixlorious palaces, and u^l her former beauties, arc- buried beneath
the ftagnate waters of the Euphrates ; her former dctencc and
ornament is her prcfcnt ruin : it i«; now the haliitp.tion of vc-
jiomous reptiles, and the tlread of mankind. And as it was
with Babylon fo it was with Tyre, Nmeveh, 5cc. the word of
Jehovah hath been long accomplifhed, and they exhibit to
mankind the hand of Jchovidi fully accomplilhing whatfocver
he threatens.
*' J'.ul3;\Ticnt on leaden win^ mny flowly rife,
But fpreadcth fiire dettruftion as (lie ftic3;
Eternal ruin mniUs i.er direful ronJ,
Dire trophies of a fin avenging God."
Let me here paufe — Let me put to you the qucflion that Paul
oFTarfus, put to King Agrippa. — Believefl: thou the prophet^ ?
Thou beholdeir what Cod hath done in the days that are pati ?
H'u- arm is not fhortened ; that v.'hich he hath decl.^ired he will
perform, fhall furcly come to paf-. The prefent is an eventful pe-
riod ; fince the feventh trumpet hath began to found, what aflo-
nifhing events have began to take place. It was as it were but
tefirerda/, when we ourfelvcs would not have given credit to
them. Overturning ! overturning ! overiurning ! is now the
language of fcripture. War, famine, and peltilence, are the
*/eapons of his hand ; it is with thefe he puinfheth the in-
habitants of the earth ; it is with thefe he teachcth man-
kind to refle6f upon the end of their exiftencc, and bringeth
them to the acknowledgement of himfelf; it is with thele that
he is now levelling the pride, the fclf-will, and tl>e ambition of
MKUikind. Thele are the mighty meflengers who go before
crying, Prepare ye the vv^ay of tne Lord, and make altraitpath
for our God. Jefus, the mighty conqueror comes ; I hear
the rolling of his warlike car, and mark the footlleps of his
horfes ftetped" in blood. Plow awful will be their fate who
oppofe him. Like water fliall their blood be poured out, and
the mountain of their flefli I'hall be fprcad like dung upon the
face of the earth. " Therefore, wait ye upon me, fjiith the
]v0rd, until the day that I rife up to the prey; for my determi-
nation is to gather the natipn«, that 1 may aflemble the king-
fioms, to pour upon them my indignation, evci all my fierce
anger ; for all the earth fhall be devoured wfth the fire of my
iealoufy. ' Time will not permit an enlargement upon this
fubjea,
( 176 )
fubjeft ; the melancholy fcene is began j would ye efcape the
awful vengeance, flee ye to the chamber of his love; hide vour-
felves beneath the fliadow of his win,o;s, until the overwhelm-
ing tempeft is paft; for he alone is a ianduary from the llorm,
and a hiding place from the tempeft.
But the prophecies leave us not here amidfl the horrors of
darknefs and the fhadows of death, but they, in many places,
poficively declare, that Jefus will come, and all his faints Ihall
come with him; faith now realizes the -approaching fcene,
and hails his prefence, whilft every heating thought cries out.
Come, Lord Jefus ! Come quici^ly ! Come, thou Alin!o;hty
Saviour, rule over the earth from fea to fea, and from fhore to
fhore ! Oh ! come, and fway over all thy fceptre of peace.
Some of you may afk, Are you not afraid of preaching in
this manner ? Are you not afraid of giving offence unto the
governing powers ? No, indeed, not I ; I v/ould not give
offence to any man, or any fort of men ; but I would to
God that all the ruling powers were here now that they might
hear that Jefus, the Meffiah, will foon come in perfbn to cfalm
the kingdoms for his inheritance, and the uttermolt parts of
the earth for his pofTeffion ; and that till he comes, however
vain men may attempt it, there will not be any univerfal mow
narchy take place. His kingdom is univerfal, and his alone ;
and upon the throne of Ifrael, not by afpiritual, but by an earthly
reign, will he eftablifh it, and it fhall continue unfhaken for a
thou(and years. Now, what is there in all this ouc^ht to
give umbrage to the kings and princes of the earth ? I call
not on them to refign their fceptres but to fway them in riuhte-
oufi^efs, that when he cometh they may hold them as fiefs of
his will, and do homage to him as their fupreme Lord. For
when he cometh, they fhall either rejoice to own his fupremp
authority, or they fhall perifh before him. For " he fhall have
dominion from fea to fea, and from the river to the ends of the
earth ; they that dwell in the wildernefs fhall bow before him,
and his enemies fhall lick the duff. The kings of Tarfhifli,
and of the ifles, fhall bring prefents ; the kings of bheba and
Seba fhall offer gifts ; yea, all kings fhall fall down before
him, all nations fhall ferve him." In that day " che mountain
of the Lord's houfe fhall be eftabliflied in the top of the moun-
tains, and fhall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations fliall
flow into it; and many people fhall go and fay. Come ye, and
let ns go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the houfe of the
God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths : for out of Zion fliall go forth the law,
and
( '77 )
aivl thi? word of Jihovah from Jcrufalem. And he fliall judge
aotong the nations, and he fhall rebuke many peoples: ana they
)fhall beat their hvords Into plough fliarcs and their fpears into
pruning hooks; nation (hall not lift up fword againft nation,
neither ihall they learn war any more." Happy period this !
mv foul ardcntiv longeth to behold it. I dare not condemn
their motives who fpiritualize thefe and multitudes of fimilar
and equally glorious paHages; but I pity their weakncfs ; they
know not where fuch conducl leadeth them, whilft it uninten-
tionally caufeth them to treat with contempt the word of the
living God.
" Believeft thou the prophets?" Under the prefent awful
{late of things what jov what confolation will they aftbrd !— —
Time, with rapid wings, is, by dreadful judgments, ufhering in
the grand millenial reign ot Jefus: then will the myfterious
(bene of providence be unravelled, and all the wonders of di-
vine lo> e be laid open unto men. IVanfporting thought I what
amazing intricacies will then be laid open, when providence
and prophecy are fully known.
Prophecv, like the night and day, from infancy to manhood,
leads us on i\cp by ftep, from light to darknefs, and then from
tlarknefs to light, unto the grand concluding period, which
fome of you are diftinguifhed by the name of Univerfalifts for
believing. The prophecies declare, that the head of the fer-
pent mull: be bruifed— -that God muft be all in all; rebellion
therefore muft be baniflied from the univerfe— the foes of Je-
fus muft become bis footftool — the curfe muft be no more-
tears muft he wiped from every eye— all muft be drawn unto
Jefus-— all muft be made new: for Jehovah hath fworn hy
himfelf, the righteous word is gone out of his mouth, and fhall
not return, that unto him every knee fliall bow, and every
tongue fliall fwear, furely each fliall fay. In Jehovah have I
rightcoufnefs and ftrength. To him fhall they come, and all
that are inccnfed againft him fhall be afhamed ; for at the name
of J1.I11S the Reftorer every knee fhall bow, of thofe in heaven,
of thofe in earth, and of thofe under the earth, and every tongu«
ihall cowfefs that Jefus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
For it pleafcd the Father that in him fhould all fulnefs dwell;
and having made peace through the blood of the crofs, by him
to reconcile all things to himfelf; by him, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. Yes, bleflcd be the name
of God our univerlal parent, Jefus the Reftorer hath given
himfelf a ranfom for all, and this is the proper fcafon tq^bcar
tcftiinony to it.
A a O Chxif-
( '78 )
O Chrlllian, believeft thou the prophets ? I know thou dofl.
What fources of confolation, of holy peace, and jov, and hope,
do they afford thee! In vain fnall infidelity raifc againft thee
its hydra head, boldly upon the fure word of prophecy flialt
tl>ou,attack the poifonous ferpent, and lay him dead beneath thy
feet.
Infidelity is in part to be attributed to the imperfe<f^ mode in
v/hich Chriftianity has been preached. It has either been fpi-
ritualized into tatters, or it has been reafoned out of its foul
and energy. The partial truth, and not the whole truth, has
been fpoken— The doftrines taught as the dotSlrines of tlie
Scripture reprefentthe Deity as imperfect in wifdom, love, and
power. Surely that Almighty Being who formed his creature
man, formed him for happinefs ; yet, on whatloever fchemc as
hath hitherto been taught you confider it, you make him to
intend, really or impotently, endlefs midry to the greateft part
of the workmanfhip of his hands. But blefled be the great
Former of all, he hath, by his holy apoffles and prophets,
taught us better things: he hath exhibited the beaut) of his
chai -i(5ter in the ali-fubt'uing perfedion of divine love. In the
gladdening profpedt infidelity lofes its hold upon us, Scripturs
becomes harmonized, and worthy to be the revelation of God,
Standing on this foundation, our iouls can rife aloft above the
clou-'yfcenes of a dark providence, and itand unfljaken amidli
a war of elements, a craib of nations, and the difcordant clang
of arriis. Belicveft thou the prophets, O Chriftian ? then let
an i r: .ledience rnai ifeff thy faith— fo fhalt thou find peace
ail' j. y •" d righteoufp Is here, and glory hereafter. Am£N.
L N D N:
rRlNTP.D BIMV. rxi\10f>y 82, rtlTIK LAM.
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