YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THE WORKS OF THE BEV. JOHN WESLEY, A,M,; SOMETIME FELLOW OP LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFOIVD. VOLUME VI. WITH THE LAST COBUECTIONS OE THE AUTHOB, LONDON : WESLEYAN CONFERENCE OFFICE, 2, CASTLE-STEEET, CITY-ROAD ; SOLD AT 68 iPATERNOSTEB-ROW. 1878. [ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. HAZELL, "WATSON, AND VINEY, PRINTERS, LONDON AND AYLESBURY. SERMONS SEVERAL OCCASIONS. FIRST SERIES CONCLUDED. SECOND SERIES. CONTENTS. FIRST SERIES CONTINUED. 1'agt, SERMON XL.— Christian Perfection. Philippians iii. 12. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect 1 XLI. — Wandering Thoughts. 2 Corinthians x. 5. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 23 XLII. — Satan's Devices. 2 Corinthians ii. 11. We are not ignorant of his devices . 32 XLIII. — The Scripture Way of Salvation. Ephesians ii. 8. Ye are saved through faith -io XLIV. — Original Sin. Genesis vi. 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, fyc 54 XLV— The New Birth. John iii. 7- Ye must be born again 65 XLVL— The Wilderness State. John xvi. 22. Ye now have sorrow : But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, LII. — The Reformation of Manners. Psalm xciv. 16. Who will rise up with me against the- wicked? 149- LIII.— On the Death of Mr. Whitefield. Numbers xxiii. 10. Let me die the death of the righteous, and let n.y last end be like his! 107 SECOND SERIES. SERMON LIV.— On Eternity. Psalm xc. 2. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God 189" LV.— On the Trinity. 1 John v. 7- There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: $c . . 199' LVI. — God's Approbation of his Works. Genesis i. 31 . And God saw everything that, he had made, and, behold, it was very good 206 LVI I.— On the Fall of Man. Genesis iii. 19. Dust, thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return 21 5> LVIII. — On Predestination. Romans viii. 29, 30. Whom he did foreknow, he also did pre destinate to be conformed to the image of his Son : 4"<;- 225 LIX. — God's Love to Fallen Man. Romans v. 15. Not as the offence, so also is the free gift 231 LX. — The General Deliverance. Romans viii. 19 — 22. The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God : 8cc. 241 LXI. — The Mystery of Iniquity. 2 Thessalonians ii. 7. The mystery of iniquity doth already work 053 CONTENTS. VII Page. SERMON LXII.— The End of Christ's Coming. 1 John iii. 8. For this purpose was the Son of God mani fested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. . 267 LXIII. — The General Spread of the Gospel. Isaiah xi. 9. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea 277 LXIV.— The New Creation. Revelation xxi. 5. Behold, I make all things new .... 288 LXV. — The Duty of Reproving our Neighbour. Leviticus xix. 17- Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart : Thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbour, fyc. . 296 LXVI.— The Signs of the Times. Matthew xvi. 3. Ye can discern the face of the sky ; but r.an ye not discern the signs of the times ? 304 LXVII. — On Divine Providence; Luke xii. 7> Even the very hairs of your head are all num bered 313 LXVIIL— The Wisdom of God's Counsels. Romans xi. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! 325 LXIX. — The Imperfection of Human Knowledge. 1 Corinthians xm. 9- We know in part 337 LXX. — The Case of Reason impartially Considered. 1 Corinthians xiv. 20. Brethren, be not children in under standing : Howbeit in malice be ye children, fyc. . . 350 LXXI.— Of Good Angels. Hebrews i. 14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 361 LXXI I.— Of Evil Angels. Ephesians vi. 12. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, St-c 370 LXXHL— Of Hell. Mark ix. 48. Where their ivorm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched • • • • • 381 V1U CONTENTS. Page. SERMON LXXI V.— Of the Church. Ephesians iv. 1—6. / beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Sj-c 392 LXXV.— On Schism. 1 Cor. xii. 25. That there might be no schism in the body 401 LXXVL— On Perfection. Hebrews vi. 1. Let us go on unto perfection 411 LXXVIL— Spiritual Worship. 1 John v. 20. This is the true God, and eternal life . . 424 LXXVIIL— Spiritual Idolatry. 1 John v. 21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols 435 LXXIX. — On Dissipation. 1 Corinthians vii. 35. This I speak — that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction 44$ LXXX — On Friendship with the World. .fames iv. 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God ? fyc. 452 LXXXI. — In what Sense we are to leave the World. 2 Corinthians vi. 17, 18. Come out from among them, and he ye separate, saith the Lord, fyc 464 LXXXII. — On Temptation. 1 Corinthians x. 13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man : &cc 475 LXXXIIL— On Patience. James i. 4. Let patience have its perfect ivork, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing 484 LXXX IV. — The Important Question. Matthew xvi. 26. What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? 493 LXXXV. — On Working out our own Salvation. Philippians ii. 12, 13. Work out your own salvation with feat and trembling : Sec 506 LXXXVL— A Call to Backsliders. Psalm Ixxvii. 7, 8. Will the Lord absent himself for ever? And will he be no more entreated ? &-c. . 514 SERMONS. SERMON XL. CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. " Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect."" Philippians iii. 12. 1. There is scarce any expression in holy writ, which has given more offence than this. The word perfect is what many cannot bear. The very sound of it is an abomination to them ; and whosoever preaches perfection, (as the phrase is,) that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life, runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen man or a publican. 2. And hence some have advised, wholly to lay aside the use of those expressions ; " because they have given so great offence." But are they not found in the oracles of God ? If so, by what authority can any Messenger of God lay them aside, even though all men should be offended? We have not so learned Christ ; neither may we thus give place to the devil. Whatsoever God hath spoken, that will we speak, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear ; knowing that then alone can any Minister of Christ be " pure from the blood of all men," when he hath " not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God." 3. We may not, therefore, lay these expressions aside, seeing chey are the words of God and not of man. But we may and )ught to explain the meaning of them ; that those who are sin cere of heart may not err to the right hand or left, from the mark of the prize of their high calling. And this is the more leedful to be done, because, in the verse already repeated, B 2. 2 SERMON XL. the Apostle speaks of himself as not perfect : " Not," saith he, " as though I were already perfect." And yet immediately after, in the fifteenth verse, he speaks of himself, yea, and many others, as perfect : " Let us," saith he, " as many as be perfect, be thus minded." 4. In order, therefore, to remove the difficulty arising from this seeming contradiction, as well as to give light to them who are pressing forward to the mark, and that those who are lame be not turned out of the way, I shall endeavour to show, First, In what sense Christians are not ; and, Secondly, In what sense they are, perfect. I. 1. In the First place, I shall endeavour to show, in what sense Christians are not perfect. And both from experience and Scripture it appears, First, that they are not perfect in knowledge : They are not so perfect in this life as to be free from ignorance. They know, it may be, in common with other men, many things relating to the present world ; and they know, with regard to the world to come, the general truths which God hath revealed. They know, likewise, (what the natural man receiveth not ; for these things are spiritually discerned,) " what manner of love" it is, wherewith " the Father" hath loved them, " that they should be called the sons of God : " They know the mighty working of his Spirit in their hearts ; and the wisdom of his providence, directing all their paths, and causing all things to work together for their good. Yea, they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord requireth of them. and how to keep a conscience void of offence both toward God and toward man. 2. But innumerable are the things which they know not. Touching the Almighty himself, they cannot search him out to perfection. " Lo, these are but a part of his ways ; but the thunder of his power, who can understand ?" They cannot understand, I will not say, how " there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these Three are One ;" or how the eternal Son of God "took upon himself the form of a servant ;"— but not any one attribute, not any one circumstance, of the divine nature. Neither is il for them to know the times and seasons when God will worl his great works upon the earth ; no, not even those which he hath m part revealed by his servants and Prophets since the world began. Much less do they know when God, having CHRISTIAN perfection. 3 " accomplished the number of his elect, will hasten his king dom ;" when " the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." 3. They know not the reasons even of many of His present dispensations with the sons of men ; but are constrained, to rest here, — Though " clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his seat." Yea, often with regard to his dealings with themselves, doth their Lord say unto them, " What I do, thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter." And how little do they know of what is ever before them, of even the visible works of his hands ! — how " he spreadeth the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing ? " how he unites all the parts of this vast machine by a secret chain, which cannot be broken ? So great is the ignorance, so very little the knowledge, of even the best of men ! 4. No one, then, is so perfect in this life, as to be free from ignorance. Nor, Secondly, from mistake ; which indeed is almost an unavoidable consequence of it ; seeing those who " know but in part" are ever liable to err touching the things which they know not. It is true, the children of God do not mistake as to the things essential to salvation : They do not " put darkness for light, or light for darkness ;" neither " seek death in the error of their life." For they are " taught of God ;" and the way which he teaches them, the way of holiness, is so plain, that " the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein." But in things unessential to salvation they do err, and that frequently. The best and wisest of men are frequently mistaken even with regard to facts ; believing those things not to have been which really were, or those to have been done which were not. Or, suppose they are not mistaken as to the fact itself, they may be, with regard to its circumstances; believing them, or many of them, to have been quite different ;from what, in truth, they were. And hence cannot but arise many farther mistakes. Hence they may believe either past or -present actions which were or are evil, to be good ; and such as 'were or are good, to be evil. Hence also they may judge not iccording to truth with regard to the characters of men ; and '-.hat, not only by supposing good men to be better, or wicked -nen to be worse, than they are, but by believing them to have t»een or to be good men, who were or are very wicked ; or B 2 4 SEUMOls X.L. perhaps those to have been or to be wicked men, who were or are holy and unreprovable. 5. Nay, with regard to the Holy Scriptures themselves, as careful as they are to avoid it, the best of men are liable to mistake, and do mistake day by day ; especially with respect to those parts thereof which less immediately relate to practice. Hence, even the children of God are not agreed as to the inter pretation of many places in holy writ : Nor is their difference of opinion any proof that they are not the children of God on either side ; but it is a proof that we are no more to expect any living man to be infallible, than to be omniscient. 6. If it be objected to what has been observed under this and the preceding head, that St. John, speaking to his brethren in the faith, says, " Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things:" (1 John ii. 20:) The answer is plain: "Ye know all things that are needful for your souls' health." That the Apostle never designed to extend this farther, that he could not speak it in an absolute sense, is clear, First, from hence; — that otherwise he would describe the disciple as " above his Master;" seeing Christ himself, as man, knew not all things: " Of that hour," saith he, " knoweth no man ; no, not the Son, but the Father only." It is clear, Secondly, from the Apostle's own words that follow : " These things have I written unto you concerning them that deceive you;" as well as from his frequently repeated caution, "Let no man deceive you;1' which had been altogether needless, had not those very persons who had that unction from the Holy One been liable, not to ignorance only, but to mistake also. 7- Even Christians, therefore, are not so perfect as to be free either from ignorance or error: We may, Thirdly, add, nor from infirmities. — Only let us take care to understand this word aright : Only let us not give that soft title to known sins, as the manner of some is. So, one man tells us, " Every man has his infirmity, and mine is drunkenness : " Another has the infirmity of uncleanness ; another that of taking God's holy name in vain ; and yet another has the infirmity of calling his brother, " Thou fool," or returning " railing for railing." It is plain that all you who thus speak, if ye repent not, shall, with your infirmities, go quick into hell ! But I mean hereby, not only those which are properly termed bodily infirmities, but all those inward or outward imperfections which are not of a moral CHRISTIAN perfection. ,5 nature. Such are the weakness or slowness of understanding, dulness or confusedness of apprehension, incoherency of thought, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination. Such (to men tion no more of this kind) is the want of a ready or retentive memory. Such, in another kind, are those which are commonly, in some measure, consequent upon these ; namely, slowness of speech, impropriety of language, ungracefulness of pro nunciation ; to which one might add a thousand nameless defects, either in conversation or behaviour. These are the infirmities which are found in the best of men, in a larger or smaller proportion. And from these none can hope to be per fectly freed, till the spirit returns to God that gave it. 8. Nor can we expect, till then, to be wholly free from tempt ation. Such perfection belongeth not to this life. It is true, there are those who, being given up to work all uncleanness with greediness, scarce perceive the temptations which they resist not ; and so seem to be without temptation. There are also many whom the wise enemy of souls, seeing to be fast asleep in the dead form of godliness, will not tempt to gross sin, lest they should awake before they drop into everlasting burnings. I know there are also children of God who, being now justified freely, having found redemption in the blood of Christ, for the present feel no temptation. God hath said to their enemies, " Touch not mine anointed, and do my children no harm." And for this season, it maybe for weeks or months, he causeth them to ride on high places, he beareth them as ou eagles' wings, above all the fiery darts of the wicked one. But this state will not last always ; as we may learn from that single consideration, — that the Son of God himself, in the days of his flesh, was tempted even to the end of his life. Therefore, so let his servant expect to be ; for " it is enough that he be as his Master." 9- Christian perfection, therefore, does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from igno rance, or mistake, or infirmities, or temptations. Indeed, it is only another term for holiness. They are two names for the same thing. Thus, every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense, perfect. Yet we may, Lastly, observe, that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. There is no perfection of degrees, as it is termed ; none which does not admit of a continual increase. So that how much soever any 6 SERMON XL. man has attained, or in how high a degree soever he is perfect, h hath still need to " grow in grace," and daily to advance in the knowledge and love of God his Saviour. II. 1. In what sense, then, are Christians perfect? This is hat I shall endeavour, in the Second place, to show. But it should be premised, that there are several stages in Christian life, as in natural; — some of the children of God being but new-born babes ; others having attained to more maturity. And accordingly St. John, in his First Epistle, (ii. 12, &c.,) applies himself severally to those he terms little children, those he styles young men, and those whom he entitles fathers. " I write unto ycu, little children," saith the Apostle, " because your sins are forgiven you:" Because thus far you have attained, — being "justified freely," you " have peace with God through Jesus Christ." " I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one ; " or, (as he afterwards addeth,) " because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you." Ye have quenched the fiery darts of the wicked one, the doubts and fears wherewith he disturbed your first peace ; and the witness of God, that your sins are forgiven, now abideth in your heart. " I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning." Ye have known both the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit of Christ, in your inmost soul. Ye are " perfect men," being grown up to " the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." 2. It is of these chiefly I speak in the latter part of this dis course : For these only are perfect Christians. But even babes in Christ are in such a sense perfect, or born of God, (an expres sion taken also in divers senses,) as, First, not to commit sin. If any doubt of this privilege of the sons of God, the question is not to be decided by abstract reasonings, which may be drawn out into an endless length, and leave the point just as it was before. Neither is it to be determined by the experience of this or that particular person. Many may suppose they do not commit sin, when they do ; but this proves nothing either way. To the law and to the testimony we appeal. " Let God be true, and every man a liar." By His word will we abide, and that alone. Hereby we ought to be judged. 3. Now the word of God plainly declares, that even those who are justified, who are born again in the lowest sense, " do noi continue in sin ;" that they cannot "live any longer therein;" CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 7 (Rom. vi. 1,2;) that they are "planted together in the like ness of the death '' of Christ ; (verse 5 ;) that their " old man is crucified with him," the body of sin being destroyed, so that henceforth they do not serve sin ; that, being dead with Christ, they are free from sin ; (verses 6, 7 0 that they are " dead unto sin, and alive unto God ;" (verse 11 ;) that " sin hath no more dominion over them," who are " not under the law, but under grace;" but that these, "being free from sin, are become the servants ofrighteousness." (Verses 14, 18.) 4. The very least which can be implied in these words, is, that the persons spoken of therein, namely, all real Christians, or believers in Christ, are made free from outward sin. And the same freedom, which St. Paul here expresses in such variety of phrases, St. Peter expresses in that one: (1 Peter iv. 1, 2:) " He that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin, — that he no longer should live to the desires of men, but to the will of God." For this ceasing from sin, if it be interpreted in the lowest sense, as regarding only the outward behaviour, must denote the ceasing from the outward act, from any outward transgression of the law. 5. But most express are the well-known words of St. John, in the third chapter of his First Epistle, verse 8, &c. : " He that committeth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in him : And he cannot sin because he is born of God." And those in the fifth : (Verse 18 :) " We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not ; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." 6. Indeed it is said, this means only, He sinneth not wilfully ; or he doth not commit sin habitually ; or, not as other men do ; or, not as he did before. But by whom is this said? by St. John ? No : There is no such word in the text ; nor in the whole chapter ; nor in all his Epistle ; nor in any part of his writings whatsoever. Why then, the best way to answer a bold assertion, is, simply to deny it. And if any man can prove it from the word of God, let him bring forth his strong reasons. 7- And a sort of reason there is, which has been frequently brought to support these strange assertions, drawn from the examples recorded in the word of God : " What ! " say they, 8 SERMON XL. " did not Abraham himself commit sin,— prevaricating, and denying his wife ? Did not Moses commit sin, when he pro voked God at the waters of strife ? Nay, to produce one for all, did not even David, 'the man after God's own heart,' commit sin, in the matter of Uriah the Hittite ; even murder and adultery ?" It is most sure he did. All this is true. But what is it you would infer from hence ? It may be granted, First, that David, in the general course of his life, was one of the holiest men among the Jews ; and, Secondly, that the holiest men among the Jews did sometimes commit sin. But if you would hence infer, that all Christians do and must commit sin as long as they live ; this consequence we utterly deny : It will never follow from those premises. 8. Those who argue thus, seem never to have considered that declaration of our Lord : (Matt. xi. 11 :) " Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : Notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." I fear, indeed, there are some who have imagined " the kingdom of heaven," here, to mean the kingdom of glory ; as if the Son of God had just discovered to us, that the least glorified saint in heaven is greater than any man upon earth ! To men tion this is sufficiently to refute it. There can, therefore, no doubt be made, but "the kingdom of heaven," here, (as in the following verse, where it is said to be taken by force,) or, " the kingdom of God," as St. Luke expresses it, — is that kingdom of God on earth whereunto all true believers in Christ, all real Christians, belong. In these words, then, our Lord declares two things : First, that before his coming in the flesh, among all the children of men there had not been one greater than John the Baptist; whence it evidently follows, that neither Abraham, David, nor any Jew, was greater than John. Our Lord, Secondly, declares, that he which is least in the kingdom of God (in that kingdom which he came to set up on earth, and which the violent now began to take by force) is greater than he : — Not a greater Prophet, as some have interpreted the word ; for this is palpably false in fact ; but greater in the grace of God, and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we cannot measure the privileges of real Christians by those formerly given to the Jews. Their " ministration," (or dispensation,) we allow, « was glorious ; " but ours " exceeds CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 9 in glory." So that whosoever would bring down the Christian dispensation to the Jewish standard, whosoever gleans up the examples of weakness, recorded in the Law and the Prophets. and thence infers that they who have " put on Christ " are endued with no greater strength, doth greatly err, neither " knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." 9. " But are there not assertions in Scripture which prove the same thing, if it cannot be inferred from those examples ? Does not the Scripture say expressly, ' Even a just man sinneth seven times a day ?'" I answer, No: The Scripture says no such thing. There is no such text in all the Bible. That which seems to be intended is the sixteenth verse of the twenty-fourth chapter of the Proverbs ; the words of which are these : " A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again." But this is quite another thing. For, First, the words " a day," are not in the text. So that if a just man fall seven times in his life, it is as much as is affirmed here. Secondly, here is no mention of falling into sin at all; what is here mentioned is, falling into temporal affliction. This plainly appears from the verse before, the words of which are these : " Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous ; spoil not his resting- place." It follows, " For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again ; but the wicked shall fall into mischief." As if he had said, " God will deliver him out of his trouble ; but when thou fallest, there shall be none to deliver thee." 10. " But, however, in other places," continue the objectors, " Solomon does assert plainly, ' There is no man that sinneth not;' (1 Kings viii. 46; 2 Chron. vi. 36;) yea, ' There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.'' (Eccles. vii. 20.)" I answer, Without doubt, thus it was in the days of Solomon. Yea, thus it was from Adam to Moses, from Moses to Solomon, and from Solomon to Christ. There was then no man that sinned not. Even from the day that sin entered into the world, there was not a just man upon earth that did good and sinned not, until the Son of God was manifested to take away our sins. It is unquestionably true, that " the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant." And that even so they (all the holy men of old, who were under the Jewish dispensation) were, during that infant state of the Church, "in bondage under the elements of the world." " But when the fulness of the time was come, 10 SERMON XL. God sent forth his Son, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that they might receive the adoption of sons ;" — that they might receive that " grace which is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ; who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." (2 Tim. i. 10.) Now, therefore, they " are no more servants, but sons." So that, whatsoever was the case of those under the law, we may safely affirm with St. John, that, since the gospel was given, " he that is born of God sinneth not." 11. It is of great importance to observe, and that more care fully than is commonly done, the wide difference there is between the Jewish and the Christian dispensation; and that ground of it which the same Apostle assigns in the seventh chapter of his Gospel. (Verses 38, &c.) After he had there related those words of our blessed Lord, " He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," he immediately subjoins, " This spake he of the Spirit, ou ejj.E\\ov Xupfiavsiv oi OTifsuovTsj et; avrov, — which they who should believe on him were afterwards to receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." Now, the Apostle cannot mean here, (as some have taught,) that the miracle-working power of the Holy Ghost was not yet given. For this was given ; our Lord had given it to all the Apostles, when he first sent them forth to preach the gospel. He then gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out ; power to heal the sick ; yea, to raise the dead. But the Holy Ghost was not yet given in his sanctifying graces, as he was after Jesus was glorified. It was then when " he ascended up on high, and led captivity captive," that he " received " those " gifts for men, yea, even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among them." And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, then first it was, that they who " waited for the promise of the Father " were made more than conquerors over sin by the Holy Ghost given unto them. 12. That this great salvation from sin was not given till Jesus was glorified, St. Peter also plainly testifies ; where, speaking of his brethren in the flesh, as now "receiving the end of their faith, the salvation of their souls," he adds, (1 Peter i. 9. 10, &c.,) "Of which salvation the Prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace," that is, the CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 1] gracious dispensation, " that should come unto you : Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory," the glorious salvation, " that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven;" viz., at the day of Pentecost, and so unto all generations, into the hearts of all true believers. On this ground, even " the grace which was brought unto them by the revelation of Jesus Christ," the Apostle might well build that strong exhortation, " Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, — as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." 13. Those who have duly considered these things must allow, that the privileges of Christians are in no wise to be measured by what the Old Testament records concerning those who were under the Jewish dispensation ; seeing the fulness of time is now come ; the Holy Ghost is now given ; the great salvation of God is brought unto men, by the revelation of Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven is now set up on earth ; concerning which the Spirit of God declared of old, (so far is David from being the pattern or standard of Christian perfection,) " He that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David ; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them." (Zech. xii. 8.) 14. If, therefore, you would prove that the Apostle's words, " He that is born of God sinneth not," are not to be understood according to their plain, natural, obvious meaning, it is from the New Testament you are to bring your proofs, else you will fight as one that beateth the air. And the first of these which is usually brought is taken from the examples recorded in the New Testament. " The Apostles themselves," it is said, " com mitted sin ; nay, the greatest of them, Peter and Paul : St. Paul, by his sharp contention with Barnabas ; and St. Peter, by his dissimulation at Antioch." Well : Suppose both Peter and Paul did then commit sin ; what is it you would infer from hence ? that all the other Apostles committed sin sometimes ? There is no shadow of proof in this. Or would you thence infer, that all the other Christians of the apostolic age com mitted sin ? Worse and worse : This is such an inference as, 12 SERMON XL. one would imagine, a man in his senses could never have thought of. Or will you argue thus : " If two of the Apostles did once commit sin, then all other Christians, in all ages, do and will commit sin as long as they live?" Alas, my brother ! a child of common understanding would be ashamed of such reasoning as this. Least of all can you with any colour of argument infer, that any man must commit sin at all. No : God forbid we should thus speak ! No necessity of sinning was laid upon them. The grace of God was surely sufficient for them. And it is sufficient for us at this day. With the temptation which fell on them, there was a way to escape ; as there is to every soul of man in every temptation. So that whosoever is tempted to any sin, need not yield ; for no man is tempted above that he is able to bear. 15. " But St. Paul besought the Lord thrice, and yet he could not escape from his temptation." Let us consider his own words literally translated : " There was given to me a thorn to the flesh, an angel " (or messenger) " of Satan, to buffet me. Touching this, I besought the Lord thrice, that it" (or he) " might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee : For my strength is made perfect in weak ness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in " these " my weaknesses, that the strength of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses ; — for when I am weak, then am I strong." 16. As this scripture is one of the strong-holds of the patrons of sin, it may be proper to weigh it throughly. Let it be observed, then, First, it does by no means appear that this thorn, whatsoever it was, occasioned St. Paul to commit sin ; much less laid him under any necessity of doing so. There fore, from hence it can never be proved that any Christian must commit sin. Secondly, the ancient Fathers inform us, it was bodily pain :— a violent headach, saith Tertullian ; (De Pudic.;) to which both Chrysostom and St. Jerome agree. St. Cyprian* expresses it, a little more generally, in those terms: " Many and grievous torments of the flesh and of the body." f Thirdly, to this exactly agree the Apostle's own words:— "A thorn to the flesh, to smite, beat, or buffet me." " My strength is made perfect in weakness : "—Which same word occurs no fess * De MortaliUte. + Carms el corporis m ulta ac grama tormenta. CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 13 than four times in these two verses only. But, Fourthly, what soever it was, it could not be either inward or outward sin. It could no more be inward stirrings, than outward expressions, of pride, anger, or lust. This is manifest, beyond all possible exception, from the words that immediately follow : " Most gladly will I glory in" these "my weaknesses, that the strength of Christ may rest upon me." What ! did he glory in pride, in anger, in lust ? Was it through these weaknesses, that the strength of Christ rested upon him ? He goes on : " Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses ; for when I am weak, then am I strong ; " that is, when I am weak in body, then am I strong in spirit. But will any man dare to say, "When I am weak by pride or lust, then am I strong in spirit?" I call you all to record this day, who find the strength of Christ resting upon you, can you glory in anger, or pride, or lust ? Can you take pleasure in these infirmities ? Do these weaknesses make you strong? Would you not leap into hell, were it possible, to escape them ? Even by yourselves, then, judge, whether the Apostle could glory and take pleasure in them ? Let it be, Lastly, observed, that this thorn was given to St. Paul above fourteen years before he wrote this Epistle ; which itself was wrote several years before he finished his course. So that he had, after this, a long course to run, many battles to fight, many victories to gain, and great increase to receive in all the gifts of God, and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Therefore, from any spiritual weakness (if such had been) which he at that time felt, we could by no means infer that he was never made strong ; that Paul the aged, the father in Christ, still laboured under the same weaknesses ; that he was in no higher state till the day of his death. From all which it appears, that this instance of St. Paul is quite foreign to the question, and does in nowise clash with the assertion of St. John, " He that is born of God sinneth not." ' 17. " But does not St. James directly contradict this ? His words are, ' In many things we offend all : ' (iii. 2 :) And is not offending the same as committing sin ?" In this place, I allow it is : I allow the persons here spoken of did commit sin ; yea, that they all committed many sins. But who are the persons here spoken of? Why, those many masters or teachers, whom God had not sent ; (probably the same vain men who taught that ftuth without works, which is so sharply reproved in the 14* SERMON XL. preceding chapter ;) not the Apostle himself, nor any real Chris tian. That in the word we (used by a figure of speech common in all other, as well as the inspired, writings) the Apostle could not possibly include himself or any other true believer, appears evidently, First, from the same word in the ninth verse:— " Therewith," saith he, " bless we God, and therewith curse we men. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing." True ; but not out of the mouth of the Apostle, nor of any one who is in Christ a new creature. Secondly, from the verse imme diately preceding the text, and manifestly connected with it: "My brethren, be not many masters," (or teachers,) "know ing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." "For in many things we offend all." We ! Who ? Not the Apostles, nor true believers ; but they who knew they should receive the greater condemnation, because of those many offences. But this could not be spoke of the Apostle himself, or of any who trod in his steps; seeing "there is no condemnation to them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Nay, Thirdly, the very verse itself proves, that " we offend all," cannot be spoken either of all men, or of all Christians : For in it there immediately follows the mention of a man who offends not, as the we first mentioned did ; from whom, therefore, he is profess edly contradistinguished, and pronounced a perfect man. 18. So clearly does St. James explain himself, and fix the meaning of his own words. Yet, lest any one should still remain in doubt, St. John, writing many years after St. James, puts the matter entirely out of dispute, by the express declarations above recited. But here a fresh difficulty may arise : How shall we reconcile St. John with himself? In one place he declares, " Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin ;" and again, — " We know that he which is born of God sinneth not :" And yet in another he saith, " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;" and again,— " If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 19. As great a difficulty as this may at first appear, it vanishes away, if we observe, First, that the tenth verse fixes the sense of the eighth : " If we say we have no sin," in the former, being explained by, "If we say we have not sinned," in the latter verse. Secondly, that the point under present consideration is not whether we have or have not sinned heretofore; and CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. neither of these verses asserts that we do sin, or commit. An now. Thirdly, that the ninth verse explains both the eighth and tenth : " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness:" As if he had said, " I have before affirmed, ' The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin ; but let no man say, I need it not ; I have no sin to be cleansed from. If we say that we have no sin, that we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves and make God a liar : But ' if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just,1 not only ' to forgive our sins,' but also ' to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ;' that we may ' go and sin no more.'" 20. St. John, therefore, is well consistent with himself, as well as with the other holy writers ; as will yet more evidently appear, if we place all his assertions touching this matter in one view : He declares, First, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. Secondly, no man can say, I have not sinned, I have no sin to be cleansed from. Thirdly, but God is ready both to forgive our past sins, and to save us from them for the time to come. Fourthly, " These things write I unto you," saith the Apostle, " that you may not sin. But if any man" should " sin," or have sinned, (as the word might be rendered,) he need not continue in sin ; seeing " we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Thus far all is clear. But lest any doubt should remain in a point of so vast import ance, the Apostle resumes this subject in the third chapter, and largely explains his own meaning : " Little children," saith he, " let no man deceive you :" (As though I had given any encou ragement to those that continue in sin :) " He that doeth right eousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that com- mitteth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth from the begin ning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin : For his seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil." (Verses 7 — 10.) Here the point, which till then might possibly have admit ted of some doubt in weak minds, is purposely settled by the last of the inspired writers, and decided in the clearest manner. In conformity, therefore, both to the doctrine of St. John, and to the whole tenor of the New Testament, we fix this conclusion, — A Christian is so far perfect, as not to commit sin. 16 SERMON XL. 21. This is the glorious privilege of every Christian ; yea, though he be but a babe in Christ. But it is only of those who are strong in the Lord, " and have overcome the wicked one," or rather of those who " have known him that is from the begin ning," that it can be affirmed they are in such a sense perfect, as, Secondly, to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers. First, from evil or sinful thoughts. But here let it be observed, that thoughts concerning evil are not always evil thoughts ; that a thought concerning sin, and a sinful thought, are widely differ ent. A man, for instance, may think of a murder which another has committed ; and yet this is no evil or sinful thought. So our blessed Lord himself doubtless thought of, or understood, the thing spoken by the devil, when he said, " All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Yet had he no evil or sinful thought ; nor indeed was capable of having any. And even hence it follows, that neither have real Chris tians : For " every one that is perfect is as his Master." (Luke vi. 40.) Therefore, if He was free from evil or sinful thoughts, so are they likewise. 22. And, indeed, whence should evil thoughts proceed, in the servant who is as his Master ? " Out of the heart of man" (if at all) " proceed evil thoughts." (Mark vii. 21.) If, there fore, his heart be no longer evil, then evil thoughts can no longer proceed out of it. If the tree were corrupt, so would be the fruit : But the tree is good ; the fruit, therefore, is good also ; (Matt. xii. 33 ;) our Lord himself bearing witness, " Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit," as " a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." (Matt. vii. 17,' 1 8.) 23. The same happy privilege of real Christians, St. Paul asserts from his own experience. " The weapons of our war fare," saith he, " are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong-holds ; casting down imaginations," (or reasonings rather, for so the word Aoyitr^af signifies; all the reasonings of pride and unbelief against the declarations, promises, or gifts of God,) " and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor. x. 4, &c.) 24. And as Christians indeed are freed from evil thoughts, so are they, Secondly, from evil tempers. This is evident from the above-mentioned declaration of our I ord himself: " The CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 17 disciple is not above his Master ; but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master." He had been delivering, just before, some of the sublimest doctrines of Christianity, and some of the most grievous to flesh and blood. " I say unto you, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you ; — and unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other." Now these he well knew the world would not receive ; and therefore imme diately adds, " Can the blind lead the blind ? Will they not both fall into the ditch ?" As if he had said, " Do not confer frith flesh and blood touching these things, — with men void of spiritual discernment, the eyes of whose understanding God hath not opened, — lest they and you perish together." In the next verse he removes the two grand objections with which these wise fools meet us at every turn : " These things are too grievous to be borne ; " or, " They are too high to be attained ; " — saying, " ' The disciple is not above his Master ;' therefore, if I have suffered, be content to tread in my steps. And doubt ye not then, but I will fulfil my word : ' For every one that is perfect, shall be as his Master.' " But his Master was free from all sinful tempers. So, therefore, is his disciple, even every real Christian. 25. Every one of these can say, with St. Paul, " I am crucified with Christ : Nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : " — Words that manifestly describe a deliverance from inward as well as from outward sin. This is expressed both negatively, / live not; (my evil nature, the body of sin, is destroyed ;) and positively, Christ liveth in me ; and, therefore, all that is holy, and just, and good. Indeed, both these, Christ liveth in me, and. I live not, are inseparably connected ; for " what communion hath light with darkness, or Christ with Belial ?" 26. He, therefore, who liveth in true believers, hath " puri fied their hearts by faith ; " insomuch that every one that hath Christ in him the hope of glory, "purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 John iii. 3.) He is purified from pride ; for Christ ;was lowly of heart. He is pure from self-will or desire ; for .Christ desired only to do the will of his Father, and to finish his work. And he is pure from anger, in the common sense of the word ; for Christ was meek and gentle, patient and long- buffering. I say, in the common sense of the word ; for all anger jis not evil. We read of our Lord himself, (Mark iii. 5,) that ;he once " looked round with anger." But with what kind of inger? The next word shows, o-uXKunou^tvoc, being, at the C 2. 1° SERMON Xl,. same time, " grieved for the hardness of their hearts." So then he was angry at the sin, and in the same moment grieved for the sinners ; angry or displeased at the offence, but sorry for the offenders. With anger, yea, hatred, he looked upon the thing ; with grief and love upon the persons. Go, thou that art perfect, and do likewise. Be thus angry, and thou sinnest not ; feeling a displacency at every offence against God, but only love and tender compassion to the offender. 27- Thus doth Jesus "save his people from their sins:1' And not only from outward sins, but also from the sins of their hearts ; from evil thoughts, and from evil tempers.—" True," say some, " we shall thus be saved from our sins ; but not till death ; not in this world." But how are we to reconcile this with the express words of St. John ? — " Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Because as he is, so are we in this world." The Apostle here, beyond all contradiction, speaks of himself and other living Christians, of whom (as though he had foreseen this very evasion, and set himself to overturn it from the foundation) he flatly affirms, that not only at or after death, but in this world, they are as their Master. (1 John iv. 17-) 28. Exactly agreeable to this are his words in the first chapter of this Epistle, (verse 5, &c.,) " God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we walk in the light, — we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." And again : " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now, it is evident, the Apostle here also speaks of a deliverance wrought in this world. For he saith not, the blood of Christ will cleanse at the hour of death, or in the day of judgment, but, it " cleanseth," at the time present, "us," living Christians, "from all sin." And it is equally evident, that if any sin remain, we are not cleansed from all sin : If any unrighteousness remain in the soul, it is not cleansed from all unrighteousness. Neither let any sinner against his own soul say, that this relates to justification only, or the cleansing us from the guilt of sin ; First, because this is confounding together what the Apostle clearly distinguishes, who mentions first, to forgive us our sins, and then to c learnt us from all unrighteousness. Secondly, because this is assert ing justification by works, in the strongest sense possible; it is CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 19 making all inward as well as outward holiness necessarily previous to justification. For if the cleansing here spoken of is no other than the cleansing us from the guilt of sin, then we are not cleansed from guilt, that is, are not justified, unless on condition of " walking in the light, as he is in the light." It remains, then, that Christians are saved in this world from all sin, from all unrighteousness ; that they are now in such a sense perfect, as not to commit sin, and to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers. 29. Thus hath the Lord fulfilled the things he spake by his holy Prophets, which have been since the world began ; — by Moses in particular, saying, (Deut. xxx. 6,) I " will circum cise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;" — by David, crying out, " Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me;" — and most remarkably by Ezekiel, in those words : " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : From all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ; — and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. — Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses. — Thus saith the Lord God, In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, — the Heathen shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places ; — I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it." (Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c) 30. " Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved," both in the Law and in the Prophets, and having the prophetic word confirmed unto us in the Gospel, by our blessed Lord and his Apostles ; " let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." " Let us fear, lest" so many "promises being made us of entering into his rest," which he that hath entered into, has ceased from his own works, " any of us should come short of it." " This one ;thing let us do, forgetting those things which are behind, and ..reaching forth unto those things which are before, let us press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in ,,Christ Jesus;" crying unto him day and night, till we also are .."delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God ! " C 2 THE PROMISE OF SANCTIFICATION. (Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c.) BY THE REV. CHARLES WESLEY. 1 God of all power, and truth, and grace, Which shall from age to age endure ; Whose word, when heaven and earth shall pass, Remains, and stands for ever sure : 2 Calmly to thee my soul looks up, And waits thy promises to prove ; The object of my steadfast hope, The seal of thine eternal love. 3 That I thy mercy may proclaim, That all mankind thy truth may see, Hallow thy great and glorious name, And perfect holiness in me. 4 Chose from the world, if now I stand Adorn'd in righteousness divine ; If, brought unto the promised land, I justly call the Saviour mine ; 5 Perform the work thou hast begun, My inmost soul to thee convert : Love me, for ever love thine own, And sprinkle with thy blood my heart. 9 Thy sanctifying Spirit pour, To quench my thirst and wash me clean t Now, Father, let the gracious shower Descend and make me pure from sin. 7 Purge me from every sinful blot ; My idols all be cast aside : Cleanse me from every evil thought, From all the filth of self and pride. 8 Give me a new, a perfect heart, From doubt, and fear, and sorrow free 5 The mind which was in Christ impart, And let my spirit cleave to thee. 9 O take this heart of stone away ! (Thy rule it doth not, cannot own ;) In me no longer let it stay : O take away this heart of stone I THE PROMISE OF SANCTIFICATION. 21 10 The hatred of my carnal mind Out of my flesh at once remove ; Give me a tender heart, resign'd, And pure, and fill'd with faith and love. 11 Within me thy good Spirit place, Spirit of health, and love, and power ; Plant in me thy victorious grace, And sin shall never enter more. 12 Cause me to walk in Christ my Way, And I thy statutes shall fulfil ; In every point thy law obey, And perfectly perform thy will. 13 Hast thou not said, who canst not lie, That I thy law shall keep and do ? Lord, I believe, though men deny ; They all are false, but thou art true. 14 O that I now, from sin released, Thy word might to the utmost prove ! Enter into the promised rest, The Canaan of thy perfect love ! 15 There let me ever, ever dwell ; Be thou my God, and I will be Thy servant : O set to thy seal ! Give me eternal life in thee. 16 From all remaining filth within Let me in thee salvation have : From actual and from inbred sin My ransom'd soul persist to save. 17 Wash out my old orig'nal stain : Tell me no more it cannot be, Demons or men ! The Lamb was slain, His blood was all pour'd out for me ! 18 Sprinkle it, Jesu, on my heart : One drop of thy all-cleansing blood Shall make my sinfulness depart, And fill me with the life of God. 19 Father, supply my every need; Sustain the life thyself hast given ; Call for the corn, the living bread, The manna that comes down from heaves. 20 The gracious fruits ofrighteousness, Thy blessings' unexhausted store, In me abundantly increase ; Nor let me ever hunger more, 22 L'HE PROMISE OE SANCTIFICATION. 21 Let me no more, in deep complaint, " My leanness, O my leanness ! " cry ; Alone consumed with pining want, Of all my Father's children I ! 22 The painful thirst, the fond desire, Thy joyous presence shall remove ; While my full soul doth still require The whole eternity of love. 23 Holy and true, and righteous Lord, I wait to prove thy perfect will ; Be mindful of thy gracious word, And stamp me with thy Spirit's seal I 24 Thy faithful mercies let me find, In which thou causest me trust ; Give me thy meek and lowly mind, And lay my spirit in the dust. 25 Show me how foul my heart hath been, When all renew'd by grace I am : When thou hast emptied me of sin, Show me the fulness of my shame. 26 Open my faith's interior eye, Display thy glory from above ; And all I am shall sink and die, Lost in astonishment and love. 27 Confound, o'erpower me with thy grace } I would be by myself abhorr'd ; (All might, all majesty, all praise, All glory be to Christ my Lord !) 28 Now let me gain perfection's height ! Now let me into nothing fall ! Be less than nothing in my sight, And feel that Christ is all in all I SERMON XLI. WANDERING THOUGHTS. " Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.^ 2 Corinthians x. 5. 1. But will God so "bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," that no wandering thought will find a place in the mind, even while we remain in the body ? So some have vehemently maintained ; yea, have affirmed that none are perfected in love unless they are so far perfected in understanding, that all wandering thoughts are done away ; unless not only every affection and temper be holy and just and good, but every individual thought which arises in the mind be wise and regular. 2. This is a question of no small importance. For how many of those who fear God, yea, and love him, perhaps with all their heart, have been greatly distressed on this account ! How many, by not understanding it right, have not only been distressed, but greatly hurt in their souls ; — cast into unprofit able, yea, mischievous reasonings, such as slackened their motion towards God, and weakened them in running the race set before them ! Nay, many, through misapprehensions of this very thing, have cast away the precious gift of God. They have been induced, first, to doubt of, and then to deny, the work God had wrought in their souls ; and hereby have grieved the Spirit of God, till he withdrew and left them in utter darkness ! 3. How is it then, that amidst the abundance of books which have been lately published almost on all subjects, we should have none upon wandering thoughts ? at least none that will at all satisfy a calm and serious mind ? In order to do this in some degree, I purpose to inquire, I. What are the several sorts of wandering thoughts ? II. What are the general occasions of them ? III. Which of them are sinful, and which not ? IV. Which of them we may expect and pray to be delivered from? 24 SERMON XLI. I. 1. I purpose to inquire, First, What are the several sorts of wandering thoughts? The particular sorts are innumerable; but, in general, they are of two sorts : Thoughts that wander from God ; and thoughts that wander from the particular point we have in hand. 2. With regard to the former, all our thoughts are naturally of this kind : For they are continually wandering from God : We think nothing about him : God is not in all our thoughts : We are, one and all, as the Apostle observes, " without God in the world." We think of what we love ; but we do not love God ; therefore, we think not of him. Or, if we are now and then constrained to think of him for a time, yet as we have no pleasure therein, nay, rather, as these thoughts are not only insipid, but distasteful and irksome to us, we drive them out as soon as we can, and return to what we love to think of. So that the world, and the things of the world, — what we shall eat, what we shall drink, what we shall put on, — what we shall see, what we shall hear, what we shall gain, — bow we shall please our senses or our imagination, — takes up all our time, and engrosses all our thought. So long, therefore, as we love the world; that is, so long as we are in our natural state ; all our thoughts, from morning to evening, and from evening to morning, are no other than wandering thoughts. 3. But many times we are not only "without God in the world," but also fighting against him ; as there is in every man by nature a " carnal mind which is enmity against God :" No wonder, therefore, that men abound with unbelieving thoughts; either saying in their hearts, " There is no God," or questioning, if not denying, his power or wisdom, his mercy, or justice, or holiness. No wonder that they so often doubt of his provi dence, at least, of its extending to all events; or that, even though they allow it, they still entertain murmuring or repining thoughts. Nearly related to these, and frequently connected with them, are proud and vain imaginations. Again : Some times they are taken up with angry, malicious, or revengeful thoughts ; at other times, with airy scenes of pleasure, whether of sense or imagination ; whereby the earthy, sensual mind becomes more earthy and sensual still. Now by all these they make flat war with God : These are wandering thoughts of the highest kind. 4. Widely different from these are thc other sort of wander- WANDERING THOUGHTS. »/> ing thoughts ; in which the heart does not wander from God, but the understanding wanders from the particular point it had then in view. For instance : I sit down to consider those words in the verse preceding the text : " The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God." I think, " This ought to be the case with all that are called Christians. But how far is it otherwise ! Look round into almost every part of what is termed the Christian world. What manner of weapons are these using? In what kind of warfare are they engaged ; While men, like fiends, each other tear, In all the hellish rage of war ? See how these Christians love one another .' Wherein are they preferable to Turks and Pagans ? What abomination can be found among Mahometans or Heathens which is not found among Christians also ?" And thus my mind runs off, before I am aware, from one circumstance to another. Now, all these are, in some sense, wandering thoughts : For although they do not wander from God, much less fight against him, yet they do wander from the particular point I had in view. II. Such is the nature, such are the sorts (to speak rather usefully than philosophically) of wandering thoughts. But what are the general occasions of them ? This we are, in the Second place, to consider. 1. And it is easy to observe, that the occasion of the former sort of thoughts, which oppose or wander from God, are, in general, sinful tempers. For instance: Why is not God in all the thoughts, in any of the thoughts of a natural man ? For a plain reason : Be he rich or poor, learned or unlearned, he is an Atheist ; (though not vulgarly so called ;) he neither knows nor loves God. Why are his thoughts continually wandering after the world ? Because he is an idolater. He does not indeed worship an image, or bow down to the stock of a tree ; yet is he sunk into equally damnable idolatry : He loves, that is, worships, the world. He seeks happiness in the things that are seen, in the pleasures that perish in the using. Why is it that his thoughts are perpetually wandering from the very end of his beino-, the knowledge of God in Christ ? Because he is an unbeliever ; because he has no faith ; or, at least, no more than a devil. So all these wandering thoughts easily and naturally spring from that evil root of unbelief. 2G SERMON XLI. 2. The case is the same in other instances: Pride, anger, revenge, vanity, lust, covetousness, every one of them occasions thoughts suitable to its own nature. And so does every sinful temper of which the human mind is capable. The particulars it is hardly possible, nor is it needful, to enumerate : It suffices to observe, that as many evil tempers as find a place in any soul, so many ways that soul will depart from God, by the worst kind of wandering thoughts. 3. The occasions of the latter kind of wandering thoughts are exceeding various. Multitudes of them are occasioned by the natural union between the soul and body. How immediately and how deeply is the understanding affected by a diseased body ! Let but the blood move irregularly in the brain, and all regular thinking is at an end. Raging madness ensues ; and then farewell to all evenness of thought. Yea, let only the spirits be hurried or agitated to a certain degree, and a temporary madness, a delirium, prevents all settled thought. And is not the same irregularity of thought, in a measure, occasioned by every nervous disorder ? So does " the corruptible body press down the soul, and cause it to muse about many things." 4. But does it only cause this in the time of sickness or pre ternatural disorder ? Nay, but more or less, at all times, even in a state of perfect health. Let a man be ever so healthy, he will be more or less delirious every four- and- twenty hours. For does he not sleep ? And while he sleeps, is he not liable to dream ? And who then is master of his own thoughts, or able to preserve the order and consistency of them ? Who can then keep them fixed to any one point, or prevent their wander ing from pole to pole ? 5. But suppose we are awake, are we always so awake that we can steadily govern our thoughts ? Are we not unavoidably exposed to contrary extremes, by the very nature of this machine, the body ? Sometimes we are too heavy, too dull and languid, to pursue any chain of thought. Sometimes, on the other hand, we are too lively. The imagination, without leave, starts to and fro, and carries us away hither and thither, whether we will or no ; and all this from the merely natural motion of the spirits, or vibration of the nerves. 6. Farther: How many wanderings of thought may arise from those various associations of our ideas which are made entirely without our knowledge, and independently on out WANDERING THOUGHTS. 27 choice ? How these connexions are formed, we cannot tell ; but they are formed in a thousand different manners. Nor is it in the power of the wisest or holiest of men to break those associa tions, or prevent what is the necessary consequence of them, and matter of daily observation. Let the fire but touch one end of the train, and it immediately runs on to the other. 7- Once more : Let us fix our attention as studiously as we are able on any subject, yet let either pleasure or pain arise, especially if it be intense, and it will demand our immediate attention, and attach our thought to itself. It will interrupt the steadiest contemplation, and divert the mind from its favour ite subject. 8. These occasions of wandering thoughts lie within, are wrought into our very nature. But they will likewise naturally and necessarily arise from the various impulse of outward objects. Whatever strikes upon the organ of sense, the eye or ear, will raise a perception in the mind. And, accordingly, whatever we see or hear will break in upon our former train of thought. Every man, therefore, that does anything in our sight, or speaks anything in our hearing, occasions our mind to wander, more or less, from the point it was thinking of before. 9. And there is no question but those evil spirits who are continually seeking whom they may devour make use of all the foregoing occasions to hurry and distract our minds. Sometimes by one, sometimes by another, of these means, they will harass and perplex us, and, so far as God permits, interrupt our thoughts, particularly when they are engaged on the best sub jects. Nor is this at all strange : They well understand the very springs of thought ; and know on which of the bodily organs the imagination, the understanding, and every other faculty of the mind more immediately depends. And hereby they know how, by affecting those organs, to affect the operations dependent on them. Add to this, that they can inject a thousand thoughts, without any of the preceding means ; it being as natural for spirit to act upon spirit, as for matter to act upon matter. These things being considered, we cannot admire that our thought so often wanders from any point which we have in view. III. 1 . What kind of wandering thoughts are sinful, and what not, is the Third thing to be inquired into. And, First, all those thoughts which wander from God, which leave him no room in our poinds, are undoubtedly sinful. For all these imply 28 SERMON XLI. practical Atheism ; and by these we are without God in the world. And so much more are all those which are contrary to God, which imply opposition or enmity to him. Such are all murmuring, discontented thoughts, which say, in effect, " We >vill not have thee to rule over us ; " — all unbelieving thoughts, whether with regard to his being, his attributes, or his provi dence. I mean, his particular providence over all things, as well as all persons, in the universe ; that without which " not a sparrow falls to the ground," by which " the hairs of our head are all numbered ;" for as to a general providence, (vulgarly so called,) contradistinguished from a particular, it is only a decent, well-sounding word, which means just nothing. 2. Again : All thoughts which spring from sinful tempers, are undoubtedly sinful. Such, for instance, are those that spring from a revengeful temper, from pride, or lust, or vanity. "An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit:" Therefore if the tree be evil, so must the fruit be also. 3. And so must those be which either produce or feed any sinful temper; those which either give rise to pride or vanity, to anger or love of the world, or confirm and increase these or any other unholy temper, passion, or affection. For not only whatever flows from evil is evil; but also whatever leads to it; whatever tends to alienate the soul from God, and to make of keep it earthly, sensual, and devilish. 4. Hence, even those thoughts which are occasioned by weak ness or disease, by the natural mechanism of the body, of by the laws of vital union, however innocent they may be in themselves, do nevertheless become sinful, when they either produce or cherish and increase in us any sinful temper ; suppose the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. In like manner, the wandering thoughts which are occasioned by the words or actions of other men, if they cause or feed any wrong disposition, then commence sinful. And the same we may observe of those which are suggested or injected by the devil. When they minister to any earthly or devilish temper, (which they do, whenever we give place to them, and thereby make them our own,) then they are equally sinful with the tempers to which they minister. 5. But, abstracting from these cases, wandering thoughts, in tbe latter sense of the word, that is, thoughts wherein our under standing wanders from the point it has in view, are no more sin- WANDERING THOUGHTS. 29 ful than the motion of the blood in our veins, or of the spirits in our brain. If they arise from an infirm constitution, or from some accidental weakness or distemper, they are as innocent as it is to have a weak constitution or a distempered body. And surely no one doubts but a bad state of nerves, a fever of any kind, and either a transient or a lasting delirium, may consist with perfect innocence. And if they should arise in a soul which is united to a healthful body, either from the natural union between the body and soul, or from any of ten thousand changes which may occur in those organs of the body that minister to thought ; — in any of these cases they are as perfectly innocent as the causes from which they spring. And so they are when they spring from the casual, involuntary associations of our ideas. 6. If our thoughts wander from the point we had in view, by means of other men variously affecting our senses, they are equally innocent still : For it is no more a sin to understand what I see and hear, and in many cases cannot help seeing, hearing, and understanding, than it is to have eyes and ears. " But if the devil injects wandering thoughts, are not those thoughts evil ?" They are troublesome, and in that sense evil ; but they are not sinful. I do not know that he spoke to our Lord with an audible voice ; perhaps he spoke to his heart only when he said, "' All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." But whether he spoke inwardly or outwardly, our Lord doubtless understood what he said. Ho had therefore a thought correspondent to those words. But was it a sinful thought ? We know it was not. In him was no sin, either in action, or word, or thought. Nor is there any sin in a thousand thoughts of the same kind, which Satan may inject into any of our Lord's followers. 7- It follows that none of these wandering thoughts (what ever unwary persons have affirmed, thereby grieving whom the Lord had not grieved) are inconsistent with perfect love. Indeed, if they were, then not only sharp pain, but sleep itself, would be inconsistent with it : — Sharp pain ; for whenever this supervenes, whatever we were before thinking of, it will inter rupt our thinking, and of course draw our thoughts into another channel: — Yea, and sleep itself; as it is a state of insensibility and stupidity; and such as is generally mixed with thoughts wandering over the earth, loose, wild, and incoherent. Yet 30 SERMON XLI. certainly these are consistent with perfect love : So then are all wandering thoughts of this kind. IV. 1. From what has been observed, it is easy to give a clear answer to the last question, — What kind of wandering thoughts we may expect and pray to be delivered from. From the former sort of wandering thoughts, — those wherein the heart wanders from God ; from all that are contrary to his will, or that leave us without God in the world ; every one that is perfected in love is unquestionably delivered. This deliver ance, therefore, we may expect ; this we may, we ought to pray for. Wandering thoughts of this kind imply unbelief, if not enmity against God ; but both of these he will destroy, will bring utterly to an end. And indeed, from all sinful wandering thoughts we shall be absolutely delivered. All that are perfected in love are delivered from these ; else they were not saved from sin. Men and devils will tempt them all manner of ways ; but they cannot prevail over them. 2. With regard to the latter sort of wandering thoughts, the case is widely different. Till the cause is removed, we cannot in reason expect the effect should cease. But the causes or occasions of these will remain as long as we remain in the body. So long, therefore, we have all reason to believe the effects will remain also. 3. To be more particular : Suppose a soul, however holy, to dwell in a distempered body ; suppose the brain be so tho roughly disordered, as that raging madness follows ; will not all the thoughts be wild and unconnected as long as that disorder continues ? Suppose a fever occasions that temporary madness which we term a delirium ; can there be any just connexion of thought till that delirium is removed ? Yea, suppose what is called a nervous disorder to rise to so high a degree as to occa sion at least a partial madness ; will there not be a thousand wandering thoughts ? And must not these irregular thoughts continue as long as the disorder which occasions them ? 4. Will not the case be the same with regard to those thoughts that necessarily arise from violent pain ? They will more or less continue, while that pain continues, by the inviolable order of nature. This order, likewise, will obtain, where tne thoughts are disturbed, broken, or interrupted, by any defect of the apprehension, judgment, or imagination, flowing from the natural constitution of the body. And how many inter- WANDERINC THOUGHTS. 31 ruptions may spring from the unaccountable and involuntary association of our ideas ! Now, all these are directly or indirectly caused by the corruptible body pressing down the mind. Nor, therefore, can we expect them to be removed till " this corruptible shall put on incorruption." 5. And then only, when we lie down in the dust, shall we be delivered from those wandering thoughts which are occasioned by what we see and hear, among those by whom we are now surrounded. To avoid these, we must go out of the world : For as long as we remain therein, as long as there are men and women round about us, and we have eyes to see and ears to hear, the things which we daily see and hear will certainly affect our mind, and will more or less break in upon and interrupt our preceding thoughts. 6. And as long as evil spirits roam to and fro in a miserable, disordered world, so long they will assault (whether they can prevail or no) every inhabitant of flesh and blood. They will trouble even those whom they cannot destroy : They will attack, if they cannot conquer. And from these attacks of our restless, unwearied enemies, we must not look for an entire deliverance, till we are lodged " where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest." 7- To sum up the whole : To expect deliverance from those wandering thoughts which are occasioned by evil spirits is to expect that the devil should die or fall asleep, or, at least, should no more go about as a roaring lion. To expect deliverance from those which are occasioned by other men is to expect either that men should cease from the earth, or that we should be absolutely secluded from them, and have no intercourse with them ; or that having eyes we should not see, neither hear with our ears, but be as senseless as stocks or stones. And to pray for deliverance from those which are occasioned by the body is, in effect, to pray that we may leave the body : Otherwise it is praying for impossibilities and absurdities ; praying that God would reconcile contradictions, by continuing our union with a corruptible body without the natural, necessary consequences of that union. It is as if we should pray to be angels and men, mortal and immortal, at the same time. Nay ! — but when that which is immortal is come, mortality is done away. 8. Rather let us pray, both with the spirit and with the under standing, that all these things may work together for our good ; 32 SERMON XLII. that we may suffer all the infirmities of our nature, all the interruptions of men, all the assaults and suggestions of evil spirits, and in all be " more than conquerors." Let us pray, that we may be delivered from all sin ; that both root and branch may be destroyed ; that we may be " cleansed from all pollution of flesh and spirit," from every evil temper, and word, and work ; that we may " love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength;" that all the fruit of the Spirit may be found in us, — not only love, joy, peace, but also " long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance." Pray that all these things may flourish and abound, may increase in you more and more, till an abundant entrance be ministered unto you, into the everlast- ing kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ ! SERMON XLII. SATAN'S DEVICES. " We are not ignorant of his devices." 2 Corinthians ii. 1 1, 1. The devices whereby the subtle god of this world labours to destroy the children of God — or at least to torment whom he cannot destroy, to perplex and hinder them in running the race which is set before them — are numberless as the stars of heaven, or the sand upon the sea-shore. But it is of one of them only that I now propose to speak, (although exerted in various ways,) whereby he endeavours to divide the gospel against itself, and by one part of it to overthrow the other. " 2. The inward kingdom of heaven, which is set up in the hearts of all that repent and believe the gospel, is no other than " righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Every babe in Christ knows we are made partakers of these, the very hour that we believe in Jesus. But these are only the first- fruits of his Spirit ; the harvest is not yet. Although these blessings are inconceivably great, yet we trust to see greater SATAN S DEVICES. 33 than these. We trust to love the Lord our God, not only as we do now, with a weak, though sincere affection, but " with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength." We look for power to " rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and in every thing to give thanks;" knowing, " this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us." 3. We expect to be "made perfect in love;" in that which casts out all painful fear, and all desire but that of glorifying him we love, and of loving and serving him more and more. We look for such an increase in the experimental knowledge and love of God our Saviour, as will enable us always " to walk in the light as he is in the light." We believe the whole mind will be in us, " which was also in Christ Jesus ; " that we shall love every man so as to be ready to lay down our life for his sake ; so as, by this love, to be freed from anger, and pride, and from every unkind affection. We expect to be " cleansed from all our idols," " from all filthiness," whether "of flesh or spirit;'' to be "saved from all our uncleann esses," inward or outward ; to be purified " as He is pure." 4. We trust in his promise, who cannot lie, that the time will surely come, when, in every word and work, we shall do his blessed will on earth, as it is done in heaven ; when all our conversation shall be seasoned with salt, all meet to minister grace to the hearers ; when, whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, it shall be done to the glory of God ; when all our words and deeds shall be " in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God, even the Father, through him." 5. Now this is the grand device of Satan, to destroy the first work of God in the soul, or at least to hinder its increase, by our expectation of that greater work. It is therefore my present design, First, to point out the several ways whereby he endeavours this : And, Secondly, to observe how we may retort these fiery darts of the wicked one ; how we may rise the higher, }y what he intends for an occasion of our falling. I. I am, First, to point out the several ways whereby Satan endeavours to destroy the first work of God in the soul, ,>r at least to hinder its increase, by our expectation of that jreater work. And, 1. He endeavours to damp our joy in he Lord, by the consideration of our own vileness, sinfulness, D 2. 34 SERMON XLII. anworthiness ; added to this, that there must be a far greater change than is yet, or we cannot see the Lord. If we knew we must remain as we are, even to the day of our death, we might possibly draw a kind of comfort, poor as it was, from that necessity. But as we know we need not remain in this state, as we are assured there is a greater change to come, and that unless sin be all done away in this life, we cannot see God in glory, — that subtle adversary often damps the joy we should otherwise feel in what we have already attained, by a perverse representation of what we have not attained, and the absolute necessity of attaining it. So that we cannot rejoice in what we have, because there is more which we have not. We cannot rightly taste the goodness of God, who hath done so great things for us, because there are so much greater things which, as yet, he hath not done. Likewise, the deeper conviction God works in us of our present unholiness, and the more vehement desire we feel in our heart of the entire holiness he hath pro mised, the more are we tempted to think lightly of the present gifts of God, and to undervalue what we have already received, because of what we have not received. 2. If he can prevail thus far, if he can damp our joy, he will soon attack our peace also. He will suggest, " Are you fit to see God ? He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. How, then, can you flatter yourself, so as to imagine he beholds you with approbation ? God is holy : You are unholy. What communion hath light with darkness ? How is it possible that you, unclean as you are, should be in a state of acceptance with God ? You see indeed the mark, the prize of your high calling; but do you not see it is afar off? How can you presume then to think that all your sins are already blotted out ? How can this be, until you are brought nearer to God, until you bear more resemblance to him ?" Thus will he endeavour not only to shake your peace, but even to overturn the very foundation of it ; to bring you back, by insensible degrees, to the point from whence you set out first, even to seek for justification by works, or by your own righteousness, — to make something in you the ground of your acceptance, or, at least, necessarily previous to it. 3. Or, if we hold fast, " Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ ;" and, " I am jus tified freely by God's grace, through the redemption which is satan's devices. 35 in Jesus ;" yet he will not cease to urge, " But the tree is known by its fruits : And have you the fruits of justification 2 Is that mind in you which was in Christ Jesus? Are you dead unto sin, and alive unto righteousness ? Are you made conformable to the death of Christ, and do you know the power of his resurrection ?" And then, comparing the small fruits we feel in our souls with the fulness of the promises, we shall be ready to conclude, " Surely God hath not said that my sins are forgiven me ! Surely I have not received the remission of my sins; for what lot have I among them that are sanctified ?" 4. More especially in the time of sickness and pain, he will press this with all his might : " Is it not the word of Him that cannot lie, ' Without holiness no man shall see the Lord ?' But you are not holy ; you know it well ; you know holiness is the full image of God ; and how far is this above, out of your sight ? You cannot attain unto it. Therefore, all your labour has been in vain. All these things you have suffered in vain. You have spent your strength for nought. You are yet in your sins, and must therefore perish'at the last." And thus, if your eye be not steadily fixed on Him who hath borne all your sins, he will bring you again under that " fear of death," whereby you was so long " subject unto bondage," and, by this means, impair, if not wholly destroy, your peace, as well as joy in the Lord. 5. But his master-piece of subtilty is still behind. Not con tent to strike at your peace and joy, he will carry his attempts farther yet : He will level his assault against your .righteous ness also. He will endeavour to shake, yea, if it be possible, to destroy, the holiness you have already received, by your very expectation of receiving more, of attaining all the image of God. 6. The manner wherein he attempts this, may partly appear from what has been already observed. For, First, by striking at our joy in the Lord, he strikes likewise at our holiness: Seeing joy in the Holy Ghost is a precious means of promoting every holy temper; a choice instrument of God, whereby he carries on much of his work in a believing soul. And it is a ^considerable help, not only to inward, but also to outward, holiness. It strengthens our hands to go on in the work of faith, and in the labour of love ; manfully to " fight the good [[fight of faith, and to lay hold on eternal life." It is peculiarly ^signed of God to be a balance both against inward and out- D 2 36 SERMON XLII. ward sufferings ; to " lift up the hands that hang down, and confirm the feeble knees." Consequently, whatever damps our joy in the Lord, proportionably obstructs our holiness. And therefore, so far as Satan shakes our joy, he hinders our holiness also. 7- The same effect will ensue, if he can, by any means, either destroy or shake our peace. For the peace of God is another precious means of advancing the image of God in us. There is scarce a greater help to holiness than this, a continual tran quillity of spirit, the evenness of a mind stayed upon God, a calm repose in the blood of Jesus. And without this, it is scarce possible to "grow in grace," and in the vital "know ledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." For all fear (unless the ten der, filial fear) freezes and benumbs the soul. It binds up all the springs of spiritual life, and stops all motion of the heart toward God. And doubt, as it were, bemires the soul, so that it sticks fast in the deep clay. Therefore, in the same propor tion as either of these prevail, our growth in holiness is hindered, 8. At the same time that our wise adversary endeavours to make our conviction of the necessity of perfect love an occasion of shaking our peace by doubts and fears, he endeavours to weaken, if not destroy, our faith. Indeed these are inseparably connected, so that they must stand or fall together. So long as faith subsists, we remain in peace; our heart stands fast, while it believes in the Lord. But if we let go our faith, our filial confidence in a loving, pardoning God, our peace is at an end, the very foundation on which it stood being overthrown. And this is the only foundation of holiness, as well as of peace; consequently, whatever strikes at this, strikes at the very root of all holiness : For without this faith, without an abiding sense that Christ loved me, and gave himself for me, without a continuing conviction that God for Christ's sake is merciful to me a sinner, it is impossible that I should love God : " We love him, because he first loved us ; " and in proportion to the strength and clearness of our conviction that he hath loved us, and accepted us in his Son. And unless we love God, it is not possible that we should love our neighbour as ourselves; nor, consequently, that we should have any right affections, either toward God, or toward man. It evidently follows, that whatever weakens our faith, must, in the same degree, obstruct our holiness : And this is not only the most effectual, but also satan's devices. 37 the most compendious, way of destroying all holiness ; seeing it does not affect any one Christian temper, any single grace or fruit of the Spirit, but, so far as it succeeds, tears up the very root of the whole work of God. 9- No marvel, therefore, that the ruler of the darkness of this world should here put forth all his strength. And so we find by experience. For it is far easier to conceive, than it is to express, the unspeakable violence wherewith this temptation is frequently urged on them who hunger and thirst after righte ousness. When they see, in a strong and clear light, on the one hand, the desperate wickedness of their own hearts, — on the other hand, the unspotted holiness to which they are called in Christ Jesus ; on the one hand, the depth of their own corrup tion, of their total alienation from God, — on the other, the height of the glory of God, that image of the Holy One, wherein they are to be renewed ; there is, many times, no spirit left in them ; they could almost cry out, " With God this is impossible ! " They are ready to give up both faith and hope ; to cast away that very confidence, whereby they are to overcome all things, through Christ strengthening them ; whereby, " after they have done the will of God," they are to " receive the promise." 10. And if they " hold fast the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end," they shall undoubtedly receive, the promise of God, reaching through both time and eternity. But here is another snare laid for our feet : While we earnestly pant for that part of the promise which is to be accomplished here, " for the glorious liberty of the children of God," we may be led unawares from the consideration of the glory which shall hereafter be revealed. Our eye may be insensibly turned aside from that crown which the righteous Judge hath promised to give at that day " to all that love his appearing ;" and we may be drawn away from the view of that incorruptible inheritance which is reserved in heaven for us. But this also would be a loss to our souls, and an obstruction to our holiness. For to walk in the continual sight of our goal, is a needful help in our running the race that is set before us. This it was, the having ¦" respect unto the recompence of the reward," which, of old time, encouraged Moses, rather " to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the trea sures of Egypt." Nay, it is expressly said of a greater than he. 38 SERMON XLII. that, " for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, and despised the shame," till he " sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Whence we may easily infer, how much more needful for us is the view of that joy set before us, that we may endure whatever cross the wisdom of God lays upon us, and press on through holiness to glory. 11. But while we are reaching to this, as well as to that glorious liberty which is preparatory to it, we may be in danger of falling into another snare of the devil, wherein he labours to entangle the children of God. We may take too much thought for to-morrow, so as to neglect the improvement of to-day. We may so expect perfect love, as not to use that which is already shed abroad in our hearts. There have not been wanting instances of those who have greatly suffered hereby. They were so taken up with what they were to receive hereafter, as utterly to neglect what they had already received. In expecta tion of having five talents more, they buried their one talent in the earth. At least, they did not improve it as they might have done, to the glory of God, and the good of their own souls. 12. Thus does the subtle adversary of God and man endea vour to make void the counsel of God, by dividing the gospel against itself, and making one part of it overthrow the other; while the first work of God in the soul is destroyed by the expect ation of his perfect work. We have seen several of the ways wherein he attempts this, by cutting off, as it were, the springs of holiness. But this he likewise does more directly, by making that blessed hope an occasion of unholy tempers. 13. Thus, whenever our heart is eagerly athirst for all the great and precious promises ; when we pant after the fulness of God, as the hart after the water-brook ; when our soul breaketh out in fervent desire, " Why are his chariot-wheels so long a-coming?" — he will not neglect the opportunity of tempting us to murmur against God. He will use all his wisdom, and all his strength, if haply, in an unguarded hour, we may be influenced to repine at our Lord for thus delaying his coming. At least, he will labour to excite some degree of fretfulness or impatience; and, perhaps, of envy at those whom we believe to have already attained the prize of our high calling. He well knows, that, by giving way to any of these tempers, we are pulling down the very thing we would build up. By thus following after perfect holiness, we become more unholy than before. Yea, there is I Satan's devices. 39 great danger that our last state should be worse than the first ; like them of whom the Apostle speaks in those dreadful words, " It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them." 14. And from hence he hopes to reap another advantage, even to bring up an evil report of the good way. He is sensi ble, how few are able to distinguish (and too many are not willing so to do) between the accidental abuse, and the natural tendency, of a doctrine. These, therefore, will he continually blend together, with regard to the doctrine of Christian perfec tion ; in order to prejudice the minds of unwary men against the glorious promises of God. And how frequently, how generally, I had almost said how universally, has he prevailed herein .' For who is there that observes any of these accidental ill effects of this doctrine, and does not immediately conclude, this is its natural tendency ; and does not readily cry out, " See, these are the fruits (meaning the natural, necessary fruits) of such doctrine?" Not so: They are fruits which may accidentally spring from the abuse of a great and precious truth : But the abuse of this, or any other scriptural doctrine, does by no means destroy its use. Neither can the unfaithfulness of man, perverting his right way, make the promise of God of no effect. No : Let God be true, and every man a liar. The word of the Lord, it shall stand. " Faithful is he that hath promised : He also will do it." Let not us then be " removed from the hope of the Gospel." Rather let us observe, which was the Second thing proposed, How we may retort these fiery darts of the wicked one : How we may rise the higher by what he intends for an occasion of our falling. II. 1. And, First, Does Satan endeavour to damp your joy in the Lord, by the consideration of your sinfulness ; added to this, that without entire, universal holiness, no man can see the Lord ? You may cast back this dart upon his own head, while, through the grace of God, the more you feel of your own vile- ness, the more you rejoice in confident hope, that all this shall be done away. While you hold fast this hope, every evil tem per you feel, though you hate it with a perfect hatred, may be a means, not of lessening your humble joy, but rather of increasing it. " This and this," may you say, " shall likewise perish from the presence of the Lord. Like as the wax melteth 40 SERMON XLII. at the fire, so shall this melt away before his face." By this means, the greater that change is which remains to be wrought in your soul, the more may you triumph in the Lord, and rejoice in the God of your salvation, who hath done so great things for you already, and will do so much greater things than these. 2. Secondly : The more vehemently he assaults your peace with that suggestion, " God is holy ; you are unholy ; you are immensely distant from that holiness, without which you cannot see God : How then can you be in the favour of God ? How can you fancy you are justified?" — take the more earnest heed to hold fast that, " Not by works ofrighteousness which I have done, I am found in him ; I am accepted in the Beloved ; not having my own righteousness, (as the cause, either in whole or in part, of our justification before God,) but that which is by faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." 0 bind this about your neck : Write it upon the table of thy heart. Wear it as a bracelet upon thy arm, as frontlets between thine eyes : "lam 'justified freely by his grace, through the redemp tion that is in Jesus Christ.'" Value and esteem, more and more, that precious truth, " By grace we are saved through faith." Admire, more and more, the free grace of God, in so loving the world as to give " his only begotten Son, that who soever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life." So shall the sense of the sinfulness you feel, on the one hand, and of the holiness you expect, on the other, both contri bute to establish your peace, and to make it flow as a river. So shall that peace flow on with an even stream, in spite of all those mountains of ungodliness, which shall become a plain in the day when the Lord cometh to take full possession of your heart. Neither will sickness, or pain, or the approach of death occasion any doubt or fear. You know a day, an hour, a moment, with God, is as a thousand years. He cannot be straitened for time, wherein to work whatever remains to be done in your soul. And God's time is always the best time. Therefore be thou careful for nothing : Only make thy requests known unto Him, and that not with doubt or fear, but thanksgiving ; as being previously assured, He cannot withhold from thee any manner of thing that is good. 3. Thirdly : The more you are tempted to give up your shield, to cast away your faith, your confidence in his love, so much the more take heed that you hold fast that whereunto you satan's devices. 41 have attained; so much the more labour to stir up the gift of God which is in you. Never let that slip, " I have ' an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;' and, ' The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.'" Be this thy glory, and crown of rejoicing; and see that no one take thy crown. Hold that fast : " I know that my Redeemer liveth, and shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; " and, " I now ' have redemption in his blood, even the forgiveness of sins."1 Thus, being filled with all peace and joy in believing, press on, in the peace and joy of faith, to the renewal of thy whole soul in the image of Him that created thee ! Meanwhile, cry continually to God, that thou mayest see that prize of thy high calling, not as Satan represents it, in a horrid dreadful shape, but in its genuine native beauty ; not as something that must be, or thou wilt go to hell, but as what may be, to lead thee to heaven. Look upon it as the most desirable gift which is in all the stores of the rich mercies of God. Beholding it in this true point of light, thou wilt hunger after it more and more ; thy whole soul will be athirst for God, and for this glorious conformity to his likeness ; and, having received a good hope of this, and strong consolation through grace, thou wilt no more be weary or faint in thy mind, but wilt follow on till thou attainest. 4. In the same power of faith, press on to glory. Indeed, this is the same prospect still. God hath joined, from the beginning, pardon, holiness, heaven. And why should man put them asunder ? O beware of this ! Let not one link of the golden chain be broken. " God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven me. He is now renewing me in his own image. Shortly he will make me meet for himself, and take me to stand before his face. I, whom he hath justified through the blood of his Son, being throughly sanctified by his Spirit, shall quickly ascend to the 'New Jerusalem, the city of the living God.' Yet a little while, and I shall ' come to the general assembly and church of the first-born, and to God the Judge of all, and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant.' How soon will these shadows flee away, and the day of eternity dawn upon me ! How soon shall I drink of ' the river of the water of life, going out of the throne of God and of the Lamb ! There all his servants shall praise him, and shall see his face, and his name shall be upon their foreheads. And no night shall be there ; and they have 42 SERMON XLII. no need of a candle, or the light of the sun. For the Lord God enlighteneth them, and they shall reign for ever and ever.' " 5. And if you thus "taste of the good word, and of the powers of the world to come," you will not murmur against. God, because you are not yet " meet for the inheritance of the saints in light." Instead of repining at your not being wholly delivered, you will praise God for thus far delivering you. You will magnify God for what he hath done, and take it as an ear nest of what he will do. You will not fret against him, because you are not yet renewed, but bless him because you shall be ; and because " now is your salvation" from all sin " nearer than when you " first " believed." Instead of uselessly tormenting yourself because the time is not fully come, you will calmly and quietly wait for it, knowing that it " will come, and will not tarry."' You may, therefore, the more cheerfully endure, as yet, the burden of sin that still remains in you, because it will not always remain. Yet a little while, and it shall be clean gone. Only "tarry thou the Lord's leisure:" Be strong, and "he shall comfort thy heart ; " and put thou thy trust in the Lord ! 6. And if you see any who appear (so far as man can judge, but God alone searcheth the hearts) to be already partakers of their hope, already " made perfect in love ; " far from envying the grace of God in them, let it rejoice and comfort your heart. Glorify God for their sake ! " If one member is honoured," shall not " all the members rejoice with it ?" Instead of jealousy or evil surmising concerning them, praise God for the consolation! Rejoice in having a fresh proof of the faithfulness of God in fulfilling all his promises ; and stir yourself up the more, to " apprehend that for which you also are apprehended of Christ Jesus!" . 7- In order to this, redeem the time. Improve the present moment. Buy up every opportunity of growing in grace, or of doing good. Let not the thought of receiving more grace to-morrow, make you negligent of to-day. You have one talent now : If you expect five more, so much the rather improve that you have. And the more you expect to receive hereafter, the more labour for God now. Sufficient for the day is the grape thereof. God is now pouring his benefits upon you: Now approve yourself a faithful steward of the present grace of God. Whatever may be to-morrow, give all diligence to-day, to "add to your faith courage, temperance, patience, brotherly-kindness," THE SCRIPTURE WAY OP SALVATION. 43 and the fear of God, till you attain that pure and perfect love ! Let these things be now " in you and abound ! " Be not now slothful or unfruitful : " So shall an entrance be ministered unto you into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ ! " 8. Lastly : If in time past you have abused this blessed hope of being holy as he is holy, yet do not therefore cast it away. Let the abuse cease, the use remain. Use it now to the more abundant glory of God, and profit of your own soul. In stead fast faith, in calm tranquillity of spirit, in full assurance of hope, rejoicing evermore for what God hath done, press ye on unto perfection ! Daily growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and going on from strength to strength, in resignation, in patience, in humble thankfulness for what ye have attained, and for what ye shall, run the race set before you, " looking unto Jesus," till, through perfect love, ye enter into his glory ! SERMON XLIII. THE SCRIPTURE WAV OF SALVATION. " Ye are saved through faith!" Ephesians ii. 8. 1. Nothing can be more intricate, complex, and hard to be understood than religion, as it has been often described. And this is not only true concerning the religion of the Heathens, even many of the wisest of them, but concerning the religion of those also who were, in some sense, Christians ; yea, and men of great name in the Christian world ; men who seemed to be pillars thereof. Yet how easy to be understood, how plain and simple a thing is the genuine religion of Jesus Christ ; provided only that we take it in its native form, just as it is described in the oracles of God ! It is exactly suited, by the wise Creator and Governor of the world, to the weak understanding and narrow capacity of man in his present state. How observable is this, both with regard to the end it proposes, and the means to attain that end ! The end is, in one word, salvation ; the means to attain it, faith. 44 SERMON XLIII. 2. It is easily discerned, that these two little words, I mean faith and salvation, include the substance of all the Bible, the marrow, as it were, of the whole Scripture. So much the more should we take all possible care to avoid all mistake concerning them, and to form a true and accurate judgment concerning both the one and the other. 3. Let us then seriously inquire, I. What is salvation ? II. What is that faith whereby we are saved ? And, III. How we are saved by it ? I. 1. And, First, let us inquire, What is salvation? The salvation which is here spoken of is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness. It is not the soul's going to paradise, termed by our Lord, " Abraham's bosom." It is not a blessing which lies on the other side death ; or, as we usually speak, in the other world. The very words of the text itself put this beyond all question: " Ye are saved."" It is not something at a distance : It is a present thing ; a blessing which, through the free mercy of God, ye are now in possession of. Nay, the words may be rendered, and that with equal propriety, "Ye have been saved :" So that the salvation which is here spoken of might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul, till it is consummated in glory. 2. If we take this in its utmost extent, it will include all that is wrought in the soul by what is frequently termed natural conscience, but more properly, preventing grace ; — all the draw ings of the Father ; the desires after God, which, if we yield to them, increase more and more ; — all that light wherewith the Son of God "enlighteneth every one that cometh into the world ;" showing every man " to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with his God ; " — all the convictions which his Spirit, from time to time, works in every child of man ; although, it is true, the generality of men stifle them as soon as possible, and after a while forget, or at least deny, that they ever had them at all. 3. But we are at present concerned only with that salvation which the Apostle is directly speaking of. And this consists of two general parts, justification and sanctification. Justification is another word for pardon. It is the forgiveness of all our sins ; and, what is necessarily implied therein, our THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION. 45 acceptance with God. The price whereby this hath been pro cured for us, (commonly termed the meritorious cause of our justification,) is the blood and righteousness of Christ ; or, to express it a little more clearly, all that Christ hath done and suffered for us, till he " poured out his soul for the transgressors." The immediate effects of justification are, the peace of God, a " peace that passeth all understanding," and a " rejoicing in hope of the glory of God" " with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 4. And at the same time that we are justified, yea, in that very moment, sanctification begins. In that instant we are born again, born from above, born of the Spirit : There is a real as well as a relative change. We are inwardly renewed by the power of God. We feel " the love of God shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us;" producing love to all mankind, and more especially to the children of God ; expelling the love of the world, the love of pleasure, of ease, of honour, of money, together with pride, anger, self-will, and every other evil temper ; in a word, changing the earthly, sen sual, devilish mind, into " the mind which was in Christ Jesus." 5. How naturally do those who experience such a change imagine that all sin is gone ; that it is utterly rooted out of their heart, and has no more any place therein ! How easily do they draw that inference, " I feel no sin ; therefore, I have none : It does not stir ; therefore, it does not exist : It has no motion; therefore, it has no being!" 6. But it is seldom long before they are undeceived, finding sin was only suspended, not destroyed. Temptations return, and sin revives ; showing it was but stunned before, not dead. They now feel two principles in themselves, plainly contrary to each other ; " the flesh lusting against the Spirit ;" nature opposing the grace of God. They cannot deny, that, although they still feel power to believe in Christ, and to love God ; and although his " Spirit" still " witnesses with their spirits, that they are children of God ;" yet they feel in themselves some times pride or self-will, sometimes anger or unbelief. They find one or more of these frequently stirring in their heart, though not conquering ; yea, perhaps, " thrusting sore at them that they may fall ;" but the Lord is their help. 7- How exactly did Macarius, fourteen hundred years ago, describe the present experience of the children of God ! " The 46 SERMON XLILI, unskilful," or unexperienced, " when grace operates, presently imagine they have no more sin. Whereas they that have dis cretion cannot deny, that even we who have the grace of God may be molested again. — For we have often had instances of some among the brethren, who have experienced such grace as to affirm that they had no sin in them ; and yet, after all, when they thought themselves entirely freed from it, the corruption that lurked within was stirred up anew, and they were well-nigh burned up." 8. From the time of our being born again, the gradual work of sanctification takes place. We are enabled " by the Spirit" to " mortify the deeds of the body," of our evil nature ; and as we are more and more dead to sin, we are more and more alive to God. We go on from grace to grace, while we are careful to *' abstain from all appearance of evil," and are " zealous of good; works," as we have opportunity, doing good to all men ; while we walk in all His ordinances blameless, therein worshipping Him in spirit and in truth ; while we take up our cross, and deny ourselves every pleasure that does not lead us to God. 9. It is thus that we wait for entire sanctification ; for a full salvation from all our sins, — from pride, self-will, anger, unbelief; or, as the Apostle expresses it, "go on unto perfection." But what is perfection ? The word has various senses : Here it means perfect love. It is love excluding sin ; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul. It is love " rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, in every thing giving thanks." II. But what is that faith through which we are saved? This is the Second point to be considered, 1. Faith, in general, is defined by the Apostle, urpayj^xTm eXey^o; ou pxiwopsvcav An evidence, a divine evidence dnd conviction (the word means both) of things not seen; not visible, not perceivable either by sight, or by any other of the external senses. It implies both a supernatural evidence of God, and of the things of God ; a kind of spiritual light exhibited to the soul, and a supernatural sight or perception thereof. Accordingly, the Scripture speaks of God's giving sometimes light, sometimes a power of discerning it. So St. Paul : " God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, bath shined in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'' And else? THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION. 47 There the same Apostle speaks of " the eyes of" our " under standing being opened." By this two-fold operation of the Holy Spirit, having the eyes of our soul both opened and enlight ened, we see the things which the natural " eye hath not seen, neither the ear heard." We have a prospect of the invisible things of God ; we see the spiritual world, which is all round about us, and yet no more discerned by our natural faculties than if it had no being : And we see the eternal world ; piercing through the veil which hangs between time and eternity. Clouds and darkness then rest upon it no more, but we already see tbe glory which shall be revealed. 2. Taking the word in a more particular sense, faith is a divine evidence and conviction, not only that " God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself," but also that Christ loved me, and gave himself for me. It is by this faith (whether we term it the essence, or rather a property thereof) that we receive Christ; that we receive him in all his offices, as our Prophet, Priest, and King. It is by this that he is " made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 3- " But is this the faith of assurance, or faith of adher ence?"''' The Scripture mentions no such distinction. The Apostle says, " There is one faith, and one hope of our call ing ;" one Christian, saving faith ; " as there is one Lord," in whom we believe, and " one God and Father of us all." And it is certain, this faith necessarily implies an assurance (which is here only another word for evidence, it being hard to tell the difference between them) that Christ loved me, and gave him self for me. For " he that believeth" with the true living faith, ¦" hath the witness in himself:" " The Spirit witnesseth with his spirit, that he is a child of God." " Because he is a son, God •hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into his heart, crying, Abba, Father ; " giving him an assurance that he is so, and a childlike confidence in him. But let it be observed, that, in the very nature of the thing, the assurance goes before the confidence. For a man cannot have a childlike confidence in God till he knows he is a child of God. Therefore confidence, trust, reli ance, adherence, or whatever else it be called, is not the first, as some have supposed, but the second branch or act of faith. 4. It is by this faith we are saved, justified and sanctified ; taking that word in its highest sense. But how are we justified 48 SERMON XLIII. and sanctified by faith ? This is our Third head of inquiry. And this being the main point in question, and a point of no ordinary importance, it will not be improper to give it a more distinct and particular consideration. III. 1. And, First, how are we justified by faith ? In what sense is this to be understood ? I answer, Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of justification. It is the condition: None is justified but he that believes : Without faith no man is justified. And it is the only condition : This alone is sufficient for justification. Every one that believes is justified, whatever else he has or has not. In other words : No man is justified till he believes ; every man, when he believes, is justified. 2. " But does not God command us to repent also ? Yea, and to 'bring forth fruits meet for repentance?' — to cease, for instance, from doing evil ; and learn to do well ? And is not both the one and the other of the utmost necessity, insomuch that if we willingly neglect either, we cannot reasonably expect to be justified at all ? But if this be so, how can it be said that faith is the only condition of justification ?" God does undoubtedly command us both to repent, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance ; which if we willingly neglect, we cannot reasonably expect to be justified at all: Therefore both repentance, and fruits meet for repentance, are, in some sense, necessary to justification. But they are not necessary in the same sense with faith, nor in the same degree. Not in the same degree ; for those fruits are only necessary conditionally ; if there be time and opportunity for them. Otherwise a man may be justified without them, as was the thief upon the cross ; (if we may call him so ; for a late writer has discovered that he was no thief, but a very honest and respectable person !) but he cannot be justified without faith; this is impossible. Likewise, let a man have ever so much repentance, or ever so many of the fruits meet for repentance, yet all this does not at all avail ; he is not justified till he believes. But the moment he believes, with or without those fruits, yea, with more or less repentance, he is justified. — Not in the same sense ; for repentance and its fruits are only remotely neces sary ; necessary in order to faith ; whereas faith is immediately and directly necessary to justification. It remains, that faith is the only condition, which is immediately and proximately neces sary to justification. THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION. 49 3. "But do you believe we are sanctified by faith? We know you believe that we are justified by faith ; but do not you believe, and accordingly teach, that we are sanctified by our works?" So it has been roundly and vehemently affirmed for these five-and-twenty years : But I have constantly declared just the contrary ; and that in all manner of ways. I have continually testified in private and in public, that we are sancti fied as well as justified by faith. And indeed the one of those great truths does exceedingly illustrate the other. Exactly as we are justified by faith, so are we sanctified by faith. Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of sanctification, exactly as it is of justification. It is the condition: None is sanctified but he that believes ; without faith no man is sanctified. And it is the only condition : This alone is sufficient for sanctifica tion. Every one that believes is sanctified, whatever else he has or has not. In other words, no man is sanctified till he believes : Every man when he believes is sanctified. 4. " But is there not a repentance consequent upon, as well as a repentance previous to, justification ? And is it not incum bent on all that are justified to be ' zealous of good works?1 Yea, are not these so necessary, that if a man willingly neglect them he cannot reasonably expect that he shall ever be sanctified in the full sense ; that is, perfected in love ? Nay, can he grow at all in grace, in the loving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ? Yea, can he retain the grace which God has already given him ? Can he continue in the faith which he has received, or in the favour of God ? Do not you yourself allow all this, and continually assert it ? But, if this be so, how can it be said that faith is the only condition of sanctification ?" 5. I do allow all this, and continually maintain it as the truth of God. I allow there is a repentance consequent upon, as well as a repentance previous to, justification. It is incumbent on all that are justified to be zealous of good works. And these are so necessary, that if a man willingly neglect them, he cannot reasonably expect that he shall ever be sanctified ; he cannot grow in grace, in the image of God, the mind which was in Christ Jesus ; nay, he cannot retain the grace he has received ; he cannot continue in faith, or in the favour of God. What is the inference we must draw herefrom ? Why, that both repentance, rightly understood, and the practice of all good works, — works of piety, as well as works of mercy, (now properly E 2. 50 SERMON XLII1. so called, since they spring from faith,) are, in some sense, neces- sary to sanctification. 6. I say, repentance rightly understood ; for this must not be confounded with the former repentance. The repentance consequent upon justification is widely different from that which is antecedent to it. This implies no guilt, no sense of condemn ation, no consciousness of the wrath of God. It does not sup pose any doubt of the favour of God, or any "fear that hath torment." It is properly a conviction, wrought by the Holy Ghost, of the sin which still remains in our heart ; of the tppovrifj-a a-upxoc, the carnal mind, which " does still remain* (as our Church speaks,) "even in them that are regenerate;" although it does no longer reign ; it has not now dominion over them. It is a conviction of our proneness to evil, of an heart bent to backsliding, of the still continuing tendency of the flesh to lust against the spirit. Sometimes, unless we continually watch and pray, it lusteth to pride, sometimes to anger, sometimes to love of the world, love of ease, love of honour, or love of plea sure more than of God. It is a conviction of the tendency of our heart to self-will, to Atheism, or idolatry ; and, above all, to unbelief, whereby, in a thousand ways, and under a thousand pretences, we are ever departing, more or less, from the living God. 7- With this conviction of the sin remaining in our hearts, there is joined a clear conviction of the sin remaining in our lives ; still cleaving to all our words and actions. In the best of these we now discern a mixture of evil, either in the spirit, the matter, or the manner of them ; something that could not endure the righteous judgment of God, were he extreme to mark what is done amiss. Where we least suspected it, we find a taint of pride, or self-will, of unbelief, or idolatry ; so that we are now more ashamed of our best duties than formerly of our worst sins : And hence we cannot but feel that these are so far from having any thing meritorious in them, yea, so far from being able to stand in sight of the divine justice, that for those also we should be guilty before God, were it not for the blood of the covenant. 8. Experience shows that, together with this conviction of sin remaining in our hearts, and cleaving to all our words and actions ; as well as the guilt which on account thereof we should incur, were we not continually sprinkled with the atoning THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION. 51 blood ; one thing more is implied in this repentance ; namely, a conviction of our helplessness, of our utter inability to think one good thought, or to form one good desire ; and much more to speak one word aright, or to perform one good action, but through his free almighty grace, first preventing us, and then accompanying us every moment. 9. " But what good works are those, the practice of which you affirm to be necessary to sanctification ?" First, all works of piety ; such as public prayer, family prayer, and praying in our closet ; receiving the supper of the Lord ; searching the Scriptures, by hearing, reading, meditating ; and using such a measure of fasting or abstinence as our bodily health allows. 10. Secondly, all works of mercy ; whether they relate to the bodies or souls of men ; such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, entertaining the stranger, visiting those that are in prison, or sick, or variously afflicted ; such as the endeavouring to instruct the ignorant, to awaken the stupid sinner, to quicken the lukewarm, to confirm the wavering, to comfort the feeble minded, to succour the tempted, or contribute in any manner to the saving of souls from death. This is the repentance, and these the " fruits meet for repentance," which are necessary to full sanctification. This is the way wherein God hath appointed his children to wait for complete salvation. 11. Hence may appear the extreme mischievousness of that seemingly innocent opinion, that there is no sin in a believer ; that all sin is destroyed, root and branch, the moment a man is justified. By totally preventing that repentance, it quite blocks up the way to sanctification. There is no place for repentance in him who believes there is no sin either in his life or heart : Consequently, there is no place for his being perfected in love, to which that repentance is indispensably necessary. 12. Hence it may likewise appear, that there is no possible danger in thus expecting full salvation. For suppose we were mistaken, suppose no such blessing ever was or can be attained, yet we lose nothing : Nay, that very expectation quickens us in using all the talents which God has given us ; yea, in improving them all ; so that when our Lord cometh, he will receive his own with increase. 13. But to return. Though it be allowed, that both this repentance and its fruits are necessary to full salvation; yet they are not necessary either in the same sense with faith, or in E 2 52 SKlUtON XLIIt. the same degree: — Not in theisanie degree; for the.scJruits.arc only necessary conditionally r\{ there be time and opportunity for them ; otherwise a man may be sanctified without, them. But he cannot be sanctified without faith. Likewise, let a man have ever so much of this repentance, or ever so many good- works, yet all this does not at all avail: He is not sanctified till he believes. But the moment he believes^ with or without those fruits, yea, with more or less of this repentance, he is sanctified. — Not in the same sense ; for this repentance and these fruits are only remotely necessary, — necessary in order to the con tinuance of his faith, as well as the increase of it; whereas faith is immediately and directly necessary to sanctification. It remains, that faith is the only condition which is immediately and proximately necessary to sanctification. 14. "But what is that faith whereby we are sanctified;— saved from sin, and perfected in love ?" It is a divine evidence and conviction, First, that God hath promised it in the Holy Scripture. Till we are thoroughly satisfied of this, there is no moving one step further. And one would imagine there needed not one word more to satisfy a reasonable man of this, than the ancient promise, " Then will I circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." How clearly does this express the being perfected in love ! — how strongly imply the being saved from all sin ! For as long as love take; up the whole heart, what room is there for sin therein? 15. It is a divine evidence and conviction, Secondly, that what God hath promised he is able to perform. Admitting, therefore, that "with men it is impossible " to " bring a clean thing out of an unclean," to purify the heart from all sin, and to fill it with all holiness ; yet this creates no difficulty in the case, seeing " with God all things are possible." And surely no one ever imagined it was possible to any power less than that of the Almighty ! But if God speaks, it shall be done. God saith, " Let there be light ; and there" is " light !" 16. It is, Thirdly, a divine evidence and conviction that he is able and willing to do it now. And why not ? Is not » moment to him the same as a thousand years ? He cannot want more time to accomplish whatever is his will. And he cannot want or stay for any more worthiness or fitness in the ^ he is pleased to honour. We may therefore boldly say, at THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION. 53 point of time, " Now is the day of salvation ! " " To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts!" "Behold, all things are now ready ; come unto the marriage !" 17- To this confidence, that God is both able and willing te sanctify us now, there needs to be added one thing more, — a divine evidence and conviction that he doeth it1. In that hour it is done : God says to the inmost soul, " According to thy faith be it unto thee !" Then the soul is pure from every spot of sin ; it is clean " from all unrighteousness." The believer then experiences the deep meaning of those solemn words, " If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans eth us from all sin." 18. " But does God work this great work in the soul gradu ally or instantaneously ?" Perhaps it may be gradually wrought in some ; I mean in this sense, they do not advert to the par ticular moment wherein sin ceases to be. But it is infinitely desirable, were it the will of God, that it should be done instan taneously ; that the Lord should destroy sin " by the breath of his mouth," in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And so he generally does ; a plain fact, of which there is evidence enough to satisfy any unprejudiced person. Thou therefore look for it every moment ! Look for it in the way above described ; in all those good works whereunto thou art " created anew in Christ Jesus." There is then no danger: You can be no worse, if you are no better, for that expectation. For were you to be disappointed of your hope, still you lose nothing. But you shall not be disappointed of your hope : It will come, and will not tarry. Look for it then every day, every hour, every moment ! Why not this hour, this moment ? Certainly you may look for it now, if you believe it is by faith. And by this token you may surely know whether you seek it by faith or by works. If by works, you want something to be done first, before you are sanctified. You think, I must first be or do thus or thus. Then you are seeking it by works unto this day. If you seek it by faith, you may expect it as you are; and if as you are, then expect it now. It is of importance to observe, that there is an inseparable connexion between these three points, — expect it by faith, expect it as you are, and expect it now ! To deny one of them, is to deny them all ; to allow one, is to allow them all. Do you believe we are sanctified 54 SERMON XLIV. by faith ? Be true then to your principle ; and look for this blessing just as you are, neither better nor worse ; as a poor sinner that has still nothing to pay, nothing to plead, but " Christ died." And if you look for it as you are, then expect it now. Stay for nothing : Why should you ? Christ is ready ; and He is all you want. He is waiting for you : He is at the door ! Let your inmost soul cry out, Come in, come in, thou heavenly Guest ! Nor hence again remove ; But sup with me, and let the feast Be everlasting love. SERMON XLIV. ORIGINAL SIN. " And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."''' Genesis vi. 5. 1. How widely different is this from the fair pictures of human nature which men have drawn in all ages ! The writings of many of the ancients abound with gay descriptions of the dignity of man ; whom some of them paint as having all virtue and happiness in his composition, or, at least, entirely in his power, without being beholden to any other being ; yea, as self-sufficient, able to live on his own stock, and little inferior *o God himself. 2. Nor have Heathens alone, men who are guided in their researches by little more than the dim light of reason, but many likewise of them that bear the name of Christ, and to whom are entrusted the oracles of God, spoken as magnificently con< cerning the nature of man, as if it were all innocence and perfec tion. Accounts of this kind have particularly abounded in the present century ; and perhaps in no part of the world more than in our own country. Here not a few persons of stron/r u"fc ORIGINAL SIN. 55 standing, as well as extensive learning, have employed their utmost abilities to show, what they termed, " the fair side of human nature." And it must be acknowledged, that, if their accounts of him be just, man is still but " a little lower than the angels ; " or, as the words may be more literally rendered, " a little less than God." 3. Is it any wonder, that these accounts are very readily received by the generality of men ? For who is not easily persuaded to think favourably of himself? Accordingly, writers cf this kind are most universally read, admired, applauded. And innumerable are the converts they have made, not only in the gay, but the learned world. So that it is now quite unfashionable to talk otherwise, to say any thing to the dis paragement of human nature; which is generally allowed, notwithstanding a few infirmities, to be very innocent, and wise, and virtuous ! 4. But, in the mean time, what must we do with our Bibles ? — for they will never agree with this. These accounts, however pleasing to flesh and blood, are utterly irreconcilable with the scriptural. The Scripture avers, that " by one man's disobe dience all men were constituted sinners;" that "in Adam all died," spiritually died, lost the life and the image of God ; that fallen, sinful Adam then " begat a son in his own like ness ;" — nor was it possible he should beget him in any other ; for " who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ?" — that consequently we, as well as other men, were by nature " dead in trespasses and sins," " without hope, without God in the world," and therefore " children of wrath ; " that every man may say, " I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin did my mother conceive me;" that " there is no difference," in that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," of that glorious image of God wherein man was originally created. And hence, when " the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, he saw they were all gone out of the way ; they were altogether become abominable, there was none righteous, no, not one," none that truly sought after God : Just agreeable this, to what is declared by the Holy Ghost in the words above recited, " God saw," when he looked down from heaven before, " that tbe wickedness of man was great in the earth ;" so great, that " every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." 50 SERMON XLIV. This is God's account of man : From which I shall take occasion, First, to show what men were before the flood: Secondly, to inquire, whether they are not the same now : And, Thirdly, to add some inferences. I. 1. I am, First, by opening the words of the text, to show what men were before the flood. And we may fully depend on the account here given : For God saw it, and he cannot be deceived. He "saw that the wickedness of man was great:" — Not of this or that man ; not of a few men only ; not barely of the greater part, but of man in general ; of men universally. The word includes the whole human race, every partaker of human nature. And it is not easy for us to compute their numbers, to tell how many thousands and millions they were. The earth then retained much of its primeval beauty and original fruitfulness. The face of the globe was not rent and torn as it is now ; and spring and summer went hand in hand. It is therefore probable, it afforded sustenance for far more inhabitants than it is now capable of sustaining; and these must be immensely multiplied, while men begat sons and daugh ters for seven or eight hundred years together. Yet, among all this inconceivable number, only " Noah found favour with God." He alone (perhaps including part of his household) was an exception from the universal wickedness, which, by the just judgment of God, in a short time after brought on universal destruction. All the rest were partakers in the same guilt, as they were in the same punishment. 2. " God saw all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart ; " — of his soul, his inward man, the spirit within him, the principle of all his inward and outward motions. He " saw all the imaginations:" — It is not possible to find a word of a more extensive signification. It includes whatever is formed, made, fabricated within ; all that is or passes in the soul ; every inclination, affection, passion, appetite ; every temper, design, thought. It must of consequence include every word and action, as naturally flowing from these fountains, and being either good or evil according to the fountain from which they severally flow. 3. Now God saw that all this, the whole thereof, was evil; — contrary to moral rectitude ; contrary to the nature of God, which necessarily includes all good ; contrary to the divine will, the eternal standard of good and evil ; contrary to the pure, ORIGINAL SIN. 57 holy image of God, wherein man was originally created, and wherein he stood when God, surveying the works of his hands, saw them all to be very good ; contrary to justice, mercy, and truth, and to the essential relations which each man bore to his Creator and his fellow-creatures. 4. But was there not good mingled with the evil? Was there not light intermixed with the darkness ? No ; none at all : " God saw that the whole imagination of the heart of man was only evil." It cannot indeed be denied, but many of them, perhaps all, had good motions put into their hearts; for the Spirit of God did then also " strive with man," if haply he might repent, more especially during that gracious reprieve, the hundred and twenty years, while the ark was preparing. But still " in his flesh dwelt no good thing ; " all his nature was purely evil : It was wholly consistent with itself, and unmixed with anything of an opposite nature. 5. However, it may still be matter of inquiry, " Was there no intermission of this evil ? Were there no lucid intervals, wherein something good might be found in the heart of man?" We are not here to consider, what the grace of God might occasionally work in his soul ; and, abstracted from this, we have no reason to believe, there was any intermission of that evil. For God, who " saw the whole imagination of the thoughts of his heart to be only evil," saw likewise, that it was always the same, that it "was only evil continually;"" every year, every day, every hour, every moment. He never deviated into good. II. Such is the authentic account of the whole race of man kind which He who knoweth what is in man, who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins, hath left upon record for our instruction. Such were all men before God brought the flood upon the earth. We are, Secondly, to inquire, whether they are the same now. 1. And this is certain, the Scripture gives us no reason to think any otherwise of them. On the contrary, all the above- cited passages of Scripture refer to those who lived after the flood. It was above a thousand years after, that God declared by David concerning the children of men, " They are all gone out of the way " of truth and holiness ; " there is none righteous, no, not one." And to this bear all the Prophets witness, in their several generations. So Isaiah, concerning God's peculiar 58 SERMON XLIV. people, (and certainly the Heathens were in no better condition,) " The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness ; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores." The same account is given by all the Apostles, yea, by the whole tenor of the oracles of God. From all these we learn, concerning man in his natural state, unassisted by the grace of God, that " every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is " still " evil, only evil," and that " continually." 2. And this account of the present state of man is confirmed by daily experience. It is true, the natural man discerns it not : And this is not to be wondered at. So long as a man born blind continues so, he is scarce sensible of his want: Much less, could we suppose a place where all were born without sight, would they be sensible of the want of it. In like manner, so long as men remain in their natural blindness of understanding, they are not sensible of their spiritual wants, and of this in particular. But as soon as God opens the eyes of their understanding, they see the state they were in before; they are then deeply convinced, that " every man living," them selves especially, are, by nature, " altogether vanity ; " that is, folly and ignorance, sin and wickedness. 3. We see, when God opens our eyes, that we were before aSeoi ev to) koo-^ui — without God, or, rather, Atheists, in the world. We had, by nature, no knowledge of God, no acquaintance with him. It is true, as soon as we came to the use of reason, we learned " the invisible things of God, even his eternal power and Godhead, from the things that are made." From the things that are seen we inferred the existence of an eternal, powerful Being, that is not seen. But still, although we acknowledged his being, we had no acquaintance with him. As we know there is an Emperor of China, whom yet we do not know ; so we knew there was a King of all the earth, yet we knew him not. Indeed we could not by any of our natural faculties By none of these could we attain the knowledge of God. We could no more perceive him by our natural understanding, than we could see him with our eyes. For " no one knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal him. And no one knoweth the Son but the Father, and he to whom the Father revealeth him." 4. We read of an ancient king, who, being desirous to know ORIGINAL SIN. 59 what was the natural language of men, in order to bring the matter to a certain issue, made the following experiment : He ordered two infants, as soon as they were born, to be conveyed to a place prepared for them, where they were brought up without any instruction at all, and without everbearing a human voice. And what was the event ? Why, that when they were at length brought out of their confinement, they spake no language at all ; they uttered only inarticulate sounds, like those of other animals. Were two infants in like manner to be brought up from the womb without being instructed in any religion, there is little room to doubt but (unless the grace of God interposed) the event would be just the same. They would have no religion at all : They would have no more knowledge of God than the beasts of the field, than the wild ass's colt. Such is natural religion, abstracted from traditional, and from the influences of God's Spirit ! 5. And having no knowledge, we can have no love of God : We cannot love him we know not. Most men talk indeed of loving God, and perhaps imagine they do ; at least, few will acknowledge they do not love him : But the fact is too plain to be denied. No man loves God by nature, any more than he does a stone, or the earth he treads upon. What we love we delight in : But no man has naturally any delight in God. In our natural state we cannot conceive how any one should delight in him. We take no pleasure in him at all ; he is utterly tasteless to us. To love God ! it is far above, out of our sight. We cannot, naturally, attain unto it. 6. We have by nature, not only no love, but no fear of God. It is allowed, indeed, that most men have, sooner or later, a kind of senseless, irrational fear, properly called superstition ; though the blundering Epicureans gave it the name of religion. Yet even this is not natural, but acquired ; chiefly by conversa tion or from example. By nature " God is not in all our thoughts:" We leave him to manage his own affairs, to sit quietly, as we imagine, in heaven, and leave us on earth to manage ours ; so that we have no more of the fear of God before our eyes, than of the love of God in our hearts. 7. Thus are all men " Atheists in the world." But Atheism itself does not screen us from idolatry. In his natural state, every mar born into the world is a rank idolater. Perhaps, indeed, we may not be such in the vulgar sense of the word. 60 SERMON XLIV. We do not, like the idolatrous Heathens, worship molten or graven images. We do not bow down to the stock of a tree, to the work of our own hands. We do not pray to the angels or saints in heaven, any more than to the saints that are upon the earth. But what then ? We have set up our idols in our hearts; and to these we bow down and worship them: We worship ourselves, when we pay that honour to ourselves which is due to God only. Therefore all pride is idolatry; it is ascribing to ourselves what is due to God alone. And although pride was not made for man, yet where is the man that is born without it ? But hereby we rob God of his unalienable right, and idolatrously usurp his glory. 8. But pride is not the only sort of idolatry which we are all by nature guilty of. Satan has stamped his own image on our heart in self-will also. " I will," said he, before he was cast out of heaven, " I will sit upon the sides of the north;" I will do my own will and pleasure, independently on that of my Creator. The same does every man born into the world say, and that in a thousand instances ; nay, and avow it too, without ever blushing upon the account, without either fear or shame. Ask the man, " Why did you do this ?" He answers, " Because I had a mind to it." What is this but, " Because it was my will;" that is, in effect, because the devil and I are agreed; because Satan and I govern our actions by one and the same principle. The will of God, mean time, is not in his thoughts, is not considered in the least degree ; although it be the supreme rule of every intelligent creature, whether in heaven or earth, resulting from the essential, unalterable relation which all creatures bear to their Creator. 9. So far we bear the image of the devil, and tread in his steps. But at the next step we leave Satan behind; we run into an idolatry whereof he is not guilty : I mean love of the world ; which is now as natural to every man, as to love his own will. What is more natural to us than to seek happiness in the creature, instead of the Creator ? — to seek that satisfaction in the works of his hands, which can be found in God only? What more natural than " the desire of the flesh ? " that is, of the pleasure of sense in every kind? Men indeed talk magnificently of despising these low pleasures, particularly men of learning and education. They affect to sit loose to the gratification of those appetites wherein they stand on a level ORIGINAL SIN. 61 with the beasts that perish. But it is mere affectation ; for every man is conscious to himself, that in this respect he is, by nature, a very beast. Sensual appetites, even those of the lowest kind, have, more or less, the dominion over him. They lead him captive ; they drag him to and fro, in spite of his boasted reason. The man, with all his good breeding, and other accomplishments, has no pre-eminence over the goat : Nay, it is much to be doubted, whether the beast has not the pre-eminence over him. Certainly he has, if we may hearken to one of their modern oracles, who very decently tells us, Once in a season beasts too taste of love ; Only the beast of reason is its slave, And in that folly drudges all the year. A considerable difference indeed, it must be allowed, there is between man and man, arising (beside that wrought by pre venting grace) from difference of constitution and of education. But, notwithstanding this, who, that is not utterly ignorant of himself, can here cast the first stone at another ? Who can abide the test of our blessed Lord's comment on the Seventh Commandment : " He that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart?" So that one knows not which to wonder at most, the ignorance or the insolence of those men who speak with such disdain of them that are overcome by desires which every man has felt in his own breast ; the desire of every pleasure of sense, innocent or not, being natural to every child of man. 10. And so is " the desire of the eye ; " the desire of the pleasures of the imagination. These arise either from great, or beautiful, or uncommon objects ; — if the two former do not coincide with the latter ; for perhaps it would appear, upon a diligent inquiry, that neither grand nor beautiful objects please any longer than they are new ; that when the novelty of them is over, the greatest part, at least, of the pleasure they give is over ; and in the same proportion as they become familiar, they become flat and insipid. But let us experience this ever so often, the same desire will remain still. The inbred thirst continues fixed in the soul; nay, the more it is indulged, the more it increases, and incites us to follow after another, and yet another. object ; although we leave every one with an abortive hope, and a deluded expectation. Yea, 62 SERMON XLIV. The hoary fool, who many days Has struggled with continued sorrow, Renews his hope, and fondly lays The desperate bet upon to-morrow ! To-morrow comes ! 'Tis noon ! 'Tis night ! This day, like all the former, flies : Yet on he goes, to seek delight To-morrow, till to-night he dies ! 11. A third symptom of this fatal disease, the love of the world, which is so deeply rooted in our nature, is " the pride of life ; " the desire of praise, of the honour that cometh of men. This the greatest admirers of human nature allow to be strictly natural ; as natural as the sight, or hearing, or any other of the external senses. And are they ashamed of it, even men of letters, men of refined and improved understanding ? So far from it that they glory therein ! They applaud themselves for their love of applause ! Yea, eminent Christians, so called, make no difficulty of adopting the saying of the old, vain Heathen, Animi dissolati est et nequam negligere quid de se homines sentiant: "Not to regard what men think of us is the mark of a wicked and abandoned mind." So that to go calm and unmoved through honour and dishonour, through evil report and good report, is with them a sign of one that is, indeed, not fit to live : " Away with such a fellow from the earth ! " But would one imagine that these men had ever heard of Jesus Christ or his Apostles ; or that they knew who it was that said, " How can ye believe who receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour which cometh of God only?" But if this be really so, if it be impossible to believe, and consequently to please God, so long as we receive or seek honour one of another, and seek not the honour which cometh of God only ; then in what a condition are all mankind ! the Christians as well as Heathens ! since they all seek honour one of another ! since it is as natural for them so to do, them selves being the judges, as it is to see the light which strikes upon their eye, or to hear the sound which enters their ear; yea, since they account it a sign of a virtuous mind, to seek the praise, of- men, and of a vicious one, to be content with the honour that cometh of God only ! III. 1. I proceed to draw a few inferences from what has been said. And, First, from hence we may learn one grand ORlGINAt StN. 63 fundamental difference between Christianity, considered as a system of doctrines, and the most refined Heathenism. Many of the ancient Heathens have largely described the vices of par ticular men. They have spoken much against their covetousness, or cruelty ; their luxury, or prodigality. Some have dared to say that "no man is born without vices of one kind or another." But still as none of them were apprized of the fall of man, so none of them knew of his total corruption. They knew not that all men were empty of all good, and filled with all manner of evil. They were wholly ignorant of the entire depravation of the whole human nature, of every man born into the world, in every faculty of his soul, not so much by those particular vices which reign in particular persons, as by the general flood of Atheism and idolatry, of pride, self-will, and love of the world. This, therefore, is the first grand distinguishing point between Heathenism and Christianity. The one acknowledges that many men are infected with many vices, and even born with a proneness to them ; but supposes withal, that in some the natural good much over-balances the evil: The other declares that all men are " conceived in sin," and " shapen in wickedness;" — that hence there is in every man a "carnal mind, which is enmity against God, which is not, cannot be, subject to" his "law;" and which so infects the whole soul, that " there dwelleth in" him, " in his flesh," in his natural state, " no good thing ; " but " every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is evil," only evil, and that " continually." 2. Hence we may, Secondly, learn, that all who deny this, call it original sin, or by any other title, are but Heathens still, in the fundamental point which differences Heathenism from Christianity. They may, indeed, allow, that men have many vices ; that some are born with us ; and that, consequently, we are not born altogether so wise or so virtuous as we should be ; there being few that will roundly affirm, " We are born with as much propensity to good as to evil, and that every man is, by nature, as virtuous and wise as Adam was at his creation." But here is the shibboleth : Is man by nature filled with all manner of evil ? Is he void of all good ? Is he wholly fallen ? Is his soul totally corrupted ? Or, to come back to the text, is " every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually ?" Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an Heathen still. IS 64 SERMON XLIV. 3. We may learn from hence, in the Third place, what is the proper nature of religion, of the religion of Jesus Christ. It tiepa%<=ia. iiuyr,;, God's method of healing a soul which is thus diseased. Hereby the great Physician of souls applies medicines to heal this sickness ; to restore human nature, totally corrupted in all its faculties. God heals all our Atheism by the knowledge of Himself, and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent ; by giving us faith, a divine evidence and conviction of God, and of the things of God, — in particular, of this important truth, " Christ loved me, and gave himself for me."" By repentance and lowli ness of heart, the deadly disease of pride is healed ; that of self- will by resignation, a meek and thankful submission to the will of God ; and for the love of the world in all its branches, the love of God is the sovereign remedy. Now, this is properly religion, "faith" thus "working by love;'' working the genuine meek humility, entire deadness to the world, with a loving, thankful acquiescence in, and conformity to, the whole will and word of God. 4. Indeed, if man were not thus fallen, there would be no need of all this. There would be no occasion for this work in the heart, this renewal in the spirit of our mind. The super fluity of godliness would then be a more proper expression than the " superfluity of naughtiness." For an outside religion, with out any godliness at all, would suffice to all rational intents and purposes. It does, accordingly, suffice, in the judgment of those who deny this corruption of our nature. They make very little more of religion than the famous Mr. Hobbes did of reason. According to him, reason is only " a well-ordered train of words :" According to them, religion is only a well-ordered train of words and actions. And they speak consistently with themselves ; for if the inside be not full of wickedness, if this be clean already, what remains, but to " cleanse the outside of the cup ?" Outward reformation, if their supposition be just, is indeed the one thing needful. 5. But ye have not so learned the oracles of God. Ye know, that He who seeth what is in man gives a far different account both of nature and grace, of our fall and our recovery. Ye know that the great end of religion is, to renew our hearts in the image of God, to repair that total loss of righteousness and true holiness which we sustained by the sin of our first parent. Yc kno "Mat all religion which does not answer this end, all THE NEW BIRTH. 65 that stops short of this, the renewal of our soul in the image cf God, after the likeness of Him that created it, is no other than a poor farce, and a mere mockery of God, to the destruction of our own soul. O beware of all those teachers of lies, who would palm this upon you for Christianity ! Regard them not, although they should come unto you with all the deceivableness of unrigh teousness; with all smoothness of language, all decency, yea, beauty and elegance of expression, all professions of earnest good will to you, and reveTence for the Holy Scriptures. Keep to the plain, old faith, " once delivered to the saints," and delivered by the Spirit of God to our hearts. Know your disease ! Know your cure ! Ye were born in sin : Therefore, " ye must be born again," born of God. By nature ye are wholly corrupted : By grace ye shall be wholly renewed. In Adam ye all died : In the second Adam, in Christ, ye all are made alive. " You that were dead in sins hath he quickened:" He hath already given you a principle of life, even faith in him who loved you and gave himself for you ! Now, " go on from faith to faith," until your whole sickness be healed ; and all that " mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus ! " SERMON XLV. THE NEW BIRTH. " Ye must be born again!" John iii. 7- 1. If any doctrines within the whole compass of Christianity may be properly termed fundamental, they are doubtless these two, — the doctrine of justification, and that of the new birth : The former relating to that great work which God does for us, in forgiving our sins ; the latter, to the great work which God does in us, in renewing our fallen nature. In order of time, neither of these is before the other; in the moment we are jus tified by the grace of God, through the redemption that is in Jesus, we are also " born of the Spirit ;" but in order of think- F 2. 66 SERMON XLV. ing, as it is termed, justification precedes the new birth. We first conceive his wrath to be turned away, and then his Spirit to work in our hearts. 2. How great importance then must it be of, to every child of man, throughly to understand these fundamental doctrines ! From a full conviction of this, many excellent men have wrote very largely concerning justification, explaining every point relating thereto, and opening the Scriptures which treat upon it. Many likewise have wrote on the new birth : And some of them largely enough ; but yet not so clearly as might have been desired, nor so deeply and accurately ; having either given a dark, abstruse account of it, or a slight and superficial one. Therefore a full, and at the same time a clear, account of the new birth, seems to be wanting still ; such as may enable us to give a satisfactory answer to these three questions : First, Why must we be born again ? What is the foundation of this doctrine of the new birth ? Secondly, How must we be born again ? What is the nature of the new birth ? And, Thirdly, Wherefore must we be born again ? To what end is it necessary ? These questions, by the assistance of God, I shall briefly and plainly answer ; and then subjoin a few inferences which will naturally follow. I. 1. And, First, Why must we be born again ? What is the foundation of this doctrine ? The foundation of it lies near as deep as the creation of the world ; in the scriptural account whereof we read, "And God," the three-one God, "said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him:" (Gen. i. 26, 27 :) — Not barely in his natural image, a picture of his own immortality ; a spiritual being, endued with under standing, freedom of will, and various affections ; — nor merely in his political image, the governor of this lower world, having " dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over all the earth;" — but chiefly in his moral image; which, according to the Apostle, is " righteousness and true holiness." (Eph. iv. 24.) In this image of God was man made. " God is love :" Accord ingly, man at his creation was full of love ; which was the sole principle of all his tempers, thoughts, words, and actions. God is full of justice, mercy, and truth ; so was man as he came from the hands of his Creator. God is spotless purity ; and so man was in the beginning pure from every sinful blot ; otherwise God THE HEW BIRTH. 6? could not have pronounced him, as well as all the other work of his hands, " very good." (Gen. i. 31.) This he could not have been, had he not been pure from sin, and filled with righteousness and true holiness. For there is no medium : If we suppose an intelligent creature not to love God, not to be righteous and holy, we necessarily suppose him not to be good at all ; much less to be " very good." 2. But, although man was made in the image of God, yet he was not made immutable. This would have been inconsistent with that state of trial in which God was pleased to place him. He was therefore created able to stand, and yet liable to fall. And this God himself apprized him of, and gave him a solemn warning against it. Nevertheless, man did not abide in honour : He fell from his high estate. He " ate of the tree whereof the Lord had commanded him, Thou shalt not eat thereof." By this wilful act of disobedience to his Creator, this flat rebellion against his Sovereign, he openly declared that he would no longer have God to rule over him ; that he would be governed by his own will, and not the will of Him that created him ; and that he would not seek his happiness in God, but in the world, in the works of his hands. Now, God had told him before, " In the day that thou eatest" of that fruit, " thou shalt surely die." And the word of the Lord cannot be broken. Accordingly, in that day he did die : He died to God, — the most dreadful of all deaths. He lost the life of God : He was separated from Him, in union with whom his spiritual life consisted. The body dies when it is separated from the soul ; the soul, when it is separated from God. But this separation from God, Adam sustained in the day, the hour, he ate of the forbidden fruit. And of this he gave immediate proof; presently showing by his behaviour, that the love of God was extinguished in his soul, which was now " alienated from the life of God." Instead of this, he was now under the power of servile fear, so that he fled from the presence of the Lord. Yea, so little did he retain even of the knowledge of Him who filleth heaven and earth, that he endeavoured to " hide himself from the Lord God among the trees of the garden : " (Gen. iii. 8 :) So had he lost both the knowledge and the love of God, without which the image of God could not subsist. Of this, therefore, he was deprived at the same time, and became unholy as well as unhappy. In the room of this, he had sunk into pride and self-will, the very image F 2 68 SERMON XLV. of the devil ; and into sensual appetites and desires, the image of the beasts that perish. 3. If it be said, " Nay, but that threatening, < In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die,1 refers to tempo ral death, and that alone, to the death of the body only ;" the answer is plain : To affirm this is flatly and palpably to make God a liar ; to aver that the God of truth positively affirmed a thing contrary to truth. For it is evident, Adam did not die in this sense, " in the day that he ate thereof." He lived, in the sense opposite to this death, above nine hundred years after. So that this cannot possibly be understood of the death of the body, without impeaching the veracity of God. It must there fore be understood of spiritual death, the loss of the life and image of God. 4. And in Adam all died, all human kind, all the children of men who were then in Adam's loins. The natural consequence of this is, that every one descended from him comes into the world spiritually dead, dead to God, wholly dead in sin ; entirely void of the life of God ; void of the image of God, of all that righteousness and holiness wherein Adam was created. Instead of this, every man born into the world now bears the image of the devil in pride and self-will ; the image of the beast, in sen sual appetites and desires. This, then, is the foundation of the new birth, — the entire corruption of our nature. Hence it is, that, being born in sin, we must be " born again." Hence every one that is born of a woman must be born of the Spirit of God. II. 1. But how must a man be born again? What is the nature of the new birth ? This is the Second question. And a question it is of the highest moment that can be conceived. We ought not, therefore, in so weighty a concern, to be content with a slight inquiry ; but to examine it with all possible care, . and to ponder it in our hearts, till we fully understand this important point, and clearly see how we are to be born again. 2. Not that we are to expect any minute, philosophical account of the manner how this is done. Our Lord sufficiently guards us against any such expectation, by the words immedi ately following the text ; wherein he reminds Nicodemus of as indisputable a fact as any in the whole compass of nature, which, notwithstanding, the wisest man under the sun is not able fully to explain. " The wind bloweth where it listeth,"— not by thy power or wisdom ; " and thou hearest the sound THE NEW BIRTH. 69 thereof;" — thou art absolutely assured, beyond all doubt, that it doth blow ; " but thou canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth ; " — the precise manner how it begins and ends, rises and falls, no man can tell. " So is every one that is born of the Spirit :" — Thou mayest be as absolutely assured of the fact, as of the blowing of the wind ; but the precise manner how it is done, how the Holy Spirit works this in the soul, neither thou nor the wisest of the children of men is able to explain. 3. However, it suffices for every rational and Christian pur pose, that, without descending into curious, critical inquiries, we can give a plain scriptural account of the nature of the new birth. This will satisfy every reasonable man, who desires only the salvation of his soul. The expression, " being born again," was not first used by our Lord in his conversation with Nicode mus : It was well known before that time, and was in common use among the Jews when our Saviour appeared among them. When an adult Heathen was convinced that the Jewish religion was of God, and desired to join therein, it was the custom to baptize him first, before he was admitted to circumcision. And when he was baptized, he was said to be born again ; by which they meant, that he who was before a child of the devil was now adopted into the family of God, and accounted one of his children. This expression, therefore, which Nicodemus, being " a Teacher in Israel," ought to have understood well, our Lord uses in conversing with him ; only in a stronger sense than he was accustomed to. And this might be the reason of his asking, " How can these things be ?" They cannot be literally : — A man cannot "enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born : " — But they may spiritually : A man may be born from above, born of God, born of the Spirit, in a manner which bears a very near analogy to the natural birth. 4. Before a child is born into the world he has eyes, but sees not ; he has ears, but does not hear. He has a very imperfect use of any other sense. He has no knowledge of any of the things of the world, or any natural understanding. To that manner of existence which he then has, we do not even give the name of life. It is then only when a man is born, that we say he begins to live. For as soon as he is born, he begins to see the light, and the various objects with which he is encompassed. His ears are then opened, and he hears the sounds which suc cessively strike upon them. At the same time, all the other •JO SERMON XLV. organs of sense begin to be exercised upon their proper objects. He likewise breathes, and lives in a manner wholly different from what he did before. How exactly doth the parallel hold in all these instances ! While a man is in a mere natural state, before he is born of God, he has, in a spiritual sense, eyes and sees not; a thick impenetrable veil lies upon them; he has ears, but hears not ; he is utterly deaf to what he is most of all concerned to hear. His other spiritual senses are all locked up : He is in the same condition as if he had them not. Hence he has no knowledge of God ; no intercourse with him ; he is not at all acquainted with him. He has no true knowledge of the things of God, either of spiritual or eternal things ; therefore, though he is a living man, he is a dead Christian. But as soon as he is born of God, there is a total change in all these particu lars. The "eyes of his understanding are opened;" (such is the language of the great Apostle ;) and, He who of old " com manded light to shine out of darkness shining on his heart, he sees the light of the glory of God," his glorious love, " in the face of Jesus Christ." His ears being opened, he is now capable of hearing the inward voice of God, saying, " Be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee;" "go and sin no more." This is the purport of what God speaks to his heart ; although perhaps not in these very words. He is now ready to hear whatsoever " He that teacheth man knowledge " is pleased, from time to time, to reveal to him. He " feels in his heart," to use the language of our Church, " the mighty working of the Spirit of God ; " not in a gross, carnal sense, as the men of the world stupidly and wilfully misunderstand the expression ; though they have been told again and again, we mean thereby neither more nor less than this : He feels, is inwardly sensible of, the graces which the Spirit of God works in his heart. He feels, he is conscious of, a " peace which passeth all understanding." He many times feels such a joy in God as is " unspeakable, and full of glory." He feels " the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto him ;" and al ius spiritual senses are then exercised to discern spiritual good and evil. By the use of these, he is daily increasing in the knowledge of God, of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, and of all the things pertaining to his inward kingdom. And now he may be properly said to live : God having quickened him by his Spirit, he is alive to God through Jesus Christ. He lives a THE NEW BIRTH. 71 life which the world knoweth not of, a " life which is hid with Christ in God." God is continually breathing, as it were, upon the soul; and his soul is breathing unto God. Grace is descending into his heart ; and prayer and praise ascending to heaven : And by this intercourse between God and man, this fellowship with the Father and the Son, as by a kind of spiritual respiration, the life of God in the soul is sustained ; and the child of God grows up, till he comes to the "full measure of the stature of Christ." 5. From hence it manifestly appears, what is the nature of the new birth. It is that great change which God works in the soul when he brings it into life ; when he raises it from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. It is the change wrought in the whole soul by the almighty Spirit of God when it is " created anew in Christ Jesus ;" when it is " renewed after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness;" when the love of the world is changed into the love of God ; pride into humility ; passion into meekness ; hatred, envy, malice, into a sincere, tender, disinterested love for all mankind. In a word, it is that change whereby the earthly, sensual, devilish mind is turned into the "mind which was in Christ Jesus." This is the nature of the new birth : " So is every one that is born of the Spirit." III. 1. It is not difficult for any who has considered these things, to see the necessity of the new birth, and to answer the Third question, Wherefore, to what end, is it necessary that we should be born again ? It is very easily discerned, that this is necessary, First, in order to holiness. For what is holiness according to the oracles of God? Not a bare external religion, a round of outward duties, how many soever they be, and how exactly soever performed. No : Gospel holiness is no less than the image of God stamped upon the heart ; it is no other than the whole mind which was in Christ Jesus; it consists of all heavenly affections and tempers mingled together in one. It implies such a continual, thankful love to Him who hath not withheld from us his Son, his only Son, as makes it natural, and in a manner necessary to us, to love every child of man ; as fills us " with bowels of mercies, kindness, gentleness, long- suffering:" It is such a love of God as teaches us to be blame less in all manner of conversation ; as enables us to present our souls and bodies, all we are and all we have, all our thoughts, 72 SERMON XLV. words, and actions, a continual sacrifice to God, acceptable through Christ Jesus. Now, this holiness can have no existence till we are renewed in the image of our mind. It cannot commence in the soul till that change be wrought; till, by the power of the Highest overshadowing us, we are "brought from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God;" that is, till we are born again ; which, therefore, is absolutely necessary in order to holiness. 2. But " without holiness no man shall see the Lord," shall see the face of God in glory. Of consequence, the new birth is absolutely necessary in order to eternal salvation. Men may indeed flatter themselves (so desperately wicked and so deceit ful is the heart of man !) that they may live in their sins till they come to the last gasp, and yet afterwards live with God ; and thousands do really believe, that they have found a broad way which leadeth not to destruction. " What danger," say they, "can a woman be in that is so harmless and so virtuous? What fear is there that so honest a man, one of so strict morality, should miss of heaven ; especially if, over and above all this, they constantly attend on church and sacrament?" One of these will ask with all assurance, " What .' shall not I do as well as my neighbours ?" Yes, as well as your unholy neigh bours ; as well as your neighbours that die in their sins ! For you will all drop into the pit together, into the nethermost hell ! You will all lie together in the lake of fire ; " the lake of fire burning with brimstone." Then, at length, you will see (but God grant you may see it before !) the necessity of holiness in order to glory ; and, consequently, of the new birth, since none can be holy, except he be born again. 3. For the same reason, except he be born again, none can be happy even in this world. For it is not possible, in the nature of things, that a man should be happy who is not holy. Even the poor, ungodly poet could tell us, Nemo malus felix: " No wicked man is happy." The reason is plain : All unholy tempers are uneasy tempers : Not only malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, revenge, create a present hell in the breast ; but even the softer passions, if not kept within due bounds, give a thou sand times more pain than pleasure. Even " hope," when " deferred," (and how often must this be the case !) " maketh the heart sick ;" and every desire which is not according to the will of God is liable to "pierce" us "through with many sor- THE NEW BIRTH. 7^ rows :" And all those general sources of sin — pride, self-will, and idolatry — are, in the same proportion as they prevail, general sources of misery. Therefore, as long as these reign in any soul, happiness has no place there. But they must reign till the bent of our nature is changed, that is, till we are born again ; consequently, the new birth is absolutely necessary in order to happiness in this world, as well as in the world to come. IV. I proposed in the Last place to subjoin a few inferences, which naturally follow from the preceding observations. 1. And, First, it follows, that baptism is not the new birth : They are not one and the same thing. Many indeed seem to imagine that they are just the same; at least, they speak as if they thought so ; but I do not know that this opinion is publicly avowed by any denomination of Christians whatever. Certainly it is not by any within these kingdoms, whether of the estab lished Church, or dissenting from it. The judgment of the lat ter is clearly declared in their large Catechism : * — Q. " What are the parts of a sacrament ? A. The parts of a sacrament are two : The one an outward and sensible sign ; the other, an inward and spiritual grace, thereby signified. — Q. What is bap tism ? A. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water, to be a sign and seal of regeneration by his Spirit." Here it is manifest, baptism, the sign, is spoken of as distinct from regeneration, the thing signified. In the Church Catechism likewise, the judgment of our Church is declared with the utmost clearness : " What meanest thou by this word, sacrament? A. I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. Q. What is the outward part or form in baptism ? A. Water, wherein the person is baptized, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Q. What is the inward part, or thing signified ? A. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness." Nothing, therefore, is plainer, than that, according to the Church of England, baptism is not the new birth. But indeed the reason of the thing is so clear and evident, as not to need any other authority. For what can be more plain, than that the one is an external, the other an internal, work; that the one is a visible, the other an invisible thing, and therefore wholly different from each other ? — the one being * Q. 163, 165. 71 SERMON XLV an act of man, purifying the body ; the other a change wrought by God in the soul : So that the former is just as distinguishable from the latter, as the soul from the body, or water from the Holy Ghost. 2. From the preceding reflections we may, Secondly, observe, that as the new birth is not the same thing with baptism, so it does not always accompany baptism : They do not constantly go together. A man may possibly be " born of water," and yet not be " born of the Spirit." There may sometimes be the outward sign, where there is not the inward grace. I do not now speak with regard to infants : It is certain our Church supposes that all who are baptized in their infancy are at the same time born again ; and it is allowed that the whole Office for the Baptism of Infants proceeds upon this supposition. Nor is it an objection of any weight against this, that we cannot compre hend how this work can be wrought in infants. For neither can we comprehend how it is wrought in a person of riper years. But whatever be the case with infants, it is sure all of riper years who are baptized are not at the same time born again. " The tree is known by its fruits :" And hereby it appears too plain to be denied, that divers of those who were children of the devil before they were baptized continue the same after baptism; "for the works of their father they do:" They continue servants of sin, without any pretence either to inward or outward holiness. 3. A Third inference which we may draw from what has been observed, is, that the new birth is not the same with sanctifica tion. This is indeed taken for granted by many ; particularly by an eminent writer, in his late treatise on " The Nature and Grounds of Christian Regeneration." To wave several other weighty objections which might be made to that tract, this is a palpable one : It all along speaks of regeneration as a progres sive work, carried on in the soul by slow degrees, from the time of our first turning to God. This is undeniably true of sancti fication ; but of regeneration, the new birth, it is not true. This is a part of sanctification, not the whole ; it is the gate to it, the entrance into it. When we are born again, then our sanctification, our inward and outward holiness, begins; and thenceforward we are gradually to " grow up in Him who is our Head." This expression of the Apostle admirably illustrates the difference between one and the other, and farther points THE NEW BIRTH. 'Jo out the exact analogy there is between natural and spiritual things. A child is born of a woman in a moment, or at least in a very short time : Afterward he gradually and slowly grows, till he attains to the stature of a man. In like manner, a child is born of God in a short time, if not in a moment. But it is by slow degrees that he afterward grows up to the measure of the full stature of Christ. The same relation, therefore, which there is between our natural birth and our growth, there is also between our new birth and our sanctification. 4. One point more we may learn from the preceding observa tions. But it is a point of so great importance, as may excuse the considering it the more carefully, and prosecuting it at some length. What must one who loves the souls of men, and is grieved that any of them should perish, say to one whom he sees living in sabbath-breaking, drunkenness, or any other wilful sin ? What can he say, if the foregoing observations are true, but, " You must be born again ?" " No," says a zealous man, " that cannot be. How can you talk so uncharitably to the man ? Has he not been baptized already ? He cannot be born again now." Can he not be born again ? Do you affirm this ? Then he cannot be saved. Though he be as old as Nicodemus was, yet " except he be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Therefore in saying, " He cannot be born again," you in effect deliver him over to damnation. And where lies the uncharitableness now ? — on my side, or on yours ? I say, he may be born again, and so become an heir of salvation. You say, " He cannot be born again :" And if so, he must inevitably perish ! So you utterly block up his way to salvation, and send him to hell, out of mere charity ! But perhaps the sinner himself, to whom in real charity we say, " You must be born again," has been taught to say, " I defy your new doctrine ; I need not be born again : I was born again when I was baptized. What ! would you have me deny my baptism ?" I answer, First, There is nothing under heaven which can excuse a lie ; otherwise I should say to an open sinner, If you have been baptized, do not own it. For how highly does this aggravate your guilt ! How will it increase your damnation ! Was you devoted to God at eight days old, and have you been all these years devoting yourself to the devil ? Was you, even before you had the use of reason, consecrated to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Qhost ? 76 SERMON XLV. And have you, ever since you had the use of it, been flying in the face of God, and consecrating yourself to Satan ? Does the abomination of desolation — the love of the world, pride, anger, lust, foohsh desire, and a whole train of vile affections — stand where it ought not ? Have you set up all these accursed things in that soul which was once a temple of the Holy Ghost ; set apart for an "habitation of God, through the Spirit;" yea, solemnly given up to him ? And do you glory in this, that you once belonged to God ? O be ashamed ! blush ! hide your self in the earth ! Never boast more of what ought to fill you with confusion, to make you ashamed before God and man ! I answer, Secondly, You have already denied your baptism ; and that in the most effectual manner. You have denied it a thousand and a thousand times ; and you do so still, day by day. For in your baptism you renounced the devil and all his works. Whenever, therefore, you give place to him again, whenever you do any of the works of the devil, then you deny your baptism. Therefore you deny it by every wilful sin ; by every act of uncleanness, drunkenness, or revenge ; by every obscene or profane word ; by every oath that comes out of your mouth. Every time you profane the day of the Lord, you thereby deny your baptism ; yea, every time you do any thing to another which you would not he should do to you. I answer, Thirdly, Be you baptized or unbaptized, "you must be born again ; " otherwise it is not possible you should be inwardly holy ; and without inward as well as outward holiness, you cannot be happy, even in this world, much less in the world to come. Do you say, " Nay, but I do no harm to any man ; I am honest and just in all my dealings ; I do not curse, or take the Lord's name in vain ; I do not profane the Lord's day ; I am no drunkard ; I do not slander my neighbour, nor live in any wilful sin ?" If this be so, it were much to be wished that all men went as far as you do. But you must go farther yet, or you cannot be saved : Still, " you must be born again." Do you add, " I do go farther yet ; for I not only do no harm, but do all the good I can ?" I doubt that fact ; I fear you have had a thousand opportunities of doing good which you have suffered to pass by unimproved, and for which therefore you are accountable to God. But if you had improved them all, if you really had done all the good you possibly could to all men, yet this does not at all alter the case ; still, " you must THE WILDERNESS STATE. 77 be born again." Without this nothing will do any good to your poor, sinful, polluted soul. " Nay, but I constantly attend all the ordinances of God : I keep to my church and sacrament." It is well you do : But all this will not keep you from hell, except you be born again. Go to church twice a day ; go to the Lord's table every week ; say ever so many prayers in private ; hear ever so many good sermons ; read ever so many good books ; still, " you must be born again : " None of these things will stand in the place of the new birth ; no, nor any thing under heaven. Let this therefore, if you have not already experienced this inward work of God, be your continual prayer : " Lord, add this to all thy blessings, — let me be born again ! Deny whatever thou pleasest, but deny not this; let me be ' born from above ! ' Take away whatsoever seemeth thee good, — reputation, fortune, friends, health, — only give me this, to be born of the Spirit, to be received among the children of God! Let me be born, 'not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever;' and then let me daily 'grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ! ' " SERMON XLVI. THE WILDERNESS STATE. " Ye now have sorrow : But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you!" John xvi. 22. 1. After God had wrought a great deliverance for Israel, by bringing them out of the house of bondage, they did not immediately enter into the land which he had promised to their fathers ; but " wandered out of the way in the wilderness," and were variously tempted and distressed. In like manner, after God has delivered them that fear him from the bondage of sin and Satan ; after they are "justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus," yet not many of them immedi- 78 SERMON XLVI. ately enter into "the rest which remaineth for the people of God." The greater part of them wander, more or less, out of the good way into which he hath brought them. They come, as it were, into a " waste and howling desert," where they are variously tempted and tormented : And this, some, in allusion to the case of the Israelites, have termed, " a wilderness state." 2. Certain it is, that the condition wherein these are has a right to the tenderest compassion. They labour under an evil and sore disease; though one that is not commonly understood; and for this very reason it is the more difficult for them to find a remedy. Being in darkness themselves, they cannot be supposed to understand the nature of their own disorder; and few of their brethren, nay, perhaps, of their teachers, know either what their sickness is, or how to heal it. So much the more need there is to inquire, First, What is the nature of this disease ? Secondly, What is the cause ? and, Thirdly, What is the cure of it ? I. 1. And, First, what is the nature of this disease, into which so many fall after they have believed? Wherein does it pro perly consist ; and what are the genuine symptoms of it ? It properly consists in the loss of that faith which God once wrought in their heart. They that are in the wilderness, have not now that divine " evidence," that satisfactory conviction, " of things not seen," which they once enjoyed. They have not now that inward demonstration of the Spirit which before enabled each of them to say, " The life I live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." The light of heaven does not now "shine in their hearts," neither do they "see him that is invisible;" but darkness is again on the face of their souls, and blindness on the eyes of their understanding. The Spirit no longer " witnesses with their spirits, that they are the children of God ; " neither does he continue as the Spirit of adoption, "crying" in their hearts, " Abba, Father." They have not now a sure trust in his love, and a liberty of approaching him with holy boldness. " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him," is no more the language of their heart ; but they are shorn of their strength, and become weak and feeble-minded, even as other men. 2. Hence, Secondly, proceeds the loss of love ; which cannot but rise or fall, at the same time, and in the same proportion, with true, living faith. Accordingly, they that are deprived THE WILDERNESS STATE. 79 of their faith, are deprived of the love of God also. They cannot now say, " Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." They are not now happy in God, as every one is that truly loves him. They do not delight in him as in time past, and " smell the odour of his ointments." Once, all their "desire was unto him, and to the remembrance of his name;" but now even their desires are cold and dead, if not utterly extinguished. And as their love of God is waxed cold, so is also their love of their neighbour. They have not now that zeal for the souls of men, that longing after their welfare, that fervent, restless, active desire of their being reconciled to God. They do not feel those " bowels of mercies" for the sheep that are lost, — that tender " compassion for the ignorant, and them that are out of the way." Once they were " gentle toward all men," meekly instructing such as opposed the truth ; and, " if any was overtaken in a fault, restoring such an one in the spirit of meekness:" But, after a suspense, perhaps, of many days, anger begins to regain its power ; yea, peevishness and impatience thrust sore at them that they may fall ; and it is well if they are not sometimes driven, even to " render evil for evil, and railing for railing." 3. In consequence of the loss of faith and love, follows, Thirdly, loss of joy in the Holy Ghost. For if the loving con sciousness of pardon be no more, the joy resulting therefrom cannot remain. If the Spirit does not witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, the joy that flowed from the inward witness must also be at an end. And, in like manner, they who once " rejoiced with joy unspeakable," " in hope of the glory of God," now they are deprived of that " hope full of immortality," are deprived of the joy it occasioned ; as also of that which resulted from a consciousness of " the love of God," then " shed abroad in their hearts." For the cause beinfir removed, so is the effect : The fountain being dammed up, those living waters spring no more to refresh the thirsty soul. 4. With loss of faith, and love, and joy, there is also joined, Fourthly, the loss of that peace which once passed all under standing. That sweet tranquillity of mind, that composure of spirit, is gone. Painful doubt returns ; doubt, whether we ever did, and perhaps whether we ever shall, believe. We begin to doubt, whether we ever did find in our hearts the real testimony of the Spirit ; whether we did not rather deceive our own souls, 80 SERMON XLVf. and mistake the voice of nature for the voice of God ; nay, and perhaps, whether we shall ever hear his voice, and find favour in his sight. And these doubts are again joined with servile fear, with that fear which hath torment. We fear the wrath of God, even as before we believed : We fear, lest we should be cast out of his presence ; and thence sink again into that feat of death, from which we were before wholly delivered. 5. But even this is not all ; for loss of peace is accompanied with loss of power. We know every one who has peace with God, through Jesus Christ, has power over all sin. But when ever he loses the peace of God, he loses also the power over sin. While that peace remained, power also remained, even over the besetting sin, whether it were the sin of his nature, of his con stitution, of his education, or his profession ; yea, and over those evil tempers and desires which, till then, he could not conquer. Sin had then no more dominion over him ; but he hath now no more dominion over sin. He may struggle, indeed, but he can not overcome ; the crown is fallen from his head. His enemies again prevail over him, and, more or less, bring him into bond age. The glory is departed from him, even the kingdom of God which was in his heart. He is dispossessed of righteousness, as well as of peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. II. 1. Such is the nature of what many have termed, and not improperly, " The wilderness state." But the nature of it may be more fully understood by inquiring, Secondly, What are the causes of it ? These indeed are various. But I dare not rank among these the bare, arbitrary, sovereign will of God. He " rejoiceth in the prosperity of his servants : He delighteth not to afflict or grieve the children of men." His invariable will is our sanctification, attended with " peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." These are his own free gifts ; and we are assured " the gifts of God are," on his part, " without repentance." He never repenteth of what he hath given, or desires to withdraw them from us. Therefore he never deserts us, as some speak; it is we only that desert him. (I.) 2. The most usual cause of inward darkness is sin, of one kind or another. This it is which generally occasions what is often a complication of sin and misery. And, First, sin of commission. This may frequently be observed to darken the soul in a moment ; especially if it be a known, a wilful, or pre sumptuous sin. If, for instance, a person, who is now walking THE WILDERNESS STATE. 81 in the clear light of God's countenance, should be any way pre vailed on to commit a single act of drunkenness, or uncleanness, it would be no wonder, if, in that very hour, he fell into utter darkness. It is true, there have been some very rare cases, wherein God has prevented this, by an extraordinary display of his pardoning mercy, almost in the very instant. But in general, such an abuse of the goodness of God, so gross an insult on his love, occasions an immediate estrangement from God, and a " darkness that may be felt." 3. But it may be hoped this case is not very frequent ; that there are not many who so despise the riches of his goodness as, while they walk in his light, so grossly and presumptuously to rebel against him. That light is much more frequently lost by giving way to sins of omission. This, indeed, does not immedi ately quench the Spirit, but gradually and slowly. The former may be compared to pouring water upon a fire ; the latter to withdrawing the fuel from it. And many times will that loving Spirit reprove our neglect, before he departs from us. Many are the inward checks, the secret notices, he gives, before his influences are withdrawn. So that only a train of omissions, wilfully persisted in, can bring us into utter darkness. 4. Perhaps no sin of omission more frequently occasions this than the neglect of private prayer ; the want whereof cannot be supplied by any other ordinance whatever. Nothing can be more plain, than that the life of God in the soul does not continue, much less increase, unless we use all opportunities of communion with God, and pouring out our hearts before him. If, therefore, we are negligent of this, if we suffer business, company, or any avocation whatever, to prevent these secret exercises of the soul, (or, which comes to the same thing, to make us hurry them over in a slight and careless manner,) that life will surely decay. And if we long or frequently intermit them, it will gradually die away. 5. Another sin of omission, which frequently brings the soul of a believer into darkness, is the neglect of what was so strongly enjoined, even under the Jewish dispensation : " Thou shalt, in anywise, rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him : Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart." Now, if we do hate our brother in our heart, if we do not rebuke him when we see him in a fault, but suffer sin upon him, this will soon bring leanness into our own soul; seeing G 2. 8f2 SERMON XLVI. hereby we are partakers of his sin. By neglecting to reprove our neighbour, we make his sin our own : We become account able for it to God : We saw his danger, and gave him no warn ing : So, " if he perish in his iniquity," God may justly require " his blood at our hands." No wonder then, if by thus grieving the Spirit, we lose the light of his countenance. 6. A Third cause of our losing this is, the giving way to some kind of inward sin. For example : We know, every one that is "proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;" and that, although this pride of heart should not appear in the outward conversation. Now, how easily may a soul filled with peace and joy fall into this snare of the devil ! How natural is it for him to imagine that he has more grace, more wisdom or strength, than he really has ! to " think more highly of him self than he ought to think ! " How natural to glory in some thing he has received, as if he had not received it ! But seeing God continually " resisteth the proud, and giveth grace" only " to the humble," this must certainly obscure, if not wholly destroy, the light which before shone on his heart. 7- The same effect may be produced by giving place to anger, whatever the provocation or occasion be ; yea, though it were coloured over with the name of zeal for the truth, or for the glory of God. Indeed, all zeal, which is any other than the flame of love, is " earthly, animal, and devilish." It is the flame of wrath : It is flat, sinful anger, neither better nor worse. And nothing is a greater enemy to the mild, gentle love of God than this : They never did, they never can, subsist together in one breast. In the same proportion as this prevails, love and joy in the Holy Ghost decrease. This is particularly observable in the case of offence ; I mean, anger at any of our brethren, at any of those who are united with us either by civil or religious ties. If we give way to the spirit of offence but one hour, we lose the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit ; so that, instead of amending them, we destroy ourselves, and become an easy prey to any enemy that assaults us. 8. But suppose we are aware of this snare of the devil, we may be attacked from another quarter. When fierceness and anger are asleep, and love alone is waking, we may be no less endangered by desire, which equally tends to darken the soul. This is the sure effect of any foolish desire, any vain or inordi nate affection. If we set our affection on things of the earth, THE WILDERNESS STATE. 83 on any person or thing under the sun ; if we desire anything but God, and what tends to God ; if we seek happiness in any creature ; the jealous God will surely contend with us, for he can admit of no rival. And if we will not hear his warning voice, and return unto him with our whole soul, if we continue to grieve him with our idols, and running after other gods, we shall soon be cold, barren, and dry ; and the god of this world will blind and darken our hearts. 9. But this he frequently does, even when we do not give way to any positive sin. It is enough, it gives him sufficient advan tage, if we do not "stir up the gift of God which is in us;" if we do not agonize continually " to enter in at the strait gate;" if we do not earnestly " strive for the mastery," and " take the kingdom of heaven by violence." There needs no more than not to fight, and we are sure to be conquered. Let us only be careless or " faint in our mind," let us be easy and indolent, and our natural darkness will soon return, and overspread our soul. It is enough, therefore, if we give way to spiritual sloth ; this will effectually darken the soul : It will as surely destroy the light of God, if not so swiftly, as murder or adultery. 10. But it is well to be observed, that the cause of our darkness (whatsoever it be, whether omission or commission, whether inward or outward sin) is not always nigh at hand. Sometimes the sin which occasioned the present distress may lie at a considerable distance. It might be committed days, or weeks, or months before. And that God now withdraws his light and peace on account of what was done so long ago is not (as one might at first imagine) an instance of his severity, but rather a proof of his longsuffering and tender mercy. He waited all this time, if haply we would see, acknowledge, and correct what was amiss ; and, in default of this, he at length shows his displeasure, if thus, at last, he may bring us to repentance. (II.) 1. Another general cause of this darkness is igno rance; which is likewise of various kinds. If men know not the Scriptures, if they imagine there are passages either in the Old or New Testament which assert, that all believers, without exception, must sometimes be in darkness; this ignorance will naturally bring upon them the darkness which they expect. And how common a case has this been among us ! How few are there that do not expect it ! And no wonder, seeing they are taught to expect it ; seeing their guides lead them into this G 2 84 SERMON XLVI. way. Not only the Mystic writers of the Romish Church, but many of the most spiritual and experimental in our own, (very few of the last century excepted,) lay it down with all assurance,. as a plain, unquestionable scripture doctrine, and cite many texts to prove it. 2. Ignorance also of the work of God in the soul frequently occasions this darkness. Men imagine (because so they have been taught, particularly by writers of the Romish communion, whose plausible assertions too many Protestants have received without due examination) that they are not always to walk in luminous faith ; that this is only a lower dispensation ; that as they rise higher, they are to leave those sensible comforts, and to live by naked faith ; (naked indeed, if it be stripped both of love, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost !) that a state of light and joy is good, but a state of darkness and dryness is better ; that it is by these alone we can be purified from pride, love of the world, and inordinate self-love ; and that, therefore, we ought neither to expect nor desire to walk in the light always. Hence it is, (though other reasons may concur,) that the main body of pious men in the Romish Church generally walk in a dark uncomfortable way, and if ever they receive soon lose the light of God. (III.) 1. A Third general cause of this darkness is tempta tion. When the candle of the Lord first shines on our head, temptation frequently flees away, and totally disappears. All is calm within ; perhaps without too, while God makes our enemies to be at peace with us. It is then very natural to suppose that we shall not see war any more. And there are instances wherein this calm has continued, not only for weeks, but for months or years. But commonly it is otherwise : In a short time " the winds blow, the rains descend, and the floods arise" anew. They who know not either the Son or the Father, and conse quently hate his children, when God slackens the bridle which is in their teeth, will show that hatred in various instances. As of old, " he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now ; " the same cause still producing the same effect. The evil which yet remains in the heart will then also move afresh ; anger, and many other roots of bitterness, will endeavour to spring up. At the same time, Satan will not be wanting to cast in his fiery darts ; and the soul will have to wrestle, not only with the world, not only THE WILDERNESS STATE. 85 " with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, with wicked spirits in high places." Now, when so various assaults are made at once, and perhaps with the utmost violence, it is not strange if it should occasion, not only heaviness, but even darkness, in a weak believer; — more especially, if he was not watching; if these assaults are made in an hour when he looked not for them; if he expected nothing less, but had fondly told himself, — the day of evil would return no more. 2. The force of those temptations which arise from within will be exceedingly heightened if we before thought too highly of ourselves, as if we had been cleansed from all sin. And how naturally do we imagine this during the warmth of our first love! How ready are we to believe that God has "fulfilled in us the " whole " work of faith with power ! " that because we feel no sin, we have none in us ; but the soul is all love ! And well may a sharp attack from an enemy whom we sup posed to be not only conquered but slain, throw us into much heaviness of soul ; yea, sometimes, into utter darkness : Parti cularly when we reason with this enemy, instead of instantly calling upon God, and casting ourselves upon Him, by simple faith, who "alone knoweth to deliver "his "out of temptation." III. These are the usual causes of this second darkness. Inquire we, Thirdly, What is the cure of it ? 1. To suppose that this is one and the same in all cases is a great and fatal mistake ; and yet extremely common, even among many who pass for experienced Christians, yea, perhaps take upon them to be teachers in Israel, to be the guides of other souls. Accordingly, they know and use but one medicine, whatever be the cause of the distemper. They begin immedi ately to apply the promises ; to preach the gospel, as they call it. To give comfort, is the single point at which they aim ; in order to which they say many soft and tender things, concerning the love of God to poor, helpless sinners, and the efficacy of the blood of Christ. Now this is quackery indeed, and that of the worst sort, as it tends, if not to kill men's bodies, yet, without the peculiar mercy of God, " to destroy both their bodies and souls in hell." It is hard to speak of these " daubers with untempered mortar," these promise-mongers, as they deserve. They well deserve the title, which has been ignorantly given to .others : They are spiritual mountebanks. They do, in effect, 86 SERMON XLVI. make " the blood of the covenant an unholy thing." They vilely prostitute the promises of God, by thus applying them to aH without distinction. Whereas, indeed, the cure of spiritual, as of bodily diseases, must be as various as are the causes of them. The first thing, therefore, is, to find out the cause ; and this will naturally point out the cure. 2. For instance : Is it sin which occasions darkness ? What sin ? Is it outward sin of any kind ? Does your conscience accuse you of committing any sin, whereby you grieve the Holy Spirit of God ? Is it on this account that he is departed from you, and that joy and peace are departed with him ? And how can you expect they should return, till you put away the accursed thing ? " Let the wicked forsake his way ; " " cleanse your hands, ye sinners;" "put away the evil of your doings ;" so shall your " light break out of obscurity ; " the Lord will return and " abundantly pardon." 3. If, upon the closest search, you can find no sin of com mission which causes the cloud upon your soul, inquire next, if there be not some sin of omission which separates between God and you. Do you "not suffer sin upon your brother?" Do you reprove them that sin in your sight ? Do you walk in all the ordinances of God ? in public, family, private prayer ? If not, if you habitually neglect any one of these known duties, how can you expect that the light of his countenance should continue to shine upon you ? Make haste to " strengthen the things that remain ; " then your soul shall live. " To-day, if ye will hear his voice," by his grace supply what is lacking. When you hear a voice behind you saying, " This is the way, walk thou in it," harden not your heart ; be no more " disobe dient to the heavenly calling." Till the sin, whether of omission or commission, be removed, all comfort is false and deceitful. It is only skinning the wound over, which still festers and rankles beneath. Look for no peace within, till you are at peace with God ; which cannot be without " fruits meet for repentance." 4. But perhaps you are not conscious of even any sin of omission which impairs your peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Is there not, then, some inward sin, which, as a root of bitterness, springs up in your heart to trouble you ? Is not your dryness,, and barrenness of soul, occasioned by your heart's " departing from the living God ?" Has not " the foot of pride come against" you ? Have you not thought of yourself " more highly than yon THE WILDERNESS STATE. 87 ought to think ?" Have you not, in any respect, " sacrificed to your own net, and burned incense to your own drag ?" Have you not ascribed your success in any undertaking to your own courage, or strength, or wisdom ? Have you not boasted of something " you have received, as though you had not received it ?" Have you not gloried in anything, " save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ?" Have you not sought after or desired the praise of men ? Have you not taken pleasure in it ? If so, you see the way you are to take. If you have fallen by pride, " humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and he will exalt you in due time." Have not you forced him to depart from you, by giving place to anger ? Have not you " fretted yourself because of the ungodly," or " been envious against the evil-doers ?" Have you not been offended at any of your bre thren, looking at their (real or imagined) sin, so as to sin your self against the great law of love, by estranging your heart from them ? Then look unto the Lord, that you may renew your strength ; that all this sharpness and coldness may be done away ; that love, and peace, and joy may return together, and you may be invariably kind to each other, and " tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath for given you." Have not you given way to any foolish desire? to any kind or degree of inordinate affection ? How then can the love of God have place in your heart, till you put away your idols ? " Be not deceived : God is not mocked :" He will not dwell in a divided heart. As long, therefore, as you cherish Delilah in your bosom, he has no place there. It is vain to hope for a recovery of his light, till you pluck out the right eye, and cast it from you. O let there be no longer delay ! Cry to Him, that he may enable you so to do ! Bewail your own impotence and helplessness ; and, the Lord being your helper, enter in at the strait gate ; take the kingdom of heaven by violence ! Cast out every idol from his sanctuary, and the glory of the Lord shall soon appear. 5. Perhaps it is this very thing, the want of striving, spiritual sloth, which keeps your soul in darkness. You dwell at ease in the land ; there is no war in your coasts ; and so you are quiet and unconcerned. You go on in the same even track of out ward duties, and are content there to abide. And do yon wonder, meantime, that your soul is dead ? 0 stir yourself up before the Lord ! Arise, and shake yourself from the dust ; 88 SERMON JtlVI. wrestle with God for the mighty blessing ; pour out your soul unto God in prayer, and continue therein with all perseverance ! Watch ! Awake out of sleep ; and keep awake ! — otherwise there is nothing to be expected, but that you will be alienated more and more from the light and life of God. 6. If, upon the fullest and most impartial examination of yourself, you cannot discern that you at present give way either to spiritual sloth, or any other inward or outward sin, then call to mind the time that is past. Consider your former tempers, words, and actions. Have these been right before the Lord ? " Commune with him in your chamber, and be still ;" and desire of him to try the ground of your heart, and bring to your remembrance whatever has at any time offended the eyes of his glory. If the guilt of any unrepented sin remain on your soul, it cannot be but you will remain in darkness, till, having been renewed by repentance, you are again washed by faith in " the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness." 7- Entirely different will be the manner of the cure, if the cause of the disease be not sin, but ignorance. It may be, ignorance of the meaning of Scripture ; perhaps occasioned by ignorant commentators ; ignorant, at least, in this respect, how ever knowing and learned they may be in other particulars. And, in this case, that ignorance must be removed before we can remove the darkness arising from it. We must show the true meaning of those texts which have been misunderstood. My design does not permit me to consider all the passages of Scripture which have been pressed into this service. I shall just mention two or three, which are frequently brought to prove. that all believers must, sooner or later, " walk in darkness." 8. One of these is Isaiah 1. 10 : " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light ? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." But how does it appear, either from the text or context, that the person here spoken of ever had light ? One who is convinced of sin, " feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servant." And him we should advise, though he was still dark of soul, and had never seen the light of God's countenance, yet to " trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." This text, therefore, proves nothing less than that a believer in Christ " must sometimes walk in darkness!" THE WILDERNESS STATE. 89 9- Another text which has been supposed to speak the same •doctrine, is Hosea ii. 14: "I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." Hence it has been inferred, that God will bring every believer into the wilderness, into a state of deadness and darkness. But it is certain the text speaks no such thing ; for it does not appear that it speaks of particular believers at all : It manifestly refers to the Jewish nation ; and, perhaps, to that only. But if it be applicable to particular persons, the plain meaning of it is this : — I will draw him by love ; I will next convince him of sin ; and then comfort him by my pardoning mercy. 10. A third scripture, from whence the same inference has been drawn, is that above recited, " Ye now have sorrow : But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." This has been supposed to imply, that God would, after a time, withdraw himself from all believers ; and that they could not, till after they had thus sorrowed, have the joy which no man could take from them. But the whole context shows, that our Lord is here speaking personally to the Apostles, and no others ; and that he is speaking concerning those particular events, his own death and resurrection. " A little while," says he, " and ye shall not see me," viz., whilst I am in the grave : " And again, a little while, and ye shall see me;" when I am risen from the dead. "Ye will weep and lament, and the world will rejoice : But your sorrow shall be turned into joy." — " Ye now have sorrow," because I am about to be taken from your head ; " but I will see you again," after my resurrection, " and your heart shall rejoice ; and your joy," which I will then give you, " no man taketh from you." All this we know was literally fulfilled in the particular case of the Apostles. But no inference can be drawn from hence with regard to God's dealings with believers in general. 11. A fourth text, (to mention no more,) which has been frequently cited in proof of the same doctrine, is 1 Peter iv. 12 : " Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you." But this is full as foreign to the point as the preceding. The text, literally rendered, runs thus : " Beloved, wonder not at the burning which is among you, which is for your trial." Now, however this may be accommodated to inward trials, in a secondary sense ; yet, primarily, it doubtless refers to martyrdom, and the sufferings connected with it. Neither, 90 SERMON XLVi. therefore, is this text any thing at all to the purpose for which it is cited. And we may challenge all men to bring one text, either from the Old or New Testament, which is any more to the purpose than this. 12. "But is not darkness much more profitable for the soul than light ? Is not the work of God in the heart most swiftly and effectually carried on during a state of inward suffering? Is not a believer more swiftly and throughly purified by sorrow, than by joy ? — by anguish, and pain, and distress, and spiritual martyrdoms, than by continual peace ? " So the Mystics teach ; so it is written in their books ; but not in the oracles of God. The Scripture nowhere says, that the absence of God best per fects his work in the heart ! Rather, his presence, and a clear communion with the Father and the Son : A strong conscious ness of this will do more in an hour, than his absence in an age. Joy in the Holy Ghost will far more effectually purify the soul, than the want of that joy ; and the peace of God is the best means of refining the soul from the dross of earthly affections. Away then with the idle conceit, that the kingdom of God is divided against itself ; that the peace of God, and joy in the Holy Ghost, are obstructive of righteousness ; and that we are saved, not by faith, but by unbelief; not by hope, but by despair ! 13. So long as men dream thus, they may well " walk in darkness :" Nor can the effect cease, till the cause is removed. But yet we must not imagine it will immediately cease, even when the cause is no more. When either ignorance or sin has caused darkness, one or the other may be removed, and yet the light which was obstructed thereby may not immediately return. As it is the free gift of God, he may restore it, sooner or later, as it pleases him. In the case of sin, we cannot reasonably expect that it should immediately return. The sin began before the punishment, which may, therefore, justly remain after the sin is at an end. And even in the natural course of things,. though a wound cannot be healed while the dart is sticking in the flesh ; yet neither is it healed as soon as that is drawn out, but soreness and pain may remain long after. 14. Lastly. If darkness be occasioned by manifold and heavy and unexpected temptations, the best way of removing and pre venting this is, to teach believers always to expect temptation, seeing they dwell in an evil world, among wicked, subtle, mali- HEAVINESS THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. 91 cious spirits, and have an heart capable of all evil. Convince them that the whole work of sanctification is not, as they imagined, wrought at once ; that when they first believe they are but as new-born babes, who are gradually to grow up, and may expect many storms before they come to the full stature of Christ. Above all, let them be instructed, when the storm is upon them, not to reason with the devil, but to pray ; to pour out their souls before God, and show him of their trouble. And these are the persons unto whom, chiefly, we are to apply the great and precious promises ; not to the ignorant, till the ignorance is removed, much less to the impenitent sinner. To these we may largely and affectionately declare the loving- kindness of God our Saviour, and expatiate upon his tender mercies which have been ever of old. Here we may dwell upon the faithfulness of God, whose " word is tried to the uttermost ;" and upon the virtue of that blood which was shed for us, to " cleanse us from all sin : " And God will then bear witness to his word, and bring their souls out of trouble. He will say, " Arise, shine ; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Yea, and that light, if thou walk humbly and closely with God, will " shine more and more unto the perfect day." SERMON XLVII. HEAVINESS THROUGH MANIFOLD TEMPTA TIONS. " Now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations." 1 Peter i. 6. X. In the preceding discourse I have particularly spoken of that darkness of mind into which those are often observed to fall who once walked in the light of God's countenance. Nearly related to this is the heaviness of soul which is still more common, even among believers. Indeed, almost all the children of God experience this, in an higher or lower degree. 92 SERMON XLV1I. And so great is the resemblance between one and the other, that they are frequently confounded together ; and we are apt to say, indifferently, " Such an one is in darkness," or, " Such an one is in heaviness ;" — as if they were equivalent terms, one of which implied no more than the other. But they are far, very far, from it. Darkness is one thing ; heaviness is another. There is a difference, yea, a wide and essential difference, between the former and the latter. And such a difference it is, as all the children of God are deeply concerned to under stand : Otherwise nothing will be more easy than for them to slide out of heaviness into darkness. In order to prevent this, I will endeavour to show, I. What manner of persons those were to whom the Apostle says, " Ye are in heaviness :" II. What kind of heaviness they were in : III. What were the causes : And, IV. What were the ends of it. I shall conclude with some inferences. I.I.I am, in the First place, to show what manner of per sons those were to whom the Apostle says, " Ye are in heavi ness." And, First, it is beyond all dispute, that they were believers at the time the Apostle thus addressed them : For so he expressly says, (verse 5,) " Ye who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." Again, (verse 7j) he mentions " the trial of their faith, much more precious than that of gold which perisheth." And yet again, (verse 9,) he speaks of their " receiving the end of their faith, the salvation of their souls." At the same time, therefore, that they were ' in heaviness," they were possessed of living faith. Their heaviness did not destroy their faith : They still " endured, as seeing Him that is invisible." 2. Neither did their heaviness destroy their peace ; the " peace which passeth all understanding ; " which is inseparable from true, living faith. This we may easily gather from the second verse, wherein the Apostle prays, not that grace and peace may be given them, but only that it may "be multiplied unto them ; " that the blessing which they already enjoyed might be more abundantly bestowed upon them. 3. The persons to whom the Apostle here speaks were also ull of a living hope. For thus he speaks, (verse 3,) " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who accord- HEAVINESS THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. 93 ing to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again," — me and you, all of us who are " sanctified by the Spirit," and enjoy the "sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ," — "unto a living hope, unto an inheritance," — that is, unto a living hope of an inheritance, "incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." So that, notwithstanding their heaviness, they still retained an hope full of immortality. 4. And they still " rejoiced in hope of the glory of God." They were filled with joy in the Holy Ghost. So, (verse 8,) the Apostle, having just mentioned the final "revelation of Jesus Christ," (namely, when he cometh to judge the world,) immediately adds, " In whom, though now ye see him not," not with your bodily eyes, " yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Their heaviness, therefore, was not only consistent with living hope, but also with joy unspeakable: At the same time they were thus heavy, they nevertheless rejoiced with joy full of glory. 5. In the midst of their heaviness they likewise still enjoyed the love of God, which had been shed abroad in their hearts ; — "whom," says the Apostle, "having not seen, ye love." Though ye have not yet seen him face to face ; yet, knowing him by faith, ye have obeyed his word, "My son, give me thy heart." He is your God, and your love, the desire of your eyes, and your " exceeding great reward." Ye have sought and found happiness in Him ; ye " delight in the Lord," and he hath given you your " hearts' desire." 6. Once more : Though they were heavy, yet were they holy ; they retained the same power over sin. They were still " kept" from this, "by the power of God;" they were "obedient children, not fashioned according to their former desires ; " but " as He that had called them is holy," so were they " holy in all manner of conversation." Knowing they were " redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as a Lamb without spot and without blemish," they had, through the faith and hope which they had in God, " purified their souls by the Spirit." So that, upon the whole, their heaviness well consisted with faith, with hope, with love of God and man, with the peace of God, with joy in the Holy Ghost, with inward and outward holiness. It did no way impair, much less destroy, any part of the work of God in their hearts. It did not at all interfere with that "sanctification of the Spirit" which is the root of all true 94 SERMON XLVII. obedience ; neither with the happiness which must needs result from grace and peace reigning in the heart. II. 1. Hence we may easily learn what kind of heaviness they were in ; — the Second thing which I shall endeavour to show. The word, in the original, is XvirrjQsvTEc, — made sorry, grieved ; from Auttij, — grief, or sorrow. This is the constant, literal meaning of the word : And, this being observed, there is no ambiguity in the expression, nor any difficulty in under standing it. The persons spoken of here were grieved : The heaviness they were in was neither more nor less than sorrow, or grief; — a passion which every child of man is well acquainted with. 2. It is probable our translators rendered it heaviness, (though a less common word,) to denote two things : First, the degree, and next the continuance, of it. It does indeed seem, that it is not a slight or inconsiderable degree of grief which is here spoken of; but such as makes a strong impression upon, and sinks deep into, the soul. Neither does this appear to be a transient sorrow, such as passes away in an hour ; but rather, such as, having taken fast hold of the heart, is not presently shaken off, but continues for some "time, as a settled temper, rather than a passion, even in them that have living faith in Christ, and the genuine love of God in their hearts. 3. Even in these, this heaviness may sometimes be so deep as to overshadow the whole soul ; to give a colour, as it were, to all the affections ; such as will appear in the whole behaviour. It may likewise have an influence over the body ; particularly in those that are either of a naturally weak constitution, or weak ened by some accidental disorder, especially of the nervous kind. In many cases, we find " the corruptible body presses down the soul:" In this, the soul rather presses down the body, and weakens it more and more. Nay, I will not say that deep and lasting sorrow of heart may not sometimes weaken a strong constitution, and lay the foundation of such bodily disorders as are not easily removed: And yet, all this may consist with a measure of that faith which still worketh by love. 4. This may well be termed a "fiery trial:" And though it is not the same with that the Apostle speaks of in the fourth chapter, yet many of the expressions there used concerning out ward sufferings may be accommodated to this inward affliction. They cannot, indeed, with any propriety, be applied to them HEAVINESS THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. 95 that are in darkness : These do not, cannot rejoice ; neither is it true, that " the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon" them. But he frequently doth on those that are in heaviness ; so that, though sorrowful, yet are they always rejoicing. III. 1. But to proceed to the Third point : What are the causes of such sorrow or heaviness in a true believer ? The Apostle tells us clearly : " Ye are in heaviness," says he, " through manifold temptations ;" •nroixiXoij, — manifold, not only many in number, but of many kinds. They may be varied and diversified a thousand ways, by the change or addi tion of numberless circumstances. And this very diversity and variety make it more difficult to guard against them. Among these we may rank all bodily disorders ; particularly acute diseases, and violent pain of every kind, whether affecting the whole body, or the smallest part of it. It is true, some who have enjoyed uninterrupted health, and have felt none of these, may make light of them, and wonder that sickness, or pain of body, should bring heaviness upon the mind. And perhaps one in a thousand is of so peculiar a constitution as not to feel pain like other men. So hath it pleased God to show his almighty power by producing some of these prodigies of nature, who have seemed not to regard pain at all, though of the severest kind ; if that contempt of pain was not owing partly to the force of education, partly to a preternatural cause, — to the power either of good or evil spirits, who raised those men above the state of mere nature. But, abstracting from these particular cases, it is, in general, a just observation, that Pain is perfect misery, and extreme Quite overturns all patience. And even where this is prevented by the grace of God, where men do " possess their souls in patience," it may, nevertheless, occasion much inward heaviness ; the soul sympathizing with the body. 2. All diseases of long continuance, though less painful, are apt to produce the same effect. When God appoints over us consumption, or the chilling and burning ague, if it be not speedily removed, it will not only " consume the eyes," but "cause sorrow of heart." This is eminently the case with regard to all those which are termed nervous disorders. And faith does not overturn the course of nature : Natural causes 96 SERMON XLVII. still produce natural effects. Faith no more hinders the sinking- of the spirits (as it is called) in an hysteric illness than the- rising of the pulse in a fever. 3. Again : When " calamity cometh as a whirlwind, and poverty as an armed man;" is this a little temptation? Is it strange if it occasion sorrow and heaviness ? Although this also may appear but a small thing to those that stand at a distance, or who look, and "pass by on the other side;" yet it is otherwise to them that feel it. " Having food and raiment," (indeed the latter word, o-xe^ao-^ara, implies lodging as well as apparel,) we may, if the love of God is in our hearts, "be therewith content." But what shall they do who have none of these? who, as it were, "embrace the rock for a shelter?" who have only the earth to lie upon, and only the sky to cover them ? who have not a dry, or warm, much less a clean, abode for themselves and their little ones ; no, nor clothing to keep themselves, or those they love next themselves, from pinching cold, either by day or night ? I laugh at the stupid Heathen crying out, Nil habet infelix pavpertas durius in se, Quam quod ridiculos homines facit .' Has poverty nothing worse in it than this, that it makes men liable to be laughed at ? It is a sign this idle poet talked by rote of the things which he knew not. Is not want of food something worse than this ? God pronounced it as a curse upon man, that he should earn it " by the sweat of his brow."' But how many are there in this Christian country, that toil, and labour, and sweat, and have it not at last, but struggle with weariness and hunger together ? Is it not worse for one, after a hard day's labour, to come back to a poor, cold, dirty, uncom fortable lodging, and to find there not even the food which is needful to repair his wasted strength ? You that live at ease in the earth, that want nothing but eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand how well God hath dealt with you, — is it not worse to seek bread day by day, and find none? perhaps to find the comfort also of five or six children crying for what he has not to give ! Were it not that he is restrained by an unseen hand, would he not soon " curse God and die ?" 0 want of bread ! want of bread ! Who can tell what this means, unless he hath felt it himself? I am astonished it occasions no more than heaviness even in them that believe ! HEAVINESS THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. 97 4. Perhaps, next to this, we may place the death of those who were near and dear unto us ; of a tender parent, and one not much declined into the vale of years ; of a beloved child, just rising into life, and clasping about our heart ; of a friend that was as our own soul, — next the grace of God, the last, best gift of Heaven. And a thousand circumstances may enhance the distress. Perhaps the child, the friend, died in our embrace ! — perhaps, was snatched away when we looked not for it ! flourishing, cut down like a flower ! In all these cases, we not only may, but ought to, be affected : It is the design of God that we should. He would not have us stocks and stones. He would have our affections regulated, not extinguished, Therefore, — " Nature unreproved may drop a tear." There may be sorrow without sin. 5. A still deeper sorrow we may feel for those who are dead while they live ; on account of the unkindnes's, ingratitude, apostasy, of those who were united to us in the closest ties. Who can express what a lover of souls may feel for a friend, a brother, dead to God ? for an husband, a wife, a parent, a child rushing into sin, as an horse into the battle ; and, in spite of all arguments and persuasions, hasting to work out his own damnation ? And this anguish of spirit may be heightened to an inconceivable degree, by the consideration, that he who is now posting to destruction once ran well in the way of life. Whatever he was in time past, serves now to no other purpose, than to make our reflections on what he is more piercing and afflictive. 6. In all these circumstances, we may be assured, our great adversary will not be wanting to improve his opportunity. He, who is always " walking about, seeking whom he may devour," will then, especially, use all his power, all his skill, if haply he may gain any advantage over the soul that is already cast down. He will not be sparing of his fiery darts, such as are most likely to find an entrance, and to fix most deeply in the heart, by their suitableness to the temptation that assaults it. He will labour to inject unbelieving, or blasphemous, or repining thoughts. He will suggest that God does not regard, does not govern, the earth ; or, at least, that he does not govern it aright, not by ( the rules of justice and mercy. He will endeavour to stir up \ the heart against God, to renew our natural enmity against him. And if we attempt to fight him with his own weapons, H 2. 98 SERMON XLVII. if we begin to reason with him, more and more heaviness will undoubtedly ensue, if not utter darkness. 7- It has been frequently supposed, that there is another cause, if not of darkness, at least, of heaviness ; namely, God's withdrawing himself from the soul, because it is his sovereign will. Certainly he will do this, if we grieve his Holy Spirit, either by outward or inward sin ; either by doing evil, or neglecting to do good ; by giving way either to pride or anger, to spiritual sloth, to foobsh desire, or inordinate affection. But that he ever withdraws himself because he will, merely because it is his good pleasure, I absolutely deny. There is no text in all the Bible which gives any colour for such a supposition. Nay, it is a supposition contrary, not only to many particular texts, but to the whole tenor of Scripture. It is repugnant to the very nature of God : It is utterly beneath his majesty and wisdom, (as an eminent writer strongly expresses it,) "to play at bo-peep with his creatures." It is inconsistent both with his justice and mercy, and with the sound experience of all his children. 8. One more cause of heaviness is mentioned by many of those who were termed Mystic authors. And the notion has crept in, I know not how, even among plain people who have no acquaintance with them. I cannot better explain this, than in the words of a late writer, who relates this as her own experi ence : — " I continued so happy in my Beloved, that, although I should have been forced to live a vagabond in a desert, I should have found no difficulty in it. This state had not lasted long, when, in effect, I found myself led into a desert. I found myself in a forlorn condition, altogether poor, wretched, and miserable. The proper source of this grief is, the knowledge of ourselves ; by which we find that there is an extreme unlike- ness between God and us. We see ourselves most opposite to him ; and that our inmost soul is entirely corrupted, depraved, and full of all kind of evil and malignity, of the world and the flesh, and all sorts of abominations." — From hence it has been inferred, that the knowledge of ourselves, without which we sfiould perish everlastingly, must, even after we have attained justifying faith, occasion the deepest heaviness. 9- But upon this I would observe, (1.) In the preceding paragraph, this writer says, " Hearing I had not a true faith in Christ, I offered myself up to God, and immediately felt his HEAVINESS THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. 99 love." It may be so ; and yet it does not appear that this was justification. It is more probable, it was no more than what are usually termed, the " drawings of the Father." And if so, the heaviness and darkness which followed was no other than conviction of sin ; which, in the nature of things, must precede that faith whereby we are justified. (2.) Suppose she was justi fied almost the same moment she was convinced of wanting faith, there was then no time for that gradually-increasing self-know ledge which uses to precede justification : In this case, therefore, it came after, and was probably the more severe, the less it was expected. (3.) It is allowed, 'there will be a far deeper, a far clearer and fuller knowledge of our inbred sin, of our total cor ruption by nature, after justification, than ever there was before it. But this need not occasion darkness of soul : I will not say, that it must bring us into heaviness. Were it so, the Apostle would not have used that expression, if need be ; for there would be an absolute, indispensable need of it, for all that would know themselves ; that is, in effect, for all that would know the perfect love of God, and be thereby " made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." But this is by no means the case. On the contrary, God may increase the knowledge of ourselves to any degree, and increase, in the same proportion, the knowledge of himself and the experience of his love. And in this case there would be no " desert, no misery, no forlorn condition ;" but love, and peace, and joy, gradually springing up into everlasting life. IV. 1. For what ends, then, (which was the Fourth thing to be considered,) does God permit heaviness to befal so many of his children ? The Apostle gives us a plain and direct answer to this important question : " That the trial of their faith, which is much more precious than gold that perisheth, though i,t be tried by fire, may be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Verse 70 There may be an allusion to this, in that well-known passage of the fourth chapter : (Although it primarily relates to quite another thing, as has been already observed :) " Think it not strange concern ing the fiery trial which is to try you : But rejoice that ye are partakers of the sufferings of Christ ; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may likewise rejoice with exceeding great joy." (Verse 12, &c.) 2. Hence we learn, that the first and great end of God's H 2 100 SERMON XLVII permitting the temptations which bring heaviness on his children, is the trial of their faith, which is tried by these, even as gold by the fire. Now we know, gold tried in the fire is purified thereby ; is separated from its dross. And so is faith in the fire of temptation ; the more it is tried, the more it is purified ; — yea, and not only purified, but also strengthened, confirmed, increased abundantly, by so many more proofs of the wisdom and power, the love and faithfulness, of God. This, then, — to increase our faith, — is one gracious end of God's permitting those manifold temptations. 3. They serve to try, to purify, to confirm, and increase that living hope also, whereunto " the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath begotten us again of his abundant mercy." Indeed our hope cannot but increase, in the same proportion with our faith. On this foundation it stands : Believing in his name, living by faith in the Son of God, we hope for, we have a confident expectation of, the glory which shall be revealed ; and, consequently, whatever strengthens our faith, increases our hope also. At the same time it increases our joy in the Lord, which cannot but attend a hope full of immortality. In this view the Apostle exhorts believers in the other chapter : " Rejoice that ye are partakers of the sufferings of Christ." On this very account, " happy are you ; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you:" And hereby ye are enabled, even in the midst of sufferings, to " rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 4. They rejoice the more, because the trials which increase their faith and hope increase their love also ; both their grati tude to God for all his mercies, and their good-will to all man: kind. Accordingly, the more deeply sensible they are of the lovingkindness of God their Saviour, the more is their heart inflamed with love to him who " first loved us." The clearer and stronger evidence they have of the glory that shall be revealed, the more do they love Him who hath purchased it for them, and " given them the earnest" thereof " in their hearts." And this, the increase of their love, is another end of the temptations permitted to come upon them. 6. Yet another is, their advance in holiness ; holiness of heart, and holiness of conversation ; — the latter naturally result ing from the former ; for a good tree will bring forth good fruit. And all inward holiness is the immediate fruit of the faith that HEAVINESS THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. 101 worketh by love. By this the blessed Spirit purifies the hear^ from pride, self-will, passion ; from love of the world, from foo' ish and hurtful desires, from vile and vain affections. Beside that, sanctified afflictions have, through the grace of God, an immediate and direct tendency to holiness. Through thc operation of his Spirit, they humble, more and more, and abase the soul before God. They calm and meeken our turbulent spirit, tame the fierceness of our nature, soften our obstinacy and self-will, crucify us to the world, and bring us to expect all our strength from, and to seek all our happiness in, God. 6. And all these terminate in that great end, that our faith, hope, love, and holiness "may be found," if it doth not yet appear, " unto praise " from God himself, " and honour " from men and angels, " and glory," assigned by the great Judge to all that have endured unto the end. And this will be assigned in that awful day to every man, "according to his works;" according to the work which God had wrought in his heart, and the outward works which he has wrought for God ; and likewise according to what he had suffered : So that all these trials are unspeakable gain. So many ways do these "light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory !" 7- Add to this the advantage which others may receive by seeing our behaviour under affliction. We find by experience, example frequently makes a deeper impression upon us than precept. And what examples have a stronger influence, not only on those who are partakers of like precious faith, but even on them who have not known God, than that of a soul calm and serene in the midst of storms ; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing ; meekly accepting whatever is the will of God, however grievous it may be to nature ; saying, in sickness and pain, " The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" — in ¦loss or want, " The Lord gave ; the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord !" V. 1. I am to conclude with some inferences. And, First, •how wide is the difference between darkness of soul, and heavi ness; which, nevertheless, are so generally confounded with each other, even by experienced Christians ! Darkness, or the wilderness-state, implies a total loss of joy in the Holy Ghost : Heaviness does not; in the midst of this we may "rejoice -with joy unspeakable." They that are in darkness have lost 102 SERMON XLVII. the peace of God : They that are in hea riness have not ; so far 'from it, that at the very time "peace," as well as "grace," may "be multiplied" unto them. In the former, the love of God is waxed cold, if it be not utterly extinguished ; in the latter, it retains its full force, or, rather, increases daily. In these, faith itself, if not totally lost, is, however, grievously decayed : Their evidence and conviction of things not seen, particularly of the pardoning love of God, is not so clear or strong as in time past ; and their trust in him is proportionably weakened : Those, though they see him not, yet have a clear, unshaken confidence in God, and an abiding evidence of that love whereby all their sins are blotted out. So that as long as we can distinguish faith from unbelief, hope from despair, peace from war, the love of God from the love of the world, we may infallibly distinguish heaviness from darkness ! 2. We may learn from hence, Secondly, that there may be need of heaviness, but there can be no need of darkness. There may be need of our being in " heaviness for a season," in order to the ends above recited ; at least, in this sense, as it is a natural result of those " manifold temptations," which are needful to try and increase our faith, to confirm and enlarge our hope, to purify our heart from all unholy tempers, and to perfect us in love. And, by consequence, they are needful in order to brighten our crown, and add to our eternal weight of glory. But we cannot say, that darkness is needful in order to any of these ends. It is no way conducive to them : The loss of faith, hope, love, is surely neither conducive to holiness, nor to the increase of that reward in heaven which will be in proportion to our holiness on earth. 3. From the Apostle's manner of speaking we may gather, Thirdly, that even heaviness is not always needful. "Now, for a season, if need be :" So it is not needful for all persons; nor for any person at all times. God is able, he has both power and wisdom, to work, when he pleases, the same work of grace in any soul, by other means. And in some instances he does so ; he causes those whom it pleaseth him to go on from strength to strength, even till they " perfect holiness in his fear," with scarce any heaviness at all ; as having an absolute power over the heart of man, and moving all the springs of it at his pleasure. But these cases are rare : God generally sees good to try " acceptable men in the furnace of affliction." So that SELF-DENIAL. 103 manifold temptations and heaviness, more or less, are usually the portion of his dearest children. 4. We ought, therefore, Lastly, to watch and pray, and use our utmost endeavours to avoid falling into darkness. But we need not be solicitous how to avoid so much as how to improve Dy heaviness. Our great care should be, so to behave ourselves under it, so to wait upon the Lord therein, that it may fully answer all the design of his love, in permitting it to come upon us; that it may be a means of increasing our faith, of confirm ing our hope, of perfecting us in all holiness. Whenever it comes, let us have an eye to those gracious ends for which it is permitted, and use all diligence that we may not make void the counsel of God against ourselves. Let us earnestly work together with him, by the grace which he is continually giving us, in " purifying ourselves from all pollution, both of flesh and spirit," and daily growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, till we are received into his everlasting kingdom ! SERMON XLVIII. SELF-DENIAL. " And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" Luke ix. 23. 1. It has been frequently imagined, that the direction here given related chiefly, if not wholly, to the Apostles ; at least, to the Christians of the first ages, or those in a state of persecu tion. But this is a grievous mistake : For although our blessed Lord is here directing his discourse more immediately to his Apostles, and those other disciples who attended him in the days of his flesh ; yet, in them he speaks to us, and to all mankind, without any exception or limitation. The very reason of the thing puts it beyond dispute, that the duty which is here 104 SERMON XLVIII. enjoined is not peculiar to them, or to the Christians of the early ages. It no more regards any particular order of men, or particular time, than any particular country. No: It is of the most universal nature, respecting all times, and all persons, yea, and all things ; not meats and drinks only, and things pertaining to the senses. The meaning is, " If any man," of whatever rank, station, circumstances, in any nation, in any age of the world, " will " effectually " come after me, let him deny himself" in all things ; let him " take up his cross," of whatever kind ; yea, and that " daily ; and follow me." 2. The denying ourselves, and the taking up our cross, in the full extent of the expression, is not a thing of small con cern : It is not expedient only, as are some of the circumstan tials of religion ; but it is absolutely, indispensably necessary, either to our becoming or continuing his disciples. It is abso lutely necessary, in the very nature of the thing, to our coming after Him and following Him ; insomuch that, as far as we do not practise it, we are not his disciples. If we do not continually deny ourselves, we do not learn of Him, but of other masters. If we do not take up our cross daily, we do not come after Him, but after the world, or the prince of the world, or our own fleshly mind. If we are not walking in the way of the cross, we are not following Him ; we are not treading in his steps ; but going back from, or at least wide of, Him. 3. It is for this reason, that so many Ministers of Christ, in almost every age and nation, particularly since the Reformation of the Church from the innovations and corruptions gradually crept into it, have wrote and spoke so largely on thic important duty, both in their public discourses and private exhortations. This induced them to disperse abroad many tracts upon the subject ; and some in our own nation. They knew both from the oracles of God, and from the testimony of their own experi ence, how impossible it was not to deny our Master, unless we will deny ourselves ; and how vainly we attempt to follow Him that was crucified, unless we take up our own cross daily. 4. But may not this very consideration make it reasonable to inquire, If so much has been said and wrote on the subject already, what need is there to say or write any more ? I answer, There are no inconsiderable numbers, even of people fearing God, who have not had the opportunity either of hear ing what has been spoke, or reading what has been wrote, upon SELF-DENIAL. 105 it. And, perhaps, if they had read much of what has been written, they would not have been much profited. Many who have wrote, (some of them large volumes,) do by no means appear to have understood the subject. Either they had imperfect views of the very nature of it, (and then they could never explain it to others,) or they were unacquainted with the due extent of it ; they did not see how exceeding broad this command is; or they were not sensible of the absolute, the indispensable necessity of it. Others speak of it in so dark, so perplexed, so intricate, so mystical a manner, as if they designed rather to conceal it from the vulgar, than to explain it to common readers. Others speak admirably well, with great clearness and strength, on the necessity of self-denial ; but then they deal in generals only, without coming to particular instances, and so are of little use to the bulk of mankind, to men of ordinary capacity and education. And if some of them do descend to particulars, it is to those particulars only which do not affect the generality of men, since they seldom, if ever, occur in common life ; — such as the enduring imprisonment, or tortures ; the giving up, in a literal sense, their houses or lands, their husbands or wives, children, or life itself; to none of which we are called, nor are likely to be, unless God should permit times of public persecution to return. In the mean time, I know of no writer in the English tongue who has described the nature of self-denial in plain and intelligible terms, such as lie level with common understandings, and applied it to those little particulars which daily occur in common life. A discourse of this kind is wanted still ; and it is wanted the more, because in every stage of the spiritual life, although there is a variety of particular hinderances of our attaining grace or growing therein, yet are all resolvable into these general ones, — either we do not deny ourselves, or we do not take up our cross. In order to supply this defect in some degree, I shall endeavour to show, First, what it is for a man to deny himself, and what to take up his cross ; and, Secondly, that if a man be not fully Christ's disciple, it is always owing to the want of this. I.I.I shall, First, endeavour to show, what it is for a man to " deny himself, and take up his cross daily." This is a point which is, of all others, most necessary to be considered and throughly understood, even on this account, that it is, of all others, most opposed by numerous and powerful enemies. 106 SERMON XLVIII. All our nature must certainly rise up against this, even in its. own defence; the world, consequently, the men who take nature, not grace, for their guide, abhor the very sound of it. And the great enemy of our souls, well knowing its importance, cannot but move every stone against it. But this is not all : Even those who have in some measure shaken off the yoke of the devil, who have experienced, especially of late years, a real work of grace in their hearts, yet are no friends to this grand doctrine of Christianity, though it is so peculiarly insisted on by their Master. Some of them are as deeply and totally ignorant concerning it, as if there was not one word about it in the Bible. Others are farther off still, having unawares imbibed strong prejudices against it. These they have received partly from outside Christians, men of a fair speech and behaviour, who want nothing of godliness but the power, nothing of religion but the spirit ; — and partly from those who did once, if they do not now, " taste of the powers of the world to come." But are there any of these who do not both practise self-denial themselves, and recommend it to others ? You are little acquainted with mankind, if you doubt of this. There are whole bodies of men who only do not declare war against it. To go no farther than London : Look upon the whole body of Predestinarians, who by the free mercy of God have lately been called out of the darkness of nature into the light of faith. Are they patterns of self-denial ? How few of them even profess to practise it at all ! How few of them recommend it themselves, or are pleased with them that do ! Rather, do they not continually represent it in the most odious colours, as if it were seeking " salvation by works," or seeking " to establish our own righteousness?" And how readily do Antinomians of all kinds, from the smooth Moravian, to the boisterous, foul-mouthed Ranter, join the cry, with their silly, unmeaning cant of legality, and preaching the law ! Therefore you are in constant danger of being wheedled, hectored, or ridiculed out of this important gospel-doctrine, either by false teachers, or false brethren, (more or less beguiled from the simplicity of the gospel,) if you are not deeply grounded therein. Let fervent prayer, then, go before, accompany, and follow what you are now about to read, that it may be written in your heart by the finger of God, so as never to be erased. 2. But what is self-denial ? Wherein are we to deny our- SELF-DENIAL 107 selves ? And whence does the necessity of this arise ? I answer, The will of God is the supreme, unalterable rule for every intelligent creature ; equally binding every angel in heaven, and every man upon earth. Nor can it be otherwise : This is the natural, necessary result of the relation between creatures and their Creator. But if the will of God be our one rule of action in every thing, great and small, it follows, by undeni able consequence, that we are not to do our own will in any thing. Here, therefore, we see at once the nature, with the ground and reason, of self-denial. We^see the nature of self-denial : It is the denying or refusing to follow our own will, from a conviction that the will of God is the only rule of action to us. And we see the reason thereof, because we are creatures ; because " it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves." 3. This reason for self-denial must hold, even with regard to fhe angels of God in heaven ; and with regard to man, innocent and holy, as he came out of the hands of his Creator. But a farther reason for it arises from the condition wherein all men are since the fall. We are all now " shapen in wickedness, and in sin did our mother conceive us." Our nature is altogether corrupt, in every power and faculty. And our will, depraved equally with the rest, is wholly bent to indulge our natural corruption. On the other hand, it is the will of God that we resist and counteract that corruption, not at some times or in some things only, but at all times and in all things. Here, therefore, is a farther ground for constant and universal self- denial. 4. To illustrate this a little further : The will of God is a path leading straight to God. The will of man, which once ran parallel with it, is now another path, not only different from it, but, in our present state, directly contrary to it : It leads from God. If, therefore, we walk in the one, we must necessarily quit the other. We cannot walk in both. Indeed, a man of faint heart and feeble hands may go in two ways, one after the other. But he cannot walk in two ways at the same time: He cannot, at one and the same time, follow his own will, and follow the will of God : He must choose the one or the other ; denying God's will, to follow his own ; or denying himself, to follow the will of God. 5. Now, it is undoubtedly pleasing, for the time, to follow our own will, by indulging, in any instance that offers, the 108 SERMON XLVIII. corruption of our nature : But by following it in anything, we so far strengthen the perverseness of our will ; and by indulging it, we continually increase the corruption of our nature. So, by the food which is agreeable to the palate, we often increase a bodily disease : It gratifies the taste, but it inflames the disorder ; it brings pleasure, but it also brings death. 6. On the whole, then, to deny ourselves, is, to deny our own will, where it does not fall in with the will of God ; and that however pleasing it may be. It is, to deny ourselves any pleasure which does not spring from, and lead to, God; that is, in effect, to refuse going out of our way, though into a pleasant, flowery path ; to refuse what we know to be deadly poison, though agreeable to the taste. 7- And every one that would follow Christ, that would be his real disciple, must not only deny himself, but take up his cross also. A cross is anything contrary to our will, anything displeasing to our nature. So that taking up our cross goes a little farther than denying ourselves ; it rises a little higher, and is a more difficult task to flesh and blood ; — it being more easy to forego pleasure, than to endure pain. 8. Now, in running " the race that is set before us," according to the will of God, there is often a cross lying in the way ; that is, something which is not only not joyous, but grievous ; some thing which is contrary to our will, which is displeasing to our nature. What then is to be done ? The choice is plain : Either we must take up our cross, or we must turn aside from the way of God, " from the holy commandment delivered to us;" if we do not stop altogether, or turn back to everlasting perdition ! 9. In order to the healing of that corruption, that evil disease, which every man brings with him into the world, it is often needful to pluck out, as it were, a right eye, to cut off a right hand ; — so painful is either the thing itself which must be done, or the only means of doing it ; the parting, suppose, with a foolish desire, with an inordinate affection ; or a separation from the object of it, without which it can never be extinguished. In the former kind, the tearing away such a desire or affection, when it is deeply rooted in the soul, is often like the piercing of a sword, yea, like " the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, the joints and marrow." The Lord then sits upon the soul as a refiner's fire, to burn up all the dross thereof. And this is a cross indeed ; it is essentially painful ; it must be so, in SELF-DENIAL. 109 the very nature of the thing. The soul cannot be thus torn asunder, it cannot pass through the fire, without pain. 10. In the latter kind, the means to heal a sin-sick soul, to cure a foolish desire, an inordinate affection, are often painful, not in the nature of the thing, but from the nature of the disease. So when our Lord said to the rich young man, " Go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor," (as well knowing, this was the only means of healing his covetousness,) the very thought of it gave him so much pain, that "he went away sorrowful ;" choosing rather to part with his hope of heaven, than his possessions on earth. This was a burden he could not consent to lift, a cross he would not take up. And in the one kind or the other, every follower of Christ will surely have need to " take up his cross daily." 11. The "taking up" differs a little from "bearing his cross." We are then properly said to " bear our cross," when we endure what is laid upon us without our choice, with meekness and resignation. Whereas, we do not properly " take up our cross," but when we voluntarily suffer what it is in our power to avoid; when we willingly embrace the will of God, though contrary to our own ; when we choose what is painful, because it is the will of our wise and gracious Creator. 12. And thus it behoves every disciple of Christ to take up, as well as to bear, his cross. Indeed, in one sense, it is not his alone ; it is common to him, and many others ; seeing there is no temptation befals any man, ei ^ uvtipunrivoc, — " but such as is common to men ; " such as is incident and adapted to their common nature and situation in the present world. But, in another sense, as it is considered with all its circumstances, it is his ; peculiar to himself: It is prepared of God for him ; it is given by God to him, as a token of his love. And if he receives it as such, and, after using such means to remove the pressure as Christian wisdom directs, lies as clay in the potter's hand; it is disposed and ordered by God for his good, both with regard to the quality of it, and in respect to its quantity and degree, its duration, and every other circumstance. 13. In all this, we may easily conceive our blessed Lord to act as the Physician of our souls, not merely "for his own pleasure, but for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness." If, in searching our wounds, he puts us to pain, it is only in order to heal them. He cuts away what is putrified 110 SERMON XLVIII. or unsound, in order to preserve the sound part. And if we freely choose the loss of a limb, rather than the whole body should perish ; how much more should we choose, figuratively, to cut off a right hand, rather than the whole soul should be cast into hell ! 14. We see plainly then both the nature and ground of taking up our cross. It does not imply the disciplining our selves ; (as some speak ;) the literally tearing our own flesh ; the wearing hair-cloth, or iron-girdles, or anything else that would impair our bodily health ; (although we know not what allowance God may make for those who act thus through invo luntary ignorance ;) but the embracing the will of God, though contrary to our own ; the choosing wholesome, though bitter medicines ; the freely accepting temporary pain, of whatever kind, and in whatever degree, when it is either essentially or accidentally necessary to eternal pleasure. II. 1. I am, Secondly, to show, that it is always owing to the want either of self-denial, or taking up his cross, that any man does not throughly follow Him, is not fully a disciple of Christ. It is true, this may be partly owing, in some cases, to the want of the means of grace ; of hearing the true word of God spoken with power ; of the sacraments, or of Christian fellow ship. But where none of these is wanting, the great hinderance of our receiving or growing in the grace of God is always the want of denying ourselves, or taking up our cross. 2. A few instances will make this plain. A man hears the word which is able to save his soul : He is well pleased with what he hears, acknowledges the truth, and is a little affected by it ; yet he remains " dead in trespasses and sins," senseless and unawakened. Why is this ? Because he will not part with his bosom-sin, though he now knows it is an abomination to the Lord. He came to hear, full of lust and unholy desire ; and he will not part with them. Therefore no deep impression is made upon him, but his foolish heart is still hardened : That is, he is still senseless and unawakened, because he will not deny himself. 3. Suppose he begins to awake out of sleep, and his eyes are a little opened, why are they so quickly closed again ? Why does he again sink into the sleep of death ? Because he again vields to his bosom-sin ; he drinks again of the pleasing poison SELF-DENIAL. Ill Therefore it is impossible that any lasting impression should be made upon his heart : That is, he relapses into his fatal insen sibility, because he will not deny himself. 4. But this is not tbe case with all. We have many instances of those who when once awakened sleep no more. The impressions once received do not wear away: They are not only deep, but lasting. And yet, many of these have not found what they seek : They mourn, and yet are not comforted. Now, why is this ? It is because they do not " bring forth fruits meet for repentance ; " because they do not, according to the grace they have received, " cease from evil, and do good." They do not cease from the easily besetting sin, the sin of their constitu tion, of their education, or of their profession ; or they omit doing the good they may, and know they ought to do, because of some disagreeable circumstances attending it: That is, they do not attain faith, because they will not " deny themselves," or " take up their cross." 5. But this man did receive " the heavenly gift ; " he did " taste of the powers of the world to come;" he saw "the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;" the " peace which passeth all understanding " did rule his heart and mind ; and " the love of God was shed abroad " therein, " by the Holy Ghost which was given unto him ; " — yet he is now weak as another man ; he again relishes the things of earth, and has more taste for the things which are seen than for those which are not seen ; the eye of his understanding is closed again, so that he cannot "see Him that is invisible;" his love is waxed cold, and the peace of God no longer rules in his heart. And no marvel ; for he has again given place to the devil, and grieved the Holy Spirit of God. He has turned again unto folly, to some pleasing sin, if not in outward act, yet in heart. He has given place to pride, or anger, or desire, to self-will, or stubbornness. Or he did not stir up the gift of God which was in him ; he gave way to spiritual sloth, and would not be at the pains of " praying always, and watching thereunto with all perseverance:" That is, he made shipwreck of the faith, for want of self-denial, and taking up his cross daily. 6. But perhaps he has not made shipwreck of the faith : He has still a measure of the Spirit of adoption, which continues to witness with his spirit that he is a child of God. However, he is not " going on to perfection ; " he is not, as once, hunger- .112 SERMON XLVIII. ing and thirsting after righteousness, panting after the whole image and full enjoyment of God, as the hart after the water- brook. Rather he is weary and faint in his mind, and, as it were, hovering between life and death. And why is he thus, but because he hath forgotten the word of God, — " By works is faith made perfect ? " He does not use all diligence in working the works of God. He does not " continue instant in prayer," private as well as public ; in communicating, hearing, medita tion, fasting, and religious conference. If he does not wholly neglect some of these means, at least he does not use them all with his might. Or he is not zealous of works of charity, as well as works of piety. He is not merciful after his power, with the full ability which God giveth. He does not fervently serve the Lord by doing good to men, in every kind and in every degree he can, to their souls as well as their bodies. And why does he not continue in prayer ? Because in times of dryness it is pain and grief unto him. He does not continue in hearing at all opportunities, because sleep is sweet ; or it is cold, or dark, or rainy. But why does he not continue in works of mercy ? Because he cannot feed the hungry, or clothe the naked, unless he retrench the expense of his own apparel, or use cheaper and less pleasing food. Beside which, the visiting the sick, or those that are in prison, is attended with many disagreeable circum stances. And so are most works of spiritual mercy ; reproof, in particular. He would reprove his neighbour ; but sometimes shame, sometimes fear, comes between : For he may expose himself, not only to ridicule, but to heavier inconveniences too. Upon these and the like considerations, he omits one or more, if not all, works of mercy and piety. Therefore, his faith is not made perfect, neither can he grow in grace ; namely, because he will not deny himself, and take up his daily cross. 7- It manifestly follows, that it is always owing to the want either of self-denial, or taking up his cross, that a man does not throughly follow his Lord, that he is not fully a disciple of Christ. It is owing to this, that he who is dead in sin does not awake, though the trumpet be blown ; that he who begins to awake out of sleep, yet has no deep or lasting conviction ; that he who is deeply and lastingly convinced of sin does not attain remission of sins ; that some who have received this heavenly gift retain it not, but make shipwreck of the faith ; and that others, if they do not draw back to perdition, yet are weary and SELF-DENIAL. 113 faint in their mind, and do not reach the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. III. 1. How easily may we learn hence, that they know neither the Scripture nor the power of God, who directly or indirectly, in public or in private, oppose the doctrine of self- denial and the daily cross ! How totally ignorant are these men of an hundred particular texts, as well as of the general tenor of the whole oracles of God ! And how entirely unacquainted must they be with true, genuine, Christian experience ; — of the manner wherein the Holy Spirit ever did, and does at this day, work in the souls of men ! They may talk, indeed, very loudly and confidently, (a natural fruit of ignorance,) as though they were the only men who understood either the word of God, or the experience of his children ; but their words are, in every sense, vain words ; they are weighed in the balance, and found wanting. 2. We may learn from hence, Secondly, the real cause why not only many particular persons, but even bodies of men, who were once burning and shining lights, have now lost both their light and heat. If they did not hate and oppose, they at least lightly esteemed, this precious gospel doctrine. If they did not boldly say, Abnegationem omnem proculcamus, internecioni damns ; " We trample all self-denial under foot, we devote it to destruction ; " yet they neither valued it according to its high importance, nor took any pains in practising it. Hanc mystici docent, said that great, bad man : " The mystic writers teach self-denial." — No ; the inspired writers ! And God teaches it to every soul who is willing to hear his voice ! 3. We may learn from hence, Thirdly, that it is not enough for a Minister of the gospel not to oppose the doctrine of self- denial, to say nothing concerning it. Nay, he cannot satisfy his duty by saying a little in favour of it. If he would, indeed, be pure from the blood of all men, he must speak of it frequently and largely ; he must inculcate the necessity of it in the clearest and strongest manner ; he must press it with his might, on all persons, at all times, and in all places ; laying " line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept : " So shall he have a conscience void of offence ; so shall he save his own saul and those that hear him. 4. Lastly : See that you apply this, every one of you, to your own soul. Meditate upon it when you are in secret : I 2. 114 SERMON XLIX. Ponder it in your heart ! Take care not only to understand it throughly, but to remember it to your lives' end ! Cry unto the Strong for strength, that you may no sooner understand, than enter upon the practice of it ! Delay not the time, but practise it immediately, from this very hour ! Practise it uni versally, on every one of the thousand occasions which occur in all circumstances of life ! Practise it daily, without intermis sion, from the hour you first set your hand to the plough, and enduring therein to the end, till your spirit returns to God ! SERMON XLIX. THE CURE OF EVIL-SPEAKING. " If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him, his fault between thee and him alone : If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. " But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. " And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church : But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" Matt, xviii. 15 — 17- 1. "Speak evil of no man," says the great Apostle: — As plain a command as, " Thou shalt do no murder." But who, even among Christians, regards this command ? Yea, how few are there that so much as understand it ! What is evil-speaking? It is not, as some suppose, the same with lying or slandering. All a man says may be as true as the Bible ; and yet the saying of it is evil-speaking. For evil-speaking is neither more nor less than speaking evil of an absent person ; relating something evil, which was really done or said by one that is not present when it is related. Suppose, having seen a man drunk, or heard him curse or swear, I tell this when he is absent ; it is evil-speaking. In our language this is also, by an extremely proper name, THE CURE OF EVIL-SPEAKING. 115 termed backbiting. Nor is there any material difference between this and what we usually style tale-bearing. If the tale be delivered in a soft and quiet manner, (perhaps with expressions of good-will to the person, and of hope that things may not be quite so bad,) then we call it whispering. But in whatever manner it be done, the thing is the same; — the same in substance, if not in circumstance. Still it is evil-speaking ; still this command, " Speak evil of no man," is trampled under foot ; if we relate to another the fault of a third person, when he is not present to answer for himself. 2. And how extremely common is this sin, among all orders and degrees of men ! How do high and low, rich and poor, wise and foolish, learned and unlearned, run into it continually ! Persons who differ from each other in all things else, neverthe less agree in this. How few are there that can testify before God, " I am clear in this matter ; I have always set a watch before my mouth, and kept the door of my lips ! " What con versation do you hear, of any considerable length, whereof evil- speaking is not one ingredient ? and that even among persons who, in the general, have the fear of God before their eyes, and do really desire to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. 3. And the very commonness of this sin makes it difficult to be avoided. As we are encompassed with it on every side, so, if we are not deeply sensible of the danger, and continually guarding against it, we are liable to be carried away by the torrent. In this instance, almost the whole of mankind is, as it were, in a conspiracy against us. And their example steals upon us, we know not how ; so that we insensibly slide into the imitation of it. Besides, it is recommended from within, as well as from without. There is scarce any wrong temper in the mind of man, which may not be occasionally gratified by it, and con sequently incline us to it. It gratifies our pride, to relate those faults of others whereof we think ourselves not to be guilty. Anger, resentment, and all unkind tempers, are indulged by speaking against those with whom we are displeased ; and, in many cases, by reciting the sins of their neighbours, men indulge their own foolish and hurtful desires. 4. Evil-speaking is the more difficult to be avoided, because it frequently attacks us in disguise. We speak thus out of a noble, generous, (it is well if we do not say,) holy indignation, 12 116 SERMON XLIX. against these vile creatures ! We commit sin from mere hatred of sin ! We serve the devil out of pure zeal for God ! It is merely in order to punish the wicked that we run into this wickedness. " So do the passions" (as one speaks) " all justify themselves," and palm sin upon us under the veil of holiness ! 5. But is there no way to avoid the snare ? Unquestionably there is. Our blessed Lord has marked out a plain way for his followers, in the words above recited. None, who warily and steadily walk in this path, will ever fall into evil-speaking. This rule is either an infallible preventive, or a certain cure, of it. In the preceding verses, our Lord had said, " Woe to the world, because of offences ; " — unspeakable misery, will arise in the world from this baleful fountain : (Offences are all things whereby any one is turned out of, or hindered in, the ways of God :) " For it must be that offences come : " — Such is the nature of things ; such the wickedness, folly, and weakness of mankind : " But woe to that man," — miserable is that man, " by whom the offence cometh." " Wherefore, if thy hand, thy foot, thine eye, cause thee to offend ;" — if the most dear enjoyment, the most beloved and useful person, turn thee out of or hinder thee in the way, " pluck it out," — cut them off, and cast them from thee. But how can we avoid giving offence to some, and being offended at others ? especially, suppose they are quite in the wrong, and we see it with our own eyes ? Our Lord here teaches us how : He lays down a sure method of avoiding offences and evil-speaking together. " If thy brother shall tres pass against thee, go and tell him of his fault between thee and him alone : If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church : But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." I. 1. First. " If thy brother shall sin against thee, go and tell him of his fault between thee and him alone." The most literal way of following this first rule, where it is practicable, is the best : Therefore, if thou seest with thine own eyes a brother, a fellow-Christian, commit undeniable sin, or hearest it with thine own ears, so that it is impossible for thee to doubt the fact, then thy part is plain : Take the very first opportunity of going to him ; and, if thou canst have access, " tell him of his fault THE CURE OF EVIL-SPEAKING. 117 between thee and him alone." Indeed, great care is to be taken that this is done in a right spirit, and in a right manner. The success of a reproof greatly depends on the spirit wherein it is given. Be not, therefore, wanting in earnest prayer to God, that it may be given in a lowly spirit ; with a deep, piercing conviction, that it is God alone who maketh thee to differ ; and that if any good be done by what is now spoken, God doeth it himself. Pray that he would guard thy heart, enlighten thy mind, and direct thy tongue to such words as he may please to bless. See that thou speak in a meek as well as a lowly spirit ; for the " wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." If he be " overtaken in a fault," he can no otherwise be restored, than " in the spirit of meekness." If he opposes the truth, yet he cannot be brought to the knowledge thereof, but by gentle ness. Still speak in a spirit of tender love, " which many waters cannot quench." If love is not conquered, it conquers all things. Who can tell the force of love ? Love can how down the stubborn neck, The stone to flesh convert ; Soften, and melt, and pierce, and break An adamantine heart. Confirm, then, your love toward him, and you will thereby " heap coals of fire upon his head." 2. But see that the manner also wherein you speak be accord ing to the Gospel of Christ. Avoid every thing in look, gesture, word, and tone of voice, that savours of pride or self- sufficiency. Studiously avoid every thing magisterial or dog matical, every thing that looks like arrogance or assuming. Beware of the most distant approach to disdain, overbearing, or contempt. With equal care avoid all appearance of anger; and though you use great plainness of speech, yet let there be no reproach, no railing accusation, no token of any warmth, but that of love. Above all, let there be no shadow of hate or ill-will, no bitterness or sourness of expression ; but use the air and language of sweetness as well as gentleness, that all may appear to flow from love in the heart. And yet this sweetness need not hinder your speaking in the most serious and solemn manner ; as far as may be, in the very words of the oracles of God, (for there are none like them,) and as under the eye of Him who is coming to judge the quiok and dead. 3. If you have not an opportunity of speaking to him in 118 SERMON XLIX. '— 1 person, or cannot have access, you may do it by a messenger; by a common friend, in whose prudence, as well as uprightness, you can throughly confide. Such a person, speaking in your name, and in the spirit and manner above described, may answer the same end, and, in a good degree, supply your lack of service. Only beware you do not feign the want of opportunity, in order to shun the cross ; neither take it for granted that you cannot have access, without ever making the trial. Whenever you can speak in your own person, it is far better. But you should rather do it by another, than not at all: This way is better than none. 4. But what, if you can neither speak yourself, nor find such a messenger as you can confide in ? If this be really the case, it then only remains, to write. And there may be some circum stances which make this the most advisable way of speaking. One of these circumstances is, when the person with whom we have to do is of so warm and impetuous a temper as does not easily bear reproof, especially from an equal or inferior. But it may be so introduced and softened in writing as to make it far more tolerable. Besides, many will read the very same words, which they could not bear to hear. It does not give so violent a shock to their pride, nor so sensibly touch their honour. And suppose it makes little impression at first, they will, perhaps, give it a second reading, and, upon farther consideration, lay to heart what before they disregarded. If you add your name, this is nearly the same thing as going to him, and speaking in person. And this should always be done, unless it be rendered improper by some very particular reason. 5. It should be well observed, not only that this is a step which our Lord absolutely commands us to take, but that he commands us to take this step first, before we attempt any other. No alternative is allowed, no choice of anything else : This is the way ; walk thou in it. It is true, he enjoins us, if need require, to take two other steps ; but they are to be taken successively after this step, and neither of them before it : Much less are we to take any other step, either before or beside this. To do anything else, or not to do this, is, therefore, equally inexcusable. 6. Do not think to excuse yourself for taking an entirely different step, by saying, " Why, I did not speak to any one, till I was so burdened, that I could not refrain." You was THE CURE OF EVIL-SPEAKING. 119 burdened ! It was no wonder you should, unless your conscience was seared ; for you was under the guilt of sin, of disobeying a plain commandment of God ! You ought immediately to have gone, and told " your brother of his fault between you and him alone." If you did not, how should you be other than burdened, (unless your heart was utterly hardened,) while you was trampling the command of God under foot, and " hating your brother in your heart ?" And what a way you have found to unburden yourself ! God reproves you for a sin of omission, for not telling your brother of his fault ; and you comfort yourself under his reproof by a sin of commission, by telling your brother's fault to another person ! Ease bought by sin is a dear purchase ! I trust in God, you will have no ease, but will be burdened so much the more, till you "go to your brother and tell him," and no one else ! 7. I know but of one exception to this rule : There may be a peculiar case, wherein it is necessary to accuse the guilty, though absent, in order to preserve the innocent. For instance : You are acquainted with the design which a man has against the property or life of his neighbour. Now, the case may be so cir cumstanced, that there is no other way of hindering that design from taking effect, but the making it known, without delay, to him against whom it is laid. In this case, therefore, this rule is set aside, as is that of the Apostle, " Speak evil of no man :" And it is lawful, yea, it is our bounden duty, to speak evil of an absent person, in order to prevent his doing evil to others and himself at the same time. But remember, meanwhile, that all evil-speaking is, in its own nature, deadly poison. Therefore if you are sometimes constrained to use it as a medicine, yet use it with fear and trembling ; seeing it is so dangerous a medicine, that nothing but absolute necessity can excuse your using it at all. Accordingly, use it as seldom as possible ; never but when there is such a necessity: And even then use as little of it as is possible ; only so much as is necessary for the end proposed. At all other times, " go and tell him of his fault between thee and him alone." II. 1. But what, " if he will not hear ? " if he repay evil for good ? if he be enraged, rather than convinced ? What, if he hear to no purpose, and go on still in the evil of his way ? We must expect this will frequently be the case ; the mildest and tenderest reproof will have no effect ; but the blessing we wished 120 SERMON XLIX. i for another will return into our own bosom. And what are we to do then ? Our Lord has given us a clear and full direction. Then " take with thee one or two more :" This is the second step. Take one or two whom you know to be of a loving spirit, lovers of God and of their neighbour. See, likewise, that they be of a lowly spirit, and " clothed with humility." Let them also be such as are meek and gentle, patient and longsuffer- ing ; not apt to " return evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing." Let them be men of understanding, such as are endued with wisdom from above ; and men unbiassed, free from partiality, free from prejudice of any kind. Care should likewise be taken, that both the persons and their characters be well known to him : And let those that are accept able to him be chosen preferable to any others. 2. Love will dictate the manner wherein they should proceed, according to the nature of the case. Nor can any one particular manner be prescribed for all cases. But perhaps, in general, one might advise, before they enter upon the thing itself, let them mildly and affectionately declare that they have no anger or prejudice toward him, and that it is merely from a principle of good-will that they now come, or at all concern themselves with his affairs. To make this the more apparent, they might then calmly attend to your repetition of your former conversa tion with him, and to what he said in his own defence, before they attempted to determine any thing. After this they would be better able to judge in what manner to proceed, " that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be estab lished ;" that whatever you have said may have its full force by the additional weight of their authority. 3. In order to this, may they not, (1.) Briefly repeat what you spoke, and what he answered ? (2.) Enlarge upon, open, and confirm the reasons which you had given ? (3.) Give weight to your reproof, showing how just, how kind, and how season able it was ? And, Lastly, enforce the advices and persuasions which you had annexed to it ? And these may likewise here after, if need should require, bear witness of what was spoken. 4. With regard to this, as well as the preceding rule, we may observe, that our Lord gives us no choice, leaves us no alterna tive, but expressly commands us to do this, and nothing else in the place of it. He likewise directs us when to do this ; neither sooner nor later ; namely, after we have taken the first, and THE CURE OF EVIL-SPKAKING. 121 tefore we have taken the third step. It is then only that we are authorized to relate the evil another has done, to those whom we desire to bear a part with us in this great instance of brotherly love. But let us have a care how we relate it to any other person, till both these steps have been taken. If we neglect to take these, or if we take any others, what wonder if we are burdened still ? For we are sinners against God, and against our neighbour ; and how fairly soever we may colour it, yet, if we have any conscience, our sin will find us out, and bring a burden upon our soul. III. 1. That we may be throughly instructed in this weighty affair, our Lord has given us a still farther direction. " If he will not hear them," then, and not till then, " tell it to the Church." This is the third step. All the question is, how this word, " the Church," is here to be understood. But the very nature of the thing will determine this beyond all reasonable doubt. You cannot tell it to the national Church, the whole body of men termed " the Church of England." Neither would it answer any Christian end if you could ; this, therefore, is not the meaning of the word. Neither can you tell it to that whole body of people in England with whom you have a more immediate connexion. Nor, indeed, would this answer any good end : The word, therefore, is not to be understood thus. It would not answer any valuable end to tell the faults of every particular member to the Church, (if you would so term it,) the congregation or society united together in London. It remains that you tell it to the elder or elders of the Church, to those who are overseers of that flock of Christ to which you both belong, who watch over yours and his soul, " as they that must give account." And this should be done, if it conveniently can, in the presence of the person concerned, and, though plainly, yet with all the tenderness and love which the nature of the thing will admit. It properly belongs to their office to deter mine concerning the behaviour of those under their care, and to rebuke, according to the demerit of the offence, " with all authority." When, therefore, you have done this, you have done all which the word of God, or the law of love, requireth of you : You are not now partaker of his sin ; but if he perish, his blood is on his own head. 2. Here, also, let it be observed, that this, and no other, is tne third step which we are to take ; and that we are to take it 122 SERMON XLIX. in its order after the other two ; not before the second, much less the first, unless in some very particular circumstance. Indeed, in one case, the second step may coincide with this : They may be, in a manner, one and the same. The elder or elders of the Church may be so connected with the offending brother, that they may set aside the necessity, and supply the place, of the one or two witnesses ; so that it may suffice to tell it to them, after you have told it to your brother, " between you and him alone." 3. When you have done this, you have delivered your own soul. " If he will not hear the Church," if he persist in his sin, " let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican." You are under no obligation to think of him any more ; only when you commend him to God in prayer. You need not speak of him any more, but leave him to his own Master. Indeed, you still owe to him, as to all other Heathens, earnest, tender good will. You owe him courtesy, and, as occasion offers, all the offices of humanity. But have no friendship, no familiarity with him ; no other intercourse than with an open Heathen. 4. But if this be the rule by which Christians walk, which is the land where the Christians live ? A few you may possibly find scattered up and down, who make a conscience of observing it. But how very few ! How thinly scattered upon the face of the earth ! And where is there any body of men that universally walk thereby ? Can we find them in Europe ? or, to go no farther, in Great Britain or Ireland ? I fear not : I fear we may search these kingdoms throughout, and yet search in vain. Alas for the Christian world ! Alas for Protestants, for Reformed Christians ! O, " who will rise up with me against the wicked ?" " Who will take God's part" against the evil-speakers ? Art thou the man ? By the grace of God, wilt thou be one who art not carried away by the torrent ? Art thou fully determined, God being thy helper, from this very hour to set a watch, a continual "watch, before thy mouth, and keep the door of thy lips?" From this hour wilt thou walk by this rule, " Speaking evil of no man ?" If thou seest thy brother do evil, wilt thou " tell him of his fault between thee and him alone?" afterwards, "take one or two" witnesses, and then only "tell it to the Church ?" If this be the full purpose of thy heart, then learn one lesson well, " Hear evil of no man." If there were no hearers, there would be no speakers of evil. And is not THE CURJJ OF EVIL. SPEAK ING. 123 (according to the vulgar proverb) the receiver as bad as thc thief? If, then, any begin to speak evil in thy hearing, check him immediately. Refuse to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so sweetly ; let him use ever so soft a manner, so mild an accent, ever so many professions of good-will for him whom he is stabbing in the dark, whom he smiteth under the fifth rib ! Resolutely refuse to hear, though the whisperer complain of being " burdened till he speak." Burdened ! thou fool ! dost thou travail with thy cursed secret, as a woman travaileth with child ? Go, then, and be delivered of thy burden in the way the Lord hath ordained ! First, " go and tell thy brother of his fault between thee and him alone:" Next, "take with thee one or two " common friends, and tell him in their presence : If neither of these steps take effect, then " tell it to the Church." But, at the peril of thy soul, tell it to no one else, either before or after, unless in that one exempt case, when it is absolutely needful to preserve the innocent ! Why shouldest thou burden another as well as thyself, by making him partaker of thy sin ? 5. 0 that all you who bear the reproach of Christ, who are in derision called Methodists, would set an example to the Christian world, so called, at least in this one instance ! Put ye away evil- speaking, tale-bearing, whispering : Let none of them proceed out of your mouth ! See that you "speak evil of no man;" of the absent, nothing but good. If ye must be distinguished, whether ye will or no, let this be the distinguishing mark of a Methodist : " He censures no man behind his back : By this fruit ye may know him." What a blessed effect of this self- denial should we quickly feel in our hearts ! How would our " peace flow as a river," when we thus " followed peace with all men!" How would the love of God abound in our own souls, while we thus confirmed our love to our brethren ! And what an effect would it have on all that were united together in the name of the Lord Jesus ! How would brotherly love continually increase, when this grand hinderance of it was removed ! All the members of Christ's mystical body would then naturally care for each other. " If one member suffered, all would suffer with it;" "if one was honoured, all would rejoice with it;" and every one would love his brother "with a pure heart fervently." Nor is this all : But what an effect might this have, even on the wild, unthinking world ! How soon would they descry in us, what they could not find among 124 SERMON L. all the thousands of their brethren, and cry, (as Julian the apostate to his heathen courtiers,) " See how these Christians love one another !" By this chiefly would God convince the world, and prepare them also for his kingdom ; as we may easily learn from those remarkable words in our Lord's last solemn prayer : " I pray for them who shall believe in me, that they may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,— that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." The Lord hasten the time ! The Lord enable us thus to love one another^ not only " in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth," even as Christ hath loved us .' SERMON L. THE USE OF MONEY. " / say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Luke xvi. 9- I . Our Lord, having finished the beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son, which he had particularly addressed to those who murmured at his receiving publicans and sinners, adds another relation of a different kind, addressed rather to the children of God. " He said unto his disciples," not so much to the Scribes and Pharisees to whom he had been speaking before, — " There was a certain rich man, who had a steward, and he was accused to him of wasting his goods. And calling him, he said, Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou canst be no longer steward." (Verses 1, 2.) After reciting the method which the bad steward used to provide against the day of necessity, our Saviour adds, "His Lord commended the unjust steward;" namely, in this respect, that he used timely precaution ; and subjoins this weighty reflection, " The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light : " (Verse 8 :) Those who seek no other portion than this world "are wiser" (not absolutely ; for they are, one and all, the veriest fools, the most THE USE OP MONEY. 125 egregious madmen under heaven ; but, " in their generation," in their own way ; they are more consistent with themselves ; they are truer to their acknowledged principles ; they more stea dily pursue their end) " than the children of light;" — than they who see " the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Then follow the words above recited : " And I," — the only-begotten Son of God, the Creator, Lord, and Possessor of heaven and earth and all that is therein ; the Judge of all, to whom ye are to " give an account of your stewardship," when ye " can be no longer stewards ; " "I say unto you," — learn in this respect, even of the unjust steward, — " make yourselves friends," by wise, timely precaution, " of the mammon of unrigh teousness." " Mammon" means riches, or money. It is termed " the mammon of unrighteousness," because of the unrighteous manner wherein it is frequently procured, and wherein even that which was honestly procured is generally employed. " Make yourself friends" of this, by doing all possible good, particularly to the children of God ; " that, when ye fail," — when ye return to dust, when ye have no more place under the sun, — those of them who are gone before " may receive you," may welcome you, into the " everlasting habitations." 2. An excellent branch of Christian wisdom is here incul cated by our Lord on all his followers, namely, the right use of money ; — a subject largely spoken of, after their manner, by men of the world ; but not sufficiently considered by those whom God hath chosen out of the world. These, generally, do not consider, as the importance of the subject requires, the use of this excellent talent. Neither do they understand. how to employ it to the greatest advantage ; the introduction of which into the world is one admirable instance of the wise and gracious providence of God. It has, indeed, been the manner of poets, orators, and philosophers, in almost all ages and nations, to rail at this, as the grand corrupter of the world, the bane of virtue, the pest of human society. Hence nothing so commonly heard, as Nocens ferrum, ferroque nocentius aurum : And gold, more mischievous than keenest steeL Hence the lamentable complaint, Effodiuntur opes, irritamenta malorum. Wealth is dug up, incentive to all ill. 126 SERMON L. Nay, one celebrated writer gravely exhorts his countrymen, in order to banish all vice at once, to " throw all their money into the sea :" In mare proximum, Summi materiem mali! But is not all this mere empty rant ? Is there any solid reason therein ? By no means. For, let the world be as corrupt as it will, is gold or silver to blame ? " The love of money," we know, " is the root of all evil ; " but not the thing itself. The fault does not lie in the money, but in them that use it. It may be used ill : And what may not ? But it may likewise be used well : It is full as applicable to the best, as to the worst uses. It is of unspeakable service to all civilized nations, in all the common affairs of life : It is a most compendious instrument of transacting all manner of business, and (if we use it according to Christian wisdom) of doing all manner of good. It is true, were man in a state of innocence, or were all men " filled with the Holy Ghost," so that, like the infant Church at Jerusalem, " no man counted any thing he had his own," but " distribution was made to every one as he had need," the use of it would be superseded ; as we cannot conceive there is any thing of the kind among the inhabitants of heaven. But, in the present state of mankind, it is an excellent gift of God, answering the noblest ends. In the hands of his children, it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked : It gives to the traveller and the stranger where to lay his head. By it we may supply the place of an husband to the widow, and of a father to the fatherless. We may be a defence for the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, of ease to them that are in pain; it may be as eyes to the blind, as feet to the lame ; yea, a lifter up from the gates of death ! 3. It is, therefore, of the highest concern, that all who fear God know how to employ this valuable talent; that they be instructed how it may answer these glorious ends, and in the highest degree. And, perhaps, all the instructions which are necessary for this may be reduced to three plain rules, by the exact observance whereof we may approve ourselves faithful stewards of " the mammon of unrighteousness." I. 1. The First of these is, (he that heareth, let him under stand !) " Gain all you can." Here we may speak like the children of the world : We meet them on their own ground. THE USE OF MONEY. 127 And it is our bounden duty to do this : We ought to gain all we can gain, without buying gold too dear, without paying more for it than it is worth. But this it is certain we ought not to do ; we ought not to gain money at the expense of life, nor (which is in effect the same thing) at the expense of our health. Therefore, no gain whatsoever should induce us to enter into, or to continue in, any employ, which is of such a kind, or is attended with so hard or so long labour, as to impair our constitution. Neither should we begin or continue in any business which necessarily deprives us of proper seasons for food and sleep, in such a proportion as our nature requires. Indeed, there is a great difference here. Some employments are absolutely and totally unhealthy ; as those which imply the dealing much with arsenic, or other equally hurtful minerals, or the breathing an air tainted with steams of melting lead, which must at length destroy the firmest constitution. Others may not be absolutely unhealthy, but only to persons of a weak con stitution. Such are those which require many hours to be spent in writing ; especially if a person write sitting, and lean upon his stomach, or remain long in an uneasy posture. But what ever it is which reason or experience shows to be destructive of health or strength, that we may not submit to ; seeing " the life is more" valuable " than meat, and the body than raiment :" And, if we are already engaged in such an employ, we should exchange it, as soon as possible, for some which, if it lessen our gain, will, however, not lessen our health. 2. We are, Secondly, to gain all we can without hurting our mind, any more than our body. For neither may we hurt this : We must preserve, at all events, the spirit of an healthful mind. Therefore, we may not engage or continue in any sinful trade ; any that is contrary to the law of God, or of our country. Such are all that necessarily imply our robbing or defrauding the king of his lawful customs. For it is, at least, as sinful to defraud the king of his right, as to rob our fellow-subjects: And the king has full as much right to his customs as we have to our houses and apparel. Other businesses there are which, however innocent in themselves, cannot be followed with innocence now ; at least, not in England ; such, for instance, as will not afford a competent maintenance without cheating or lying, or conformity to some custom which is not consistent with a good conscience : These, likewise, are sacredly 128 SERMON L. to be avoided, whatever gain they may be attended with, pro vided we follow the custom of the trade ; for, to gain money, we must not lose our souls. There are yet others which many pursue with perfect innocence, without hurting either their body or mind ; and yet, perhaps, you cannot : Either they may entangle you in that company which would destroy your soul ; and by repeated experiments it may appear that you cannot separate the one from the other ; or there may be an idiosyn crasy, — a peculiarity in your constitution of soul, (as there is in the bodily constitution of many,) by reason whereof that employment is deadly to you, which another may safely follow. So I am convinced, from many experiments, I could not study, to any degree of perfection, either mathematics, arithmetic, or algebra, without being a Deist, if not an Atheist : And yet others may study them all their lives without sustaining any inconvenience. None, therefore, can here determine for another ; but every man must judge for himself, and abstain from whatever he in particular finds to be hurtful to his soul. 3. We are, Thirdly, to gain all we can, without hurting our neighbour. But this we may not, cannot do, if we love our neighbour as ourselves. We cannot, if we love every one as ourselves, hurt any one in his substance. We cannot devour the increase of his lands, and perhaps the lands and houses themselves, by gaming, by over-grown bills, (whether on account of physic, or law, or any thing else,) or by requiring or taking such interest as even the laws of our country forbid. Hereby all pawn-broking is excluded : Seeing, whatever good we might do thereby, all unprejudiced men see with grief to be abundantly over-balanced by the evil. And if it were other wise, yet we are not allowed to " do evil that good may come." We cannot, consistent with brotherly love, sell our goods below the market-price ; we cannot study to ruin our neighbour's trade, in order to advance our own ; much less can we entice away, or receive, any of his servants or workmen whom he has need of. None can gain by swallowing up his neighbour's substance, without gaining the damnation of hell ! 4. Neither may we gain by hurting our neighbour in his body. Therefore we may not sell any thing which tends to impair health. Such is, eminently, all that liquid fire, com monly called drams, or spirituous liquors. It is true, these may have a place in medicine; they may be of use in some THE USE OF MONEY. 129 bodily disorders ; although there would rarely be occasion for them, were it not for the unskilfulness of the practitioner. Therefore, such as prepare and sell them only for this end may keep their conscience clear. But who are they ? Who pre pare them only for this end ? Do you know ten such distillers in England ? Then excuse these. But all who sell them in the common way, to any that will buy, are poisoners general. They murder His Majesty's subjects by wholesale, neither does their eye pity or spare. They drive them to hell like sheep And what is their gain ? Is it not the blood of these men ? Who then would envy their large estates and sumptuous palaces ? A curse is in the midst of them : The curse of God cleaves to the stones, the timber, the furniture of them ! The curse of God is in their gardens, their walks, their groves ; a fire that burns to the nethermost hell ! Blood, blood is there : The foundation, the floor, the walls, the roof, are stained with blood ! And canst thou hope, O thou man of blood, though thou art " clothed in scarlet and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day;" canst thou hope to deliver down thy fields of blood to the third generation ? Not so ; for there is a God in heaven : Therefore, thy name shall soon be rooted out. Like as those whom thou hast destroyed, body and soul, " thy memorial shall perish with thee ! " 5. And are not they partakers of the same guilt, though in a lower degree, whether Surgeons, Apothecaries, or Physicians, who play with the lives or health of men, to enlarge their own gain ? who purposely lengthen the pain or disease, which they are able to remove speedily ? who protract the cure of their patient's body, in order to plunder his substance? Can any man be clear before God, who does not shorten every disorder " as much as he can," and remove all sickness and pain " as soon as he can ?" He cannot : For nothing can be more clear, than that he does not "love his neighbour as himself ;" than that he does not " do unto others, as he would they should do unto himself." 6. This is dear-bought gain. And so is whatever is procured by hurting our neighbour in his soul ; by ministering, suppose, either directly or indirectly, to his unchastity, or intemperance ; which certainly none can do, who has any fear of God, or any real desire of pleasing Him. It nearly concerns all those to con sider this, who have anything to do with taverns, victualling- K 2. 130 SERMON L. houses, opera-houses, play-houses, or any other places of public, fashionable diversion. If these profit the souls of men, you are clear ; your employment is good, and your gain innocent ; but if they are either sinful in themselves, or natural inlets to sin of various kinds, then, it is to be feared, you have a sad account to make. O beware, lest God say in that day, " These have perished in their iniquity, but their blood do I require at thy hands !" 7- These cautions and restrictions being observed, it is the bounden duty of all who are engaged in worldly business to observe that first and great rule of Christian wisdom, with respect to money, " Gain all you can." Gain all you can by honest industry. Use all possible diligence in your calling. Lose no time. If you understand yourself, and your relation to God and man, you know you have none to spare. If you understand your particular calling, as you ought, you will have no time that hangs upon your hands. Every business will afford some employment sufficient for every day and every hour. That wherein you are placed, if you follow it in earnest, will leave you no leisure for silly, unprofitable diversions. You have always something better to do, something that will profit you, more or less. And " whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Do it as soon as possible : No delay ! No putting off from day to day, or from hour to hour ! Never leave anything till to-morrow, which you can do to-day. And do it as well as possible. Do not sleep or yawn over it : Put your whole strength to the work. Spare no pains. Let nothing be done by halves, or in a slight and careless manner. Let nothing in your business be left undone, if it can be done by labour or patience. 8. Gain all you can, by common sense, by using in your business all the understanding which God has given you. It is amazing to observe, how few do this ; how men run on in the same dull track with their forefathers. But whatever they do who know not God, this is no rule for you. It is a shame for a Christian not to improve upon them, in whatever he takes in hand. You should be continually learning, from the experience of others, or from your own experience, reading, and reflection, to do everything you have to do better to-day than you did yesterday. And see that you practise whatever you learn, that you may make the best of all that is in your hands. II. 1. Having gained all you can, by honest wisdom, and ) THE USE OF MONEY. 131 •unwearied diligence, the Second rule of Christian prudence is, •" Save all you can." Do not throw the precious talent into the sea : Leave that folly to heathen philosophers. Do not throw it away in idle expenses, which is just the same as throwing it into the sea. Expend no part of it merely to gratify the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. 2. Do not waste any part of so precious a talent, merely in gratifying the desires of the flesh ; in procuring the pleasures of sense, of whatever kind ; particularly, in enlarging the pleasure of tasting. I do not mean, avoid gluttony and drunkenness only: An honest Heathen would condemn these. But there is a regular, reputable kind of sensuality, an elegant epicurism, which does not immediately disorder the stomach, nor (sensibly at least) impair the understanding; and yet (to mention no other effects of it now) it cannot be maintained without consi derable expense. Cut off all this expense .' Despise delicacy and variety, and be content with what plain nature requires. 3. Do not waste any part of so precious a talent, merely in gratifying the desire of the eye, by superfluous or expensive apparel, or by needless ornaments. Waste no part of it in curiously adorning your houses ; in superfluous or expensive furniture ; in costly pictures, painting, gilding, books ; in ele gant rather than useful gardens. Let your neighbours, who know nothing better, do this : " Let the dead bury their dead." But " what is that to thee?" says our Lord: " Follow thou me." Are you willing ? Then you are able so to do ! 4. Lay out nothing to gratify the pride of life, to gain the admiration or praise of men. This motive of expense is fre quently interwoven with one or both of the former. Men are expensive in diet, or apparel, or furniture, not barely to please their appetite, or to gratify their eye, or their imagination, but their vanity too. " So long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee." So long as thou art " clothed in purple and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day," no , doubt many will applaud thy elegance of taste, thy generosity and hospitality. But do not buy their applause so dear. Rather be content with the honour that cometh from God. 5. Who would expend anything in gratifying these desires, if he considered, that to gratify them is to increase them ? Nothing can be more certain than this: Daily experience shows, the more they are indulged, they increase the more. Whenever, K 2 132 SERMON L. therefore, you expend anything to please your taste or other senses, you pay so much for sensuality. When you lay out money to please your eye, you give so much for an increase of curiosity, — for a stronger attachment to these pleasures which perish in the using. While you are purchasing anything which men use to applaud, you are purchasing more vanity. Had you not then enough of vanity, sensuality, curiosity, before ? Was there need of any addition ? And would you pay for it too ? What manner of wisdom is this? Would not the literally throwing your money into the sea be a less mischievous folly ? 6. And why should you throw away money upon your child ren, any more than upon yourself, in delicate food, in gay or costly apparel, in superfluities of any kind ? Why should you purchase for them more pride or lust, more vanity, or foolish and hurtful desires ? They do not want any more ; they have enough already ; nature has made ample provision for them : Why should you be at farther expense to increase their temptations and snares, and to pierce them through with more sorrows ? 7. Do not leave it to them to throw away. If you have good reason to believe they would waste what is now in your possession, in gratifying, and thereby increasing, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life ; at the peril of theirs and your own soul, do not set these traps in their way. Do not offer your sons or your daughters unto Belial, any more than unto Moloch. Have pity upon them, and remove out of their way what you may easily foresee would increase their sins, and consequently plunge them deeper into everlasting perdition ! How amazing then is the infatuation of those parents who think they can never leave their children enough ! What ! cannot you leave them enough of arrows, firebrands, and death ? not enough of foolish and hurtful desires ? not enough of pride, lust, ambition, vanity ? not enough of everlasting burnings ? Poor wretch ! thou fearest where no fear is. Surely both thou and they, when ye are lifting up your eyes in hell, will have enough both of " the worm that never dieth," and of " the fire that never shall be quenched ! " 8. "What then would you do, if you was in my case? if you had a considerable fortune to leave ?" Whether I would do it or no, I know what I ought to do : This will admit of no reasonable question. If I had one child, elder or younger, who knew the value of money, one who, I believed, would put it to THE USE OF MONEY. 133 the true use, I should think it my absolute, indispensable duty, to leave that child the bulk of my fortune; and to the rest just so much as would enable them to live in the manner they had been accustomed to do. " But what, if all your children were equally ignorant of the true use of money?" I ought then (hard saying ! who can hear it ?) to give each what would keep him above want ; and to bestow all the rest in such a manner as I judged would be most for the glory of God. III. 1. But let not any man imagine that he has done any thing, barely by going thus far, by " gaining and saving all he can," if he were to stop here. All this is nothing, if a man go not forward, if he does not point all this at a farther end. Nor, indeed, can a man properly be said to save anything, if he only lays it up. You may as well throw your money into the sea, as bury it in the earth. And you may as well bury it in the earth, as in your chest, or in the bank of England. Not to use, is effectually to throw it away. If, therefore, you would indeed " make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," add the Third rule to the two preceding. Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly, saved all you can, Then " give all you can." 2. In order to see the ground and reason of this, consider, when the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being, and placed you in this world, he placed you here, not as a pro prietor, but a steward : As such he entrusted you, for a season, with goods of various kinds ; but the sole property of these still rests in him, nor can ever be alienated from him. As you yourself are not your own, but his, such is, likewise, all that you enjoy. Such is your soul and your body, not your own, but God's. And so is your substance in particular. And he has told you, in the most clear and express terms, how you are to employ it for him, in such a manner, that it may be all an holy sacrifice, acceptable through Christ Jesus. And this light, easy service, he hath promised to reward with an eternal weight of glory. 3. The directions which God has given us, touching the use of our worldly substance, may be comprised in the following particulars. If you desire to be a faithful and a wise steward, out of that portion of your Lord's goods which he has for the present lodged in your hands, but with the right of resuming whenever it pleases him, First, provide things needful for your- J34 SERMON L. self; food to eat, raiment to put on, whatever nature mode rately requires for preserving the body in health and strength.. Secondly, provide these for your wife, your children, your ser vants, or any others who pertain to your household. If, when' this is done, there be an overplus left, then " do good to them that are of the household of faith." If there be an overplus- still, " as you have opportunity, do good unto all men." In so doing, you give all you can ; nay, in a sound sense, all you have : For all that is laid out in this manner is really given to God. You " render unto God the things that are God's," not only by what you give to the poor, but also by that which you expend in providing things needful for yourself and your house hold. 4. If, then, a doubt should at any time arise in your mind concerning what you are going to expend, either on yourself or any part of your family, you have an easy way to remove it, Calmly and seriously inquire, " (1.) In expending this, am I acting according to my character? Am I acting herein, not as a proprietor, but as a steward of my Lord's goods ? (2.) Am I doing this in obedience to his word ? In what scripture does he require me so to do ? (3.) Can I offer up this action, this expense, as a sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ ? (4.) Have I reason to believe, that for this very work I shall have a reward at the resurrection of the just ? " You will seldom need anything more to remove any doubt which arises on this head ; but, by this four-fold consideration, you will receive clear light as to the- way wherein you should go. 5. If any doubt still remain, you may farther examine your self by prayer, according to those heads of inquiry. Try whe ther you can say to the Searcher of hearts, your conscience not condemning you, " Lord, thou seest I am going to expend this sum on that food, apparel, furniture. And thou knowest, I act therein with a single eye, as a steward of thy goods, expend ing this portion of them thus, in pursuance of the design thou hadst in entrusting me with them. Thou knowest I do this in obedience to thy word, as thou commandest,. and because thou commandest it. Let this, I beseech thee, be an holy sacrifice, acceptable through Jesus Christ ! And give me a witness in myself, that for this labour of love I shall have a recompence when thou rewardest every man according to his works." Now, if your conscience bear you witness in the Holy Ghost, that THE USE OF MONEY. 135 this prayer is well-pleasing to God, then have you no reason to doubt but that expense is right and good, and such as will never make you ashamed. 6. You see, then, what it is to " make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," and by what means you may pro cure, " that when ye fail, they may receive you into the everlast ing habitations." You see the nature and extent of truly Chris tian prudence, so far as it relates to the use of that great talent, money. Gain all you can, without hurting either yourself or your neighbour, in soul or body, by applying hereto with unin- termitted diligence, and with all the understanding which God has given you ; — save all you can, by cutting off every expense which serves only to indulge foolish desire ; to gratify either the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life ; waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly, whether for your self or your children ; — and then, give all you can, or, in other words, give all you have to God. Do not stint yourself, like a Jew rather than a Christian, to this or that proportion. Render unto God, not a tenth, not a third, not half, but all that is God's, be it more or less ; by employing all on yourself, your household, the household of faith, and all mankind, in such a manner, that you may give a good account of your stewardship, when ye can be no longer stewards ; in such a manner as the oracles of God direct, both by general and particular precepts ; in such a manner, that whatever ye do may be " a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour to God," and that every act may be rewarded in that day, when the Lord cometh with all his saints. 7- Brethren, can we be either wise or faithful stewards, unless we thus manage our Lord's goods ? We cannot, as not only the oracles of God, but our own conscience, beareth witness. Then why should we delay? Why should we confer any longer with flesh and blood, or men of the world ? Our king dom, our wisdom, is not of this world : Heathen custom is nothing to us. We follow no men any farther than they are followers of Christ. Hear ye him : Yea, to-day, while it is called to-day, hear and obey his voice ! At this hour, and from this hour, do his will : Fulfil his word, in this and in all things ! I entreat you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, act up to the dignity of your calling ! No more sloth ! Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with your might ! No more waste ! Cut off every expense which fashion, caprice, or flesh and blood 136 SERMON Ll. demand ! No more covetousness ! But employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree, to the household of faith, to all men ! This is no small part of " the wisdom of the just." Give all ye have, as well as all ye are, a spiritual sacrifice to Him who withheld not from you his Son, his only Son : So " laying up in store for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that ye may attain eternal life !" SERMON LI. THE GOOD STEWARD " Give an account of thy stewardship ; for thou mayest be no longer steward." Luke xvi. 2. 1. The relation which man bears to God, the creature to his Creator, is exhibited to us in the oracles of God under various representations. Considered as a sinner, a fallen creature, he is there represented as a debtor to his Creator. He is also frequently represented as a servant, which indeed is essential to him as a creature ; insomuch that this appellation is given to the Son of God when in his state of humiliation : He " took upon him the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." 2. But no character more exactly agrees with the present state of man, than that of a steward. Our blessed Lord frequently represents him as such ; and there is a peculiar propriety in the representation. It is only in one particular respect, namely, as he is a sinner, that he is styled a debtor ; and when he is styled a servant, the appellation is general and indeterminate : But a steward is a servant of a particular kind ; such a one as man is in all respects. This appellation is exactly expressive of his situation in the present world; specifying what kind of servant he is to God, and what kind of service his Divine Master expects from him. It may be of use, then, to consider this point throughly, THE GOOD STEWARD. 137 and to make our full improvement of it. In order to this, let us, First, inquire, in what respects we are now God's stewards. Let us, Secondly, observe, that when he requires our souls of us, we " can be no longer stewards." It will then only remain, as we may, in the Third place, observe, to " give an account of our stewardship." I. 1. And, First, we are to inquire, in what respects we are now God's stewards. We are now indebted to Him for all we have : But although a debtor is obliged to return what he has received, yet until the time of payment comes, he is at liberty to use it as he pleases. It is not so with a steward ; he is not at liberty to use what is lodged in his hands as he pleases, but as his Master pleases. He has no right to dispose of anything which is in his hands, but according to the will of his Lord. For he is not the proprietor of any of these things, but barely entrusted with them by another ; and entrusted on this express •condition, — that he shall dispose of all as his Master orders. Now, this is exactly the case of every man, with relation to God. We are not at liberty to use what he has lodged in our hands as we please, but as He pleases who alone is the possessor of heaven and earth, and the Lord of every creature. We have no right to dispose of anything we have, but according to his will, seeing we are not proprietors of any of these things ; they are all, as our Lord speaks, aXXorptct, — belonging to another person ; nor is any thing properly our own, in the land of our pilgrimage. We shall not receive ra i&ijc, our own things, till we come to our own country. Eternal things only are our own : With all these temporal things we are barely entrusted by another; the Disposer and Lord of all. And he entrusts us with them on this express condition, — that we use them only as our Master's goods, and according to the particular directions which he has given us in his word. 2. On this condition he hath entrusted us with our souls, our bodies, our goods, and whatever other talents we have received : But in order to impress this weighty truth on our hearts, it will be needful to come to particulars. And, First, God has entrusted us with our soul, an immortal spirit, made in the image of God ; together with all the powers and faculties thereof, understanding, imagination, memory ; will, and a train of affections, either included in it, or closely depend ent upon it ; love and hatred, joy and sorrow, respecting present 138 SERMON Ll. good and evil ; desire and aversion, hope and fear, respecting that which is to come. All these St. Paul seems to include in two words, when he says, " The peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds." Perhaps, indeed, the latter word, voi^ara, might rather be rendered thoughts; provided we take that word in its- most extensive sense, for every perception of the mind, whether active or passive. 3. Now, of all these, it is certain, we are only stewards. God has entrusted us with these powers and faculties, not that we may employ them according to our own will, but according to the express orders which he has given us ; although it is true that, in doing His will, we most effectually secure our own hap piness ; seeing it is herein only that we can be happy, either in time or in eternity. Thus we are to use our understanding, our imagination, our memory, wholly to the glory of Him that gave them. Thus our will is to be wholly given up to him, and all our affections to be regulated as He directs. We are to love and hate, to rejoice and grieve, to desire and shun, to hope and fear, according to the rule which He prescribes whose we- are, and whom we are to serve in all things. Even our thoughts are not our own, in this sense; they are not at our own dis posal; but for every deliberate motion of our mind we are accountable to our great Master. 4. God has, Secondly, entrusted us with our bodies, (those exquisitely wrought machines, so "fearfully and wonderfully made,") with all the powers and members thereof. He has entrusted us with the organs of sense ; of sight, hearing, and the rest : But none of these are given us as our own, to be employed according to our own will. None of these are lent us in such a sense as to leave us at liberty to use them as we please for a season. No : We have received them on these very terms, — that, as long as they abide with us, we should employ them all in that very manner, and no other, which He appoints. 5. It is on the same terms that he imparted to us that most excellent talent of speech. " Thou hast given me a tongue," says the ancient writer, " that I may praise thee therewith." For this purpose was it given to all the children of men, — to be employed in glorifying God. Nothing, therefore, is more ungrate ful or more absurd, than to think or say, " Our tongues are our own." That cannot be, unless we' have created ourselves, and so are independent on the Most High. Nay, but " it is He that THE GOOD STEWARD. 139 hath made us, and not we ourselves :" The manifest consequence is, that he is still Lord over us, in this as in all other respects. It follows, that there is not a word of our tongue for which we are not accountable to Him. 6. To Him we are equally accountable for the use of our hands and feet, and all the members of our body. These are so many talents which are committed to our trust, until the time appointed by the Father. Until then, we have the use of all these ; but as stewards, not as proprietors ; to the end we should "render them, not as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but as instruments ofrighteousness unto God." 7- God has entrusted us, Thirdly, with a portion of worldly goods; with food to eat, raiment to put on, and a place where to lay our head ; with not only the necessaries, but the conveni ences, of life. Above all, he has committed to our charge that precious talent which contains all the rest, — money : Indeed it is unspeakably precious, if we are wise and faithful stewards of it ; if we employ every part of it for such purposes as our blessed Lord has commanded us to do. 8. God has entrusted us, Fourthly, with several talents which do not properly come under any of these heads. Such is bodily strength ; such are health, a pleasing person, an agreeable address; such are learning and knowledge, in their various degrees, with all the other advantages of education. Such is the influence which we have over others, whether by their love and esteem of us, or by power ; power to do them good or hurt, to help or hinder them in the circumstances of life. Add to these, that invaluable talent of time with which God entrusts u.» from moment to moment. Add, Lastly, that on which all the rest depend, and without which they would all be curses, not blessings ; namely, the grace of God, the power of his Holy Spi rit, which alone worketh in us all that is acceptable in his sight. II. 1. In so many respects are the children of men stewards of the Lord, the Possessor of heaven and earth : So large a por tion of his goods, of various kinds, hath he committed to their charge. But it is not for ever, nor indeed for any considerable time : We have this trust reposed in us only during the short, uncertain space that we sojourn here below ; only so long as we remain on earth, as this fleeting breath is in our nostrils. The hour is swiftly approaching, it is just at hand, when we " can be no longer stewards!" The moment the body "returns to the 140 SERMON Ll. dust as it was, and the spirit to God that gave it," we bear that character no more ; the time of our stewardship is at an end. Part of those goods wherewith we were before entrusted are now come to an end ; at least, they are so with regard to us ; nor are we longer entrusted with them : And that part which remains can no longer be employed or improved as it was before. 2. Part of what we were entrusted with before is at an end, at least with regard to us. What have we to do, after this life, with food, and raiment, and houses, and earthly possessions ? The food of the dead is the dust of the earth ; they are clothed only with worms and rottenness. They dwell in the house prepared for all flesh ; their lands know them no more. All their worldly goods are delivered into other hands, and they have " no more portion under the sun." 3. The case is the same with regard to the body. The moment the spirit returns to God, we are no longer stewards of this machine, which is then sown in corruption and dishonour. All the parts and members of which it was composed lie mould ering in the clay. The hands have no longer power to move ; the feet have forgot their office ; the flesh, sinews, and bones are all hastening to be dissolved into common dust ! 4. Here end also the talents of a mixed nature ; our strength, our health, our beauty, our eloquence, and address ; our faculty of pleasing, or persuading, or convincing others. Here end, like wise, all the honours we once enjoyed, all the power which was lodged in our hands, all the influence which we once had over others, either by the love or the esteem which they bore us. Our love, our hatred, our desire is perished : None regard how we were once affected toward them. They look upon the dead as neither able to help nor hurt them ; so that " a living dog is better than a dead lion." 5. Perhaps a doubt may remain concerning some of the other talents wherewith we are now entrusted, whether they will cease to exist when the body returns to dust, or only cease to be improvable. Indeed, there is no doubt but the kind of speech which we now use, by means of these bodily organs, will then be entirely at an end, when those organs are destroyed. It is -certain, the tongue will no more occasion any vibrations in the -air ; neither will the ear convey these tremulous motions to the common sensory. Even the sonus eooilis, the low, shrill voice, which the poet supposes to belong to a separate spirit, we can THE GOOD STEWARD. 141 not allow to have a real being ; it is a mere flight of imagination. Indeed, it cannot be questioned, but separate spirits have some way to communicate their sentiments to each other ; but what inhabitant of flesh and blood can explain that way ? What we term speech, they cannot have : So that we can no longer be stewards of this talent when we are numbered with the dead. 6. It may likewise admit of a doubt, whether our senses will exist, when the organs of sense are destroyed. Is it not proba ble, that those of the lower kind will cease, — the feeling, the smell, the taste, — as they have a more immediate reference to the body, and are chiefly, if not wholly, intended for the preser vation of it ? But will not some kind of sight remain, although the eye be closed in death ? And will there not be something in the soul equivalent to the present sense of hearing ? Nay, is it not probable, that these will not only exist in the separate state, but exist in a far greater degree, in a more eminent man ner, than now, when the soul, disentangled from its clay, is no longer " a dying sparkle in a cloudy place ;" when it no longer " looks through the windows of the eye and ear ;" but rather is all eye, all ear, all sense, in a manner we cannot yet conceive ? And have we not a clear proof of the possibility of this, of seeing without the use of the eye, and hearing without the use of the ear ? yea, and an earnest of it continually ? For does not the soul see, in the clearest manner, when the eye is of no use ; namely, in dreams ? Does she not then enjoy the faculty of hearing, without any help from the ear ? But however this be, certain it is, that neither will our senses, any more than our speech, be entrusted to us in the manner they are now, when the body lies in the silent grave. 7- How far the knowledge or learning which we have gained by education will then remain, we cannot tell. Solomon indeed savs, " There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wis dom, in the grave, whither thou goest." But it is evident, these words cannot be understood in an absolute sense. For it is so far from being true that there is no knowledge after we have quitted tbe body, that the doubt lies on the other side, whether there be any such thing as real knowledge till then ; whether it be not a plain sober truth, not a mere poetical fiction, that All these shadows, which for things we take, Are hut the empty dreams, which in death's sleep we make ; only excepting those things which God himself has been pleased 142 SERMON LI. to reveal to man. I will speak for one. After having sought for truth, with some diligence, for half a century, I am, at this day, hardly sure of anything but what I learn from the Bible. Nay, I positively affirm, I know nothing else so certainly, that I would dare to stake my salvation upon it. So much, however, we may learn from Solomon's words, that " there is no" such " knowledge or wisdom in the grave," as will be of any use to an unhappy spirit ; " there is no device" there, whereby he can now improve those talents with which he was once entrusted. For time is no more ; the time of our trial for everlasting happiness or misery is past. Our day, the day of man, is over ; the day of salvation is ended ! Nothing now remains but " the day of the Lord," ushering in wide, unchange able eternity ! 8. But still, our souls, being incorruptible and immortal, of a nature " little lower than the angels," (even if we are to under stand that phrase of our original nature, which may well admit of a doubt,) when our bodies are mouldered into earth, will remain with all their faculties. Our memory, our understanding, will be so far from being destroyed, yea, or impaired, by the disso lution of the body, that, on the contrary, we have reason to believe, they will be inconceivably strengthened. Have we not the clearest reason to believe, that they will then be wholly freed from those defects which now naturally result from the union of the soul with the corruptible body ? It is highly probable, that, from the time these are disunited, our memory will let nothing slip ; yea, that it will faithfully exhibit every thing to our view, which was ever committed to it. It is true, that the invisible world is, in Scripture, termed " the land of forgetfulness;" or, as it is still more strongly expressed in the old translation, " the land where all things are forgotten." They are forgotten ; but by whom ? Not by the inhabitants of that land, but by the inhabitants of the earth. It is with regard to them that the unseen world is " the land of forgetfulness." All things therein are too frequently forgotten by these; but not by disembodied spirits. From the time they have put off the earthly tabernacle, we can hardly think they forget anything. 9. In like manner, the understanding will, doubtless, be freed from the defects that are now inseparable from it. For many ages it has been an unquestioned maxim, Humanum est errare et nescire ; — ignorance and mistake are inseparable from THE GOOD STEWARD. 143 Iiuman nature. But the whole of this assertion is only true with regard to living men ; and holds no longer than while " the corruptible body presses down the soul." Ignorance, indeed, belongs to every finite understanding; (seeing there is none beside God that knoweth all things ;) but not mistake : When the body is laid aside, this also is laid aside for ever. 10. What then can we say of an ingenious man, who has lately made a discovery, that disembodied spirits have not only no senses, (not even sight or hearing,) but no memory, or understanding; no thought or perception; not so much as a consciousness of their own existence ! that they are in a dead sleep from death to the resurrection ! Consanguineus lethi sopor indeed ! Such a sleep we may call " a near kinsman of death," if it be not the same thing. What can we say, but that ingenious men have strange dreams ; and these they sometimes mistake for realities ? 11. But to return. As the soul will retain its understanding and memory, notwithstanding the dissolution of the body, so undoubtedly the will, including all the affections, will remain in its full vigour. If our love or anger, our hope or desire, perish, it is only with regard to those whom we leave behind. To them it matters not, whether they were the objects of our love or hate, of our desire or aversion. But in separate spirits them selves we have no reason to believe that any of these are extin guished. It is more probable, that they work with far greater force, than while the soul was clogged with flesh and blood. 12. But although all these, although both our knowledge and senses, our memory and understanding, together with our will, our love, hate, and all our affections, remain after the body is dropped off; yet, in this respect, they are as though they were not, — we are no longer stewards of them. The things continue, but our stewardship does not : We no more act in that capacity. Even the grace which was formerly entrusted with us, in order to enable us to be faithful and wise stewards, is now no longer entrusted for that purpose. The days of our stewardship are ended. III. 1. It now remains, that, being no longer stewards, we give an account of our stewardship. Some have imagined, this is to be done immediately after death, as soon as we enter into the world of spirits. Nay, the Church of Rome does absolutely assert this ; yea, makes it an article of faith. And thus much 144 SERMON LI. we may allow, the moment a soul drops the body, and stands naked before God, it cannot but know what its portion will be to all eternity. It will have full in its view, either everlasting joy, or everlasting torment ; as it is no longer possible for us to be deceived in the judgment which we pass upon ourselves. Rut the Scripture gives us no reason to believe, that God will then sit in judgment upon us. There is no passage in all the oracles of God which affirms any such thing. That which has been frequently alleged for this purpose, seems rather to prove the contrary ; namely, (Heb. ix. 27,) " It is appointed for men once to die, and after this the judgment:" For, in all reason, the word " once" is here to be applied to judgment as well as death. So that the fair inference to be drawn from this Very text is, not that there are two judgments, a particular and a general ; but that we are to be judged, as well as to die, once only : Not once immediately after death, and again after the general resurrection ; but then only " when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels with him." The imagination therefore of one judgment at death, and another at the end of the world, can have no place with those who make the written word of God the whole and sole standard of their faith. 2. The time then when we are to give this account, is, when the " great white throne comes down from heaven, and He that sitteth thereon, from whose face the heavens and the earth flee away, and there is found no place for them." It is then " the dead, small and great, will stand before God; and the books will be opened :" — The book of Scripture, to them who were entrusted therewith ; the book of conscience, to all mankind. The " book of remembrance," likewise, (to use another scriptural expression,) which had been writing from the foundation of the world, will . then be laid open to the view of all the children of men. Before all these, even the whole human race, before the devil and his angels, before an innumerable company of holy angels, and before God the Judge of all, thou wilt appear, without any shelter or covering, without any possibility of dis guise, to give a particular account of the manner wherein thou hast employed all thy Lord's goods ! 3. The Judge of all will then inquire, "How didst thou employ thy soul? I entrusted thee with an immortal spirit, endowed with various powers and faculties, with understand- THE GOOD STEWARD. 145 ing, imagination, memory, will, affections. I gave thee withal full and express directions, how all these were to be employed. Didst thou employ thy understanding, as far as it was capable, according to those directions; namely, in the knowledge of thyself and me ? — my nature, my attributes ? — my works ; whether of creation, of providence, or of grace ? — in acquaint ing thyself with my word ? — in using every means to increase thy knowledge thereof ? — in meditating thereon day and night ? Didst thou employ thy memory, according to my will, in treasuring up whatever knowledge thou hadst acquired, which might conduce to my glory, to thy own salvation, or the advantage of others ? Didst thou store up therein, not things of no value, but whatever instruction thou hadst learned from my word ; and whatever experience thou hadst gained of my wisdom, truth, power, and mercy? Was thy imagination employed, not in painting vain images, much less such as nourished ' foolish and hurtful desires ; ' but in representing to thee whatever would profit thy soul, and awaken thy pursuit of wisdom and holiness ? Didst thou follow my directions with regard to thy will ? Was it wholly given up to me ? Was it swallowed up in mine, so as never to oppose, but always run parallel with it ? Were thy affections placed and regulated in such a manner as I appointed in my word? Didst thou give me thy heart ? Didst thou not love the world, neither the things of the world ? Was I the object of thy love ? Was all thy desire unto me, and unto the remembrance of my name ? Was I the joy of thy heart, the delight of thy soul, the chief among ten thousand? Didst thou sorrow for nothing, but what grieved my Spirit ? Didst thou fear and hate nothing but sin ? Did the whole stream of thy affections flow back to the ocean from whence they came ? Were thy thoughts employed according to my will ? — not in ranging to the ends of the earth ; not on folly, or sin; but on 'whatsoever things were pure, whatsoever things were holy?' on whatsoever was conducive to my glory, and to 'peace and good-will among men?' " 4. Thy Lord will then inquire, "How didst thou employ the body wherewith I entrusted thee ? I gave thee a tongue to praise me therewith : Didst thou use it to the end for which it was given ? Didst thou employ it, not in evil speaking or idle speaking, not in uncharitable or unprofitable conversation; but in such as was good, as was necessary or useful either to l- 2. 146 SERMON Lf thyself or others ? such as always tended, directly or indirectly, to 'minister grace to the hearers?' I gave thee, together with thy other senses, those grand avenues of knowledge, sight and bearing: Were these employed to those excellent purposes for which they were bestowed upon thee ? in bringing thee in more and more instruction in righteousness and true holiness? I gave thee hands and feet, and various members, wherewith to perform the works which were prepared for thee: Were they employed, not in doing ' the will of the flesh,' of thy evil nature ; or the will of the mind ; (the things to which thy reason or fancy led thee ;) but ' the will of Him that sent' thee into the world, merely to work out thy own salvation ? Didst thou present all thy members, not to sin, as instruments of unrighteousness, but to me alone, through the Son of my love, ' as instruments ofrighteousness?'" 5. The Lord of all will next inquire, " How didst thou employ the worldly goods which I lodged in thy hands ? Didst thou use thy food, not so as to seek or place thy happiness therein, but so as to preserve the body in health, in strength and vigour, a fit instrument for the soul ? Didst thou use apparel, not to nourish pride or vanity, much less to tempt others to sin, but conveniently and decently to defend thyself from the injuries of the weather ? Didst thou prepare and use thy house, and all other conveniences, with a single eye to my glory ? in every point seeking not thy own honour, but mine ; studying to please, not thyself, but me ? Once more : In what manner didst thou employ that comprehensive talent, money ? not in gratifying the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life ? not squandering it away in vain expenses, — the same as throwing it into the sea ? not hoarding it up to leave behind thee, — the same as burying it in the earth ? but first supplying thy own reasonable wants, together with those of thy family ; then restoring the remainder to me, through the poor, whom I had appointed to receive it ; looking upon thyself as only one of that number of poor, whose wants were to be supplied out of that part of my substance which I had placed in thy hands for this purpose ; leaving thee the right of being supplied first, and the blessedness of giving rather than receiv ing ? Wast thou accordingly a general benefactor to mankind ? feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, assisting the stranger, relieving the afflicted, according to their THF. GOOD STEWARD. 147 Various necessities ? Wast thou eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame ? a father to the fatherless, and an husband to the widow ? And didst thou labour to improve all outward works of mercy, as means of saving souls from death?" 6. Thy Lord will farther inquire, " Hast thou been a wise and faithful steward with regard to the talents of a mixed nature which I lent thee ? Didst thou employ thy health and strength, not in folly or sin, not in the pleasures which perished in the using, ' not in making provision for the flesh, to fulfil the desires thereof;' but in a vigorous pursuit of. that better part which none could take away from thee? Didst thou employ whatever was pleasing in thy person or address, whatever advantages thou hadst by education, whatever share of learning, whatever knowledge of things or men, was com mitted to thee, for the promoting of virtue in the world, for the enlargement of my kingdom? Didst thou employ whatever share of power thou hadst, whatever influence over others, by the love or esteem of thee which they had conceived, for the increase of their wisdom and holiness ? Didst thou employ that inestimable talent of time, with wariness and circumspection, as duly weighing the value of every moment, and knowing that. all were numbered in eternity ? Above all, wast thou a good steward of my grace, preventing, accompanying, and following thee ? Didst thou duly observe, and carefully improve, all the influences of my Spirit ? every good desire ? every measure of light ? all his sharp or gentle reproofs ? How didst thou profit by ' the Spirit of bondage and fear,' which was previous to 'the Spirit of adoption?' And when thou wast made a partaker of this Spirit, crying in thy heart ' Abba, Father,' didst thou stand fast in the glorious liberty wherewith I made thee free ? Didst thou from thenceforth present thy soul and body, all thy thoughts, thy words, and actions, in one flame of love, as a holy sacrifice, glorifying me with thy body and thy spirit ? Then * well done, good and faithful servant ! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord !'" And what will remain, either to the faithful or unfaithful steward? Nothing. but .the execution of that sentence which has been passed by the righteous Judge ; fixing thee in a state which admits of no change through everlasting ages ! It Remains only that thou be rewarded, to all eternity, according to thy works. L 2 148 dERMON LT. IV. 1. From these plain considerations we may learn, First, How important is this short, uncertain day of life ! How precious, above all utterance, above all conception, is every portion of it ! The least of these a serious care demands ; For though they 're little, they are golden sands ! How deeply does it concern every child of man, to let none of these run to waste ; but to improve them all to the noblest purposes, as long as the breath of God is in his nostrils ! 2. We learn from hence, Secondly, that there is no employ ment of our time, no action or conversation, that is purely indifferent. All is good or bad, because all our time, as every thing we have, is not our own. All .these are, as our Lord speaks, ra. aXXorpia, — the property of another; of God our Creator. Now, these either are or are not employed according to his will. If they are so employed, all is good ; if they are not, all is evil. Again : It is his will, that we should continu ally grow in grace, and in the living knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, every thought, word, and work, whereby this knowledge is increased, whereby we grow in grace, is good ; and every one whereby this knowledge is not increased, is truly and properly evil. 3. We learn from hence, Thirdly, that there are no works of supererogation ; that we can never do more than our duty; seeing all we have is not our own, but God's; all we can do is due to him. We have not received this or that, or many things only, but every thing from him : Therefore, every thing is his due. He that gives us all, must needs have a right to all : So that if we pay him any thing less than all, we cannot be faithful stewards. And considering, " every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour," we cannot be wise stewards unless we labour to the uttermost of our power ; not leaving any thing undone which we possibly can do, but putting forth all our strength. 4. Brethren, " who is an understanding man and endued with knowledge among you ?" Let him show the wisdom from t above, by walking suitably to his character. If he so account , of himself, as a steward of the manifold gifts of God, let him see j that all his thoughts, and words, and works, be agreeable to the post God has assigned him. It is no small thing, to lay out for j THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. J 49 God all which you have received from God. It requires all your wisdom, all your resolution, all your patience, and constancy; — far more than ever you had by nature ; but not more than you may have by grace. For his grace is sufficient for you ; and " all things," you know, " are possible to him that believeth." By faith, then, "put on the Lord Jesus Christ ;" "put on the whole armour of God ;" and you shall be enabled to glorify him in all your words and works ; yea, to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ ! .Edinburgh, May 14, 1768. SERMON LII. PREACHED BEFORE THE SOCIETY FOR REFORMATION OF MANNERS, ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 1763, At the Chapel in West-Street, Seven-Dials. " Who will rise up with me against the wicked?" Psalm xciv. 16. 1. In all ages, men who neither feared God nor regarded man have combined together, and formed confederacies, %o carry on the works of darkness. And herein they have showu themselves wise in their generation ; for by this means they more effectually promoted the kingdom of their father the devil, than otherwise they could have done. On the other hand, men who did fear God, and desire the happiness of their fellow- creatures, have, in every age, found it needful to join together, in order to oppose the works of darkness, to- spread the know ledge of God their Saviour, and to promote his kingdom upon earth. Indeed He himself has instructed them so to do. From the time that men were upon the earth, he hath taught them to join together in his service, and has united them in one body by one Spirit. And for this very end He has joined them 150 SERMON L1I. together, "that He might destroy the works of the devil;" first in them that are already united, and by them in all that are round about them. 2. This is the original design of the Church of Christ. It is a body of men compacted together, in order, first, to save each his own soul ; then to assist each other in working out their salvation ; and, afterwards, as far as in them lies, to save all men from present and future misery, to overturn the.' kingdom of Satan, and set up the kingdom of Christ. And this ought to be the continued care and endeavour of every member of his Church ; otherwise he is not worthy to be called a member thereof, as he is not a living member of Christ. 3. Accordingly, this ought to be the constant care and endea vour of all those who are united together in these kingdoms, and are commonly called, The Church of England. They are united together for this very end, to oppose the devil and all his works, and to wage war against the world and the flesh, his constant and faithful allies. But do they, in fact, answer the end of their union ? Are all who style themselves " members of the Church of England" heartily engaged in opposing the works of the devil, and fighting against the world and the flesh ? Alas ! we cannot say this. So far from it, that a great part, I fear the greater part of them, are themselves the world, — the people that know not God to any saving purpose ; are indulging, day by day, instead of " mortifying, the flesh, with its affections and desires;" and doing, themselves, those works of the devil, which they are peculiarly engaged to destroy. 4. There is, therefore, still need, even in this Christian country, (as we courteously style Great Britain,) yea, in this Christian Church, (if we may give that title to the bulk of our nation,) of some to " rise up against the wicked," and join together " against the evil doers." Nay, there was never more need than there is at this day, for them " that fear the Lord to speak often together" on this very head, how they may "lift up a standard against the iniquity" which overflows the land. There is abundant cause for all the servants of God to join together against the works of the devil ; with united hearts and counsels and endeavours to make a stand for God, and to repress, as much as in them lies, these " floods of ungodliness." 5. For this end a few persons in London, towards the closo of the last century, united together, and, after a while, were THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 151 termed, The Society for Reformation of Manners; and incredible good was done by them for near forty years. But then, most of the original members being gone to their reward, those who succeeded them grew faint in their mind, and departed from the work : So that a few years ago the Society ceased ; nor did any of the kind remain in the kingdom. 6. It is a Society of the same nature which has been lately formed. I purpose to show, First, the nature of their design, and the steps they have hitherto taken : Secondly, the excel lency of it; with the various objections which have been raised against it : Thirdly, what manner of men they ought to be who engage in such a design : And, Fourthly, with what spirit, and in what manner, they should proceed in the prosecution of it. I shall conclude with an application both to them, and to all that fear God. I. 1. I am, First, to show the nature of their design, and the steps they have hitherto taken. It was on a Lord's day, in August, xhJ5'], that, in a small company who were met for prayer and religious conversation, mention was made of the gross and open profanation of that sacred day, by persons buying and selling, keeping open shop, tippling in alehouses, and standing or sitting in the streets, roads, or fields, vending their wares as on common days ; espe cially in Moorfields, which was then full of them every Sunday, from one end to the other. It was considered, what method could be taken to redress these grievances ; and it was agreed, that six of them should, in the morning, wait upon Sir John Fielding for instruction. They did so : He approved of the design, and directed them how to carry it into execution. 2. They first delivered petitions to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, and the Court of Aldermen ; to the Justices sitting at Hick's Hall ; and those in Westminster ; and they received from all these honourable benches much encouragement to proceed. 3. It was next judged proper to signify their design to many persons of eminent rank, and to the body of the Clergy, as well as the Ministers of other denominations, belonging to the several churches and meetings in and about the cities of London and Westminster ; and they had the satisfaction to meet with a hearty consent and universal approbation from them. 4, They then printed and dispersed, at their own expensei 152 SERMON HI. several thousand books of instruction to Constables and other Parish Officers, explaining and enforcing their several duties : And to prevent, as far as possible, the necessity of proceeding to an actual execution of the laws, they likewise printed and dispersed, in all parts of the town, dissuasives from Sabbath- breaking, extracts from Acts of Parliament against it, and notices to the offenders. 5. The way being paved by these precautions, it was in the beginning of the year 17°"8, that, after notices delivered again and again, which were as often set at nought, actual informa tions were made to the Magistrates against persons profaning the Lord's day. By this means they first cleared the streets and fields of those notorious offenders who, without any regard either to God or the king, were selling their wares from morn ing to night. They proceeded to a more difficult attempt, the preventing tippling on the Lord's day, spending the time in alehouses, which ought to be spent in the more immediate worship of God. Herein they were exposed to abundance of reproach, to insult and abuse of every kind ; having not only the tipplers, and those who entertained them, the alehouse- keepers, to contend with, but rich and honourable men, partly the landlords of those alehouse-keepers, partly those who furnished them with drink, and, in general, all who gained by their sins. Some of these were not only men of substance, but men of authority ; nay, in more instances than one, they were the very persons before whom the delinquents were brought. And the treatment they gave those who laid the informations naturally encouraged "the beasts of the people" to follow their example, and to use them as fellows not fit to live upon the earth. Hence they made no scruple, not only to treat them with the basest language, not only to throw at them mud or stones, or whatever came to hand, but many times to beat them without mercy, and to drag them over the stones or through the kennels. And that they did not murder them was not for want of will ; but the bridle was in their teeth. 6. Having, therefore, received help from God, they went on to restrain bakers likewise, from spending so great a part of the Lord's day in exercising the works of their calling. But many of these were more noble than the victuallers. They were so far from resenting this, or looking upon it as an affront, that several, who had been hurried down the stream of custom to THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 153 act contrary to their own conscience, sincerely tha.iked them for their labour, and acknowledged it as a real kindness. 7- In clearing the streets, fields, and alehouses of Sabbath- breakers, they fell upon another sort of offenders, as mischievous to society as any ; namely, gamesters- of various kinds. Some of these were of the lowest and vilest class, commonly called gamblers ; who make a trade of seizing on young and inexpe rienced men, and tricking them out of all their money; and after they have beggared them, they frequently teach them the same mystery of iniquity. Several nests of these they have rooted out, and constrained not a few of them honestly to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow and the labour of their hands. 8. Increasing in number and strength, they extended their views, and began, not only to repress profane swearing, but to remove out of our streets another public nuisance, and scandal of the Christian name, common prostitutes. Many of these were stopped in their mid career of audacious wickedness. And in order to go to the root of the disease, many of the houses that entertained them have been detected, prosecuted according to law, and totally suppressed. And some of the poor desolate women themselves, though fallen to The lowest line of human infamy, have acknowledged the gracious providence of God, and broke off their sins by lasting repentance. Several of these have been placed out, and several received into the Magdalen Hospital. 9- If a little digression may be allowed, who can sufficiently admire the wisdom of Divine Providence, in the disposal of the times and seasons so as to suit one occurrence to another? For instance : Just at a time when many of these poor creatures, being stopped in the course of sin, found a desire of leading a better life, as it were in answer to that sad question, " But if I quit the way I now am in, what can I do to live ? For I am not mistress of any trade ; and I have no friends that will receive me :" — I say, just at this time, God has prepared the Magdalen Hospital. Here those who have no trade, nor any friends to receive them, are received with all tenderness ; yea, they may live, and that with comfort, being provided with all things that are needful " for life and godliness." 154- SERMON LII. 1 0. But to return. The number of persons brought to justice, from August, 1757, to August, 1762, is 9,596 From thence to the present time : — For unlawful gaming, and profane swearing 40 For Sabbath-breaking 400 Lewd women, and keepers of ill houses 550 For offering to sale obscene prints 2 In all 10,588 ll. In the admission of members into the Society, no regard is had to any particular sect or party. Whoever is found, upon inquiry, to be a good man, is readily admitted. And none who has selfish or pecuniary views, will long continue therein ; not only because he can gain nothing thereby, but because he would quickly be a loser, inasmuch as he must commence subscriber as soon as he is a member. Indeed, the vulgar cry is, " These are all Whitefieldites." But it is a great mistake. About twenty of the constantly subscribing members are all that are in con nexion with Mr. Whitefield ; about fifty are in connexion with Mr. Wesley ; about twenty, who are of the Established Church, have no connexion with either; and about seventy are Dissenters ; who make, in all, an hundred and sixty. There are, indeed, many more who assist in the work by occasional subscriptions. II. 1. These are the steps which have been hitherto taken in prosecution of this design. I am, in the Second place, to show the excellency thereof, notwithstanding the objections which have been raised against it. Now, this may appear from several considerations. And, First, from hence, — that the making an open stand against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness which overspread our land as a flood, is one of the noblest ways of con fessing Christ in the face of his enemies. It is giving glory to God, and showing mankind that, even in these dregs of time, There are who faith prefer, Though few, and piety to God. And what, more excellent than to render to God the honour due unto his name ? to declare, by a stronger proof than words, even by suffering, and running all hazards, " Verily there is a reward for the righteous ; doubtless there is a God that judgeth the earth ?" 2. How excellent is the design to prevent, in any degree, the dishonour done to his glorious name, the contempt which is THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 155 poured on his authority, and the scandal brought upon our holy religion by the gross, flagrant wickedness of those who are still called by the name of Christ ! To stem, in any degree, the torrent of vice, to repress the floods of ungodliness, to remove, in any measure, those occasions of blaspheming the worthy . name whereby we are called, is one of the noblest designs that can possibly enter into the heart of man to conceive. 3. And as this design thus evidently tends to bring "glory to God in the highest," so it no less manifestly conduces to the establishing " peace upon earth." For as all sin directly tends both to destroy our peace with God, by setting him at open defiance, to banish peace from our own breasts, and to set every man's sword against his neighbour ; so whatever prevents or removes sin does, in the same degree, promote peace, — both peace in our own soul, peace with God, and peace with one another. Such are the genuine fruits of this design, even in the present world. But why should we confine our. views to the narrow bounds of time and space ? Rather pass over these into eternity. And what fruit of it shall we find there? Let the Apostle speak : " Brethren, if one of you do err from the truth, and one convert him," not to this or that opinion, but to God ; " let him. know that be which converteth the sinrier from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins." (James v. 19, 20.) 4. Nor is it to individuals only, whether those who betray others into sin, or those that are liable to be betrayed and destroyed by them, that the benefit of this design redounds ; but to the whole community whereof we are members. For is it not a sure observation, " Righteousness exalteth a nation ?" And is it not as sure, on the other hand, that "sin is a reproach to any people," yea, and bringeth down the curse of God upon them ? So far, therefore, as righteousness, in any branch, is promoted, so far is the national interest advanced. So far as sin, especially open sin, is restrained, the curse and reproach are removed from us. Whoever, therefore, they are that labour herein, they are general benefactors ; they are the truest friends of their king and country. And in the same proportion as their design takes place, there can be no doubt but God will give national prosperity, in accomplishment of his faithful word, " Them that honour me I will honour." 5. But it is objected, " However excellent a design this is, it 150 ' SERMON LU. /////' does not concern you. For are there not persons to whom the repressing these offences, and punishing the offenders, properly belong ? Are there not Constables, and other Parish Officers, who are bound by 03th to this very thing ?" There are. Con stables and Churchwardens, in particular, are engaged by solemn oaths to give due information against profaners of the Lord's- day, and all other scandalous sinners. But if they leave it undone, — if, notwithstanding their oaths, they trouble not themselves about the matter, it concerns all that fear God, that love mankind, and that wish well to their king and country, to pursue this design with the very same vigour as if there were no Officers existing ; it being just the same thing, if they are of no use, as if they had no being. 6. " But this is only a pretence : Their real design is to get money by giving informations." So it has frequently and roundly been affirmed ; but without the least shadow of truth. The contrary may be proved by a thousand instances : No member of the Society takes any part of the money which is by the law allotted to the informer. They never did from the beginning; nor does any of them ever receive anything to suppress or with draw their information. This is another mistake, if not wilful slander, for which there is not the least foundation. 7- " But the design is impracticable. Vice is risen to such a head, that it is impossible to suppress it; especially by such means. For what can a handful of poor people do, in opposition to all the world ?" " With men this is impossible, but not with God." And they trust not in themselves, but Him. Be then the patrons of vice ever so strong, to Him they are no more than grasshoppers. And all means are alike to Him : It is the same thing with God " to deliver by many or by -few." The small number, therefore, of those who are on the Lord's side, is nothing; neither the great number of those that are against him. Still He doeth whatever pleaseth him ; and " there is no counsel nor strength against the Lord." 8. "But if the end. you aim at be really to reform sinners, you choose the wrong means. It is the word of God must effect this, and not human laws ; and it is the work of Ministers, not of Magistrates ; therefore, the applying to these can only produce an outward reformation ; it makes no change in the heart." It is true the word of God is the chief, ordinary means, whereby he changes both the hearts and lives of sinners ; and he docs this. THE REFORMATION OP MANNERS. 157 chiefly by the Ministers of the gospel. But it is likewise true, that the Magistrate is "the minister of God ; " and that he is designed of God to be " a terror to evil-doers," by executing human laws upon them. If this does not change the heart ; yet, to prevent outward sin is one valuable point gained. There is so much the less dishonour done to God ; less scandal brought on our holy religion ; less curse and reproach upon our nation ; less temptation laid in the way of others ; yea, and less wrath heaped up by the sinners themselves against the day of wrath. 9. " Nay, rather more ; for it makes many of them hypocrites, pretending to be what they are not. Others, by exposing them to shame, and putting them to expense, are made impudent and desperate in wickedness : So that, in reality, none of them are any better, if they are not worse, than they were before." This is a mistake all over. For, (1.) Where are these hypo crites ? We know none who have pretended to be what they were not. (2.) The exposing obstinate offenders to shame, and putting them to expense, does not make them desperate in offend ing, but afraid to offend. (3.) Some of them, far from being worse, are substantially better ; the whole tenor of their lives being changed. Yea, (4.) Some are inwardly changed, even " from darkness to lig^t, and from the power of Satan unto God." 10. " But many are not convinced that buying or selling on the Lord's day is a sin." If they are not convinced, they ought to be ; it is high time they should. The case is as plain as plain can be. For if an open, wilful breach both of the law of God and the law of the land is not sin, pray what is ? And if such a breach both of divine and human laws is not to be punished, because a man is not convinced it is a sin, there is an end of all execution of justice, and all men may live as they list ! 11. " But mild methods ought to be tried first." They ought : And so they are. A mild admonition is given to every offender, before the law is put in execution against him ; nor is any man prosecuted, till he has express notice, that this will be the case unless he will prevent that prosecution by removing the cause of it. In every case, the mildest method is used which the nature of the case will bear ; nor are severer means ever applied, but when they are absolutely necessary to the end. 12. " Well, but after all this stir about reformation, what real good has been done ?" Unspeakable good ; and abundantly 158 sermon Lit. more than any one could have expected in so short a time, con sidering the small number of the instruments, and the difficulties they: had to encounter. Much evil has been already prevented,- : and much has been removed. Many sinners have been outwardly reformed ; some have been inwardly changed. The honour of Him whose name we bear, so openly affronted, has-been openly defended. And it is not easy to. determine, how many and how great blessings, even this little stand, made for God and- his cause, against his daring enemies, may already have derived upon our whole nation. On the whole, then, after all the objections that can be made, reasonable men may still conclude, a more excel lent design could scarce ever enter into the heart of man. III. 1. But what, manner of men ought they to be who engage in such a design ? Some may imagine, any that are willing to. assist therein, ought readily to be admitted ; and that the greater the number of members, the greater will be their influence. But this is by no means true : Matter of fact undeniably proves the contrary. While the former Society for Reformation of Manners consisted of chosen members only, though neither many, rich, nor powerful, they broke through all opposition, and were' eminently successful in every branch of their undertaking; but when a number of men less carefully chosen were received into that Society, they grew less and less useful, till, by insensible degrees, they dwindled into nothing. 2. The number, therefore, of the members is no more to be attended to than the riches or eminence. This is a work of God. It is undertaken in the name of God, and for his sake.. It follows, that men who neither love nor fear God have ne part or lot in this matter. " Why takest thou my covenant in thy mouth ? " may God say to any of these ; " whereas thou" thyself " hatest to be reformed, and hast cast my words behind thee." Whoever, therefore, lives in any known sin is not fit to engage in reforming sinners : More especially if he is guilty, in any instance, or in the least degree, of profaning the name of God ; ol buying, selling, or doing any unnecessary work on the Lord's day; or offending in any other of those instances which this Society is peculiarly designed to reform. . No ; let none who stands himself in need of this reformation presume to: meddle with such an undertaking. . First let him " pull the beam out of his own eye :" Let him be himself unblamable in all things. 3. Not that this will suffice: Every one engaging herein, THE REFORMATION OE MANNERS. l5{) should be more than a harmless man. He should be a man of faith ; having, at least, such a degree of that " evidence of things not seen," as to aim " not at the things that are seen, which are temporal, but at those that are not seen, which are eternal ; " such faith as produces a steady fear of God, with a lasting resolution, by his grace, to abstain from all that he has forbidden, and to do all that he has commanded. He will more especially need that particular branch of faith, — confidence in God. It is this faith which "removes mountains ; " which " quenches the violence of fire ; " which breaks through all opposition ; and enables one to stand against and " chase a thousand," knowing in whom his strength lies, and, even when he has the " sentence of death in himself, trusting in Him who raiseth the dead." 4. He that has faith and confidence in God, will, of con sequence, be a man of courage. And such it is highly needful every man should be, who engages in this undertaking : For many things will occur in the prosecution thereof, which are terrible to nature ; indeed, so terrible, that all who " confer with flesh and blood" will be afraid to encounter them. Here, there fore, true courage has its proper place, and is necessary in the highest degree. And this faith only can supply. A believer can say, I fear no denial ; no danger I fear ; Nor start from the trial ; — for Jesus is near. 5. To courage patience is nearly allied ; the one regarding future, the other present, evils. And whoever joins in carrying on a design of this nature, will have great occasion for this. For, notwithstanding all his unblamableness, he will find him self just in Ishmael's situation, — " his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him." And no wonder : If it be true, that " all who will live godly shall suffer persecution," how eminently must this be fulfilled in them who, not content to live godly themselves, compel the ungodly to do so too, or, at least, to refrain from notorious ungodliness ! Is not this declaring war against all the world ? setting all the children of the devil at defi ance ? And will not Satan himself, " the prince of this world, the ruler of the darkness" thereof, exert all his subtlety and all his force in support of his tottering kingdom ? Who can expect the roaring lion will tamely submit to have the prey plucked out of his teeth ? " Ye have" therefore " need of patience ; that, after ye have done the will of God, ye may receive the promise." 160 SERMON Lit. 6. And ye have need of steadiness, that ye may " hold fast '' this " profession of your faith without wavering." This also should be found in all that unite in this Society ; which is not a task for a " double-minded man," — for one that is " unstable in his ways." He that is as a reed shaken with the wind is not fit for this warfare ; which demands a firm purpose of soul, a constant, determined resolution. One that is wanting in this may "set his hand to the plough;" but how soon will he "look back!" He may, indeed, "endure for a time; but when persecution, or tribulation," public or private troubles, arise, because of the work, " immediately he is offended." 7- Indeed, it is hard for any to persevere in so unpleasing a work, unless love overpowers both pain and fear. And, there fore, it is highly expedient, that all engaged therein have " the love of God shed abroad in their hearts ;" that they should all be able to declare, " We love him, because he first loved us." The presence of Him whom their soul loveth will then make their labour light. They can then say, not from the wildness of a heated imagination, but with the utmost truth and soberness,— With thee conversing, I forget All time, and toil, and care : Lahour is rest, and pain is sweet, While thou, my God, art here. 8. What adds a still greater sweetness, even to labour and pain, is the Christian " love of our neighbour." When they " love their neighbour," that is, every soul of man, " as themselves," as their own souls; when "the love of Christ constrains" them to love one another, "even as he loved us ; " when, as he " tasted death for every man," so they are "ready to lay down their life for their brethren ; " (including in that number every man, every soul for which Christ died ;) what prospect of danger will then be able to fright them from their *' labour of love ?" What suffering will they not be ready to undergo to save one soul from everlasting burnings ? What continuance of labour, disappointment, pain, will vanquish their fixed resolution ? Will they not be 'Gainst all repulses steel'd, nor ever tired With toilsome day, or ill-succeeding night ? So love both "hopeth" and "endureth all things:" So " charity never faileth." THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 16l 9. Love is necessary for all the members of such a Society, on another account likewise ; even because " it is not puffed up :" It produces not only courage and patience, but humility. And 0 how needful is this for all who are so employed ! What can be of more importance, than that they should be little and mean and base and vile in their own eyes ? For, otherwise, should they think themselves anything, should they impute anything to themselves, should they admit anything of a Phari saic spirit, " trusting in themselves that they are righteous, and despising others;" nothing could more directly tend to over throw the whole design. For then they would not only have all the world, but also God himself,. to contend with ; seeing he "resisteth the proud, and giveth grace" only "to the humble." Deeply conscious, therefore, should every member of this Society be of his own foolishness, weakness, helplessness ; continually hanging, with his whole soul, upon Him who alone hath wisdom and strength, with an unspeakable conviction that " the help which is done upon earth, God doeth it himself;" and that it is He alone who " worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 10. One point more whoever engages in this design, should have deeply impressed on his heart ; namely, that " the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." . Let him, therefore, learn of Him who was meek, as well as lowly ; and let him abide in meekness, as well as humility : " With all lowliness and meekness," let him " walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called." Let him be " gentle toward all men," good or bad, for his own sake, for their sake, for Christ's sake. Are any " ignorant, and out of the way ?" Let him have " compassion " upon them. Do they even oppose the word and work of God, yea, set themselves in battle array against it ? So much the more hath he need " in meekness to instruct those who thus oppose themselves ;" if haply they may " escape out of the snare of the devil," and no more be " taken captive at his will." IV. 1. From the qualifications of those who are proper to engage in such an undertaking as this, I proceed to show, Fourthly, with what spirit, and in what manner, it ought to be pursued. First, with what spirit. Now this first regards the motive, which is to be preserved in every step that is taken ; for if, at any time, " the light which is in thee be darkness, M 2. 162 sermon tn. how great is that darkness ! But if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." This is, therefore, continu ally to be remembered, and carried into every word and action. Nothing is to be spoke or done, either great or small, with a view to any temporal advantage ; nothing with a view to the favour or esteem, the love or the praise, of men. But the intention, the eye of the mind, is always to be fixed on the glory of God and good of man. 2. But the spirit with which everything is to be done regards the temper as well as the motive. And this is no other than that which has been described above. For the same courage, patience, steadiness, which qualify a man for the work, are to be exercised therein. Above all, let him " take the shield of faith : " This will quench a thousand fiery darts. Let him exert all the faith which God has given him, in every trying hour. And let all his doings be done in love : Never let this be wrested from him. Neither must many waters quench this love, nor the floods of ingratitude drown it. Let, likewise, that lowly mind be in him, which was also in Christ Jesus; yea, and let him " be clothed with humility," filling his heart, and adorning his whole behaviour. At the same time, let him "put on bowels of mercies, gentleness, longsuffering ; " avoiding the least appearance of malice, bitterness, anger, or resentment; knowing it is our calling, not to be "overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good." In order to preserve this humble, gentle love, it is needful to do all things with recollection of spirit ; watching against all hurry, or dissipation of thought, as well as against pride, wrath, or surliness. But this can be no otherwise preserved than by "continuing instant in prayer," both before and after he comes into the field, and during the whole action ; and by doing all in the spirit of sacrifice, offering all to God through the Son of his love. 3. As to the outward manner of acting, a general rule is, Let it be expressive of these inward tempers. But to be more particular: Let every man beware not to "do evil that good may come." Therefore, "putting away all lying, let every man speak the truth to his neighbour." Use no fraud or guile, either in order to detect or to punish any man ; but " by simplicity and godly sincerity commend yourself to men's consciences in the sight of God." It is probable that, by your adhering to these rules, fewer offenders will be convicted ; but THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 163 so much the more will the blessing of God accompany the whole undertaking. 4. But let innocence be joined with prudence, properly so called; — not that offspring of hell which the world calls prudence, which is mere craft, cunning, dissimulation ; but with that "wisdom from above" which our Lord peculiarly recommends to all who would promote his kingdom upon earth : " Be ye therefore wise as serpents," while ye are " harmless as doves." This wisdom will instruct you how to suit your words, and whole behaviour, to the persons with whom you have to do ; to the time, place, and all other circumstances. It will teach you to cut off occasion of offence, even from those who seek occasion, and to do things of the most offensive nature in the least offensive manner that is possible. 5. Your manner of speaking, particularly to offenders, should be at all times deeply serious, (lest it appear like insulting or triumphing over them,) rather inclining to sad ; showing that you pity them for what they do, and sympathize with them in what they suffer. Let your air and tone of voice, as well as words, be dispassionate, calm, mild; yea, where it would not appear like dissimulation, even kind and friendly. In some cases, where it will probably be received as it is meant, you may profess the good-will you bear them ; but at the same time, (that it may not be thought to proceed from fear, or any wrong inclination,) professing your intrepidity, and inflexible resolution to oppose and punish vice to the uttermost. V. 1 . It remains only to make some application of what has been said ; partly to you who are already engaged in this work ; partly to all that fear God ; and more especially to them that love as well as fear him. With regard to you who are already engaged in this work, the First advice I would give you is, calmly and deeply to consider the nature of your undertaking. Know what you are about ; be throughly acquainted with what you have in hand ; consider the objections which are made to the whole of your undertaking ; and, before you proceed, be satisfied that those objections have no real weight : Then may every man act as he is fully persuaded in his own mind. 2. I advise you, Secondly, be not in haste to increase your number : And, in adding thereto, regard not wealth, rank, or any outward circumstance ; only regard the qualifications above M 2 164 SERMON 1,1 1. described. Inquire diligently, whether the person proposed be of an unblamable carriage, and whether he be a man of faith, courage, patience, steadiness ; whether he be a lover of God and man. If so, he will add to your strength, as well as number : If not, you will lose by him more than you gain ; for you will displease God. And be not afraid to purge out from among you any who do not answer the preceding character. By thus lessening your number, you will increase your strength : You will be "vessels meet for your Master's use." 3. I would, Thirdly, advise you narrowly to observe from what motive you at any time act or speak. Beware that your intention be not stained with any regard either to profit or praise. Whatever you do, "do it to the Lord;" as the servants of Christ. Do not aim at pleasing yourself in' any point, but pleasing Him whose you are and whom you serve. Let your eye be single, from first to last; eye God ; alone in every word and work. 4. I advise you, in the Fourth place, see that you do every thing in a right temper; with lowliness and meekness, with patience and gentleness, worthy the gospel of Christ: Take every step, trusting in God, and in the most tender, loving spirit you are able. Meantime, watch always against all hurry and dissipation of spirit ; and pray always, with all earnestness and perseverance, that your faith fail not. And let nothing interrupt that spirit of sacrifice which you make of all you have and are, of all you suffer, and do, that it maybe an offering of a sweet-smelling savour to God, through Jesus Christ ! 5. As to the manner of acting and speaking, I advise you to do it with all innocence and simplicity, prudence and seriousness. Add to these, all possible calmness and mildness ; nay, all the tenderness which the case will bear. You are not to behave as butchers, or hangmen ; but as surgeons rather, who put the patient to no more pain than is necessary in order to the cure. For this purpose, each of you, likewise, has need of " a lady's hand with a Uon's heart." So shall many, even of them you are constrained to punish, "glorify God in the day of visitation." 6. I exhort all of you who fear God, as ever you hope to find mercy at his hands, as you dread being found (though you knew it not) "even to fight against God," do not, on any account, reason, or pretence whatsoever, either directly or indirectly, oppose or hinder so merciful a design, and one so THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 105 conducive to his glory. But this is not all : If you are lovers of mankind, if you long to lessen the sins and miseries of your fellow-creatures, can you satisfy yourselves, can you be clear before God, by barely not opposing it ? Are hot you also bound by the most sacred ties, "as you have opportunity, to do good to all men ? " And is not here an opportunity of doing good to many, even good of the highest kind ? In the name of God, then, embrace the opportunity ! Assist in doing this good, if no otherwise, yet by your earnest prayers for them who are immediately employed therein. Assist them, according to your ability, to defray the expense which necessarily attends it, and which, without the assistance of charitable persons, would be a burden they could not bear. Assist them, if you can without inconvenience, by quarterly or yearly subscriptions. At least, assist them now ; use the present hour, doing what God puts into your heart. Let it not be said, that you saw your brethren labouring for God, and would not help them with one of your fingers. In this way, however, " come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty !" 7. I have a higher demand upon you who love as well as fear God. He whom you fear, whom you love, has qualified you for promoting his work in a more excellent way. Because you love God, you love your brother also : You love, not only your friends, but your enemies ; not only the friends, but even the enemies, of God. You have " put on, as the elect of God, lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering." You have faith in God, and in Jesus Christ whom he hath sent ; faith which overcometh the world : And hereby you conquer both evil and shame, and that " fear of man which bringeth a snare ;" so that you can stand with boldness before them that despise you, and make no account of your labours. Qualified, then, as you are, and armed for the fight, will you be like the children of Ephraim, "who, being harnessed, and carrying bows, turned back iri the day of battle ?" Will you leave a few of your brethren to stand alone, against all the hosts of the aliens ? O say not, " This is too heavy a cross ; I have not courage or strength to bear it !" True ; not of your self : But you that believe, " can do all things through Christ strengthening you." " If thou canst believe, all things are pos sible to him that belie veth." No cross is too heavy for him to bear ; knowing that they that " suffer with him shall reign with him." Say not, "Nay, but I cannot bear to be singular." 166 SERMON LII. Then you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. No one enters there but through the narrow way ; and all that walk in this are singular. Say not, " But I cannot endure the reproach, the odious name of an informer." And did any man ever save his soul, that was not a by-word, and a proverb of reproach ? Neither canst thou ever save thine, unless thou art willing that men should say all manner of evil of thee. Say not, " But if I am active in this work, I shall lose, not only my reputation, but my friends, my customers, my business, my livelihood ; so that I shall be brought to poverty." Thou shalt not ; thou canst not : It is absolutely impossible, unless God himself chooseth it ; for his " kingdom ruleth over all," and " the very hairs of thy head are all numbered." But if the wise, the gracious God choose it for thee, wilt thou murmur or complain ? Wilt thou not rather say, " The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " If you " suffer for Christ, happy are you ; the Spirit of glory and of God" shall " rest upon you." Say not, " I would suffer all things, but my wife will not consent to it; and, certainly, a man ought to leave father and mother and all, and cleave to his wife." True ; all but God ; all but Christ : But he ought not to leave him for his wife ! He is not to leave any duty undone, for the dearest relative. Our Lord himself hath said in this very sense, " If any man love father or mother, or wife, or children, more than me, he is not worthy of me." Say not, " Well, I would forsake all for Christ ; but one duty must not hinder another ; and this would frequently hinder my attending public worship." Sometimes it probably would. " Go, then, and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice." And whatever is lost by showing this mercy, God will repay seven-fold into thy bosom. Say not, " But I shall hurt my own soul. I am a young man ; and by taking up loose women I should expose myself to temptation." Yes, if you did this in your own strength, or for your own pleasure. But that is not the case. You trust in God ; and you aim at pleasing him only. And if he should call you even into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, " though thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flames kindle upon thee." " True ; if he called me into the furnace ; but I do not see that I am called to this." Perhaps thou art not willing to see it. However, if thou wast not called before, I call thee now, in the name of Christ : Take ON THE DEATH OF MR. WHITEFIELD. 167 up thy cross, and follow him ! Reason no more with flesh and blood, but now resolve to cast in thy lot with the most despised, the most infamous, of his followers ; the filth and offscouring of the world ! I call thee in particular, who didst once strengthen their hands, but since art drawn back. Take courage ! Be strong ! Fulfil their joy, by returning with heart and hand ! Let it appear thou " departedst for a season, that they might receive thee again for ever." O be " not disobedient to the heavenly calling ! " And, as for all of you who know whereunto ye are called, count ye all things loss, so ye may save one soul for which Christ died ! And therein " take no thought for the morrow," but " cast all your care on Him that careth for you ! " Commit your souls, bodies, substance, all to him, " as unto a merciful and faithful Creator ! " *** After this Society had subsisted several years, and done unspeakable good, it was wholly destroyed by a verdict given against it in the King's Bench, with three hundred pounds damages. I doubt a severe account remains for the witnesses, the jury, and all who were concerned in that dreadful affair ! SERMON LIII. ON THE DEATH OF THE REV. MR. GEORGE WHITEFIELD. Preached at the Chapel in Tottenham-Court Road, and at the Tabernacle near Moorfields, on Sunday, November 18, 1770. " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his .'" Numbers xxiii. 10. 1. " Let my last end be like his !" How many of you join in this wish ? Perhaps there are few of you who do not, even in this numerous congregation ! And O that this wish may rest upon your minds ! — that it may not die away till your souls also are lodged " where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weaiw are at rest '" 168 sermon liii. 2. An elaborate exposition of the text will not be expected on this occasion. It would detain you too long from the sadly- pleasing thought of your beloved brother, friend, and pastor; yea, and father too: For how many are here whom he hath " begotten in the Lord ! " Will it not, then, be more suitable to your inclinations, as well as to this solemnity -, directly to speak of this man of God, whom you have so often heard speaking in this place ? — the end of whose conversation ye know, " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-dayi and for ever." And may we not, I. Observe a few particulars of his life and death ? II. Take some view of his character ? And, III. Inquire how we may improve this awful providence, his sudden removal from us ? I. 1. We may, in the First place, observe a few particulars of his life and death. He was born at Gloucester, in December, 1714, and put to a grammar-school there, when about twelve years old. When he was seventeen, he began to be seriously religious, and served God to the best of his knowledge. About eighteen he removed to the University, and was admitted at Pembroke College, in Oxford ; and about a year after he became acquainted with the Methodists, (so called,) whom from that time he loved as his own soul. 2. By them he was convinced that we " must be born again," or outward religion will profit us nothing. He joined with them in fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays ; in visiting the sick and the prisoners ; and in gathering up the very fragments of time, that no moment might be lost : And he changed the course of his studies ; reading chiefly such books as entered into the heart of religion, and' led directly to an experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3. He was soon tried as with fire. Not only his reputation was lost, and some of his dearest friends forsook him ; but he was exercised with inward trials, and those of the severest kind. Many nights he lay sleepless upon his bed ; many days, prostrate on the ground. But after he had groaned several months under " the spirit of bondage," God was pleased to remove the heavy load, by givingrhim " the Spirit of adoption f enabling him, through a living faith, to 'lay hold on "the Son of his love." 4. However, it was thought needful, for the recovery of his ON THE DEATH OF MR. WHITEFIELD. 169 health, which was much impaired, that he should go into the country. He accordingly went to Gloucester, where God enabled him to awaken several young persons. These soon formed themselves into a little society, and were some of the first fruits of his labour. Shortly after, he began to read, twice or thrice a week, to some poor people in the town ; and every day to read to and pray with the prisoners in the county gaol. 5. Being now about twenty-one years of age, he was solicited to enter into holy orders. Of this he was greatly afraid, being deeply sensible of his own insufficiency. But the Bishop himself sending for him, and telling him, " Though I had purposed to ordain none under three-and-twenty, yet I will ordain you whenever you come," — and several other providential circumstances concurring, — he submitted, and was ordained on Trinity Sunday, 1736. The next Sunday he preached to a crowded auditory, in the church wherein he was baptized. The week following he returned to Oxford, and took his Bachelor's degree : And he was now fully employed ; the care of the prisoners and the poor lying chiefly on him. 6. But it was not long before he was invited to London, to serve the cure Of a friend going into the country. He continued there two months, lodging in the Tower, reading Prayers in the chapel twice a week, catechising and preaching once, beside visiting the soldiers in the barracks and the infirmary. He also read Prayers every evening at Wapping chapel, and preached at Ludgate prison every Tuesday. While he was here, letters cattie from his friends in Georgia, which made him long to go and help them : But not seeing his call clear, at the appointed time he returned to his little charge at Oxford, where several youths met daily at his room, to build up each other in their most holy faith. 7- But he was quickly called from hence again, to supply the cure of Dumirier, in Hampshire. Here he read Prayers twice a day ; early in the morning, and in the evening after the people came from work. He also daily catechised the children, and visited from house to house. He now divided the day into three parts, allotting eight hours for sleep and meals, eight for study and retirement, and eight for reading Prayers, catechising, and visiting the people. — Is there a more excellent way for a servant of Christ and his Church ? If not, who will " go and do likewise ? " 170 SERMON LIII. 8. Yet his mind still ran on going abroad ; and being now fully convinced he was called of God thereto, he set all things in order, and, in January, i'JS'], went down to take leave of his friends in Gloucester. It was in this journey that God began to bless his ministry in an uncommon manner. Wherever he preached, amazing multitudes of hearers flocked together, in Gloucester, in Stonehouse, in Bath, in Bristol ; so that the heat of the churches was scarce supportable : And the impressions made on the minds of many were no less extraordinary. After his return to London, while he was detained by General Ogle thorpe, from week to week, and from month to month, it pleased God to bless his word still more. And he was indefatigable in his labour: Generally on Sunday he preached four times, to exceeding large auditories; beside reading Prayers twice or thrice, and walking to and fro often ten or twelve miles. 9- On December 28, he left London. It was on the 29th that he first preached without notes. December 30, he went on board ; but it was above a month before they cleared the land. One happy effect of their very slow passage he mentions in April following : — " Blessed be God, we now live very comfortably in the great cabin. We talk of little else but God and Christ ; and scarce a word is heard among us when together, but what has reference to our fall in the first, and our new birth in the Second, Adam." It seems, likewise, to have been a peculiar providence, that he should spend a little time at Gibraltar ; where both citizens and soldiers, high and low, young and old, acknowledged the day of their visitation. 10. From Sunday, May 7, ±738, till the latter end of August following, he "made full proof of his ministry" in Georgia, particularly at Savannah : He read Prayers and expounded twice a day, and visited the sick daily. On Sunday he expounded at five in the morning; at ten read Prayers and preached, and at three in the afternoon ; and at seven in the evening expounded the Church Catechism. How much easier is it for our brethren in the ministry, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland, to find fault with such a labourer in our Lord's vineyard, than to tread in his steps ! 11. It was now that he observed the deplorable condition of many children here ; and that God put into his heart the first thought of founding an Orphan-House, for which he determined to raise contributions in England, if God should give him a ON THE DEATH OF MR. WHITEFIELD. 171 safe return thither. In December following, he did return to London ; and on Sunday, January 14th, 1739, he was ordained Priest at Christ Church, Oxford. The next day he came to London again ; and on Sunday, the 21st, preached twice. But though the churches were large, and crowded exceedingly, yet many hundreds stood in the church-yard, and hundreds more returned home. This put him upon the first thought of preach ing in the open air. But when he mentioned it to some of his friends, they judged it to be mere madness : So he did not carry it into execution till after he had left London. It was on Wednesday, February 21, that, finding all the church doors to be shut in Bristol, (beside, that no church was able to contain one half of the congregation,) at three in the afternoon he went to Kingswood, and preached abroad to near two thousand people. On Friday he preached there to four or five thousand ; and on Sunday to, it was supposed, ten thousand ! The number continually increased all the time he stayed at Bristol ; and a flame of holy love was kindled, which will not easily be put out. The same was afterwards kindled in various parts of Wales, of Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. Indeed, wherever he went, God abundantly confirmed the word of his messenger. 12. On Sunday, April 29, he preached the first time in Moorfields, and on Kennington Common ; and the thousands of hearers were as quiet as they could have been in a church. Being again detained in England from month to month, he made little excursions into several counties, and received the contributions of willing multitudes for an Orphan-House in Georgia. The embargo which was now laid on the shipping gave him leisure for more journeys through various parts of England, for which many will have reason to bless God to all eternity. At length, on August 14, he embarked: But he did not land in Pennsylvania till October 30. Afterwards he went through Pennsylvania, the Jerseys, New- York, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina ; preaching all along to immense congregations, with full as great effect as in England. On January 10, 1740, he arrived at Savannah. 13. January 29, he added three desolate orphans to neai twenty which he had in his House before. The next day he laid out the ground for the House, about ten miles from Savannah. February 11, he took in four orphans more; and set out for Frederica, in order to fetch the orphans that were 172 SERMON LIII. in the southern parts of the colony. In his return he fixed a school, both for children and grown persons, at Darien, and took four orphans thence. March 25, he laid the first stone of the Orphan-House ; to which, with great propriety, he gave the name of Bethesda; a work for which the children yet unborn shall praise the Lord. He had now about forty orphans, so that there were near a hundred mouths to be fed daily. But he was " careful for nothing," casting his care on Him who feedeth the young ravens that call upon Him. 14. In April he made another tour through Pennsylvania, the Jerseys, and New-York. Incredible multitudes flocked to hear, among whom were abundance of Negroes. In all places the greater part of the hearers were affected to an amazing degree. Many were deeply convinced of their lost state ; many, truly converted to God. In some places, thousands cried out aloud ; many as in the agonies of death ; most were drowned in tears ; some turned pale as death ; others were wringing their hands ; others lying on the ground ; others sinking into the arms of their friends ; almost all lifting up their eyes, and calling for mercy. 15. He returned to Savannah, June 5. The next evening, during the public service, the whole congregation, young and old, were dissolved in tears : After service, several of the parishioners, and all his family, particularly the little children, returned home crying along the street, and some could not help praying aloud. The groans and cries of the children continued all night, and great part of the next day. 16. In August he set out again, and through various provinces came to Boston. While he was here, and in the neighbouring places, he was extremely weak in body : Vet the multitudes of hearers were so great, and the effects wrought on them so astonishing, as the oldest men then alive in the town had never seen before. The same power attended his preaching at New- York, particularly on Sunday, November 2: Almost as soon as he began, crying, weeping, and wailing were to be heard on every side. Many sunk down to the ground, cut to the heart ; and many were filled with divine consolation. Toward the close of his journey he made this reflection : — " It is the seventy-fifth day since I arrived at Rhode-Island, exceeding weak in body : Yet God has enabled me to preach a hundred and seventy-five times in public, beside exhorting ON the Death of Mr. whiteeield. 173 frequently in private! Never did God vouchsafe me greater comforts : Never did I perform my journeys with less fatigue, or see such a continuance of the divine presence in the congre gations to whom I preached." In December he returned to Savannah, and in the March following arrived in England. 17- You may easily observe, that the preceding account is chiefly extracted from his own Journals, which, for their artless and unaffected simplicity, may vie with any writings of the kind. And how exact a specimen is this of his labours both in Europe and America, for the honour of his beloved Master, during the thirty years that followed, as well as of the uninterrupted shower of blessings wherewith God was pleased to succeed his labours ! Is it not much to be lamented, that anything should have prevented his continuing this account, till at least near the time when he was called by his Lord to enjoy the fruit of his labour? — If he has left any papers of this kind, and his friends account me worthy of the honour, it would be my glory and joy to methodize, transcribe, and prepare them for the public view. 18. A particular account of the last scene of his life is thus given by a gentleman of Boston : — " After being about a month with us in Boston and its vici nity, and preaching every day, he went to Old- York ; preached on Thursday, September 27, there ; proceeded to Portsmouth, and preached there on Friday. On Saturday morning he set out for Boston ; but before he came to Newbury, where he had engaged to preach the next morning, he was importuned to preach by the way. The house not being large enough to contain the people, he preached in an open field. But having been infirm for several weeks, this so exhausted his strength, that when he came to Newbury he could not get out of the ferry-boat without the help of two men. In the evening, however, he recovered his spirits, and appeared with his usual cheerfulness. He went to his chamber at nine, his fixed time, which no company could divert him from, and slept better than he had done for some weeks before. He rose at four in the morning, September 30, and went into his closet ; and his companion observed he was unusually long in private. He left his closet, returned to his companion, threw himself on the bed, and lay about ten minutes. Then he fell upon his knees, and prayed most fervently to God that, if it was consistent If4 SERMON Lift. with his will, he might that day finish his Master's work. tt& then desired his man to call Mr. Parsons, the Clergyman, at whose house he was ; but, in a minute, before Mr. Parsons could reach him, died, without a sigh or groan. On the news of his death, six gentlemen set out for Newbury, in order to bring his remains hither : But he could not be moved ; so that his precious ashes must remain at Newbury. Hundreds would have gone from this town to attend his funeral, had they not expected he would have been interred here. — May this stroke be sanctified to the Church of God in general, and to this province in particular ! " II. 1. We are, in the Second place, to take some view of his character. A little sketch of this was soon after published in the Boston Gazette ; an extract of which is subjoined : — " In his public labours he has, for many years, astonished the world with his eloquence and devotion. With what divine pathos did he persuade the impenitent sinner to embrace the practice of piety and virtue ! He spoke from the heart, and with a fervency of zeal perhaps unequalled since the days of the Apostles. From the pulpit he was unrivalled in the command of an ever-crowded auditory. Nor was he less agreeable and instructive in his private conversation; — happy in a remarkable ease of address, willing to communicate, studious to edify. May the rising generation catch a spark of that flame which shone, with such distinguished lustre, in the spirit and practice of this faithful servant of the most high God ! " 2. A more particular, and equally just, character of him has appeared in one of the English papers. It may not be disagreeable to you to add the substance of this likewise : — " The character of this truly pious person must be impressed on the heart of every friend to vital religion. In spite of a tender constitution, he continued, to the last day of his life, preaching with a frequency and fervour that seemed to exceed the natural strength of the most robust. Being called to the exercise of his function at an age when most young men are only beginning to qualify themselves for it, he had not time to make a very considerable progress in the learned languages. But this defect was amply supplied by a lively and fertile genius, by fervent zeal, and by a forcible and most persuasive delivery. And though in the pulpit he often found ON THE DEATH OE Mil. WHITEFIELD. \^H it needful by ' the terrors of the Lord ' to ' persuade men,' he had nothing gloomy in his nature ; being singularly cheerful, as well as charitable and tender-hearted. He was as ready to relieve the bodily as the spiritual necessities of those that applied to him. It ought also to be observed, that he constantly enforced upon his audience every moral duty ; particularly industry in their several callings, and obedience to their superiors. He endeavoured, by the most extraordinary efforts of preaching, in different places, and even in the open fields, to rouse the lower class of people from the last degree of inattention and ignorance to a sense of religion. For this, and his other labours, the name of George Whitefield will long be remembered with esteem and veneration." 3. That both these accounts are just and impartial will readily be allowed ; that is, as far as they go. But they go little farther than the outside of his character. They show you the Preacher, but not the man, the Christian, the saint of God. May I be permitted to add a little on this head, from a personal knowledge of near forty years ? Indeed, I am thoroughly sensible how difficult it is to speak on so delicate a subject; — what prudence is required, to avoid both extremes, to say neither too little nor too much ! Nay, I know it is impossible to speak at all, to say either less or more, without incurring from some the former, from others the latter censure. Some will seriously think that too little is said ; and others, that it is too much. But without attending to this, I will speak just what I know, before Him to whom we are all to give an account. 4. Mention has already been made of his unparalleled zeal, his indefatigable activity, his tender-heartedness to the afflicted, and charitableness toward the poor. But should we not likewise mention his deep gratitude to all whom God had used as instruments of good to him ? — of whom he did not cease to speak in the most respectful manner, even to his dying day. Should we not mention, that he had a heart susceptible of the most generous and the most tender friendship ? I have frequently thought that this, of all others, was the distin guishing part of his character. How few have we known of so kind a temper, of such large and flowing affections ! Was it not principally by this, that the hearts of others were so strangely drawn and knit to him ? Can anything but love beget love ? This shone in his very cf'ntenance- and "176 SERMON L11I. continually breathed in all his words, whether in public or private. Was it not this, which, quick and penetrating as lightning, flew from heart to heart ? which gave that life to his sermons, his conversations, his letters ? Ye are witnesses ! 5. But away with the vile misconstruction of men of corrupt minds, who know of no love but what is earthly and sensual ! Be it remembered, at the same time, that he was endued with the most nice and unblemished modesty. His office called him to converse very frequently and largely with women as well as men ; and those of every age and condition. But his whole behaviour toward them was a practical comment on that advice of St. Paul to Timothy : " Entreat the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with all purity." 6. Meantime, how suitable to the friendliness of his spirit was the frankness and openness of his conversation ! — although it was as far removed from rudeness on the one hand, as from guile on the other. Was not this frankness at once a fruit and a proof of his courage and intrepidity ? Armed with these, he feared not the faces of men, but " used great plainness of speech" to per sons of every rank and condition, high and low, rich and poor ; endeavouring only " by manifestation of the truth to commend himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 7- Neither was he afraid of labour or pain, any more than of " what man can do unto him ;" being equally Patient in bearing ill and doing well. And this appeared in the steadiness wherewith he pursued what ever he undertook for his Master's sake. Witness one instance for all, — the Orphan-House in Georgia ; which he began and perfected, in spite of all discouragements. Indeed, in whatever concerned himself he was pliant and flexible. In this case he was " easy to be entreated ; " easy to be either convinced or persuaded. But he was immovable in the things of God, or wherever his conscience was concerned. None could persuade, any more than affright, him to vary, in the least point, from that integrity which was inseparable from his whole character, and regulated all his words and actions. Herein he did Stand as an iron pillar strong, And steadfast as a wall of brass. 8. If it be inquired what was the foundation of this integrity, or of his sincerity, courage, patience, and every other valuable ON THE DEATH OF MR. WHITEFIELD. 177 and amiable quality ; it is easy to give the answer : — It was not the excellence of his natural temper, not the strength of his understanding ; it was not the force of education ; no, nor the advice of his friends : It was no other than faith in a bleeding Lord ; " faith of the operation of God." It was " a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." It was " the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost which was given unto him," filling his soul with tender, disinterested love to every child of man. From this source arose that torrent of eloquence, which frequently bore down all before it ; from this, that astonishing force of persua sion, which the most hardened sinners could not resist. This it was which often made his " head as waters, and his eyes a fountain of tears." This it was which enabled him to pour out his soul in prayer, in a manner peculiar to himself, with such fulness and ease united together, with such strength and variety both of sentiment and expression. 9. I may close this head with observing what an honour it pleased God to put upon his faithful servant, by allowing him to declare his everlasting gospel in so many various countries, to such numbers of people, and with so great an effect on so many of their precious souls ! Have we read or heard of any person since the Apostles, who testified the gospel of the grace of God through so widely extended a space, through so large a part of the habitable world ? Have we read or heard of any person who called so many thousands, so many myriads, of sin ners to repentance ? Above all, have we read or heard of any who has been a blessed instrument in his hand of bringing so many sinners from " darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God?" It is true, were we to talk thus to the gay world, we should be judged to speak as barbarians. But you understand the language of the country to which you are going, and whither our dear friend is gone a little before us. III. But how shall we improve this awful providence ? This is the Third thing which we have to consider. And the answer to this important question is easy : (May God write it in all our hearts!) By keeping close to the grand doctrines which he delivered ; and by drinking into his spirit. 1. And, First, let us keep close to the grand scriptural doc trines which he everywhere delivered. There are many doc trines of a less essential nature, with regard to which even the N 2. 178 SERMON LIII. sincere children of God (such is the present weakness of human understanding) are and have been divided for many ages. In these we may think and let think ; we may " agree to disagree." But, meantime, let us hold fast the essentials of " the faith which was once delivered to the saints ;" and which this champion of God so strongly insisted on, at all times, and in all places ! 2. His fundamental point was, " Give God all the glory of whatever is good in man ; " and, " In the business of salvation, set Christ as high and man as low as possible." With this point he and his friends at Oxford, the original Methodists, so called, set out. Their grand principle was, There is no power (by nature) and no merit in man. They insisted, all power to think, speak, or act aright, is in and from the Spirit of Christ ; and all merit is (not in man, how high soever in grace, but merely) in the blood of Christ. So he and they taught : There is no power in man, till it is given him from above, to do one good work, to speak one good word, or to form one good desire. For it is not enough to say, all men are sick of sin : No, we are all " dead in trespasses and sins." It follows, that all the children of men are, " by nature, children of wrath." We are all " guilty before God," liable to death temporal and eternal. 3. And we are all helpless, both with regard to the power and to the guilt of sin. For " who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?" None less than the Almighty. Who can raise those that are dead, spiritually dead in sin ? None but He who raised us from the dust of the earth. But on what consideration will he do this ? " Not for works of right eousness that we have done." " The dead cannot praise thee, O Lord;" nor do any thing for the sake of which they should be raised to life. Whatever, therefore, God does, he does it merely for the sake of his well-beloved Son : " He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities." He himself " bore" all " our sins in his own body upon the tree." " He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Here then is the sole meritorious cause of every blessing we do or can enjoy; — in particular of our pardon and acceptance with God, of our full and free justification. But b"- what means do we become interested in what Christ has done and suffered? "Not by works, lest any man should boast;" but by faith alone. " We conclude," says the Apostle, " that a man is justified by faith, without the works of the law." And THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 277 of Jesus Christ ! Do not take part of it for the whole ! What God hath joined together, put not asunder ! Take no less for his religion, than the " faith that worketh by love ;" all inward and outward holiness. Be not content with any religion which does not imply the destruction of all the works of the devil ; that is, of all sin. We know, weakness of understanding, and a thousand infirmities, will remain, while this corruptible body remains; but sin need not remain: This is that work of the devil, eminently so called, which the Son of God was manifested to destroy in this present life. He is able, he is willing, to destroy it now, in all that believe in him. Only be not strait ened in your own bowels ! Do not distrust his power, or his love ! Put his promise to the proof! He hath spoken : And is he not ready likewise to perform ? Only " come boldly to the throne of grace," trusting in his mercy ; and you shall find, " He saveth to the uttermost all those that come to God ?hrough him ! " SERMON LXIII. THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. " The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Isaiah xi. 9. 1. In what a condition is the world at present ! How does darkness, intellectual darkness, ignorance, with vice and misery attendant upon it, cover the face of the earth ! From the accu rate inquiry made with indefatigable pains by our ingenious countryman, Mr. Brerewood ; (who travelled himself over a great part of the known world, in order to form the more exact judg ment;) supposing the world to be divided into thirty parts, nineteen of them are professed Heathens, altogether as ignorant of Christ, as if he had never come into the world : Six of the remaining parts are professed Mahometans : So that only five in thirty are so much as nominally Christians ! 2. And let it be remembered, that since this computation was made, many new nations have been discovered; numberless 180 SERMON LIII. of the same openness, simplicity, and godly sincerity! "love without dissimulation." Wrestle on, till the power from on high works in you the same steady courage and patience ; and above all, because it is the crown of all, the same invariable integrity. 7- Is there any other fruit of the grace of God with which he was eminently endowed, and the want of which among the children of God he frequently and passionately lamented ? There is one, that is, catholic love ; that sincere and tender affection which is due to all those who, we have reason to believe, are children of God by faith; — in other words, all those, in every persuasion, who "fear God and work righteousness." He longed to see all who had "tasted of the good word," of a true catholic spirit ; a word little understood, and still less experienced, by many who have it frequently in their mouth. Who is he that answers this character ? Who is a man of a catholic spirit ? One who loves as friends, as brethren in the Lord, as joint partakers of the present kingdom of heaven, and fellow-heirs of his eternal kingdom, all, of whatever opinion, mode of worship, or congregation, who believe in the Lord Jesus ; who love God and man ; who, rejoicing to please and fearing to offend God, are careful to abstain from evil, and zealous of good works. He is a man of a truly catholic spirit, who bears all these continually upon his heart ; who, having an unspeakable tenderness for their persons, and an earnest desire of their welfare, does not cease to commend them to God in prayer, as well as to plead their cause before men ; who speaks comfortably to them, and labours, by all his words, to strengthen their hands in God. He assists them to the uttermost of his power, in all things, spiritual and temporal ; he is ready to " spend and be spent " for them ; yea, " to lay down his life for his brethren." 8. How amiable a character is this ! How desirable to every child of God ! But why is it then so rarely found ? How is it that there are so few instances of it ? Indeed, supposing we have tasted of the love of God, how can any of us rest till it is our own ? Why, there is a delicate device, whereby Satan persuades thousands that they may stop short of it and yet be guiltless. It is well if many here present are not in this " snare of the devil, taken captive at his will." " O yes," says one, " I have all this love for those I believe to be children of God ; THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 279 6. From the most authentic accounts we can obtain of the Southern Christians, those in Abyssinia, and of the Northern Churches, under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow, we have reason to fear they are much in the same condition, both with regard to knowledge and religion, as those in Turkey. Or if those in Abyssinia are more civilized, and have a larger share of knowledge, yet they do not appear to have any more religion than either the Mahometans or Pagans. 7- The Western Churches seem to have the pre-eminence over all these in many respects. They have abundantly more knowledge: They have more scriptural and more rational modes of worship. Yet two thirds of them are still involved in the corruptions of tbe Church of Rome ; and most of these are entirely unacquainted with either the theory or practice of religion. And as to those who are called Protestants, or Reformed, what acquaintance with it have they ? Put Papists and Protestants, French and English together, the bulk of one and of the other nation ; and what manner of Christians are they ? Are they " holy as He that hath called them is holy ?" Are they filled with " righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost?" Is there "that mind in them which was also in Christ Jesus?" And do they "walk as Christ also walked ?" Nay, they are as far from it as hell is from heaven ! 8. Such is the present state of mankind in all parts of the world ! But how astonishing is this, if there is a God in heaven, and if his eyes are over all the earth ! Can. he despise the work of his own hand ? Surely this is one of the greatest mysteries under heaven ! How is it possible to reconcile this with either the wisdom or goodness of God ? And what can give ease to a thoughtful mind under so melancholy a prospect? What but the consideration, that things will not always be so ; that another scene will soon be opened ? God will be jealous of his honour: He will arise and maintain his own cause. He will judge the prince of this world, and spoil him of his usurped dominion. He will give his Son " the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." " The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." The loving knowledge of God, producing uniform, uninterrupted holiness and happiness, shall cover the earth ; shall fill every soul of man. 9. "Impossible," will some men say, "yea, the greatest 182 SERMON LIII. Let his spirit rest upon these thy servants ! Show thou art the God that answerest by fire ! Let the fire of thy love fall on every heart ! And because we love thee, let us love one another with a " love stronger than death ! " Take away from us " all anger, and wrath, and bitterness ; all clamour and evil-speaking ! " Let thy Spirit so rest upon us, that from this hour we may be " kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us !" AN HYMN. 1 Servant of God, well done ! Thy glorious warfare's past, The battle's fought, the race is won, And thou ait crown'd at last ; Of all thy heart's desire Triumphantly possess'd, Lodged by the ministerial choir In thy Redeemer's breast. 2 In condescending love, Thy ceaseless prayer he heard ; And bade thee suddenly remove To thy complete reward : Ready to bring the peace, Thy beauteous feet were shod, When mercy sign'd thy soul's releaw, And caught thee up to God. 3 With saints enthroned on high, Thou dost thy Lord proclaim, And still To God salvation cry, Salvation to the Lamb ! O happy, happy soul ! In ecstasies of praise, Long as eternal ages roll, Thou seest thy Saviour's face ! 4 Redeem'd from earth and pain, Ah ! when shall we ascend, And all in Jesu's presence reign With our translated friend ? Come, Lord, and quickly come I And, when in thee complete, Receive thy longing servants horn* To triumph at thy feet ! THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 281 heaven. But I speak of God's general manner of working, of which I have known innumerable instances ; perhaps more within fifty years last past, than any one in England or in Europe. And with regard even to these exempt cases ; although God does work irresistibly for the time, yet I do not believe there is any human soul in which God works irresistibly at all times. Nay, I am fully persuaded there is not. I am persuaded, there are no men living that have not many times " resisted the Holy Ghost," and made void " the counsel of God against themselves." Yea, I am persuaded every child of God has had, at some time, " life and death set before him," eternal life and eternal death ; and has in himself the casting voice. So true is that well-known saying of St. Austin, (one of the noblest he ever uttered,) Qui fecit nos sine nobis, non salvabit nos sine nobis : " He that made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves." Now in the same manner as God has converted so many to himself without destroying their liberty, he can undoubtedly convert whole nations, or the whole world ; and it is as easy to him to convert a world, as one individual soul. 13. Let us observe what God has done already. Between fifty and sixty years ago, God raised up a few young men, in the University of Oxford, to testify those grand truths, which were then little attended to : — That without holiness no man shall see the Lord ; — that this holiness is the work of God, who worketh in us both to will and to do ; — that he doeth it of his own good pleasure, merely for the merits of Christ ; — that this holiness is the mind that was in Christ ; enabling us to walk as he also walked ; — that no man can be thus sanctified till he be justified ; — and, that we are justified by faith alone. These great truths they declared on all occasions, in private and in public; having no design but to promote the glory of God, and no desire but to save souls from death. 14. From Oxford, where it first appeared, the little leaven spread wider and wider. More and more saw the truth as it is in Jesus, and received it in the love thereof. More and more found " redemption through the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins." They were born again of his Spirit, and filled with righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It afterwards spread to every part of the land, and a little one became a thousand. It then spread into North Britain and THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 283 seems, the kingdom of God will not " come with observation ; " but will silently increase, wherever it is set up, and spread from heart to heart, from house to house, from town to town, from one kingdom to another. May it not spread, first, through the remaining provinces ; then, through the isles of North America ; and, at the same time, from England to Holland, where there is already a blessed work in Utrecht, Haerlem, and many other cities ? Probably it will spread from these to the Protestants in France, to those in Germany, and those in Switzerland ; then to Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and all the other Protestant nations in Europe. 18. May we not suppose that the same leaven of pure and undefiled religion, of the experimental knowledge and love of God, of inward and outward holiness, will afterwards spread to the Roman Catholics in Great Britain, Ireland, Holland ; in Germany, France, Switzerland ; and in all other countries where Romanists and Protestants live intermixed and familiarly converse with each other ? Will it not then be easy for the wisdom of God to make a way for religion, in the life and power thereof, into those countries that are merely Popish ; as Italy, Spain, Portugal ? And may it not be gradually diffused from thence to all that name the name of Christ, in the various provinces of Turkey, in Abyssinia, yea, and in the remotest parts, not only of Europe, but of Asia, Africa, and America? 19- And in every nation under heaven, we may reasonably believe, God will observe the same order which he hath done from the beginning of Christianity. " They shall all know me, saith the Lord ; " not from the greatest to the least ; (this is that wisdom of the world which is foolishness with God ;) but, " from the least to the greatest;" that the praise may not be of men, but of God. Before the end, even the rich shall enter into th kingdom of God. Together with them will enter in the great, the noble, the honourable ; yea, the rulers, the princes, the kings of the earth. Last of all, the wise and learned, the men of genius, the philosophers, will be convinced that they are fools ; will be " converted, and become as little children," and " enter into the kingdom of God." 20. Then shall be fully accomplished to the house of Israel, the spiritual Israel, of whatever people or nation, that gracious promise, " I will put my laws in their minds, and write them in their hearts : And I will be to them a God, and they shall be ta 186 PREFACE. illustrate and confirm the other. There may be the greater need of this, because they were occasionally written, during a course of years, without any order or connexion at all ; just as this or the other subject either occurred to my own mind, or was suggested to me at various times by one or another friend. 4. To complete the number of twelve Sermons in every volume, I have added six Sermons to those printed in the Magazines ; and I did this the rather, because the subjects were important, and cannot be too much insisted on. 5. Is there need to apologize to sensible persons for the plainness of my style ? A gentleman, whom I much love and respect, lately informed me, with much tenderness and courtesy, that men of can dour made great allowance for the decay of my faculties ; and did not expect me to write now, either with regard to sentiment or language, as I did thirty or forty years ago. Perhaps they are decayed ; though I am not conscious of it. But is not this a fit occasion to explain myself concerning, the style I use from choice, not necessity ? I could even now write as floridly and rhetorically as even the admired Dr. B ; but I dare not ; because I seek the honour that cometh of God only. What is the praise of man to me, that have one foot in the grave, and am stepping into the land whence I shall not return ? Therefore, I dare no more write in a fine style than wear a fine coat. But were it otherwise, had I time to spare, I should still write just as I do. I should purposely decline, THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 285 and of power, those of them that fear God will soon take know ledge of the Spirit whereby the Christians speak. They will "receive with meekness the engrafted word," and will bring forth fruit with patience. From them the leaven will soon spread to those who, till then, had no fear of God before their eyes. Observing the Christian dogs, as they used to term them, to have changed their nature ; to be sober, temperate, just, benevolent ; and that, in spite of all provocations to the contrary; from admiring their lives, they will surely be led to consider and embrace their doctrine. And then the Saviour of sinners will say, " The hour is come ; I will glorify my Father : I will seek and save the sheep that were wandering on the dark mountains. Now will I avenge myself of my enemy, and pluck the prey out of the lion's teeth. I will resume my own, for ages lost : I will claim the purchase of my blood." So he will go forth in the greatness of his strength, and all his enemies shall flee before him. All the prophets of lies shall vanish away, and all the nations that had followed them shall acknowledge the great Prophet of the Lord, "mighty in word and deed;" and "shall honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." 22. And then, the grand stumbling-block being removed from the heathen nations also, the same Spirit will be poured out upon them ; even those that remain in the uttermost parts of the sea. The poor American savage will no more ask, " What are the Christians better than us?" — when they see their steady- practice of universal temperance, and of justice, mercy, and truth. The Malabarian Heathen will have no more room to say, " Christian man take my wife : Christian man much drunk : Christian man kill man! Devil-Christian! me no Christian."' Rather, seeing how far the Christians exceed their own country men in whatsoever things are lovely and of good report, they will adopt a very different language, and say, Angel-Christian ! The holy lives of the Christians will be an argument they will not know how to resist : Seeing the Christians steadily and uniformly practise what is agreeable to the law written in their own hearts, their prejudices will quickly die away, and they will gladly receive " the truth as it is in Jesus." 23. We may reasonably believe, that the heathen nations which are mingled with the Christians, and those that, bordering upon Christian nations, have constant and familiar intercourse with them, will be some of the first who learn to worship God THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 287 spiritual blessings. For this is the promise : " For the Lord thy God will gather thee from all nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul." (Deut. xxx. 3, &c.) Again : " I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them : And I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely : And I will give them one heart, and one way, thai they may fear me for ever. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. And I will plant them in this land assuredly, with my whole heart and with my whole soul." (Jer. xxxii. 37, &c.) Yet again : " I will take you from among the Heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : From all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers ; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezek. xxxvi. 24, &c.) 26. At that time will be accomplished all those glorious pro mises made to the Christian Church, which will not then be confined to this or that nation, but will include all the inhabit ants of the earth. " They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain." (Isaiah xi. 9-) " Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders ; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." Thou shalt be encompassed on every side with salvation, and all that go through thy gates shall praise God. " The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee : But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." The light of the sun and moon shall be swallowed up in the light of His counte nance, shining upon thee. " Thy people also shall be all righ teous, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." "As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth ; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." (Isaiah lx. 18, &c. ; and Ixi. 11.) 27- This I apprehend to be the answer, yea, the only full and satisfactory answer that can be given, to the objection against 1^0 SERMON LIV. And again : — Hail, God the Son, with glory crown'd When time shall cease to be ; Throned with the Father through the round Of whole eternity ! 4. " Ere time began to be."— But what is time ? It is not easy to say, as frequently as we have had the word in our mouth. We know not what it properly is : We cannot well tell how to define it. But is it not, in some sense, a fragment of eternity, broken off at both ends ? — that portion of duration which commenced when the world began, which will continue as long as this world endures, and then expire for ever ? — that portion of it, which is at present measured by the revolution of the sun and planets ; lying (so to speak) between two eternities, that which is past, and that which is to come. But as soon as the heavens and the earth flee away from the face of Him that sitteth on the great white throne, time will be no more ; but sink for ever into the ocean of eternity ! 5. But by what means can a mortal, man, the creature of a day, form any idea of eternity ? What can we find within the compass of nature to illustrate it by ? With what comparison shall we compare it ? What is there that bears any resemblance to it ? Does there not seem to be some sort of analogy between boundless duration and boundless space ? The great Creator, the infinite Spirit, inhabits both the one and the other. This is one of his peculiar prerogatives : " Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord ?" — yea, not only the utmost regions of creation, but all the expanse of boundless space ! Meantime, how many of the children of men may say, Lo, on a narrow neck of land, 'Midst two unbounded seas I stand, Secure, insensible ! A point of time, a moment's space, Removes me to that heavenly place, Or shuts me up in hell ! 6. But leaving one of these unbounded seas to the Father of eternity, to whom alone duration without beginning belongs, let us turn our thoughts on duration without end. This is not an incommunicable attribute of the great Creator ; but he has been graciously pleased to make innumerable multitudes of his creatures partakers of it. He has imparted this not only to ON' ETERXITY. 191 angels, and archangels, and all the companies of heaven, whc are not intended to die, but to glorify him, and live in his presence for ever ; but also to the inhabitants of the earth, who dwell in houses of clay. Their bodies, indeed, are " crushed before the moth ;" but their souls will never die. God made them, as an ancient writer speaks, to be " pictures of his own eternity." Indeed all spirits, we have reason to believe, are clothed with immortality ; having no inward principle of corruption, and being liable to no external violence. 7- Perhaps we may go a step farther still: Is not matter itself, as well as spirit, in one sense eternal ? Not indeed a parte ante, as some senseless philosophers, both ancient and modern, have dreamed. Not that anything had existed from eternity ; seeing, if so, it must be God ; yea, it must be the One God ; for it is impossible there should be two Gods, or two Eternals. But although nothing beside the great God can have existed from everlasting, — none else can be eternal a parte ante; yet there is no absurdity in supposing that all creatures are eternal a parte post. All matter indeed is continually changing, and that into ten thousand forms ; but that it is changeable, does in nowise imply that it is perishable. The sub stance may remain one and the same, though under innumerable different forms. It is very possible any portion of matter may be resolved into tbe atoms of which it was originally composed : But what reason have we to believe that one of these atoms ever was, or ever will be, annihilated ? It never can, unless by the uncontrollable power of its almighty Creator. And is it probable that ever He will exert this power in unmaking any of the things that he hath made ? In this also, God is not " a son of man that he should repent." Indeed, every creature under heaven does, and must, continually change its form, which we can now easily account for ; as it clearly appears, from late discoveries, that ethereal fire enters into the composition of every part of the creation. Now, this is essen tially edats rerum : It is the universal menstruum, the discohere of all things under the sun. By the force of this, even the strongest, the firmest bodies are dissolved. It appears from the experiment repeatedly made by the great Lord Bacon, that even diamonds, by a high degree of heat, may be turned into dust ; and that, in a still higher degree, (strange as it may seem,) they will totally flame away. Yea, by this the heavens themselves 192 SERMON LIV. will be dissolved ; " the elements shall melt with fervent heat.'' But they will be only dissolved, not destroyed ; they will melt, but they will not perish. Though they lose their present form, yet not a particle of them will ever lose its existence ; but every atom of them will remain, under one form or other, to all eternity. 8. But still we should inquire, What is this eternity ? How shall we pour any light upon this abstruse subject ? It cannot be the object of our understanding. And with what comparison shall we compare it ? How infinitely does it transcend all these ! What are any temporal things, placed in comparison with those that are eternal ? What is the duration of the long- lived oak, of the ancient castle, of Trajan's Pillar, of Pompey's Amphitheatre ? What is the antiquity of the Tuscan Urns, though probably older than the foundation of Rome; yea, of the Pyramids of Egypt, suppose they have remained upwards of three thousand years ; — when laid in the balance with eter nity ? It vanishes into nothing. Nay, what is the duration of " the everlasting hills," figuratively so called, which have remained ever since the general deluge, if not from the founda tion of the world, in comparison of eternity ? No more than an insignificant cipher. Go farther yet: Consider the duration, from the creation of the first-born sons of God, of Michael the Archangel in particular, to the hour when he shall be commis sioned to sound his trumpet, and to utter his mighty voice through the vault of heaven, " Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment !" Is it not a moment, a point, a nothing, in compa rison of unfathomable eternity ? Add to this a thousand, a million of years, add a million of million of ages, " before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the round world were made:" What is all this in comparison of that eternity which is past ? Is it not less, infinitely less, than a single drop of water to the whole ocean ? — yea, immeasurably less than a day, an hour, a moment, to a million of ages ! Go back a thousand millions still ; yet you are no nearer the beginning of eternity. 9. Are we able to form a more adequate conception of eternity to come ? In order to this, let us compare it with the several deo-rees of duration which we are acquainted with :— An ephe- meron fly lives six hours ; from six in the evening, to twelve. This is a short life compared with that of a man, which con tinues threescore or fourscore years ; and this itself is short, if ON ETERNITY. 193 it be compared to the nine hundred and sixty-nine years of Methuselah. Yet what are these years, yea, all that have succeeded each other, from the time that the heavens and the earth were erected, to the time when the heavens shall pass away, and the earth with the works of it shall be burned up, if we compare it to the length of that duration which never shall have an end ? 10. In order to illustrate this, a late author has repeated that striking thought of St. Cyprian : — " Suppose there were a ball of sand as large as the globe of earth ; suppose a grain of this sand were to be annihilated, reduced to nothing, in a thousand years ; yet that whole space of duration, wherein this ball would be annihilating, at the rate of one grain in a thousand years, would bear infinitely less proportion to eternity, duration without end, than a single grain of sand would bear to all the mass ! " 11. To infix this important point the more deeply in your mind, consider another comparison : — Suppose the ocean to be so enlarged, as to include all the space between the earth and the starry heavens. Suppose a drop of this water to be annihilated once in a thousand years ; yet that whole space of duration, wherein this ocean would be annihilating, at the rate of one drop in a thousand years, would be infinitely less in proportion to eternity, than one drop of water to that whole ocean. Look then at those immortal spirits, whether they are in this or the other world. When they shall have lived thousands of thousands of years, yea, millions of millions of ages, their duration will be but just begun : They will be only upon thc threshold of eternity ! 12. But besides this division of eternity into that whicn is past, and that which is to come, there is another division of eternity, which is of unspeakable importance : That which is to come, as it relates to immortal spirits, is either a happy 01 a miserable eternity. 13. See the spirits of the righteous that are already praising God in a happy eternity ! We are ready to say, How short will it appear to those who drink of the rivers of pleasure at God's right hand ! We are ready to cry out, A aay without night They dwell in his sight, And eternity seems as a day ! O 2. 194 SERMOtf LIV. But this is only speaking after the manner of men : For the measures of long and short are only applicable to time which admits of bounds, and not to unbounded duration. This rolls on (according to our low conceptions) with unutterable, incon ceivable swiftness ; if one would not rather say, it does not roll or move at all, but is one still immovable ocean. For the inhabitants of heaven " rest not day and night," but continually cry, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord, the God, the Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come !" And when millions of millions of ages are elapsed, their eternity is but just begun. 14. On the other hand, in what a condition are those immortal spirits who have made choice of a miserable eternity ! I say, made choice ; for it is impossible this should be the lot of any creature but by his own act and deed. The day is coming when every soul will be constrained to acknowledge, in the sight of men and angels, No dire decree of thine did seal Or fix the' unalterable doom ; Consign my unborn soul to hell, Or damn me from my mother's womb. In what condition will such a spirit be after the sentence is executed, " Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!" Suppose him to be just now plunged into " the lake of fire burning with brimstone," where " they have no rest, day or night, but the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." " For ever and ever ! " Why, if we were only to be chained down one day, yea, one hour, in a lake of fire, how amazingly long would one day or one hour appear ! I know not if it would not seem as a thousand years. But (astonishing thought !) after thousands of thousands, he has but just tasted of his bitter cup ! After millions, it will be no nearer the end than it was the moment it began ! 15. What then is he — how foolish, how mad, in how unutterable- a degree of distraction — who, seeming to have the understanding of a man, deliberately prefers temporal things to eternal? who (allowing that absurd, impossible supposition, that wickedness is happiness, — a supposition utterly contrary to all reason, as well as to matter of fact) prefers the happiness of a year, say a thousand years, to the happiness of eternity, in comparison of which, a thousand ages arc infinitely less than a ON ETERNITY. 195 year, a day, a moment ? especially when we take this into the consideration, (which, indeed, should never be forgotten,) that the refusing a happy eternity, implies the choosing of a miserable eternity: For there is not, cannot be, any medium between everlasting joy and everlasting pain. It is a vain thought which some have entertained, that death will put an end to the soul as well as the body : It will put an end to neither the one nor the other ; it will only alter the manner of their existence. But when the body "returns to the dust as it was, the spirit will return to God that gave it." Therefore, at the moment of death, it must be unspeakably happy, or unspeakably miserable : And that misery will never end. Never I Where sinks the soul at that dread sound ? Into a gulf how dark, and how profound ! How often would he who had made the wretched choice wish for the death both of his soul and body ! It is not impossible he might pray in some such manner as Dr. Young supposes : — When I have writhed ten thousand years in fire, Ten thousand thousand, let me then expire ! 16. Yet this unspeakable folly, this unutterable madness, of preferring present things to eternal, is the disease of every man born into the world, while in his natural state. For such is the constitution of our nature, that as the eye sees only such a portion of space at once, so the mind sees only such a portion of time at once. And as all the space that lies beyond this is invisible to the eye, so all the time which lies beyond that com pass is invisible to the mind. So that we do not perceive either the space or the time which is at a distance from us. The eye sees distinctly the space that is near it, with the objects which it contains : In like manner, the mind sees distinctly those objects which are within such a distance of time. The eye does not see the beauties of China : They are at too great a distance : There is too great a space between us and them : Therefore, we are not affected by them. They are as nothing to us : It is just the same to us as if they had no being. For the same reason, the mind does not see either the beauties or the terrors of eternity. We are not at all affected by them, because they are so distant from us. On this account it is, that they appear to us as nothing ; just as if they had no existence. Meantime, we are wholly taken up with things present, whether in time or space ; 0 2 196 SERMON LIV. and things appear less and less, as they are more and more dis tant from us, either in one respect or the other. And so it must be ; such is the constitution of our nature ; till nature is changed by almighty grace. But this is no manner of excuse for those who continue in their natural blindness to futurity ; because a remedy for it is provided, which is found by all that seek it : Yea, it is freely given to all that sincerely ask it. 17- This remedy is faith. I do not mean that "which is the faith of a Heathen, who believes that there is a God, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him ; but that which is defined by the Apostle, " an evidence," or conviction, "of things not seen," a divine evidence and conviction of the invisible and eternal world. This alone opens the eyes of the understanding, to see God and the things of God. This, as it were, takes away, or renders transparent, the impenetrable veil, Which hangs 'twixt mortal and immortal being. When Faith lends its realizing light, The clouds disperse, the shadows fly ; The' invisible appears in sight, And God is seen by mortal eye. Accordingly, a believer, in the scriptural sense, lives in eternity, and walks in eternity. His prospect is enlarged : His view is not any longer bounded by present things : No, nor by an earthly hemisphere ; though it were, as Milton speaks, " ten-fold the length of this terrene." Faith places the unseen, the eternal world continually before his face. Consequently, he looks not at " the things that are seen ;" — Wealth, honour, pleasure, or what else This short-enduring world can give ; these are not his aim, the object of his pursuit, his desire or happiness; — but at "the things that are not seen;" at the favour, the image, and the glory of God ; as well knowing that " the things which are seen are temporal," — a vapour, a shadow, a dream that vanishes away ; whereas " the things that are not seen are eternal ;" real, solid, unchangeable. 18. What, then, can be a fitter employment for a wise man than to meditate upon these things ? frequently to expand his thoughts " beyond the bounds of this diurnal sphere," and to expatiate above even the starry heavens, in the fields of eter- "-" ON ETERNITY 197 nity ? What a means might it be to confirm his contempt of the poor, little things of earth ! When a man of huge pos sessions was boasting to his friend of the largeness of his estate, Socrates desired him to bring a map of the earth, and to point out Attica therein. When this was done, (although not very easily, as it was a small country,) he next desired Alcibiades to point out his own estate therein. When he could not do this, it was easy to observe how trifling the possessions were in which he so prided himself, in comparison of the whole earth. How applicable is this to the present case ! Does any one value him self on his earthly possessions ? Alas, what is the whole globe of earth to the infinity of space ? A mere speck of creation. And what is the life of man, yea, the duration of the earth itself, but a speck of time, if it be compared to the length of eternity ? Think of this : Let it sink into your thought, till you have some conception, however imperfect, of that Boundless, fathomless abyss, Without a bottom or a shore. 19. But if naked eternity, so to speak, be so vast, so astonish ing an object, as even to overwhelm your thought, how does it still enlarge the idea to behold it clothed with either happiness or misery ! eternal bliss or pain ! everlasting happiness, or ever lasting misery ! One would think it would swallow up every other thought in every reasonable creature. Allow me only this, — " Thou art on the brink of either a happy or miserable eternity ; thy Creator bids thee now stretch out thy hand either to the one or the other ;" — and one would imagine no rational creature could think on anything else. One would suppose that this single point would engross his whole attention. Certainly it ought so to do: Certainly, if these things are so, there can be but one thing needful. O let you and I, at least, whatever others do, choose that better part which shall never be taken away from us ! 20. Before I close this subject, permit me to touch upon two remarkable passages in the Psalms, (one in the eighth, the other in the hundred and forty- fourth,) which bear a near relation to it. The former is, " When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained ; what is man, that thou art mindful of him ? or the son of man, that th",i visitest him ?" Here man is considered as a cipher, 198 SERMON LIY. a point, compared to immensity. The latter is, " Lord, what is man, that thou hast such respect unto him ? Man is like a thing of nought His time passeth away like a shadow !" In the new translation the words are stronger still : " What is man, that thou takest knowledge of him ! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him !" Here the Psalmist seems to consider the life of man as a moment, a nothing, compared to eternity. Is not the purport of the former, " How can He that filleth heaven and earth take knowledge of such an atom as man ? How is it that he is not utterly lost in the immensity of God's works ?" Is not the purport of the latter, " How can He that inhabiteth eternity stoop to regard the creature of a day, — one whose life passeth away like a shadow ?" Is not this a thought which has struck many serious minds, as well as it did David's, and created a kind of fear lest they should be forgotten before Him who grasps all space and all eternity ? But does not this fear arise from a kind of supposition that God is such an one as ourselves ? If we consider boundless space, or boundless dura tion, we shrink into nothing before it. But God is not a man. A day, and million of ages, are the same with Him. There fore, there is the same disproportion between Him and any finite being, as between Him and the creature of a day. Therefore, whenever that thought recurs, whenever you are tempted to fear lest you should be forgotten before the immense, the eternal God, remember that nothing is little or great, that no duration is long or short, before Him. Remember that God ita prce- sidet singulis sicut universis, et universis sicut singulis : That he " presides over every individual as over the universe ; and the universe, as over each individual." So that you may boldly say, Father, how wide thy glories shine, Lord of the universe — and mine ! Thy goodness watches o'er the whole, As all the world were but one soul ; Yet counts my every sacred hair, At I remain'd thy single care 1 SERMON LV. ON THE TRINITY Advertisement. Bome days since I was desired to preach on this text. I did so yesterday morning. In the afternoon I was pressed to write down and print my sermon, if possible, before I left Cork. I have wrote it this morning ; but I must beg the reader to make allowance for the disadvantages I am under ; as I have not here any books to consult, nor indeed any time to consult them. Cork, May 8, 1775. " There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : And these three are one." 1 John v. 7- 1. Whatsoever the generality of people may think, it is certain that opinion is not religion : No, not right opinion ; assent to one, or to ten thousand truths. There is a wide difference between them : Even right opinion is as distant from religion as the east is from the west. Persons may be quite right in their opinions, and yet have no religion at all ; and, on the other hand, persons may be truly religious, who hold many wrong opinions. Can any one possibly doubt of this, while there are Romanists in the world ? For who can deny, not only that many of them formerly have been truly religious, as Thomas a Kempis, Gregory Lopez, and the Marquis de Renty ; but that many of them, even at this day, are real inward Chris tians ? And yet what a heap of erroneous opinions do they hold, delivered by tradition from their fathers ! Nay, who can doubt of it while there are Calvinists in the world, — assertors of absolute predestination ? For who will dare to affirm that none of these are truly religious men ? Not only many of them in the last century were burning and shining lights, but many of them are now real Christians, loving God and all mankind. And yet what are all the absurd opinions of all the Romanists in the world, compared to that one, that the God of love, the 200 SERMON LV. wise, just, merciful Father of the spirits of all flesh, has, from all eternity, fixed an absolute, unchangeable, irresistible decree, that part of mankind shall be saved, do what they will ; and the rest damned, do what they can ! 2. Hence, we cannot but infer, that there are ten thousand mistakes which may consist with real religion ; with regard to which every candid, considerate man will think and let think. But there are some truths more important than others. It seems there are some which are of deep importance. I do not term them fundamental truths ; because that is an ambiguous word : And hence there have been so many warm disputes about the number oi fundamentals. But surely there are some which it nearly concerns us to know, as having a close connexion with vital religion. And doubtless we may rank among these that contained in the words above cited : " There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : And these three are one." 3. I do not mean that it is of importance to believe this or that explication of these words. I know not that any well-judging man would attempt to explain them at all. One of the best tracts which that great man, Dean Swift, ever wrote, was his Sermon upon the Trinity. Herein he shows, that all who endeavoured to explain it at all, have utterly lost their way ; have, above all other persons, hurt the cause which they intended to promote ; having only, as Job speaks, " darkened counsel by words without knowledge." It was in an evil hour that these explainers began their fruitless work. I insist upon no explication at all ; no, not even on the best I ever saw ; I mean, that which is given us in the creed commonly ascribed to Athanasius. I am far from saying, he who does not assent to this "shall without doubt perish everlastingly." For the sake of that and another clause, I, for some time, scrupled subscribing to that creed; till I considered, (1.) That these sentences only relate to wilful, not involuntary, unbelievers ; to those who, having all the means of knowing the truth, never theless obstinately reject it: (2.) That they relate only to the substance of the doctrine there delivered ; not the philosophical illustrations of it. 4. I dare not insist upon any one's using the word Trinity, or Person. I use them myself without any scruple, because I know of none better : But if any man has any scruple concerning ON THE TRINITY. 201 them, who shall constrain him to use them ? I cannot : Much less would I burn a man alive, and that with moist, green wood, for saying, " Though I believe the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God ; yet I scruple using the words Trinity and Persons, because I do not find those terms in the Bible." These are the words which merciful John Calvin cites as wrote by Servetus in a letter to himself. I would insist only on the direct words, unexplained, just as they lie in the text : " There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : And these three are one." 5. " As they lie in the text : " — But here arises a question : Is that text genuine ? Was it originally written by the Apostle, or inserted in later ages ? Many have doubted of this ; and, in particular, that great light of the Christian Church, lately removed to the Church above, Bengelius, — the most pious, the most judicious, and the most laborious, of all the modern Commentators on the New Testament. For some time he stood in doubt of its authenticity, because it is wanting in many of the ancient copies. But his doubts were removed by three considerations : (1.) That though it is wanting in many copies, yet it is found in more ; and those copies of the greatest authority : — (2.) That it is cited by a whole train of ancient writers, from the time of St. John to that of Constantine. This argument is conclusive : For they could not have cited it, had it not then been in the sacred canon : — (3.) That we can easily account for its being, after that time, wanting in many copies, when we remember that Constantine's successor was a zealous Arian, who used every means to promote his bad cause, to spread Arianism throughout the empire; in particular the- erasing this text out of as many copies as fell into his hands. And he so far prevailed, that the age in which he lived is commonly styled, Seculum Arianum, — "the Arian age;" there being then only one eminent man who opposed him at the peril of his life. So that it was a proverb, Athanasius contra mundum : " Athanasius against the world." 6. But it is objected : " Whatever becomes of the text, we cannot believe what we cannot comprehend. When, therefore, you require us to believe mysteries, we pray you to have us excused." Here is a two-fold mistake : (1.) We do not require you to believe any mystery in this ; whereas you suppose the contrary. 202 SERMON LV. But, (2.) You do already believe many things which you cannot comprehend. 7- To begin with the latter : You do already believe many things which you cannot comprehend. For you believe there is a sun over your head. But whether he stands still in the midst of his system, or not only revolves on his own axis, but "rejoiceth as a giant to run his course;" you cannot compre hend either one or the other : How he moves, or how he rests. By what power, what natural, mechanical power, is he upheld in the fluid ether ? You cannot deny the fact : Yet you cannot account for it, so as to satisfy any rational inquirer. You may indeed give us the hypothesis of Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, Copernicus, and twenty more. I have read them over and over : I am sick of them ; I care not three straws for them all. Each new solution but once more affords New change of terms, and scaffolding of words : In other garb my question I receive, And take my doubt the very same I gave. Still I insist, the fact you believe, you cannot deny ; but the manner you cannot comprehend. 8. You believe there is such a thing as light, whether flowing from the sun, or any other luminous body ; but you cannot comprehend either its nature, or the manner wherein it flows. How does it move from Jupiter to the earth in eight minutes ; two hundred thousand miles in a moment ? How do the rays of the candle, brought into the room, instantly disperse into every corner ? Again : Here are three candles, yet there is but one light. Explain this, and I will explain the Three-One God. 9. You believe there is such a thing as air. It both covers you as a garment, and, Wide interfused, Embraces round this florid earth. But can you comprehend how ? Can you give me a satisfactory account of its nature, or the cause of its properties? Think only of one, its elasticity : Can you account for this ? It may be owing to electric fire attached to each particle of it ; it may not ; and neither you nor I can tell. But if we will not breathe it till we can comprehend it, our life is very near its period. 10. You believe there is such a thing as earth. Here you fix your foot upon it : You are supported by it. But do you comprehend wbat it is that supports the earth ? " 0, an ele- ON THE TRINITY. 203 phant," says a Malabarian philosopher ; " and a bull supports him." But what supports the bull ? The Indian and the Briton are equally at a loss for an answer. We know it is God that " spreadeth the north over the empty space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." This is the fact. But how ? Who can account for this ? Perhaps angelic but not human creatures. I know what is plausibly said concerning the powers of projection and attraction. But spin as fine as we can, matter of fact sweeps away our cobweb hypothesis. Connect the force of projection and attraction how you can, they will never produce a circular motion. The moment the projected steel comes within the attraction of the magnet, it does not form a curve, but drops down. 11. You believe you have a soul. " Hold there," says the Doctor ; * " I believe no such thing. If you have an immaterial soul, so have the brutes too." I will not quarrel with any that think they have ; nay, I wish he could prove it : And surely I would rather allow them souls, than I would give up my own. In this I cordially concur in the sentiment of the honest Heathen, Si erro, libenter erro ; et me redargui valde recusem. " If I err, I err willingly ; and I vehemently refuse to be con vinced of it." And I trust most of those who do not believe a Trinity are of the same mind. Permit me then to go on. You believe you have a soul connected with this house of clay. But can you comprehend how ? What are the ties that unite the heavenly flame with the earthly clod ? You understand just nothing of the matter. So it is ; but how none can tell. 12. You surely believe you have a body, together with your soul, and that each is dependent on the other. Run only a thorn into your hand ; immediately pain is felt in your soul. On the other side, Is shame felt in your soul ? Instantly a blush over spreads your cheek. Does the soul feel fear or violent anger ? Presently the body trembles. These also are facts which you cannot deny ; nor can you account for them. 13. I bring but one instance more : At the command of your soul, your hand is lifted up. But who is able to account for this ? For the connexion between the act of the mind, and the outward actions ? Nay, who can account for muscular motion at all ; in any instance of it whatever ? When one of the most * Dr. BI — r, in his late tract, 204 SERMON. LV. ingenious Physicians in England had finished his lecture upon that head, he added, " Now, gentlemen, I have told you all the discoveries of our enlightened age ; and now, if you understand one jot of the matter, you understand more than I do." The short of the matter is this : Those who will not believe anything but what they can comprehend, must not believe that there is a sun in the firmament; that there is light shining around them ; that there is air, though it encompasses them on every side ; that there is any earth, though they stand upon it. They must not believe they have a soul ; no, nor that they have a body. 14. But, Secondly, as strange as it may seem, in requiring you to believe, " there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : And these three are one;" you are not required to believe any mystery. Nay, that great and good man, Dr. Peter Browne, some time Bishop of Cork, has proved at large that the Bible does not require you to believe any mystery at all. The Bible barely requires you to believe such facts ; not the manner of them. Now the mystery does not lie in the fact, but altogether in the manner. For instance : " God said, Let there be light : And there was light." I believe it : I believe the plain fact : There is no mys tery at, all in this. The mystery lies in the manner of it. But of this I believe nothing at all ; nor does God require it of me. Again : " The Word was made flesh." I believe this fact also. There is no mystery in it ; but as to the manner how he was made flesh, wherein the mystery lies, I know nothing about it ; I believe nothing about it : It is no more the object of my faith, than it is of my understanding. 15. To apply this to the case before us : " There are three that bear record in heaven : And these three are one." I believe this fact also, (if I may use the expression,) that God is Three and One. But the manner how I do not comprehend ; and I do not believe it. Now in this, in the manner, lies the mystery ; and so it may ; I have no concern with it : It is no object of my faith : I believe just so much as God has revealed, and no more. But this, the manner, he has not revealed ; therefore, I believe nothing about it. But would it not be absurd in me to deny the fact, because I do not understand the manner? That is, to reject what God has revealed, because I do not comprehend what he has not revealed. ON THE TRINITY. 205 16. This is a point much to be observed. There are many things " which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive." Part of these God hath "revealed to us by his Spirit:" — "Revealed;" that is, unveiled, uncovered : That part he requires us to believe. Part of them he has not revealed : That we need not, and indeed cannot, believe : It is far above, out of our sight. Now, where is the wisdom of rejecting what is revealed, because we do not understand what is not revealed ? of denying the fact which God has unveiled, because we cannot see the manner, which is veiled still ? 17- Especially when we consider that what God has been pleased to reveal upon this head, is far from being a point of indifference, is a truth of the last importance. It enters into the very heart of Christianity : It lies at the root of all vital religion. Unless these Three are One, how can " all men honour the Son, even as they honour the Father ?" " I know not what to do," says Socinus in a letter to his friend, " with my untoward followers : They will not worship Jesus Christ. I tell them it is written, ' Let all the angels of God worship him.' They answer, However that be, if he is not God, we dare not worship him. For ' it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.' " But the thing which I here particularly mean is this : The knowledge of the Three-One God is interwoven with all true Christian faith ; with all vital religion. I do not say that every real Christian can say with the Marquis de Renty, " I bear about with me continually an experimental verity, and a plenitude of the presence of the ever-blessed Trinity." I apprehend this is not the experience of " babes," but rather " fathers in Christ." ' But I know not how any one can be a Christian believer till he "hath," as St. John speaks, "the witness in himself;" till " the Spirit of God witnesses with his spirit, that he is a child of God ; " that is, in effect, till God the Holy Ghost witnesses that God the Father has accepted him through the merits of God the Son : And, having this witness, he honours the Son, and the blessed Spirit, " even as he honours the Father." 18. Not that every Christian believer adverts to this ; perhaps, at first, not one in twenty : But if you ask any of them a few questions, you will easily find it is implied in what he believes. 26(3 §kfcMON' Lvt. Therefore, I do not see how it is possible for any to have vital religion who denies that these Three are One. And all my hope for them is, not that they will be saved during their unbelief, (unless on the footing of honest Heathens, upon the plea of invincible ignorance,) but that God, before they go hence, will " bring them to the knowledge of the truth." SERMON LVI. GOD'S APPROBATION OF HIS WORKS. " And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Genesis i. 31 . 1. When God created the heavens and the earth, and all that is therein, at the conclusion of each day's work it is said, " And God saw that it was good." Whatever was created was good in its kind ; suited to the end for which it was designed ; adapted to promote the good of the whole, and the glory of the great Creator. This sentence it pleased God to pass with regard to each particular creature. But there is a remarkable variation of the expression, with regard to all the parts of the universe, taken in connexion with each other, and constituting one system : " And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." 2. How small a part of this great work of God is man able to understand ! But ' it is our duty to contemplate what he has wrought, and to understand as much of it as we are able. For " the merciful Lord," as the Psalmist observes, " hath so done his marvellous works" of creation, as well as of providence, " that they ought to be had in remembrance " by all that fear him ; which they cannot well be, unless they are understood. Let us, then, by the assistance of that Spirit who giveth unto man understanding, endeavour to take a general survey of the works which God made in this lower world, as they were before they were disordered and depraved in consequence of the sin of man : We shall then easily see, that as every creature was God\s approbation of his works. 207 good in its primeval state ; so, when all were compacted in one general system, " behold, they were very good." I do not remember to have seen any attempt of this kind, unless in that truly excellent poem, (termed by Mr. Hutchinson, " That wicked farce ! ") Milton's " Paradise Lost." I. 1. " In the beginning God created the matter of the heavens and the earth." (So the words, as a great man observes, may properly be translated.) He first created the four elements, out of which the whole universe was composed; earth, water, air, and fire, all mingled together in one common mass. The grossest parts of this, the earth and water, were utterly without form, till God infused a principle of motion, commanding the air to move " upon the face of the waters." In the next place, " the Lord God said, Let there be light And there was light." Here were the four constituent parts of the universe ; the true, original, simple elements. They were all essentially distinct from each other; and yet so intimately mixed together, in all compound bodies, that we cannot find any, be it ever so minute, which does not contain them all. 2. "And God saw that" every one of these "was good;" was perfect in its kind. The earth was good. The whole surface of it was beautiful in an high degree. To make it more agreeable, He clothed The universal face with pleasant green. He adorned it with flowers of every hue, and with shrubs and trees of every kind. And every part was fertile as well as beautiful; it was no way deformed by rough or ragged rocks ; it did not shock the view with horrid precipices, huge chasms, or dreary caverns ; with deep, impassable morasses, or deserts of barren sand. But we have not any authority to say, with some learned and ingenious authors, that there were no mountains on the original earth, no unevenness on its surface. It is not easy to reconcile this hypothesis with those words of Moses : " The waters prevailed ; and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward" above the highest "did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered." (Gen. vii. 19, 20.) We have no reason to believe that these mountains were produced by the deluge itself: Not the least intimation of this is given : Therefore, we cannot doubt but they existed before 208 SERMON LVt. it. — Indeed, they answered many excellent purposes, besides greatly increasing the beauty of the creation, by a variety of prospects, which had been totally lost had the earth been one extended plain. Yet we need not suppose their sides were abrupt, or difficult of ascent. It. is highly probable that they rose and fell by almost insensible degrees. 3. As to the internal parts of the earth, even to this day, we have scarce any knowledge of them. Many have sup posed the centre of the globe to be surrounded with an abyss of fire. Many others have imagined it to be encompassed with an abyss of water; which they supposed to be termed in Scripture, " the great deep ;" (Gen. vii. 11 ;) all the fountains of which were broken up, in order to the General Deluge. But, however this was, we are sure all things were disposed therein with the most perfect order and harmony. Hence there were no agitations within the bowels of the globe, no violent convulsions, no concussions of the earth, no earthquakes ; but all was unmoved as the pillars of heaven .' There were then no such things as eruptions of fire ; there were no volcanoes, or burning mountains. Neither Vesuvius, Etna, or Hecla, if they had any being, then poured out smoke and flame, but were covered with a verdant mantle from the top to the bottom. 4. The element of water, it is probable, was then mostly confined within the great abyss. In the new earth, (as we are informed by the Apostle, Rev. xxi. 1,) there will be "no more sea;" none covering as now the face of the earth, and rendering so large a part of it uninhabitable by man. Hence it is probable, there was no external sea in the paradisiacal earth ; none, until the great deep burst the barriers which were originally appointed for it. — Indeed there was not then that need of the ocean for navigation which there is now : For either, as the poet supposes, Omnis tulit omnia ieltus ; every country produced whatever was requisite either for the necessity or nomfort of its inhabitants ; or man, being then (as he will be again at the resurrection) equal to angels, was able to convey himself, at his pleasure, to any given distance ; over and above that, those flaming messengers were always ready to minister to the heirs of salvation. But whether there was sea or not, there were rivers sufficient to water the earth, god's approbation OF HIS WORKS 209 and make it very plenteous These answered all the purposes of convenience and pleasure by Liquid lapse of murmuring stream ; to which were added gentle, genial showers, with salutary mists and exhalations. But there were no putrid lakes, no turbid or stagnating waters ; but only such as Bore imprest Fair nature's image on their placid breast. 5. The element of air was then always serene, and always friendly to man. It contained no frightful meteor, no unwhole some vapours, no poisonous exhalations. There were no tem pests, but only cool and gentle breezes, — genitalilis aura Favoni,— fanning both man and beast, and wafting the fragrant odours on their silent wings. 6. The sun, the fountain of fire, Of this great world both eye and soul, was situated at the most exact distance from the earth, so as to yield a sufficient quantity of heat (neither too little nor too much) to every part of it. God had not yet Bid his angels turn askance This oblique globe. There was, therefore, then no country that groaned under The rage of Arctos, and eternal frost. There was no violent winter, or sultry summer ; no extreme, either of heat or cold. No soil was burned up by the solar heat ; none uninhabitable through the want of it. Thus earth, water, air, and fire, all conspired together to the welfare and pleasure of man ! 7- . To the same purpose served the grateful vicissitude of light and darkness, — day and night. For as the human body, though not liable to death or pain, yet needed continual sus tenance by food; so, although it was not liable to weariness, yet it needed continual reparation by sleep. By this the springs of the animal machine were wound up from time to time, and kept always fit for the pleasing labour for which man was designed by his Creator. Accordingly, " the evening and the morning were the first day," before sin or pain was in the world. P 2. 210 SERMON LVt. The first natural day had one part dark for a season of repose } one part light for a season of labour. And even in paradise " Adam slept," (Gen. ii. 21 ,) before he sinned : Sleep, there fore, belonged to innocent human nature. Yet I do not appre hend it can be inferred from hence, that there is either darkness or sleep in heaven. Surely there is no darkness in that city of God. Is it not expressly said, (Rev. xxii. 5,) " There shall be no night there ?" Indeed they have no light from the sun ; but " the Lord giveth them light." So it is all day in heaven, as it is all night in hell ! On earth we have a mixture of both. Day and night succeed each other, till earth shall be turned to heaven. Neither can we at all credit the account given by the ancient poet, concerning sleep in heaven ; although he allows " cloud-compelling Jove " to remain awake while the inferior gods were sleeping. It is pity, therefore, that our great poet should copy so servilely after the old Heathen, as to tell us, Sleep had seal'd All but the' unsleeping eyes of God himself. Not so : They that are " before the throne of God serve him day and night," speaking after the manner of men, "in his temple ;" (Rev. vii. 15 ;) that is, without any interval. As wicked spirits are tormented day and night without any inter mission of their misery; so holy spirits enjoy God day and night without any intermission of their happiness. 8. On the second day God encompassed the terraqueous globe with that noble appendage, the atmosphere, consisting chiefly of air; but replete with earthly particles of various kinds, and with huge volumes of water, sometimes invisible, sometimes visible, buoyed up by that ethereal fire, a particle of which cleaves to every particle of air. By this the water was divided into innumerable drops, which, descending, watered the earth, and made it very plenteous, without incommoding any of its inhabitants. For there were then no impetuous currents of air ; no tempestuous winds ; no furious hail ; no torrents of rain ; no rolling thunders, or forky lightnings. One perennial spring was perpetually smiling over the whole surface of the earth. 9. On the third day God commanded all kind of vegetables to spring out of the earth ; and then, to add thereto, innumera ble herbs, intermixed with flowers of all hues. To these were added shrubs of every kind ; together with tall and stately trees, GOD^S APPROBATION OF HIS WORKS. 211 whether for shade, for timber, or for fruit, in endless variety. Some of these were adapted to particular climates, or particular exposures ; while vegetables of more general use (as wheat in particular) were not confined to one country, but would flourish almost in every climate. But among all these there were no weeds, no useless plants, none that encumbered the ground ; much less were there any poisonous ones, tending to hurt any one creature ; but every thing was salutary in its kind, suitable to the gracious design of its great Creator. 10. The Lord now created " the sun to rule the day, and the moon to govern the night." The sun was Of this great world both eye and soul : — The eye, making all things visible ; distributing light to every part of the system ; and thereby rejoicing both earth and sky ; — and the soul ; the principle of all life, whether to vegetables or animals. Some of the uses of the moon we are acquainted with ; her causing the ebbing and flowing of the sea ; and influencing, with a greater or smaller degree, all the fluids in the terraqueous globe. And many other uses she may have, unknown to us, but known to the wise Creator. But it is certain she had no hurtful, no unwholesome influence on any living creature. " He made the stars also ; " both those that move round the sun, whether of the primary or secondary order ; or those that, being at a far greater distance, appear to us fixed in the firmament of heaven. Whether comets are to be numbered among the stars, and whether they were parts of the original creation, is, perhaps, not so easy to determine, at least with certainty ; as we have nothing but probable conjecture, either concerning their nature or their use. We know not whether (as some ingenious men have imagined) they are ruined worlds, — worlds that have undergone a general conflagration; or whether (as others not improbably suppose) they are immense reservoirs of fluids, appointed to revolve at certain seasons, and to supply the still decreasing moisture of the earth. But certain we are that they did not either produce or portend any evil. They did not (as many have fancied since) From their horrid hair Shake pestilence and war. 11. The Lord God afterward peopled the earth with animals of every kind. He first commanded the waters to bring forth P 2 212 SERMON LVI. abundantly ; — to bring forth creatures, which, as they inhabited a grosser element, so they were, in general, of a more stupid nature; endowed with fewer senses and less understanding than other animals. The bivalved shell-fish, in particular, seem to have no sense but that of feeling, unless perhaps a low mea sure of taste ; so that they are but one degree above vegetables. And even the king of the waters, (a title which some give the whale, because of his enormous magnitude,) though he has sight added to taste and feeling, does not appear to have an under standing proportioned to his bulk. Rather, he is inferior therein not only to most birds and beasts, but to the generality of even reptiles and insects. However, none of these then attempted to devour, or in anywise hurt, one another. All were peaceful and quiet, as were the watery fields wherein they ranged at pleasure. 12. It seems the insect kinds were at least one degree above the inhabitants of the waters. Almost all these too devour one another, and every other creature which they can conquer. Indeed, such is the miserably disordered state of the world at present, that innumerable creatures can no otherwise preserve their own lives than by destroying others. But in the begin ning it was not so. The paradisiacal earth afforded a sufficiency of food for all its inhabitants ; so that none of them had any need or temptation to prey upon the other. The spider was then as harmless as the fly, and did not then he in wait for blood. The weakest of them crept securely over the earth, or spread their gilded wings in the air, that wavered in the breeze, and glittered in the sun, without any to make them afraid. Meantime, the reptiles of every kind were equally harmless, and more intelligent than they ; yea, one species of them " was more subtil," or knowing, "than any of the" brute creation "which God had made." 13. But, in general, the birds, created to fly in the open fir mament of heaven, appear to have been of an order far superior to either insects or reptiles ; although still considerably inferior to beasts ; as we now restrain that word to quadrupeds, four- footed animals, which, two hundred years ago, included every kind of living creatures. Many species of these are not only endowed with a large measure of natural understanding, but are likewise capable of much improvement by art, such as one would not readily conceive. But, among all these, there were no birds or beasts of prey; none that destroyed or molested GOD S APPROBATION OF HIS WORKS. 213 another ; but all the creatures breathed, in their several kinds, the benevolence of their great Creator. 14. Such was the state of the creation, according to the scanty ideas which we can now form concerning it, when its great Author, surveying the whole system at one view, pro nounced it " very good." It was good in the highest degree whereof it was capable, and without any mixture of evil. Every part was exactly suited to the others, and conducive to the good of the whole. There was " a golden chain " (to use the expres sion of Plato) "let down from the throne of God ;" an exactly connected series of beings, from the highest to the lowest ; from dead earth, through fossils, vegetables, animals, to man, created in the image of God, and designed to know, to love, and enjoy his Creator to all eternity. II. 1. Here is a firm foundation laid, on which we may stand, and answer all the cavils of minute philosophers ; all the objections which " vain men," who " would be wise," make to the goodness or wisdom of God in the creation. All these are grounded upon an entire mistake ; namely, that the world is now in the same state it was at the beginning. And upon this supposition they plausibly build abundance of objections. But all these objections fall to the ground, when we observe, this supposition cannot be admitted. The world, at the beginning, was in a totally different state from that wherein we find it now. Object, therefore, whatever you please to the present state, either of the animate or inanimate creation, whether in general, or with regard to any particular instances ; and the answer is ready : — These are not now as they were in the beginning. Had you therefore heard that vain King of Castile crying out, with exquisite self-sufficiency, " If I had made the world, I would have made it better than God Almighty has made it;" you might have replied, " No : God Almighty, whether you know it or not, did not make it as it is now. He himself made it better, unspeakably better, than it is at present. He made it without any blemish, yea, without any defect. He made no corruption, no destruction, in the inanimate creation. He made not death in the animal creation ; neither its harbingers, — sin and pain. If you will not believe his own account, believe your brother Heathen : It was only Post ignem atherea domg Subductum, — . 214 SERMON LVI. that is, in plain English, — after man, in utter defiance of hi3 Maker, had eaten of the tree of knowledge, that — Macies, et novafebrium Terris incubuit cohors ;— mat a whole army of evils, totally new, totally unknown till then, broke in upon rebel man, and all other creatures, and overspread the face of the earth." 2. "Nay ;" (says a bold man,* who has since personated a Christian, and so well that many think him one ;) " God is not to blame for either the natural or moral evils that are in the world ; for he made it as well as he could ; seeing evil must exist in the very nature of things." It must, in the present nature of things, supposing man to have rebelled against God : But evil did not exist at all in the original nature of things. It was no more the necessary result of matter, than it was the necessary result of spirit. All things then, without exception, were very good. And how should they be otherwise ? There was no defect at all in the power of God, any more than in his goodness or wisdom. His goodness inclined him to make all things good; and this was executed by his power and wisdom. Let every sensible infidel, then, be ashamed of making such miserable excuses for his Creator. He needs none of us to make apologies, either for him or for his creation. " As for God, his way is perfect ;" and such originally were all his works ; and such they will be again, when " the Son of God " shall have " destroyed " all " the works of the devil." 3. Upon this ground, then, that " God made man upright," and every creature perfect in its kind, but that man " found out to himself many inventions " of happiness, independent on God ; and that, by his apostasy from God, he threw not only himself, but likewise the whole creation, which was intimately connected with him, into disorder, misery, death ; — upon this ground, I say, we do not find it difficult to Justify the ways of God with men. For although he left man in the hand of his own counsel, to choose good or evil, life or death; although he did not take away the liberty he had given him, but suffered him to choose; * Mr. S J s. THE FALL OF MAN. 213 death, in consequence of which the whole creation now groaneth together ; yet, when we consider, all the evils introduced into the creation may work together for our good, yea, may " work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," we may well praise God for permitting these temporary evils, in order to our eternal good : Yea, we may well cry out, " O the depth both of the wisdom " and the goodness of God ! " He hath done all things well." " Glory be unto God, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever !" SERMON LVII. ON THE FALL OF MAN. " Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return!" Gen. iii. 19. 1. Why is there pain in the world ; seeing God is " loving to every man, and his mercy is over all his works?" Because there is sin : Had there been no sin, there would have been no pain. But pain (supposing God to be just) is the necessary effect of sin. But why is there sin in the world ? Because man was created in the image of God : Because he is not mere matter, a clod of earth, a lump of clay, without sense or under standing ; but a spirit like his Creator, a being endued not only with sense and understanding, but also with a will exerting itself in various affections. To crown all the rest, he was endued with liberty ; a power of directing his own affections and actions ; a capacity of determining himself, or of choosing good or evil. Indeed, had not man been endued with this, all the rest would have been of no use : Had he not been a free as well as an intelligent being, his understanding would have been as incapable of holiness, or any kind of virtue, as a tree or a block of marble. And having this power, a power of choosing good or evil, he chose the latter : He chose evil. Thus " sin entered into the world," and pain of every kind, preparatory to death. 2. But this plain, simple account of the origin of evil, whether 216 SERMON LVII. natural or moral, all the wisdom of man could not discover till it pleased God to reveal it to the world. Till then man was a mere enigma to himself; a riddle which none but God could solve. And in how full and satisfactory a manner has he solved it in this chapter ! In such a manner, as does not indeed serve to gratify vain curiosity, but as is abundantly sufficient to answer a nobler end ; to Justify the ways of God with men. To this great end I would, First, briefly consider the pre ceding part of this chapter; and then, Secondly, more particu larly weigh the solemn words which have been already recited. I. 1. In the First place let us briefly consider the preceding part of this chapter. " Now the serpent was more subtil," or intelligent, " than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made ;" (verse 1 ;) — endued with more understanding than any other animal in the brute creation. Indeed, there is no improbability in the conjecture of an ingenious man,* that the serpent was endued with reason, which is now the property of man. And this accounts for a circumstance which, on any other supposition, would be utterly unintelligible. How comes Eve not to be surprised, yea, startled and affrighted, at hearing the serpent speak and reason ; unless she knew that reason, and speech in consequence of it, were the original properties of the serpent ? Hence, without showing any surprise, she immedi ately enters into conversation with him. " And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden ?" See how he, who was a liar from the begin ning, mixes truth and falsehood together ! Perhaps on purpose, that she might be the more inclined to speak, in order to clear God of the unjust charge. Accordingly, the woman said unto the serpent, (verse 2,) " We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden : But of the tree in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Thus far she appears to have been clear of blame. But how long did she continue so ? " And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die : For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Verses 4, 5.) Here sin * The late Dr. Nicholas Robinson. THE FALL OF MAN. 217 began ; namely, unbelief. " The woman was deceived," says the Apostle. She believed a lie : She gave more credit to the word of the devil, than to the word of God. And unbelief brought forth actual sin : " When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes, and to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit, and did eat ; " and so completed her sin. But " the man," as the Apostle observes, " was not deceived." How then came he to join in the transgression ? " She gave unto her husband, and he did eat." He sinned with his eyes open. He rebelled against his Creator, as is highly probable, Not by stronger reason moved, But fondly overcome with female charms. And if this was the case, there is no absurdity in the assertion of a great man, " That Adam sinned in his heart before he sinned outwardly ; before he ate of the forbidden fruit ; " namely, by inward idolatry, by loving the creature more than the Creator. 2. Immediately pain followed sin. When he lost his inno cence he lost his happiness. He painfully feared that God, in the love of whom his supreme happiness before consisted. " He said," (verse 10,) " I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid." He fled from Him who was, till then, his desire and glory and joy. He "hid himself from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." Hid himself! What, from the all-seeing eye ? the eye which, with one glance, pervades heaven and earth ? See how his understanding like wise was impaired ! What amazing folly was this ! such as one would imagine very few, even of his posterity, could have fallen into. So dreadfully was his " foolish heart darkened " by sin, and guilt, and sorrow, and fear. His innocence was lost, and, at the same time, his happiness and his wisdom. Here is the clear, intelligible answer to that question, " How came evil into the world?" 3. One cannot but observe, throughout this whole narration, the inexpressible tenderness and lenity of the almighty Creator, from whom they had revolted, the Sovereign against whom they had rebelled. " And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou ?" — thus graciously calling him to return, who would otherwise have eternally fled from God. '' And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was 218 SERMON LVII. afraid, because I was naked." Still here is no acknowledgment of his fault, no humiliation for it. But with what astonishing tenderness does God lead him to make that acknowledgment ! " And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked ?" How earnest thou to make this discovery ? " Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" " And the man said," still unhumbled, yea, indirectly throwing the blame upon God himself, " The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." " And the Lord God," still in order to bring them to repentance, " said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done ?" (Verse 13.) " And the woman said," nakedly declaring the thing as it was, " The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." " And the Lord God said unto the serpent," to testify his utter abhorrence of sin, by a lasting monument of his displeasure, in punishing the creature that had been barely the instrument of it, " Thou art cursed above the cattle, and above every beast of the field. — And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed : It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Thus, in the midst of judgment hath God remembered mercy, from the beginning of the world ; connecting the grand promise of salvation with the very sentence of condemnation ! 4. " Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and," or in, " thy conception : In sorrow " or pain " thou shalt bring forth children ; " — yea, above any other creature under heaven ; which original curse we see is entailed on her latest posterity. " And thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." It seems, the latter part of this sentence is explanatory of the former. Was there, till now, any other inferiority of the woman to the man than that which we may conceive in one angel to another ? " And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it ; cursed is the ground for thy sake. — Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee:" — Useless, yea, and hurtful productions ; whereas nothing calculated to hurt or give pain had at first any place in the creation. " And thou shalt eat the herb of the field :" — Coarse and vile, compared to the delicious fruits of paradise ! " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the THE FALL OF MAN. 219 ground : For out of it wast thou taken : For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." II. 1. Let us now, in the Second place, weigh these solemn words in a more particular manner. "Dust thou art:" But how fearfully and wonderfully wrought into innumerable fibres, nerves, membranes, muscles, arteries, veins, vessels of various kinds ! And how amazingly is this dust connected with water, with inclosed, circulating fluids, diversified a thousand ways by a thousand tubes and strainers ! Yea, and how wonderfully is air impacted into every part, solid, or fluid, of the animal machine; air not elastic, which would tear the machine in pieces, but as fixed as water under the pole ! But all this would not avail, were not ethereal fire intimately mixed both with this earth, air, and water. And all these elements are mingled together in the most exact proportion ; so that while the body is in health, no one of them predominates, in the least degree, over the others. 2. Such was man, with regard to his corporeal part, as he came out of the hands of his Maker. But since he sinned, he is not only dust, but mortal, corruptible dust. And by sad experience we find, that this " corruptible body presses down the soul." It very frequently hinders the soul in its operations ; and, at best, serves it very imperfectly. Yet the soul cannot dispense with its service, imperfect as it is : For an embodied spirit cannot form one thought but by the mediation of its bodily organs. For thinking is not, as many suppose, the act of a pure spirit ; but the act of a spirit connected with a body, and play ing upon a set of material keys. It cannot possibly, therefore, make any better music than the nature and state of its instru ments allow it. Hence every disorder of the body, especially of the parts more immediately subservient to thinking, lay an almost insuperable bar in the way of its thinking justly. Hence the maxim received in all ages, Humanum est errare et nescire, — " Not ignorance alone," (that belongs, more or less, to every creature in heaven and earth ; seeing none is omniscient, none knoweth all things, save the Creator,) " but error, is entailed on every child of man." Mistake, as well as ignorance, is, in our present state, inseparable from humanity. Every child of man is in a thousand mistakes, and is liable to fresh mistakes every moment. And a mistake in judgment may occasion a mistake in practice ; yea, naturally leads thereto. I mistake, and possj. 220 SERMON LVII. bly cannot avoid mistaking, the character of this or that man. I suppose him to be what he is not ; to be better or worse than he really is. Upon this wrong supposition I behave wrong to him ; that is, more or less affectionately than he deserves. And by the mistake which is occasioned by the defect of my bodily organs I am naturally led so to do. Such is the present condition of human nature ; of a mind dependent on a mortal body. Such is the state entailed on all human spirits, while connected with flesh and blood ! 3. " And unto dust thou shalt return." How admirably well has the wise Creator secured the execution of this sentence on all the offspring of Adam ! It is true He was pleased to make one exception from this general rule, in a very early age of the world, in favour of an eminently righteous man. So we read, Gen. v. 23, 24, after Enoch had "walked with God" three hundred sixty and five years, " he was not ; for God took him : '" He exempted him from the sentence passed upon all flesh, and took him alive into heaven. Many ages after, he was pleased to make a second exception; ordering the Prophet Elijah to be taken up into heaven, in a chariot of fire, — very probably by a convoy of angels, assuming that appearance. And it is not unlikely that he saw good to make a third exception in the person of the beloved disciple. There is transmitted to us a particular account of the Apostle John's old age ; but we have not any account of his death, and not the least intimation concerning it. Hence we may reasonably suppose that he did not die, but that, after he had finished his course, and " walked with God " for about a hundred years, the Lord took him, as he did Enoch ; not in so open and conspicuous a manner as he did the Prophet Elijah. 4. But setting these two or three instances aside, who has been able, in the course of near six thousand years, to evade the execution of this sentence, passed on Adam and all his posterity ? Be men ever so great masters of the art of healing, can they prevent or heal the gradual decays of nature ? Can all their boasted skill heal old age, or hinder dust from returning to dust? Nay, who among the greatest masters of medicine has been able to add a century to his own years ? yea, or to protract his own life any considerable space beyond the common period ? The days of man, for above three thousand years, (from the time of Moses at least,) have been fixed, by a middling THE FALL OF MAN. 221 computation, at threescore years and ten. How few are there that attain to fourscore years ! Perhaps hardly one in five hundred. So little does the art of man avail against the appointment of God ! 5. God has indeed provided for the execution of his own decree in the very principles of our nature. It is well known, the human body, when it comes into the world, consists of innumerable membranes exquisitely thin, that are filled with circulating fluids, to which the solid parts bear a very small proportion. Into the tubes composed of these membranes, nourishment must be continually infused ; otherwise life cannot continue, but will come to an end almost as soon as it is begun. And suppose this nourishment to be liquid, which, as it flows through those fine canals, continually enlarges them in all their dimensions ; yet it contains innumerable solid particles, which continually adhere to the inner surface of the vessels through which they flow ; so that in the same proportion as any vessel is enlarged, it is stiffened also. Thus the body grows firmer as it grows larger, from infancy to manhood. In twenty, five-and- twenty, or thirty years, it attains its full measure of firmness. Every part of the body is then stiffened to its full degree ; as much earth adhering to all the vessels, as gives the solidity they severally need to the nerves, arteries, veins, muscles, in order to exercise their functions in the most perfect manner. For twenty, or, it may be, thirty years following, although more and more particles of earth continually adhere to the inner surface of every vessel in the body, yet the stiffness caused thereby is hardly observable, and occasions little inconvenience. But after sixty years (more or less, according to the natural constitution, and a thousand accidental circumstances) the change is easily per ceived, even at the surface of the body. Wrinkles show the proportion of the fluids to be lessened, as does also the dryness of the skin, through a diminution of the blood and juices, which before moistened and kept it smooth and soft. The extremities of the body grow cold, not only as they are remote from the centre of motion, but as the smaller vessels are filled up, and can no longer admit the circulating fluid. As age increases, fewer and fewer of the vessels are pervious, and capable of trans mitting the vital stream ; except the larger ones, most of which are lodged within the trunk of the body. In extreme old age, the arteries themselves, the grand instruments of circulation, by the continual apposition of earth, become hard, and, as it were, SERMON Lvli. bony, till, having lost the power of contracting themselves1, they can no longer propel the blood, even through the largest channels; in consequence of which, death naturally ensues. Thus are the seeds of death sown in our very nature ! Thus from the very hour when we first appear on the stage of life, we are travelling toward death : We are preparing, whether we will or no, to return to the dust from whence we came .' 6. Let us now take a short review of the whole, as it is deli vered with inimitable simplicity ; what an unprejudiced person might, even from hence, infer to be the word of God. In that period of duration which He saw to be most proper, (of which He alone could be the judge, whose eye views the whole possibility of things from everlasting to everlasting,) the Almighty, rising in the greatness of his strength, went forth to create the universe. " In the beginning he created," made out of nothing, " the matter of the heavens and the earth:" (So, Mr. Hutchinson observes, the original words properly signify :) Then " the Spirit " or breath " from the Lord," that is, the air, " moved upon the face of the waters." Here were earth, water, air; three of the elements, or component parts of the lower world. " And God said, Let there be light : And there was light." By his omnific word, light, that is, fire, the fourth element, sprang into being. Out of these, variously modified and propor tioned to each other, he composed the whole. " The earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed, and the tree yield ing fruit after his kind ; '' and then the various tribes of animals, to inhabit the waters, the air, and the earth. But the very Heathen could observe, Sanctius his animal, mentisque capacius altcB Deerat adhuc ! There was still wanting a creature of a higher rank, capable of wisdom and holiness. Natus homo est. So " God created man in his own image ; in the image of God created he him !" Mark the emphatical repetition. God did not make him mere matter, a piece of senseless, unintelligent clay ; but a spirit, like himself, although clothed with a material vehicle. As such he was endued with understanding ; with a will including various affec tions ; and with liberty, a power of using them in a right or wrong manner, of choosing good or evil. Otherwise neither his understanding nor his will would have been to any purpose ; for he must have been as incapable of virtue or holiness as the stock Trite FALL OF MAN. 228 of a tree. Adam, in whom all mankind were then contained, freely preferred evil to good. He chose to do his own will, rather than the will of his Creator. He " was not deceived," but knowingly and deliberately rebelled against his Father and his King. In that moment he lost the moral image of God, and, in part, the natural: He commenced unholy, foolish, and unhappy. And " in Adam all died :" He entitled all his posterity to error, guilt, sorrow, fear, pain, diseases, and death. 7. How exactly does matter of fact, do all things round us, even the face of the whole world, agree with this account ! Open your eyes ! Look round you ! See darkness that may be felt ; see ignorance and error ; see vice in ten thousand forms ; see consciousness of guilt, fear, sorrow, shame, remorse, covering the face of the earth ! See misery, the daughter of sin. See, on every side, sickness and pain, inhabitants of every nation under heaven ; driving on the poor, helpless sons of men, in every age, to the gates of death ! So they have done well nigh from the beginning of the world. So they will do, till the consummation of all things. 8. But can the Creator despise the work of his own hands ? Surely that is impossible ! Hath he not then, seeing he alone is able, provided a remedy for all these evils ? Yea, verily he hath ! And a sufficient remedy ; every way adequate to the disease. He hath fulfilled his word : He hath given " the seed of the woman to bruise the serpent's head." — " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." Here is a remedy provided for all our guilt : He " bore all our sins in his body on the tree." And " if any one have sinned, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." And here is a remedy for all our disease, all the corruption of our nature. For God hath also, through the intercession of his Son, given us his Holy Spirit, to renew us both " in knowledge," in his natural image ; — opening the eyes of our understanding, and enlightening us with all such knowledge as is requisite to our pleasing God ; — and also in his moral image, namely, '' righteousness and true holiness." And supposing this is done, we know that " all things " will " work together for our good." We know by happy experience, that all natural evils change their nature and turn to good ; that sorrow, sickness, pain, will all prove medicines, to heal our spiritual sickness. They will all 224 SERMON LVII. be to our profit; will all tend to our unspeakable advantage; making us more largely " partakers of his hohness," while we remain on earth ; adding so many stars to that crown which is reserved in heaven for us. 9- Behold then both the justice and mercy of God ! — his justice in punishing sin, the sin of him in whose loins we were then all contained, on Adam and his whole posterity ; — and his mercy in providing an universal remedy for an universal evil ; in appointing the Second Adam to die for all who had died in the first ; that, " as in Adam all died, so in Christ all" might " be made alive ; " that, " as by one man's offence, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, so by the righteousness of one, the free gift" might " come upon all unto justification of life," — "justification of life" as being connected with the new birth, the beginning of spiritual life, which leads us, through the life of holiness, to life eternal, to glory. 10. And it should be particularly observed, that " where sin abounded, grace does much more abound." For not as the condemnation, so is the free gift ; but we may gain infinitely more than we have lost. We may now attain both higher degrees of holiness, and higher degrees of glory, than it would have been possible for us to attain. If Adam had not sinned, the Son of God had not died: Consequently that amazing instance of the love of God to man had never existed, which has, in all ages, excited the highest joy, and love, and gratitude from his children. We might have loved God the Creator, God the Preserver, God the Governor ; but there would have been no place for love to God the Redeemer. This could have had no being. The highest glory and joy of saints on earth, and saints in heaven, Christ crucified, had been wanting. We could not then have praised him that, thinking it no robbery to be equal with God, yet emptied himself, took upon him the form of a servant, and was obedient to death, even the death of the cross ! This is now the noblest theme of all the children of God on earth ; yea, we need not scruple to affirm, even of angels, and archangels, and all the company of heaven. " Hallelujah," they cry, " To the King of the sky, To the great everlasting I AM ; To the Lamb that was slain, And liveth again, Hallelujah to God and the Lamb I " SERMON LVIII. ON PREDESTINATION. • Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son : — Whom he did pre destinate, them he also called • And whom he called, them he also justified : And whom he justified, them he also glorified." Romans viii. 29, 30. 1. " Our beloved brother Paul," says St. Peter, " according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you ; as also in all his Epistles, speaking in them of these things ; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scrip tures, unto their own destruction." (2 Peter iii. 15, 16.) 2. It is not improbable, that among those things spoken by St. Paul, which are hard to be understood, the Apostle Peter might place what he speaks on this subject in the eighth and ninth chapters of his Epistle to the Romans. And it is certain not only the unlearned, but many of the most learned men in the world, and not the " unstable" only, but many who seemed to be well established in the truths of the gospel, have, for several centuries, " wrested " these passages " to their own destruction." 3. " Hard to be understood " we may well allow them to be, when we consider how men of the strongest understanding, improved by all the advantages of education, have continually differed in judgment concerning them. And this very con sideration, that there is so wide a difference upon the head between men of the greatest learning, sense, and piety, one might imagine would make all who now speak upon the subject exceedingly wary and self-diffident. But I know not how it is, that just the reverse is observed in every part of the Christian world. No writers upon earth appear more positive than those who write on this difficult subject. Nay, the same men, Q 2. 226 SERMON LVIII. who, writing upon any other subject, are remarkably modest and humble, on this alone lay aside all self-distrust, And speak ex caihedrA infallible. This is peculiarly observable of almost all those who assert the absolute decrees. But surely it is possible to avoid this : What ever we propose, may be proposed with modesty, and with defer ence to those wise and good men who are of a contrary opinion ; and the rather, because so much has been said already, on every part of the question, so many volumes have been written, that it is scarcely possible to say anything which has not been said before. All 1 would offer at present, not to the lovers of con tention, but to men of piety and candour, are a few short hints, which perhaps may cast some light on the text above recited. 4. The more frequently and carefully I have considered it, the more I have been inclined to think that the Apostle is not here (as many have supposed) describing a chain of causes and effects ; (this does not seem to have entered into his heart ;) but simply showing the method in which God works ; the order in which the several branches of salvation constantly follow each other. And this, I apprehend, will be clear to any serious and impartial inquirer, surveying the work of God either forward or backward ; either from the beginning to the end, or from the end to the beginning. 5. And, First, let us look forward on the whole work of God in the salvation of man ; considering it from the beginning, the first point, till it terminates in glory. The first point is, the foreknowledge of God. God foreknew those in every nation who would believe, from the beginning of the world to the consummation of all things. But, in order to throw light upon this dark question, it should be well observed, that when we speak of God's foreknowledge, we do not speak according to the nature of things, but after the manner of men. For, if we speak properly, there is no such thing as either foreknowledge or afterknowledge in God. All time, or rather all eternity, (for time is only that small fragment of eternity which is allotted to the children of men,) being present to him at once, he does not know one thing before another, or one thing after another ; but sees all things in one point of view from everlasting to everlasting. As all time, with everything that exists therein, is present with him at once, so he sees at once, whatever was, ON PREDESTINATION. 227 is, or will be, to the end of time. But observe : We must not think they are because he knows them. No ; he knows them because they are. Just as I (if one may be allowed to compare the things of men with the deep things of God) now know the sun shines : Yet the sun does not shine because I know it, but I know it because he shines. My knowledge supposes the sun to shine ; but does not in anywise cause it. In like manner, God knows that man sins ; for he knows all things : Yet we do not sin because he knows it, but he knows it because we sin ; and his knowledge supposes our sin, but does not in anywise cause it. In a word, God, looking on all ages, from the creation to the consummation, as a moment, and seeing at once whatever is in the hearts of all the children of men, knows every one that does or does not believe, in every age or nation. Yet what he knows, whether faith or unbelief, is in nowise caused by his knowledge. Men are as free in believing or not believing as if he did not know it at all. 6. Indeed, if man were not free, he could not be accountable either for his thoughts, words, or actions. If he were not free, he would not be capable either of reward or punishment ; he would be incapable either of virtue or vice, of being either morally good or bad. If he had no more freedom than the sun, the moon, or the stars, he would be no more accountable than them. On supposition that he had no more freedom than them, the stones of the earth would be as capable of reward, and as liable to punishment, as man : One would be as accountable as the other. Yea, and it would be as absurd to ascribe either virtue or vice to him as to ascribe it to the stock of a tree. 7- But to proceed : " Whom he did foreknow, them he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." This is the Second step : (To speak after the manner of men : For in fact, there is nothing before or after in God :) In other words, God decrees, from everlasting to everlasting, that all who believe in the Son of his love, shall be conformed to his image ; shall be saved from all inward and outward sin, into all inward and outward holiness. Accordingly, it is a plain undeniable fact all who truly believe in the name of the Son of God do now "receive the end of their faith, the salvation of their souls;" and this in virtue of the unchangeable, irreversible, irresistible decree of God, — " He that believeth shall be saved ;" " he that believeth not, shall be damned." Q 2 228 SERMON LV1II. 8. " Whom he did predestinate, them he also called." This is the Third step : (Still remembering that we speak after the manner of men :) To express it a little more largely : According to his fixed decree, that believers shall be saved, those whom he foreknows as such, he calls both outwardly and inwardly, — outwardly by the word of his grace, and inwardly by his Spirit. This inward application of his word to the heart, seems to be what some term "effectual calling:" And it implies, the calling them children of God ; the accepting them "in the Beloved; "the justifying them "freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ." 9. " Whom he called, them he justified." This is the Fourth step. It is generally allowed that the word "justified " here is taken in a peculiar sense; that it means he made them just or righteous. He executed his decree, " conforming them to the image of his Son;" or, as we usually speak, sanctified them. 10. It remains, " whom he justified, them he also glorified." This is the Last step. Having made them "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light," he gives them " the kingdom which was prepared for them before the world began." This is the order wherein, " according to the counsel of his will," the plan he has laid down from eternity, he saves those whom he foreknew ; the true believers in every place and generation. 11. The same great work of salvation by faith, according to the foreknowledge and decree of God, may appear in a still clearer light, if we view it backward, from the end to the begin ning. Suppose then you stood with the "great multitude which no man can number, out of every nation, and tongue, and kindred, and people," who " give praise unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever;" you would not find one among them all that were entered into glory, who was not a witness of that great truth, " Without holiness no man shall see the Lord ;" not one of all that innumer able company who was not sanctified before he was glorified. By holiness he was prepared for glory ; according to the invari able will of the Lord, that the crown, purchased by the blood of his Son, should be given to none but those who are renewed by his Spirit. He is become " the author of eternal salvation ' only " to them that obey him ; " that obey him inwardly and ON PREDESTINATION. 229 outwardly; that are holy in heart, and holy in all manner of conversation. 12. And could you take a view of all those upon earth who are now sanctified, you would find not one of these had been sanctified till after he was called. He was first called, not only with an outward call, by the word and the messengers of God, but likewise with an inward call, by his Spirit applying his word, enabling him to believe in the only-begotten Son of God, and bearing testimony with his spirit that he was a child of God. And it was by this very means they were all sanctified. It was by a sense of the love of God shed abroad in his heart, that every one of them was enabled to love God. Loving God, he loved his neighbour as himself, and had power to walk in all his commandments blameless. This is a rule which admits of no exception. God calls a sinner his own, that is, justifies him, before he sanctifies. And by this very thing, the consciousness of his favour, he works in him that grateful, filial affection, from which spring every good temper, and word, and work. 13. And who are they that are thus called of God, but those whom he had before predestinated, or decreed, to " conform to the image of his Son ? " This decree (still speaking after the manner of men) precedes every man's calling : Every believer was predestinated before he was called. For God calls none, but " according to the counsel of his will," according to this •srpoSeo-ic, or plan of acting, which he had laid down before the foundation of the world. 14. Once more : As all that are called were predestinated, so all whom God has predestinated he foreknew. He knew, he saw them as believers, and as such predestinated them to salvation, according to his eternal decree, " He that believeth shall be saved." Thus we see the whole process of the work of God, from the end to the beginning. Who are glorified ? None but those who were first sanctified. Who are sanctified ? None but those who were first justified. Who are justified ? None but those who were first predestinated ? Who are pre destinated ? None but those whom God foreknew as believers. Thus the purpose and word of God stand unshaken as the pillars of heaven : — " He that believeth shall be saved ; he that believeth not shall be damned." And thus God is clear from the blood of all men ; since whoever perishes, perishes by his own act and deed. " They will not come unto me," says the 230 SERMON LVIH. Saviour of men ; and " there is no salvation in any other." They " will not believe ; " and there is no other way either to pre sent or eternal salvation. Therefore, their blood is upon their own head ; and God is still "justified in his saying" that he " willeth all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of his truth." 15. The sum of all is this : The almighty, all-wise God sees and knows, from everlasting to everlasting, all that is, that was, and that is to come, through one eternal now. With him nothing is either past or future, but all things equally present. He has, therefore, if we speak according to the truth of things, no foreknowledge, no afterknowledge. This would be ill con sistent with the Apostle's words, " With him is no variableness or shadow of turning ;" and with the account he gives of himself by the Prophet, " I the Lord change not." Yet when he speaks to us, knowing whereof we are made,, knowing the scantiness of our understanding, he lets himself down to our capacity, and speaks of himself after the manner of men. Thus, in conde scension to our weakness, he speaks of his own purpose, counsel, plan, foreknowledge. Not that God has any need of counsel, of purpose, or of planning his work beforehand. Far be it from us to impute these to the Most High ; to measure him by our selves ! It is merely in compassion to us that he speaks thus of himself, as foreknowing the things in heaven or earth, and as predestinating or fore-ordaining them. But can we possibly imagine that these expressions are to be taken literally ? To one who was so gross in his conceptions might he not say, "Thinkest thou I am such an one as thyself?" Not so: As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than thy ways. I know, decree, work, in such a manner as it is not possible for thee to conceive : But to give thee some faint, glimmering knowledge of my ways, I use the language of men, and suit myself to thy apprehensions in this thy infant state of existence. 16. What is it, then,, that we learn from this whole account ? It is this, and no more : — (1.) God knows all believers ; (2.) wills that they should be saved from sin ; (3.) to that end, justifies them, (4.) sanctifies, and (5.) takes them to glory. O that men would praise the Lord for this his goodness ; and1 that they would be content with this plain account of it, and not endeavour to wade into those mysteries which are too deep for angels to fathom ! SERMON LIX. K)D'S LOVE TO FALLEN MAN. ' Not as the offence, so also is the free gift." Romans v. 15. 1. How exceeding common, and how bitter, is the outcry against our first parent for the mischief which he not only brought upon himself, but entailed upon his latest posterity ! It was by his wilful rebellion against God that " sin entered into the world." " By one man's disobedience," as the Apostle observes, the many, oi tsoXXot, as many as were then in the loins of their forefather, " were made," or constituted, " sinners : " Not only deprived of the favour of God, but also of his image, — of all virtue, righteousness, and true hohness ; and sunk, partly into the image of the devil, — in pride, malice, and all other diabolical tempers ; partly into the image of the brute, being fallen under the dominion of brutal passions and grovelling appetites. Hence also death entered into the world, with all his forerunners and attendants, — pain, sickness, and a whole train of uneasy, as well as unholy, passions and tempers. 2. " For all this we may thank Adam," has echoed down from generation to generation. The self-same charge has been repeated in every age and every nation, where the oracles of God are known ; in which alone this grand and important event has been discovered to the children of men. Has not your heart, and probably your lips too, joined in the general charge ? How few are there of those who believe the scriptural relation of the fall of man that have not entertained the same thought concerning our first parent ; severely condemning him that, through wilful disobedience to the sole command of his Creator, Brought death into the world, and all our woe ! 3. Nay, it were well if the charge rested here : But it is cer tain it does not. It cannot be denied that it frequently glances from Adam to his Creator. Have not thousands, even of those that are called Christians, taken the liberty to call his mercy, if 232 SERMON LIX. not his justice also, into question, on this very account ? Some, indeed, have done this a little more modestly, in an oblique and indirect manner ; but others have thrown aside the mask, and asked, " Did not God foresee that Adam would abuse his liberty 'J And did he not know the baneful consequences which this must naturally have on all his posterity ? And why, then, did he permit that disobedience ? Was it not easy for the Almighty to have prevented it ?" — He certainly did foresee the whole. This can not be denied : For " known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world;" rather, from all eternity, as the words on: oucovo; properly signify. And it was undoubtedly in his power to prevent it ; for he hath all power both in heaven and earth. But it was known to him, at the same time, that it was best, upon the whole, not to prevent it. He knew that "not as the transgression, so is the free gift;" that the evil resulting from the former was not as the good resulting from the latter, — not worthy to be compared with it. He saw that to permit the fall of the first man was far best for mankind in general ; that abundantly more good than evil would accrue to the posterity of Adam by his fall; that if "sin abounded" thereby over all the earth, yet grace " would much more abound ; " yea, and that to every individual of the human race, unless it was his own choice. 4. It is exceeding strange that hardly anything has been written, or at least published, on this subject ; nay, that it has been so little weighed or understood by the generality of Christians; especially considering that it is not a matter of mere curiosity, but a truth of the deepest importance ; it being impossible, on any other principle, To' assert a gracious Providence, And justify the ways of God with men ; and considering withal how plain this important truth is to all sensible and candid inquirers. May the Lover of men open the eyes of our understanding, to perceive clearly that, by the fall of Adam, mankind in general have gained a capacity, First, of being more holy and more happy on earth, and, Secondly, of being more happy in heaven, than otherwise they could have been ! 1. And, First, mankind in general have gained, by the fall of Adam, a capacity of attaining more holiness and happiness GOD'S LOVE TO FALLEN MAN. 233 on earth than it would have been possible for them to attain if Adam had not fallen. For if Adam had not fallen, Christ had not died. Nothing can be more clear than this ; nothing more unde niable : The more thoroughly we consider the point, the more deeply shall we be convinced of it. Unless all the partakers of human nature had received that deadly wound in Adam, it would not have been needful for the Son of God to take our nature upon him. Do you not see that this was the very ground of his coming into the world ? " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin : And thus death passed upon all," through him in whom all men sinned. (Rom. v. 12.) Was it not to remedy this very thing that " the Word was made flesh," that " as in Adam all died, so in Christ all " might " be made alive ?" Unless, then, many had been made sinners by the disobedience of one, by the obedience of one many would not have been made righteous : (Verse 19 :) So there would have been no room for that amazing display of the Son of God's love to mankind : There would have been no occasion for his being " obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It could not then have been said, to the astonishment of all the hosts of heaven, " God so loved the world," yea, the ungodly world, which had no thought or desire of returning to him, " that he gave his Son " out of his bosom, his only-begotten Son, " to the end that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Neither could we then have said, " God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself;" or, that he "made him to be sin," that is, a sin- offering, " for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him." There would have been no such occasion for such " an Advocate with the Father," as " Jesus Christ the righteous ; " neither for his appearing " at the right hand of God, to make intercession for us." 2. What is the necessary consequence of this ? It is this : There could then have been no such thing as faith in God thus loving the world, giving his only Son for us men, and for our salvation. There could have been no such thing as faith in the Son of God, as " loving us and giving himself for us." There could have been no faith in the Spirit of God, as renewing the image of God in our hearts, as raising us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness. Indeed the whole privilege of justification by faith could have had no existence ; there could have been no redemption in the blood of Christ ; neithe* 234 SERMON LIX. could Christ have been "made of God unto us," either " wisdom, righteousness, sanctification," or " redemption." 3. And the same grand blank which was in our faith must likewise have been in our love. We might have loved the Author of our being, the Father of angels and men, as our Creator and Preserver : We might have said, " O Lord our Governor, how excellent is thy name in all the earth .' " — But we could not have loved him under the nearest and dearest relation, — as delivering up his Son for us all. We might have loved the Son of God, as being "the brightness of his Father's glory, the express image of his person ;" (although this ground seems to belong rather to the inhabitants of heaven than earth ;) but we could not have loved him as " bearing our sins in his own body on the tree," and " by that one oblation of himself once offered, making a full sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world." We could not have been " made conformable to his death," nor have known " the power of his resurrection." We could not have loved the Holy Ghost, as revealing to us the Father and the Son ; as opening the eyes of our understanding ; bringing us out of darkness into his marvellous light; renewing the image of God in our soul, and sealing us unto the day of redemption. So that, in truth, what is now " in the sight of God, even the Father," not of fallible men, " pure religion and undefiled," would then have had no being ; inasmuch as it wholly depends on those grand principles, — " By grace ye are saved through faith;" and, "Jesus Christ is of God made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 4. We see, then, what unspeakable advantage we derive from the fall of our first parent with regard to faith ; — faith both in God the Father, who spared not his own Son, his only Son, but " wounded him for our transgressions," and " bruised him for our iniquities;" and in God the Son, who poured out his soul for us transgressors, and washed us in his own blood. We see what advantage we derive therefrom with regard to the love of God; both of God the Father and God the Son. The chief ground of this love, as long as we remain in the body, is plainly declared by the Apostle : " We love Him, because He first loved us." But the greatest instance of his love had never been given, if Adam had not fallen. 5. And as our faith bo+h in God the Father and the Son, GOD'S LOVE TO FALLEN MAN. 235 receives an unspeakable increase, if not its very being, from this grand event, as does also our love both of the Father and the Son ; so does the love of our neighbour also, our benevo lence to all mankind, which cannot but increase in the same proportion with our faith and love of God. For who does not apprehend the force of that inference drawn by the loving Apostle : " Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another ?" If God SO loved us ; — observe, the stress of the argument lies on this very point : SO loved us, as to deliver up his only Son to die a cursed death for our salvation. Beloved, what manner of love is this wherewith God hath loved us ; so as to give his only Son, in glory equal with the Father, in Majesty co-eternal ? What manner of love is this wherewith the only-begotten Son of God hath loved us so as to empty himself, as far as possible, of his eternal Godhead ; as to divest himself of that glory which he had with the Father before the world began ; as to take upon him the form of a servant, being found in fashion as a man ; and then, to humble himself still further, " being obedient unto death, even the death of the cross ! " If God SO loved us, how ought we to love one another ! But this motive to brotherly love had been totally wanting if Adam had not fallen. Consequently, we could not then have loved one another in so high a degree as we may now. Nor could there have been that height and depth in the command of our blessed Lord, " As I have loved you, so love one another." 6. Such gainers may we be by Adam's fall, with regard both to the love of God and of our neighbour. But there is another grand point, which, though little adverted to, deserves our deepest consideration. By that one act of our first parent, not only " sin entered into the world," but pain also, and was alike entailed on his whole posterity. And herein appeared not only the justice but the unspeakable goodness of God. For how much good does he continually bring out of this evil ! How much holiness and happiness out of pain ! 7- How innumerable are the benefits which God conveys to the children of men through the channel of sufferings ! — so that it might well be said, " What are termed afflictions in the language of men, are in the language of God styled blessings." Indeed, had there been no suffering in the world, a considerable part of religion, yea, and, in some respects, the most excellent part, could have had no place therein ; since the very existence 236 SERMON LIX. of it depends on our suffering ; so that had there been no pain, it could have had no being. Upon this foundation, even our suffering, it is evident all our passive graces are built ; yea, the noblest of all Christian graces, — love enduring all things. Here is the ground for resignation to God, enabling us to say from the heart in every trying hour, " It is the Lord : Let him do what seemeth him good:" " Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil ! " And what a glorious spectacle is this ! Did it not constrain even a Heathen to cry out, Ecce spectaculum Deo dignum ! " See a sight worthy of God ;" a good man struggling with adversity, and superior to it. Here is the ground for confidence in God, both with regard to what we feel, and with regard to what we should fear, were it not that our soul is calmly stayed on Him. What room could there be for trust in God if there was no such thing as pain or danger ? Who might not say then, " The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" It is by sufferings that our faith is tried, and, therefore, made more acceptable to God. It is in the day of trouble that we have occasion to say, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." And this is well pleasing to God, that we should own him in the face of danger ; in defiance of sorrow, sickness, pain, or death. 8. Again : Had there been neither natural nor moral evil in the world, what must have become of patience, meekness, gen tleness, longsuffering ? It is manifest they could have had no being ; seeing all these have evil for their object. If, therefore, evil had never entered into the world, neither could these have had any place in it. For who could have returned good for evil, had there been no evil-doer in the universe ? How had it been possible, on that supposition, to " overcome evil with good ? " Will you say, " But all these graces might have been divinely infused into the hearts of men?" Undoubtedly they might: But if they had, there would have been no use or exercise for them. Whereas in the present state of things we can never long want occasion to exercise them : And the more they are exer cised, the more all our graces are strengthened and increased. And in the same proportion as our resignation, our confidence in God, our patience and fortitude, our meekness, gentleness, and longsuffering, together with our faith, and love of God and man, increase, must our happiness increase, even in the present world. 9. Yet again : As God's permission of Adam's fall gave all god's love to fallen man. 237 his posterity a thousand opportunities of suffering, and thereby of exercising all those passive graces which increase both their holiness and happiness ; so it gives them opportunities of doing good in numberless instances ; of exercising themselves in various good works, which otherwise could have had no being. And what exertions of benevolence, of compassion, of godlike mercy, had then been totally prevented ! Who could then have said to the Lover of men,— Thy mind throughout my life be shown. While listening to the wretch's cry, The widow's or the orphan's groan, On mercy's wings I swiftly fly, The poor and needy to relieve ; Myself, my all for them to give ? It is the just observation of a benevolent man, — All worldly joys are less Than that one joy of doing kindnesses. Surely in " keeping this commandment," if no other, " there is great reward." " As we have time, let us do good unto all men ; " good of every kind, and in every degree. Accordingly, the more good we do, (other circumstances being equal,) the happier we shall be. The more we deal our bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with garments, — the more we relieve the stranger and visit them that are sick or in prison, — the more kind offices we do to those that groan under the various evils of human Ufe, — the more comfort we receive even in the present world, the greater the recompence we have in our own bosom. 10. To sum up what has been said under this head : As the more holy we are upon earth the more happy we must be ; (seeing there is an inseparable connexion between holiness and happiness ;) as the more good we do to others, the more of present reward redounds into our own bosom ; even as our sufferings for God lead us to rejoice in him " with joy unspeak able and full of glory ;" therefore, the fall of Adam, — First, by giving us an opportunity of being far more holy, Secondly, by giving us the occasions of doing innumerable good works, which otherwise could not have been done, and, Thirdly, by putting it into our power to suffer for God, whereby " the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon us," — may be of such advantage to the children of men, even in the present life, as they will not thoroughly comprehend till they attain life everlasting. 238 SERMON LIX. 11. It is then we shall be enabled fully to comprehend, noi only the advantages which accrue at the present time to the sons of men by the fall of their first parent, but the infinitely greater advantages which they may reap from it in eternity. In order to form some conception of this, we may remember the observation of the Apostle: As "one star differeth from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead." The most glorious stars will undoubtedly be those who are the most holy, who bear most of that image of God wherein they were created ; the next in glory to these will be those who have been most abundant in good works ; and next to them, those that have suffered most, according to the will of God. But what advantages, in every one of these respects, will the children of God receive in heaven, by God's permitting the introduction of pain upon earth in consequence of sin ! By occasion of this they attained many holy tempers, which other wise could have had no being ; — resignation to God ; confidence in him, in times of trouble and danger; patience, meekness, gentleness, longsuffering, and the whole train of passive virtues : And on account of this superior holiness, they will then enjoy superior happiness. Again : Every one will then " receive his own reward, according to his own labour : " Every individual will be " rewarded according to his work." But the fall gave rise to innumerable good works, which could otherwise never have existed ; such as ministering to the necessities of saints ; yea, relieving the distressed in every kind : And hereby innu merable stars will be added to their eternal crown. Yet again : There will be an abundant reward in heaven for suffering as well as for doing the will of God : " These light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceed ing and eternal weight of glory." Therefore that event which occasioned the entrance of suffering into the world, has thereby occasioned to all the children of God an increase of glory to all eternity. For although the sufferings themselves will be at an end; although The pain of life shall then be o'er, The anguish and distracting care ; There sighing grief shall weep no more ; And sin shall never enter there ; — yet the joys occasioned thereby shall never end, but flow at God's right hand for evermore. god's love to fallen man. 239 12. There is one advantage more that we reap from Adam's fall, which is not unworthy our attention. Unless in Adam all had died, being in the loins of their first parent, every descend ant of Adam, every child of man, must have personally answered for himself to God. It seems to be a necessary consequence of this, that if he had once fallen, once violated any command of God, there would have been no possibility of his rising again ; there was no help, but he must have perished without remedy. For that covenant knew not to show mercy : The word was, " The soul that sinneth, it shall die.'' Now who would not rather be on the footing he is now, — under a covenant of mercy ? Who would wish to hazard a whole eternity upon one stake ? Is it not infinitely more desirable to be in a state wherein, though encompassed with infirmities, yet we do not run such a desperate risk, but if we fall, we may rise again ? — wherein we may say, My trespass is grown up to heaven ; But far above the skies, In Christ abundantly forgiven, I see thy mercies rise ! 13. In Christ! Let me entreat every serious person once more to fix his attention here. All that has been said, all that can be said, on these subjects, centres in this point : The fall of Adam produced the death of Christ. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth ! Yea, Let earth and heaven agree, Angels and men be join'd, To celebrate with me The Saviour of mankind ; To' adore the all-atoning Lamb, And bless the sound of Jesu's name ! If God had prevented the fall of man, " the Word " had never been " made flesh ;" nor had we ever " seen his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father." Those mysteries never had been displayed " which the " very " angels desire to look into." Methinks this consideration swallows up all the rest, and should never be out of our thoughts. Unless " by one man judgment had come upon all men to condemnation," neither angels nor men could ever have known " the unsearchable riches of Christ." 14. See, then, upon the whole, how little reason we have to repine at the fall of our first parent ; since herefrom we may derive such unspeakable advantages, both in time and eternity. 240 SERMON LIX. See how small pretence there is for questioning the mercy of God in permitting that event to take place ; since therein mercy, by infinite degrees, rejoices over judgment. Where then is the man that presumes to blame God for not preventing Adam's sin ? Should we not rather bless him from the ground of the heart, for therein laying the grand scheme of man's redemption, and making way for that glorious manifestation of his wisdom, holiness, justice, and mercy ? If, indeed, God had decreed, before the foundation of the world, that millions of men should dwell in everlasting burnings, because Adam sinned hundreds or thousands of years before they had a being, I know not who could thank him for this, unless the devil and his angels : Seeing, on this supposition, all those millions of unhappy spirits would be plunged into hell by Adam's sin, without any possible advantage from it. But, blessed be God, this is not the case. Such a decree never existed. On the contrary, every one born of a woman may be an unspeakable gainer thereby : And none ever was or can be a loser but by his own choice. 15. We see here a full answer to that plausible account of the origin of evil, published to the world some years since, and supposed to be unanswerable : That it " necessarily resulted from the nature of matter, which God was not able to alter." It is very kind in this sweet-tongued orator to make an excuse for God ! But there is really no occasion for it : God hath answered for himself. He made man in his own image; a spirit endued with understanding and liberty. Man, abusing that liberty, produced evil ; brought sin and pain into the world. This God permitted, in order to a fuller manifestation of his wisdom, justice, and mercy, by bestowing on all who would receive it an infinitely greater happiness than they could possibly have attained if Adam had not fallen. 16. " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God !" Although a thousand particulars of " his judgments and of his ways are unsearchable" to us, and past our finding out ; yet may we discern the general scheme run ning through time into eternity. " According to the counsel of his own will," the plan he had laid before the foundation of the world, he created the parent of all mankind in his own image ; and he permitted all men to be made sinners, by the disobedience of this one man, that, by the obedience of one, all who receive the free gift may be infinitely holier and happier to all eternity SERMON LX. THE GENERAL DELIVERANCE. " The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. " For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him that subjected it : " Yet in hope that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. " For we know that the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth in pain together until now." Romans viii. 19 — 22. 1. Nothing is more sure, than that as "the Lord is loving to every man," so "his mercy is over all his works ;" all that have sense, all that are capable of pleasure or pain, of happi ness or misery. In consequence of this, " He openeth his hand, and filleth all things living with plenteousness. He prepareth food for cattle," as well as " herbs for the children of men." He provideth for the fowls of the air, " feeding the young ravens when they cry unto him." " He sendeth the springs into the rivers, that run among the hills, to give drink to every beast of the field," and that even " the wild asses may quench their thirst." And, suitably to this, he directs us to be tender of even the meaner creatures ; to show mercy to these also. " Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn : " — A custom which is observed in the eastern countries even to this day. And this is by no means contradicted by St. Paul's question: "Doth God take care for oxen?" Without doubt he does. We cannot deny it, without flatly contradicting his word. The plain meaning of the Apostle is, Is this all that is implied in the text ? Hath it not a farther meaning ? Does it not teach us, we are to feed the bodies of those whom we desire to feed our souls? Meantime it is certain, God "giveth grass for the cattle," as well as " herbs for the use of men." 2. But how are these scriptures reconcilable to the present R 2. 242 SERMON LX. state of things ? How are they consistent with what we daily see round about us, in every part of the creation ? If the Creator and Father of every living thing is rich in mercy towards all ; if he does not overlook or despise any of the works of his own hands ; if he wills even the meanest of them to be happy, according to their degree ; how comes it to pass, that such a complication of evils oppresses, yea, overwhelms them ? How is it that misery of all kinds overspreads the face of the earth ? This is a question which has puzzled the wisest philosophers in all ages : And it cannot be answered without having recourse to the oracles of God. But, taking these for our guide, we may inquire, I. What was the original state of the brute creation ? II. In what state is it at present ? And, III. In what state will it be at the manifestation of the children of God ? I. 1. We may inquire, in the First place, What was the original state of the brute creation ? And may we not learn this, even from the place which was assigned them; namely, the garden of God ? All the beasts of the field, and all the fowls of the air, were with Adam in paradise. And there is no question but their state was suited to their place : It was para disiacal ; perfectly happy. Undoubtedly it bore a near resem blance to the state of man himself. By taking, therefore, a short view of the one, we may conceive the other. Now, " man was made in the image of God." But " God is a Spirit :" So there fore was man. (Only that spirit, being designed to dwell on earth, was lodged in an earthly tabernacle.) As such, he had an innate principle of self-motion. And so, it seems, has every spirit in the universe ; this being the proper distinguishing dif ference between spirit and matter, which is totally, essentially passive and inactive, as appears from a thousand experiments. He was, after the likeness of his Creator, endued with under standing; a capacity of apprehending whatever objects were brought before it, and of judging concerning them. He was endued with a will, exerting itself in various affections and pas sions : And, lastly, with liberty, or freedom of choice ; without which all the rest would have been in vain, and he would have been no more capable of serving his Creator than a piece of earth or marble ; he would have been as incapable of vice or virtue, as any part of the inanimate creation. In these, in the power the general deliverance. 243 of self-motion, understanding, will, and liberty, the natural image of God consisted. 2. How far his power of self-motion then extended, it is impossible for us to determine. It is probable, that he had a far higher degree both of swiftness and strength, than any of his posterity ever had, and much less any of the lower creatures. It is certain, he had such strength of understanding as no man ever since had. His understanding was perfect in its kind; capable of apprehending all things clearly, and judging concern ing them according to truth, without any mixture of error. His will had no wrong bias of any sort ; but all his passions and affections were regular, being steadily and uniformly guided by the dictates of his unerring understanding ; embracing nothing Tmt good, and every good in proportion to its degree of intrinsic goodness. His liberty likewise was wholly guided by his under standing: He chose, or refused, according to its direction. Above all, (which was his highest excellence, far more valuable than all the rest put together,) he was a creature capable of God ; capable of knowing, loving, and obeying his Creator. And, in fact, he did know God, did unfeignedly love and uniformly obey him. This was the supreme perfection of man ; {as it is of all intelligent beings ;) the continually seeing, and loving, and obeying the Father of the spirits of all flesh. From this right state and right use of all his faculties, his happiness naturally flowed. In this the essence of his happiness consisted : But it was increased by all the things that were round about him. He saw, with unspeakable pleasure, the order, the beauty, the harmony, of all the creatures; of all animated, all inanimate nature ; the serenity of the skies ; the sun walking in brightness ; the sweetly variegated clothing of the earth ; the trees, the fruits, the flowers, And liquid lapse of murmuring streams. Nor was this pleasure interrupted by evil of any kind. It had no alloy of sorrow or pain, whether of body or mind. For while he was innocent he was impassive ; incapable of suffering. Nothing could stain his purity of joy. And, to crown all, he was immortal. 3. To this creature, endued with all these excellent faculties, thus qualified for his high charge, God said, " Have thou dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, R 2 244 SERMON LX. and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Gen. i. 28.) And so the Psalmist : " Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands : Thou hast put all things under his feet : All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." (Psalm viii. 6, &c.) So that man was God's vicegerent upon earth, the prince and governor of this lower world ; and all the blessings of God flowed through him to the inferior creatures. Man was the channel of conveyance between his Creator and the whole brute creation. 4. But what blessings were those that were then conveyed through man to the lower creatures ? What was the original state of the brute creatures, when they were first created ? This deserves a more attentive consideration than has been usually given it. It is certain these, as well as man, had an innate principle of self-motion ; and that, at least, in as high a degree as they enjoy it at this day. Again : They were endued with a degree of understanding ; not less than that they are possessed of now. They had also a will, including various passions, which, likewise, they still enjoy : And they had liberty ; a power of choice ; a degree of which is still found in every living crea ture. Nor can we doubt but their understanding too was, in the beginning, perfect in its kind. Their passions and affections were regular, and their choice always guided by their under standing. 5. What then is the barrier between men and brutes ? the line which they cannot pass? It was not reason. Set aside that ambiguous term : Exchange it for the plain word, under standing : And who can deny that brutes have this ? We may as well deny that they have sight or hearing. But it is this : Man is capable of God ; the inferior creatures are not. We have no ground to believe that they are, in any degree, capable of knowing, loving, or obeying God. This is the specific differ ence between man and brute ; the great gulf which they cannot pass over. And as a loving obedience to God was the perfection of man, so a loving obedience to man was the perfection of brutes. And as long as they continued in this, they were happy after their kind ; happy in the right state and the right use of their respective faculties. Yea, and so long they had some shadowy resemblance of even moral goodness. For they had gratitude to man for benefits received, and a reverence THE GENERAL DELIVERANCE. 245 for him. They had hkewise a kind of benevolence to each other, unmixed with any contrary temper. How beautiful many of them were, we may conjecture from that which still remains ; and that not only in the noblest creatures, but in those of the lowest order. And they were all surrounded, not only with plenteous food, but with every thing that could give them pleasure ; pleasure unmixed with pain ; for pain was not yet ; it had not entered into paradise. And they too were immortal : For " God made not death ; neither hath he pleasure in the death of any living." 6. How true then is that word, " God saw everything that he had made : And, behold, it was very good ! " But how far is this from being the present case ! In what a condition is the whole lower world ! — to say nothing of inanimate nature, wherein all the elements seem to be out of course, and by turns to fight against man. Since man rebelled against his Maker, in what a state is all animated nature ! Well might the Apostle say of this : " The whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain until now." This directly refers to the brute creation. In what state this is at present we are now to consider. II. 1. As all the blessings of God in paradise flowed through man to the inferior creatures ; as man was the great channel of communication, between the Creator and the whole brute creation ; so when man made himself incapable of transmitting those blessings, that communication was necessarily cut off. The intercourse between God and the inferior creatures being stopped, those blessings could no longer flow in upon them. And then it was that "the creature," every creature, "was subjected to vanity," to sorrow, to pain of every kind, to all manner of evils : Not, indeed, f willingly," not by its own choice, not by any act or deed of its own ; " but by reason of Him that subjected it," by the wise permission of God, determining to draw eternal good out of this temporary evil. 2. But in what respect was "the creature," every creature, then " made subject to vanity ?" What did the meaner creatures suffer, when man rebelled against God? It is probable they sustained much loss, even in the lower faculties ; their vigour, strength, and swiftness. But undoubtedly they suffered far more in their understanding ; more than we can easily conceive. Perhaps insects and worms had then as much understanding as the most intelligent brutes have now : Whereas millions 216 SERMON LX. of creatures have, at present, little more understanding than. the earth on which they crawl, or the rock to which they adhere. They suffered still more in their will, in their passions ; which were then variously distorted, and frequently set in flat opposi tion to the little understanding that was left them. Their liberty, likewise, was greatly impaired ; yea, in many cases, totally destroyed. They are still utterly enslaved to irrational appetites, which have the full dominion over them. The very foundations of their nature are out of course ; are turned upside down. As man is deprived of his perfection, his loving obedi ence to God ; so brutes are deprived of their perfection, their loving obedience to man. The far greater part of them flee from him ; studiously avoid his hated presence. The most of the rest set him at open defiance ; yea, destroy him, if it be in their power. A few only, those we commonly term domestic animals, retain more or less of their original disposition, (through the mercy of God,) love him still, and pay obedience to him. 3. Setting these few aside, how little shadow of good, of gra titude, of benevolence, of any right temper, is now to be found in any part of the brute creation ! On the contrary, what savage fierceness, what unrelenting cruelty, are invariably observed in thousands of creatures ; yea, is inseparable from their natures ! Is it only the lion, the tiger, the wolf, among the inhabitants of the forests and plains, — the shark, and a few more voracious monsters, among the inhabitants of the waters, — or the eagle, among birds, — that tears the flesh, sucks the blood, and crushes the bones of their helpless fellow-creatures ? Nay ; the harmless fly, the laborious ant, the painted butterfly, are treated in the same merciless manner, even by the innocent songsters of the grove ! The innumerable tribes of poor insects are continually devoured by them. And whereas there is but a small number, comparatively, of beasts of prey on the earth, it is quite other wise in the liquid element. There are but few inhabitants of the waters, whether of the sea, or of the rivers, which do not devour whatsoever they can master : Yea, they exceed herein all the beasts of the forest, and all the birds of prey. For none of these have been ever observed to prey upon their own species ; Savis inter se convenit ursis : Even savage bears will not each other tear. But the water-savages swallow up all, even of their own kind, THE GENERAL DELIVERANCE. 247 that are smaller and weaker than themselves. Yea, such, at present, is the miserable constitution of the world, to such vanity is it now subjected, that an immense majority of creatures, perhaps a million to one, can no otherwise preserve their own lives, than by destroying their fellow-creatures ! 4. And is not the very form, the outward appearance, of many of the creatures, as horrid as their dispositions ? Where is the beauty which was stamped upon them when they came first out of the hands of their Creator ? There is not the least trace of it left : So far from it, that they are shocking to behold ! Nay, they are not only terrible and grisly to look upon, but deformed, and that to a high degree. Yet their features, ugly as they are at best, are frequently made more deformed than usual, when they are distorted by pain ; which they cannot avoid, any more than the wretched sons of men. Pain of various kinds, weakness, sickness, diseases innumerable, come upon them ; perhaps from within ; perhaps from one another ; perhaps from the inclemency of seasons ; from fire, hail, snow, or storm ; or from a thousand causes which they cannot foresee or prevent. 5. Thus, " as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; even so death passed upon all men ; " and not on man only, button those creatures also that " did not sin after the similitude of Adam's transgression." And not death alone came upon them, but all its train of preparatory evils ; pain, and ten thousand sufferings. Nor these only, but likewise all those irregular passions, all those unlovely tempers, (which in men are sins, and even in brutes are sources of misery,) " passed upon all " the inhabitants of the earth ; and remain in all, except the children of God. 6. During this season of vanity, not only the feebler creatures are continually destroyed by the stronger ; not only the strong are frequently destroyed by those that are of equal strength ; but both the one and the other are exposed to the violence and cruelty of him that is now their common enemy, — man. And if his swiftness or strength is not equal to theirs, yet his art more than supplies that defect. By this he eludes all their force, how great soever it be ; by this he defeats all their swiftness ; and, notwithstanding their various shifts and contrivances, discovers all their retreats. He pursues them over the widest plains, and through the thickest forests. He overtakes them in the fields of air, he finds them out in the depths of the sea. Nor are 248 SERMON LX. the mild and friendly creatures who still own his sway, and are duteous to his commands, secured thereby from more than brutal violence ; from outrage and abuse of various kinds. Is the generous horse, that serves his master's necessity or pleasure with unwearied diligence, — is the faithful dog, that waits the motion of his hand, or his eye, exempt from this ? What returns for their long and faithful service do many of these poor creatures find ? And what a dreadful difference is there, between what they suffer from their fellow-brutes, and what they suffer from the tyrant man ! The lion, the tiger, or the shark, gives them pain from mere necessity, in order to prolong their own life ; and puts them out of their pain at once : But the human shark, without any such necessity, torments them of his free choice ; and perhaps continues their lingering pain till, after months or years, death signs their release. III. 1. But will " the creature," will even the brute creation, always remain in this deplorable condition ? God forbid that we should affirm this ; yea, or even entertain such a thought ! While " the whole creation groaneth together," (whether men attend or not,) their groans are not dispersed in idle air, but enter into the ears of Him that made them. While his creatures " travail together in pain," he knoweth all their pain, and is bringing them nearer and nearer to the birth, which shall be accomplished in its season. He seeth " the earnest expectation " wherewith the whole animated creation " waiteth for " that final " manifestation of the sons of God ; " in which " they themselves also shall be delivered" (not by annihilation ; annihilation is not deliverance) " from the '' present " bondage of corruption, into" a measure of " the glorious liberty of the children of God." 2. Nothing can be more express : Away with vulgar preju dices, and let the plain word of God take place. They " shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into glorious liberty," — even a measure, according as they are capable, — of " the liberty of the children of God." A general view of this is given us in the twenty-first chapter of the Revelation. When He that " sitteth on the great white throne" hath pronounced, "Behold, I make all things new;" when the word is fulfilled, " The tabernacle of God is with men, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God;" — then the following blessing shaU THE GENERAL DELIVERANCE. 249 take place (not only on the children of men ; there is no such restriction in the text ; but) on every creature according to its capacity : " God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain : For the former things are passed away." 3. To descend to a few particulars : The whole brute creation will then, undoubtedly, be restored, not only to the vigour, strength, and swiftness which they had at their creation, but to a far higher degree of each than they ever enjoyed. They will be restored, not only to that measure of understanding which they had in paradise, but to a degree of it as much higher than that, as the understanding of an elephant is beyond that of a worm. And whatever affections they had in the gar den of God, will be restored with vast increase ; being exalted and refined in a manner which we ourselves are not now able to comprehend. The liberty they then had will be completely restored, and they will be free in all their motions. They will be delivered from all irregular appetites, from all unruly passions, from every disposition that is either evil in itself, or has any tendency to evil. No rage will be found in any creature, no fierceness, no cruelty, or thirst for blood. So far from it, that " the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; the calf and the young lion together ; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed together ; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain." (Isaiah xi. 6, &c.) 4. Thus, in that day, all the vanity to which they are now helplessly subject will be abolished ; they will suffer no more, either from within or without ; the days of their groaning are ended. At the same time, there can be no reasonable doubt, but all the horridness of their appearance, and all the deformity of their aspect, will vanish away, and be exchanged for their primeval beauty. And with their beauty their happiness will return ; to which there can then be no obstruction. As there will be nothing within, so there will be nothing without, to give them any uneasiness : No heat or cold, no storm or tempest, but one perennial spring. In the new earth, as well as the new heavens, there will be nothing to give pain, but everything that the wisdom and goodness of God can create to give happiness. As a recompence for what they once suffered, while under the 250 SERMON LX. "bondage of corruption," when God has "renewed the face of the earth," and their corruptible body has put on incorrup tion, they shall enjoy happiness suited to their state, without alloy, without interruption, and without end. 5. But though I doubt not that the Father of All has a ten der regard for even his lowest creatures, and that, in consequence of this, he will make them large amends for all they suffer while under their present bondage ; yet I dare not affirm that he has an equal regard for them and for the children of men. I do not believe that He sees with equal eyes, as Lord of all, A hero perish, or a sparrow fall. By no means. This is exceeding pretty ; but it is absolutely false. For though Mercy, with truth and endless grace, O'er all his works doth reign, Yet chiefly he delights to bless His favourite creature, man. God regards his meanest creatures much ; but he regards man much more. He does not equally regard a hero and a sparrow ; the best of men and the lowest of brutes. " How much more does your heavenly Father care for you ! " says He " who is in the bosom of his Father." Those who thus strain the point, are clearly confuted by his question, " Are not ye much better than they ?" Let it suffice, that God regards everything that he hath made, iu its own order, and in proportion to that measure of his own image which he has stamped upon it. 6. May I be permitted to mention here a conjecture concern ing the brute creation ? What, if it should then please the all-wise, the all-gracious Creator to raise them higher in the scale of beings ? What, if it should please him, when he makes us " equal to angels," to make them what we are now, — creatures capable of God ; capable of knowing and loving and enjoying the Author of their being ? If it should be so, ought our eye to be evil because he is good ? However this be, he will certainly do what will be most for his own glory. 7- If it be objected to all this, (as very probably it will,) " But of what use will those creatures be in that future state ?" I answer this by another question, What use are they now ? If there be (as has commonly been supposed) eight thousand species of insects, who is able to inform us of what use seven THE GENERAL DELIVERANCE. 251 thousand of them are? If there are four thousand species of fishes, who can tell us of what use are more than three thousand of them ? If there are six hundred sorts of birds, who can tell of what use five hundred of those species are ? If there be four hundred sorts of beasts, to what use do three hundred of them serve? Consider this; consider how little we know of even the present designs of God ; and then you will not wonder that we know still less of what he designs to do in the new heavens and the new earth. 8. " But what end does it answer to dwell upon this subject, which we so imperfectly understand ? " To consider so much as we do understand, so much as God has been pleased to reveal to us, may answer that excellent end, — to illustrate that mercy of God which " is over all his works." And it may exceedingly confirm our bebef that, much more, he "is loving to every man." For how well may we urge our Lord's words, " Are not ye much better than they ?" If, then, the Lord takes such care of the fowls of the air, and of the beasts of the field, shall he not much more take care of you, creatures of a nobler order ? If " the Lord will save," as the inspired writer affirms, " both man and beast," in their several degrees, surely " the children of men may put their trust under the shadow of his wings ! " 9- May it not answer another end ; namely, furnish us with a full answer to a plausible objection against the justice of God, in suffering numberless creatures that never had sinned to be so severely punished ? They could not sin, for they were not moral agents. Yet how severely do they suffer ! — yea, many of them, beasts of burden in particular, almost the whole time of their abode on earth ; so that they can have no retribution here below. But the objection vanishes away, if we consider that something better remains after death for these poor creatures also; that these, likewise, shall one day be delivered from this bondage of corruption, and shall then receive an ample amends for all their present sufferings. 10. One more excellent end may undoubtedly be answered by the preceding considerations. They may encourage us to imitate Him whose mercy is over all his works. They may soften our hearts towards the meaner creatures, knowing that the Lord careth for them. It may enlarge our hearts towards those poor creatures, to reflect that, as vile as they appear in our eyes, not one of them is forgotten in the sight of our Father which is 1252 SERMON LX. in heaven. Through all the vanity to which they are now subjected, let us look to what God hath prepared for them. Yea, let us habituate ourselves to look forward, beyond this present scene of bondage, to the happy time when they will be delivered therefrom into the liberty of the children of God. 11. From what has been said, I cannot but draw one infer ence, which no man of reason can deny. If it is this which distinguishes men from beasts, — that they are creatures capable of God, capable of knowing and loving and enjoying him ; then whoever is " without God in the world," whoever does not know or love or enjoy God, and is not careful about the matter, does, in effect, disclaim the nature of man, and degrade himself into a beast. Let such vouchsafe a little attention to those remark able words of Solomon : " I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, — They might see that they themselves are beasts." (Eccles. iii. 18.) These sons of men are undoubt edly beasts ; and that by their own act and deed ; for they deli berately and wilfully disclaim the sole characteristic of human nature. It is true, they may have a share of reason ; they have speech, and they walk erect; but they have not the mark, the only mark, which totally separates man from the brute creation. " That which befalleth beasts, the same thing befalleth them." They are equally without God in the world ; "so that a man" of this kind " hath no pre-eminence above a beast." 12. So much more let all those who are of a nobler turn of mind assert the distinguishing dignity of their nature. Let all who are of a more generous spirit know and maintain their rank in the scale of beings. Rest not till you enjoy the privilege of humanity, — the knowledge and love of God. Lift up your heads, ye creatures capable of God ! Lift up your hearts to the Source of your being ! Know God, and teach your souls to know The joys that from religion flow. Give your hearts to Him who, together with ten thousand blessings, has given you his Son, his only Son! Let your continual "fellowship be with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ!" Let God be in all your thoughts, and ye will be men indeed. Let Him be your God and your All, — the desire of your eyes, the joy of your heart, and your portion for ¦> ever ! SERMON LXI. THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. " The mystery of iniquity doth already work" 2 Thess. ii. 7- 1. Without inquiring how far these words refer to any particular event in the Christian Church, I would at present take occasion from them to consider that important question, — In what manner the mystery of iniquity hath wrought among us till it hath well-nigh covered the whole earth. 2. It is certain that " God made man upright ; " perfectly holy and perfectly happy : But by rebelling against God, he destroyed himself, lost the favour and the image of God, and entailed sin, with its attendant, pain, on himself and all his posterity. Yet his merciful Creator did not leave him in this helpless, hopeless state : He immediately appointed his Son, his well-beloved Son, " who is the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person," to be the Saviour of men ; " the propitiation for the sins of the whole world;" the great Physician who, by his almighty .Spirit, should heal the sickness of their souls, and restore them not only to the favour, but to " the image of God wherein they were created." 3. This great mystery of godliness began to work from the very time of the original promise. Accordingly, the Lamb being, in the purpose of God, " slain from the beginning of the world," from the same period his sanctifying Spirit began to renew the souls of men. We have an undeniable instance of this in Abel, who " obtained a testimony " from God " that he was righteous." (Heb. xi. 4.) And from that very time all that were partakers of the same faith were partakers of the same salvation ; were not only re-instated in the favour, but likewise restored to the image, of God. 4. But how exceeding small was the number of these even from the earliest ages ! No sooner did " the sons of men multiply upon the face of the earth," than God, looking down from heaven, " saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth ;" so great that "every imagination of the thoughts 254 SERMON LXI. of his heart was evil," only evil, and that " continually." (Gen. vi 1 — 5.1 And so it remained, without any intermission, till God executed that terrible sentence, " I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth." (Verse 7-) 5. Only "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord ;" being " a just man, and perfect in his generations." Him, therefore, with his wife, his sons, and their wives, God preserved from the general destruction. And one might have imagined that this small remnant would likewise have been " perfect in their gene rations." But how far was this from being the case ! Presently after this signal deliverance we find one of them, Ham, involved in sin, and under his father's curse. And how did " the mystery of iniquity " afterwards work, not only in the posterity of Ham, but in the posterity of Japheth ; yea, and of Shem, — Abraham and his family only excepted ! 6. Yea, how did it work even in the posterity of Abraham ; in God's chosen people ! Were not these also, down to Moses, .to David, to Malachi, to Herod the Great, a faithless and stub born generation, a " sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity," continually forsaking the Lord, and " provoking the Holy One of Israel ?" And yet we have no reason to believe that these were worse than the nations that surrounded them, who were universally swallowed up in all manner of wickednesses well as in damnable idolatries ; not having the God of heaven " in all their thoughts," but working all uncleanness with greediness. 7. In the fulness of time, when iniquity of every kind, when ungodliness and unrighteousness, had spread over all nations, and covered the earth as a flood, it pleased God to lift up a standard against it by "bringing his first-begotten into the world." Now, then, one would expect " the mystery of godli ness " would totally prevail over "the mystery of iniquity;" that the Son of God would be " a light to lighten the Gentiles," as well as " salvation to his people Israel." All Israel, one would think, yea, and all the earth, will soon be filled with the glory of the Lord. Nay : " The mystery of iniquity " prevailed still, well-nigh over the face of the earth. How exceeding small was the number of those whose souls were healed by the Son of God himself ! " When Peter stood up in the midst of them, the num ber of names were about a hundred and twenty." (Acts i. 15.) And even these were but imperfectly healed ; the chief of them being a little before so weak in faith that, though they did not, THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 255 like Peter, forswear their Master, yet " they all forsook him and fled :" A plain proof that the sanctifying " Spirit was not" then " given, because Jesus was not glorified." 8. It was then, when he had " ascended up on high, and led captivity captive," that " the promise of the Father " was ful filled, which they had heard from him. It was then he began to work like himself, showing that " all power was given to him in heaven and earth." " When the day of Pentecost was fully come, suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rush ing mighty wind, and there appeared tongues as of fire ; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." (Acts ii. 1, &c.) In consequence of this, three thousand souls received medicine to heal their sickness, were restored to the favour and the image of God under one sermon of St. Peter's, (ii. 41.) " And the Lord added to them daily," not such as should be saved; a manifest perversion of the text; but "such as were saved." The expression is peculiar; and so indeed is the position of the words, which run thus : " And the Lord added those that were saved daily to the church." First, they " were saved " from the power of sin ; then they " were added " to the assembly of the faithful. 9. In order clearly to see how they were already saved, we need only observe the short account of them which is recorded in the latter part of the second and in the fourth chapter. " They continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers : " That is, they were daily taught by the Apostles, and had all things common, and daily received the Lord's supper, and attended all the pubhc service, (ii. 42.) " And all that believed were together, and had all things common ; and sold their possessions, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." (ii. 44, 45.) And again : " The multitude of them that believed," now greatly increased, " were of one heart and of one soul : Neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own ; but they had all things common." (iv. 32.) And yet again : " Great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked : For as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the Apostles' feet : And distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." (Verses 33 — 35.) 256 SERMON LXI. 10. But here a question will naturally occur : " How came they to act thus, to have all things in common, seeing we do not read of any positive command to do this ?" I answer, There needed no outward command : The command was written on their hearts. It naturally and necessarily resulted from the degree of love which they enjoyed. Observe ! " They were of one heart, and of one soul:" And not so much as one (so the words run) said, (they could not, while their hearts so overflowed with love,) " that any of the things which he possessed was his own." And wheresoever the same cause shall prevail, the same effect will naturally follow. 11. Here was the dawn of the proper gospel day. Here was a proper Christian Church. It was now " the Sun of Righteousness" rose upon the earth, "with healing in his wings." He did now " save his people from their sins :" He "healed all their sickness." He not only taught that religion which is the true " healing of the soul," but effectually planted it in the earth; filling the souls of all that believed in him with righteousness, — gratitude to God, and good-will to man ; attended with a peace that surpassed all understanding, and with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 12. But how soon did " the mystery of iniquity " work again, and obscure the glorious prospect ! It began to work (not openly indeed, but covertly) in two of the Christians, Ananias and Sapphira. " They sold their possession," like the rest, and probably from the same motive; but afterwards, giving place to the devil, and reasoning with flesh and blood, they " kept back part of the price." See the first Christians, that " made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience;" the first that "drew back to perdition;" instead of continuing to "believe to the" final "salvation of the soul!" Mark the first plague which infected the Christian Church ; namely, the love of money ! And will it not be the grand plague in all generations, when ever God shall revive the same work ? O ye believers in Christ, take warning ! Whether you are yet but little children, or young men that are strong in the faith, see the snare; your snare in particular,— that which you will be peculiarly exposed to after you have escaped from gross pollutions. "Love not the world, neither the things of the world ! If any man love the world," whatever he was in times past, " the love of the Father is not " now " in him !" THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 257 13. However, this plague was stayed in the first Christian Church, by instantly cutting off the infected persons. By that signal judgment of God on the first offenders, "great fear came upon all;" (Acts v. 11 ;) so that, for the present at least, not one dared to follow their example. Meantime believers, men full of faith and love, who rejoiced to have all things in common, " were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." (Verse 14.) 14. If we inquire in what manner the " mystery of iniquity," the energy of Satan, began to work again in the Christian Church, we shall find it wrought in quite a different way ; putting on quite another shape : Partiality crept in among the Christian believers. Those by whom the distribution to every one was made had respect of persons ; largely supplying those of their own nation, while the other widows, who were not Hebrews, " were neglected in the daily administration." (Acts vi. 1.) Distribution was not made to them according as every one had need. Here was a manifest breach of brotherly love in the Hebrews ; a sin both against justice and mercy : Seeing the Grecians, as well as the Hebrews, had " sold all they had, and laid the price at the Apostles' feet." See the second plague that broke in upon the Christian Church ! — Partiality ; respect of persons ; too much regard for those of our own side ; and too little for others, though equally worthy. 15. The infection did not stop here, but one evil produced many more. From partiality in the Hebrews, " there arose in the Grecians a murmuring against" them ; not only dis content and resentful thoughts, but words suitable thereto ; unkind expressions, hard speeches, evil-speaking, and back biting, naturally followed. And by the " root of bitterness " thus " springing up," undoubtedly " many were defiled." The Apostles indeed soon found out a means of removing the occasion of this murmuring ; yet so much of the evil root remained, that God saw it needful to use a severer remedy. He let loose the world upon them all ; if haply by their suffer ings, by the spoiling of their goods, by pain, imprisonment, and death itself, he might at once punish and amend them. And persecution, God's last remedy for a backsliding people, had the happy effect for which he intended it. Both the partiality of the Hebrews ceased, and the murmuring of the Grecians : And " then had the Churches rest, and were edified ;" S 2. 258 SERMON LXI. built up in the love of God and one another ; " and, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." (Acts ix. 31.) 16. It seems to have been some time after this, that " the mystery of iniquity " began to work in the form of zeal. Great troubles arose by means of some who zealously contended for circumcision, and the rest of the ceremonial law ; till the Apostles and Elders put an end to the spreading evil, by that final determination, — " It seemed good unto the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things ; that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication." (xv. 28, 29.) Yet was not this evil so thoroughly suppressed, but that it frequently broke out again ; as we learn from various parts of St. Paul's Epistles, particularly that to the Galatians. 17- Nearly allied to this was another grievous evil, which at the same time sprang up in the Church ; — want of mutual forbearance, and, of consequence, anger, strife, contention, variance. One very remarkable instance of this we find in this very chapter. When " Paul said to Barnabas, Let us visit the brethren where we have preached the word, Barnabas deter mined to take with him John;" because he was "his sister's son." " But Paul thought it not good to take him who had deserted them before." And he had certainly reason on his side. But Barnabas resolved to have his own way. Eysvsro ouv Trapof-ua-pLo;, — and there ivas a fit of anger. It does not say, on St. Paul's side : Barnabas only had passion, to supply the want of reason. Accordingly he departed from the work, and went home ; while St. Paul went forward " through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches." (Verse 41.) 18. The very first society of Christians at Rome were not altogether free from this evil leaven. There were " divisions and offences" among them also; (Rom. xvi. 170 although, in general, they seemed to have " walked in love." But how early did " the mystery of iniquity " work, and how powerfully, in the Church at Corinth ! Not only schisms and heresies, animosities, fierce and bitter contentions were among them ; but open, actual sins ; yea, " such fornication as was not named among the Heathens." (1 Cor. v. 1.) Nay, there was need to remind them that "neither adulterers, nor thieves, nor drunkards" could " enter into thc kingdom of heaven." (vi. 9, 10.) And in all St THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 259 Paul's Epistles we meet with abundant proof, that tares grew up with the wheat in all the Churches, and that " the mystery of iniquity" did every where, in a thousand forms, counterwork " the mystery of godliness." 19. When St. James wrote his Epistle, directed more imme diately " to the twelve tribes scattered abroad," to the converted Jews, the tares sown among his wheat had produced a plentiful harvest. That grand pest of Christianity, a faith without works, was spread far and wide ; filling the Church with a " wisdom from beneath," which was " earthly, sensual, devilish," and which gave rise, not only to rash judging and evil speaking, but to " envy, strife, confusion, and every evil work." Indeed, whoever peruses the fourth and fifth chapters of this Epistle, with serious attention, will be inclined to believe, that even in this early period the tares had nigh choked the wheat, and that among most of those to whom St. James wrote, no more than the form of godliness, if so much, was left. 20. St. Peter wrote about the same time " to the strangers," the Christians, "scattered abroad through" all those spacious provinces of "Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia" Minor, " and Bithynia." These, probably, were some of the most eminent Christians that were then in the world. Yet how exceeding far were even these from being " without spot and blemish !" And what grievous tares were here also growing up with the wheat ! Some of them were " bringing in damnable heresies, even deny ing the Lord that bought them :" (2 Pet. ii. 1, &c.:) And " many followed their pernicious ways ;" of whom the Apostle gives that terrible character : " They walk after the flesh," in " the lust of uncleanness, like brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed. Spots they are, and blemishes, while they feast with you ; " (in the " feasts of charity," then celebrated throughout the whole Church ;) " having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, for whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever." And yet these very men were called Christians, and were even then in the bosom of the Church ! Nor does the Apostle mention them as infesting any one particular church only ; but as a general plague, which even then was dispersed far and wide among all the Christians to whom he wrote ! 21. Such is the authentic account of " the mystery of iniquity" working even in the apostolic Churches ! — an account given, 269 SERMON LXI. not by the Jews or Heathens, but by the Apostles themselves. To this we may add the account which is given by the Head and Founder of the Church ; Him " who holds the stars in his right hand;" who is "the faithful and true Witness." We may easily infer what was the state of the Church in general, from the state of the seven Churches in Asia. One of these indeed, the Church of Philadelphia, had " kept his word, and had not denied his name ;" (Rev. iii. 8 ;) the Church of Smyrna was likewise in a flourishing state : But all the rest were cor rupted, more or less; insomuch that many of them were not a jot better than the present race of Christians; and our Lord then threatened, what he has long since performed, to " remove the candlestick" from them. 22. Such was the real state of the Christian Church, even during the first century ; while not only St. John, but most of the Apostles were present with and presided over it. But what a mystery is this, that the All-wise, the All-gracious, the Almighty, should suffer it so to be, not in one only, but, as far as we can learn, in every Christian society, those of Smyrna and Philadelphia excepted ! And how came these to be excepted ? Why were these less corrupted (to go no farther) than the other Churches of Asia ? It seems, because they were less wealthy. The Christians in Philadelphia were not literally " increased in goods," like those in Ephesus or Laodicea ; and if the Chris tians at Smyrna had acquired more wealth, it was swept away by persecution. So that these, having less of this world's goods, retained more of the simplicity and purity of the gospel. 23. But how contrary is this scriptural account of the ancient Christians to the ordinary apprehensions of men ! We have been apt to imagine, that the Primitive Church was all excellence and perfection ; answerable to that strong description which St. Peter cites from Moses : " Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people." And such, with out all doubt, the first Christian Church, which commenced at the day of Pentecost, was. But how soon did the fine gold become dim ! How soon was the wine mixed with water ! How little time elapsed, before the " god of this world" so far regained his empire, that Christians in general were scarce distinguishable from Heathens, save by their opinions and modes of worship ! 24. And if the state of the Church in the very first century was so bad, we cannot suppose it was any better in the second, THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 261 Undoubtedly it grew worse and worse. Tertullian, one of the most eminent Christians of that age, has given us an account of it in various parts of his writings, whence we learn that real, internal religion was hardly found ; nay, that not only the tem pers of the Christians were exactly the same with those of their heathen neighbours, (pride, passion, love of the world, reigning alike in both,) but their lives and manners also. The bearing a faithful testimony against the general corruption of Christians, seems to have raised the outcry against Montanus ; and against Tertullian himself, when he was convinced that the testimony of Montanus was true. As to the heresies fathered upon Mon tanus, it is not easy to find what they were. I believe his grand heresy was, the maintaining that "without" inward and outward "holiness no man shall see the Lord." 25. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, in every respect an unex ceptionable witness, who flourished about the middle of the third century, has left us abundance of letters, in which he gives a large and particular account of the state of religion in his time. In reading this, one would be apt to imagine, he was reading an account of the present century : So totally void of true religion were the generality both of the laity and clergy, so immersed in ambition, envy, covetousness, luxury, and all other vices, that the Christians of Africa were then exactly the same as the Christians of England are now. 26. It is true, that during this whole period, during the first three centuries, there were intermixed longer or shorter seasons wherein true Christianity revived. In those seasons the justice and mercy of God let loose the Heathens upon the Christians. Many of these were then called to resist unto blood. And " the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church." The apos tolic spirit returned; and many "counted not their lives dear unto themselves, so they might finish their course with joy." Many others were reduced to a happy poverty ; and being strip ped of what they had loved too well, they " remembered from whence they were fallen, and repented, and did their first works." 27- Persecution never did, never could, give any lasting wound to genuine Christianity. But the greatest it ever received, the grand blow which was struck at the very root of that humble, gentle, patient love, which is the fulfilling of the Christian law, the whole essence of true religion, was struck in the fourth century by Constantine the Great, when he called himself a 262 SERMON LXI. Christian, and poured in a flood of riches, honours, and power, upon the Christians; more especially upon the Clergy. Then was fulfilled in the Christian Church, what Sallust says of the people of Rome : Sublata imperii eemuld, tion sensim, sed prcecipiti cursu, a virtutibus descitum, ad vitia transcursum.* Just so, when the fear of persecution was removed, and wealth and honour attended the Christian profession, the Christians "did not gradually sink, but rushed headlong into all manner of vices." Then " the mystery of iniquity" was no more hid, but stalked abroad in the face of the sun. Then, not the golden but the iron age of the Church commenced : Then one might truly say, Protinus irrupit vence pejoris in csvum Omne nefas ; f agere pudor, verumque, fidesque, In quorum subitre locum fraudesque, dolique, Jnsidiceque, et vis, et amor sceleratus habendi. At once, in that unhappy age, broke in All wickedness, and every deadly sin : Truth, modesty, and love fled far away, And force, and thirst of gold, claim'd universal sway, 28. And this is the event which most Christian expositors mention with such triumph ! yea, which some of them suppose to be typified in the Revelation, by " the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven !" Rather say, it was the coming of Satan and all his legions from the bottomless pit: Seeing from that very time he hath set up his throne over the face of the whole earth, and reigned over the Christian as well as the Pagan world with hardly any control ! Historians, indeed, tell us, very gravely, of nations, in every century, who were by such and such (Saints without doubt !) converted to Christianity : But still these converts practised all kind of abominations, exactly as they did before ; no way differing, either in their tempers or in their lives, from the nations that were still called Heathens. Such has been the deplorable state of the Christian Church, from the time of Constantine till the Reformation. A Christian nation, a Christian city, (according to the scriptural model,) was nowhere to be seen ; but every city and country, a few individuals excepted, was plunged in all manner of wickedness. 29. Has the case been altered since the Reformation ? Does * Mr. Wesley doubtless quoted from memory ; and this accounts for the slight mistake into which he has here fallen. The passage referred to does not occur in Sallust, but in Velleius Paterculus, and reads thus -.—Remolo Carthaginis metu, sublataque imperii temula, non gradu, sed prcecipiti cursu, a virtute descitum, ad vitia transcursum. Lib. ii. cap. 1.— Edit. THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 263 " the mystery of iniquity " no longer work in thc Church ? No : The Reformation itself has not extended to above one third of the Western Church ; so that two thirds of this remain as they were ; so do the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Churches. They are as full of heathenish, or worse than heathenish, abominations, as ever they were before. And what is the condition of the Re formed Churches ? It is certain that they were reformed in their opinions, as well as their modes of worship. But is hot this all? Were either their tempers or lives reformed ? Not at all. Indeed many of the Reformers themselves complained, that " thc Reformation was not carried far enough." But what did they mean ? Why, that they did not sufficiently reform the rites and ceremonies of the Church. Ye fools and blind ! to fix your whole attention on the circumstantials of religion ! Your complaint ought to have been, the essentials of religion were not carried far enough ! You ought vehemently to have insisted on an entire change of men's tempers and lives ; on their showing they had " the mind that was in Christ," by " walking as he also walked." Without this, how exquisitely trifling was the reformation of opinions and rites and ceremonies ! Now, let any one survey the state of Christianity in the Reformed parts of Switzerland ; in Germany, or France ; in Sweden, Denmark, Holland ; in Great Britain and Ireland. How little are any of these Beformed Chris tians better than heathen nations ! Have they more, (I will not say, communion with God, although there is no Christianity without it,) but have they more justice, mercy, or truth, than thc inhabitants of China, or Indostan ' 0 no ! we must acknow ledge with sorrow and shame, that we are far beneath them ! That we, who by thy Name are named, The Heathens unbaptized out-sin ! 30. Is not this the falling away or apostasy from God, fore told by St. Paul in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians ? (ii. 3.) Indeed, I would not dare to say, with George Fox, that this apostasy was universal ; that there never were any real Christians in the world, from the days of the Apostles till his time. But we may boldly say, that wherever Christianity has spread, the apostasy has spread also ; insomuch that, although there are now, and always have been, individuals who were re;il Christians ; yet the whole world never did, nor can at this day, show a Christian country or city. 264 SERMON LXI. 31. I would now refer it to every man of reflection, who believes the Scriptures to be of God, whether this general apostasy does not imply the necessity of a general reformation ? Without allowing this, how can we possibly justify either the wisdom or goodness of God ? According to Scripture, the Christian religion was designed for " the healing of the nations ;" for the saving from sin by means of the Second Adam, all that were "constituted sinners" by the first. But it does not answer this end : It never did ; unless for a short time at Jeru salem. What can we say, but that if it have not yet, it surely will answer it ? The time is coming, when not only " all Israel shall be saved," but " the fulness of the Gentiles will come in." The time cometh, when "violence shall no more be heard in the earth, wasting or destruction within our borders;" but every city shall call her " walls Salvation, and her gates Praise ;" when the people, saith the Lord, " shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever; the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." (Isa. Ix. 18, 21.) 32. From the preceding considerations we may learn the full answer to one of the grand objections of infidels against Christi anity ; namely, the lives of Christians. Of Christians, do you say ? I doubt whether you ever knew a Christian in your life. When Tomo Chachi, the Indian Chief, keenly replied to those who spoke to him of being a Christian, " Why, these are Christians at Savannah ! These arc Christians at Frederica!" — the proper answer was, " No, they are not; they are no more Christians than you and Sinauky." "But are not these Christians in Canterbury, in London, in Westminster?" No: no more than they are angels. None are Christians, but they that have the mind which was in Christ, and walk as he walked. " Why, if these only are Christians," said an eminent wit, " I never saw a Christian yet." I believe it : You never did ; and, perhaps, you never will ; for you will never find them in the grand or thc gay world. The few Christians that are upon the earth, are only to be found where you never look for them. Never, therefore, urge this objection more : Never object to Christianity thc lives or tempers of Heathens. Though they arc called Christians, the name does not imply the thing : They are as far from this as hell from heaven ! 33. We may learn from hence, Secondly, the extent of the fall, — the astonishing spread of original corruption. What THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 265 among so many thousands, so many millions, is there " none righteous, no, not one?" Not by nature. But including thc grace of God, I will not say with the heathen poet, — Rari quippe boni : numero vix sunt totidem, quol Thebarum ports, vel divitis ostia Nili.* As if he had allowed too much, in supposing there were a hun dred good men in the Roman Empire, he comes to himself, and affirms there are hardly seven. Nay, surely, there were seven thousand ! There were so many long ago in one small nation, where Elijah supposed there were none at all. But, allowing a few exceptions, we are authorized to say, " The whole world lieth in wickedness ;" yea, "in the wicked one," as the words pro perly signify. " Yes, the whole heathen world." Yea, and the Christian too ; (so called ;) for where is the difference, save in a few externals ? See with your own eyes ! Look into that large country, Indostan. There are Christians and Heathens too. Which have more justice, mercy, and truth ? thc Christians or the Heathens ? Which are most corrupt, infernal, devilish, in their tempers and practice ? the English or the Indians ? Which have desolated whole countries, and clogged the rivers with dead bodies ? O sacred name of Christian ! how profaned ! 0 earth, earth, earth ! how dost thou groan under the villanies of thy Christian inhabitants ! 34. From many of the preceding circumstances we may learn, Thirdly, what is the genuine tendency of riches : What a baleful influence they have had, in all ages, upon pure and undefiled religion. Not that money is an evil of itself: It is applicable to good as well as bad purposes. But, nevertheless, it is an undoubted truth, that " the love of money is the root of all evil;" and also, that the possession of riches naturally breeds the love of them. Accordingly, it is an old remark, Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit : " As money increases, so does the love of it ;" and always will, without a miracle of grace. Although, therefore, other causes may concur ; yet this has been, in all ages, the principal cause of the decay of true religion in every Christian community. As * The following is Gilford's translation of this quotation from Juvenal : The good abe few! " the valued file " Scarce pass the gates of Thebes, the mouths of Nile Edit, 266 SERMON LXI. long as the Christians in any place were poor, they were devoted to God. While they had little of the world, they did not love the world ; but the more they had of it, the more they loved it. This constrained the Lover of their souls, at various times, to unchain their persecutors ; who, by reducing them to their former poverty, reduced them to their former purity. But still remember, riches have, in all ages, been the bane of genuine Christianity ! 35. We may learn hence, Fourthly, how great watchfulness they need who desire to be real Christians ; considering what a state the world is in ! May not each of them well say, Into a world of ruffians sent, I walk on hostile ground : Wild human bears, on slaughter bent, And ravening wolves surround ? They are the more dangerous, because they commonly appear in sheep's clothing. Even those who do not pretend to religion, yet make fair professions of good-will, of readiness to serve us, and, perhaps, of truth and honesty. But beware of taking their word ! Trust not any man, until he fears God ! It is a great truth, He that fears no God, can love no friend : Therefore stand upon your guard against every one that is not earnestly seeking to save his soul. AVe have need to keep both our heart and mouth as " with a bridle, while the ungodly are in our sight." Their conversation, their spirit, is infectious, and steals upon us unawares, we know not how. " Happy is the man that feareth always," in this sense also, lest he should partake of other men's sins. O " keep thyself pure !" " Watch and pray, that thou enter not into temptation!" 36. We may learn from hence, Lastly, what thankfulness becomes those who have escaped the corruption that is in the world ; whom God hath chosen out of the world, to be holy and unblamable. " Who is it that maketh thee to differ ?" "And what hast thou which thou hast not received?" Is it not "God" alone "who worketh in thee both to will and to do of his good pleasure ?" " And let those give thanks whom the Lord hath redeemed and delivered from the hand of the enemy." Let us praise him, that he hath given us to see the deplorable state of all that are round about us, to see the wickedness which overflows the earth, and yet not be borne away by the torrent ! THE END OF CHRIST'S COMING. 267 We see the general, the almost universal contagion ; and yet it cannot approach to hurt us ! Thanks be unto Him "who hath delivered us from so great a death, and doth still deliver !" And have we not farther ground for thankfulness, yea, and strong consolation, in the blessed hope which God hath given us, that the time is at hand, when righteousness shall be as universal as unrighteousness is now ? Allowing that " the whole creation now groaneth together " under the sin of man, our comfort is, it will not always groan : God will arise and maintain his own cause ; and the whole creation shall then be delivered both from moral and natural corruption. Sin, and its consequence, pain, shall be no more : Holiness and happiness will cover the earth. Then shall all the ends of the world see the salvation of our God ; and the whole race of mankind shall know, and love, and serve God, and reign with him for ever and ever ! SERMON LXII. THE END OF CHRIST'S COMING. " For this purpose ivas the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" 1 John iii. 8. 1. Many eminent writers, heathen as well as Christian, both in earlier and later ages, have employed their utmost labour and art in painting the beauty of virtue. And the same pains they have taken to describe, in the liveliest colours, the deformity of vice ; both of vice in general, and of those particular vices which were most prevalent in their respective ages and coun tries. With equal care they have placed in a strong light the happiness that attends virtue, and the misery which usually accompanies vice, and alway«s follows it. And it may be acknowledged, that treatises of this kind are not wholly without their use. Probably hereby some, on the one hand, have been stirred up to desire and follow after virtue ; and some, on the other hand, checked in their career of vice, — perhaps reclaimed from it, at least for a season. But the change effected in men 268 SERMON LXIT. by these means is seldom either deep or universal : Much less is it durable; in a little space it vanishes away as the morning cloud. Such motives are far too feeble to overcome the numberless temptations that surround us. All that can be said of the beauty and advantage of virtue, and the deformity and ill effects of vice, cannot resist, and much less overcome and heal, one irregular appetite or passion. All these fences and their whole array, One cunning bosom-sin sweeps quite away. 2. There is, therefore, an absolute necessity, if ever we would conquer vice, or steadily persevere in the practice of virtue, to have arms of a better kind than these; otherwise, we may see what is right, but we cannot attain it. Many of the men of reflection among the very Heathens were deeply sensible of this. The language of their heart was that of Medea : — Video meliora, proboque ; Deieriora sequor : How exactly agreeing with the words of the Apostle : (Person ating a man convinced of sin, but not yet conquering it : ) " The good that I would, I do not ; but the evil I would not, that I do !" The impotence of the human mind, even thc Roman philosopher could discover : " There is in every man," says he, " this weakness ;" (he might have said, this sore disease ;) "gloria; sitis, — thirst for glory. Nature points out the disease ; but nature shows us no remedy." 3. Nor is it strange, that though they sought for a remedy, yet they found none. For they sought it where it never was and never will be found, namely, in themselves ; in reason, in philosophy : Broken reeds, bubbles, smoke ! They did not seek it in God, in whom alone it is possible to find it. In God ! No ; they totally disclaim this ; and that in the strongest terms. For although Cicero, one of their oracles, once stumbled upon that strange truth, Nemo unquam vir magnus sine afflatu divino fuit, — " There never was any great man who was not divinely inspired;" yet in the very same tract he contradicts himself, and totally overthrows his own assertion, by asking, Quis pro virtute aut sapientia gratias dedit Deis unquam ? — " Who ever returned thanks to God for his virtue or wisdom ?'"' The Roman poet v., if possible, more express still; who, after mentioning several outward blessings, honestly adds, — the end of Christ's coming. '269 Hcec satis est orare Jovein, qui donat et aufert ; Det vitam, del opes ; cequum mi animum ipse purabo. We ask of God, what he can give or take, — Life, wealth ; but virtuous I myself will make. 4. The best of them either sought virtue partly from God and partly from themselves, or sought it from those gods who were indeed but devils, and so not likely to make their votaries better than themselves. So dim was the light of the wisest of men, till " life and immortality were brought to light by the gospel;" till "the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil ! " But what are " the works of the devil," here mentioned ? How was " the Son of God manifested" to destroy them ? And how, in what manner, and by what steps, does he actually " destroy" them ? These three very important points we may consider in their order. I. 1. And, First, what these works of the devil are, we learn from the words preceding and following the text : " We know that he was manifested to take away our sins." (Verse 5.) " Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not : Whosoever sinneth, seeth him not, neither knoweth him." (Verse 6.) " He that committeth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." (Verse 8.) " Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." (Verse 9.) From the whole of this it appears, that " the works of the devil," here spoken of, are sin, and the fruits of sin. •2. But since the wisdom of God has now dissipated the clouds which so long covered the earth, and put an end to the childish conjectures of men concerning these things, it may be of use to take a more distinct view of these " works of the devil," so fat- as the oracles of God instruct us. It is true, the design of the Holy Spirit was to assist our faith, not gratify our curiosity ; and therefore the account he has given in the first chapters of Genesis is exceeding short. Nevertheless, it is so clear that we may learn therefrom whatsoever it concerns us to know. 3. To take the matter from the beginning : "The Lord God" (literally, Jehovah, the Gods ; that is, One and Three) " cre ated man in his own image ;" — in his own natural image, as to his better part ; that is, a spirit, as God is a spirit ; endued with understanding ; which, if not the essence, seems to be the most 270 SERMON lxii. essential property, of a spirit. And probably the human spirit, like the angelical, then discerned truth by intuition. Hence he named every creature, as soon as he saw it, according to its inmost nature. Yet his knowledge was limited, as he was a creature : Ignorance, therefore, was inseparable from him ; but error was not ; it does not appear that he was mistaken in any thing. But he was capable of mistaking, of being deceived, although not necessitated to it. 4. He was endued also with a will, with various affections ; (which are only the will exerting itself various ways ;) that he might love, desire, and delight in that which is good : Other wise, his understanding had been to no purpose. He was like wise endued with liberty; a power of choosing what was good, and refusing what was not so. Without this, both the will and the understanding would have been utterly useless. Indeed, without liberty, man had been so far from being a free agent, that he could have been no agent at all. For every unfree being is purely passive ; not active in any degree. Have you a sword in your hand ? Does a man, stronger than you, seize your hand, and force you to wound a third person ? In this you are no agent, any more than the sword : The hand is as passive as the steel. So in every possible case. He that is not free is not an agent, but a patient. 5. It seems, therefore, that every spirit in the universe, as such, is endued with understanding, and, in consequence, with a will, and with a measure of liberty ; and that these three are inseparably united in every intelligent nature. And observe : Liberty necessitated, or over-ruled, is really no liberty at all. It is a contradiction in terms. It is the same as unfree freedom ; that is, downright nonsense. 6. It may be farther observed, (and it is an important obser vation,) that where there is no liberty, there can be no moral good or evil, no virtue or vice. The fire warms us ; yet it is not capable of virtue : It burns us ; yet this is no vice. There is no virtue, but where an intelligent being knows, loves, and chooses what is good ; nor is there any vice, but where such a being knows, loves, and chooses what is evil. 7- And God created man, not only in his natural, but likewise in his own moral, image. He created him not only " in know ledge," but also in righteousness and true holiness. As his understanding was without blemish, perfect in its kind ; so were THE END OF CHRIST'S COMING. 271 all his affections. They were all set right, and duly exercised on their proper objects. And as a free agent, he steadily chose whatever was good, according to the direction of his under standing. In so doing, he was unspeakably happy ; dwelling in God, and God in him ; having an uninterrupted fellowship with the Father and the Son, through the eternal Spirit ; and the continual testimony of his conscience, that all his ways were good and acceptable to God. 8. Yet his liberty (as was observed before) necessarily included a power of choosing or refusing either good or evil. Indeed it has been doubted whether man could then choose evil, knowing it to be such. But it cannot be doubted, he might mistake evil for good. He was not infallible ; therefore not impeccable. And this unravels the whole difficulty of the grand question, Unde malum ? " How came evil into the world ?" It came from " Lucifer, son of the morning." It was the work of the devil. " For the devil," saith the Apostle, " sinneth from the beginning;" that is, was the first sinner in thc universe, the author of sin, the first being who, by the abuse of his liberty, introduced evil into the creation. Pie, Of the first, If not the first archangel, was self-tempted to think too highly of himself. He freely yielded to the temptation ; and gave way, first to pride, then to self-will. He said, " I will sit upon the sides of the north : I will be like the Most High." He did not fall alone, but soon drew after him a third part of the stars of heaven ; in consequence of which they lost their glory and happiness, and were driven from their former habitation. 9. " Having great wrath," and perhaps envy, at the happi ness of the creatures whom God had newly created, it is not strange that he should desire and endeavour to deprive them of it. In order to this, he concealed himself in the serpent, who was the most subtile, or intelligent, of all the brute creatures ; and, on that account, the least liable to raise suspicion. Indeed, some have (not improbably) supposed that the serpent was then endued with reason and speech. Had not Eve known he was so, would she have admitted any parley with him ? Would she not have been frightened rather than deceived ? as the Apostle observes she was. To deceive her, Satan mingled truth with 272 SERMON LXII. falsehood :— " Hath God said, Ye may not eat of every tree of the garden?" — and soon after persuaded her to disbelieve God, to suppose his threatening should not be fulfilled. She then lay open to the whole temptation: — To " the desire of the flesh;" for the tree was "good for food:" To "the desire of the eyes ;" for it was " pleasant to the eyes :" And to " the pride of life ;" for it was " to be desired to make one wise," and consequently honoured. So unbelief begot pride : She thought herself wiser than God; capable of finding a better way to happiness than God had taught her. It begot self-will : She was determined to do her own will, not the will of Him that made her. It begot foolish desires ; and completed all by outward sin : " She took of the fruit, and did eat." 10. She then " gave to her husband, and he did eat." And in that day, yea, that moment, he died! The life of God was extinguished in his soul. The glory departed from him. He lost the whole moral image of God, — righteousness and true holiness. He was unholy ; he was unhappy ; he was full of sin ; full of guilt and tormenting fears. Being broke off from God, and looking upon him now as an angry Judge, " he was afraid." But how was his understanding darkened, to think he could " hide himself from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden !" Thus was his soul utterly dead to God ! And in that day his body likewise began to die, — became obnoxious to weakness, sickness, pain ; all preparatory to the death of the body, which naturally led to eternal death. II. Such are " the works of the devil;" sin and its fruits; considered in their order and connexion. We are, in the Second place, to consider how the Son of God was manifested in order to destroy them. 1. He was manifested as the only-begotten Son of God, in glory equal with the Father, to the inhabitants of heaven before and at the foundation of the world. These " morning stars sang together," all these " sons of God shouted for joy," when they heard him pronounce, " Let there be light ; and there was light ;" — when he " spread the north over the empty space," and " stretched out the heavens as a curtain." Indeed, it was the universal belief of the ancient Church, that God the Father none hath seen, nor can see ; that from all eternity He hath dwelt in light unapproachable ; and it is only in and by the Son of his love that he hath, at any time, revealed himself to his creatures. THE END OF CHRIST'S COMING. 273 2. How the Son of God was manifested to our first parents in paradise it is not easy to determine. It is generally, and not improbably, supposed that he appeared to them in the form of a man, and conversed with them face to face. Not that I can at all believe the ingenious dream of Dr. Watts concerning " the glorious humanity of Christ," which he supposes to have existed before the world began, and to have been endued with I know not what astonishing powers. Nay, I look upon this to be an exceeding dangerous, yea, mischievous hypothesis ; as it quite excludes the force of very many scriptures which have been hitherto thought to prove the Godhead of the Son. And I am afraid it was the grand means of turning that great man aside from the faith once delivered to the saints ; — that is, if he was turned aside ; if that beautiful soliloquy be genuine which is printed among his Posthumous Works, wherein he so earnestly beseeches the Son of God not to be displeased because he can not believe him to be co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. 3. May we not reasonably believe it was by similar appear ances that He was manifested, in succeeding ages, to Enoch, while he "walked with God; "to Noah, before and after the deluge ; to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on various occasions ; and, to mention no more, to Moses? This seems to be the natural meaning of the word : " My servant Moses is faithful in all my house. — With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches ; and the similitude of Jehovah shall he behold ;" namely, the Son of God. 4. But all these were only types of his grand manifestation. It was in the fulness of time (in just the middle age of the world, as a great man largely proves) that God " brought his first-begotten into the world, made of a woman," by the power of the Highest overshadowing her. He was afterwards mani fested to the shepherds ; to devout Simeon ; to Anna, the Pro phetess ; and to " all that waited for redemption in Jerusalem." 5. When he was of due age for executing his priestly office, he was manifested to Israel ; preaching the gospel of the king dom of God in every town and in every city. And for a time he was glorified by all, who acknowledged that he " spake as never man spake ; " that " he spake as one having authority," with all the wisdom of God and the power of God. He was manifested by numberless " signs, and wonders, and mighty works which he did," as well as by his whole life ; being the T 2. 274 SERMON LXII. only one born of a woman " who knew no sin," who, from his birth to his death, did " all things well ; " doing continually " not his own will, but the will of Him that sent him." 6. After all, " behold the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world ! " This was a more glorious manifestation of him self than any he had made before. How wonderfully was he manifested to angels and men, when he "was wounded for our transgressions ;" when he " bore all our sins in his own body on the tree;" when, having "by that one oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world," he cried out, " It is finished ; and bowed his head, and gave up the ghost !" We need but just mention those farther manifestations, — his resurrection from the dead ; his ascension into heaven, into the glory which he had before the world began ; and his pouring out the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost ; both of which are beautifully described in those well-known words of the Psalmist : " Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and hast received gifts for men ; yea, even for thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among" or in "them." 7 " That the Lord God might dwell in them :" This refers to a yet farther manifestation of the Son of God ; even his inward manifestation of himself. When he spoke of this to his Apostles but a little before his death, one of them immediately asked, •• Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world ?" By enabling us to believe in his name. For he is then inwardly manifested to us when we are enabled to say with confidence, " My Lord, and my God !" Then each of us can boldly say, " The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'- And it is by thus manifesting himself in our hearts that he effectually " destroys the works of the devil." III. 1. How he does this, in what manner, and by what steps, he does actually destroy them, we are now to consider. And, First, as Satan began his first work in Eve by tainting her with unbelief, so the Son of God begins his work in man by enabling us to believe in him. He both opens and enlightens the eyes of our understanding. Out of darkness he commands light to shine, and takes away the veil which the " god of this world ' had spread over our hearts. And we then see not by a chain of reasoning, but by a kind of intuition, by a direct view, THE END OF CHRIST'S COMING. 275 that " God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their former trespasses;" not imputing them to me. In that day " we know that we are of God," children of God by faith ; " having redemption through the blood of Christ, even the forgiveness of sins." " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" — that peace which enables us in every state therewith to be content ; which delivers us from all perplexing doubts, from all tormenting fears ; and, in particular, from that " fear of death whereby we were all our life-time subject to bondage." 2. At the same time the Son of God strikes at the root of that grand work of the devil, — pride ; causing the sinner to humble himself before the Lord, to abhor himself, as it were, in dust and ashes. He strikes at the root of self-will ; enabling the humbled sinner to say in all things, " Not as I will, but as thou wilt." He destroys the love of the world ; delivering them that believe in him from "every foolish and hurtful desire ;" from the " desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life." He saves them from seeking, or expecting to find, happiness in any creature. As Satan turned the heart of man from the Creator to the creature ; so the Son of God turns his heart back again from the creature to the Creator. Thus it is, by manifesting himself, he destroys the works of the devil; restoring the guilty outcast from God, to his favour, to pardon and peace ; the sinner in whom dwelleth no good thing, to love and holiness; the burdened, miserable sinner, to joy unspeak able, to real, substantial happiness. 3. But it may be observed, that the Son of God does not destroy the whole work of the devil in man, as long as he remains in this life. He does not yet destroy bodily weakness, sickness, pain, and a thousand infirmities incident to flesh and blood. He does not destroy all that weakness of understanding, which is the natural consequence of the soul's dwelling in a corruptible body ; so that still, Humanum est errare et nescire : " Both ignorance and error belong to humanity." He entrusts us with only au exceeding small share of knowledge, in our present state ; lest our knowledge should interfere with our humility, and we should again affect to be as gods. It is to remove from us all temptation to pride, and all thought of independency, T 2 276 SERMON LXII. (which is the very thing that men in general so earnestly covet under the name of liberty, ) that he leaves us encompassed with all these infirmities, particularly weakness of understanding; till the sentence takes place, " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return ! " 4. Then error, pain, and all bodily infirmities cease : All these are destroyed by death. And death itself, " the last enemy " of man, shall be destroyed at the resurrection. The moment that we hear the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, " then shall be fulfilled the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." " This corruptible " body "shall put on incorruption; this mortal" body "shall put on immortality;" and the Son of God, manifested in the clouds of heaven, shall destroy this last work of the devil ! 5. Here then we see in the clearest, strongest light, what is real religion : A restoration of man by Him that bruises the serpent's head, to all that the old serpent deprived him of; a restoration, not only to the favour but likewise to the image of God, implying not barely deliverance from sin, but the being filled with the fulness of God. It is plain, if we attend to the preceding considerations, that nothing short of this is Christian religion. Every thing else, whether negative or external, is utterly wide of the mark. But what a paradox is this ! How little is it understood in the Christian world ; yea, in this enlightened age, wherein it is taken for granted, the world is wiser than ever it was from the beginning ! Among all our dis coveries, who has discovered this ? How few either among the learned or unlearned ! And yet, if we believe the Bible, who can deny it? Who can doubt of it? It runs through the Bible from the beginning to the end, in one connected chain ; and the agreement of every part of it, with every other, is, properly, the analogy of faith. Beware of taking any thing else, or any thing less than this, for religion ! Not any thing else : Do not imagine an outward form, a round of duties, both in public and private, is religion ! Do not suppose that honesty, justice, and whatever is called morality, (though excellent in its place,) is religion ! And least of all dream that orthodoxy, right opinion, (vulgarly called faith,) is religion. Of all religious dreams, this is the vainest ; which takes hay and stubble for gold tried in the fire ! 6. O do not take any thing less than this for the religion THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 277 of Jesus Christ ! Do not take part of it for the whole ! What God hath joined together, put not asunder ! Take no less for his religion, than the " faith that worketh by love ;" all inward and outward holiness. Be not content with any religion which does not imply the destruction of all the works of the devil ; that is, of all sin. We know, weakness of understanding, and a thousand infirmities, will remain, while this corruptible body remains ; but sin need not remain : This is that work of the devil, eminently so called, which the Son of God was manifested to destroy in this present life. He is able, he is willing, to destroy it now, in all that believe in him. Only be not strait ened in your own bowels ! Do not distrust his power, or his love ! Put his promise to the proof! He hath spoken : And is he not ready likewise to perform ? Only " come boldly to the throne of grace," trusting in his mercy ; and you shall find, " He saveth to the uttermost all those that come to God +hrough him ! " SERMON LXIII. THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. " The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Isaiah xi. 9. 1. In what a condition is the world at present ! How docs darkness, intellectual darkness, ignorance, with vice and misery •attendant upon it, cover the face of the earth ! From the accu rate inquiry made with indefatigable pains by our ingenious countryman, Mr. Brerewood ; (who travelled himself over a great part of the known world, in order to form the more exact judg ment;) supposing the world to be divided into thirty parts, nineteen of them are professed Heathens, altogether as ignorant of Christ, as if he had never come into the world : Six of the remaining parts are professed Mahometans : So that only five in thirty are so much as nominally Christians ! 2. And let it be remembered, that since this computation was made, many new nations have been discovered; numberless 278 SERMON LXIII. islands, particularly in the South Sea, large and well inhabited .-. But by whom ? By Heathens of the basest sort ; many of them inferior to the beasts of the field. Whether they eat men or no, (which indeed I cannot find any sufficient ground to believe,) they certainly kill all that fall into their hands. They are, therefore, more savage than lions ; who kill no more creatures than are necessary to satisfy their present hunger. See the real dignity of human nature ! Here it appears in its genuine purity, not polluted either by those " general corrupters, kings," or by the least tincture of religion ! What will Abbe Raynal (that determined enemy to monarchy and revelation) say to this ? 3. A little, and but a little, above the Heathens in religion, are the Mahometans. But how far and wide has this miserable delusion spread over the face of the earth ! Insomuch that the Mahometans are considerably more in number (as six to five) than Christians. And by all the accounts which have any pretence to authenticity, these are also, in general, as utter strangers to all true religion as their four-footed brethren; as void of mercy as lions and tigers ; as much given up to brutal lusts as bulls or goats : So that they are in truth a disgrace to human nature, and a plague to all that are under the iron yoke. 4. It is true, a celebrated writer (Lady Mary Wortley Montague) gives a very different character of them. With the finest flow of words, in the most elegant language, she labours to wash the YEthiop white. She represents them as many degrees above the Christians ; as some of the most amiable people in the world ; as possessed of all the social virtues ; as some of the most accomplished of men. But I can in no wise receive her report : I cannot rely upon her authority. I believe those round about her had just as much religion as their admirer had when she was admitted into the interior parts of the Grand Seignior's seraglio. Notwithstanding, therefore, all that such a witness docs or can say in their favour, I believe the Turks in general are little, if at all, better than the generality of the Heathens. 5. And little, if at all, better than the Turks, are the Chris tians in the Turkish dominions ; even the best of them ; those that live in the Morea, or are scattered up and down in Asia. The more numerous bodies of Georgian, Circassian, Men°-re- lian Christians, are a proverb of reproach to the Turks them selves ; not only for their deplorable ignorance, but for thcir- total, stupid, barbarous irreligion. THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 279 6. From the most authentic accounts we can obtain of the Southern Christians, those in Abyssinia, and of the Northern Churches, under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow, we have reason to fear they are much in the same condition, both with regard to knowledge and religion, as those in Turkey. Or if those in Abyssinia are more civilized, and have a larger share of knowledge, yet they do not appear to have any more religion than either the Mahometans or Pagans. 7- The Western Churches seem to have the pre-eminence over all these in many respects. They have abundantly more knowledge: They have more scriptural and more rational modes of worship. Yet two thirds of them are still involved in the corruptions of the Church of Rome; and most of these are entirely unacquainted with either the theory or practice of religion. And as to those who are called Protestants, or Reformed, what acquaintance with it have they ? Put Papists and Protestants, French and English together, the bulk of one and of the other nation ; and what manner of Christians are they ? Are they " holy as He that hath called them is holy ?" Are they filled with "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost?" Is there "that mind in them which was also in Christ Jesus?" And do they "walk as Christ also walked ?" Nay, they are as far from it as hell is from heaven ! 8. Such is the present state of mankind in all parts of tbe world ! But how astonishing is this, if there is a God in heaven, and if his eyes are over all the earth ! Can he despise the work of his own hand ? Surely this is one of the greatest mysteries under heaven ! How is it possible to reconcile this with either the wisdom or goodness of God ? And what can give ease to a thoughtful mind under so melancholy a prospect? What but the consideration, that things will not always be so ; that another scene will soon be opened ? God will be jealous of his honour : He will arise and maintain his own cause. He will judge the prince of this world, and spoil him of his usurped dominion. He will give his Son " the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for bis possession." " The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." The loving knowledge of God, producing uniform, uninterrupted holiness and happiness, shall cover the earth ; shall fill every soul of man. 9- " Impossible," will some men say, " yea, the greatest 280 SERAI ON LXIII. of all impossibilities, that we should see a Christian world ; yea, a Christian nation, or city ! How can these things be ?" On one supposition, indeed, not only all impossibility, but all difficulty vanishes away. Only suppose the Almighty to act irresistibly, and the thing is done ; yea, with just the same ease as when " God said, Let there be light ; and there was light." But then, man would be man no longer : His inmost nature would be changed. He would no longer be a moral agent, any more than the sun or the wind ; as he would no longer be endued with liberty, — a power of choosing, or self-determination : Conse quently, he would no longer be capable of virtue or vice, of reward or punishment. 10. But setting aside this clumsy way of cutting the knot which we are not able to untie, how can all men be made holy and happy, while they continue men? while they still enjoy both the understanding, the affections, and the liberty which are essential to a moral agent ? There seems to be a plain, simple way of removing this difficulty, without entangling ourselves in any subtile, metaphysical disquisitions. As God is One, so the work of God is uniform in all ages. May we not then conceive how he will work on the souls of men in times to come, by considering how he does work now, and how he has wrought in times past ? 11. Take one instance of this, and such an instance as you cannot easily be deceived in. You know how God wrought in your own soul, when he first enabled you to say, " The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." He did not take away your understanding ; but enlightened and strengthened it. He did not destroy any of your affections; rather they were more vigorous than before. Least of all did he take away your liberty ; your power of choosing good or evil: He did not force you; but, beinf assisted by his grace, you, like Mary, chose the better part. Just so has he assisted five in one house to make that happy choice ; fifty or five hundred in one city ; and many thousands in a nation; — without depriving any of them of that liberty which is essential to a moral agent. 12. Not that I deny, that there are exempt cases, wherein The' o'erwhelming power of saving grace does, for a time, work as irresistibly as lightning falling from THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 281 heaven. But I speak of God's general manner of working, of which I have known innumerable instances ; perhaps more within fifty years last past, than any one in England or in Europe. And with regard even to these exempt cases ; although God does work irresistibly for the time, yet I do not believe there is any human soul in which God works irresistibly at all times. Nay, I am fully persuaded there is not. I am persuaded, there are no men living that have not many times " resisted the Holy Ghost," and made void " the counsel of God against themselves." Yea, I am persuaded every child of God has had, at some time, " life and death set before him," eternal life and eternal death ; and has in himself the casting voice. So true is that well-known saying of St. Austin, (one of the noblest he ever uttered,) Qui fecit nos sine nobis, non salvabit nos sine nobis : " He that made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves." Now in the same manner as God has converted so many to himself without destroying their liberty, he can undoubtedly convert whole nations, or the whole world ; and it is as easy to him to convert a world, as one individual soul. 13. Let us observe what God has done already. Between fifty and sixty years ago, God raised up a few young men, in the University of Oxford, to testify those grand truths, which were then little attended to : — That without holiness no man shall see the Lord ; — that this holiness is the work of God, who worketh in us both to will and to do ; — that he doeth it of his own good pleasure, merely for the merits of Christ ; — that this holiness is the mind that was in Christ ; enabling us to walk as he also walked ; — that no man can be thus sanctified till he be justified ; — and, that we are justified by faith alone. These great truths they declared on all occasions, in private and in public; having no design but to promote the glory of God, and no desire but to save souls from death. 14. From Oxford, where it first appeared, the little leaven spread wider and wider. More and more saw the truth as it is in Jesus, and received it in the love thereof. More and more found " redemption through the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins." They were born again of his Spirit, and filled with righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It afterwards spread to every part of the land, and a little one became a thousand. It then spread into North Britain and 282 ^ SERMON LX1II. Ireland ; and a few years after into New-York, Pennsylvania^ and many other provinces in America, even as high as Newfound land and Nova-Scotia. So that, although at first this " grain of mustard-seed" was " the least of all the seeds ;" yet, in a few years, it grew into a " large tree, and put forth great branches." 15. Generally, when these truths, justification by faith in particular, were declared in any large town, after a few days or weeks, there came suddenly on the great congregation, — not in a corner, at London, Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in particular, — a violent and impetuous power, which, Like mighty winds or torrents fierce, Did then opposers all o'er-run. And this frequently continued, with shorter or longer intervals,. for several weeks or months. But it gradually subsided, and then the work of God was carried on by gentle degrees ; while that Spirit, in watering the seed that had been sown, in confirming and strengthening them that had believed, Deign'd his influence to infuse, Secret, refreshing as the silent dews. And this difference in his usual manner of working was observ able not only in Great Britain and Ireland, but in every part of America, from South to North, wherever the word of God came with power. 1 6. Is it not then highly probable, that God will carry on his work in the same manner as he has begun ? That he will carry it on, I cannot doubt ; however Luther may affirm, that a. revival of religion never lasts above a generation, — that is, thirty years; (whereas the present revival has already continued above fifty;) or however prophets of evil may say, " All will be at an end when the first instruments are removed." There will then, very probably, be a great shaking ; but I cannot induce myself to think that God has wrought so glorious a work, to let it sink and die away in a few years. No : I trust, this is only the beginning of a far greater work ; the dawn of " the latter day glory." 17- And is it not probable, I say, that he will carry it on in the same manner as he has begun ? At the first breaking out of this work in this or that place, there may be a shower, a torrent of grace ; and so at some other particular seasons, which " the Father has reserved in his own power : " But in general, it THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 283 seems, the kingdom of God will not " come with observation ; " but will silently increase, wherever it is set up, and spread from heart to heart, from house to bouse, from town to town, from one kingdom to another. May it not spread, first, through the remaining provinces ; then, through the isles of North America ; and, at the same time, from England to Holland, where there is already a blessed work in Utrecht, Haerlem, and many other cities ? Probably it will spread from these to the Protestants in France, to those in Germany, and those in Switzerland ; then to Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and all the other Protestant nations in Europe. 18. May we not suppose that the same leaven of pure and undefiled religion, of the experimental knowledge and love of God, of inward and outward holiness, will afterwards spread to the Roman Catholics in Great Britain, Ireland, Holland ; in Germany, France, Switzerland ; and in all other countries where Romanists and Protestants live intermixed and familiarly converse with each other ? Will it not then be easy for the wisdom of God to make a way for religion, in the life and power thereof, into those countries that are merely Popish ; as Italy, Spain, Portugal ? And may it not be gradually diffused from thence to all that name the name of Christ, in the various provinces of Turkey, in Abyssinia, yea, and in the remotest parts, not only of Europe, but of Asia, Africa, and America? 19- And in every nation under heaven, we may reasonably believe, God will observe the same order which he hath done- from the beginning of Christianity. " They shall all know me, saith the Lord ;" not from the greatest to the least ; (this is that wisdom of the world which is foolishness with God ;) but, " from the least to the greatest;" that the praise may not be of men, but of God. Before the end, even the rich shall enter into th kingdom of God. Together with them will enter in the great, the noble, the honourable ; yea, the rulers, the princes, the kings of the earth. Last of all, the wise and learned, the men of genius, the philosophers, will be convinced that they are fools ; will be " converted, and become as little children," and " enter into the kingdom of God." 20. Then shall be fully accomplished to the house of Israel, the spiritual Israel, of whatever people or nation, that gracious promise, " I will put my laws in their minds, and write them in their hearts : And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to. 284 SERMON LXIII. me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neigh bour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord : For they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Then shall " the times of" universal "refreshment come from the presence of the Lord." The grand "Pentecost" shall "fully come," and " devout men in every nation under heaven," however distant in place from each other, shall " all be filled with the Holy Ghost ;" and they will " continue steadfast in the Apostles' doctrine, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers ;" they will " eat their meat," and do all that they have to do, " with gladness and singleness of heart. Great grace will be upon them all;" and they will be "all of one heart and of one soul." The natural, necessary conse quence of this will be the same as it was in the beginning of the Christian Church : " None of them will say, that aught of the things which he possesses is his own ; but they will have all things common. Neither will there be any among them that want : For as many as are possessed of lands or houses will sell them ; and distribution will be made to every man, according as he has need." All their desires, meantime, and passions, and tempers, will be cast in one mould ; while all are doing the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven. All their " conversa tion will be seasoned with salt," and will " minister grace to the hearers ; " seeing it will not be so much they that speak, " as the Spirit of their Father that speaketh in them." And there will be no " root of bitterness springing up," either to defile or trouble them : There will be no Ananias or Sapphira, to bring back the cursed love of money among them : There will be no partiality; no "widows neglected in the daily ministration :" Consequently, there will be no temptation to any murmuring thought, or unkind word, of one against another ; while, They all are of one heart and soul, And only love informs the whole. 21. The grand stumbling-block being thus happily removed out of the way, namely, the lives of the Christians, the Maho metans will look upon tiiem with other eyes, and begin to give attention to their words. And as their words will be clothed with divine energy, attended with the demonstration of the Spirit THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 285 and of power, those of them that fear God will soon take know ledge of the Spirit whereby the Christians speak. They will "receive with meekness the engrafted word," and will bring forth fruit with patience. From them the leaven will soon spread to those who, till then, had no fear of God before their eyes. Observing the Christian dogs, as they used to term them, to have changed their nature ; to be sober, temperate, just, benevolent ; and that, in spite of all provocations to the contrary; from admiring their lives, they will surely be led to consider and embrace their doctrine. And then the Saviour of sinners will say, " The hour is come ; I will glorify my Father : I will seek and save the sheep that were wandering on the dark mountains. Now will I avenge myself of my enemy, and pluck the prey out of the lion's teeth. I will resume my own, for ages lost: I will claim the purchase of my blood." So he will go forth in the greatness of his strength, and all his enemies shall flee before him. All the prophets of lies shall vanish away, and all the nations that had followed them shall acknowledge the great Prophet of the Lord, "mighty in word and deed;" and "shall honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." 22. And then, the grand stumbling-block being removed from the heathen nations also, the same Spirit will be poured out upon them ; even those that remain in the uttermost parts of the sea. The poor American savage will no more ask, " What are the Christians better than us?" — when they see their steady practice of universal temperance, and of justice, mercy, and truth. The Malabarian Heathen will have no more room to say, " Christian man take my wife : Christian man much drunk : Christian man kill man! Devil-Christian! me no Christian.7 Rather, seeing how far the Christians exceed their own country men in whatsoever things are lovely and of good report, they will adopt a very different language, and say, Angel-Christian ! The holy lives of the Christians will be an argument they will not know how to resist : Seeing the Christians steadily and uniformly practise what is agreeable to the law written in their own hearts, their prejudices will quickly die away, and they will gladly receive " the truth as it is in Jesus." 23. We may reasonably believe, that the heathen nations which are mingled with the Christians, and those that, bordering upon Christian nations, have constant and familiar intercourse with them, will be some of the first who learn to worship God 286 SERMON IXI1I. in spirit and in truth ; those, for instance, that live on the con tinent of America, or in the islands that have received colonies from Europe. Such are likewise all those inhabitants of the East Indies that adjoin to any of the Christian settlements. To these may be added, numerous tribes of Tartars, the heathen parts of the Russias, and the inhabitants of Norway, Finland, and Lapland. Probably these will be followed by those more distant nations with whom the Christians trade ; to whom they will impart what is of infinitely more value than earthly pearls, or gold and silver. The God of love will then prepare his messengers, and make a way into the polar regions ; into the deepest recesses of America, and into the interior parts of Africa ; yea, into the heart of China and Japan, with the countries adjoining them. And " their sound" will then " go forth into all lands, and their voice to the ends of the earth !" 24. But one considerable difficulty still remains: There are very many heathen nations in the world that have no inter course, either by trade or any other means, with Christians of any kind. Such are the inhabitants of the numerous islands in the South Sea, and probably in all large branches of the ocean. Now, what shall be done for these poor outcasts of men ? " How shall they believe," saith the Apostle, " in Him of whom they have not heard ? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" You may add, "And how shall they preach, unless they be sent?" Yea, but is not God able to send them ? Cannot he raise them up, as it were, out of the stones ? And can he ever want means of sending them ? No : Were there no other means, he can " take them by his Spirit," as he did Ezekiel, (iii. 12,) or by his angel, as he did Philip, (Acts viii.,) and set them down wheresoever it pleaseth him. Yea, he can find out a thousand ways to foolish man unknown. And he surely will : For heaven and earth may pass away ; but his word shall not pass away : He will give his Son " tbe uttermost parts of the earth for his possession.'' 25. And so all Israel too shall be saved. For " blindness has happened to Israel," as the great Apostle observes, (Rom. xi. 25, &c.,) till the fulness of the " Gentiles be come in." Then " the Deliverer that cometh out of Sion shall turn away iniquity from Jacob." " God hath now concluded them all in unbelief, that he may have mercy upon all." Yea, and he will so have mercy upon all Israel, as to give them all temporal with ail THE GENERAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 287 ¦spiritual blessings. For this is the promise : " For the Lord thy God will gather thee from all nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul." (Deut. xxx. 3, &c.) Again : " I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them : And I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely : And I will give them one heart, and one way, thai they may fear me for ever. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. And I will plant them in this land assuredly, with my whole heart and with my whole soul." (Jer. xxxii. 37, &c.) Yet again : " I will take you from among the Heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : From all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers ; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezek. xxxvi. 24, &c.) 26. At that time will be accomplished all those glorious pro mises made to the Christian Church, which will not then be confined to this or that nation, but will include all the inhabit ants of the earth. " They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain." (Isaiah xi. 9.) " Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders ; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." Thou shalt be encompassed on every side with salvation, and all that go through thy gates shall praise God. " The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee : But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." The light of the sun and moon shall be swallowed up in the light of His counte nance, shining upon thee. " Thy people also shall be all righ teous, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." " As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth ; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." (Isaiah lx. 18, &c. ; and Ixi. 11.) 27- This I apprehend to be the answer, yea, the only full and satisfactory answer that can be given, to the objection against 288 SERMON LXIV. the wisdom and goodness of God, taken from the present state- of the world. It will not always be thus : These things are only permitted for a season by the great Governor of the world, that he may draw immense, eternal good out of this temporary evil. This is the very key which the Apostle himself gives us in the words above recited : " God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all." In view of this glorious event, how well may we cry out, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! " although for a season "his judgments were unsearchable, and his ways past finding out." (Rom xi. 32, 33.) It is enough, that we are assured of this one point, that all these transient evils will issue well ; will have a happy conclusion ; and that " mercy first and last will reign." All unprejudiced persons may see with their eyes, that He is already renewing the face of the earth : And we have strong reason to hope that the work he hath begun, he will carry on unto the day of the Lord Jesus ; that he will never intermit this blessed work of his Spirit, until he has fulfilled all his promises, until he hath put a period to sin, and misery, and infirmity, and death, and re-established universal holiness and happiness, and caused all the inhabitants of the earth to sing together, " Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth ! " " Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever !" (Rev. vii. 12.) SERMON LXIV. THE NEW CREATION. " Behold, I make all things new." Revelation xxi. 5. 1. What a strange scene is here opened to our view ! How remote from all our natural apprehensions ! Not a glimpse of what is here revealed was ever seen in the heathen world. Not only the modern, barbarous, uncivilized Heathens have not the least conception of it ; but it was equally unknown to the refined, rilE NEW CREATION. 289 polished Heathens of ancient Greece and Rome. And it is almost as little thought of or understood by the generality of Christians : I mean, not barely those that are nominally such ; that have the form of godliness without the power ; but even those that in a measure fear God, and study to work righteousness. 2. It must be allowed, that, after all the researches we can make, still our knowledge of the great truth which is delivered to us in these words, is exceedingly short and imperfect. As this is a point of mere revelation, beyond the reach of all our natural faculties, we cannot penetrate far into it, nor form any adequate conception of it. But it may be an encouragement to those who have, in any degree, tasted of the powers of the world to come, to go as far as they can go ; interpreting scripture by scripture, according to the analogy of faith. 3. The Apostle, caught up in the visions of God, tells us in the first verse of the chapter, " I saw a new heaven and a new earth ;" and adds, (verse 5,) " He that sat upon the throne said," (I believe the only words which he is said to utter throughout the whole book,) "Behold, I make all things new." 4. Very many commentators entertain a strange opinion, that this relates only to the present state of things ; and gravely tell us, that the words are to be referred to the flourishing state of the Church which commenced after the heathen persecutions. Nay, some of them have discovered, that all which the Apostle speaks concerning the " new heaven and the new earth " was ful filled when Constantine the Great poured in riches and honours upon the Christians. What a miserable way is this of making void the whole counsel of God, with regard to all that grand chain of events, in reference to his Church, yea, and to all man kind, from the time that John was in Patmos, unto the end of the world ! Nay, the line of this prophecy reaches farther still : It does not end with the present world, but shows us the things that will come to pass, when this world is no more. For, 5. Thus saith the Creator and Governor of the universe : "Behold, I make all things new;" — all which are included in that expression of the Apostle, " A new heaven and a new earth." A new heaven : The original word in Genesis (chap, i.) is in the plural number ; and, indeed, this is the constant language of Scripture ; not heaven, but heavens. Accordingly, the ancient Jewish writers are accustomed to reckon three hea vens ; in conformity to which, the Apostle Paul speaks of his U 2. L 290 SERMON LXIV. being caught " up into the third heaven." It is this, the third heaven, which is usually supposed to be the more immediate residence of God ; so far as any residence can be ascribed to his omnipresent Spirit, who pervades and fills the whole universe. It is here (if we speak after the manner of men) that the Lord sitteth upon his throne, surrounded by angels and archangels, and by all his flaming ministers. 6. We cannot think that this heaven will undergo any change, any more than its Great Inhabitant. Surely this palace of the Most High was the same from eternity, and will be, world without end. Only the inferior heavens are liable to change ; the highest of which we usually call the starry heavens. This, St. Peter informs us, " is reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." In that day, " being on fire," k shall, first, " shrivel as a parchment scroll ; " then it " shall be dissolved, and shall pass away with a great noise;" lastly, it shall "flee from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and there shall be found no place for it." 7- At the same time " the stars shall fall from heaven ; " the secret chain being broken which had retained them in their several orbits from the foundation of the world. In the mean while the lower or sublunary heaven, with the elements, (or principles that compose it,) "shall melt with fervent heat;" while " the earth, with the works that are therein, shall be burned up." This is the introduction to a far nobler state of things, such as it has not yet entered into the heart of men to conceive, — the universal restoration, which is to succeed the universal destruction. For " we look," says the Apostle, " for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Peter iii. 7, &c.) 8. One considerable difference there will undoubtedly be in the starry heaven, when it is created anew : There will be no blazing stars, no comets there. Whether those horrid, eccentric orbs are half-formed planets, in a chaotic state ; (I speak on the supposition of a plurality of worlds ;) or such as have undergone their general conflagration ; they will certainly have no place in the new heaven, where all will be exact order and harmony. There may be many other differences between the heaven that now is, and that which will be after the renovation : But they are above our apprehension : We must leave eternity to explain them. THE NEW CREATION. 291 9. We may more easily conceive the changes which will be wrought in the lower heaven, in the region of the air. It will be no more torn by hurricanes, or agitated by furious storms, or destructive tempests. Pernicious or terrifying meteors will have no place therein. We shall have no more occasion to say, There like a trumpet, loud and strong, Thy thunder shakes our coast ; While the red lightnings wave along, The banners of thy host ! No : All will then be light, fair, serene ; a lively picture of the eternal day. 10. All the elements (taking that word in the common sense, for the principles of which all natural beings are compounded) will be new indeed ; entirely changed as to their qualities, although not as to their nature. Fire is, at present, the general destroyer of all things under the sun ; dissolving all things that come within the sphere of its action, and reducing them to their primitive atoms. But no sooner will it have performed its last great office of destroying the heavens and the earth ; (whether you mean thereby one system only, or the whole fabric of the universe ; the difference between one and millions of worlds being nothing before the great Creator ;) when, I say, it has done this, the destructions wrought by fire will come to a per petual end. It will destroy no more : It will consume no more : It will forget its power to burn, — which it possesses only during the present state of things, — and be as harmless in the new heavens and earth as it is now in the bodies of men and other animals, and the substance of trees and flowers, in all which (as late experiments show) large quantities of ethereal fire are lodged ; if it be not rather an essential component part of every material being under the sun. But it will probably retain its vivifying power, though divested of its power to destroy. 11. It has been already observed, that the calm, placid air will be no more disturbed by storms and tempests. There will be no more meteors, with their horrid glare, affrighting the poor children of men. May we not add, (though at first it may sound like a paradox,) that there will be no more rain ? It is observable that there was none in Paradise; a circumstance which Moses particularly mentions: (Gen. ii. 5, 6:) "The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth. — But there went up a mist from the earth," which then covered up the abyss U 2 292 SERMON LXIV.. of waters, " and watered the whole face of the ground," with moisture sufficient for all the purposes of vegetation. We have all reason to believe that the case will be the same when Paradise is restored. Consequently, there will be no clouds or fogs ; but one bright, refulgent day. Much less will there be any poisonous damps, or pestilential blasts. There will be no Sirocco in Italy ; no parching or suffocating winds in Arabia ; no keen north-east winds in our own country, Shattering the graceful locks of yon fair trees ; but only pleasing, healthful breezes, Fanning the earth with odoriferous wings. 12. But what a change will the element of water undergo, when all things are made new ! It will be, in every part of the world, clear and limpid ; pure from all unpleasing or unhealthful mixtures ; rising here and there in crystal fountains, to refresh and adorn the earth " with liquid lapse of murmuring stream." For, undoubtedly, as there were in Paradise, there will be various rivers gently gliding along, for the use and pleasure of both man and beast. But the inspired writer has expressly declared, " there will be no more sea." (Rev. xxi. 1.) We have reason to believe, that at the beginning of the world, when God said, " Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear," (Gen. i. 9,) the dry land spread over the face of the water, and covered it on every side. And so it seems to have done, till, in order to the general deluge which God had determined to bring upon the earth at once, " the windows of heaven were opened, and the fountains of the great deep broken up." But the sea will then retire within its primitive bounds, and appear on the surface of the earth no more. Neither, indeed, will there be any more need of the sea. For either, as the ancient Poet supposes, Omnis feret omnia tellus, — every part of the earth will naturally produce whatever its inhabitants want, — or all mankind will procure what the whole earth affords, by a much easier and readier conveyance. For all the inhabitants of the earth, our Lord informs us, will then be to-ayyeXoi, — equal to angels ; on a level with them in swift ness, as well as strength ; so that they can, quick as thought, THIS NEW CREATION. 293 transport themselves, or whatever they want, from one side of the globe to the other. 13. But it seems, a greater change will be wrought in the earth, than even in the air and water. Not that I can believe that wonderful discovery of Jacob Behme, which many so eagerly contend for ; that the earth itself, with all its furniture and inha bitants, will then be transparent as glass. There does not seem to be the least foundation for this, either in Scripture or reason. Surely not in Scripture: I know not one text in the Old or New Testament which affirms any such thing. Certainly it cannot be inferred from that text in the Revelation : (iv. 6 :) " And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like unto crystal." And yet, if I mistake not, this is the chief, if not the only scripture which has been urged in favour of this opinion ! Neither can I conceive that it has any foundation in reason. It has been warmly alleged, that all things would be far more beautiful if they were quite transparent. But I cannot appre hend this : Yea, I apprehend quite the contrary. Suppose every part of a human body were made transparent as crystal, would it appear more beautiful than it does now ? Nay, rather, it would shock us above measure. The surface of the body, in .particular, " the human face divine," is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful objects that can be found under heaven ; but could you look through the rosy cheek, the smooth, fair forehead, or the rising bosom, and distinctly see all that lies within, you would turn away from it with loathing and horror ! 14. Let us next take a view of those changes which we may reasonably suppose will then take place in the earth. It will no more be bound up with intense cold, nor parched up with extreme heat, but will have such a temperature as will be most conducive to its fruitfulness. If, in order to punish its inhabitants, God did of old Bid his angels turn askance This oblique globe, thereby occasioning violent cold on one part, and violent heat on the other ; he will, undoubtedly, then order them to restore it to its original position : So that there will be a final end, on the one hand, of the burning heat which makes some parts of it scarce habitable ; and, on the other, of The rage of Arctos and eternal frost. 294 SERMON LXIV. 15. And it will then contain no jarring or destructive prin ciples within its own bosom. It will no more have any of those violent convulsions in its own bowels. It will no more be shaken or torn asunder by the impetuous force of earthquakes, and will, therefore, need neither Vesuvius, nor Etna, nor any burning mountains to prevent them. There will be no more horrid rocks, or frightful precipices; no wild deserts, or barren sands ; no impassable morasses, or unfruitful bogs, to swallow up the unwary traveller. There will, doubtless, be inequalities on the surface of the earth ; which are not blemishes, but beauties. And though I will not affirm, that Earth hath this variety from heaven, Of pleasure situate in hill and dale ; yet I cannot think gently-rising hills will be any defect, but an ornament, of the new-made earth. And doubtless we shall then likewise have occasion to say, — Lo, there his wondrous skill arrays The fields in cheerful green ! A thousand herbs his hand displays, A thousand flowers between ! 16. And what will the general produce of the earth be ? Not thorns, briers, or thistles ; not any useless or fetid weed ; not any poisonous, hurtful, or unpleasant plant ; but every one that can be conducive, in anywise, either to our use or pleasure. How far beyond all that the most lively imagination is now able to conceive ! We shall no more regret the loss of the terrestrial Paradise, or sigh at that well-devised description of our great Poet :— Then shall this mount Of Paradise, by might of waves, be moved Out of his place, push'd by the horned flood, With all its verdure spoil'd and trees adrift, Down the great river to the opening gulf, And there take root, an island salt and bare ! For all the earth shall be a more beautiful Paradise than Adam ever saw. 17- Such will be the state of the new earth with regard to the meaner, the inanimate, parts of it. But great as this change will be, it is nothing in comparison of that which will then take place throughout all animated nature. In the living part of the creation were seen the most deplorable effects THE NEW CREATION. 295 of Adam's apostasy. The whole animated creation, whatever has life, from leviathan to the smallest mite, was thereby made subject to such vanity, as the inanimate creatures could not be. They were subject to that fell monster, Death, the conqueror of all that breathe. They were made subject to its fore-runner, pain, in its ten thousand forms ; although " God made not death, neither hath he pleasure in the death of any living." How many millions of creatures in the sea, in the air, and on every part of the earth, can now no otherwise preserve their lives, than by taking away the lives of others ; by tearing in pieces and devouring their poor, innocent, unresisting fellow- creatures ! Miserable lot of such innumerable multitudes, who, insignificant as they seem, are the offspring of one common Father ; the creatures of the same God of love ! It is probable not only two-thirds of the animal creation, but ninety-nine parts of a hundred, are under a necessity of destroying others in order to preserve their own life ! But it shall not be always so. He that sitteth upon the throne will soon change the face of all things, and give a demonstrative proof to all his creatures, that " his mercy is over all his works." The horrid state of things which at present obtains, will soon be at an end. On the new earth, no creature will kill, or hurt, or give pain to any other. The scorpion will have no poisonous sting ; the adder, no venomous teeth. The lion will have no claws to tear the lamb ; no teeth to grind his flesh and bones. Nay, no creature, no beast, bird, or fish, will have any inclination to hurt any other ; for cruelty will be far away, and savageness and fierceness be forgotten. So that violence shall be heard no more, neither wasting or destruction seen on the face of the earth. " The wolf shall dwell with the lamb," (the words may be literally as well as figuratively understood,) " and the leopard shall lie down with the kid : They shall not hurt nor destroy," from the rising up of the sun, to the going down of the same. 18. But the most glorious of all will be the change which then will take place on the poor, sinful, miserable children of men. These had fallen in many respects, as from a greater height, so into a lower depth, than any other part of the creation. But they shall " hear a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men : And he will dwell with them ; and they shall be his people ; and God himself shall be their God." (Bev. xxi. 3, 4.) Hence will arise an 296 SERMON LXV. unmixed state of holiness and happiness, far superior to that which Adam enjoyed in Paradise. In how beautiful a manner is this described by the Apostle : " God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : For the former things are done away !" As there will be no more death, and no more pain or sickness preparatory thereto ; as there will be no more grieving for, or parting with, friends ; so there will be no more sorrow or crying. Nay, but there will be a greater deliverance than all this ; for there will be no more sin. And, to crown all, there will be a deep, an intimate, an uninter rupted union with God ; a constant communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, through the Spirit ; a continual enjoy ment of the Three-One God, and of all the creatures in him ! SERMON LXV. THE DUTY OF REPROVING OUR NEIGHBOUR " Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart : Thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." Leviticus xix. 17- A great part of the book of Exodus, and almost the whole of the book of Leviticus, relate to the ritual or ceremonial law of Moses ; which was peculiarly given to the children of Israel, but was such " a yoke," says the Apostle Peter, " as neither our fathers nor we were able to bear." We are, therefore, delivered from it : And this is one branch of " the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free." Yet it is easy to observe, that many excellent moral precepts are interspersed among these ceremonial laws. Several of them we find in this very chapter : Such as, " Thou shalt not gather every grape in thy vineyard : Thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger. I am the Lord your God." (Verse 10.) "Ye shall not steal, neither lie one to another." (Verse 11.) " Thou shalt not defraud thy neigh bour, neither rob him : The wages of him that is hired shall THE DUTY OF R IMPROVING OUR NEIGHBOUR. 297 not abide with thee till the morning." (Verse 13.) " Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind; but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord:" (Verse 14:) As if he had said, I am He whose eyes are over all the earth, and whose ears are open to their cry. " Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor," which compassionate men may be tempted to do ; " nor honour the person of the mighty," to which there are a thousand temptations. (Verse 15.) " Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people:" (Verse 16:) Although this is a sin which human laws have never yet been able to prevent. Then follows, " Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart : Thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." In order to understand this important direction aright, and to apply it profitably to our own souls, let us consider, I. What it is that we are to rebuke or reprove ? What is the thing that is here enjoined ? II. Who are they whom we are commanded to reprove? And, III. How are we to reprove them? I. 1. Let us consider, First, What is the duty that is here enjoined? What is it we are to rebuke or reprove ? And what is it to reprove? To tell any one of his faults; as clearly appears from the following words : " Thou shalt not suffer sin upon him." Sin is therefore the thing we are called to reprove, or rather him that commits sin. We are to do all that in us lies to convince him of his fault, and lead him into the right way. 2. Love indeed requires us to warn him, not only of sin, (although of this chiefly,) but likewise of any error which, if it were persisted in, would naturally lead to sin. If we do not '• hate him in our heart," if we love our neighbour as ourselves, this will be our constant endeavour ; to warn him of every evil way, and of every mistake which tends to evil. 3. But if we desire not to lose our labour, we should rarely reprove any one for any thing that is of a disputable nature that will bear much to be said on both sides. A thing may possibly appear evil to me; therefore I scruple the doing of it; and if I were to do it while that scruple remains, I should be a sinner before God : But another is not to be judged by my con- 298 SERMON LXV. science : To his own master he standeth or falleth. Therefore I would not reprove him, but for what is clearly and undeniably evil. Such, for instance, is profane cursing and swearing; which even those who practise it most will not often venture to defend, if one mildly expostulates with them. Such is drunken ness ; which even a habitual drunkard will condemn when he is sober. And such, in the account of the generality of people, is the profaning of the Lord's day. And if any who are guilty of these sins for a while attempt to defend them, very few will persist to do it, if you look them steadily in the face, and appeal to their own conscience in the sight of God. II. 1. Let us, in the Second place, consider, Who are those that we are called to reprove? It is the more needful to con sider this, because it is affirmed by many serious persons, that there are some sinners whom the Scripture itself forbids us to reprove. This sense has been put on that solemn caution of our Lord, in his Sermon on the Mount : " Cast not your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot, and turn again and rend you." But the plain meaning of these words is, Do not offer the pearls, the sublime doctrines or mysteries of the Gospel, to those whom you know to be brutish men, immersed in sins, and having no fear of God before their eyes. This would expose those precious jewels to contempt, and yourselves to injurious treatment. But even those whom we know to be, in our Lord's sense, dogs and swine, if we saw them do, or heard them speak, what they themselves know to be evil, we ought in anywise to reprove them ; else we " hate our brother in our heart." 2. The persons intended by our "neighbour" are, every child of man ; every one that breathes the vital air ; all that have souls to be saved. And if we refrain from performing this office of love to any, because they are sinners above other men, they may persist in their iniquity, but their blood will God require at our hands. 3. How striking is Mr. Baxter's reflection on this head, in his " Saints' Everlasting Rest ! " " Suppose thou wert to meet one in the lower world, to whom thou hadst denied this office of love, when ye were both together under the sun ; what answer couldst thou make to his upbraiding ? ' At such a time and place, while we were under the sun, God delivered me into thy hands : 1 then did not know the way of salvation, but was seeking death in the error of my life; and therein thou suff'eredst rac to THE DUTY OF REl'ltOVINO OUR NEIGHBOUR. 299 remain, without once endeavouring to awake me out of sleep ! Hadst thou imparted to me thy knowledge, and warned me to flee from the wrath to come, neither I nor thou need ever to have come into this place of torment.'" 4. Every one, therefore, that has a soul to be saved, is entitled to this good office from thee. Yet this does not imply, that it is to be done in the same degree to every one. It cannot be denied, that there are some to whom it is particularly due. Such, in the first place, are our parents, if we have any that stand in need of it ; unless we should place our consorts and our children on an equal footing with them. Next to these we may rank our brothers and sisters, and afterwards our relations, as they are allied to us in a nearer or more distant manner, either by blood or by marriage. Immediately after these are our ser vants, whether bound to us for a term of years, or any shorter term. Lastly, such, in their several degrees, are our country men, our fellow-citizens, and the members of the same society, whether civil or religious : The latter have a particular claim to our service ; seeing these societies are formed with that very design, — to watch over each other for this very end, that we may not suffer sin upon our brother. If we neglect to reprove any of these, when a fair opportunity offers, we are undoubtedly to be ranked among those that "hate their brother in their heart." And how severe is the sentence of the Apostle against those who fall under this condemnation ! " He that hateth his brother," though it does not break out into words or actions, " is a murderer :" " And ye know," continues the Apostle, " that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." He hath not that seed planted in his soul, which groweth up unto everlasting life : In other words, he is in such a state, that if he dies therein, he cannot see life. It plainly follows, that to neglect this is no small thing, but eminently endangers our final salvation. III. We have seen what is meant by reproving our brother, and who those are that we should reprove. But the principal thing remains to be considered: How, in what manner, are we to reprove them ? 1. It must be allowed, that there is a considerable difficulty in performing this in a right manner: Although, at the same time, it is far less difficult to some than it is to others. Some there are who are particularly qualified for it, whether by nature, or practice, or grace. They are not encumbered either 300 SERMON LXV. with evil shame, or that sore burden, the fear of man : They are both ready to undertake this labour of love, and skilful in performing it. To these, therefore, it is little or no cross ; nay, they have a kind of relish for it, and a satisfaction therein, over and above that which arises from a consciousness of having done their duty. But be it a cross to us, greater or less, we know that hereunto we are called. And be the difficulty ever so great to us, we know in whom we have trusted ; and that he will surely fulfil his word, " As thy days, so shall thy strength be." 2. In what manner, then, shall we reprove our brother, in order that our reproof may be most effectual? Let us first of all take care that whatever we do may be done in " the spirit of love;" in the spirit of tender good-will to our neighbour; as for one who is the son of our common Father, and one for whom Christ died, that he might be a partaker of salvation. Then, by the grace of God, love will beget love. The affection of the speaker will spread to the heart of the hearer ; and you will find, in due time, that your labour hath not been in vain in the Lord. 3. Meantime the greatest care must be taken that you speak in the spirit of humility. Beware that you do not think of your self more highly than you ought to think. If you think too highly of yourself, you can scarce avoid despising your brother. And if you show, or even feel, the least contempt of those whom you reprove, it will blast your whole work, and occasion you to lose all your labour. In order to prevent the very appearance of pride, it will be often needful to be explicit on the head; to disclaim all preferring yourself before him ; and at the very time you reprove that which is evil, to own and bless God for that which is good in him. 4. Great care must be taken, in the Third place, to speak in the spirit of meekness, as well as lowliness. The Apostle assures us that " the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." Anger, though it be adorned with the name of zeal, begets anger ; not love or holiness. We should therefore avoid, with all possible care, the very appearance of it. Let there be no trace of it, either in the eyes, the gesture, or the tone of voice ; but let these concur in manifesting a loving, humble, and dispassionate spirit. 5. But all this time, see that you do not trust in yourself. Put no confidence in your own wisdom, or address, or abilities THE DUTY OF REPROVING OUR NEIGHBOUR. 301 of any kind. For the success of all you speak or do, trust not in yourself, but in the great Author of every good and perfect gift. Therefore, while you are speaking, continually lift up your heart to Him that worketh all in all. And whatsoever is spoken in the spirit of prayer, will not fall to the ground. 6. So much for the spirit wherewith you should speak when you reprove your neighbour. I now proceed to the outward manner. It has been frequently found that the prefacing a reproof with a frank profession of good-will has caused what was spoken to sink deep into the heart. This will generally have a far better effect, than that grand fashionable engine, — flattery, by means of which the men of the world have often done sur prising things. But the very same things, yea, far greater, have much oftener been effected by a plain and artless declaration of disinterested love. When you feel God has kindled this flame in your heart, hide it not : Give it full vent ! It will pierce like lightning. The stout, the hard-hearted, will melt before you, and know that God is with you of a truth. 7- Although it is certain that the main point in reproving is, to do it with a right spirit, yet it must also be allowed, there are several little circumstances with regard to the outward manner, which are by no means without their use, and therefore are not to be despised. One of these is, whenever you reprove, do it with great seriousness ; so that as you really are in earnest, you may likewise appear so to be. A ludicrous reproof makes little impression, and is soon forgot ; besides, that many times it is taken ill, as if you ridiculed the person you reprove. And indeed those who are not accustomed to make jests, do not take it well to be jested upon. One means of giving a serious air to what you speak, is, as often as may be, to use the very words of Scripture. Frequently we find the word of God, even in a pri vate conversation, has a peculiar energy ; and the sinner, when he expects it least, feels it " sharper than a two-edged sword." 8. Yet there are some exceptions to this general rule of reproving seriously. There are some exempt cases, wherein, as a good judge of human nature observes, Ridiculum acri fortius ; — a little well-placed raillery will pierce deeper than solid argu ment. But this has place chiefly, when we have to do with those who are strangers to religion. And when we condescend 302 SERMON LXV. to give a ludicrous reproof to a person of this character, it seems we are authorized so to do, by that advice of Solomon, " Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." 9. The manner of the reproof may, in other respects too, be varied according to the occasion. Sometimes you may find it proper to use many words, to express your sense at large. At other times you may judge it more expedient to use few words, perhaps a single sentence ; and at others, it may be advisable to use no words at all, but a gesture, a sigh, or a look, particularly when the person you would reprove is greatly your superior. And frequently, this silent kind of reproof will be attended by the power of God, and, consequently, have a far better effect than a long and laboured discourse. 10. Once more : Remember the remark of Solomon, " A word spoken in season, how good is it !" It is true, if you arc providentially called to reprove any one whom you are not likely to see any more, you are to snatch the present oppor tunity, and to "speak in season" or "out of season;" but with them whom you have frequent opportunities of seeing, you may wait for a fair occasion. Here the advice of the Poet has place. You may speak Si validus, si Icetus erit, si denique poscit : When he is in a good humour, or when he asks it you. Here you may catch the Mollia tempora fandi, — time when his mind is in a soft, mild frame : And then God will both teach you how to speak, and give a blessing to what is spoken. 11. But here let me guard you against one mistake. It passes for an indisputable maxim, " Never attempt to reprove a man when he is intoxicated with drink." Reproof, it is said, is then thrown away, and can have no good effect. I dare not say so. I have seen not a few clear instances of the contrary. Take one : Many years ago, passing by a man in Moorfields, who was so drunk he could hardly stand, I put a paper into his hand. He looked at it, and said, " A Word — a Word to a Drunkard, — that is me, — Sir, Sir ! I am wrong, — I know I am wrong, — pray let me talk a little with you." He held me by the hand a full half-hour : And I believe he got drunk no more. 12. I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, do not THE DUTY OF REPROVING OUR NEIGHBOUR. 308 despise poor drunkards ! Plave compassion on them ! Be instant with them in season and out of season ! Let not shame, or fear of men, prevent your pulling these brands out of the burning : Many of them are self-condemned : Nor do they not discern the evil plight That they are in ; but they despair ; they have no hope of escaping out of it ; and they sink into it still deeper, because none else has any hope for them ! " Sinners of every other sort," said a venerable old Clergyman, "have I frequently known converted to God. But an habitual drunkard I have never known converted." But I have known five hundred, perhaps five thousand. Ho ! Art thou one who readest these words ? Then hear thou the words of the Lord ! I have a message from God unto thee, 0 sinner ! Thus saith the Lord, Cast not away thy hope. I have not forgotten thee. He that tells thee there is no help is a liar from the beginning ! Look up ! Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world ! This day is salvation come to thy soul : Only see that thou despise not him that speaketh ! Just now he saith unto thee, " Son, be of good cheer ! Thy sins are forgiven thee !" 13. Lastly : You that are diligent in this labour of love, see that you be not discouraged, although, after you have used your best endeavours, you should see no present fruit. You have need of patience, and then, " after ye have done the will of God" herein, the harvest will come. Never be "weary of well-doing ; in due time ye shall reap, if ye faint not." Copy after Abraham, who " against hope still believed in hope." " Cast thy bread upon the waters ; for thou shalt find it after many days." 14. I have now only a few words to add unto you, my brethren, who are vulgarly called Methodists. I never heard or read of any considerable revival of religion which was not attended with a spirit of reproving. I believe it cannot be other wise ; for what is faith, unless it worketh by love ? Thus it was in every part of England when the present revival of religion began about fifty years ago : All the subjects of that revival, — all the Methodists, so called, in every place, were reprovers of outward sin. And, indeed, so are all that, " being justified by faith, have peace with God through Jesus Christ." Such 304 SERMON LXVI. they are at first ; and if they use that precious gift, it will never be taken away. Come, brethren, in the name of God, let us begin again ! Rich or poor, let us all arise as one man; and in anywise let every man " rebuke his neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him !" Then shall all Great Britain and Ireland know that we do not " go a warfare at our own cost :" Yea, " God shall bless us, and all the ends of the world shall fear him." SERMON LXVi. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. " Ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" Matthew xvi. 3. L The entire passage runs thus : " The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather ; for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day ; for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" 2. " The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came :" In gene ral, these were quite opposite to each other ; but it is no uncom mon thing for the children of the world to lay aside their oppo sition to each other, (at least for a season,) and cordially to unite in opposing the children of God. "And tempting;" that is, making a trial whether he was indeed sent of God ; " desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven ;" which they believed no false prophet was able to do. It is not improbable, they imagined this would convince them that he was really sent from God. " He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather ; for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day ; for the sky is red and lowring." Probably there were more certain signs of fair and foul weather in their climate than there are in ours. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 305 " O ye hypocrites," — making profession of love, while you have enmity in your hearts, — " Ye can discern the face of the sky," and judge thereby what the weather will be ; " but can ye not discern the signs of the times," when God brings his first-begotten Son into the world ? 3. Let us more particularly inquire, First, What were the times whereof our Lord here speaks ; and what were the signs whereby those times were to be distinguished from all others ? We may then inquire, Secondly, What are the times which we have reason to believe are p,ow at hand ; and how is it that all who are called Christians do not discern the signs of these times ? I. 1. Let us, in the First place, inquire, What times were those concerning which our Lord is here speaking ? It is easy to answer : The times of the Messiah ; the times ordained before the foundation of the world, wherein it pleased God to give his only-begotten Son, to take our nature upon him, to be " found in fashion as a man," to live a life of sorrow and pain, and at length to be " obedient unto death, even the death of the cross," to the end that " whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This was the important time, the signs whereof the Pharisees and Sadducees could not discern. Clear as they were in themselves, yet so thick a veil was upon the heart of these men that they did not discern the tokens of his coming, though foretold so long before. 2. But what were those signs of the coming of that Just One which had been so long and so clearly foretold, and whereby they might easily have discerned those times, had not the veil been on their heart ? They are many in number ; but it may suffice to mention a few of them. One of the first is that pointed out in the solemn words spoken by Jacob a little before his death : (Gen. xlix. 10 :) " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." All both ancient and modern Jews agree, that by Shiloh we are to understand the Messiah ; who was therefore to come, according to the prophecy, " before the sceptre," that is, the sovereignty, " departed from Judah." But it did, without controversy, depart from Judah at this very time ; — an infallible sign that at this very time Shiloh, that is, the Messiah, came. 3. A Second eminent sign of those times, the times of the coming of the Messiah, is given us in the third chapter of the prophecy of Malachi : " Behold, I send my messenger, and he X 2. 306 SERMON LXVI shall prepare my way before me : And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple." (Verse 1.) How manifestly was this fulfilled, first, by the coming of John the Baptist ; and then by our blessed Lord himself " coming suddenly to his temple!" And what sign could be clearer to those that impartially considered the words of the Prophet Isaiah : (xl. 3 :) " The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight?" 4. But yet clearer signs than these (if any could be clearer) were the mighty works that he wrought. Accordingly, he himself declares, " The works which I do, they testify of me." And to these he explicitly appeals in his answer to the question of John the Baptist: (Not proposed, as some have strangely imagined, from any doubt which he had himself, but from a desire of confirming his disciples, who might possibly waver when their Master was taken from their head:) "Art thou he that should come," the Messiah, " or look we for another ?" No bare verbal answer could have been so convincing as what they saw with their own eyes. Jesus therefore referred them to this testimony : " He answered and said unto them, Go, and show John the things which ye hear and see : The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them." (Matt. xi. 4, 5.) 5. But how then came it to pass that those who were so sharp- sighted in other things, who could " discern the face of the sky," were not able to discern those signs which indicated the coming of the Messiah ? They could not discern them, not for want of evidence, — this was full and clear, — but for want of integrity in themselves ; because they were a " wicked and adulterous generation ; " because the perverseness of their hearts spread a cloud over their understanding. Therefore, although the Sun of Righteousness shone bright, yet they were insensible of it. They were not willing to be convinced : Therefore they remained in ignorance. The light was sufficient ; but they shut their eyes that they might not see it: So that they were without excuse, till vengeance came upon them to the uttermost. II. 1. We are, in the Second place, to consider what are the times which we have reason to believe are now at hand. And how is it that all who are called Christians do not discern the signs of these times ? THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 307 The times which we have reason to believe are at hand (if they are not already begun) are what many pious men have termed the time of the "latter-day glory ;" meaning the time wherein God would gloriously display his power and love in the fulfilment of his gracious promise, that " the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea." 2. " But are there in England, or in any part of the world, any signs of such a time approaching?" It is not many years since, that a person of considerable learning, as well as eminence in the Church, (then Bishop of London,) in his Pastoral Letter, made this observation : — " I cannot imagine what persons mean, by talking of a great work of God at this time. I do not see any work of God now, more than has been at any other time." I believe it : I believe that great man did not see any extraordinary work of God. Neither he, nor the generality of Christians, so called, saw any signs of the glorious day that is approaching. But how is this to be accounted for ? How is it that those who can now " discern the face of the sky," who are not only great philosophers, but great divines as eminent as ever the Sadducees, yea, or the Pharisees were, do not discern the signs of those glorious times which, if not begun, are nigh, even at the door ? 3. We allow, indeed, that in every age of the Church, " the kingdom of God came not with observation ; " not with splen dour and pomp, or with any of those outward circumstances which usually attend the kingdoms of this world. We allow this "kingdom of God is within us;" and that, consequently, when it begins, either in an individual or in a nation, it " is like a grain of mustard-seed," which at first " is the least of all seeds," but nevertheless gradually increases, till " it becomes a great tree." Or, to use the other comparison of our Lord, it is like " a little leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." 4. But may it not be asked, "Are there now any signs that the day of God's power is approaching ?" I appeal to every candid, unprejudiced person, whether we may not, at this day, discern all those signs (understanding the words in a spiritual sense) to which our Lord referred John's disciples ? " The blind receive their sight : " Those who were blind from their birth, unable to see their own deplorable state, and much more to see God, and the remedy he has prepared for them in the Son X 2 308 SERMON LXVI. of his love, now see themselves, yea, and " the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." The eyes of their under standing being now opened, they see all things clearly. — " The deaf hear:" Those that were before utterly deaf to all the outward and inward calls of God, now hear, not only his providential calls, but also the whispers of his grace. — " The lame walk :" Those who never before arose from the earth or moved one step toward heaven, are now walking in all the ways of God ; yea, running " the race that is set before them." — "The lepers are cleansed:" The deadly leprosy of sin, which they brought with them into the world, and which no art of man could ever cure, is now clean departed from them. And surely never in any age or nation, since the Apostles, have those words been so eminently fulfilled, " The poor have the gospel preached unto them," as it is at this day. At this day the gospel leaven, faith working by love, — inward and outward hohness, — or (to use the terms of St. Paul,) " righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost," — hath so spread in various parts of Europe, particularly in England, Scotland, Ireland, in the Islands, in the North and South, from Georgia to New-England, and Newfoundland, that sinners have been truly converted to God, thoroughly changed both in heart and in life ; not by tens, or by hundreds only, but by thousands, yea, by myriads ! The fact cannot be denied : We can point out the persons, with their names and places of abode. And yet the wise men of the world, the men of eminence, the men of learning and renown, " cannot imagine what we mean by talking of any extraordinary work of God ! " They cannot discern the signs of these times ! They can see no sign at all of God's arising to maintain his own cause, and set up his kingdom over the earth ! 5. But how may this be accounted for ? How is it, that they cannot discern the signs of these times ? We may account for their want of discernment on the same principle we accounted for that of the Pharisees and Sadducees ; namely, that they likewise are, what those were, an " adulterous and sinful generation." If their eye was single, their whole body would be full of light : But suppose their eye be evil, their whole body must be full of darkness. Every evil temper darkens the soul ; every evil passion clouds the understanding. How then can we expect that those should be able to discern the signs of the times who are full of all disorderly passions, and slaves to every evil THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 309 temper ? But this is really the case. They are full of pride : They think of themselves far more highly than they ought to think. They are vain : They " seek honour one of another, and not the honour that cometh of God only." They cherish hatred and malice in their hearts : They give place to anger, to envy, to revenge : They return evil for evil, and railing for railing. Instead of overcoming evil with good, they make no scruple of demanding an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. They " savour not the things that are of God, but the thingsthat are of men." They set their affections, not on things above, but on the things that are of the earth. They " Iovp the creature more than the Creator :" They are " lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." How then should they discern the signs of the times ? The god of this world, whom they serve, has blinded their hearts, and covered their minds with a veil of thick darkness. Alas, what have these " souls of flesh and blood" (as one speaks) to do with God, or the things of God ? 6. St. John assigns this very reason for the Jews not under standing the things of God ; namely, that in consequence of their preceding sins, and wilful rejecting the light, God had now delivered them up to Satan, who had blinded them past recovery. Over and over, when they might have seen, they would not ; they shut their eyes against the light : And now they cannot see, God having given them up to an undiscerning mind : Therefore they do not believe, because that Isaiah said, (that is, because of the reason given in that saying of Isaiah,) " He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them." The plain meaning is, not that God did this by his own immediate power; it would be flat blasphemy to say that God, in this sense, hardens any man ; but his Spirit strives with them no longer, and then Satan hardens them effectually. 7- And as it was with them in ancient times, so it is with the present generation. Thousands of those who bear the name of Christ are now given up to an undiscerning mind. The god of this world hath so blinded their eyes, that the light cannot shine upon them ; so that they can no more discern the signs of the times, than the Pharisees and Sadducees could of old. A wonderful instance of this spiritual blindness, this total inability to discern the signs of the times mentioned in Scripture, is 310 SERMON LXVI. given us in the very celebrated work of a late eminent writer ; who supposes the New Jerusalem came down from heaven, when Constantine the Great called himself a Christian. I say, called himself a Christian ; for I dare not affirm that he was one, any more than Peter the Great. I cannot but believe he would have come nearer the mark, if he had said, that was the time when a huge cloud of infernal brimstone and smoke came up from the bottomless pit ! For surely there never was a time wherein Satan gained so fatal an advantage over the Church of Christ, as when such a flood of riches, and honour, and power broke in upon it, particularly on the Clergy. 8. By the same rule, what signs would this writer have expected of the approaching conversion of the Heathens ? He would, doubtless, have expected a hero, like Charles of Sweden, or Frederick of Prussia, to carry fire, and sword, and Chris tianity through whole nations at once ! And it cannot be denied, that, since the time of Constantine, many nations have been converted in this way. But could it be said concerning such conversions as these, " The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observati on f '' Surely every one must observe a warrior rushing througii the land, at the head of fifty or sixty thousand men ! But is this the way of spreading Christianity, which the Author of it, the Prince of Peace, has chosen ? .Nay, it is not in this manner that a grain of mustard-seed grows up into a great tree. It is not thus that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Rather, it spreads by degrees farther and farther, till the whole is leavened. We may form a judgment of what will be hereafter, by what we have seen already. And this is the way wherein true Christian religion, the faith that worketh by love, has been spreading, particularly through Great Britain and its dependencies, for half a century. 9. In thc same manner it continues to spread at the present time also, as may easily appear to all those whose eyes are not blinded. All those that experience in their own hearts the power of God unto salvation, will readily perceive how the same religion which they enjoy is still spreading from heart to heart. They take knowledge of the same grace of God, strongly and sweetly working on every side ; and rejoice to find another and another sinner, first inquiring, "What must I do to be saved?" — and then testifying, " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour." Upon a fair and candid THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 311 inquiry, they find more and more, not only of those who had some form of religion, but of those who had no form at all, who were profligate, abandoned sinners, now entirely changed, truly fearing God and working righteousness. They observe more and more, even of these poor outcasts of men, who are inwardly and outwardly changed ; loving God and their neighbour ; living in the uniform practice of justice, mercy, and truth ; as they have time, doing good to all men ; easy and happy in their lives, and triumphant in their death. 10. What excuse, then, have any that believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, for not discerning the signs of these times, as preparatory to the general call of the Heathens? What could God have done which he hath not done, to con vince you that the day is coming, that the time is at hand, when he will fulfil his glorious promises ; when he will arise to main tain his own cause, and to set up his kingdom over all the earth ? What, indeed, unless he had forced you to believe ? And this he could not do, without destroying the nature which he had given you : For he made you free agents ; having an inward power of self-determination, which is essential to your nature. And he deals with you as free agents from first to last. As such, you may shut or open your eyes as you please. You have sufficient light shining all around you ; yet you need not see it unless you will. But be assured, God is not well pleased with your shutting your eyes, and then saying, " I cannot see." I counsel you to bestow an impartial examination upon the whole affair. After a candid inquiry into matter of fact, consider deeply, "What hath God wrought?" "Who hath seen such a thing? Who hath heard such a thing ?" Hath not a nation, as it were, been " born in a day ?" How swift, as well as how deep and how extensive, a work has been wrought in the present age ! And certainly, not by might, neither by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. For how utterly inadequate were the means ! how insufficient were the instruments to work any such effect ; — at least, those which it has pleased God to make use of in the British dominions and in America! By how unlikely instruments has God been pleased to work from the beginning ! " A few young raw heads," said the Bishop of London, " what can they pretend to do ? " They pretended to be that in the hand of God, that a pen is in the hand of a man. They pre tended (and do so at this day) to do the work whereunto they 312 SERMON LXVI. are -sent; to do just what the Lord pleased. And' if it be his pleasure to throw down the walls of Jericho, the strong-holds of Satan, not by the engines. *f war, but by the blasts of rams' horns, who shall say unto him, " What doest thou ?" 11. Meantime, "blessed are your eyes, for they see: Many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things you see, and have not seen them ; and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them." You see and acknowledge the day of your visitation ; such a visitation as neither you nor your fathers had known. You may well say, " This is the day which the Lord hath made ; we will rejoice and be glad therein." You see the dawn of that glorious day, whereof all the Prophets have spoken. And how shall you most effectually improve this day of your visitation? 12. The First point is, see that you yourselves receive not the blessing of God in vain. Begin at the root, if you have not already. Now repent, and believe the gospel ! If you have believed," look to yourselves, that ye lose not what you have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward." Stir up the gift of God that is within you. Walk in the light, as he is in the light. And while you " hold fast that which you have attained, go on unto perfection." Yea, and when you are " made perfect in love," still, " forgetting the things that are behind, press on to the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 13. It behoves you, in the next place, to help your neighbours. " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." As you have time, do good unto all men, but especially unto them that are of the household of faith. Proclaim the glad tidings of salvation ready to be revealed, not only to those of your own household, not only to your relations, friends, and acquaintance, but to all whom God providentially delivers into your hands ! " Ye," who already know in whom ye have believed, " are the salt of the earth." Labour to season with the knowledge and love of God all that you have any intercourse with ! " Ye are as a city set upon a hill ; " ye cannot, ye ought not to be hid. " Ye are the light of the world : Men do not light a candle, and put it under a bushel ;" how much less the all- wise God ! No ; let it " shine to all that are in the house ; " all that are witnesses of your life and conversation. Above all, continue instant in ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 313 prayer, both for yourselves, for all the Church of God, and foi all the children of men, that they may remember themselves, and be turned unto our God ; that they likewise may enjoy the gospel blessing on earth, and the glory of God in heaven ! SERMON LXVII. ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE " Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Luke xii. 7- 1. The doctrine of divine providence has been received by wise men in all ages. It was believed by many of the eminent Heathens, not only philosophers, but orators and poets. Innu merable are the testimonies concerning it which are scattered up and down in their writings ; agreeable to that well-known saying in Cicero, Deorum moderamine cuncta geri : " That all things, all events in this world, are under the management of God." We might bring a cloud of witnesses to confirm this, were any so hardy as to deny it. 2. The same truth is acknowledged at this day in most parts of the world ; yea, even by those nations which are so barba rous as not to know the use of letters. So when Paustoobee, an Indian Chief, of the Chicasaw nation in North America, was asked, " Why do you think the Beloved Ones (so they term God) take care of you ?" he answered, without any hesitation, " I was in the battle with the French ; and the bullet went on this side, and the bullet went on that side ; and this man died, and that man died ; but I am ahve still ; and by this I know that the Beloved Ones take care of me." 3. But although the ancient as well as modern Heathens had some conception of a divine providence, yet the conceptions which most of them entertained concerning it were dark, con fused, and imperfect : Yea, the accounts which the most enlight ened among them gave, were usually contradictory to each other. Add to this, that they were by no means assured of the truth 314 • SERMON LXVII. of those very accounts : They hardly dared to affirm anything, but spoke with the utmost caution and diffidence ; insomuch that what Cicero himself, the author of that noble declaration, ventures to affirm in cool blood, at the end of his long dispute upon the subject, amounts to no more than this lame and impo tent conclusion : Mihi verisimilior videbatur Cottce oratio : " What Cotta said," (the person that argued in the defence of the being and providence of God,) " seemed to me more pro bable than what his opponent had advanced to the contrary." 4. And it is no wonder : For only God himself can give a clear, consistent, perfect account (that is, as perfect as our weak understanding can receive, in this our infant state of existence ; or, at least, as is consistent with the designs of his government) of his manner of governing the world. And this he hath done in his written word : All the oracles of God, all the Scriptures, both of the Old Testament and the New, describe so many scenes of divine providence. It is the beautiful remark of a fine writer, " Those who object to the Old Testament in parti cular, that it is not a connected history of nations, but only a congeries of broken, unconnected events, do not observe the nature and design of these writings. They do not see, that Scripture is the history of God." Those who bear this upon their minds will easily perceive that the inspired writers never lose sight of it, but preserve one unbroken, connected chain from the beginning to the end. All over that wonderful book, as " life and immortality " (immortal life) is gradually " brought to light," so is Immanuel, God with us, and his kingdom ruling over all. 5. In the verses preceding the text, our Lord has been arming his disciples against the fear of man : " Be not afraid," says he, (verse 4,) " of them that can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." He guards them against this fear, first, by reminding them of what was infinitely more terrible than anything which man could inflict : " Fear Him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell." He guards them farther against it, by the consideration of an over-ruling provi dence : " Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God ? " Or, as the words are repeated by St. Matthew, with a very inconsiderable variation, (x. 29, 30,) " Not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. But thc very hairs of your head are all numbered." 6. We must indeed observe, that this strong expression, ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 315 though repeated by both the Evangelists, need not imply, (though if any one thinks it does, he may think so very innocently,) that God does literally number all the hairs that are on the heads of all his creatures : But it is a proverbial expression, implying, that nothing is so small or insignificant in the sight of men as not to be an object of the care and providence of God, before whom nothing is small that concerns the happiness of any of his creatures. 7- There is scarce any doctrine in the whole compass of revelation, which is of deeper importance than this. And, at the same time, there is scarce any that is so little regarded, and perhaps so little understood. Let us endeavour then, with the assistance of God, to examine it to the bottom ; to see upon what foundation it stands, and what it properly implies. 8. The eternal, almighty, all-wise, all-gracious God is the Creator of heaven and earth. He called out of nothing, by his all-powerful word, the whole universe, all that is. " Thus the heavens and the earth were created, and all the hosts of them." And after he had set all things else in array, the plants after their kinds, fish and fowl, beasts and reptiles, after their kinds, " He created man after his own image." And the Lord saw that every distinct part of the universe was good. But when he saw everything he had made, all in connexion with each other, " behold, it was very good." 9. And as this all-wise, all-gracious Being created all things, so he sustains all things. He is the Preserver as well as the Creator of everything that exists. " He upholdeth all things by the word of his power;" that is, by his powerful word. Now it must be that he knows everything he has made, and every thing he preserves, from moment to moment ; otherwise, he could not preserve it, he could not continue to it the being which he has given it. And it is nothing strange that He who is omnipresent, who " filleth heaven and earth," who is in every place, should see what is in every place, where he is intimately present. If the eye of man discerns things at a small distance ; the eye of an eagle, what is at a greater ; the eye of an angel, what is at a thousand times greater distance ; (perhaps taking in the surface of the earth at one view ;) how shall not the eye of God see everything, through the whole extent of creation ? especially considering, that nothing is distant from Him in whom we all " live, and move, and have our being." 316 SERMON LXVII. 10. It is true, our narrow understandings but imperfectly comprehend this. But whether we comprehend it or no, we are certain that so it is. As certain as it is, that he created all things, and that he still sustains all that is created ; so certain it is, that he is present, at all times, in all places ; that he is above, beneath ; that he " besets us behind and before," and, as it were, " lays his hand upon us." We allow, "such know ledge is too high " and wonderful for us ; we " cannot attain unto it." The manner of his presence no man can explain, nor, probably, any angel in heaven. Perhaps what the ancient philosopher speaks of the soul, in regard to its residence in the body, that it is iota in toto, et tota in qudlibet parte, might, in some sense, be spoken of the omnipresent Spirit, in regard to the universe : That he is not only " All in the whole," but " All in every part." Be this as it may, it cannot be doubted but He sees every atom of his creation, and that a thousand times more clearly than we see the things that are close to us : Even of these we see only the surface, while He sees the inmost essence of every thing. 11. The omnipresent God sees and knows all the properties of the beings that he hath made. He knows all the connexions, dependencies, and relations, and all the ways wherein one of them can affect another. In particular, he sees all the inanimate parts of the creation, whether in heaven above, or in the earth beneath. He knows how the stars, comets, or planets above influence the inhabitants of the earth beneath ; what influence the lower heavens, with their magazines of fire, hail, snow, and vapours, winds, and storms, have on our planet ; and what effects may be produced in the bowels of the earth by fire, air, or water ; what exhalations may be raised therefrom, and what changes wrought thereby ; what effects every mineral or vege table may have upon the children of men : All these lie naked and open to the eye of the Creator and Preserver of the universe. 12. He knows all the animals of the lower world, whether beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, or insects : He knows all the qualities and powers he hath given them, from the highest to the lowest : He knows every good angel and every evil angel in every part of his dominions ; and looks from heaven upon the children of men over the whole face of the earth. He knows all the hearts of the sons of men, and understands all their thoughts : He sees what any angel, any devil, any man, either ON DIVIDE PROVIDENCE. 317 thinks, or speaks, or does ; yea, and all they feel ¦ He sees all their sufferings, with every circumstance, of them. 13. And is the Creator and Preserver of the world uncon cerned for what he sees therein ? Does he look upon these things either with a malignant or heedless eye? Is he an Epicurean god ? Does he sit at ease in the heaven, without regarding the poor inhabitants of earth ? It cannot be. He nath made.us, not we ourselves, and he cannot despise the work of his own hands. We are his children : And can a mother forget the children of her womb ? Yea, she may forget ; yet will not God forget us ! On the contrary, he hath expressly declared, that as his " eyes are over all the earth," so he " is loving to every man, and his mercy is over all his works." Consequently, he is concerned every moment for what befalls every creature upon earth ; and more especially for everything that befalls any of the children of men. It is hard, indeed, to comprehend this ; nay, it is hard to believe it, considering the complicated wickedness, and the complicated misery, which we see on every side. But believe it we must, unless we will make God a liar ; although it is sure, no man can comprehend it. It behoves us, then, to humble ourselves before God, and to acknowledge our ignorance. Indeed, how can we expect that a man should be able to comprehend the ways of God ? Can a worm comprehend a worm ? How much less can it be supposed, that a man can comprehend God ! For how can finite measure infinite ? 14. He is infinite in wisdom as well, as in power : And all his wisdom is continually employed in managing all the affairs of his creation for the good of all his creatures. For his wisdom and goodness go hand in hand : They are inseparably united, and continually act in concert with Almighty power, for the real good of all his creatures. Plis power being equal to his wisdom and goodness, continually co-operates with them. And to him all things are possible : He doeth whatsoever pleaseth him, in heaven and earth, and in the sea, and all deep places : And we cannot doubt of his exerting all his power, as in sustaining, so in governing, all that he has made 15. Only He that can do all things else cannot deny himself: He cannot counteract himself, or oppose his own work. Were it not for this, he would destroy all sin, with its attendant pain 318 SERMON LXVII. in a moment. He would abolish wickedness out of his whole creation, and suffer no trace of it to remain. But in so doing he would counteract himself; he would altogether overturn his own work, and undo all that he has been doing since he created man upon the earth. For he created man in his own image : A spirit like himself; a spirit endued with understanding, with will or affections, and liberty ; without which, neither his under standing nor his affections could have been of any use, neither would he have been capable either of vice or virtue. He could not be a moral agent, any more than a tree or a stone. If, therefore, God were thus to exert his power, there would cer tainly be no more vice ; but it is equally certain, neither could there be any virtue in the world. Were human liberty taken away, men would be as incapable of virtue as stones. There fore, (with reverence be it spoken,) the Almighty himself cannot do this thing. He cannot thus contradict himself, or undo what he has done. He cannot destroy out of the soul of man that image of himself wherein he made him : And without doing this, he cannot abolish sin and pain out of the world. But were it to be done, it would imply no wisdom at all ; but barely a stroke of omnipotence. Whereas all the manifold wisdom of God (as well as all his power and goodness) is displayed in governing man as man ; not as a stock or stone, but as an intel ligent and free spirit, capable of choosing either good or evil. Herein appears the depth of the wisdom of God, in his adorable providence ; in governing men, so as not to destroy either their understanding, will, or liberty. He commands all things, both in heaven and earth, to assist man in attaining the end of his being, in working out his own salvation, so far as it can be done without compulsion, without over-ruling his liberty. An attentive inquirer may easily discern, the whole frame of divine providence is so constituted as to afford man every possible help, in order to his doing good and eschewing evil, which can be done without turning man into a machine ; without making him incapable of virtue or vice, reward or punishment. 16. Meantime, it has been remarked by a pious writer, that there is, as he expresses it, a three-fold circle of divine providence, over and above that which presides over the whole universe. We do not now speak of that over-ruling hand which governs the inanimate creation, which sustains the sun, moon, and stars in their stations, and guides their motions ; we do not ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 319 refer to his care of the animal creation, every part of which we know is under His government, " who giveth food unto the cattle, and feedeth the young ravens that call upon him ;" but we here speak of that superintending providence which regards the children of men. Each of these is easily distinguished from the others, by those who accurately observe the ways of God. The outermost circle includes the whole race of mankind, all the descendants of Adam, all the human creatures that are dispersed over the face of the earth. This comprises not only the Christian world, those that name the name of Christ, but the Mahometans also, who considerably out-number even the nominal Christians ; yea, and the Heathens likewise, who very far out-number the Mahometans and Christians put together. " Is he the God of the Jews," says the Apostle, " and not of the Gentiles also ?" And so we may say, Is he the God of the Christians, and not of the Mahometans and Heathens? Yea, doubtless of the Mahometans and Heathens also. His love is not confined: "The Lord is loving unto every man, and his mercy is over all his works." He careth for the very outcasts of men : It may truly be said, Free as the air thy bounty streams O'er all thy works : Thy mercies' beams Diffusive as thy sun's arise. 17- Yet it may be admitted, that He takes more immediate care of those that are comprised in the second, the smaller circle ; which includes all that are called Christians, all that profess to believe in Christ. We may reasonably think that these, in some degree, honour him, at least more than the Heathens do : God does, likewise, in some measure, honour them, and has a nearer concern for them. By many instances it appears, that the prince of this world has not so full power over these as over the Heathens. The God whom they even profess to serve, does, in some measure, maintain his own cause ; so that the spirits of darkness do not reign so uncontrolled over them as they do over the heathen world. 18. Within the third, the innermost circle, are contained only the real Christians ; those that worship God, not in form only, but in spirit and in truth. Herein are comprised all that love God, or, at least, truly fear God and work righteousness ; all in whom is the mind which was in Christ, and who walk as Christ also walked. The words of our Lord above recited peculiarly 320 SERMON LXVII. refer to these. It is to these in particular that he says, " Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." He sees their souls and their bodies; he takes particular notice of all their tempers, desires, and thoughts, all their words and actions. He marks all their sufferings, inward and outward, and the source whence they arise ; so that we may well say, Thou know'st the pains thy servants feel, Thou hear'st thy children's cry ; And their best wishes to fulfil, Thy grace is ever nigh. Nothing relative to these is too great, nothing too little, for His attention. He has his eye continually, as upon every individual person that is a member of this his family, so upon every circumstance that relates either to their souls or bodies ; either to their inward or outward state ; wherein either their present or eternal happiness is in any degree concerned. 19. But what say the wise men of the world to this ? They answer, with all readiness, " Who doubts of this ? We are not Atheists. We all acknowledge a providence : That is, a general providence^ for, indeed, the particular providence, of which some talk, we know not what to make of: Surely the little affairs of men are far beneath the regard of the great Creator and Governor of the universe ! Accordingly, He sees with equal eyes, as Lord of all, A hero perish, or a sparrow fall." Does he indeed ? I cannot think it ; because (whatever that fine poet did, or his patron, whom he so deeply despised, and yet grossly flattered) I believe the Bible ; wherein the Creator and Governor of the world himself tells me quite the contrary. That he has a tender regard for the brute creatures, I know : He does, in a measure, " take care for oxen :" He " provideth food for the cattle," as well as " herbs for the use of men." " The lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat from God." " He openeth his hand, and filleth all things living with plenteousness." The various troops of sea and land In sense of common want agree ; All wait on thy dispensing hand, And have their daily alms from thee. They gather what thy stores disperse, Without their trouble to provide : Thou ope'st thy hand ; the universe, The craving world, is all supplied. ON DIVINE PROVIDKNCE. 321 Our heavenly Father feedeth the fowls of the air : But mark ! "Are not ye much better than they?" Shall he not then " much more feed you," who are pre-eminent by so much odds ? He does not, in that sense, look upon you and them "with equal eyes;" set you on a level with them; least of all, does he set you on a level with brutes, in respect of life and death : " Right precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Do you really think the death of a sparrow is equally precious in his sight ? He tells us, indeed, that " not a sparrow falleth on the ground without our Father;" but he asks, at the same time, " Are ye not of more value than many sparrows ? " 20. But, in support of a general, in contradiction to a parti cular providence, the same elegant poet lays it down as an unquestionable maxim, The Universal Cause Acts not by partial, but by general laws : Plainly meaning, that he never deviates from those general laws in favour of any particular person. This is a common supposition ; but which is altogether inconsistent with the whole tenor of Scripture: For if God never deviates from these general laws, then there never was a miracle in the world ; seeing every miracle is a deviation from the general laws of nature. Did the Almighty confine himself to these general laws, when he divided the Red Sea ? when he commanded the waters to stand on a heap, and make a way for his redeemed to pass over ? Did he act by general laws, when he caused the sun to stand still for the space of a whole day ? No ; nor in any of the miracles which are recorded either in the Old or New Testament. 21. But it is on supposition that the Governor of the world never deviates from those general laws, that Mr. Pope adds those beautiful lines in full triumph, as having now clearly gained the point : — Shall burning Etna, if a sage requires, Forget to thunder, and recall her fires ? On air or sea new motions be imprest, O blameless Bethel ! to relieve thy breast ! When the loose mountain trembles from on high, Shall gravitation cease, if you go by ? Or some old temple, nodding to its fall, For Chartres' head reserve the hanging wall ? Y 2. 322 SERMON LXVII. We answer, If it please God to continue the life of any of his servants, he will suspend that or any other law of nature: The stone shall not fall ; the fire shall not burn ; the floods shall not flow ; or, he will give his angels charge, and in their hands shall they bear him up, through and above all dangers ! 22. Admitting then, that, in the common course of nature, God does act by general laws, he has never precluded himself from making exceptions to them, whensoever he pleases ; either by suspending that law in favour of those that love him, or by employing his mighty angels : By either of which means he can deliver out of all danger them that trust in him. " What ! You expect miracles then ?" Certainly I do, if I believe the Bible : For the Bible teaches me, that God hears and answers prayer: But every answer to prayer is, properly, a miracle. For if natural causes take their course, if things go on in their natural way, it is no answer at all. Gravitation therefore shall cease, that is, cease to operate, whenever the Author of it pleases. Cannot the men of the world understand these things ? That is no wonder : It was observed long ago, " An unwise man doth not consider this, and a fool doth not understand it." 23. But I have not done with this same general providence yet. By the grace of God, I will sift it to the bottom : And I hope to show it is such stark-staring nonsense, as every man of sense ought to be utterly ashamed of. You say, "You allow a general providence, but deny a particular one." And what is a general, of whatever kind it be, that includes no particulars ? Is not every general neces sarily made up of its several particulars ? Can you instance in any general that is not ? Tell me any genus, if you can, that contains no species? What is it that constitutes a genus, but so many species added together ? What, I pray, is a whole that contains no parts ? Mere nonsense and contradiction ! Every whole must, in the nature of things, be made up of its several parts ; insomuch that if there be no parts, there can be no whole. 24. As this is a point of the utmost importance, we may consider it a little farther. What do you mean by a general providence, contradistinguished from a particular? Do you mean a providence which superintends only the larger parts of the universe? Suppose the sun, moon, and stars. Does it not regard the earth too ? You allow it does. But does it not ON DtVlNK PROVIDENCE. 323 likewise regard the inhabitants of it ? Else what doth the earth, an inanimate lump of matter, signify ? Is not one spirit, one heir of immortality, of more value than all the earth ? yea, though you add to it the sun, moon, and stars ? nay, and the whole inanimate creation ? Might we not say, " These shall perish ; but" this " remaineth : These all shall wax old as doth a garment;" but this (it may be said in a lower sense, even of the creature) is " the same," and his " years shall not fail ?" 25. Or do you mean, when you assert a general providence, distinct from a particular one, that God regards only some parts of the world, and does not regard others ? What parts of it does he regard? Those without, or those within, the solar system ? Or does he regard some parts of the earth, and not others ? Which parts ? Only those within the temperate zones ? What parts then are under the care of his providence ? Where will you lay the line ? Do you exclude from it those that live in the torrid zone ? or those that dwell within the arctic circles ? Nay, rather say, " The Lord is loving to every man," and his care " is over all his works." 26. Do you mean (for we would fain find out your meaning, if you have any meaning at all) that the providence of God does indeed extend to all parts of the earth, with regard to great and singular events, such as the rise and fall of empires ; but that the little concerns of this or that man are beneath the notice of the Almighty ? Then you do not consider that great and little are merely relative terms, which have place only with respect to men. With regard to the Most High, man and all the concerns of men are nothing, less than nothing, before Him. And nothing is small in his sight that in any degree affects the welfare of any that fear God and work righteousness. What becomes, then, of your general providence, exclusive of a particular ? Let it be for ever rejected by all rational men, as absurd, self-contradictory nonsense. We may then sum up the whole scriptural doctrine of providence in that fine saying of St. Austin, Ita prcesidet singulis sicut universis, et universis sicut singulis ! Father, how wide thy glories shine, Lord of the universe — and mine ! Thy goodness watches o'er the whole, As all the world were but one soul ; Yet keeps my every sacred hair, As I remain'd thy single care ! Y 2 324 SERMON LXVII. 27. We may learn from this short view of the providence of God, First, to put our whole trust in Him who hath never failed them that seek him. Our blessed Lord himself makes this very use of the great truth now before us. " Fear not, therefore:" If you truly fear God, you need fear none beside. He will be a strong tower to all that trust in him from the face of your enemies. What is there either in heaven or in earth that can harm you, while you are under the care of the Creator and Governor of heaven and earth ! Let all earth and all hell combine against you ; yea, the whole animate and inanimate creation ; they cannot harm while God is on your side : His favourable kindness covers you as a shield. 28. Nearly allied to this confidence in God is the thankfulness we owe for his kind protection. Let those give thanks whom the Lord thus delivers from the hand of all their enemies. What an unspeakable blessing it is to be the peculiar care of Him that has all power in heaven and earth ! How can we sufficiently praise him, while we are under his wings, and his faithfulness and truth are our shield and buckler ! 29. But meantime we should take the utmost care to walk humbly and closely with our God. Walk humbly : For if you in anywise rob God of his honour, if you ascribe anything to yourself, the things which should have been for your wealth will prove to you an "occasion of falling." And walk closely: See that you have a conscience void of offence toward God md toward man. It is so long as you do this that you are the peculiar care of your Father which is in heaven. But let not the consciousness of his caring for you make you careless, indolent, or slothful : On the contrary, while you are penetrated with that deep truth, " The help that is done upon earth, He doeth it himself," be as earnest and diligent in the use of all the means as if you were your own protector. Lastly : In what a melancholy condition are those who do not believe there is any providence ; or, which comes to exactly the same point, not a particular one ! Whatever station they are in, as long as they are in the world, they are exposed to number less dangers which no human wisdom can foresee, and no human power can resist. And there is no help ! If they trust in men, they find them " deceitful upon the weights." In many cases they cannot help ; in others, they will not. But were they ever so willing, they will die : Therefore vain is the help of man THE WISDOM OF GOD's COUNSELS. 325 And God is far above, out of their sight : They expect no help from Him. These modern (as well as the ancient) Epicureans have learned that the Universal Cause Acts not by partial, but by general laws. He only takes care of the great globe itself ; not of its puny inhabitants. He heeds not how those Vagrant emmets crawl At random on the air-suspended ball. How uncomfortable is the situation of that man who has no far ther hope than this ! But, on the other hand, how unspeakably " happy is the man that hath the Lord for his help, and whose hope is in the Lord his God!" who can say, " I have set the Lord always before me ; because he is on my right hand, I shall not be moved ! " Therefore, " though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : For thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." SERMON LXVIII. THE WISDOM OF GOD'S COUNSELS. " 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God /" Romans xi. 33. 1. Some apprehend the wisdom and the knowledge of God to mean one and the same thing. Others believe that the wisdom of God more directly refers to his appointing the ends of all things ; and his knowledge, to the means which he hath prepared and made conducive to those ends. The former seems to be the most natural explication ; as the wisdom of God, in its most extensive meaning, must include the one as well as the other, the means as well as the ends. 2. Now the wisdom as well as the power of God is abundantly manifested in his creation ; in the formation and arrangement of all his works, in heaven above and in the earth beneath ; and in adapting them all to the several ends for which they were 326 SERMON LXVIII. designed : Insomuch that each of them, apart from the rest, is good ; but all together are very good ; all conspiring together, in one connected system, to the glory of God in the happiness of his intelligent creatures. 3. As this wisdom appears even to short-sighted men (and much more to spirits of a higher order) in the creation and dis position of the whole universe, and every part of it ; so it equally appears in their preservation, in his " upholding all things by the word of his power." And it no less eminently appears in the permanent government of all that he has created. How admirably does his wisdom direct the motions of the heavenly bodies ! of all the stars in the firmament, whether those that are fixed, or those that wander, though never out of their several orbits ! of the sun in the midst of heaven ! of those amazing bodies, the comets, that shoot in every direction through the immeasurable fields of ether ! How does he superintend all the parts of this lower world, this " speck of creation," the earth ! So that all things are still, as they were at the begin ning, " beautiful in their seasons ; " and summer and winter, seed-time and harvest, regularly follow each other. Yea, all things serve their Creator : " Fire and hail, snow and vapour, wind and storm, are fulfilling his word;" so that we may well say, " O Lord, our Governor, how excellent is thy name in all the earth !" 4. Equally conspicuous is the wisdom of God in the govern ment of nations, of states and kingdoms ; yea, rather, more conspicuous ; if infinite can be allowed to admit of any degrees. For the whole inanimate creation, being totally passive and inert, can make no opposition to his will. Therefore, in the natural world all things roll on in an even, uninterrupted course. But it is far otherwise in the moral world. Here evil men and evil spirits continually oppose the divine will, and create numberless irregularities. Here, therefore, is full scope for the exercise of all the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, in counteracting all the wickedness and folly of men, and all the subtlety of Satan, to carry on his own glorious design, — thc salvation of lost mankind. Indeed, were he to do this by an absolute decree, and by his own irresistible power, it would imply no wisdom at all. But his wisdom is shown by saving man in such a manner as not to destroy his nature, nof to take away the liberty which he has given him, THE WISDOM OF GOD's COUNSELS. 327 5. But the riches both of the wisdom and thc knowledge of God are most eminently displayed in his Church ; in planting it like a grain of mustard-seed, the least of all seeds ; in preserving and continually increasing it, till it grew into a great tree, notwithstanding the uninterrupted opposition of all the powers of darkness. This the Apostle justly terms the manifold wisdom (¦ayoXuvroix.iXoc croGod, is answered, and filled with peace and joy in believing ; another seeks after him, and, it seems, with the same degree of sincerity and earnestness, and yet cannot find him, or any consciousness of his favour, for weeks, or months, or years. We know well, this cannot possibly be owing to any absolute THE IMPERFECTION OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. 349 decree, consigning one, before he was born, to everlasting glory, and the other to everlasting fire ; but we do not know what is the reason for it: It is enough that God knoweth. 5. There is, likewise, great variety in the manner and time of God's bestowing his sanctifying grace, whereby he enables his children to give him their whole heart, which we can in no wise account for. We know not why he bestows this on some, even before they ask for it ; (some unquestionable instances of which we have seen ;) on some, after they had sought it but a few days : And yet permits other believers to wait for it, perhaps twenty, thirty, or forty years ; nay, and others, till a few hours, or even minutes, before their spirits return to him. For the various circumstances also which attend the fulfilling of that great promise, " I will circumcise thy heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul," God undoubtedly has reasons ; but those reasons are generally hid from the children of men. Once more : Some of those who are enabled to love God with all their heart and with all their soul retain the same blessing, without any interruption, till they are carried to Abraham's bosom ; others do not retain it, although they are not conscious of having grieved the Holy Spirit of God. This also we do not understand : We do not herein " know the mind of the Spirit." IV. Several valuable lessons we may learn from a deep con sciousness of this our own ignorance. First, we may learn hence a lesson of humility ; not " to think of ourselves," particularly with regard to our understanding, " more highly than we ought to think ;" but " to think soberly ; " being thoroughly convinced, that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think one good thought ; that we should be liable to stumble at every step, to err every moment of our lives, were it not that we have "an anointing from the Holy One," which abideth " with us ; " were it not that He who knoweth what is in man, helpeth our infirmities ; that "there is a spirit in man" which giveth wisdom, "and the inspiration " of the Holy One which " giveth understanding." From hence we may learn, Secondly, a lesson of faith ; of confidence in God. A full conviction of our own ignorance may teach us a full trust in his wisdom. It may teach us (what is not always so easy as one would conceive it to be) to trust the invisible God, farther than we can see him. It may assist us in learning that difficult lesson, to "cast down" our 350 SERMON LXX. own "imaginations;" (or reasonings rather, as the word pro perly signifies ;) to " cast down every high thing, that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." There are at present two grand obstructions to our forming a right judgment of the dealings of God with respect to men. The one is, there are innumerable facts relating to every man, which we do not and cannot know. They are, at present, hid from us, and covered from our search by impenetrable darkness. The other is, we cannot see the thoughts of men, even when we know their actions. Still we know not their intentions ; and without this we can but ill judge of their outward actions. Conscious of this, "judge nothing before the time," concerning his providential dis pensations ; till he shall bring to light " the hidden things of Jarkness," and manifest " the thoughts and intents of the heart." From a consciousness of our ignorance we may learn, Thirdly, a lesson of resignation. We may be instructed to say, at all times, and in all instances, " Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt." This was the last lesson which our blessed Lord, as man, learned while he was upon earth. He could go no higher than, " Not as I will, but as thou wilt," till he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Let us also herein be made conformable to his death, that we may know the full " power of his resur rection ! " SERMON LXX. THE CASE OF REASON IMPARTIALLY CON SIDERED. '•Brethren, be not children in understanding: Howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men!" 1 Corinthians xiv. 20. 1. It is the true remark of an eminent man, who had made many observations on human nature, " If reason be against a man, a man will always be against reason." This has been confirmed by the experience of all ages. Very many have been THE CASE OF REASON CONSIDERED. 351 •the instances of it in the Christian as well as the heathen world ; yea, and that in the earliest times. Even then there were not wanting well-meaning men who, not having much reason them selves, imagined that reason was of no use in religion ; yea, rather, that it was a hinderance to it. And there has not been wanting a succession of men who have believed and asserted the same thing. But never was there a greater number of these in the Christian Church, at least in Britain, than at this day. 2. Among them that despise and vilify reason, you may always expect to find those enthusiasts who suppose the dreams of their own imagination to be revelations from God. We can not expect that men of this turn will pay much regard to reason. Having an infallible guide, they are very little moved by the reasonings of fallible men. In the foremost of these we com monly find the whole herd of Antinomians ; all that, however they may differ in other respects, agree in " making void the law through faith." If you oppose reason to these, when they are asserting propositions ever so full of absurdity and blasphemy, they will probably think it a sufficient answer to say, " O, this is your reason;" or "your carnal reason:" So that all arguments are lost upon them : They regard them no more than stubble or ¦rotten wood. 3. How natural is it for those who observe this extreme, to run into the contrary ! While they are strongly impressed with the absurdity of undervaluing reason, how apt are they to over value it ! So much easier it is to run from east to west, than to stop at the middle point ! Accordingly, we are surrounded •with those (we find them on every side) who lay it down as an undoubted principle, that reason is the highest gift of God. They paint it in the fairest colours ; they extol it to the skies. They are fond of expatiating in its praise ; they make it little less than divine. They are wont to describe it as very near, if not quite, infallible. They look upon it as the all-sufficient director of all the children of men ; able, by its native light, to guide them into all truth, and lead them into all virtue. 4. They that are prejudiced against the Christian revelation, who do not receive the Scriptures as the oracles of God, almost universally run into this extreme : I have scarce known any exception : So do all, by whatever name they are called, who ¦deny the Godhead of Christ. (Indeed some of these say they do not deny his Godhead ; but only his supreme Godhead. Nay, 352 SERMON LXX. this is the same thing ; for in denying him to be the supreme God, they deny him to be any God at all : Unless they will assert that there are two Gods, a great one and a little one!) All these are vehement applauders of reason, as the great unerr ing guide. To these over-valuers of reason we may generally add men of eminently strong understanding ; who, because they do know more than most other men, suppose they can know all things. But we may likewise add many who are in the other extreme ; men of eminently weak understanding; men in whom pride (a very common case) supplies the void of sense ; who do not suspect themselves to be blind, because they were always so. 5. Is there, then, no medium between these extremes, — under valuing and over-valuing reason ? Certainly there is. But who is there to point it out ? — to mark down the middle way ? That great master of reason, Mr. Locke, has done something of the kind, something applicable to it, in one chapter of his Essay concerning Human Understanding. But it is only remotely applicable to this : He does not come home to the point. The good and great Dr. Watts has wrote admirably well, both concerning reason and faith. But neither does anything he has written point out the medium between valuing it too little and too much. 6. I would gladly endeavour in some degree to supply this grand defect ; to point out, First, to the under-valuers of it, what reason can do ; and then to the over-valuers of it, what reason cannot do. But before either the one or the other can be done, it is absolutely necessary to define the term, to fix the precise meaning of the word in question. Unless this is done, men may dispute to the end of the world without coming to any good conclusion. This is one great cause of the numberless altercations which have been on the subject. Very few of the disputants thought of this ; of defining the word they were disputing about. The natural consequence was, they were just as far from an agreement at the end as at the beginning. I. 1. First, then, reason is sometimes taken for argument. So, " Give me a reason for your assertion." So in Isaiah : " Bring forth your strong reasons ,•" that is, your strong argu ments. We use the word nearly in the same sense, when we say, " He has good reasons for what he does." It seems here to mean, He has sufficient motives ; such as ought to influence THE CASE OF REASON CONSIDERED. 353 a wise man. But how is the word to be understood in thc celebrated question concerning the "reasons of things?" par ticularly when it is asked, An rationes rerum sint externa;? "Whether the reasons of things are eternal?" Do not thc " reasons of things " here mean the relations of things to each other ? But what are the eternal relations of temporal things ? of things which did not exist till yesterday ? Could the relations of these things exist before the things themselves had any exist ence ? Is not, then, the talking of such relations a flat contra diction ? Yea, as palpable a one as can be put into words. 2. In another acceptation of the word, reason is much the same with understanding. It means a faculty of the human soul ; that faculty which exerts itself in three ways ; — by simple apprehension, by judgment, and by discourse. Simple appre hension is barely conceiving a thing in the mind ; the first and most simple act of the understanding. Judgment is the determining that the things before conceived either agree with or differ from each other. Discourse, strictly speaking, is the motion or progress of the mind from one judgment to another. The faculty of the soul which includes these three operations I here mean by the term reason. 3. Taking the word in this sense, let us now impartially con sider, First, What is it that reason can do ? And who can deny that it can do much, very much, in the affairs of common life ? To begin at the lowest point : It can direct servants how to per form the various works wherein they are employed ; to discharge their duty, either in the meanest offices or in any of a higher nature. It can direct the husbandman at what time, and in what manner, to cultivate his ground ; to plough, to sow, to reap, to bring in his corn, to breed and manage his cattle, and to. act with prudence and propriety in every part of his employ ment. It can direct artificers how to prepare the various sorts of apparel, and a thousand necessaries and conveniences of life, not only for themselves and their households, but for their neigh bours, whether nigh or afar off. It can direct those of higher abilities to plan and execute works of a more elegant kind. It can direct the painter, the statuary, the musician, to excel in the stations wherein Providence has placed them. It can direct the mariner to steer his course over the bosom of the great deep. It enables those who study the laws of their country to defend the property or life of their fellow-subjects ; and those who study A a 2. 354 sermon i,xx. the art of healing to cure most of the maladies to which we are exposed in our present state. 4. To ascend higher still: It is certain reason can assist us in going through the whole circle of arts and sciences ; of gram mar, rhetoric, logic, natural and moral philosophy, mathematics, algebra, metaphysics. It can teach whatever the skill or industry of man has invented for some thousand years. It is absolutely necessary for the due discharge of the most important offices ; such as are those of Magistrates, whether of an inferior or superior rank ; and those of subordinate or supreme Governors, whether of states, provinces, or kingdoms. 5. All this few men in their senses will deny. No thinking man can doubt but reason is of considerable service in all things relating to the present world. But suppose we speak of higher things, — the things of another world ; what can reason do here ? Is it a help or a hinderance of religion ? It may do much in the affairs of men ; but what can it do in the things of God ? 6. This is a point that deserves to be deeply considered. If you ask, Wrhat can reason do in religion ? I answer, It can do exceeding much, both with regard to the foundation of it, and the superstructure. The foundation of true religion stands upon the oracles of God. It is built upon the Prophets and Apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. Now, of what excellent use is reason, if we would either understand ourselves, or explain to others, those living oracles ! And how is it possible without it to understand the essential truths contained therein ? a beau tiful summary of which we have in that which is called the Apostles' Creed. Is it not reason (assisted by the Holy Ghost) which enables us to understand what the Holy Scriptures declare concerning the being and attributes of God ? — concerning his eternity and immensity ; his power, wisdom, and holiness ? It is by reason that God enables us in some measure to comprehend his method of dealing with the children of men; the nature of his various dispensations, of the old and new covenant, of the law and the gospel. It is by this we understand (his Spirit opening and enlightening the eyes of our understanding) what that repentance is, not to be repented of; what is that faith whereby we are saved ; what is the nature and the condition of justification ; what are the immediate and what the subsequent fruits of it. By reason we learn what is that new birth, without i i THE CASE OF REASON CONSIDERED. 355 which we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven ; and what that holiness is without which no man shall see the Lord. By the due use of reason we come to know what are the tempers implied in inward holiness ; and what it is to be outwardly holy, — holy in all manner of conversation : In other words, what is the mind that was in Christ ; and what it is to walk as Christ walked. 7- Many particular cases will occur with respect to several of the foregoing articles, in which we shall have occasion for all our understanding, if we would keep a conscience void of offence. Many cases of conscience are not to be solved without the utmost exercise of our reason. The same is requisite in order to under stand and to discharge our ordinary relative duties ; — the duties of parents and children, of husbands and wives, and (to name no more) of masters and servants. In all these respects, and in all the duties of common life, God has given us our reason for a guide. And it is only by acting up to the dictates of it, by using all the understanding which God hath given us, that we can have a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man. 8. Here, then, there is a large field indeed, wherein reason may expatiate and exercise all its powers. And if reason can do all this, both in civil and religious things, what is it that it cannot do ? We have hitherto endeavoured to lay aside all prejudice, and to weigh the matter calmly and impartially. The same course let us take still : Let us now coolly consider, without preposses sion on any side, what it is, according to the best light we have, that reason cannot do. II. 1. And, First, reason cannot produce faith. Although it is always consistent with reason, yet reason cannot produce faith, in the scriptural sense of the word. Faith, according to Scripture, is " an evidence," or conviction, " of things not seen." It is a divine evidence, bringing a full conviction of an invisible eternal world. It is true, there was a kind of shadowy- persuasion of this, even among the wiser Heathens ; probably from tradition, or from some gleams of light reflected from the Israelites. Hence many hundred years before our Lord was born, the Greek Poet uttered that great truth, — Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, whether we wake, or if we sleep. 2 A 2 356 SERMON LXX. But this was little more than faint conjecture:. It was far from a firm conviction ; which reason, in its highest state of improve ment, could never produce in any child of man. 2. Many years ago I found the truth of this by sad experience. After carefully heaping up the strongest arguments which I could find, either in ancient or modern authors, for the very being of a God, and (which is nearly connected with it) the existence of an invisible world, I have wandered up and down, musing with myself: " What, if all these things which I see around me, this earth and heaven, this universal frame, has existed from eternity ? What, if that melancholy supposition of the old Poet be the real case, — 'Oo; -wep p -yevev, toitjSg Kai avSpcav ; What, if ' the generation of men be exactly parallel with the generation of leaves?' if the earth drops its successive inhabitants, just as the tree drops its leaves ? What, if that saying of a great man be really true,— Post mortem nihil est ; ipsaque mors nihil ? Death is nothing, and nothing is after death ? How am I sure that this is not the case ; that I have not followed cunningly devised fables ? " — And I have pursued the thought, till there was no spirit in me, and I was ready to choose strangling rather than life. 3. But in a point of so unspeakable importance, do not depend upon the word of another ; but retire for awhile from the busy world, and make the experiment yourself. Try whether your reason will give you a clear satisfactory evidence of the invisible world. After the prejudices of education are laid aside, produce your strong reasons for the existence of this. Set them all in array; silence all objections; and put all your doubts to flight. Alas ! you cannot, with all your understand ing. You may repress them for a season. But how quickly will they rally again, and attack you with redoubled violence ! And what can poor reason do for your deliverance ? The more vehemently you struggle, the more deeply you are entangled in the toils ; and you find no way to escape. 4. How was the case with that great admirer of reason, the author of the maxim above cited? I mean the famous Mr. Hobbes. None will deny that he had a strong understanding. But did it produce in him a full and satisfactory conviction of THE CASE OF REASON CONSIDERED. 357 an invisible world ? Did it open the eyes of his understanding, to see Beyond the bounds of this diurnal sphere ? O no ! far from it ! His dying words ought never to be forgot ten. "Where are you going, Sir?" said one of his friends. He answered, " I am taking a leap in the dark !" and died. Just such an evidence of the invisible world can bare reason give to the wisest of men ! 5. Secondly. Reason alone cannot produce hope in any child of man : I mean scriptural hope, whereby we " rejoice in hope of the glory of God:" That hope which St. Paul in one place terms, " tasting the powers of the world to come ; " in another, the " sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus :" That which enables us to say, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope ; to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away ; which is reserved in heaven for us." This hope can only spring from Christian faith : Therefore, where there is not faith, there is not hope. Consequently, reason, being unable to produce faith, must be equally unable to produce hbpe. Experience confirms this likewise. How often have I laboured, and that with my might, to beget this hope in myself! But it was lost labour : I could no more acquire this hope of heaven, than I could touch heaven with my hand. And whoever of you makes the same attempt will find it attended with the same success. I do not deny, that a self-deceiving enthusiast may work in himself a kind of hope : He may work himself up into a lively imagination ; into a sort of pleasing dream : He may " compass himself about," as the Prophet speaks, " with sparks of his own kindling :" But this cannot be of long continuance ; in a little while the bubble will surely break. And what will follow ? " This shall ye have at my hand, saith the Lord, ye shall lie down in sorrow." 6. If reason could have produced a hope full of immortality in any child of man, it might have produced it in that great man whom Justin Martyr scruples not to call " a Christian before Christ." For who that was not favoured with the written word of God, ever excelled, yea, or equalled, Socrates? In what other Heathen can we find so strong an understanding, joined with so consummate virtue ? But had he really this hope? Let him answer for himself. What is the conclusion of that noble 358 SERMON LXX. apology which he made before his unrighteous judges ? " And now, O judges ! ye are going hence to live ; and I am going hence to die : Which of these is best, the gods know ; but, I suppose, no man does." No man knows ! How far is this from the language of the little Benjamite : " I desire to depart, and to be with Christ ; which is far better !" And how many thousands are there at this day, even in our own nation, young men and maidens, old men and children, who are able to witness the same good confession ! 7- But who is able to do this, by the force of his reason, be it ever so highly improved ? One of the most sensible and most amiable Heathens that have lived since our Lord died, even though he governed the greatest empire in the world, was the Emperor Adrian. It is his well-known saying, "A prince ought to resemble the sun : He ought to shine on every part of his dominion, and to diffuse his salutary rays in every place where he comes." And his life was a comment upon his word : Wherever he went, he was executing justice, and showing mercy. Was not he then, at the close of a long life, full of immortal hope ? We are able to answer this from unquestion able authority, — from his own dying words. How inimitably pathetic ! ADRIANI MOR1ENTIS AD ANIMAM SUAM. " DYING ADRIAN TO HIS SOUL." Animula, vagula, blandula, Hospes, comesque corporis, Quai nunc abibis in loca, Pallidula, rigida, nudula, Nee, ut soles, dabis jocos I Which the English reader may see translated into our own language, with all the spirit of the original : — Poor, little, pretty, fluttering thing, Must we no longer live together ? And dost thou prune thy trembling wing, To take thy flight, thou know'st not whither ? Thy pleasing vein, thy humorous folly, Lies all neglected, all forgot ! And pensive, wavering, melancholy, Thou hop'st, and fear'st, thou know'st not what. 3. Thirdly. Reason, however cultivated and improved, cannot produce the love of God ; which is plain from hence : It cannot produce either faith or hope ; from which alone this love can THE CASE OF REASON CONSIDERED. 359 flow. It is then only, when we "behold" by faith "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us," in giving his only Son, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life, that " the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." It is only then, when we " rejoice in hope of the glory of God," that " we love Him because he first loved us." But what can cold reason do in this matter? It may present us with fair ideas; it can draw a fine picture of love : But this is only a painted fire. And farther than this reason cannot go. I made the trial for many years. I collected the finest hymns, prayers, and meditations which I could find in any language ; and I said, sung, or read them over and over, with all possible seriousness and attention. But still I was like the bones in Ezekiel's vision : " The skin covered them above ; but there was no breath in them." 9. And as reason cannot produce the love of God, so neither can it produce the love of our neighbour ; a calm, generous, disinterested benevolence to every child of man. This earnest, steady good-will to our fellow-creatures never flowed from any fountain but gratitude to our Creator. And if this be (as a very ingenious man supposes) the very essence of virtue, it follows that virtue can have no being, unless it spring from the love of God. Therefore, as reason cannot produce this love, so neither can it produce virtue. 10. And as it cannot give either faith, hope, love, or virtue, so it cannot give happiness ; since, separate from these, there can be no happiness for any intelligent creature. It is true, those who are void of all virtue may have pleasures, such as they are ; but happiness they have not, cannot have. No : Their joy is all sadness ; their mirth is all vain ; Their laughter is madness ; their pleasure is pain ! Pleasures ? Shadows ! dreams ! fleeting as the wind ! unsubstan tial as the rainbow ! as unsatisfying to the poor gasping soul, As the gay colours of an eastern cloud. None of these will stand the test of reflection : If thought comes, the bubble breaks ! Suffer me now to add a few plain words, first to you who under-value reason. Never more declaim in that wild, loose, ranting manner, against this precious gift of God. Acknow ledge " the candle of the Lord," which he hath fixed in our 360 SERMON LXX. souls for excellent purposes. You see how many admirable ends it answers, were it only in the things of this life : Of what unspeakable use is even a moderate share of reason in all our worldly employments, from the lowest and meanest offices of life, through all the intermediate branches of business ; till we ascend to those that are of the highest importance and the greatest difficulty ! When therefore you despise or depreciate reason, you must not imagine you are doing God service : Least of all, are you promoting the cause of God when you are endeavouring to exclude reason out of religion. Unless you wilfully shut your eyes, you cannot but see of what service it is both in laying the foundation of true religion, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and in raising the superstructure. You see it directs us in every point both of faith and practice : It guides us with regard to every branch both of inward and outward holiness. Do we not glory in this, that the whole of our religion is a " reasonable service ?" yea, and that every part of it, when it is duly performed, is the highest exercise of our understanding ? Permit me to add a few words to you, likewise, who over-value reason. Why should you run from one extreme to the other ? Is not the middle way best ? Let reason do all that reason can : Employ it as far as it will go. But, at the same time, acknow ledge it is utterly incapable of giving either faith, or hope, or love; and, consequently, of producing either real virtue, or substantial happiness. Expect these from a higher source, even from the Father of the spirits of all flesh. Seek and receive them, not as your own acquisition, but as the gift of God. Lift up your hearts to Him who " giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." He alone can give that faith, which is "the evidence" and conviction "of things not seen." He alone can " beget you unto a lively hope" of an inheritance eternal in the heavens ; and He alone can " shed his love abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost given unto you." Ask, therefore, and it shall be riven you ! Cry unto him, and you shall not cry in vain ! How can you doubt ? " If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Ghost unto them that ask him !" So shall you be living witnesses, that wisdom, holiness, and happiness are one ; are inseparably united ; and are, indeed, the beginning of that eternal life which God hath given us in his Son. SERMON LXXI. OF GOOD ANGELS. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation ?" Heb. i. 14. 1. Many of the ancient Heathens had (probably from tradi tion) some notion of good and evil angels. They had some conception of a superior order of beings, between men and God, whom the Greeks generally termed demons, (knowing ones,) and the Romans, genii. Some of these they supposed to be kind and benevolent, delighting in doing good ; others, to be malicious and cruel, delighting in doing evil. But their conceptions both of one and the other were crude, imperfect, and confused ; being only fragments of truth, partly delivered down by their forefathers, and partly borrowed from the inspired writings. 2. Of the former, the benevolent kind, seems to have been the celebrated demon of Socrates ; concerning which so many and so various conjectures have been made in succeeding ages. " This gives me notice," said he, " every morning, of any evil which will befall me that day." A late writer, indeed, (I suppose one that hardly believes the existence of either angel or spirit,) has published a dissertation, wherein he labours t6 prove, that the demon of Socrates was only his reason. But it was not the manner of Socrates to speak in such obscure and ambiguous terms. If he had meant his reason, he would doubt less have said so. But this could not be his meaning : For it was impossible his reason should give him notice, every morning, of every evil which would befall him in that day. It does not lie within the province of reason, to give such notice of future contingencies. Neither does this odd interpretation in anywise agree with the inference which he himself draws from it. " My demon," says he, " did not give me notice this morning of any evil that was to befall me to-day. Therefore I cannot regard as any evil my being condemned to die." Undoubtedly it was some spiritual being : Probably one of these ministering spirits 362 SERMON LXXI. 3. An ancient poet, one who lived several ages before Socrates, speaks more determinately on this subject. Hesiod does not scruple to say, Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen. Hence, it is probable, arose the numerous tales about the exploits of their demi-gods : Minorum Gentium. Hence their satyrs, fauns, nymphs of every kind ; wherewith they supposed both the sea and land to be filled. But how empty, childish, unsatisfactory, are all the accounts they give of them ! as, indeed, accounts that depend upon broken, uncertain tradition can hardly fail to be. 4. Revelation only is able to supply this defect : This only gives us a clear, rational, consistent account of those whom our eyes have not seen, nor our ears heard ; of both good and evil angels. It is my design to speak, at present, only of the former ; of whom we have a full, though brief account in these words : " Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister unto them that shall be heirs of salvation?" I. 1. The question is, according to the manner of the Apostle, equivalent to a strong affirmation. And hence we learn, First, that with regard to their essence, or nature, they are all spirits ; not material beings ; not clogged with flesh and blood like us ; but having bodies, if any, not gross and earthly like ours, but of a finer substance ; resembling fire or flame, more than any other of these lower elements. And is not something like this intimated in those words of the Psalmist : " Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire ?" (Psalm civ. 4.) As spirits, he has endued them with understanding, will, or affections, (which are indeed the same thing ; as the affections are only the will exerting itself various ways,) and liberty. And are not these, understanding, will, and liberty, essential to, if not the essence of, a spirit ? 2. But who of the children of men can comprehend what is the understanding of an angel ? Who can comprehend how far their sight extends ? Analogous to sight in men, though not tbe same ; but thus we are constrained to speak through the poverty of human language. Probably not only over one hemisphere of the earth ; yea, or, Ten-fold the length of this terrene ; or even of the solar system ; but so far as to take in one view OF GOOD ANGELS. 363 the whole extent of the creation ! And we cannot conceive any defect in their perception ; neither any error in their under standing. But in what manner do they use their understand ing ? We must in nowise imagine that they creep from one truth to another by that slow method which we call reasoning. Undoubtedly they see, at one glance, whatever truth is pre sented to their understanding ; and that with all the certainty and clearness that we mortals see the most self-evident axiom. Who then can conceive the extent of their knowledge ? not only of the nature, attributes, and works of God, whether of creation or providence ; but of the circumstances, actions, words, tempers, yea, and thoughts, of men. For although " God " only " knows the hearts of all men," (" unto whom are known all his works,") together with the changes they undergo, " from the beginning of the world;" yet we cannot doubt but his angels know the hearts of those to whom they more immediately minister. Much less can we doubt of their knowing the thoughts that are in our hearts at any particular time. What should hinder their seeing them as they arise ? Not the thin veil of flesh and blood. Can these intercept the view of a spirit ? Nay, Walls within walls no more its passage bar, Than unopposing space of liquid air. Far more easily, then, and far more perfectly, than we can read a man's thoughts in his face, do these sagacious beings read our thoughts just as they rise in our hearts ; inasmuch as they see the kindred spirit, more clearly than we see the body. If this seem strange to any who had not adverted to it before, let him only consider : Suppose my spirit was out of the body, could not an angel see my thoughts, even without my uttering any words ? (if words are used in the world of spirits.) And cannot that ministering spirit see them just as well now I am in the body ? It seems, therefore, to be an unquestionable truth, (although perhaps not commonly observed,) that angels know not only the words and actions, but also the thoughts, of those to whom they minister. And indeed without this knowledge, they would be very ill qualified to perform various parts of their ministry. 3. And what an inconceivable degree of wisdom must they have acquired by the use of their amazing faculties, over and above that with which they were originally endued, in the 364 SERMON LXXI. course of more than six thousand years ! (That they have existed so long we are assured ; for they " sang together when the foundations of the earth were laid.") How immensely must their wisdom have increased, during so long a period, not only by surveying the hearts and ways of men in their successive generations, but by observing the works of God, his works of creation, his works of providence, his works of grace; and, above all, by " continually beholding the face of their Father which is in heaven ! " 4. What measures of holiness, as well as wisdom, have they derived from this inexhaustible ocean ! A boundless, fathomless abyss, Without a bottom or a shore ! Are they not hence, by way of eminence, styled the holy angels ? What goodness, what philanthropy, what love to man, have they drawn from those rivers that are at his right hand ! Such as we cannot conceive to be exceeded by any but that of God our Saviour. And they are still drinking in more love from this " Fountain of living water." 5. Such is the knowledge and wisdom of the angels of God, as we learn from his own oracles. Such are their holiness and goodness. And how astonishing is their strength! Even a fallen angel is styled by an inspired writer, " the prince of the power of the air." How terrible a proof did he give of this power, in suddenly raising the whirlwind, which " smote the four corners of the house," and destroyed all the children of Job at once ! (Chap, i.) That this was his work, we may easily learn from the command to " save his life." But he gave a far more terrible proof of his strength, (if we suppose that " messenger of the Lord" to have been an evil angel, as is not at all improbable,) when he smote with death a hundred four-score and five thousand Assyrians in one night ; nay, possibly in one hour, if not one moment, Yet a strength abundantly greater than this must have been exerted by that angel (whether he was an angel of light or of darkness ; which is not determined by the text) who smote, in one hour, " all the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast." For, considering the extent of the land of Egypt, the immense populousness thereof, and the innumerable cattle fed in their houses, and grazing in their fruitful fields ; the men and beasts who were slain in thai OF GOOD ANGELS. 365 night must have amounted to several millions ! And if this be supposed to have been an evil angel, must not a good angel be as strong, yea, stronger than him ? For surely any good angel must have more power than even an archangel ruined- And what power must the "four angels" in the Revelation have, who were appointed to "keep the four winds of heaven!" There seems, therefore, no extravagance in supposing, that, if God were pleased to permit, any of the angels of light could heave the earth and all the planets out of their orbits ; yea, that he could arm himself with all these elements, and crush the whole frame of nature. Indeed we do not know how to set any bounds to the strength of these first-born children of God. 6. And although none but their great Creator is omnipresent ; although none beside him can ask, " Do not I fill heaven and earth ?" yet, undoubtedly, he has given an immense sphere of action (though not unbounded) to created spirits. " The prince of the kingdom of Persia," (mentioned Dan. x. 13,) though probably an evil angel, seems to have had a sphere of action, both of knowledge and power, as extensive as that vast empire; and the same, if not greater, we may reasonably ascribe to the good angel whom he withstood for one-and-twenty days. 7- The angels of God have great power, in particular, over the human body ; power either to cause or remove pain and diseases, either to kill or to heal. They perfectly well under stand whereof we are made ; they know all the springs of this curious machine, and can, doubtless, by God's permission, touch any of them, so as either to stop or restore its motion. Of this power, even in an evil angel, we have a clear instance in the case of Job; whom he "smote with sore boils" all over, " from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot." And in that instant, undoubtedly, he would have killed him, if God had not saved his life. And, on the other hand, of the power of angels to heal, we have a remarkable instance in the case of Daniel. There remained no " strength in me," said the prophet ; "neither was there breath in me." " Then one came and touched me, and said, Peace be unto thee : Be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened." (Dan. x. 17, &c.) On the other hand, when they are commissioned from above, may they not put a period to human life ? There is nothing improbable in what Dr. Parnell supposes the angel to say to the hermit, concerning the death of the child : — 366 SERMON LXXl. To all but thee, in fits he seem'd to go i And 'twas my ministry to deal the blow. From this great truth, the heathen poets probably derived their imagination, that Iris used to be sent down from heaven to discharge souls out of their bodies. And perhaps the sudden death of many of the children of God may be owing to the ministry of an angel. II. So perfectly are the angels of God qualified for their high office. It remains to inquire, how they discharge their office. How do they minister to the heirs of salvation ? 1. I will not say, that they do not minister at all to those who, through their obstinate impenitence and unbelief, disinherit themselves of the kingdom. This world is a world of mercy, wherein God pours down many mercies, even on the evil and the unthankful. And many of these, it is probable, are conveyed even to them by the ministry of angels ; especially, so long as they have any thought of God, or any fear of God before their eyes. But it is their favourite employ, their peculiar office, to minister to the heirs of salvation ; to those who are now " saved by faith," or at least seeking God in sincerity. 2. Is it not their first care to minister to our souls ? But we must not expect this will be done with observation ; in such a manner, as that we may clearly distinguish their working from the workings of our own minds. We have no more reason to look for this, than for their appearing in a visible shape. With out this, they can, in a thousand ways, apply to our understand ing. They may assist us in our search after truth, remove many doubts and difficulties, throw light on what was before dark and obscure, and confirm us in the truth that is after god liness. They may warn us of evil in disguise ; and place what is good, in a clear, strong light. They may gently move our will to embrace what is good, and fly from that which is evil. They may, many times, quicken our dull affections, increase our holy hope or filial fear, and assist us more ardently to love Him who has first loved us. Yea, they may be sent of God to answer that whole prayer, put into our mouths by pious Bishop Ken:— O may thy angels, while I sleep, Around my bed their vigils keep ; Their love angelical instil, Stop every avenue of ill ! May they celestial joys rehearse, And thought to thought with me converse ! OV GOOD ANGELS. $67 Although the manner of this we shall not be able to explain while we dwell in the body. 3. May they not minister also to us, with respect to our bodies, in a thousand ways which we do not now understand ? They may prevent our falling into many dangers, which we are not sensible of; and may deliver us out of many others, though we know not whence our deliverance comes. How many times have we been strangely and unaccountably preserved, in sudden and dangerous falls ! And it is well if we did not impute that preservation to chance, or to our own wisdom or strength. Not so : It was God gave his angels charge over us, and in their hands they bore us up. Indeed, men of the world will always impute such deliverances to accident or second causes. To these, possibly, some of them might have imputed Daniel's preservation in the lions' den. But himself ascribes it to the true cause : " My God hath sent his angel, and shut the lions' mouths." (Dan. vi. 22.) 4. When a violent disease, supposed incurable, is totally and suddenly removed, it is by no means improbable that this is effected by the ministry of an angel. And perhaps it is owing to the same cause, that a remedy is unaccountably suggested either to the sick person, or some attending upon him, by which he is entirely cured. 5. It seems, what are usually called divine dreams may be frequently ascribed to angels. We have a remarkable instance of this kind related by one that will hardly be thought an enthusiast ; for he was a Heathen, a Philosopher, and an Emperor : I mean Marcus Antoninus. " In his Meditations, he solemnly thanks God for revealing to him, when he was at Cajeta, in a dream, what totally cured the bloody flux ; which none of his physicians were able to heal." And why may we not suppose, that God gave him this notice by the ministry of an angel ? 6. And how often does God deliver us from evil men by the ministry of his angels ! overturning whatever their rage, or malice, or subtlety had plotted against us. These are about their bed, and about their path, and privy to all their dark designs; and many of them, undoubtedly, they brought to nought, by means that we think not of. Sometimes they blast their favourite schemes in the beginning; sometimes, when they are just ripe for execution. And this they can" do by a 368 SERMON LXXI thousand means that we are not aware of. They can checK them in their mid-career, by bereaving them of courage or strength ; by striking faintness through their loins, or turning their wisdom into foolishness. Sometimes they bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and show us the traps that are laid for our feet. In these and various other ways, they hew the snares of the ungodly in pieces. 7- Another grand branch of their ministry is, to counter work evil angels ; who are continually going about, not only as roaring lions, seeking whom they may devour, but, more dangerously still, as angels of light, seeking whom they may deceive. And how great is the number of these ! Are they not as the stars of heaven for multitude ? How great is their subtlety ! matured by the experience of above six thousand years. How great is their strength ! Only inferior to that of the angels of God. The strongest of the sons of men are but as grasshoppers before them. And what an advantage have they over us by that single circumstance, that they are invisible ! As we have not strength to repel their force, so we have not skill to decline it. But the merciful Lord hath not given us up to the will of our enemies : " His eyes," that is, his holy angels, "run to and fro over all the earth." And if our eyes were opened, we should see, " they are more that are for us, than they that are against us." We should see, A convoy attends, A ministering host of invisible friends. And whenever those assault us in soul or in body, these are able, willing, ready, to defend us ; who are at least equally strong, equally wise, and equally vigilant. And who can hurt us while we have armies of angels, and the God of angels, on our side? 8. And we may make one general observation: Whatever assistance God gives to men by men, the same, and frequently in a higher degree, he gives to them by angels. Does he administer to us by men, light when we are in darkness ; joy, when we are in heaviness ; deliverance, when we are in danger ; ease and health, when we are sick or in pain ? It cannot be doubted but he frequently conveys the same blessings by the ministry of angels : Not so sensibly indeed, but full as effec tually ; though the messengers are not seen. Does he frequently OF GOOD ANGELS. 369 deliver us, by means of men, from the violence and subtlety of our enemies ? Many times he works the same deliverance by those invisible agents. These shut the mouths of the human lions, so that they have no power to hurt us. And frequently they join with our human friends, (although neither they nor we are sensible of it,) giving them wisdom, courage, or strength, without which all their labour for us would be unsuccessful. Thus do they secretly minister, in numberless instances, to the heirs of salvation ; while we hear only the voices of men, and see none but men round about us. 9. But does not the Scripture teach, " The help which is done upon earth, God doeth it himself?" Most certainly he does. And he is able to do it by his own immediate power. He has no need of using any instruments at all, either in heaven or earth. He wants not either angels or men, to fulfil the whole counsel of his will. But it is not his pleasure so to work. He never did ; and we may reasonably suppose he never will. He has always wrought by such instruments as he pleases : But still it is God himself that doeth the work. Whatever help, therefore, we have, either by angels or men, is as much the work of God, as if he were to put forth his almighty arm, and work without any means at all. But he has used them from the beginning of the world : In all ages he has used the ministry both of men and angels. And hereby, especially, is seen " thc manifold wisdom of God iu the Church." Meantime the same glory redounds to him, as if he used no instruments at all. 10. The grand reason why God is pleased to assist men by men, rather than immediately by himself, is undoubtedly to endear us to each other by these mutual good offices, in order to increase our happiness both in time and eternity. And is it not for the same reason that God is pleased to give his angeh charge over us ? namely, that he may endear us and them to each other ; that by the increase of our love and gratitude to them, we may find a proportionable increase of happiness, when we meet in our Father's kingdom. In the mean time, though we may not worship them, (worship is due only to our common Creator.) yet we may " esteem them very highly in love for their works' sake." And we may imitate them in all holiness ; suiting our lives to the prayer our Lord himself has taught us ; labouring to do his will on earth, as angels do it in heaven. B b 2. 370 SERMON LXXII. I cannot conclude this discourse better than in that admirable Collect of our Church : — " O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful manner ; grant that as thy holy angels alway do thee service in heaven, so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord." SERMON LXXII. OF EVIL ANGELS. " We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against prin cipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the dark ness of this world, against wicked spirits in heavenly places." Ephesians vi. 12. 1. It has been frequently observed, that there are no gaps or chasms in the creation of God ; but that all the parts of it are admirably connected together, to make up one universal whole. Accordingly, there is one chain of beings, from the lowest to the highest point, from an unorganized particle of earth or water, to Michael the archangel. And the scale of creatures does not advance per saltum, by leaps, but by smooth and gentle degrees ; although it is true these are frequently imperceptible to our imperfect faculties. We cannot accurately trace many of the intermediate links of this amazing chain, which are abundantly too fine to be discerned either by our senses or understanding. 2. We can only observe, in a gross and general manner, rising one above another, first, inorganical earth ; then, mine rals and vegetables, in their several orders ; afterwards, insects, reptiles, fishes, beasts, men, and angels. Of angels, indeed, we know nothing with any certainty but by revelation; the accounts which are left by the wisest of the ancients, or given by the modern Heathens, being no better than silly, self- OF EVIL ANGELS. 371 inconsistent fables, too gross to be imposed even upon children. But by divine revelation we are informed, that they were all created holy and happy ; yet they did not all continue as they were created : Some kept, but some left, their first estate. The former of these are now good angels ; the latter, evil angels. Of the former, I have spoke in the preceding discourse : I purpose now to speak of the latter. And highly necessary it is that we should well understand what God has revealed concerning them, that they may gain no advantage over us by our ignorance; that we may know how to wrestle against them effectually. For " we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in heavenly places." 3. This single passage seems to contain the whole scriptural doctrine concerning evil angels. I apprehend the plain meaning of it, literally translated, is this : " Our wrestling," the wrestling of real Christians, "is not" only, or chiefly, " against flesh and blood," weak men, or fleshly appetites and passions, " but against principalities, against powers," — the mighty princes of all the infernal regions, with their combined forces : And great is their power, as is also the power of the legions they command, — " against the rulers of the world." (This is the literal meaning of the word.) Perhaps these principalities and powers remain chiefly in the citadel of their kingdom. But there are other evil spirits that range abroad, to whom the provinces of the world are committed, — " of the darkness," chiefly the spiritual darkness, " of this age," which prevails during the present state of things, — " against wicked spirits " — eminently such ; who mortally hate and continually oppose holi ness, and labour to infuse unbelief, pride, evil desire, malice, anger, hatred, envy, or revenge — " in heavenly places;" which were once their abode, and which they still aspire after. In prosecuting this important subject, I will endeavour to explain, I. The nature and properties of evil angels ; and, II. Their employment. I. 1. With regard to the First, we cannot doubt but all the angels of God were originally of the same nature. Unquestion ably they were the highest order of created beings. They were spirits, pure ethereal creatures, simple and incorruptible ; if not wholly immaterial, yet certainly not incumbered with gross, 2B2 372 SERMON LXXII. earthly flesh and blood. As spirits, they were endued with understanding, with affections, and with liberty, or a power of self-determination ; so that it lay in themselves, either to continue in their allegiance to God, or to rebel against him. 2. And their original properties were, doubtless, the same with those of the holy angels. There is no absurdity in supposing Satan their chief, otherwise styled, " Lucifer, son of the morning,'' to have been at least one " of the first, if not the first archangel." Like the other sons of the morning, they had a height and depth of understanding quite incomprehensible to us. In consequence of this they had such knowledge and wisdom, that the wisest of the children of men (had men then existed) would have been mere idiots in comparison of them. Their strength was equal to their knowledge ; such as it cannot enter into our heart to conceive ; neither can we conceive to how wide a sphere of action either their strength or their knowledge extended. Their number God alone can tell : Doubtless it was only less than infinite. And a third part of these stars of heaven the arch-rebel drew after him. 3. We do not exactly know, (because it is not revealed in the oracles of God,) either what was the occasion of their apos tasy, or what effect it immediately produced upon them. Some have, not improbably, supposed, that when God published " the decree" (mentioned Psalm ii. 6, 7) concerning the kingdom of his only-begotten Son to be over all creatures, these first-born of creatures gave place to pride, comparing themselves to him ; — possibly intimated by the very name of Satan, Lucifer, or Michael, which means, Who is like God? It may be, Satan, then first giving way to temptation, said in his heart, " I too will have my throne. ' I will sit upon the sides of the north ! I will be like the Most High.' " But how did the mighty then fall ! What an amazing loss did they sustain ! If we allow of them all what our poet supposes concerning their chief in particular, — His form had not yet lost All its original brightness, nor appear'd Less than archangel ruin'd, and the excess Of glory obscured ; if we suppose their outward form was not entirely changed, (though it must have been in a great degree ; because the evil disposition of the mind must dim the lustre of the visage,) yet what an astonishing change was wrought within when angels OF EVIL ANGELS. 373 became devils ! when the holiest of all the creatures of God became the most unholy ! 4. From the time that they shook off their allegiance to God, they shook off all goodness, and contracted all those tempers which are most hateful to him, and most opposite to his nature. And ever since they are full of pride, arrogance, haughtiness, exalting themselves above measure; and although so deeply depraved through their inmost frame, yet admiring their own perfections. They are full of envy, if not against God himself, (and even that is not impossible, seeing they formerly aspired after his throne,) yet against all their fellow-creatures ; against the angels of God, who now enjoy the heaven from which they fell ; and much more against those worms of the earth who are now called to " inherit the kingdom." They are full of cruelty, of rage against all the children of men, whom they long to inspire with the same wickedness with themselves, and to involve in the same misery. 5. In the prosecution of this infernal design, they are dili gent in the highest degree. To find out the most effectual means of putting it into execution, they apply to this end the whole force of their angelical understanding ; and they second it with their whole strength, so far as God is pleased to permit. But it is well for mankind that God hath set them bounds which they cannot pass. He hath said to the fiercest and strongest of the apostate spirits, " Hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther." Otherwise, how easily and how quickly might one of them overturn the whole frame of nature ! How soon would they involve all in one common ruin, or, at least, destroy man from the face of the earth ! And they are indefatigable in their bad work : They never are faint or weary. Indeed, it seems no spirits are capable of weariness but those that inhabit flesh and blood. 6. One circumstance more we may learn from the Scripture concerning the evil angels : They do not wander at large, but are all united under one common head. It is he that is styled by our blessed Lord, "the prince of this world:" Yea, the Apostle does not scruple to call him, "the god of this world." He is frequently styled Satan, the adversary ; being the great adversary both of God and man. He is termed " the devil," by way of eminence ; — " Apollyon," or the destroyer ; — " the old serpent," from his beguiling Eve under that form ; — and, " the 874 SERMON LXXII. angel of the bottomless pit." We have reason to believe that the other evil angels are under his command; that they are ranged by him according to their several orders ; that they are appointed to their several stations, and have, from time to time, their several works and offices assigned them. And, undoubtedly, they are connected (though we know not how ; certainly not by love) both to him and to each other. II. But what is the employment of evil angels? This is the Second point to be considered. 1. They are (remember, so far as God permits!) xoo-fioxpa- ropec, — governors of the world ! So that there may be more ground than we are apt to imagine for that strange expression of Satan, (Matt. iv. 8, 9,) when he showed our Lord "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them," " All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." It is a little more particularly expressed in the fourth chapter of St. Luke : " The devil showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time." (Such an astonishing measure of power is still left in the prince of darkness !) " And the devil said, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: For that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it." (Verses 5, 6,) They are " the rulers of tbe darkness of this age;" (so the words are literally translated ;) of the present state of things, during which " the whole world lieth in the wicked one." He is the element of the children of men ; only those who fear God being excepted. He and his angels, in connexion with and in subordination to him, dispose all the ignorance, all the error, all the folly, and particularly all the wickedness of men, in such a manner as may most hinder the kingdom of God, and- most advance the kingdom of darkness. 2. " But has every man a particular evil angel, as well as a good one, attending him ?" This has been an exceeding .ancient opinion, both among the Christians, and the Jews before them : But it is much doubted whether it can be sufficiently proved from Scripture. Indeed it would not be improbable that there is a particular evil angel with every man, if we were assured there is a good one. But this cannot be inferred from those words of our Lord concerning little children : " In heaven their angels do continually see the face of their Father which is in heaven " This only proves that there are angels who are OF EVIL ANGELS. 375 appointed to take care of little children : It does not prove that a particular angel is allotted to every child. Neither is it proved by the words of Rhoda, who, hearing the voice of Peter, said, "It is his angel." We cannot infer any more from this, even suppose his angel means his guardian angel, than that Rhoda believed the doctrine of guardian angels, which was then com mon among the Jews. But still it will remain a disputable point, (seeing revelation determines nothing concerning it,) whether every man is attended either by a particular good or a particular evil angel. 3. But whether or no particular men are attended by particu lar evil spirits, we know that Satan and all his angels are con tinually warring against us, and watching over every child of man. They are ever watching to see whose outward or inward circumstances, whose prosperity or adversity, whose health or sickness, whose friends or enemies, whose youth or age, whose knowledge or ignorance, whose blindness or idleness, whose joy or sorrow, may lay them open to temptation. And they are perpetually ready to make the utmost advantage of every circumstance. These skilful wrestlers espy the smallest slip we make, and avail themselves of it immediately ; as they also are " about our bed, and about our path, and spy out all our ways." Indeed each of them " walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," or whom he may " beguile through his subtlety, as the serpent beguiled Eve." Yea, and in order to do this the more effectually, they transform themselves into angels of light. Thus, With rage that never ends, Their hellish arts they try ; Legions of dire, malicious fiends, And spirits enthroned on high. 4. It is by these instruments chiefly that the "foolish hearts' of those that know not God " are darkened :" Yea, they fre quently darken, in a measure, the hearts of them that do know God. The " god of this world" knows how to blind our hearts, to spread a cloud over our understanding, and to obscure the light of those truths which, at other times, shine as bright as the noon-day sun. By this means he assaults our faith, our evidence of things unseen. He endeavours to weaken that hope full of immortality to which God had begotten us ; and thereby to lessen, if he cannot destroy, our joy in God our Saviour. But, 376 SERMON LXXII. above all, he strives to damp our love of God, as he knows this is the spring of all our religion, and that, as this rises or falls, the work of God flourishes or decays in the soul. 5. Next to the love of God, there is nothing which Satan so cordially abhors as the love of our neighbour. He uses, there fore, every possible means to prevent or destroy this ; to excite either private or public suspicions, animosities, resentment, quarrels ; to destroy the peace of families or of nations ; and to banish unity and concord from the earth. And this, indeed, is the triumph of his art ; to embitter the poor, miserable children of men against each other, and at length urge them to do his own work, to plunge one another into the pit of destruction. 6. This enemy of all righteousness is equally diligent to hinder every good word and work. If he cannot prevail upon us to do evil, he will, if possible, prevent our doing good. He is peculiarly diligent to hinder the work of God from spreading in the hearts of men. What pains does he take to prevent or obstruct the general work of God ! And how many are his devices to stop its progress in particular souls ! to hinder their continuing or growing in grace, in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ! to lessen, if not destroy, that love, joy, peace, — that longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, — that fidelity, meek ness, temperance, — which our Lord works by his loving Spirit in them that believe, and wherein the very essence of religion consists. 7. To effect these ends, he is continually labouring, with all his skill and power, to infuse evil thoughts of every kind into the hearts of men. And certainly it is easy for a spirit to speak to our heart, as for a man to speak to our ears. But sometimes it is exceeding difficult to distinguish these from our own thoughts ; those which he injects so exactly resembling those which natu rally arise in our own minds. Sometimes, indeed, we may distin guish one from the other by this circumstance : — The thoughts which naturally arise in our minds are generally, if not always, occasioned by, or at least connected with, some inward or out ward circumstance that went before. But those that are preter- naturally suggested have frequently no relation to or connexion (at least, none that we are able to discern) with anything which preceded. On the contrary, they shoot in, as it were, across, and thereby show that they are of a different growth. 8. He likewise labours to awaken evil passions or tempers in OF EVIL ANGELS. 377 our souls. He endeavours to inspire those passions and tempers which are directly opposite to the " fruit of the Spirit." He strives to instil unbelief, atheism, ill-will, bitterness, hatred, malice, envy, — opposite to faith and love ; fear, sorrow, anxiety, worldly care, — opposite to peace and joy ; impatience, ill-nature, anger, resentment, — opposite to longsuffering, gentleness, meek ness ; fraud, guile, dissimulation, — contrary to fidelity ; love of the world, inordinate affection, foolish desires, — opposite to the love of God. One sort of evil desires he may probably raise or inflame by touching the springs of this animal machine. Endea vouring thus, by means of the body, to disturb or sully the soul 9. And, in general, we may observe that as no good is done, or spoken, or thought, by any man, without the assistance of God, working together in and with those that believe in him ; so there is no evil done, or spoke, or thought, without the assist ance of the devil, "who worketh with energy," with strong, though secret power, "in the children of unbelief." Thus he "entered into Judas," and confirmed him in the design of betraying his Master ; thus he " put it in the heart" of Ananias and Sapphira "to lie unto the Holy Ghost;" and, in like man ner, he has a share in all the actions and words and designs of evil men. As the children of God are "workers together with God," in every good thought, or word, or action; so the children of the devil are workers together with him, in every evil thought, or word, or work. So that as all good tempers, and remotely all good words and actions, are the fruit of the good Spirit ; in like manner, all evil tempers, with all the words and works which spring from them, are the fruit of the evil spirit : Insomuch that all the "works of the flesh," of our evil nature, are likewise the " work of the devil." 10. On this account, because he is continually inciting men to evil, he is emphatically called "the Tempter." Nor is it only with regard to his own children that he is thus employed : He is continually tempting the children of God also, and those that are labouring so to be. A constant watch he keeps ; He eyes them night and day ; He never slumbers, never sleeps, Lest lie should lose his prey. Indeed, the holiest of men, as long as they remain upon earth, are not exempt from his temptations. They cannot expect it ; 378 SERMON LXXII. seeing "it is enough for the disciple to be as his Master:" And we know he was tempted to evil till he said, " Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." 11. For such is the malice of the wicked one, that he will torment whom he cannot destroy. If he cannot entice men to sin, he will, so far as he is permitted, put them to pain. There is no doubt but he is the occasion, directly or indirectly, of many of the pains of mankind, which those who can no otherwise account for them lightly pass over as nervous. And innumerable accidents, as they are called, are undoubtedly owing to his agency; such as the unaccountable fright or falling of horses ; the overturning of carriages ; the breaking or dislocating of bones ; the hurt done by the falling or burning of houses, — by storms of wind, snow, rain, or hail, — by lightning or earthquakes. But to all these, and a thousand more, this subtle spirit can give the appearance of accidents ; for fear the sufferers, if they knew the real agents, should call for help on One that is stronger than him. 12. There is little reason to doubt but many diseases like wise, both of the acute and chronical kind, are either occasioned or increased by diabolical agency ; particularly those that begin in an instant, without any discernible cause ; as well as those that continue, and perhaps gradually increase, in spite of all the power of medicine. Here, indeed, " vain men" that " would be wise" again call in the nerves to their assistance. But is not this explaining ignotum per ignotius ? " a thing unknown by what is more unknown ?" For what do we know of the nerves themselves ? Not even whether they are solid or hollow ! 13. Many years ago I was asking an experienced Physician, and one particularly eminent for curing lunacy, " Sir, have you not seen reason to believe that some lunatics are really demoniacs ?" He answered, " Sir, I have been often inclined to think that most lunatics are demoniacs. Nor is there any weight in that objection, that they are frequently cured by medicine : For so might any other disease occasioned by an evil spirit, if God did not suffer him to repeat the stroke by which that disease is occasioned." 14. This thought opens to a wider scene. Who can tell how many of those diseases which we impute altogether to natural causes may be really preternatural ? What disorder is there in the human frame which an evil angel may not inflict ? Cannot OF EVU, ANGELS. 379 he smite us, as he did Job, and that in a moment, with boils from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot ? Cannot he with equal ease inflict any other, either external or internal malady ? Could not he in a moment, by divine permission, cast the strongest man down to the ground, and make him "wallow, foaming," with all the symptoms either of an epilepsy or apo plexy ? In like manner, it is easy for him to smite any one man, or every one in a city or nation, with a malignant fever, or with the plague itself, so that vain would be the help of man. 15. But that malice blinds the eyes of the wise, one would imagine so intelligent a being would not stoop so low, as it seems the devil sometimes does, to torment the poor children of men ! For to him we may reasonably impute many little inconveniences which we suffer. " I believe" (said that excellent man, the Marquis de Renty, when the bench on which he sat snapped in sunder without any visible cause) " that Satan had a hand in it, making me to fall untowardly." I know not whether he may not have a hand in that unaccountable horror with which many have been seized in the dead of night, even to such a degree that all their bones have shook. Perhaps he has a hand also in those terrifying dreams which many have, even while they are in perfect health. It may be observed, in all these instances, we usually say, " The devil;" as if there was one only; because these spirits, innumerable as they are, do all act in concert; and because we know not whether one or more are concerned in this or that work of darkness. It remains only to draw a few plain inferences from the doctrine which has been delivered. 1. And, First, as a general preservative against all the rage, the power, and subtlety of your great adversary, put on the panoply, " the whole armour of God," universal holiness. See that " the mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," and that ye "walk as Christ also walked;" that ye have a "con science void of offence toward God and toward men." So shall ye be " able to withstand" all the force and all the stratagems of the enemy : So shall ye be able to " withstand in the evil day," in the day of sore temptation, and " having done all to stand," to remain in the posture of victory and triumph. 2. To his " fiery darts," — his evil suggestions of every kind, blasphemous or unclean, though numberless as the stars 380 SERMON LXXII. of heaven, — oppose " the shield of faith." A consciousness of the love of Christ Jesus will effectually quench them all. Jesus hath died for you I What can your faith withstand ? Believe, hold fast your shield ! and who Shall pluck you from his hand ? 3. If he inject doubts whether you are a child of God, or fears lest you should not endure to the end ; " take to you for a helmet the hope of salvation." Hold fast that glad word, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a living hope of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." You will never be overthrown, you will never be staggered by your adversary, if you "hold fast the beginning of" this " confidence steadfast unto the end." 4. AVhenever the "roaring lion, walking about and seeking whom he may devour," assaults you with all his malice, and rage, and strength, "resist" him "steadfast in the faith." Then is the time, having cried to the Strong for strength, to " stir up the gift of God that is in you ;" to summon all your faith, and hope, and love ; to turn the attack in the name of the Lord, and in the power of his might ; and " he will" soon " flee from you." 5. But " there is no temptation," says one, " greater than the being without temptation." When, therefore, this is the case, when Satan seems to be withdrawn, then beware lest he hurt you more as a crooked serpent, than he could do as a roaring lion. Then take care you are not lulled into a pleasing slumber ; lest he should beguile you as he did Eve, even in innocence, and insensibly draw you from your simplicity toward Christ, from seeking all your happiness in Him. 6. Lastly. If he '-' transform himself into an angel of light," then are you in the greatest danger of all. Then have you need to beware, lest you also fall, where many mightier have been slain; then have you the greatest need to "watch and '"pray, that ye enter not into temptation." And if you continue so to do, the God whom you love and serve will deliver you. " The anointing of the Holy One shall abide with you, and teach you of all things." Your eye will pierce through snares ; you shall " know what that holy and acceptable and perfect will of God is," and shall hold on your way, till you " grow up in all things into him that is our Head, even Christ Jesus." SERMON LXXHL OF HELL. " Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark ix. 48. 1. EvEaY truth which is revealed in the oracles of God is undoubtedly of great importance. Yet it may be allowed that some of those which are revealed therein are of greater import ance than others, as being more immediately conducive to the grand end of all, the eternal salvation of men. And we may judge of their importance, even from this circumstance, — that they are not mentioned»once only in the sacred writings, but are repeated over and over. A remarkable instance of this we have with regard to the awful truth which is now before us. Our blessed Lord, who uses no superfluous words, who makes no " vain repetitions," repeats it over and over in the same chapter, and, as it were, in the same breath. So, (verses 43, 44,) " If thy hand offend thee," — if a thing or person, as useful as a hand, be an occasion of sin, and there is no other way to shun that sin, — "cut it off: It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched : Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." So again, (verses 45, 46,) " If thy foot offend thee, cut it off: It is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched : Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." And yet again, (verses 47, 48,) "If thine eye" — a person or thing as dear as thine eye — " offend thee," — hinder thy running the race which is set before thee, — " pluck it out : It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire : Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." 2. And let it not be thought, that the consideration of these terrible truths is proper only for enormous sinners. How is this supposition consistent with what our Lord speaks to those who were then, doubtless, the holiest men upon eaith? ** When 382 SERMON LXXIII. innumerable multitudes were gathered together, he said to his disciples" (the Apostles) " first of all, I say unto you, my friends, Fear not them that can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I say unto you, Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." (Luke xii. 1 — 5.) Yea, fear him under this very notion, — of having power to cast into hell : That is, in effect, fear lest he should cast you into the place of torment. And this very fear, even in the children of God, is one excellent means of preserving them from it. 3. It behoves, therefore, not only the outcasts of men, but even you, his friends, you that fear and love God, deeply to consider what is revealed in the oracles of God concerning the future state of punishment. How widely distant is this from the most elaborate accounts which are given by the heathen authors ! Their accounts are (in many particulars at least) childish, fanci ful, and self-inconsistent. So that it is no wonder they did not believe themselves, but only related the tales of the vulgar. So Virgil strongly intimates, when, after the laboured account he had given of the shades beneath, he sends him that had related it out at the ivory gate, through which (as he tells us) only dreams pass ; thereby giving us to know that all the preceding account is no more than a dream. This he only insinuates ; but his brother poet, Juvenal, speaks out flat and plain, — Esse aliquos manes, et sublerranea regna, Nee pueri credunt, nisi qui nondum are lavantur : " Even our children do not believe a word of the tales concern ing another world." 4. Here, on the contrary, all is worthy of God, the Creator, the Governor of mankind. All is awful and solemn ; suitable to His wisdom and justice by whom " Tophet was ordained of old ;" although originally prepared, not for the children of men, but " for the devil and his angels." The punishment of those who, in spite of all the warnings of God, resolve to have their portion with the devil and his angels, will, according to the ancient and not improper division, be either poena damni, — "what they lose;" or poena sensils, — " what they feel." After considering these separately, I shall touch on a few additional circumstances, and conclude with two or three inferences. OE HELL. 383 I. 1. And, First, let us consider the pasna damni, — " the punishment of loss." This commences in that very moment wherein the soul is separated from the body ; in that instant, the soul loses all those pleasures, the enjoyment of which depends on the outward senses. The smell, the taste, the touch, delight no more : The organs that ministered to them are spoiled, and the objects that used to gratify them are removed far away. In the dreary regions of the dead all these things are forgotten ; or, if remembered, are only remembered with pain ; seeing they are gone for ever. All the pleasures of the imagination are at an end. There is no grandeur in the infernal regions ; there is nothing beautiful in those dark abodes ; no light but that of livid flames. And nothing new, but one unvaried scene of horror upon horror ! There is no music but that of groans and shrieks ; of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth ; of curses and blasphemies against God, or cutting reproaches of one another. Nor is there anything to gratify the sense of honour : No ; they are the heirs of shame and everlasting contempt. 2. Thus are they totally separated from all the things they were fond of in the present world. At the same instant will commence another loss, — that of all the persons whom they loved. They are torn away from their nearest and dearest relations ; their wives, husbands, parents, children ; and (what to some will be worse than all this) the friend which was as their own soul. All the pleasure they ever enjoyed in these is lost, gone, vanished away : For there is no friendship in hell. Even the poet who affirms, (though I know not on what authority,) Devil with devil damn'd Firm concord holds, does not affirm that there is any concord among the human fiends that inhabit the great abyss. 3. But they will then be sensible of a greater loss than all they have enjoyed on earth. They have lost their place in Abraham's bosom, in the paradise of God. Hitherto, indeed, it hath not entered into their hearts to conceive what holy souls enjoy in the garden of God, in the society of angels, and of the wisest and best men that have lived from the beginning of the world ; (not to mention the immense increase of knowledge which they will then undoubtedly receive ;) but 384 SERMON LXXIII. they will then fully understand the value of what they have vilely cast away. 4. But as happy as the souls in paradise are, they are pre paring for far greater happiness. For paradise is only the porch of heaven ; and it is there the spirits of just men are made per fect. It is in heaven only that there is the fulness of joy ; the pleasures that are at God's right hand for evermore. The loss of this, by those unhappy spirits, will be the completion of their misery. They will then know and feel, that God alone is the centre of all created spirits ; and, consequently, that a spirit made for God can have no rest out of him. It seems that the Apostle had this in his view when he spoke of those " who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." Banishment from the presence of the Lord is the very essence of destruction to a spirit that was made for God. And if that banishment last for ever, it is " everlasting destruction." Such is the loss sustained by those miserable creatures, on whom that awful sentence will be pronounced : " Depart from me, ye cursed!" What an unspeakable curse, if there were no other ! But, alas ! this is far from being the whole : For, to the punishment of loss, will be added the punishment of sense. What they lose implies unspeakable misery, which yet is inferior to what they feel. This it is which our Lord expresses in those emphatical words : " Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." II. 1. From the time that sentence was pronounced upon man, " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," it was the custom of all nations, so far as we can learn, to commit dust to dust : It seemed natural to restore the bodies of the dead to the general mother, earth. But in process of time another method obtained, chiefly among the rich and great, of burning the bodies of their relations, and frequently in a grand magnificent manner ; for which purpose they erected huge funeral piles, with immense labour and expense. By either of these methods the body of man was soon restored to its parent dust. Either the worm or the fire soon consumed the well-wrought frame ; after which the worm itself quickly died, and the fire was entirely quenched. But there is,.likewise, a worm that belongs to the future state ; and that is a worm that never dieth ! and there is a fire hotter than that of the funeral pile ; and it is a fire that will never be quenched ! OF HELL. 385 2. The First thing intended by the worm that never dieth, seems to be a guilty conscience ; including self-condemnation, sorrow, shame, remorse, and a sense of the wrath of God. May not we have some conception of this, by what is some times felt even in the present world ? Is it not of this, chiefly, ¦that Solomon speaks, when he says, " The spirit of a man may bear his infirmities;" his infirmities, or griefs, of any other kind; "but a wounded spirit vvho can bear?" Who can bear the anguish of an awakened conscience, penetrated with a sense of guilt, and the arrows of the Almighty sticking in the soul, and drinking up the spirit ? How many of the stout-hearted have sunk under it, and chose strangling rather than life ! And yet what are these wounds, what is all this anguish of a soul while in this present world, in comparison of those they must suffer when their souls are wholly awakened to feel the wrath of an offended God ! Add to these all unholy passions ; fear, horror, rage, evil desires ; desires that can never be satisfied. Add all unholy tempers ; envy, jealousy, malice, and revenge; all of which will incessantly gnaw the soul, as the vulture was supposed to do the liver of Tityus. To these if we add hatred of God, and all his creatures ; all these united together may serve to give us some little, imperfect idea of the worm that never dieth. 3. We may observe a remarkable difference in the manner wherein our Lord speaks concerning the two parts of the future punishment. He says, " Where their worm dieth not," of the one ; " where the fire is not quenched," of the other. This cannot be by chance. What then is the reason for this variation of the expression ? Does it not seem to be this ? The fire will be the same, essentially the same, to all that are tormented therein ; only perhaps more intense to some than others, according to their degree of guilt ; but their worm will not, cannot be the same . It will be infinitely varied, according to their various kinds, as well as degrees, of wickedness. This variety will arise partly from the just judgment of God, "rewarding every man accord ing to his works:" For we cannot doubt but this rule will take place no less in hell than in heaven. As in heaven "every man shall receive his own reward," incommunicably his, according to his own labours, — that is, the whole tenor of his tempers, thoughts, words, and actions ; — so undoubtedly, every C c 2. 386 SERMON LXXIII. man, in fact, will receive his own bad reward, according to his own bad labour. And this, likewise, will be incommunicably his own, even as his labour was. Variety of punishment will likewise arise from the very nature of the thing. As they that bring most holiness to heaven will find most happiness there ; so, on the other hand, it is not only true, that the more wickedness a man brings to hell the more misery he will find there ; but that this misery will be infinitely varied according to the various kinds of his wickedness. It was therefore proper to say, the fire, in general ; but their worm, in particular. 4. But it has been questioned by some, whether there be any fire in hell ; that is, any material fire. Nay, if there be any fire, it is unquestionably material. For what is immate rial fire ? The same as immaterial water or earth ! Both the one and the other is absolute nonsense, a contradiction in terms. Either, therefore, we must affirm it to be material, or we deny its existence. But if we granted them, there is no fire at all there, what would they gain thereby ? seeing this is allowed, on all hands, that it is either fire or something worse. And consider this : Does not our Lord speak as if it were real fire ? No one can deny or doubt of this. Is it possible then to suppose that the God of truth would speak in this manner, if it were not so ? Does he design to fright his poor creatures ? What, with scarecrows? with vain shadows of things that have no being? O let not any one think so ! Impute not such folly to the Most High ! 5. But others aver, " It is not possible that fire should burn always. For by the immutable law of nature, it consumes whatever is thrown into it. And by the same law, as soon as it has consumed its fuel, it is itself consumed ; it goes out." It is most true, that in the present constitution of things, during the present laws of nature, the element of fire does dis solve and consume whatever is thrown into it. But here is the mistake : The present kws of nature are not immutable. When the heavens and the earth shall flee away, the present scene will be totally changed ; and, with the present constitution of things, the present laws of nature will cease. After this great change, nothing will be dissolved, nothing will be consumed any more. Therefore, if it were true that fire consumes all things now, it would not follow that it would do the same after the whole frame of nature has undergone that vast, universal change. OF HELL. 387 6. I say, if it were true that " fire consumes all things now.'' But, indeed, it is not true. Has it not pleased God to give us already some proof of what will be hereafter ? Is not the Linum Asbestum, the incombustible flax, known in most parts of Europe ? If you take a towel or handkerchief made of this, (one of which may now be seen in the British Museum,) you may throw it into the hottest fire, and when it is taken out again, it will be observed, upon the nicest experiment, not to have lost one grain of its weight. Here, therefore, is a substance before our eyes, which, even in the present constitution of things, (as if it were an emblem of things to come,) may remain in fire without being consumed. 7- Many writers have spoken of other bodily torments, added to the being cast into the lake of fire. One of these, even pious Kempis, supposes that misers, for instance, have melted gold poured down their throats ; and he supposes many other parti cular torments to be suited to men's particular sins. Nay, our great poet himself supposes the inhabitants of hell to undergo a variety of tortures ; not to continue always in the lake of fire, but to be frequently, By harpy-footed furies, haled into regions of ice ; and then back again through Extremes, by change more fierce : But I find no word, no tittle of this, not the least hint of it in all the Bible. And surely this is too awful a subject to admit of such play of imagination. Let us keep to the written word. It is torment enough to dwell with everlasting burnings. 8. This is strongly illustrated by a fabulous story, taken from one of the eastern writers, concerning a Turkish King, who, after he had been guilty of all manner of wickedness, once did a good thing : For seeing a poor man falling into a pit, wherein he must have inevitably perished, and kicking him from it, he 6aved his life. The story adds, that when, for his enormous wickedness, he was cast into hell, that foot wherewith he had saved the man's life was permitted to lie out of the flames. But allowing this to be a real case, what a poor comfort would it be ! What, if both feet were permitted to lie out of the flames, yea, and both hands, how little would it avail ! Nay, if all the body were taken out, and placed where no fire touched it, and only one hand or one foot kept in a burning fiery furnace ; 2 C 2 388 SERMON LXXIII. would the man, meantime, be much at ease ? Nay, quite the contrary. Is it not common to say to a child, " Put your finger into that candle : Can you bear it even for one minute ? How- then will you bear hell-fire ? " Surely it would be torment enough to have the flesh burnt off from only one finger. What then will it be, to have the whole body plunged ;nto a lake of fire burning with brimstone ! III. It remains now only to consider two or three circum stances attending the never-dying worm and the unquenchable fire. 1. And, First, consider the company wherewith every one is surrounded in that place of torment. It is not uncommon to hear even condemned criminals, in our public prisons, say, " O I wish I was hanged out of the way, rather than to be plagued with these wretches that are round about me !" But what are the most abandoned wretches upon earth, compared to the inhabitants of hell ? None of these are, as yet, perfectly wicked, emptied of every spark of good ; certainly not till this life is at an end ; probably not till the day of judgment. Nor can any of these exert, without control, their whole wickedness on theii fellow-creatures. Sometimes they are restrained by good men ; sometimes even by bad. So even the tortures in the Romish Inquisition are restrained by those that employ them, when they suppose the sufferer cannot endure any more. They then order tbe executioners to forbear ; because it is contrary to the rules of the house that a man should die upon the rack. And very frequently, when there is no human help, they are restrained by God, who hath set them their bounds which they cannot pass, and saith, " Hitherto shall ye come, and no farther." Yea, so mercifully hath God ordained, that the very extremity of pain causes a suspension of it. The sufferer faints away ; and so, for a time at least, sinks into insensibility. But the inhabitants of hell are perfectly wicked, having no spark of goodness remaining. And they are restrained by none from exerting to the uttermost their total wickedness. Not by men ; none will be restrained from evil by his companions in damnation : And not by God ; for He hath forgotten them, hath delivered them over to the tormentors. And the devils need not fear, like their instruments upon earth, lest they should expire under the torture. They can die no more : They are strong to sustain whatever the united malice, skill, and strength of angels can OF HELL. 389 inflict upon them. And their angelic tormentors have time sufficient to vary their torments a thousand ways. How infi nitely may they vary one single torment, — horrible appear ances ! Whereby, there is no doubt, an evil spirit, if permitted, could terrify the stoutest man upon earth to death. 2. Consider, Secondly, that all these torments of body and soul are without intermission. They have no respite from pain; but "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up day and night." Day and night! that is, speaking according to the constitution of the present world ; wherein God has wisely and graciously ordained that day and night should succeed each other: So that in every four-and-twenty hours there comes a Daily sabbath, made to rest Toiling man and weary beast. Hence we seldom undergo much labour, or suffer much pain, before Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep, steals upon us by insensible degrees, and brings an interval of ease. But although the damned have uninterrupted night, it brings no interruption of their pain. No sleep accompanies that darkness : Whatever ancient or modern poets, either Homer or Milton, dream, there is no sleep either in hell or heaven. And be their suffering ever so extreme, be their pain ever so intense, there is no possibility of their fainting away ; no, not for a moment. Again : The inhabitants of earth are frequently diverted from attending to what is afflictive, by the cheerful light of the sun, the vicissitudes of the seasons, " the busy hum of men," and a thousand objects that roll around them with endless variety. But the inhabitants of hell have nothing to divert them from their torments, even for a moment : Total eclipse : No sun, no moon ! No change of seasons, or of companions. There is no business ; but one uninterrupted scene of horror, to which they must be all attention. They have no interval of inattention or stupidity : They are all eye, all ear, all sense. Every instant of their duration, it may be said of their whole frame, that they are Tremblingly alive all o'er, And smart and agonize at every pore ! 390 SERMON LXXIII. 3. And of this duration there is no end ! What a thought is this ! Nothing but eternity is the term of their torment ! And who can count the drops of rain, or the sands of the sea, or the days of eternity ? Every suffering is softened, if there is any hope, though distant, of deliverance from it. But here, Hope never comes, that comes to all the inhabitants of the upper world ! What ! sufferings never to end ! NEVER ! — Where sinks the soul at that dread sound ? Into a gulf how dark, and how profound ! Suppose millions of days, of years, of ages elapsed, still we are only on the threshold of eternity ! Neither the pain of body or of soul is any nearer an end, than it was millions of ages ago. When they are cast into to irup, to uo-fiss-ov, (How emphatical ! " The fire, the unquenchable") all is concluded: "Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched ! " Such is the account which the Judge of all gives of the punishment which he has ordained for impenitent sinners. And what a counterbalance may the consideration of this be to the violence of any temptation ! in particular, to the fear of man ; the very use to which it is applied by our Lord himself: " Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But fear Him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell." (Luke xii. 4, 5.) What a guard may these considerations be against any temptation from pleasure ! Will you lose, for any of these poor, earthly pleasures, which perish in the using, (to say nothing of the present substantial pleasures of religion,) the pleasures of Paradise ; such as " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into our hearts to conceive ? " yea, the pleasures of heaven, the society of angels, and of the spirits of just men made perfect ; the conversing face to face with God your Father, your Saviour, your Sanctifier ; and the drinking of those rivers of pleasure that are at God's right hand for evermore ? Are you tempted by pain, either of body or mind ? 0 com pare present things with future ! What is the pain of body which you do or may endure, to that of lying in a lake of fire burning with brimstone ? What is any pain of mind ; any fear, . OF HELL. 391 anguish, sorrow, compared to the "worm that never dieth?" That never dieth ! This is the sting of all ! As for our pains on earth, blessed be God, they are not eternal. There are some intervals to relieve and there is some period to finish them. When we ask a friend that is sick, how he does ; "I am in pain now," says he, " but I hope to be easy soon." This is a sweet mitigation of the present uneasiness. But how dreadful would his case be if he should answer, " I am all over pain, and I shall be never eased of it. I lie under exquisite torment of body, and horror of soul; and I shall feel it for ever!" Such is the case of the damned sinners in hell. Suffer any pain, then, rather than come into that place of torment ! I conclude with one more reflection, taken from Dr. Watts • — "It demands our highest gratitude, that we who have long ago deserved this misery are not plunged into it. While there are thousands that have been adjudged to this place of punish ment, before they had continued so long in sin as many of us have done, what an instance is it of divine goodness, that we are not under this fiery vengeance ! Have we not seen many sinners, on our right and our left, cut off in their sins ? And what but the tender mercy of God hath spared us week after week, month after month, and given us space for repentance ? What shall we render unto the Lord for all his patience and longsuffering even to this day ? How often have we incurred ihe sentence of condemnation by our repeated rebellion against God ! And yet we are still alive in his presence, and are hearing the words of hope and salvation. O let us look back and shudder at the thoughts of that dreadful precipice, on the edge of which we have so long wandered ! Let us fly for refuge to the hope that is set before us, and give a thousand thanks to the divine mercy, that we are not plunged into this perdition ! " SERMON LXXIV. OF THE CHURCH. " / beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long- suffering, forbearing one another in love ; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians iv. 1 — 6. 1. How much do we almost continually hear about the Church ! With many it is matter of daily conversation. And yet how few understand what they talk of! how few know what the term means ! A more ambiguous word than this, the Church, is scarce to be found in the English language. It is sometimes taken for a building, set apart for public worship : sometimes for a congregation, or body of people, united together in the service of God. It is only in the latter sense that it is taken in the ensuing discourse. 2. It may be taken indifferently for any number of people, how small or great soever. As, " where two or three are met together in his name," there is Christ ; so, (to speak with St. Cyprian,) " where two or three believers are met together, there is a Church." Thus it is that St. Paul, writing to Philemon, mentions "the Church which was in his house;" plainly signifying, that even a Christian family may be termed a Church. 3. Several of those whom God hath called out of the world, (so the original word properly signifies,) uniting together in one congregation, formed a larger Church ; as the Church at Jerusalem ; that is, all those in Jerusalem whom God had so called. But considering how swiftly these were multiplied, after the day of Pentecost, it cannot be supposed that they could continue to assemble in one place ; especially as they had not then any large place, neither would they have been permitted OF THE CHURCH. 393 to build one. In consequence, they must have divided them selves, even at Jerusalem, into several distinct congregations. In like manner, when St. Paul, several years after, wrote to the Church in Rome, (directing his letter, " To all that are in Rome, called to be saints,") it cannot be supposed that they had any one building capable of containing them all ; but they were divided into several congregations, assembling in several parts of the city. 4. The first time that the Apostle uses the word Church is in his preface to the former Epistle to the Corinthians : " Paul called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ, unto the Church of God which is at Corinth :" The meaning of which expression is fixed by the following words : " To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus ; with all that, in every place," (not Corinth only ; so it was a kind of circular letter,) " call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." In the inscription of his second letter to the Corinthians, he speaks still more explicitly : " Unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints that are in all Achaia." Here he plainly includes all the Churches, or Christian congregations, which were in the whole province. 5. He frequently uses the word in the plural number. So, Gal. i. 2, " Paul an Apostle, — unto the Churches of Galatia ;" that is, the Christian congregations dispersed throughout that country. In all these places, (and abundantly more might be cited,) the word Church or Churches means, not the buildings where the Christians assembled, (as it frequently does in the English tongue,) but the people that used to assemble there, one or more Christian congregations. But sometimes the word Church is taken in Scripture in a still more extensive meaning, as including all the Christian congregations that are upon the face of the earth. And in this sense we understand it in our Liturgy, when we say, " Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here on earth." In this sense it is unquestionably taken by St. Paul, in his exhortation to the elders of Ephesus : (Acts xx. 28 :) " Take heed to the Church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood." The Church here, undoubtedly, means the catholic or universal Church ; that is, all the Christians under heaven. 6. Who those are that are properly " the Church of God," the Apostle shows at large, and that in the clearest and most 394 SERMON LXXIV. decisive manner, in the passage above cited ; wherein he like wise instructs all the members of the Church, how to " walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called." 7- Let us consider, First, who are properly the Church of God ? What is the true meaning of that term ? " The Church at Ephesus," as the Apostle himself explains it, means, " the saints," the holy persons, " that are in Ephesus," and there assemble themselves together to worship God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ ; whether they did this in one or (as we may- probably suppose) in several places. But it is the Church in general, the catholic or universal Church, which the Apostle here considers as one body : Comprehending not only the Chris tians in the house of Philemon, or any one family ; not only tbe Christians of one congregation, of one city, of one province, or nation ; but all the persons upon the face of the earth, who answer the character here given. The several particulars contained therein, we may now more distinctly consider. 8. " There is one Spirit " who animates all these, all the living members of the Church of God. Some understand hereby the Holy Spirit himself, the Fountain of all spiritual life ; and it is certain, "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Others understand it of those spiritual gifts and holy dispositions which are afterwards mentioned. 9- " There is," in all those that have received this Spirit, "one hope;" a hope full of immortality. They know, to die is not to be lost : Their prospect extends beyond the grave. They can cheerfully say, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resur rection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." 10. " There is one Lord," who has now dominion over them ; who has set up his kingdom in their hearts, and reigns over all those that are partakers of this hope. To obey him,, to run the way of his commandments, is their glory and joy. And while they are doing this with a willing mind, they, as it were, " sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus." 11. " There is one faith ;" which is the free gift of God, and is the ground of their hope. This is not barely the faith of a Heathen : Namely, a belief that " there is a God," and that he is gracious and just, and, consequently, " a rewarder OF THE CHURCH. 395 of them that diligently seek him." Neither is it barely the faith of a devil ; though this goes much farther than the former ¦ For the devil believes, and cannot but believe, all that is written both in the Old and New Testament to be true. But it is the faith of St. Thomas, teaching him to say with holy boldness, " My Lord, and my God !" It is the faith which enables every true Christian believer to testify with St. Paul, " The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." 12. " There is one baptism ;" which is the outward sign our one Lord has been pleased to appoint, of all that inward and spiritual grace which he is continually bestowing upon his Church. It is likewise a precious means, whereby this faith and hope are given to those that diligently seek him. Some, indeed, have been inclined to interpret this in a figurative sense ; as if it referred to that baptism of the Holy Ghost which the Apostles received at the day of Pentecost, and which, in a lower degree, is given to all believers : But it is a stated rule in interpreting Scripture, never to depart from the plain, literal sense, unless it implies an absurdity. And beside, if we thus understood it, it would be a needless repetition, as being included in, " There is one Spirit." 13. " There is one God and Father of all " that have the Spirit of adoption, which " crieth in their hearts, Abba, Father ;" which "witnesseth" continually "with their spirits," that they are the children of God : " "Who is above all," — the Most High, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Governor of the whole universe : " And through all," — pervading all space ; filling heaven and earth : Tolam Mens agitans molem, et magna se corpore miscens : — * " And in you all," — in a peculiar manner living in you, that are one body, by one Spirit : Making your souls his loved abode, The temples of indwelling God. 14. Here, then, is a clear unexceptionable answer to that question, " What is the Church ?" The catholic or universal Church is, all the persons in the universe whom God hath * The following is Warton's translation of this quotation from Virgil: — " The general soul Lives in the parts, and agitates the whole." Edit. 396 SERMON 1.XXIV. so called out of the world as to entitle them to the preceding character ; as to be " one body," united by " one Spirit ;" having " one faith, one hope, one baptism ; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in them all." 15. That part of this great body, of the universal Church, which inhabits any one kingdom or nation, we may properly term a National Church ; as, the Church of France, the Church of England, the Church of Scotland. A smaller part of the universal Church are the Christians that inhabit one city or town ; as the Church of Ephesus, and the rest of the seven Churches mentioned in the Revelation. Two or three Christian believers united together are a Church in the narrowest sense of the word. Such was the Church in the house of Philemon, and that in the house of Nymphas, mentioned Col. iv. 15. A particular Church may, therefore, consist of any number of members, whether two or three, or two or three millions. But still, whether they be larger or smaller, the same idea is to be preserved. They are one body, and have one Spirit, one Lord, one hope, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. 16. This account is exactly agreeable to the nineteenth Article of our Church, the Church of England: (Only the Article includes a little more than the Apostle has expressed:) " OF THE CHURCH. " The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacra ments be duly administered." It may be observed, that at the same time our thirty-nine Articles were compiled and published, a Latin translation of them was published by the same authority. In this the words were cost us credentium; "a congregation of believers;" plainly showing that by faithful men, the compilers meant, men endued with living faith. This brings the Article to a still nearer agreement to the account given by the Apostle. But it may be doubted whether the Article speaks of a particular Church, or of the Church universal. The title, " Of the Church," seems to have reference to the catholic Church; but the second clause of the Article mentions the particular Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. Perhaps it was intended to take in both ; so to define the universal Church as to keep in view the several particular ¦Churches of which it is composed. OF THE CHURCH. 397 17- These things being considered, it is easy to answer that question, " What is the Church of England ?" It is that part, those members, of the Universal Church who are inhabitants of England. The Church of England is, that body of men in England, in whom " there is one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith;" which have "one baptism," and "one God and Father of all." This and this alone is the Church of England, _ according to the doctrine of the Apostle. 18. But the definition of a Church, laid down in the Article, includes not only this, but much more, by that remarkable addition : " In which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments be duly administered." According to this definition, those congregations in which the pure word of God (a strong expression) is not preached are no parts either of the Church of England, or the Church catholic ; as neither are those in which the sacraments are not duly administered. 19. I will not undertake to defend the accuracy of this defi nition. I dare not exclude from the Church catholic all those congregations in which any unscriptural doctrines, which cannot be affirmed to be the " pure word of God," are sometimes, yea, frequently preached ; neither all those congregations, in which the sacraments are not " duly administered." Certainly if these things are so, the Church of Rome is not so much as a part of the catholic Church ; seeing therein neither is " the pure word of God " preached, nor the sacraments " duly administered." Whoever they are that have " one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one feith, one God and Father of all," I can easily bear with their holding wrong opinions, yea, and superstitious modes of worship : Nor would I, on these accounts, scruple still to include them within the pale of the catholic Church ; neither would I have any objection to receive them, if they desired it, as members of the Church of England. II. 20. We proceed now to the Second point. What is it to " walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called ?" It should always be remembered that the word walk, in the language of the Apostle, is of a very extensive signification. It includes all our inward and outward motions ; all our thoughts, and words, and actions. It takes in, not only everything we do, but everything we either speak or think. It is, therefore, no small thing " to walk," in this sense of the word, " worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called ; " to think, speak, 398 SERMON LXXIV. and act in every instance, in a manner worthy of our Christiar calling. 21. We are called to walk, First, "with all lowliness ;" to have the mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus ; not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think ; to be little, and poor, and mean, and vile in our own eyes ; to know ourselves as also we are known by Him to whom all hearts are open ; to be deeply sensible of our own unworthiness, of the universal depravity of our nature, (in which dwelleth no good thing,) — prone to all evil, averse to all good ; insomuch that we are not only sick, but dead in trespasses and sins, till God breathes upon the dry bones, and creates life by the fruit of his lips. And suppose this is done, — suppose he has now quickened us, infusing life into our dead souls ; yet how much of the carnal mind remains ! How prone is our heart still to depart from the living God ! What a tendency to sin remains in our heart, although we know our past sins are forgiven ! And how much sin, in spite of all our endeavours, cleaves both to our words and actions ! Who can be duly sensible how much remains in him of his natural enmity to God, or how far he is still alienated from God by the ignorance that is in him ? 22. Yea, suppose God has now thoroughly cleansed our heart, and scattered the last remains of sin ; yet how can we be sensible enough of our own helplessness, our utter inability to all good, unless we are every hour, yea, every moment, endued with power from on high ? Who is able to think one good thought, or to form one good desire, unless by that almighty power which work eth in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure ? We have need, even in this state of grace, to be thoroughly and continu ally penetrated with a sense of this. Otherwise we shall be in perpetual danger of robbing God of his honour, by glorying in something we have received, as though we had not received it. 23. When our inmost soul is thoroughly tinctured therewith, it remains that we " be clothed with humility." The word used by St. Peter seems to imply that we be covered with it as with a surtout ; that we be all humility, both within and without ; tincturing all we think, speak, and do. Let all our actions spring from this fountain ; let all our words breathe this spirit ; that all men may know we have been with Jesus, and have learned of him to be lowly in heart. 24. And being taught of Him who was meek as well as lowly OF THE CHURCH. 399 in heart, we shall then be enabled to " walk with all meekness ;" being taught of Him who teacheth as never man taught, to be meek as well as lowly in heart. This implies not only a power over anger, but over all violent and turbulent passions. It implies the having all our passions in due proportion ; none of them either too strong or too weak ; but all duly balanced with each other ; all subordinate to reason ; and reason directed by the Spirit of God. Let this equanimity govern your whole souls ; that your thoughts may all flow in an even stream, and the uniform tenor of your words and actions be suitable thereto. In this " patience " you will then " possess your souls ;" which are not our own while we are tossed by unruly passions. And by this all men may know that we are indeed followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. 25. Walk with all " longsuffering." This is nearly related to meekness, but implies something more. It carries on the victory already gained over all your turbulent passions ; notwithstand ing all the powers of darkness, all the assaults of evil men or evil spirits. It is patiently triumphant over all opposition, and unmoved though all the waves and storms thereof go over you. Though provoked ever so often, it is still the same, — quiet and unshaken ; never being " overcome of evil," but overcoming evil with good. 26. The " forbearing one another in love " seems to mean, not only the not resenting anything, and the not avenging your selves ; not only the not injuring, hurting, or grieving each other, either by word or deed ; but also the bearing one another's bur dens ; yea, and lessening them by every means in our power. It implies the sympathizing with them in their sorrows, afflictions, and infirmities; the bearing them up when, without our help, they would be liable to sink under their burdens ; the endeavouring to lift their sinking heads, and to strengthen their feeble knees. 27- Lastly : The true members of the Church of Christ " endeavour," with all possible diligence, with all care and pains, with unwearied patience, (and all will be little enough,) to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;" to ^preserve inviolate the same spirit of lowliness and meekness, of longsuffering, mutual forbearance, and love ; and all these cemented and knit together by that sacred tie, — the peace of God filling the heart. Thus only can we be and continue living members of that Church which is the body of Christ. t'00 SERMON LXXIV. 28. Does it not clearly appear from this whole account, why, in the ancient Creed, commonly called the Apostles', we term it the universal or catholic Church, — " Jie holy catholic Church ?" How many wonderful reasons have been found out for giving it this appellation ! One learned man informs us, " The Church is called holy, because Christ, the Head of it, is holy." Another eminent author affirms, " It is so called, because all its ordinances are designed to promote holiness ; " and yet another, — " because our Lord intended that all the members of the Church should be holy." Nay, the shortest and the plainest reason that can be given, and the only true one, is, — The Church 'is called holy, because it is holy, because every member thereof is holy, though in different degrees, as He that called them is holy. How clear is this ! If the Church, as to the very essence of it, is a body of believers, no man that is not a Christian believer can be a member of it. If this whole body be animated by one spirit, and endued with one faith, and one hope of their calling ; then he who has not that spirit, and faith, and hope, is no member of this body. It follows, that not only no common swearer, no Sabbath-breaker, no drunkard, no whoremonger, no thief, no liar, none that lives in any outward sin, but none that is under the power of anger or pride, no lover of the world, in a word, none that is dead to God, can be a member of his Church. 29. Can anything then be more absurd, than for men to cry out, "The Church! The Church .'" and to pretend to be very zealous for it, and violent defenders of it, while they themselves have neither part nor lot therein, nor indeed know what the Church is ? And yet the hand of God is in this very thing ! Even in this his wonderful wisdom appears, directing their mistake to his own glory, and causing " the earth to help the woman." Imagining that they are members of it themselves, the men of the world frequently defend the Church : Otherwise the wolves that surround the little flock on every side would in a short time tear them in pieces. And for this very reason, it is not wise to provoke them more than is unavoidable. Even on this ground, let us, if it be possible, as much as lieth in us, " live peaceably with all men." Especially as we know not how soon God may call them too out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of his dear Son. 30. In the mean time, let all those who are real members of ON SCHISM. 401 the Church, see that they walk holy and unblamable in all things. " Ye are the light of the world ! " Ye are " a city set upon a hill," and "cannot be hid." O " let your light shine before men !" Show them your faith by your works. Let them see, by the whole tenor of your conversation, that your hope is all laid up above ! Let all your words and actions evidence the spirit whereby you are animated ! Above all things, let your love abound. Let it extend to every child of man: Let it overflow to every child of God. By this let all men know whose disciples ye are, because you " love one another." SERMON LXXV. ON SCHISM. " That there might be no schism in the body." 1 Cor xii. 25. 1. If there be any word in the English tongue as ambiguous and indeterminate in its meaning as the word Church, it is one that is nearly allied to it, — the word Schism. It has been the subject of innumerable disputes for several hundred years ; and almost innumerable books have been written concerning it in every part of the Christian world. A very large share of these have been published in our country ; particularly during the last century, and the beginning of the present : And persons of the strongest understanding, and the most consummate learning, have exhausted all their strength upon the question, both in conversation and writing. This has appeared to be more necessary than ever, since the grand separation of the Reformed from the Romish Church. This is a charge which the members of that Church never fail to bring against all that separate from her ; and which, consequently, has employed the thoughts and pens of the most able disputants on both sides. And those of each side have generally, when they entered into the field, been secure of victory ; supposing the strength of then* D d 2 402 SERMON LXXV. arguments was so great, that it was impossible for reasonable men to resist them. 2. But it is observable, that exceeding little good has been done by all these controversies. Very few of the warmest and ablest disputants have been able to convince their opponents. After all that could be said, the Papists are Papists, and the Protestants are Protestants still. And the same success has attended those who have so vehemently disputed about separation from the Church of England. Those who separated from her were eagerly charged with schism ; they as eagerly denied the charge ; and scarce any were able to convince their opponents either on one side or the other. 3. One great reason why this controversy has been so unprofitable, why so few of either side have been convinced, is this : They seldom agreed as to the meaning of the word concerning which they disputed : And if they did not fix the meaning of this, if they did not define the term before they began disputing about it, they might continue the dispute to their lives' end, without getting one step forward; without coming a jot nearer to each other than when they first set out. 4. Yet it must be a point of considerable importance, or St. Paul would not have spoken so seriously of it. It is, therefore, highly needful that we should consider, I. The nature, and, II. The evil of it. I. 1. It is the more needful to do this, because among the numberless books that have been written upon the subject, both by the Romanists and Protestants, it is difficult to find any that define it in a scriptural manner. The whole body of Roman Catholics define schism, a separation from the Church of Rome ; and almost all our own writers define it, a separation from the Church of England. Thus both the one and the other set out wrong, and stumble at the very threshold. This will easily appear to any that calmly consider the several texts wherein the word " schism" occurs ; from the whole tenor of which it is manifest, that it is not a separation from any Church, (whether general or particular, whether the Catholic, or any national Church,) but a separation in a Church. 2. Let us begin with the first verse, wherein St. Paul makes use of the word. It is the tenth verse of the first chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians. The words are, " I beseech ON SCHISM. 403 you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms " (the original word is o-^io-pMToi) "among you." Can anything be more plain than that the schisms here spoken of, were not separations from, but divisions in, the Church of Corinth? Accordingly, it follows, " But that ye be perfectly united together, in the same mind and in the same judgment." You see here, that an union in mind and judgment was the direct opposite to the Corinthian schism. This, consequently, was not a separation from the Church or Christian society at Corinth; but a separation in the Church ; a disunion in mind and judgment, (perhaps also in affection,) among those who, notwithstanding this, continued outwardly united as before. 3. Of what nature this schism at Corinth was, is still more clearly determined (if anything can be more clear) by the words that immediately follow : " Now this I say," — this is the schism of which I speak ; you are divided into separate parties ; some of you speaking in favour of one, some of another preacher, — "Every one of you saith," (verse 12,) "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas," or Peter. Who then does not see that the schism for which the Apostle here reproves the Corinthians is neither more nor less than the splitting into several parties, as they gave the preference to one or another preacher ? And this species of schism there will be occasion to guard against in every religious community. 4. The second place where the Apostle uses this word is in the eighteenth verse of the eleventh chapter of this Epistle : " When ye come together in the Church," the Christian •congregation, " I hear that there are divisions" (the original word here also is o-^io-jx-utx, schisms) " among you." But what were these schisms ? The Apostle immediately tells you : (Verse 20 :) " When you come together," professing your design is " to eat of the Lord's Supper, every one of you taketh before another his own supper," as if it were a common meal. What then was the schism ? It seems, in doing this, they divided into little parties, which cherished anger and resentment one against another, even at that solemn season. 5. May it not be observed, (to make a little digression here, for the sake of those who are troubled with needless scruples on this head,) that the sin which the Apostle charges on the communicants at Corinth in this chapter is usually quite 2 D 2 404 SERMON LXXV. misunderstood ? It was precisely this, and nothing else, " the taking one before another his own supper;" and in such a shocking manner, that while " one was hungry, another was drunken." By doing this, he says, "ye eat and drink" (not " damnation ;" a vile mistranslation of the word, but) judgment, temporal judgment, " to yourselves :" Which sometimes short ened their lives. " For this cause " — for sinning in this vile manner — " many are sick and weak among you." Observe here two things : First, What was the sin of the Corinthians ? Mark it well, and remember it. It was taking one before another his own supper; so that while one was hungry, another was drunken. Secondly, What was the punishment ? It was bodily weakness and sickness ; which, without repentance, might end in death. But what is this to you ? You cannot commit their sin : Therefore, you cannot incur their punishment. 6. But to return. It deserves to be seriously remarked, that in this chapter the Apostle uses the word " heresies" as exactly equivalent with the word " schisms." " I hear," says he, (verse 18,) " that there are schisms among you, and I partly believe it:" He then adds, (verse 19,) "for there must be heresies" (another word for the same thing) " among you, that they which are approved among you may be made manifest." As if he had said, " The wisdom of God permits it so to be, for this end, — for the clear manifestation of those whose heart is right with him." This word, therefore, (heresy,) which has been so strangely distorted for many centuries, as if it meant erroneous opinions, opinions contrary to the faith delivered to the saints, — which has been made a pretence for destroying cities, depopulating countries, and shedding seas of innocent blood, — has not the least reference to opinions, whether right or wrong. It simply means, wherever it occurs in Scripture, divisions, or parties, in a religious community. 7- The third and the only remaining place in this Epistle, wherein the Apostle uses this word, is the twenty-fifth verse of the twelfth chapter ; where, speaking of the Church, (he seems to mean the Church universal, the whole body of Christ,) he observes, " God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked, that there might be no schism in the body:" (Verses 24, 25:) He immediately fixes the meaning of his own words : " But that the members might have the same care one for another: And ON SCHISM. 405 whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." We may easily observe that the word Schism here, means the want of this tender care for each other. It undoubtedly means an alienation of affection in any of them toward their brethren ; a division of heart, and parties springing therefrom, though they were still outwardly united together ; though they still continued members of the same external society. 8. But there seems to be one considerable objection against the supposing heresy and schism to mean the same thing. It is said, St. Peter, in the second chapter of his Second Epistle, takes the word Heresies in a quite different sense. His words are, (verse 1,) " There shall be among you false teachers, who will . bring in damnable," or destructive, " heresies, denying the Lord that bought them." It does by no means appear that St. Peter here takes the word Heresies in any other sense than St. Paul does. Even in this passage it does not appear to have any reference to opinions, good or bad. Rather it means, They will "bring in" or occasion, destructive parties or sects, (so it is rendered in the common French translation,) who " deny the Lord that bought them:" Such sects now swarm throughout the Christian world. 9- I shall be thankful to any one who will point to me any other place in the inspired writings, where this word " Schism " is to be found. I remember only these three. And it is apparent to every impartial reader, that it does not, in any of these, mean a separation from any Church or body of Christians, whether with or without cause. So that the immense pains which have been taken both by Papists and Protestants, in writing whole volumes against Schism, as a separation, whether from the Church of Rome, or from the Church of England, exerting all their strength, and bringing all their learning, have been employed to mighty little purpose. They have been fighting with shadows of their own raising; violently combating a sin which had no existence but in their own imagination ; which is not once forbidden, no, nor once mentioned, either in the Old or New Testament. 10. " But is there no sin resembling what so many learned and pious writers have termed Schism, and against which all the members of religious communities have need to be carefully .guarded ?" I do not doubt but there is ; and I cannot tell, 406 SERMON LXXV. whether this too may not, in a remote sense, be called Schism : I mean, " A causeless separation from a body of living Christians." There is no absurdity in taking the word in this sense, though it be not strictly scriptural. And it is certain all the members of Christian communities should be carefully guarded against it. For how little a thing soever it may seem, and how innocent soever it may be accounted, schism, even in this sense, is both evil in itself, and productive of evil consequences. 11. It is evil in itself. To separate ourselves from a body of living Christians, with whom we were before united, is a grievous breach of the law of love. It is the nature of love to unite us together ; and the greater the love, the stricter the union. And while this continues in its strength, nothing can divide those whom love has united. It is only when our love grows cold, that we can think of separating from our brethren. And this is certainly the case with any who willingly separate from their Christian brethren. The pretences for separation may be innumerable, but want of love is always the real cause ; otherwise they would still hold the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It is therefore contrary to all those commands of God, wherein brotherly love is enjoined : To that of St. Paul, "Let brotherly love continue;" — that of St. John, "My beloved children, love one another;" — and especially to that of our blessed Master, " This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." Yea, " By this," saith he, " shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another." 12. And as such a separation is evil in itself, being a breach of brotherly love, so it brings forth evil fruit ; it is naturally productive of the most mischievous consequences. It opens a door to all unkind tempers, both in ourselves and others. It leads directly to a whole train of evil surmisings, to severe and unchari table judging of each other. It gives occasion to offence, to anger and resentment, perhaps in ourselves as well as in our brethren ; which, if not presently stopped, may issue in bitter ness, malice, and settled hatred ; creating a present hell wher ever they are found, as a prelude to hell eternal. 13. But the ill consequences of even this species of schism do not terminate in the heart. Evil tempers cannot long remain within, before they are productive of outward fruit. Out of the ON SCHISM. 407 abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. As he whose heart is full of love openeth his mouth with wisdom, and in his hps there is the law of kindness ; so he whose heart is full of prejudice, anger, suspicion, or any unkind temper, will surely open his mouth in a manner corresponding with the disposition of his mind. And hence will arise, if not lying and slandering, (which yet will hardly be avoided,) bitter words, tale-bearing, backbiting, and evil-speaking of every kind. 14. From evil words, from tale-bearing, backbiting and evil-speaking, how many evil works will naturally flow ! Anger, jealousy, envy, wrong tempers of every kind, do not vent themselves merely in words, but push men continually to all kind of ungodly and unrighteous actions. A plentiful harvest of all the works of darkness may be expected to spring from this source ; whereby, in the end, thousands of souls, and not a few of those who once walked in the light of God's countenance, may be turned from the way of peace, and finally drowned in everlasting perdition. 15. Well might our blessed Lord say, " Woe unto the world because of offences:" Yet, "it must needs be, that offences will come : " Yea, abundance of them will of necessity arise when a breach of this sort is made in any religious com munity ; while they that leave it endeavour to justify themselves, by censuring those they separate from ; and these on the other hand retort the charge, and strive to lay the blame on them. But how mightily does all this altercation grieve the Holy Spirit of God ! How does it hinder his mild and gentle operations in the souls both of one and the other ! Heresies and schisms (in the scriptural sense of those words) will, sooner or later, be the consequence ; parties will be formed, on one and the other side, whereby the love of many will wax cold. The hunger and thirst after righteousness, after either the favour or the full image of God, together with the longing desires wherewith so many were filled of promoting the work of God in the souls of their brethren, will grow languid, and as offences increase will gradually die away. And as the " fruit of the Spirit " withers away, " the works of the flesh " will again prevail, to the utter destruction, first of the power, and then of the very form, of religion. These consequences are not imaginary, are not built on mere conjectures, but on plain matter of fact. This has been the case again and again within these last thirty 408 SERMON LXXV. or forty years : These have been the fruits which we have seen, over and over, to be consequent on such a separation. 16. And what a grievous stumbling-block must these things be to those who are without, to those who are strangers to religion, who have neither the form nor the power of godliness ! How will they triumph over these once eminent Christians ! How boldly ask, " What are they better than us?" How will they harden their hearts more and more against the truth, and bless themselves in their wickedness ? from which, possibly, the example of the Christians might have reclaimed them, had they continued unblamable in their behaviour. Such is the complicated mischief which persons separating from a Christian Church or society do, not only to themselves, but to that whole society, and to the whole world in general. 17- But perhaps such persons will say, " We did not do this willingly ; we were constrained to separate from that society, because we could not continue therein with a clear conscience ; we could not continue without sin. I was not allowed to con tinue therein without breaking a commandment of God." If this was the case, you could not be blamed for separating from that society. Suppose, for instance, you were a member of the Church of Rome, and you could not remain therein without committing idolatry ; without worshipping of idols, whether images, or saints and angels ; then it would be your bounden duty to leave that community, totally to separate from it. Suppose you could not remain in the Church of England with out doing something which the word of God forbids, or omitting something which the word of God positively commands ; if this were the case, (but blessed be God it is not,) you ought to separate from the Church of England. I will make the case my own : I am now, and have been from my youth, a member and a Minister of the Church of England : And I have no desire nor design to separate from it, till my soul separates from my body. Yet if I was not permitted to remain therein with out omitting what God requires me to do, it would then become meet and right, and my bounden duty, to separate from it without delay. To be more particular: I know God has committed to me a dispensation of the gospel ; yea, and my own salvation depends upon preaching it : " Woe is me if I preach not the gospel." If then I could not remain in the Church without omitting this, without desisting from preaching the ON SCHISM. 409 gospel, I should be under a necessity of separating from it, or losing my own soul. In like manner, if I could not continue united to any smaller society, Church, or body of Christians, without committing sin, without lying and hypocrisy, without preaching to others doctrines which I did not myself believe, I should be under an absolute necessity of separating from that society. And in all these cases the sin of separation, with all the evils consequent upon it, would not lie upon me, but upon those who constrained me to make that separation, by requiring of me such terms of communion as I could not in conscience comply with. But, setting aside this case, suppose the Church or society to which I am now united does not require me to do anything which the Scripture forbids, or to omit anything which the Scripture enjoins, it is then my indispensable duty to continue therein. And if I separate from it without any such necessity, I am justly chargeable (whether I foresaw them or not) with all the evils consequent upon that separation. 18. I have spoke the more explicitly upon this head, because it is so little understood ; because so many of those who profess much religion, nay, and really enjoy a measure of it, have not the least conception of this matter, neither imagine such a separation to be any sin at all. They leave a Christian society with as much unconcern as they go out of one room into another. They give occasion to all this complicated mischief, and wipe their mouth, and say they have done no evil ! Whereas they are justly chargeable, before God and man, both with an action that is evil in itself, and with all the evil consequences which may be expected to follow, to themselves, to their brethren, and to the world. 19. I entreat you, therefore, my brethren, all that fear God, and have a desire to please him, all that wish to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man, think not so slightly of this matter, but consider it calmly. Do not rashly tear asunder the sacred ties which unite you to any Christian society. This indeed is not of so much consequence to you who are only a nominal Christian. For you are not now vitally united to any of the members of Christ. Though you are called a Christian, you are not really a member of any Christian Church. But if you are a living member, if you live the life that is hid with Christ in God, then take care how you send the body of Christ by separating from your brethren. 410 SERMON LXXV. It is a thing evil in itself. It is a sore evil in its consequences. O have pity upon yourself! Have pity on your brethren! Have pity even upon the world of the ungodly ! Do not lay more stumbling-blocks in the way of these for whom Christ died. 20. But if you are afraid, and that not without reason, of schism, improperly so called, how much more afraid will vou be, if your conscience is tender, of schism in the proper scriptural sense ! 0 beware, I will not say of forming, but of countenancing or abetting any parties in a Christian society ! Never encourage, much less cause, either by word or action, any division therein. In the nature of things, "there must be heresies," divisions, "among you;" but keep thyself pure. Leave off contention before it be meddled with : Shun the very beginning of strife. Meddle not with them that are given to dispute, with them that love contention. I never knew that remark to fail : " He that loves to dispute, does not love God." Follow peace with all men, without which you cannot effectually follow holiness. Not only " seek peace," but " ensue it : " If it seem to flee from you, pursue it nevertheless. " Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." 21. Happy is he that attains the character of a peace-maker in the Church of God. Why should not you labour after this ? Be not content, not to stir up strife ; but do all that in you lies, to prevent or quench the very first spark of it. Indeed it is far easier to prevent the flame from breaking out, than to quench it afterwards. However, be not afraid to attempt even this : The God of peace is on your side. He will give you acceptable words, and will send them to the heart of the hearers. Noli diffidere : Noli discedere, says a pious man : Fac quod in te est ; et Deus aderit bonce tua; voluntati : " Do not distrust Him that has all power, that has the hearts of all men in his hand. Do what in thee lies, and God will be present, and bring thy good desires to good effect." Never be weary of well-doing; In due time thou shalt reap if thou faint not. SERMON LXXVI. ON PERFECTION. "Let us go on unto perfection." Hebrews vi. 1. The whole sentence runs thus : " Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfec tion : Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God ; " which he had just before termed, " the first principles of the oracles of God," and " meat fit for babes," for such as have just tasted that the Lord is gracious. That the doing of this is a point of the utmost importance, the Apostle intimates in the next words : " This will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance." As if he had said, If we do not " go on to perfection," we are in the utmost danger of " falling away;" and if we do fall away, it is "impossible," that is, exceeding hard, " to renew us again to repentance." In order to make this very important scripture as easy to be understood as possible, I shall endeavour, I. To show what perfection is ; II. To answer some objections to it ; and, III. To expostulate a little with the opposers of it. I. I will endeavour to show what perfection is. 1. And, First, I do not conceive the perfection here spoken of, to be the perfection of angels. As those glorious beings never " left their first estate," never declined from their original perfection, all their native faculties are unimpaired : Their understanding, in particular, is still a lamp of light, their appre hension of all things clear and distinct, and their judgment always true. Hence, though their knowledge is limited, (for they are creatures,) though they are ignorant of innumerable things, yet they are not liable to mistake : Their knowledge is 412 SERMON LXXVI. perfect in its kind. And as their affections are all constantly guided by their unerring understanding, so that all their actions are suitable thereto ; so they do, every moment, not their own will, but the good and acceptable will of God. Therefore it is not possible for man, whose understanding is darkened, to whom mistake is as natural as ignorance ; who cannot think at all, but by the mediation of organs which are weakened and depraved, like the other parts of his corruptible body ; it is not possible, I say, for men always to think right, to apprehend things distinctly, and to judge truly of them. In consequence hereof, his affections, depending on his understanding, are variously disordered. And his words and actions are influenced, more or less, by the disorder both of his understanding and affections. It follows, that no man, while in the body, can possibly attain to angelic perfection. 2. Neither can any man, while he is in a corruptible body, attain to Adamic perfection. Adam, before his fall, was undoubtedly as pure, as free from sin, as even the holy angels. In like manner, his understanding was as clear as theirs, and his affections as regular. In virtue of this, as he always judged right, so he was able always to speak and act right. But since man rebelled against God, the case is widely different with him. He is no longer able to avoid falling into innumerable mistakes ; consequently, he cannot always avoid wrong affections ; neither can he always think, speak, and act right. Therefore man, in his present state, can no more attain Adamic than angelic perfection. 3. The highest perfection which man can attain, while the soul dwells in the body, does not exclude ignorance, and error, and a thousand other infirmities. Now, from wrong judgments, wrong words and actions will often necessarily flow : And, in some cases, wrong affections also may spring from the same source. I may judge wrong of you ; I may think more or less highly of you than I ought to think; and this mistake in my judgment may not only occasion something wrong in my behaviour, but it may have a still deeper effect; it may occasion something wrong in my affection. From a wrong apprehension, I may love and esteem you either more or less than I ought. Nor can I be freed from a liableness to such a mistake, while I remain in a corruptible body. A thousand infirmities, in consequence of this, will attend my spirit, till it ON PERFECTION. 413 returns to God who gave it. And, in numberless instances, it comes short of doing the will of God, as Adam did in paradise. Hence the best of men may say from the heart, " Every moment, Lord, I need The merit of thy death, for innumerable violations of the Adamic as well as the angelic law." It is well, therefore, for us, that we are not now under these, but under the law of love. " Love is " now " the fulfil ling of the law," which is given to fallen man. This is now, with respect to us, " the perfect law." But even against this, through the present weakness of our understanding, we are con tinually liable to transgress. Therefore every man living needs the blood of atonement, or he could not stand before God. 4. What is then the perfection of which man is capable while he dwells in a corruptible body? It is the complying with that kind command, " My son, give me thy heart." It is the " loving the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind." This is the sum of Christian perfection : It is all comprised in that one word, Love. The first branch of it is the love of God : And as he that loves God loves his brother also, it is inseparably connected with the second: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:" Thou shalt love every man as thy own soul, as Christ loved us. " On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets :" These contain the whole of Christian perfection. 5. Another view of this is given us in those words of the great Apostle : " Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." For although this immediately and directly refers to the humility of our Lord, yet it may be taken in a far more extensive sense, so as to include the whole disposition of his mind, all his affections, all his tempers, both toward God and man. Now, it is certain that as there was no evil affection in him, so no good affection or temper was wanting. So that " whatsoever things are holy, whatsoever things are lovely," are all included in " the mind that was in Christ Jesus." 6. St. Paul, when writing to the Galatians, places perfection in yet another view. It is the one undivided fruit of the Spirit, which he describes thus : " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity," (so the word, should be translated here,) " meekness, temperance." What a 414 SERMON LXXVI. glorious constellation of graces is here ! Now, suppose all these things to be knit together in one, to be united together in the soul of a believer, this is Christian perfection. 7. Again : He writes to the Christians at Ephesus, of " put ting on the new man, which is created after God, in righteous ness and true holiness;" and to the Colossians, of "the new man renewed after the image of him that created him ;" plainly referring to the words in Genesis, (i. 27,) " So God created man in his own image." Now, the moral image of God consists (as the Apostle observes) " in righteousness and true holiness." By sin this is totally destroyed. And we never can recover 4t, till we are " created anew in Christ Jesus." And this is perfection. 8. St. Peter expresses it in a still different manner, though to the same effect : " As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." (1 Peter i. 15.) According to this Apostle, then, perfection is another name for universal holiness : Inward and outward righteousness : Holiness of life, arising from holiness of heart. 9. If any expressions can be stronger than these, they are those of St. Paul to the Thessalonians : (1 Epistle v. 23 :) " The God of peace himself sanctify you wholly ; and may the whole of you, the spirit, the soul, and the body," (this is the literal translation,) " be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 10. We cannot show this sanctification in a more excellent way, than by complying with that exhortation of the Apostle : " I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies" (yourselves, your souls and bodies; a part put for the whole, by a common figure of speech) " a living sacrifice unto God ; '' to whom ye were consecrated many years ago in baptism. When what was then devoted is actually presented to God, then is the man of God perfect. 11. To the same effect St. Peter says, (1 Epistle ii. 5,) " Ye are a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." But what sacrifices shall we offer now, seeing the Jewish dispensation is at an end ? If you have, truly presented yourselves to God, you offer up to him continually all your thoughts, and words, and actions, through the Son of his love, as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. 12 Thus you experience that He whose name is called Jesus ON PERFECTION. 415 ¦does not bear that name in vain : That he does, in fact, " save his people from their sins ; " the root as well as the branches. And this salvation from sin, from all sin, is another description of perfection ; though indeed it expresses only the least, the lowest branch of it, only the negative part of the great salvation. II. I proposed, in the Second place, to answer some objections to this scriptural account of perfection. 1. One common objection to it is, that there is no promise of it in the word of God. If this were so, we must give it up ; we should have no foundation to build upon : For the promises of God are the only sure foundation of our hope. But surely there is a very clear and full promise that we shall all love the Lord our God with all our hearts. So we read, (Deut. xxx. 6,) " Then will I circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul." Equally express is the word of our Lord, which is no less a promise, though in the form of a command : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt. xxii. 37.) No words can be more strong than these ; no promise can be more express. In like manner, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," is as express a promise as a command. 2. And indeed that general and unlimited promise which runs through the whole gospel dispensation, " I will put my laws in their minds, and write them in their hearts," turns all the commands into promises ; and, consequently, that among the rest, " Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." The command here is equivalent to a promise, and gives us full reason to expect that he will work in us what he requires of us. 3. With regard to the fruit of the Spirit, the Apostle, in affirming, " the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuf fering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance," does, in effect, affirm, that the Holy Spirit actually works love, and these other tempers, in those that are led by him. So that here also, we have firm ground to tread upon ; this scripture likewise being equivalent to a promise, and assuring us that all these shall be wrought in us, provided we are led by the Spirit. 4. And when the Apostle says to the Ephesians, (iv. 21 — 24,) " Ye have been taught, as the truth is in Jesus," — to " be renewed in the spirit of your mind," and to "put on the new 416 SERMON LXXVI. man, which is created after God,"— that is, after the image of God, — " in righteousness and true holiness," he leaves us no room to doubt, but God will thus " renew us in the spirit of our mind," and " create us anew " in the image of God, wherein we were at first created : Otherwise it could not be said, that this is " the truth as it is in Jesus." 5. The command of God, given by St. Peter, " Be ye holy, as he that hath called you is holy, in all manner of conversa tion," implies a promise that we shall be thus holy, if we are not wanting to ourselves. Nothing can be wanting on God's part : As he has called us to holiness, he is undoubtedly willing, as well as able, to work this holiness in us. For he cannot mock his helpless creatures, calling us to receive what he never intends to give. That he does call us thereto is undeniable ; therefore he will give it if we are not disobedient to the heavenly calling. 6. The prayer of St. Paul for the Thessalonians, that God would " sanctify " them throughout, and " that the whole of them, the spirit, the soul, and the body, might be preserved blameless," will undoubtedly be heard in behalf of all the children of God, as well as of those at Thessalonica. Hereby, therefore, all Christians are encouraged to expect the same blessing from " the God of peace ; " namely, that they also shall be " sanctified throughout, in spirit, soul, and body ; " and that " the whole of them shall be preserved blameless unto tbe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 7- But the great question is, whether there is any promise in Scripture, that we shall be saved from sin. Undoubtedly there is. Such is that promise, (Psalm cxxx. 8,) " He shall redeem Israel from all his sins ; " exactly answerable to those words of the angel, " He shall save his people from their sins." And surely " he is able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God through him." Such is that glorious promise given through the Prophet Ezekiel : (xxxvi. 25 — 27 :) " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : From all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you : And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Such (to mention no more) ON PERFECTION. 417 is that pronounced by Zechariah, (Luke i. ^3 — 7,f>>) " The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies," (and such, doubtless, are all our sins,) " to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life." The last part of this promise is peculiarly worthy of our observation. Lest any should say, " True, we shall be saved from our sins when we die," that clause is remarkably added, as if on purpose to obviate this pretence, all the days of our life. With what modesty then can any one affirm, that none shall enjoy this liberty till death ? 8. " But," say some, " this cannot be the meaning of the words ; for the thing is impossible." It is impossible to men : But the things impossible with men, are possible with God. " Nay, but this is impossible in its own nature : For it implies a contradiction, that a man should be saved from all sin while he is in a sinful body." There is a great deal of force in this objection. And perhaps we allow most of what you contend for. We have already allowed, that while we are in the body we cannot be wholly free from mistake. Notwithstanding all our care, we shall still be liable to judge wrong in many instances. And a mistake in judgment will very frequently occasion a mistake in practice. Nay, a wrong judgment may occasion something in the temper or passions which is not strictly right. It may occasion needless fear or ill-grounded hope, unreasonable love or unreasonable aversion. But all this is no way inconsistent with the perfection above described. 9- You say, " Yes, it is inconsistent with the last article : It cannot consist with salvation from sin." I answer, It will per fectly well consist with salvation from sin, according to that definition of sin, (which I apprehend to be the scriptural defini tion of it,) a voluntary transgression of a known law. " Nay, but all transgressions of the law of God, whether voluntary or involuntary, are sin : For St. John says, ' All sin is a transgres sion of the law! " True, but he does not say, All transgression of the law is sin. This I deny : Let him prove it that can. To say the truth, this is a mere strife of words. You say none is saved from sin in your sense of the word ; but I do not admit of that sense, because the word is never so taken in Scripture. And you cannot deny the possibility of being E e 2. 418 SERMON LXXVI. saved from sin, in my sense of the word. And this is the sense wherein the word sin is over and over taken in Scripture. " But surely we cannot be saved from sin, while we dwell in a sinful body." A sinful body ? I pray observe, how deeply ambiguous, how equivocal, this expression is ! But there is no authority for it in Scripture : The word sinful body is never found there. And as it is totally unscriptural, so it is palpably absurd. For no body, or matter of any kind, can be sinful: Spirits alone are capable of sin. Pray in what part of the body should sin lodge ? It cannot lodge in the skin, nor in the muscles, or nerves, or veins, or arteries ; it cannot be in the bones, any more than in the hair or nails. Only the soul can be the seat of sin. 10. " But does not St. Paul himself say, ' They that are in the flesh cannot please God?'" I am afraid the sound of these words has deceived many unwary souls ; who have been told, Those words, they that are in the flesh, mean the same as they that are in the body. No ; nothing less. The flesh, in this text, no more means the body than it does the soul. Abel, Enoch, Abraham, yea, all that cloud of witnesses recited by St. Paul in the eleventh of the Hebrews, did actually please God while they were in the body, as he himself testifies. The expression, therefore, here means neither more nor less than they that are unbelievers, they that are in their natural state, they that are without God in the world. 11. But let us attend to the reason of the thing. Why cannot the Almighty sanctify the soul while it is in the body ? Cannot he sanctify you while you are in this house, as well as in the open air ? Can the walls of brick or stone hinder him ? No more can these walls of flesh and blood hinder him a moment from sanctifying you throughout. He can just as easily save you from all sin in the body as out of the body. "But has he promised thus to save us from sin while we are in the body?" Undoubtedly he has: For a promise is implied in every commandment of God : Consequently in that, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." For this and every other commandment is given, not to the dead, but to the living. It is expressed in the words above recited, that we should walk " in holiness before him all the days of our life." I have dwelt the longer on this, because it is the grand ON PERFECTION. 419 argument of those that oppose salvation from sin ; and also, because it has not been so frequently and so fully answered : Whereas the arguments taken from Scripture have been answered a hundred times over. 12. But a still more plausible objection remains, taken from experience ; which is, that there are no living witnesses of this salvation from sin. In answer to this, I allow, (1.) That there are not many. Even in this sense, there are not many fathers. Such is our hardness of heart, such our slowness to believe what both the Prophets and Apostles have spoke, that there are few, exceeding few, true witnesses of the great salvation. (2.) I allow that there are false witnesses, who either deceive their own souls, and speak of the things they know not, or " speak lies in hypocrisy." And I have frequently wondered, that we have not more of both sorts. It is nothing strange, that men of warm imaginations should deceive themselves in this matter. Many do the same with regard to justification : They imagine they are justified, and are not. But though many imagine it falsely, yet there are some that are truly justified. And thus though many imagine they are sanctified, and are not, yet there are some that are really sanctified. (3.) I allow that some who once enjoyed full salvation have now totally lost it. They once walked in glorious liberty, giving God their whole heart, "rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in every thing giving thanks." But it is past. They now are shorn of their strength, and become like other men. Yet perhaps they do not give up their confidence ; they still have a sense of his pardoning love. But even this is frequently assaulted by doubts and fears, so that they hold it with a trembling hand. 13. "Nay, this," say some pious and sensible men, "is the very thing which we contend for. We grant, it may please God to make some of his children for a time unspeakably holy and happy. We will not deny, that they may enjoy all the holiness and happiness which you speak of. But it is only for a time : God never designed that it should continue to their lives' end. Consequently, sin is only suspended : It is not destroyed." This you affirm. But it is a thing of so deep importance, that it cannot be allowed without clear and cogent proof. And 2 E 2 420 SERMON LXXVI. where is the proof? We know that, in general, " the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." He does not repent of any gifts which he hath bestowed upon the children of men. And how does the contrary appear, with regard to this particu lar gift of God ? Why should we imagine, that he will make an exception with respect to the most precious of all his gifts on this side heaven ? Is he not as able to give it us always, as to give it once? as able to give it for fifty years, as for one day? And how can it be proved, that he is not willing to continue this his lovingkindness ? How is this supposition, that he is not willing, consistent with the positive assertion of the Apostle ? who, after exhorting the Christians at Thessalonica, and in them all Christians in all ages, to "rejoice evermore,. pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks," — immediately adds, (as if on purpose to answer those who denied, not the power, but the will of God to work in them,) " For this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus." Nay, and it is remarkable, that, after he had delivered that glorious promise, (such it properly is,) in the twenty-third verse, " The very God of peace shall sanctify you wholly : And the whole of you," (so it is in the original,) " the spirit, the soul, and the body, shall be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ ; " he adds again, " Faithful is he that hath called you, who also will do it." He will, not only sanctify you wholly, but will preserve you in that state until he comes to receive you unto himself. 14. Agreeably to this is the plain matter of fact. Several persons have enjoyed this blessing, without any interruption, for many years. Several enjoy it at this day. And not a few have enjoyed it unto their death, as they have declared with their latest breath; calmly witnessing that God had saved them from all sin till their spirit returned to God. 15. As to the whole of the objections taken from experience, I desire it may be observed farther, either the persons objected to have attained Christian perfection, or they have not. If they have not, whatever objections are brought against them strike wide of the mark. For they are not the persons we are talking of: Therefore, whatever they are or do is beside the question. But if they have attained it, if they answer the description given under the nine preceding articles, no reasonable objection can lie against them. They are superior to all censure ; and ON PERFECTION. 421 ¦" every tongue that riseth up against them will they utterly condemn." 16. "But I never saw one," continues the objector, "that answered my idea of perfection." It may be so. And it is probable (as I observed elsewhere) you never will. For your idea includes abundantly too much ; even freedom from those infirmities which are not separable from a spirit that is con nected with flesh and blood. But if you keep to the account that is given above, and allow for the weakness of human understanding, you may see at this day undeniable instances of genuine, scriptural perfection. III. 1. It only remains, in the Third place, to expostulate a little with the opposers of this perfection. Now permit me to ask, Why are you so angry with those who profess to have attained this ? and so mad (I cannot give it any softer title) against Christian perfection ? — against the most glorious gift which God ever gave to the children of men upon earth ? View it in every one of the preceding points of light, and see what it contains that is either odious or terrible; that is calculated to excite either hatred or fear in any reasonable creature. What rational objection can you have to the loving the Lord your God with all your heart ? Why should you be afraid of it ? Would it do you any hurt ? Would it lessen your happiness, either in this world or the world to come ? And why should you be unwilling that others should give him their whole heart ? or that they should love their neighbours as themselves ? — yea, " as Christ hath loved us ? " Is this detestable ? Is it the proper object of hatred ? Or is it the most amiable thing under the sun ? Is it proper to move terror ? Is it not rather desirable in the highest degree ? 2. Why are you so averse to having in you the whole " mind which was in Christ Jesus ?" — all the affections, all the tempers and dispositions, which were in him while he dwelt among men ? Why should you be afraid of this ? Would it be any worse for you, were God to work in you this very hour all the mind that was in him ? If not, why should you hinder others from seeking this blessing? or be displeased at those who think they have attained it ? Is any thing more lovely ? any thing more to be desired by every child of man ? 3. Why are you averse to having the whole " fruit of the 422 SERMON LXXVI. Spirit ? ' — " love, joy, peace, longsuffering, meekness, gentle ness, fidelity, goodness, temperance?" Why should you be. afraid of having all these planted in your inmost soul ? As " against these there is no law," so there cannot be any reason able objection. Surely nothing is more desirable, than that all these tempers should take deep root in your heart ; nay, in the hearts of all that name the name of Christ ; yea, of all the inhabitants of the earth. 4. What reason have you to be afraid of, or to entertain any aversion to, the being "renewed in the" whole " image of him that created you ?" Is not this more desirable than any thing under heaven ? Is it not consummately amiable ? What can you wish for in comparison of this, either for your own soul, or for those for whom you entertain the strongest and tenderest affection ? And when you enjoy this, what remains but to be " changed from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord?" 5. Why should you be averse to universal holiness, — the same thing under another name? Why should you entertain any prejudice against this, or look upon it with apprehension ? whether you understand by that term the being inwardly conformed to the whole image and will of God, or an outward behaviour in every point suitable to that conformity. Can you conceive any thing more amiable than this ? anything more desirable ? Set prejudice aside, and surely you will desire to see it diffused over all the earth. 6. Is perfection (to vary the expression) the being " sanctified throughout, in spirit, soul, and body ?" What lover of God and man can be averse to this, or entertain frightful apprehensions of it ? Is it not, in your best moments, your desire to be all of a piece? — all consistent with yourself? — all faith, all meekness, all love ? And suppose you were once possessed of this glorious liberty, would not you wish to continue therein ? — to be preserved "blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ?" 7. For what cause should you that are children of God be averse to, or afraid of, presenting yourselves, your souls and bodies, as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God?— to God your Creator, your Redeemer, your Sanctifier ? Can any thing be more desirable than this entire self-dedication to him ? And is it not your wish that all mankind should unite in this "reasonable service?" Surely no one can be averse to this, without being an enemy to all mankind. ON PERFECTION. 423 8. And why should you be afraid of, or averse to, what is naturally implied in this ; namely, the offering up all our thoughts, and words, and actions, as a spiritual sacrifice to God, acceptable to him through the blood and intercession of his well-beloved Son ? Surely you cannot deny that this is good and profitable to men, as well as pleasing to God. Should you not then devoutly pray that both you and all mankind may thus worship him in spirit and in truth ? 9. Suffer me to ask one question more. Why should any man of reason and religion be either afraid of, or averse to, salvation from all sin ? Is not sin the greatest evil on this side hell ? And if so, does it not naturally follow, that an entire deliverance from it is one of the greatest blessings on this side heaven ? Plow earnestly then should it be prayed for by all the children of God ! By sin I mean a voluntary transgression of a known law. Are you averse to being delivered from this ? Are you afraid of such a deliverance ? Do you then love sin, that you are so unwilling to part with it ? Surely no. You do not love either the devil or his works : You rather wish to be totally delivered from them ; to have sin rooted out both of your life and your heart. 10. I have frequently observed, and not without surprise, that the opposers of perfection are more vehement against it when it is placed in this view, that in any other whatsoever. They will allow all you say of the love of God and man ; of the mind which was in Christ ; of the fruit of the Spirit ; of the image of God ; of universal holiness ; of entire self-dedication ; of sanctification in spirit, soul, and body ; yea, and of the offering up of all our thoughts, words, and actions, as a sacrifice to God ; — all this they will allow so we will allow sin, a little sin, to remain in us till death. 11. Pray compare this with that remarkable passage in John Bunyan's " Holy War." " When Immanuel," says he, " had driven Diabolus and all his forces out of the city of Mansoul, Diabolus preferred a petition to Immanuel, that he might have only a small part of the city. When this was rejected, he begged to have only a little room within the walls." But Immanuel answered, he should have no place in it at all ; no, not to rest the sole of his foot. Had not the good old man forgot himself? Did not the force of truth so prevail over him here as utterly to overturn his own 424 SERMON LXX 11. system ? — to assert perfection in the clearest manner ? For if this is not salvation from sin, I cannot tell what is. 12. " No," says a great man, " this is the error of errors: I hate it from my heart. I pursue it through all the world with fire and sword." Nay, why so vehement ? Do you seriously think there is no error under heaven equal to this ? Here is something which I cannot understand. Why are those that oppose salvation from sin (few excepted) so eager, — I had almost said, furious ? Are you fighting pro aris et focis ? " for God and your country?" for all you have in the world? for all that is near and dear unto you ? for your liberty, your life ? In God's name, why are you so fond of sin ? What good has it ever done you ? what good is it ever likely to do you, either in this world, or in the world to come ? And why are you so violent against those that hope for a deliverance from it ? Have patience with us, if we are in an error ; yea, suffer us to enjoy our error. If we should not attain it, the very expectation of this deliverance gives us present comfort ; yea, and ministers strength to resist those enemies which we expect to conquer. If you could persuade us to despair of that victory, we should give over the contest. Now " we are saved by hope :" From this very hope a degree of salvation springs. Be not angry at those who are felices errore suo, " happy in their mistake." Else, be their opinion right or wrong, your temper is undeniably sinful. Bear then with us, as we do with you ; and see whether the Lord will not deliver us ! whether he is not able, yea, and willing, " to save them to the uttermost that come unto God through him." SERMON LXXVII. SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. " This is the true God, and eternal life." 1 John v. 20. 1. In this Epistle St. John speaks not to any particular Church, but to all the Christians of that age ; although more especially to them among whom he then resided. And in SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 425 them he speaks to the whole Christian Church in all succeeding 2. In this letter, or rather tract, (for he was present with those to whom it was more immediately directed, probably being not able to preach to them any longer, because of his extreme old age,) he does not treat directly of faith, which St. Paul had done ; neither of inward and outward holiness, concerning which both St. Paul, St. James, and St. Peter, had spoken ; but of the foundation of all, — the happy and holy communion which the faithful have with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 3. In the preface he describes the authority by which he wrote and spoke, (i. 1 — 4,) and expressly points out the design of his present writing. To the preface exactly answers the conclusion of the Epistle, more largely explaining the same design, and recapitulating the marks of our communion with God, by, " we know," thrice repeated, (v. 18 — 20.) 4. The tract itself treats, First, severally, of communion with the Father ; (i. 5 — 10 ;) of communion with the Son ; (ii. and iii. ;) of communion with the Spirit, (iv.) Secondly, conjointly, of the testimony of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; on which faith in Christ, the being born of God, love to God and his children, the keeping his commandments, and victory over the world, are founded, (v. 1 — 12.) 5. The recapitulation begins, (v. 18,) " We know that he who is born of God," who sees and loves God, " sinneth not," so long as this loving faith abideth in him. " We know we are of God;" children of God, by the witness and the fruit of the Spirit ; " and the whole world," all who have not the Spirit, " lieth in the wicked one." They are, and live, and dwell in him, as the children of God do in the Holy One. " We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us " a spiritual " understanding, that we may know the true One," the faithful and true witness. " And we are in the true One," as branches in the vine. " This is the true God, and eternal life." In considering these important words, we may inquire, I. How is he the true God ? II. How is he eternal fife ? I shall then, III. Add a few inferences. I. 1. And, First, we may inquire, How is he the true God ? He is " God over all, blessed for ever." " He was with God," 426 SERMON LXXVII. with God the Father, "from the beginning," from eternity,. "and was God. He and the Father are One;" and, conse quently, " he thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Accordingly, the inspired writers give him all the titles of the most high God. They call him over and over, by the incom municable name, JEHOVAH, — never given to any creature. They ascribe to him all the attributes and all the works of God- So that we need not scruple to pronounce him, " God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God : In glory equal with the Father, in majesty co-eternal." 2. He is the true God, the only Cause, the sole Creator of all things. " By him," saith the Apostle Paul, " were created all things that are in heaven, and that are on earth," — yea, earth and heaven themselves ; but the inhabitants are named, because more noble than the house, — "visible and invisible." The several species of which are subjoined : " Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers." So St. John : "All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made." And, accordingly, St. Paul applies to him those strong words of the Psalmist : " Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, aud the heavens are the work of thy hands." 3. And as the true God, he is also the Supporter of all the things that he hath made. He beareth, upholdeth, sustaineth, all created things by the word of his power, by the same powerful word which brought them out of nothing. As this was absolutely necessary for the beginning of their existence, it is equally so for the continuance of it: Were his almighty influence withdrawn, they could not subsist a moment longer. Hold up a stone in the air ; the moment you withdraw your hand, it naturally falls to the ground. In like manner, were he to withdraw his hand for a moment, the creation would fall into nothing. 4 As the true God, he is likewise the Preserver of all things. He not only keeps them in being, but preserves them in that degree of well-being which is suitable to their several natures. He preserves them in their several relations, connexions, and dependencies, so as to compose one system of beings, to form one entire universe, according to the counsel of his will. How strongly and beautifully is this expressed : Ta Travra ev aurta o-uv<-ri)x.s. "By whom all things consist:" Or, more literally, SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 427 " By and in him are all things compacted into one system." He is not only the support, but also the cement, of the whole universe. 5. I would particularly remark, (what perhaps has not been sufficiently observed,) that he is the true Author of all the motion that is in the universe. To spirits, indeed, he has given a small degree of self-moving power, but not to matter. All matter, of whatever kind it be, is absolutely and totally inert. It does not, cannot, in any case, move itself; and when ever any part of it seems to move, it is in reality moved by something else. See that log, which, vulgarly speaking, moves on the sea ! It is in reality moved by the water. The water is moved by the wind ; that is, a current of air. And the air itself owes all its motion to the ethereal fire, a particle of which is attached to every particle of it. Deprive it of that fire, and it moves no longer ; it is fixed : It is as inert as sand. Remove fluidity (owing to the ethereal fire intermixed with it) from water, and it has no more motion than the log. Impact fire into iron, by hammering it when red hot, and it has no more motion than fixed air, or frozen water. But when it is unfixed, when it is in its most active state, what gives motion to fire ? The very Heathen will tell you. It is, Totam Mens agitans molem, et magna se corpore miscens.* 6. To pursue this a little farther : We Say, the moon moves round the earth ; the earth and the other planets move round the sun ; the sun moves round its own axis. But these are only vulgar expressions : For, if we speak the truth, neither the sun, moon, nor stars move. None of these move themselves : They are all moved every moment by the almighty hand that made. them. " Yes," says Sir Isaac, " the sun, moon, and all the heavenly bodies, do move, do gravitate, toward each other." Gravitate . What is that ? " Why, they all attract each other, in proportion to the quantity of matter they contain." " Nonsense all over," says Mr. Hutchinson ; "jargon, self-contradiction ! Can any thing act where it is not ? No ; they are continually impelled. toward each other." Impelled ! by what ? " By the subtile matter, the ether, or electric fire." But remember ! be it ever so subtile, it is matter still : Consequently, it is as inert in itself * For a translation of this passage, see page 395 in this volume — Edit. 428 SERMON LXXVII. as either sand or marble. It cannot therefore move itself; but probably it is the first material mover, the main spring whereby the Creator and Preserver of all things is pleased to move the universe. 7- The true God is also the Redeemer of all the children of men. It pleased the Father to lay upon him the iniquities of us all, that by the one oblation of himself once offered, when he tasted death for every man, he might make a full and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. 8. Again: The true God is the Governor of all things: " His kingdom ruleth over all." The government rests upon his shoulder, throughout all ages. He is the Lord and Disposer of the whole creation, and every part of it. And in how astonishing a manner does he govern the world I How far are his ways above human thought ! How little do we know of his methods of government ! Only this we know, Ita prcesides singulis sicut universis, et universis sicut singulis ! " Thou presidest over each creature, as if it were the universe, and over the universe, as over each individual creature." Dwell a little upon this sentiment : What a glorious mystery does it contain ! It is paraphrased in the words recited above : Father, how wide thy glories shine ! Lord of the universe, — and mine : Thy goodness watches o'er the whole, As all the world were but one soul ; Yet keeps my every sacred hair, As I remain'd thy single care ! 9. And yet there is a difference, as was said before, in his providential government over the children of men. A pious writer observes, There is a three-fold circle of divine providence. The outermost circle includes all the sons of men ; Heathens, Mahometans, Jews, and Christians. He causeth his sun to rise upon all. He giveth them rain and fruitful seasons. He pours ten thousand benefits upon them, and fills their hearts with food and gladness. With an interior circle he encompasses the whole visible Christian Church, all that name the name of Christ. He has an additional regard to these, and a nearer attention to their welfare. But the innermost circle of his providence encloses only the invisible Church of Christ ; all real Christians, wherever dispersed in all corners of the earth ; all SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 429 that worship God (whatever denomination they are of) in spirit and in truth. He keeps these as the apple of an eye : He hides them under the shadow of his wings. And it is to these in particular that our Lord says, " Even the hairs of your head are all numbered." 10. Lastly, being the true God, he is the End of all things ; according to that solemn declaration of the Apostle : (Rom. xi. 36 :) " Of him, and through him, and to him, are all things : " Of him, as the Creator, — through him, as the Sustainer and Preserver, — and to him, as the ultimate End of all. II. In all these senses Jesus Christ is the true God. But how is he eternal life ? 1. The thing directly intended in this expression is not, that he will be eternal life : Although this is a great and important truth, and never to be forgotten. " He is the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him." He is the Purchaser of that "crown of life" which will be given to all that are " faithful unto death ; " and he will be the soul of all their joys to all the saints in glory. The flame of angelical love Is kindled at Jesus's face ; And all the enjoyment above Consists in the rapturous gaze I 2. The thing directly intended is not, that he is the resurrec tion ; although this also is true, according to his own declara tion, " I am the resurrection and the life :" Agreeable to which are St. Paul's words: "As in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." So that we may well say, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who... hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." 3. But waving, what he will be hereafter, we are here called to consider what he is now. He is now the life of everything that lives, in any kind or degree. He is the Source of the lowest species of life, that of vegetables, as being the Source of all the motion on which vegetation depends. He is the Fountain of the life of animals ; the Power by which the heart beats, and the circulating juices flow. He is the Fountain of all the life which man possesses in common with other animals. 430 SERMON LXX vir. And if we distinguish the rational from the animal life, he is the Source of this also. 4. But how infinitely short does all this fall of the life which is here directly intended, and of which the Apostle speaks so explicitly in the preceding verses! (11, 12:) "This is the testimony, that God hath given us eternal life ; and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life," — the eternal life here spoken of, — " and he that hath not the Son" of God " hath not" this " life." As if he had said, " This is the sum of the testimony which God hath testified of his Son, that God hath given us, not only a title to, but the real beginning of, eternal life : And this life is purchased by, and treasured up in, his Son ; who has all the springs and the fulness of it in himself, to communicate to his body, the Church." 5. This eternal life then commences when it pleases the Father to reveal his Son in our hearts ; when we first know Christ, being enabled to "call him Lord by the Holy Ghost;" when we can testify, our conscience bearing us witness in the Holy Ghost, " The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." And then it is that happiness begins ; happiness real, solid. substantial. Then it is that heaven is opened in the soul, that the proper heavenly state commences, while the love of God, as loving us, is shed abroad in the heart, instantly producing love to all mankind ; general, pure benevolence, together with its genuine fruits, lowliness, meekness, patience, contentedness in every state ; an entire, clear, full acquiescence in the whole will of God ; enabling us to " rejoice evermore, and in everything to give thanks." 6. As our knowledge and our love of him increase, by the same degrees, and in the same proportion, the kingdom of an inward heaven must necessarily increase also; while we "grow up in all things into Him who is our Head." And when we are ev aurco CTE7rX))fia)ju.Evoi, complete in him, as our translators render it ; but more properly when we are filled with him ; when " Christ in us, the hope of glory," is our God and our All ; when he has taken the full possession of our heart ; when he reigns therein without a rival, the Lord of every motion there; when we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us, we are one with Christ, and Christ with us ; then we are completely happy ; then we live " all the life that is hid with Christ in SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 431 God;" then, and not till then, we properly experience what that word meaneth, " God is love ; and whosoever dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." III. I have now only to add a few inferences from the preceding observations. 1. And we may learn from hence, First, that as there is but one God in heaven above and in the earth beneath ; so there is only one happiness for created spirits, either in heaven or earth. This one God made our heart for himself; and it cannot rest till it resteth in him. It is true, that while we are in the vigour of youth and health ; while our blood dances in our veins ; while the world smiles upon us, and we have all the conveniences, yea, and superfluities of life, we frequently have pleasing dreams, and enjoy a kind of happiness. But it cannot continue ; it flies away like a shadow ; and even while it does, it is not solid or substantial ; it does not satisfy the soul. We still pant after something else, something which we have not. Give a man everything that this world can give, still, as Horace observed near two thousand years ago, — Curtce nescio quid semper abest ret. Still,— Amidst our plenty something still, To me, to thee, to him is wanting ! That something is neither more nor less than the knowledge and love of God ; without which no spirit can be happy either in heaven or earth. 2. Permit me to recite my own experience, in confirmation of this : — I distinctly remember, that, even in my childhood, even when I was at school, I have often said, " They say the life of a schoolboy is the happiest in the world ; but I am sure I am not happy ; for I am not content, and so cannot be happy." When I had lived a few years longer, being in the vigour -of youth, a stranger to pain and sickness, and particularly to lowness of spirits ; (which I do not remember to have felt one quarter of an hour ever since I was born ;) having plenty of all things, in the midst of sensible and amiable friends, who loved nie, and I loved them ; and being in the way of life which, of all others, suited my inclinations ; still I was not happy. I wondered why I was not, and could not imagine what the reason was. The reason certainly was, I did not know God; the Source of present as well as eternal happiness. What is a 432 SERMON LXXVII. clear proof that I was not then happy, is, that, upon the coolest reflection, I knew not one week which I would have thought it worth while to have lived over again ; taking it with every inward and outward sensation, without any variation at all. 3. But a pious man affirms, " When I was young, I was happy ; though I was utterly without God in the world." I do not believe you : Though I doubt not but you believe yourself. But you are deceived, as I have been over and over. Such is the condition of human life ! Flowrets and myrtles fragrant seem to rise : All is at distance fair ; but, near at hand, The gay deceit mocks the desiring eyes With thorns, and desert heath, and barren sand. Look forward on any distant prospect : How beautiful does it appear ! Come up to it ; and the beauty vanishes away, and it is rough and disagreeable. Just so is life. But when the scene is past, it resumes its former appearance ; and we seriously believe, that we were then very happy, though, in reality, we were far otherwise. For as none is now, so none ever was, happy, without the loving knowledge of the true God. 4. We may learn hence, Secondly, that this happy know ledge of the true God is only another name for religion ; I mean Christian religion ; which, indeed, is the only one that deserves the name. Religion, as to the nature or essence of it, does not lie in this or that set of notions, vulgarly called faith ; nor in a round of duties, however carefully reformed from error and superstition. It does not consist in any number of outward actions. No: It properly and directly consists in the know ledge and love of God, as manifested in the Son of his love, through the eternal Spirit. And this naturally leads to every heavenly temper, and to every good word and work. 5. We learn hence, Thirdly, that none but a Christian is happy ; none but a real inward Christian. A glutton, a drunk ard, a gamester, may be merry ; but he cannot be happy. The beau, the belle, may eat and drink, and rise up to play ; but still they feel they are not happy. Men or women may adorn their own dear persons with all the colours of the rainbow. They may dance, and sing, and hurry to and fro, and flutter hither and thither. They may roll up and down in their splen did carriages, and talk insipidly to each other. They may SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 433 hasten from one diversion to another : But happiness is not there. They are still " walking in a vain shadow, and disquieting them selves in vain." One of their own poets has truly pronounced, concerning the whole life of these sons of pleasure, 'Tis a dull farce, an empty show : Powder, and pocket-glass, and beau. I cannot but observe of that fine writer, that he came near the mark, and yet fell short of it. In his "Solomon" (one of the noblest poems in the English tongue) he clearly shows where happiness is not ; that it is not to be found in natural knowledge, in power, or in the pleasures of sense or imagination. But he does not show where it is to be found. He could not ; for he did not know it himself. Yet he came near it when he said, Restore, Great Father, thy instructed son ; And in my act may thy great will be done ! 6. We learn, hence, Fourthly, that every Christian is happy ; and that he who is not happy is not a Christian. If, as was observed above, religion is happiness, every one that has it must be happy. This appears from the very nature of the thing: For if religion and happiness are in fact the same, it is impossible that any man can possess the former, without possessing the latter also. He cannot have religion without having happiness ; seeing they are utterly inseparable. And it is equally certain, on the other hand, that he who is not happy is not a Christian : Seeing if he was a real Christian, he could not but be happy. But I allow an exception here in favour of those who are under violent temptation ; yea, and of those who are under deep nervous disorders, which are, indeed, a species of insanity. The clouds and darkness which then overwhelm the soul suspend its happiness ; especially if Satan is permitted to second those disorders, by pouring in his fiery darts. But, excepting these cases, the observation will hold, and it should be well attended to, — Whoever is not happy, yea, happy in God, is not a Christian. 7- Are not you a living proof of this ? Do not you still wander to and fro, seeking rest, but finding none ? — pursuing happiness, but never overtaking it ? And who can blame you for pursuing it ? It is the very end of your being. The great Creator made nothing to be miserable, but every creature to be happy in its kind. And upon a general review of the works of F F 2. 434 SERMON LXXVII. his hands he pronounced them all very good ; which they would not have been, had not every intelligent creature, yea, every one capable of pleasure and pain, been happy in answering the end of its creation. If you are now unhappy, it is because you are in an unnatural state : And shall you not sigh for deliverance from it ? " The whole creation," being now " subject to vanity," " groaneth and travaileth in pain together." I blame you only, or pity you rather, for taking a wrong way to a right end ; for seeking happiness where it never was, and never can be, found. You seek happiness in your fellow-creatures, instead of your Creator. But these can no more make you happy than they can make you immortal. If you have ears to hear, every creature cries aloud, " Happiness is not in me." All these are, in truth, " broken cisterns, that can hold no water." O turn unto your rest ! Turn to Him in whom are hid all the treasures of happi ness ! Turn unto Him " who giveth liberally unto all men ;" and he will give you " to drink of the water of life freely." 8. You cannot find your long-sought happiness in all the pleasures of the world. Are they not " deceitful upon the weights ?" Are they not lighter than vanity itself? How long will ye "feed upon that which is not bread?" — which may amuse, but cannot satisfy ? You cannot find it in the religion of the world ; either in opinions, or a mere round of outward duties. Vain labour ! Is not God a Spirit, and therefore to be " worshipped in spirit and in truth ?" In this alone can you find the happiness you seek ; in the union of your spirit with the Father of spirits ; in the knowledge and love of Him who is the fountain of happiness, sufficient for all the souls he has made. 9. But where is He to be found? Shall we go up into heaven, or down into hell, to seek him ? Shall we " take the wings of the morning," and search for him "in the uttermost parts of the sea ?" Nay, quod petis, hie est ! What a strange word to fall from the pen of a Heathen ! " What you seek is here !" He is " about your bed." Pie is " about your path," He " besets you behind and before." He " lays his hand upon you." Lo ! God is here ! not afar off. Now believe and feel him near ! May he now reveal himself in your heart ! Know him, love him, and you are ha;>py ! 10. Are you already happy in him? Then see that you " hold fast whereunto ye have attained !" " Watch and pray,^ that you may never be " moved from your steadfastness. SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY. 435 " Look unto yourselves, that ye lose not what ye have gained, but that ye receive a full reward." In so doing, expect a continual growth in grace, in the loving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Expect that the power of the Plighest shall suddenly overshadow you, that all sin may be destroyed, and nothing may remain in your heart, but holiness unto the Lord. And this moment, and every moment, " present yourselves a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God," and " glorify hiir with your body and with your spirit which are God's !" SERMON LXXVIII. SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols!" 1 John v. 21. 1. There are two words that occur several times in this Epistle, — zraidia and texvi«, — both of which our translators ren der by the same expression, little children. But their meaning is very different. The former is very properly rendered little children ; for it means, babes in Christ, — those that have lately tasted of his love, and are, as yet, weak and unestablished therein. The latter might with more propriety be rendered, beloved children ; as it does not denote any more than the affec tion of the speaker to those whom he had begotten in the Lord. 2. An ancient historian relates, that when the Apostle was so enfeebled by age as not to be able to preach, he was frequently brought into the congregation in his chair, and just uttered, " Beloved children, love one another." He could not have civen a more important advice. And equally important is this which lies before us ; equally necessary for every part of the Church of Christ. " Beloved children, keep yourselves from idols." 3. Indeed there is a close connexion between them : One can not subsist without the other. As there is no firm foundation for the love of our brethren except the love of God, so there is no possibility of loving God except we keep ourselves from idols. But what are the idols of which the Apostle speaks ? This 2 F 2 436 SERMON LXXVIII. is the First thing to be considered. We may then, in the Second place, inquire, How shall we keep ourselves from them ? I. 1 . We are, First, to consider, What are the idols of which the Apostle speaks ? I do not conceive him to mean, at least not principally, the idols that were worshipped by the Heathens. They to whom he was writing, whether they had been Jews or Heathens, were not in much danger from these. There is no probability that the Jews now converted had ever been guilty of worshipping them : As deeply given to this gross idolatry as the Israelites had been for many ages, they were hardly ever entangled therein after their return from the Babylonish cap tivity. From that period the whole body of Jews had shown a constant, deep abhorrence of it : And the Heathens, after they had once turned to the living God, had their former idols in the utmost detestation. They abhorred to touch the unclean thing; yea, they chose to lay down their lives rather than turn to the worship of those gods whom they now knew to be devils. 2. Neither can we reasonably suppose, that he speaks of those idols that are now worshipped in the Church of Rome ; whether angels, or the souls of departed saints, or images of gold, silver, wood or stone. None of these idols were known in the Chris tian Church till some centuries after the time of the Apostles. Once, indeed, St. John himself " fell down to worship before the face of an angel " that spake unto him ; probably mistaking him, from his glorious appearance, for the Great Angel of the Covenant ; but the strong reproof of the angel, which immedi ately followed, secured the Christians from imitating that bad example : " ' See thou do it not.' As glorious as I appear, I am not thy Master. ' I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the Prophets : Worship God.'" (Rev. xxii. 9.) 3. Setting then pagan and Romish idols aside, what are those of which we are here warned by the Apostle ? The preceding words show us the meaning of these. " This is the true God," — the end of all the souls he has made, the centre of all created spirits ; — " and eternal life," — the only foundation of present as well as eternal happiness. To him therefore, alone, our heart is due. And he cannot, he will not, quit his claim, or consent to its being given to any other. He is continually saying to every child of man, " My son, give me thy heart !" And to give our heart to any other is plain idolatry. Accordingly, whatever takes our heart from him, or shares it with him, is an idol ; or, in other words, whatever we seek happiness in independent of God. SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY 437 4. Take an instance that occurs almost every day : A person who has been long involved in the world, surrounded and fatigued with abundance of business, having at length acquired an easy fortune, disengages himself from all business, and retires into the country, — to be happy. Happy in what ? Why, in taking his ease. For he intends now, Somno et inerlibus horis Ducere solicits jucunda oblivia vita : To sleep, and pass away In gentle inactivity the day ! Happy in eating and drinking whatever his heart desires : Perhaps more elegant fare than that of the old Roman, vvho feasted his imagination before the treat was served up ; who, before he left the town, consoled himself with the thought of "fat bacon and cabbage too !" Uncta satis pingui ponentur oluscula lardo ! Happy, — in altering, enlarging, rebuilding, or at least decorat ing, the old mansion-house he has purchased ; and likewise in improving every thing about it ; the stables, out-houses, grounds. But, mean time, where does God come in ? No where at all. He did not think about him. He no more thought of the King of heaven, than of the king of France. God is not in his plan. The knowledge and love of God are entirely out of the question. Therefore, this whole scheme of happiness in retirement is idolatry, from beginning to end. 5. If we descend to particulars, the first species of this idolatry is what St. John terms, the desire of the flesh. We are apt to take this in too narrow a meaning, as if it related to one of the senses only. Not so : This expression equally refers to all the outward senses. It means, the seeking happiness in the gratifi cation of any or all of the external senses ; although more par ticularly of the three lower senses,-1— tasting, smelling, and feeling. It means, the seeking happiness herein, if not in a gross, indeli cate manner, by open intemperance, by gluttony or drunkenness, or shameless debauchery ; yet, in a regular kind of epicurism ; in a genteel sensuality ; in such an elegant course of self- indulgence as does not disorder either the head or the stomach ; as does not at all impair our health, or blemish our reputation. 6. But we must not imagine this species of idolatry is con fined to the rich and great. In this also, " the toe of the 438 SERMON LXXVIII. peasant" (as our poet speaks) " treads upon the heel of thc courtier." Thousands in low as well as in high life sacrifice to this idol ; seeking their happiness (though in a more humble manner) in gratifying their outward senses. It is true, their meat, their drink, and the objects that gratify their other senses, are of a coarser kind. But still they make up all the happiness they either have or seek, and usurp the hearts which are due to God. 7- The second species of idolatry mentioned by the Apostle is, the desire of the eye : That is, the seeking happiness in gratifying the imagination ; (chiefly by means of the eyes ;) that internal sense, which is as natural to men as either sight or hearing. This is gratified by such objects as are either grand, 01 beautiful, or uncommon. But as to grand objects, it seems they do not please any longer than they are new. Were we to survey the Pyramids of Egypt daily for a year, what pleasure would they then give ? Nay, what pleasure does a far grander object than these, — The ocean rolling on the shelly shore, give to one who has been long accustomed to it ? Yea, what pleasure do we generally receive from the grandest object in the universe, — Yon ample, azure sky, Terribly large, and wonderfully bright, With stars unnumber'd, and unmeasured light ? 8- Beautiful objects are the next general source of the pleasures of the imagination : The works of nature in particular. So persons in all ages have been delighted With sylvan scenes, and hill and dale, And liquid lapse of murmuring streams. Others are pleased with adding art to nature ; as in gardens, with their various ornaments: Others with mere works of art; as buildings, and representations of nature, whether in statues or painting. Many likewise find pleasure in beautiful apparel, or furniture of various kinds. But novelty must be added to beauty, as well as grandeur, or it soon palls upon the sense. 9. Are we to refer to the head of beauty, the pleasure which many take in a favourite animal ? Suppose a sparrow, a parrot, a cat, a lap-dog ? Sometimes it may be owing to this. At other times, none but the person pleased can find any beauty at all in the favourite. Nayr perchance it is, in the eyes of all other SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY. 439 persons, superlatively ugly. In this case, the pleasure seems to arise from mere whim or caprice ; that is, madness. 10. Must we not refer to the head of novelty, chiefly, thc pleasure found in most diversions and amusements ; which were we to repeat them daily but a few months would be utterly flat and insipid ? To the same head we may refer the pleasure that is taken in collecting curiosities ; whether they are natural or artificial, whether old or new. This sweetens the labour of the virtuoso, and makes all his labour light. 11. But it is not chiefly to novelty that we are to impute the pleasure we receive from music. Certainly this has an intrinsic beauty,as wellas frequently an intrinsic grandeur. This is a beauty and grandeur of a peculiar kind, not easy to be expressed ; nearly related to the sublime and the beautiful in poetry, which give an exquisite pleasure. And yet it may be allowed, that novelty heightens the pleasure which arises from any of these sources. 12. From the study of languages, from criticism, and from history, we receive a pleasure of a mixed nature. In all these, there is always something new ; frequently, something beautiful or sublime. And history not only gratifies the imagination in all these respects, but likewise pleases us by touching our passions ; our love, desire, joy, pity. The last of these gives us a strong pleasure, though strangely mixed with a kind of pain. So that one need not wonder at the exclamation of a fine poet, — What is all mirth but turbulence unholy, When to the charms compared of heavenly melancholy ? 13. The love of novelty is immeasurably gratified by experi mental philosophy ; and, indeed, by every branch of natural phi losophy ; which opens an immense field for still new discoveries. But is there not likewise a pleasure therein, as well as in mathe matical and metaphysical studies, which does not result from the imagination, but from the exercise of the understanding? unless we will say, that the newness of the discoveries which we make by mathematical or metaphysical researches is one reason at least, if not the chief, of the pleasure we receive therefrom. 14. I dwell the longer on these things, because so very few see them in the true point of view. The generality of men, and more particularly men of sense and learning, are so far from sus pecting that there is, or can be, the least harm in them, that they seriously believe it is matter of great praise to give ourselves 440 SERMON LXXV1II. wholly to them. Who of them, for instance, would not admire and commend the indefatigable industry of that great philo sopher who says, " I have now been eight-and-thirty years at my parish of Upminster ; and I have made it clear, that there are no less than three-and-fifty species of butterflies therein: But if God should spare my life a few years longer, I do not doubt but I should demonstrate, there are five-and-fifty !" I allow that most of these studies have their use, and that it is possible to use without abusing them. But if we seek our happiness in any of these things, then it commences an idol. And the enjoyment of it, however it may be admired and applauded by the world, is condemned by God as neither better nor worse than damnable idolatry. 15. The third kind of love of the world, the Apostle speaks of under that uncommon expression, ij aXugoveta -a /3ib. This is rendered by our translators, the pride of life. It is usually supposed to mean, the pomp and splendour of those that are in high life. But has it not a more extensive sense ? Does it not rather mean, the seeking happiness in the praise of men, which, above all things, engenders pride ? When this is pursued in a more pompous way by kings or illustrious men, we call it " thirst for glory;" when it is sought in a lower way by ordinary men, it is styled, " taking care of our reputation." In plain terms, it is seeking the honour that cometh of men, instead of that which cometh of God only. 16. But what creates a difficulty here is this : We are required, not only to " give no offence to any one," and to " provide things honest in the sight of all men," but to " please all men for their o-ood to edification." But how difficult is it to do this, with a single eye to God ! We ought to do all that in us lies, to prevent "the good that is in us from being evil spoken of." Yea, we ought to value a clear reputation, if it be given us, only less than a good conscience. But yet, if we seek our happiness therein, we are liable to perish in our idolatry. 17. To which of the preceding heads is the love of money to be referred ? Perhaps sometimes to one, and sometimes to another ; as it is a means of procuring gratifications, either for "the desire of the flesh," for "the desire of the eyes," or for " the pride of life." In any of these cases, money is only pursued in order to a farther end. But it is sometimes pursued for its own sake, without any farther view. One who is properly SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY. 441 a miser loves and seeks money for its own sake. He looks na farther, but places his happiness in the acquiring or the possess ing of it. And this is a species of idolatry distinct from all the preceding ; and indeed the lowest, basest idolatry of which the human soul is capable. To seek happiness either in gratifying this or any other of the desires above mentioned, is effectually to renounce the true God, and to set up an idol in his place. In a word, so many objects as there are in the world, wherein men seek happiness instead of seeking it in God, so many idols they set up in their hearts, so many species of idolatry they practise. 18. I would take notice of only one more, which, though it in some measure falls in with several of the preceding, yet, in many respects, is distinct from them all ; I mean the idolizing a human creature. Undoubtedly it is the will of God that we should all love one another. It is his will that we should love our relations and our Christian brethren with a peculiar love ; and those in particular, whom he has made particularly profitable to our souls. These we are commanded to " love fervently ;" yet still " with a pure heart." But is not this " impossible with man ? " to retain the strength and tenderness of affection, and yet, without any stain to the soul, with unspotted purity ? I do not mean only unspotted by lust. I know this is possible. I know a person may have an unalterable affection for another without any desire of this kind. But is it without idolatry ? Is it not loving the creature more than the Creator ? Is it not putting a man or woman in the place of God ? giving them your heart ? Let this be carefully considered, even by those whom God has joined together ; by husbands and wives, parents and children. It cannot be denied, that these ought to love one another tenderly : They are commanded so to do. But they are neither commanded nor permitted to love one another idolatrously. Yet how common is this ! How frequently is a husband, a wife, a child, put in the place of God. How many that are accounted good Christians fix their affections on each other, so as to leave no place for God ! They seek their happiness in the creature, not in the Creator. One may truly say to the other, I view thee, lord and end of my desires. That is, " I desire nothing more but thee ! Thou art the thing that I long for ! All my desire is unto thee, and unto the remembrance of thy name." Now, if this is not flat idolatry, I cannot tell what is. 442 SERMON LXXVIII. II. Having largely considered what those idols are of which the Apostle speaks, I come now to inquire (which may be done more briefly) how we may keep ourselves from them. 1. In order to this, I would advise you, First, be deeply convinced that none of them bring happiness ; that no thing, no person under the sun, no, nor the amassment of all together, can give any solid, satisfactory happiness to any child of man. The world itself, the giddy, thoughtless world, acknowledge this unawares, while they allow, nay, vehemently maintain, "No man upon earth is contented." The very same observation was made near two thousand years ago : — Nemo quam sibi sortem Seu ratio dederit, seufors objecerit, ilia, Contenlus vivat. Let fortune or let choice the station give To man, yet none on earth contented live. And if no man upon earth is contented, it is certain no man is happy. For whatever station we are in, discontent is incompatible with happiness. 2. Indeed not only the giddy, but the thinking, part of the world allow that no man is contented ; the melancholy proofs of which we see on every side, in high and low, rich and poor. And, generally, the more understanding they have, the more discontented they are. For, They know with more distinction to complain, And have superior sense in feeling pain. It is true, every one has (to use the cant term of the day, and an excellent one it is) his hobby-horse; something that pleases the great boy for a few hours or days, and wherein he hopes to be happy. But though Hope blooms eternal in the human breast ; Man never is, but always to be, blest. Still he is walking in a vain shadow, which will soon vanish away ! So that universal experience, both our own, and that of all our friends and acquaintance, clearly proves, that as God made our hearts for himself, so they cannot rest till they rest in him ; that till we acquaint ourselves with him, we cannot be at peace. As " a scorner" of the wisdom of God " seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;" so a scorner of happiness in God seeketh happiness, but findeth none. 3. When you arc thoroughly convinced of this, I advise you SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY. 443 Secondly, stand and consider what you are about. Will you be a fool and a madman all your days ? Is it not high time to come to your senses ! At length, awake out of sleep, and shake yourself from the dust ! Break loose from this miserable idola try, and "choose the better part!" Steadily resolve to seek happiness where it may be found ; where it cannot be sought in vain. Resolve to seek it in the true God, the fountain of all blessedness ; and cut off all delay ! Straightway put in execu tion what you have resolved ! Seeing " all things are ready," " acquaint thyself now with him, and be at peace." 4. But do not either resolve, or attempt to execute your resolution, trusting in your own strength. If you do, you will be utterly foiled. You are not able to contend with the evil world, much less with your own evil heart ; and least of all, with the powers of darkness. Cry, therefore, to the Strong for strength. Under a deep sense of your own weakness and help lessness, trust thou in the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength. I advise you to cry to him for repentance in particular ; not only for a full consciousness of your own impotence, but for a piercing sense of the exceeding guilt, baseness, and madness of the idolatry that has long swallowed you up. Cry for a thorough knowledge of yourself; of all your sinfulness and guiltiness. Pray that you may be fully discovered to yourself; that you may know yourself as also you are known. When once you arc possessed of this genuine conviction, all your idols will lose their charms. And you will wonder, how you could so long lean upon those broken reeds, which had so often sunk under you. 5. What should you ask for next ? " Jesus, now I have lost my all, Let me upon thy bosom fall ! Now let me see thee in thy vesture dipped in blood ! Now stand in all thy wounds confest, And wrap me in thy crimson vest ! Hast thou not said, ' If thou canst believe, thou shalt see the glory of God ?' Lord, / would believe ! Help thou mine unbelief. And help me now ! Help me now to enter into the rest that remaineth for the people of God; for those who give thee their heart, their whole heart ; who receive thee as their God and their All. O thou that art fairer than the children of men, full of grace are thy lips ! Speak that I may 444 SERMON LXX1X. see thee ! And as the shadows flee before tbe sun, so let all my idols vanish at thy presence !" 6. From the moment that you begin to experience this, fight the good fight of faith ; take the kingdom of heaven by violence ! Take it as it were by storm ! Deny yourself every pleasure that you are not divinely conscious brings you nearer to God. Take up your cross daily : Regard no pain, if it lies in your way to him. If you are called thereto, scruple not to pluck out the right eye, and to cast it from you. Nothing is impossible to him that believeth : You can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth you. Do valiantly ; and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free. Yea, go on in his name, and in the power of his might, till you " know all that love of God that passeth knowledge :'' And then you have only to wait till he shall call you into his everlasting kingdom ! SERMON LXXIX. ON DISSIPATION. " This I speak — that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction" 1 Corinthians vii. 35. 1. Almost in every part of our nation, more especially in the large and populous towns, we hear a general complaint among sensible persons, of the still increasing dissipation. It is observed to diffuse itself more and more, in the court, the city, and the country. From the continual mention which is made of this, and the continual declamations against it, one would naturally imagine that a word so commonly used was perfectly understood. Yet it may be doubted whether it be or no. Nay, we may very safely affirm, that few of those who frequently use the term understand what it means. One reason of this is, that, although the thing has been long among us, especially since the time of King Charles the Second, (one of the most dissipated mortals that ever breathed,) yet the word is not otf DISSIPATION. 445 of long standing. It was hardly heard of fifty years ago ; and not much before the present reign. So lately has it been imported: And yet it is so in every one's mouth, that it is already worn threadbare ; being one of the cant words of the day. 2. Another reason why it is so little understood may be, that among the numberless writers that swarm about us, there is not one (at least whom I have seen) that has published so much as a sixpenny pamphlet concerning it. We have, indeed, one short Essay upon the subject : But exceeding few have seen it, as it stands in the midst of a volume of Essays, the author of which is little known in the world. And even this is so far from going to the bottom of the subject, that it only slightly glances over it ; and does not so much as give us one definition of dissipation (which I looked narrowly for) from the beginning to the end. 3. We are accustomed to speak of dissipation, as having respect chiefly, if not wholly, to the outward behaviour; to the manner of life. But it is within before it appears without : It is in the heart, before it is seen in the outward conversation. There must be a dissipated spirit, before there is a dissipated manner of life. But what is dissipation of spirit ? This is the first and the grand inquiry. 4. God created all things for himself; more especially all intelligent spirits. (And indeed it seems that intelligence, in some kind or degree, is inseparable from spiritual beings ; that intelligence is as essential to spirits, as extension is to matter.) He made those more directly for himself, to know, love, and enjoy him. As the sun is the centre of the solar system, so (as far as we may compare material things with spiritual) we need not scruple to affirm that God is the centre of spirits. And as long as they are united to Him, created spirits are at rest: They are at rest so long, and no longer, as they " attend upon the Lord without distraction." 5. This expression of the Apostle (not to encumber our selves at present with the particular occasion of his speaking it) is exceeding peculiar : Tlpo; to su7rpoo-edpov tco Kvpico. The word which we render, attend upon, literally means, sitting in a good posture for hearing. And therein St. Paul undoubtedly alluded to Mary sitting at the Master's feet. (Luke x. 39) Meantime, Martha was cumbered with much serving : was distracted, dissi- 446 SERMON LXXIX. pated; txspteatuTo. It is the very expression from whence St. Paul takes the word which we render, without distraction. 6. And even as much serving dissipated the thoughts of Martha, and distracted her from attending to her Lord's words, so a thousand things which daily occur are apt to dissipate our thoughts, and distract us from attending to His voice who is continually speaking to our hearts : I mean, to all that listen to his voice. We are encompassed on all sides with persons and things that tend to draw us from our centre. Indeed, every creature, if we are not continually on our guard, will draw us from our Creator. The whole visible world, all we see, hear, or touch, all the objects either of our senses or understanding, have a tendency to dissipate our thoughts from the invisible world ; and to distract our minds from attending to Him who is both the Author and End of our being. 7- This is the more easily done, because we are all by nature adeoi, Atheists, in the world ; and that in so high a degree, that it requires no less than almighty power to counteract that ten dency to dissipation which is in every human spirit, and restore the capacity of attending to God, and fixing itself on him. For this cannot be done till we are new creatures ; till we are created anew in Christ Jesus ; till the same power which made the world make us a " clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us." 8. But who is he that is thus renewed ? He that believeth in the name of the Son of God. He alone that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ is thus " born of God." It is by this faith alone, that he is " created anew in," or through, " Christ Jesus ;" that he is restored to the image of God wherein he was created, and again centred in God ; or, as the Apostle expresses it, "joined to the Lord in one spirit." Yet even then the believer may find in himself the remains of that carnal mind, that natural tendency to rest in created good, to acquiesce in visible things, which, without continual care, will press down his soul, and draw him from his Creator. Herein the world, the men that know not God, will never fail to join ; at some times with design, and at other times perhaps without design : For their very spirit is infectious, and insensibly changes ours into its own likeness. And we may be well assured, the prince of this world, the devil, will assist them with all his might. He will labour with all his strength, and, what is far more dangerous, with all his subtlety, if by any means he may draw us away from our simplicity ON DISSIPATION. 44J towards Christ ; from our simple adherence to h..n ; from our union with him, through whom we are also united in one spirit to the Father. 9. But nothing is more certain than this, — that though he may tempt the strongest believer to give up his simplicity toward Christ, and scatter his thoughts and desires among worldly objects ; yet he cannot force even the weakest : For tlve grace of God is still sufficient for him. The same grace which at first united him to God is able to continue that happy union, in spite of all the rage, and all the strength, and all the subtlety of the enemy. God has never left himself without witness that he has power to deliver them that trust in him, as out of every tempta tion that can assault them, so out of this in particular. He has still a little flock who do, in fact, " attend upon him without distraction;" who, cleaving to him with full purpose, are not dissipated from him, no, not for a moment ; but " rejoice ever more, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks." 10. Rut so far as any one yields to this temptation, so far he is dissipated. The original word properly signifies to disperse, or scatter. So the sun dissipates, that is, scatters, the clouds ; the wind dissipates, or scatters, the dust ; and, by an easy metaphor, our thoughts are said to be dissipated, when they are irregularly scattered up and down. In like manner, our desire* are dissipated, when they are unhinged from God, their proper centre, and scattered to and fro among the poor, perishing, unsatisfying things of the world. And, indeed, it may be said of every man that is a stranger to the grace of God, that all his passions are dissipated, — Scatter'd o'er all the earth abroad, Immeasurably far from God. 11. Distraction, in St. Paul's sense, is nearly allied to, or rather the same with, dissipation : Consequently, to attend upon the Lord without distraction, is the same as to attend upon the Lord without dissipation. But whenever the mind is unhinged from God, it is so far dissipated or distracted. Dissipation then, in general, may be defined, " the uncentring the soul from God." And whatever uncentres the mind from God does properly dissipate us. 12. Hence we may easily learn what is the proper, direct meaning of that common expression, — a dissipated man. Pie is a man that is separated from God ; that is disunited from his 448 SERMON LXXIX. centre ; whether this be occasioned by hurry of business, by seeking honour or preferment, or by fondness for diversions, for silly pleasures, so called, or for any trifle under the sun. The vulgar, it is true, commonly confine this character to those who are violently attached to women, gaming, drinking ; to dancing, balls, races, or the poor childish diversion of " running foxes and hares out of breath." But it equally belongs to the serious fool who forgets God by a close attention to any worldly employ ment, suppose it were of the most elegant or of the most impor tant kind. A man may be as much dissipated from God by the study of the mathematics or astronomy, as by fondness for cards or hounds. Whoever is habitually inattentive to the presence and will of his Creator, he is a dissipated man. 13. Hence we may likewise learn that a dissipated life is not barely that of a powdered beau, of a petit-maitre, a gamester, a woman-hunter, a playhouse-hunter, a fox-hunter, or a shatter- brain of any kind ; but the life of an honourable statesman, a gentleman, or a merchant, that is " without God in the world.' Agreeably to this, a dissipated age (such as is the present, perhaps beyond all that ever were, at least, that are recorded in history) is an age wherein God is generally forgotten. And a dissipated nation (such as England is at present in a super lative degree) is a nation, a vast majority of which have not God " in all their thoughts." 14. A plain consequence of these observations is, (what some may esteem a paradox,) that dissipation, in the full, general meaning of the word, is the very same thing with ungodliness. The name is new ; but the thing is, undoubtedly, almost as old as the creation. And this is, at present, the peculiar glory of England, wherein it is not equalled by any nation under heaven. We therefore speak an unquestionable truth when we say, there is not on the face of the earth another nation (at least, that we ever heard of) so perfectly dissipated and ungodly ; not only so totally " without God in the world," but so openly setting him at defiance. There never was an age that we read of in history, since Julius CtEsar, since Noah, since Adam, wherein dissipation or ungodliness did so generally prevail, both among high and low, rich and poor. 15. But still, blessed be God !— All are not lost : There be who faith Prefer, and piety to God ! ON DISSIPATION. 449 There are some, I trust more than seven thousand, yea, or ten times that number, in England, who have not yet bowed either their knee or their heart to the god of this world ; who, cleaving close to the God of heaven, are not borne away by the flood, by the general, the almost universal, torrent of dissipation or ungodliness. They are not of the mind of gentle Crispus, — Qui nunquam direxit braehia contra Torrentem, — "who never attempted to swim against the stream." They dare swim against the stream. Each of them can truly say, Nee me, qui cattera, vineit Impetus, et rapido contrarius evehor orbi.* If they cannot turn the tide back, they can at least bear an open testimony against it. They are therefore free from the blood of their ungodly countrymen : It must be upon their own head. 16. But by what means may we avoid the being carried away by the overflowing stream of dissipation ? It is not difficult for those who believe the Scripture to give an answer to this ques tion. Now, I really believe the Bible to be the word of God ; and on that supposition I answer, The radical cure of all dissi pation is, the " faith that worketh by love." If, therefore, you would be free from this evil disease, first, " continue steadfast in the faith ; " in that faith which brings " the Spirit of adoption, crying in your heart, Abba, Father ; " whereby you are enabled to testify, " The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God ; who loved me, and gave himself for me." By this faith you "see Him that is invisible, and set the Lord always before you." Next, " building yourselves up in your most holy faith, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto everlasting life." And as long as you walk by this rule, you will be superior to all dissipation. 17- How exactly does this agree (though there is a differ ence in the expression) with that observation of pious Kempis ! " Simplicity and purity are the two wings which lift the soul up to heaven. Simplicity is in the intention, purity in the affection." For what is this but (in the Apostle's language) simple "faith working by love?" By that simplicity you always see God, and by purity you love him. 'What is it, * The following is Addison's translation of this quotation from Ovid : — " I steer against their motions ; nor am I Borne back by all the current of the sky." — Edit. G g 2. 450 SERMON LXXIX. but having (as one of the ancients speaks) " the loving eye of the soul fixed upon God?" And as long as your soul is in this posture, dissipation can have no place. 18. It is with great judgment, therefore, that great and good Bishop Taylor, in his " Rules of Holy Living and Dying," (of whom Bishop Warburton, a person not very prone to commend, used to say, " I have no conception of a greater genius on earth than Dr. Jeremy Taylor,") premises to all his other rules those concerning purity of intention. And has he not the authority of our Lord himself so to do ? who lays it down as an universal maxim, " If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." Singly aim at God. In every step thou takest, eye Him alone. Pursue one thing: Happiness in knowing, in loving, in serving God. Then shall thy soul be full of light : Full of the light of the glory of God ; of his glorious love, shining upon thee from the face of Jesus Christ. 19- Can anything be a greater help to universal holiness, than the continually seeing the light of his glory? It is no wonder, then, that so many wise and good men have recom mended, to all who desire to be truly religious, the exercise of the presence of God. But in doing this, some of those holy men seem to have fallen into one mistake: (Particularly, an excellent writer of our own country, in his letters concerning " The Spirit of Prayer:") They put men, wholly unawakened, unconvinced of sin, upon this exercise, at their very entrance into religion; whereas this certainly should not be the first, but rather one of the last things. They should begin with repentance ; the knowledge of themselves ; of their sinfulness, guilt, and helplessness. They should be instructed next, to seek peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Then let them be taught to retain what they have received ; to " walk in the light of his countenance;" yea, to "walk in the light as he is in the light," without any darkness at all ; till " the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth" them "from all sin." 20. It was from a full conviction of the absolute necessity there is of a Christian's setting the Lord always before him that a set of young gentlemen in Oxford, who, many years ago, used to spend most of their evenings together, in order to assist each other in working out their salvation, placed that question first in their scheme of daily self-examination : " Have I been simple and recollected in all I said or did ?" Have I been ON DISSIPATION. 451 simple ? — that is, setting the Lord always before me, and doing every thing with a single view of pleasing him ? — Recollected ? — that is, quickly gathering in my scattered thoughts ; recovering my simplicity, if I had been in anywise drawn from it by men, or devils, or my own evil heart? By this means they were preserved from dissipation, and were enabled, each of them, to say, " By the grace of God, this one thing I do : (at least it is my constant aim :) I see God, I love God, I serve God. I glorify him with my body and with my spirit." 21. The same thing seems to be intended by two uncommon words which are frequently found in the writings of those pious men who are usually styled Mystics. I mean, Introversion, and Extroversion. " Examine yourselves," says St. Paul to the Corinthians, and in them to the Christians of all ages ; "know ye not that Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" that is, unbelievers, unable to bear the touchstone of God's word. Now, the attending to the voice of Christ within you is what they term Introversion. The turning the eye of the mind from him to outward things they call Extroversion. By this your thoughts wander from God, and you are properly dissipated: Whereas by introversion you may be always sensible of his loving presence ; you continually hearken to whatever it pleases your Lord to say to your heart : And if you continually listen to his inward voice, you will be kept from all dissipation. 22. We may, Lastly, learn hence, what judgment to form of what is frequently urged in favour of the English nation, and of the present age ; namely, that, in other respects, England stands on a level with other nations, and the present age stands upon a level with any of the preceding : Only it is allowed we are more dissipated than our neighbours ; and this age is more dissipated than the preceding ages. Nay, if this is allowed, all is allowed. It is allowed that this nation is worse than any of the neighbouring nations; and that this age is worse, essentially worse, than any of the preceding ages. For as dissipation or ungodliness is the parent of all sin; of all unrighteousness; of unmercifulness, injustice, fraud, perfidy ; of every possible evil temper, evil word, or evil action ; so it, in effect, comprises them all. Whatsoever things are impure, whatsoever things are of evil report, whatsoever things are unholy ; if there be any vice ; all these are included in ungodliness, usually termed dis- 2 G 2 452 SERMON LXXX. sipation. Let not, therefore, any lover of virtue and truth say one word in favour of this monster : Let no lover of mankind once open his mouth to extenuate the guilt of it. Abhor it as you would abhor the devil, whose offspring and likeness it is ! Abhor it, as you would abhor the extinction of all virtue, and the universal prevalence of an earthly, sensual, devilish spirit ; and flee from it as you would flee (if you saw it open before you) from the lake of fire burning with brimstone ! SERMON LXXX. ON FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. " Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friend ship of the world is enmity with God ? Whosoever there fore desireth to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God." James iv. 4. 1. There is a passage in St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, which has been often supposed to be of the same import with this: "Be not conformed to this world:" (xii. 2:) But it has little or no relation to it ; it speaks of quite another thing. Indeed the supposed resemblance arises merely from the use of the word world in both places. This naturally leads us to think that St. Paul means by conformity to the world, the same which St. James means by friendship with the world: Whereas they are entirely different things, as the words are quite different in the original: For St. Paul's word is atcov St. James's is %00-p.oc. However, the words of St. Paul contain an important direction to the children of God. As if he had said, " Be not conformed to either the wisdom, or the spirit, or the fashions of the age; of either the unconverted Jews, or the Heathens, among whom ye live. You are called to show, by the whole tenor of your life and conversation, that you are 'renewed in the spirit of your mind, after the image of him that created you;' and that your rule is not the example or will of man, but ' the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.'" FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. 453 2. But it is not strange, that St. James's caution against friendship with the world should be so little understood, even among Christians. For I have not been able to learn that any author, ancient or modern, has wrote upon the subject : No, not (so far as I have observed) for sixteen or seventeen hundred years. Even that excellent writer, Mr. Law, who has treated so well many other subjects, has not, in all his practical treatises, wrote one chapter upon it ; no, nor said one word, that I remem ber, or given one caution, against it. I never heard one sermon preached upon it either before the University or elsewhere. I never was in any company where the conversation turned explicitly upon it even for one hour. 3. Yet are there very few subjects of so deep importance ; few that so nearly concern the very essence of religion, the life of God in the soul ; the continuance and increase, or the decay, yea, extinction of it. From the want of instruction in this respect the most melancholy consequences have followed. These indeed have not affected those who were still dead in trespasses and sins ; but they have fallen heavy upon many of those who were truly alive to God. They have affected many of those called Methodists in particular ; perhaps more than any other people. For want of understanding this advice of the Apostle, (I hope rather than from any contempt of it,) many among them are sick, spiritually sick, and many sleep, who were once thoroughly awakened. And it is well if they awake any more till their souls are required of them. It has appeared difficult to me to account for what I have frequently observed : Many who were once greatly alive to God, whose conversation was in heaven, who had their affections on things above, not on things of the earth ; though they walked in all the ordinances of God, though they still abounded in good works, and abstained from all known sin, yea, and from the appearance of evil ; yet they gradually and insensibly decayed; (like Jonah's gourd, when the worm ate the root of it ;) insomuch that they are less alive to God now, than they were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. But it is easily accounted for, if we observe, that as they increased in goods, they increased in friendship with the world : Which, indeed, must always be the case, unless the mighty power of God interpose. But in the same proportion as they increased in this, the life of God in their soul decreased. 4. Is it strange that it should decrease, if those words 454 SERMON LXXX. are really found in the oracles of God : " Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God ?" What is the meaning of these words ? Let us seriously consider. And may God open the eyes of our understanding ; that, in spite of all the mist wherewith the wisdom of the world would cover us, we may discern what is the good and acceptable will of God ! 5. Let us, First, consider, what it is which the Apostle here means by the world. He does not here refer to this outward frame of things, termed in Scripture, heaven and earth ; but to the inhabitants of the earth, the children of men, or, at least, the greater part of them. But what part ? This is fullv determined both by our Lord himself, and by his beloved disciple. First, by our Lord himself. His words are, " If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. And all these things will they do unto you, because they know not him that sent me." (John xv. 18, &c.) You see here " the world" is placed on one side, and those who " are not of the world " on the other. They whom God has " chosen out of the world," namely, by " sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth," are set in direct opposition to those whom he hath not so chosen. Yet again : Those " who know not him that sent me," saith our Lord, who know not God, they are " the world." 6. Equally express are the words of the beloved disciple . " Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you : We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." (1 John iii. 13, 14.) As if he had said, " You must not expect any should love you, but those that have ' passed from death unto life.'" It follows, those that are not passed from death unto life, that are not alive to God, are " the world" The same we may learn from those words in the fifth chapter, verse 19, "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one." Here " the world" plainly means, those that are not of God, and who, consequently, " lie- in the wicked one." 7- Those, on the contrary, are of God, who love God, or at FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. 455 least "fear him, and keep his commandments." This is the lowest character of those that "are of God;" who are not properly sons, but servants ; who depart from evil, and study to do good, and walk in all his ordinances, because they have the fear of God in their heart, and a sincere desire to please him. Fix in your heart this plain meaning of the terms, "the world;" those who do not thus fear God. Let no man deceive you with vain words : It means neither more nor less than this. 8. But understanding the term in this sense, what kind of friendship may we have with the world ? We may, we ought, to love them as ourselves ; (for they also are included in the word neighbour ;) to bear them real good-will ; to desire their happiness, as sincerely as we desire the happiness of our own souls ; yea, we are in a sense to honour them, (seeing we are directed by the Apostle to " honour all men,") as the creatures of God ; nay, as immortal spirits, who are capable of knowing, of loving, and of enjoying him to all eternity. We are to honour them as redeemed by his blood who " tasted death for every man." We are to bear them tender compassion when we see them forsaking their own mercies, wandering from the path of life, and hastening to everlasting destruction. We are never willingly to grieve their spirits, or give them any pain ; but, on the contrary, to give them all the pleasure we innocently can ; seeing we are to " please all men for their good." We are never to aggravate their faults ; but willingly to allow all the good that is in them. 9. We may and ought to speak to them on all occasions in the most kind and obliging manner we can. We ought to speak no evil of them when they are absent, unless it be absolutely necessary ; unless it be the only means we know of preventing their doing hurt : Otherwise we are to speak of them with all the respect we can, without transgressing the bounds of truth. We are to behave to them, when present, with all courtesy, showing them all the regard we can without countenancing them in sin. We ought to do them all the good that is in our power, all they are willing to receive from us ; following herein the example of the universal Friend, our Father which is in heaven, who, till they will condescend to receive greater blessings, gives them such as they are willing to accept ; "causing his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sending" his " rain on the just and on the unjust." 456 SERMON LXXX. 10. " But what kind of friendship is it which we may not have frith the world ? May we not converse with ungodly men at all ? Ought we wholly to avoid their company ?" By no means. The contrary of this has been allowed already. If we were not to converse with them at all, " we must needs go out of the world." Then we could not show them those offices of kindness which have been already mentioned. We may, doubtless, converse with them, First, on business ; in the various pur poses of this life, according to that station therein, wherein the providence of God has placed us : Secondly, when courtesy requires it; only we must take great care not to carry it too far : Thirdly, when we have a reasonable hope of doing them good. But here too we have an especial need of caution, and of much prayer ; otherwise, we may easily burn ourselves, in striving to pluck other brands out of the burning. 11. We may easily hurt our own souls, by sliding into a close attachment to any of them that know not God. This is the friendship which is "enmity with God:" We cannot be too jealous over ourselves, lest we fall into this deadly snare ; lest we contract, or ever we are aware, a love of complacence or delight in them. Then only do we tread upon sure ground, when we can say with the Psalmist, " All my delight is in the saints that are upon earth, and in such as excel in virtue." We should have no needless conversation with them. It is our duty and our wisdom to be no oftener and no longer with them than is strictly necessary. And during the whole time we have need to remember and follow the example of him that said, " I kept my mouth as it were with a bridle while the ungodly was in my sight." We should enter into no sort of connexion with them, farther than is absolutely necessary. When Jehoshaphat forgot this, and formed a connexion with Ahab, what was the consequence? He first lost his substance: " The ships " they sent out " were broken at Ezion-geber." And when he was not content with this warning, as well as that of the Prophet Micaiah,but would go up with him to Ramoth- Gilead, he was on the point of losing his life. 12. Above all, we should tremble at the very thought of entering into a marriage-covenant, the closest of all others, with any person who does not love or at least fear God. This is the most horrid folly, the most deplorable madness, that a child of God could possibly plunge into ; as it implies every FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. 457 sort of connexion with the ungodly which a Christian is bound in conscience to avoid. No wonder, then, it is so flatly forbidden of God ; that the prohibition is so absolute and peremptory : "Be not unequally yoked with an unbeliever." Nothing can be more express. Especially, if we understand by the word unbeliever, one that is so far from being a believer in the gospel sense, — from being able to say, " The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," — that he has not even the faith of a servant : He does not " fear God and work righteousness." 13. But for what reason is the friendship of the world so absolutely prohibited? Why are we so strictly required to abstain from it ? For two general reasons : First, because it is a sin in itself: Secondly, because it is attended with most dreadful consequences. First. It is a sin in itself; and, indeed, a sin of no common dye. According to the oracles of God, friendship with the world is no less than spiritual adultery. All who are guilty of it are addressed by the Holy Ghost in those terms : " Ye adulterers and adulteresses." It is plainly violating of our marriage contract with God, by loving the creature more than the Creator ; in flat contradiction to that kind command, " My son, give me thine heart." 14. It is a sin of the most heinous nature, as not only implying ignorance of God, and forgetfulness of him, or inattention to him, but positive " enmity against God." It is openly, palpably such. " Know ye not," says the Apostle, can ye possibly be ignorant of this, so plain, so undeniable a truth, "that the friendship of the world is enmity against God ?" Nay, and how terrible is the inference which he draws from hence ! " There fore, whosoever will be a friend of the world," — (the words, properly rendered, are, Whosoever desireth to be a friend of the world,) of the men who know not God, whether he attain it or not, — is, ipso facto, constituted an enemy of God. This very desire, whether successful or not, gives him a right to that appellation. 15. And as it is a sin, a very heinous sin, in itself, so it is attended with the most dreadful consequences. It frequently entangles men again in the commission of those sins from which "they were clean escaped." It generally makes them " partakers of other men's sins," even those which they do not 458 SERMON LXXX. commit themselves. It gradually abates their abhorrence and dread of sin in general, and thereby prepares them for falling an easy prey to any strong temptation. It lays them open to all those sins of omission whereof their worldly acquaintance are guilty. It insensibly lessens their exactness in private prayer, in family duty, in fasting, in attending public service, and partaking of the Lord's Supper. The indifference of those that are near them, with respect to all these, will gradually influence them : Even if they say not one word (which is hardly to be supposed) to recommend their own practice, yet their example speaks, and is many times of more force than any other language. By this example, they are unavoidably betrayed, and almost continually, into unprofitable, yea, and into uncharitable, conversation; till they no longer "set a watch before their mouth, and keep the door of their lips;" till they can join in backbiting, tale-bearing, and evil-speaking, without any check of conscience ; having so frequently grieved the Holy Spirit of God, that he no longer reproves them for it: Insomuch that their discourse is not now, as formerly, "seasoned with salt, and meet to minister grace to the hearers." 16. But these are not all the deadly consequences that result from familiar intercourse with unholy men. It not only hinders them from ordering their conversation aright, but diiectly tends to corrupt the heart. It tends to create or increase in us all that pride and self-sufficiency, all that fretfulness to resent, yea, every irregular passion and wrong disposition, which are indulged by their companions. It gently leads them into habitual self- indulgence, and unwillingness to deny themselves ; into unreadi ness to bear or take up any cross ; into a softness and delicacy ; into evil shame, and the fear of man, that brings numberless snares. It draws them back into the love of the world ; into foolish and hurtful desires ; into the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, till they are swallowed up in them. So that, in the end, the last state of these men is far worse than the first. 17- If the children of God will connect themselves with the men of the world, though the latter should not endeavour to make them like themselves, (which is a supposition by no mean* to be made,) yea, though they should neither design nor desire it ; yet they will actually do it, whether they design it, and whether they endeavour it, or no. I know not how to account FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. 459 for it, but it is a real fact, that their very spirit is infectious. While you are near them, you are apt to catch their spirit, whether they will or no. Many physicians have observed, that not only the plague, and putrid or malignant fevers, but almost every disease men are liable to, are more or less infectious. And undoubtedly so are all spiritual diseases, only with great variety. The infection is not so swiftly communicated by some as it is by others. In either case, the person already diseased does not desire or design to infect another. The man who has the plague does not desire or intend to communicate his distemper to you. But you are not therefore safe: So keep at a distance, or you will surely be infected. Does not experience show that the case is the same with the diseases of the mind ? Suppose the proud, the vain, the passionate, the wanton, do not desire or design to infect you with their own distempers; yet it is best to keep at a distance from them. You are not safe if you come too near them. You will perceive (it is well if it be not too late) that their very breath is infectious. It has been lately discovered that there is an atmosphere surrounding every human body, which naturally affects every one that comes within the limits of it. Is there not something analogous to this, with regard to a human spirit ? If you continue long within their atmosphere, so to speak, you can hardly escape the being infected. The contagion spreads from soul to soul, as well as from body to body, even though the persons diseased do not intend or desire it. But can this reasonably be supposed ? Is it not a notorious truth, that men of the world (exceeding few excepted) eagerly desire to make their companions like themselves ? yea and use every means, with their utmost skill and industry, tt accomplish their desire. Therefore, fly for your life ! Dt not play with the fire, but escape before the flames kindle upon you. 18. But how many are the pleas for friendship with the world ! And how strong are the temptations to it ! Such of these as are the most dangerous, and, at the same time, most common, we will consider. To begin with one that is the most dangerous of all others, and, at the same time, by no means uncommon. " I grant," says one, " the person I am about to marry is not a religious person. She does not make any pretensions to it. She has 460 SERMON LXXX. little thought about it. But she is a beautiful creature. She is extremely agreeable, and, I think, will make me a lovely companion." This is a snare indeed ! Perhaps one of the greatest that human nature is liable to. This is such a temptation as no power of man is able to overcome. Nothing less than the mighty power of God can make a way for you to escape from it. And this can work a complete deliverance: His grace is sufficient for you. But not unless you are a worker together with him : Not unless you deny yourself, and take up your cross. And what you do, you must do at once ! Nothing can be done by degrees. Whatever you do in this important case must be done at one stroke. If it be done at all, you must at once cut off the right hand, and cast it from you ! Here is no time for conferring with flesh and blood. At once, conquer or perish ! 19. Let us turn the tables. Suppose a woman that loves God is addressed by an agreeable man ; genteel, lively, enter taining ; suitable in all other respects, though not religious : What should she do in such a case ? What she should do, if she believes the Bible, is sufficiently clear. But what can she do ? Is not this A test for human frailty too severe ? Who is able to stand in such a trial ? Who can resist such a temptation ? None but one that holds fast the shield of faith, and earnestly cries to the Strong for strength. None but one that gives herself to watching and prayer, and continues therein with all perseverance. If she does this, she will be a happy witness, in the midst of an unbelieving world, that as "all things are possible with God," so all "things are possible to her that believeth." 20. But either a man or woman may ask, " What, if the person who seeks my acquaintance be a person of a strong natural understanding, cultivated by various learning? May not I gain much useful knowledge by a familiar intercourse with him ? May I not learn many things from him, and much improve my own understanding?" Undoubtedly you may improve your own understanding, and you may gain much knowledge. But still, if he has not at least the fear of God, your loss will be far greater than your gain. For you can FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. 461 hardly avoid decreasing in holiness as much as you increase in knowledge. And if you lose one degree of inward or outward holiness, all the knowledge you gain will be no equivalent. 21. "But his fine and strong understanding, improved by education, is not his chief recommendation. He has more valuable qualifications than these: He is remarkably good humoured : He is of a compassionate, humane spirit ; and has much generosity in his temper." On these very accounts, if he does not fear God, he is infinitely more dangerous. If you converse intimately with a person of this character, you will surely drink into his spirit. It is hardly possible for you to avoid stopping just where he stops. I have found nothing so difficult in all my life as to converse with men of this kind (good sort of men, as they are commonly called) without being hurt by them. O beware of them ! Converse with them just as much as business requires, and no more : Otherwise, (though you do not feel any present harm, yet,) by slow and imperceptible degrees, they will attach you again to earthly things, and damp the life of God in your soul. 22. It may be, the persons who are desirous of your acquaintance, though they are not experienced in religion, yet understand it well, so that you frequently reap advantage from their conversation. If this be really the case, (as I have known a few instances of the kind,) it seems you may converse with them ; only very sparingly and very cautiously : Otherwise you will lose more of your spiritual life than all the knowledge you gain is worth. 23. " But the persons in question are useful to me, in carry ing on my temporal business. Nay, on many occasions, they are necessary to me ; so that I could not well carry it on without them." Instances of this kind frequently occur. And this is doubtless a sufficient reason for having some intercourse, per haps frequently, with men that do not fear God. But even this is by no means a reason for your contracting an intimate acquaintance with them. And you here need to take the utmost care, " lest even by that converse with them which is necessary, while your fortune in the world increases, the grace of God should decrease in your soul." 24. There may be one more plausible reason given for some intimacy with an unholy man. You may say, " I have been helpful to him. I have assisted him when he was in trouble 462 SERMON LXXX and he remembers it with gratitude. He esteems and loves me, though he does not love God. Ought I not then to love him?, Ought I not to return love for love ? Do not even Heathens and publicans so ? " I answer, You should certainly return love for love ; but it does not follow that you should have any intimacy with him. That would be at the peril of your soul. Let your love give itself vent in constant and fervent prayer Wrestle with God for him. But let your love for him not carry you so far as to weaken, if not destroy, your own soul. 25. " But must I not be intimate with my relations ; and that whether they fear God or not ? Has not his providence recommended these to me ? " Undoubtedly it has : But there are relations nearer or more distant. The nearest relations are husbands and wives. As these have taken each other for better for worse, they must make the best of each other ; seeing, as God has joined them together, none can put them asunder ; unless in case of adultery, or when the life of one or the other is in imminent danger. Parents are almost as nearly connected with their children. You cannot part with them while they are young ; it being your duty to " train them up," with all care, "in the way wherein they should go." How frequently you should converse with them when they are grown up is to be determined by Christian prudence. This also will determine how long it is expedient for children, if it be at their own choice, to remain with their parents. In general, if they do not fear God, you should leave them as soon as is convenient. But wherever you are, take care (if it be in your power) that they do not want the necessaries or conveniences of life. As for all other relations, even brothers or sisters, if they are of the world, you are under no obligation to be intimate with them : You may be civil and friendly at a distance. 26. But allowing that " the friendship of the world is enmity against God," and, consequently, that it is the most excellent way, indeed the only way to heaven, to avoid all intimacy with worldly men ; yet who has resolution to walk therein ? who even of those that love or fear God ? for these only are concerned in the present question. A few I have known who, even in this respect, were lights in a benighted land ; who did not and would not either contract or continue any acquaintance with persons of the most refined and improved understanding, and the most engaging tempers, merely because they were of the world, FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD. 463 because they were not alive to God : Yea, though they were eapable of improving them in knowledge, or of assisting them in business : Nay, though they admired and esteemed them for that very religion which they did not themselves experience : A case one would hardly think possible, but of which there are many instances at this day. Familiar intercourse even with these they steadily and resolutely refrain from, for conscience sake. 27- Go thou and do likewise, whosoever thou art that art a child of God by faith ! Whatever it cost, flee spiritual adultery ! Have no friendship with the world. However tempted thereto by profit or pleasure, contract no intimacy with worldly-minded men. And if thou hast contracted any such already, break it off without delay. Yea, if thy ungodly friend be dear to thee as a right eye, or useful as a right hand, yet confer not with flesh and blood, but pluck out the right eye, cut off the right hand, and cast them from thee ! It is not an indifferent thing. Thy life is at stake ; eternal life or eternal death. And is it not better to go into life, having one eye or one hand, than having both to be cast into hell-fire ? When thou knewest no better, the times of ignorance God winked at. But now thine eyes are opened, now the light is come, walk in the light ! Touch not pitch, lest thou be defiled. At all events, "keep thyself pure ! " 28. But whatever others do, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, hear this, all ye that are called Methodists ! However importuned or tempted thereto, have no friendship with the world. Look round, and see the melancholy effects it has produced among your brethren ! How many of the mighty have fallen ! How many have fallen by this very thing ! They would take no warning : They would converse, and that intimately, with earthly-minded men, till they "measured back their steps to earth again!" O "come out from among them !" from all unholy men, however harmless they may appear ; " and be ye separate : " At least 80 far as to have no intimacy with them. As your " fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ;" solet it be with those, and those only, who at least seek the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. So "shall ye be," in a peculiar sense, "my *ons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." SERMON LXXXI. IN WHAT SENSE WE ARE TO LEAVE THE WORLD. " Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the L ord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, " And I will be to you a Father, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. 1. How exceeding few in the religious world have duly considered these solemn words ! We have read them over and over, but never laid them to heart, or observed that they contain as plain and express a command as any in the whole Bible. And it is to be feared, there are still fewer that understand the genuine meaning of this direction. Numberless persons in England have interpreted it as a command to come out of the Established Church. And in the same sense it has been understood by thousands in the neighbouring kingdoms. Abundance of sermons have been preached, and of books wrote, upon this supposition. And indeed many pious men have grounded their separation from the Church chiefly on this text. "God himself," say they, "commands us, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate.' And it is only upon this condition that he will receive us, and we shall be the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty." 2. But this interpretation is totally foreign to the design of the Apostle, who is not here speaking of this or that Church, but on quite another subject. Neither did the Apostle himself, or any of his brethren, draw any such inference from the words. Had they done so, it would have been a flat contradiction both to the example and precept of their Master. For although the Jewish Church was then full as unclean, asunholy, both inwardly and outwardly, as any Christian Church now upon earth, yet our Lord constantly attended the service of it. And he directed his ON LEAVING THE WORLD. 465 followers in this, as in every other respect, to tread in his steps This is clearly implied in that remarkable passage : " The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat : All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do ; but do not ye after their works: For they say and do not." (Matt, xxiii. 2, 3.) Even though they themselves say and do not, though their lives contradict their doctrines ; though they were ungodly men, yet our Lord here not only permits, but requires, his disciples to hear them. For he requires them to " observe and do what they say." But this could not be, if they did not hear them. Accordingly, the Apostles, as long as they were at Jerusalem, constantly attended the public service. Therefore it is certain these words have no reference to a separation from the Established Church. 3. Neither have they reference to the direction given by the Apostle in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. The whole passage runs thus : " I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to company with fornicators : Yet not altogether with the forni cators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; with such an one no not to eat." (v. 9 — IL) This wholly relates to them that are members of the same Christian community. The Apostle tells them expressly, he does not give this direction, not to company with such and such persons, with regard to the Heathens, or to men in general; and adds this plain reason, "For then must ye needs go out of the world;" you could transact no business in it. " But if any man that is called a brother," — that is connected with you in the same religious society, — " be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; with such an one, no not to eat." How important a caution is this! But how little is it observed, even by those that are, in other respects, conscientious Christians ! Indeed some parts of it are not easy to be observed, for a plain reason, — they are not easy to be understood. I mean, it is not easy to be understood to whom the characters belong. It is very difficult, for instance, to know, unless in some glaring cases, to whom the character of an extortioner, or of a covetous man, belongs. We can hardly know one or the other, without seeming at least to be "busy bodies in other men's H h " 2. 466 SERMON LXXXT. matters." And yet the prohibition is as strong concerning converse with these, as with fornicators or adulterers. We can only act in the simplicity of our hearts, without setting up for infallible judges, (still willing to be better informed,) according to the best light we have. 4. But although this direction relates only to our Christian brethren ; (such, at least, by outward profession ;) that in the text is of a far wider extent : It unquestionably relates to all mankind. It clearly requires us to keep at a distance, as far as is practicable, from all ungodly men. Indeed it seems, the word which we render unclean thing, th axaQaprou, might rather be rendered unclean person ; probably alluding to the ceremonial law, which forbade touching one that was legally unclean. But even here, were we to understand the expression literally, were we to take the words in the strictest sense, the same absurdity would follow ; we must needs, as the Apostle speaks, " go out of the world :" We should not be able to abide in those callings which the providence of God has assigned us. Were we not to converse at all with men of those characters, it would be impossible to transact our temporal business. So that every conscientious Christian would have nothing to do, but to flee into the desert. It would not suffice to turn recluses, to shut ourselves up in monasteries or nunneries ; for even then we must have some intercourse with ungodly men, in order to procure the necessaries of life. 5. The words, therefore, must necessarily be understood with considerable restriction. They do not prohibit our conversing with any man, good or bad, in the way of worldly business. A thousand occasions will occur, whereon we must converse with them in order to transact those affairs which cannot be done without them. And some of these may require us to have frequent intercourse with drunkards, or fornicators : Yea, sometimes it may be requisite for us to spend a considerable time in their company: Otherwise we should not be able to fulfil the duties of our several callings. Such conversation therefore with men, holy or unholy, is no way contrary to the Apostle's advice. 6. What is it then which the Apostle forbids ? First, the conversing with ungodly men when there is no necessity, no providential call, no business, that requires it: Secondly, the conversing with them more frequently than business necessarily ON LEAVING THE WORLD. 467 requires: Thirdly, the spending more time in their company than is necessary to finish our business : Above all, Fourthly, the choosing ungodly persons, however ingenious or agreeable, to be our ordinary companions, or to be our familiar friends. If any instance of this kind will admit of less excuse than others, it is that which the Apostle expressly forbids elsewhere; the being "unequally yoked with an unbeliever" in marriage; with any person that has not the love of God in their heart, or at least the fear of God before their eyes. I do not know anything that can justify this ; neither the sense, wit, or beauty of the person, nor temporal advantage, nor fear of want; no, nor even the command of a parent. For if any parent com mand what is contrary to the word of God, the child ought to obey God rather than man. 7- The ground of this prohibition is laid down at large in the preceding verses : "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an unbeliever?" (Taking that word in the extensive sense, for him that hath neither the love nor fear of God.) "Ye are the temple of the living God : As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them : And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." It follows, " Where- fore, come out from among them ;" the unrighteous, the children of darkness, the sons of Belial, the unbelievers ; " and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing," or person, " and I will receive you." 8. Here is the ground of this prohibition to have any more intercourse with unholy men than is absolutely necessary. There can be no profitable fellowship between the righteous and the unrighteous ; as there can be no communion between light and darkness, — whether you understand this of natural or spiritual darkness. As Christ can have no concord with Belial; so a believer in him can have no concord with an unbe liever. It is absurd to imagine that any true union or concord should be between two persons, while one of them remains in the darkness, and the other walks in the light. They arc subjects, not only of two separate, but of two opposite king doms. They act upon quite different principles ; they aim at quite different ends. It will necessarily follow, that frequently, if not always, they will walk in different paths. How can they 2 H 2 468 SERMON LXXXI. walk together, till they are agreed? — until they both serve either Christ or Belial ? 9. And what are the consequences of our not obeying this direction? of our not coming out from among unholy men? of not being separate from them, but contracting or continuing a familiar intercourse with them ? It is probable, it will not immediately have any apparent, visible ill consequences. It is hardly to be expected, that it will immediately lead us into any outward sin. Perhaps it may not presently occasion our neglect of any outward duty. It will first sap the foundations of religion : It will, by little and little, damp our zeal for God ; it will gently cool that fervency of spirit which attended our first love. If they do not openly oppose any thing we s.iy or do, yet their very spirit will, by insensible degrees, affect our spirit, and transfuse into it the same lukewarmness and indifference toward God and the things of God. It will weaken all the springs of our soul, destroy the vigour of our spirit, and cause us more and more to slacken our pace in running the race that is set before us. 10. By the same degrees all needless intercourse with unholy men will weaken our divine evidence and conviction of things unseen : It will dim the eyes of the soul whereby we see Him that is invisible, and weaken our confidence in him. It will gradually abate our " taste of the powers of the world to come;" and deaden that hope which before made us " sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus." It will imperceptibly cool that flame of love which before enabled us to say, "Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee ! " Thus it strikes at the root of all vital religion ; of our fellowship with the Father and with the Son. 11. By the same degrees, and in the same secret and unob served manner, it will prepare us to " measure back our steps to earth again." It will lead us softly, to relapse into the love of the world from which we were clean escaped ; to fall gently into the desire of the flesh ; the seeking happiness in the plea sures of sense;— the desire of the eye; the seeking happiness in the pleasures of imagination; — and the pride of life; the seeking it in pomp, in riches, or in the praise of man. And all this may be done by the assistance of the spirit who " beguiled Eve through his subtilty," before we are sensible of his attack, or are conscious of any loss. ON LEAVING THE WORLD. 469 12. And it is not only the love of the world in all its branches, which necessarily steals upon us, while we converse with men of a worldly spirit farther than duty requires, but every other evil passion and temper of which the human soul is capable; in particular, pride, vanity, censoriousness, evil surmising, proneness to revenge : While, on the other hand, levity, gaiety, and dissipation steal upon us and increase continually. We know how all these abound in the men that know not God. And it cannot be but they will insinuate themselves into all who frequently and freely converse with them : They insinuate most deeply into those who are not apprehensive of any danger ; and most of all, if they have any particular affection, if they have more love than duty requires, for those who do not love God, with whom they familiarly converse. 13. Hitherto I have supposed that the persons with whom you converse are such as we use to call good sort of people ; such as are styled, in the cant term of the day, men of worthy characters ; — one of the most silly, insignificant words, that ever came into fashion. I have supposed them to be free from cursing, swearing, profaneness ; from Sabbath-breaking and drunkenness ; from lewdness, either in word or action ; from dishonesty, lying, and slandering: In a word, to be entirely clear from open vice of every kind. Otherwise, whoever has even the fear of God must in anywise keep at a distance from them. But I am afraid I have made a supposition which hardly can be admitted. I am afraid, some of the persons with whom you converse more than business necessarily requires, do not deserve even the character of good sort of men, — are not worthy of anything but shame and contempt. Do not some of them live in open sin ? — in cursing and swearing, drunkenness, or uncleanness ? You cannot long be ignorant of this ; for they take little pains to hide it. Now, is it not certain, all vice is of an infectious nature ? for who can touch pitch and not be defiled? From these, therefore, you ought undoubtedly to flee as from the face of a serpent. Otherwise, how soon may "evil communications corrupt good manners ! " 1 4. I have supposed, likewise, that those unholy persons with whom you frequently converse have no desire to communicate their own spirit to you, or to induce you to follow their example. But this also is a supposition which can b.irdly be admitted. In many cases the-ir interest may be advanced by your being a 470 SERMON LXXXI. partaker of their sins. But supposing interest to be out of the question, does not every man naturally desire, and more or less endeavour, to bring over his acquaintance to his own opinion or party ? So that, as all good men desire and endeavour to make others good, like themselves, in like manner all bad men desire and endeavour to make their companions as bad as themselves. 15. But if they do not, if we allow this almost impossible sup position, that they do not desire or use any endeavours to bring you over to their own temper and practice, still it is dangerous to converse with them. I speak not only of openly vicious men, but of all that do not love God, or at least fear him, and sincerely "seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Admit, such companions do not endeavour to make you like themselves ; does this prove you are in no danger from them ? See that poor wretch that is ill of the plague ! He does not desire, he does not use the least endeavour, to communicate his distemper to you. Yet have a care ! Touch him not ! Nay, go not near him, or you know not how soon you may be in the same condition. To draw the parallel : Though we should sup pose the man of the world does not desire, design, or endeavour to communicate his distemper to you, yet touch him not ! Come not too near him ; for it is not only his reasonings or persua sions that may infect your soul, but his very breath is infectious ; particularly to those who are apprehensive of no danger. 16. If conversing freely with worldly-minded men has no other ill effect upon you, it will surely, by imperceptible degrees, make you less heavenly-minded. It will give a bias to your mind which will continually draw your soul to earth. It will incline you, without your being conscious of it, instead of being wholly transformed in the renewing of your mind, to be again conformed to this world, in its spirit, in its maxims, and in its vain conversation. You will fall again into that levity and dissipation of spirit from which you had before clean escaped ; into that superfluity of apparel, and into that foolish, frothy, unprofitable conversation, which was an abomination to you when your soul was alive to God. And you will daily decline from that simplicity both of speech and behaviour whereby you once adorned the doctrine of God our Saviour. 17- And if you go thus far in conformity to the world, it is hardly to be expected you will stop here. You will go farther in a short time : Having once lost your footing and begun to ON LEAVING T1IK WORLD. 471 slide down, it is a thousand to one, you will not stop till you come to the bottom of the hill ; till you fall yourself into some of those outward sins which your companions commit before your eyes or in your hearing. Hereby the dread and horror which struck you at first will gradually abate, till at length you are prevailed upon to follow their example. But suppose they do not lead you into outward sin, if they infect your spirit with pride, anger, or love of the world, it is enough : It is sufficient, without deep repentance, to drown your soul in everlasting perdition ; seeing, (abstracted from all outward sin,) " to be carnally-minded is death." 18. But as dangerous as it is to converse familiarly with men that know not God, it is more dangerous still for men to con verse with women of that character ; as they are generally more insinuating than men, and have far greater power of persuasion ; particularly if they are agreeable in their persons, or pleasing in their conversation. You must be more than man, if you can converse with such and not suffer any loss. If you do not feel any foolish or unholy desire ; (and who can promise that you shall not ?) yet it is scarce possible that you should not feel more or less of an improper softness, which will make you less willing and less able to persist in that habit of denying yourself, and taking up your cross daily, which constitute the character of a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And we know that not only fornicators and adulterers, but even " the soft and effeminate," the delicate followers of a self-denying Master, " shall have no part in the kingdom of Christ and of God." 19. Such are the consequences which must surely, though perhaps slowly, follow the mixing of the children of God with the men of the world. And by this means, more than by any other, yea, than by all others put together, are the people called Methodists likely to lose their strength, and become like other men. It is indeed with a good design, and from a real desire of promoting the glory of God, that many of tbem admit of a familiar conversation with men that know not God. You have a hope of awakening them out of sleep, and persuading them to seek the things that make for their peace. But if, after a competent time of trial, you can make no impression upon them, it will be your wisdom to give them up to God ; otherwise you are more likely to receive hurt from them, than to do them any good. For if you do not raise their hearts 472 SERMON LXXXI. up to heaven, they will draw yours down to earth. Therefore, retreat in time, " and come out from among them, and be ye separate." 20. But how may this be done ? What is the most easy and effectual method of separating ourselves from unholy men? Perhaps a few advices will make this plain to those that desire to know and do the will of God. First : Invite no unholy person to your house, unless on some very particular occasion. You may say, " But civility requires this; and, sure, religion is no enemy to civility. Nay, the Apostle himself directs us to be courteous, as well as to be pitiful." I answer, You may be civil, sufficiently civil, and yet keep them at a proper distance. You may be courteous in a thousand instances, and yet stand aloof from them. And it was never the design of the Apostle to recommend any such courtesy as must necessarily prove a snare to the soul. 21. Secondly : On no account accept any invitation from an unholy person. Never be prevailed upon to pay a visit, unless you wish it to be repaid. It may be, a person desirous of your acquaintance will repeat the visit twice or thrice. But if you steadily refrain from returning it, the visitant will soon be tired. It is not improbable, he will be disobliged ; and perhaps he will show some marks of resentment. Lay your account with this, that when anything of the kind occurs you may neither be surprised nor discouraged. It is better to please God and displease man, than to please man and displease God. 22. Thirdly : It is probable, you were acquainted with men of the world before you yourself knew God. What is best to be done with regard to these ? How may you most easily drop their acquaintance ? First, allow a sufficient time to try whether you cannot by argument and persuasion, applied at the soft times of address, induce them to choose the better part. Spare no pains ! Exert all your faith and love, and wrestle with God in their behalf. If, after all, you cannot perceive that any impression is made upon them, it is your duty gently to withdraw from them, that you be not entangled with them. This may be done in a short time, easily and quietly, by not returning their visits. But you must expect they will upbraid you with haughtiness and unkindness, if not to your face, yet behind your back. And this you can suffer for a good conscience. It is, properly, the reproach of Christ. ON LEAVING THE WORLD 473 23. When it pleased God to give me a settled resolution to be, not a nominal, but a real Christian, (being then about twenty-two years of age,) my acquaintance were as ignorant of God as myself. But there was this difference : I knew my own ignorance; they did not know theirs. I faintly endea voured to help them, but in vain. Meantime I found, by sad experience, that even their harmless conversation, so called, damped all my good resolutions. But how to get rid of them was the question, which I resolved in my mind again and again. I saw no possible way, unless it should please God to remove me to another College. He did so, in a manner utterly contrary to all human probability. I was elected Fellow of a College where I knew not one person. I foresaw, abundance of people would come to see me, either out of friendship, civility, or curi osity ; and that I should have offers of acquaintance new and old : But I had now fixed my plan. Entering now, as it were, into a new world, I resolved to have no acquaintance by chance, but by choice ; and to choose such only as I had reason to believe would help me on my way to heaven. In consequence of this, I narrowly observed the temper and behaviour of all that visited me. I saw no reason to think that the greater part of these truly loved or feared God. Such acquaintance, therefore, I did not choose: I could not expect they would do me any good. Therefore, when any of these came to see me, I behaved as courteously as I could. But to the question, " When will you come to see me 3" I returned no answer. When they had come a few times, and found I still declined returning the visit, I saw them no more. And I bless God, this has been my invariable rule for about threescore years. I knew many reflections would follow : But that did not move me ; as I knew full well, it was my calling to go " through evil report and good report." 24. I earnestly advise all of you who resolve to be, not almost, but altogether Christians, to adopt the same plan, however contrary it may be to flesh and blood. Narrowly observe, which of those that fall in your way are like-minded with yourself: Who among them have you reason to believe fears God and works righteousness. Set them down as worthy of your acquaintance : Gladly and freely converse with them at all opportunities. As to all who do not answer that character, gently and quietly let them drop. However good-natured and sensible they may be, they will do you no real service. Nay, 474 SERMON LXXXI. if they did not lead you into outward sin, yet they would be a continual clog to your soul, and would hinder your running with vigour and' cheerfulness the race that is set before you. And if any of your friends that did once run well " turn back from the holy commandment once delivered to them," first use every method that prudence can suggest, to bring them again into the good way. But if you cannot prevail, let them go, only still commending them unto God in prayer. Drop all familiar intercourse with them, and save your own soul. 25. I advise you, Fourthly, walk circumspectly with regard to your relations. With your parents, whether religious or not, you must certainly converse, if they desire it; and with your brothers and sisters ; more especially, if they want your service. I do not know that you are under any such obligation with respect to your more distant relations. Courtesy, indeed, and natural affection may require that you should visit them sometimes. But if they neither know nor seek God, it should certainly be as seldom as possible. And when you are with them, you should not stay a day longer than decency requires Again: Whichsoever of them you are with at any time, remember that solemn caution of the Apostle, " Let no corrupt communication" (conversation) " come out of your mouth ; but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers." You have no authority to vary from this rule; otherwise, you "grieve the Holy Spirit of God." And if you keep closely to it, those who have no religion will soon dispense with your company. 26. Thus it is that those who fear or love God should " come out from among" all that do not fear him. Thus, in a plain scriptural sense, you should " be separate" from them ; from all unnecessary intercourse with them. Yea, " touch not," saith the Lord, " the unclean thing," or person, any farther than necessity requires; " and I will receive you'' into the household of God. " And I will be unto you a Father ;" will embrace you with paternal affection; "and ye shall be unto me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." The promise is express to all that renounce the company of ungodly men; provided their spirit and conversation are, in other respects, also suitable to their duty. God does here absolutely engage to give them all the blessings he has prepared for his beloved children, both in time and eternitv. Let all those, therefore, who have any ON TEMPTATION. 475 regard for the favour and the blessings of God, First, beware how they contract any acquaintance, or form any connexion, with ungodly men ; any farther than necessary business, or some other providential call, requires : And, Secondly, with all possible speed, all that the nature of the thing will admit, break off all such acquaintance already contracted, and all such connexions already formed. Let no pleasure resulting from such acquaintance, no gain found or expected from such connexions, be of any consideration, when laid in the balance against a clear, positive command of God. In such a case, "pluck out the right eye," — tear away the most pleasing acquaintance, — "and cast it from thee:'- Give up all thought, all design of seeking it again. " Cut off the right hand," — absolutely renounce the most profitable connexion, — " and cast it from thee." " It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye," or one hand, " than having two, to be cast into hell-fire." SERMON LXXXII. ON TEMPTATION. " There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man : And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that, ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians x. 13. 1. In the foregoing part of the chapter, the Apostle has been reciting, on the one hand, the unparalleled mercies of God to the Israelites; and, on the other, the unparalleled ingratitude of that disobedient and gainsaying people. And all these things, as the Apostle observes, "were written for our ensample;" that we might take warning from them, so as to avoid their grievous sins, and escape their terrible punishment. He then adds that solemn and important caution, " Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." 2. But if we observe these words attentively, will there not appear a considerable difficulty in them ? " Let him that think- 476 SERMON LXXXII. eth he standeth take heed lest he fall." If a man only thinks he stands, he is in no danger of falling. It is not possible that any one should fall, if he only thinks he stands. The same diffi culty occurs, according to our translation, in those well-known words of our Lord, (the importance of which we may easily learn from their being repeated in the Gospel no less than eight times,) " To him that hath shall be given ; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even what he seemeth to have." " That which he seemeth to have ! " Nay, if he only seems to have it, it is impossible it should be taken away. None can take away from another what he only seems to have. What a man only seems to have, he cannot possibly lose. This difficulty may, at first, appear impossible to be surmounted. It is really so : tt cannot be surmounted, if the common translation be allowed. But if we observe the proper meaning of the original word, the difficulty vanishes away. It may be allowed that the word loxet does (sometimes at least, in some authors) mean no more than to seem. But I much doubt whether it ever bears that meaning in any part of the inspired writings. By a careful consideration of every text in the New Testament wherein this word occurs, I am fully convinced, that it nowhere lessens, but everywhere strengthens, the sense of the word to which it is annexed. Accordingly o Soxsi exm> does not mean, what he seems to have, but, on the contrary, what he assuredly hath. And so o Soxcov sfavai, not he that seemeth to stand, or he that thinketh he standeth, but he that assuredly standeth ; he who standeth so fast, that he does not appear to be in any danger of falling ; he that saith, like David, " I shall never be moved : Thou, Lord, hast made my hill so strong." Yet at that very time, thus saith the Lord, " Be not high-minded, but fear. Else shalt thou be cut off:" Else shalt thou also be moved from thy steadfastness. The strength which thou assuredly hast, shall be taken away. As firmly as thou didst really stand, thou wilt fall into sin, if not into hell. 3. But lest any should be discouraged by the consideration of those who once ran well, and were afterwards overcome by temptation ; lest the fearful of heart should be utterly cast down, supposing it impossible for them to stand ; the Apostle subjoins to that serious exhortation, these comfortable words : " There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man : But God is faithful, who will not suffer yon to be ON TEMPTATION. 477 'tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." I. 1. Let us begin with the observation which ushers in this comfortable promise: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." Our translators seem to have been sensible that this expression, common to man, does by no means reach the force of the original word. Plence they substi tute another in the margin, moderate. But this seems to be less significant than the other, and farther from the meaning of it. Indeed it is not easy to find any word in the English tongue, which answers the word avQpumwoc. I believe the sense of it can only be expressed by some such circumlocution as this : " Such as is suited to the nature and circumstances of man ; such as every man may reasonably expect, if he considers the nature of his body and his soul, and his situation in the present world." If we duly consider these, we shall not be surprised at any temptation that hath befallen us ; seeing it is no other than such a creature, in such a situation, has all reason to expect. 2. Consider, First, the nature of that body with which your soul is connected. How many are the evils which it is every day, every hour, liable to ! Weakness, sickness, and disorders of a thousand kinds are its natural attendants. Consider thc inconceivably minute fibres, threads, abundantly finer than hair, (called from thence capillary vessels,) whereof every part of it is composed ; consider the innumerable multitude of equally fine pipes and strainers, all filled with circulating juice ! And will not the breach of a few of these fibres, or the obstruction of a few of these tubes, particularly in the brain, or heart, or lungs, destroy our ease, health, strength, if not life itself? Now, if we observe that all pain implies temptation, how numberless must the temptations be which will beset every man, more or less, sooner or later, while he dwells in this corruptible body ! 3. Consider, Secondly, the present state of the soul, as long- as it inhabits the house of clay. I do not mean in its unn ge nerate state ; while it lies in darkness and the shadow of death ; under the dominion of the prince of darkness, without hope, and without God in the world : No ; look upon men who are raised above that deplorable state. See those who have tasted that thc Lord is gracious. Yet still how weak is their understanding ! How limited its extent ! How confused, how inaccurate, are our apprehensions of even the things that are round about us . How 478 SERMON LXXXII. liable are the wisest of men to mistake ! to form false judgments ; — to take falsehood for truth, and truth for falsehood; evil for good, and good for evil ! What starts, what wanderings of imagination, are we continually subject to ! And how many are the temptations which we have to expect even from these innocent infirmities ! 4. Consider, Thirdly, what is the present situation of even those that fear God. They dwell in the ruins of a disordered world, among men that know not God, that care not for him, and whose heart is fully set in them to do evil. How many are forced to cry out, " Woe is me, that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech ; to have my habitations among the tents of Kedar!" among the enemies of God and man. How immensely out-numbered are those that would do well, by them that neither fear God nor regard man ! And how striking is Cowley's observation : " If a man that was armed cap-a-pie was closed in by a thousand naked Indians, their number would give them such advantage over him that it would be scarce possible for him to escape. What hope then would there be for a naked, unarmed man to escape, who was surrounded by a thousand armed men ?" Now, this is the case of every good man. He is not armed either with force or fraud, and is turned out, naked as he is, among thousands that are armed with the whole armour of Satan, and provided with all the weapons which the prince of this world can supply out of the armory of hell. If then he is not destroyed, yet how must a good man be tempted in the midst of this evil world ! 5. But is it only from wicked men that temptations arise to them that fear God ? It is very natural to imagine this ; and almost every one thinks so. Hence how many of us have said in our hearts, " O if my lot were but cast among good men, among those that loved or even feared God, I should be free from all these temptations ! " Perhaps you would : Probably you would not find the same sort of temptations which you have now to encounter. But you would surely meet with temptations of some other kind, which you would find equally hard to bear. For even good men, in general, though sin has not dominion over them, yet are not freed from the remains of it. They have still the remains of an evil heart, ever prone to " depart from the living God." They have the seeds of pride, of anger, of foolish desire ; indeed, of every unholy temper. And any ON TKMPTA'I ON. 479 of these, if they do not continually watch and pray, may, and naturally will, spring up, and trouble, not themselves only, but all that are round about them. We must not therefore depend upon finding no temptation from those that fear, yea, in a mea sure love, God. Much less must we be surprised, if some of those who once loved God in sincerity, should lay greater tempt ations in our way than many of those that never knew him. 6. " But can we expect to find any temptation from those that are perfected in love ?" This is an important question, and deserves a particular consideration. I answer, First, You may find every kind of temptation from those who suppose they are perfected when indeed they are not : And so you may, Secondly, from those who once really were so, but are -now moved from their steadfastness. And if you are not aware of this, if you think they are still what they were once, the temptation will be harder to bear. Nay, Thirdly, even those who "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made them free," who are now really perfect in love, may still be an occasion of temptation to you; for they are still encompassed with infirmities. They may be dull of apprehension ; they may have a natural heedlessness, or a treacherous memory ; they may have too lively an imagination : And any of these may cause little improprieties, either in speech or behaviour, which, though not sinful in themselves, may try all the grace you have : Especially if you impute to perverseness of will (as it is very natural to do) what is really owing to defect of memory, or weakness of understanding ; — if these appear to you to be voluntary mistakes, which are really involuntary. So proper was the answer which a saint of God (now in Abraham's bosom) gave me some years ago, when I said, " Jenny, surely now your mistress and you can neither of you be a trial to the other, as God has saved you both from sin!" "0, Sir," said she, " if we are saved from sin, we still have infirmities enough to try all the grace that God has given us ! " 7- But besides evil men, do not evil spirits also continually surround us on every side ? Do not Satan and his angels continually go about seeking whom they may devour ? Who is out of the reach of their malice and subtlety ? Not the wisest or the best of the children of men. " The servant is not above his Master." If then they tempted him, will they not tempt us also ? Yea, it may be, should God see good to permit, more or 480 SERMON LXXXII. less, to the end of our lives. " No temptation," therefore, "-hath taken us," which we had not reason to expect, either from our body or soul ; either from evil spirits or evil men ; yea, or even from good men, till our spirits return to God that gave them. II. 1. Meantime, what a comfort it is to know, with the utmost certainty, that " God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able." He knoweth what our ability is, and cannot be mistaken. " He knoweth" precisely " whereof we are made : He remembereth that we are but dust." And he will suffer no temptation to befal us but such as is proportioned to our strength. Not only his justice requires this, which could not punish us for not resisting any temptation if it were so disproportioned to our strength that it was impossible for us to resist it; not only his mercy, — that tender mercy which is over us, as well as over ajl his works, — but, above all, his faithfulness : Seeing all his words are faithful and true ; and the whole tenor of his promises altogether agrees with that declaration, " As thy days, so thy strength shall be." 2. In that execrable slaughter-house, the Romish Inquisition, (most unfortunately called, The House of Mercy !) it is the custom of those holy butchers, while they are tearing a man's sinews upon the rack, to have the physician of the house stand ing by. His business is, from time to time, to observe the eyes, the pulse, and other circumstances of the sufferer, and to give notice when the torture has continued so long as it can without putting an end to his life ; that it may be preserved long enough for him to undergo the residue of their tortures. But notwith standing all the physician's care, he is sometimes mistaken ; and death puts a period to the sufferings of the patient before his tor mentors are aware. We may observe something like this in our own case. In whatever sufferings or temptations we are, our great Physician never departs from us. He is about our bed, and about our path. He observes every symptom of our dis tress, that it may not rise above our strength. And he cannot be mistaken concerning us. He knows the souls and bodies which he has given us. Pie sees exactly how much we can endure with our present degree of strength. And if this is not sufficient, he can increase it to whatever degree it pleases him. Nothing, therefore, is more certain, than that, in consequence of .his wis dom, as well as his justice, mercy, and faithfulness, he never will, he never can, suffer us to be tempted above that we arc ON TEMPTATION. 481 able : Above the strength which he either hath given already, or will give as soon as we need it. III. 1. " He will with the temptation also" (this is the Third point we are to consider) "make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it." The word exSxo-iv. which we render a way to escape, is extremely significant. The meaning of it is nearly expressed by the English word out-let ; but more exact by the old word out-gate, still frequently used by the Scottish writers. It literally means a way out. And this God will either find or make ; which He that hath all wisdom, as well as all power in heaven and earth, can never be at a loss how to do. 2. Either he makes a way to escape out of the temptation, by removing the occasion of it, or in the temptation ; that is, the occasion remaining as it was, it is a temptation no longer. First, He makes a way to escape out of the temptation, by removing the occasion of it. The histories of mankind, of the Church in particular, afford us numberless instances of this. And many have occurred in our own memory, and within the little circle of our acquaintance. One of many I think it worth while to relate, as a memorable instance of the faithfulness of God, in making a way to escape out of temptation : — Elizabeth Chadsey, then living in London, (whose daughter is living at this day, and is no dishonour to her parent,) was advised to administer to her husband, who was supposed to leave much substance behind him. But when a full inquiry into his cir cumstances was made, it appeared that this supposition was utterly destitute of foundation ; and that he not only left nothing at all behind him, but also was very considerably in debt. It was not long after his burial, that a person came to her house, and said, " Mrs. Chadsey, you are much indebted to your land lord, and he has sent me to demand the rent that is due to him." She answered, " Sir, I have not so much money in the world : Indeed I have none at all!" "But," said he, "have you nothing that will fetch money?" She replied, "Sir, you see all that I have. I have nothing in the house but these six little children." " Then," said he, " I must execute my writ, and carry you to Newgate. But it is a hard case. I will leave you here till to-morrow, and will go and try if I cannot persuade your landlord to give you time." He returned the next morning, and. said, ' I have done all I can, I have used all the arguments I i 2. 482 SERMON LXXXII. I could think of, but your landlord is not to be moved. He vows, if I do not carry you to prison without delay, I shall go thither myself." She answered, " You have done your part. The will of the Lord be done ! " He said, " I will venture to make one trial more, and will come again in the morning." He came in the morning, and said, " Mrs. Chadsey, God has under taken your cause. None can give you any trouble now ; for your landlord died last night. But he has left no will ; and no one knows who is heir to the estate." 3. Thus God is able to deliver out of temptations, by remov ing the occasion of them. But are there not temptations, the occasions of which cannot be taken away ? Is it not a striking instance of this kind, which we have in a late publication ? " I was walking," says the writer of the letter, "over Dover cliffs, in a calm, pleasant evening, with a person whom I tenderly loved, and to whom I was to be married in a few days. While we were engaged in earnest conversation, her foot slipped, she fell down, and I saw her dashed in pieces on the beach. I lifted up my hands, and cried out, ' This evil admits of no remedy. I must now go mourning all my days ! My wound is incurable. It is impossible I should ever find such another woman ! one so every way fitted for me.' I added in an agony, ' This is such an affliction as even God himself cannot redress!' And just as I uttered the words, I awoke : For it was a dream !" — Just so can God remove any possible temptation ; making it like a dream when one waketh ! 4. Thus is God able to deliver out of temptation, by taking away the very ground of it. And he is equally able to deliver in the temptation ; which, perhaps, is the greatest deliverance of all. I mean, suffering the occasion to remain as it was, he will take away the bitterness of it; so that it shall not be a temptation at all, but only an occasion of thanksgiving. How many proofs of this have the children of God, even in their daily experience ! How frequently are they encompassed with trouble, or visited with pain or sickness ! And when they cry unto the Lord, at some times he takes away the cup from them : He removes the trouble, or sickness, or pain ; and it is as though it never had been : At other times he does not make any outward change; outward trouble, or pain, or sickness continues ; but the consolations of the Holy One so increase, as to over-balance them all ; and they can boldly declare, ON TEMPTATION. 483 Labour is rest, and pain is sweet, When thou, my God, art near. 5. An eminent instance of this kind of deliverance is that which occurs in the Life of that excellent man, the Marquis de Renty. When he was in a violent fit of the rheumatism, a friend asked him, " Sir, are you in much pain ?" He answered, " My pains are extreme : But through the mercy of God, I give myself up, not to them, but to him." It was in the same spirit that my own father answered, though exhausted with a severe illness, (an ulcer in the bowels, which had given him little rest day or night, for upwards of seven months,) when I asked, " Sir, are you in pain now ? " He answered, with a strong and loud voice, " God does indeed chasten me with pain ; yea, all my bones with strong pain. But I thank him for all ; I bless him for all ; I love him for all." 6. We may observe one more instance of a somewhat similar kind, in the Life of the Marquis de Renty. When his wife, whom he very tenderly loved, was exceeding ill, and supposed to be near death, a friend took the liberty to inquire how he felt himself on the occasion. He replied, " I cannot but say, that this trial affects me in the most tender part. I am exquisitely sensible of my loss. I feel^more than it is possible to express. And yet I am so satisfied, that the will of God is done, and not the will of a vile sinner, that, were it not for fear of giving offence to others, I could dance and sing !" Thus the merciful, the just, the faithful God, will, in one way or other, "in every temptation make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it." 7- This whole passage is fruitful of instruction. Some of the lessons which we may learn from it are, First. " Let him that most assuredly standeth, take heed lest he fall" into murmuring ; lest he say in his heart, " Surely no one's case is like mine ; no one was ever tried like me." Yea, ten thousand. " There has no temptation taken you," but such as is "common to man;" such as you might reasonably expect, if you considered what you are ; a sinner born to die ; a sinful inhabitant of a mortal body, liable to numberless inward and •outward sufferings ; — and where you are ; in a shattered, disordered world, surrounded by evil men, and evil spirits. Consider this, and you will not repine at the common lot, the general condition of humanity. 212 484 SERMON LXXXIII. 8. Secondly. "Let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall;" lest he tempt God, by thinking or saying, "This is insupportable; this is too hard; I can never get through it; my burden is heavier than I can bear." Not so ; unless something is too hard for God. He will not suffer you to be "tempted above that ye are able." He proportions the burden to your strength. If you want more strength, " ask, and it shall be given you." 9. Thirdly. " Let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall ;" lest he tempt God by unbelief; by distrusting his faithfulness. Hath he said, "in every temptation he will make a way to escape?" And shall he not do it ? Yea, verily; And far above thy thought His counsel shall appear, When fully he the work hath wrought That caused thy needless fear. 10. Let us then receive every trial with calm resignation, and with humble confidence that He who hath all power, all wisdom, all mercy, and all faithfulness, will first support us in every temptation, and then deliver us out of all: So that in the end all things shall work together for good, and we shall happily experience, that all these things were for our profit, that we " might be partakers of his holiness." SERMON LXXXIII. ON PATIENCE. " Let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James i. 4. 1. "My brethren," says the Apostle in the preceding verse, " count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." At first view, this may appear a strange direction ; seeing most temptations are, "for the present, not joyous, but grievous." Nevertheless ye know by your own experience, that " the trial ON PATIENCE. 485 of your faith worketh patience:" And if "patience have its perfect work, ye shall be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." 2. It is not to any particular person, or Church, that the Apostle gives this instruction ; but to all who are partakers of like precious faith, and are seeking after that common salvation. For as long as any of us are upon earth, we are in the region of temptation. He who came into the world to save his people from their sins, did not come to save them from temptation. He himself "knew no sin ;" yet while he was in this vale of tears, "he suffered being tempted;" and herein also " left us an example, that we should tread in his steps." We are liable to a thousand temptations, from the corruptible body variously affecting the soul. The soul itself, encompassed as it is with infirmities, exposes us to ten thousand more. And how many are the temptations which we meet with even from the good men (such, at least, they are in part, in their general character) with whom we are called to converse from day to day ! Yet what are these to the temptations we may expect to meet with from an evil world ? seeing we all, in effect, "dwell with Mesech, and have our habitation in the tents of Kedar." Add to this, that the most dangerous of our enemies are not those that assault us openly. No : Angels our march oppose, Who still in strength excel : Our secret, sworn, eternal foes, Countless, invisible .' For is not our " adversary the devil, as a roaring lion," with all his infernal legions, still going "about seeking whom he may devour?" This is the case with all the children of men; yea, and with all the children of God, as long as they sojourn in this strange land. Therefore, if we do not wilfully and carelessly rush into them, yet we shall surely "fall into divers temptations;" temptations innumerable as the stars of heaven ; and those varied and complicated a thousand ways. But, instead of counting this a loss, as unbelievers would do, " count it all joy ; knowing that the trial of your faith," even when it is " tried as by fire," " worketh patience." But " let natience have its perfect work, and ye shall be perfect and -entire, wanting nothing." 3. But what is Patience ? We do not now speak of a heathen virtue ; neither of a natural indolence ; but of a gracious temper, 486 SERMON LXXXIII. wrought in the heart of a believer, by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is a disposition to suffer whatever pleases God, in the manner and for the time that pleases him. We thereby hold the middle way, neither oXiyaipuvTsc, despising our sufferings^ making little of them, passing over them lightly, as if they were owing to chance, or second causes ; nor, on the other hand, exXuofj-evoi, affected too much, unnerved, dissolved, sinking under them. We may observe, the proper object of patience is suffering, either in body or mind. Patience does not imply the not feeling this : It is not apathy or insensibility. It is at the utmost distance from stoical stupidity; yea, at an equal distance from fretfulness or dejection. The patient believer is preserved from falling into either of these extremes, by consider ing,— Who is the Author of all his suffering ? Even God his Father ; — What is the motive of his giving us to suffer ? Not so properly his justice as his love ; — and, What is the end of it ? Our " profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness." 4. Very nearly related to patience is meekness, if it be not rather a species of it. For may it not be defined, patience of injuries ; particularly affronts, reproach, or unjust censure ? This teaches not to return evil for evil, or railing for railing ; but contrariwise blessing. Our blessed Lord himself seems to place a peculiar value upon this temper. This he peculiarly calls us to learn of him, if we would find rest for our souls. 5. But what may we understand by the work of patience? " Let patience have its perfect work." It seems to mean, let it have its full fruit or effect. And what is the fruit which the Spirit of God is accustomed to produce hereby, in the heart of a believer ? One immediate fruit of patience is peace : A sweet tranquillity of mind ; a serenity of spirit, which can never be found, unless where patience reigns. And this peace often rises into joy. Even in the midst of various temptations, those that are enabled "in patience to possess their souls," can witness, not only quietness of spirit, but triumph and exultation. This both Lays the rough paths of peevish nature even, And opens in each breast a little heaven. 6. How lively is the account which the Apostle Peter gives not only of the peace and joy, but of the hope and love, which God works in those patient sufferers " who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ! " Indeed he ON PATIENCE. 487 appears herein to have an eye to this very passage of St. James: "Though ye are grieved for a season, with manifold temptations," (the very word ttoixiXqi; Tri-ipoio-fx.otc,) " that the trial of your faith " (the same expression which was used by St. James) "may be found to praise, and honour, and glory, at the revelation of Jesus Christ ; whom, having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." See here the peace, the joy, and the love, which, through the mighty power of God, are the fruit os " work of patience ! " 7- And as peace, hope, joy, and love are the fruits of patience, both springing from, and confirmed by it, so is also rational, genuine courage, which indeed cannot subsist without patience. The brutal courage, or rather fierceness, of a lion may probably spring from impatience ; but true fortitude, the courage of a man, springs from just the contrary temper. Christian zeal is likewise confirmed and increased by patience, and so is activity in every good work ; the same Spirit inciting us to be Patient in bearing ill, and doing well ; making us equally willing to do and suffer the whole will of God. 8. But what is the perfect work of patience ? Is it anything less than the " perfect love of God," constraining us to love every soul of man, "even as Christ loved us ?" Is it not the whole of religion, the whole " mind which was also in Christ Jesus?" Is it not "the renewal of our soul in the image of God, after the likeness of him that created us?" And is not the fruit of this, the constant resignation of ourselves, body and spirit, to God ; entirely giving up all we are, all we have, and all we love, as a holy sacrifice, acceptable unto God through the Son of his love ? It seems this is " the perfect work of patience," consequent upon the trial of our faith. 9- But how does this work differ from that gracious work which is wrought in every believer, when he first finds redemp tion in the blood of Jesus, even the remission of his sins ? Many persons that are not only upright of heart, but that fear, nay, and love God, have not spoken warily upon this head, not according to the oracles of God. They have spoken of the work of sanctification, taking the word in its full sense, as if it were quite of another kind, as if it differed entirely from that 488 SERMON LXXXIII. which is wrought in justification. But this is a great and dangerous mistake, and has a natural tendency to make us undervalue that glorious work of God which was wrought in us when we were justified: Whereas in that moment when we are justified freely by his grace, when we are accepted through the Beloved, we are born again, born from above, born of the Spirit. And there is as great a change wrought in our souls when we are born of the Spirit, as was wrought in our bodies when we are born of a woman. There is, in that hour, a general change from inward sinfulness, to inward holiness. The love of the creature is changed to the love of the Creator; the love of the world into the love of God. Earthly desires, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, are, in that instant, changed, by the mighty power of God, into heavenly desires. The whirlwind of our will is stopped in its mid career, and sinks down into the will of God. Pride and haughtiness subside into lowliness of heart ; as do anger, with all turbulent and unruly passions, into calmness, meekness, and gentleness. In a word, the earthly, sensual, devilish mind, gives place to " the mind that was in Christ Jesus." 10. " Well, but what more than this can be implied in entire sanctification ?" It does not imply any new kind of holiness : Let no man imagine this. From the moment we are justified, till we give up our spirits to God, love is the fulfilling of the law ; of the whole evangelical law, which took place of the Adamic law, when the first promise of " the seed of the woman" was made. Love is the sum of Christian sanctification ; it is the one kind of holiness, which is found, only in various degrees, in the believers who are distinguished by St. John into " little children, young men, and fathers." The difference between one and the other properly lies in the degree of love. And herein there is as great a difference in the spiritual, as in the natural sense, between fathers, young men, and babes. Every one that is born of God, though he be as yet only a " babe in Christ," has the love of God in his heart ; the love of his neighbour ; together with lowliness, meekness, and resignation. But all of these are then in a low degree, in proportion to the degree of his faith. The faith of a babe in Christ is weak, generally mingled with doubts or fears ; with doubts, whether he has not deceived himself; or fear, that he ON PA1IEJNCE. 489 shall not endure to the end. And if, in order to prevent those perplexing doubts, or to remove those tormenting fears, he catches hold of the opinion that a true believer cannot make shipwreck of the faith, experience will sooner or later show that it is merely the staff of a broken reed, which will be so far from sustaining him, that it will only enter into his hand and pierce it. But to return : In the same proportion as he grows in faith, he grows in holiness; he increases in love, lowliness, meekness, in every part of the image of God; till it pleases God, after he is thoroughly convinced of inbred sin, of the total corruption of his nature, to take it all away ; to purify his jeart and cleanse him from all unrighteousness ; to fulfil that promise which he made first to his ancient people, and in them to the Israel of God in all ages : " I will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul." It is not easy to conceive what a difference there is, between that which he experiences now, and that which he experienced before. Till this universal change was wrought in his soul, all his holiness was mixed. He was humble, but not entirely; his humility was mixed with pride : He was meek ; but his meekness was frequently interrupted by anger, or some uneasy and turbulent passion. His love of God was frequently damped, by the love of some creature ; the love of his neighbour, by evil surmising, or some thought, if not temper, contrary to love. His will was not wholly melted down into the will of God : But although in general he could say, "I come ' not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me ;' " yet now and then nature rebelled, and he could not clearly say, " Lord, not as I will, but as thou wilt.'^ His whole soul is now consistent with itself; there is no jarring string. All his passions flow in a continual stream, with an even tenor to God. To him that is entered into this rest, you may truly say, Calm thou ever art within, All unruffled^ all serene ! There is no mixture of any contrary affections : All is peace and harmony after. Being filled with love, there is no more interruption of it, than of the beating of his heart; and continual love bringing continual joy in the Lord, he rejoices evermore. He converses continually with the God whom he 490 SERMON LXXXIII. loves, unto whom in everything he gives thanks. And as he now loves God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength; so Jesus now reigns alone in his heart, the Lord of every motion there. 11. But it may be inquired, In what manner does God work this entire, this universal change in the soul of a behever? this strange work, which so many will not believe, though we declare it unto them ? Does he work it gradually, by slow degrees ; or instantaneously, in a moment ? How many are the disputes upon this head, even among the children of God r And so there will be, after all that ever was, or ever can be said upon it. For many will still say, with the famous Jew, Non persuadebis, etiamsi persuaseris : That is, " Thou shalt not persuade me, though thou dost persuade me." And they will be the more resolute herein, because the Scriptures are silent upon the subject ; because the point is not determined, at least not in express terms, in any part of the oracles of God. Every man therefore may abound in his own sense, provided he will allow the same liberty to his neighbour ; provided he will not be angry at those who differ from his opinion, nor entertain hard thoughts concerning them. Permit me likewise to add one thing more : Be the change instantaneous or gradual, see that you never rest till it is wrought in your own soul, if you desire to dwell with God in glory. 12. This premised, in order to throw what light I can upon this interesting question, I will simply relate what I have seen myself in the course of many years. Four or five and forty years ago, when I had no distinct views of what the Apostle meant by exhorting us to " leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and go on to perfection," two or three persons in London, whom I knew to be truly sincere, desired to give me an account of their experience. It appeared exceeding strange, being different from any that I had heard before ; but exactly similar to the preceding account of entire sanctification. The next year, two or three more persons at Bristol, and two or three in Kingswood, coming to me severally, gave me exactly the same account of their experience. A few years after, I desired all those in London who made the same profession, to come to me all together at the Foundery, that I might be thoroughly satisfied. I desired that man of God, Thomas Walsh, to give us the meeting there. When we met, first one of us, and then ON PATIENCE. 491 the other, asked them the most searching questions we could devise. They answered every one without hesitation, and with the utmost simplicity, so that we were fully persuaded, they did not deceive themselves. In the years 1759, 1760, 1761, and 1762, their numbers multiplied exceedingly, not only in London and Bristol, but in various parts of Ireland as well as England. Not trusting to the testimony of others, I carefully examined most of these myself; and in London alone I found six hundred and fifty-two members of our society who were exceed ing clear in their experience, and of whose testimony I could see no reason to doubt. I believe no year has passed since that time wherein God has not wrought the same work in many others ; but sometimes in one part of England or Ireland, some times in another; — as "the wind bloweth where it listeth;" — and every one of these (after the most careful inquiry, I have not found one exception either in Great Britain or Ireland) has declared that his deliverance from sin was instantaneous ; that the change was wrought in a moment. Had half of these, or one third, or one in twenty, declared it was gradually wrought in them, I should have believed this, with regard to them, and thought that some were gradually sanctified and some instanta neously. But as I have not found, in so long a space of time, a single person speaking thus ; as all who believe they are sanctified, declare with one voice, that the change was wrought in a moment, I cannot but believe that sanctification is commonly, if not always, an instantaneous work. 13. But however that question be decided, whether sanctifi cation, in the full sense of the word, be wrought instantaneously or gradually, how may we attain to it? " What shall we do," said the Jews to our Lord, " that we may work the works of God?" His answer will suit those that ask, What shall we do, that this work of God may be wrought in us ? " This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." On this one work all the others depend. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and all his wisdom, and power, and faithfulness are engaged on thy side. In this, as in all other instances, " by grace we are saved through faith." Sanctification too is "not of works, lest any man should boast." "It is the gift of God," and is to be received by plain, simple faith. Suppose you are now labouring to " abstain from all appearance of evil," "zealous of good works," and walking diligently and carefully 492 SERMON LXXXIII. in all the ordinances of God; there is then only one point remaining : The voice of God to your soul is, " Believe, and be saved."* First, believe that God has promised to save you from all sin, and to fill you with all holiness. Secondly, believe that he is able thus " to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him." Thirdly, believe that he is willing, as well as able, to save you to the uttermost ; to purify you from all sin, and fill up all your heart with love. Believe, Fourthly, that he is not only able, but willing to do it now ! Not when you come to die; not at any distant time; not to-morrow, but to-day. He will then enable you to believe, it is done, according to his word: And then "patience shall have its perfect work ; that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." 14. Ye shall then be perfect. The Apostle seems to mean by this expression, reXsioi, ye shall be wholly delivered from every evil work ; from every evil word ; from every sinful thought ; yea, from every evil desire, passion, temper ; from all inbred corruption, from all remains of the carnal mind, from the body of sin ; and ye shall be renewed in the spirit of your mind, in every right temper, after the image of Him that created you, in righteousness and true holiness. Ye shall be entire, oXoxXripoi • (The same word which the Apostle uses to the Christians in Thessalonica:) This seems to refer, not so much to the kind as to the degree of holiness; as if he had said, " Ye shall enjoy as high a degree of holiness as is consistent with your present state of pilgrimage ;" — and ye shall want nothing ; the Lord being your Shepherd, your Father, your Redeemer, your Sanctifier, your God, and your all, will feed you with the bread of heaven, and give you meat enough. He will lead you forth beside the waters of comfort, and keep you every moment : So that loving him with all your heart, (which is the sum of all perfection,) you will "rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks," till "an abundant entrance is ministered unto you into his everlasting kingdom !" * See the Sermon on " The Scripture Way of Salvation." SERMON LXXXIV. THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. " What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Matthew xvi. 26. 1. There is a celebrated remark to this effect, (I think in the works of Mr. Pascal,) that if a man of low estate would speak of high things, as of what relates to kings or kingdoms, it is not easy for him to find suitable expressions, as he is so little acquainted with things of this nature ; but if one of royal parentage speaks of royal things, of what concerns his own or his father's kingdom, his language will be free and easy, as these things are familiar to his thoughts. In like manner, if a mere inhabitant of this lower world speaks concerning the great things of the kingdom of God, hardly is he able to find expressions suitable to the greatness of the subject. But when the Son of God speaks of the highest things which concern his heavenly kingdom, all his language is easy and unlaboured, his words natural and unaffected ; inasmuch as, known unto him are all these things from all eternity. 2. How strongly is this remark exemplified in the passage now before us ! The Son of God, the great King of heaven and earth, here uses the plainest and easiest words : But how high and deep are the things which he expresses therein ! None of the children of men can fully conceive them, till, emerging out of the darkness of the present world, he commences an inhabitant of eternity. 3. But we may conceive a little of these deep things, if we consider, First, what is implied in that expression, " A man's gaining the whole world:" Secondly, what is implied in losing his own soul : We shall then, Thirdly, see, in the strongest light, what he is profited, who gains the whole world, and loses his own soul. I. 1. We are, First, to consider, what is implied in a man's gaining the whole world. Perhaps, at the first hearing, this may seem to some equivalent with conquering the whole world. But it has no relation thereto at all : And indeed that expression involves a plain absurdity. For it is impossible any that is born 494 SERMON LXXXIV. of a woman should ever conquer the whole world ; were it only because the short life of man could not suffice for so wild an undertaking. Accordingly, no man ever did conquer the half no, nor the tenth part of the world. But whatever others might do, there was no danger that any of our Lord's hearers should have any thought of this. Among all the sins of the Jewish nation, the desire of universal empire was not found. Even in their most flourishing times, they never sought to extend their conquests beyond the river Euphrates. And in our Lord's time, all their ambition was at an end : " The sceptre was departed from Judah ; " and Judea was governed by a Roman Procurator, as a branch of the Roman Empire. 2. Leaving this, we may find a far more easy and natural sense of the expression. To gain the whole world, may pro perly enough imply, to gain all the pleasures which the world can give. The man we speak of may, therefore, be supposed to have gained all that will gratify his senses. In particular, all that can increase his pleasure of tasting ; all the elegancies of meat and drink : Likewise, whatever can gratify his smell, or touch ; all that he can enjoy in common with his fellow- brutes. He may have all the plenty and all the variety of these objects which the world can afford. 3. We may farther suppose him to have gained all that grati fies " the desire of the eyes;" whatever (by means of the eye chiefly) conveys any pleasure to the imagination. The plea sures of the imagination arise from three sources : Grandeur, beauty, and novelty. Accordingly, we find by experience, our own imagination is gratified by surveying either grand, or beautiful, or uncommon objects. Let him be encompassed then with the most grand, the most beautiful, and the newest things that can anywhere be found. For all this is manifestly implied in a man's gaining the whole world. 4. But there is also another thing implied herein, which men of the most elevated spirits have preferred before all the plea sures of sense and of imagination put together ; that is, honour, glory, renown : Virum volitare per ora.' * The following is Dryden's translation of this quotation from Virgil, and of the words connected with it :- " New ways I must attempt, my grovelling name To raise aloft, and wing my flight to fame." — Edit. the important question. 495 It seems, that hardly any principle of the human mind is of greater force than this. It triumphs over the strongest propen sities of nature, over all our appetites and affections. If Brutus sheds the blood of his own children ; if we see another Brutus, in spite of every possible obligation, in defiance of all justice and gratitude, Cringing while he stabs his friend ; if a far greater man than either of these, Pascal Paoli, gave up ease, pleasure, everything, for a life of constant toil, pain, and alarms ; what principle could support them ? They might talk of amor patriae, the love of their country ; but this would never have carried them through, had there not been also the Laudum immensa cupido ; " the immense thirst of praise." Now, the man we speak of has gained abundance of this : He is praised, if not admired, by all that are round about him. Nay, his name is gone forth into distant lands, as it were, to the ends of the earth. 5. Add to this, that he has gained abundance of wealth ; that there is no end of his treasures ; that he has laid up silver as the dust, and gold as the sand of the sea. Now, when a man has obtained all these pleasures, all that will gratify either the senses or the imagination ; when he has gained an honour able name, and also laid up much treasure for many years ; then he may be said, in an easy, natural sense of the word, to have " gained the whole world." II. 1. The next point we have to consider is, what is implied in a man's losing his own soul. But here we draw a deeper scene, and have need of a more steady attention. For it is easy to sum up all that is implied in a man's "gaining the whole world ; " but it is not easy to understand all that is implied in his " losing his own soul." Indeed none can fully conceive this, until he has passed through time into eternity. 2. The first thing which it undeniably implies is, the losing all the present pleasures of religion ; all those which it affords to truly religious men, even in the present life. " If there be any consolation in Christ ; if any comfort of love," — in the love of God, and of all mankind ; if any "joy in the Holy Ghost ; " if there be a peace of God, — a peace that passeth all understanding ; if there be any rejoicing in the testimony of a good conscience toward God ; it is manifest, all this is totally lost by the man that loses his own soul. 496 SERMON LXXXIV. 3. But the present life will soon be at an end : We know it passes away like a shadow. The hour is at hand, when the spirit will be summoned to return to God that gavp it. In that awful moment, Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view, Who stand upon the threshold of the new. And whether he looks backward or forward, how pleasing is; the prospect to him that saves his soul ! If he looks back, he has " the calm remembrance of a life well spent." If he looks forward, there is an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away ; and he sees the convoy of angels ready to carry him into Abraham's bosom. But how is it in that solemn hour, with the man that loses his soul ? Does he look back? What comfort is there in this? He sees nothing but scenes of horror, matter of shame, remorse, and self- condemnation ; a foretaste of " the worm that never dieth." If he looks forward, what does he see ! No joy, no peace ! No gleam of hope from any point of heaven ! Some years since, one who turned back as a dog to his vomit was struck in his mid career of sin. A friend visiting him, prayed, " Lord, have mercy upon those who are just stepping out of the body, and know not which shall meet them at their entrance into the other world, an angel or a fiend ! " The sick man shrieked out with a piercing cry, " A fiend ! a fiend ! " and died. Just such an end, unless he die like an ox, may any man expect who loses his own soul. 4. But in what situation is the spirit of a good man, at his entrance into eternity ? See, The convoy attends, The ministering host of invisible friends. They receive the new-born spirit, and conduct him safe into Abraham's bosom ; into the delights of Paradise ; the garden of God, where the light of his countenance perpetually shines. It is but one of a thousand commendations of this antechamber of heaven, that " there the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest." For there they have numberless sources of happiness which they could not have upon earth. There they meet with " the glorious dead of ancient days." They converse with Adam, first of men ; with Noah, .first of the new world ; with Abraham, the friend of God ; with Moses and the THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. 497 Prophets; with the Apostles of the, Lamb; with the saints of all ages ; and, above all, they are with Christ. 5. How different, alas ! is the case with him who loses his own soul ! The moment he steps into eternity, he meets with the devil and his angels. Sad convoy into the world of spirits ! Sad earnest of what is to come ! And either he is bound with chains of darkness, and reserved unto the judgment of the great day ; or, at best, he wanders up and down, seeking rest, but finding none. Perhaps he may seek it (like the unclean spirit cast out of the man) in dry, dreary, desolate places ; perhaps Where nature all in ruins lies, And owns her sov'reign, Death. And little comfort can he find here ! seeing every thing contributes to increase, not remove, the fearful expectation of fiery indignation, which will devour the ungodly. 6. For even this is to him but the beginning of sorrows. Yet a little while, and he will see " the great white throne coming down from heaven, and him that sitteth thereon, from whose face the heavens and the earth flee away, and there is found no place for them." And " the dead, small and great, stand before God, and are judged, every one according to his works." "Then shall the King say to them on his right hand," (God grant he may say so to you !) " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from thc foundation of the world." And the angels shall tune their harps and sing, " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, that the heirs of glory may come in." And then shall they " shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever." 7- How different will be the lot of him that loses his own soul ! No joyful sentence will be pronounced on him, but one that will pierce him through with unutterable horror: (God forbid, that ever it should be pronounced on any of you that are here before God !) " Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!" And who can doubt, but those infernal spirits will immediately execute the sentence ; will instantly drag those forsaken of God into their own place of torment ! into those Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace And rest can never dwell ! Hope never comes, That comes to all,— K jl 2. 498 SERMON LXXXIV. all the children of men who are on this side eternity. But not to them : The gulf is now fixed, over which they cannot pass. From the moment wherein they are once plunged into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, their torments are not only without intermission, but likewise without end. For "they have no rest, day or night ; but the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever !" III. Upon ever so cursory a view of these things, would not any one be astonished, that a man, that a creature endued with reason, should voluntarily choose, — I say choose; for God forces no man into inevitable damnation ; he never yet Consign'd one unborn soul to hell, Or damn'd him from his mother's womb,— snould choose thus to lose his own soul, though it were to gain the whole world ! For what shall a man be profited thereby, upon the whole of the account ? But a little to abate our astonishment at this, let us observe the suppositions which a man generally makes before he can reconcile himself to this fatal choice. 1. He supposes, First, that "a life of religion is a life of misery." That religion is misery ! How is it possible that any one should entertain so strange a thought ? Do any of you imagine this ? If you do, the reason is plain ; you know not what religion is. "No ! but I do, as well as you." — What is it then ? " Why, the doing no harm." Not so ; many birds and beasts do no harm ; yet they are not capable of religion. " Then it is going to church and sacrament." Indeed it is not. This may be an excellent help to religion ; and every one who desires to save his soul should attend them at all opportunities ; yet it is possible, you may attend them all your days, and still have no religion at all. Religion is a higher and deeper thing than any outward ordinance whatever. 2. What is religion then ? It is easy to answer, if we consult the oracles of God. According to these, it lies in one single point ; it is neither more nor less than love ; it is love which "is the fulfilling of the law, the end of the commandment." Religion is the love of God and our neighbour ; that is, every man under heaven. This love ruling the whole life, animating all our tempers and passions, directing all our thoughts, words, and actions, is " pure religion and undefiled." THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. 499 3. Now, will any one be so hardy as to say, that love is misery ? Is it misery to love God ? to give Him my heart who alone is worthy of it? Nay, it is the truest happiness; indeed, the only true happiness which is to be found under the sun. So does all experience prove the justness of that reflection which was made long ago, " Thou hast made us for thyself; and our heart cannot rest, until it resteth in thee." Or does any one imagine, the love of our neighbour is misery ; even the loving every man as our own soul? So far from it, that, next to the love of God, this affords the greatest happiness of which we are capable. Therefore, Let not the Stoic boast his mind unmoved, The brute philosopher, who ne'er has proved The joy of loving, or of being loved. 4. So much every reasonable man must allow. But he may object, " There is more than this implied in religion. It implies not only the love of God and man ; (against which I have no objection ;) but also a great deal of doing and suffering. And how can this be consistent with happiness?" There is certainly some truth in this objection. Religion does imply both doing and suffering. Let us then calmly consider, whether this impairs or heightens our happiness. Religion implies, First, the doing many things. For the love of God will naturally lead us, at all opportunities, to converse with Him we love ; to speak to him in public or private prayer ; and to hear the words of his mouth, which " are dearer to us than thousands of gold and silver." It will incline us to lose no opportunity of receivingThe dear memorials of our dying Lord ; to continue instant in thanksgiving ; at morning, evening, and noon-day to praise him. But suppose we do all this, will it lessen our happiness ? Just the reverse. It is plain, all these fruits of love are means of increasing the love from which they spring ; and of consequence they increase our happiness in the same proportion. Who then would not join in that wish ? Rising to sing my Saviour's praise, Thee may I publish all day long : And let thy precious word of grace Flow from my heart, and fill my tongue ; Fill all my life with purest love, And join me to thy church above ! - 2 K 2 500 SERMON LXXXIV. 5. It must also be allowed, that as the love of God naturally leads to works of piety, so the love of our neighbour naturally leads all that feel it to works of mercy. It inclines us to feed the hungry ; to clothe the naked ; to visit them that are sick or in prison ; to be as eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame ; an husband to the widow, a father to the fatherless. But can you suppose, that the doing this will prevent or lessen your happiness ? yea, though you did so much, as to be like a guardian angel to all that are round about you? On the contrary, it is an infallible truth, that All worldly joys are less Than that one joy of doing kindnesses. A man of pleasure was asked some years ago, " Captain, what was the greatest pleasure you ever had ? " After a little pause, he replied, " When we were upon our march in Ireland, in a very hot day, I called at a cabin on the road, and desired a little water. The woman brought me a cup of milk. I gave her a piece of silver ; and the joy that poor creature expressed gave me the greatest pleasure I ever had in my life." Now, if the doing good gave so much pleasure to one who acted merely from natural generosity, how much more must it give to one who does it on a nobler principle, — the joint love of God and his neighbour ! It remains, that the doing all which religion requires will not lessen, but immensely increase, our happiness. 6. "Perhaps this also may be allowed. But religion implies, according to the Christian account, not only doing, but suffering. And how can suffering be consistent with happiness?" Perfectly well. Many centuries ago, it was remarked by St. Chrysostom, " The Christian has his sorrows as well as his joys : But his sorrow is sweeter than joy." He may accidentally suffer loss, poverty, pain: But in all these things he is more than conqueror. He can testify, Labour is rest, and pain is sweet, While thou, my God, art here. He can say, " The Lord gave ; the Lord taketh away : Blessed be the name of the Lord!" He must suffer, more or less, reproach : For " the servant is not above his Master:" But so much the more does " the Spirit of glory and of God rest up.or; THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. 50] him." Yea, love itself will, on several occasions, be the source of suffering : The love of God will frequently produce The pleasing smart, The meltings of a broken heart. And the love of our neighbour will give rise to sympathizing sorrow : It will lead us to visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction ; to be tenderly concerned for the distressed, and to " mix our pitying tear with those that weep." But may we not well say, These are " tears that delight, and sighs that waft to heaven?" So far then are all these sufferings from either preventing or lessening our happiness, that they greatly contribute thereto, and, indeed, constitute no inconsiderable part of it. So that, upon the whole, there cannot be a more false supposition, than that a life of religion is a life of misery ; seeing true religion, whether considered in its nature or its fruits, is true and solid happiness. 7- The man who chooses to gain the world by the loss of Ins soul, supposes, Secondly, that " a life of wickedness is a life of happiness ! " That wickedness is happiness ! Even an old heathen poet could have taught him better. Even Juvenal discovered, Nemo malus felix : " No wicked man is happy." And how expressly does God himself declare, " There is no peace to the wicked ! " No peace of mind : And without this, there can be no happiness. But not to avail ourselves of authority, let us weigh the thing in the balance of reason. I ask, What can make a wicked man happy ? You answer, " He has gained the whole world." We allow it ; and what does this imply ? He has gained all that gratifies the senses : In particular, all that can please the taste ; all the delicacies of meat and drink. True ; but can eating and drinking make a man happy ? They never did yet : And certain it is, they never will. This is too coarse food for an immortal spirit. But suppose it did give him a poor kind of happiness, during those moments wherein he was swallowing ; what will he do with the residue of his time ? Will it not hang heavy upon his hands? Will he not groan under many a tedious hour, and think swift-winged time flies too slow ? If he is not fully employed, will he not frequently complain of lowness of spirits? an unmeaning expression ; which the miserable phy sician usually no more understands than his miserable patient. 502 SERMON LXXXIV. We know there are such things as nervous disorders. But we know likewise, that what is commonly called nervous lowness is a secret reproof from God ; a kind of consciousness that we are not in our place ; that we are not as God would have us to be : We are unhinged from our proper centre. 8. To remove, or at least soothe, this strange uneasiness, let him add the pleasures of imagination. Let him bedaub himself with silver and gold, and adorn himself with all the colours of the rainbow. Let him build splendid palaces, and furnish them in the most elegant as well as costly manner. Let him lay out walks and gardens, beautified with all that nature and art can afford. And how long will these give him pleasure ? Only as long as they are new. As soon as ever the novelty is gone, the pleasure is gone also. After he has surveyed them a few months, or years, they give him no more satisfaction. The man who is saving his soul, has the advantage of him in this very respect. For he can say, In the pleasures the rich man's possessions display, Unenvied I challenge my part ; While every fair object my eye can survey Contributes to gladden my heart. 9- " However, he has yet another resource : Applause, glory. And will not this make him happy?" It will not: For he cannot be applauded by all men: No man ever was. Some will praise ; perhaps many ; but not all. It is certain some will blame : And he that is fond of applause, will feel more pain from the censure of one, than pleasure from the praise of many. So that whoever seeks happiness in applause will infallibly be disappointed, and will find, upon the whole of the account, abundantly more pain than pleasure. 1 0. But to bring the matter to a short issue. Let us take an instance of one who had gained more of this world than probably any man now alive, unless he be a sovereign prince. But did all he had gained make him happy ? Answer for thyself! Then said Haman, Yet "all this profiteth me nothing, while I see Mordecai sitting at the gate." Poor Haman ! One unholy temper, whether pride, envy, jealousy, or revenge, gave him more pain, more vexation of spirit, than all the world could give pleasure. And so it must be in the nature of things ; for all unholy tempers are unhappy tempers. Ambition, covetousness, vanity, inordinate affection, malice, revengefulness, carry their THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. 503 own punishment with them, and avenge themselves on the soul wherein they dwell. Indeed what are these, more especially when they are combined with an awakened conscience, but the dogs of hell, already gnawing the soul, forbidding happiness to approach ? Did not even the Heathens see this ? What else means their fable of Tityus, chained to a rock, with a vulture continually tearing up his breast, and feeding upon his liver ? Quid rides? " Why do you smile ?" says the poet : Mutato nomine, de ie Fabula narratur. "It is another name; but thou art the man !" Lust, foolish desire, envy, malice, or anger is now tearing thy breast: Love of money, or of praise, hatred or revenge, is now feeding on thy poor spirit. Such happiness is in vice ! So vain is the supposition that a life of wickedness is a life of happiness ! 11. But he makes a Third supposition, — That he shall cer tainly live forty, or fifty, or threescore years. Do you depend upon this ? on living threescore years ? Who told you that you should ? It is no other than the enemy of God and man : It is the murderer of souls. Believe him not ; he was a liar from the beginning ; from the beginning of his rebellion against God. He is eminently a liar in this : For he would not give you life, if he could. Would God permit, he would make sure work, and just now hurry you to his own place. And he cannot give you life, if he would : The breath of man is not in his hands. He is not the disposer of life and death : That power belongs to the Most High. It is possible indeed, God may, on some occasions, permit him to inflict death. I do not know but it was an evil angel who smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand Assyrians in one night : And the fine lines of our poet are as applicable to an evil as to a good spirit : — So when an angel, by divine command, Hurls death and terror o'er a guilty land ; He, pleased the' Almighty's order to perform, Rides in the whirlwind, and directs the storm. But though Satan may sometimes inflict death, I know not that he could ever give life. It was one of his most faithful servants that shrieked out some years ago, " A week's life ! A week's life ! Thirty thousand pounds for a week's life ! " But he could not purchase a day's life. That night God required his soul 504 SERMON LXXXIV. of him. And how soon may he require it of you ? Are you sure of living threescore years ? Are you sure of living one year, one week, one day ? O make haste to live ! Surely the man that may die to-night should live to-day. 12. So absurd are all the suppositions made by him who gains the world and loses his soul. But let us for a moment imagine, that wickedness is happiness ; and that he shall certainly live threescore years; and still I would ask, What is he profited, if he gain the whole world for threescore years, and then lose his soul eternally ? Can such a choice be made by any that considers what eternity is ? Philip Melancthon, the most learned of all the German Reformers, gives the following relation : (I pass no judgment upon it, but set it down nearly in his own words :) " When I was at Wirtemberg, as I was walking out one summer evening with several of my fellow-students, we heard an uncommon singing, and, following the sound, saw a bird of an uncommon figure. One stepping up, asked, ' In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, what art thou ?' It answered, ' I am a damned spirit;1 and, in vanishing away, pronounced these words, ' 0 Eternity, Eternity ! who can tell the length of Eter nity ?' And how soon would this be the language of him who sold his soul for threescore years' pleasure ! How soon would he cry out, ' O Eternity, Eternity ! who can tell the length of Eternity?'" 13. In how striking a manner is this illustrated by one of the ancient Fathers ! " Supposing there was a ball of sand as big as the whole earth. Suppose a grain of this to be annihilated in a thousand years : Which would be more eligible, — to be happy while this ball was wasting away at the rate of one grain in a thousand years, and miserable ever after ? — or to be miserable, while it was wasting away at that proportion, and happy ever after ?" A wise man, it is certain, could not pause one moment upon the choice ; seeing all that time wherein this ball would be wasting away, bears infinitely less proportion to eternity, than a drop of water to the whole ocean, or a grain of sand to the whole mass. Allowing then that a life of religion were a life of misery ; that a life of wickedness were a life of happiness ; and, that a man were assured of enjoying that happiness for the term ef threescore years ; yet what would he be profited, if he were then to be miserable to all eternity ? THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. 505 14. But it has been proved, that the case is quite otherwise ; that religion is happiness; that wickedness is misery; and that no man is assured of living threescore days : And if so, is there any fool, any madman under heaven, who can be compared to him that casts away his own soul, though it were to gain the whole world ? For what is the real state of the case ? What is the choice which God proposes to his creatures ? It is not, " Will you be happy threescore years, and then miserable for ever ; or, will you be miserable threescore years, and then happy for ever ? " It is not, " Will you have first a temporary heaven, and then hell eternal ; or, will you have first a temporary hell, and then heaven eternal ?" But it is simply this : " Will you be miserable threescore years, and miserable ever after; or, will you be happy threescore years, and happy ever after ? Will you have a foretaste of heaven now, and then heaven for ever ; or, will you have a foretaste of hell now, and then hell for ever ? Will you have two hells, Or two heavens ?" 15. One would think, there needed no great sagacity to answer this question. And this is the very question which I now propose to you in the name of God. Will you be happy here and hereafter ; in the world that now is, and in that which is to come ? Or will you be miserable here and hereafter ; in time and in eternity ? What is your choice ? Let there be no delay : Now take one or the other ! I take heaven and earth to record this day, that I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. O choose life ! The life of peace and love now ; the life of glory for ever ! By the grace of God, now choose that better part which shall never be taken from you ! And having once fixed your choice, never draw back ; adhere to it at all events. Go on in the name of the Lord, whom ye have chosen, and in the power of his might ! In spite of all opposition, from nature, from the world, from all the powers of darkness, still fight the good fight o? faith, and lay hold on eternal life ! And then there is laid up for you a crown, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give you at that day ! SERMON LXXXV. ON WORKING OUT OUR OWN SALVATION. " Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Philippians ii. 12, 13. 1. Some great truths, as the being and attributes of God, and the difference between moral good and evil, were known, in some measure, to the heathen world. The traces of them are to be found in all nations : So that, in some sense, it may be said to every child of man, " He hath showed thee, 0 man, what is good ; even to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." With this truth he has, in some measure, " enlightened every one that cometh into the world." And hereby they that " have not the law," that have no written law, " are a law unto themselves." They show " the work of the law," — the substance of it, though not the letter, — " written in their hearts," by the same hand which wrote the commandments on the tables of stone : " Their conscience also bearing them witness," whether they act suitably thereto or not. 2. But there are two grand heads of doctrine, which contain many truths of the most important nature, of which the most enlightened Heathens in the ancient world were totally ignorant ; as are also the most intelligent Heathens that are now on the face of the earth ; I mean those which relate to the eternal Son of God, and the Spirit of God : To the Son, giving himself to be " a propitiation for the sins of the world ;" and to the Spirit of God, renewing men in that image of God wherein they were created. For after all the pains which ingenious and learned men have taken (that great man, Chevalier Ramsay, in particular) to find some resemblance of these truths in the immense rubbish of heathen authors, the resemblance is so exceeding faint, as not to be discerned but by a very lively imagination. Beside that, even this resemblance, faint as it was, is only to be found in the discourses of a very few ; and those WORKING OUT OUR OWN SALVATION. 507 were the most improved and deeply-thinking men, in their several generations ; while the innumerable multitudes that surrounded them were little better for the knowledge of the philosophers, but remained as totally ignorant even of these capital truths as were the beasts that perish. 3. Certain it is, that these truths were never known to the vulgar, the bulk of mankind, to the generality of men in any nation, till they were brought to light by the gospel. Notwithstanding a spark of knowledge glimmering here and there, the whole earth was covered with darkness, till the Sun of righteousness arose and scattered the shades of night. Since this day-spring from on high has appeared, a great light hath shined unto those who, till then, sat in darkness and in the shadow of death. And thousands of them in every age have known, " that God so loved the world, as to give his only Son, to the end that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And being entrusted with the oracles of God, they have known that God hath also given us his Holy Spirit, who " worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 4. How remarkable are those words of the Apostle, which precede these ! " Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus : Who, being in the form of God," — the incommu nicable nature of God from eternity, — " counted it no act of rob bery," — (that is the precise meaning of the word,) no invasion of any other's prerogative, but his own unquestionable right, — " to be equal with God." The word implies both the fulness and the supreme height of the Godhead ; to which are opposed the two words, he emptied and he humbled himself. He "emptied himself" of that divine fulness, veiled his fulness from the eyes of men and angels ; " taking," and by that very act emptying himself, " the form of a servant ; being made in the likeness of man," a real man, like other men. " And being found in fashion as a man," — a common man, without any peculiar beauty or excellency, — " he. humbled himself" to a still greater degree, "becoming obedient" to God, though equal with him, "even unto death; yea, the death of the cross:" The greatest instance both of humiliation and obedience. Having proposed the example of Christ, the Apostle exhorts them to secure the salvation which Christ hath purchased for them : " Wherefore, work out your own salvation with fear and 508 sermon lxxx v. trembling : For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." In these comprehensive words we may observe, I. That grand truth, which ought never to be out of our remembrance : " It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure." II. The improvement we ought to make of it : " Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." III. The connexion between them : " It is God that worketh in you ;" therefore, " work out your own salvation." I. 1. First. We are to observe that great and important truth which ought never to be out of our remembrance : " It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good plea sure." The meaning of these words may be made more plain by a small transposition of them : " It is God that of his good pleasure worketh in you both to will and to do." This position of the words, connecting the phrase, of his good pleasure, with the word worketh, removes all imagination of merit from man, and gives God the whole glory of his work. Otherwise, we might have had some room for boasting, as if it were our own desert, some goodness in us, or some good thing done by us, which first moved God to work. But this expression cuts off all such vain conceits, and clearly shows his motive to work lay wholly in himself, in his own mere grace, in his unmerited mercy. 2. It is by this alone he is impelled to work in man both to will and to do. The expression is capable of two interpretations ; both of which are unquestionably true. First, to will, may include the whole of inward, to do, the whole of outward, religion. And if it be thus understood, it implies, that it is God that worketh both inward and outward holiness. Secondly, to will, may imply every good desire ; to do, whatever results therefrom. And then the sentence means, God breathes into us every good desire, and brings every good desire to good effect. 3. The original words, ro SsXsiv and to svepysiv, seem to favour the latter construction : to SeXeiv, which we render to will, plainly including every good desire, whether relating to our tempers, words, or actions ; to inward or outward holiness. And to svepyeiv, which we render to do, manifestly implies all that power from on high, all that energy which works in us every right disposition, and then furnishes us for every good word and work. WORKING OUT OUR OWN SALVATION. 509 4. Nothing can so directly tend to hide pride from man as a deep, lasting conviction of this. For if we are thoroughly sensible that we have nothing which we have not received, how can we glory as if we had not received it ? If we know and feel that the very first motion of good is from above, as well as the power which conducts it to the end ; if it is God that not only infuses every good desire, but that accompanies and follows it, else it vanishes away ; then it evidently follows, that " he who glorieth " must "glory in the Lord." II. 1. Proceed we now to the Second point : If God worketh in you, then work out your own salvation. The original word, rendered work out, implies the doing a thing thoroughly. Your own ; for you yourselves must do this, or it will be left undone for ever. Your own salvation : Salvation begins with what is usually termed (and very properly) preventing grace ; including the first wish to please God, the first dawn of light concerning his will, and the first slight transient conviction of having sinned against him. All these imply some tendency toward life ; some degree of salvation ; the beginning of a deliverance from a blind, unfeeling heart, quite insensible of God and the things of God. Salvation is carried on by convincing grace, usually in Scripture termed repentance ; which brings a larger measure of self-knowledge, and a farther deliverance from the heart of stone. Afterwards we experience the proper Christian salvation ; whereby, " through grace," we " are saved by faith;" consisting of those two grand branches, justification and sanctification. By justification we are saved from the guilt of sin, and restored to the favour of God; by sanctification we are saved from the power and root of sin, and restored to the image of God. All experience, as well as Scripture, show this salvation to be both instantaneous and gradual. It begins the moment we are justified, in the holy, humble, gentle, patient love of God and man. It gradually increases from that moment, as " a grain of mustard-seed, which, at first, is the least of all seeds," but afterwards puts forth large branches, and becomes a great tree ; till, in another instant, the heart is cleansed from all sin, and filled with pure love to God and man. But even that love increases more and more, till we "grow up in all things into Him that is our Head;" till we attain " the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." 2. But how are we to work out this salvation ? The Apostle 510 sermon lxxxv. answers, " With fear and trembling." There is another passage of St. Paul, wherein the same expression occurs, which may give light to this : " Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh," — according to the present state of things, although sensible that in a little time the servant will be free from his master, — "with fear and trembling." This is a proverbial expression, which cannot be understood literally. For what master could bear, much less require, his servant to stand trembling and quaking before him ? And the following words utterly exclude this meaning: " In singleness of heart ;" with a single eye to the will and providence of God ; " not with eye- service, as men-pleasers ; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;" doing whatever they do as the will of God, and, therefore, with their might. (Eph. vi. 5, &c.) It is easy to see that these strong expressions of the Apostle clearly imply two things : First, that everything be done with the utmost earnestness of spirit, and with all care and caution : (Perhaps more directly referring to the former word, pera