\-a,>^-«'. —*;*««,

.1
.#
»
!.«
<tf, to-
>'
Ik. I i.-* #¦''-•
S>>'
"Igwe tie/f BvOfS
f/pF the fau'u^Bg of a. CeClt^ m- iM^S^itiotyt''

TJEDE CMMIISTIAH' IH' ffifflS FAMlELTo

T333

CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATED

COURSE OF LECTURES,
DELIVERED

IN

ARGYLE CHAPEL, BATH.

BY WILLIAM JAY.

Behold the awful portrait, and admire :
Nor stop at wonder — ^imitate and live. YoUNO.

FIRST AMERICAN FROM THE SECOND lONDON EDITION.

SSoston :
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY LINCOLN &, EDMANOS,
No. 59 Washington-Street 1828.

T333 !^29

PREFACE.

Custom seems to have rendered it almost necessary, for an
Author never to appear before the Publick without a Preface ; in
Which something, if not concerning himself^ yet concerning his
work is looked for, as a respect due to his readers. Yet Ros-
seau says, it is a part of the book never read, unless by women
and children. The Author however indulges a hops that this is
not very extensively true ; since, in writing the following intro
ductory remarks, he certainly intended, as will appear from their
length, something more than a ceremonious conformity to ex
ample. The design of this Series of Lectures was — to diversify a lit
tle the ordinary course of ministerial instruction — to excite and
secure attention by a degree of allowable novelty and curiosity^
and to bring together various things pertaining to the same sub
ject ; BO that they might aid each other in illustration and im
provement, by their arrangement and union.
But why publish them ? The writer is aware what an abun
dance of religious works is perpetually issuing from the press : and
he would not wonder, if some should think that he has too oflen
appeared before the piiblick already. Yet he trusts an author is
not necessarily supposed to say to his readers, " Now attend on
ly to me," Surely many publications may be serviceable for
different purposes, and in different degrees ; and a writer may
be allowed to conclude, that the production of his pen may ob
tain a measure of welcome and useful attention— without the
vanity of supposing that it is superior to every other, or the folly
of expecting that it is to supersede any other. If too the author
be a publick teacher, and has met with acceptance, it is natural
to suppose that he will secure a- considerate number of connex
ions more immediately his own, and who will be rather partial
to the writer, for the sake of the preacher. Such was the case

IV PREFACE,
here. In two or three days after this Course of Lectures was
finished, a large number of copies was called and subscribed for
by those who had heard them. Many of these applicants were
persons whose opinion and desire would have had weight with
any one who knew them; while, all of them had claims upon
the Preacher, as stated, or occaaonal parts of his audience.
The Author can truly say that he yielded to publish with a
reluctance which only an ascertained earnestness could have
overcome. Yet he is now glad, especially with regard to his own
audience, that thq iroportujaity was expressed^ and has been
complied with. For near thirty^five, years he has been labour-
iag to serve, his present charge, i» >he unity of the Spirit, and
ia the bond of peace, and he hopes he may add; in righteous
ness of life ; and though he commenced his conmexipD youi^,
yet such a period etrikqs-ftr into the br&vity of human life^ and
calls upoa hiin to think, and feel, and act, with increasing seriouss-
mess, and diligence, knovying that the night cometfa whereim no
man can work ; and to be concernfld that afte^ his decease, his
people may be able to have the things he has spoken always; in
remembrance, Th^ work, therefore, as a brief epitome of his
pjseaohiijtg, will serve as a kind of ministerial legacy to be perus
ed, particularly by the younger members Of hia church and.coa-
gregation, when the clods of the valtejt will be sweet about him ;
Mid by which, though, dead, he may yet speak — ^perhaps, in gome
cases, \o more purpose than while living. The work; may tend
to correct some pious mistakes both on the right hand, and on
the left. It contains many of the Author's views on important
subjects afiser considerable experience and observation. For such
remarks his station has been favourable, and his opportunities
numerous ; especially from the variety and latitude of his re
ligious intercourse. This has never been confined to Christiansi
9f his own denomination. He has not suffered prejudice so to
magnify, ^^hat his convictions might have led him to consider
the mistakes or imperfections of any who differ from him, as to
ipake him overlook their excellencies as individuals or communi
ties; or to prevent his mingling with them in company, and cor
operating with, them in services; or to deprive him of that pleas
ure and profit which he knows may be derived from those who,
cannot frame to pronounce exactly the Shibboleth of a spiritual
tribe. He has always, prjeferred to study religion, not m its ab-

atractions, but in its StibjeBtsi: not in its speculative opinions,
but in its pKacl^cal' principles : not in its distant generalities, but
in its appnitpitiiated' and particular influences. He has always
endeavoured to follow it out, from its too common confinement
in certain notions, SeasoBS, aad services, into actual and ordinary
life ; and to esteem and" applaud it orily in proportion as it ex
erts and displays itself ini that "wisdom which is from above,
which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be en
treated, full oi mercy and good fruite,. without partiality, and
without hypocrisy."
This may in some measure account foi- the desire which haa
given rise to the publication. For it is to be presumed, that there-
will be some considerable, conformity between the views of a
miitislier and the people of his charge after a voluntary, long,
and perfectly; ajfifectioiiiate connexion. It is certain that these
Lectures, would not have Ueeii, completely co!ngeiiial with the
taste o£«ome heajrers. The^ wpuld in any course of religious
discussion have said, " We want more of doctrine, and more of
Chirist." Now we are far fwjm treating these terms them^&res
yi/ith contempt or disrespect We love the dJoctrines of the Gos
pel'; and believe that it is a good thing that the heart be estab-
fished with grace. We attach importance to evangelical truth;
and have no notion of piety without principle, or of good fruit
but from a good tree — This is our creed : " By grace are ye
saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift
of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Yet, we cannot be ignorant that the complaint we have supposed,
is too often the whining and seditious jargon of a party ; and the very
last party in the world we should ever consult with regard to
preaching. These desperate adherents to something aoteasily-fixed
and definable in sentiment, but always accompanied with a spir
it as well known and invariaWe in its operation, as any of the
laws of nafare, are, in spiritual things, what some discontented
zealot-s are in political ; and as the latter render the cause of ra
tional liberty suspicious and dfespicable, so the former disserve
and disgrace the cause of evangelical religion-»-^They are gospel
radicals. They arie not always even moral : they are never
amiable. They neither pursue^ nor think upon the things that

Vl PREFACE.
are lovely, and of good report. They set at nought all sacred
relations, proprieties, and decencies ; while many of them aban
don family worship, and leave their children without any at
tempts to bring them into the way everlasting, not knowing but
they may be some of those against whom God " has sworn to
have indignation forever," and not daring to go before him, or to
be profane enough to take the work out of his hands. Self-will
ed are they ; self-confident ; presumptuous ; censorious ; con
demnatory of all that are not initiated into their temper and ex
clusions. With regard to their ministers, they are not learn
ers, but judges ; and often make a man an offender for a wOrd.
In hearing, all is fastidiousness. Appetite has given place to
lusting. They go to the house of God, not for wholesome food
; — ^they want something to elevate and intoxicate. The preach
er is nothing, unless he can make them drink and- forget their
duty, and remember their-dangei-iio'Tnore. Their religion is
entirely an impersonal thing, any further than as it' consists in
belief and delusion. They look for all in Christ, not as the on
ly source from which it can be received into us— this is truth :
but as the only residence in which it is to remain, while they
themselves continue the same. They are complete in him — >
not as to t^ie all-sufficiency provided in him for their actual and
entire recovery ; but without their being new creatures. They
look after nothing in themselves— and nothing in themselves
should be looked for as the ground of their acceptance with God,
or as self-derived or self-sustained : but they look after nothing
in themselves even as the effect of divine agency and communi
cation — forgetful of the inspired prayer, " Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me :" regardless of
the assertion, " It is God that worketh in you to will and to do
of his good pleasure :" subverting the promise, " Then will I
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ; and from
all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you ; a
new heart also will I give unto you, and a new spirit also will I
put within you ; 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." Their state is not a condition to be submitted to any
process of trial, as those enemies to Christian comfort would have
it, who admonish persons to examine themselves whether they
are jn the faith ; and to prove their own selves ; and to give

PREFACE. vii
all diligence to make their calling and election sure. Their
peace requires, tjiat all this should, without hesitation, be taken
for granted; while every thing is to be cried down as unbelief
that would dare to lead them to question for an instant their
security, or to keep them from being at ease in Zion. The sin-
mer is not only guilty, but diseased; but they are concerned on
ly to remove the sentence of condemnation, while the disorder le
left. They absolve, but not heal : they justify, but not renovate.
The king's daughter is all glorious within, while her clothing is
of wrought gold : with them the righteousness of Christ is a fine
robe to coyer a filthy body. All their sin, past, present, and fu
ture, is so completely done away, that it were folly to feel an
guish on the account of it. Their miscarriages are not theirs ;
but those of sin that dwelleth in them. Their imperfections are
regretless, because unavoidable : no man can keep alive his own
Boul. Now we fire willing to concede that all those from whom we
occasionally > hear complaints, do not go into these lengths ; and
we are persuaded that were these worthier individuals perfectly
informed concerning the men we have very truly but inadequate
ly sketched, they would exclaim,; " My soul, come not thou into
their secret ; and mine honour, to their ' system' be not thou
united." Yet they sometimes murmur, as if in sympathy with
them ; and borrow their language, unconscious whose technicalir
ty it is ; and are in danger that their good should be evil spoken
of. To be strenuous for evangelical preaching is commendable 5
but they view the desideratum in tob confined an import. They
think it, if not improper, yet needless, for a minister to incul
cate many things which hp must feel to be binding upon him.
" Oh !" say they, " the grace of God will teach people all this."
The grace of God will incline, and enable us to do all this : but
it is the Bible that teaches. This contains all our religious in
formation ; and we only want to be led into all truth. The
eacred writers never left these things to be taught by the grace
of God, without instruction. They never intrusted them to in
ference. They particularized and enforced them. There is
not one of Paul's Epistles, a large proportion of which might
not have been spared as impertinent, upon this plea : for as sure
ly as the former parts lay the foundation doctrinally, the latter
labour to build us up on our most holy faith. But these would

viii PREf-ACE.
restrain a publick teacher from the eXtensiTCneSS bf the Gospel
itself; and oblige him to hold forth Christianity only in the first
rudiments, not in the advanced science. They would confide
him to a kind of abstract inOnlbation of a small 61aBs of princi
ples; which principles are indeed unspeakably important, y«t
lose much of their importance itself, by being unaccompanied
with certain alliances, and developments, and applications. Yea,
they would not willingly allow him to do more than constantly
iterate from Sabbath to Sabbath, a few well-known and favour
ed Sentiments, in a manner the most undeviating, and in phrase
ology the most hacknied. They prefer a scheme of divinity
drawn up by some fallible fellow-creature, to the Scripture at
large, which, like God's other works, no one can perfectly sys
tematize ; but in which, aa in Nature, we have, instead of
mechanism, infinite freshness, and richness, and variety, and
irregularity : that is, order beyond our reach. They are sure,
if not to oppose, yet not to aid ; if not to stigmatize, yet not to
Countenance and applaud any attempt, the preacher shall make
to extend the views of his hearers; to improve their understand
ings ; to lead them through the whole land of Revelation in the
length and breadth thereof; in a word, to do anything that
would follow up the recommendation of the ApOstle, " Leaving
therefore the pirihciples of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on
unto perfection."
Here the Lecturer is unspeakably happy in beihg able to say
fo the people he addresses, "Ye ha-ve not so learned Christ."
He therefore felt no ombarrdssment in the Study or in the deliv
ery of these discourses. He had only to consult his own con
victions, and was not necessitated to think of the likings or dis-
likings of a sickly fancy, a perverted orthodoxy, a ^arty spirit,
or an anathematizing bigotry. Neither would he ever consent
to officiate in any congregation where he could not stand fast in
the liberty wherewith Christ has made hini free. This freedom
fie thinks a preacher cannot too highly value and assert in the
discsharge of his work— A freedom from the fear of man that
bringeth a snare— inducing and enabling him to say, as he rises
from his knees to enter the pulpit,
" Careless, myself a dying man,
" Of dying men's esteem ;
" Happy, 0 Cfod, if thou approve,
" Though all beside condemn."

PREFACE. IX
A freedom (whatever advantages they may afford him by their
coUectiveness and arrangements) from the fetterings and exclu-
siveness of human systems of theology — a freedom from the least
sense of any obligation requiring him, in the interpretation and
improvement of any passage of Scripture before him, to force its
natural and obvious meaning into any frame of Arminian, or
Calvinistic theory or authority — a freedom also from spiritual fa
voritism, and which might lead him, from partiality, to shun to
declare all the counsel of God, as well as from timidity.
May the Author be permitted to plead for a freedom of anoth
er kind 1 — An exemption from a wish to gratify a few, at the
expense of the profit of many : an exemption from fastidious
ness of composition and address : an exemption from such' a
primness of diction, as admits of the introduction of no anec
dote, however chaste, and shuts out the seizure of aU hint? sug
gested by present feelings and occurrences : an exemption from
the too serious apprehension of little faults in seeking to secure
great impressions. To the intimidation, and checking of the
preacher here, how often is he told of the dignity of the pulpit —
as if there was any worthy or real dignity in a case like this,
separate from utility ! What is the highest, and should be the
most admired jiignity in the preacher, but an apparent forget-
fulness of every claim, but his object ; and su(ih an absorbing
solicitude' for the attainment of it, as leaves him unable to notice
inferior things 1 Without such an impression, no man can do a
great work gracefully ; for if in the execution he is observed to
be alive and attentive to any littleness, it will revolt the behold
er, instead of pleasing him. An ofiicer in the midst of action,
will be all occupied in urging and completing the conflict.^
what should we think of him if he turned aside after a butterfly,
or showed himself at liberty to inind and adjust his ring, or his
dress? Let a preacher be as correct as possible; but let him
think of founding his consequence upon something above mi
nuteness and finesse. ^Let him never imagine that his influence,
or dignity. Will ever be impaired by his feeling, and displaying .a
nobie elevation ; an- indifference to every thing else — while, the
love of Christ bears him away, and he is lost, in endeavouring
to save a soul from death, and to hide a multitude bf sins.
There is nothing with which a preacher should be less satisfied
than a tame correctness, or his producing something that will

X PREFACE.
bear criticism, but which is as void of excellency as it is free
from defect. He that winneth souls is wise. What is ev'
ery other praise of [an instrument, if it does not answer its
end? What is every other commendation of a preacher,
if he be useless ? unimpressive ? uninteresting ? What is it,
that nothing is complained of, if nothing is applauded ? What
is it, that nothing offends, if nothing strikes ? What is the har
angue that dies in the hearing, and leaves nothing for the hear
ers to carry away, to think of in solitude, and to speak of in
company ? What but a fault is the smoothness of address, that
prevents every excitement that would rend by terror, or melt by
tenderness ? A sermon may resemble a French Drama that ob
serves inviolably all the unities, and challenges severity as a fin
ished piece : but excites no sentiment, and produces no effect.
But give us rather a Shakspeare, who, with blemishes which a
less shrewd observer than Voltaire may detect, actually suc
ceeds, arrests, inspires, and enchants. We need not plead for
coarseness or faults. A speaker may be animated, yet decorous
and orderly too : but in popular addresses, if either fails, it is far
better to sacrifice correctness to impression, than effect to nicety
of endeavour. Let the squeamishly hypercritical remember that
he is labouring to little purpose while consuming his time and
attention in subtle accuracies, and polished dulness. And let
the man who is in earnest about his work, never yield to an un
der anxiety resulting from the possibility of a trifling mistake ;
and which, as Gray says of penury, would repress his noble rage
and chill the genial current of his soul. Let .him feel his sub
ject, and follow his ardour, recollecting that great exceUeneies or
impressions will redeem small failures ; and even prevent their
being noticed — unless by the little and perverse-minded, who on
ly sit to discover and remark any minute impropriety — adders to
every thing else in the charmer, charm he never so wisely.
There is also some difference between the heat of delivery
and the coolness of review ; between the leisure and discrimina
tion of readers, and hearers. More , freedom therefore will be
permitted in preaching than in publishing : and what the press
may forbid, the pulpit may tolerate. Yea, the pulpit may re
quire it, especially for the sake of a large part of the congrega
tion. For these, though they have not the advantage of culture,
yet have souls as well as others, and their moral wants must be
attended to. Now a preacher need not grovel down to the

PREFACE. XI
lowest level of the vulgar ; , yea, he should aways take his aim a
little above them, in order to raise and improve their taste •-
but he must not soar out of their sight and reach. He yet
may be tempted to this by the presence of others. But let him
remember, that those who are more educated and refined, ought,
not only to endure-, but to commend his accommodation ; yea,
and they will commend, instead of censuring him, if they are
really concerned for the welfare of their brethren less privileged
than themselves. If they are benevolent and pious as well as
intelligent, they will always be more pleased with a discourse
suited to general comprehension and improvement, than with a
preparation, which, in other circumstances, they might relish
as an intellectual treat for themselves. To which we may add,
that there is not so great a difference here as some mistaken
and elaborate orators imagine. Genuine simplicity knows a
mode, which while it extends to the poor and unlearned, will
equally please their superiors. For —
" So it is when the mind is endued
" With a well-judging taste from above ;
" Then, whether embellished or rude,
¦"'Tis nature alone that we love.
"The achievements otart may amuse,
" May even our wonder excite,
" But groves, hills, and valleys diffuse
" A lasting, a sacred delight."
In one of his charges. Archbishop Usher says to his clergy,
*' How much learning and wisdom, my brethren, are necessary
to make these things plain I" Could any thing be more fine
and judicious than this ? Here is the proper direction and ex
ertion of a minister's talents, whether natural or acquired. They
are not to unfit him for any part of his office — which they- may
easily do, at the stimulation of vanity or pride ; but to qualify
and aid him the better to perform it. It is to be feared that
some do not employ their abilities to make things plain — ;if they
do, we can but lament their deplorable want of success. But
it would seem as if their aim was to dazzle, rather than en
lighten ; to surprise, rather than inform ; to raise admiration at
their difficult composition, rather than with the Apostles to use
great plainness of speech. Even their claim to originality of
ten regards only the mode of representation. The ideas they

PREFACE.

wish to pass off as new, when examined, are found Only com
mon-place sentiments. The weU is not really deep; but you
cannot see to the bottom, because of their contrivance to make
the water muddy. They are not really tall ; and so they strain
on tiptoe. They have not a native beauty that always appears
to most advantage without finery ; and so they would make up
the deficiency by excess, and complexity, and cumbersomeness
of ornament. He who cannot rise in the simple grandeur of
a morning sun, can excite notice by the gaudy brilliancy of
manufactured fireworks ; and flame and sparkle down, as well
as up. To notice in some respects a style that has been con
structed (for it could hardly have been involuntary) so inverted,
involved, obscure, difficult, half blank verSe ; might seem to be
going out of the Author's province. He leaves, therefore, others
to i-emark, that this style, though it may be extolled by the lower
orders of professional men, and half-educated artizans, and
exciteable youth, with a smattering of science and a bad taste ;
it will never obtain the approbation of the really judicious and
discerning. He leaves others to remark, that it is disdained
by scholars, and at war with classical purity. Lord Kaimes
tells us that in every language, clearness of expression and
simplicity of thotight are the first marks of elegance. Milton
observes, that nothing accords with true genius but what ap
pears easy and natural when once it is produced. Agreeably to
which, Addison says, that the secret of fine writing is, for the
sentiments to be natural, without being obvious ; and contends,
tbat what produces surprise without being simple, will never
yield lasting pleasure to the mind. Hume, in his Essay on
Refinement and Simplicity in Style, comes soon to this con
clusion : that it is better to err in the excess of simplicity, than
in the excess x>f refinement ; the former extreme being more
beautiful and less dangerous than the latter. He observes,
that the works Tead again and again with so much pleasure,
all lean more to the one side than to the other — that it is increas
ingly needful to be guarded against the extreme of refinement
when learning has made much progress, and good writers ap
pear in every species of composition : as men will then be the
more tempted to endeavour to please by strangeness and novel
ty, and so fill their writings with affectation and conceits — and
(hat simplicity may be lost, not only in subtlety, but in effort

and straining ; and nature and ease be buried under an artificial
load of laborious diffusion.
But while the preacher leaves others to speak upon this subject
as a literary question, it cannot be improper for him to notice it
in another and far more important connexion ; and to deprpcate
the adoption of such a style in divinity, and to warn his yoijinger
brethren against every approach and tendency towards it. F&r
how perfectly is it unlike the language of inspiration ! What
an entire contrast does it form with the simplicity there, is in
Christ Jesus ! And how useless must such hard and unijitelli-
gible diction be to ordinary minds ! And who are the mass in
almost every audience? — They who are often comparfltively
neglected, if not despised, there. Leighton, and Watts, knd a
thousand other names, whose works praise them in the! gate,
and are now useful to all, might have so written as to be useless
to many. Had our S.aviour felt the low ambition of some, he
might easily have been beyond the comprehension and the at
traction of the multitude. In him were hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. He spake as never man spake. But
was it a proof against his manner^ or the highest recommenda
tion of it, that the common people heard him gladly ; and that all
bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which
proceeded out of his mouth ? The Author would not for the
world be in the condition of that preacher whose attendants do
not and cannot say, " Here the poor have the gospel preached
unto them." They not only need it ; and should excite bur
compassion by their temporal privations and sufferings, as well
as by their spiritual condition ; but they are capable of under
standing, and receiving, and admiring it. Learning is not 'ne
cessary here. The doctrines of the gospel are not the result of
research, but testimony. Tliere are funds of good sense and
good feeling in the common people, as well as in others : and
they are even capable of appreciating what is truly superior in
preaching, if it be properly presented and illustrated. Thefault
is always much more with the preacher than with them. He
does not adapt himself to those he professes to teach ; he does
not make them his aim ; he does not study them ; he does not
throw himself into their modes and habits of thinking and feel
ing ; he has nothing simple and natural in his official being.
They understand and relish the Pilgrim's Progress.; and the his
tory of Joseph ; and the parable of the lost sheep, and of the

X)V

prodigal son. They are easily informed and impressed by the
sayings of our Lord, and the language of the Scriptures. But
nothing is to be done in them without excitement ; and they are
addressed without emotion. Their very understandings must be
approached through their imaginations and passions ; and they
are lectured as if they had none. They are never to be starved
into a surrender ; and they are circumvallated and trenched at
a distance. They are only to be taken by an assault ; and they
are slowly and formally besieged. They want familiar and sea
sonable imagery ; and to show the preacher's learning, they are
furnished with allusions taken from the arts and sciences. They
want striking sentences, and the words of the wise, which are
as goads and as nails ; and they have long and tame paragraphs.
They only want truths to be brought home to their consciences,
for they admit them already ; and they are argued and reasoned
into confusion or doubt. They want precedents ; and are fur
nished with precepts. They want instances ; and are deadened
by discussions. They want facts ; and are burdened with re
flections. The Bible adapts itseff to the state of our nature : and know
ing how little all are, and how little many can be affected with
abstract representations of virtues and duties, it blends religion
with history and biography ; so that while we read the rule, we
may see the exemplification ; and be reproved, excited, and en
couraged, while we are informed. It is not a series of logical
definitions, like dead bodies well laid out and dressed — all is life
and motion. It gives us actions rather than words. We view
the fruits of righteousness growing on the tree. We have, not
the pilgrimage, but the pilgrim ; and go along with him from the
city of destruction to the shining city. We are not spectators
only ; we are his companions : we are interested in all he meets
with ; we weep when he' weeps, and rejoice when he rejoices.
It is not Christianity that is set before us, but the Christian ;
and we attend him following his Saviour, denying himself, taking
up his cross, resisting temptation, struggling with unwearied pa
tience through a thousand difficulties, braving with fortitude ev
ery danger, and emerging out into glory, honour, and immortal
ity. By nothing can the attention of children be so effectually
caught as by facts and narratives : and "men are but children
of a larger growth." What is the greater part of the Old Testa
ment, but history ? There is scarcely a Psalm, but refers to

Some fact in the experience of the composer. What are the
prophets, but historians by anticipation ? Many of them state
various, past, and cotemporary events. The book of Jonah has
only one prediction in it ; but it describes in a most vivid and
interesting manner the actual and wonderful occurrences that be-
fel the bearer himself. How pleasing and striking are the short
and simple annals of Ruth ! What is the book of Job but the
matchless dramatic story of a good man in his affluence, his ad
versity, and deliverance ? In the book of Genesis, we are present
at the creation, the destruction, and the re-peopling of the world;
we live, we travel, we worship with the patriarchs : we stand
round their dying beds. It is needless to add, that the re
mainder of the Pentateuch, with the books of Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, are
all of the narrative kind, including general and individual
sketches of the most wonderful people on earth. But what is
the Gospel itself, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ?
Is it any thing like our treatises and bodies of divinity ? It is
the history of the Son of God : While the Acts are a portion
of the history of the Apostles ; and the Epistles are evermore
enlivened with characters, incidents, .and allusions. Is this the
work of God ? Does- he know perfectly what is in man, and ne
cessary to him ? Has he herein abounded towards us in all wis
dom and prudence ? Is it not then surprising that religious in-
structers should not think it necessary or desirable to resemble
him ? And can any thing be more unlike this inspired, and
attractive, and irresistible, and impressive mode, than the struc
ture of many of the discourses that are delivered in our publick
assemblies ? Hence, they awaken so little attention ; and yield
so little pleasure ; and take no firm hold on the mind and feel
ings, especially of the young and the common people —
" And drowsy tiuklings lull the distant folds."
General declamations and reflections do little in a popular
audience. The preacher must enter into detail, and do much
by circumstances. Nothing can penetrate, but what is pointed.
Every indictment must particularize and specify. The eye
may take in a large prospect, but we are affected by inspectioii,
We must not stand long with our people on the brow of the hill,
showing them a wide and indistinct expansion, but take them
by the hand, and lead them down to certain spots and objects.

XVr PREFACE.
We are to be characteristic — not only with regard to persons,
though this is of great importance ; but also with regard to vice
and virtue, faults and excellencies. To what purpose is it to
admonish servants to be good ? The question is, in what is their
goodness to appear ? Therefore says the Apostle, " Exhort ser
vants to be obedient to their own masters, and to please them well
in all things ; not answering again ; not purloining, but shewing
all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our
Saviour in all things." Does Solomon only condemn drunken
ness ? What is there in the wretched crime ; in its excitement,
progress, evil, danger, misery, that he does not strike ? " Who
hath wo ? who hath sorrow ? who hath contentions ? who hath
babbling ? who hath wounds without cause ? who hath redness
of eyes ? They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to
seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is
red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself
aright: at the last it biteth like- a serpent, and stingeth like an.
adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine
heart shall utter perverse things : yea, thou shalt be as he that
lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the
top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I
was not sick ; they have beaten me, and I felt it not ; when
shall I awake ? I will seek it yet again."
A preacher also must indulge in a certain degree of diffusive
ness. He who passes rapidly from one thing to another is not likely
to impress, or indeed even to inform the majority of his audience.
To affect them, he must commonly dwell upon the thought a lit
tle ; and sometimes more than a little ; even with an enlarged-
ness that may seem needless ; and with a repetition in other
words and exemplifications, that may go for tautology, with per
sons of quicker apprehensiveness. Hints will please the scholar,
and set his own mind pleasingly in motion ; and he can instant
ly add from his own stores. But many have nothing but what
they receive. Besides, some are more struck With one species
or instance of illustration and confirmation, and some with an
other : ahd he Whose mind was wandering or heedless at >first,
Tiiayhaply be seized afterward. For precept must be upon pre-
cept,-line upon line ; here a little, and there a little. And the
preacher will often see by the look and manner of a hearer that
what he-failed to accomplish by a first stroke, has been done by
a second.

PREFACEj xvii
The Author is perhaps furnishing materials with which to
condemn himself. And let him be condemiied, as far as he de
viates from these rules ; for he is fully persuaded of their good
ness and truth. He can only say, it has long been his endeav
our to conform to them. Upon the same principles he has act
ed with regard to a fevv other things, in which, if he has erred,
he has erred from design.
Such is the large use he has made of Scripture language. If
holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, we
should prefer the words the Holy Ghost useth. They are surely,
on their own subjects, the most definite and significant. They
are also well known : and it is a great advantage in addressing
hearers that we are not perplexed with terms and phrases ; but
have those at hand which they understand-^i-What^a difficulty do
we feel in dealing with those who are ignorant not only of the doc
trine, but the letter, of the Scripture. It is probable that a very
judicious critic and eloquent divine* would censure the author
as in an extreme here : yet he seems to allow it to he an error on
the safer side ; and thinks that a great and original writer has
condemned the copious use of Scripture language with too niuch
severity. We avail ourselves of his striking remarks in his re*
view of Mr. Foster's Essays. " To say nothing of the inimita*-
ble beauties of the Bibley considered in -a literary view, which
are universally acknowledged ; it is the book which every de
vout man is accustomed to consult as the oracle of God ; it is
the , companion of his best moments, and the Vehicle of his
strongest consolation. Intimately associated in his mind With
every thing dear and valuable, its diction more powerfully ex
cites devotional feelings than any other ; and when temperately
and soberly used; imparts an unction to a religious discourse,
which nothing else can supply. Besides,- is there not room to
apprehend, that a studied avoidance of the Scripture phraseology,
and a care to express all that it is supposed to contain in the
forms of classical diction, might ultimately lead to neglect of the
Scriptures themselves, and a habit of substituting flashy and su
perficial declamation, in the room of the Saving truths ofthe
gospel ? Such an apprehension is but too much verified- by the
most celebrated sermons of the French; and still more by some
modern compositions in our own language, which usurp that ti-
' Mr; Hall.
3

xviii PREFACE.
tie For devotional impression, we conceive that a very consid
erable tincture of the language of Scripture, or at least such, a
colouring as shall discover an intimate acquamtance with those
inimitable models, will generally succeed best."
If it be allowed from all these considerations, that the lan
guage of the Bible has such claims, will it not follow that the
frequent use of it will tend to bring the preacher's own language
into some degree of keeping with it? Surely that style is best
for religious instruction which most easily and congenially incor
porates the composition of the Bible with it. This is not the
case with some modes of writing and speaking. But if there be
unsuitableness, and difficulty, and discordancy, in the junction,
which is to blame ? and which requires to be altered in order to
their readier coalescence? the language ofthe Scripture, or our
own ? Knox has affirmed, that no writer or speaker will ever
be so tender, and pathetic, and touching, as he whose diction is
most imbued with the manner and phraseology ofthe sacred au
thors. It will be perceived that the Lecturer has not unfrequently
made use also of the language of poetry. This is sometimes
condemned ; but a sentence of this kind will often relieve, and
often revive the attention ; while it serves to fix a sentiment
more firmly in the memory. And is it not in this very way that
God has addressed men ? How much of the Bible is poetical !
How curiously constructed are some of its divisions ! In one
case a whole Psalm is divided into as many sections as there are
letters in the Hebrew alphabet : every division contains an equal
number of verses; and each verse begins with the same letter.
" 1," says inspired Wisdom, "dwell with prudence, and find out
knowledge of witty inventions." And will a man inquire — ^not
whether an usage accords with God's condescension, and is
likely to be useful, especially to the middle and lower classes —
but whether, after a poetical quotation,' his style will not seem to
sink ; or whether the thing be sanctioned by any first-rate au
thority — and:this too— this weighing of trifles ; while he is doing
the work of eternity, and has souls perishing in view ! Paul
knew the end would not sanctify sinful means ; but he knew it
justified the use of any lawful ones ; and therefore, with a noble
ness of mind that raises him infinitely above the intdlectually
proud and unaccommodating, he could say, " Though! be free
from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I

might gain the more. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that
I might gain the Jews ; to them that are under the law, as under
the law, that I might gain them that are under the law ; to them
that are without law, as without law (being not without law
to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them
that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I '
might gain the weak : I am made all things to all men, that I
might by all means save some. And this I do for the Gospel's
sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you."
In the following documents, some things may be found look
ing rather inconsistent with each other. This arises from a
wish the Author felt strongly to represent and recommend —
whatever it was-^the present subject. And he is greatly mis
taken if this be not the method of the sacred writers. They
never seem afraid of expressing themselves too forcibly at the
time. They never stop to qualify the things they are delivering,
There are qualifications to be found ; but these are brought for
ward in other places, and where they are themselves the subjects
enforced. Our Saviour makes no limitations or exceptions,
when he is enjoining confidence in the care and providence of
God — " Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what
ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? —
Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall
take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day
is the evil thereof." But the same authority says elsewhere-^
" Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise :
which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat
in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." " How
long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard ? when Wilt thou arise out of
thy sleep 1" " Let thine eyes look right on, and thine eyelids
straight before thee." " He becometh poor that dealetli vvith a
slacH hand ; but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.'' He
must be a spiritless teacher who never produces the surprise of
paradox ; who never alarms the timid and cautious ; and whose
strength of statement and urgency, does not furnish some seem
ing contradictions.
The Author is not sure the same thought, or expression, may
not occur more than once in these Lectures ; or that he may not
have used them before in some of his other publications : for
writers are often the least acquainted with their own works ; be
ing afraid to read them, lest they should discover faults too late

XX PREFACE.
for correction, and be only rendered miserable by the discovery-
Should this be the case, it is not only hoped that they may be
excused on the ground of inadvertence ; but also that they may
prove not wholly unuseful, being found in different connexions,
^nd applied to different purposes.
The subjects were common-place in themselves ; and could
be only rendered novel in any degree by their order and treat
ment. They were also very extensive subjects, and the difficul
ty of the Preacher arose from the necessity of selection and con
centration. He was obliged to reject much that offered, and to
confine himself in each instance to two or three views. These
ought to have been the most leading, and comprehensive, and
profitable. But here the Author can only be answerable for
intentions and endeavours.
To conclude. No thought was entertained of any thing more
than the delivery of these Lectures from the pulpit till many of
them were preached. They were therefore only distinguishable
from his ordinary publick addresses by their length. Into this
he was led by a wish to do some justice to the subject without
a second discourse upon the same topic, which always divides
and impairs the impression. Till a desire began to be expressed
for their publication, he had only short notes from which they
could be written out. But he then began to secure them,' es
pecially by hints and mementos after preaching : and he is per
suaded his friends will find the Lectures more than substantially
the same they heard with so much candour and acceptance.
They will also observe, that he has secured as far as possible
even the style in which they were delivered.
One thing will be perceived in each of the discourses. He
has largely treated the subject in a way of application. He did
not intend to hold up the Christian to barren contemplation.
His aim was to make his hearers fellow-heirs, and of the same
body, and partakers of the promise of Christ by the Gospel.
Behold the awful portrait, and admire.
Nor stop ^t -wonder : imitate and live,
WILLIAM JAY.
Pt/Kfiy Place, Sept. Wth, 1836.

LECTURE I.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN CHRIST.

" I knew a man in Christ."—^ Cor. xiv. 2.
"A Christian is the highest style of man ;
" And is there, who the Cross wipes off,
" As a foul blot, from his dishonoured brow ?
" If angels tremble, 'tis at such a sight."
SO sings, with his accustomed energy and excels
lence, our admired Young. It is not, however, with
the poetry of this passage we now have to do, but
with the sentiment contained in it.
Yes ; " A Christian is the highest style of man."
Inspiration itself pronounces him to be " more excel
lent than his neighbour, however that neighbour may
be distinguished. Who, on a fair trial, can bear a
comparison with him ?-r— The rich ? But he has
'^ the true riches ;" durable riches, with righteous
ness; " the unsearchable riches of Christ." — The hon
ourable? But he is ''great in the sight of the
Lord ;" he has " the honour that cometh from God
only." — ^The learned ? But he is made " wise unto
salvation ;" he has '' an unction from the Holy One,
and knoweth all things." — The sons of heroism?
But, '' He that is slow to anger is better than the
mighty, and he that ruleth his own spirit than he
that taketh a city." He subdues enemies that van-
l^uish all other Adctors : he is more than a conqueror ?

22

THE CHRISTIAN,

and the Captain of his salvation thus eulogizes and
rewards him : " Him that overcometh will I make a
pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no
more out ; and I will write upon him the name of
my God ; and the name of the city of my God, which
is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heav
en from my God, and I will write upon him my new

NAME."

It was a high encomium our Saviour pronounced
on his forerunner : " Among them that are born of
women, there hath not risen a greater than John the
Baptist." But observe the addition : yet " he that
is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than
he." Even Adam, in his original state, was nothing
to a Christian. Redemption delivers us from far
greater evils than creation : the one rescues us only
from non-existence ; the other, from sin, and death,
and hell. The blessings of grace are far superior to
those of nature. What was the garden of Eden to
" the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwell
eth righteousness ?" What was the tree of life to
him, the true source of immortality, who came, " not
only that we might have life, but have it more abun
dantly ?" We were made by an exertion of wisdom
and power ; but we are saved by the " manifold wis
dom of God f and by '' the exceeding greatness of
his power, according to the working of bis migtity
power, which he wrought in Christ whep he raised
him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand
in the heavenly places."
When tberesfore a man, ashamed of such an infinite
distinction, endeavours to free himself from the im-
putMiqn as a reproach, it is credible, " that if angels
tremble, 'tis at such a sight." For however sdelnded

IN CHRIST. 2^
we are, they judge of things according to their real
value and importance. The world may shout at a
victory that has slain its thousands, and filled domes
tic life with " the fatherless and the widows ;" but
" there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth." Men may,dis-
esteem and neglect " the sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that should follow ;" but " the angels desire
to look into these things." Christ crucified was to
the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolish
ness ; but John " heard the voice of many angels
rt)und about the throne, and the beasts and the
elders ; and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, say
ing, with a loud voice. Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
Your Preacher, therefore, is more than justified in
a plan, the design of which he has already intimated,
and which he now proceeds to lay before you. It is
to hold up the Christian to your view, in some
very important and comprehensive conditions and
relations. To this design, we dedicate Twelve Lec
tures. The Fiirst will lead you to contemplate the Chris
tian in Christ.
The Second, in the Closet.
The Third, in the Family.
The Fourth, in the Church.
The Fifth, in the World.
The Sixth, in Prosperity.
The Sevefith, in Adversity.
The Eighth, in his Spiritual Sorrows,
The Ninth, in his Spiritual Joys,

24 the christian,
The Tenth, in Death.
The Eleventh, in the Grave.
The Twelfth, in Glory.
« Consider what I say, and the Lord give you un-'
derstanding in all things."
We are this morning to behold the Christian,
In Christ.
If this Lecture is more general than the remaining
ones, let it be remembered that it is fundamental to
the whole series ; and with the subject of it, all in
religion begins. Every thing in your Christian
character is derived from Christ. You cannot be a
Christian unless you are in him.
Of this state the Apostle here speaks. " I knew
a man," says he, " in Christ." The mode of expres
sion is humble and modest ; but by this " man," he
unquestionably intends himself. We all have known
some in Christ ; and this should awaken our joy and
praise. But religion is a personal thing. We Can
not be saved by the grace of others. Yet their ex
perience should encourage and induce us to apply
to the same source. For they were once destitute ;
and He who enriched them is able to supply us, and,
blessed be his name, is equally willing. He even
intends that every instance of his mercy should be a
plea against despair : hence the *' man" before us
could say, " Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mer
cy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all
long-suffering for a pattern to them that should here
after believe on him to life everlasting."
To come nearer our subject. There are three states
mentioned in the Scripture with regard to Christ.

in CHRIST. 26
The first is to be without Christ. " At that
time," says the Apostle, to the Ephesians, " ye were
without Christ." This is true of the heathen, and
it is true of all those who are living in sin, even in
a land of vision. " The light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness comprehendeth it not." This is
the state of nature.
The second is to be with Christ. " I long," says
Paul, " to depart and to be with Christ, which is
far better." " And so," says he, '' shall we be for
ever with the Lord." This is the state of glory.
The third is to be in Christ. This is the state of
grace. I need not remark how frequently the Scrips
tUre speaks of this condition. Let us reduce its dec
larations to some easy and brief arrangement. Of
this state let us consider,
I. The nature.
II. The IMPORTANCE;
III. The evidence.
I. The nature. — ^What is it to be in Christ r
It is to be a Christian. Paul, speaking of certain
individuals, says, " who were in Christ before me :"
that is, they embraced Christianity before he did.
" The churches," says he, " which are in Christ :"
that is, Christian churches, in distinction from
Heathen and Jewish. ^' Salute," says he, " Ap-
pelles approved in Christ:" that is, an approved
Christian. It is needless to multiply examples, as the thing is
undeniable. But admitting the fact, there must be
some reason, and some very powerful reason, not
only for the frequency of the expression, but for the
4

26 the christian,
expression itself. The language is perfectly peculiar.
There are indeed various relations and connex
ions in life ; and some of our fellow- creatures are
much attached to others, and very dependent upon
them ; yet we never say, a patient is in his physi
cian ; or, a servant in his master ; or, a disciple in
his teacher. But we constantly read of our being in
Christ — and, " If any man speak, let him speak as
the oracles of God." New terms imperceptibly
make way for new doctrines ; nor has any subtlety
of the enemy of souls succeeded better in corrupting
the mind from the simplicity there is in Christ, than
modernizing the language of divinity. When men
are shy of the " words the Holy Ghost teacheth,"
we are always afraid they are beginning to be ashamed
of the things.
The expression means a state of union with Christ.
This union may be considered as visible and profes
sional ; or real and vital. This is not a distinction
without a difference : there is a foundation for it, in
reason ; and it is even necessary, to harmonize the
testimonies of divine truth. ' Thus our Saviour says,
'' Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he
taketh away. If a man abide not in me, he is cast
forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather
them and cast them into the fire, and they are burn
ed." Thus a man may be in him, and he fruitless ;
and be in him, and perish. But can either of these ,
be true, when applied to those who are Christians
indeed, and of whom, by a 'change of metaphor, it is
said, " I will put my Spirit within them, and cause
them to walk in my statutes, and to keep my judg
ments and do them ?" and, " I give unto them eter
nal life, and they shall never perish, neither shaU.

IN CHRIST. 27
^ny pluck them out of my hand ?" We therefore
must admit, that a person may be in him by profes
sion, when he is not in him in reality : in him, by a
form of godliness, while he denies the power there
of ; in him, by an external alliance with his church,
and by the use of his ordinances, while he is a
stranger to the renewing of the Holy Ghost, and the
grace of God in truth. As religion ceases to be per
secuted, and becomes respectable, such pretensions
will be frequent ; and they may for awhile impose
upon men, and even good men : but God is not mock
ed — and what is the hope of the hypocrite though
he hath gained, when God casteth away his soul ?
But there i« another union with Christ : and this
union \s not only real and vital, but the most in
timate, and entire, and indissoluble ; independent
of the changes of time, unaffected by the diseases of
the body, uninjured by death, untouched by the des
tructions of the last day.
Let us look at it. — But how shall we do this?
Here the sacred writers lead the way ; and were we
like-minded with them, our senses would minister to
our faith, and every thing would admonish us of the
Lord of all. The sun would tell us, that there is
another orb above him, " with healing under his
wings." The wind would remind us that " so is
every one that is born of the Spirit." We should
think of Christ, and of Christians as one with him,
whenever we saw a foundation and a building; a
fountain and a stream ; a shepherd and his sheep ;
a king and his subjects ; an advocate and his client.
None of these indeed can do justice to the subject ;
the subject being so peculiar in its nature, and so
boundless in its extent. The sacred writers feel

28 THE CHRISTIAN,
this, and therefore, to increase their efiiciency, they
throw off from the images they employ every im
perfection in their kind ; they add to them attributes
which are not naturally inherent in them ; and they
multiply their number, that they may accomplish by
combination what could not be done by individuality :
and thus, though these allusions fall short of the glory
they are applied to illustrate, they aid our medita
tions. With many of these we are furnished in the
Scripture. Let us glance at a few of them ; and let
us be thankful-that instead of their having any thing
novel in them, they are well known and familiar.
We are in Christ as we are in Adam. '' In Adam
all die : so in Christ shall all be made alive." From
the first we derive our natural being, and from the
second our spiritual. By the one we fell, by the
other we rise again. By the disobedience of one
many were made sinners, and by the obedience of
one shall many be made righteous. From the one,
sin reigned unto death ; by the other, grace reigns
though righteousness unto eternal life. " The first
man is of the earth, earthy ; the second Man is the
Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such
are they also that are heavenly : and as we have
borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly."
It is eonimonly supposed that the ark was designed
to be a type of Christ : but if we cannot prove this,
it certainly affords a striking image of him. A de
luge was coming on, and Noah and his family were
exposed to the flood as well as others. But they, es
caped uninjured ; for they availed themselves of the
shelter provided. They entered it in time, and the

IN CHRIST. 29
Lord shut them in ; and they could not have been
safer had they been in heaven. Not a drop of the
torrents from above, or of the deep below, touched
them ; and through the universal wreck they sailed
out into fair weather and into a new world. But
there was no other mode of deliverance. Swimming
was useless; a boat was a vain thing for safety ; and
truly in vain was salvation hoped for from the hills
and the multitude of mountains. All were over
whelmed that contemned the Divine appointment;
for though there were abysses of destruction every
where, there was only one ark. <' Neither is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name
given under heaven among men whereby they must
be saved," than the name of Jesus. " I am," says
he, '^ the way, the truth, and the life. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me."
A peculiar provision under the law was also an em
blem of our subject. The man committing casual
murder was exposed to the avenger of blood, who
had a right to kill him wherever he should be found,
unless in one of the cities of refuge. The place of
immunity was situated on an eminence, to be visible
from afar. The road to it was open, and wide, and
prepared ; and when there was any danger of mis
take, a direction pointed, " Refuge, Refuge." To
this, therefore, the offender, incapable of trifling or
tarrying, fled for his life ; and it is easy to imagine
what were his feelings, his anxiety, his anguish, till
he had entered the asylum ; and the calm and confi
dence he enjoyed as soon as he could turn and face
the foe, and say, ^' Thou canst not touch me here."
To this, the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
who would well understand the allusion, refers, when

30 THE CHRISTI.\N,
he speaks of those " who have fled for refuge to lay
hold of the hope set before them."
Christians are in Christ as the branches are in the
tree. It matters not how near a branch is to a tree —
yea, if it lean against it ; yea, if it be corded to it, or
even nailed, it can neither flourish or live, unless it be
in the stock. But when it is in the tree, the very same
sap that pervades the one, flows into the other, and
sustains and fertilizes it. And says our Saviour, "As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abide
in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me ;
for without me ye can do nothing."
And to mention nothing more — They are in Christ
as the members of the human body are in the head.
For he is called " the head of his body the Church :"
and believers are said to be " members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones." They are real and
living parts of him. As the head governs and directs
the body, they are under his guidance and authority :
and as the body is actuated by the head, and depends
upon ligatures with it, and influences from it, so they
live by him ; and of his fulness they all receive, and
grace for grace. — Let us,
II. Consider the importance of this state.
We often, in determining the worth of a thing, ap
peal to authority : and we are much influenced in our
decision by the competency of the judge. Here it
must be confessed the multitude are not a safe guide,
nor yet many of those who by their rank and attain
ments may seem entitled to take the lead in society.
They rise early and sit up late, and eat the bread of
sorrow, and deny themselves, and compass sea and

in CHRIST. 31
land, for fortune and for fame. But their urgency
in the things of time and sense, forms a deplorable
contrast with their insensibility and negligence with
regard to the things that belong to their everlast
ing peace. So that were we to estimate the value of
the prize by the zeal of the candidates, we could
not deem it worth a moment's thought. But we
do not appeal to the blind and the deaf in ques
tions of colour and of sound. How can the vo
taries of the god of this world appreciate a kingdom
that is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost ? " Th^ world knew him not" when on
earth : and it is not wiser now. But the spiritual
judgeth all things, though he himself is judged of no
man. Let us turn to Paul, Paul was a man of
learning and wisdom. He had been the greatest ene
my to the cause of the Gospel, and had, from the most
irresistible and perfect conviction, become its ad
herent and advocate. He was not a novice in expe
rience, but had been for many years acquainted with
the Saviour, studying him as a minister, as well as
believing in him as a Christian, when he wrote to
the Philippians. Yet what was his language ? '^ Yea,
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the ex
cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and
be found in him." Thus he was fully persuaded
that a union with Christ was a state infinitely desira
ble ; and that his estimation was well founded will
appear —
If we survey the state in connexion with the ad
vantages inseparable from it, but never to be enjoyed
luithout it. And here I must make a selection ; for

32 THE christian,
I find myself in a garden abounding with produc
tions, all of which I wish to commend ; but I have
only time to lead you to notice a few of the flowers
and the fruits ; and in doing this, order is not neces
sary. But it is desirable to be delivered from captivity
and bondage^-a bondage the most degrading ; a cap
tivity the most oppressive ? Here you enjoy it.
" If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall
be free indeed." "In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
Is it desirable to be safe from condemnation?
Condemnation is to be judged of by the doom to
which it consigns us. Now '* Cursed is he that con-
tinueth not in all things written in the book of the
law to do them." And who can appreciate the mis
ery of this curse ? Who knoweth the power of his an
ger? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God. But " there is now no condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus." That is, none that
will effect their security. Conscience may condemn ;
the world may condemn ^ Satan, the accuser ofthe
brethren, may condemn ; but these are not the
Judge. " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of
God'fi elect? It is Goc? that justifieth. Who is he
that condemneth ? It is Christ that died ; yea,
rather, that is risen, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us."
' Is acceptance with God desirable ? Here we have
it — " This," says God, "is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased." The complacency extends to
us, as well as to himself. " Thou hast loved them,"
says the Saviour, " as thou hast loved me." He
hath made us accepted in the Beloved : and this is

tK CHRIST. 33
tlpue both of our persons and our services. «» He
ga=Ve himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweet-smelling savour ;" and we could not have
been originally so dear to God as we now becdme,
through his mediation.
Tell me, ye who delight in communion with God,
and are so often constrained to repair to him for
mercy and grace to help in time of need, is it good to
draw nigh to God ? And can you go to him freely
as your Father, at all seasons, on all occasions ; and
in every thing by prayer and supplication make known
your requests unto God, with an assurance of success ?
*' In whom we have boldness and access with confi
dence, by the faith of him."
In him we have all our supplies and endowments.
*' We are complete in him." Where can I find
ri^teousness? In vain I look even to my duties atid
to my holy things. These are all defective and pol
luted ; and if they deserve aiiy thing, it is condemna
tion : and if he thus enters into judgment with lis,
no flesh living can be justified. But Christ is the end
ofthe law for righteousness to every one that be-
lieveth. Thus I appear before him " not having my
own righteousness which is of the law, but that which
is of faith:" and this not only justifies me from all
things, but gives me a title to eternal life. — And
where but in him can I find strength ? The joufrney
I have to take, the race I have to run, the warfare I
have to accomplish, the duties I have to perform, the
trials I have to bear ; all these are not only above my
natural powers, but even above the grace I possess,
without fresh and constant supplies of the Spirit of
Jesus Christ. But he cries, " My grace is sufficient

34 THE christian,
for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weak
ness." Surely therefore shall one say, "In the
Lord have I righteousness and strength."
Where shall we end ? " If children, then heirs,
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." But he
is heir of all things ; therefore, says the Apostle,
" All things are yours, whether Paul, or ApoUos, or
Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things
present, or things to come, all are yours ; and ye are
Christ's, and Christ is God's." You are united to
him, and he is united to God. You are in him, and
he is in God. How secure, then, is the happiness of
believers ! Their life is hid with Christ in God !
How incapable of rupture is the connexion between
them and God, unless the medium that unites them
can fail ! But " I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord." We may also view the importance of this state in
connexion with certain seasons when it must be pe
culiarly felt. There are four of these.
The first is the hour of conviction. What is the
reason that many of you read and hear of this state
with such indifference, that you make light of the
invitation to enter it, and go your way, one to his
farm and another to his merchandise ? You do not
feel yourselves in the wretchedness and jeopardy it
implies and is designed to relieve. One question
forced from a wounded spirit — " What must I do to
be saved ?" would magnify this state more than all
the arguments your preachers can ever employ.

IN CHRIST. 35
When a man is awakened to serious consideration ;
when he examines his character and condition ; when
he looks and sees what he is, what he wants, what he
deserves; when he perceives the vastness and cer
tainty of his danger ; when he finds himself perfectly
unable to effect his own deliverance, and knows also
that the help of men and angels united could not reach
the desperateness of his case, then how inexpressibly
desirable appears a connexion with Him who is able
to save to the uttermost ! who was delivered for our
offences, and raised again for our justification ! in
whbm it hath pleased the Father that all fulness
should dwell ! Then how delightful to hear him say,
^' Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy-
laden, and I will give you rest !" Then how bless
ed/ by believing, to enter into rest, and "joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom he has now
received the atonement !"
The second is the day of trouble. And this may
always be expected ; for man is born to trouble aS
the sparks fly upwards. And what, in the wreck of
property, in the loss of relations and friends, in the
failure of health and comfort — what will you do with
out " the consolation of Israel ?" While your cis
terns are broken, the fountain of living water is far
off ; while your lamps are extinguished, no Sun of
Righteousness rises with healing under his wings.
But if you had an interest in him who is the hope of
Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble,
your trials would all be sanctified and alleviated ; at
what time you were afraid, you would trust in him ;
in the multitude of your thoughts within you, his
comforts would delight your soul. " I am cast down,
but .not destroyed. I feel my losses, but / am not

^ THE CHRISTIAN,
lost. The waters are bitter, but this tree heals them.
The cross takes away the curse ; yea, turns the curse
into a blessing. It is good for me that I am afflicted^
I know this shall turn to my salvation, through pray
er and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."
The third is an hour that awaits you all. The
day (jf trouble may come — ^the hour of death must
come. The one is probable, the other is absolutely
oertaih. For what man is he that liveth and shall
not see death ? The living know that they shall die^
But though death be a universal event, it is not a
universal privilege. It would be the most dreadfiil
delusion in many of you to say, "It is better for me
to die than to live ;" for however severe your present
sufferings may be, they are only the beginning of
sorrows. If death find you out of Christ, it WQuld
have been good for you if you had never been born-
There will be nothing to screen you from, the power
with which it is armed by sin. It will deprive you
of all you hold most dear ; it will terminate your
space for repentance ; it will close all your opportu
nities of mercy ; it will put a seal upon your charac
ter and condition forever : it will arrest, and deliver
you to the judge, and the judge will deliver you to
the officer, and you will be cast into prison, and you
shall not come out thence till you have paid the
uttermost farthing. But hear the voice from heavr
en : " Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord."
He in whom they are found, has abolished death, by
the final destruction of the state, and the present re
moval of the sting ; by the change of its nature and
office ; by turning it into a departure, a sleep ; by
making it gain. If death finds you in Christ, it will
be the angel of the covenant ; it will wipe away all

IN CHRIST. 37
your tears ; it will lead you to the altar of God, to
God your exceeding joy.
You may continue to neglect and despise the Friend
of sinners now, but you will have other thoughts
soon. Death will discover and display the errors of
life. How will you then wonder that the trifles and
vanities which now engross you, should ever have
acquired such an ascendancy ! How will you be
amazed that you constantly disregarded him who
alone can befriend you when all other helpers fail !
Then you will learn, but in vain, that an interest in
Christ is the one thing needful. Cannot you look
forward ? Cannot you foresee this, before the knowl
edge can result only in despair ?
For, fourthly. There is another day, and from
which the former derives its greatest dread — it is
appointed unto men once to die, and after this the
judgment. I do not ask you what are your thoughts
now? — but what will they be, when the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat ? when all that are in
their graves shall come forth ? when the dead, small
and great, shall stand before God, and the books shall
be opened? What will you then do without a
friend, an advocate? Then the tribes of the earth
will mourn and wail because of him. Then they
who have despised him, and rejected him, will cry
to the rocks and mountains to hide them from the
wrath of the Lamb. But the believer in Jesus lifts
up his head with joy, for his redemption draweth
nigh. Here he looked for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and now he enjoys it.
He is found in him, and therefore he is found of him
in peace — ^and hears him say, " Come, ye blessed of

38 THE CHRISTIAN,
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world." To which we
may add, that all this admits of anticipation by faith ;
and now, even now, he can say—" I am not asham
ed ; for I know whom I have believed, and am per
suaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed to him against that day."
But all that renders the state important pleads in
favour of inquiry and decision. — Let us, therefore,
III. Consider the evidence of our being in
Christ. There is no doubt but it is very desirable to
know this ; and it would be strange to suppose that
it is impossible to ascertain it; especially since we
are not only required to examine ourselves, and prove
whether we are in the faith, but also to rejoice in
the Lord always. Paul, we see, was assured of this
— " I knew a man in Christ :" and he knew himself
to be so, not as he was an Apostle, (for a man might
have been an Apostle, and not in Christ — this was
the case with Judas,) but, as a believer. Official
service is very distinguishable from personal ex
perience, and gifts do not pledge the existence of
grace. John does not say, we know that we have
passed from death to life because we can prophesy
or speak with new tongues, but " because we love-
the brethren."
When, however, we speak of this confidence, a
little explanatory caution may be necessary. People
often call it, the full assurance of faith. This is in
deed a scriptural expression, but it occurs only once;
and then it is used to denote, not a certainty of ap
propriation and experience, but a full persuasion of

IN CHRIST. 39
our being allowed, by the new and living way which
he has consecrated, to enter the presence of God in
prayer, and partake of all the blessings of his salva
tion. There is, therefore, an expression we prefer
to this — it is " the full assurance of hope." Our
present confidence is the confidence of hope, and of
hope only. This hope may be considered in a state
of conflict with doubts and fears; or in a state of
victory and triumph over them : in the one case,
there will be anxiety and uneasiness, and in the other,
joy and repose ; but the degree does not alter the
nature of the thing itself.
On what, then, is this confidence founded?
Dreams? Visions? Voices in the air? Sudden im
pulses? Passages or promises accidentally presented
on opening the Bible ? and applied, regardless of the
connexion from which they are taken, or the charac
ters of those by whom they are adopted ? On what
strange, what dubious, what unauthorized evidences,
do some rest their eternal hope ! " To the law and
to the testimony. If they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them."
All the errors, however, in judging ourselves, are
not on one side. There are mistakes also on the
right hand : and though they are not dangerous like
those on the left, they may be distressing and even
injurious, and therefore we must guard against them.
In deciding your condition, you should not make
the experience of others too much the standard of your
judgment ; for though, as in water, face answereth
to face, so the heart of man to man, yet, along with a
general conformity, there is frequently much differ
ence, especially in the degree and duration of those
spiritual exercises which commonly precede the joy

40 THE CHRISTIAN,
of God's salvation, and attend the part of divine doc
trine that first seizes our attention.
Neither should you be too minute in your in
quiries. The blind man, who was not able to answer
every question pertaining to his case, could yet say,
" One thing I know : whereas I was blind, now I
see." A man may be sure of his natural life, though
he knows not when it commenced ; and he actually
possessed the boon, long before he was able to prove
it to himself, though he always evinced it to others.
What we have to look after should be influences and
effects ; and these may be undeniable, without the
knowledge of the time, the ipeans, and the manner of
their production. A slow and gradual operation is
less striking than a sudden and instantaneous ; but
the increase of the corn sown is as real, and as divine
too, as the multiplication of the barley loaves in the
gospel. When we are deciding our Christian state, we
should not try ourselves by attainments. The reality
of divine grace is one thing ; the degree is another.
We may be of the same species with a fellow-crea
ture, though not of the same stature : and though not
equally advancing, we may be in the same way.
This I know is liable to some abuse ; and we are al
ways afraid, when we thus speak, lest people should
avail themselves of it, " to settle," as the Scripture
has it, " upon their lees ;" or, in other words, to be
content with a hope of their safety, while they are
careless of religious progression. Thus it is said^
Cromwell having asl^ed a minister, " What was the
lowest evidence of regeneration," said, on receiving
an answer, " Then I am safe." And yet there are
moments of gloom and depression, in which the

IN CHRIST. 41
question must be — -not have I much grace ? but have
I any? When the house is on fire, the tradesman
does not think of taking stock ; his only concern then
is to save.
It is a good, evidence in your favour, if you value
the thing ; and while the multitude ask, " Who will
show us any good ?" can say — One good only can
serve my purpose ; and the language of the Apostle,
and of the martyr, is not too strong for me—" That I
may know him, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made con
formable unto his death :" " None but Christ, none
but Christ !" " Blessed are they that hunger and
thirst after righteousness ; for they shall be filled."
It is a token for good, when you feel much concern
and anxiety about this state. It has been said, that
it is easy to believe what we wish; but, Paley
remarks, that the experience of every man gives
the lie to this maxim. We all know, that in pro
portion as we attach moment to a thing, and find
our happiness involved in it, we find it hard to
persuade ourselves that we have a firm hold of it ;
we are alive and awake to l^rery supposition of un
certainty : we still want proof and confirmation.
Does the . miser feel it easy to believe that his
money, the god of his idolatry, is safe? A moth
er hears that the vessel is wrecked on a foreign shore,
but that her son is rescued from the deep. There is
nothing in the world she so much desires to be true ;
yet is it easy for her to banish her solicitude and
doubt ? She will peruse every document, and ex
amine every witness ; and scarcely be able to think
he is living till she presses him in her arms. Now
we may reason from the less to the greater. A man
6

42 THE Christian,
who feels the infinite importance attached to the soul
and eternity, will always find it difficult to consider
himself a child of God, and an heir of glory ; and will
never cease saying, " Give me a token for good, that
I may rejoice in thee. Say ynto my soul, I am thy
salvation." Smoke is not fire, yet there is no smoke
where there is no fire — doubts and fears are not
faith, but they are gendered by it.
They who are united to Christ are characterized
by the change which they have experienced. This
change is not only real, but entire — entire, not in the
degree, but extent. It is complete in nothing ; but
it is begun in all the Christian's views, and senti
ments, and dispositions, and dependence, and taste,
and motives, and pursuits. Hence, says the Apos
tle, " If any man be in Christ he is a new creature;
old things are passed away ; behold, all things are be
come new."
They are also distinguished by the principle which
governs them. Hence we read, " They that are in
Christ Jesus, walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." The former will excite as well as the latter ;
but they do not yield to'it : and his servants ye are,
to whom ye obey. The one is opposed, the other
is encouraged. The one enters into the mind by
fraud or force like a robber, producing alarm and
misery, and allowing of no peace till he is expelled.
The other is invited ; and when he comes is welcom
ed and entertained as a friend. '^ For they that are
after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but
they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritual
ly minded is peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God : for it is not subject to the law of God,

IN CHRIST. 43
neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of God, he is
none of his."
And this leads us to remark, that all they who are
in him resernble him. '^ He that saith he dwelleth
in him, ought himself also to walk even as he walked."
Not only gratitude and consistency require this, but
evidence. " If," says the holy Saviour, '' I wash
thee not, thou hast no part with me." There must
be likeness, in order to fellowship. '' For what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness,
and what communion hath light with darkness? Or
what concoyd hath Christ with Belial ?" Christ and
Christians are, not like Nebuchadnezzar's statue :
the head of which was of gold, while the subordinate
parts were of inferior metal, down to the feet which
were partly iron and partly clay. " He that sancti-
fieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one." He
is a partaker of their nature ; and they are the par
takers of his. They are not of the world even as he
is not of the world. They have the same mind which
was also in Christ Jesus : a sameness of sentiment and
feeling ; a oneness of heart and of soul — " he that is
joined to the Lord, is one spirit."
Men and Brethren — Are you in Christ ?
Perhaps you have never yet asked yourselves this
question. You have been careful of your property ;
and every legal doubt has led you to call in the law
yer. You have been anxious for your character, and
every whisper of slander has led you to vindicate your

44 THE CHRISTIAN,
reputation. You have been all alive to your health,
and every symptom of disease has instantly led you
to consult the physician. But to this very hour —
and you know it — to this very hour — ^never once in
your lives have you retired, and seriously asked
yourselves — Am I in Christ? And yet you> acknowl
edge that your eternal happiness depends upon it —
and that this life is your only opportunity — and that
this season is not only short, but uncertain — and that
" in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man
cometh !" Yet you call yourselves rational crea
tures ! Yet you allow that a " prudent man fore-
seeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple
pass on, and are punished !"
My dear Hearers. You admire one and another
of your fellow creatures, and think how happy you
should feel if you could make their advantages your
own. And what are these advantages ? Are they
not things that perish in the using ? that afford no
satisfaction in the enjoyment ? that profit not in the
day of wrath ? that cannot deliver from death ? And
are these the things for which you envy men of the
world, who have their portion in this life ? Is it not
time, especially for some of you, to grow wiser, and
to form your estimates by the judgment of God, which
is always according to truth ? " Search the Scrip
tures." There you will find that they, and they alone,
are wise, and safe, and happy, who can say, to " the
praise of the glory of his grace,"' "We know that
the Son of God is come, and hath given us an un
derstanding, that we may know him that is true : and
we are in him that is true ; even in his Son Jesus
Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
Envy these, not by grudging them their blessedness,

IN CHRIST. 45
buf by longing for a participation of it ; and praying
with one, who though a king himself, yet overlook
ing all his earthly advantages, kneeled and said,
" Remember me, 0 Lord, with the favour thou
bearest unto thy people : oh visit me with thy Sdlva-
tion, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I
may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, and glory
with thine inheritance."
Let this be your concern — let it be your su
preme concern — " Seek ye^rs^the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness." — And let it be your imme
diate concern. You cannot be happy too soon : and
while you hesitate, and linger, the opportunity may
be irrecoverably lost. " Seek the Lord while he
may be found ; call upon him while he is near."
And for your encouragement, be persuaded that you
will not, cannot seek him in vain. All things are
now ready. Rise, he calleth thee — and says, " Him
that cometh unto me, I, will in no wise cast out."
How ought we to conduct ourselves towards those
that are in Christ ? Surely if they have little of
earthly distinction, they should be judged of by their
treasure in heaven. Whatever they are in them
selves, their destination, their rank, their relation
should ensure them respect. They are to be valued
for his sake with whom they are one ; and shall be
one for ever. In consequence of this union, if we
slight and injure them, he feels it as if done to him
self: " He^^that touches them, touches the apple of
his eye." In the same way, he regards our atten
tions and kindnesses to them, as if they were favours
conferred upon himself : '' Inasmuch as ye did it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it
unto me."

46 THE CHRISTIAN, IN CHRIST.
Finally. How ought they that are in Christ to
conduct themselves? How cheerfully, how gratefully
otight you to feel ! Once far off, and now nigh ! Once
strangers and enemies, and now fellow-citizens with
the saints, and of the household of God ! Once hav
ing nothing, now possessing all things ! You have
had much for^ven — yoti should love much. He has
done great things for you — you should largely in
quire, what can you do for him ; and, " by the mer
cies of God, present your body a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable, Which is your reasonable ser
vice." O you, who livie by this Saviour, make him
known. Recommend him. Begin with your own
family. You are concerned to provide for your chil
dren. But how is youl- love operating ? Is it not
in laying up for them treasure on earth ? or seeking
great things for them in the world ? It would be in
finitely better to leave them in Christ, than to leave
them with thousands of gold and silver, or with kings
upon the throne. Forget not your friends, and your
lieighbours. Hold forth the Word of Life impres
sively and invitingly to all around you. Teach
transgressors his Ways, and let sinners be converted
unto him. What says the Poet ?
" O 'tis a Godlike privilege to save :
" And he that scorns it is himself a slave.
" Inform the mind : one beam of heavenly day
" Will heal the heart, and melt his chains away."
What says the Apostle ? " If a man err from the
truth, and one convert him, let hini know that he
which converteth a sinner from the error of his ways,
shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multi
tude of sins." Amen.

LECTURE It

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE CLOSET.
"Enter into thy closet." — ^Matt. vi. 6.
THE curiosity and attention of men are awakened
by very different excitements, according to their
temper, and education, and habits in life ; and what
is despised by some as worthless, is studied by others
with peculiar delight.
But there is really a gradation in the value of ob
jects themselves. The works of art display great
skill and > ingenuity ; but the productions of nature
are much more deserving of our inspection : witness
the remark of our Saviour concerning the lilies of
the field — " Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these." But the operations of grace far
surpass the results of nature ; for they regard the soul
and eternity, and display more of the perfections of
Deity. Therefore, says David, " Thou has magnifi
ed thy word above all thy name." Therefore He
himself says, " Behold, I create new heavens and a
new earth: and the former shall not be remembere4,
nor come into mind."
T|ie suibjects of divine grace, therefore, are the
most interesting characters in our wprld. Many in
deed neglect and despise them; but there is one class
of persons, always dear to a minister of Christ,
who feel them the most powerfully attractive. They

48 THE CHRISTIAN,
are those, who, roused to a sense of their danger, are
exclaiming, " What must I do to be saved ?" — ^who,
longing to return to him from whom they have revolt
ed, are inquiring, " How shall I come before the
Lord, and bow before the high God ?" — ^who, bound
for the glory to be revealed, are " asking the way to
Zion, with their faces thitherward." If you were
going a journey of great difficulty, and yet of un
speakable importance ; and you were in company
with a multitude of individuals, he amongst them all,
who had travelled the road himself, would be the
man of your preference ; and you would endeavour
to get near, and converse with him. To a suffering
patient, the most engaging person he could meet with,
next to the physician — for none wOuld bear a com
parison with him — would be the man who had himself
laboured under the same complaint, and could tell
of the manner in which the remedy is applied ; and
whose own recovery would be a living voucher not
only of its safety, but of its efficacy and success.
In a series of discourses, to bring the Christian
before you, for your admiring and practical contem
plation, last Lord's- Day we Adewed him In Christ :
. We are this morning to consider him —
In the Closet.
Wonder not, my Brethren, that we bring forward
this view of the Christian, so early. By this he is
distinguished from the commencement of his religious
concern. He soon turns aside from the vile and the
vain, and bewails himself alone. They cannot enter
into his feelings now. They know nothing of a
broken heart and a contrite spirit, unless as a subject

IN THE CLOSET. 49
of wonder or contempt. He feels his sin to be a
burden too heavy for him to bear, and longs for ease j
but the " wide world" cannot relieve him, cannot
sympathise with him, cannot direct him to " the rest
and the refreshing." All great sorrow seeks solitude
and silence : " He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence,
because he hath borne it upon him ; he putteth his
mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope."
Did ever language describe the experience of the
penitent so beautifully, so feelingly as the words of
our heavenly Bard ?
" I was a stricken deer, that left the herd
" Long since : with many an arrow deep iniix'd
" My panting side was charged, when I withdrew
" To seek a tranquil death in distant shades.
" There was I found by one, who had himself
" Been hurt by the archers. In his side he bore,
" And in his hands and feet, the cruel scars.
" With gentle force soliciting the darts,
" He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live.
" Since then—
" With few associates, and not wishing more,
" Here much I ruminate, as much I may,
" With other views of men and manners now
" Than once ; and others of a life to come."
Yes, his chief business now is with God ; and this
is not to be managed in a crowd : and as this business
continues and increases through life, abstraction and
retirement will always be desirable, always necessary.
His religion cannot flourish — cannot live without it.
Our theme is very extensive. Let us detach from
it four things. Let us review the Christian in his
Retirement, with regard
I. To Place.
II. Time.
III. Engagement.
IV. Motives. 7

60 THE CHRIS;riAN,
I. With regard to Place.
Our Saviour says, " Enter into thy closet." The
word signifies any retired apartment ; and some im
agine that he employs a term of such latitude, that we
might have no excuse for omission, if we are unfur
nished with a place appropriated more expressly to
pious use.
The connexion requires this extension of meaning.
Our Lord applies the word " closet" obviously in
opposition to the " corner of the street ;" and in dis
tinction from the openness of the "synagogue,"
where persons could be "seen of men," and for which
purpose these situations were chosen by the Phari
sees. But he would have his disciples to avoid all
appearance of ostentation ; and perform their devo
tions where they would be concealed, unless from a
witness in heaven. Yet if the end, which is privacy,
can be answered, the place would be indifferent.
" Where'er we seek Him, he is found ;
" And every place is holy ground."
" I will that men pray every where," says the Apos
tle, "lifting up holy hands, without wrath, and
doubting." God said to Ezekiel, " Go forth into the
plain, and there I will talk with thee." Isaac made
a closet of the field. Daniel, of the river-side, as
well as of his chamber. Nathanael, of the fig-tr^e.
Peter, of the housetop.
A variety here must be admitted, or the duty can
not be performed by many, at all. For what num
bers are there who are unable to command a conve
nient room for religious engagement. This is a trying
case : and especially to those who have been accus
tomed to enjoy such an advantage. The Preacher

IN THE CLOSET. 51
knew a pious female, who had been reduced from a
mansion, and compelled to occupy a hired and con
tracted apartment ; yet nothing in the humiliating
and distressing change seemed to affect her, but her
wait now of a place of seclusion, in which to indulge
her pf ivate devotion. For the " peculiar people,"
even in common circumstances, fail not to give proof
of their distinction : " They that are after the flesh,
do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are
after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." If, my
Christian friends, you have the privilege of accommo
dation, be grateful for it, and use it well : and if you
have not, remember your Heavenly Father knoweth
it, and 'that where ''^ there is first a willing inind, a
man is accepted' according to what he hath, and not
according to what he hath not." Be as retired as
you can, since you cannot be so retired as you
would; and if your cir6umstances wiir not allow of
your being hid, and some of your fainily must witness
yoUr exercises, be not afraid of opj^osing the Saviour's
pleasure. Though you are seen of men, you are not
seeking to be seen by them.
It is possible to retire mentally, even in company ;
and many an act of devotion is performed by the
Christian without the formality ofthe exercise, when
he is busied in his ordinary concerns. Nehemiah
worshipped secretly, without retirement ; and while,
as cup-bearer, he was performing' his office in at
tending on the king, "prayed to the God of heaven."
The Jews had their Proseuchse, oratories, or pray
ing-houses, in secluded situations, by streams of water,
and in woods, and on the sides of mountains. The
Scripture ;more than once refers to such:places. In
one of these it is probable our Saviour passed the night

5^ THE CHRISTIAN,
he spent in devotion; and in one of these Paul seems
to have addressed his hearers in the vicinage of
Philippi. They ! ^gere a|pleasing and a wise provi
sion ; as persons could here indulge themselves in
private devotion whenever they were prompted by
disposition and opportunity ; and especially those
who had scarcely any other sacred retreat. We
have not such accommodations : but Nature itself^
during a large portion of the year, affords us advan
tages ; and it is wonderful that persons do not often-
er avail themselves of these interesting spots of retire
ment. We have known some who, whenever the>
season and the weather allowed, retired thus, to per
form their morning and evening devotions. Instead
of their minds being diverted, and their thoughts dis
sipated, by the scenery, the works of God refreshed
and impressed them, and furnished them with excite
ments and assistance. And there are those, now liv
ing, who, if ever they feel devout, feel it in a garden,
or a field, or a meadow. The bubbling spring, the
apple-tree, among the trees of the wood, the rose of
Sharon, the lily of the valley, the purple rising,
and the golden setting of the sun, aid their commu
nion with Him who is all in all. The sowing of the
grain, the blade, the ear, the full corn in the
ear; the mower filling his hand, and the binder of
sheaves his bosom ; the husbandman and the gleaner
— all these teach them to think and feel devoutly.
They love the creatures of their God, and feel them
their friends ; and while [the herd grazes at their
feet, and the sheep repose at their side, and the lambs
sport in sight, a voice seems to say, " Thou shaft be
in league with the stones of the field ; and the beasts
of the field shall be at peace with thee." They hear

IN I'HE CLOSET. 53
God in the breeze ; they sing his praise in the note
ofthe bird; they make every scene a book; every
object a preacher 5 everyplace a -temple.
We only add, what an advantage is the omnipre
sence of devotion, in that solitude which is not chosen,
but brought upon us by the necessity of circumstan
ces : when lover and friend are put far from us by
death, and the heart within us desolate ; when travel
ling, and we droop in the loneliness that is felt in
the midst of strangers ; when, by distance or con
dition, our connexions are beyond our reach, and
we inaccessible to them. Ah ! says Jonah, in the
midst of the sea, " I will look again towards thy
holy temple." "From the ends of the earth," says
David> *^ will I cry unto thee, when my heart is
overwhelmed." Cowper has not overlooked this
consolation^ in the language he has put into the mouth
of the lonely islander —
" But the sea-fowl is gone to her nest,
" The beast is laid down in his lair ;
" E'en here is a season of rest,
" And I to my cabin repair.
" There's mercy in every place,
" And mercy, eiicOuraging thought !
" Gives even affliction a grace,
" And reconciles man to his lot."
We consider it,
II. With regard to time.
When are we to enter our closet? and how long
are we to remain there ? You are not to be there
always^ You will hear, as we proceed, that the
Family, the Church, the World, have all claims up
on you. Every duty has its season, in which alone
it is beautiful and acceptable. "No duty," says

54 THE CHRISTIAN

Bishop Hopkins, ." Will be apprbvedi of Gdd> ¦ that ap
pears before bira stainedwith the murdfer of another
duty." Yea,- a Christian sometimes fiirces- hitoself
away from the delights of solitude, to'engage in ser
vices, far less pleasing than lying, down in these
green- pastures, and feeding' beside these- still -waters.
But self indulgence, even when the enjoyment' is re
ligious, must yield to the will of his Heavenly Fa
ther, as soon as it is known.-
Retirement, however, should be frequent. Yet, if
you ask how frequent? I do' not pretend absolutely to
determine. The Scripture does not' decide : it was
needless to decide — as needles^ as the piiescribing
how often you should eat t and drink. Ybur Wants
will regulate the one, and' your love- will regulate th^
other. Love is the Christian's grand principle:; and
love does not require to be bound : ' it'is ingeatidus^^
it is urgent ; it is contriving ; and'wiU get, withall'
possible expedition, to its object. Besides, no rule
can be laid down that will apply equally to all.
There is a great difference in our conditionSj and our
callings. At different periods, tooj thb providence of
God may vary our duties. Thus the good people
formerly spent much more time alone, than the pe
culiarities of the day in which we live, will allow us.
It does not follow that they had more piety than
Christians now : their religion was more compressed,
and flowed in a deeper channel ; but that of modern
Christians,! though shallower,- is more diffusive "arid
rapid. They had not' those openings for activities
abroad — those calls to- extensive and -manifold benefi
cence and ' eiertions^ which the * followers of' Christ
now have. These^therefore, cannot gratify them
selves by spending hoursl together in their loved' se-

m THE closb;t. 55
cj^ion : tliey hear a IjHiousand voices crying, "Gome, .
and help us." They see that " the fields are al
ready white .unto ha^ye^t:" they know that "the
harvest is great ;" that " the lahourers are few ;"
that the season is short ; that the weather is uncer
tain ; and the consequences of negligence, not only
incalculable, but remediless.
Christians, however, should get as much leisure for
the Closet, as they are able. And in order to this,
they shpiuld guard agapsj; the waste of time ; they
should economise time ; they should redeem time
from indecision, ai^d trifling, and especially from the
vile and wretched consumptions of unnecessary sleep.
David njentions three tinies a day : ''Evening, and
^orning, and at nopij, \vill I pray, and cry aloud."
Daniel observed the sam^e pjije : " He went into his
house ; and his wjndovys being opened in his cham-
bjer tqvfard,s lerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees
three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks be-
fqre h^s God? as hp did a%)retime." This was a cus
tom much rpco^imended, and observed by many of
our forefathers : they thought, and they wisely
thought, that a few moments of retirement in the
middle of the day, as well as morning and evening,
tended to check temptation and vanity, and to keep
the miiid in the things of God. ' But twice a day, at
least, the Christian will withdraw. Less than this
will not surely keep us " in the fear of the Lord all
the day Iqng"— and for this, the morning and even-
iijg will be dfieme4 the most suitable periods. Under
the law, a laiflh was offered every morning and every
evening. IJow miich is there in each of these re
turning seasons to excite and to impress ! "It is a
good thing," says the Psalmist, " to give thanks unto

56 THE CHRISTIAN,
the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, 0 Most
High. To show forth thy loving-kindness in the
morning, and thy faithfulness every night."
As to the particular hour, this must be a matter of
discretion : only it should be as early as possible both
in the morning and evening, to avoid disturbance in
the one, and drowsiness in the other. I will put
amusements out of the question. But if you return
late from visiting, it is better to retire even late than
not at all. Yet in many of these cases would it not
be preferable to retire a few moments before you go?
Would you be, less prepared for company ? Would
you be less safe ? Would you be less edifying ?
What may be done at any time, is often done at no
time : anck while we have no plan or purpose, we are
open to every casualty that may seize us, and turn us
aside. It is therefore necessary to have appointed
seasons for retirement ; and desirable to adhere to
them as invariably as we can. >
There are also occasional and extraordinary calls
to private devotion, when more than ""usual time
should be allowed, that the mind may be effected
with the event, and obtain the peculiar assistance the
case requires. I should have a poor opinion of that
Christian, who would not employ more than common
retirement, when going to change his residence, his
calling, his condition in life ; or to take any impor
tant step, the consequences of which may affect not
only his comfort, but his condudt and character for
ever. When Jacob was going to meet his exasperat
ed brother Esau, who was coming against him with
four hundred men, he was found alone wrestling with
the Angel. When our Saviour was going to ordain
his twelve Apostles, " He went out into a mountain

IN THE CLOSET. 57
to pray ; and continued all night in prayer to God."
And when his hour of suffering was drawing near,
we find him in the garden of Gethsemane, and re
tiring three times even from his selected disciples,
and praying. — -Let us,
HI. Consider this Retirement with regard to its
ENGAGEMENTS. Many retire ; but the Tradesman retires to cast
up his accounts, and to plan his schemes ; the Sfcites-
man, to enjoy his relaxation and ease ; the Philoso
pher, to pursue his theories and experiments ; the
Poet, to rove among the aspects of nature, or to lose
himself in creations of his own — and perhaps God is
not in all their thoughts. So far from inviting him
into their solitude, when they apprehend his ap
proach, they repel the impertinent intruder ; and
say unto God, " Depart from us ; we desire not the
knowledge of thy ways." But we are speaking of
religious retirement. The Christian withdraws for
three purposes.
First, He is engaged in Reading. This enlarges
his views, and impresses his mind, and furnishes
him with aid to devotion. But what does he peruse ?
Principally the Scriptures. I say principally, be
cause other books may be occasionally read to advan
tage, and we have a plenitude of excellent works for
the closet. Yet, I confess, the Scriptures, alone
appear to be the best reading in retirement, es
pecially for the poor, and those who have little
leisure. They are the fountain ; other books are
streams, and streams are seldom entirely free from
Something of the quality of the soil through which
8

58 THE CHRISTIAN,
they flow : and who would not draw the water of
life for himself from the spring-head ! They come
immediately from God, and lead immediately to him I
There is a boundless variety and fulness in them.
They are always new. They entertain, while they
teach; and profit, while they please. There is
alway something in them that bears upon our own
character and condition, however peculiar it may be.
" They are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished
unto all good works." I would recommend, gener
ally, a regular reading of this sacred Volume : for
every word of God is pure : and whatsoever things
were written aforetime, were written for our learn
ing ; that we, through patience and comfort of the
Scripture, might have hope. But "let him that
readeth understand." It is better to peruse a para
graph with attention and reflection, than carelessly,
and without observation, to run over several chap-^
ters. — For,
Secondly, He is engaged in Meditation. And,
my Brethren, it is desirable that you should employ
your own powers ; for you will be more affected and
benefited by the efforts of your own minds, than by
the thoughts of others. The faculty will be improv
ed and increased by exercise ; and cannot be acquir
ed without it, any more than a man can learn to
swim by never entering the water. And surely you
cannot be at a loss for subjects. If your reading
does not supply you immediately with materials>
there are the seasons of the year, the state of the
world, the condition of your family, your own
individual circumstances, temporal and spiritual.

IN THE CLOSET. 59
Two subjects are always at hand — your own deprav
ity and unworthiness, of which fresh proof is
given every day and every hour ; and, the " love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge." In his suffer
ings and glory, the angels always find enough to
attract and engage their profoundest thoughts ; and
shall these be Jess interesting to you, — to whom they
are not only true, but important ; not only wonder
ful, but infinitely necessary? They are all your
salvation ; let them be all your desire : and say, with
David, " My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will
rejoice in the Lord." — " My soul shall be satisfied
as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise
thee with joyful lips, when I rem|mber thee upon my
bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches." —
" How precious are thy thoughts unto me, 0 God !
how great is the sum of them ! If I should count
them, they are more in number than the sand. When
I awake, I am still with thee." — ^Whatever the sub
ject of your meditation may be, content not yourselves
with considering it generally and abstractedly ; but
take some particular view of it, and bring it home to
yourselves. " Is the Lord thy portion, O my soul ?
Dost thou hope in him ? Art thou an heir of this
promise ? Dost thou stand in the way of this threat
ening? Art thou living in the performance or neglect
of this duty ? Say not, ' and what shall this man
do ?' but, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?' "
Thirdly, He is employed there in Prayer. This is
the special design of it. This is what our Saviour
here enjoins : " Enter into thy closet ; and when
thou hast shut thy door, pray" If ever you are at
a loss to meditate, surely you can never be at a loss to
pray ! How numberless are your wants ! How

60 THE CHRISTIXK,
much have you to implore for yourselves and others !
How much to confess at the foot of the cross ! How
much to call forth your thanksgivings and praise!
And all this is included in prayer.
And the manner need not discourage you. For
here the excellency does not consist in the mode of
expression — -the desire is all in all. " The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Even words
are not necessary here. God reads deep meaning in
the tear ; and hears. heavenly eloquence in the sighs
of those that seek him : and often the most acceptable
and successful intercession is made " with groanings
which cannot be uttered."
These are the engagements of the Christian in his
retired moments. But it is not necessary that he
should perform all these exercises always ; though it
is very desirable that they should be all included ; or
that he should observe them precisely in the order
we have stated. They may, sometimes, alternately
precede each other ; and they may sometimes be in
termingled. We have an instance of the blending
together of these exercises in the retirement of Da
vid, with the recital of which we shall conclude this
division of our discourse. For, as soon as Nathan
had waited upon him, and had delivered the words
of the vision, "Then went king David in and sat be
fore the Lord, and he said, Who am I, 0 Lord God,
and what is my house, that thou hast brought me
hitherto ? And this was yet a small thing in thy
sight, O Lord God ; but thou hast spoken also of thy
servant's house for a great while to come : and is this
the manner of man, 0 Lord God ? And what can
David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God,

'IN-'THE CLOSET. 61
knowest thy servant. For thy word's sake, and
according to thine own heart, hast thou done all
these great things, to make thy servant know ^Aem.
And now, 0 Lord God, the word that thou hast
spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his
house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast
said. For thou, O Lord of Hosts, God of Is
rael, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will
build thee an house : therefore hath thy servant
found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy
words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness
unto thy servant : therefore now let it please thee to
bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue
for ever before thee : for thou, O Lord God, hast
spoken it : and with thy blessing let the house of thy
servant be blessed for ever."-~Let us consider retire
ment, IV. With regard to its motives.
The obligation might be enforced from the authori
ty of God, whose will is supremely binding on the
consciences of all those who are informed of it ; and
whose language ought always to be, " Speak, Lord,
for thy servant heareth." It might also be enforced
by example. We could shew, how the most eminent
saints, and the most busy too, have abounded in this
employment — and at the head of all, we CQuld present
the Lord Jesus himself, whose conduct has the force
of a law upon his followers ; and who in vain profess
to abide in him unless they also walk even as he walk
ed. How often do we read of his withdrawing him
self, to be alone with his Heavenly Father ! And can
any of you dare to intimate. Ah ! he needed retire-

62 THE CHRISTIAN,
ment ; but I can dispense with it ! But while it is
enjoined by the highest authority and sanctioned by
the highest example, it comes recommended by the
highest advantage : and every thing unites to prove
that it is a reasonable service, Mrs. Berry says in
her Diary, " I would not be hired out of my closet
for a thousand worlds. I never enjoy such hours of
pleasure, and such free and entire communion with
God, as I have here : and I wonder that any can live
prayerless, and deprive themselves of the greatest
privilege allowed to them." If the twelve Apostles
were living in your neighbourhood, and you had ac
cess to them, and this intercourse drew you away
from the Closet, they would prove a real injury to
your souls ; for no creature can compensate for the
want of communion with God.
We may connect Retirement with the acquisition
of knowledge. " Through desire, a man having sep
arated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all
wisdom." This is peculiarly true of one kind of
wisdom, and which the Heathen Oracle pronounced
to be of heavenly descent — Self-Knowledge. For
how can those, who are for ever engaged in company,
and engrossed by business, become acquainted with
their character and their state ? How can they com
pare themselves accurately with the word of truth ;
and look after the workings of the hidden man of the
heart ; and weigh their motives ; and measure their
deficiencies; and detect the sins of their holy things;
and " walk humbly with their God," 'like those who
retire with him, and in his " light see light?"
Retirement is necessary to reduce the force of secu
lar influence. Where is it the world deceives us,
allures us, overcomes us ? Not when we are alone.

IN THE CLOSET. 63-
Not when it is contemplated in the presence of our
Bible and our God. There the fascination drops off.
There we see that whatever successes we have gain
ed, we are still losers, without " the one thing need
ful." There we feel that the favour of man, who is
a worm, is less than nothing and vanity, compared
with the friendship of God. There we wonder that
we have ever submitted to be the slaves of folly ; and
vow against the tyrant in future.
" When I can say, my God is mine ;
" When I can feel his glories shine ;
" I tread the world beneath my feel,
" And all that earth calls good or great."
Is the resemblance of God a trifle ? This results
from our intimacy with him. "Evil communications
corrupt good manners." But while " a companion
of fools shall be destroyed, he that walketh with wise
men, shall be wise." We soon assume the manners,^
and imbibe the spirit of those with whom we are famil
iar, especially if the individual be a distinguished per
sonage, and we pre-eminently revere and love him.
Upon this principle, the more we have to do with
God, the more we shall grow into his likeness, and
" be followers of him, as dear children." When
Moses descended from communion with him, his face
shone : and although he was not aware of the lustre
himself, the people could not stedfastly behold him
for the glory of his countenance ; and he was con
strained to hide it under a veil. The Christian, too,
may be insensible of his excellencies and proficien
cies ; but his profiting will appear unto all men ; all
will take knowledge of him that he has been with
Jesus.

64 THE CHRISTIAN,
Retirement prepares us for all other services.
Judge Hale, in his Letters to his Children, makes no
scruple to say, " If I omit praying, and reading a
portion of God's blessed word, in the morning, noth
ing goes well with me all the day." Dr. Boerhaave
said, that " his daily practice of retiring for an hour
in the morning, and spending it in devotion and med
itation, gave him firmness and vigOur for the business
of the whole day." He who goes forth from God,
after inquiring his will, and committing himself to
his care — he is the best fitted for all the successes or
disappointments of life. It is alone with God, that
the minister best qualifies himself for his work : it is
there that he is wrought into the due temper of his
office ; it is there he rises above the fear of man, that
"bringeth a snare," and resolves not "to shun to de
clare all the counsel of God ;" it is there he is in
spired to say, "^Careless, myself a dying man,
" of dying men's esteem :
" Happy, 0 God, if thou approve,
" Thougli all beside condemn."
He is the last man in the world who should be " to
be had." He should learn to resist, with the firm
ness of a martyr, all encroachments on his holy soli
tude. His hearers will soon learn, by the want of
savour in his ministrations, that he loves to be more
abroad than at home, and is fonder of the parlour
than the closet. Whereas the man that issues from
frequent and long retirement, will a^end the pulpit
as Aaron entered the tabernacle of the congregation,
when the holy oil had been poured upon his head,
and the fragrance filled the place. To speak of the
Christian's preparation for publick worshipj,^mg^be

IN THE CLOSET. l65
deemed legal or superstitious by some ; but the
Scripture speaks of it, and the godly have always
found their account in it. Previous retirement de
taches the mind from earth ; it composes the thoughts ;
it tends to prevent distractions in waiting upon God ;
and aids to produce that seriousness of spirit, which
is essential to our edification by the means of grace.
They will always profit most by the sanctuary, who
are much in the closet.
It furnishes also a good evidence of our state. Do
not judge of yourselves by what you are before men —
What are you with God? Your sincerity is chiefly
evinced by your regard to the unseen duties of reli
gion. These show that you are actuated by pious
principle, and not by any of those inferior motives
which produce appearances. In publick duties you
are open to the observation of others. Hypocrites
may lift their hands and eyes ; and affect great fer
vour and zeal. Curiosity may prompt our repairing
to the ordinances of the temple; and the dispensa
tion even of divine truth, in excellency of speech
and elegance of manner, may prove an amusement ;
and persons may flock to it as to a concert. We
know it was so with Ezekiel's hearers. " And, lo,
thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that
hatha pleasant voice, and can play well on an instru
ment ; for they hear thy words, but they do them
not." If you are with a person whom you dislike,
his presence is tolerable in a large company, where
you have other attractions — though even then you
would rather he was absent ; but should they with
draw, how embarrassed and miserable would you be
with him alone ! Some of you seem attached to the
house of God ; but we often wonder how you would
9

66 THE CHRISTlA^f-,
feel, if, upon the separation of the assembly, you
were " detained" like Doeg " before the Lord."
The freedom we enjoy in the exercise, is no incon
siderable recommendation of private devotion. Here
we come even to his seat ; we reach the secret place
of the Most High. Here we are free from the re
straints we feel in publick. Here we are not con
demned as deceivers, or ridiculed as enthusiasts, if
we prostrate ourselves before God, or pray like our
Saviour, " with strong cryings and tears." I know
not why we should be ashamed to be seen weepings
yet so it frequently is — but here the eye can pour
out tears unto God. Here we may sigh, and pause,
and kneel a third time, " saying the same words."
Here the mind is affected with those minute but touch
ing recollections and peculiarities which cannot be
admitted into publick worship. Here we may pray
for others, in a way we could not do before them,
without offence. Would they abide to hear us he-
seech God to deliver — One of them from the love of
money? Another, from a fondness for extravagance?
A third, from a hateful and odious temper ? Here
you can lay open, with proper self-abasement, the
secret workings of your own pride, or envy, or car
nality. Here you may pour into the bosom of God
things which you could not divulge to your dearest
friend or relation. Every heart has a bitterness of
its own ; and this is frequently what it is least at lib
erty to communicate. But here no secret is hid —
here no complaint is suppressed. Here, "in every
thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
we make known our requests unto God ;" and, as the
consequence of the full disclosure, we are " careful
for nothing ;" and " feel a peace that passeth all un-

IN THE CLOSET. 67
derstanding, keeping our heart and mind through
Christ Jesus."
But ought we to overlook the promise which the
Saviour has here given us, and with which Jie would
engage us to the performance of this duty? It would
be a reflection upon his wisdom and goodness. — " En
ter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to, thy Father which is in secret, and thy Fa
ther which seeth m secret, shall reward thee openly."
Let us observe the inducement.
It includes the Sinine Presence. "Thy Father
which is in secret." He is every where ; but he is,
it seems, peculiarly in the closet. Here "he is
waiting to be gracious, and exalted to have mercy."
Here is no terror to make you afraid. Here he is,
not as a Judge on his tribunal, to arraign you as. crim
inals ; nor even as a Monarch on a throne of state to
receive yOu as subjects ; but as your Father, eager to
embrace you as " the sons and daughters of the Lord
Almighty." Do children dread to enter a rooni
where a loved and honoured father is to be found ?
Would not jthis be a sufficient attraction ? " When
shall I come," says David, " and appear before God?"
It includes his inspection. "And thy Father
which seeth in secret." He is not regardless of you ;
he is not ignorant of your condition ; he knows what
is the mind of the spirit. Your desires are before
him, and your groaning is not hid from him. He
sees you, but not with eyes of flesh . He is no re
specter of persons. He will not fail to notice you,
however poor and despised. He views you with ap
probation. The prayer of the upright is his delight.
" Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice ;
for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."

6JJ THE CHRISTIAN,
It includes recompence. " He shall reward thet
openly." He " never said to the seed of Jacob, seek
ye me in vain." But Surely it is enough for a bene
factor to be ready to attend to the applications of the
distressed, without promising to reward beggars for
knocking at his door ; and to bestow on them honour
that shall distinguish them in publick, as if, instead
of being urged by their necessities, they had been
performing some very meritorious action ! The ad
vantage of prayer is all our own : there can be noth
ing like desert in it. And yet to stimulate us to at
tend to a course founded entirely in a regard to our
welfare, the Lord of all makes himself a debtor to his
suppliants ; and engages to confer upon them not on
ly a real, but a publick and acknowledged recom
pence. Even here he puts a difference between his
people and others. Even now he induces observers
to say, " Verily there is a reward for the righteous ;"
" This is the seed which the Lord hath blessed."
He can make even a Balaam exclaim, " How goodly
are thy tents, O Jacob ! and thy tabernacles, O Is
rael ! Let me die the death of the righteous, and
let my last end be like his." But if at present any
dispensations humble them, any clouds obscure them,
they will be exalted in due time,, they will soon
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
"Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come,
who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness,
and make manifest the counsels of the heart, and
then shall every man have praise of God."
And now, my dear hearers, upon the ground of
this important subject, let me address you with all fi
delity and seriousness. For it is not a light thing,
it is your life. I remember the observation of an old

IN THE CLOSET. 69
divine, and it is not too strongly expressed : " It is
impossible for a man to be godly, who neglects secret
devotion, and next to impossible that he should ever
become so." To which he adds, " You may as well
talk of a wise fool, a wicked saint, a sober drunkard,
or an honest thief, as of a prayerless Christian !" If
this witness be true, what are we to think even of
many who make some pretensions to religion ? Theii*
lives are full of action, and void of thought. They
visit the temple, and are ever hearing sermons ; but
they are shy of the closet. Some of them, in this
day of pious and benevolent institutions and exer
tions, make a figure in publick ; and their zeal flames
at a distance ; but it diminishes as it approaches
nearer home, and it goes out in a dreadful darkness
and coldness between God and their own souls.
In others, a little of this practice of retirement re
mains, lingering as the effect of custom or conviction
only. But though they do not constantly, they yet
frequently neglect private reading, meditation, and
prayer. Business, company, the most trifling pre
ventions, keep them from the duty ; and they must
be aware, if they would deal honestly with them
selves, that whatever they do in this way, is their
task, and not their pleasure. And need they be
told to what character Job alludes, when he asks,
" Will he delight himself in the Almighty, will he
always call upon God ?"
But some have wholly incurred the reproach ;
" Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob ; thou hast
been weary of me, O Israel." Yes — for it was not
thus with you once ; you have left off to be wise, and
to do good. " Apostasy," says Henry, " begins at
the closet door." There your irreligion commenc-

70 THE CHRISTIAN,
ed ; and ever since this revolt from God, you have
been departing more and more from him. O ! what
a day was thatj when you first left your apartment
without prayer! Perhaps you have forgotten it.
But, no ! How can you forget your hesitation — your
strugglings with conscience — the shame and uneasi
ness you endured, so that you longed and endeavour
ed as soon as possible to lose the feeling. — And you
succeeded. You felt less the day followingi At
length you obtained a victory over every moral em
barrassment. And now you lie down and rise up
like the beasts that perish, and feel nothing.
But allow me to ask. Is not this neglect of religious
retirement, a proof that the love of God is not in
you ? You treat men with attention ; but he is not
in all yotir thoughts. You salute your fellow-crea
tures according to their rank and quality ; but you
never give him the glory that is due unto his holy
name. You visit your friends and acquaintatices, but
you never call upon God, though he is not far from
any one of you. And have you nothing to do with
Him f Is he not your Creator ? Your Preserver ?
Your Governor ? Your Judge ? Have you nothing
to hope from him ? Nothing to fear ? In his hand
your breath is, and his are all your ways. Men deny
the depravity of human nature : but we want no
other proof of the mortifying truth, than this aliena
tion of your mind from God. Can this be an innocent
state? Could this be the condition of man, when
God made him upright ? No ! We do not go, we
need not go, to the refuse of society in prisons and
galleys. Setting aside all immorality and profligaey ;
when we see creatures shunning their Creator ; and
beneficiaries hating to retain their Benefactor in their

*>? THE CLOSET. 71
knowledge ; when we see men, instead of loving God
with all their heart, banishing him ifrom his own tem
ple, and forbidding him the bosom that was made
for himself — we know they must be fallen, and per
verted, and guilty creatures; and without pardon
and renovation can never enter into the kingdom of
God. And this is your character ; your danger.
You are living without God. You are enemies to
him. In vain you reckon upon your virtue and safe
ty, because you may be free from the iniquities which
disgrace others. Sins of omissions expose to condem
nation, as well as positive transgressions. They are
violations of the same authority. He that forbids,
also enjoins. And you show your contempt of God,
by neglect, as well as by insult. If two persons liv
ing together in the same house were never speak to
each other, it would be deemed by all, as much a
proof of dislike, as their fighting. Be not therefore
deceived. You are wronging your own souls. All
they that are far from God shall perish. "The
wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations
that forget God."
Is not, therefore, another cause of your neglect of
the closet, a guilty conscience ? You are afraid to
enter into solitude. You know that however cheer
ful you appear, you are far from being happy in
reality. You have your occasional forebodings ;
and it is safer not to look into your condition lest
they should be confirmed. You surround yourselves
with company, 4est, being alone, truth should invade
your delusion, or you should be haunted by the ghosts
of your own thoughts. The value of your amuse
ments does not consist in the pleasure they yield, but
in their power to divert you from reflection. And
this power they must soon lose. And its effect at

72 THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE CLOSET.
present is limited. It is no easy thing to keep out
light, where there are so many apertures to blind up ;
or to sleep on, where stillness is impossible. What a
life of constraint and uneasiness are you leading !
" There is no peace, saith my God, unto the wicked."
Another prevention is to be found in creature at
traction and worldly cares. You "mind earthly
things." Your farm and your merchandise ; your
rising early, and sitting up late, and compassing sea
and land, to carry some temporal interest — these fur
nish you with excuses ; these yield you substitutes ;
these keep you from seeking those things that are
above. We wish not to render you indifferent to
your stations in life, or to induce you to undervalue
the good things which he gives you to enjoy. But
while you are " not slothful in business, be fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord." '' Labour not" only,
or principally, " for the meat that perisheth, but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life."
" Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteous
ness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
And if you obtain them not in this subordination,
you will find them to be nothing but vanity and vex
ation of spirit. Your table will become a snare.
Your prosperity will destroy you.
We have thus again called you to enter your Clos
et. And as to many of you, it is probable the appli
cation will be again refused. But another call will
soon be addressed to you. It will be to die. That
call you cannot refuse. You live in a crowd — but
you must die alone. You now hate silence — but you
are hastening to " the house appointed for all liv
ing;" and " Darkness, death, and long despair,
" Reign in eternal silence there."

LECTURE UL

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE FAMILY.

,i** Then ji^divid riW:ti^ ito htess^his hpu^^foj^^.^'-^^ ^am. vi. 20.
THE human frame is " a ibo^y fitly joined together,
^tad compacted by that whidh every joint supplieth,
according to the i^flDectual working of every part."
There is nothing.in it irregular ; .nothing .defective ;
QOthiing.8uperfluous. The eye cannot say to the ear,
I have no need «f thee ; nor thehind to t^ foot, I
iiave no jneed of thee. ; the juemibers-areall connected
<with, ^1 dependent upon, all subservientto each 0^-
er; and were you <to sepamte them, the body, which
lis composed 4}f the Jwhdle, would be at oncedi^ig-
'Ured and destroyed.
'It is the same with ^e system of Christianity, as
presentedjin theiScriptures of truth. By separati(»i,
it loses both its beaaty and its energy : its beauty—
for this -consists in the $ue adjustment of the parts ;
its energy — for this results from the harmonious ope
ration of the whole. What God therefore has joined
to^fether> (Whether it be doctrine and duty, pr com
mand and promise, or privilege and service, or hope
,and, fear — ^let ijot ,man put asunder.
The.zeal of §ome profe^iis is not always accord
ing to knowledge, or.suph as to evince a *f. heart right
,^jth Gq^." It is notif|jll .pf "goQd^riiijsj, jyijthout
10'

t4

THE CHRISTIAN,

partiality and without hypocrisy." For these are
nearly allied. Partiality is always a proof of hypo
crisy; for if you are upright before God, and sincere
ly desirous of pleasing him, you will come to him, not
to dictate, but to submit ; not to choose, but to say,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" "Then
shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all
thy commandments."
A Christian is not a perfect character ; but he is &
character : he is always the same ; every where the
same. The same in prosperity and adversity ; the
same in publick and in private ; the same in the
dwelling-place, as in the temple ; the same in
the family, as in the church. If there be any dif
ference, his immediate connexions will have the ad
vantage ; and looking towards those who have the
Best opportunities of knowing and observing his reli
gion, he will be able to say, *' Our rejoicing is this>
the testimony of our conscience ; that in simplicity
and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by
the grace of God, we have our conversation in the
world, and more abundantly to you-ward." When
Whitfield was asked, whether a certain person was
a good man, he replied, " I know not — I never lived
with him." And Philip Henry remarks, that
^' Every man, in religion, is really what he is rela
tively." We have to exhibit the Christian this morning
In the Family.
Here it is supposed that he has a family. He is
not a poor, illiberal, solitary individual ; preferring
vice, or mopishness, or an escape from expense, care,
and trouble, to a state " which was designed to com
plete the happiness of Adam in Paradise ; and which

in THE FAMILY. 7b
Inspiration has pronounced to be " honourable in all."
J5e believes in the wisdom and veracity of God, who
has said, " It is not good for man to be alone :" and
insteadof reflecting upon his parents, and undervalu
ing and injuring the most amiable part of society,
where too they are not even allowed to complain ; he
forms no leading permanent plan of life, in which
marriage is not considered as the foundation. And
having entered the condition, he will be anxious to
fulfil its duties. He will love his wife, even as him
self. He will train up his children " in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord." He will behave
towards his servants, as one who knows that he has
" a Master in heaven," and that there is no respect
of persons with God. He will say, with David,
*' I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. Oh !
when wilt thou come unto me ? I will walk within
my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked
thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that
turn aside ; it shall not come nigh me !"
" Then David returned to bless his household."
Then — for the period and the occasion are previous
ly marked. The day had been a very pleasing one
to David ; but it had proved a very active and busy
one too. For many hours he had been engaged in
bringing up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-
edom into the city of Jerusalem. He had not only
attended to witness all the indications of piety and
joy, but had contributed himself in the sacred per-.
formances. And when the symbol of the Divine
pfesetoce was set in the tabernacle prepared to re
ceive it, he offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings
before the Lord ; and dismissed the multitude with
presents, after blessing them in the name of the Lord.

W Tim CHRISTIAN,
But the monarch does not make him forget the mas
ter; noi" does publick service hinder domestick.
*'Then David returned to bless his household." — Let
us pass from this instance of excellency, to consider
at large>
I. The way in which the head of a family
MAY BLESS HIS HOUSEHOLD.
II. To show the reasons which should en
gage HIM TO attempt it.
Ill- To answer some objections to the duty.
And,
iV. To conclude with some ANIMADVEftSIONS
AND admonitions RESPECTING IT.
I. If it be asked, How the head of a famfly maj
BLESS his household ? We would answer^ by Ex
ample — ^by Government — by Diseiplinmr-hY InstruO'-
tion — by Attendance on the Means of Grace — ^byj
the Performance of Domestick Devotion. — ;
Some of these particulars, we are aware, in a de
gree imply and include each other; yet they are dis
tinct enough for the utility of separate remark.
Thus we distinguish countries and provinces; thoagH
in some places they approximate, and where they
unite, the air, and the soil, and the produce will dis
play resemblance and even sameness. r,
First, He may "bless his household" by .Example^
I begin with this, because nothing can supply th^
want of personal religion. He who despises hisiowa
soul, will feel little disposition to attend to the souls
of others. Destitute of principle, he will be deter
mined only by circumstances ; and- his exertions^ if
he makes any, will be partial and rare. Having

in the family. 77
u^l^blng to animate him from experience, his endeav
ours will be dull and cold. Where all is merely for
mal and official,^ a man will not go far even in the use
of means ; but! what probability is there of his suc
cess, when he dees use them? Who loves to take his
meat from a leprous hand ? A drunkard will make a
poor preacher Of sobriety to servants. A proud and
paS^ioiiate father is a Wretched recommender of hu
mility and meekness to his children. What those
who are tinder his care see, will more than counter^
act what they Aeoy,- and all his efforts will be reject
ed with the qtiestion, " Thou that teachest another,
teachest thou: not thyself? Thou that preachest a man
should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a
man shBuld not commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery P"' To v(fhat is it owingy that the offspring
of many professors are worse than those of other
mten ? Inconsistency. Inconsistency is more injuri-^
oas than neglect. The one maybe resolved imto a
fijTgetfulness of priaeiple ; the other shows a con-
teitfpt of it. You little imagine how early and how
effectively children remark things. They notice
thein when they seem incapable of any distinct obser
vation I and while yott would suppose no impression
could be left on such soft materials, a fixed turn is
giten to fliany a part of the future character. Yott
must therefore reverence them ; and be circumspect
even in your most free aftd relaxing moments. You
must dt), as well as teach ; and while you are humble
before G6d> you must be able to say to them, " Be
ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ,"
It is commonly observed, that example doeS more
than precept. But the young are peculiarly alive tO'
€)(ampie ; aftd when example has the advantage of

78 the christian,;
nearness, and constant exhibition, and unites both
authority and endearment, it must prove the most
powerful and insensible transformer ; and requires
in those who furnish it, and who will necessarily be
imitated, that they " abstain from all appearance of
evil." We only add here, that they who constitute
your moral charge, are not so much affected and
swayed by any direct and positive urgings, as by the
presence, and exemplification, and sight of " whatso
ever things are lovely and of good report." The-
force of the hot- house is not to be compared with the
genial influence of the spring, by which, without vi
olence, and without noise, every thing is drawn into
bud and bloom.
Secondly, He may " bless his household" by Gov
ernment: Order is heaven's first law. God himself
is the example of it ; and by nothing does he bless>
his creatures more, thaii by the steadiness of the or
der of nature,- and the regularity of the seasons.
What uncertainty is there in the ebbing and flowing
of the tides? What deviations in the changes of the
moon? The sun knoweth his going down, and his
rising up. Even the comet is not eccentrick ; in
traversing the boundlessness of space, he perfoi?ms
his revolutions of fifty or a hundred years, to a mo
ment. And in all the works of God, what seems dis
order, is only arrangement beyond our reach: for
" in wisdom he has made them all."
Hear the Apostle. " Let every thing be done
decently, and in order." The welfare of your house
hold requires that you should observe times. Every
thing should have its season — your businesses ; your
meals ; your devotional exercises ; your rising, and
your rest. The periods for these will vary with the

IN THE FAMILY. 79
condition of families ; but labour to be as punctual as
circumstances will allow. It is of importance to
peace, and temper, and diligence, and economy.
Confusion is friendly to every evil work. Disorder
also multiplies disorder. For no one thinks of being
exact with those who set at nought all punctuality.
, The same -principle requires that you should keep
every thing in its place. Subordination is the es
sence of all order and rule. Never suffer the dis
tinctions of life to be broken down. All violations of
this kind injure those who are below the gradation,
as well as those above it. The relinquishment of au
thority may be as wrong as its excesses. He that is
responsible for the duties of any relation, shquld
claim its prerogatives and powers — how else is he to
discharge them ? Be kind and affable to servants;
but let nothing divest you of the mistress. Be the
tenderest of fathers ; but be the father — and no sen
sible woman will, I am sure, be offended if I add —
Be the most devoted of husbands, but be the husband.
' Thirdly, By Discipline, This regards the treat
ment of offences : " For it must needs be that offen
ces will come : and what is to be done with them ?
Here two extremes are to be avoided. The one is
severity. You are not to magnify trifles into serious
evils ; and instead of a cheerful countenance, to wear
a gloom ; and instead of commending^ to be always
finding fault ; and instead of enlivening every thing
around, you like the weather in spring, to be a contin
ual dropping in a rainy, winter- day. Instead of
making home repulsive, let it possess every attrac
tion, and abound with every indulgence and allow
ance the exclusions of Scripture do not forbid. In
stead of making a child tremble and retreat, gain his

80 THE CHRISTIAI?,
confidence and love, and let him run into your araWi
'i' Fathers," says the Apostle, (for this fault lies most
ly with our sex,) " Fathers, ;provj0!ke not your, children
to wrath, lest they be discouraged." The other is
indulgence — ^a foolish fondness or connivance ait things
actually wrong, or pregnant with evil- This often
shows itself with regard to favourites. And here, ye
mothers, let not your good be evil .spoken of Do
not smother your dariings to death with kisses ; and
let not your tender bosom be an lasyiwm for deUft-
^quents appealing from the demrvAd censures of the
father. The success of such appeals^ with kind bttt
weak minds, is very mischievous : .it makes prefe;r-
ences where there should bean evenness of rte^ud,
and tends to check and discourage wholesome .re
proof; and " he that spareth the rod hateth his son,
but he that loveth him chasteneth Mm betimes.''
"Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not
-thy soul spare for his crying." Here Eli failed :
^^his sons made theimselves vile, and he restrained
them not." Here also David erred; he had not
displeased Adonijah .at anytime in saying, <fWhy
hast thou done so ?^' When the head of a family
cannot prevent the. introduction of. improper ;boQks.;
the visits of infidel, or profane < companions ; the La-
¦dulgence of ensnaring usages, and indecent discourse;
the putting fofjlih pr^ten^ons ahove his rank ; the. in
curring of expenses beyond his income ;— does .Ae
bear rule in his own house? Is it thus that.Ae puts
away evil from his tabernacle? Is at thus that .^e
Messes his household ?
For what is Abraham commended? <^I k^ovr
him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the ways of

IN ^He FAMLt. 81
the Lord to do justice and judgment." Not that he
wias the tyrant; and terrified his family with the
Mackness of his frown, or the roughness of his voice.
We'no moi^e admire a despot in the house, than in
elie state : but he was decided and firm ; not only
tfelling his servants and children what they were to
avoid or what they were to perform, but requiring
and enforcing obedience by the authority of his sta-
fibUi But proper authority requires dignity, as well
as power. What can he do, whose levities, and fol
lies, and ignorance, and weakness, deprive him of all
awe, and all influence, and all itopression? ArC we'to
smile or sigh at the thought of some children being in
subjection to their parents ; arid of some wives being
called upon to reverence ^AeiV husbands? Is there
liO law to protect females and children ? As to chil-
drenj the case with them is not voluntary ; they de
serve pity; But no sympathy is due to females who
thrBti(r themselves into the empire of folly and weak
ness- ; and willingly choose a condition, whose duties
it' is sinful fot" them to neglect, and impossiblie for
thetnto perform.
Fourthly, ^y Instruction. ^' For the soul to be
without knowledge, it is not good." And this holds'
supremely true of religious' knowledge. Hear the
adtlt-ess Of Moses: "These words, which P com
mand thee this day, shall be in thine heart '. and thott'
shalt' teach them diligently unto thy children, and
shalt tiEilk of theiri when thou sittest in thine house, and
when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liesiE'
down, and\when thou risest up. "And thou shalt
bind them for a sign upOn thine hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between thine eyes'." And thou shalt
' ' '11  "'"'

82 THE CHRISTIAN,
write them upon the posts of thy house, and oft thy
gates," Hel-e observe not only the duty, but the
manner in which he has enjoined the performance of
it. He would make it a constant, a familiar, an easy, a
pleasing exercise — a recreation rather than a task. In
another place he says, " When thy son asfceth thee in
' time to come, saying. What mean the testimonies and
the statutes and the judgments which the Lord our
hath God commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto
thy son. We were Pharaoh's bond- men in Egypt; and
the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and
sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his
household, before our eyes : and he brought us out
from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the
land which he sware unto our fathers. And the
Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear
the Lord our God, for our good always, that he
might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it
shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all
these commandments before the Lord our God as he
hath commanded us." Nothing can be more natural
than this recommendation. The curiosity of chil
dren is great, and will commonly, if judiciously treat
ed, furnish you with sufficient opportunities to in
form them. Their questiuns will show you the bias
of their disposition, the state' of their minds, and
the nature and degree of the information it is proper
to administer ; and in various cases, it is less neces
sary to go before them, than to follow. Events too
are always turning up ; and these will afford a wise
parent a thousand hints of natural and seasonable im
provement. Yet there are those who levy a tax up
on every thing their avarice, sagacity, and zeal can

rN THE FAMILY. 83^
find, to promote the temporal interest of their off^
spring ; who never seize, and turn to a religious ac
count, any of those occurrences of the day, and of
the neighbourhood, whether pleasing or awful, that
might so easily be made to speak not only to the un
derstanding, but to the imagination and the heart.
Fifthly, By securing their attendance on the
Means of Grace. Servants should be allowed op
portunities of publick worship and instruction, as of
ten as circumstances will allow ; and we admire the
plan of our forefathers, who disengaged their domes
tics as much as possible on the Sabbath from the prep
arations of the table, that they might be at liberty to
go themselves, and get food for their souls. Chil
dren also should be led to the house of God — though
there is a proper time for their ^'shewing unto Is
rael." In determining this, it is not easy to draw the
line. If they are taken too early, besides hindering,
the attention of those who have the charge of them,
there is danger that holy exercises will become irk
some by frequent and long det'ensiOns, before they
can feel any interest in them. Yet an early atten
dance is valuable, as it tends to render the habit nat
ural ; and impressions may be occasionally made,
even upon infant minds, sufficient to lead them to in
quire, and to aid you much in your endeavours to in
struct them at home.
Lastly, By Domestick Devotion. This service-
ought to be perforftied every morning' and evening.
It includes prayer. Prayer is not only to be made
for your family — (though this is a duty, and a privi
lege, and enables you to obtain for your household a
thousand blessings,) but also with them. It takes in
also reading the Scriptures. Mr. Hfenry goes fur-

84 THE CHRISTIAN,
ther : " They," says he, " yvhp daily pray iii theiuv
houses do well ; they that not only pray, but read
the, Scriptures, do better ; but they do best of all,,
who not only pray, and read the Scriptures, but— ^
sing the praises of God." This exercise is very en
livening, and tends to throw off the formality which
adheres perhaps more to domestic worship than eith
er to publiek or private devotion, as it allows o;f less
variety. If singing be not practicable, a psalm or
hymn may be read. It will often produce a good ef
fect, by impressing the minds of servants and chil
dren. The whole of the service will help you in
performing what we have preyiously recommended,
the duty of teaching and admonishing your families.
The psalm or hymn will furnish them with sentiments
and sentences. The reading of the word will store
their minds with facts and jjoctrine. While the
prayer itself will be no inconsiderable instructer.
The very engagement will remind them ,of the pres-;
ence and agency of God. Your addressing him for
pardon, will convince them of guilt ; your interced-.
ing for your country, will teach them patriotism ^
for your enemies, forgiveness of injuries ; for all man-,
kind, universal benevolence. Thus a man may bless,
his household .-^Let us consider, ,
II. The REASONS which should engage him,
TO ATTEMPT IT.
For this purpose, let us view Domestic Religion,
First, In reference to God. To him it has — a re
lation oi responsibility . We are required to glorify
God in every condition we occupy ; in every eapac-r
ity we possess. A poor man is required to serve
him : but if he becomes rich, his duty is varied arid

in the FAMILY. 85
enlarged^ and from the hour of his acquiring wealth>
. he will be judged by the laws of affluence. A singlte
man is required, to serve God as an individual only ;
but if he enters into connected life, he must serve
God as the head of a family, and will be judged by
the duties arising from his household-relation. God
has given him a talent, and he is to make use of that
talent. He has committed to him a trust, and he is
Uo be faithful to that trust. He has made him a
steward, and he is to give account of his stewardr
ship. "I assigned you,^' will God say, "the empire
of a family. To qualify you for the office, I furnish
ed you with authority, and influence, aud resources.
How have you employed them ? Where are the ser
vants and children you were to have trained up for
me?" — ^A relation of gtdtitude. How much dost thOu
owe to his kindness and care! Who crowned the
wish of thy heart, in granting thee the object of thy
dearest choice? Behold thy wifcj like a fruitful vine
by the sides of thy house ; and thy children, like
'^olive plants round about thy table." Who has sup
plied not only all thy personal, but all thy relative
wants ? Whose secret has been upon thy tabernacle?
Whose providence has blessed the labour of thy hand?
Whose vigilance has suffered no evil to befal thee,
and no plague to come nigh thy dwelling ? And wilt
thou refuse to serve him, with a family which he
has formed and secured, and sustained and indulged?
And wilt thou, instead of making thy house the teii-
ple of his praise, render it the grave of his mercies ?
— A relation of dependance. Can you dispense
with God in your femily? What are all your
schemes-, all your exertions, all your expectations.

86 THE CHRISIIAN,
without him? " Except the Lord build the Irotisey
they labour in vain that build it : except the Lord
keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It
is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to
eat the bread of sorrows : for so he giveth his belov
ed sleep." How wise is it then to secure the favour
of one, who has all things under his control, and is able
to make them all work together for your good, or con
spire to your destruction. And has he not bound
himself by promise and by threatening? *'The
curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked ; but
he blesseth the habitation of the just." What may not
be dreaded from the curse of the Almighty ? What
may not be expected from his blessing? Under the
one, the evils of life become intolerable : we sow
much, and bring home little ; we earn wages to put
it into a bag with holes ; our table becomes a snare ;
our successes gender many foolish and hurtiful lusts ;
our prosperity destroys us. Under the other, a little
is better than the riches of many wicked ; our trials
are alleviated ; our sorrows are tokens for good ; our
comforts are enjoyed vrith a relish others never taste ;
the voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the taber
nacles ofthe righteous.-— Therefore,
Secondly, View it in reference to yourselves.
You ought to be concerned chiefly for your spiritual
welfare ; and should value things as they tend to re
strain you from sin, and excite you to holiness. If
this maxim cannot be denied, let us judge by this
rule — the man who performs this duty, and — the
man who neglects it. Can he give way to swearing
and falsehood, who is going to hear /ro/w God, and to
speak to him? Can Ae throw himself into a fury,
who is just going to hold intercourse with the source

IN THE FAMILY. 87
of peace and love ? Must he not guard his temper
and conduct, even on the principle of consistency?
The other exonerates himself from the reproach of
hypocrisy ; and because he makes no pretensions to
duty, thinks he is justified in living as he pleases.
And this it is that restrains many from adopting the
practice. They think that it would embarrass them;
that it would abridge their liberty ; that it would fix
upon them the charge of inconsistency. And so far
they think justly. But here is their folly ; in view
ing a freedom from moral motives and restraints as a
privilege ! and an obligation to urge them to what is
right and beneficial in itself, as an hardship and com
plaint !
And the practice is not ordy- right, but every way
profitable. While you teach, you learn : while you
do good, you are gaining good. Your mind will be
tranquillized by a confidence in God, which you alone
are justified in reposing, and which you alone can re
pose in him. How much does your comfort depend
on the dutifulness of those that are under you ! But
how can you look for morality without piety ? It is by
teaching them to regard God, that you must teach
them to regard yourselves, and to be diligent and
submissive in their places. It is thus you bind them
by sanctions the most powerful, and which operate in
your absence, as well as when you are nigh. It is
thus you are not only obeyed, but regarded and hon
oured. Religion, when it is consistently exempli
fied, always inspit^s respect and reverence. But
what hold have the irreligious on the homage of oth
ers ? So true it is even here, " They that despis.e me
shall be lightly esteemed." — ^View it^

88 THE christian,
Thirdty, In reference to the Family. By how
many ties ought the members of your household to be
eaidSeared ! "And we do love them." But Wherein
does your lave appear? Can you imagine that it only
requires you to ask, what shall they eat^ and what
shall they drink, and wherewithal shall they- be
clothed? What is the body to the soul? What is
time to eternity? Do you wish to db- them good?
Cap I any good eq.ual that godliness; which is profitable
uuto allthings,.ha\5ing promise ofthe life that now is,"
as well as of that which is to come?
Were you to suffer your children to > go naked, tq
perish with hunger ; were you to leave them ia sick
ness to die alone, you would be shunned as monstersi
But you. are far more deserving of execration, if you
infamously disregard their spiritual; and everlasting
welfare. Doubtless Herod was vieviced with horror
by those who had witnessedthemassacre ofthe infants
of Bethlehem : but;he was far less cruel than some of
you. He slew the children of others ; you destroy
your own. He only killed the body,; you destroy
both body and soul in hell. Had you^ any real love
to your children, what would.be your feelings in life,
to, see them going astsray, and verifying, by 'the evils
of their conduct, thatj the way of transgressors is
hardr— while conscious that you had done nothing to
secure them from it! But what, at deatsh, would
you think of a meeting that must take, place between'
you and your children, in the great day! Then
thqy will rise up against you in the judgment, and
cause you to be put to death. — "Cursedbe the day
of my, birth! Why died I. not fromi the, womb?'
Why was I not as a hidden, an untimely birth, as in
fants that never see light? Thou father, and thou

in the family. 89
nyither^ the instruments ,of my being — ^to you I ^m
under no obligations. You only consulte4 your bar-
bi^ous inclinations — You gave me an existence over
whiph you watched while I could not be guilty ; but
iia;.ercilessly abandoned me as soon as I bepame respon
sible-: — As the creature of a d.ay, you provided for
me ; but as aa immortal, you left me — you ma4e me
—¦to perish. I execrate your cruelty. I call for
4a?nnation upon your heads— and the only relief of
the jpisery to which ypu have con^gned me, is, that
I can reproach and torment you forever."
From such a, dreadful pcene, how delightful is it to
think what a happy meeting there will h? between
those who have hlcssed their households and the fa
voured subjects of their pious care ! Yea, without
gppg forward to this period of mutual and happy ac-
loiowledgment, what a joy unspeakable and full of
glory must such bene^ctors feel even now, when
they he.ar a servant saying — " Blessed be God for the
hpur X entered such a fa:.mily, I was as ignoraijit and
careless as a hcathen^^but there the eyes of my un-
4ei^tanding were opened, there my feet were turned
into the path of peace." Or when they hear a child
confessing, ^'O ! what a privilege that I was born of
suph parents ! How early did they teach me to !^now
the Holy Scriptures ! How soon they led me to the
throne of grace ; and, by teaching me to pray, fur
nished me with the best privilege of life ! How pa
tiently they watched, and how tenderly they cher
ished, and how wisely they directed every pious sen
timent and every holy purpose ! — And,
" Aa a bird each fond endearment. tries j
" To tempt her new-fledged offspring to flie ski^s,
" They tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
" Allured to brighter worlds, and led' the way !"
12

90 the christian.
It is thus their children rise up and called thenr
blessed ! — Let us view it,
¦ Fourthly, in reference to Visitants and Guests.
These, instead of inducing you to decline the prac
tice, should furnish yoii with argument in support of
it. Wo be to you, if you shrink back from the duty in
compliment to the rich, the infidel, the irreligious, or
the dissipated — should such ever be found beneath
ybur roof! For " he that is ashamed of me and of my
words," says the Saviour, " of him will the Son of
Man be ashamed. When he comes in the clouds of
heaven, with the holy angels."
It is not by concealing your principles, but by
owning them verbally and practically, that you must
be useful to others, and gain their respect. And
here you have an opportunity to confess Him be
fore men ; and without going out of your way to
effect it. It cannot appear to be sought after, to
give offence. It comes, in the regular course of
your househould arrangement. And nothing is more
likely, without effort and without officiousness, to
awaken attention, to inforin, to admonish. The
preacher remembers well the acknowledgment of a
man now with God. He moved in superior life ;
and from his rank and talents, and extensive and va
rious acquaintance, was likely to have persons fre
quently at his house who were strangers to his reli
gious economy. He said his manner was, when the
time of domestic service arrived, to inform them that
he was always accustomed to worship God with his
family : if they disliked the practice, they might re
main ; if they chose to attend, they might accompany
him into the library. He said he had nev^r known
any that refused : and many of them owned they

IN the family,, 91
were much struck with the propriety and usefulness
of the usage, and resolved, on their return, to adopt
it themselves. The Lecturer has also known several
individuals himself, whose religious course commenc
ed during a visit to a family who thus honoured God,
, and were thus honoured by him. It is recorded, I
believe, of Sir Thomas Abney, that even when he
was lord mayor, and on the evening of the feast, he
told the company that he always maintained the wor-
, ship of God in his house ; that he was now with
drawing for the purpose ; and should presently re
turn. There are few professors of religion who
, coM^c? have done this. They would not have, had
consciousness enough of their claim to confidence in
their integrity. But where the thing was known to
be,,iiot the pretence, or shew of extraordinary sancti-
, ty, but the steady and uniform operation of principle :
.not an exemption from his common conduct, but, fine
as it was, only a fair specimen of the whole piece ;
this np,bie resQlution .must, have produeed some im
pression even in such an assembly.— Observe it.
Fifthly, in reference to the Country. None of us
should live to ourselves. Every one should be con
cerned to benefit and improve a community in which
he has enjoyed, so many advantages, But we know
that " righteousness exalteth a nation," and that "sin
is a reproach to any people." What an enemy then
are you, if irreligious, to a country that deserves so
much at your hands ! However loyally you may talk,
you contribute to its danger and disgrace, not only by
your personal transgressions, but by sending out into
the midst of it, so much moral contagion, so many un
principled and vicious individuals, from your own fam
ily. And how much would youbefriend it were you

92 The christian,
to fear God yourselves ; and to send forth those from
uftder your cai-e, who will serve their generation ac-
(ferding to his will ; and induce him to say, "Destroy
it not, for a blessing is in it !" Who can imagine the
good even one of these individuals may effect by his
prayers, his examples, his influence, his exertions?
What a blessing did Elkanah and Hannah prove to
Israel by their training up such a child as Samuel.
And what gratitude do all ages owe to his grandmoth
er Lois, and his mother Eunice, for such a character
as Timothy !
Finally, Let us regard it in reference to the
Church. Baxter thinks that if family religion was
fully discharged, the preaching of the word would
not long remain the general instrument of conversion.
Without being answerable for the extent of this ob
servation, we know who hath said, "Train up a
child in the way that he should go, and When he is
old, he will not depart from it." We know that
among our earlier godly ancestors, religion was a
kind of heir-loom, that pasSed by descent ; and in
stead of the fathers were the children. Families
were then the nurseries of the churches: and those
who were early "planted in the house of the Lord
flourished in the courts of our God, and still brought
forth fruit in old age." Even the ministers of the
sanctuary were commonly derived from hence ; and
these domestic seminaries prepared them to enter
the more publick institutions. And what well-de
fined and consistent characters did they display.
And what just notions did they entertain Of divine
truth. And how superior were they to those teach
ers who, brought up in ignorance, and after a profli
gate course, are suddenly converted ; who, impress-

IN THE family. 93
ed before they are informed, are always in danger of
extremes or eccentricities ; who hold no doctrine in its
just bearings, but are carried away disproportionably
by some one truth, which first caught their attention ;
and who often continue crude and incoherent in their
notions, and illiberal and condemnatory in their sen
timents, through life ! Tliey were not always making
discoveries, but " continued in the things which
they had learned, and been assured of, knowing of
whom they had learned them." They were enlighten
ed, but not dazzled. They were refreshed with divine
truth, but not intoxicated. They staggered not, but
kept on steady in their course ; neither turning to
the right hand nor to the left. They were not An-
tinomians : they were not Legalists, None could
honour the grace of God more ; but they never abus-
-ed it.
Not only therefore would the churches of Christ
be more filled, but better filled : and though our eye
is not evil, because God is good, and so far from
•wishing to limit the Holy One of Israel, we rejoice
in the conversion of any ; we reckon, and not with
out much observation, that the best members and the
best ministers of our churches — they who, in their
conduct and in their preaching, most adorn the doe-
trine of God our Saviour in all things, are those who
are brought from pious families.
III. We were to answer some objections to
the practice.
But I have been hesitating whether I Should pass
over this division of our subject ; not only because
we perceive that we must trespass on your time, but
Tfecause objections can be raised easily against any

^4 the christian,
doctrine, or practice. The weakest reasoners most
frequently advance them; and nowise ones will ever
be influenced by them. They will look at argument
and proof; and if a principle be established by suffi
cient evidence, they are satisfied, even if there
should be difficulties which they must leave unsolved.
I will however glance at four or five things.
The first regards Leisure. " We are so much en
gaged, that our affairs leave us no time for these ex
ercises." But what time do they require? And is
there one of you that does not waste more time eve
ry day of his life than is expended in such devotions?
And if more time be really necessary, could you not
gain more ? How do you manage your concerns ?
Could nothing be saved by more diligence and order?
At what time do you rise ? Could nothing be saved
from late slumberings on the bed, without any injury
to health; yea, with the likelihood of improving
it?-. If time falls short for any thing, should it not
fall. short for things of less moment ? Is not the serv
ing of God the " one thing needful?" And cannot
he, by his grace and providence, more than indem
nify you for every sacrifice you make? Is there not
truth in the proverb, *' There isnothing got by steal
ing, or lost by praying ?" Are you more employed
than David, was, who presided in his council, and
gave audience to ambassadors, and orders to generals
— who reigned over an extensive and distracted em
pire? Yet he found time for domestic worship;
and even on a day of peculiar activity " returned to
bless his household."
The second regards Capacity. " We envy those
who are qualified for such a work ; but we are una
ble to perform it, as we wish, — and as we ought."

in the family. S5
This is perhaps the only instance in which you think
and speak humbly of yourselves. But we will not
accept of your voluntary humility, till we have ob
tained from you an answer to a few inquiries. Is it
not the want of inclination you feel, rather than of
ability ? Have you ever fairly made the trial ?
Have you done every thing in your power to gain a
fitness for the duty? Would not your capacity in
crease by exercise ? Is refinement here necessary ?
Is not the most imperfect performance preferable to
neglect ? Suppose you were to do nothing more
than, after reading a portion of God's word, to kneel
down with your household, and address our Father
who is in heaven in the words which the Saviour
himself taught his own disciples ? Are there not
helps to Family Devotion of which you may avail
yourselves? We prefer in this service free prayer
to forms ; but preference is not exclusion.- We love
not the contempt with which forms have been treated
by some. A Baxter, a Howe, a Watts, a Doddridge,
did not ridicule them as " crutches." But, admit
ting the justness of the depreciating figure, yet sure
ly crutches are a help and a blessing to the lame : and
we know who hath said, ^' Where there is first a
willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man
hath, and not according to what he hath not."
The third regards Shame. " We are ashamed to
begin !" What ! ashamed of your glory ? Asham
ed of following the great ? Ashamed of following a
David — a King, who ^' returned to bless his house
hold?" Of following a Joshua, a hero, a command
er, the first man in the commonwealth of Israel,
who said, ^'As for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord !" Of following Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-

96 the christian,
cob, who made it their first care, wherever they
came, to build an altar for God ? Was his late Maj
esty ashamed always to worship God with his house
hold morning and evening ? Is there not an increas
ing number of persons in our own day, of high rank
and nobility, who keep up, even in their establish
ments, a custom so laudable and useful? The
shame is that you have negleeted it so long, not that
you are willing to begin it now. Follow the exam
ple of a man who was well known to some of us, but
whose name we must suppress. He had heard the
minister; preach in the morning of the Sabbath on
Family Worship. The very same evening, he call
ed together his wife, .and children, and servants, and
apprentices; and recapitulating the arguments and
notives they had heard, appealed to their reasjon and
conscience whether tbey were not unanswerable aad
irresistible. He then sai^, I condemn myself for th^
neglect of this duty, in which I have hitherto livedi
but as the best proof of repentance is practice,, I wilj
now commence it; and, by the help of God^ I will
omit it no more, as long as I live. Was this weak
ness? or moral heroism ?
The /owr/A regards /a&e ©r mistaken Orthodoxy
God forbid we should undervalue divine truth.; but
there is a highness in doctrine so commonly connect
ed with lowness of conduct, that we have knowjn not
a few, whose creed has soon led to the abandon-'
ment of family worship ; and it is indeed the natur?^
tendcBcy, not ofthe principles they abuse, but of their
abuse of the principles.—" The Lord; knoweth them
that are his. Aad he will call them in his own due
time ; and make them. wiUin^ in the day of his pow-
erj without our anslety-" But we are not suiiie .©f

m THE family. 97
thiBi Our exertions may be the ^ry means which
he has appointed by which to accomplish the end.
And wh«n does he woric without means? -He gives
the increase ; but Paul plants, and Apollos waters—
and what right have we to ask for a moral miracle,
by expecting the one without the other?
" Where is the use of it ? We cannot give our
servants and our children grace." And why not?
" If," says James, " a man err from the truth, and
o»e convert him, let him know that he which convert
eth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save a
mvX from death, and hide a multitude of sins."
Here it is: supposed that you may save and convert.
*' Yes, but not meritoriously or efficiently." How
then? ^* Why only instrumentally."- We have
Wi objection to this. Still it seems there is a sense
^ which ymi m^ay do it. "Yes, under God."
This again is right. We never wish to exclude him.
But bii ii$ with m ; and by pra.yer, we secure his as-

There is indeed a sense in which you cannot give
it is as to the ^success of means. But for #tis
you are »jot responsible. This is the Lord's part- Biu>t
what is y-Qiurs? Think of another case. The hus-
bandfiian cannot raise an ear of corn ; but he can ma-
PJW5e the lajid, and plough, , and iSpw. And he kaPiWS
j^iis is Indi^ensable to a crop. And how rarely
does he labour in vain! W God promises to com-
iSifunicate his blessing in the use of means, they who
refuse them have no right to complain; and they
who fwiplcfy them, have no reas(on toibie discour
aged. Another— -But I will answer no more of your ob-
iectisiifi. You Jmow they are excuses. You hfmw
13

98 THE christian,
they are such as 'you will be ashamed to urge before
the Judge of all. You know that your consciences
are not satisfied with them even now. — I will, there
fore, in the
IV. Place, conclude by some animadversions
AND admonitions.
And " to whom," as says the Prophet, " shall I
speak and give warning ?"
I must first address those who at present are un
connected in life. How powerfully does our subject
say to such, " Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers." This will render the perform
ance of family religion in all cases difficult, and in
many, impossible. It is lamentable enough with re
gard to pious individuals themselves, that while they
want every kind of encouragement and assistance,
they are allied to those who, instead of helping them,
must oppose and injure : but it is also to be deplor
ed, as producing partially or wholly the ruin of do
mestic godliness. When Peter enforces relative du
ties, he admits that unless we dwell " as heirs togeth
er ofthe grace of life," our" prayers will be hinder
ed." How can they rule well their own house?
How can they seek a godly seed, while, instead of
striving together, they thus draw different ways?
and, alas! the one drawing heavenward is the least
likely to be successful ; the opposite attractions fall
ing in with the depravity of human nature ? For evil
wants only to be seen or heard ; but good must be en
forced with " line upon line, and precept upon pre
cept." But there are those who are already in family alli
ance, who are iiving in the neglect of family devotion.

IN THE FAMILY. 99
And this is the case, I fear, with not a few. And
yet you would be offended if you were called infidels
— but according to the apostle you have no reason :
" He that provideth not for his own, and especiailly
those of his own house, hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel." Many of you attend regu
larly the publick services of the sanctuary, and we
love to see you in the courts of the Lord, and willing
to hear his words. But if you gained good in the house
of God, you would carry it away, and diffuse it in
your own. Yet when you are followed home, there
is no more appearance of religion in your habitations,
than in houses of heathens. Heathens! forgive, me
this wrong. We blaspheme you by the co iiparison.
You had, .not only your gods for the country, but
your household gods ; which you regarded as your
defenders, and guardians, and comforters ; and which
nothing could induce you to give up or neglect.
What can I say more ? He has threatened to pour
out his fury upon the nations that know him not, and
upon the families that call not upon his name. But I
would rather work upon your ingenuousness, than
upon your fears. God has revealed himself under a
domestic relation, and calls himself " The God of all
the families of the earth." And will you refuse him
in this endearing character ? Will you rob your
selves and your families of your greatest mutual hon
our and blessedness? An angel in his intercourse
with this world, sees nothing so uninviting and dreary
as a house, though rich as a mansion and splendid as
a palace, devoid of the service and presence of God !
But what so lovely, so attractive as the family altar,
" garlanded by the social feelings," and approached
morning and evening by the high- priest of the do-

100 THE CHRISTIAN,
mestic temple, and his train Of worshippers ? There
the master's authority is Softened, and he feels re
spect for the servant who is kneeling at his side> and
*' free indeed." There the servant's submission is
sweetened, and he lOvesj while he obeysj a master
who is praying for his welfare. Here the father^
worn down with the labour of the day, is cheered
and refreshed. Here the anxious mother hushes het
cares to rest. " If any thing in the day has been di
verted from its course, now all finds its place, and
glides along in its wonted channel. If the relative
affections have declined during the day, the evening
service, like the dew of heaven, revives and enlivens
them. If offences have come, they are easily forgiv
en, when all are asking for pardon for themselves.
Every angry word, every wrong temper, every pet*
ulant feeling, flies before the hallowing influence of
social devotion."
I must address myself to those who perform it. I
beseech you, brethren, "suffer the word of exhorta^
tion." — ^Beware of formality. God is a spirit. He
looketh to the heart. — Beware of tediousness and '
length. " Use not vain repetitions as the heathen
do; for they think they shall be heard for their
much speaking." " God is in heaven, and thou up
on the earth ; therefore let thy words be few." God
cannot be fatigued: but he knows our frame ; he re
members that we are dust. — Beware of lateness.
When langour and drowsiness and listlessness prevail,
you would bless your households more by suffering
them to retire, than engaging them in services irk
some to the performers, and insulting to the receiver.
" If ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil ?
and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil ? Of-

IN THE FAMILY. 101
fer it now unto thy governor, will he be pleased with
thee, or accept thy person ? saith the Lord of hosts.
But cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a
male, and voweth and sacrificed! unto the Lord a
corrupt thing : for I am a great King, saith the Lord
of hosts^ and my name is dreadful among the heath
en." I must not overlook those who are liming in re
ligious families. The lines have fallen to you in
pleasant places : you have a godly heritage. From
how many snares are you secured ! What opportu
nities of instruction and improvement do you possess!
What pious excitements, and encouragements, and
aids do you enjoy ! But your responsibility grows
with your advantages. To you much is given.
From you mnch will be required. For " to hinl
that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it
is sin." There may be wicked servants in religious
families : such an one was Gehazi, who waited upon
Elisha. And there may be wicked children in re
ligious families : such an one was Ham, who called
even Noah his father ! But if you abuse or neglect
your means and privileges, your guilt and your con
demnation will be greater than those of Pagans. <*It
shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in
the day of judgment than for you" — "there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom Of God,
and ye yourselves shut out."
Finally, there are some who reside in irreligious
households. You we Smcerely pity. Whatever
temporal advantages you enjoy, they can never Corft-
pensate for your spiritual privations. How sad^ and
how awful, to see the Sabbath polluted ; the house

102 THE CHRISTIAN,
of God forsaken ; every book read, but the Bible.
To hear, instead of prayer, profane swearing, and
the taking God's name in vain, instead of praise.
Or, if no gross immoralities prevail, to witness, ly
ing down and rising up, no acknowledgment of God;
but a practical, if not verbal rejection of him ; every
thing really saying unto God, " Depart from us, we
desire not the knowledge of thy ways."
, Surely such a situation, since you have known
God, or rather have been known of him, has not
been the object of your choice. But you may have
been providentially placed here. You have perhaps
been called here, being a servant ; or you have been
called here, being a child. Be mindful of your dan
ger, and " watch and pray, lest you enter into
temptation." Look to him who preserved saints in
Caesar's household, and Abijah in the family of Jero
boam, that he may secure you. You are much ob
served. Therefore walk circumspectly. Be harm
less and blameless. And not only be without re
buke, but hold forth the word of life — not by step
ping out of your sphere — not by talking (though a
word fitly spoken, O how good is it !) but by your
tempers, your behaviour, your character.
And thus you may be the instruments of introduc
ing religion where you ought to have found it. Not
only have wives thus won their husbands without
the word, but servants have removed prejudices
from their masters and mistresses, and induced them
to attend the gospel. And thus children have con
veyed religion to those from whom they ought to
have derived it. " Wejl," said a mother, one day,
weeping, her daughter being proposed as a candi
date for Christian communion — " I will resist no

IN THE FAMILY. 103
longer. How can I bear to see my dear child love
and read the Scripture, while I never look into the
Bible — ^To see Ijer retire, and seek God, while I
never pray — ^To see her going to the Lord's table,
while his death is nothing to me." — "Ah!" said she,
to the minister who had called to inform her of her
daughter's desire — wiping her eyes — " Yes, Sir, I
know she is right, and I am wrong. I have seen
her firm under reproach, and patient under provoca
tion, and cheerful in all her sufferings, When in
her late illness she was looking for her dissolution,
heaven stood in her face. — 0 ! that I was as fit to
die ! I ought to have taught her ; but I am sure she
has taught me. How can I bear to see her joining
the church of God, and leaving me behind — perhaps
forever !" From that hour she prayed in earnest,
that the God of her child would be her God, and was
soon seen walking in company with her in the way
everlasting. Is this mere supposition ? More than
one eye in reading this allusion, will drop a testimo
ny to the truth of it. " We speak that we do know,
and testify that we have seen." May God bless us,
and make us blessings ! Amen.

LECTURE IV.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE CHURCH.

" Thou that intzyesi know how thou eughteit to behave thyself in
the House of God, which is the Chwch cfthn living Ga4."fr-
I Tim. iii. 15.
The connexions of life are many and various ; and
they have all their appropriate claims and advan
tages. Some of these relations are natural ; some
civil ; some commercial ; some intellectual and liter
ary. But the most important of all alliances are
those of a religious quality. The bonds of these are
not flesh and blood ; but faith and lotTethat are in
Christ Jesus. These regard the spirit in man | and
fall under the power of the world to come. All other
connexions have their sphere only in this Ufe ; but
these aspire after " new heavens and a new eai;th,
wherein dwelleth righteousness." All other unions,
however firm, or however tender, having answered
the destinations of Providence, will be dissolved by
death ; but though christians die, they are still relat
ed. The separation between them is only tempora
ry ; a period of re-union will assuredly and speedily
arrive. Yea, it is otAy partial ; even now —
" The saints below, and all the dead,
" But one communion make ;
" All join in Christ their living head,
" And of his grace partake."

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE CHURCH. 105
You are to view the Christian, this morning.
In the Churcb.
In this state Timothy was when Paul addressed
him in the words which we have chosen for our mot
to — " Thou that mayest know how thou oughtest to
behave thyself in the House of God, which is the
Church of the living God," — Him, it is true, he
addressed as a minister ; and his official station de
manded a line of conduct becoming it. But every
christian has a place to fill, and a part to act, in the
church of God ; and he needs to be informed and ad
monished coneerning it.- — Let usj
I. Explain the condition our subject supposes.
IJ. The OBLIGATIONS WE ARE UNDER TO ENTER IT.
III. The DUTIES WHICH ARISE OUT OF IT.
I. The CONDITION OUR SUBJECT SUPPOSES.
Now when we speak of the christian's being in
the Church, it is necessary to observe two accep
tations erf the word in the Scripture,, as well as in
ccmunon discourse.
It is sometimes used to comprise all the redeemed
and sanctified people of God, These, in every age;,
in every country, under every dispensation, whether
Patriarchal, Jewish, or Evangelical.; all these,
whether residing in earth, or in heaven ; all these
constitute one church. And of this we read, when
it is said, " The church of God, which he hath pur
chased with his own blood." " We are come to the
church of the first-born." " Christ loved the
church, and gave himself for it." " That he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having
^ 14

106 THE CHRISTIAN,
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." However
distinguished from each other, all real christians,
"who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,"
belong to this church ; and to be found in it, is an
unspeakable privilege, and constitutes what we mean
by "the communion of saints" in the Apostle's
Creed-— a mutual participation in all their work,
honour, and blessedness. But it is not of this we
now speak. This is the church universal ; and in
this we are necessarily found, as soon as ever we are
chosen and called out of the world.
But the word much more frequently means a par
ticular community, or company of believers associ-..
ated together for religious purposes. . This coincides
with the language of the nineteenth Article — "A
Church is a congregation of faithful men, in which
the pure word of God is preached, and . the sacra
ments are duly administered according to Christ's
ordinance in all things that of necessity are requisite
to, the same." In conformity with this/ we read of
** the messengers," not of the Church— ^but " of the
Churches :" not of the Church — but "the Churches
which were in Christ." And thus we read of "the
seven Churches which are in Asia:" of "the
Churches which were in Galatia ;" and of " the
Churches throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Sa
maria :" and what they were may be inferred from
their " walking in the fear of the Lord, and ^' in the
comforts of the Holy Ghost, and being multiplied,"
Thus, too, we read of "the Church at Philippi/'
and "the ChurCh at Colosse," and so of the rest.
In advancing further, nothing would be more easy
than to furnish matter for dispute. My object,.

IN THE CHURCH. 107
however, is not controversial, but practical. It does
not require me to undertake the task of attempting
to determine the particular form of a Christian
Church, or the precise mode of administering divine
ordinances in it ; but only to show, that it is the du
ty of a Christian to be found in a Church- State ;
giving up himself not only to the Lord, but to his
people by the will of God ; and walking with those
who profess to continue steadfastly in the Apostle's
doctrine, and in fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
and in prayer.
Yet there are some who have here, we will not
call them their argamenTs, trar their excuses. To
such union, they prefer rambling, or at least detach
ment. They fix no where, or at least commune no
where. No church is wide enough, or strict
enough, or pure enough, or sound enough, for
them : no one is completely modified to their taste.
Constantine said to such a self-conceited Christian,
" Take a ladder, and climb to heaven by thyself."
If all were like-minded with somcj there would be
no such thing as a Church on earth.
I am aware of what I shall incur from certain
quarters ; but I shall deliver myself with the firm
ness of conviction. It is not necessary that we
should approve of every opinion or usage among
those with whom we connect ourselves. It is far
better in lesser matters, if we have faith, to have it
to ourselves before God ; and to exercise forbear
ance and self-denial, rather than for the sake of some
trifling difference, to endeavour to originate a new
party, or remain destitute of the benefits, and vio
lating the obligations of social Christianity. We
should guard against an undue attachment to any par-

lOS THE CHRISTIAN,
ticular scheme of Church policyj when, though the
abettors profess to be governed by the Scaipture
only, and consider every iota of their system as per
fectly clear and binding ; others, more numerous
than themselves, and equally wise and good, and en
titled to the leading of the Spirit of Truth, draw a
very different conclusion from the same premises.
Mr. Newton, speaking of the several systems under
which, as so many jbanners, the different denomina
tions of Christians are ranged, observes, "That
there is usually something left out, which ought to
have been taken in, and something admitted of sup
posed advantage, uBauthorised by the Scripture
standard. A Bible-Christian, therefore, will see
niuch to approve in a variety of forms and parties: ;
the providence of God may lead and fix him in a
more immediate connexion with some one of them ;
but his spirit and affection will not be confined withiii
these narrow enclosures. He insensibly borrows
and unites that which is excellent in eajth, perhaps
without knowing -how far he agrees with them, be^
cause he finds all in the written word." With re
gard to myself, though I have a preference, and at
tach comparative importance to the things wherein
pious men differ, yet there is no body of Christians,
holding the Head, with whom I could not hold com
munion ; and to whom I would not join myself, if
circumstances withheld me from my own denomina
tion, rather than remain a x€Cv^ov& solitaire.
It will be, I presume, committing an unpardona?
ble sin with bigots, when I express my persuasion,
after all I have read of the claims, whether Episco
palian, or Presbyterian, or Independent, to the onhf
scriptural standard, that there is no very definite

IN THE CHURCH. 109
plan of Church Government laid down in the New
Testament; so that while one mode is canonized,
every other is absolutely wrong. Deviation from
prescribed orders is sinful ; but where there is no
law, there is no ^transgression. ^*As oft," says the
Apostle, "as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do shew liie Lord's death till he come :" now
had he told us how often we are to do this, we must
observe such times only, or oppose the will of God.
Is it BO now the thing is left undecided? May there
not be a difference in the frequency of its observance,
without sin !? it is otherwise with the recurrence of
the Sabbath : this is determined both hy command
and example. It would have been criminal in Mo
ses not to "have made the snuffers of pure gold'^ or
the holy oil of a mixture of certain ingredients ; or
the priest's robe of such a quality, such a colour,
and such a length : for he had express instructions to
do so, and the pattern of every thing was shewn him
in the Mount. But in what mount has our model of
circumstantial regulation been exhibited? What
Moses received it? Where do we find a particular
ity of detail in the Gospels of the Evangelists ; or in
the Acts, and Epistles of the Apostles? Where do
we ^nd many of the materials of angry debate and
exclusiveness^ which have occupied so much time,
and spoiled so (much temper, in the system of Christi
anity? — ^A i system designed for every nation, and
people, and >kindred, and tongue — ^a system too sub
lime in its aim to 'lose itself in minuteness — too anx
ious to unite its followers in great matters, to magni
fy little ones — ^too truly noble, not to be condescend
ing — too tender, not to be tolerant — too impartial,
not to say to its subjects, receive one another as

110 THE CHRISTIAN,
Christ also has received you ; ¦. you that are strong*,
bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please
yourselves. f
' Now we do not pretend to say, that all who do
not thus enter a Christian Church are not in a state of
grace. Some, after they are converted, may not
have the opportunity. Some are repulsed by the
rigidness of admission : they cannot pronounce every
Shibboleth of a confession ; or express their belief of
the divinity of every part of the discipline. — ^These
are to be pitied : the blame lies with the exactors of
such righteousness. Some, otherwise disposed to
come forward, are held back by a sense of unworthi
ness, or a dread of hypocrisy, or a fear of causing
"the way of truth to be evil spoken of," by their
acting unbecoming the Gospel. These are to be in
structed and encouraged.
But after these concessions, we make no scruple to
say, that if a Christian does not belong to a Christian.
Church, he is not walking according to God's ap
pointment, and the order of the Gospel ; but is liv
ing in the loss of privilege, and the omission of duty.
It was not thus with the Christians of whom we have
accounts in the New Testament. They are repre!-
sented not as wandering sheep, but a flock having a
shepherd and a fold. Not as stones loose and scatter
ed on the ground, but built up a spiritual housCi
Not as separate and solitary plants and trees, but as
a vineyard, a garden watched and watered. Not as
rovers and vagrants, in the highways and hedges^
but as ^' fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the
houseWd of God. "--This brings us to consider,,
II. The OBLIGATIONS WE ARE UNDER TO ENTER
THIS STATE,

IN THE CHURCH. Ill
_Let US notice four articles — Suitability— Consokf
tion — Safety — ^and Usefulness.
The first claim is derived from Suitability, This
.state accords with the very constitution of man. He
is not only a rational, but a social creature : and so
natural are his social feelings, that they can only be
rooted up with his very being. Religion, therefore,
does not aim to destroy or injure these propensions ;
but it sanctifies them. It opens a new sphere for
their developement. It presents new objects of in
terest and attachment.
Like attracts like ; and when we become godly,
our longing is for godly association. Then we
pray, " Be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do un-
tp them that love thy name :" then, we confess, "I
am a companion of them that fear thee :" then, " we
take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying,
we will go with you, for we have heard that God is
with you :" then, we '^ choose rather to suffer afflic
tion with the people of God, than enjoy the pleas
ures of sin for a season." These fall in with our
new views, and hopes, and fears, and joys, and sor
rows. These are now our new fellow-learners, fel-
lowrtravellers, fellow-labourers, fellow-warriors —
yea, whosoever now, doeth the will of our Father who
is in heaven, the same is our brother and sister and
mother. Saul, therefore, upon his conversion, assayed to
join himself to the disciples : and every one, when
he falls under the same influence, will be like-mind
ed with him. It would be strange indeed, if when
we turn away from the vain and the wicked, we
should find ourselves in a state of destitution and
abandonment. But God has expressly provided

112 The CHRISTIANS,
against this repulsion of loneliness. We do not be
come outcasts. He takes us up. '* Wherefore,"
says he, " come out from among them, and be ye
separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will
receive you, and be a father unto you ; and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al
mighty." Ye shall not be homeless and friendless,
I will place you in my family. You shall have bet
ter relations than those you have resigned ; and
more valuable connexions than those who have re
nounced you. When you part with the world, you
enter the Church, and this is more glorious than all
the mountains of prey. You rise in rank ; and so
far from being losers, " Verily I say unto you, there
is no man that hath left his house, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or
lands, for my sake, and the Gospel's, but he shall
receive an hundred-fold now in this timey houses>
and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children^
and lands, with persecutions ; and in the world to
come eternal life." — We, therefore.
Derive the second claim from Consolation. This
is the law of Christ : as we " have opportunity, let
us do good unto all men ; but especially unto them
that are of the household of faith." Their members,
therefore, have the first claim upon a Christian
Church for sympathy and succour. And the privi
lege arising from hence will appear to be the greater,
when it is considered, that the discharge of this duty
does not depend upon obligation only. Christians
feel themselves disposed, as well as bound to this
good work. Their principles lead them to " rejoice
witji them that do rejoice," and to " weep with
them that weep." And is it nothing to belong to a

Iff TI|E CHURCH. 113
Cp^muuiity, W»V> instead pf envying and hating you.for
your successes, a.\}d endowments, and comforts, — it i^
so always, with the world — will glorify God on your
behf^l?? Is it nothing to H^e connected with those who
feel it to be their duty an,4 their privilege to guard
your reputation, to explore your w?^hts, to soften
your cares, to soothe your sorj-ows ; and where, not
only the minister and the pffice- bearers, but all the
meiubers, wiU visit the fatherless and the widow^
in their affi/iction, and comfort them that are cast
¦^QWU? The poor aud the needy are too generally over-
ieoked, not to say despised by the worid ; and from
the treatment they receive from others, there is dan
ger of their feehng a kind of self-degradation that
^^kes them regardless of their conduct. But here
Ijhey have a naiae and a place. Here they feel an
i-mpprtp^nce, that while it raises them morally, does
not injure tjiem in their civil dependence. Here
tf icir elevation does not draw them .off from their sta-
Jtiens ; but improves them for every relative duty,
by producing self-respect, and augmenting a sense of
responsibility. Here their fellow-members, above
them in ..condition? can without envy or uneasiness
see their -equality with themselves, or even their
preeminence in experience. " Let thebrot her of
low degree rejoice in that he is exalted ; but the
rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of
the grass he shall pass away."
The Ghureh is the only society ip which it is
¦either possible or proper to merge the ranks of life.
Temporal things divide men, and keep them separ
mte ; and they have always a tendency to carry to
excess those distinctions which are allowable, and
15

114 THE CJSftlSTlAk,
even necessary. However disposed towards eacfe
other, the small and the great cannot unite in secular
friendship. The master and the servant cannot con
sort together either in the upper or the lower room.
The peasant and the nobleman cannot inhabit the
same cottage, or the same mansion. The noble and
the vulgar cannot feed together, either at the dinner
of herbs or at the stalled ox. But here they all sur
round the same table. Here all eat the same spirit
ual meat, and drink the same spiritual drink. Here
the rich and the poor meet together. Here all are
partakers of the same common salvation. Here all
are one in Christ Jesus. Here every disadvantage is
compensated. "Also the sons of the stranger that
join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to
love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every
one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and
taketh hold of my covenant ; even them will I bring
to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my
house of prayer: their burnt-offerings and their
sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for
mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all
people." Safety furnishes a third claim. For it is not to be
overlooked that this state fortifies individuals against
the infl uence of example, and number, and ridicule, '
and reproach. It will be allowed that a man ought
to do what is right, if no one stands by him. Yet
singularity is sometimes a great trial ; and to brave
all the consequences, in many cases, requires more
moral heroism than is always possessed even by one
that is upright and sincere. But when he stands in
connexion with others ; when he sees himself counte
nanced and supported by those he deems wiser and

IN THE CHURCH. Z15
better than himself ; this gives him confidence and
courage ; and he resembles a soldier who ad,vances
boldly with his comrades, when he would hesitate
and falter alone. " Two are better than one ; be
cause they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow : but
wo to him that is alone when he falleth; for he
hath not another to help him up. And if one pre-
'Vail against him, two shall withstand him : and a
threefold cord is not quickly broken."
Indecision is as perilous as it is uncomfprtable.
JVnd therefore the Apostle says, " Resist tfee devil,
and he will flee from you." For while the enemy
sees you unfixed and hesitating, he yet hopes to suc-
. ceed, and this protracts his endeavours : whereas
when he finds you determined, he desponds, and de
parts. How many temptations are cut off, as soon as
we cease to halt between two opinions, and proclaim
ourselves to be on the Lord's side. , And how much
circumspection is also hereby induced. He who
makes no pretences to a things is not j,udged by it ;
but a professiqn of religion is of great value, as it
tends to check what is evil, and to bind us to what is
righteous, by subjecting us to self-reproach, and the
censure of others, when we act , inconsistently.
^' Does this temper or conduct becoine a member of
the Church of Christ? Do I wear his livery, and
disown him? Have, I opened my mouth to the
Lord, and can I go back? Are not the eyes of
many upon me ? And have they not a right tq ask,
what do ye more than others ?"
And let me put it to your conscience, whether
this be not one of the reasons which operate to keep
you out of the Church, Ye feel yourselves now in

lie

THE CHRISTIAN,

a larger place. You have more liberty. You cari
do your own way's, and fiud your own pleasures, and
speak your own words, on God's holy day. Your
tongues are your own : who is Lord over you?
And — "I do riot profess to be a saint," seems an ex-
ctise to prevent or silence all the qualms of the sin
ner. "I know not," says Doddridge, "a more
dreadful mark of destruction upon a man, than a fear
to be under an obligation to avoid what is evil, and
to clesfcve to that which is good." A man properly
cBncenied for his spiritual and everlasting welfare,
would febl every assistance, every excitement, every
motive, iia such an important course, a privilege :
and such a privilege constitutes a powerful arguniient
on behalf of a Church relation.
Therefore it has a fourth claim. It is Useful
ness. How much more is a man's zeal drawn forth
as soon as he has declared himself in any caiise ; and
he partakes of th^ spirit of the party. When his
vote is solicited for a candidate at the time 6f an
election, though he feels scarcely a preference be
fore, yet as soon as he has avowed hgmself for eithei-
of the applicants, his indifference is destroyed, his
fervour is excited, and he is carried along with the
proceedings, until he is intensely interested ; and his
happiness or misery seems suspended on the success.
Indeed, whatever we keep concealed within, is like
ly to lose some bf its hold upon us : it is by speaking
bf it, by pushing it forward, by acting constantly up
on it, that we feel more of its impression and influ
ence. But there is another view to be taken of the sub
ject. We all know how much is to be done 6y
unibii, even when the parts are inconsiderable in

JN THE CHURCH. 117
^l^gmS£,^^^es. Thus sands medsie the mountains. The
cablt that h<>Ws the ship in the storm is composed of
fceads -A- .^ii^Sl* soldier that has missed his way,
may chancC-vYise '^0 some little good ; but he is effi
cient only as aCt;«g <^''^^ * «»^« 5 and the war re
quires a^ artiiy. H\^he liberal soul deviseth liberal
things, how are gOod sci;emfc« to be carried into ef
feet, and how are useful instx'.tuti'^^'is to be supported,
but byuniori and co-operation.^ Sow much does
one Christian society accomplish tv it^ collective
wisdom, and benevolence, and exertion ,'• ^ -"J *^^
the Churches called candlesticks, but becaCise they
are instruments, holding forth and diffusing the light
of life?
The piibEck worship of God ought always to be
considered aS an unspfeakable benefit to mankind.
AAiidst the cares and toils and distresses of life,
" God is known in his palaces for a refuge." He \k
" the FsitKfer of the fatherle% and the Husband bf
the wido'iv, in his holy habitation." There the
tempted are succoured ; arid the weak strengthened ;
arid the wandering directed. The sanctuary opens a
door for the weary traveller to enter and refresh
himself. It awakens. By its administrations, the cu
riosity of the thbughtful, and the attention of the
careless ; and how often have those who came frOm
no pious motive, been known of all^ judged of all,
and compelled tO exclaim, God is in the midst of
them of a truth. While we are anxiouis for more
success to attend the means of grace, we are not
aware of the exterit arid the degree in Which they
are useful. What an injury would be Sustained in a
neighbourhood, if they were given up !

118 THE CHRISTIAN,
But it is by Churches that the ministry of the
"word and the ordinances of religion are supported
and dispensed ; and by their means the system of
conversion and edification is continued and perpetu
ated. Individuals die ; but thus, as some are remov
ed, others are added. Thus member succeeds mem
ber, and pastor succeeds pagtor ; and, as in the case
of a river, change leaves sameness, and permanency
is produced by succession. — ^But we have,
III. To consider the duties arising from the
STATE. These are various, as well as important. They
relate. First, to the Worship, This a Christian will
value as the appointment of Him, who knowing what
is in man, ordains what is necessary to him, and de
lights in the prosperity of his servants. When,
therefore, he says, " Seek ye my face," his heart
answers, "Thy face. Lord, will I seek." And aS
he obeys from love, he will never exclaim, " what a
weariness is it to serve the Lord ; when will the
Sabbath be gone !" He calls the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy of the Lord, honourable. He loves
the habitation of his house. He finds his word and
eats it ; and it is to him the joy and the rejoicing of
his heart. If others can dispense with brdinances,
he never rises above his need of them. He feels
that something is still wanting to his knowledge, his
graces, his comfort ; and though he holds commu
nion with God habitually, and wishes in all his ways
to acknowledge him, he sees what an adaptation there
is in the means of grace to afford him relief and as
sistance. His own experience stimulates him, — ^for

tN THE CHURCH. 119
he has seen his power and glory in the sanctuary ;
while the promise justifies his most enlarged expec
tation—" In all places where I record my name, I
will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." " They
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not
faint." Cases of prevention will sometimes occur ; but he
will take heed that they are not excuses. And, as
he would not love and serve the creature more than
the Creator, he will see that the hinderances are such
as would keep him from all other engagements.
And if they can be removed by order and skill and
diligence in his affairs ; or by a little expense in con
veyance, saved from vanity and excess, he will re
move them. And when the sick relation, or his
own bed of languishing, or the painful accident^ de
tains him at home, he will feel himself the prisoner
of the Lord, and say, with the royal exile, " When
I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me ;
for I had gone with the multitude ; I went with
them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and
praise, with a multitude that kept holyday." I
never believe those, who, turning their back upon
the temple, tell us that they pass their time in retir
ed devotion. One duty pleads for another, and pre
pares for another, and helps another. It is the
same with neglect : we may infer one omission frorii
another. It is very questionable too, when they tell
us, thfit the preaeher can teach them no more than
they know already. It is the remark of Garyl, that
** hc'who -will. , learn of none but himself, is sure to
have a fool for :A?s, master." Besides, novelty of in-

120 THE CHRlSTlAKf,
fbrmatibri is not the' only or principal object in af^
tending the house of God : but as Judge Hale said/
with regard' to himself, '^ to be impressed and affect
ed ; and to have old and known truth' reduced' t<^
ejiperierice and practice."
He therefore regards the means of grace censtdnf^^
ly. He attends not one part of the Sabbath only,
but both parts : and surely two publick services can
not be too much for a day dedicated to devotion.
Nor' Will he attend on the Sabbath only, but on the
week-day also. He will be thankful for a service
which refi'eshes and nerves his mind amidst the cares
and toils of his calling-; and he will remember that,
a^ a professor of religion, he has stipulated for his
regular attendance, by his joining the Church- to
which' he belongs. Nothing can be more painful" to
the feelings of a mi^nister, when he comes to Water
his flock, than to find mariy of them not at the well.
Perhaps, too, he has chosen his subject, and studied
it, arid prayed over it with a peculiar reference to
the individual then absent. And how often has
something been delivered in the absence of that indi-
Ai^idual, singularly appropriate to his condition or ex
perience ; something that might have directed and
comforted him to the end of life, and have been re
membered in death with pleasure. And thus neg
lect has been punished with regrets
But you are required to attend the means Of di
vine appointment spiHtually . Ye are not to think
it enotigh to draw nigh to him with the mouth, arid
honbur him with the lip, while the heart is far fi-otH
him. The Loi'd looketh td the heart. There is
such a thing as an attendance on ordinances, when
thferfe is no attention in them; at least/ none that

IN THE CHURCH. 121
comes up to the demand, to " worship in spirit and
in truth."
And as Paul may plant and Apollos water, but
God alone can give the increase, we must attend, in
humbleness of mind, and never without prayer, that
the Spirit may help our infirmities, and render the
means available to our profit. When the Preacher
enters upon his work in such an assembly as this, *' it
is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath bless
ed :"— And,
Secondly, these duties regard the Minister, who
is placed over you in the Lord. Add not to his dif
ficulties. He has his trials as a man ; and he has his
trials as a Christian ; and in addition to both these, he
has trials peculiar to his ofiice. Could he have fore
seen all at the beginning, he would have been dis
heartened at the entrance ; but his work is like
John's little book, a bitter sweet, and the sweet
comes first. You find it hard enough to manage one
temper ; what must be the task of governing a multi
tude, including every diversity ! After the engage
ment of years, he would yield to many a temptation
to withdraw, but that necessity is laid upon him.
Never successful according to his wishes, and some
times apparently useless, he is often ready to lay
down his commission at his Master's feet ; to say, '' I
have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength
for nought, and in vain." Bound to engage at the
times appointed, and knowing what is expected
from him ; in his perplexity arising from choice of
subjects, in his barrenness of thought, in his unfit
ness of feeling, in the study which is a weariness to
the flesh, and the exhaustion of spirits gendered by
intense application ; his heart knoweth his own bit-
16

122 THE CHRISTIAN,
tern ess ; death worketh in him, but life in yoii«
Encourage him. Welcome his instructions. Yield
toi his reproofs. Respect that authority which he
has received, not for destruction, but edification,
^'Obey them that have the rule over you, and sub
mit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as
they that must give account; that they may do it
with joy, and not with grief ; for that is unprofitable
for you."
A minister must be very mean-spirited if he re
gards bis salary as alms or -benefactions from his peo
ple. What they give, they more than have out in
services ; and " the labourer is worthy of his hire-,''
Has not God ordained, that they who preach the
Gospel, should live of the Gospel ? And is not this
law founded in equity and justice ? Would not the
same talents the man devotes to the service of the
Sanctuary, provide for himself and his family, if em
ployed in secular concerns ? This is a delicate point
for a minister to handle ; and he surely would never
bring it forward if he could do justice to the part of
the subject before us, without it. But he will resign
it as soon as possible ; and leave it in the words the
Holy Ghost teacheth. Let congregations compare
themselves with it ; and especially those individuals
in them who pay more annually to the most menial
of their attendants, than to the shepherd of theif
souls; while others, with all their commendationi
never confer upon him one token of respect in their
lives. "Let him," says the Apostle, "be with you with
out fear." And again : " Know them that labour a-
mong you, and are over you in the Lord, and admon
ish you ; and esteem them very highly in love for

IN THE CHURCH. 123
their work's sake." He means not only in reward
of their work, but in aid of it : for unless you nia§-
nify his office, you are not likely to be impressed by
it ; and as your regard for the preacher declines, so^
will your profit by him. Your relation to hitri is
such, that, if he is degraded, you are disgraced in
Mm ; and if he is honouredj you share in his respect
ability. Ministers are men ; and " the best bf men
are but men at the best." You are not required to
approve of their infirmities, or even to be ignorant
of them ; but surely you will not be suspicious ; you
will not invite or welcome reflection and insinuation ;
nor, like too many, speak of him or suffer him to be
Spoken ofj before children and servants and stran
gers, ¦tyith a levity and freedom, far from being
adapted to increase or preserve esteem and respect.
You will consider his character not Only as forming
his crovni, but as essential to his acceptance and suc
cess , " Receive him therefore in the Lord with all
gladness : and hold such in reputation."
Thirdly, these duties respect yoUr Fellow- M^ern-
hers. They are all compi'ehended in love : and you
aspe required to " love one another out of a pure
heart fervently ;" " to love as brethren." Has k
fellow Christian erred ? " Thou shalt not hate th|f
brother in thine heart; thou shalt in any wise re
buke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upori him."
Has he been overtaken in a fault ? " Ye that are
spiritual, are to restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness, considering yourselves lest you also' be
tempted." Is he declining in zeal, and negligent
in duty ? You are " to consider him, to provoke
him to love and to good works." Is he oppressed ?
You are to " bear his burdens, and so fulfil the law

124

THE CHRISTIAN^

of Christ." Is he in want ? You are to give hiift
sueh, things as are needful. ^^Now," says the Apos
tle, '^we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are
unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak,
be patient toward all men. See that none render
evil for evil unto any man ; but ever follow that
which is good, both among yourselves, and to all

men."

Fourthly, your duty concerns the welfare and pros
perity of the whole interest. Not that you are to be
exclusively attentive to your own community. You
are unfit to be a member oiany Christian Church unless
you can say, "grace be with all them that love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." But our conditions
and circumstances must regulate not the principle, but
the exercises and the expressions of duty. The pri
vate affections are not incompatible with the publick,
but conduct to them ; and the way, the best way, the
only way, by which we can promote the good of the
whole, is by advancing the good of a part. The man
who, in opposing patriotism, pleads that the world is
his country, and all mankind his fellow- citizens, has
no country, no fellow-citizens. The object for which
he pretends to be concerned is too indistinct to im
press, too distant to approach, too extensive to
grasp. To come nearer. If a man were to disre
gard his family, under pretence that he was acting
on a broader, nobler principle, and for an object less
selfish and contracted, even the nation at large ; hc;
would soon be told that the nation consists of fami
lies, ; that one of these is committed to his care ; that
this he can improve ; that this he ought peculiarly
to regard, even for the sake of the publick. " He
that provideth not for his own, especially those of

IN THE CHURCH. 12S
hisiown house, hath denied the faith, and is worse
than an infidel." It is much the same here. It is
the will of God that we feel a special sympathy with
the religious society to which we beloi^g. This de
mands our immediate attention, and efforts, and sacri
fices ; and all the members in their respective places,
and by all the influences they can employ, should
seek to excel to the edifying of the Church.
Now the first thing that seems to strike us with
regard to the prosperity of a cause is the increase of
its members. There is, however, one kind of acces
sion which a Church should not value nor seek after.
It is the drawing members from other churches,
where they already hear " the truth as it is in Je-'
sus," and enjoy the fellowship of the gospel. We
do nothing in filling one place, by emptying another,
where the same work is carrying on. The transfer
ring of soldiers from one regiment into another^ does
not increase the king's army, or add to the defence
of the country. The thing is to gain fresh recruits.
Our aim should be to make converts, not proselytes.
But it is delightful when the inquiry is often made.
What shall we do to be saved ? — when sinners are
turned from darkness unto light, and the power of
Satan unto God : when Zion, surprised at the quali
ty and number of her sons and daughters, exclaims,
" Who hath begotten me these ? these, where have
they been ?"' — and the Lord adds to the Church dai
ly such as shall be saved.
But harmony is included in the welfare of a
Church. It can only edify itself in love. " For
where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above
is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be

126 THE CHRISTIAN,
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without par
tiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace of them that make
peace." It takes in also purity. " Therefore," says the
Prophet, " keep peace and truth :" and, says the
Apostle, ^'speaking the truth in love." The Church
of Ephesus is commended for not bearing them that
are evil. Our concern for the sanctity of our com
munion is to appear in maintaining godly discipline :
in not admitting irreligious characters> whatever rec
ommendations they may otherwise possess ; and in
excluding them when they discover themselves to be
ungodly after they have been admitted. Improper
individuals will occasionally enter the Church: there
is no preventing it, unless we were omniscient- But
we cannot search the heart; and our leaning ought
always to be on the side of charity : it is better to be
mistaken and deceived, than to be suspicious and
censorious, or to destroy one for whom Christ died.
But when the mask under which the man entered is
shifted aside, and his conduct appears sinful, '^ put
away from among you," says the Scripture, " that
wickeds person.'' He disgraces you ; and he will
contaminate — "a little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump," Some Christians not only individually but collec
tiyely do not sufficiently think upon and pursue,
" whatsoever things are lovely and of good report."
A Church may be austere and harsh and forbidding ;
but much of its usefulness depends upon its amiable--
ness. And this will arise from its character for be
nevolence, and publiek spirit, and liberality ; from
its joining, with firmness of adherence to essential

IN THE CHURCH. 127
truth, latitude in things circumstantial ; from its ten
derness in receiving the weak, but not to doubtful
disputations; from its readiness to receive all as
Christ has received us, to the glory of God.
Towards this prosperity every member should aim
and labour to contribute, by his prayers, his conver-
sation> his example, his temper, his influence. And
a. Church thus flourishing, increasing with all the
increase of God, in number, and peace, and sanctity,
and every moral excellency, is the noblest sight on
earth ; and full of attraction, and impression ; and
" a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men ;"
it looks forth as the morning, clear as the moon,
bright as the sun, and terrible as an army with ban
ners. — Let us conclude.
First, we have been speaking of those that are
within. But there are some who are yet without,
whose condition we lament, and to whom we there
fore would address the language of inquiry and invi
tation, " Come in, thou blessed of the Lord ; why
tarriest thou without?" And where do we find
these? We find them among you, whose character
and conduct are irreproachable, who Constantly at
tend the preaching of the cross, who are glad when
they say unto you, Let us go into the house of the
Lord ; who have even the worship of God in your
families : and are not strangers to your closets — and
yet keep aloof from the table of the Lord, where
with his dying breath he is saying, ^"^Do this in re
membrance of me." We find them amongst those of
you who so often remain as spectators at the holy so
lemnity, and looking down upon the privileged par
takers, sigh and say, " How goodly are thy tents, O
Jacob, and thy tabernacles, 0 Israel !" — yet are re-

128 THE CHRISTIAN,
Strained from approaching, not by carnality but tira-«
idity ; and by forgetting that "all the fitness He re^
quireth is to feel your need of him." We find them
among you, my young friends ; you, who are shun
ning the paths of the destroyer ; you, whose cou'
sciences are awake, whose hearts are tender, whose
minds are impressed by divine things, — and who are
detained by looking for a change too sudden and too
sensible ; and for a kind and degree of evidence and
assurance by no means necessary.
People talk of the young, and seem to require
more satisfaction with regard to them, than with re
gard to older candidates. But wherefore ? Do per-'
sons grow more simple and open and undesigning as
they advance in life ? Who are the members by whom
churches have been troubled and disgraced ? Not
these who joined themselves to the Lord young, and
very young too. I never knew a minister who had
to repent of encouraging such communicants. And
how many youths have I known, who, humanly speak
ing, would have been excellent and useful characters
now, but they were not encouraged, when, as our
Saviour says, they were not far from the kingdom of
God. Their foot was on the threshold of conver
sion ; but no one took them by the hand, to draw
them in — but there were enough ready to draw them
back,:, the world laid hold of them; or their con
victions, for want of cherishing, died away. Some
of them are now sitting in the seat of the scornful ;
others, though not the victims of error and vice, are
in a state of indifference with regard to the holy com
munion, which is likely to continue for life. Where
as, had they entered the Church when there was
nothing to justify their refusal, they would have been

IN THE CHURCH. 129
decided ; their return into the world would have
been cut off; they would have felt identified with a
peculiar people ; their impressions would have been
formed into principles and habits; and the whole
man would have been changed from glory to glory as
by the Spirit of the Lord.
My young friends, hesitate, we beseech you, no
longer. Fulfil ye our joy in verifying the promise,
" I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and
floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour my Spirit
upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
and they shall spring up as among the grass, as wil
lows by the water-courses. One shall say, I am the
Lord's ; and another shall call himself by the name
of Jacob ; and another shall subscribe with his hand
unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of
Israel." Then will your peace be as a river. You will
gain all the succours your age and your condition re
quire. You will become examples to others, in the
same period of life : and the young love to follow the
young. Your usefulness, early commenced, will ad
vance with your character, and influence, and years :
and planted so soon in the house of the Lord, you
will flourish in the courts of our God, and bring forth
fruit in old age.
Many of you are the children of religious parents.
How are they now praying that my attempt to bring
you to a decision may be effectual ! See you not the
tears now dropping from the cheek of thy father—
thy mother — at thy side ; while each says, ^' if thy
heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine."
Some of us can speak from experience. We only
recommend what we have exemplified. We were
17

130 THE CHRISTIAN,
enabled early to dedicate ourselves Unto God;' and
We have found his yoke easy and his burden light.1
We have found his ways pleasantness and peace.
We have found " godliness profitable unto all things>
having promise of the life that now is, and bf that
which is to come." And, next to the salvation of
our souls, we daily praise him for an early conver
sion. " I bless thee, O God, for many things," says
Beza in his will and testament, '' but especially that
I gave up myself to thee at the early age of sixteen."
Wait then no longer. Be encouraged by the as
surance, '^ I love them that love me ; and those that
seek me early shall find nie." If the flower be not
blown, offer the bud —
" The flower, when offered in the bud,
" Is no mean sacrifice"
in his account. And through all the changes of life,
and from the borders of the grave, he will honour
this surrender, and say, "I remember thee the kind
ness of thy youth."
Secondly, we see that while Christianity expects
us to enter the Church, it does not leave us to our
selves in it, but accompanies us with its social obliga
tions, and requires us to be found in the performance
of every part of relative duty. Unless you cultivate
the principles and dispositions pertaining to the con
dition, you have no right to its benefits. Unless you
bring forth fruit in the vineyard, you are cumberers
of the ground. If in the master's house, you are un
profitable, you are wicked servants. Here, as every
where else in religion, privilege and duty go to
gether. You had therefore better resign your con
nection with the Church, if you are blanks in it.
How much more if you are blots ! Your relation to

IN THE CHURCH. ISf
the body of Christ stamps upon you a ^cred charac
ter. It produces a responsibility peculiarly awful.
^s professors of his religion, you are witnesses for
God : and you depose by your actions, as well as by
your wUfds — -and will you bear a false or a defective
testimony? You are charged individually with a
portion of the glory of the Redeemer ; and will you
not be concerned to carry it unsullied to the grave ?
Beware, therefore, lest by any temper or carriage
you should cause the adversaries of the Lord to Ijlas-
pheme, and the way of truth to be evil spoken of. Do
not sadden the heart, and slacken the hands of your
minister. Do not prove a grief to the strong, and a
stumbling-block to the weak among your brethren:
but " make straight paths for your feet, lest that which
is lame be turned out of the way ; but let it rather be
healed." " Walk worthy pf the vocation wherewith
ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with
long-suffering, forbearing one another in love ; en
deavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace. Let no corrupt communication proceed out
of ybur mouth, but that which is good to the use pf
edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bit
terness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice."
Thus you will be harmless and blameless, the sons flf
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among -whom ye shine as lights in
the world, holding forth the word of life.
Even then, you may not escape censure and re
proach. But you will not be buffetted for your
faults ; and therelpre may take it patiently. They

132 The christian,
will find nothing whereof to accuse you, but in tli«t
law of your God. You will suffer for righteousness'^
sake, for well-doing, as Christians : and then yoti
need not be ashamed, but rejoice that you are par
takers of Christ's sufferings ; that when his glory
shall be revealed, ye also may rejoice With exceedmg
joy- Thirdly, we may learn that while we are Under
obligation to make a profession of religion, and come
to the table of communion, the Lord's Supper is not
a passport to heaven ; and a connexion With a visible
Church does not prove our belonging to the invisible.
The form of godliness is becoming, and useful, and
necessary, as the dress of godliness : but it is nothing,
it is worse than nothing, as a substitute for the reality.
For, in this case, there is the utmost familiarity with
divine things ; and this prevents, this destroys their
impressiveness. The very position of the man
screens conscience from alarm, while the terrors of the
Lord are addressed to those that are without : and
as, by his assumption of the character, he passes foj a
Christian, and is so treated by the world and by his
brethren, and is so addressed and encouraged and
comforted by the minister, he is in danger of taking
it for granted that he is such — when the end of these
things is death. " For what is the hope of the
hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh
away his soul ?" He may be discovered and exposed
in life ; and if not, his name and his place in the
Church will soon avail him nothing. The privileges
he has enjoyed, instead of affording him any security,
will aggravate the awfulness of his condemnation.
He not only perishes " from the way," but from the
holy hill of Zion — from the sanctuary of God. He
falls, at the foot of the altar. He drops into hell,

fN THE church. V33
from the table of the Lord, and with the sacred
symbols of his body and his blood in his hand and in
his mouth. The house of God, in which he pretend
ed to worship ; the pew in which he trifled so many
hours away, in hearing the word only ; the pulpit,
and the form of the man of God exerting himself in
it ; the chalice that never trembled in his unworthy
hand — these will be the most dreadful images that
will present themselves to the eye of his lost mind.
The truths he professed to believe and recommend ;
the sacred exercises in which he engaged, with those
who call on the name of the Lord ; his favourite
psalms and hymns in which he so often mocked him
with " a solemn sound upon a thoughtless tongue ;"
his sitting to hear, and to judge of the qualification of
candidates ; his joining with the Church in reprov
ing, suspending, excommunicating other members
with all the grimace of feigned sanctity and zeal-^ —
this will be the food of the worm that never dies, and
the fire that never shall be quenched.
Yet in some cases, it would appear that the extent
and the continuance of religious delusion may be as
wonderful, as the detection will be tremendous.
*^ When once the Master of the house is risen up,
and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand with
out, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord,
open unto us ; and he shall answer and say unto you,
I know ye not whence ye are ; then shall ye begin
to say" — Not know us P Why, " We have eaten
and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in
our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know
not whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye workers
of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and

134 THE christian,
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,
and yourselves thrust out. And they shall come
frpm the east,iand, from the west, and from the north,
and from the south, and shall sit down in the king
dom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall
be first, and there are first which shall be last."
" But, beloved, we hope better things of you, and
things that accompany salvation, though we thus
speak." You are poor in spirit. You mourn for
sin. You hunger and thirst after righteousness.
You love his salvation, and you love his service. You
glory in his cross, and you admire his character, and
long to bear the image of the heavenly. Yet you are
often ready to shrink back : you often, you always
pray, " Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try
me, and know my thoughts ; and see if there be any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlast
ing." Well, be assured of this, that you are more
welcome to his house, than you ever feel yourselves
to be unworthy. He himself rises up, and in all the
freeness and tenderness of his love, invites you to his
table; and cries, "Eat, O friends.; drink you,
drink abundantly, O beloved !"
And we, fourthly, conclude by hailing those who
are not only members of a Christian ChuiTeh, but are
joined to the Lord, and are of one spirit with him,
Not resting in the outward and visible sign, you re;
alize the inward and spiiritual grace. You discern
the Lord's body ; and, by the exercise of faith on
the Sacrifice of the cross, your experience tells you
that his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink in
deed. You have a joy in divine things which mere
jirofessors and formalists know nothing of How
often, in his word and ordinances? do you sit under

IN THE church. 135
his shadow with delight, and find his fruit sweet to
your taste. How often, when lying down in green
pastures, and feeding beside the still waters, do you
exclaim, " Oh ! how great is his beauty, and how
great is his goodness," While the men of the world
consider you as enslaved by superstition, you walk at
liberty, because you keep his commandments. While
they represent you as given up to dulness and mel
ancholy, you can look them in the face, and say,
" The men of grace have found
" Glory begun below ;
" And heavenly fruits on earthly ground
" From faith and hope may grow. i
" The hill of Zion yields
" A thousand sacred sweets,
" Before we reach the heavenly fields,
" Or walk the. golden streets."
Yes, you are already blessed. But what a pros
pect is before you ! Death has been called a going
home — but it is going to church — going from the
Church below to the Church above. Your commu
nion on earth has its trials. It is a mixed state of
things ; and owing to the apostacies of some, and the
backslidings of others, and the infirmities of all, you
are often sorrowful for the solemn assembly, and the
reproach of it is a burden. Yet it is a pleasing em
blem, and earnest of the fellowship of heaven ; but
its defects, as well as its excellencies, should lead you
to aspire after that world where the Canaanite will be
no more in the house of the Lord for ever ; and
where the spirits of just men are made perfect.
« Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
serve him day and night in his temple : and he that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ;
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

36 THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE CHURCH.
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living foun
tains of waters : and God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes;"
Ah ! Christian, though you will soon change your
place, you will not change your associates. When
death lets you go, you will return to your own com
pany. Now were you setting off for a country which
you had never seen, would it not be very relieving
to think that you would find yourself at home there
— ^many of your connexions being there already — and
the rest assuredly coming after ? If, Christian, you
are at present a stranger to the heavenly world, the
heavenly world is not a stranger to you. There is
your Father. There is your Saviour. There are
the angels who have been your ministering spirits.
There are all the saints, your brethren in Christ.
There are your dear friends and fellow worshippers,
who have preceded you — ^while those you leave be
hind are loosening and preparing to follow.
And can you imagine that your religious acquain
tance will not be renewed, and your holy intimacies
be completed, there ? " I am fully persuaded,"
says Baxter, " that I shall love my friends in heaven,
and therefore know them. And this principally
binds me to them on earth. And if I thought I
should never know them more, nor therefore love
them after death, I should love them comparatively
little, as I do all other transitory objects. But I now
delight in conversing with them, as believing I shaU
commune with them for ever." Paul was like-mindr .
ed. *' For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of
rejoicing ? are not even ye in the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ? For. ye are our
glory and joy."

LECTURE V.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE WORJ-D.

"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world."
John xvii. 11.
According to Isalah, it is a privilege to " hear
a word behind us, saying, This is the way, walk ye
in it, when we turn to the right hand, and when we
turn to the left." Truth and safety lie in the middle.
The Pilgrim, ascending the Hill Difficulty, saw a
lion on the right hand, and a lion on the left ; and
was afraid to advance. But he was informed by a
voice ft^m above, that these lions were chained ; and
need orily alarm those who approached the sides of
the road. The middle was perfectly secure ; and
keeping in this, though these Creatures might look
and roar at him, they could not hurt. This is an
other instance of the profound truth as well as genius
with which Bunyan describes things in his exquisitely
simple and admired book. The wisest of men but
gives us the same fact, when he represents Wisdom
as saying, '' I lead in the way of righteousness, in the
midst of the paths of judgment." The sentiment
may be exemplified in every thing moral and re
ligious. Economy is equally remote from profosion
and parsimony. Courage stands between rashness
and fear. Patience is equally destroyed by feeling
too little or too much : for which reason we are for-
18

138 THE CHRISTIAN,
bidden both to despise the chastening of the Lord,
and to faint when we are rebuked of him. The evils
to be avoided in all these cases come so near togeth
er, that "narrow is the way that leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it."
Let us take this general reflection, and apply it to
a particular case. Our Lord said to his disciples — " I
have chosen you out of the world." " Ye are not
of the world, even as I am not of the world." And
they cannot remember and feel this too powerfully ;
not only when they assume a profession of religion^
but in every stage of their subsequent progress. But
though their inheritance is above, their residence is
below. Though they are bound for glory, they
are now strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Though
they are not of the world, they are in it. '^ I am
no more," says the Saviour, " in the world, but these
are in the world."
They are in the world, in distinction _^om heaven^.
This is the final abode of the blessed ; and this high
and holy place is much more congenial with their
views and feelings than the earth, wshere they are
now left. In the natural creation, things are distin
guished and separated according to their qualities;
and the Apostle asks, with regard the Churchy
*' What communion hath light with darkness ; and
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous
ness, and what part hath he that believeth with an
infidel ?" Order, therefore, seems to require that
as soon as men are converted, and bear the image of
the heavenly, they should go to their own company ;
and not remain in "a world lying in wickedness."
But were this to be the case, the triumph would be
obtained without the fight, and the prize would be

IN THE WORLD. 139
reached without running the race : conversion would
be always the signal of dissolution ; and religion
would enter our families like an undertaker, to carry
off our connexions to the grave. But there is a way;
and the end of this is peace : there is a course ; and
this is to be finished with joy. The Jews imagined
they were to possess the land flowing with milk and
honey as soon as they were delivered fromithe house
of bondage : but the wilderness was their abode for
forty years ; and though this conditi6n was far better
than the place from whence they came out, it was not
to be compared with their destination. " Ye are not
yet come unto the rest and the inheritance which the
Lord your God giveth you."
They are in the~world, in "opposition to the re
quirements of Superstition. This degrading and
perverting system very early prevailed, saying, touch
not, taste not, handle not : forbidding also to marry,
and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath
created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and honour the truth ; and inducing
the votaries, if not always by command, yet by com
mendation, to resign their secular callings, and re
cede from society, and live in cells and dens and
caves of the earth — which things have indeed a show
of wisdom in will-worship and humility and neglect
ing of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying
of the flesh. But all this was really after the com
mandments and doctrines of men. Christianity yields
it no real countenance. This is not overcoming the
world, but refusing the combat. This is not fighting,
but fleeing. This is putting the candle under a bush
el instead of in a candlestick, where it can give light
to all that are in the house. But, says the Saviour,,

140 THE CHRISTIAN,
" Let your light so shine before meny that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father who ia
in heaven."
They are in the world, in qualification of a mistake,
to which some Christians even now are prone, and
which, though it does not carry them into Popery,
withdraws them, shall I say, too much, or rather im-
properly^from the world. For here we may err,
not only in the article of conformity, but separation ;
not only in our indulgence, but in our mortification ;
not only in our love, but in out aversion. If we are
the friends of the world, we are the enemies of God ;
yet we are to honour all men. If we shun the course
of this world, we are not to neglect their welfare.
While we decline the wicked as companions, we are
to attend to them as patients, and endeavour to recov
er and save and bless them. The ground that at
present does not yield us pleasure, must furnish us
with employriient; that cultivating the barren and
the briery soil, under the divine agency, for us — in
some few spots at least — the wilderness and the soli
tary place may be made glad, and the desert rejoice
and blossom as the rose. This brings us to the sub
ject of our present meditation — The Christian
In THE World.
The theme would fill volumes ; and we have only
a single Lecture for the discussion of it. But let us
do what we can. Let us take five views of the sub
ject. Let us consider the Christian in the World, as
In a sphere of Activity.
In a sphere of Observation.
In a sphere of Danger.
In a sphere of Self-Improvement.
In a sphere of Usefulness.

IN THE WORLD. 141
Ii In a sphere of Activity.
God obviously intended us for a life of engage
ment ; and the design is no less conducive to our own
advantage individually, than to the welfare of the
community in which we live. It is said, that in
"Turkey the Grand Seignior himself must have been
articled to some mechanical trade. Paul had a learn
ed education, yet he was taught the craft of tent-
making ; and we see of what importance it was to
him in a particular emergency. The Jews proverbi
ally said, that he who did not bring up his son to
some employment, taught him to be a thief. Bishop
Sanderson said, that the two curses of the day in
which he lived, were " beggary and shabby gentili
ty." Beggary is too well understood, and too much
encouraged ; but what his Lordship very properly
calls shabby gentility, means the pride of family, and
the show of finery, and the expensiveness of indul
gence, with insufficient means ; while all aid derived
from any kind of business is declined and contemned.
Some, now in easy circumstances, meanly endeavour
to conceal the merchandise or trade in which their pa
rents were engaged — though it is pleasing to think
the attempt is always vain ; as the affectation of these
people leads every one to ferret out the secret, and
to exclaim, what a pity it is that any should possess
property who are ashamed of the honourable way in
which it was acquired for them ! Of all pride, the
most contemptible is that which blushes at trade ; es
pecially in a country whose greatness results so much
from commerce ; and " whose merchants are princes,
and whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth."
They only ought to blush who rise in the morning.

142 THE CHRISTIAN,
not knowing that they have any thing in the world
to do, but to eat and drink and trifle and sleep.
An angel would pray for annihilation, rather than sub
mit to such disgraceful ness for a single day. Activity
is the noblest life ; it is the life of the soul. It is
also the most pleasant, and most healthful. No^
drudgery equals the wretchedness of ennui. The
idle know nothing of recreation. Peace and content
flee from their feelings. Weakness, and depressed
spirits, and trembling nerves, and foolish apprehen
sions, haunt them : so that these people seem refera
ble to the physician, rather than to the divine.
But the thing has a moral bearing, and so comes
under the notice of the Lecturer. A life of inaction
is a disuse of talents, and a perversion of faculties,
for which we are responsible. It is the inlet of
temptation. Our leisure days are the enemy's busv
ones — " For Satan finds some mischief still,
" For idle hands to do."
'' Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom — prirfe,
fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness." When
was David overcome? Was it not when, instead of
commanding his army in the field, he was indulging
himself at noon, upon the house-top ? Where gross-
ness of vice is not produced, evils of a less odious
quality, but no less anti-christian, are cherished, es
pecially the indulgence of impertinent curiosity, and
whisperings, and backbitings, and slanders — " Withal
they learn to be idle, wandering from house to house ;
and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busy-bodies,
speaking things they ought not." What is the pre
vention of these vices, and a thousand more ? Is
the Apostle too severe ? " When we were with

IN THE WORLD. 143
you,' this we commanded you, that if any would not
work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there
are some which walk among you disorderly, working
not at all, but are busy-bodies. Now them that are
such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus
Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their
own bread." Thus Adam and Eve were placed in
the Garden of Eden — not to live as some of you do ;
but to dress and to keep it. All through the Old
and New Testament you will find that those to whom
God appeared, to communicate information, or bestow
prerogative, were all engaged, and following their
occupations, at the time. If the unemployed think
that He visits them, let them suspect, and inquire
whether it be not another being under disguise ; for
" even Satan also transformeth himself into an angel
of light."Yet it is not sufficient that we are engaged. The
Christian must appear in the man of business. He
is not only to have a calling, but to " abide with God
in his calling." — ^To abide with him by the modera
tion of his desires and exertions : not entangling him
self in the affairs of this life ; diligent in business,
but not, by multiplication and complexity, injuring
the health of his body and the peace of his mind, and
compelling himself, if not to omit, to curtail his reli
gious duties ; if not to neglect the Sabbath, and the
sanctuary, and the closet, yet to render himself un
able to attend on the Lord without distraction. — To
abide with Him by invariable conscientiousness : doing
nothing but what is conformable with truth and recti
tude : not content to keep himself within the pre
cincts of legal obligation, but shunning and detesting
in all his dealings, every thing that is mean and over-

144 THE CHRISTIAN

reaching ; and exemplifying every thing that is fair
and honourable. — ^To abide with Him by a devout
temper and habit ; that will remind him of the
presence of God and his all-seeing eye; that will
keep him from planning or achieving any enterprise
witJhout dependance upon Heaven ; that will not
allow him to say, " To-day or to-morrow we will go
into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy
and sell, and get gain ; while he k«ows not what shall
be on the morrow ;" but induce him to preface every
project with the pious acknowledgment, "Jf the
Lord will, we shall live and do this or that ;" prac
tically owning the agency of his providence in all the
contingencies of his affairs ; in every failure and dis
appointment, submitting to his pleasure ; in every
favourable turn, in every degree of success, not sac
rificing unto his own net, and burning incense unto
his own drag, as if by them his pasture was made fat,
and his meat plenteous ; but ascribing all to the bless
ing ofthe Lord that maketh rich, and addeth no sor
row with it.
Thus secular life is christianized, and the bounds
of religion enlarged far beyond the district of what
we commonly mean by devotion. If the Christian
could abide with God only in the express exercises
of worship, whether in the closet, the family, or the
temple ; he could be with him very little. In all
situations, the cares of life demand the vaster part of
his time and attention : but he may always walk be
fore the Lord in the land of the living : and whether
he eats or drinks, or whatever he does, he may do
all to the glory of God. Let him, as often as he has
opportunity, repair, for impression, refreshment, and
aid, to the means of grace in private and publick : but

IN T«te WORLD. 145
let him also remember, that ma^j^ng the word of God
his principle, and the honour bf God his aim, he is
stall serving God, while he is working with his own
hands in his secular vocation, and -providing things
¦honest in the sight of all men. The spirit of devotion
actuates him in the absence of its forms ; and this
-principle, as is reported of the pfoilosophier's stone,
turns all it ftouehes into gold. Thus his natural ac
tions become moral ; his ;civii duties become reli
gious; the field or the warehouse is holy ground;
and the anan of business is ¦" the man of God."
II, In the W^orld he is in a sphere of Ojbs,er-
VATION. *' Ye are the light of the world : a city that is set
on an hill cannot be hid." "' Ye are manifestly the
epistles of Christ, known and rea^ of all men." '^ We
are a spectacle to the worid, to angels, and to men."
It is obvious from hence, that as .religious characters/
you ought not to be concealed ; you will not be con
cealed ; you cannot be concealed. Of this I fear you
think too little. Did you sufficiently consider how
many eyes are upon you, and the effects that may
result from their inspection, you would surely pray,
with David, " Teach me thy way, 0 Lord, and lead
me in a plain path, because of mine enemies :" or,
as it is in the margin, " because of them that observe
me." In the Church you have observers. The minister
who watches, for your souls as one that must .give
an account ; the office-bearers ; all your fellow-mem
bers — all these observe you. But these are good
observers, friendly observers : these observe you to
19

146 THE CHRISTIAN,
consider you, in order to provoke you to love and to
good works. But the world furnishes observers'of a
very different kind, both as to their qualities and
their purposes-^
— Curious observers. For " you are men wonder
ed at." They think it strange that you run not to
the same excess of riot with them. They are amaz
ed at your resigning dissipations, without which they
cannot live, and yet profess to be happy ; and to
see you bear reproach and persecution, and rejoice
that you are counted worthy to suffer. They are
staggered at your principles ; and they are not per
fectly satisfied with their own ; and so resemble Fe
lix, who wished to hear Paul concerning the faith in
Christ ; and the Jews, to whom the Apostle appeal
ed when he came to Rome — "And they said unto him.
We neither received letters out of Judea concerning
thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed
or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear
of thee what thou thinkest; for, as concerning this
sect, we know that every where it is spoken against."
— Malignant observers. Your temper and conduct
and pursuits throw censure upon them ; and they
hate you because you testify that their deeds are evil.
They therefore watch not to commend, but to con
demn ; not to notice tl\e many good steps you take,
but to mark the least halting; and are delighted
when they can detect any thing to degrade you down
to their level, any thing to justify their insinuations
against you, any thing to make them better pleased
with themselves, any thing that may help their faith
in the hypocrisy of all religion.
— ^Unjust observers. ' It is proper enough for them
to compare your conduct with your principles, and

IN THE WORLD. 147
your practice with your profession : but they dp
more than this. For you do not profess to be per
fect ; yet by nothing less than this rule do they af
fect to try you. Yea, all irreligious as they are, they
exalt themselves into moral censors, and exact more
from you than even your religion exacts : for your
religion will allow you to be sincere, though you have
infirmities ; but they will not. Hence they magnify
little failings into crimes. Hence they impute the
improprieties of a few to the whole body. Hence,
instead of judging of your religion by the Scripture,
they judge of your religion by you. Hence they
even estimate the Leader by his followers, and the
Master himself by the disciple.
This is awful; and it shows what incalculable in
jury we may do when we walk unworthy of the vo
cation wherewith we are called. For as the poor In
dians said of the Spaniards, what a God must he be,.
who has such hell-hounds fbr his servants and chil
dren : so what must many think of Christ, were they
to judge of him by the folly and pride, and avarice
and implacability of many who are called by his
name? And what inferences, my fellow-Christians, ought
you to draw from hence ? It is in vain to fret your
selves, and complain of the injustice of the world.
You must regulate yourselves accordingly. Yea,
you must turn . this vile disposition into a blessing.
You must walk in the fear of your God, because of
the reproach of the heathen your enemies. You are
not of the night nor of darkness ; you must therefore
walk honestly as in the day. You are on a stage :
you must therefore be attentive to your movements.
<^ What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy-

148i THE CHRISTKAN,
conversatidH! and godliness !" Neveir be careless of
you*r reputation.. Never adopt the maxim ofi some
indiscreet profeasarfr^^^^ I care not what the world
thinks or says of me" — You ought to care. You
ought to value a good name above great riches. You
ought to let no accusation attach tp you, but in mat
ters pertaining to the law of your God.
Illr In the World he is in a sphere of Danger.
' Our Lord reminds us of this, when he prays not
that we might be taken out of the world, but kepfc
from the evil. Hence we are required to pass the
time of our sojourning here in fear. And hence we
read, " Blessed is the man that feareth always."
We are liable to be drawn sometimes beyond the
bounds of permission and duty ; and so to intermin
gle with the ungodly as to neglect the command,^
'^ Sgtve yourselves from this untoward generatioob"
**Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate^.
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing."
There are companies) aad places, and scenes, to which
a Christian may be tempted, but in which he must
never be found. We have read in Ecclesiasitical His
tory of a damsel supposed to be possessed ef the
devil. The Bishop approached her, and command"-
ed the unclean spirit to come out of her. But he
stoutly replied, " I will not :" adding, as the reason
of his refiisal, " She is my lawful prize. I took ber
on my own territory. 1 found her not in the temple^
but in the theatre," I have no feith in the fact : but
the moral of the fable — (how much of Ecclesiaticai
History is no better than a fable ! ) — the moral is good,
and useful ; and teaches us that we have no warrant

IN THE WORLD. 149^
to look for divine protection when we are on fbr-
bidden grounds
'We must needs goi out of the world, if we would
avbid all intercourse with the ungodly. There is
scarcely a day in which we are not brought into such
contact with them as duty allows and requires. But
is there no caution necessary even then ? Is there
no danger of infection, when we are among the diseas
ed ? Has not a heathen told us, that evil commu
nications corrupt good manners ? Need you be in^
formed that even the presence of the wicked maiy
chili yetfj' jteligiojis fervaur ; and that their conversa)-
tion may throw doubts into yomr mindis, and leave
stains on the imapiiatioa, which camoot be easily re
moved ? How insensibly are we drawn to feel and
talk and act like others; especially if there be rank
to irffipress, and talent to fascinate, and friendship to
alMre, ^adt dependance to erscil^e' hopie, and favouj^a
to attach gratitude !
The danger as to the case before us is, not only
from what we meet with in the condition, but from
what we bring, int©i it. The, world is alvifays the
same. Its errors, vices, example endeavomirs,.
frowns, smalfes, promisesy and threatenings) yield in
cessant and powerM temptaitions. Yet an amgel i»
not endangered by them : he has not the senses, the
passions, the appetkes, the eorrispticms,, on which
they can opetate. But we are not only rational, but;
animal creatures. We have not only an. immaterial
spirit, but a material body accessible to every exter
nal impression. We are also fallen cre£rture% and
much pf the dcrangeraient induced by o*ir depwvity^
consists in the ascendency of the sensual o^ser the inv
tellectual part of our nature.

150 THE CHRISTIAN,
And if we are sanctified, we are not completely
renewed. And owing to the sin that dwelleth in us,
we are in danger from our dress, our food, our call
ing, our connexions. We are in danger not only
from sinful, but lawful things. The piece of ground,
the yoke of oxen, the married wife — all these are in
nocent in themselves; yet they may excuse the ac
ceptance of the invitation to the feast, and become
the means of perdition. The knowledge we possess
may puff us up with vanity. The applause we meet
with, may show how drossy we are ; as the fining
pot for silver, and the furnace fiir^oH^sQ_is a man tO
his praise. Owing to our susceptibility of shame,,
and suffering, the fear of man bringeth a snare, and
may drive us back or turn us aside from the path of
duty. How perilous is it to have not only an active
and sleepless enemy without, but a traitor within, to
give him every information and advantage. And
with regard to the soul, a man's foes are indeed those
of his own household. " Then a man is tempted,
when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed."
How apprehensive and cautious should those be who
carry gunpowder, while moving in the neighbour-,
hood of sparks. *' Can a man take fire in his bosom,
and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot
coals, and his feet not be burned ?"
Be not therefore high-minded, but fear. Some
are indeed obliged by their condition and calling to
enter further into the world than others, and so are
more exposed ; but what we say unto one, we say
unto all. Watch. " Watch and pray, lest ye enter
into temptation." Whose attainments are such as to
warrant the dismission, or even the relstxation of his
vigilance ? Whose standing is so secure as to feel it

IN THE WORLD. 151
needless any longer to pray, " Hold thou me up, and
I shall be safe ?" Are we young ? Timothy, with
all his faith and godliness, is admonished to flee
youthful lusts. Are years beyond the reach of harm ?
Solomon, after a youth of manhood and piety, is
drawn aside in his old age. We may fail even in
those qualities and graces wherein we most excel.
Abraham, the father of the faithful, staggered through
unbelief, and how did it debase him in Gerar! Mo
ses, more meek than any man on the earth, provoked
by the perverseness of the murmurers, " spake unad
visedly with his lips." The disciple who disowned
the Saviour, even with oaths and curses, was he who
had just said, " though I should die with thee, yet
will I not deny thee ;" and who had just drawn his
sword, and in the presence of a number of Roman
soldiers had cut off the ear of the High Priest's ser
vant. If any imagines that though these admonitions
and warnings are needful for others, they are not ne
cessary for him, he is the man who far more than ev
ery other requires them : for " pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
It is therefore a great thing, and a thing for which
you cannot be too thankful to the God of all grace, if,
after so long an exposure in an enemy's land, your
hearts have not turned back, neither have your steps
declined from his ways. Review the hour when you
first gave up your ownselves to the Lord and to his
people by his will ; recal the subsequent vicissitudes
of your condition and experience ; and exclaim, with
wonder and praise,
" Many years have pass'd since then, ;
" Many changes I have seen ;
"Yet have been upheld till now —
" Who could hold me up but Thou ?"

152 THE CHRlSTlANj
You hare had your infirmities ; and these ought to
humble you. But it is an unspeakahle privilege that
thus far you have not only been sincere, but without
offence, and have not caused the way off truth to be
evil sp«^ea of.
*'Ah !" say some of you, " such are to be congrat
ulated. Through all the pollutions of a world like
this, they have not defiled their garments ; and they
are ready to walk with their Redeemer in white, for
they are worthy. But we are only commencing our
religious course. Their warfare may be considered
as accomplished : our fight is scarcely begun. The
dangers which are behind them, are all before us;
and the prospect frequently smites our heart down to
the ground. But be not discouraged. Their friend
and keeper is with you. He will never leave you
nor forsake you. He is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of his
glory with exceeding joy. Look to that grace whibh
is sufficient for you; and fee concerned to albstain
from all appearance of evil. And the very God of
peace sanctify you wholly : and I pray God your
body, isoul, and spirit may be pres^^ved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful
is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
IV. In the World he is in a sj^ere of Self-Im
provement. The Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him.
His love to them is infinite. And as he is possessed
of unbounded resources tp give his friendship effect,
it follows that he would not detain them here, unless
the condition was compatible with their advantage,

m THE WORLD, 163
and the trials by which they are exercised could be
found unto their praise and glory and honour.
When Isaiah would distinguish the guilt of a sin
ner, he said, " Even in the land of uprightness will
he deal unjustly" — and nothing can aggravate a man's
wickedness more, than to go on still in his transgres
sions, when every thing in his situation, every thing
he hears and sees, excites and encourages him to godli
ness. By the same principle of reasoning it will ap
pear, that the highest religious excellence is that
which is displayed in the land of wickedness ; and
where evil examples and seductions press on every
side. Hence the portrait drawn by the sublimest
hand that ever held a pencil.

-" Abdiel, faithful found

Among the faithless, faithful only he ;
Among innumerable false, unmov'd.
Unshaken, unseduc'd, unterrified.
His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal ;
Nor number, nor example, with him wrought
To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind.
Though single. From amidst them forth he pass'd
Long way through hostile scorn, which he sustain'd
Superior, nor of violence fear'd aught."
This gave splendour to the faith of those Christians
who were saints even in Caesar's household. This
magnified the sanctity of Daniel, and Moses, and
Joseph, who lived in the midst of heathenish, and
luxurious, arid corrupt courts ; and yet kept them
selves pure. This was the honour of Noah ; that
when God had explored the whole world, he said,
*' Thee have I seen righteous before me in this gen
eration." What is virtue untested ? " Blessed is the man
that endureth temptation ; for when he is tried, he
20

164- THE CHRISTIAN,
shall receive the crown of life." It is not by thC fire
side, or in the circle of his friends, or in the rear of
the army with the " stuff," that the hero gathers his
laurels ; but amidst the confused noise of warriors,
and garments rolled in blood. If we were exposed
to no frowns and menaces, how could we show the
firmness of our religious principles ? If we met with
no kind of reproach and persecution for the Saviour's
sake, how could we evince our belief of his truth and
our love to his cause ? Were we urged to follow no
will but his, how could we obey God rather than
man? Am I offended ? What an opportunity have I to
prove that I can forgive my brother his trespasses I
Am I opposed and injured ? Here my patience and
meekness are called forth. Here I am in the noblest
field of action. I am more than a conqueror. I am
not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Can I pass a day or an hour, and not perceive the
-goodness and forbearance of that God, who though.
still insulted by the world which he has made, yet
spares it, and is never weary in filling it with plen-
teousness? — Is my soul vexed with the filthy conver
sation of the wicked ; and do I not wonder at the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into such
a world, and resided here for three and thirty years,
bearing the contradiction of sinners against himself? —
Can I view the depravity of others, and know that I
am a partaker of the very same nature, and not feel
abased, and ashamed, like the martyr, who whenever
he saw a sinner in his sins said, ^' There goes Brad
ford, but for the grace of God." — How can we view
the vassalage of the ungodly under the tyranny of
their passions, and led captive by the devil at his

IN THE WOLRD. 155
will, and not remember that we ourselves also Were
isometimes foolish and disobedient, deceived, serving
divers lusts and pleasures ; and not ask who made us
to differ from others ; and what have we that we
have not received ? — How can we see the vileness of
sin in its ugly tempers and detestable practices, and
not be excited to abhor that which is evil, and cleave
to that which is good? — How can we contemplate the
miseries of the sinner, and not have our faith confirm
ed in the testimony of the Scripture that assures us
the end of these things is death ; the way of trans
gressors is hard ; there is no peace to the wicked ? —
And when we behold them blind and deaf, and madly
rushing on to destruction, will not all the compassion
of our souls be moved, will not all our zeal be ixv-
flamed, to endeavour to save them ?
V. In the World he is in a sphere of Usefulness,
We principally mean religious usefulness. We
would not indeed limit your exertions. Do all the
good that is in your power. Feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, administer to the sick, visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction — But forget
not, that charity to the soul is the soul of charity.
There is no evil from which you can deliver a fellow-
creature to be compared with sin ; and there is no
good you can obtain for him like that grace whose
fruit is holiness, and whose end is everlasting life.
And fix in your minds, my Christian friends, not
only the importance of the object, but the possibility
of accomplishing it. David did not despair of suc
cess when he said, '' Then will I teach transgressors
thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee,"

156 THE CHRISIIAN,
And what says the Apostle James ? " Brethren, if
any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
him; let him know, that he which converteth a sin
ner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from
death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." God
works by means; and it is by his people that he
principally carries on bis cause in the world. They
are his witnesses. They are his servants. He first
makes them the subjects of his grace, and then the
mediums. He first turns them from rebels into
friends, and then employs them to go and beseech
others to be reconciled unto God. For they know
the wretchedness of a state of alienation from him.
They know the blessedness of a return. They have
"tasted that the Lord is gracious." Their own ex
perience gives them earnestness and confidence in
saying to those around them, " 0 taste, and see that
the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in
him." \
Let us enter more fully into this most essential part
of our subject.
The persons for whom you are to be concerned are
represented as wi7AoM^/ and your object is to bring
them in. They are ignorant, and you must inform
them. They are prejudiced, and you must remove
their objections. They are full of aversion, and you
must subdue this dislike. The Scripture calls this
^' gaining" them ; " winning" them. In order to
this, address is necessary, as well as zeal : " He that
winneth souls is wise." Hence the Apostle requires
you to " walk in wisdom towards them that are with
out." The question is, what this wisdom includes.
Here I wish I had more time to enlarge and particu
larize. I know nothing concerning which the con-

IN THE WORLD. 167
duct of many religious people needs more correction.
I will therefore venture to exceed a little the limits
allotted to this exercise ; though, after all, we can
only throw out a few hints for your observance.
If then you would bring in those that are without,
show nothing like a contemptuous superiority or dis
tance. Avoid every air of the Pharisee, who says,
^' Stand by thy thyself ; come not near me ; I am ho
lier than thou." Convince them that you love them,
and have no object in view but their own welfare.
And therefore be kind, and tender, and ready to
serve them. Especially be attentive to them in
trouble ; for nothing affects persons more deeply,
than the notice you take of them in distress. It will
look disinterested ; and will not fail to form in their
minds a striking contrast between you and the people
of the world, and lead them to say, "How these peo
ple differ from others ! Other friends drop us in ad
versity ; but then these take us up. They are not
meanly governed by advantage, but love their neigh
bours as themselves."
— Learn to distinguish things that differ. What
fisherman would employ the same bait for every kind
of fish, and at every season of the year? Who, wish
ing to convince, would seize the moment of passion
and irritation ; and not wait the return of calmness
and reason? Who, having to reprove, would not ad
minister the rebuke privately, rather than mortify
and exasperate by publick exposure ? ^* Tell him
his fault between him and thee alone : if he hear
thee, thou hast gained thy brother." How different
are the conditions, the habits, the principles, the tem
pers of men ! And who was it that said, '' Let ev
ery one of us please his neighbour for his good tb ed-

158 THE CHRISTIAN,
ification ?" And did not his own example enforclii
his advice? Though I be free from all men, yet
have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain
the more." " And this I do for the Gospel's sake."
" Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking
mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they
may be saved."
— Never begin in a way of attack. This puts you
into the posture of an enemy, and provokes a feeling
of defence and resistance. Recommend what is rightj
cKither than oppose what is wrong ; and let them, hy
the perception of the one, discover and condemn the
other. The best way of effecting the expulsion of
evil, is by the introduction of good. What is it to
tear people away from their amusements, before any
superior source of pleasure be opened to their minds?
Their hearts are still after their idols. They only
-act the hypocrite in their abstinence ; and hate the
religion that forbids their happiness. Let something
better be substituted ; and the soul is even as a wean
ed child.
— And do not attempt every thing at once.
" There is," says Henry, " not only an underdoing,
but an overdoing ; and such an overdoing, as some
times proves an undoing." When the disciples of
John asked our Saviour, '^ Why do we and the Phar
isees fastDft, but thy disciples fast not?"-— he said
unto them, " Can the children of the bride-cham
ber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them ?
but the days v ill come, when the bridegroom shall
be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No
man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old gar
ment ; for that which is put in to fill it up taketh
from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles ; else

IN THE WORLD. 169
the littles break, and the wine runneth out, and the
bottles perish ; but they put new wine into new bot
tles, and both are preserved." Now what you have
here to consider, is, not so much the imagery of the
comparisons, as the principle. His meaning is, that
some things, proper in themselves, are yet not season
able ; and that we may do hurt rather than good, by
endeavouring to effect too much. Look to his life
for an ' illustration of his doctrine. Did he despise
the day of small things ? Did he break the bruised
reed, or quench the smoking flax ? Did not he say
to his disciples, *' I have many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now?" How unlike him
are they who force upon the mind every difficult
sentiment, regardless of any preparation made by
experience for the reception of it. " How unwise,"
as an old writer has it, " is the conduct of those how
send their pupils to the university of predestination,
before they have entered the grammar-school of re
pentance." How injurious is it, when the tender
ness of age requires only milk, to feed babes with
strong meat, — yea and even to furnish them with
the bones of controversy.
— Do not attach great importance to little things.
This is the way to make people think that your re
ligion consists of whims or trifles ; and that your in
tegrity and firmness are but isqueamishness and obsti
nacy. Show that though you have a tender con
science, you have not a weak one. Show that your
convictions are not opinions, but principles. Show
that your object is not to make proselytes to your
party, but converts to the cause of real Christianity.
— Beware of every thing in your conduct that
would prove a scandal. They who. see, can get over

160 THE CHRISTIAN,
Stumbling-blocks ; but who would throw them in the
way of the blind ? ^' Make straight paths for your
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way ;
but let it rather be healed." Administer no cause of
censure but what your religion itself supplies. You
are not answerable for the offence of the cross. But
there are many other offences — ^and wo to the world
because of them ! The falls of professors are judg
ments on the neighbourhood in which they live.
What a noble spirit dictated the resolution, "Where
fore if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no
flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my broth
er to offend." And how fdr did Ezra carry the del
icacy of his religious zeal ! There was no real in
consistency between dependence upon God, and the
use of means : but he had to deal with a poor igno
rant heathen, who might easily misapprehend and
pervert the language of his confidence ; and there
fore, says he, '^ I was ashamed to require of the king
a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the
enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the
king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for
good that seek him ; but his power and his wrath is
against all them that forsake him. So we fasted, and
besought our God for this ; and he was entreated
of us."
— While your religion is impressive by its con
sistency, let it be attractive by its amiableness. There
fore, think upon and pursue whatsoever things are
lovely, and of good report. In excuse for the disa
greeable tempers and the repulsive manners of some
Christians, it is said, that grace may be grafted on a
crab'Stoek, Be it so. But instead of excusing the
improprieties, the metaphor condemns. When a

IN THE WORLD. 161
tree w grafted, it is always expected to bear fruit ac
cording to the scion, and not according to the stock :
and " the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem
perance: against such there is no law."
— Nothing recommends godliness more than cheer
fulness. All men desire happiness ; and if while
every other candidate for the prize fails, you suc
ceed, your success may determine others to follow
your envied course. Hence it is not very desirable
that religion should be so often expressed by the word
seriousness. Among many people, as soon as ever
a man is becoming religious, it is said he is becoming
'^serious." But does not religion also make him
humble, and benevolent, and hopeful, and blessed?
Why then should we select so exclusively for the
designation of its influence, an attribute or an effect
which is common with many others, but yet the least
inviting, and most liable to an injurious construction ?
I never use it — and if I were obliged to use any
other term thai.n religious itself, I would rather say
the man was becoming happy.
It will be allowed that many of these advices are of
a negative kind. But there are many ways in which
yoii may positively exert yourselves. Such as — ^By
conversation. By epistolary correspondence. By
recommending good books. By bringing persons
under the preaching of the word ; for " faith cometh
by hearing." As soon as Andrew knew the Lord,
" he findeth his own brother Simon, and saith to him,
we have found the Messiah, which is, being inter
preted, the Christ ; and he brought him to Jesus."
As soon as Philip knew him, he findeth his friend
21

162 THE CHRISTIAN,
Nathanael, and saith unto him, " We have found hiffl
of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did
write." As soon as the woman of Samaria knew
him, " she left her water- pot, and went into the city,
and saith to her neighbours. Come, see a man that
told me all things that ever I did." And how many
was she the instrument of inducing to believe on the
Saviour of the world !
The opportunities and influences of individuals
will be very unequal ; but all should seek to obtain
the commendation conferred on Mary in the Gospel,
" She hath done what she could."
Yet it is not always by direct effort, that you will
best succeed. A word fitly spoken is valuable ; but,
in general, it is better for persons to see your religion
than to hear it : it is better to hold forth the word of
truth in your lives, rather than in your language ;
and by your tempers, rather than by your tongues.
The relations in which some pious characters are
found peculiarly require the observance of this dis
tinction. Such, for instance, are professing ser
vants. Their province of usefulness is not by teach
ing and exhorting and reproving. One of these was
recently speaking to the preacher, of her master and
mistress, and complained, " Nothing I say to them
seems to do them any good." To whom — knowing
the c/flw* of the individual, he replied, "What you
say to them ! But this is not the way in which you
are to expect to do them good — ^but by early rising;
by neatness, .and order,-,,and diligence ; by ' not an
swering again ; by not purloining, but showing all
good fidelity :' it is thus that you are to ' adorn the
doctrine of God your Saviour in all things.' " I am
far from ranking wives with servants and dependants.

IN THE WORLD. 163
My female hearers, you will bear me witness that I
never plead for the degradation of your sex ; and I
am sure you will not count me your enemy because I
tell you the truth. We need not remind you of the
language of the Apostle : " I suffer not a woman to
teach, nor usurp an authority over the man ; but to
be in silence." He can only speak comparatively.
We know you are well endued with speech ; and we
delight to hear your readiness and skill. But we yet
question whether any talent, even of this kind, be
your most advantageous and successful instrument.
The love of home ; the concern to please ; the silent
tear ; the graceful sacrifice ; the willing concession ;
the placid temper — these upon men — and we presume
you would not have married brutes— these upon ingen
uous and attached husbands, will seldom fail of pro
ducing their effect, really, if not instantly. '^ Like
wise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own hus
bands ; that if any obey not the word, they also may
without the word be won by the conversation of the
wives, while they behold your chaste conversation
coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be
that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel ; but let
it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is
not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight pf God of great
price." There is no eloquence so powerful as the
address of a holy and consistent life. It shames the
accusers. It puts to silence the ignorance of foolish
men. It constrains them by the good works which
they behold, to glorify God in the day of visitation.
— We hope there is no Cain here this morning,
who in answer to all this is ready to say, " Am I

164 THE CHRISTIAN,
my brother's keeper ?" From this obligation to seek
the salvation of others, none are exempted. But if
some are more peculiarly bound than others, they are
those who have been saved from a long and awful
course of vice themselves. You ought to feel, above
others, a claim of gratitude, and of justice. You
have had much forgiven, and you should love much.
You have been a curse to many ; you ought now to
be a blessing. Oh 1 it seems enough . to make you
shed tears of blood to think that there are some now
in hell who ascribe their destruction to you : while
others are walking the downward road, urged on and
encouraged by your former errors and crimes and
influence. Some of these are placed beyond your
reach. Others are yet accessible. O ! repair to
them immediately. They know your former con
dition ; describe to them your present ; and acquaint
them with the peace and pleasure ^ which have result
ed from your conversion. Who can tell what an af
fectionate and earnest testimony, derived from ex
perience, and accompanied with a change too obvious
to be denied, may accomplish ?
— But " them that honour me," says God, " I will
honour." Let all your attempts therefore be preced
ed and attended and followed by prayer. This will
prepare you for your work ; this will encourage you
in it. This will preserve you from growing weary
in well-doing. This will teach you not to consider
any of your fellow-creatures as abandoned ; and keep
you from i giving over the use of means to reclaim
them. Nothing is too hard for the Lord ; and pray
er brings him into the scene : we are workers
together with God — " Not by might nor by power,
but by my Spirit, saith the Lord."

IN THE WORLD. 16B
— And need I say, " Whatsoever your hand find
eth to do, do it with your might ;" do it immediate
ly. While you delay, they may be gone, and their
condition determined for ever. While you linger,
you may be gone, and every possibility of usefulness
be shut out. "¦ For what is your life ? It is even
a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then
vanisheth away." Yet all your opportunities of
doing good are limited to this short and equally un
certain duration. In consequence of this, what an
inestimable value attaches to the present hour.
Awake, my fellow-Christians, and redeem the time.
Remember, earth has one privilege above heaven.
It is the privilege of Beneficence. The privilege
of passing by a transgression, of relieving the distress
ed, of spreading the Scriptures, of evangelizing the
heathens, of instructing the ignorant, of reclaiming
the vicious, of seeking and saving them that are lost.
They who are now in joy and felicity, would be
ready, were it the will of God, to descend from their
glory, and re-enter the body, and traverse the vale
of tears again, to be able to do, for a number of
years, what at present lies within the reach of every
one of you.^ — Is this incredible? Why they are
now perfect in knowledge ; and see that "it is not
the will of our Father who is in heaven, that one of
these little ones should perish." Why theif benevo
lence is now perfect ; they dwell in love, and God
dwelleth in them. They are filled with the Spirit
of Him who ^'though he was rich, yet for your sakes
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be
rich." Christians ! we have thus spoken of your being in
the world. Let me now speak of your leaving it.

166 THE CHRISTIAN,
After David had served his generation by the will of
God, he fell on sleep, and was gathered to his fathers.
Jesus went about doing good ; but at last he said, " I
have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do." " And now I
am no more in the world. Holy Father, I come to
thee." Such is the removal that awaits you all.
You will soon be no more in this world — how soon,
it is impossible to determine. But as to some of you,
from the infirmities of nature and the course of years,
the event cannot be very remote, and you need not —
you do not deplore it. "Your salvation is now
nearer than when you believed." " The night is
far spent. The day is at hand."
You are not required to be indifferent to what is
passing around you, or insensible to the events that
befall yourselves ; but you are to feel as Christiani?,
and you are to declare plainly you seek a country.
You are not to undervalue a state in which you eiyoy
many comforts, and are favoured with the means of
grace, and are blessed and dignified with opportuni
ties of usefulness ; but considered as your portion,
and your dwelling-place, the voice cries, and you
ought to hear it, " Arise, and depart hence, for this
is not ybur rest, ^because it is polluted." You are
not to be in haste to leave it, while God has any
thing for you to do, or to suffer : but while bearing
the burden and heat of the day, you may resemble
the man in harvest : he does not throw down his
implements and run out of the field before the time;
but he occasionally erects himself and looks westward,
to see when the descending sun will furnish him, with
an honourable discharge.

IN THE WORLD. 167
" Jesus," the Evangelist tells us, " knew that his
hour was come that he should depart out of this world
unto the Father." There was something peculiar
here. He knew the time of his departure, and had
his eye upon it, and regulated his measures by it
from the beginning — But you must say with Isaac,
" 1 know not the day of my death." Yet you also
have your hour appointed for this purpose ; and ap
pointed by Infinite Wisdom, and Goodness. And till
it arrives, you are immortal ; and friends cannot re
tard, and enemies cannot accelerate its approach.
— And what will it then be but a departure out of
this world P This vain world — this vexing world —
this defiling world — this tempting world — this world
which crucified the Lord of Glory— this world in
which you walk by faith, and not by sight ; and in
which you so often exclaim, " Wo is me, that I
dwell in Mesech, and make my tents in Kedar."
— What will it be but a departure out of this
world, to the Father P — to his world ? To his a-
bode ? — and to yours also ? For since you are the
sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, your going
to the Father, is going home. The poet represents
the traveller returning at eve, buried in the drifted
snow, as '^ stung with the thoughts of home;" a home
he was not permitted to see. But, Christian, no
disaster shall hinder your arriving at your Fa
ther's house in peace. And as your home is sure,
so it is replenished with every attraction that can
draw you forward. When the venerable Mede,
whose grey hairs were a crown of glory, being found
in the way of righteousness, was asked how he was ?
resting upon his staff, he cheerfully answered, "Why,
going home as fast as I can ; as every honest man

168 THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE WORLD.
ought to do when his day's work is done: and I
bless God, I have a good home to go to." God
forbid. Christians, that you should be all your life
time subject to bondage through fear of an event
that has so much to render it not only harmless, but
desirable. Does the Lord Jesus stand in no relation
to you? Is not he your ransom and your advocate? Is
not he your righteousness and strength ? Has not he
abolished death, and brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel? Has not he opened the
kingdom of heaven to all believers ? Has not he said,
" If a man keep my sayings, he shall never see
death ?" What is dying now, but your hour to de
part out of this world unto the Father ? —
" There is my house and portion fair ;
" My treasure and my heart is there,
" And my abiding home :
" For me my elder brethren stay,
" And angels beckon me away,
" And Jesus bids me come."

LECTURE VI.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN PROSPERITY.

** I spake unto thee in thy Prosperity ; but thou saidst, I wiU
not hear." — Jer. xxii. 21.
THE providence of God was presented in vision to
Ezekiel, under the image of a vast wheel. The de
sign was to show, that its dispensations were constant
ly changing. For as in the motion of a wheel, one
Spoke is always ascending, and another is descending;
and one part of the ring is grating on the ground,
and another is aloft in the air ; so it is with the affairs
of empires, families, and individuals — they never
continue in one stay. And not only is there a diver
sity in human conditions, so that while some are rich,
others are pOPr ; and While some are in honour, others
are in obscurity and disgrace ; but frequently the
same person is destined successively to exemplify, in
his own experience, the opposite estates of prosperity
and adversity. Such characters strike us in the
Scripture ; they abound in history ; they are to be
met with in our daily walk; they are to be address
ed in every congregation.
But these vicissitudes are great trials of religious
principle ; and happy is he who can press forward
undismayed by the rough, and unseduced by the
pleasant he meets with, in his course ; who can pre-
22 ,

170 THE CHRISTIAN,
serve the balance of the mind in all the unequal pres
sures of human life ; and who, prepared for each va
riety of circumstances in which he can be placed, is
authorized tp say, " I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound ; every where, and in all
things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hun
gry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Such is the Christian — or must I say, such he ought
to be ! This exercise brings him before us in the
possession of Prosperity,
I need not detain you in specifying the ingredients
of this envied state. — It must include health. This
is the salt that seasons, and the honey that sweetens
every temporal comfort. Yet how little of it do some
enjoy. How affecting is the complaint they are con
strained to utter — '^ I am made to possess months of
vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed unto me:
when I lie down, I say. When shall I arise, and the
night be gone ; I am full of tossings to and fro, untU
the dawning of the day." — *'He is chastened also with
pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones
with strong pain, so that his life abhorreth bread,
and his soul dainty meat." While others scarcely
know from their own feelings what disease, or indis
position, or infirmity, means.
— It must take in agreeable relations. What are
the caresses of the world, if a man be chilled with
neglect or repulsed with frowns at home? What
are the productions of the field and the garden, if,
as the Prophet says, ' thorns are in our tabernacle ?'
" Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a

IN PROSPERITY. 171
stalled ox and hatred therewith." What a difference
is there, between a " brawling woman in a wide
house," and " a wife that is as a loving hind and a
pleasant roe !" Job, looking back to the days of his
prosperity, says, "when my children were about
me." They were united and affectionate and dutiful.
What must be the wretchedness of a parent whose
offspring are the reverse of all this !¦ — Friendship
must not be absent. Who can dispense with this
balm of life ? Who does not feel his need of another's
bosom, if not of another's hand ? What is general
and indiscriminate society ! I must have one whose
sympathies lead him to rejoice when I rejoice, and
to weep when I weep : or my grief is too heavy for
me to bear ; or my pleasure loses half its relish.
" Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart ; so doth
the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." —
Who can be so low and groveling as to have no re
gard for the opinion and approbation of his fellow-
creatures ? "A good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches ; and loving favour rather than
silver and gold." " The light of the eyes rejoiceth
the heart : and a good report maketh the bones fat."
— But the use of the term more directly reminds us
Of the fruit of our wishes, and the success of our en
deavours, in our calling or profession ; and the se
curing and commanding a degree of wealth above
competency. For " money is a defence," and screens
us from the evils of dependence and embarrassment; ¦
^' Money answereth all things :" it procures a thou- '
sand advantages ; and affords not only the necessa- ¦
ries, but the conveniences, and indulgences, and em
bellishments of life.

172 THE CHRISTIAN,
Now the portion only of a very few favoured in^
dividuals includes all these ingredients; but the
greater the confluence of them in number and de-
grecj the better we consider the cup of prosperity
replenished. But can such a cup be seen in the hand of a Chris
tian ? Why not ? In general, indeed, the language
ofthe Scripture befriends the needy and distressed j,
and what generous mind does not rejoice in this as
pect of benevolent preference ? Who does not read
with pleasure, " I will leave in the midst of thee a
poor and an afflicted people, and they shall trust in
the Lord their God;" " The poor have the Gospel
preached unto them." " God hath chosen the poor
of this world: rich In faith, and heirs of the kingdom
which he hath promised to them that love him," But
this is not true of them, universally- and exclusively.
We are told that not mxiny of the higher ranks^iit
life are called : but the very aj?sertion: implies that
there are some. Our Saviour said to his follower^
*'If any man will be my disciple, let him deny- him*
s@lf, and take up his cross daily." "In the world.
ye shall have tribulation." Yet he also said, " Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and his. righteousness,.
and all these things shall be added unto you." The
Apostle who taught, that ^'through much tribulation
we must enter the kingdom,'' made no scruple to say,
^'Godliness has the promise of the life that now is,
as.wellasrof, that which -is to, come." Peter, also,
who charged. Christians not to think it strange >^ con-
cesrning the fiery trial as if some strange thing had
hatppened unto them," confidently asserts, " He that
will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no

IN PROSPERITY. 173
guile : let him eschew evil, and do good ; let him
seek peace and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord
are over the righteous, and' his ears are open unto
their prayers ; but the face of the Lord is against
them that do evil. Who is he that will harm youj
if ye be followers of that which is good ?" And
religion, by its natural influence as well as by the
blessing of an overruling Providence, tends in
various ways to advance the temporal welfare of
men. We have not time to exemplify thesie remarks, but
we mention them the more readily, because some
Pietists seem to look upon all the distinctions and en
dowments of life, as nearly sealing their owners unto
the day of perdition ; and to conclude that their
good things here are only pledges of their evil ones
hereafter. It is true, this was the result, in the case
of the rich man in the .parable. But it was not so
with Abraham, mentioned in the same story — yet
Abraham had been very wealthy. We allow that
there is enough tp alarm the prosperous ; but they
have no ground for despair. The proprietors of no
condition here, are under any sentence of reproba
tion. They that haVe riches shall' hardly enter into
the kingdom of God-; but with God all things are
possible. There is a way to heaven from air the
diversities of human life ; and there is- a passage from
the mansion as well' as; from the cottage^ thUugh it is
more narrow and perplexing and difficult; In a
word : a Christian is never to be known hy his con
dition ; but he must be always k-nown in it; fiir he
belongs' to a "'peculiar- people zealous of' good
works."

174 THE CHRISTIAN,
In confirmation of which, let us proceed to hear
what God the Lord has to say concerning us in the
estate we are now surveying — I spake unto thee in
thy prosperity — He is always alive to our welfare,
and of this he never leaves himself without witness :
and if ever we err in conduct, or fail in character, it
is owing to our disbelief of his word, or inattention to
it. For the Scripture is not only able to make us,
wise unto salvation ; but " is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works." Now in
your prosperity he requires pf you three things :.
I. That you shourd be aware of its perils,
II. That you should employ its safeguards.
III. That you should improve its advantages.
O let Him not complain — But thou saidst, I wilt
not hear.
I. You are required to be aware op the perils
of prosperity.
Here it must be acknowledged we are furnished
with a very mortifying view of human nature. The '
produce of creation, and the bounties of Providence
are good in themselves ; and they are the gifts of God ;
and. they ought to induce us to love and serve the; >
Giver. And tbey would have this effect, were we
not in a state of , moral peryersion and depravity.
The goodness of God leadeth to repentance — this^is
the design of it ; this is the tendency of it. But what
is the effect? Answer this, ye who suppose that
man is so innocent, so amiable, so dignified a crea-

IN prosperity. 175
ture ! You deny that the heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked. You deny that man
as he now comes into the world is otherwise than he
was originally created. — But can you deny that we
are evil, because God is good? That we are unable
to bear gratification uninjured? That what should
draw us to God, with the cords of a man and the
bands of love, leads us away from him ? That the
very blessings we receive from him we convert into
weapons of rebellion against our Benefactor? Or
will you affirm that we thu^ came from our Maker's
hand? ^'Lo! this only have I found, that God hath
made man upright ^^ hut they have sought out many
inventions." There is one case in which prosperity is peculiar
ly perilous — when it is not hereditary, but acquired;
and when it is acquired, not by degrees, but sudden
ly. He is most likely to be giddy, who has not been
accustomed to elevation. He is most likely to have
his health injured who passes all at once from one
climate to another ; while, by use, nature may be
attempered to almost any extremity. But though
prosperity is peculiarly dangerous when it is neither
natural nor gradual, it will be easy to prove that it is
never free from numberless moral hazards.
Let us turn first to the faithful word. What says
David ? " Because they have no changes, therefore
they fear not God." What says Job ? " Their
seed is established in their sight with them, and their
offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe
from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not ; their cow
calveth, and casteth not her calf. They send forth
their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

176 the CHRISTIAN,
They take the timbrel and harp, and ^rejoice at the
sound of the organ. They spend their days in
wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.
Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us ; for
we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What
is the Almighty, that we should serve him ? and
what profit should we have? if we pray unto him ?"
What is Jeremiah's report concerning Moab?
" Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he
hath settled on his -lees, and hath not been emptied
from vessel to vessel? neither hath he gone into cap
tivity ; therefore his taste remained in him, and his
scent is not changed." But surjebt'^if Was otherwise
with the Jews ? Hear Moses : '^ He made him to
ride on the high places of the earth, that he might
eat the increase of the fields ; and he made him to
suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty
rock ; butter of kine, and milk of sheep, «nd fat ©f
lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
w^th the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst
drink the pure blood of the grape. But Jeshurun
waxed fat, and kicked : thpu art waxen fat, thou art
grown -thidi, thou art covered with fatness : then he
forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed
the Rock of his salvation." Hear Hosea : " Accord
ing to their pasture, so were they filled ; they were
filled, and their heart was exalted ; therefore have
they forgotten me." Are we better than they ? Let
us appeal to reason, to observation, to experience.
How many duties are there which prosperity tends
to discourage and hinder. How many evils -are there
which its influence upon depraved beings is adapted
to cherish and increase. What are these ? Let us
particularize a few of them — for their name is Legion.

IN PROSPERITY. 17Tf
¦ — Such is Unmindfidness of God, Hence the
caution of Mpses, " When thou shalt have eaten and
art full, then beware kst thou forget the Lord that
brought thee forth out of the land pf Egypt, from the
house of bondage." Hence the p?ayer pf Agar,
" Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the
Lord ?" The disciples suffered the Saviour to sleep
while the vessel was sailing smoothly : but when
the wind and the waves threatened, they went tp
him, saying, ^"s Master," carest thou not that we
perish?" It is in affliction we seek him early.
It is then we think of his moral agency ; and fear
that be is come tp call our sins to remembrance. It
is then we feel pur dependence upon him — ^Then oth
er helpers fail : then we have no substiljutes ; then
we have no diversion-^-We can dispense with him
no longer — we are forced upon him. '^ Who is the
Lord, that / should obey his voice ?" said Pharaoh,
in all the affluence of his greatness. '^ Entreat the
Lord for me," was the suppliant language of the same
haughty monarch, bnought down by the judgment^
of Heaven.
— Such is Pride, David -remarks this. " Pride
compasseth them like a chain." Nebuchadnezzar is
an example of it. The king spake and said, "Is not
this great Babylon that I have built for the house of
the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the
honour of my majesty ?"
(II . , - .
" Pigmies are pigmies still, though perch'd on Alps :
" And pyramids are pyramids in vales."
Yet men estimate their height, not by their figure,
but by their elevation. A man is as distinguishable
from his circumstances as a steed is from his capari-
'""" ''"¦ 23 ¦ ' •'¦

178 THE CHRISTIAN,
sons ; • and as the latter would be judged of hy hisT
stature, and strength, and gracefulness, and speed, so
the former should be valued only by his personal and
intrinsic = worth. But to make ourselves to be some
thing when we are nothing, we compose ourselves,
so to speak, of every thing outward and adventitious ;
we add horses', and lands, and equipage, and offices,
and titles, and attendants ; and thus enlarged and
magnified, we think ourselves Anakims, while others
are but grasshoppers in our sight. Wealth can even
give wisdom. It enlarges the understanding of the
possessor. It qualifies him to speak and decide ; so
that his drivellings which were despised before, be
come oracular. For the world is as blameable as the
fool himself. The one no more readily receives,
than the other pays this vile homage. The image of
gold is sure of worshippers, if it be only a golden
calf. — Such is Self -delusioti. The prosperous seldom
hear the truth. They are never reproved. Their
failings are often admired. Their faults are even
turned into virtues, and imitated by their depen
dants. All join to flatter and delude them. Yea,
God himself is accessory to their flattery and delusion
— not by his design, but by their misconstructions of
his conduct. For they are induced to think that
they are his favourites, because he not only spares?
but indulges them ; and conclude that he will not
treat them worse in another world than he has done
in this.
— Such is Unwillingness to bear the Cross. Why
did the young man in the Gospel go away sorrowful ?
'^He was very rich." He had much that was
amiable, and much that was promising. He en-

IN PROSPERITY. 179
gaged our Saviour's affections ; and wished to follow
him : but he had too much to leave behind. Why did
not the Pharisees, who believed on him, confess him ?
" They feare*d lest they should have been put out of
the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more
than the praise of God." Eusebius, in speaking of
the persecution under Decius, observes, that most of
those who apostatised were not from among the poor,
but the rich. They who are softened by care, and
rendered delicate by indulgence, are little prepared
for a rough campaign, and cannot be expected to en
dure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ-
— Such is Earthly-mindedness. Who are so
likely to mind earthly things as those who abound
with them? Who has so many ties to life? No
condition indeed, here, will bear any comparison
with the future state of the blessed : yet, according
to our present views and feelings,, the mansion and
the pleasant scenery around, have more power to
attract and detain than the desolateness of the poor-
house. How little have some to resign ! How much
have they to urge their departure ! How often does
the heart's bitterness lead them to sigh, " I loathe
it, I would not live alway" — " 0 ! that I had wings
like a dove, for then would I flee away and be at
rest ; I would haste me from the stormy wind and
tempest." What uneasiness have others to excite
them ! How much have they to give up ! How
deep-rooted are they; and what force is necessary to
loosen them from their position ! " Ah !" said John-^
son to Garrick, as he was walking over his bowers — -
" these are the things that make us unwilling ta
die,"

180 THE CHRISTIAN,
— Such is Worldly Conformity. They are not
the poor, but the richj Vvho have intercourse with the
world. These are they who are tempted to recom-
flaend themselves to their friendship ; to emulate
their pretensions ; to adopt their maxims^ and man-
fterSj and hours.
— We may also mention Self-indulgence. We
are far from pleading for monkish austerities and ab*
Stemiousness. Yet a Christian is to deny himself.
Yet temperance is a part of godliness. Yet we are
forbidden to provide for the flesh to fulfil the lusts
thereof. But who is most likely to be profuse 'ia.
dress and in furniture ? Whose table is likely to be
come a snare ? W^ho is in danger of feasting himself
vrithout fear? Whose precious mornings are most
likely to be wasted in bed ?
— To this we may add Unfedingness. He is
Inost likely to be kind to a stranger who knows the
heart of a stranger^ having been a stranger in a
strange land. Who ever thinks of the gay and the
dissipated in the hour of trouble? What interest
will he feel in my grief who never wept himself?
The tenderest and the most active sympathy flows
from experience. What does a king know of the
miseries of his subjects? He never looked into their
hovel ; never tasted their bitter bread. They whose
condition or office exempts them from the common
vexations and distresses of life, are always the most
insensible to the duties and calls of compassion. Only
a priest or a Levite could have passed by on the oth
er side ; and left the poor wounded bleeding travel
ler to his fate.
After all, we have only presented a few specimens
of the dangers of Prosperity. But surely they are

IN FKOSFERITYi 181
enough to keep you from looking with grudging and
uneasiness on the condition of those that abound in the
world. Surely they are enough to induce you, in
stead of envying those that rise, to pity them and
pray for them ; for they are set in slippery places.
Surely we have said enough to excite those who
are denied prosperity to be resigned and satisfied.
Ah! ye who have had your purposes broken off,
even the thDJights.pf:your hearts : ye who have wish
ed to build your nests on Jiijfh,_and to say to your
soulj thou hast much goods laid up for loany years ;
take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry : ye to
whom, after all your importunings of his Providence,
God has said, " Let it suffice ; say no more to me of
that matter"— Ah ! who can tell what you have es
caped ? Who can tell what you might have been ?
You might> as Solomon has it, have been talking with
your feet, and have swaggered by ypur neighbours.
You might have answered rou^ly. You might have
pleased a tyrant's heart, in making yourselves feared;^
You inight have acted a Diotrephes in the parish or
the church. You might have heard With indiffer
ence every tale of wo. You might have abandoned
the Wordiip of Bod in your families, and have lost
your attachment to his Sabbaths and his house. You
inight have made your passkge your portion ; and in
stead of arising and departing hence, have felt your
selves at home in the body ; and, " careful about
many things," have overfooked that "good part"
which now you have hapjnly chosen, and which shall
not be taken away from you.
Let all abandon their eager desires after the world;
and if they must increase, be concerned to increase
with all the increase of Ood. " Seekest thou great

182 THE CHRISTIAN,
things to thyself? seek them not." " Let your con
versation be without covetousness ; and be content
with such things as ye have : for he hath said, I will
never leave thee nor forsake thee." '^For they that
will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in
destruction and perdition. For the love of money is
the root of all evil ; which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced them
selves through with- many sorrows." The Apostle,
in this passage, seems to refer to two classes of per
sons. First, to those who perish in their worldly
things, making shipwreck of faith and a good con
science. These he compares to men at sea who foun
der, and are seen no more — they are drowned in
destruction and perdition. Secondly, to those who
are not destroyed but injured. These he compares
to travellers, who seeing, as they are going along,
some inviting fruit a little out of their road, step a-
side to gather : but as it is surrounded with thorns
and briers, they wound themselves in the attempts
These err from the faith, and pierce themselves
through with many sorrows.
For while the prosperity of fools destroys them,
the prosperity of wise men may harm them. — Saul
was lost by his advancement ; but David himself was
injured : and hence we read of his ^' first ways."
The hero, the conqueror, the king, never equalled
the shepherd of Bethlehem.
Upon this principle, if you had to choose, you
should not, you would not choose a state so frequent
ly destructive ; so commonly hurtful. You would not
conclude that you were better than others, and that
you should be safe where your brethren have so gen-

IN PROSPERITY. 183
erally failed. If you did, you would be sure to
yield ; for " Pride goeth before destruction, and a
haughty spirit before a fall."
But the choice is not left to yourselves. The Lord
chooses your inheritance for you : and in his pleasure
you must acquiesce. Only be sensible of the perils
of the condition.
II. You are required to employ its safeguards.
And, first, if you would escape the evils of Pros
perity, consider much your Responsibility. Never
imagine that the things you possess are your own,
and that you are at liberty to do what you please
with them. They are all in the nature of a trust.
You are not the proprietors, but the stewards. When
you receive them, a voice cries, " Occupy till I
come :" and then the same voice will say, " Give ac
count of thy stewardship, for thou shalt be no longer
steward." Keep your minds alive to the certainty
of this account ; the extent of this account ; the
strictness of this account ; the nearness of this ac
count — " Behold, the Judge standeth before the
dpor." *' Let your moderation be known unto all
men : the Lord is at hand."
Secondly, Reflect on the brevity of your Posses
sions. There is a day coming when the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the earth, and all
the works that are therein, shall be burned up. And
then, ''to whom will ye flee for help, and where
will you leave your glory?" — But this prospect
seems very far off; and the distance prevents im
pression. — Is death then far off? You have only a
life-interest in your estate. And " what is your life ?

184 THE CHRISTIAN,
It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time?
and then vanisheth away." Then you must part
with all for ever. " For we brought nothing with
us into the world? and it is certain we can carry
nothing out."-T— But how frequently is the contin
uance of your possessions and enjoyments much short
er than life itself 1 " Wilt thou," therefore, says
Solomon, " set thy heart on that which is not? For
riches make to themselves wings and fly away."
" Brethren," says the Apostle, " the time is short :
it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as
though they had none, and they that weep, as though
they wept not ; and they that rejoice, as though they
rejoiced npt ; and they that buy, as though they pos
sessed not."
Thirdly, Study the vanity of your Acquisitions.
How little can they contribute to the reality of your
happiness ! Look at those in the circle of your ac
quaintance. Do you know any of them, I will not
say? that have improved in religion, but that have in
creased in comfort? As to yourselves; have your
contentment, and peace, and pleasure, risen with
your circumstances in the world ? Some years ago,
a merchant, who had retired with affluence, said> I
now keep eight servants, but I am not half so happy
as when I kept one. A clothier, also, who had risen
to wealth, was heard to say, as he was walking up
and down in his room, devoured with ennui* and de
pressed spirits, 0 ! for the comfort I knew when I
was working at the loom. And when the preacher
ventured to ask these gentlemen what prevented their
going back, and going down, to the comfort and hap
piness of their former condition, they shook the head
— This is one of the evils of the state. People rise

IN PROSPERITY. 185
eagerly, and go on groaning ; but the pride of life
does not allow of their descending and re-entering
the privacy they envy. Can riches profit in the day
of wrath ? Can any abundance relieve the anguish of
a wounded spirit ? What a source of perplexity and
anxiety is a prosperous estate ! "In the midst of his
sufficiency he shall be in straits." What aa attraction
is it of ill-will ! What an excitement to envy and
slander ! The success of a rival ; the superior dis
play of a neighbour : yea, even the disregard of an
individual seemingly incapable of annoying us —
even his neglect may spoil the relish of a courtier's
bliss, the favourite of the owner of a hundred and
twenty-seven provinces. " When he came home he
sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.
And Haman told them of the glory of his riches and
the multitude of his children, and all the things
wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had
advanced him above the princes and servants of the
king. Hamart said, moreover. Yea, Esther the queen
did let no man come! in with the king unto the ban
quet that she had prepared, but myself; and to-mor
row am I invited unto her also with the king. Yet
all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mor-
deeai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."
People often wonder at your uneasiness ; but the
heart knoweth his own bitterness. You feel some
worm at the root withering the gourd that overshad
ows you. Perhaps some personal or relative trial
preys upon the peace of your mind. Perhaps the
dear companion who once walked with you along
your flowery path is removed far from you ; and dis
inclined to retrace the spots once endeared by social
24

186 THE CHRISTIAN,
converse, you watch and are alone, as a sparroWupoa
the house-top. Perhaps, when you sit down at table,
David's seat is empty — and tears are your meat day
land night. Perhaps the heir, who was to perpetuate
your name and inherit your property, now occupies
a tomb on which you have inscribed, "And Thou de-
stroyest the hope of man." Perhaps an infirmity is
entailed upon you for life. Perhaps some disease is
gradually undermining your frame. Perhaps your
senses s^re declining ; and desire fails : and the days
are come wherein you have no pleasure. " Then I
looked on all the works that my hands had wrought,
and on the labour that I had laboured to do : and, be
hold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there
was no profit under the sun."
Fourthly, Think how little worldly prosperity has
distinguished many of the excellent of the earth.
When you are tempted to glory in wealth, remember
what a multitude there is in poor life who would
make you shrink into nothing, if you were morally
compared with them : and what is gold to godliness?
What superior grace and wisdom and usefulness dig
nified numbers of those servants of the Most High
God and benefactors of men, who passed their days
in a state of dependance, or ended them in a prison !
Read the history, examine the lives of those preach
ers and writers whose immortal works praise them in
all the churches. Take Luther, that great Reform
er, who has levied a tax of admiration and gratitude
on every age. He has this passage in his last will
and testament — "0 Lord God, I thank thee that
thou hast been pleased to make me a poor and indi
gent man upon earth. I have neither house nor land
nor money to leave behind me. Thou hast given me

IN PROSPERITY. 187
a wife and children, whom I now restore to thee.
Lord, nourish, teach, and preserve them as thou hast
me." The Apostles could say, "Even unto this
present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are na
ked, and are buffetted, and have no certain dwelling-
place." And the Lord of Glory, the image of the
invisible God, had not where to lay his head — And
yet we think wealth the standard of excellence.
— Again. Daily realize the assurances of Revela
tion. "This is the victory that overcometh the
world, even o«r faith." The influence of a greater
good will abolish the impression of a less. The man
who walks by sight, is sure to be conquered : the
things' which are seen are temporal, and he sees no
other ; these therefore strike and please and engross
him. But the man who walks by faith, sees things
invisible to the eye of sense ; and these are eternal :
and they are infinite. What is the honour that com
eth from man, compared with the smiles of God?
What is a handful of shining dust compared with " a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?"
Can the stars be seen, in the shining of the sun?
What saved Moses in circumstances far more perilous
than those of his birth ? " By faith Moses, when he
was come to years, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing rather to suffer afflic
tion with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleas
ures of sin for a season." What led Abraham to
" sojourn," even " in the land of promise, as in a
strange land, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise?"
Faith. " For he looked for a city which had founda
tions, whose builder and maker is God — These all
died in faith, not having received the promises, but

188 THE CHRISTIAN,
having seen them afar off? and were persuaded of
them, and embraced them, and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they
that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a
country. And truly if they had been mindful of that
country from whence they came out, they might
have had opportunity to have returned : but now
they desire a better country, that is an heavenly :
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God ;
for he hath prepared for them a city."
Finally. Forget not the Admonition of the Sa
viour : " Watch and pray, lest ye enter into tempta
tion." And what he has joined together let no man
put asunder. In vain I invoke God, if I am care
less ; and expose myself needlessly in dangerous
places and company ; and leave without a sentinel,
my senses, and appetites, and passions ; and keep not
my heart with all diligence ; and use not all the means
of preservation which are placed within my reach^ —
prayer without watching, is hypocrisy. And
watching without prayer, is presumption. Our
strength is in God alone. He will make us know
this, not only by the testimony of his word, but by
our experience. And we need not be afraid of the
growing conviction. When we are weak, then are
we strong. For He to whom a sense of our weak
ness will urge us to repair, is able to keep us from
falling. Whatever be our indbility and danger, if
he holds us up? we shall be safe. Let not those be
discouraged who seek his help. The very exercise
of prayer tends to secure you. But you have more
to rely upon than the moral influence of the duty.
If there be any meaning in the Scriptures, God hears
prayer ; he grants our petitions ; he strengthens us

IN PROSPERITY. 189
with might by his Spirit in the inward man.
"Ask," says the Saviour, " and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full."
Thus his grace shall be sufficient for you even in
Prosperity. But a Christian should not only be con
cerned to use the world as not abusing it; he should
not only be anxious to avoid the evils of his condi
tion ; but to exercise its virtues, and perform its du
ties, and sanctify its resources. — And the
III. Part of our subject calls upon you to improve
THE ADVANTAGES OF PROSPERITY.
This is to be exemplified in three things. Grati
tude. Beneficence. And Enjoyment. The first
regards God. The second, our fellow-creatures.
The third, ourselves.
First, you are to improve your Prosperity in a way
of gratitude. God is to be owned as the author of all.
The streams of comfort are many, and flow in various
channels ; but with him is the fountain of life. " Do
not err, my beloved brethren : every good gift and ev
ery perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from
the Father of lights." The silver and the gold are his.
However you have obtained it, whether from inher
itance, or the legacies of friendship, or the labour of
your own hands. He it is that giveth you power to
get wealth. And your prosperity lacketh its firmest
support? its loveliest ornament, its sweetest relish^ if
you do not acknowledge in it the Providence of him,
whose blessing alone maketh rich and addeth no sor
row with it. Is this acknowledgment made ? And
is it real ? And is it constant ? And is it fervent ?
What would you think of a dependant who had no

190 THE CHRISTIAN,
claim on your bounty ; whom you not only relieved,
but supported, and supported in affluence ; being not
only attentive to his necessities, but meeting all his
wishes — what would you think of such a dependant,
if he should never call upon you, never send to you,
never speak of you favourably to others, never think
of you — but should take all this goodness as a matter
of right, rather than of kindness, and act as if he
would have all around him to believe that it was of
his own producing or purchasing? How soon would
you discontinue your unacknowledged favours ; and
how hateful would his conduct appear, not only to
yourself, but to every one who witnessed it !
Yet how little is God owned. We sacrifice to our
own net, and burn incense to our own drag. We as
cribe our success to the wisdom of our own under
standing ; or the power of our own arm ; or the in
terest we have in the favour of our fellow-mortals ;
or we take it, as the effect of chance, while God
is not in all our thoughts. " Therefore," says
God, " I will return and take away my corn in the
time thereof ; and my wine in the season thereof ;
for she did not know I gave her corn, and wine,
and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which
they prepared for Baal." This is a trying meth
od to bring us to reflection ; but it is often neces
sary. Continued enjoyment seems to give a kind of
prescription ; at least, it makes us forget our reliance
and obligation. We are struck with what is new and
out of course ; while we overlook what is regular
and habitual. Whereas this should be the grand
reason for your praise ; for the claim arises not from
our benefits being occasional, but frequent and con
stant ; new every morning and every moment. How
soon could the Great Ruler and Benefactor convince

IN PROSPERITY. 191
you that he is not obliged to continue what you deem
your own ; and that he can, as easily as justly, recall
what he has given. That this may not be the case,
sanctify the Lord God in your thoughts. Think of
your desert. Compare your condition with that of
others. And while you see that the lines have fallen
to you in pleasant places, and that you have a goodly
heritage, say, " Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and for
get not all his benefits." The beginning of some of
you was small. You remember a time when you had
no inheritance, no not so much as to set your foot on ;
and had your subsequent enlargement been foretold,
you would have exclaimed, with the doubting noble
man, " If the Lord should make windows in heaven,
might such a thing be." Surely you will follow the
example of Jacob, who said, "Lord, I am not worthy
of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth,
which thou hast shewed unto thy servant : for with
my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am be
come two bands." Surely you will retire with David
before the Lord, and say, " O Lord God, what is my
house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And
this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God;
¦but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a
great while to come ; and is this the manner of man,
O Lord God?"
Secondly, You are to improve your Prosperity in
a way of beneficence. In this respect you are favour^
ed above many of your brethren. • Their ear is not
heavy that it cannot hear ; but their hand is shorten
ed that it cannot save. They see wants and miseries
which only distress them ; for they have only the
disposition to relieve. But you can indulge it : you
have the power. Value the substance you possess on

192

THE CHRISTIAN,

this account.^— And remember also, that you have it
for this very purpose. In the bestowment, God
looked beyond yourselves; and designed to make
you not only the subjects of his goodness, but the itt-
struments ; not only the recipients, but the diffusers.
And how can you neglect to impart relief and comfbrt
to others, while God is perpetually communicating
to you ? and your condition, as well as your religion,
cries, " Freely ye have received, freely give." This
is the way to have your possessions blessed. This
is the way also to have them increased. " Give alms
of such things as you have, and behold all things are
clean unto you." " The liberal soul deviseth liberal
things, and by liberal things shall he stand." "Charge
them that are rich in this world that they do good,
that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute,
willing to communicate ; laying up in store for themi-
selves a good foundation against the time to come,
that they may lay hold on eternal life."
The objects of your charity are numberless. Some
of these have preferable claims ; but none of them
are to be excluded. " As we have therefore oppor
tunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto
them that are of the household of faith." There are
the fatherless and the widows to visit ; and the sick
to heal ; and the naked to clothe ; and the hungry
to feed. "The poor you have always with you:"
and if you have the ability to succour, and withhold
relief, your religion would perplex an inspired
Apostle. " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth
his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God
in him? My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue, but in deed, and in truth."

IN PROSPERITY. 19S
But there are also the careless to awaken ; the ig
norant to instruct ; the vicious to reclaim ; and the
backsliding to restore. The soul is of supreme im
portance ; and it becomes us peculiarly to aid in sup
porting those institutions, and exertions, which have
in view the spiritual and eternal welfare of men.
Even these require much pecuniary assistance ; and
it is the highest honour that can be conferred upon
money, that it is employed in carrying on the concerns
of the Gospel. These have nobly multiplied in our
day ; and they occasion frequent applications to your
liberality. But surely you cannot complain of this frequency.
It shows the improved state of your beloved country,
religiously considered ; and Christians should deem
those the best times in which the best cause flourishes
most. Surely you would not wish to bring back the
state of things a century ago, when, for a year togeth
er, avarice and selfishness might have escaped these
evangelical vexations. Have you not yourselves been
accessory to this improvement ? Have you not been
praying that God's kingdom may come, and that his
word may have free course and be glorified ? And
will you complain or rejoice when those prayers are
answered ? When you offered them, did you sup
pose that what you implored was to be carried on by
miracles or by means? If by means, did you stipu
late in these prayers that God should employ the in
strumentality of others, and not require your own ?
Or, did you not mean to place yourselves at his dis
posal, and to ask, as the work was going on, "Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do ?" This must have
been your meaning if you prayed sincerely and earn-
25

194

THE CHRISTIAN,

estly ; and consistency requires, if you would not bd
condemned out of your own mouth, every sacrifice in
your power. And how much is in the power of some
of you ! And how would your efficiency be increas
ed, if you would be satisfied with a decent distinction
above the vulgar, instead of being splendid ; if you
would avoid ^ every extravagance and superfluousness
in your mode of living ; if you would exercise a little
of that self-denial, which, after all, is the principal
test of real benevolence.
Many rules have been laid down, as to the propor
tion of your estate or income which should be dedi
cated to beneficence. If conscience was not so often
asleep, or if when awake it had any chance of being
heard in the same hour with the love of money, the
degree might safely be left to every man's own
mind. Nothing however can be more just and rea
sonable than the injunction of the Apostle, " Let ev
ery one of you lay by him in store as God hath pros
pered him." This rule is, we fear, seldom observ
ed. Yea some, by a perverse process, feel the dispo
sition diminishing as the ability increases. They
give not only less in proportion, but less in reality
than they once did. In their contributions, as well
as in their qualities, there is a gradation from gold to
silver, and from silver to copper. Once they hardly
thought it worth while to be covetous, 'f hey had
little, to set up in that character with. But wealth
increased, and they soon began to hoard.. Nor is it
to be supposed that their eagerness to accumulate is
declining with age. The less time they have to
keep, the harder they are determined to hold ; for,
as Young says, " there is a dying grasp as well as a
dying gasp."

IN PROSPERITY. 195
" Of other tyrants short the sti-ife ;
" But avarice is king for life :
" The despot twists with hard control
" Eternal fetters round the soul."
But, with enlarged circumstances, be ye also en
larged. This is the case with a few we have the
pleasure to know. Their fortune is a blessing to the
neighbourhood and the nation. Their rising in life
resembles the rising of the sun : the elevation illu
minates and enlivens and fertilizes ; and joy springs
from its beams. Their wealth is like the dew, rais
ed indeed from the earth, but only to be filtrated
from its grossness, and to descend in silent refresh
ment, and vigour, and life. So it was with Job. He
was the greatest man in the east ; and he was also the
most generous. His substance is mentioned ; but it
was not his possession,, but his use of it that rendered
him so estimable. I envy not the bosom of that man
who can hear without emotion his touching and elo
quent appeal. " If I did despise the cause of my
man-servant, or of my maid-servant, when they con
tended with me ; what then shall I do when God ris-
eth up ; and, when he visiteth, what shall I answer
him ? Did not he that made me in the womb make
him ? and did not one fashion us in the womb ? If I
have withheld the poor from their desire, or have
caused the eyes of the widow to fail ; or have eaten
my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless have not
eaten thereof; (for from my youth he was brought
up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her
from my mother's womb :) if I have seen any perish
for want of clothing, or any poor without covering';
if his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not
warmed with the flCece of my sheep ; if I have lifted
up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my

196 THE CHRIStlAN,
help inthe^ate : then let mine arm fall from my shoul
der-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone."
David also had acquired much wealth : but hear his
acknowledgment. " Now I have prepared with all
my might, for the house of my God, the gold for
things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of
silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for
things of iron, and wood for things of wood : onyx-
stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of
divers colours, and all manner of precious stones,
and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because
I have set my affection to the house of my God, I
have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver,
which I have given to the house of my God, over and
, above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of
Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver,
to overlay the walls of the houses withal : the gold
for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver,
and for all manner of work to be made by the hands
of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate
his service this day unto the Lord ?" Here indeed
was accumulation ; but the design of it was not for
the pleasure of possessing. It was not for his own
aggrandizement, or splendour, or indulgence ; or
those of his household ; but for a moral and religious
purpose. It is a sad reflection, especially in our day,
for a good man to die wealthy. But if he must die
rich, let him die rich towards God. Let him not at
his last hour testify only his selfish regards. Let the
benefactor appear as well as the man ; and the Chris
tian as well as the friend and the relation. While he
provides for his own, especially those of his own
house, let him not forget the Saviour who loved us,

IN PROSPERITY. 197
and gave himself for us ; and whose cause has claims
infinitely above all mortal interests.
Thirdly, You are to improve your prosperity, in
a way of Enjoyment. I need not say that there is a
great difference between possession and enjoyment ;
and that many who have more than heart can wish,
have yet no heart to use it. They are hungry in the
midst of food ; and are parched with thirst, though
the stream is at their lip. Solomon more than once
notices this wretchedness ; and considers it as one of
the sorest evils under the sun. It is worthy of ob
servation, that the Latin word for miserable, has
been applied to designate an individual who pos
sesses, but cannot enjoy. And well may he be Call
ed a miser ; for of all men he is the most mean, and
abject) and comfortless. And no one can more op
pose the kindness of God in furnishing Us with the
supplies of his providence. For he obviously designs
to show us, that he is concerned, not for our ex
istence only, but for our happiness. He could have
supported us by means of food, as disagreeable to
our palate as medicine ; but he has rendered it grate
ful and inviting ; and though eating is necessary to
life, no one eats to avoid death. Our senses might
all have been the inlets of pain only, instead of pleas
ure. Can any one question whether agreeable sounds
were intended to delight the ear; or agreeable scents
to gratify the smell ? Look at the trees in a garden,
or an orchard. The fruit could have been produced
without the blossom ; but in this process his beauty
appears, in the one, before his bounty is seen in the
other ; and the eye is charmed as well as the taste.
Well therefore does the Apostle say, "He gives us
all things richly to enjoy." And there is therefore

198 THE CHRISTIAN,
truth in the remark of the Poet, '^ To enjoy is to
obey." It is falling in with the indications of God's
will ; for he has given us an express injunction' — " In
the da.y of prosperity rejoice."
Religion therefore, instead of being an enemy to
the enjoyment of this state, enjoins it. And it pro
duces what it requires. We are not afraid to advance
it as a maxim capable of demonstration, that in pro
portion as men are religious, they are prepared to
relish prosperity ; and that though others may possess
more, they will enjoy most ; for, even in this sense,
'' a little that a righteous man hath, is better than the
riches of many wicked."
Religion refines and exalts our relish of temporal
things. How low and despicable is a life filled up
only with sleeping, and eating, and drinking, and tri
fling ! A Christian rises above such an ignoble mode
of being. Even in his enjoyments, reason unites
with sense ; and faith with reason ; and devotion
with faith. What is material is animated by mind ;
and what is animal, though its quality be not abolish
ed, loses its grossness by intercourse with intellect
and spirit. The earth grows richer by the reflections
and touches of all that is heavenly. The rose of
Sharon and the lily of the valley acquire a kind of
sacredness and divinity in their fragrance and beauty^
when they remind us of Him who is altogether love
ly ; and the charms of creation are hallowed and felt
as means of grace, while they bring us into commu
nion with the Creator, addressed and adored in lan
guage almost inspired —
" These are thy glorious works. Parent of good —
" Almighty ! Thine this universal frame,
" Thus wondrous fair : Thyself how wondrous then !"

IN PROSPERITY 199
— And thus religion also enlarges as well as im
proves the enjoyment of prosperity. We readily
allow that it forbids licentiousness and excess. But
so does reason. So does health. Yea, so does pleas
ure itself. The moderate use of the indulgences of
prosperity, unspeakably exceeds in enjoyment the in
temperate use of the glutton and drunkard. The
very restraints which religion imposes are useful and
necessary to give the more lively and potent relish
to our participations. For who needs to be informed
that the measure of enjoyment corresponds with the
strength and freshness of the desire or the appetite?
Thus the pleasure of eating depends upon hunger ;
and where no degree of this is felt, the most delicious
viands would be insipid. The full soul loaths the
honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing
is sweet. Thus the unwearied do not welcome re
pose ; but the sleep of a labouring man is sweet. It
is therefore easy to see that temperance is the hand-
m^idof enjoyment. By not impairing our appetites
and desires, it keeps us from the languor and irksome-
ness of the dissipated ; and by maintaining uninjured
the capacities for enjoyment, it really cherishes and
increases the resources which excess spoils and des
troys. — But this is not the only way in which religion
befriends the enjoyment of prosperity. We must
remark its moral influence in rectifying our disposi
tions and removing the causes of disquietude and dis
satisfaction. All outward things affect us according
to the state of the mind. It is well known to every
man, that a scene which delights us at one time, will
be perfectly uninteresting, if not repulsive, at
another. The object in this case is the same, but

200 THE CHRISTIAN,
the medium through which it appears, and the feel
ings in which it is received, are changed. No one
can deny but that the agreeable inipression of out
ward things is impaired by infirmity and sickness of
body. But many are not aware, that it may be
equally injured by a disorder of the soul. Yet so
it is. A pain in the tooth, or in the joint, will no
more preclude enjoyment than the workings of jeal
ousy, or suspicion, or envy, or anger, or revenge.
Under the corrosion of these evils, a man must be
wretched in all the entertainments of a palace, and all
the scenery of a paradise. But religion forbids and
subdues these self-tormenting, as well as vile tempers.
It teaches the man to love his neighbour as himself.
It enables him to rejoice in another's welfare. It
renders him an Israelite indeed in whom there is no
guile ; and enables him to confide in others by judg
ing of them from his own feelings of sincerity and
harmlessness. — Why is that man so cheerless and un
easy ? Is he poor ? Has he been robbed of his es
tate ? Look at his portion. What one more thing
can he desire ? But all will not bend to his humour.
All will not respect him as the first man in the nei^-
bourhood. He has the sorrow of the world that
worketh death. A Christian does not feel this dis
ease. He is meek and lowly in heart ; and finds
rest unto his soul. — Here is another dissatisfied and
peevish mortal. Nothing pleases him. He reflects
upon every one around him. His house is the hospi
tal of ill-nature, and every ward is filled with com
plaint. What is the cause ? He will not own it :
but guilt makes him fretful. He is conscious of some
duty he has neglected ; some sin which he has com
mitted ; some restitution which he ought to make ;

IN PROSPERITY. 201
some connexion which he ought to succour. This
consciousness makes him uneasy. When censured,
he knows he deserves it ; when praised, he feels he
is unworthy of it. He is a burden to himself. But
a good man, says Solomon, shall be satisfied from
himself. His rejoicing, though not his dependence,
is the testimony of his conscience. He is not free
from infirmity ; but he can say, with David, " I was
upright before Him, and have kept myself from mine
iniquity." Religion makes a man grateful : and gi^atitude is a
lively and cheerful temper : and though to be under
obligation to the mean and worthless, or to an enemy,
be trying ; nothing can be more delightful than to
feel and acknowledge what we owe to one we greatly
esteem and love, and who is worthy to be praised.
David therefore speaks of the " pleasant harp :" and
says, " Praise ye the Lord ; for the Lord is good :
sing praises unto his name ; for it is pleasant." And
to show what a connection this exercise has with hap
piness, we are assured that it will continue in heav
en, and perfect the enjoyment of the glorified.
Religion also makes a man beneficent ; and this al
so contributes to his happiness. What do the selfish
know of the pleasure of prosperity, compared with
those who love to do good and to communicate ? Is
it not more blessed to give than to receive ? Can
any gratification be so pure, so cordial, so divine, so
fresh and interesting in review, as that which is re
flected back into the bosom from the feelings, and
tears, and joy, of the partakers of your bounty?
What voluptuary from his most studied and costly
procurements ever tasted luxury like Job's ? "When
26

202 THE CHRISTIAN,
the ear heard me, then it blessed me ; and when tfie
eye saw me, it gave witness to me : because I deliv
ered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him
that had none to help him. The blessing of him that
was ready to perish came upon me : and I caused
the widow's heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the
blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to
the poor : and the cause which I knew not I search
ed out."
There is one view more to be taken of the sub
ject ; it is, the confidence in God which religion in
spires. " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in
thee." Why do not many enjoy what God has giv
en them ? They are anxious and foreboding. They
suspend their satisfaction on some future occurrence
— they may meet with losses — they may come to
want : thus " they are not in quiet from the fear of
evil." But the soul of the Christian dwells at ease.
He knows not what a day may bring forth ; nor does
he desire it. He has nothing to do with events.
He lives by the day ; and knows that he is under
the providence of his heavenly Father, who is able
and engaged to make all things work together for his
good. But this implies the previous adjustment of a case
most awfully interesting. Belshazzar's entertain
ment was destroyed as soon as he saw a hand -writing
against the wall. Then neither the wine, nor the
music, nor the company of a thousand of his lords,
had the least power to charm : and though he was
ignorant of the meaning of the inscription, he fore
boded evil ; and the joints of his loins were loosed,
and his knees smote one against another. If a man

IN PROSPERITY. 203
Was at the most enchanting banquet, with a sWord
hanging over his head by a small and rotten ligature,
he could not enjoy it ; or if he did, it must be by
forgetting his jeopardy while yet his danger continu
ed. The sinner is the enemy of God, and the child
of wrath ; and there is but a step between him and
eternal death. The thought of this — 'the reflection
that I must soon, and may every moment exchange
all my good things here for the worm that never
dies, and the fire that never shall be quenched — why
surely this is sufficient to turn all my joy into sadness
and horror. To enjoy therefore, in this state, I
must forget my exposure. Conscience tells me I
have no right to take comfort. I must therefore
creep forth and steal, while conscience is asleep.
But will it, can it sleep always ? How quickly may
it be awakened ! And then trembling takes hold
upon me. My enjoyment, if it deserves the name,
depends therefore on delusion ; and this delusion is
at the mercy of a thousand disturbers. If therefore
I am not always in bondage, I am always subject to
bondage through fear of death; and there is no
peace, saith my God, unto the wicked. But the
Christian being justified by faith, has peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. His anger is
turned away ; and as soon as He smiles every thing
smiles. In his favour is life. Tell me, ye who are
unpardoned and unrenewed — Can you, you who
have no hope of a better world, and no certainty of
continuing an instant in this — Can you enjoy the
comforts of life like one who knows that whenever
he dies, to die is gain ? That he has in heaven a
better and an enduring substance ? That he has a
covenant right to all he possesses? That it comes to

204 THE CHRISTIAN,
him with the good will of his God and Saviour:' say
ing, as he partakes — " Eat thy bread with cheerful
ness, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God
hath accepted thy works ?"
" He looks abroad into the varied field
" Of nature, and though poor perhaps, compared
" With those whose mansions glitter in his sight,
"Calls the delightful scenery all his own.
" His are the mountains, and the valleys his,
" And the resplendent rivers. His to enjoy
'" With a propriety that none can feel,
" But who, with filial confidence inspired,
" Can lift to heaven an unpresumptuous eye,
" And smiling say — " My Father made them alU"
" Are they not his by a peculiar right,
" And by an emphasis of interest his,
" Whose eye they fill with tears of holy joy,
" Whose heart with praise, and whose exalted mind
" With worthy thoughts of that unwearied love,
" That planned, and built, and sfill upholds a world
" So clothed with beauty for rebellious man .'
" Yes — ye may fill your garners, ye that reap
" The loaded soil, and ye may waste much good
" In senseless riot ; but ye will not find
'" In feasts, or in the chase, in song, or dance,
" A liberty like his, who, unimpeached
" Of usurpation, and to no man's wrong,
" Appropriates nature as his Father's work,
" And has a richer use of yours than you."
We have seen how religion befriends Prosperity,
by raising and increasing its enjoyments. But you
ask, can it preserve ? Yes. It insures the continu
ance as far as it is good for us. But we are not going
to deny that every thing here is precarious. " Truly
light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes
to behold the sun : but if a man live many years.

tN PROSPERITY. 205
and rejoice in them all ; yet let him remember the
days of darkness, for they be many. All that cometh
is vanity." Yes, your treasure on earth moth and
rust may corrupt, or thieves break through and steal.
Your health may be exchanged for sickness. Your
friends may be converted into enemies. Your rela
tions may be carried down to the dust. The soft
and delicate hand may be forced to ply the oar of la
bour. You may not be known of those your bounty
has fed. And after the morning sunshine, the noon
or the evening of life may set in with dark waters
and thick clouds of the sky. Is such vicissitude im
possible ? Improbable ? Unfrequent ? Let the day
in which we live answer this.
And such desolation religion may not interfere to
prevent. Is it then useless ? And does it keep aloof
when we need its aid ? No. When it does not res
cue us from the evil day, it prepares us for it. What
it does not prevent, it softens. What it does not
hinder, it sanctifies. It indemnifies the sufferer by
inward supports, and future expectation. It ren
ders every loss a gain. It turns the curse into a
blessing. What will the worldling do in the loss of his pros
perity ? His portion is gone. His hope is wrecked.
His heart is desolate. Refuge fails him. He curses
God and his king, and looks upward. Or he lies
down in his shame, and his soul prefers strangling
and death rather than life. His time ends with one
hell, and his eternity begins with another. But to
the upright there ariseth light in the darkness. God
is his refuge and strength : a very present help in
trouble. He feels, but he is not miserable. He is
perplexed, but not in despair. He is cast down,

206 THE CHRISTIAN, IN PROSPERITY.
but not destroyed. He is laid waste? but he is not
resourceless : " Although the fig-tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the la
bour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield
no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my sal
vation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will
make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me
to walk upon mine high places."
But this falls in with the subject of our next Lec
ture ; which will show us the Christian in Adver
sity.

LECTURE VIL

THE CHRISTIAN, IN ADVERSITY.

" In the day of adoersity consider." — Eecles. vii. 14.
THE condition in which we have recently viewed
the Christian is not a very co uraon one. We felt
the difficulty ; and in the course of the Lecture,
were often led to make the Puosperous the subjects
of reflection, rather than the objects of address.
For when a minister enters his pulpit, how few
among the godly can he see in his audience, that are
set on the high places of the earth, and have the wa
ters of a full cup wrung out unto them, and have
more than heart can wish !
But, of this kind, we feel no difficulty in the pres
ent service. We are no more at a loss to find per
sons to address, than topics to enlarge upon, when
we treat of Affliction. The inheritance of griefs
is as sure to mortals, as the laws of nature are invio
lable — " Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly up
ward." Some parts of his destiny are less expos
ed, and less painful, than others ; but after every
concession, life is a warfare, and earth is a vale of
tears. "/hang the world in mourning?" It is Solomon^
who saw its most favoured aspects, and enjoyed its
most envied resources : it is all history f it is univer"

208

THE CHRISTIAN,

sal observation ; it is individual experience, that
proclaims, "All is vanity, and vexation of spirit."
Who has purchased an assurance from accident and
disease ? Who has , not enemies that oppose him ?
Cares that corrode him ? Fears that dismay him ?
Disappointments that confound him? Who does
not find in his comforts, the elements of sorrow ? In
his possessions, the sources of danger? In his dis
tinctions, the excitements of envy and detraction?
In his affections, the seeds of anxiety and anguish?
In his connexions, the pledges of apprehension and
bereavement ? " E'en roses grow on thorns,
" And honey wears a sting."
Sufferer ! You think your case is singular, and
you are often urged to exclaim, "/ am the man that
hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath." " Be
hold and see, if there be sorrow like unto my sor
row." But this is the language of self-importance,
and ignorance. " For there hath no temptation
taken you, but such as is common to man."
But you ask, " How is it, not with the man, but
with the Christian P Has the favourite of heaven
no indulgences, or, at least, no exemptions on earth ?
Surely, if they had it in their power : surely, the
friend would secure the companion of his bosom, and
the father the child of his love, from every thing
hurtful and distressing. And if God was my father
and my friend, he could by one volition of his will
set me at eaSe ; and would he suffer me to walk in
the midstof trouble, to be straitened in want, and to
pine away with sickness ? If I am His, why am I
thus?" Yet David said, " Many are . the afflictions
of the righteous." And our Saviour says to his

IN ADVERSITY. 209
disciples? " In the world ye shall have tribulation."
And it is the Christian we are to view, this morning,
In Adversity.
It is to ^' the elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father," that the Apostle Peter address
ed himself, when to break the force of their surprise,
he said, " Beloved, think it not strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you." No. Religion
does not preclude the evil day ; but it prepares us
for it ; and shows itself to most advantage, when all
other resources miist fail.
We have a thousand instructions and admonitions
concerning the spirit and demeanour of the Christian
in tribulation ; but they may all be summed up in
the words of our text, " In the day of adversity con~
sider." We enter upon our subject with one important re
mark. Whatever the people ofthe world may think
of it, the religion of Christ is " a reasonable service."
Nothing can be more distinguishable from groundless
belief, from the enthusiasm of ignorant impulses, from
a mere mass of unintelligible feelings. It commences
in the renewing of the mind. It is carried on
through the medium of thought. Nothing can be
moral that does not arise from design, and is not in
fluenced by motive. Spiritual agencies are not
like the -cures of a charm, of whose efficiency no
account ,can be given. They are not like the forced
motions of a machine insensible of its workings and
results. Neither are they like the operations of
the physical powers in the human body : these are
carried on independently of the mind and will.
27

210

THE CHRISTIAN,

The digestiye action, the secretion of the fluidS>
the circulation of the blood, go on as well, if not
better, when we are asleep, as when we are awake.
This, it would appear, is too much the notion some
entertain of the work of the Spirit. But this is
the perversion of the language of Scripture. Ac
cording to the sacred writers, as to religious influen
ces, we are not only the subjects, but the instru
ments. What is done in us, is done by us. God is
the author of every thing good : our progress is from
him ; but he does not carry us along in the way ever
lasting, but enables us to walk. He works in us ;
but it is to will and to do. We are not only impress
ed, but employed. Faith and repentance are the
^ifts of God ; yet we believe and repent, and not
God. This being premised, we observe, that religion
arises from consideration. Therefore, God, com
plaining of the Jews, says, " My people do not con
sider." Therefore he cries, ^' Consider your ways."
Therefore David says, " I thought on my ways, and
turned my feet unto thy testimonies." This extends
to each part of religion, as well as the whole. The
Christian's abhorrence of sin is not a thoughtless
aversion — "How can I do this great wickedness,
and sin against God ?" His godly sorrow is not ^
thoughtless grief — " They shall look on him whom
they have pierced, and mourn." His confidence is
not a thoughtless trust — " They that know thy
name will put their trust in thee." His hope is not
a presumptuous expectation — He is '^ ready to give a
reason of the hope that is in him." His conduct in
trouble is not the result of a natural hardihood? a
brutal apathy, a careless desperation — it is the effect

IN ADVERSITY. 211
©f thought, scriptural thought, sanctified thought —
" In the day of adversity consider."
Christians! there are many things you ought to
consider in the day of trouble ; but we shall confine^
your attention to two only. The design of Afflic-^
tion. And the relief of Affliction.
I. The DESIGN of affliction, to regulate your
DUTY. And
II. The RELIEF of affliction, to support your
hope. The one will keep you from " despising the chas
tening of the Lord :" the other, from " fainting when
you are rebuked of him."
I. Consider the design of affliction.
Without this, you cannot discharge the duty of the
condition. For what is this duty ? It is not only to
possess your souls in patience — it is not only to sub
mit yourselves under the mighty hand of God — ^but to
acquiesce in the pleasure ofthe Almighty. It is not
to say, *' This is my grief, and I must bear it ;" but
^' Here I am, let him do what seemeth him good,"
Nothing less is required of you, as Christians, than
a willing, cheerful resignation. But this can only
flow from a knowledge of him that smiteth you. You
may yield, but you cannot acquiesce, without confi
dence in him. You may, with David, be dumb and
open not your mouth, because he doeth it ; and you-
may say, with Watts,
" Peace, all our angry passions : then
" Let each rebellious sigh
" Be silent at his sovereign will,
"And every murmur die — "

212 THE CHRISTIAN,
¦ — But you cannot render a voluntary, and cheer
ful, and grateful resignation, till you see the righte
ousness, the wisdom, and, above all, the kindness
of his dispensations towards you. Therefore you
are commanded to hear the rod — What does it say ?
" And in the day of adversity consider'^ — to consid
er the ends he has in view in afflicting you. What
are these ends ? They all show that resignation is
the most dutiful and becoming thing in the world.
They are all founded in our exigencies and advan
tages : but they are various ; and none of them must be
lost sight of. For a Christian will often find it ne
cessary to turn to each of them before he can ob
tain an answer to the prayer, " Shew me wherefore
thou contendest with me ?" They include Correc
tion — Prevention — Trial-; — Instruction — and Useful
ness. First, Correction. How absurd it is to suppose
that God will suffer his children to act improperly,
and not reprove them ! The very discipline shows
that they are not abandoned. It is the language of
the paternal heart — " How shall I give thee up,
Ephraim ? how shall I deliver thee, Israel ? How
shall I make thee as Admah ? how shall 1 set thee as
Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within me, my re-
pentings are kindled together."
No ; He " will not cast away his people whom he
foreknew ;" but this is the law of the house — " If
his children forsake my law, and walk not in my
judgments ; if they break my statutes, and keep not
my commandments ; then will 1 visit their transgres
sions with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes."
And these stripes regard sins of omission, as well
as of commission. For God enjoins, as well as for-

IN ADVERSITY. 213
bids ; and we offend by refusing his orders, as well
as by opposing his prohibitions. Yea, further. They
regard the state ofthe heart, as well as the conduct of
the life — ^for " the backslider in heart shall be filjed
with his own ways." Where no miscarriages have
appeared to our fellow Christians, what a fall is there
often in our feelings and our motives ! What a decay
of devotion ! What a coldness of love ! What a
want of gratitude ! What a loss of confidence ! What
a waste of time ! What a misimprovement of privi
leges ! — How does this enlarge the sphere of correc
tion ! And when all these calls for the rod are taken
into the account, have we any reason to wonder that
we are afflicted ? Surely the cause for astonishment lies
on the other side — that we so often escg,pe ; and that
our chastisements are not only so few, but so gentle
and tender. " I will bear the indignation of the
Lord, because I have sinned against him." " Sure
ly it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chas
tisement, I will not offend any more : that which I
see not, teach thou me : if I have done iniquity, I will
do no more "
Secondly, Prevention. It is proverbially and truly
«aid, that prevention is better than cure. In no case
will this more apply, than in our moral failures.
Repentance will not always fully recover us as to this
world ; or hinder the natural effects of our conduct
from being entailed upon us for life. David fell by
temptation, and was reclaimed and forgiven ; yet his
child died, and the sword never departed from his
house ; and his sin, in the scandal and mischief, was
ever before him. Joseph was assailed by the same
foe ; but he was preserved; and thus sustained his
peace of mind, and the approbation of his Conductj

214 THE CHRISTIAN,
and the value of his reputation, and the usefulness of
his character, and the benefit of his example. Heze-
kiah's *' heart was lifted up ;" and as the conse
quence, " wrath came upon him and upon all Judah."
Paul was in danger from the same quarter. From
his peculiar privileges he was exposed to high-mind-
edness ; and we know not what injuries might have
resulted from it to himself and others : but he was
not elated. It would seem that he was ignorant of
his jeopardy ; but he had one to watch over him,
who was wiser than himself, and could see effects in
their causes. And how did he secure him ? " Lest,"
says he, " I should be exalted above measure, through
the abundance of the revelations, there was given to
me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to-
buffet me." What this particularly was, we cannot
determine ; but it was — and this is sufficient for our
purpose — it was a very sharp and painful affliction ;
and so anguished him> that he " besought the Lord
thrice," that is? frequently and fervently? that it
might depart from him.
Ah? Christian, if you could see things as they real^
ly are in their moral relations, how many of your
sufferings might be explained upon this principle.
You have perhaps examined yourself; and though
you have always enough in your general unworthi
ness and imperfectjpns tp render you vulnerable to
trouble, yet you have been able to discover no one
duty that you have knowingly neglected ; no one sin
that you have knowingly committed ; no one idol
that you have knowingly adored. But the case was
this. You were not vain ; but you were becoming
so ; and it was needful to withdraw the adulation and
the incense in time. You were not avaricious j

IN ADVERSITY. 215
hut you were becoming so ; and it was necessary to
lay waste the gain which made you think of accumu
lation. You had not worshipped the creature ; but
the growing fondness would soon hav^e made you
kneel, had not the desire of your eyes been taken
away with a stroke.
We are little aware, now, of the obligations we
are under, for our preservation, to the goodness of
God ; and the reason is, because the prevention
which hinders the injury, hinders the discovery.
But there are no blessings for which we shall be
more thankful in the worid of light? than preserving
mercies ; and we shall then perceive that the great
er part of these were administered by afflictions.
These often answered the prayer, " Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil." These
checked us ; but it was in going astray. The hin-
derance was suddenly interposed ; but the danger
was immediate, and the next movement would have
been into a pitfall. It was sharp as a hedge of
thorns ; but it was necessary to pierce us back. It
Was impenetrable as a wall ; but it was necessary to
make us despair of going on. At first, we felt that
we did well to be angry ; but a pause was admitted,
and the disappointment induced reflection, and we
said? " I will go and return to my first husband, for
then it was better with me than now."
Thirdly, Probation. It is for this reason that af
flictions are so often called trials and temptations in
the Scripture. They are in the nature of tests ap
plied to our principles and dispositions ; they are
experiments employed to discover and display the
reality and the degree of the evil or good there is in
us, Moses tells the Jews, the 4esign of the disci-

216 THE CHRISTIAN,
plinc to which they had been so long subjected in
the wilderness, was to prove them, and to know what
was in their heart, and whether th^y would keep
his commandments or no. And without this pro
cess, others would not have believed, nor could they
have believed themselves, that they were so unbe
lieving, so rebellious, so perverse, so ungrateful, as
they were now demonstrated to be. Job was charged
with not serving God for nought ; and the accuser of
the brethren said, " Hast thou not made an hedge
about him, and about all that he hath on every side ?
But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he
hath ; and he will curse thee to thy face." How
was this to be decided ? God stripped him of all ;
of his cattle, of his servants, of his children. But
instead of resentment and reviling, he worships, and
says, '' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord." ^' Skin
for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his
life," says the defeated but insolent foe : but, ^' put
forth now thine hand and touch his bone and his flesh,
and he will curse thee to thy face." And, lo ! he is
covered with sore boils from the sole of his foot to
the crown of his head ; and he takes a potsherd to
scrape himself withal ; and he sits among the ashes.
But his lips mutter no reflection upon Providence.
And when his wife, amazed at his enduring, asks,
" Dost thou still retain thine integrity ? Curse God,
and die" — what says the sufferer? '^ Shall we re
ceive good at the Lord's hand, and shall we not re
ceive evil ? In all this Job sinned not, nor charged
God foolishly." A friend is born for adversity. But
this last solace fails him, and his connexions, instead
of soothing him, reproach and condemn. But even

IN ADVERSITY. 217
now he looks up and cries, " Though he slay me, yet
will I trust in him."
Was he then perfect in the trial ? He bore the
proof; and was evinced to be gold. But he was
not free from dross. He partially failed in the pro
cess — and even cursed the day of his birth. And he,
even he, left a complete example to be furnished, by
one who was fairer than the children of men ; who
did no evil, neither was guile found in his mouth;
who, when he was reviled, reviled not again ; when
he suffered, threatened not ; but committed himself
to him that judgeth righteously, saying, " Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me : neverthe
less, not my will,- but thine be done." When the
prince of this world came, even in his hour and pow
er of darkness, he found nothing in him ; no guilt to
accuse him of;, no corruption to operate upon.
Agitate pure water, and no defilement will appear ;
but let the sea that has filthiness at the bottom be
troubled, and however clean and clear it looks
above, its waves will cast up mire and dirt. Afflic
tions are to the soul, like the rains to the house : we
suspected no apertures in the roof, till the droppings
through told the tale. The effects of these trials
therefore are always humbling to the Christian. He
is convinced by them that he has much less grace than
he imagined : he is often rendered a wonder as well
as a grief to himself. " I little thought I was so
proud, till I was required to stoop ; or so impatient,
till I was required to wait ; or so easily provoked,
till I met with such an offence ; or was so rooted to
earth, till so much force was exerted to detach me
from it." — Such must be the language of every atten
tive and faithful self- observer, when he reviews the
28

218 IHE CHRISTIAN,
trying scenes through which he has passed. We re
semble the birds : they build in the lovely and in
viting part of the year ; andr^he foliage hides their
nests : but in the winter, when the leaves have drop
ped off, their nests appear. Our retreats and de
lights in prosperity are discovered in adversity : and
many a passenger can see where we rested when we
made not God our trust. When we have, with the
Lord, health, and honour, and affluence, and friends ;
it is not easy to determine whether we are making
him or these or dependance and our portion. But
when these are removed, the case is decided. If we
were relying upon them, we sink ; but if while we
were using them, we were cleaving to him, our sup
port will remain ; and embracing him firmer than
before, we shall break through every despondence
and say, " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the
olive shall fail, and the fields shall -yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there
shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet I will rejoice in
the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
Fourthly, Instruction. By long usage affliction hais
been spoken of as a school. It is indeed a dear one ;
but there is none like it. In this lecture-room the
lessons are accompanied* with experiments ; and the
great Teacher, by facts as well as words, says,
" There- — There — See what an evil and bitter thing
sin is. See what a poor and vain thing the world is :
how it attracts its votaries to shew its emptiness, and
elevates only to depress. See what a precarious
thing friendship is ! See what human helpers can
do for you 1 Men of low degree, are vanity, and
men of high degree are a lie. Cease from man,

IN ADVERSITY. 219
whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein is he to
be accounted of? Happy is he that hath the God of
Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his
God ; which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that therein is ; which keepeth truth for ever.'*
These instances appeal 1^ the conscience, as well
as the understanding. They serve not only to ex
plain the subjects, but to quicken our attention.
They produce a silence in the mind ; a solemnity of
soul ; a softness of heart, that prepares us to receive
divine truth. " Then he openeth the ears of men
and sealeth their instruction." These are the les
sons, that make the deepest impression ; that are
the most easily and firmly remembered ; that are
the most useful and profitable in their effects.
" Blessed," says David, "is the man whom thou
chastenest and teachest out of thy law." Nor did
he speak from reasoning or faith only, but from ex
perience : " It is good for me that I have been afflict
ed ; that I might learn thy statutes." Luther says,
" I never knew the meaning of the word till I was
afflicted." "We fear," says Bishop Hall, "our
best friends : for my part, I have learned more of
God and myself in one week's extremity, than the
prosperity of a whole life had taught me before."
Lastly, Usefulness. Affliction gives a man the
tongue of the learned, that he may know how to
speak a word in season to him that is weary. It
produces that sympathy which arises most power
fully from experience ; and which indeed can hardly
be found without it. In vain you repair in the
hour of trouble to those who never knew what an an
guish meant. They will not listen to your tale of
wo. It does not interest them — they do not un-

220 l-HE CHRISTIAN,
derstand it — they are unacquainted with grief.
But he who has borne the smart himself, will not,
cannot, with a careless mien and an unfeeling heart,
listen to a sufferer who cries, " Pity me, pity me, 0
ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched
me." "Be kind," said Moses to the Jews, "be
kind to strangers, for ye know the heart of a straiir
ger ; for ye were strangers in a strange land." In
this way, the Redeemer himself is not an high priest
who cannot be touched with the feeling of our in
firmities : he was in all points tempted like as we
are : and in that he himself hath suffered being
tempted, he is able also to succour them that are
tempted. But nothing strikes like a fact. The oak scathed
with lightning attracts the notice of passengers more
than all the other trees of the forest. Trouble awak
ens attention, and draws forth inquiry. The Chris
tian is never so well circumstanced, to "glorify
the Lord, as in the fires." There he can dis
play the tenderness of his care, the truth of his
promise, the excellency of the Gospel, the supports
of divine grace. In the review of my own varied
intercourse with society, I confess nothing so vividly
and powerfully affects me, as what I recollect to have
met with from pious individuals exemplifying the
spirit and resources of Christianity under bodily dis
ease, and the losses, and bereavements, and disap-^
pointments of life. O when I have visited such a
martyr — such a witness for God ; when I have found
him standing in the evil day like a rock in a raging
current with sunshine on its brow ; when I have ob
served him, full of tribulation in the world, and of
peace in Christ ; mourning more for his sins than

IN ADVERSITY. 221
his sorrows ; afraid of dishonouring his profession by
impatience and unbelief; more concerned to have
his crosses sanctified, than to have them removed ;
turning a tearful eye towards the inflicter and say
ing? " I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are
right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me ;
just and true are all thy ways, 0 thou King of
saints — he hath done all things well ;" — when I have
witnessed religion — and I have witnessed it — accom
plishing achievements like these, I have said to it, as
I witndrew — " I have heard of thee by the hearing
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee "
As the sky is only decked with stars in the night,
so the Christian shines most in the darkness of afflic
tion ; and by nothing is he so impressive as by the ex
ercise of the passive graces. And this should recon
cile you to the will of Gpd in your sufferings. You
are not to be selfish. You are not detached individ
uals ; but parts of a community, civil and religious.
And you should think yourselves honoured and hap
py in serving your generation ; and the manner in
which you are to serve it, you are to leave to God.
People sometimes express a wish to be useful ; but
it must be in their own way. They wish to do some
thing, but their meaning is to do something that is
publick and striking ; originating, perhaps, some in
stitution, or heading some new party — doing some
thing that excites notice and noise. Here the motive
may be good, but it should be peculiarly examined ;
for exertions of this kind fall in with the principles
of our nature, the love of action, and the desire of
fame. " But they also serve that wait" — And they
also serve that suffer. You may be called to retire
rather than to act. You may be usefully employed

222 THE CHRISTIAN,
in the qUiet duties of domestic life, or in the sober
ness and sameness of business. Yea, you may be
detached from your callings, and be confined by
accident or sickness, and have not only wearisome
nights, but months of vanity appointed you. So you
may deem them — and suppose that you are going to
be laid aside, when you are perhaps approaching the
most profitable portion of your lives. For there, in
the house of affliction, and on the bed of languish
ing ; there, the minister who visits you shall be
taught how to preach ; your fellow- christians shall
be edified ; the young convert shall be encouraged
and confirmed ; the careless neighbour shall be im
pressed — or, even in the want of human observers,
who can tell but other witnesses may look down and
adore the displays of divine grace in your sufferings)
and glorify God in you. For we are " a spectacle to
the world, to angels, and to men."
II. In the day of adversity consider your relief.
This is necessary to support your hope, and to keep
you from being swallowed up of over-much sorrow.
You may feel. You must feel. " No chastening for
the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous."
It does not depend upon us to be unaffected with
certain events. We are made susceptible of pain, and
of sorrow : religion cannot require us to attempt to
throw off our nature, and to say to our Maker, " Why
hast thou made me thus ?" There is no giving up
what we do not prize; no bearing what we do not
feel ; no enduring what we do not suffer. Correc
tion is founded on our aversion to misery ; and with
out the sensibility, the discipline cannot answer any

IN ADVERSITY, 223
of the moral purposes for which it is designed ; all
of which are included in our being made perfect
through suffering.
Yet there is an extreme on the right hand, as well
as on the left. As we are not to " despise the chas
tening of the Lord," so neither are we to " faint
when we are rebuked of him," To the upright there
ariseth light in the darkness : and hc has resources
which are not only sufficient to moderate his sorrow,
but even to turn his sorrow into joy. This is the
high ground we take for a suffering Christian ; to
" glory also in tribulation ;" and to " count it all
joy when" he falls " into divers temptations." We
are far from saying that he always can do this actual
ly ; but we are not to take his duty from his ex
perience, but to endeavour to bring his experience
to his duty. What is not invariably his attainment
should be constantly his aim. — To aid you in aspir
ing after this distinction.
Consider, First, That your afflictions are not pe
culiar. " The same afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren who are in the world." And will
you refuse to drink ofthe cup they drink of, and to
be baptized with the baptism they are baptized
with ? Is Providence in your case to deviate from
the treatment of all the other branches of the house
hold of faith ? " Whom the Lord loveth he chas-
teneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
To which of the saints in scripture or in history
will you turn, in refutation of this decision ? " What
son is he whom the Father chasteneth not ?"* In vain
you allege that you are acquainted with persons
truly godly who are not afflicted. It is no easy thing
to determine who are truly godly. Besides — Have

224 THE CHRISTIAN)
they not been afflicted? Will they not be afflicted ?
Are you sure they are not afflicted even now P The
rod is not always composed of the same twigs. There
are griefs relative as well as personal ; mental as well
as corporeal ; imaginary as well as real ; invisible as
well as apparent. "The heart knoweth his own
bitterness." There are crosses which cannot be
displayed. There are groanings which cannot be
uttered — He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, be
cause he hath borne it upon him —
" The path of sorrow, and that path alone,
" Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.
" No traveller e'er reached that blest abode,
" Who found not thorns and briers in his road.
" The world may dance along the flowery plain,
" Cheered as they go by many a sprightly strain —
" Where nature has her mossy velvet spread,
" With unshod feet they yet securely tread :
" Admonished, scorn the caution and the friend ;
" Bent upon pleasure, heedless of its end.
" But he who knew what human hearts would prove,
" How slow to learn the dictates of his love,
" That hard by nature and of stubborn will,
" A life of ease would make them harder still,
" In pity to the sinners he designed
" To rescue from the ruins of mankind,
" Called for a cloud to darken all their years,
" And said, ' Go, spend them in the vale of tears.' "
Secondly, Consider that they are not casual. Do
our fellow-creatures oppose and injure us ? They
always act freely, and often criminally ; yet we are
not left to the vices and passions of men. They
could have no power at all against us except it were
given them from above. Nothing in any of our suf
ferings occurs by chance — there is no such divinity

IN ADVERSITY. 225
in the universe. Occurrences may be accidental
and contingent with regard to us, who are not ac
quainted with the plan to be executed and develop
ed ; but they are not so with regard to him who
sees the end from the .beginning, and worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will. What takes
place without him ? "I form the light, and create
darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I the
Lord do all these things." And he strikes no ran
dom blows. ''He performeth the thing that is ap
pointed for us ;?' and the appointment is made by
one who has not only a right to ordain, but who can--
not pervert justice ; who is too wise to err ; and
who loved us so as not to spare his own Son, but de
livered him up for us all. We are allowed, we are
required to cast all our care on him, with the assur
ance that he careth for us. And is not his attention,
his solicitude — (how condescending is God in his lan
guage ! ) — sufficient to relieve our minds ? How de
lightful is it to sit at the feet of the great Teacher,
and hear him discourse on the doctrine of Provi
dence ! Here we have nothing of the language of
infidel philosophy. He does not represent the Su
preme Being as occupied with worlds and whole sys
tems ; but overlooking individuals, and minute con
cerns — He did not suppose the Supreme Being capa
ble of perplexity and fatigue^ J^e did not think any
thing too hard for Infinite Wisdom and Power-^-He
did not think it beneath God to govern what was not
beneath him to create. Among men, an attention to
little things prevents an attention to great things ;
and an attention to great things prevents an attention
to little ones ; and no one can equally regard all the
29

^26 THE CHRISTIAN,
claims of the province of government he fills, howev
er limited it may be. But, says Jesus, " He maketh
his sun to rise :" and, he " sends forth his angels ;"
and, " a sparrow falls not to the ground without your
heavenly Father ; and the hairs of your head are all
numbered." " Are you not of more value than
many sparrows ?" " Behold the fowls of the air :
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather
into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they ? And why take
ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow : they toil not, neither do they
spin ; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field,
which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the
oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of lit
tle faith?"
Exclude this doctrine, and God is a God afar off;
there is no foundation for confidence ; there is no
excitement to devotion : in the darkness of my per
plexities and difficulties I group around, and can feel
nothing to support me. But by realizing his super
intending agency, I bring him near, and by his pres
ence fill what otherwise would be an awful and irk
some void. He hears prayer. His interposition is
attainable. By being connected with God, every
place is rendered holy, every object interesting ; ev
ery comfort is enriched ; and every trial is softened.
This principle I take with me into every allotment?
every circumstance ; and say, " the cup which my
Father giveth me, shall I not drink it ? It is the
Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. I will

IN ADVERSITY. 227
cry unto God most high, unto God who performeth
all things for me."
Thirdly, Consider that they are not penal. When
the Israelites came to Marah, they could not drink
of the waters, for they were bitter. " And Moses
cried unto the Lord ; and the Lord shewed him a
tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the
waters were made sweet." If this was not designed
to be a type, it yields us a striking allusion.
" Bitter indeed the waters are
" Which in this desert flow ;
" Though to the eye they promise fair,
" They taste of sin and wo."
What is the cure ? The Cross —
" The Cross on which the Saviour hung,
" And conquered for his saints, —
" This is the tree, by faith applied,
" That sweetens all complaints.
" Thousands have found the blest effect,
" Nor longer mourn their lot :
" While on his sorrows they reflect,
" Their own are all forgot."
If the burden of sin be removed, whatever else is
laid on us will be felt to be light. And surely he
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by
his stripes we are healed. Hence though his suffer
ings do not secure us from suffering, they chahge the
nature and design of our afflictions : so that, instead
of their being punishments, they are corrections ;
and are inflicted not by the sword of the Judge, but
by the rod of a Father. The believer may .some
times misapprehend them, and fearful of their being^
the messengers of justice, may say unto God, Do not

228condemn me. But the apprehension is groundless".-
We are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be
condemned with the world. For there is no con
demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. He has
redeemed them from the curse of the law, having
been made a curse for them. And being now justified
by his blood, they shall be saved from wrath through
him. This is the rest wherewith we are to cause
the uneasy to rest ; and this is the refreshing. He
was angry with us, but his anger is turned away : and
he comforteth us. And not only so, but we also joy
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have
now received the atonement.
Fourthly, Consider that they are not unalloyed.
The Apostle seems to enjoin too much when he says,
^' In every thing give thanks." But there is a reason
for it. Take your condition, however trying. Has
it no alleviations ? Let candour, let gratitude, let
truth examine the circumstances of the case. Is there
nothing in the time, nothing in the place, nothing
in the manner, nothing in the subject of affliction,
that serves to soften its pressure ? Do you believe
that it might not have been worse ? " Hath he
smitten him, as he smote those that smote him ? or
is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are
slain by him ? In measure, when it shooteth forth,
thou wilt debate with it. He stayeth his rough wind
in the day of the east wind." Take your case and
lay it by the side of your desert. What would you
have suffered had he dealt with you after your sins,
or rewarded you according to your iniquities?- — Place
it by the side of the condition of others. You have
lost much of your substance ; but they have nothing
left. You have buried one of your children : the

IN ADVERSITY. 229
grave has written them childless in the earth. You
walk upon crutches : they are bed ridden. You
have months of vanity ; but they have wearisome
nights, and the multitude of their bones is filled
with strong pain. — But O think of the Saviour.
Think of his dignity, of his preceding state, of his
innocency! — We suffer justly, for we suffer the due
reward of our deeds ; but this man hath done noth
ing amiss. Yet see him. You suffer partially ; he
suffered in every part that was capable of passion.
You suffer occasionally ; and for hours and days of
pain, you have weeks and months of ease and pleas
ure : his sufferings reached from the manger to the
cross : " He was a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief." Your sufferings are unforeseen; his
were known from the beginning ; and he bore them
in prospect before he endured them in reality. And
whose tongue can express, whose imagination can
conceive, what he endured when he began to be sore
amazed and very heavy ? when his soul was exceed
ing sorrowful even unto death ? when his sweat was
as it were great drops of blood, falling to the ground?
when he exclaimed, " My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me ?"
" Now let our pains be all forgot,
" Our hearts no more repine ;
" Our sufferings are not worth a thought,
" When, Lord, compared with thine,"
Fifthly, Consider that you are not to bear them
alone. For he hath said, " I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee." This is a general promise, and
necessarily includes every particular case. But
knowing the anxieties and forebodings of the heart.

230 THE CHRISTIAN,
he has been pleased to issue particular assurances;
with regard to the hour of suffering. " I will be
with thee in trouble." " When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Herein
his conduct forms a contrast with the friendship of
Others. A friend is born for adversity : but he of-
tener raises expectations than realizes them. And
Solomon tells us, that " confidence in an unfaithful
man, in the time of trouble, is like a broken tooth, or
a foot out of joint." These are more than useless.
You attempt to use them, and they not only fail, but
make you writhe with pain. " To him that is afflict
ed, pity should be shewed of his friend ; but he for-
saketh the fear of the Almighty." Job found it so,
and said, " My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a
brook, and as the stream of brooks that pass away."
Paul found it so \ and though the brethren came to
meet hini, when he was going to Rome, ' to appeal
unto Caesar, as far as Appii Forum and the Three
Taverns, he complains, " At my first answer no man
stood by me, but all men forsook me." But he adds,
" Notwithstanding the Lord stood by me and strength
ened me." He is true, whoever is treacherous :
whoever fails, he is faithful. To this Latimer testi
fied in his last moments. Being fastened to the
stake and the fire just about to be kindled, he turned
a heavenly countenance towards his fellow-sufferer,
and said, " God is faithful, who will not suffer us
to be tempted above that we are able"-^While Rid
ley answered, " Yes, be of good cheer, brother : he
will abate the fury of the flames, or give us strength

IN ADVERSITY. 231
to abide them." Spilsbury had suffered for con
science' sake, and had been released from his confine
ment. But, when apprehended a second time, he
said, seeing his wife and children weeping, '' I am
not afraid to go to prison now — I found God there
the first time." In his flight and dreariness, the
vision at Bethel was a privilege beyond all Jacob's
expectation and thought. Driven from home, and
travelling alone ; having no guide to direct him, no
defender to protect him, no associate to soothe his
mind by communion ; a forlorn youth, ruminating
on his sad condition, and conflicting with those fears
which attend uncertain events — he lights on a cer
tain place, and tarries there all night, because the sun
was set. The darkness was his curtains, the ground
his bed, and a stone his pillow. There he falls
asleep, and sees and hears what encouraged him to
the last moment of life. But said he in the morning,
" Surely God is in this place, and I knew it not."
This ignorance and surprise serve to represent the
apprehensions of many of the people of God : they
seem to think they shall be found deserted in such
situations and difficulties. But he is better than
their fears ; he surpasses even their hopes. He is
there, and no sooner do they call, than he answers,
" Here I am."
Yea, he is not only with them really, but peculiar
ly in the day of trouble. "As one whom his mother
comforteth," says he, " so will I comfort you ; and
ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." The anxious,
tender mother regards all her offspring : but she is
most concerned for the poor, weakly, sickly child.
The knee, the bosom is for him : for him is the pre
pared delicacy, and the noiseless room, and the

232 THE CHRISTIAN,
breathless step, and the frequent watching and lean^
ing. over the bed of languishing, and the entreated
reception of the offensive draught, accompanied with
the sincere assurance, " Ah, my darling child, how
gladly would I take it for thee." And thus is it
with his afflicted people. They have their special
privileges. As their day, so their strength is ; and
as the sufferings of Christ abound in them, the
consolation also aboundeth by Christ : and thousands
can testify that they have had clearer discoveries,
richer communications, and tenderer supports under
their trials than they ever experienced in seasons of
ease and prosperity. What want we more? "God,"
says the church, "is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble : therefore will not we fear
though the earth be removed, and though the moun
tains be carried into the midst of the sea ; though the
waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the moun
tains shake with the swelling thereof." No creature
can be a substitute for him ; but he is more than a
substitute for every creature ; and his presence peo
ples and fertilizes and gladdens the gloomiest desert :
'' I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness,
and there will I speak comfortably unto her. And I
will give her her vineyards from thence; and the val
ley of Achor for a door of hope : and she shall sing
there." — The lamp cannot supply the place of the
sun ; but you have no reason to complain, if you can
say, with Mrs. Rowe,
" Thou dost but take the lamp away
"To bless me with unclouded day."
If we faint in the day of adversity, it is by losing
sight of him whose grace is always sufficient for us.

IN ADVERSITY. 233
We resemble Peter. " Come," said our Saviour :
^*And when he was come down out of the ship, he
walked upon the water, to go to Jesus. But when
he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and be
ginning to sink, he cried. Lord, save me." Ah, said
Jesus, you should have looked not at the waves but at
me. Am nPt 1 here ? Within sig^t? Within reach ?
" And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,
and caught him ; and said unto him, 0 thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" How sublime
is the exclamation of Doddridge ; but it is founded in
reason and truth — make it. Christian, whatever
threatens, your own —
" If thou my Jesus still art nigh,
" Cheerful I live, and cheerf.il die ;
" Secure, when mortal comforts flee,
" To find ten thousand worlds in thee !"
Lastly, Consider that you are not to endure them
always. " For there is an end, and thy expectation
shall not be cut off." That end is certain. Sisera's
mother anxiously waited at the window for the arri
val of her son, but he never came. The warrior has
confidently reckoned upon a victory, which he never
obtained ; and the mariner has been ready to hail
a desired haven, which he never reached. " We
looked," said the disappointed Jews, "for light, and
behold darkness ; for peace, and behold trouble.''
But, O Christian, there is hope in thy end — a hope
that cannot make ashamed. Thy release from sorrow
is as sure as the purpose, the promise, the covenant,
the oath of God can render it. — That end is near.
" Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will
come, and will not tarry." If your cross be heavy,
30

234 THE CHRISTIAN,
you have not to carry it far. If life be short, trouble
cannot be long. When a few years are come, you
will go the way whence you will not return. It may
be much less. A few months ; a few weeks ; a few
days more ; and all will be peace, all will be quiet
ness, all will be assurance for ever. The sacred wri
ters love to diminish the period. In one place they
tell us, " weeping may endure for a night, but joy
cometh in the morning." In another, that these
" light afflictions are but for a moment. In a third,
that " for a small moment we are forsaken." So,
and no more is it in the estimation of faith, and com
pared with eternity. — That end is blessed and glori
ous. No power of description or thought can do it
justice. It will bring a full development of all the
trying dispensations through which you have passed.
You shall no longer walk by faith, but by sight. You
shall see that his work is perfect, and his ways judg
ment. You shall see how the most adverse provi
dences were essential to your welfare ; and not only
feeling satisfied, but filled with wonder and grati
tude, you will be able to say, ,.
" Amidst my list of blessings infinite,
" Stands this the foremost, that my heart has bled;
" For all I bless thee ; most for the severe."
What was Canaan to the Jews, after all the bond
age of Egypt, and the travels and privations of the
desert ; what was that land flowing with milk and
honey, that rest which the Lord their God gave
them, compared with the rest that remains for
the people of God — that better, that heavenly coun
try ! What a complete, what an eternal discharge !
Of all your sufferings, nothing will remain but the

IN ADVERSITY. 235
Temembrance, and this will enhance the deliverance ;
and " the greater the sorrow, the louder you'll sing."
The shadow of care, of sorrow, of fear, shall never
flit over those regions of repose and blessedness.
*' Thy sun shall no more go down ; neither shall thy
moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine
everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall
be ended." I could go on repeating Scripture, for
it loves to dwell upon this subject ; but I will con
clude this reference with two passages. The one is",
the testimony of the Apostle Paul. He spoke from
experience. No one had suffered more ; and he
had been in the third heaven. But hear him : " I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be
revealed in us." The other is the address of the
angel to John in the Revelation ; words which Burns
the poet says he could never from a child read with
out tears — so allied is the tenderness of genius to the
sentiments of piety. " He said unto me, what are
these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence
came they ? And I said unto him. Sir, thou know
est. And he said unto me, these are they which
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
serve him day and night in his temple : and he that
sitteth on. the throne shall dwell among them. They
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun light on them, or any heat. For the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of
waters : and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes."

236 aHE CHRISTIAN,
Men and brethren, you have often heard it said,
"The end crowns the action." "All is well, that
ends well." Now religion has this recommendation.
We are far from denying its present advantages ; for
we know from Scripture and observation and ex
perience, that it is profitable unto all things, and has
promise of the life that now is, as well as of that
which is to come. But allowing that it were all
gloom, and self denial, and sacrifice, and suffering
here ; yet " mark the perfect man, and behold the
upright, for the end of that man is peace." The
happiness in which it terminates, infinitely more than
indemnifies and recompenses all the hardships and
trials of the passage. Even Balaam confessed this ;
and prayed, '^ Let me die the death of the righteous,
and let my last end be like his."
What a difference between the Christian and
others. Both are advancing towards the close of
lite : but they are leaving their good things, and he
his evil ones. Both will soon bid eternal farewell :
but they to their joys, and he to his sorrows. 1 hey
at death will plunge into " the blackness of darkness
for ever ;" while he will reach " the inheritance of
the saints in light."
— So reasonable is the Christian's resignation ;
and so well founded is the Christian's hope, with
regard to affliction.
— "But what has such a subject as this to do with
me ? I am not in trouble." Then I tremble for
you. We know of whom David speaks, when he
says, " They are not in trouble as other men ; neither
are they plagued like other men." And we know
who has said, " Because they have no changes, there
fore they fear not God." But if you are not afflict-

IN ADVERSITY. 237
fed, you soon may. Every thing here is uncertain.
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out. Truth
whispers, " Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant
thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun : but if a
man live many years, and rejoice in them all, yet let
him remember the days of darkness, for they shall
be many. All that cometh is vanity." Is it not
therefore wise to provide against what is possible,
what is probable ; yea, I will add, unavoidable ?
*' A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth him
self; but the simple pass on, and are punished."
But are you sure you are not afflicted even now ? In
the midst of your sufficiency are you not in straits ?
In all your successes, do you not feel a cold aching
void within, still urging you to ask, " Who will show
us any good ?" While you walk according to the
course of the world, do you not complain of the pov
erty of its pleasures, and the falseness of its resources ?
Are you not dissatisfied with all creature enjoy
ments ? Is there not a constant war between your
inclinations and convictions ? Does not conscience
often condemn you ? Have you not your forebodings
of the future ? Do you never think of the infirmities
of approaching years ; of the house appointed for all
living ; of the judgment-seat of Christ ?
Perhaps at this very moment you are not strangers
to a wish that you had never been born. Colonel
Gardiner tells us, " that while he was keeping up
every gay appearance, and was envied as the hap
piest of mortals, he would gladly have exchanged
conditions with a dog." " There is no peace, saith
my God, "unto the wicked."
— But here are some, here are many before me
who are in trouble. For the days are evil ; and the

238 THE CHRISTIAN

cup is going round ; and what family, what individu
al is not called to taste the bitterness, if not to drink
the very dregs ? I do not ask you what your trials
are ; but I must inquire, what are you doing under
them? Are you despising the chastening of the
Lord, or are you fainting now you are rebuked of
him ? — Unsanctified trouble always produces one of
these ; it always hardens the sufferer against God, or
sinks him into despondency.
Is the former of these your case ? Are you one of
those, who, when he arrays himself against them, in
stead of submitting, " rush upon the thick bosses of
his buckler ;" and " fight against God ?" Are you
like Ahaz, of whom it is said, " In his affliction he
sinned yet more and more against God-^This is that
Ahaz !" It was an awful appeal that Jeremiah made
to God, concerning many of his hearers. Must your
preacher prefer the same ? "0 Lord, are not thine
eyes upon the truth? Thou hast stricken them, but
they have not grieved ; thou hast consumed them, but
they have refused to receive correction : they have
made their faces harder than a rock ; they have re
fused to return." If this be the case, faithfulness re
quires me to tell you, that one of these two conse
quences will be sure to follow. That is,-r-either God,
provoked by your contempt of his correction. Will
cease to disturb you, and recalling' the instruments of
his discipline, ,will say, " They are joined to idols?
let them alone." Or he will turn the rod into a
scorpion, and fulfil the threatening, " If ye walk con
trary to me, I also will walk contrary to you, and
punish you seven times for your iniquity." Thus
the blow first affects the man's property. Then it
strikes a remoter relation. Then it takes away the

IN ADVERSITY. 239
desire of his eyes. Then it invades his own person,
and shakes him by disorder over the pit — and he re
covers — and turns again to folly. At length, having
been often reproved, and hardening his neck, he is
suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy. Are
none of you in danger of this ? Are there not some
of you, who have not only been addressed by him,
and frequently addressed ; but also have been smit
ten by him, and awfully too ; so that it would have
seemed impossible for you to stand out ? "I have
overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom
and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked
out of the burning : yet have ye not returned unto
me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto
thee, O Israel : and because I will do this unto thee,
prepare to meet thy God, 0 Israel." But canst thou
stand before him? Can thy heart endure, or thy
hand be strong when he shall deal with thee ? How
much better to be in subjection to the Father of spir
its, and live ! Then will his repentings be kindled
together. Then will he say, " I have surely heard
Ephraim bemoaning himself thus : Thou hast chas
tised me, and I was chastised as a bullock unaccus
tomed to the yoke : turn thou me, and I shall be
turned ; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely
after that I was turned, I repented : and after that I
was instructed, I smote upon my thigh ; I was asham
ed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the re-
proach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son ? is
he a pleasant child ? for since I spake against him, I
do earnestly remember him still : therefore my bow
els are troubled for him ; I will surely have mercy
upon him,[saith the Lord."

240 THE CHRISTIAN,
There is another extreme. Instead of despising,
perhaps you are fainting. You are desponding.
You are at your wits' end. You are tempted to curse
the day of your birth. Life has lost all its charm
— it is a burden too heavy for you to bear. You
turn to solitude ; but there grief preys upon itself.
You think of intoxication ; this is drowning misery
in madness. You glance at infidelity ; but annihila
tion may be a fiction, and the present only the be
ginning of sorrows. You resolve on suicide ; but
you cannot destroy yourself. You take the pistol,
and shatter to pieces the tabernacle, and your friends
are aghast at the ruins ; but the inhabitant has es
caped, and the spirit feels itself still in the grasp of
God. I am far from insulting your grief. I sympa
thize with you ; and rejoice that I can show unto you
a more excellent way. " There is One standing among
you whom ye know not." Let me introduce him in
all the fulness of his pity and power. He is equally
able and willing to relieve you. He is the enemy
of sin, but he is .he friend of sinners. Cast thy bur
den upon the Lord : and say. Lord, 1 am oppressed ;
undertake for me. He will not, he cannot refuse thy
application. For he has said, and is now saying,
^' Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." See Manasseh.
He was stripped of all, and carried away captive.
But his salvation sprang not from his prosperity, but
his adversity. " When he was in affliction, he be
sought the Lord his God, and humbled himself great
ly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto
him : and he was entreated of him, and heard his
supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem in
to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord

IN ADVERSITY. 241
he was God." Think of the Prodigal. Plenty had
ruined him. The famine, and the husks which the
swine did eat, made him think of home — " How many
hired servants of my father have bread enough and
to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise,
and go to my father." And that father, while he
was yet " a great way off, saw him, and had compas
sion upon him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him :" and not only clothed and fed, but
adorned and feasted him ; and said, " Let us eat
and be merry : for this my son was dead, and is alive
again ; and was lost, and is found." Despair not ;
but follow these examples, and you will be able to
say, with the famous Athenian, *^I should have been
lost, had I not been lost :" and to sing with many a
sufferer before you,
" Father, I bless thy gentle hand ;
" How kind was thy chastising rod,
" That forced my conscience to a stand,
" And brought my wandering soul to God.
" Foolish and vain, I went astray
" Ere I had felt thy scourges. Lord ,
" I left my guide, I lost my way ;
" But now I love and keep thy word "'

31

LECTURE VIII.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS.

" We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof."
Psalm cxxxvii. 2.

WE now pass from the condition of the Christian,
to his experience. We have contemplated the
changes that may take place in his outward circum--
stances. We have viewed him in his prosperity
and in his adversity ; and have seen him carrying his
religion along with him through all the varying scenes
of human life.
But there are similar variations in ^'the inward
man," " the hidden man of the heart." And these
changes are no inconsiderable evidences of the real
ity of a work of grace> in distinction from religious
pretensions. The picture of a tree is invariable ;
but the tree itself has its seasons. At one time it is
leafless, and the sap, though not destroyed, retires
into the roots. At another, it revives, and buds, and
blossoms, and is filled with fruitfulness. I walk in
my garden, and see the stones arranged there, always
the same. But it is otherwise with the flowers and
plants. And the reason is, because the former are
dead, while the latter have in them a principle of life.
And such is the difference between the form of god
liness, and the power : between a man alive to God,
and one that hath a name that he liveth, but is dead.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 243
Let US proceed to the part of the Christian's expe
rience which we are pledged to consider this morn
ing. And here, I can easily imagine, that the sub
ject itself will hardly ajppear necessary to some.
They are rather surprised by the very fact we have
assumed as a clear and common verity. Young con-
Verts often wonder to hear of the believer's sadness.
They are often indulged with a peculiar kind and de
gree of consolation to allure them on, till, whatever
difficulties they meet with, they feel themselves too
much interested, and too far advanced, to think of
retreating. Because, from a regard to their weak
ness, their enemies are restrained, they seem to con
clude that they are destroyed ; and because, in the
novelty of their views and the liveliness of their feelr
ings, their corruptions are but little noticed, they
hope to be vexed with them no more. They there
fore wonder to hear older Christians complaining of
distraction in duty, and languor of zeal ; and weak
ness of hope, and conflicts with doubts and fears.
Thus it was with Israel " in the kindness of their
youth." See them on the shore of the Red Sea.
They rejoiced in the Lord, and sang his praise, and
thought they had only to go forward and possess the
pleasant land — ignorant of the wilderness between ;
and having no foreboding of the drought, and the bit
ter waters, and the fiery serpents, and the Amalekites
and Moabites, and their long detensions, and their
being led about, and their being turned back — by all
of which the souls of the people were much discour
aged because, of the way.
But if there are some to whom the intimation of
these sorrows is surprising, there are others to whom
it will be relieving, if not delightful. For there are

244 THE CHRISTIAN,
some who are distressed and perplejfed, owing to ap
prehensions that their experience is peculiar. They
think none ever had such vain thoughts, such dull
frames, such woful depressions, as they often mourn
over. Therefore, in their communings with their
own hearts, they are led to ask, " If I am his, why
am I thus?" and anxiously turning to others, in
whom they repose more confidence than they can
place in themselves, say,
" Ye that love the Lord indeed,
" Tell me, is it thus with you ?"
Now these will not rejoice in the deficiences and dis
tresses of others ; but it yields them encouragement
to learn, that there are some who can sympathize
with them ; and that what they feel, is not, though
grievous, incompatible with a state of grace ; since
others, and even those who are far superior to them
selves, utter the same sighs and groans.
To return. The Psalm from which the words of
our text are taken, is universally admired. Indeed
nothing can be more exquisitely beautiful. It is
written in a strain of sensibility that must touch every
soul that is capable of feeling. It is remarkable that
Dr. Watts, in his excellent versification, has omitted
it. He has indeed some verses upon it in his Lyrics;
and many others have written on the same. We
have seen more than ten productions of this kind ;
the last, and perhaps the best, of which is Lord By
ron's. But who is satisfied with any of these at
tempts ? — Thus it begins : " By the rivers of Baby
lon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we re
membered Zion." These rivers were probably some
of the streams branching off from the Euphrates and

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 246
Tigris. Here it is commonly supposed these captive
Jews were placed by their task-masters, to preserve
or repair the water-works. But is it improper to
conjecture that the Psalmist refers to their being
here — not constantly, but occasionally ; not by com
pulsion, but choice ? Hither I imagine them retir
ing to unbend their oppressed minds in solitude.
** Come," said one of these pious Jews to another,
*' come, let us for awhile go forth, from this vanity and
vileness. Let us assemble together by ourselves un
der the refreshing shade of the willows by the water
courses. And let us take our harps with us, and sol
ace ourselves with some of the songs of Zion." But
as soon as they arrive, and begin to touch the chords,
the notes — (such is the power of association) — awaken
the memory of their former privileges and pleasures.
And, overwhelmed with grief, they sit down on the
grass, and weep when they remember Zion ; their
dejected looks, averted from each other, seeming to
say, " If I forgiet thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget her cunning. If 1 do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ; if I
prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." But
what do they with their harps ? The voice of mirth
is heard no more; and all the daughters of musick
are brought low. Melody is not in season to a dis
tressed spirit. " Is any afflicted ? Let him pray.
Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." "As he that
taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vine
gar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to a heavy
heart." — ^They did not however break them to
pieces, or throw them into the stream — but hanged
them up only They hoped that what they, could
not use at present, they might be able to resume at

246 THE CHRISTIAN,
some happier period. To be cast down is not to be
destroyed. Distress is not despondency.
" Beware of desperate steps : the darkest day,
" Live till to-morrow, will have passed away."
" We hanged our harps upon the wiUows in the
midst thereof." — Let us pass from' the Jew Xo> the
Christian ; and let us survey the Christian,
In bis Spiritual Sorrows.
He who would preach well, says Luther, must dis
tinguish well. It is peculiarly necessary toi discrim
inate, when we enter upon the present subject. For
all the sorrows of the Christian are not of the same
kind or descent.^ — Let us consider four sources of his
moral sadness.
I. Will be PHYSICAL.
II. Will be CRIMINAL.
III. Will be INTELLECTUAL.
IV. Will be PIOUS.
The first source is physical.
There are some who understand very little of this.
They are blessed with a favoured constitution ; and
can hardly enter into the feelings of those who pass
much of their time under the dominion of a gloomy
and depressive temperament that leads them tO' view
every thing through an alarming and dismaying me
dium ; and to draw towards themselves all that is aw
ful and distressing. How affecting is it to hear a
man of genius and piety complaining, that in one day,.
in one hour, he who was such an enthusiastical ad-

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 247
mirer of the works of nature, had presented to him
an universal blank; so that nothing after could ever
charm him again ! We admit that the case of Cow
per was extraordinary : but it was so in the degree,
rather than in the quality. Others are subject to a
measure of the same influence ; and while the in
creased prevalence of this morbid affection produces
fixed melancholy? the slighter diffusion of it may be
attended with the most trying irritation and depres
sion. We often censure, where, if we knew all, we
should only pity. What a conflict have some Chris
tians even in wrestling with flesh and blood ! We
are fearfully and wonderfully made. We know little
of the mechanism of the body ; but we know much
less of the chemistry. Who can tell how the nervous
juices and the animal spirits are secreted ? Who can
explain how the fluids blend and temper each other ?
Who knows how it is that when a particular humour
predominates unequally, such a change is resistlessly
produced in our mass of apprehensions and feelings ?
Yet we know the fact. We know that external
things affect the body. We know that the body af
fects the mind. We know that we are the creatures
of the season and of the sky. We know that we are
not the same in a foggy day, as in a clear one.
We know that if there be a suffusion of bile, the
world, and the church, and the family, are not gov
erned so well now, as they were yesterday. Noth
ing is so agreeable in our condition. Our very re
ligion is doubtful ; and God is not the same.
Several things result from this reasoning. Is it
not astonishing that many Christians will ascribe ev
ery animal variation and effect to the agency of Satan !
Especially when they know how often, by the aid of

248 THE CHRISTIAN,
a little medicine, all these supposed temptations have
been chased away, and every thing restored to its
proper hues and attractions again !
It is not necessary for a Christian to be a physi
cian ; but it is desirable for him to be able to distin
guish between influences purely bodily, and the prin
ciples, disposition, and state of his mind. It is diffi
cult to reason with people in this frame, or under
this tendency ; otherwise we should be amazed at
the perplexity and disconsolateness of some excel
lent characters, and the readiness with which they
refuse to be comforted. We have known persons,
poor in spirit, hungering and thirsting after righte
ousness, glorying only in the cross of Christ, and
cheerfully going forth to him without the camp, bear
ing his reproach — yet gloomily concluding that they
have no part nor lot in the matter, and that their
heart is not right in the sight of God. And where
fore do they write these bitter things against them
selves ? There is no reason why they shoufd; but
the cause why they do, is to be found in something
beyond the preacher's province. And till there is a
change in the physical economy, all the succours of
religion will be urged in vain.
Good men also should learn from hence to be atten
tive to their health, and keep the body as much as
possible the fit medium of the mind. A man may be
a good performer, but what can he do with a disorder
ed instrument? The inhabitant may have good eyes,
but how can he see accurately through a soiled win
dow ! Keep therefore the glass clean, and the organ
in tune. We do not wish you to be finical and fan
ciful, to live in the shop of an apothecary, or have
a medical attendant always dangling at your heels.

IN HIS SPIRItUAL SORROWS. 249
But be soberly and prudently attentive to the body.
Rise early. Take proper exercise. Beware of sloth.
Observe and avoid whatever disagrees with your sys
tem. Never overburden nature. Be moderate in
your table indulgences. Let not appetite bemire
and clog the mind. Medical authority will tell you,
that where one disorder arises from deficiency, a thou
sand spring from repletion; and that the board slays
far more than the sword. — The
Second source is criminal.
It will be allowed that they who cannot apostatize
may backslide : and we know who hath said, " The
backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways."
" Thine own wickedness shall correct thee ; and thy
backslidings shall reprove thee i know therefore and
see, that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast
forsaken the Lord thy God." Observe : it is both
evil and bitter ; evil, in its nature, and bitter in its
consequences. And these bitter effects take in, not
only outward troubles, but inward distresses; the
corrosions of fretfulness under a feeling of guilt ; the
reproaches of conscience awakened from its slumbers,
and ashamed of its negligence ; the perplexities aris
ing from the doubtfulness of our condition ; the loss
of peace, and a sense of God's favour. What was
said of Israel as a people, will apply here to individ
ual experience. " O that thou hadst hearkened to
my commandments : then had thy peace been as a
river, and thy righteousness like the waves of the
sea." You hear much of the hidings of God's face.
The expression is perfectly scriptural. " Make thy
fece," says David, " to shine upon thy servant." His
32

250 THE CHRISTIAN,
face signifies his favourable regard. This can never
be a matter of indifference to the Christian, whether
we consider his supreme love to God, or his entire
dependance upon him. He must be miserable under
the loss of God's smiles. And as Absalom said,
" What do I here in Geshur unless I see the King's
face ? so says the believer — what do I in the closet,
or in the house of God, or at his table, without him ?
I cannot improve a providence or an ordinance, I
cannot enjoy my friends or myself, without my God.
So it was with David. " Thou didst hide thy face,
and 1 was troubled."
But why does he ever hide his face ? Is it to dis
play his sovereignty ? No ; but to testify his disap
probation of our spirit or our conduct. It is of the
nature of moral correction. " Behold, the Lord's
hand is not shortened, that it cannot save ; neither
his ear heavy, that it cannot hear : but your iniqui
ties have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face frpm you, that he will not
hear." There are some who say — quoting the words of
Scripture, but mistaking their design — God sees " no
iniquity in Jacob, nor beholds perverseness in Israel."
Yet we read of " the provoking of his sons and of his
daughters." Yet " the Lord spake unto Moses and
Aaron, because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in
the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall
not bring this congregation into the land which I have
given them." And no importunity could obtain a
relaxation of the sentence. — " Sin never hurts a be-
liever !" " He never need be afraid of sin !" And
whose inspiration is this language ? Where do we
learn this doctrine ? Did David believe it, after his

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 251
transgression ? Along with the very announcement
of his pardon, was he not informed of the sufferings
that would still result from his guilt ? Did he not
continue to confess, " my sin is ever before me ?" If
not bruised and fractured by his fall, why does he
pray, " Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the
bones which thou hast broken may rejoiCe?" If not
filled with a dread of divine abandonment, why does
he say, " Cast me not away from thy presence ; and
take not thy Holy Spirit from me." If he had not
been deprived of the consolation, why does he say,
" Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and up
hold me with thy free Spirit?" If he had not been
struck dumb, why does he pray, " Open thou my
lips, that my mouth may show forth thy praise ?" If
he had not impaired the cause of God, why does he
pray, " Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion,
build thou the walls of Jerusalem ?" -
Upon this principle, the chief hope I entertain
with' regard to some professors of religion is their
uncomfortableness. For it would be a sad symp
tom in their case, if they were tranquil and cheerful,
and rejoicing in Christ, while they are indifferent to
the means of grace, and mind earthly things, and
display such a worldly conversation and spirit. For
I am sure of this, that if they really belong to God,
he will rebuke them, and make them look back, with
the exclamation, "0 ! that it was with me as in
months past, when the candle of the Lord shone
upon my head, and when by his light I walked
through darkness ; while as yet the Almighty was
with me." The way to see and enjoy God is to live
near him, and to be always endeavouring to please
him. The first Christians " walked in the fear of

252 THE CHRISTIAN,
the Lord, and in the Comforts of the Holy Ghost"
These are inseparable ; and all pretensions to the lat
ter without the former, are nothing but delusion. Let
me, therefore, if the consolations of God are small
with thee, ask, " Is there any secret thing with thee?"
Thy gourd withers: Is there any worm at the root?
You are repulsed, and turn your back on your enemies;
Is there any accursed thing in the camp ? " Let us
search and try our ways ; and turn again unto the
Lord." Let us do more. Let us fall upon our knees
and pray for divine examination. " Search me, 0 '
God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my
thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting." — The
Third source is intellectuaLt.
For the joy of a Christian is not a vain imagination
or a groundless persuasion, endangered by inquiry —
it flows from knowledge ; and the possessor is able to
give a reason of the hope that is in him. Hence it
will follow, that though a Christian's safety does not
depend upon the extent and the degree of his religious
information, his comfort will be very much affected
by it. Now there are some who are very defective
in their acquaintance with the Gospel ; and these,
like persons walking in daricness, or at least twilight,
are afraid to tread firmly ; and are liable to convert
harmless objects into spectres of terror. Owing to a
want of evangelical instruction from books or teachers,;
there is in them a prevalence of legality that leads
them to look after something in themselves wherein
they may glory, or which shall entitle them to pardon
and acceptance. Instead of resting in a mediator,

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS, 253
between God and them, they seek after something
mediatorial, between Christ and them ; and thus not
coming to Him, as they are, they wait till they shall
possess certain qualificatior.s, or perform certain condi
tions. Thus they labour in the fire and weary them
selves for very vanity — for
" If we tarry till we are better,
" We shall never come at all."
They set themselves a mark of attainment ; and not
being able to reach it, they are cast down. They
liutcike the degree of their experience for the ground
of tiieir hope ; and their confidence varies with their
frai/ies. And as to *^heir perseverance and final vic
tory, their own vigilance and fidelity usurp their de
pendence, instead of the everlasting covenant ordered
in all things and sure. In the Lord they have right
eousness and strength. His grace is sufficient for
them: and were they to be^xmly and always looking
unto Jesus, their joy might be full and constant : but
now they often go mourning all the day.
It is therefore of great importance toJiave the un
derstanding well informed in " the way of salvation,"
that we " may know the things that are freely given
to us of God." For as the Gospel is glad tidings ;
and all its doctrines are truths and facts ; the more
distinctly we hear the one, and the more clearly we
discern the other, the more effectual will be our re
lief, and the full assurance of our hope. Peter ad
monishes Christians to grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ:
and we may consider the latter part of the injunction
not only as additional to the former, but as explana
tory of its import, and subservient to its performance.

254 THE CHRISTIAN,
The one is necessary to the other. We never shall
grow in grace, but as we grow in knowledge, and in
the knowledge of the Saviour. We are well aware
that there may be speculative knowledge without
practical ; but there cannot be practical without
speculative. Every thing in religion is produced
and supported and influenced by just views of things.
And this is peculiarly the case with the consolation
of the Spirit. Hence it is said, '^ They that know
thy name, will put their trust in thee." Hence,
" Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound :
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy counte
nance : in thy name shall they rejoice all the day :
and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted."
Hence also our Lord said to his disciples, " These
things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace." And again, " These things have I
spoken unto you, that my joy may remain in you,
and that your joy may be fun."
Seek therefore " the riches of the full assurance of
understanding." Gain clear and enlarged views of
the nature and provisions of the glorious gospel : of
the warrant and command we have to believe on the
name of the Son of God : of the ground of our ac
ceptance through the sacrifice and obedience of the
surety of the new covenant : of his ability to save
to the uttermost : of the efficacy of his blood to
cleanse from all sin : of the perfection of his righte
ousness to justify the ungodly, and give him a title to
endless life : of the prevalency of his intercession
within the veil ; his changeless heart ; his constant
presence ; his infinite fulness of grace : and our be
ing blessed in him with all spiritual blessings in heav
enly places. Where shall I end? To be led into

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 255
all this truth, is to be made to lie down in green
pastures, and to be fed beside the still waters — to
know all this love of Christ which passeth knowledge,
is to be filled with all the fulness of God.
Thus far, the sorrows which have been spoken of,
we have been constrained to pity, or censure, or ex
cuse. They have arisen from constitution, or moral
infirmity, or ignorance. — But there are sorrows,
which. Fourthly, Have a pious source.
These are only experienced by those who are call
ed a peculiar people. But they are familiar with
them ; and they feel them on various accounts. Let
us view the Christian taking a fourfold prospect. He
looks backward — and inward — and forward — and a-
round him : and at each look he weeps.
First. He looks backward, and weeps as he re
views the pa^t. Some never review life ; we mean,
that they never review it for a religious purpose.
They may look back occasionally and frequently to
see how they have missed their opportunity for se
curing some earthly advantage, or how they have
been overreached by their fellow-creatures, in order
to act a shrewder part in future : but not to become
acquainted with their depravity ; not to mark how
long and how much they lived without God with them
in the world.
But grace leads a man to reflect upon his former
character and conduct ; and to reflect properly. We
say properly : for we have heard some professors of
religion talk of their former wickedness with no very
sorrowful emotions ; yea, with a kind of complacen
cy, as if they were relating some remarkable ex-

256 THE CHRISTIAN,
ploits. But how is the Christian affected with the
retrospect : " Surely," says God, " I have heard
Ephraim bemoaning himself thus — Thou hast chas
tised me, and I was chastised, like a bullock unaccus
tomed to the yoke — I was ashamed, yea, even con
founded, because I did bear the reproach of my
youth." How often did Paul, after his conversion,
think of his previous state ; and with what deep hu
miliation does he acknowledge his guilt. " When
the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I was
standing by, and consenting unto his death, and I
kept the raiment pf them that slew him." " I was a
blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious." " I am
not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I perse
cuted the church of God." " When," says Baxter,
" I reflect on my sins, I find it much easier to be
lieve that God will forgive me, than I can forgive
myself." I enter a Christian's retirement. His eyes have
been pouring out tears unto God. I ask him, "Why
weepest thou ?'' — " I have been taking a retrospect
of the past. I have been examining my former years
morally : and every view I take is humiliating and
distressing. Time wasted — means neglected — facul
ties misimproved — injuries done to others by my ad
vice, or example, or influence ; and where in many
cases the mischief cannot be repaired ! — I passed by
the cross ; and that which angels desire to look into,
was nothing to me. — He wooed and awed, blessed
and chastised, and I set at nought all his counsel, and
would none of his reproof — I violated a thousand res
olutions. I resisted and conquered the most power
ful conviction. 1 trampled under foot the Son of
God, and did despite unto the Spirit of grace. — For
these things I weep — "

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS 26"?
Secondly'^ He looks within, and weeps as he ex
amines the present. Let it be at once conceded,
that grace makes the Christian to differ from his fel
low-creatures, and from himself. It delivers him
from the spirit of the world, and possesses him with
the spirit which is of God. It calls him out of dark
ness into his marvellous light. It turns him from idols
to serve the living God, and to wait for his Son from
heaven. He is a new creature. Old things are
passed away ; and all things are become new. But
though he is really sanctified in every part, he is
completely renovated in none. The good work is
begun ; but a thousand deficiencies urge him to pray,
" Perfect that which concerneth me ; thy mercy, 0
Lord, endureth forever ; forsake not the works of
thine own hands." — Ask him now, why he weeps ?
and you will hear him say — "The flesh lustfeth
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and
these are contrary the one to the other, so that I can
not do the thing that I would. For what 1 would
that do I not ; but what I hate that I do. For to will
is present with me ; but how to perform that which
is good I find not. I find then a law, that when I
would dp good evil is present with me. For I de
light in the law of God after the inward man : but I
see another law in my members warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretch
ed man that I am, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death ! Instead of advancing, I seem to
be stationary — yea, going back in the heavenly life.
What ingratitude under benefits ! What incorrigible-
ness under rebukes! What unprofitableness under
33

258 THE CHRISTIAN, i
ordinances ! My soul cleaveth unto the dust. What
dulness, deadness, distractions, in attending upon the
Lord ! What little enjoyment in the things of God !
The sabbath returns and. leayes me as it finds me.
I hear ; but it is almost, if not altogether in vain. I
pray ; .but often seem at the throne of grace to forget
my errand, and sometimes fall asleep there, I have
promises that I cannot believe, and a God I cannot
trust. He deserves all the confidence of my heart,
and I treat him with the most unworthy suspicions —
" Sure, were not I most vile and base,
"I could not thus my friend requite :
" And were not he the God of grace,
" He'd frown and spurn me from his sight."
— How mistaken are the people of the world. They
often charge the Christian with Antinomianism : they
suppose that he embraces doctrines which favour
licentiousness : and that he loves sin — when, could
they witness him alone, where no one sees him and
hears him but God, they would find him bewailing
evils which are beneath their notice, and even infir
mities which never strike their minds for want of a
holy susceptibility. But his conscience is so tender,
that it resembles the eye which is offended even with
a mote. For a Christian feels all the remains of the
sin that dwelleth in him. His new principles render
it unavoidable. He who longs to advance, groans at
every detention and delay ; he who pants to excel,
is mortified at little deficiencies ; he who delights in
purity, is offended with the least stain. It may be
supposed, that under a perception of his failings, he
will be unconcerned, if at the same time he is assured
of his safety, and can repose on the certainty and

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 259
permanency of the Saviour's love. But nothing can
be more remote from the truth than this supposition :
for it is then the Christian feels his imperfections the
most painfully. The more he sees of the excellency
and goodness of his Benefactor and Friend, the more
he laments that he loves him no more, and serves
him no better This is godly sorrow. Thus a good
man dying, when observed to weep profusely, saidj
" I weep not that my sins may be pardoned, but be
cause I know they are pardoned." This accords
with the promise : " I will establish my covenant
with thee ; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord :
that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and
never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame,
when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast
done, saith the Lord God."
Thirdly. He looks forward, and weeps as he
surveys the future. Not that he is miserable be
cause God does not admit him into the secrets of his
providence, but keeps him ignorant of what a day
may bring forth. He knows that all his times are in
God's hands, and there he is willing to leave them —
" If light attends the course I run,
" 'Tis he provides those rays ;
" And 'tis his hand that veils my sun,
" If darkness clouds my days."
But there are moral hazards sufficient to induce
him to pass the time of his sojourning here in fear-
not the fear of diffidence as to the truth of God's
promises, or of uncertainty as to his final salvation ;
but a fear of moral circumspection and vigilance. Is
there not enough to make hira tremble as he moves
on, lest he should enter into temptation ? Is there

260 THE CHRISTIAN,
not enough to make him apprehensive, that he has to'
pass through an enemy's country, and that snares are
every where laid for his feet? Does he not know
that he carries within him the remains of unmortified
passions, so that every thing he meets with from with
out may draw him aside ? That even thin^ harm
less in themselves may occasion his falling ? That
characters far superior to himself have yielded in the
hour of danger, and when no danger has been sus
pected? Is it not painful to think — that by one
wrong step, he may lose his evidences of heaven, dis
tress and injure his brethren, and cause the way of
truth to be evil spoken of ; and induce the adversa
ries of the Lord to blaspheme ? Is it not painful to
think — that after all his professions of attachment, he
may yet by his sin pierce the dear bosom on which
his soul leans, and grieve the Holy Spirit by which
he is sealed unto the day of redemption? Is it not
enough to make him sigh, to think that as long as he
remains here, he will never appear before One he
infinitely loves, without carrying into his presence so
much of that which he infinitely hates ? Is it not
enough to make him groan, being burdened, to think
that the leprosy is so inherent and inseparable, that
the walls of the house itself must be pulled down and
lie under ground for ages, before it can be re-edified,
and become an habitation for God through the Spirit?
Fourthly. He looks around him, and weeps as he
beholds others. Fools make a mock at sin ; but they
that are wise know that it is exceeding sinful, and
say, with David, " Rivers of waters run down mine
eyes, because they keep not thy law. I beheld the
transgressors, and was grieved,"

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 261
Is he a citizen ? He is a patriot. He sighs and
cries for all the abominations that are done in the
midst of the land. For he knows that righteousness
exalteth a nation, and that sin is the reproach of any
people. Is he a minister ? 0 how distressing is it to look
down upon those who, after the labour of twenty
years, remain the same ; yCa, who wax worse and
worse : to know that he is only preaching them
blind and deaf and impenitent : and to think that he
is destined to be a swift witness against many that he
would gladly save. "Ah," says Paul, " I have told
you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they
are the enemies of the cross of Christ : whose end is
destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glo
ry is in their shame ; who mind earthly things."
**Ah," says Jeremiah, " give glory to the Lord your
God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet
stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look
for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and
make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear, my
soul shall weep in secret places for your pride ; and
mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears,
because the Lord's flock is carried away captive."
Is he a member of a church ? " He is sorrowful
for the solemn assembly, and the reproach of it is his
burden. Is he a relation ? " How," says he, with Esther,
'' can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"
— of those living in the same house, sitting at the
same table, endeared by all the impressions and at
tractions of breeding and of birth ? Can a wife,
without anxiety and anguish, see a husband, other
wise amiable and kind, refusing to hear the word of

262 THE CHRISTIAN,
life, and resolved not to receive the love ofthe truth,
that he might be saved ? Can a parent, with unbroken
heart, see a child in the way to hell, going down to
the chambers of death ? We sympathize with be
reaved fathers and mothers. Yet we ought to hail
those who have buried early hopes, compared with
those whose offspring are living? but erroneous and
infidel and wicked. Oh ! Rachel, " refrain thy voice
from weeping, and thine eyes from tears ; for thy
work shall be rewarded, and they shall come again
from the land of the enemy. There is hope in thine
end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come
again to their own border." "Weep ye not for the
dead, neither bemoan him ; but weep sore for him
that goeth away : for he shall return no more, nor
see his native country." O ye ungodly ! how un
reasonable, how unjust are your reflections. You of-'
ten reproach Christians for their sorrows, when you
yourselves in the various relations of life occasion a
large number of them. For they see the danger you
see not, and weep for you when you weep not for
yourselves. Have any of you connexions that are
godly ? and have you grieved them ? Resolve im
mediately to end this cruel persecution. Retire and
pray — " 0 God of my sister, be my God ! God of
my parents, be my God !" Let not thy father longer
repeat in vain, " My son, if thy heart be wise, my
heart shall rejoice, even mine." O hasten and in
genuously wipe away the tears of her who has long
been saying, " What, my son, and the son of my
womb, and the son of my vows?" Yea, let them
have joy of thee in the Lord ; refresh their bowels
in the Lord.

IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS. 263^
Such are the sorrows which arise from a pious source.
These are not only compatible with grace, but spring
from gracious principles and dispositions. They are
not only found in religious people, but are religious.
And we cannot conclude without encouraging, and
commending them.
We are aware that this is not the way in which
they are commonly treated. The subjects of these
spiritual griefs are generally despised, or deplored.
Commonly, as soon as persons begin to discover any
tendency to these sorrows, they are men wondered at;
and they are considered as likely to become melan
choly or deranged. But the Prodigal lost his senses
when he left his father's house, and came to himself
when he resolved to return. And what but a carnal
mind that is enmity against God, can lead a man to
justify or excuse sorrow in all other instances, and
degrade and vilify it here ? What is the loss of prop
erty to the loss of the soul ? What is the burning
of a house, or the loss of a limb, to the casting of both
body and soul into hell ? What evil can we bewail that
deserves a thought, compared with sin — in its guilt,
in its pollution, the miseries it entails, the God it
dishonours, the Saviour it crucifies? Bunyan re
marks, that when he was awakened to consider his
condition, nothing amazed him so much as to see how
much men were affected with their temporal incon
veniences and troubles. " These," says he, " had
no power now to interest me. All my concern was
absorbed in something infinitely more weighty — what
must I do to be saved ?" And he is a fool, even
judged at the tribunal of reason, who does not feel
the same difference, if this book be true.

264 THE CHRISTIAN,
If, how;evcr, such persons escape scorn, they are
sure to be pitied. They are regarded as strangers
to every thing like enjoyment, and are considered as
passing all their lives in mopishness and dread. But
they no more deserve our commiseration than our
contempt. They are to be pitied who have their
portion in this life, which we spend as a shadow, and
possess nothing to carry away with them into another
world a few weeks hehce — who can speak every lan
guage but the language of Canaan — who are famil
iar with the stars, those orbs of light, and are plung
ing into the blackness of darkness forever — who are
caressed by worms, but are an abomination to the
Lord — who are placed on a stream, and are gladdened
with the flowers of the bank, and charmed with the
musick on board, and are gliding down into the gulf
of perdition — these we pity ; but not those who are
weary and heavy laden— -not those who are invited
by the Saviour to partake of his rest — not those who
are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heav
en — not those who hunger and thirst after righteous
ness, for they shall be filled — not those that mourn,
for they shall be comforted. Though their life may
be deemed not only madness, but misery, it allows of
happiness, and there is a blessedness arising from it.
We cannot make out this to the comprehension of a
natural man. It is a mystery to him, how we " be
come fools that we may be wise :" how, when we
" are weak, we are strong :" how, " though sorrow
ful, we are yet always rejoicing." Yet so it is.
There is pleasure even in these sorrows ; and there
is nothing so painful to a Christian as a hard, unfeel
ing heart. His weeping moments are his most wel
come ; and he is never more at home than When look-

IN His SPIRITUAL SORROWS.' 265
ing on him whom he has pierced, and mourning for
him. — This yields him evidence. It is a token for
good. It is a proof that he is the subject of that di
vine agency which takes away the heart of stone, and
gives a heart of flesh— that he is the heir of that prom
ise, " they shall come with weeping, and with sup
plications will I lead them." — Observe the words ofthe
Apostle : " The sorrow of the worid worketh death ;
but godly sorrow worketh repentance unto life, and
needeth not to be repented of." Of how many of
your griefs are you now ashamed ! How unworthy
do they now appear of the concern they once gave
you ! But you will never repent of a tear you shed
upon the Bible, or a groan you utter at the foot of
the cross, — It allows, it justifies every hope. He is
faithful who promised : and what has he said? *'To
that man will I look, even tp him who is poor, of a
contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." " They
that sow in tears, shall reap in joy." " He that go
eth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his
sheaves with him." Yes, the Saviour is appointed
" unto them that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty
for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness ; that they might be
called trees of righteoiisness, the planting of the Lord
that he might be glorified."' Their comforter is the
God of all comfort ; and he will soon wipe away all tears
from their eyes, and the days of their mourning shall
be ended. But, " wo to you that laugh now, for ye shall
mourn and weep." As the^e is a sorrow connected
with joy, so there is a joy that forebodes sorrow, is
sues in sorrow, is no better than sorrow disguised.
Such are the pleasures of sin for a season. Such are
all worldly enticements and dissipations. You boast of
34

266 THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS.
these. But one who had a much greater experience
of them than you, and was much more honest and in
genuous, makes no scruple to say, that " even in
laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that
mirth is heaviness." He said '' of laughter, it is mad,
and of mirth, what doeth it ?" You may profess noth
ing like this ; but while you wear smiles, the vulture
is gnawing within. While you celebrate the day of
your birth, you wish you had never been born. What
have you to do with pleasure ? " There is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked."
Yield no longer to the temptation, which led many
in the days of Malachi, to say, " It is vain to serve
God ; and what profit is it that we have kept his or
dinance, and that we have walked mournfully before
the Lord of hosts ?" Tell the enemy that he is a liar :
that godliness is profitable unto all things, and espe
cially in its griefs. Tell him that this fs the high road
to safety and satisfaction, for the, mouth of the Lord
hath spoken it. And take hold of the skirt of him that
is a Jew, saying, " I will go with you, for I have heard
that God is with you." " Entreat me not to leave thee,
or to return from following after thee, for whither
thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will
lodge : thy people shall be my people, and thy God
my God : where thou diest will I die, and there will
I be buried : the Lord do so to me, and more also, if
aught but death part thee and me."
" Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that
doeth righteousness at all dnies." " Remember me,
O Lord, with the favour thou bearest unto thy peo
ple : O visit me with thy salvation ; that I may see
the good of thy chosen, that 1 may rejoice in the
gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine
inheritance." Amen.

LECTURE IX.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS.

" Then he said unto tJiem, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink
the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is
, prepared : for this day is holy unto our Lord : neither be ye
sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength." — Nehemiah
viii. 10.

MY Brethren, some tell us, that religion has
nothing to do with the passions. If it were necessa
ry to refute such a notion, we could appeal even to
the style of the Scriptures. When an author in
tends only to convince the judgment, he expresses
himself plainly, and merely reasons. But when he
means to affectj as well as to inform ; when he wishes
to strike, and excite, and to carry along the feelings
with the convictions ; he is never satisfied with sim
ple representation — his language unavoidably avails
itself of circumstances, and qualities, and imagery.
And can any one deny that this is the mode perpetu
ally employed by all the sacred writers ?
But we observe also, that such a view of religion
is not adapted to our very nature. Our passions are
original parts of our being, and designed to be the
impulses of action. And the Christian dOes not de
stroy, but sanctifies and employs the man. And
what passion is there, for which religion does not find

268 THE CHRISTIAN,
a place and an object? Is it anger? "Be ye an
gry and sin not." Is it hatred? "Abhor that which
is evil." Is it fear? "Be not high-minded, but
fear." Is it sorrow? "They shall look on him
whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for
him." Is it pity ? " Have compassion one for an
other." Is it love? "0 love the Lord, all ye
his saints." Is it joy? "We joy in God, through
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now receiv
ed the atonement."
We are aware that there is a great deal of what
may be justly called strange fire offered on the altar
of piety. We are not therefore pleading for a zeal
without knowledge ; but we are not satisfied with a
knowledge without zeal. We do not wish for the
heat and the ravings of the fever, but for the genial
warmth and glowing stimulus that pervade the whole
system, when the body is in full health ; knowing that
what is cold and benumbed and unaffected by appli
cation and friction, is nigh unto death, or is palsied al
ready. While therefore we acknowledge that there
is such a thing as real enthusiasm, the admission shall
not drive us to take up with a religion that consists in
nothing but speculative opinions, and lifeless ceremo
nies, and formal duties. Religion is indeed a practi
cal thing; but it is also experimental. It does in
clude doctrinal truths ; but in the Christian, these
become principles. They descend from the head, in
to the heart ; and there grace reigns through right
eousness unto everlasting life by Jesus Christ our
Lord. We have viewed the Christian's sadness ,* we are
now to witness his joy. We have seen him hanging
his harp on the willows ; but he now takes it down,
and proves that the joy of the Lord is his strength.

IN His SPIRITUAL JOTS. 269
The words which introduce our subject were spok
en on a very memorable occasion. All the people
were gathered together as one man into the street
that was before the water-gate ; and they spake unto
Ezra the scribe to bring the book ofthe law of Moses,
which the Lord had commanded to all Israel. And
*' upon the first day of the seventh month, Ezra open
ed the book in the sight of all the people ; and when
he had opened it? all the people stood up. And Ez
ra blessed the Lord. And all the people answered^
Amen, amen, with lifting up their hands ; and they
bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord, with
their faces to the ground. So Ezra and his assist^-
ants read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and
gave the sense, and caused them to understand the
reading." The power of God seems to have been
^peculiarly present. The whole assembly ^' wept when
they heard the wprds of the law." " Then he said
unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the
sweet, and send portions unto them for xvhom noth
ing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our
Lord : neither be ye sorry ; for the joy of the Lord
is your strength."
When he says, This dqy is holy unto our Lord, he
means that it was a sacred festival. When he says.
Go your way, he .means that they should return
home, and refresh thetrselves ; for now noon was be
gun, and theyhad been standing for hours to hear the
reading and expounding of the law. He does nqt
forbid them the delicacies which they had provided
for the solemnity, and which were distinguishable
from their ordinary meals — Eat the fat and drink
the sweet — But all this was to be accompanied with
two things.

270 THE CHRISTIAN,
First, Liberality towards the indigent and destF-
tute, who would find nothing to regale them, when
they returned to their humble dwellings. And send
portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.
By the law of Moses, the poor, the fatherless, the
widows, and the strangers within the gate, were all
to be entertained on these festive occasions ; and if
they could not provide for themselves, I will not say
their betters, but their superiors, were to replenish
them. In accordance with the spirit of this statute
is the intimation of our Lord to the person who had
invited him to his house. " When thou makest a
dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy
brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neigh
bours ; lest they also bid thee again, and a recom
pense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast,
call the poor, the lame, the maimed, the blind : and
thou shalt be blessed ; for they cannot recompense
thee : for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrec
tion of the just." — The very thing that his professed
followers are constantly doing! ! The same rule is
enjoined in religious fasting as well as feasting. " Is
not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the
bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and
to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every
yoke ? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry,
and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy
house ? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover
him ; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own
flesh ?" Well therefore does the Apostle say, " Let
all your works be done with charity." 0 ! what a
lovely religion do we profess ; and what a churcb,
what a world shall we have, when those who profess
it will throw off, Avith execration, the detestable hab-

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOTS. 271
its of avarice and selfishness, hoarding and extrava
gance ; and living according to its admonitions, in
stead of practically insulting them as they now do,
will easily and cheerfully furnish a sufficiency for all
the exigencies of sacred and civil beneficence !
Secondly, with Cheerfulness. J^either be ye sorry
— ^Not that sorrow is improper in itself, or absolutely
forbidden : but it was now unseasonable, and every
thing is beautiful in its time. Joy becomes a feast.
And this joy, says Nehemiah, is as important as it is
becoming — for the joy of the Lord is your strength —
It will strengthen your bodily frame ; and what is
more, it will renew the strength of your souls, so that
you shall mount up with wings as eagles, run and not
be weary, and walk and not faint.
Let us contemplate the Christian,
I. In the DIVINITY ; and
II. In the UTILITY of his joy.
1. The DIVINITY of it.
— It is the joy of the Lord. So it is called by
the Judge of all, in his address at the last day.
" Well done, good and faithful servant ; enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord." JVoW, this joy enters the
Christian ; and as he is so contracted a vessel, he
cannot contain much : but then, he will enter the
joy, and he will find it a boundless ocean. The
dawn is nothing compared with the day ; yet the one
always results in the other: and "the path of the
just is as the shining light that shineth more and
more unto the perfect day." The dawn also arises
from the same sun as the day ; and this joy is divine,

272 THE CHRISTIAN,
not only in its completion, but in it progress and
even commencement — it is the joy of the Lord.
The joy of the Lord, means religious joy. But
there is always a reason for the language of Scripture ;
and we lose much, by not remarking the beauty and
energy of "the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth."
It is the joy of the Lord in every view he can take
of it.
— His, in the authority that binds it upon us as a
duty. He has commanded it. He has done this vir
tually in enjoining many things which necessarily pre
suppose and require it. But he has expressly enjoin
ed the joy itself; and in terms of peculiar extent and
degree — " Rejoice evermore." " Rejoice in the Lord
always, and again I say rejoice." ^' Rejoice in the
Lord, ye righteous ; and shout for joy, all ye that are
upright in heart.''
— His, in the assurance which holds it forth as a
privilege. His purpose could have taken effect with
out a promise ; but in this case we could not have
known his thoughts towards us ; nor have walked by
faith ; nor have lived in hope ; nor have pleaded his
own engagement in prayer. But now we can go to
him and say, " Lord, do as thou hast said. Fulfil the
word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused
me to hope." The promises of men are vain and
false like themselves, and often make us ashamed
of our hope. But the Lord is not a man that he
should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent.
Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Hath he
spoken, and shall he not make it good ? And has he
not said, " The redeemed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with songs ; and everlasting joy
upon their heads : they shall obtain joy and gladness ;

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 273
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." " Blessed
are the people that know the joyful sound : they shall
walk, 0 Lord, in the light of thy countenance ; in thy
name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy right
eousness shall they be exalted." The assurance is
also confirmed by an oath. And, ^^ because he could
swear by no greater, he sware by himself ; that by
two immutable things, in which it was impossible for
God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upop the hope set be
fore us."
— His, in the resemblance it bears to his own.
Christians are "partakers of the divine nature."
They are " partakers of his holiness." As far as
they are renewed, his views are their views, and his
dispositions are their dispositions. When John says,
" Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his broth
er have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compas
sion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?"
— by the love of God he means obviously a love like
God's. As if he should say, God gave his own Son
for his enemies,; and this wretch will not give a lit
tle of his substance for the relief of one, who is bone
of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. Now the same
may be said of this joy. Did the joy of the Prodigal
himself surpass that of the father, when he said, "Let
us ekt and be merry : for this my son was dead and
is alive again, was lost and is found ?" Do we feel
the joy of God's salvation ? He feels it too ; and
this salvation is called " the pleasure of the Lord.''
If it be more blessed to give than to receive, what
must be the pleasure of him who "openeth his hand
and satisfieth the desire of every living thing?"
35

274 THE CHRISTIAN)
But you share in this pleasure, in doing good. Is he
" ready to pardon ;" and does he " delight in mer*
cy ?" You may taste the same delight in the exer
cise of cordial forgiveness. Doth the " Lord take
pleasure in them that fear him, in them that hope in
his mercy?" So does the Christian. In them is
"all his delight." Does the Lord call his Son his
<' Elect in whom his soul delighteth?" And "to
them that believe he is precious." What a commen
dation ! To have the same end, and the same way
with God ! To choose what he chooses ! To pur
sue what he pursues ! To relish his happiness ! To
have his joy fulfilled in themselves!
— His, in the subject. The material of it, so to
speak, is found in him, and in him alone. As the
dove returned into the ark because she could find no
rest for the sole of her foot, so it is impossible for the
mind of man to know any true satisfaction till he says,
with David, " Return unto thy rest, 0 my soul, for
the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." Though,
as a fallen creature, he is alienated from the life of
God, he retains the same relation to him, as his por
tion; and having been made capable of communion
with God, and designed for it, he is necessarily mis
erable without it. He may forget his resting-place ;
but he can find no substitute for it. He may debase
himself into a congeniality with the lowest gratifica
tions; but for happiness he must draw near to God
as his exceeding joy. With him is the fountain of
life. And there is enough in him to bless us, what
ever be our wants, or our capacities of enjoyment.
And therefore, says the Christian, "My soul doth
magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God ray
Saviour." In him I have a shelter from every

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOTS. 275
storm; a support under every load. The eternal
God is my refuge, and underneath are the everlasting
arms. Am I guilty ? " With him there is plente
ous redemption." He was angry with me, but his
anger is turned away, and he comforteth me. And
what comfort can be compared with that which arises
from the thought, that I am reconciled unto God by
the death of his Son ? That I am accepted in the
Beloved ? Do I want ability to " travel all the
length of the celestial road," and a title to heaven
when 1 arrive? "In the Lord have I righteousness
and strength." " I will go in the strength of the
Lord God ; I will make mention of his righteousness,
even of his only." All his relations are mine. He
is my physician, my friend, my shepherd, my father.
All his perfections are mine — his wisdom, his power,
his mercy, and his truth. All the dispensations of
his providence, all the treasures of his word, are
mine." All his grace, all his glory is mine. '' I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joy
ful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the gar
ments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness : as a bridegroom decketh himself
with ornaments, and a bride adorneth herself with
her jewels." Is this exultation excessive ? There
can be no excess here. As the Lord himself is the
source of this joy, the joy passeth all understanding.
And the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord
for ever and ever, because the subject of it is not on
ly perfect, but infinite.
— His, finally, in the production. In vain is pro
vision, however suitable and rich, spread within our
view, if it be placed beyond our reach. Observe the
language of God with regard to Ephraim : " I drew

276 THE CHRISTIAN,
them with cords of a man, with bands of love : and I
was to them as they that take off the yoke on their
jaws; and I laid meat unto them," The former
was as necessary as the latter: while the mouth of
the ox was muzzled, the nearness of the food would
only tantalize and distress. What we mean by the
allusion is this — There may be reasons for rejoicing
when yet no joy is experienced ; for the mourner
may be unable to lay hold of them, and appropriate
them to his own use. Asaph saw his safety, but felt
his inability to reach it without the aid of him who
had provided it. " Lead me to the rock that is
higher than 1." David therefore says? " Thou shalt
make them drink of the river of thy pleasures."
And he prays, " Rejoice the soul of thy servant."
And he acknowledges, " Thou hast put gladness in
my heart." And who can put it there, if he does
not? Can conscience.'' Can a Christian friend?
Can a minister ; even a Barnabas, a son of/consola-
tion ? " When he maketh peace, then who can
make trouble ; and when he hideth his face, then
who can behold him, whether it be done against a na
tion or a man only ?" Means are to be used ; but
the agency that renders them effectual is the Lord's.
Our sleep would not refresh us without the divine
blessing. Our food does not nourish us; but "every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
And if this be true in natural things, is it less so
in spiritual? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos?
Neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that
watereth, but God that giveth the increase. He is
therefore called the " God of all comfort." And he
is so called, not only to forbid our confidence in crea
tures, but to enlarge our expectations from himself.

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 277
by bringing an Almighty Creator of succour and re
freshment into view, in our difiiculties and sorrows.
It says, I, even /, am he that comforteth you. Is any
thing too hard for the LordP However dark the
scene, if he says. Let there be light, all shall be irra
diated. However rough the winds and waves, if he
says. Peace, be still, there shall be a great calm.
He can turn the shadow of death into the morning.
He can plant the ho[)e of glory in the very bosom of
despair. What he does not find, he can produce.
If there be no pre-existent materials, he Cc.n create.
JVothing hears his voice, and yields a world of life
and plenty and bliss. He calleth those things which
be not, as thoiugh they were. He is the God of all
comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations.-^—
Let us consider,
II. The UTILITY of this joy.
For it is not only divine, but efficacious ; and effi
cacious, because divine — The joy of the Lord is your
strength. To know the force of an argument, we
apply it. To know the power of an implement, we
make trial of it. To ascertain the strength of a man,
we compare him with others ; we task him with some
exertion ; we judge by the difficulty of the work
which he achieves, and especially by the might of
opposition he overcomes. Let us examine this joy.
Let us bring it to six tests — some of them very se
vere ones. And let us see what it can do for the
Christian — ^in his profession of religion — in his con
cern to recommend it to others — ih the discharge of
duty — in his perils — in his sufferings— and in death.
First, let us review the Christian in Yasprofession
of religion. That this profession is required of us,

278 THE CHRISTIAN,
it is hardly necessary to prove. In one place we are
commanded to " hold fast our profession." In a sec
ond, to '• hold fast the profession of our faith without
wavering." In a third, we are represented not only
as believing with the heart unto righteousness, but as
confessing with the mouth unto salvation." In a
fourth, our Master tells us, that if we "deny him, he
will also deny us ;" and that of those who " are
ashamed of him and of his words, he will be ashamed
when he comes in the clouds of heaven vvith the holy
angels." So necessary is it not only that we should
be what we appear, but appear what we are. The
religion of Jesus is so perfectly true and excellent,
that it will bear any kind of exhibition. And it de
mands examination. And it is more beneficial thej
more it is known.
Now let us see how the joy of the Lord affects this
profession. — It is the very strength of it. For in
proportion as a man possesses it, he feels satisfied
with his portion ; he glories in his choice ; he is
ready to avow it. And if it should occasion him
some privations or sacrifices which may lead the en
emy to reproach him, "Where is now your God?"
he feels more than indemnified already ; and can say
with the Apostle, " for which cause I suffer these
things ; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know
whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which is committed to him against
that day." David found God's testimonies his delight
and his counsellor ; and therefore he could say, " I
will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and
will not be ashamed."
There is a great difference between godly sorrow
and godly joy. When we feel the former, we natu-

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOTS. 279
rally seek to elude observation ; we retire to weep,
and the eye pours out tears unto God. But joy is
stirring and manifestative. It says to them that are
in darkness, " Shew yourselves." To the prisoners,
" Go forth" — and they " go forth with joy, and are
led forth in peace." We can appeal to the experi
ence of many of you. How long did you carry a
wounded and bleeding conscience, before you laid
open the distress, to any creature-inspection ? It was
otherwise when the desire was accomplished. When
he commanded deliverance for you, when you were
made free indeed, you could no longer conceal your
emotions. You then said, " Come and hear, all ye
that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done
for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and
he was extolled with my tongue. 1 will go into thy
house with burnt-offerings : I will pay thee my vows,
which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath
spoken, when I was in trouble. Thou hast turned
-for me my mourning into dancing ; thou hast put off
my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, to the end
that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be si
lent : O Lord my God, I will give ..thanks unto thee
for ever." It was the loss of his joy, th^t made Da
vid dumb. He therefore prays, " Open thou my
lips, and my mouth shall show forth tfiy praise. Re
store unto me the joy of thy salvation ; and uphold
me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach trans
gressors thy ways ; and sinners shall be converted un
to thee." — Let us therefore observe the Christian,
Secondly, in his concern to recommend religion to
others. Real godliness shows itself not only person-
all, but socially. ' It must begin at home; but it can

280 THE CHRISTIAN,
never end here. He will not value the soul of anoth*
er who despises his own ; but an earnestness for our
own salvation involves principles that must make us
anxious to save all that are around us. We shall
therefore say to them, as Moses said to Hobab, " We
are journeying towards a place of which the Lord
said, I will give it you ; come with us and we will do
you good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning
Israel." Now of this it is easy to see that the joy of the Lord
is the strength. It is this that gives us confidence in
our addresses. We speak not from conjecture, or
from opinion, but experience. " That which we
have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye
also may have fellowship with us ; and truly our fel
lowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ." It is this that gives earnestness to our invi
tations. We have something suitable and valuable to
recommend. We do not ask persons to a barren en
tertainment. We have a rich abundance ; and we
ha\ e found the plenty after we were perishing our
selves ; and knowing that others are still in the same
condition, we resemble the lepers at Samaria, who
said, " this day is a day of good things, and we hold
our peace. If we tarry till the morning light, some
mischief will befal us ; now therefore come, that we
may tell the king's household." He is the man to
say to others, "0 taste and see that the Lord is
good," who has himself tasted that he is gracious,
and from his own enjoyment can say, ^'Blessed is the
man that trusteth in him."
This 'also adds conviction and force to our testimo
ny and commendation. Men see what our religion
has done for us, and what it can do for them also.

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 281
Will any thing recommend a master more than the
cheerfulness of his servants ? When they constantly
sing at their work, is it not a proof that they do not
find it an irksome, wearisome thing to serve him ?
All are looking out for happiness ; and if they see
that you have found what o hers in every direction
Tjaiss ; that while others, like fools, are running up
and down the earth, asking, " Who will shew us any
good?" your heart is set at rest; that while others
are full of complaint, you are filled with praise ; that
while they are enlarging their desires as hell, you
learn to be content with such things as you have ;
troubled, yet not distressed ; sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing ; having nothing, and yet possessing all
things — must not this induce them to say, .'^ This is
the seed which the Lord hath blessed?" W^ill not
this move them to take hold of the skirt of him that is
a Jew, saying, we will go with you, for we have heard
that God is with you ?
Wo to the world because of offences, says the Sa
viour. And pnofessors should remember, these offen
ces are various and many. The way of truth may be
evil spoken of, not only by your immoral conduct,
but by your perverse disposition, and by your
unlovely temper ; and by your sullenness, and
mopishness, and gloom, and fear; Your delicate re
gard for the honour of the gospel should lead you to
attend to the command of your Lord, " Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." But
when you are unable to suppress sorrowful and de
sponding feelings, should you not endeavour to con
ceal them? "I was ashamed," say Ezra, "to re
quire of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to
help us against the enemy in the way; because we
36

282 THE CHRISTIAN,
had spoken unto the king, saying. The hand of our
God is upon all them that seek him." Now confi
dence in God was not incompatible with his asking
for such assistance ; but it was likely to operate
strangely and injuriously on the mind of this pagan
monarch : and because it would look like suspicion
and apprehension, he avoided the very appearance of
evil. Thirdly, Let us view the Christian in the discharge
of his duties. These are numerous, and extensive,
and difficult; and he is required to be always abound
ing in the work of the Lord. And here too, the joy
of the Lord is his strength. It is well known that
fear chills, despondency unnerves, sorrow depresses.
But hope is encouragement. It is energy. It is the
main-spring of action. It sets and keeps the world
in motion. Joy inspires, excites, elevates. It ren
ders our work our privilege. It throws off the dul
ness and formality in our holy exercises. We not
only have life, but have it more abundantly. The
absence of this joy is a kind of winter : and then we
are not only dark, but barren ; not only cold, but
lifeless. But the return of it makes the spring; and
again the earth teems, and the field and garden are
all movement, and the trees are blossom, and the air
all song. David understood this, and therefore said,
" Then will I run in the way of thy commandments,
when thou shalt have enlarged my heart." Bunyan
knew this, and therefore he releases his Pilgrim from
his burden ; and so, not only delights him by the re
lief, but prepares him for the better and more suc
cessful execution of his journey. From this load per
sons are not all discharged at the same time; and
some carry it long : but it is an hinderance, as well as

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 283
a distress ; and favoured is he who is early deliver
ed, and can lightsomely advance in the way everlast
ing. Some seem afraid to administer the consolations of
the glorious gospel fully, as if they would have, if not
a licentious, yet a paralizing effect on the receiver.
But these timid dispensers of divine truth, though
they may be well meaning, are not well informed.
They are ignorant of the very principles of our na
ture; and know very little of the comforts of the Holy
Ghost' — or they would know that these comforts are
not opiates, but cordials — that while they refresh,
they, also animate. If there must be any thing of an
extreme (for which however we do not plead,) the
leaning had better to be on the side of privilege than
legality, even with regard to practical religion. Such
a man, grateful for his indulgences, at the feet of his
Benefactor as well as Lord, will feel himself much
more disposed and bound to dedicate himself to his
service ; and his language must be, " What shall I
render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards
me?" Fourthly, Let us view the Christian in his perils.
He is perpetually surrounded with temptations in the
world. These flatter him, and would entice him
away from God. And these he is to resist, steadfast
in the faith. But how is this to be done? By
threatening ? By constraints ? These may indeed in
duce him actually to refuse the offers and allurements ;
but not in affection. The joy of the Lord is his
strength ; and without this, a man will only leave the
world as Lot's wife left Sodom — she left it, but her
heart was still in the place ; and she inwardly sigh
ed, 0 that I was there ! O that I could return, and

284

THE CHRISTIAN,

not be destroyed! Thus there are some who forsake
the world, as far as they are impelled by the fear of
hell, or the dread of reproach or shame of inconsis
tency ; but they hate the obligation that keeps them
back from their loved indulgences ; and, like wasps
burnt out of their nests, are angry and resentful to
wards all around them, for the injuries they have en
dured. Prohibition, so far from killing desire, has a
tendency to increase it ; sin takes occasion by the
commandment ; and that which was ordained to be
unto life, proves to be unto death. The Christian is
not saved from the world by the law, but by grace.
He is not driven out of it against his inclination — he
leaves it voluntarily ; and gives proof of it: for truly
if he were mindful of the country from whence he
came out, he would have opportunities to return. He
has the same allurements and seductions presented to
him, as others. But here is the difference : they are
alive to them ; but he is dead. He has found some
thing infinitely superior : this, by refining and ex
alting his taste, has weaned him ; and he can no long
er relish the mean and ignoble provision of former
days. Having found the pure spring, he no longer
kneels to the filthy puddle. Having tasted the
grapes of Eshcol, he longs no more for the leeks, and
garlic, and onions of Egypt. The palace makes him
forget the dunghill.
This, this is the way, and the only effectual way of
separating the heart from the world ; it is to subdue
the sense of an inferior good, by the enjoyment of a
greater. Who would exchange the green pastures
and still waters for barrenness and drought ? Who
wants lamps, or even stars, when the sun is up ?

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 286
" As by the light of opening day
" The stars are all concealed ;
" So earthly pleasures fade away
" When Jesus is revealed."
This joy exorcises a man of carnal affection ; and we
are persuaded the efficacy of it is far greater to mor
tify us to the world, than the influence of afflictions.
Losses and disappointments may surprise and confound
us, and lead us to laiuent the uncertainty of every
thing below ; but they do not make us feel their un
satisfactory and polluted nature. Even under the
pressure of their trials, and amidst all their com
plaints, you will often discern the disposition of the
sufferers remaining unchanged. And if not, how
soon after does renewed pursuit succeed deplored de
ceptions, and they flee to a repetition of similar ex
periments, till all the mad career is ended ! But the
experience produced by the sight of the cross, and
communion with God in Christ, will never allow the
world to become again the Christian's end, or portion.
If by the power of delusion he be drawn astray for a
moment, he will soon find that it is not with him as in
months past ; and he will be sure to feel the wretch
edness of what he has chosen, compared with the glo
ry of what he has left. And this feeling will serve
to recal him. The apostate has no such experience
as this to check and turn him. But the backslider
has : and see the result — " I will go," says the
Church, " and return to my first husband, for then it
was better with me than now."
Fifthly, Let us view the Christian in his suffer
ings, and we shall see that the joy of the Lord is his
strength. Here we might lead you back, and call to
your remembrance the former times. We might

286 THE CHRISTIAN,
show you the glorious army of martyrs tortured, not
accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a bet
ter resurrection. We might show you Peter and
John, after being scourged, departing from the coun
cil, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame for -his name. We might show you the He
brews, taking joyfully the spoiling of their goods ;
and men, and women, and youths, severing from their
friends who hung on their necks, willing to go to
prison and to death. 1 might show you Bradford,
who, when the keeper's wife, weeping, said to him,
" O Sir, I am come with heavy tidings — you are to
be burnt to-morrow : and they are gone into the city
to buy the chain :" taking off his hat and laying it
upon the ground, and kneeling and raising his hands,
he said, "Lord, I thank thee for this honour. This
is what 1 have been waiting for, and longing for."
Such scenes as these, owing to the laws of the
land, we are not called to witness. With us, perse
cution is not national ; is not legal, W^e can sit un
der our own vine and fig-tree, none daring to make
us afraid. Yet there are instances of private and
personal wrongs beyond the prevention of law. The
carnal mind is enmity against God, and the tongue
can no man tame. We have seen servants deprived
of their places ; and workmen of their employment ;
and tradesmen of their custom. We have seen wives
and children enduring privations, and insults, and
outrage. We have seen the follower of the Lamb,
bearing his reproach, scorned by his companions, and
deserted by his friends — yet acting with decision and
consistency, and practically saying, " None of these
things move me ; neither count I my life dear, so
that I but finish my course with joy." And why

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 287
have they not been overcome ? Why have they not
partially yielded ? They were filled with everlasting
consolation, and good hope through grace. " The
joy of the Lord was their strength."
But afflictions of any kind may supply the place of
persecution, and try every religious principle. We
talk of martyrs — what martyrs have endured ; what
some Christians have been called in private life to suf
fer, month after month, and year after year — a great
part of the heart's bitterness perhaps known only to
themselves. Yet, under bodily anguish, and family
bereavements, and the cruelty of connexions, and re
ductions in life the most humiliating, we have wit
nessed them — not raging against instruments, not
cursing the day of their birth, not impeaching fhe
providence of God, not charging hira unkindly : but
looking upward and meekly saying, " I know, O
Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in
faithfulness hast afflicted me." Not insensible, yet
more than resigned — not undervaluing the comforjs
of which they have been stripped, yet exulting,
" Though the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall
fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive shall
fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall
be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in
the stalls : yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in
the God of my salvation."
Finally, It is hardly needful to say, this joy of the
Lord is the Christian's strength in death. For what
but this cara be his support then? Then lover and
friend must fail him. Then the keepers ofthe house
tremble. Then desire fails. What can nature do
here? or nature's light ? or nature's religion ? But
in the multitude of his thoughts within him — (and

28iB THE CHRISTIAN,
what a multitude of thoughts will beset a dying man !)
— God's comforts delight his soul. The world pass
eth away ; but the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The outward man peri>»heth ; bit the inward man is
renewed. He looks at his trembling limbs, and feels
his fainting heart. His heart and his flesh faileth ;
but God is the strength of his heart and his portion
for ever. He looks forward, and sees enough to dis
may all mortal courage — but, says he, " my shepherd's
with me there." "Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for
thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me." And now what says our subject in a way of practi
cal improvement ?
— It says, Inquire what your joy is. Is it the
joy ofthe Lord ? For there is the joy of the sinner.
And we read of the pleasures of sin : these are for a
season ; and as they are soon over, so they leave
nothing but stains and stings behind. We read of
the joy of the hypocrite, and are told that it is but for
a moment ; because at death he must be detected,
and may be laid open much sooner. There is the
joy of the Pharisee, who trusts in himself that he is
righteous, and despises others, and even glories be
fore God. Some are said to rejoice in a thing of
nought. Such are all worldlings : for all that com
eth is vanity ; and honours and riches and power are
but to them, as so many toys or flowers thrown into
the vehicle, that is conveying the condemned crim
inal to the place of execution.
Now it matters little which of these joys charac
terizes you, if you are a stranger to the joy of which
we have been speaking. But allow me, in reference

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS. 289
to your choice, to remind you of the language of Sol
omon. '*Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful,
and the end of that mirth is heaviness. I said of
laughter, it is mad, and of mirth, what doth it?"
Yes, this is the question, W^hat doth it ? You have
seen what the joy of the Christian can do. — But what
doth yours? Does it purify your passions? Does it
make you happy alone? Does it afford you ^ny
thing like satisfaction ? Does it bear you up under
the trials of life ? Does it raise you above the dread
of death and eternity ? Has it any constant source ?
any solid foundation ? Is it not the creature of igno
ranee ? Are you not afraid to let in one ray of di
vine truth upon it ? Would not one serious thought
of God and of another world strike it dead upon the
spot? '* I create the fruit of the lips ; peace, peace
to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith
the Lord ; and I will heal him. But the wicked are
like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose wa
ters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith
my God, to the wicked. Therefore thus said the
Lord God, Behold, ray servants shall eat, but ye shall
be hungry : behold, my servants shall drink, but ye
shall be thirsty : behold, my servants shall rejoice,
but ye shall be ashamed : behold, my servants shall
sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of
heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit."
— It says. See how greatly religion is libelled.
You well know that it is commonly represented as at
variance with every thing like pleasure ; and nothing
can be more injurious than such a representation,
especially to the young, who are so alive to happiness.
But can any thing be so unfounded and false as this
37

290 THE CHRISTIAN,
vile and repulsive opinion ? Surely God is able to
make a man happy ; and is it therefore reasonable to
suppose that he will suffer one who neglects and hates
him to be happier than one who loves and serves
him ? Has my hoping and believing that death is
the gate of life, that heaven is my home, that God is
my father, that all things are working together for my
good, a tendency to prevent or diminish my enjoy
ment of the beauties of nature, and the bounties of
providence, and the intercourses of life ? But if the
Scriptures are allowed to decide, and they contain
the judgment of the only wise and true God, we know
that wisdom's ways " are the ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to
them that lay hold of her, and happy is every one
that retaineth her." And in this testimony every
partaker of divine grace acquiesces. It would be in
vain to appeal to others. They have not made the
trial, but these have. And these will tell you, that
they know nothing of bondage. They find his ser?
vice to be perfect freedom. They find that his yoke
is easy, and his burden is light. They will tell you
that they were strangers to real pleasure as long as
they were without Christ; but since their knowledge
of him, their coraraon mercies have been sweetened,
and their very sorrows blessed ; and they prefer their
own low estate, to all the glory and goodness of the
world. — It says. What an inducement is here to seek the
Lord and his strength, to seek his face evermoret
Joy is a thing to which none are indifferent. All
are contriving or labouring to acquire something in
which they may rejoice. But here the blessing is.
Here is a joy that deserves the name. A joy soft as

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOTS. 291
the ether of Paradise, and pure as the river of life
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb
'—•the hidden manna — the bread of heaven — angel's
food — yea, more — for
''Never did angels taste above
" Redeeming grace and dying love."
And can you do without this joy? If you can dis
pense with it while every thing prospers — what will
you do in the day of adversity ? If you can dispense
with it in the smiles of youth — what will you do in
the decays and privations and depressions of age ? If
you can dispense with it in the excitements of society
— what will you do in the dreariness of solitude? If
you can dispense with it in the attractions of life —
what will you do in the loneliness of death ? If you
can dispense with it in a world of engrossment and
diversions — " 0 ye gay dreamers of gay dreams,
" How will you weatlier an eternal night
" Where such expedients fail .'"
— But do you not now feel your need of it ? How
ever successful, however indulged, however amused,
do yOu not wow feel a void within which this alone
can fill-^a craving which this alone can relieve — -a
restlessness which this alone can sooth and calm ? —
And is it not attainable ? Is there not One, among
all your dissatisfactions and disquietudes, now saying,
" Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart, and ye shall find rest unto lour souls?"
— It says. Your religion is to be suspected, if you
are habitually destitute of joy. Here we readily

292 THE CHRISTIAN,
exclude all constitutional causes, such as we have ad
mitted in the former Lecture ; there is no reasoning
from these. We also limit our intimation by observ
ing, that it does not extend to that joy which springs
from strong confidence, or the full assurance of hope.
With regard to this, every one whose heart is right
with God will prize it and desire it. But we have
known many who have possessed very little of it
through life, and yet have given undeniable proof
that they are renewed in the spirit of their mind.
But this is only one view of the Christian's joy, or
rather one kind of it. There are other, and many
other sources of sacred delight. There are the pleas
ures of Divine knowledge ; the pleasures of hope ;
the pleasures of review, in looking back upon the way
by which the Lord has led us ; the pleasures aris
ing from attendance on the means of grace ; the
pleasures arising from congeniality with the things of
the Spirit, and which makes it our meat to do the
will of our heavenly Father ; the pleasures arising
from the approbation of conscience ; and the pleas
ures of usefulness. There are persons who are
ready to exclude themselves from the gladness of
God's nation, and yet their eye sparkles with pleas
ure when they see the prosperity of Jerusalem, and
hear that the word of the Lord has free course and is
glorified. — But are they strangers to the joy of the
Lord? — It says, Let this joy be a peculiar object of
attention to every Christian. — Let him never forget
that it is his strength.
If therefore he has lost it, let him not rest till he
has regained it. Let him hasten back to the place

IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOTS. 293
where he slept and dropped his roll. Let him repent
and do his first works.
Though his state be secure, let him remember that
his comfort may vary and decline ; and therefore let
him guard against every thing that may wound his
peace, and grieve the Holy Spirit, and interrupt his
communion with God.
Some of you know the worth of this joy from the
want, rather than from the experience. You are not
Strangers to the nature of it ; but the degree in which
you possess it, is far below your duty and your privi
lege. Let me beseech you, as you value your own
welfare, and the honour of your God, to seek, imme
diately and earnestly, an increase of it.
And for this purpose, suffer the word of exhorta
tion. Commune with your own heart, and insist
upon a reason for your distress — saying, with Da
vid, " Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why
art thou disquieted in me ? " — Maintain intercourse
with the wise and experienced. Two are better than
one. Jonathan went to David in the wood, and
strengthened his hand in God. One Christian is fre
quently to another like the angel to Hagar — she was
ready to die of thirst with water near ; but he open
ed her eyes and showed her the well. — " Retire and
read thy Bible, to be gay." Peruse much the Scrip-
turesj which are filled with words good and comforta
ble. Acquaint yourselves with the method of salva
tion — the freeness and plentitude of divine grace —
the ground of our acceptance — and all the provision
made, not only for our safety but consolation. — Pay
much attention to the ordinances of God. His minis
ters are helpers of your joys. He is known in his
palaces for a refuge. According to your conduct

294 THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOTS.
here, you will be vouchers, both for the promise and
the threatening ; " Them that honour me, I will hon
our ; and they that despise me shall be lightly esteem
ed." — Be much in prayer. Ask, and ye shall re
ceive, that your joy may be full. — ^We read of the
joy of faith. Look after more of this all-important
principle. You can only be filled with all joy and
peace, in believing. But believing, ye shall rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Follow these admonitions ; and while the joy of the
Lord is your strength, you shall not want the strength
of the jOy. You shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free. You shall go on singing in the
ways of the Lord ; and you soon shall reach His pres
ence, where there is fulness of joy ; and his right hand
where there are pleasures for evermore. Amen.

LECTURE X.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN DEATH.

" Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright : for the end of
that man is peace." — Psalm xxxvii. 37.
YOU have heard of the manner in which a distin
guished writer, and a Secretary of State, expired.
*''Come," said Addison, to a young nobleman of
rather infidel principles, as he entered his dying
chamber ; " Come," said he, taking him softly by
the hand ; " Come, and see how a Christian can
DIE." This has always been admired as a noble expres
sion of composure, and faith, and zeal. And to this
the Poet alludes when he says —
" He taught us how to live, and, 0 ! too high
" The price of knowledge, taught us how to die."
If we object to any thing in the address, it is not that
it came from a character whose religion some may
think too undecided ; for candour should lead us to
conclude that he was what he professed to be — es
pecially at a period so awful — but that the subject of
the eulogy should have been the Author. " Let
another praise thee, and not thy own mouth ; a
stranger, and not thy own lips." The exclamation
may indeed have been designed, not to glorify the
man, but his religion ; and to recommend from his

296 THE CHRISTIAN,
own experience what could support and refresh, even
when all other succours and comforts failed. Yet we
would rather the friend or the minister had laid hold
of the approaching observer, and leading him into
the room, said, "Come, see how a Christian can
DIE." Such an office your Lecturer has to perform this
morning. " Mark the perfect man, and behold the
upright: for the end of that man is peace."
"Fly ye profane, or else draw near with awe.
" For here resistless demonstration dwells.
'• Here tired dissimulation drops her mark,
" Here real arid apparent are fhe same.
" — You see the man ; you see his hold on heaven.
" Heaven waits not the last moment ; owns its friends
" On this side death ; and points them out to men —
" A lecture silent, but of sovereign use.
" Life, take thy chance — but 0 for such an end."
" Mark the perfect man, and behold the righte
ous: for the end of that man is peace." We pre
mise three remarks.
The First, regards the character — The perfect
man. This may seem discouraging ; but it really is not
so. If it intended absolute purity, no creature could
claim the title. " Behold, he put no trust in his ser
vants, and his angels he charged with folly." If it
intended actual exemption from all moral infirmities,
none of the human race, no, not even of the sanctified
part of it could be included. " For there is not on
earth a just man that liveth and sinneth not." "In
many things," says an Apostle, " we offend all."
And our Saviour teaches us to pray for daily pardon
as well as for daily bread.

IN DEATH. 297
To say that the Christian will certainly be complete
hereafter, and that he is complete in Christ now, is
true. But the character refers to something present
and personal. Bishop Lowth, in his admirable pre
lections on the Hebrew poetry, remarks how com
monly it abounds with parallelisms — the second mem
ber of the verse never expresses a new idea, but al
ways repeats the sentiment contained in the first.
It may enlarge or enforce or explain it ; but never
gives it up for another. According to this rule, the
character is not only called perfect, but upright. And
the latter attribute is explanatory of the former — the
perfect man is the upright — one who is upright in
his transactions with his own soul — upright in his
dealings with his God — upright in his conduct with
his fellow- creatures — rone " whose rejoicing is this,
the testimony of his conscience, that in simplicity and
godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the
grace of God, he has his conversation in the world."
The Second regards the subject of attention. —
The end of this man. Every thing pertaining to
his character is deserving of notice : his birth, his
relations, his conduct, his condition. But here our
eyes are fixed on his death. " Mark the perfect
man, and behold the upright : for the end of that
man is peace."
The Third regards the testimony concerning his
end^ — it is peace. This word was not used by the
Jews as it is with us. With us it always suggests the
idea of reconciliation and concord, after variance and
strife ; or of serenity of mind as opposed to some
kind of conflict. With them the term was significant
of good at large : prosperity, welfare, happiness.
38

298 THE CHRISTIAN,
Thus we are commanded to pray for the " peace of
Jerusalem." Thus Joseph says, "God shall give
Pharaoh an answer of peace." Thus Artaxerxes su
perscribes his letter, "Peace, and at such a time."
Thus the disciples were to say as they entered,
" Peace be to this house," Thus we are to under
stand it, as used by Simeon when he took up the Sa
viour in his arms, and blessed God and said, " Lord,
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace." " My
desires and hope are accomplished ; I am now hap
py ; satisfied with favour, and filled with the bless
ing of the Lord" — And this is the meaning in the
words before us, " Mark the perfect man, and be
hold the upright : for the end of that man is peace."
This accords with our design this morning, which is
to view the Christian, In Death.
There are four things in the dying ofthe Christian
I would call upon you to observe — Its Prospect. Its
Experience. Its influence. Its Issue.
L The Prospect is not always pleasing.
IL The actual experience is commonly
MUCH INDULGED AND DISTINGUISHED.
III. It is OFTEN PECULIARLY USEFUL BY ITS
INFLUENCE. IV. It is ALWAYS SAFE AND GLORIOUS IN THE
ISSUE. I. It is NOT ALWAYS PLEASING IN ITS. PROSPECT,
There are some indeed who are able to look for
ward to the scene, not only without reluctance and
dread, but with resignation and pleasure. They

IN DEATH. 299
contemplate death as their deliverance, their vic
tory, their triumph. In all their dissatisfactions and
trials they seem to say, " Well ; all will be soon ex
plained, rectified, completed. When a few years
are come, I shall go the way I shall not return."
Thus Dr. Gouge was accustomed to say, " I have two
friends in the world : Christ and death. Christ is
my first, but death is my second." Such a Christian
may be compared to a child at school. The little
pupil IS no enemy to his book ; but he likes home ;
and finds his .present condition not only a place of
tuition, but of comparative confinement and exclusion.
He does npt run away ; but while he studies, he
thinks with delight of his return. He welcomes
every messenger to \\vn — but far more the messenger
far him. And though he may be a black servant, he
says, " Well, he will take me to my father's house."
But such cheerfulness in the prospect is not invari
ably nor coraraonly the feeling of good raen. When
David says, " Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil," he speaks
of this anticipation as an attainment ; and intimates
that the fear which he was enabled to defy was much
connected with the event itself.
Here is a difficulty — not indeed with regard to the
unconverted. To them we say, death may well- be
the king of terrors — and it is. The dread of it pre
vails more deeply and generally than they are willing
to acknowledge. The apprehension of it often makes
them superstitious and credulous : and they find a
prognostic of their fate in a dreara, in the howling of
a dog, the croaking of a raven, the ticking of an in
sect, and a thousand other absurdities. How eager
are they to giiard against every thing that would

30(y THE CHRISTIAN,
accelerate the fatal hour : And how sedulously they
strive to keep themselves from every thiiig that would
prove a memento of it ! One of the kings of France
gave orders that death should never be mentioned in
his hearing. Catharine, the Empress of Russia, for
bade funeral processions to pass the street near her
palace, and required all burials to be performed in
the night. Many avoid every reference to their de
ceased relations and friends, as if in tenderness to
their memory ; while it really arises from an unwil
lingness to think of an event to which they are them
selves equally exposed. The constant effort of mul
titudes is to banish the thought from their mjnds, or
to hinder its entrance. The Apostle therefore says,
that they are all their lifetime subject to bondage,
through fear of death. Not always actually in it, but
liable to it — as reading, or hearing ; a coffin, or an
opening grave ; on accident, or disease — may urge
the subject upon their revolting attention. And it is
easy to imagine the wretchedness of such a life : for
how hard must it be to keep off from their thoughts
a thing that they very much hate and dread ; and
which daily and hourly occurrences must often ob
trude upon them. Yet, as soon as the sentiment is
felt? all peace and comfort vanish.
— But the difficulty respects the Christian. Why
should he be afraid in the prospect ? Is not death
conquered? and rendered harmless with regard to
him ? But the serpent may hiss, when it cannot bite.
The poisonous fang may be extracted before our eyes,
and yet we may feel, at taking the harmless adder
into our bosom. There are many Christians whose
anxieties and forebodings with regard to death, are
only dispelled and destroyed by the event itself.

IN DEATH. 301
Let US look at the case ; and see if we cannot remove
a stumbling-block out of the way of God's people.
There are several things to be considered —
The fear of death is naturally unavoidable ; and
must therefore in itself be innocent. The very law
of self-preservation necessarily makes every being a-
verse to danger and injury. All the animal crea
tures have a dread of death. In them, this is mere
ly an iitipulse, and operates without any distinct ap
prehension of evil ; but in man, this instinctive repul
sion has blended with it the result of reasoning, and
of local attachment, and social love, and moral re
sponsibility, and reflection, and forecast. Adam and
Eve felt this fear in Paradise. To this principle the
words were addressed, " In the day thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt surely die " For this denuncia
tion had been no threatening, had not death been
viewed by them as the greatest evil. The Apostles
themselves, who had the first fruits of the Spirit,
said, "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to
be clothed upon with our house which is from heav
en : if so be that being clothed, we shall not be found
naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan,
being burdened : not for that we would be uncloth
ed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swal
lowed up of life." What wonder therefore if ordi
nary Christians feel the same !
And how much is there to excite apprehension !
There is the novelty of the case. For, as Joshua
said to the Jews, this is a way they have not gone
heretofore. Here their own experience affords them
no assistance : nor can they derive advantage from
the experience of others. No one has returned to
"blab the secret out," and tell them what it is to die.

302

THE CHRISTIAN,

When they think of the leaving for ever of objects to
which they have been long accustomed, the separa
tion from weeping friends, the pains, the groans, the
dying strife, the destruction of the body, the consign
ing of it to the lonely grave, the conversion of it into
food for worms, their immediate access into the pres
ence of Purity and Holiness, the judgment that fol
lows after, questionings of their acceptance with God,
uncertainties about their future state — is there not
enough here to try all their confidence and courage ?
There is one thing more to he taken into the ac
count. Others not only endeavour to avoid thinking
of the seriousness of the subject? but in some measure
they often succeed. By infidelity, and vain reason
ings, and dissipations, they may preserve a kind of
composure even to the last. Yea, they may amuse
themselves even in death itself, as Hume was, joking
about Charon and his boat —
" Whistling aloud to keep his courage up."
Yea, they may even bring their principles over to
their deluded interest. For though unbelief and di
version do not abate their danger, they affect their
apprehension of it, and make them insensible. A
man walking upon a precipice is not secure because
he is ignorant of his situation ; but this ignorance
keeps him easy, and laughing, and singing, till he
falls off. And thus we are told of the wicked, that
they " have no bands in their ' death ; and their
strength is firm." But a Christian does not turn
away from the subject. He must look at it. He
must examine its nature, and bearings, and conse
quences — and in doing this, he feels much more in

IN DEATH. 303
the prospect, than numbers of those feel who are ru
ined by the reality.
Be not therefore ashamed to own your feeling,
especially to your fellow Christians and to your min
ister. Do not conclude that it is an evidence against
the reality or degree of your religion. Do not imag
ine that it disproves, or renders suspicious your at
tachment to the Saviour. " O ! if I loved him I
should long to be with him ; and then I should love
his appearing ; and then I should be able to say.
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." But you do love
him ; and you wish to be with him, by wishing full
conformity to his image, and the constant beholding
of his glory. But you dread the passage. It is thus
with the absentee, when thinking of his return. His
estate, and wife, and children are in America. And
his heart is there also. Yet when he looks on the
vast Atlantic, he shudders and shrinks back. But he
does not from hence question his love to them, or his
desire to be with them.
We acknowledge however that as believers you
stand in a very different condition frora others : and
you ought to endeavour to rise above the fear of
death. And there is enough, if you ever realize it,
to produce in your rainds a noble confidence. And
it does not follow, that what you now feel, you will
feel when the season of dissolution arrives. — For,
II. The dying of the Christian is commonly
MUCH INDULGED AND DISTINGUISHED, IN THE ACT
UAL EXPERIENCE.
Thus it is said, " The righteous hath hope in his
death." The degrees of this hope vary. In some

304 THE CHRISTIAN,
we see this hope contending with fear, and not al
ways able to repel it. In some, it produces a se
renity in which the mind is stayed upon God, yet
unattended with any higher feeling and pleasure :
while some possess and display the full assurance
of hope ; and have an entrance ministered un
to them abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of, their Lord and Saviour. Amidst the wreck of
nature, these are joyful in glory ; and shout aloud
upon their beds, as if they were already within the
veil. ¦Now we are not going to claim this joy unspeaka
ble and full of glory, or even this perfect peace, or
even this supporting confidence, for all Christians in
their dying moments. And yet we mean to say, that
the highest degree is attainable ; and that in general,
they are much more favoured, as to religious conso
lation, in death than in life. Here we will not speak
of things beyond our reach. Were we to say — That
the chinks and breaks made in the falling tenement of
clay, may let in more light than could enter before —
that the believer's nearer approach to the world of
glory, may bring him more under its influence and
impressions — that when he reaches the borders of
the river, between hira and Iramanuel's land, he may
glance the hills, and hear something of the harmony,
and inhale the fragrance blown across — you would
say, perhaps, and say justly, all this is figure. But
there is truth in the dying privilege of the Christian,
And four reasons may be mentioned for his superior
indulgence at that solemn hour.
First, He has now more of that single and entire
dependence on the Saviour, which is so friendly to
our relief and comfort. A legal bias is natural to

IN DEATH. 305
tiS 5 and during life, a degree of it prevails, of which
the Christian is not sufficiently aware himself. He is
searching after something, in which, if he does not
glory, he insensibly trusts ; and feels his hope vary
ing often with his attainments, as if the one was
founded on the other. But all this is now over.
Now he must have immediate consolation. But
where is he to -find it ? When he looks back, he
cannot derive it from a well -spent life : and when he
looks inward, he cannot derive it from a sense of his
present worthiness. He sees more clearly than ever
that he is an unprofitable servant. In all his doings
his sins do appear. And what can he do now ? He
must look to another ; and apply to him as he is.
JHe therefore cries,
' " A guilty, weak, and worthless worm,
" On thy kind arm 1 fall ;
" Be thou my strength and righteousness,
"Illy Jesus, and my all."
And a satisfaction is experienced, which was only
hindered before by unbelief.
Secondly, He is then urged to come more conclu
sively to a judgment concerning his state. He must,
indeed, have pften examined himself before ; but he
never felt so pressing an excitement as he now does.
He can comparatively neglect it no longer. He now
must know how matters stand between him and God,
for they will soon be found unalterable. And if his
condition was an unsound one, the exploring of it
would be the way to alarm him, and not to tranquil
lize. But his state is good ; and ignorance is the
only cause of his suspicion and disquietude. Let this
be removed, therefore, and let him see things as they
39

306 THE CHRISTIAN,
truly are, and his trembling hope is confirmed. His
fear before was needless, for the house was safe, and
able to abide the storm. But now, having been
driven to inspect the foundation, he knows its securi
ty and permanence, and can rejoice Tiecause he sees
that it is founded on a rock.
Thirdly, He then needs peculiar support and con
solation ; and the Lord deals with his people accord
ing to the principles of the truest friendship. He
is with them most, when they most require his pres
ence. " I will be with him in trouble." He is al
ways with him, for he hath said, " I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee." But the meaning is, that
he will be with them then pre-eminently. And
where is the believer who, in passing through life^
has not had more of his manifestations and influences
and comforts, in his sufferings, than in any other cir
cumstances ? But what an hour is here ! — when he
gathers up his feet into the bed, and turns his face to
the wall ; and Satan for the last onset comes down,
having great wrath, knowing that his time is short !
But the Lord he has trusted and served will draw
near at his breathing, at his cry. He will whisper
into his very soul, " Fear not, for I am with thee ;
be not dismayed, for I am thy God : I will strength
en thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness." And
what is the result? " Whom have I in heaven but
thee? and there is none upon earth I desire beside
thee. My heart and my flesh faileth ; but God is
the strength of my heart, and ray portion for ever."
Lastly, He can then safely receive those discoveries
and communications which would have made undue
impressions before. For every thing there is a sea-

IN DEATH. 307'
son ; and the believer must be prepared for his
work, as well as his reward ; and for his duty in the
way, as well as for his blessedness at the end. Our
present conditions and stations are appointed us by
the Lord ; and while we are in them, their claims
must not be despised or neglected. But if we are to
regard our natural connexions, and our civil and sec
ular concerns, and the preservation of our health and
life, we must be attached to them, and feel a degree
of interest in them. Yet there are measures of
knowledge and comfort, which would so powerfully
affect us, as to draw us away from earth, and make
every thing seen and temporal feel too low and little
to engage us We see this in Peter. When our
Saviour was transfigured, and Moses and Elias ap
peared with him in glory, Peter was so charmed,
that he proposed building tabernacles, to reside there.
But, says the Holy Ghost, he knew not what he said.
For, to take but one view of the proposal, had it
been complied with, what would have become of his
house and wife and children ? 0 ! Peter, in his ecs
tasy, had forgotten these. These however must not
be forgotten while we continue in our relations to
them, and can fulfil their demands. But when we
must leave the scene, it is wise and kind to allow us
to be dead to it. When we are going, it is well to
be loosened from our detensions. When life is end
ing, and the love of it can no longer be useful, it is a
privilege to have our love to it vanquished by some
thing better than life ; and to be blinded to every
thing we are resigning around us, by a sight of the
glory that is to be revealed ; and to be rendered deaf
to every sound but the voice that cries, " Come up
hither."

308 THE CHRISTIAN,
After all, we may not have perfectly accounted for
the higher experience ofthe Christian in death. But
the fact is undeniable. It has been verified in num
berless instances. How otten have we witnessed it
ourselves. How often have we found Christians the
reverse of all their previous apprehensions. We
have attended them when they have displayed a dig
nity of sentiment, and expressed themselves with a
force of language, to which they had been strangers
before. The timorous have become heroical. They
whose minds were contracted by ignorance, have
burst into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
The illiterate and the vulgar have shown an eleva
tion and refinement of taste, philosophers never
knew — and servants and rustics have sung,
" 0 glorious hour, O blest abode,
" I shall be near, and like my God ;
" And flesh and sin no more control
" The sacred pleasure of my soul."
Fear not, therefore, O ye seed of Jacob. Encour
age yourselves in the Lord your God ; while you
say, I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wai": ; and in
his word do I hope. Do not perplex yourselves
about a futurity which God has foreseen and provid
ed for. " Take no thought for the morrow, for the ,
morrow shall take thought for the things of itself;
sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" — and the
good. Your duty has only to do with the present ;
and the grace you are to seek is grace to help in time
of need ; active grace for the hour of exertion ; and
passive grace for the hour of suffering ; grace for life
in life, and dying grace for a dying hour. The Jews
were not to live on a hoard. If in their anxious dis-

IN DEATH. 30^
trustfulness they laid np manna for the ensuing day,
instead of affording them a wholesome resource, it
bred worms : they therefore gathered it fresh every
morning, and it failed them not till they could eat of
the old corn of the land. Take another allusioil. If
you were trammelling, and before you could reach your
destination you had a trying river to pass, would it
not be enough to f-elieve you to know, that when yoii
came to the brink there would be a boat ready to
convey you over? Must it be brought to you now
in your journey ? Though necessary for the water,
would it not rather encumber you on land ? Yet
so it is ; you are not satisfied unless you ean take
the vehicle along with you. You must see .• but you
are not to see-^" We walk by faith> and not by
sight.'" III. The DYING OF THE CHRISTIAN IS OFTEN
PECULIARLY USEFUL BY ITS INFLUENCE.
When our Saviour was foretelling the destiny o^
Peter, he said, "When thou wast young, thou gird-
, edst thyself, and walkedst whither thpu wouldest:
but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth
Ihy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry
thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he,
signifying by what death he should glorify God."
He was to die by violence and crucifixion. Ecclesi
astical history informs us of numbers who were con
verted to the faith, by the death of those who suffer
ed for the Gospel. The scene naturally tended to
apaise their curiosity, and fix their attention : and,
witnessing the firmness of their conviction, and the
dignity of their support ; and seeing their gentleness

310 THE CHRISTIAN,
and patience ; and hearing their prayers for their
persecutors and murderers — they became companions
of them that were so used. And this led to the re
mark, that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of
the churches.
All are not called to die for the truth's sake ; but
the effect ascribed to Peter's death will apply to the
death of every Christian. Not only is it important
to himself, but the glory of God is concerned in it.
" His God sustains him in his final hour.
" His final hour brings glory to liis God."
The useful death, however, is not that only which
abounds with ecstasy and rapture ; but also that in
which an inferior degree of confidence is blended
with patience under suffering, submission to the will
of God, humbleness of mind, penitence at the foot of
the Cross, a concern to recommend the Saviour's ser
vice and to promote his cause. — This, if it does not
excite so much wonder and discourse, is more exem
plary. A death too strikes us, where we see a vic
tory over the world ; when the individual is willing
to depart, though not pressed by the infirmities and
pains of age, but in the midst of life ; and leaving
not a scene of penury and wretchedness behind, but
every present attraction and agreeable prospect. We
also prize a death preceded by a holy and consistent
life. Some religioni?ts are fond of the marvellous
and the sudden ; and our obituaries are too often fill
ed with the triumphant departures of those who be
gan to pray a few days before. This is often pecu
liarly the case with malefactors. Few of these, if
attended by certain orders of men, but in a few hours
are quickly ripened for a confident and joyful death.

IN DEATH- 311
We do not wish to limit the Holy One of Israel in
the freeness of his mercy and grace. But wiser
people hesitate about these prodigies. They wish
for more certainty, more evidence than can be satis
factorily obtained in cases, where the impressions of
the condition can scarcely be distinguished from the
operation of the principle : and therefore, while they
may sometimes indulge a hope, they will rarely be
disposed to proclaim it — " Precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of his saints. Mark the per
fect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that
man is peace." 
— Yes, it is peculiarly worthy attention. How of
ten has the death of the saint proved the life of the
sinner ; and also helped those much who have believ
ed through grace. A dying minister's end has ex
emplified, and confirmed, and enforced his doctrine ;
and he has effected in the sick chamber what he
failed to accomplish in the church. A dying father,
disregarded before, has been heard to purpose, when
he has summoned his children to his bed, and sol
emnly addressed them, as Bolton did his family:
" See that none of you meet me in an unconverted
state at the day of judgment." Or as David admon
ished Solomon : " I go the way of the world. And
thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy
father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a
willing mind : for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and
understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts :
if thou seek him, he will be found of thee ; but if
thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever."
What ingenuousness has ever resisted a dying mother
— heaven in her countenance — her tearful eye — the
grasp of her soft hand — her last trembling embrace-—

312 THE CHRISTIAN,
her expiring accents — ''What my son, and the son of
my womb, and the son of my vows — are we here to
part for ever?" The husband who refused to hear
the word, though urged by beauty, and affection, and
tears; when the desire of his eyes is removed, is now
won by the last instances of her lovely conversation
made sacred by death ; and, w'hile he rears the mon
ument to her memory, resolyes to trace her steps,
once— (how painful now the thought) — taken alone !
— How affecting and interesting does grace render
the dying of the Christian, not only to his relations
and friends, but to all who see or hear it. Not only
is the attention then excited, but every thing is
adapted to aid impression. Persons are now regard
ed with peculiar earnestness. They are supposed to
be free from the influence of the world. They are
regarded as sincere, and entitled to credit. All now
is final, it is the last time they can be seen or heard.
What a lecture is the event itself! It cries. See, ev
ery thing is vanity, the world is passing away. But
here is a man that has hold of a better and an endur
ing substance, and displays a greatness that defies the
ravages of death. The outward man perishes, but
the inward man is renewed. He is bound, yet free.
Be is dying, and behold he lives — and not only has
life, but has it raore abundantly. The way of trans
gressors is hard, and they say nothing in praise of
those things of which they are now ashamed. The
people of the world never speak well of it at parting.
But here is a man commending the ways of holiness,
and bearing testimony to the excelliencies and good
ness of the Master he has served-r-" Thou hast dealt
well with thy servant, O Lord. 0 taste, and see
that the Lord is good j blessed is the man that trust-

IN BEATH. 31 S
eBi in ;him." ^'l have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have fcept the faith : hence-
ferth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me
^ that day : aaid not to me only, but unto all them
also' that love his ^uppearing."
0 ! such a dying chamber is none other than the
house of 'God, and the gate <jf heaven. There " is
brought *o pass the saying .that is written. Death is
swallowed up in victory." There angels bear the
acclamation, " 0 death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory ? The sting of death is
-sm ; and the strength of sin is the law." Here,
weaned from the world, and loosened from life, we
have said, ** Let us go away, that we may die with
him." Here a glory has been shed, an influence has
iheen felt, that has impressed the careless, fixed the
wa»vering, emboldened the timid, convinced the igno
rant. It hasstrengthened the saint to live. It has
taught the pastor to preach. It has led the infidel to
retire and pray, "Let me die the death ofthe right
eous, and let my last end be like his 1"
U<p«m the principle of this part of our subject, we
may ma^e a iremark jQoncerning a slow or a sudden
death. Unquestionably a sudden death is desirable,
with regard to exemption and privilege. For what
an indulgence must it be, to be spared all the fore
runners and attendants of dissolution ; and in the
twinkling of an eye to pass from earth and to be with
God ! But it is less preferable on the score of useful
ness. We derive nothing from the dying experience
xind language of such, A Christian is not to choose
for himself ; and if a lingering death will subserve
40

314 THE CHRISTIAN,
more the honour of God and the benefit of man, there
is enough to induce him to say, " Not my will, but
thine be done." Heaven will make amends for all —
yea, the usefulness itself is the sufferer's reward.
Arid, Christians, let me from hence admonish you
to be concerned to serve religion, not only by the
life you live, but by the death you die. The Sav
iour's empire and claims extend to both. " None of
us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to hiraself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; and
whether we die, we die unto the Lord : whether we
live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." " By
faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the
sons of Joseph ; and worshipped, leaning upon the
top of his staff." Dr. Rivet said, "Let those who
come to inquire, see me ; I ought to be an example
in death as well as in life." Sampson, when about
to die, prayed that God would strengthen hira " this
once." This is the last time you can do any thing in
the world — it is the last arrow you have in your
quiver, says an old writer, and you should take a
good aim with this. Cato is made in the tragedy to
complain, that he could die but once for his country.
You can die but once for your family, the church,
and the world. 0 let it adorn the doctrine of God
your Saviour in all things.
IV. The DYING OF THE CHRISTIAN IS ALWAYS
SAFE AND GLORIOUS IN THE ISSUE.
We must take this into the account in doing jus
tice to his end. For there are instances in which
the Christian may not be able to express, or enjoy
pleasure or hope in death. There are two cases of
this kind.

IN DEATH. 316
The first is, the case of Divine Rebuke for Moral
Delinquency. For God, who is of purer eyes than
to behold iniquity, has said, " If his children forsake
my law, and walk not in. my judgments; if they
break ray statutes, and keep not ray commandments ;
then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and
their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my lov
ing kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor
suffer my faithfulness to fail." This however is not
wrath, but anger. Anger is consistent with love,
and springs from it. " As many as I love, I rebuke
and chasten." And he sometimes rebukes and
chastens, at the last. He hides his face, and they
are tro-^bled ; and perhaps even their siin goes down
under a cloud. But he retains not his anger forever.
Though they are chastened of the Lord, they are not
condemned with the world ; and though here he
humbles them under his mighty hand, he exalts them,
in due time, forever.
The other is the case of Constitutional Malady.
In this condition our heavenly Bard died ; and we
have known others who have died under a physical
depression, with which religious encouragements have
contended in vain. But though their end was not
peace in the exit, it was peace in the issue. Their
despondency did not affect their right to the tree of
life. They condemned themselves ; but God delight
ed in them.
And what an exchange, what a surprise did such
sufferers experience ! They departed, expecting to
awake in torment? and found themselves in Abraham's
bosom ! They left the world in a momentary gloom^
and entered into everlasting sunshine !

^16 THE CHRISTIAN,
For observe, I beseech you, the difference between'
the delusion of the Infidel, and the mistake of the
€hristia». '^ I give," says Hobbs, " I give my body
to the dust, and my soul to the Great Perhaps." " F
am going to take," says he, " a leap in the dark."
And such a man not only takes a leap in the dark,
but into the dark. And from the darkness of igno
rance, and doubt, and uncertainty, he plunges into
the blackness of darkness forever. But it is infinitely
different with the Christian. He may take this last
step in the dark, but he steps into day : perfect and
endless day : where it will be said to him, " Thy sun
shall no more go down ; neither shall thy moon with
draw herself : for the Lord shall be thine everlast
ing light, and the days of thy mourning shall be
ended." Thus, however he may expire, the result is bless
ed ; and the day of his death is better than the day
of his birth. It is the day, w hen, as a weary travel
ler, he arrives at home : when, as a sea-tossed mar
iner, he enters his desired haven : when, as a long-
enduring patient, he throws off the last feelings of his
lingering complaint ; when, as an heil- of immortali
ty, he comes of age, and obtains the inheritance of
the saints in light. — ^Thus, whatever may be the
manner of his death, for him "to die is gain." "And
what gain ? Can the tongue of men or of angels ex
press what the Christian by dying gains — In exemp
tion? In residence? In fellowship? In knowledge?
In holiness? In pleasure? For when he eloses his
eye on the sorrows of life, he " shall not see evil any
more." When he leaves this polluted earth, he has
a better, even a heavenly country. When the earth
ly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, he has a build-

IN DEATH. 311
ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens. When he leaves the wicked world,
and the defective Church, he joins the spirits of just
men made perfect, and the innumerable company of
angels. Now he sees through a glass darkly, then
face to face. Now, when he would do good, evil is
present with him. Now,, the consolations of God are
often small with him. Then he will be presented
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceed
ing joy. For when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away. But
it doth not yet appear what we shall be.
" In vain my feeble fancy paints
" The moment after death ;
" The glory that surrounds the saihfe,
" When yielding up their breath.
" One gentle sigh their fetters breaks ;
" We scarce can say, 'They're gone t^
« Btefsre the willing spirit takes.
" Her mansion near the throne.
" Faith strives, but all its efforts fail
" To (*ace her in her flight :
" No eye can pierce within the veil
" Which hides that world of light.
" Thus much (and this is all) we know,
"They are completely blest;.
" Have done with sin, and care, and wo,
" Aad with their Saviottb rest."
And is it for such, we put on sable attire, and go
mourning all the day ? Is this thy kindness to thy
friend ? If you loved them-, would you not rejoice
because they are gone to the Father? Are they
not now, from the most excellent glory, ready to
exclaim, " Weep not for us, but for yourselves

318 THE CHRISTIAN,
and children — You are the proper objects of pity,'
not we. You who are still in the conflict, not we
who have gotten the victory. You who are yet in
the body, not we who are delivered from the bur
den of the flesh. You who rise in the morning to
cares that perplex you, fears that dismay you, dis
appointments that vex you, infirmities that depress
you ; — not we, who are forever with the Lord."
Ah ! my Brethren, if all this be true, what reason
have we to adore the undeserved and infinite good-:
ness of God. We cannot think too highly of this at
tribute ; and it is well for our consciences that the
proofs of it are so numerous and obvious. The earth
is full of his riches. In the various seasons, he
crowns the year with his goodness. He daily loadeth
us with his benefits. He gives us all things richly to
enjoy. But what would all these have been, with
destruction at the end ? Who remembered us in our
low estate ? Who turned the curse into a blessing ?
Who converted the avenue to hell into the gate of
life ? Who caused the spoiler to enrich us ? and
made the last enemy an inestimable friend ?
Let us not also forget the way in which this change
is accomplished ; the mediation of the Lord Jesus.
. Here is the mystery. We who were poor could never
have been rich, if he who was rich had not for our
sake become poor. Because the children were par
takers of flesh and blood, he likewise himself took
part of the same. He bore our sins in his own body
on the tree ; and died that we may live. He abolish
ed death, and hath brought life and iramortality to
light through the Gospel. He therefore says?, "If
a man keep my sayings, he shall not see death." He
has indeed to pass through the state ; but the bitter-

IN DEATH. 319
ness of death is past. He has only to finish his course
with joy, to fall asleep in Jesus, to depart to be
with Christ, which is far better.
But, my dear Hearers, will this be the case with
us? 'Let us not think the inquiry needless, or in
capable of solution. Here people often show their
ignorance and presumption. They talk of . the de
sirableness of death ; but expose themselves to the
censure of the prophet, "Wo unto you that desire
the day of the Lord ! to what end is it for you ? the
day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a
man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ; or
went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall,
and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord
be darkness, and not light ? even very dark, and no
brightness?" When some of you wish you were
dead, what is it in reality, but . wishing you were
damned? You are just as near to hell as you are to
death ; and the one is as sure as the other. Be not
therefore deceived. Whatever privations or suffer
ings you are now enduring, it is not better for you to
die than to live. Much as you complain, these are
only the beginning of sorrows, the earnests and fore
tastes of everlasting lamentations and mourning and
wo. What says the voice from heaven ? ** Write,
blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." These
are all blessed ; but these only. As for those who
are not in Him, they are not under grace, but under
the law. And, " as many as are under the law are
under the curse." His righteousness is not theirs
to justify them. His Spirit is not theirs to sanctify
them. They have no title to glory. No. meetness
for it. No capacity for its services. No suscepti
bility of its joys.

320 THE CHRISTIAN,
Finally. Let us now turn the medaL We have
been speaking of the death of the Christian — but
mark the wicked man, and behold the ungodly —
What is his end ? The answer would seem too aw
ful for declamation ; and we should not even present
the scene, but to heighten the subject by contrast ;
and to prevent, if possible, your realizing it in your
own experience. We therefore endeavour to save
with fear ; and knowing the terror of the Lord,
would persuade men. And in this work of apparent
severity-, but real compassion, the sacred writers go
before us. " What," says Peter, " shall the end be
of them that obey not the Gospel of God?" " The
Lord," says David, *' shall laugh at him, for he seeth
that his day is coming. For yet a little while and
the wicked shall not be ; yea, thou shalt diligently
eonsider his place, and it shall not be. I was per
plexed and pained at the sight of their prosperity,
until I went into the sanctuary of God ; then under
stood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in
slippery places ; thou castedst them down into de
struction. .How are they brought into desolation,
as in a moment ! they are utteriy consumed wiA
terrors. As a dream when one awaketh ; so, O
Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their
image." Does the dying sinner look hack upon the past?
¦*^ Vanity of vanities," says the reviewer, " vanity
of vanities, all is vanity." His life appears a suc
cession of fancies, dreams and impositions. Nothing
seems rea^j but his sins. These — -his neglect of
prayer, his forgetfulness of God, the profanation of
his Sabbaths, the contempt of his word and command
ments — these, in their number and aggravations!, re-

IN DEATH, 321
vive and approach — and conscience keeps them in
view. — ^What satisfaction or relief can the present afford
him ? Every thing in his outward condition may be
agreeable ; but what is this to a wounded spirit ?
Righteousness delivers from death, but riches profit
not in the day of wrath. What is honour to one
who knows he is ready for the worms? Can flattery
sooth the dull, cold ear of death? What is the
consolation of being praised where we are not, while
we are miserable where we are !
What does the future promise ? He is separating
from every thing he loves, to enter a state in which
he has no hope, after which he has no desire, and
from which he has no escape— -a state of thought with
out the possibility of diversion ; of passion without
the means of gratification ; of society without friend
ship ; of enmity without restraint ; of accountable*
ness without excuse ; of- retribution without mercy ;
of loss without recovery ; and of misery without end?
Who knoweth the power of thine anger ? Even ac
cording to thy fear, so is thy wrath. In many cases
fear magnifies ; and when the evil comes, the reality
falls far short of the apprehension. But here the
event infinitely exceeds the foreboding. It is a fear
ful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
No wonder therefore the death of the sinner is rep
resented in the Scripture as the effect of compulsion—^
" The wicked is driven away in his wickedness."
*' He shall be driven from light into darkness, and
chased out of this world." Some of these scenes are
kept secret — ^perhaps they are misunderstood. They
are ascribed to a distempered imagination. The ter-
41

322 THE CHRISTIAN,
rifled victim is supposed to be in the phrensy of de
lirium. Some, by the composing draught are stupi-
fied, who would otherwise drive and keep every at
tendant from the room. Yet the reluctance, and an
guish, and horror, are sometimes known ; and make
an awful impression for the time. But suppose there
is nothing of this ; and the sinner dies, as it is often
expressed, like a lamb ; the delusion is but for a mo
ment. He instantly sees his mistake. But the im
mutability of his state renders the knowledge as
dreadful as it is unavoidable. His disappointment is
an unspeakable aggravation of his misery ; and the
consequences are remediless.
O ! that you were wise, that you understood this,
that you wojild consider your latter end! Then sure
ly you would not give sleep to your eyes, or slumber
to your eyelids, till you had a good hope through
grace, that you were delivered from such a doom. '
— But you think the end is not near ; and distant
things do not impress. You put far away the evil
day. But can you put it entirely away ? Yea, can
you really put it ^br away? How long do ydu think
of living? Fix the period. Place it at three score
years and ten, place it at four score years, it is soon
cut off, and you flee away — whither? What will
become of you then P
But how uncertain is your reaching this period !
At what age, in what place, in what condition, in
what employment, have not men died? On what are
you relying to escape a death which has unexpected
ly and prematurely carried so many of your connex
ions and neighbours down to the dust ? On youth ?
On strength ? What is your life ? " It is even a
vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then van-

IN DEATH. 323
isheth away." '< Every man at his best state is alto
gether vanity." O! thou, in whose hands our
hreath is, and whose are all our ways, so teach us to
number our days, that we may apply our heart unto
wisdom. And, my Brethren, what is this wisdom ? What
is the one proper and rational part which creatures,
circumstanced as we are, have to act ? Is it not to
prefer the soul to the body, and eternity to time ?
Is it not to agree with our adversary while we are in
the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary
deliver us to the judges and the judge deliver us to
the officer, and we be cast into prison ? Is it not to
flee fqr refuge to the hope set before us? Is it not to
make the concern of Paul supremely and iraraediately
our own? " That I may win Christ, and be found in
him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ?
the righteousness which is of God by faith : that I
may know hiva, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings being made con
formable unto his death."

LECTURE XI.

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE GRAVE.
" If I wait the grave is mine house." — Job xvii. 13.
THIS was in answer to the opinion and advice of
his friends. They had repeatedly intimated, that if
he repented, and reformed, and prayed to God, he
might surely reckon upon a Speedy restoration' to
health, and a peaceful abode, and a prosperbiis con
dition. " If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes,
and make thy supplications to the Almighty ; if thou
wert pure and upright ; surely now he would awakei
for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteous-
Tiess prosperous. Though thy beginning was small,
yet thy latter end should greatly increase." " If
thou prepare thine heart, and stiretch out thihe handiS
toward him ; if iniquity be in thine hand, put it
far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy taber
nacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without
spot ; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear ;
because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember
it as waters that pass away : and thine age shall be
clearer than the noon-day ; thou shalt shine forth,
thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be
secure, because there is hope : yea, thou shalt dig
about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee
afraid ; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.'*

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE GRAVE. 325
Now, says Job, if I were to do this, and Wait for the
accompliwshment of your promises, 1 should be disap
pointed. Not that it would be in vain for me 'to
serve God ; but he would not appear fbr me in the
way of which you speak. He will not deliver me
from my present afflictions in this world ; or recover
me from the disorder under which I am ready to ex
pire — No. The case is mortal and desperate — " If I
wait, the grave is mine house."
This leads us to make two remarks. The first
connects itself with a passage which he presently ut
tered, and which has given rise to much dispute. I
refer \o his noble confession. There are some who
contend, that he means only to express his hope of
a temporal redemption, or the revival of his former
greatness. But, in answer to this poor and low in
terpretation, not to observe the solemnity of the in
troduction, and the grandeur of the sentiment and
diction, it is plain, not frora a few, but raany declara
tions, that Job entertained no expectation of being
restored in this life. ''The eye that seeth me, shall
see me no more. For now shall I sleep in the dust,
and thou shalt seek me in the morning, and I shalt
not be. My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct,
the graves are ready for me. My days are past, my
purposes are broken off?, even the thoughts of my
heart. And where is now my hope? as for my hope,
who shall see it?" '^ If Ip^aitf the grave is mine,
house." He must therefore have a reference to the
most glorious of all events when he says? ^' O that my
words were now written T oh that they were printed
in a book! that they were graven with an iron pen
and lead in, the rock fc^ever ! For I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter

326 THE CHRISTIAN,
day upon the earth ; and though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God :
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall be
hold, and not another ; though my reins be consumed
within me."
The second remark is, that when Job said, " If I
wait, the grave is mine house," he was mistaken.
Instead of a speedy dissolution, which he obviously
looked for, " the Lord turned his captivity, and gave
him twice as much as he had before. And after
this, Job lived an hundred and forty years, and saw
his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations."
How often, in the risings of his grace and of his
providence, does he not only deliver, but surprise
his people. The day seemed setting in with clouds
and darkness, but at evening time it was light. ' " We
would not, brethren," says Paul, '' have you ignorant
of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were
pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch
that we despaired even of life : but we had the sen
tence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust
in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead : who
delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver:
in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us."
David, also, was soon able:to refute his own unbeliev
ing conclusion — " I said in my haste, I am cut off
from before thine eyes : nevertheless, thou heardest
the voice of my supplication when I cried unto thee."
And is there a Christian here, but can acknowledge,
to his praise, that he has been better to him than his
fears ; and done for him exceeding abundantly,
above all he was once able to ask or think ?
— Yet Job's recovery, with regard to life, was
not a cure. He was only reprieved. The sentence

IN THE GRAVE. 327
was left suspended over him still — " Dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return." And ^Ams, the words
were true in his case — ^^ If I wait, the grave is mine
house .•" and his house it was. And thus, my dear
hearers, the words furnish a motto for each of you.
Whatever he the object of your hope, here is your
destination. You may wish, and you may wait;
but here is the end of all your solicitudes. What
ever is your present abode, here is your last. You
may now occupy a strait and mean tenement, or a
large and splendid mansion : but you will neither be
incommoded with the one, or delighted with the oth
er, long — Here is the residence to which you are all
hastening — hastening even while I speak — The grave
is mine house. Let two things engage our atten
tion. — Let us,
I. Consider what is awful and repulsive in
THE Gil AVE. — And,
II, What the Christian can find to relieve
it. . I. Consider what is awful and repulsive in
THE grave.
 " The grave, dread thing ;
" Men shiver when thou'rt named. Nature appalled
" Shakes off her wonted firmness. Ah! how dark
" Thy long-extended realms, and rueful wastes,
'• Where nought but silence reigns, and night, dark night." '
— This is fine, but Job excels it. " Before I go
whence I shall not return, even to the land of dark
ness and the shadow of death. A land of darkness,
as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, with
out any order, and where the light is as darkness."

328

THE CHRISTIAN,

What a solemn grandeur pervades this representa
tion! What an evidence does it furnish of Burke's
observation, that obscurity is a source of the true
sublime ; and that, even in poetry, a powerful im
pression may be made, where no distinct imagery is
presented. Let us take three views of the grave ;
they are all awful and affecting.
First, We may regard it as a monument of human
guilt. What error can be named, that is not eon*
neeted with diminishing^ apprehensions of sin ? Hence
we must seize every opportunity of producing the
needful conviction, that it is an evil and bitter thing j
evil with regard to God, and bitter with regard to
ourselves. Men think lightly of it, but it is more
poisonous than the gall of asps. They cannot be in
duced to hate it, and fear it : and yet they may con
stantly and easily see its hateful and fearful effects.
If they will not believe in the hell that it has prepar
ed for the devil and his angels in another world; they
cannot deny the desolations it has produced among
the children of raen in this. Once all that movetf
upon the earth was buried in the deluge^-Oould you
have witnessed the spectacle without horror ? But
the sarae sin which then destroyed all the huraan race
at once, acts no less fatally now in killing them all
successively and individually. The time is nothing,
the execution is the same. Earthquakes, and wars,
and pestilence, and famine, are of more rare occur
rence, and few comparatively can view the effects:
but you can all trace the ravages of disease ; you can
all see men going to their long home, and the mourn
ers going about the streets. Repair to some Gd-
gotha. Enter a church-yard. Throw your eye over
the inscribed stones, and the turfed hillocks ; think

IN THE GRAVE. '329
of the undistinguished mass on which you tread— and
then ask the question, which Jehu asked when he
saw the remains of the sons of Ahab, " Who slew all
these ?" Why every burying-ground, according to
its size, is a jail with so many cells, some holding one,
and some more prisoners : and they who are lodged
there are not confined in consequence of a debt due
to nature, but to the justice of God. There is no
grave in heaven ; there was no grave in paradise ;
and there would have been none in all the earth, but
for sin. Man was indeed originally capable of dy
ing, as his experience soon evinced ; yet no accident
without, and no raalady within, would have endan
gered his being, or diminished his vigour, but for
sin. While innocent, he was immortal— not from
the inherency of any immutable properties of nature,
but from the divine appointment and preservation,
of which the tree of life in the midst of the garden
was either the means or the pledge. " The wages
of sin is death." " By one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin, and so death came on all,
because all have sinned."
Secondly, We may view it as a state of extreme
degradation. Whatever we are invested with, we
must be despoiled of all at the gate of the grave.
Even the costly and tempting attire that ministered
so much to the vanity of the wearer, and the danger
of the beholder, is here stripped off; and if any sub
stitute be allowed, it is the shroud and the winding-
sheet — ^though thousands are denied even these.
'' We brought nothing with us into the world, and it
is certain we shall carry nothing out." "As he
came forth of his mother's womb^ naked shall he re-
42

330

THE CHRISTIAN,

turn to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his
labour, which he may carry away in his hand."
" For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away :
his glory shall not descend after him."
What is any condition without society ? But the
grave* forbids all intercourse, all interview. Says
Hezefciah, with tears, " I shall behold man no more
with the inhabitants of the world."
Here the man boasts of his relations. There he
says to corruption, thou art my father, and to the
worm, thou art my mother and my sister.
There all his active functions, and the feelings
which they engendered or subserved, have ceased.
" The living know that they shall die ; but the dead
know not any thing. Also their love and hatred and
envy is now perished ; neither have they any more a
portion for ever in any thing that is done under the
sun." His business, his ppofession> descends to his
successor, or passes to his rival. Even his religioas
exercises are there abandoned. " In death there is
no remembrance of thee. In the grave who shall
give thee thanks ? Shall the dust praise thee, shall
it declare thy truth ? Shall thy loving-kindness be
declared in the grave?" '^ Shall thy wonders be
known in the dark ? and thy righteousness in the
land of forgetfulness ?"
The body itself, that fine piece of divine workman
ship, so fearfully and wonderfully made, is here brok
en and thrown by as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
The hands have forgotten their enterprise. The
cherubic tints have left the cheek, cold and palid.
The bright eye is quenched in darkness ; and the
tongue that excited so much emotion is muteness it
self. Nor is this all. There is enough in the body.

IN THE GRAVE. 331
even vs^hile living, to prevent all glorying in the flesh.
It had its humbling appetites and infirmities : it W£^s
the seat of diseases which sometimes required all the
force of duty and friendship to discharge the offices
of humanity. See Job covered with sore boils from
the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, sitting
among the ashes, and scraping himself with a pots
herd. But let the anatomist take off from a human
body that translucent veil, the skin ; and then ob
serve the hideous and shocking spectacle of flesh, and
sinews, and muscles. View the skeleton, when every
thing is removed from the dry bones. But see the
body in the various stages of decomposition and putre-
feiction — What an exhibition of expense and finery
is that funeral ! Why all this pomp and artifice?
It is in honour of the deceased. Why then do you
not show to the multitude of gazers, " the Principal
concealed, for whom you make the mighty stir?"
You dare not. You have been obliged to enclose,
and solder, and coffin him up. What tears bedew
the grave at parting! Why then do you part? Why
not take and preserve at home " the deceased
angel ?" You dare not — The form is intolerable.
You must bury your dead out of your sight, and shut
too the door, and inscribe over it —
f How Ipvpd, how valued once, avails thee not,
" To whom related, or by whom begot :
" A heap of dust alone remains of thep;
" 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be."
Thirdly, We may notice it as an universal recep
tacle. *' 1 know that thou wilt bring me to death ;
and to the house appointed for all living."
Then. how large its extent! Though the me-

332 THE CHRISTIAN,
morials of death do not every where meet yow
sight ; and particular spaces are properly appropria
ted for interment ; and some of them are very capa
cious and crowded : yet there is scarcely a spot, that
holds not some portion of huraanity. You feel as you
march over a field of battle : you feel as you walk
through a eh!?reh-yard, especially in the darkness of
the night. But are the dead only there ? Perhaps
some one has been turned to dust beneath the pew in
which you are now sitting. Perhaps your house
stands, and your garden blossoms, over the remains of
some, who were once as active as you. What walk
can you take, and not trample on the ashes of those
who are gone before?
" What is the world itself ? Thy world ? — A grave..
" Where is the dust that has not been alive ?
'• The spade, the plough disturbs our ancestors :
" From human mould we reap our daily bread..
" O'er devastations we blind revels keep.
" Whole buried towns support the dancer's heel.
" As nature, wide our ruins spread ; and death
" Inhabits edl things but the thought of man'."
Then, how numerous its victims f How soon the
power of calculation fails in reckoning up the myriads
that do occupy, and will occupy this dark abode.
Seven hundred and fifty millions constitute the popu
lation of the globe. These in less than a century.
will be all lodged in the grave. Yet what are these
to the multitudes which will follow, and to the immen
sities that precede ! — " Every man shall draw after
him, as there have been innumerable before him !"
Then, how impartial its demands ! Infinitely
diversified as the ways of huraan life are, here they
all approximate and unite. The paths of glory lead

IN THE GRAVE. 333
but to the grave. Here come the nobles with their
titles, and princes with their crowns, and scholars
with their volumes.
" Why aU this toil, the triumph of an hour ?
" Whatj though we wade in wealth, or soar in fame,
" Earth's highest station ends in — ' Here he lies !'
" And dust to dust concludes her noblest song !"
'' One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at
ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk, and
his bones are moistened with marrow. And another
dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth
with pleasure. They shall lie down alike in the
dust, and the worms shall cover thera." There lies
the babe that perished in the porch of life ; and
there the thrice greyheaded Parr. The beautiful
and the deformed, the rich and the poor, there
meet together. " There the prisoners rest together:
the small and the great are there ; and the servant is
free from his master." " Do not all go to one place ?
All are ofthe dust, and all turn to dust again !"
Then, how painful its separations ! If it be ap
pointed for all living, then must it entomb the friend
that is as thine own soul ; the child of thy love, the
wife of thy bosom, the guide of thy youth. There
Mary goes to the grave to weep over Lazarus.
There David cries, " I am distressed for the^, my
brother Jonathan." Who has not sustained some
bereavement ? Who has not some spot the dearest
on earth, and rendered sacred by a deposit more
;^recious than gold ? Thus every man feels an in
terest in the grave. It is to him the residence not
of strangers and foreigners, but of kindred who de
tach hira hence. , What do I here, and what have I
here ? I am related not to the living, but the dead —

334 THE CHRISTIAN,
There lie all that bound me to earth. " Lover and
friend hast thou put far from me, and my acquaint
ance into darkness."
Then, how personal its claims / If it be appointed
for all living, it must require me. I may escape a
thousand other things that befall my fellow-creatnres ;
but 1 must follow them here. I see, in their end,
the emblem, the pledge, the certainty of my own.
No privilege can exempt me here. I am going the
way of all the earth. "If I wait, the grave is mine
house." But surely there is one exception to be found.
We read of a peculiar people, and who are not to be
numbered among the nations. They are the chil
dren of God ; and if children, then heirs, heirs of
God, and joint heirs with Christ. The Christian — is
not he free? No. There is no entering heaven, but
under ground. Yet, even in those things in which
the Christian seems confounded with others, he is re
ally, he is divinely distinguished. The Christian can
view the grave with an eye of faith, as well as of
sense. He can view it not only in connection with
that sin which has reigned unto death, but in connec
tion with that grace which reigns through righteous
ness unto eternal life. Though he cannot escape it,
he need not dread it. He is prepared to meet it,
to encounter it, to vanquish it, to triumph over it, to
insult it; to say, " 0 grave, where is thy victory?" —
Let us pass to the
II. Part of our subject, and consider what thE
Christian can find to relieve the scene.
People seem to have found a kind of satisfaction
^hen entering the grave, from the thought that they

IN the grave. 335
are going to join their connections. Hence, as well
as from the pride of distinction, sprang the mausole
ums of the great, a kind of family-tomb. Hence,
among the Jews, the frequency of sepulchres in their
gardens ; where they seemed still to retain the de
parted near them, and maintain a kind of communion
with them, and feel .soothed at the thought of blend
ing with them, in the exclusive and endeared abode.
Hence Ruth said to Naomi, " Where thou diest, will
I die, and there will I be buried.'' Jacob said, ^*,I
will go down into the grave to my son." " But I will
lie with my fathers ; and thou shalt carry me out of
Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place." "And
he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be
gathered unto my people ; bury me with my fathers
in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite."
" In the cave that is in the field Machpelah, which is
before Marare, in the land of Cahaan, which Abra
ham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a
possession of a buryingr place ; there they buried
Abraham and Sarah his wife ; there they buried
Isaac and Rebekah his wife ; and there I buried
Leah." Nor was this only the language of faith, but
of nature. In vain I am told there is no reason in the.
thing, since there is no conscious community in the
grave. There are beautiful insects, too fine for dis
section ; yet there is in them all the reality of organ
ization. There are sentiments to be felt, rather than
explained — instincts of the heart ; it is nature — it is
the God of nature that speaks in them. We often
feel most forcibly an impression whose cause is hid
den and undefinable. What occurs to the mind in a
kind of distinct proposition may be met, and argued,
and repulsed : but a principle whose influence is re-

336 the christian,
ally, yet , secretly and unaccountably exerted, resemi
bles those invisible laws in the natural world, whose
agency we can neither deny nor withstand. To
which we may add, that whatever tends to diminish
the gloom of the grave, and to render it more invit
ing, is to be cherished, and not despised. — But we
have something superior to all. There are five
things which a Christian should think of with regard
to the grave. Jesus himself has been in it. It is a
place of repose. It receives only a part ofthe man.
It will not be able to retain this always. It must not
only restore it, but restore it improved.
First, When you think of the grave, remember
that Jesus himself has been there. How far did he,
who is all your salvation and all your desire, carry
his hurailiation! He descended into. the lowest parts
of the earth. For as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the whale's belly ; so the Son of Man was
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
He not only died, but was buried, according to the
Scripture. And hereby he not only said, see how
certain my death is ; but, are you afraid to enter the
grave ? I will go in before .you, and render it safe
and attractive. — Yes, the Lily of the Valley, and the
Rose of Sharon, was laid there, and has left a long
perfume. Whenever I am committing the remains
of a believer to the, tomb, I seem to hear the angel
saying, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
" The graves of all his saints he blest,
" And softened every bed ;
" Where should the dying members rest,,
" But with the dying Head ?"
Secondly, When you think ofthe grave, remember
It is u place of repose. Hence Job adds, ^* I have

IN tHe GRAVis, ssi
tnade my bed in the darkness." But who sleeps the
less sound for the darkness ? The darkness aids our
sleep. And' who, after the fatigues of the day, dis
likes or dreads the refreshment of night ? The sleep
of a labouring man is sweet. He lies down and for
gets his sorrow, and remClhbers his misery no more.
God has a hiding-place for his people even in life ;
aM often says, " Come, my people, enter thou into
thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee ; hide
th'Ce also for a little season, until the indignation be
overpast." But here the Clouds return after the
rain; and as long as earth is their abode, bonds and
afflictions abide them. Therefore, says Job, "O
that thou wouldest hide me in the grave ; that thou
wouldest keep me secret until thy wrath be fast;
that thou wouldefst appoint me a set time, and re
member me!" God' takes away his people from the
evil to cottle. HefOfeseCsit;' but they dO not. He
therefore lays hold' of them, and places them in a
sheltered rett-eat. Ahd you often clearly see, after
their removal, what' some of your connexions would
have suffered had they continued here a little longer.
Ah! says one, whose porposes' are broken' off, (his
very heart desolated within him,) Ah ! what should
/have escaped, hadlbeten allowed an earlier retire
ment. For now should I have lain still and beeii
quiet ; I should havfe' slept: then had I been at
rest." YeS-^from the snares and vexations of the
world ; frora the reproaches and persecutions of the
ungodly ; from the perfidy or weakness of friends ;
from thte temptations of the Devil ; frOni the conflicts
of flesh and spirit ; there all will be peace ; all will be
quietness ; all Will be aSsurahfee • forever. " There
43

338 THE christian,
the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary.
are at rest;"
Thirdly, When you think of the grave, remember
that it has only a partial empire ; it only receives
what is corporeal and mortal. Here we are not
going to enter into metaphysical reasonings. We
understand but little of the connexion of spirit with
matter ; yet why should we doubt the possibility of
its existence separate from it ? Are we not conscious
of some raental operations, in which the body seems
to take no share? And when the powers of the
body are suspended in sleep, is there not something.
that sees without eyes, and hears without ears ? Do
we not even then dream? and often with an amazing
degree of activeness ?
The heathens seemed to allow that something in
man could exist, and would either suffer or enjoy,
independently of the body — for of the revival of the
body they never had the least notion. But we turn
at once to the Scriptures, the only source of satis
factory information in a case like this. ^' Then shall
the dust return to the earth as it was ; and the Spirit
shall return unto God who gave it." Hear the state
ment of the Apostle. " Absent from the body, and
present with the Lord." And his own wish express
ed to the Philippians: "I long to depart to be
with Christ, which is far better :" i, e, far bettep
for him, though to abide in the flesh was more need
ful for them. Now if he did not believe that his soul
would be immediately with Christ, his desire is per
fectly unintelligible. For by dying, he would have
been no sooner with Christ, than he would by remain
ing alive, as to time ; nor so near, as to enjoyment j
for here he had access to him and intercourse with

IN THE GRAVE. 339
r
fiim. How undeniably is this distinction admitted
by our Saviour, and made the rule of his most solemn
admonitions. " Fear not them which kill the body,
hut are not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
'' 1 say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them
that kill thebody, and after that have no more that
they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall
fear; fear him, which, after he hath killed, hath
power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear
hira." To which we may add his promise to the
thief on the cross ; which, though often tortured,
still refuses to support any other principle : " Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, this day thou shalt be with
me in Paradise."
This being premised and proved, we observe, that
the souls of believers are in their bodies, as the lamps
of Gideon in the pitchers : at midnight the pitchers
are broken, and the lamps shine forth, and the
victory is obtained. This, to drop the metaphor,
this is the ground of consolation taken by the Apos
tle : " And if Christ be in you, the body is dead
because of sin ; but the spirit is life because of righte

ousness."

Fourthly, When you think of the grave, remem
ber that its reign is not only limited as to subject,
but as to duration. Even the body, which it does
receive, will not, cannot be retained by it always ;
therefore the Apostle adds, " But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth
in you."

340 THE CHRISTIAN,
The grave is called our long home, not because it
is far off, for we live in the very neighbourhood ;
hut because our stay there will be long, compared
with our stay in our present home. This, indeed,
will not apply to all. Some at the last day will have
been buried only a year, or a week, or a day. The
sexton will be performing his office on some at the
yery instant ; and the reanimated corpse will burst
the coffin before it be confined in the grave ; and the
attendants be all changed in a moment, in the twink
ling of an eye. But you will lie there till the heav
ens be no more. Many will have been found dwell
ing there for thousands of years. Yet whatever be
the length of the occupancy, it wJU have an end, and
all the inhabitants will be sent forth.
And why should it be thought incredible that God
should raise the dead? With God all things are
possible. But you say, appearances do not render
it probable. We see nothing more of the body we
inter ; yea, we know it dissolves and returns to dust.
Yet was not that oak once an acorn ? Did not that
beautiful insect once lie in its little mummy grave?
hut it burst its confinement, and now owns the air and
sky. What do men produce from the rudest ele
ments ? Show a stranger to the process, a figure pf
glass ; and then place before him the bare materials
from whichjt is deduced. " How are the dead rais
ed up, and with what body do they come ? Thou
fool, that which thou sowest is npt quickened, except
it die : and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not
that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance
pf wheat,, or of some other grain; but God giveth it
a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his
own body." But how decisive is the testimony of

m THE GRAVE, 341
the Scripture ! The doctrine is found even in th^
Old Testament. Our Saviour found it in the Pen
tateuch ; and deduced it from the declaration of God
at the burning bush : " I am the God of Abraham,
and of Isaac, and of Jacob. God is not the God of
the dead, but ofthe living:" for all live unto him^
purpose and accomplishment being the same with
him. In Isaiah we read, "Thy dead men shall live;
together with my dead body shallthey arise. Awake
and sing, ye that dwell in the dust : for thy dew is
as the dew of herbs, and thfe earth shall cast out the
dead." Many have supposed, with much probabili
ty, that here is a promise of the resurrection of be
lievers through their union with Christ. But if the
evidence of this supposition be not strong enough to
bear such an argument, it is undeniable, that the
deliverance of the people of God from a state of the
lowest degradation and hopelessness, is here held forth
hy an image taken from the resurrection of the dead.
And Ezekiel employs the same image in the vision of
the dry bones, raised to union and life. And what
can more clearly prove that the doctrine of the resur
rection of the dead was in those days a known and
popular sentiment ? For an image employed to re
present any thing in the way of allegory or metaphor,
whether in poetry or prophecy, must be generally
and well understood, or the end of its appropriation
is defeated. In the New Testament, it is more than
liierely admitted. It is every where affirmed, and
reasoned from, as an important principle. And-how
commonly the notion and belief of it prevailed among
the Jews, appears from the language of Martha ; "I
know that he will rise again in the resurrection at
the last day," And from the defence of Paul before

842 THE CHRISTIAN,
Felix : " And have hope towards God, which they
themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrec
tion of the dead, both of the just and unjust."
Here also we have it in fact and example. Sev
eral were raised again ; and one of them after he had
lain in the grave four days, and the process of cor
ruption must have more than commenced. But Je
sus himself arose : and he is not only an instance, but
a pledge. If ever an event was proved, it was the
resurrection of Christ. But if Christ be preached that
he rose from the dead, how say some, that there is no
resurrection of the dead ? But now is Christ risen
from the dead, and become the first-fruits of therii
that sleep. His resurrection is the claim, as well as
the proof of ours — " Because I live, ye shall live al
so." Our nature was revived in his person ; and
thus we are quickened with Christ, and raised up,
and made to sit with him in the heavenly places.
But every man in his own order : Christ the first-
fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's, at his com
ing. Our Saviour repeatedly said? "I will raise
him up at the last day." For this is the period ap
pointed for the resurrection : and the reason of the
appointment, in a measure, appears. If each body
was raised in succession previously, the order of na
ture and providence would be perpetually invaded,
and miracles would be constantly required. And not
only for this reason, but also for the greater honour
ofthe Redeemer, this greatest and sublimest exertion
of Almightiness is reserved for the appearing of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Then he shall come to be glori
fied in his saints, and to be admired in all them that
believe. Then, O Death ! he will be thy plagues ;
then, 0 Grave ! he will be thy destruction ; and re
pentance shall be hid from his eyes.

IN THE GRAVE. 343
Finally, Remember, to complete your comfort, that
what you resign to the grave will not only be restor
ed, but infinitely improved. As Egypt was com
pelled not only to allow the Israelites to depart, but
to send them away enriched ; and as Cyrus not only
gave up the captives from Babylon, but ordered
them to be helped with silver and gold, and with
goods, and beasts, beside their own free-will offerings
to the house of God ; so will it be in the resurrection.
Believers will not only leave the grave as they en
tered it — they will be, not only delivered, but exalt
ed ; they will not only have life, but have it more
abundantly. I deem this an important part of our subject : you
will therefore allow me a little enlargement. Who
ever has looked over the early attacks on Christianity
will have observed that the pagan philosophers not
only denied the doctrine of the resurrection, but af
fected to contemn the thing itself. They considered
it a bane, rather than a benefit ; and represented it
as imprisoning us again, and burdening us again, af
ter the sopl had been freed from its fetters and load.
And some Christians really seem to be almpst like-
minded. Few appear to consider it a prize ; at
least, such a prize as Paul did when he said, "If by
any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the
dead." And the reason is probably this. They now
know the disadvantages of the body, and are insensi
bly, led to judge of the future by their feelings at
present. And indeed if the bodies raised up were
no better than those laid down, the resurrection
would excite but little eagerness of desire. But what
saith the Scriptures ? Do not the sacred writers su
premely lead forward your minds to this, and point

344 THE CHRISTIAW,
your highest hope, not to the intermediate state> But
to your re-embodied? — "He shall be recompensed'
at the resurrection of the just." "I am persuade#
that he is able to keep that which I have committed^
to him- against that day." Man, in His primeval'
state, was embodied : and if hereafter we could at
tain . perfection' and happiness without our bodies,
what need would there be fbr their re-production
from the dust? Yet, according to the views and'
feelings of many> this grandest exertion of divine'
power seems to be entirely, or almost) unnecessary^-
But let us not be wiser than our Maker. How
ever incapable we may be of reasoning convincin^y'
upon the subject, there must be an accession of per
fection and happiness to be enjoyed in a state of re
union with the body, unattainable in a separate state.
The life of a mere spirit must differ much from its
subsistence in a corporeal organization. Without the'
latter it can hardly connect itself, for want of a medi
um, with the material universe) the new heavens and'
the new earth. It must be a stranger to the pl^sures^
that depend on our senses and passions ; and alSo'
those which arise from imagination-. Was it not a
privilege for Enoch and Elias to enter heaven em-
hodied ? -" But their bodies were changed." It is
allowed. And ours will be Changed also ; for flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 'God. And^
what a change must that be that can fit us for such a
state ! We are therefore not to think of our future
incarnation, by our present. The body then will i
not be a prison, a burden; it will not be a hinderance,-
but a help ; and will even subserve the soul in knowl
edge, holiness) benevolence, and enjoyment.

IN THE GRAVS, 845
There are two ways by which the Scripture ele
vates our conceptions of the resurrection body. The
first is, to compare, or rather contrast it with the
body we now have, " So is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incor-
ruption" — Not only incapable of defilement, but of
dissolution, of declension, of injury ; impassive ; im-
miortal. "It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in
glory" — No longer composed of base elements, sub
sisting on gross supplies, subject to the same laws
with the beasts that perish, employed in low and de
grading toils and pursuits. " It is sown in weakness ;
it is raised in power"'— No longer fatigued with a
little exertion, and requiring long insensibilities of
sleep, and frequent returns of food, to renew its
strength and keep it fit for action ; but capable of
serving Hira in his temple day and night, without
languor, and without repose. " It is sown a natural
body ; it is raised a spiritual body"— not a spirit,
but spiritual. Not spiritual in its essence, but in
the refinement of its senses, and indulgences, and
functions, and use. For " There is a natural body,
and there is a spiritual body."
The second is, to hold forth the conformity it wil}
bear to the body of our Saviour. " And so it is
written. The first man Adam was made a living soul ;
the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. How
beit that was not first which is spiritual, but that
which is natural : and afterward that which is spirit
ual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the
second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the
earthy, such are they also that are earthy ; and as is
the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we
44

346 THE CHRISTIAN,
shall also bear the image of the heavenly." "It
doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but tliis we
know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. And this like
ness takes in the body as well as the soul. What a
body was that, which after his resurrection could
render itself visible and invisible at pleasure ; which
walls and doors could not exclude ; which moved
with the ease and expedition of thought ; which as
cended up on high without impulsion ; which appear
ed to Saul, and at noon-day shone above the bright
ness of the sun ; in which he is now worshipped by
all the angels of God ; and in which he will judge
the world in righteousness, and reign for ever and
ever ! But this, O believer, is the model of thy
destination. " For our conversation is in heaven ;
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ ; who shall change our vile body, that
it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, ac
cording to the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things unto himself."
— Let this assurance and confidence lead us to
bless God for revelation, and the explicitness of its
discoveries. With us the darkness is past, and the
true light shineth. And what does it leave undis
covered that is important to our safety, welfare, and
comfort? Whatever reasonings and conjectures the
Heathen had with regard to a future state, it is well
known they gave up the body. No one for a mo
ment ever supposed that the. grave could re-open,
and the dead arise. , When Paul was at Athens
(where the immortality of the soul was frequently
asserted,) and preached unto them Jesus and the
resurrection, even the men of science, forgetting the

IN THE GRAVE. 347
gravity that became their character, " mocked !"
and said, "what will this babbler say?" But there
iS; not a peasant or a child in our land of vision, but
knows that the dead, small and great, will stand be
fore God.
— This prospect should comfort you in the loss of
your connexions. You are not forbidden to feel —
"Your grief becomes you, and your tears are just."
Jesus wept. But " Weeping must not hinder sow
ing." *' I would not have you to be ignorant, breth
ren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him."
*' But they were so dear !" They were. But they
are much dearer now.s They have left all their im
perfections, and all their sorrows behind —
" They sleep in Jesus, and are blest.
" How sweet their slumbers are i
" From suffering and from sin released,
" And freed from every' care."
/
And this is not all. "Martha! Thy brother
shall rise again. , Rachel ! You weep for your child,
and refuse to be comforted, because he is not" — "Why
was this loved babe born ? why was I torn with pain
at his birth, and again rent with anguish at his
death ? What purpose has his brief history answer
ed ? What has now becorae of hira ?" These, and
a thousand other inquiries which the busy mind will
ask, could never have been answered, but for this
book,-^never so precious as in the hour of trouble.
There the mystery is explained. There you learn
liat a sparrow falleth not to the ground without your

348 THE CHRISTIAN,
Heavenly Father; that the present is only the
threshold of existence ; that the soul of this infant is
now in the Shepherd's bosom ; and that his body will
not perish, but be seen again, "all heavenly and di
vine." "Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine
eyes from tears : for thy work shall be rewardedj^
saith the Lord ; and thy children shall come again
from the land of the enemy." O ye Children ! who
are yet spared, and are now responsible for your con
duct ; let this comfort be put into our hearts with re
gard to you. Remember your Creator. Live and
die in the Lord ; and then, though we lose you for a
moment^ you shall be restored to us, equal to the an
gels, and be the children of God, being the children
of the resurrection. And, you Parents ! endeared
by so much affection, and whose venerable looks re
mind us of separation-; fear not to go in good time.
We will rock the cradle of your age ; and comfort
you on the bed of languishing; and kiss your cold
cheeks, and close your eyes, and lay you in the dust ;
but we shall see you again ; and our heart shall re
joice, and our joy no one taketh from us.
— And let this animate you when looking towards
your own grave. And surely some of you mtist be
thinking of it. Your complaints, your infirmities,
your years, must lead you to ask. How long have I to
live ? Well ! if you are a Christian, you have every
reason to think of it with resignation and pleasure.
God says to you, as he did to Jacob trembling on the
confines of Egypt, " Be not afraid to go down : I will
go down with thee ; and I will bring thee up again."
He will watch over your sleeping dust, and he will
bid it rise. If it be trying to part with your com
panion the body, remember it is only for a time ; and

IN THE GRAVE. 349
it will be restored to you in the image of God's Son.
Say then, " I am not following cunningly devised fa
bles. I build upon a rOck. It is true, sin takes
away my health and breath, and lays my body down
in the grave. But I hear him saying among the
tombs, I am the resurrection and the' life : he that
believeth in nie, though he were dead, yet shall he
live ; and he that liveth and believeth in rae shall
never die. At the sound of this, I take courage and
go forward. I am not stumbling over a precipice,
uncertain where I shall fall, and not knowing that I
shall ever rise. I descend into the grave by a gentle
flight of steps, leaning on my Beloved and my Friend
— I choose to die. It is thou, my God, my Saviour,
who callest me ; and I give up my life into thy hand,
assuredly persuaded, that thou art able and willing
and engaged to return it." This is not empty dec
lamation. I have taken the very language from the
lips' of a dying saint — I stood by— and after she had
surveyed her reduced and wrinkled hands and arms>
she ended her address, (and life too, a few moments
after,) with the words of the sweet Psalmiht in our
British Israel : —
" Oft have I heard thy threat'nings roar,
" And pft endur'd the grief:
"And when thy hand hath press'd me sore,
" Thy grace was my rehef.
" By long experience I have known
" Thy sov'reign pow'r to save ;
" At. thy command I venture down
" Securely to the grave.
" When I lie buried deep in dust,
" My flesh shall be thy care ; , •
" Those with'ring limbs with thee I trust;
" To raise them sti-ong and fair.

350 THE CHRISTIAN,
— But what is all this to some of you, my breth
ren ? Let me speak freely ; and do not consider me
as your enemy, because I tell you the truth. Who of
you have not frequently been at the grave of a neigh
bour,' a friend, a relation? Sometimes you have-
been deeply inTj)ressed there. But how soon did the
impression wear off; and you renewed your pursuit
of the world, as eagerly as if you had never heard,
never seen, never felt that all was vanity and vexa
tion of spirit.
W^hat do you think of your own grave? Perhaps
the thought never enters your mind ; or if it does, :
you deem it an impertinent and hateful intruder ;.
and you drive it from you, as you would a serpent.
Some of you have been led down very nearly to the
grave, by perilous accident or disease. And how
did it appear ? Did it not seem an awful thing to
enter an invisible and changeless state? Did you
not turn your face to the wall and weep ? If ever you
prayed, was it not then ? " O spare rae a little,
that I may recover strength, before I go hence and
be no more." Where now arC the confessions and
vows of that hpur ? Perhaps the very scene is ren-'
dered disagreeable by your apostasy from your con
victions—you endeavour to forget •¦ it — and you shun
the Christian, and the Minister you called in, because
they are now witnesses against you.
Here is an awful case. And what can you do ?
If you wait, the grave is your house — and you know
you must enter it. You may play the infidel : you
may deny the truth of the Gospel ; but it is useless
to deny that you are on the borders of the grave —
you may reason about it ; you may look up and curse
God and your King, But you cannot escape. Per-

IN THE GRAVE. 351
haps you would be shocked to be unburied ; but this
is not likely to be your case. You may have a good
grave — a much bettersgrave than many of your neigh
bours ; and it will afford your body ease ; and in
this sense, the clods of the valley will be sweet about
you. , But is there not a spirit in man»? Where will
your soul be while your body is resting in the grave?
Yea, and how is the body to be disposed of at last ?
The Lord Jesus will raise you, as well as his peo
ple ; but his agency will have a very different princi
ple. The resurrection of the godly will be perform
ed by him, as their Lord and Redeemer, under the
administration of grace; but the wicked will be
raised by hira as the Ruler and the Judge, under
an administration of law ; for they are under the law,
and not under grace. They refused the ransom, and
died in their guilt; and the grave received fAem as
criminals in charge bound over to justice — for as
many as are under the law, are under the curse ; and
as they live, and die, so they rise the same.
There is also:a difference in the bodies revived.
What the -bodies of the righteous will be, you have
heard: but they that sow to the flesh, shall ofthe
flesh reap corruption. The evils attached to your
bodies will not be left in the grave, but will cleave to
them for ever ; and they will inherit the seeds of dis
ease and the principles of deformity ; and they will
have the same raging appetites and passions-^but all
unindulged. The conditions following also, differ. " And many
of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall a-
wake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt." "Marvel not at this :
for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the

352 THE CHRISTIAN,
graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth:
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resur
rection of damnation." Thus both the chief butler
and chief baker were released at the same time, and
from the same confinement — the one to be advanced,
and the other to be executed. The grave, to the
believer, is an avenue to heaven. It is the dress-
chamber, in which the Church puts on her beautiful
garments, to arise and meet the Lord in the air. But
to others, it is the condemned cell in which the male
factor is lodged till he is led out to punishment.
That can hardly be called a deliverance, that release*
a man frora a bad condition and consigns him to a
worse. It would be well if the bodies of the wicked
could remain where by death they are deposited :
but this is impossible. The bodies — those bodies
which you have so indulged, so pampered, so adorn
ed ; the bodies which_ death delivers to the worms,
the resurrection will deliver to the flames!
And where are you now? Take the hemp or the
steel, and destroy yourself. Ah! this too is impossi>-
ble. The soul is instantly before God. You have got
rid only of one part of yOu. And even the part you
have demolished, will be re-animated and rendered
invulnerable — and you shall seek death, but shall not
find it ; and shall desire to die, but death shall flee
from you.
— But why do I thus address you ? It is that, by
awakening your consciences from a fatal security, I
may in time dispose you to ask, " What must I do to
be saved?" I am sure of this, that I would not have
enlarged upon your awful condition had I not believ
ed that there is hope in Israel concerning this thing ;

THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE GRAVE. 353
and that none of you are excluded from it unless those
who exclude themselves. But so it is. The Saviour
stands before you in all the combined forms of power
and of pity. He is able^he is willing to save unto
the uttermost. Seek him while he may be found.
Call upon him while he is near. Wait for np qualifi
cations to recommend you to his gracious notice. He
requires none. If Paul and Silas were here, they
would say, *' Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved." Plead not, as an objection,
your unworthiness. This should only increase the
earnestness of your application. Behold the number
and the character of those who have obtained mercy.
Read his word ; and hear him not only allowing, but
inviting and commanding you to approach, with the
assurance, *' him that cometh unto me, I will in no
wise cast out." Obey his voice. Commit yourselves
into his hands. And you shall never come into con
demnation, but shall pass from death unto life. And
though even then, if you wait, the grave is your
house, it will only be a peaceful and temporary res
idence to sleep in : and you will finally enter anoth
er house, a building of God, a house not made with
hands^ eternal in the heavens.

45

LECTURE XIL

THE CHRISTIAN, IN HEAVEN.

" Who hath brought life and immortoMty to light through ti4
Gb^el—2TtM.i. 10.
DID the heathen then know nothing of life and
immortality befdre7 ' They had their schools and
their philosophers. Some of them acquired great
distinction ^and fame. Their sagacity and learning
¦Vvere deep and extensive. They were enriched by
a long succession of preceding discoveries and im
provements. In the various arts and sciences they
much excelled ; and he that would see a fine piece of
statuary muSt fetch it frora the ruins of Greece and
Rome. But, as to the things of God, we are assured
by one who was well qualified to judge, " They were
vain in their imaginations : their foolish heart was
darkened. And professing themselves wise, they be
came fools."
They had indeed their surmisings concerning a fu
ture state ; they brought forward some strong prob
abilities in its favour ; and, aided in their reason
ings by hints of unacknowledged tradition, some fine
and worthy sentiments escaped from them. But they
never taught life and immortality as a doctrine ; they
never employed it as a principle and motive. They
]^ad no authority to publish it to others j and not one

THE CHRISTIAN, IN HEAVEN. 355
of them was sure of the thing in his own mind. And,
as Paley well remarks, " Conjecture and opinion are
not knowledge ; and in religion, nothing more is
known than is proved." , Thus the world by wisdom
knew not God ; and if- this was the case with the wise
and the learned, what was it with the common peo
ple, with the old, with children, with the busy and
engrossed, who could only eat their bread by the
sweat of their brow ? The Apostle, therefore, speak
ing of the Gentiles, says, they were left, " If haply
they might feel after Him and find Him" — an ex
pression borrowed from the bHnd, who grope for
their object, and their way, uncertain of success, and
in danger of hurting theraselves by their own efforts.
But did not the Jews know?. We make no scrur
pie to say, they did, To them pertained the oracles
of God. .He gave his word unto Jacob; his statutes
and his judgments unto Israel ; and dealt not so with
^ny other people. David said, " Thou shalt guide
me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to
glory." Jacob, even in death, was ** waiting for the
salvation of God." How explicit was the profession
of Job, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and tha,t
he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; and
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet
in my flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall see for my
self, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, al
though my reins be consumed within me."
— How then could " life and immortality be
brought to light through the Gospel ?" We answer.
The word Gospel may be taken two ways. The one
more general, for revelation at large ; and thus it is
to be understood when it is said, "The gospel was
preached to the Jews, but the word preached did nqt

356 THE CHRISTIAN,
profit them." And thus it is to be understood when
it is said, " The scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the heathen through faith preached be
fore the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall
all nations be blessed." — The other is more restrict
ed, and signifies the evangelical dispensation ; com
mencing with the ministry of our Lord, and including
not only the discourses which he personally deliver
ed, but all the inspired communications of the Apos
tles. Now, if we take the word Gospel here in the
former sense, the meaning is, that it brought life and
immortality to light really. But if taken in the
latter sense, then the meaning is, that it brought
life and immortality to W^ht pre-eminently. And it
must be confessed that this is the more common ac-
ception ofthe term, and so it is required to be taken
in the passage before us. The dawn was visible be
fore ; but now the day appeared. To the Jews the
Sun of Righteousness was below the horizon; onus
he has risen with healing under his wings : and
Christians are all the children of the light and of the
day ; God having provided some better thing for us>
that they without us should not be made perfecti
Hence our Saviour said to his disciples — ^not com
paring them with the Gentiles, but with their own
nation : " Many prophets and righteous men have
desired to see the things that ye see, and have not
seen them ; and to hear the things which ye hear-,
and have not heard them. But blessed arc your
eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear."
Therefore, while for a knowledge of life and im
mortality we repair to the Scripture only, we must
look peculiarly into the New Testament, where we
are furnished with clearer decisions, and ampler re-

IN HEAVEN. 357
presentations ; and above all, with illustrations and
pledges, in a risen and glorified Saviour. Here a-
gain the unrivalled excellency of Christianity appears.
How unsatisfactory, how cold, how mean, how gross,
how absurd, how disgusting, are the intimations of
Deism, the Elysian fields of Pagan poetry, the re
wards of Hindooisra, the Paradise of Mahomedism, —
when placed by the side ofthe " life and immortali
ty brought to light through the God !"
Through the discoveries of this Gospel, we are
going .to finish our Series of Lectures, by viewing the
Christian in his final destination. You have seen
him—- In Christ, the source of all his principles,
and consolations, and hopes. You have seen him —
Withdrawing into his Closet, and dealing much with
God alone. You have seen him — Leaving his retire
ment, and stepping into his Family, and with his
house serving God. You have seen hira — Joining
himself to God's people ; and walking in the Church
in all the comraandraents and ordinances of the Lord
blameless. You have seen him — Safe and sanctified
in Prosperity. You have seen hira — Supported
and comforted in Adversity. You have seen him —
In his Spiritual Sorrows hanging his harp on the
willows. You have seen — The Joy of the Lord his
strength. You have surveyed him — In the Valley
of the shadow of Dkath ; and have seen that his end
is peace. You have seen him — though laid in the
Grave, not left there ; but rising into newness of life.
And now we are to view Him — In Heaven. Four
things will engage our attention. The
I. Regards the degree of our present knowl
edge OF the heaveni+y world. — The

358 the CHRISTIiVN,
II. The manner in which the Scripture aids
us IN CONCEIVING OF A SUBJECT SO VAST AND DIFFI
CULT. — The
III. Its principal constituents. — And
lY. The instructions and impressions we
should derive from the contemplation of the
Christian in the possession of it.
I. Regards the degree of our present knowl
edge of the heavenly, world.
Have you never, my brethren, when perusing the
sacred writings, been struck with a kind of contradic
tion? Here, in one place, you say, I read that ^'life
and immortality are brought to light ;" and in anoth
er, I am told of " the glory that shall be revealed."
In one, I am assured, that " eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the
things which God hath prepared for them that love
him.^' And yet in another it is said, " God hath re
vealed them unto us by his Spirit." But this ap
parent contradiction supplies us with the fact we are
remarking; and the Apostle John has fully expressed
it when he says, " It doth not yet appear what we
shall be ; but this we know, that when he shall ap
pear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he
is." That is, we know something of it ; but much,
very much, remains concealed. We have some de
velopments in the sacred pages, and in the illumina
tions of the Holy Ghost —
Yet we are only able to sui-vey
Dawning of beams, and glimmerings of day ;
Heaven's fuller affluetice mocks our dazzled sights
Too gfeat its swiftness, and too strong its light.

in heaven. 359
Of the full disclosure ofthe heavenly world, there is
a moral and a natural prevention. It would not be
proper, if it were possible : and it would not be pos
sible, if it were proper. Let us explain.
The only wise God has attempered even our senses
to our present condition. The measure in which we
possess them, is admirably fitted to the functions and
enjoyments of life. It is easy to perceive that if our
feeling was more exquisite it would annoy us ; that if
our hearing was increased, it would prove our incou'-
venience ; and that if our eye was to become micro*
scopic, we should be afraid to move. It is precise
ly the same with our knowledge. This is adjusted
in conformity to the claims of our present sphere of
action and happiness. We are now in a mixed state,
where sorrow is necessary as well as pleasure ; and
darkness as well as light. Some duties, if they do
not entirely result from our ignorance, are enforced
by it. Witness the admonition of the Saviour,
^' Watch, for ye know not the day or the hour
wherein the Son of Man cometh." We are in a
course of trial and discipline ; where the grand prin-»
ciple of our training is confidence ; where we are to
walk by faith, and not by sight: for we are to hon
our God by trusting in him ; and to follow the exam
ple of our father Abraham, who "by faith, when he
was called to go out into a place which he should
afterwards receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and
went out, not knowing whither he went"— satisfied
with his Guide, and the assurance he had received 5
and leaving all the inquiries which restless curiosity,
and proud reasonings, and conferring with flesh and
blood would have gendered, as unworthy a thought.

360 THE CHRISTIAN,
We may venture to affirm, that if heaven was now
fully laid open to our view, it would be so impressive
and engrossing, as to render every thing here insig
nificant and uninteresting, and loosen and detach us
from all our present engagements. St. Pierre tells
us of his returning to France, in a ship that had been
absent several years in the East Indies. And "when,''
says he, " the crew approached their native country,
they were all eagerness to discern it. Some of them
mounted the rigging : some of them employed the
glass. By and bye an exclamation was heard, 'Yon
der it is !' Then they became thoughtful and listless.
But when they drew nearer, and began.to discover
the tops of the hills and the towers, that reminded
them of the spots in which they had been brought up,
they knew not how to contain themselves. They
dressed themselves in their best apparel; they
brought out the presents designed for their connex
ions. But when the vessel entered the harbour;
and they saw their friends and relations on the quay,
stretching forth their hands to embrace them, many
of them leaped from the ship, and other hands were
employed to bring it to its moorings." Ah! Chris
tians, could you see the better country from which
you were born, and to which you are bound — could
you behold your connexions there, ready to receive
you ; your stations would soon be deserted, and oth
er agents would be wanted to carry on their concern.
We go further : and we say that the full disclosure
of heaven would not only derange the present order
of things, but endanger, injure, and destroy the
very beings to whom it was presented. Our physi
cal powers have their limits; and from many in
stances in the Scriptures, we see the effects of an ex-

IN HEAVEN. 361
cess of excitement or impresaon. Accustomed as
she was to grandeur, the Queen of Sheba, at the
sight of Solomon's glory, had no more spirit in her^.
Jacob fainted away when he saw the waggons to con
vey him to his son Joseph. When the angel approach
ed Daniel, there was no strength in him, for his come
liness was turned in him to corruption. And though
John had often reclined on his bosom ; when the Sav
iour appeared to him, he fell at his feet as dead.
No ; we have not eyes to see that brilliancy now ;
we have not ears to endure that melody now ; we
have not frames to bear up under that weight of glo
ry now. *< Flesh and blood cannot inherit the king
dom of God."
The full knowledge therefore is no raore practica
ble than it is expedient. We have no adequate rae-
dium of receiving the communication ; and heaven
entering the mind now, is like the sun entering the
house through a few little crevices, or the sea flowing
thrmigh the cavity of a straw. There is an amazing
force in language, as we see in some most powerfut
and affecting works : but words, however chosen, can
no more express heaven, than paint can do justice to
light, or heat, or joy. All our modes of apprehend
ing and feeling, are not refined and exalted enough
to take a complete hold of an object so peculiar and
spiritual. Even our thoughts, thaty seem to " leave
dull mortality behind," here labour and strive in vain :
and one of the sublimest Understandings that ever
soared, even also when inspired, could only exclaim,
¦*'0! how great is the goodness which thou hast
laid up for them that fear thee."
This, however, is not to be taken absolutely.
With all our deficiencies, we are not ignorant ofthe
46

362

THE CHRISTIAN,

reality of this glory : nor are we unfurnished with
such a degree of information concerning it, as our
duty and our welfere allow and require. — And we
proceed, II. To observe how the Scripture aids us in
CONCEIVING OF A SUBJECT SO DIFFICULT AND VAST.'
It does this four ways.
First, It enables us to conceive of it negatively.
Thus it tells us what it is not, removing from it eve
ry thing we know and feel to be dreadful, or trying,
or distressing. And such representations we are
prepared to understand and to feel, by a sad and com
mon experience. For often in a world like this, our
most lively apprehension of good is the removal of
evil ; and our most inviting notion of joy is the cessa
tion of grief. Hence the sacred writers assure us>
" They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more.
Neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat
There shall be no more curse. 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."
Secondly, It enables us to conceive of it figurative
ly. Figures are like dress : they are now used for
ornament, but they were introduced from necessity.
They were originally used not to embellish, but to
explain; and we want them for the same purpose
still. How can the mind, while incarnate, any more
discern than operate, but through the senses, the me
diums of all sensation and reflection ? How can we
reach the distant, but by the intervention of what is

IN ' HEAVEN. 363
near ?• How can we understand what is diflioult, but
by the application of what is familiar ? How can we
hold Communion with things unseen and eternal, but
by means of those which are seen and temporal?
What wonder therefore that the wisdom of God
should have levied a tax on all that is inviting in the
intercourses of life, and in the productions and ap
pearances of nature, to afford us emblems and illus
trations ? What wonder that we should read of riv
ers of pleasure ; of trees of life ; of robes and crowns ;
of feastings and mirth ; of treasures and triumphs —
and a thousand other images serving to hold forth a
little of the better and enduring substance ?
Thirdly, It helps us to conceive of it comparative
ly. It is a blessed change Christians now experience
in passing from death unto life. Now are they the
sons of God ; and they have the Spirit of adoption.
They have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and they
know the things that are freely given them of Godk
But though the sacred writers view grace and glory
as inseparable, and indeed consider them as the same
in kind, they remark the difference there is in de
gree. Here the new creature is in its infancy ; there
it comes to the measure of the fulness of the stature
of Christ. Here we are faithful over a few things ;
there we are made rulers over many things. ^ Here
we are saved by hope ; there we possess the reality.
Here we walk by faith ; there by sight. Now we
have the first-fruits of the Spirit ; then the whole
harvest. Now we have the earnest; then the inher
itance. The Christian is therefore led from hiis present ex
perience to his^ future attainments ; and there is no
way of his conceiving of heaven so affecting, as te

364 the christian,
take his best views and frames now, and to imagine
them perfect and perpetual. He can learn more
from one hour's communion with God, than from all
the books he ever read. There are ordinances, in
the use of which he is sometimes filled with all joy
and peace in believing ; and he can say,
" If such the sweetness of the streams,
" What must the fountain be ;
" Where saints and angels draw their bliss
" Immediately from thee ?"
There are spots in his walks rendered sacred by
his meeting his Lord and Saviour, and talking with
him as a man talketh with his friend. In his vernal
or autumnal retreats from the haunts of men, he has
sat beneath the branches of his favourite tree, and has
felt a perfect sympathy with all that is innocent and
beautiful around him ; and every thing earthly has
been reduced to its just level in his regards ; and
the world has been conquered, having nothing to
tempt and nothing to terrify ; and even Death has
been frownless ; and, ready to be dissolved, he could
sing, " 0 that the happy hour was come^
" To change my faith to sight ;
'" I shall behold my Lord at hom&
" In a diviner light"
Finally, It helps us i6 conceive of it positively.
Telling us plainly, " That the upright shall dwell in
His presence. That blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. That when he who is our
life shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory.
The righteous shall go away into life eternal." Yet

IN HEAVEN. .365
what docs this mean ? What does it include ? — And
what III. Are THE principal constituents of tub
HEAVENLY STATE?
Here we will not trifle, or pry into things which
we have not seen. We shall not therefore enlarge
on many topics which have commonly been connect
ed with the subject ; and the reason is, either be
cause they are not so explicitly revealed, or because
they are not so important in themselves, as those ar
ticles which we are going to enumerate.
It has been asked. Are there degrees in glory ?
We are persuaded there are. All analogy counte
nances the conclusion. We see diversities and ine
qualities pervading all the works of God. We know
there are gradations among angels ; for we read of
thrones and dominions, principalities and powers.
And though all Christians are redeemed by the same
blood, and justified by the same righteousness, we
know that there are degrees in grace. We know the
good ground brought forth in some places thirty, in
some sixty, in some a hundred fold. , And the Apos
tle tells us, " Every man shall receive his own re
ward according to his own labour." But here we
approve of the old illustration— however unequal in
size these vessels may be, when plunged into this
ocean, they shall all be equally filled.
It has been asked. Shall we know each other in
heaven ? Suppose you should not ; you may be as
sured of this, that nothing will be wanting to your
happiness. But 0, you say, how would the thought
a&ct me now 1 There is the babe that was torn

366 THE christian,
from my bosom ; how lovely then,- but a cherub now!;
There is the friend, who was as mine own soul, with'
whom I took sweet counsel, and went to the house of
God in company. There is the dear minister, whose
preaching turned my feet into the path of peace,
whose words were to me a well of life. There is the
beloved mother, on whose knees I first laid my little
hands to pray, and whose lips first taught my tongue
to pronounce the name of Jesus ! And are these re
moved from us fortjver? Shall we recognize them
no raore. Cease your anxieties. Can memory be
annihilated? Did not Peter, Jarties, and John know
Moses and Elias? Does not the Saviour inform us
that the friends, benefactors have made of the mam
mon of unrighteousness; shall receive them into ever
lasting habitations ? Does not Paul tell the Thessa-
lonians, that they are his hope, and joy, and crown
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Some would ask^ Where is heaven ? The uni
verse is imraense ; but what particular part of it is
assigned for the abode of the blessed, we cannot de
termine. It will probably be our present system ren
ovated. May we not infer this from the words of the
Apostle Peter — " Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being
on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat — Nevertheless, we, according to
his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth
wherein dwelleth righteousness."
But is it a place P Our Lord has a body like our
own ; and this cannot be omnipresent ; and wherever
he is corporeally, there is heaven — " Where I am,'
there shall also my servants be." Enoch and Elias
have bodies ; all the saints will have bodies ; and

IN HEAVEN. 367
these cannot be every- where. We read of "the
hope laid up for us in heaven." Of " entering into
the holy place." "And I go," says Jesus to his dis
ciples, " to prepare a place for you." But though it
is really a place, we must chiefiy consider it as a
state. Even now, happiness does not essentially de
pend on what is without us. What was Eden to Ad
am and Eve, after sin had filled them with shame,
and sorrow, and fear ? But Paul in prison was infi
nitely happier than Caesar on the throne of the nations.
What then are we allowed to reckon upon as the
grand component parts of this exalted state ? You
may reckon upon
Pre-eminent knowledge. This is a world of ac
tion rather than of science ; and the wiser men are,
the more readily will they confess, that their present
knowledge is unspeakably less than their ignorance.
In whatever direction they attempt to penetrate,
they are checked and baffled. Laboriousness attends
every acquirement ; and doubts and uncertainties di-
niinish the value of every possession. The difference
between the knowledge of Newton and the most illit
erate peasant, will be far exceeded by the difference
between the knowledge of the Christian on earth and
in heaven. " The light of the moon shall be as the
light of the sun, and the light of the sun sevenfold as
the light of seven days, when the Lord bindeth up
the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of
their wound." Now they understand as children,
then they will know as men. Now they see through
a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now they
know in part, then they will know even as they are
known. How delightful the thought — (amidst my
present perplexities and obscurities, and under a

368 THE CHRISTIAN,
sense of the penury of my talents, and in the want of
means and opportunities of improvement,) that
^' Messiah cometh who is called Christ ; and that
when he is come, he will teU us all things !" — You
may reckon upon
P^fect Purity. This announcement has little
attraction for those of you who never saw the beauty
of holiness, and never ahhorred yourselvesj repenting
in dust and ashes. But O! to a Christian it is worth
dying for, to leave behind him the body of this death;
this law in the members warring against the law of
his mind ; this inability to do the things that he
would ; this presence of evil ever with him ; this lia-
bleness, this proneness to sin, even in his holy things^
tarnishing everv duty, wounding his own peace, and
vexing and grieving the Spirit of his best Friend.
To be freed from the enemy, and to have nothing in
me that temptation can operate upon ! _To be inca
pable of ingratitude, and unbelief, and distractions in
duty ! To be innocent as the first Adam, and holy as
the second ! — What wonder the Christian exclaims,
with Henry, " If this be heaven, O ! that I was
there." — You may reckon upon
The most delightful associations. We are
formed for society. Much of our present happiness
results from attachment and intercourse. Who knows
not *'the comforts, of love?" Yea, and who also
knows not its sorrows ? We must weep when the ob
jects of our affection weep. The arrows that pierce,
wound friends also. We tolerate, we excuse their
imperfections, but we feel them. And the thought
of absence, separation, death — is dreariness, pain,
and anguish. Hence, some have been ready to envy
the unrelated, unconnected individual, whose anxie-

IN HfiAVEN. 369
ties and griefe are all personal. But it is not good
for man to be alone in any condition. It is better to
follow the course of Providence ; to cherish the inti
macies of life ; to improve and to sanctify them : and
under the disadvantages which now mingle with
them, to look forward to a state, where the honey
Will be without the sting, and the rose without the
thorn; and attachment arid intercourse without the
deductions arising from pain, and infirmities, and
pity, and fear. In the Revelation, heaven is al
ways presented as a social state. You have now few
holy companions ; the many are going another way.
But, Says John, " I beheld, and lo, a great multitude,
which no man Could number, of all nations, and kin
dreds, and , people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands ; and cried with a
loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sit
teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." — And
you will have access to them all. You will there
have the most endeared society ; for it will include
those to whom you were so tenderly related by na
ture, or pious friendship, and at parting with whom
you sorrowed raost of all, that you should see their
face and hear their voice no more ; and also those you
left behind you with reluctance and anxiety in a
World of sin and trouble. With these, your fellow
ship, after a brief separation, will be renewed, ira-
proved, and perfected for ever. The society will
also be the most dignified, and without its present
embarrassments. There are noW personages so su
perior, that you seera reduced to nothing at the
thought of them. You esteem and admire them;
47

3i?0 THE CHRISIIAN,
and wish to hear, and see, and mingle with them ;
yet you shrink from the presence of such genius, wis
dom, and goodness. But you will feel nothing of
this, when you sit down with Abrahamj and Isaac,
and Jacob, and Moses, and with prophets, and apos
tles, and martyrs, and reformers in the kingdom of
God. Nor will saints only be your companions ; but
those glorious beings who never sinned, who excel
in strength, who are proverbial for their wisdom,
who are your models in doing the will of God on
earth, who are your ministering spirits, invisibly
watching over you in your minority — the innumera
ble company of angels. And though they will not be
able to say, He hath redeemed us unto God by his
blood ; they will cry with a loud voice, (though you
will endeavour to be louder,) " Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wis
dom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and bless
ing." — You may reckon upon
The most glorious employment. I should as soon
think that heaven was a nursery of vice, as a state of
inaction. Indolence is no more irreconcilable to vir
tue, than perfectly incompatible with happiness.
" A want of occupation is not rest.
¦• A mind quite vacant is a mind disti-essed.'"
All the powers conferred by a wise Creator necessa
rily imply their application and use : and the more
life any being possesses, the more energy and active
ness will distinguish him, unless he is in a state of
perversion or restraint. But what are the employ
ments of heaven? Dr. Watts has speculated much
on this subject. Some, of his conjectures are proba
ble, and all pleasing. But we dare not follow hira.

IN HEAVEN. 371
Of this we are sure, that there will be none of those
mean and degrading toils which arise now from the
necessities of. our nature, or from luxury and pride.
Neither will there be any of those religious exercises
which, pertain' to a state of imperfection. Repent
ance will be hid from our eyes. There will be no
more warfare and watchings. Neither will there be
any more prayers with strong cryings and tears.
Yet it is said, " They serve him day and night in his
temple.'' And their powers will be equal to the
work ; for neither the fervency nor the duration of
the service will produce exhaustion or languor. The
coraraon notion of always standing up and singing, is
too childish: to be refuted. We have no doubt but
that there may be stated assemblies for adoration and
praise. But Christians are said to be still praising
him now ; and they do this, not by acts of worship
onlyj but by performing his will, by filling up their
stations in life properly, and promoting the welfare
of all around them : and his work even here is hon
ourable and glorious.
On the presence and sight of the Saviour, in whom
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, you
may reckon ; and you will reckon, and reckon su
premely, if you are a Christian. "Ah," says Paul,
^'1 long to depart, and to be with Christ, which is
far better." " We art confident, I say, and willing
rather to be absent from the body, and. present with
the Lord." What would every thing be in his ab
sence ! Could the place, the company, the harps, be
a substitute for him ? But here is the consummation
— you shall " serve him, and see his face." You
need not envy those who knew him after the flesh ;
you will have access to him ; you will see the King,

3T1 THE CHBISTUN,
and see him in his beauty. He is now with yMc.
He knows your soul in adversity «• and comes to you
as a friend, and helper, and comforter. But you are
now in prison. His visits, when he looks jupon you
through the bars, and brings you supplies, and com
munes With you in the cell, are relieving. They
solace the confinement ; you wish them multiplied 9
you expect them with joy. But the best of all these
visits will be the last, when he will come not only to
you, but for you : when he will open the doors of
the dungeon, and knock off the fetters, and take yoo
home to his palace. Then you will be with him ;
you will " walk with" him " in white ;" you will
*' eat and drink at his table in his kingdom ;" you
Will " be for ever with the Lord." — It is hardly ne
cessary to say, that you may reckon upon
The most exquisite enjoyment. This will spring
abundantly from all the foregoing sources, and espe
cially the last. It will far transcend every feeling
we have had of delight and ecstasy here. The state
itself is expressed by it. " Enter thou into the joy
of thy LoM.'i Jude says, we shall be " presented
before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy ."^
And says David, " In thy presence is fulness of joy,
and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." —
For you may reckon upon
The perpetuity of all this. " Permanency," says
the Poet, " adds bliss to bliss." But here it is abso'
lutely indispensable even to the happiness itself: for
the greater the blessedness, the more miserable We
should feel if it were in danger. Who in the pos
session of such a prize, could exist under the thought
of losing it ? How careful therefore are the sacred
writers nev^r ^^to leave out this essential, in any of

m HEAVEN. 373
their descriptions. If it be life, it is," eternal',' life.
If it be salvation, it is " everlasting" salvation, If
it be a kingdom, it is a kingdom that " cannot be
shaken." If it he a crown, it is a crown of "glory
that fadeth not away."
To which we may add, that you may reckon not
only on the eternity, but the increase. Who could
think.of being doomed to remain stationary? How
irksome would any condition be in which there could
be no possibility of advance and improvement? But
your faculties will not be confined to a eircle of
sameness : they will be free ; they will breajc forth
on every side. How much more do the angels know
now than once ; and yet still they desire to look into
the Saviour's sufferings and glory. How often will
there be new songs in heaven, or fresh acclamations
of admiration and praise, from fresh discoveries and
displays of the perfections of God, in his works and
ways. Every finite being is capable of accession ;
and in knowing, and doing, and attaining, and enjoy
ing,, there will be an infinite progression before us.
•(With: this account of heaven you will be disgatisfiT
ed. Be assured, the Lecturer is still more so.
Who, upon such a subject, can speak worthily? I
will therefore no longer darken counsel with words'
without knowledge ; but conclude by calling upon
you .
IV, To BEHOLD T^E Christian in his fin^i,
DESTINY, AND TO REMARK THE INSTRUCTIONS ANP
IMPRESSIONS THAT SBQULP ARJSE FROH THB CQN^
TEMPLATION. Behold him Tatiek, as a monument of Divine
grace. What was he oncef He will not be nn-

374 THE CHRISTIAN,
willing to look to the rock whence he was hewn,
and to the hole of the pit whence he was digged.
He will acknowledge that by nature he was a child
of wrath even as others ; condemned by the law of
God ; a fallen, guilty, depraved creature ; his pow
ers all defiled and desolate ; helpless and ready to
perish. But what is he now.^ Redeemed, justified,
renewed,. quickened together with Christ ; raised up
and made to sit with him in the heavenly places.
And whence is all this? Is it by his own worthiness,
or righteousness, or strength, that he has made him
self whole ? " This people," says God, " have /
formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise."
Here he has placed them to display in their salvation
the freeness, the power, and the fulness of his grace :
That in the ages to come he might show the exceed
ing riches of his grace in his kindness towards themby
Christ Jesus. And falling in completely with this
design, they cast their crowns at his feet and exclaim,
*' Not unto us, 0 Lord, not unto us, but unto thy
name give glory, for thy mercy and thy truth's sake.
By the grace of God I am what I am. Not I, but
the grace of God which was with me."
Behold him there, and see the conduct^of God to
wards him in this world explained and vindicated.
It will be acknowledged that though God does much
for his people here, yet the relation in which he h^s
been pleased to place himself, implies and requires far
more than he now performs. A future state of munifi
cent liberality is therefore necessary. To this he ap
peals, and by this his promises are to be estimated.
Hence says the Apostle, "Wherefore God is not asham
ed to be called their ,God, seeing J^e hath prepared for
them a city." Here, while the wicked prospered, and

N HEAVEN. 375
had more than heart could wish, the righteous were
poorj and oppressed, and afflicted; plagued every
morning, and chastened every moment. And you
were ready to ask. If they are his, why are they thus ?
You were so perplexed at the strangeness of his
providence, that your feet were almost gone, and
your steps had well nigh slipped. But even then,
he told you that his ways are not our ways ; he told
you that his people were under an economy, a very
small part of which falls within your inspection ; he
told you that the dispensations you complained of were
not yet terminated : he said, " Judge nothing before
the time, until the Lord come." — But here is the full
answer. Look at them now. All that was dark
ness, is now illuminated ; all that appeared disorder
ly, is now arranged : all that seemed evil, is now ac
knowledged good. Now we have the clue, and the
difficulties are loosened. Now we have the end, and
this justifies the means. We now see by what his
dispensations towards them were regulated, and in
what they have resulted. They were chastened of
the Lord, that they might not be condemned with
the world. The trial of their faith was much more
precious than that of gold that perisheth, because it
was to be found unto praise, and glory, and honour,
at the appearing of Jesus Christ. The light afflic
tions which were but for a moment, have worked out
for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory. They themselves are more than satisfied.
They acknowledge that he hath dealt well with his
servants. They exclaim. He hath done all things
well. "Marvellous are thy works. Lord God Al
mighty ; just and true are all thy ways, 0 thou King
of saints."

376 THE CHRISTIAN,
Behold the glorified Christian, and see the jubti'
fication of his choice. Here, his fellow- creatures
despised him, or affected to pity. If they allowed
him to be sincere, they reproached him as weak, and
considered his life a system of restraints, and pri
vations, and sacrifices. Even then wisdom was jus
tified of all her children. Even then they were
conscious that reason itself bore them out in their
preference. Even then they were not ashamed of
their self-denial or sufferings, for they knew whom-
they had believed ; and were persuaded that he was
able to keep that which they had committed unto
him against that day. Even then they rejoiced in
the testimony of their consciences, and the secret
smiles and whispers of their Lord and Saviour. But-
the world knew them not. They were princes in
disguise. Their titles were refused, and their hon
ours and riches were turned to scorn. And they
bore this with firmness and patience-^for they saw
that their day was coming. And lo ! now it is arriv
ed. Now they shine forth as the sun in the king
dom of their Father. Now is the manifestation Of
the sons of God. Now their enemies return and dis
cern between the righteous and the wicked; between
him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.
And 0! how changed their sentiments and their lan
guage now. " We fools counted their life madness,
and their end to be without honour ! How are they
numbered with the saints, and their lot is among the
children of God."
Contemplate him Where he is, and inquire wheth*
er you will be a partaker of the same blessedness. Is
it not astonishing that you can put such a question
from you, as if it was the greatest impertinence, from

IN HEAVEN. 377
week to week, from year to year, though in the midst
of life you are in death, and after death is the judg
ment ? And is it not strange that others can remain
in a state of indecision, with only such a peradven-
ture as this to support their peace— ^PerAaj&s I am in
the: way to heaven, and perhaps I am in the way to
hell ! What is your real . condition with regard to
that eternity, on the verge of which you are? Have
you a title to glory? This results from relationship:
"If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ." Have you any meetness for the
inheritance of the saints in light ? Without this you
cannot see the kingdom of God, not only for want of
permission, but for want of capacity. Threatenings
are not necessary to exclude — your disposition bars
you out. The excellency of the state cannot make
you happy without an adaptation to it : your contra
riety of temper and taste would make you miserable.
" God has wrought us," says the Apostle, " for the
self-same thing." Has he done this for you ? Have
you sihy thing in you that is congenial with heaven?
Heaven is a holy place. Are you hungering and
thirsting after righteousness? It consists in the pres
ence and adoration of Christ. Are you at home now
when you are saying, " Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory
and dominion?" There, all religious distinctions will
be done away ; and the question will be, not where
you have worshipped, but only how. Can you now
rise above a party and say, " Grace be with all them
that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity?" Many
of you do not hope for heaven ; do not desire it. You
cannot hope for it, you cannot desire it, unless you
can love and enjoy its ingredients now. ¦
48

378 THE CHRISTIAN,
Let the contemplation bring you upon your
knees, and be this your prayer : " Remember me, O
Lord, with the favour thou bearest unto thy people;
0 visit rae with thy salvation, that I may see the good
of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of
thy nation, and glory with thine inheritance." 0 !
how shall I plead with you for this purpose ? By
what motives can I urge you to make it your imme
diate and prevailing concern ?
Need I remind you of the importance of the ob
ject ?^-Glory! Honour! Immortality! An eternity,
an infinity of blessedness •!
Need you be told that it is placed within you;r At
tainment — that you are allowed, invited, commanded
to seek the kingdom of God apd his righteousness^
with an assurance of success ? And if you perish,
what an aggraya,tion of your misery will this produce I
When an event is unavoidable, you may lament, but
you feel no self-reproach. When you suffer inno
cently, conscience even commends you; you feel a
little of the spirit of a martyr ; you claim on your
side a God of judgment, and believe that in due time
he will appear on your behalf. But here you will be
speechless. You will feel that you have destroyed
yourselves. Your misery will be your greatest sin,
.Every mouth will be stopped ; and you will be found
guilty before God. Guilty of what ? Of transgrespr
ing his law. Yes-^but still more oi neglecting. so
great salvation, of rejecting the counsel of God Again^
yourselves, and judging yourselves uaw(3irthy of ey-
erlasting'life. And allow me to ask, lor what is it th^at you are
determined tP sacrifice this attainable and infinite
boon ? Are you not spending your money fof that

IN HEAVEN. 319
which is not bread, and your labour for that which
satisfieth not ? You condemn the folly of Esau, who
for one morsel of meat sold his birth- right. You re
proach Adam and Eve, who lost the garden of Eden
for a taste of the forbidden tree. But you are making
a far worse, a far viler exchange. You are sacrific
ing all the glory of God and the Lamb — I again ask
for what? You would be losers if you gained
the whole world. But are you gaining empires?
provinces? estates ? Are you gaining reputation ?
The esteem of the wise and good? Health? Peace
of mind? Support in trouble ? Freedom from fear?
Sin ought to yield you much, for it will cost you
dear. But the way of transgressors is hard. There
is no peace to the wicked. When you lie down in
sorrow, how will you answer the question, " What
fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now
asharaed? for the end of these things is death."
Remember also the alternative.
For missing this, there is nothing but , a certain
fearful looking for of judgment- and fiery indignation
to devour the adversary. If you are not with the
sheep at the right hand, you must be with the goats
at the left. If you' hear not the sentence, "Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepar
ed for you from the foundation of the world/' you
must hear the doom, "Depart, ye cursed, into ever
lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Lastly. Let us look and hail those who can make
the prospect their own. We talk of happiness ! Can
anysthing equal the state of those who can humbly
and confidently say, "Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace

380 THE CHRISTIAN,
wherein we stan.d, and rejoice in hope of the glory
of God ?" Many are in adversity and tribulation ;
and yet have no such prospect. All is fightings
against them, and they have no refuge. Their
thoughts are broken off, even the purposes of their
hearts, and their earthly schemes, laid desolate ; yet
they have nothing better before them. Yea, con
science tells them, this is only the beginning of sor
rows ; the short preface to a long roll written within
and without, with lamentation, and mourning, and
wo. But to the upright there ariseth light in the
darkness. He sees the storm beginning to clear up ;
and he knows that no cloud shall return after the
rain. " I reckon," says he, " that the sufferings of
the present time is not worthy to be compared with
the glory that shall be revealed in us." Soon, want
will be followed with fulness. Soon, the wormwood
and the gall will be succeeded by the cup of salvation.
" Yet a season, and we know
" Happy entrance shall be given ;
" All our sorrows left below,
" And earth exchanged for heaven."^
With this prospect, how superior is he to the en
vied, the indulged, the successful man of the world.
He has his portion in this life : but, says the Chris
tian, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteous
ness ; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy like
ness." His good things are temporal; mine are
eternal. He is leaving his; I am advancing to mine'.
Every hour diminishes the value of his hope ; but
every moment adds interest to mine.
Nor lieed the Christian envy the man of claims
merely intellectual. Wisdom indeed excelleth folly,
as much as light excelleth darkness. Money is a
defence ; but the excellency of knowledge is, that

IN HEAVEN. 381
wisdom giveth life to them that have it. iBut what
wisdom ? It was a fine reply" of the converted as
tronomer, who, when interrogated concerning the
science which he had been idolizing, answered, " I
am now bound for heaven, and I take the stars in my
way." How humiliating is it to reflect, that the
treasures of learning and science depend upon the
brain ; that an accident or disease may abolish them ;
or that, at most, they are limited to the life that now
is, and which we spend as a shadow. Whether there
be knowledge, it shall vanish away — ^unless it be the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord,
for this is life eternal.
In much wisdom, also, there is much grief ; and
he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
Some of the most expansive and cultivated, minds are
the raost miserable. Nor is it difficult to account for
this. Genius implies a sensibility which strangers in
termeddle not with. It is attended with a keenness
of feeling, that renders the possessor like a sensitive
plant, that shrinks at every touch. He lives in a
world of imaging, tion, as well as a world of reality.
He views nothing simply and purely. Every thing
is dressed up to his conceptions ; the beautiful in
preternatural tints, and the evil in preternatural hor
rors. His thoughts are sentiments. He feels, in
tensely : and nothing very intense can continue.
Then follows a void which is irksome^ and a listless
ness which is intolerable, and which are sometimes
productive of fatal effects. In Madame de Stael's
memoirs; of her father, we have the following remark :
"I have a proof," says Mr. Necker, "ofthe immor
tality of the soul in this ; that it is at least after a
while desirable, and essential to our happiness. By

382 THE CHRISTIAN, IN HEAVEN.
the time We have reached three score years and ten,
we have looked arouRd us, and become familiar With
the whole scene; and though not satisfied, we are
sated. Then we feel our need of a new residence ;
a new sphere of activity ; and new sources of em
ployment and enjoyment." This is a striking re
mark ; and we may observe, that if at such a period,
religion with its motives and promises is not present
to the mind, the man, wearied of existence, and feel
ing every thing here to be vanity, is likely to becorae
the victim of an insupportable oppression, and in a
moment of rashness, may welcome self-destruction.
Have we had no instances of this ?
Here the Christian is guarded ; here he is provid
ed for. As this world palls upon him, another opens
to his view. This prospect enlivens the solitudes
which bereavement and decays of nature have pro
duced. This prospect becomes a substitute for the
scenes and charms which have faded and fled. This
prospect entertains and engages, now the days are
come in which he says, I have no pleasure in them.
The outward man perisheth, but the inward man is
renewed day by day. His heart and his flesh fail ;¦
but God is the strength of his heart and his portion
for ever. He departs : but he leaves what is not
his rest, what is polluted, what is nigh unto cursing,
and whose end is to be burned — while he enters a
creation where every thing that is new, and marvel
lous, and pure, and attractive, and beautifying, says,
Arise, and come away. And the hour that obscures
and quenches for ever all other glories, immortalizes
him.

INDEX.

Preface, ------.... 3
LECTURE I.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN CHRIST.
2 CoR. xiv. 2. — " I knew a man in Christ." - • - 21
J.ECTURE II.
rm CHRISTIAN, IN the CWiSET.
Matt. iv. 6. — "Enter into ihy eloset.'' ..... 47
J^EJCTIJIIE III.
TgE .CagRISHAN^ IN THE FAMILY.
2 Sam. vi. 20...—" ThenJimiid rstuimed to bless Ms household." - 73
LECTPR^ IV.
THE CHRISTIAN, JN THE CpURCH.
1 Tim. iji. 15.Tr-"Zi^t fj^qu mayest krjMJO fipw t^oft oughtest to be
have thyself in the house of dod, which is the Church nf the
living God." ...... . 104
LECTURE V.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE WORLD.
John xxvii. 11. — "And now I am no more in the world; tut these
are in the world." ..... . 137
LECTURE VI.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN PROSPERITY.
Jee. xxii. 21. — "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity ; but thou saidst,
I will not hear."  169
LECTURE VII.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN ADVERSITY.
EccLES. vii, 14.— "In the day of adversity consider." ¦ ¦ 207

INDEX.
LECTURE VIII.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL SORROWS.
Fs ALM cxxxvii. 2; — " We hanged our harps upon the voillows in the
midst thereof ." - -  240
LECTURE IX.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN HIS SPIRITUAL JOYS.
Nehemiah viii. 10. — "Then he said unto them. Go your way, eat
the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for
whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy wnto our Lord :
neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength." 267
LECTURE X.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN DEATH.
Psalm xxxvii. 37. — "Mark the perfect man, and behold the up
right ; for the end of that man is peace." ... 295
LECTURE XI.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN THE GRAVE.
Job xvii. 13. — "If I wait, the grave is mine house." - - 324
LECTURE XII.
THE CHRISTIAN, IN HEAVEN.
2TiM. i. 10. — "Who hath brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel."  ^54

nVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 08844 7132

i,;&tt|-4 •

^•t4

I

ifef

-^,ir

I

•^
^^5%i»K-''i ^<