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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour §tre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 01 SERMONS DELIVERED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS. BY MATTHEW RICHEY, A. M. AUTHOR OF LIFE OF REV. WILLIAM BLACK. 'if TORONTO: PUBLISHED BY JOHN RYERSON, At the Conference Office, No. 9, Wellington Buildings. 1840. J. H. I.-VWRKNCK, PRINTER. GUAr.DlAN OKFICE. The volt to tho unar years since chasm of t of the AVOI interested : of apology expression He avails ] the fulfilmc time than J the Reveri with as mu of health v vantage fro despatch, h propriety of orator, Nu expression is praise wl he was unv few monilis mortificdtioi he is consci( pate censure to soften th trusts he is i conscience : of an accotn and study t diffident but those param TORO April 7tl ADVERTISEMENT. ' r The volume of Sermons now before the reader owes its publicity to the unanimous request of the Confekknck, before which, nearly two years since, the concluding one was first delivered. That so large a chasm of time has intervened bt'tween the promise and tlie appearance of the work, is a circumstance in which the public are in no way interested: the writer feels, however, that some explanation, by way of apology for the delay, is due to the Bkkthuen from whom that expression of respect and estimation, iiowever unmerited, emanated. He avails himself, therefore, of the present opportunity to state, that; the fulfilment of previmis literary engagements occupied much more time than he anticipated. As soon as he had completcni his Lifk of the Reverend WiLr.i.vM Black, he addressed himself to his new task with as much assiduity as his ollicial duties and a very inditVerent state of health would permit. That under every interruption and disad- vantage from those causes, he could have executed it with greater despatch, ho I'cadily giants; but though he entirely acquiesces in the propriety of Auslut's remark concerning Cicero's eulogy on a certain orator. Nullum verbmn emhit quod rcvocarc relief. 'A single expression never escaped him which he afterwards wished to recall,' is praise which it would be no proof of ivisdom in any one to arrogate, he was unwilling, merely for tlie sake of bringing out the work a few months earlier, unnecessarily to accumulate the material of future mortification. After all the care he has bestowed upon these Discourses, he is conscious of their numerous imperfections: but he will not antici- pate censure by pointing out those defects ; and it were vain to attempt to soften the asperity of criticism by the humiliation of entreaty. He trusts* he is mucli more solicitous to " commend, himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God," than he is to obtain the reputf'*loa of an accomplished writer. He dedicates these fruits of his mediU...' n and. study to the glory of God and the good of his people, in i,;e diffident but devout hope, that they may be instrumental in promoting those paramount objects. Toronto, April 7th, 1840. I. The For aftc Ood, it pie believe. — 1 II. Ox t My fath thereof. — 2 III. LiF Jesus Cll immortality IV. The The Spii children of V. The It is bette of feasting : his heart. — J VI. Cele Our conve Saviour, the may be fashi whereby he i iii. 20, 21. VII. The And he led and blessed 1 parted from tl CONTENTS. I. The Necessity and Efficikncv of the Gosi-el 1 P'or after that in the wisdom of God tlio world by wisdom knew not Uod, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. — 1 Corinthians i. 21. II. On the Death of Adam Cr.ARKE, LL.D.,F. S. A., &c., .. 29 My father! my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. — 2 Kings ii. 12. III. Life and Immortality brought to light, 05 Je.sus Christ who hath abolished em that ijcUcve. — 2 The.isnloiikuts i. 10. THE I Frbach XI. Tmk Namk •Te.^i-j', 231 And thou shalt oall his name Jesus : for lie shall save his people from their sins. — Matthew i. 21. XII. The E.XALTEDOnjECTs of the Christian Ministry,.. 257 TTnto inp, who ain Ics.s than iho least of all saints, is this ^iracc given, that I should preach among the (fcntihis the uiisrarchablc riches of Christ ; And to mal o all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the bcginninq of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things Ijy Jesus Christ : To the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the mani- fold wisdom of God. — Epht^niaiis lii. S-10, " For aftt U pleased G It is ( that, vvhil evidenceg of man, dignity, i tality. To a pi these disti mencemei the orb o which, it glorious a knowledge shall give renovation grandeur b deep sens( friends of i of the pra( SERMON I. THE NECESSITY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL. i*RBACniCD BBFORK THE BRANCH Wesi.EYAN MISSIONARY SOCrBTY 0» Halifax, N. S. February, lji87. 1 CORINTIIIANa i. 21. ♦• For after that in the wisdom of God tlie world by wisdom Icnew not Goc, it pleased God by the foolisliness of prcacliing to save tliem ttiai believe." It is one of the distinguishing peculiarities of the Bible, that, while it exhibits the most luminous and overwhelming evidences of the spiritual ignorance and moral degradation of man, it inspires the loftiest conceptions of his native dignity, as an accountable being and an heir of immor- tality. To a practical recognition of the human character under these distinct aspects, may be traced the auspicious com- mencement of the cause of Missions — a cause which, like the orb of day, advances with growing effulgence, ami which, it is believed, will continue to pursue its career of glorious achievement, till the Universal diffusion of the knowledge of the LoRt), and its accompanying blessings, shall give the reality of actual existence to those scenes of renovation and rapture that floated so oft in visionary grandeur before the mental eyes of the prophets. With a deep sense of man^s guilt and exposure as a sinner, the friends of such institutions connect the cheering revelation of the practicability iand means of his rescue, unfolded by B THE NECESSITY AND EPFlCIENCr the Gospel. They enter with unstifled convictions and yearning tenderness into the doctrine of human depravity ; but they discover, enshrouded in this moral gloom, a mind of heavenly extraction, endued with capacities for limitless progression in knowledge, holiness, and happiness. Their estimate of these endowments is, however, moderated by humility. Far from concurring in sentiment with those who erect reason into an oracle, and vainly imagine that it precludes the necessity of any supernatural communications of knowledge, they lean not to their own understanding, but convinced of the Divine inspiration of the sacred volume, bow with implicit submission to its authority. With this view of the imbecility of unaided reason, the results of experience are in perfect accordance. Long, indeed, did philosophy flatter her votaries with the hope of complete satisfaction, in reference to the subjects of their most anxious inquiry : but when or where was that anticipation realized 1 Age after age passed away ; — empires rose and fell ; — eloquence rolled its thunders ;— and learning and art reared their stupendous monuments; but the culture and improvement of the sciences added nothing to man's know- ledge of divine things: a veil still overhung the attributes of Deity and the future destinies of man, which no hand could withdraw, but that which was stretched upon the cross. " For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." In these words, two momentous and interesting facts arc presented to our consideration, each of which is susceptible of the clearest proof, and the most copious illustration. In confirmation of the former, the annals of history — the dic- tates of experience — and the deductions of sound philoso- phy, unite their attestations ; and that the preaching oPthe cross, which is to them that perish foolishness, is to such as believe, both the wisdom and the power of God, myriads OF THE GOSPEL. of happy spirits imparadised in immortality, and thousands of regenerate souls on earth, can triumphantly testify. It is not easy to ascertain, with exact precision, the im- port of the phrase — "in the wisdom of God" — with which these statements are introduced to our notice. Some ap- prehend it to mean, the wise disposals of Providence, by which the Heathen were left to make trial of the power of reason ; while others are of opinion, that it relates to the wisdom displayed in the works of creation, but from the indications of which, the wisest sages of pagan antiquity were never able to derive accurate ideas of the character or of the moral government of God. Dr. Lightfoot observes, that the phrase is not to be understood of that wisdom which has God for its author, but that which has God for its object. There were among the Heathen, " the wisdom of Kature — that is philosophy, — and the wisdom of God — that is divinity. But the world in its divinity could not by wisdom know God." Leaving you, amidst such diver- sity of sentiment, to adopt that exposition which appears to you best to accord with the context, permit me, I. To direct vour attention to the evidence and illustra- tion of the humilating fact — " the world by wisdom knew not God." St. Paul, in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, in portraying the moral turpitude of the Gentiles, suggests it as a signal aggravation of their idolatry and crimes, that they had once known God. Should the carper of revela- tion here exultingly put the question, — How could the Apostle consistently affirm that "the world by wisdom knew not God," if, according to his own admission, there was a period when they possessed that knowledge? — we repel the insinuation by observing, that the know- ledge which he there admits they had once possessed, was not, as the objection assumes, the result of rational investigation, but emanated, as have all the just conceptions THE NECESSITY AND EFFICIENCT concerning God that ever enlightened the human under- standing, from revelation, Noah and his family possessed the true knowledge of God, so far as it was revealed in the first periods of time ; and nothing can be more consonant to reason than to suppose, that the awful catastrophe, from the desolations of which they alone of all the species were exempted, powerfully tended to impress the minds of men with the fear of God, as the Creator and Governor of the world, and the sole ol)ject of religious worship, too deeply to be soon eflaced. However scattered, they would carry along with them vivid recollections of the great principles of religion in which they had been instructed by oral tradition. Here we behold the origin of all the correct theological knowledge which pervaded the different nations of the earth, in the first ages subsequent to the deluge. But, a proud confidence in their own wisdom, unhappily, soon marked the aberration of mankind from the pure and luminous principles of Divine Truth. '' Professing them- selves to be wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corrup- tible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. They changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever." In attempting to establish the position, that the eiforts of reason to attain the knowledge of God have ever proved abortive, our proofs shall be drawn, not from the standard of knowledge and religion among untutored savages, but from those Pagan nations that were most distinguished by literature and refinement. Egypt, the memorable scene of Israelitish depression and triumph, first demands our attention. The early and sur- prising advances which the Egyptians made in various departments of learning, are matters of equal notoriety and admiration. Plaudits of their eminent industry and success in scie as the ( emy of poets, J studies they af is ment the lea learnin it is re mon's ^ children Here, tl naturall; assiduoi its impn expectai glory of in the d? over the so succt proudly blind an Osiris ai some my among t They ah Jupiter c probabilii Africa \\ one in t priests: ] reputatioi other waj vestiges c OP THE GOSPEL. in scientific pursuits, are emblazoned, as well on the sacred, as the classic page. Egypt, indeed, was anciently the acad- emy of the world. Hither the most celebrated legislators, poets, and philosophers of Greece, resorted to complete their studies ; and from hence was that lustre borrowed with which they afterwards illumined and exalted their country. It is mentioned in the Sacred Volume, as a high eulogium on the learning of Moses, that "he was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians ;" and in the same Divine records it is represented as decisive of the pre-eminence of Solo- mon's wisdom, that "it excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt." Here, then, if in any part of the Heathen world, we might naturally expect to find the sublime science of theology assiduously cultivated, and corresponding in the degree of its improvement to other branches of knowledge. But the expectation is vain. The cloud that environs the uncreated glory of God, still presented its dark side to Egypt, and, as in the day of Israel's redemption, shed an involving gloom over the land. Those noble powers of genius, which they so successfully exerted in speculations of science, and proudly displayed in miracles of art, were prostrated in blind and superstitious adoration before imaginary deities. Osiris and Isis — supposed to be the sun and moon, but by some mythologists thought to comprehend all nature — were among the principal objects of their religious veneration. They also worshipped Ammon, who was afterwards the Jupiter of the Greeks. This celebrated deity was,, in all probability, an apotheosis of Ham, by whose posterity Africa was peopled. He had two magnificent temples; one in the desert of Lybia, in which were an hundred priests: here was an oracle of wide-spread fame, till its reputation was forfeited by falsehood and flattery. Thje other was at Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt ; and the vestiges of its ancient grandeur are said to be still visible. b2 6 THE NECESSITY AND EFFICIENCY It may be observed, that no species of idolatry was more widely diffused through all Pagan antiquity, than the worship of the serpent. Satan appears to have taken a malignant pleasui'e in erecting this appropriate and significant emblem of himself into an object of devotional homage. Some of these animals were worshipped by the Egyptians as house- hold gods; others they distinguished with more public honours. Elian tells us of a serpent worshipped in a tower at Melitus, in Egypt : he had a priest and officers to attend him ; and he was served every day on a table or altar, with flour kneaded up with honey, which the next day was found to have been eaten up. The cat, the croco- dile, the hawk, and even the herbs of their gardens, were treated with reverence, equal to that which they paid to their most illustrious gods. So just are the reflections of an eminent Prelate — " Had we no other demonstration of the greatness of man's apostacy and degeneracy^ the Egj'ptian theology would be an irrefragabte evidence of it. For who could but imagine a strange lowness of spirit, in those who could fall down and worship the basest and most contemp- tible of creatures] Their temples were the best hiero- glyphics of themselves — fair and goodly structures without, but within, some deformed creature enshrined for adora- tion." * According to the opinion of some eminent modems, the religion of the Persians originally recognised one Supreme Being only — the Creator and Governor of the universe. But this has been too gratuitously asserted to challenge our unhesitating assent. Be that however as it may, it is well known, that they, in common with all the other Eastern nations, were immemorially addicted to the Sabian super- stition, which principally consisted in the adoration of the host of heaven. It has been conjectured, that men were * Bp. StilliDgfleet's Origioes Sacre. first pn of a m( contem this con superior order to This hy reason was ew Supreme But of therefore of the tr allowed tacle pn a pitch, orbs as s ing and \ they wer and use i propitiate ulterior high ant are appa Scripture himself i beheld tl brightnes mouth hi be punis God tha vailed in of the te altar, we towards OP THE GOSPEL. first prompted to idolatry by a consciousness of their need of a mediator to conciliate the Divine favour ; and that contemplating the heavenly bodies, under the influence of this conviction, as the magnificent residences of beings of a superior order, they oflered sacrifices and prayers to these in order to excite them to intercede with God in their behalf. This hypothesis would be less improbable, had we any just reason to believe that the worship of those sideral deities was ever associated with any distinct conception of the Supreme Being, or with any intended reference to him. But of this there is no evidence. It is more rational, therefore, to suppose, that after men had lost the knowledge of the true God, becoming vain in their imaginations, they allowed their admiration of the august and elevating spec- tacle presented by the expanse of heaven, to rise to such a pitch, that in process of time they regarded the celestial orbs as so many deities, arrayed in light, constantly inspect- ing and governing the aflairs of mortals. It was thus that they were induced to venerate them with divine honours, and use such expedients as they deemed most efficacious to propitiate their favour : they seem, at least, to have had no ulterior design. Here all their views terminated. — The high antiquity and seducing attractions of this superstition are apparent from the notices of it contained in the sacred Scriptures. Job, who flourished before Moses, exculpates himself from the charge of idolatry in these terms: "If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness ; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand : this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge ; for I should have denied the God that is above." The same idolatrous practice pre- vailed in the days of the prophet Ezekiel — "At the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces towards 8 THE NECESSITr AND EFFICIENCT the east ; and they worshipped the sun towards the east." The heavenly bodies were not the only objects of the adoration of the Persians: they worshipped the whole circuit of heaven— " Hoc sublime camdens quern invoeant omnes Jovem,'* — "Tliis glowing height Which all adore aa Jove;" and entertained the utmost religious veneration for fire, which they considered the emblem of the sun, and the principle of all things. A considerable reformation was effected in the religion of the Persians, by the philosophic impostor Zoroaster; who, in order to give the greater sanction to his doctrines, pretended to a divine commission, and feigned to have brought sacred fire from heaven, and that he had deposited it on an altar of the first temple, which he caused to be erected in the city of Xiz, in Media ; from which it was communicated to all the other temples in which the Magian rites were observed. He interdicted the use of images, and introduced some changes in the ceremonial of fire-worship^ But the doctrine for which he was most famous, related to two eternal and independent beings, who, according to his theory, were the great agents of all the good and evil in the world. "Among those," says Plutarch, "who admitted two principles — the one good, the other bad, was the famous Zoroaster. One of these gods he named Oromudz, the other Ahriman; and said that one had a relation to light and knowledge, the other to darkness and ignorance. He taught that the first was to be sacrificed to, to obtain favours, and the other to be defended from evils."* — As an example of devotion to the evil deity, it may be remarked, that as soon as Xerxes heard that the Athenians had banished Themistocles, he addressed his prayer to Ahriman, praying that his enemies might always be so infatuated as * De leid. et Osirid. OF THE GOSPEL. 9 to banish from among them their bravest men.* When it is remembered that Cyrus imbibed these erroneous views from education, the language in which the Lord addresses him by the Prophet will appear equally majestic and appropriate — *' I am .Tehovnii, nnd none Plse, Forming light, and creating darkness, Making peace and creating evil. I Jehovah am the author of ail these things '* Isa. xlv. 6, 7. Thus, while that illustrious monarch was animated by prophetic assurances of unexampled success, to set forth in the splendid career of victory marked out for him by the fmger of Divine Providence, he was furnished with accurate and sublime conceptions of the glorious Being who honoured him as the instrument of his purposes. Having taken a brief and imperfect survey of the religious systems of Egypt and Persia, so humbling to the pride of reason, and so illustrative of the melancholy fact, that "the world by wisdom knew not God," let us for a few moments transfer our attention to the favourite haunts of classic genius — Greece and Rome. And, we freely acknowledge, were we to contemplate the scenes that here expand before us, merely as objects of taste, without any reference to the immortal interests of our species, we could not remain insensible to their numerous and potent charms. Memory would awaken, from the slumber of oblivion, a thousand storied and fascinating associations. Our attention would be entranced by the grave instructions of the Lyceum and the Porch ; our strongest emotions would respond to the powerful and embellished periods of the Senate ; while the enrapturing strains of the muse would lead captive the whole train of our affections. But, those very objects on which the mere scholar or philosopher dwells with unmin§^led * Plut Vita Tbeniist. 10 THE NECESSITY AND EPFICIENCT complacency, and lavishes his applause, exhibit, when viewed under the influence of Christian perceptions, very diflerent aspects, and inspire sensations of just an opposite kind. For, amidst all this imposing array of human accomplishments, where do we behold the knowledge of Him, " whom to know is life eternal ?" We see, it is true, the lustre of science, on which death hastens to throw its sable mantle for ever; but where, oh where! amid the gloom of Paganism, do we discover the light of life — that liglit which alone shall blaze forth into immortality, and fill heaven with its splendour ? Did it irradiate Greece ? The theology of tlie Greeks, like that knowledge which laid the foundation of their political eminence, was princi- pally derived from Egypt. Emanating from so corrupt a source, it must have been sufficiently erroneous in specula- tion, and debasing in moral influence. The circumstances, too, under which it was introduced, largely contributed to extend the empire of superstition, by multiplying Ihe objects of worship to an almost indefinite number. Their first instructors in theogony and mythology were the poets, who expatiated in the ideal regions of fiction, and superinduced imaginative systems of their own upon those which they had received from other nations. Hence their gods soon became so multiplied, that Hesiod enumerated thirty thousand. In order to prevent interference and confusion, they distinguished them into several classes, and assigned to each class its appropriate dignity, honours, and influence. To this gradation in their mythology Plutarch alludes in his life of Romulus — " We know," says he, " that the souls of the virtuous, by nature and divine justice, rise from men to heroes ; from heroes to genii ; and at last, if as in the mysteries they be perfectly cleansed and purified, shaking off all remains of mortality, and all power of the passions, then they finally attain the most glorious and perfect happiness, and ascend from genii to gods, not by the vote of OF THE GOSP£L« II the people, but by the just and established order of nature." We might lead our hearers through all the labyrinths of the Pantheon i Kit, if in cases where the criminal anticipates, by a candid confession, the overwhelming result of his trial, the necessity of any further prosecution is precluded, we have an inducement equally powerful to waive any scrutinizing inquiry into the claims of the Greeks, with reference to their knowledge of divine things. The cele- brated Athenian altar inscribed " To the Unknown God," is proof abundant of tlie moral darkness in which they were enwrapped. Yes ! Athens — pre-eminent in learning, politeness, and eloquence — Athens was sunk in superstition and idolatry ! The sacred historian of the incipient periods of the Christian Church, having delineated the circumstan- ces by which St. Paul was providentially conducted to that city, remarks, with emphatic simplicity, that while there, " his spirit was stirred in himP And what was the cause of these strong emotions? Was his eye caught, and his mind enchanted, with the display of Grecian architecture 1 or glowed his bosom with desire to emulate the achieve- ments of the illustrious dead, whose sepulchral monuments towered in his view, beckoning the youth of Greece to the field of glory? No: none of these things moved him. " Absorbed in the holy abstractions of his own mind, he saw no charms, felt no fascinations ; but, on the contrary, was pierced with the most poignant distress. What then was the cause ? Because he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. To him it presented nothing but a magnificent mausoleum, decorated, it is true, with the richest produc- tions of the sculptor and the architect, but still, w^here the souls of men lay dead in trespasses and sins ; while the dim light of philosophy that still glimmered in the schools appeared but as the lamp of the sepulchre, shedding its pale and sickly lustre around those gorgeous chambers of 12 THE NCCCSSITt AND SfPtCtK^Cr death."* The heart of the Apostle was too fervidly engaged in his work, to suffer so propitious an opportunity of bearing his testimony against the errors of Paganism to pass unimproved. He disputed with certain philosophers of the Stoics and Epicureans, in consequence of which he was accused of introducing new deities, and brought to the Areopagus. And now — behold a scene of intense and sublime interest ! The great Apostle of the Gentiles mag- nifies his office! The fire of inspiration kindles in his breast, and struggles for utterance ; while unawed by the presence of the most august citizens of Athens, he opens his Divine revelations upon them with all the majesty of his mission, and pours the effulgence of truth on " the eye of Greece." — " Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious: for as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." The general features of Heathen superstition are so extremely similar in every age and country^ that a few observations may suffice concerning the religion of the ancient Romans. Cicero affirms that they surpassed all other nations in piety and religion, and in the wise and devout ascription of all things to the disposal and govern- ment of the immortal gods.f But who does not instantly perceive, that, in the same breath, he pronounces their eulogy, and exposes their blind and abject superstition? They impiously snatched the sceptre of the universe from the hands of " the blessed and only Potentate," and com- mitted it to fabulous deitiesj of whom they acknowledgexJ * See an admirable Sermon on " The Attraction of tlie Cross," by the Bev. Mr. James, of Birmingham, preached before the London Missionary Society. t Pietate ac Religione, atque hac tina saptentia quod Deorum immortalium Numine omnia regi gubernnrique perspeximus, omnes Gentes Nationesque superavimus. Oratio db Arvsp. OP THE GOSPEL. 18 Tinil adored an immense number. To these they were incessantly adding, by the profane deification of lieroes anoke, an ndequnto idea ol' the mercy of God to our nlienated world. Pointing to the cross on which anpcls {lenil tlicir aslonif^hed pn/e, they exclaim, " Herein is love!" — forcibly intimating: ilint, in comparison of this, every other display of the Divine benignity falls into the t God. lications [eathen world exhibits, and which may justly be regarded as harbingers of the complete fulfilment of the sublime pre- Jiciion — " As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and retumeth not thither, but vvatereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth ; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." I shall now conclude with an address to the Officers of this Society, and to the Congregation. The prosperity of every benevolent Institution obviously depends, under the Divine blessing, on the fostering care and assiduous exertions of those on whom devolves the task of active and efficient cooperation to promote its interests. Missionary sermons may be preached, — anniversary meetings may be held, — and speeches, descriptive of the awful condition of the Heathen, may be delivered j and the glow of tenderness may circulate in our annual assemblies, and the gushings of irrepressible emotion may be seen in the speaking silence of each eager and animated countenance ; — but if these favourable excitements of public feeling be not followed up by applications for pecuniary aid to facilitate the diflusion of the Gospel in the Heathen world, of what avail will Ije all our empty and evanescent impressions 1 Let me exhort you then, my benevolent Brethren, more fully than ever to concentrate your energies in this labour of love : — a labour of love it is, both in regard to its object, and to the dispositions by which you have been prompted to engage in it. But while your generous and disinterested services merit public mention and thanks, permit me to remind you, that though as moral agents it is in your power either to relax or to redouble your efforts, to pause or to proceed in your march of beneficence, yet you cannot be unaware, that your responsibility in God's account is in exact 24> THE NECESSITY AND EFFICIENCV proportion to your powers of usefulness. Along with the impulse of humanity, and the glow of Christian zeal, ever carry in your minds a solemn sense of your accountableness to Him. This potent principle, when the ardour of your atfections is at any time damped by the chilling repulses of the niggardly, the sneer of the profane, or the invective of the infidel, will sustain unshaken your hallowed purpose to do the work of Him who knows and approves the purity and benignity of your intentions. Soon your probationary career will terminate, and with it all your opportunities of promoting in this way the glory of God and the everlasting felicity of your fellow-mortals. And, oh! with what thrilling emphasis and associations should this consid- eration come home to your minds, when you remember that, since your last anniversary, one of your number, then as likely to live many years as any individual now present, has suddenly fallen a victim to death.* Did he, in touching immortality, regret his having done too much in the cause of God 1 Speak his dying words — words embalmed in the recollections of many of my hearers 5 and which, while they breathed the consolations of the peace of God that passeth understanding, spoke too, the contrition of his heart, on account of not having been in every way more abundant in the work of the Lord. Addressed to your hearts in accents solemn as the deep- toned knell, and rousing as the clangor of the Archangel's trump, the monitory voice issues from his tomb — " What- soever thy hand findeth to do, do it wuth thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest." The subject which has now been feebly illustrated calls upon all present to resign their hearts to those sensations of gratitude and convictions of duty, which it is so eminently fitted to inspire. Can you contrast the splendour and * Mr. Samuel Black, son of the Rev. William Black. "^ or THE GOSPEL. 25 ^implitutie of your religious privileges with the dark and destitute condition of mankind, before the Sun of Right- eousness arose, with healing in his wings, to dissipate the :^looni and deleterious vapours of the long niglit of error? I'an you contemplate thcni, in contrast with the pitiablf^ nnd imploring destitution of tli3 Heathen world at thi^ moment, and remain unim[)ressed with a grateful sense of your obligations to the Author of your distinguished and invaluable blessings? To you the underived and peerless iflorv of t!ie true God has been revealed, in the light and language of his own revelations: but the Heathen, ignorant oi^ his perfections and even of liis being, worship men and devils, animals and inanimate things. To you the Redeemer is presented, surrounded with the mild and ittractiv^e halo of mediatorial glory, assuring you by every groan that was wrung from liis agonized bosom in Geth- semane — by every wound inflicted on his sacred body on the cross — by every promise of the Gospel, that you may obtain "redemption in his blood, even the forgiveness of all your sins :" but the Heathen, when appalled with conscious and insupportable guilt, may tear their flesh, gnaw their tongues, and run frantic with despair ; for they have none to whisper in their ear — " Behold the Lamb of God which raketh away the sin of the world." For you the promi-ses of mercy and grace smooth the rugged path of life, and supply the richest solace in the hour of death: but the Heathen are " tossed with the tempest and not comforted ;" to them the horrors of the tomb are unalleviated by the assured hope of immortality. The first dictate of that gratitude which such reflections should never fail to excite in your hearts, relates to the use and improvement which you ought to make of your superior privileges, by an unreserved devotion of yourselves to the service of God, Without the power and practice of godliness, a speculative acquaintance with the Gospel will only expose you to a 26 THE NECESSITY AND EPFICIEiNCY profounder gulf in the abyss of an undone eternity. But gratitude for your exalted blessings should also prompt you to benevolent exertion for the salvation of others. Shall we, then, exhort you in vain to cast your compassionale regards, beyond the limit of your personal interests, on the lengthened valley of the shadow of spiritual death in which lensof thousands of your fellow-bretlu'en arc sitting, without God, without Christ, without hope! Oh! distressful scenes of moral desolation ! Millions of intelligent immortal beings, plunged in guilt, depravity and ruin! passing in multitudes, while the words are on my lips, into eternity, without any knowledge of the awful discoveries that shall there burst on their astonished view ! — without any prepara- tion for the solemn transition ! Oh ! when shall the Cospel be testified to all nations'? When shall the zeal of Christians wake all its dormant energies? When shall they hani^ the sated weapons of polemic theology on high, and, clad in the armour of the living God, unite in one mighty phalanx, and go up and possess the land which the Lord their God hath given them, — expelling thence the demons of superstition, and filling it with the peaceful triumphs of the Cross of Calvary? Blessed be God, the ivark upon the dominions of the Prince of darkness has commenced ; but that it may be sustained with vigour, and crowned with victory, constant reinforcements of strength, and unwear- able zeal, and perseverance, are necessary. Amid such imperious calls to exertion, how guilty, how shameful, is neutrality! Let us then rally round the standard of Immanuel, and go up to the help of the Lord — to the help of the Lord against the mighty. To this duty you are urged, not only by the endearment of brotherhood — by the love of Christ — by the voice of Divine authority — but, I repeat it, by a consideration of your distinguished privileges. From England, now, as from an orb of glory, is emanating in every direction the light of salvation. But England was OF THE GOSPEL. once involved in darkness, and full of the liabilatioi - of cruelty; and to JNIissionary cllbrt we are indebted, u .it (JoD, fur our disentluallment, and the lofty position «ve occupy among the nations. Shall we, then, monopolize the unsearchable riches of grace which indulgent Heaven has poured into our lap ? In these celestial mines, are there not resources of nulRcient amplitude to sup{)ly the wants of a whole perishing world? Yes! and whether we share our spiritual aflluence with the Heathen or not, God has pronounced that they shall be blessed. When we look abroad on the moral aspect of the world, and observe how little has been «t exquisite, it oyervvhelms at once both the imagination and the heart. But it is impossible to appreciate the sentiments contained in the text, or to catch the inspirations of the moment when these holy men of God were severed till they should again greet each other in eternity, without a previous acquaintance with the history which closes so magnificently. And although the incidents which compose it are so replete with interest that if once known they can never afterwards be forgotten, it will on that very account be the more unnecessary to ofler any apology for briefly reviewing them, d2 ' •" !r4 30 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORT OF before I tremblingly attempt a delineation of the character oi tiie illustrious individual whose recent demise has excited so profound a sensation, not merely in the religious community (o which he belonged, but in the public mind generally. Tlie circumstances of Elijah's history wear throughout an unearthly aspect. The manner in which he is introduced to our nctice, without any reference to his ancestry — the moral dignity of his character and ministrations — and the splendid triumph over the empire of death with which he quits at length the scenes of mortality, — all invest him with supernatural grandeur. As he passes before us on his high career tovvarils his blissful destination, it is with difficulty we can divest ourselves of the impression, that we are (contemplating; not a child of our common and fallen humanity, but some personage from the upper world, sent to counsel and warn mankind, and enrobing himself, when he had fulfilled his mission, with his primal glory. His fu'st recorded appearance was before Ahab, King of Israel ; on which great occasion he thus denounced a^ imminent the judgment of the incensed majesty of Heaven ; " As the Lord God of Israel liveih, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but accordint; 10 my word." The incipient indications of magnanimity so observal)le in the tone of this address, are in perfect accordance with the tenor of his subsequent conduct. From the vengeance which his noble fidelity in deliverin". it would have brought upon him, he was divinely directed 10 escape, and to conceal himself near the brook Cherith. Ill this retreat, where, but for miraculous interposition, he must soon have perished for want of sustenance, he wa;^ supplied twice a day with llesh and bread by ravens. The brook which had supplied him with water at length dried up, and Go'^ sent him to Zarephath, a city of the Sidonians. At the gate of the city he met a widow, and, exhausteil with hunger and fatigue, requested her to give him a little DR. ADAM CLARKE. 31 water and a morsel of bread. Reduced herself to the last extremity, the indigent woman replied, "As the Lord liveth, I have no bread but only a handful of meal, and a little oil in a cruse ; and I am gathering some sticks, that I may dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die." Elijah, however, renewed his request, assuring her by the prescient Spirit, that the barrel of meal should not waste, nor the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord should send rain upon the earth. Reposing on the truth of the prophetic word, she then immediately complied with his requisition ; and her faith and charity were subsequently rewanled, not only by the miraculous repletion of the cruse of oil, but by the restoration of her son to life, in answer to the intercessions of her inspired guest. The protracted drought had laid waste the vegetable kingdom, ami threatened, as not far distant, the extermi- nation of man and beast. For three long years did the valleys and' plains of Ephraim and Zebulun, stripped of their verdure, pant in vain for the rcfreslnng shower. At the expiration of that period, the Lord commanded Elijah to go and present liimself before Ahab. Ahab, apprised of his approach by Obadiali, an ollicer of his household, liasteaed to meet him, and accused him of being the cause of the judgments that had so long desolated the country. But Elijah, fearlessly retorting the charge, specified, as the real cause of the penal visitation, the desertion of the national worship ; and furthej" demanded that the rival claims of Jehovah and Baal should be put to the test of a ])ul)lic and unequivocal sign from Heaven. The descent of fire upon a sacrifice, was the miracle upon which it was agreed to rest the decision of the momentous question. Mount Carmel, commanding a most expansive range of prospect, was chosen as the scene of the trial. From all parts of the land the priests of Baal came trooping in hundreds at the bidding of the King. They erected their 32 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF n, altar, prepared their victim, and engaged in imploring the interposition of their god. But though they leaped upon the pile, cut themselves with knives and lancets, and made the air reverbeiate with their orisons, till the time of the evening sacrifice, no fire issued from the impropitious heavens to kindle tiie cold victim. Elijah now took occasion to deride, w^ith just severity and exultation, the vanity of their confidence in an idol deity. "Cry aloud." said lie, *' for he is a god ; either he is talking, or he is j)ursuing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked." With calm and confiding assurance of the result, Elijah collected twelve stones, in allusion most likely to the twelve tribes of Israel, — built an altar with tliem, and laid a bullock upon it. He caused a trench to be dug round the altar, and filled it with water, and poured water plentifully on the sacrifice also. To Him who heareth prayer, he then directed his voice ; and there immediatelv flashed fire from above, which consumed in a short time every vestige both of the sacrifice and the altar, and even dried up the water that was in the surrounding trench. The awe-stricken multitude fell prostrate to the earth, exclaiming, "Jehovah, he is the God! Jehovah, he is the God !" The priests of idolatry were forthwith put to death in conformity to the Divine law, and a more auspicious day seemed to daw upon the Churcli : But the prospect, alas! was again overshadowed. Manifestations of the supremacy of the God of Israel, so splendid as those w4iich had been recently witnessed on Carmel, immediately followed by Elijah's prophecy, that there would soon descend abundance of rain, appear not to have been without some salutary influence on the mind of Ahab. But Jezebel, obdurated to insensibility, — steeled alike against the impressions of judgmct and of mercy, — expressed her determination, as if in open defiance of the Omnipotent, to take the life of annearc DR. ADAM CLARKE. 33 Itllijaii. Ill his flight from tlie blood-thirsty Queen, he came at length to Arabia Petrea, where, almost reath' to sink under the pressure of h s unexpected trials, the desponding Prophet threw himself dovvn near a juniper tree. Slumber, never more wclrome than now, came to his relief, and for a few moments threw her oblivious mantle over the sorrows of his mind. Commissioned by that God whose unsleeping eye watched over him, there appeared a ministering spirit to strengthen both his mind and his bodv — his mind, i)v affordin;!; him fresh evidence of the benignant care of Heaven — his body, by supplying him with food. On this meal lie subsisted forty days and forty nights, the period occupied in travelling from thence to Horeb. This hallowed mount is scarcely more memorable on account of the delivery of the law, than as the scene of those stupendous visions which on this occasion were granted to Elijah. "Behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; and the Lord was not in the wind : and after the wind, an earthquake ; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: ami after the earthquake, a fire ; but the Lord was not in the flre : and after the fire, a still small voice." Regarding these impressive displays of Jehovah's presence as premonitory of some new evolution of the Divine will, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went forth and stood at the mouth of the cave into which he had withdrawn. The Lord then commanded him t(» anoint a new King ov'er Syria, and another over Israel, and Elisha as his successor in the prophetic olfice. Elisha he consecrated by throwing his mantle over him as he was ploughing in the field: the novitiate immediately relinquished his agricultural operations, and, entering into the design of God, became Elijah's inseparable companion. Ahab, who had alreadv kindled the wrath of Heaven by sanctioning idolatry, exposed himself now to irrcmediable 3i A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORV OF f i> lli; hii; ■,•.;!; 1 r ,i! -iv: retribution by an act of the grossest injustice, involving, in the method of its accoinpliffhnient, crime of a still more revolting character. Aided by the machinations of Jezebel, he found ostensible means to gratify his cupidity by destroying the life and seizing the vineyard of Naboth, which lay contiguous to the royal palace. Their triumph, however, was but momentarv. Scared v had thev time to congratulate each other on the success of tlieir iniquitous ^iclleme, when their exultation was repressed by the fearful (lenuncialion.s — "Thus saith the Lord, In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even lliine." " And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dugs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." Nor did either of these predictions fail of receiving its accomplishment. Elijah appears to have received a Divine intimation that he wa.s soon to be translated; for thrice did he endeavour, in expectancy it would seem of that event, to persuade Elisha no longer to accompany him. As, however, he did not authoritatively impose this separation, Elisha could not Ije prevailed upon to deny himself the happiness of his society. "When tliey were come to Jordan, Elijah struck the river with his mantle: it instantly divided, and they |>asseJ over on dry ground. The parting moment was now at hand; and Elijah, as if inhaling already the spirit of a sublimer region, asked Elisha what he wished him to do for him before their separation. " I pray thee," said his faithful attendant, "let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me." I\Iagnificent as was the blessing he requested, Elijah assured him that should he be permitted to witness his translation, it would 1)6 granted. The words had just passed his lips, when a chariot and horses of fire parted them both asunder. Elijah mounted the radiant car, and was wrapt by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it, and, rending his garments, cried DR. ADAM CLARKE. 35 ificent Ti that would hen a Elijah ind to cried out, •' My father, my father, tlie chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!" There are emotions which agitate tlie heart to its very centre, and which no combinations of language have been invented to express. Persons under the intluence of such veiicment feelings, conscious of the total inadequacy of words to convey to others the intimate and full perception of what they experience in themselves, either remain silent, or break forth into expressions of which the critic may lind it difficult to explain the import with precision, but which, nevertheless, fall with overwhelming emphasis upon the heart. The applicability of this remark to the exclamation of Elisha, while gazing upon the apotheosis of his sainted master, will be instantly perceived. It were no easy task Xo exhibit an accurate analysis of the sentiments it comprises ; hut dead to intelligent as well as moral susceptibility must that heart be, which does not respond to its tones of majesty and of tenderness. The feeling by which Elisha's mind was most deeply imbued was one of bereavement, arising from his affectionate and exalted estimation of the character of Elijah, now removed from the ranks of the Church mUitant; and the beautiful allusion in which he arrays this feeling, flowing with such spontaneity and warmth from his bosom, is obviously derived from the imposing accompaniments of the event which awakened it. In his view — a view not less founded in truth than animated with filial veneration — Israel was more indebted for preservation to the moral qualities of Elijah, and particularly tt) the omnipotence of his intercessions than to all her chariots and horses. And assuredly if Philip dreaded the eloquence of Demosthenes more than all the prowess of the Grecian arms, the ancient people of God had more to hope, ami their foes to fear, from the presence of Elijah among them, than from all their other resources coriibined. Somewhat analogous to the poignant regret that filled the 36 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF heart of Elisha iintler the impressive circumstances which have pasr^cJ in review before u:?, has been the elVect produceil on tlie minds of tens of thousands, by the late visitation which has deprived the Weslcyan Connexion of one of its brightest ornaments. The celebrity, seldom paralleled, which, throudi a long scries of years, has been associated with the name of Dr. Adam Clarke, has rendered his death a matter of such general notoriety and interest, that I need not enquire of any present, " Know ye not that there is a prince and a great nan fallen this day in Israel ]'' '' Is it then your intention," it may be asked. a to institute a comparison between a man wlio, however high and deserved his celebrity, was uninspired, and Elijah, who stands pre-eminent in the race of Hebrew Prophets — who had his dwelling amid the illuminations of Heaven, and whose public life was a succession of miracles?" I answer. No. But I cannot, at the same time, refrain from observing, that wxto it my design to elucidate the prominent elements which, in my view at least, entered into the formation of the intellectual and moral character of Dr. Clarke, by tracing a parallel between him and any one of those worthies whose memory the spirit of inspiration has embalmed, there shines not a name in the roll of sacred biography, which I should deem better suited to furnish materials for such a comparison than that of Elijah. The patriarchal simplicity of the Doctor's manners, which struck every beholder, and, to a discriminating appreciator of character, aflbrded collateral proof of his real greatness of mind — his bold and uncompromising fidelity in declaring all the counsel of God — his valour for the truth — his burning zeal and elevated devotion, present a striking counterpart to those qualities which figure most conspicuously in the recorded conduct of Elijah. But waiving a more extended comparison between our DR. ADAM CLARKE, 37 3 which 3 ellect the latx? mcxion seldom as been Le, has ety ami jiow ye 3 ilay in xl, "to er high Elijah, pheti^ — rieaven, esT I lin from Dminent nto the of Dr. one of ion has f>acred furnish Elijah, which reciator eatnes? jclaring nirning iterpart in the len our Ohvislian Prophet, who has so faithfully done his work, and the renowned Tishbite who stood as a wall of adamant around the temple of Truth at a time when idolatry, under the auspices of a sceptre, threatened to reduce it to a mass of ruins, 1 must now endeavour — unsuited to my powers though tuc task imposed upon me be — to give you some account of the man, whoso name will go down to distant posterity enroll>| ri Circuit."^ The appointment soon came, and yonr Clarke, with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, consecrated his service to the Lord, and never afterwarii.^ revoked his vows. His entrance upon the work of the Christian Ministry forms an interesting epoch in his history. In detiicatin^r himself to tlic sacred oflicc, he acted from a conviction of 4'onsciencc : and that his call to it emanated from a special providence, the results luminously demonstrate. Some may demur to the correctness of this position, as though it implied a species of Divine interference peculiar to the designation of the Apostles ; and others, who recognise no authority Ui minister in holv things as valid, but what is received from ;. mitred dignitary of the Establishment, may contumeliously spurn at it: but the life, the labours, anil the successes of such a Minister as Dr. Adam Clarke, are sufllcient to pui to silence a host of such opponents. To the miraculous mission of an Apostle, he preferred no claim ; and for the sanction of episcopal ordination to constitute him a Minister of the New Testament, he saw no necessity. Sincerely deploring the fact, so mournfully illustrated by ecclesiastical history, that "men-made Ministers have almost ruined the heritafre of Goo;" and believing that "it is the prerogative of God both to call and qualify a man to he a successful preacher of his word," he regarded the incomparabh- ^Vesley and his associates as extraordinary messengers, sent forth by Goo to revive his work in the earth. Inw ardly moveil by die Holy Ghost to take upon himself this ollice, no sooner did the evolutions of providence indicate it to be Ids dutv to become a worker together uith those venerable men, than " immediately" he " conferred not with flesh and blood." Young as he then was — not more than twenty years of age — his distinguished talents excited notice and admiration wherever he went ; whilst the ardent fidelity of his exertions for the conversion of souls exhibited luci death — the free justification of the repentant sinner through I'aith in his propitiation — the witness of the Spirit as the privilege of the sons of Gon, and salvation from all sin in the present life, — these vital truths of Christianity found a place in all his ministrations. A prescvl sal nation was indeed his lavourito i'\eme, and he pressed it upon all with an unction ami an energy overwhelniiFitily pott .it. To a mind constituted like his, nothing coukl l)e more ungenial than the turbid element of theological controversy. Nevertheless, knowing that he was set for the defence, as well as for the exposition, of the Gospel, he *^ contended earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." Tlie universaliiy of Christ's atonement — the direct witness of the Holy Spirit to the believer's adoption into the family of God — and the provisions of the New Covenant for the entire sanctification of believers anterior to death, were doctrines, in his estimation, too intimately associated witli the glory of God, and the comfort and salvation of man, to be given up to those who wojild substitute inadequate and erroneous views of Divine truth for the unmutilated Gospel of God our Saviour. With a zeal attempered with love, he therefore brought to their defence, whenever occasion required, the energies of his acute and mighty mind. If 44 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OP he ever deviated from that simplicity which, like an advantageous foil, beautifully coutrasted with the richnesis of his conceptions and the display of his learning, it was when expatiating on such subjects as the existence and attributes of the Deity, or the nature and immortality of the human soul. Some individuals have been heard to confess " their inability to follow him through the labyrinths of consecutive deduction into which he entered in his theological discussions;" but those who were qualified, by previous mental discipline, to appreciate the force of his argumentation, rose from hearing him with feelings in harmonious coincidence with those expressed by our immortal bard, — " How charming is Divine Pliilosopliy : Not harsh and crabbed, as dull fools suppose; But musical as is Apollo's lut<', And a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets, Where no crude surfeit reigns." To these observations on some of the prominent excellencies of Dr. Clarke's preaching, I append with pleasure the testimony of an able critic, as to the glowing energy of his perorations: — "His applications bring the subject home to the understandings and consciences of his hearers in a manner the most direct and irresistible. They display the most perfect conviction in his own mind of the truth of God's word, and leave no room for doubt in the minds of others. They appear so manifestly to flow from the heart, and they indicate such an intense desire for the spiritual interests of all present, that they scarcely ever fail to command the deepest and most respectful attention. We never saw a congregation indifferent under Dr. Clarke's preaching; and we never saw a congregation unmoved under his applications. His word is indeed a hammer which breaketh the rock in pieces ; and the tears and devout aspirations o( His hearers usually testify the ardour of their Tilt like an richness? , it was nee and tality of leard to byrinths in his ualified, force of feelings by our »minenl with lowing ing the of his They of the in the N from for the er fail We larke's nmoved immer devout f their DR. ADAM CLARKE. 45 feelings, and the irresistible energy of iiis expostulations an J entreaties." ^■^ Having diluted thus largely on the pi^culiarities of the Doctor as a preacher, I must be less minute than f liiid rontemplateil, in delineating his general and literur\'- character. The first nientil characteristic, calculated both to attract and astonish us, is his heroic derinon. This was. in truth, the ]>red()iuiiiating element in the constitution of his mind. Of ail the (juaiities, wiiother intellectual or moral, which combine to forui a character of exalted excellence, none is mon; important than decision. Numerous illustrations of this remark will readily occur to those who possess anv acijuaintance with history, or who have not been whoilv inobservant of the progress of human character. How Innjuently have prospects the most radiant Ijeen blasted for ever, and capabilities of no conurion order rendered entirely unproductive, by inilolence or caprice; while, on the other hand, the latent spark of genius, faimcd by decision into irrepressible intcnsltv, has often burst lortlt from the deepest obscurity, aiul dispelled the enveloping cloud that threatened its extinction ! This is a triumph, compared witli which the most splendid victory is inglorious. And this triumph was Dr. Claike's. His majestic plan was sketched in the morning of life, and with systematic energy he pursued it, till, by the Divine lavour, he poured over the bold outline the grandeur of execution. So intense was his determination in prosecuting uliat he thought it to he his duty lo attempt, that obstacles, whose magnitude would have appalled others, melteil away beiore him ; and he wielded an ascendancy over circumstances which wcnild have mollified and controlled the operations, and Irustrated the designs, of a mind of less ardour and firmness. Thij * Rc\j(,'w of his IMscouffes \\\ the Wi-ylcjan Magazine for IW-*, p. 073. 4r3 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF numerous monuments of his indomitable resolution and untirin;^ industry adorn the temple of religion, and supply heart-stimng excitements to those who are following him, non passibus cequis, to " work while it is day." His zeal in the cause of God imparted' an elevation to all his views and pursuits, which strikingly elucidates the power of renovating grace. This sacred fire that glowed in his breast was indicated, not only by his personal piety, which was both deep and uniform, and the celestial lustre of righteousness which shone forth in his life, but also by the concentration of his talents, his strength and hiis influence, to advance the glory of God and the eternal interests of mankind. Baxter, who, amid the gloom of persecution and bodily weakness, was cheered with so large a foretaste of '• the saint's everlasting rest," has recorded his acknowledgment, that the ardour of his mind was often (cooled by speculative studies: and such unquestionably is the tendency of severe mental application, without much prayer, and a vigilant attention to the state of the heart. Dr. Clarke must have been more than human, not to have been occasionally sensible of some depression in the tone of his devotional feelings in consequence of protracted literary toils. But, in the habitual frame of his mind, he '• walked with God," and scarcely ever failed to carry with him into his sacred ministrations a heart sublimed and fired, as if by a recent commission from on high. The animated interest vi^hich he felt in the Missionary enterprise was an emanation from the same principle. He powerfully advocated this blessed cause before men, and he constantly prayed for its success, to God: it was aided by his contributions, and materially promoted by his counsels and influence ; and although, for the most part, exercising his ministry in the domestic enclosure, he knew the heart of a Missionary, for he possessed it. The catholic benignity of his spirit forms an attractive men.' DR. ADAM CLARKE. 47 on and supply ng him, ation to ates the glowed I piety, d lustre o by the fluence, Tests of secuticn foretaste led his IS often nably is ;t much J heart. to have he tone otracted ind, he •ry with id fired, limated se was v^erfully istantly by his lels and ing his irt of a tractive feature of his character on which it were unjust to be silent. St. Paul, enumerating the qualifications necessary for a bishop, requires that he should be " a lover of good men." Of this expansive affection, so ornamental to a Christian, and more especially to a Christian Minister, Dr. Clarke afforded a noble exemplification. Towards ail, of whatever creed or name, who *• loved our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," he cherished the feelings of fraternal attachment. Nor will it be suspected by any who knew him, even through the medium of his works only, that this diffusive love which encircled the whole Church militant, arose from any laxity or indecision in his views of revealeil truth. No : it was the genuine fruit of his love to God ; and it was cherished by the most enlarged conceptions ol' the Divine philanthropy, and a constant reference to the line of demarcation between the essentials of the Christian system, and those less momentous truths, respecting which misapprehe*^ n-- may exist, without endangering the salvation of soul. He had learned how to unite the utmost tenacity of adherence to those principles which, after careful examination, he believed to be taught in the word of God, with the cultivation of Christian regard for all who conscientiously differed from him. The sentiments expressed in a document written onlv about a month before his death, in an album which was presented to him by the Rev. Robert Newstead, are so highly illustrative of this union of faith and love, and, independently of this consideration, are so full of interest, that I cannot deny myself the pleasure of here introducing it. It is as follows : — "«IN PERPETUAM REl MEMORIAM.' " I have lived more than three-score years and ten ; I have travelled a good deal both by sea and land ; I have conversed with and seen many people in and from different 48 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OP countries; I have studied the principal religious systems in the world; I have read much, thought much, and reasoned much: and the result is, tliat I am persuaded of the simple and unadulterated truth of no book but the Bible, and of the true excellence of no system of religion but that contained in the Holy Scriptures, and especially Christianity, which is referred to in tlie Old Testament, nnd fully revealed in the New. And while I think well of, and wish well to, all religious sects and parties, and especially to nil who love our Lord Jf::sus Christ in sincerity, yet, from a long and thorou|fh kno\\Iedgo of the subject, 1 am led most ccmscientiouslv to conclude, that Christianitv itself, as existing among those called Wcsleyan Methodists, is the purest, the salest, that which is most for God's glory, and the benefit of -mankind ; and that both as to the creed there professed, form of discipline there established, and the consequent moral practice there vindicated : and I believe ^hat amons them is to be tound the best form and bodv of divinity that has ever existed in the Church of Christ, from the promulo:ation of Christianity to the present day. To him who would say, 'Dr. Clarke, are you not a bigot'?' without hesitation I would answer, No, I am not; for, by the grace of God, I am a iMethodist ! Amen." That he was as far removed from bigotry in his spirit as from latit\idinarianism in his creed, his wTitings at large, and particularly his introductory address at the formation of the Weslevan Missionary Society, abundantly evince. In that address he exhibits a rapid survey of what in modern times has been done to evangelize the world ; and even the Missionaries sent out by the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, of the Romish Church, come in for their share of liberal commendation. "Among them," he says, "have been found men eminent for piety,* abilities, and ministerial labours, and through them many a sinner has been pointed to the Saviour of men." The labours of Carey ^ Marshman^ DR. ADAM CLARKE. 49 terns ill •asoned si m pit' 1 of tho ntainctl , whicli tl in the to, all ho love a long ill most s against such bold invasions on the hallowed domain of Revealed Truth. Here, learning appears and acts in her appropriate character as the handmaid of religion, treating the "words which the Holy Ghost teacheth" with the conscious reverence due to their paramount authoiity, and adducing her sacred criticisms to ascertain and vindicate their genuine meaning. Thus have J endeavoured — not without a humiliating consciousness of my inadequacy to the task — to pay a tribute to the memory of Dr. Adam Clarke, whose death has produced a chasm in our Society, and in the literary world, which is not likely soon to be supplied. The removal of such a man is a visitation peculiarly monitory and impressive. And as such it has been very generally felt and regarded. The majestic tree of Methodism has, on this solemn occasion, shown signs of tremulousness from its topmost boughs to its very root : nor can we wonder. DR. ADAM CLARKE. 53 Hebrevr nothing ihrase to foretold iposed of lich they :)cal that c wildest lecessity. [Tcctj?, of •e. The »n cannot influence ihe lustre 1 to exert Clarke's rning and of Goi> )main of ,s in her treating with the ity, and ^'indicate miliating pay a se death literary d. The nonitory enerally sm has^ ess from wonder, «ince there has been severed from it, by a single stroke, a venerable and richly-fruited branch that so long grew with its growth, and strengthened with its strength. It is, however, our duty to bow with unrepining submission to the will of Him who " holdeth the seven stars in his right hand." Nor ought we to forget that, many years ago, to precarious was the state of the Doctor's health, that his friends entertained serious apprehensions that he would be taken away in the midst of his biblical labours. Should not the merciful Providence, then, by which he was spared to see the felicitous completion of so great an undertaking, call forth ihe glowing effusions of our gratitude to God? And while we mingle our regrets on the subject of our oivn incalculable loss, let us alleviate our sorrow by turning our contemplations to his still greater (rain. His intense thirst after righteousness and knowledge, which could never be satisfied by the stream, is now regaled at the fount. " Happy day tliat breaks our chain! Tliat manumits, that calls from exile home, That leads to nature's great metropolis, And re-admits us, tiirough tht guardian hand Of elder brothers, to our Father's throne !" To conclude : The fittest improvement we can make of the death of the revered Minister whose character we have survej'ed, is to " follow his faith, considering the end of his conversation, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." Moral distinctions alone survive the tomb. The grandeur which literary renown sheds around the name of Dr. Clarke would now be of little avail to him, were he not numbered with the children of God, and partaker of a lot among the saints. But he was not only a great, but " a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of fiith " Let us then gather up his mantle, and, glowing with his spirit, follow him as he followed Christ. Amidst all the mutations of time, Jesus Christ is the f2 M A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORT 07 DR. CLARKL% same yesterday, to-day, and forever. Our fathers, where are theyl and the prophets, do tliey live forever 1 Noj they are immortal only till their work is done : soon every voice that now proclaims the salvation of God will be silent in the tomb. But the Great Shepherd and Bishop of souls never dies. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. The colossal angel, descending at the predestined hour, will place one foot upon the sea, and the other upon the land, and swear by Him that liveth forever and ever, that time shall be no longer — the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood — the stars that gem the canopy of heaven shall fall — the elements shall dissolve — desolation slinll feed amid the wreck of ruined worlds — the judgment shall be set, and the books shall be opened — the faithful rewarded, and the impenitent doomed ; — but, neither from the fearful portents which shall precede, nor from the momentous developments which shall distinguish, nor from the consecpiences which shall follow, the coming day of final audit, have the redeemed any thing to fear, since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. Amen." where* ? No; ti every will be ishop of sterday, iding at ea, and t liveth the sun d([ — the lementH reck of ; books penitent ch shall i which 'h shall Jeemed tcrday, HRIST ved us, hope you in SERMON III. LIFE AND IMMORTALITY BROUGHT TO LIGHT BY THE GOSPEL. 2 Timothy I, 10. — ' Irjrfou X^j'J'ro'j, xoLTa^yrjifn^Toc; julev ?. and by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, when he had by himself purgc»d our sins, forever sat down on the right hand of the INIajesty on high." For Him, "that in all things he might have the pre-eminence," it was reserved — as a Prophet, to speak as never man spake — as a Priest, to propitiate olTended justice by the sacrificial oflering of himself upon the altar of his cross — and as a King, to achieve such illustrious trophies as should convince both his foes and his followers, that he is "Immanuel, God with us !" The lofty anticipations of recorded prophecy on this favourite theme of inspiration were amply realized in the 50 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. life, ilcath, and rc^urrect*lon of our Redeemer ; and in the thrilling retrospect of their accomplishment it was, that the Apostle uttered the dignified and rapturous enunciation — ** Jesus Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." Imposing are the aspects, my Brethren, under which these words present the Christian system, and splendid the glory with which they invest its Author. Eminently illustrative of that progressive plan which pervades the entire series of the Divine communications to man, they display, in new and unclouded evolution, doctrines which as moral and accountable beings we cannot contemplate but with deepest interest and solicitude, — the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body. In proof of the positions advanced in the text, those who believe that the Apostle wrote under the plenary inspiration of the Holy Spirit, can neither demand nor desire any ulterior evidence. But the mind may unhesitatingly yield its assent to a declaration of Scripture as a matter of faith, while, at the same time, it has a very indistinct and inadeciuatc conception of it, as a matter of understanding. In such a case, a double benefit is likely to result from a " manifcstnlion of the truth ;" — while the mind is more expanded, the heart may become more powerfully impressed. I am solicitous to promote both these valuable objects by an illustration of the momentous truths to which your attention is now invited. I. It is important, in the first place, to obtain a clear perception of the import of the terms which the Apostle employs. "Jesus Christ," he affirms, "hath abolished death." This is the language of grateful exultation : and well may the heavenly oracle which announces so glorious a conquest, inspire every believing breast with kindred emotions. But will the announcement bear to be tested by plain facti LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. r.7 Was the nholitioii of dcatli completely arhieved hy the inrarnati'd Son of (Iod? Did llir kiu^r of terrors who reigned from Ailain to Moses, and |)er|>ctu:\teil liis all- devastalirji^ empire iVoiii Moses to CnuiST, drop the spear from Ills jjaraly/ed arm when the Prince of hife a|)peareti? J)id the Divine R[:i)i;i:mf,m work the extermination of our dreaded and mortal foe from the earth, over which, desolated hy his unceasing ravages, he had .»o long waved his pale banner with malignant triumph? Is it on the historic records of those ages otdy that passed away anterior to the coming of JVIkssiah that, we trace the a|)paHing demonstrations of his |/ower? This were a consunmi-ilion which our strong atta'diment to life, and iiistite .ive iiorroi- of the toml), would renkn" extremeiy congenial witfi our feelings; hut vain is every hope of exemption from the infliction of the solemn sentence — *' Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." A view however there is, there must he, in which »l;.' words are suhlimely true. Tt is a view which opens only ofi the eye of that faith, the sphere of whose vision is immeasurahly expanded. As "with the Lord," so in xhc calculations of faith, "one day is as a thousand years, r,nd a thousand years as one day.-' It can annihilate distance the most remote, and change gloom the most profound into the light of morning. Richly imhucd with this j)ririciple, "the suhstance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," the Apostle could look throng!; V;,i vista of all coming ages with an eye to which the darkness of the sepulchre presented no ohstruction, ^:i;d heholding the destruction of "the last enemy," the gates of the grave unbarred, and its long imprisoned captives liberated forever, he could exclaim with transport, "Jesus Christ hath abolished death !" To the period when these scenes shall be disclosed in magnificent reality, the words under consideration obviously 58 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. refer in their ultimate meaning. They arc variously inter- pretevl by eminent Ijiblici^ts. Acconling to Rosenniuller, they j^ignily our deliverance by Christ from the fear of death, and of eternal misery.* Schleusner conceives them to import the destruction of the power and empire of d.eath over mankind effected by the Redeemer.! I^^'* Adam Clarke renders the phrase more literally than either — "who hath counterworked death;" and thus strikii;gly unfolds its energy and comprehensiveness — "operated against his operations, destroyed his batteries, undersunk and d'^stroyed Ids mines, and rendered all his instruments and principles of attack useless. By death here, we are not to understand merely natural death, but that corruption and decomposition which take piuce in conseipience of it; and which would Le naturally endless, but for the work and energy of Christ. By Him alone comes the resurrection of the body, and tlirough Him eternal life and glory arc given to the souls of believers/' To "destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver those who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage," are represented by the Spirit of inspiration as among the high and holy ends for which the Son of God clothed himself with our nature and expired upon the cross. The cross was both his all-victorious weapon and his triumphal chariot. On it he "spoiled princ'-'alities and powers" — laid the aspiring crescent of "the old Serpent" in the dust — and shivered the lance of Death. Since that signal triumph of the Saviour, the Church militant, undismayed by the approach of" the last enemy," has been enabled to shout — " death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and die strength of sin is the law. * Qui a uietu luorlis (cterna'tiuo nitscrite nos liberavit. Scholia in Novi'M Tkstamemtum- t Murtis vim et itnpcriuin in hominee distruentis. ;lv inter- Miniuller, J fear of ves liieni of death •. Adam — " who unfolds aint^t his I'^stroyed irinciples iderbtand npo^ition would Le Christ. odv, and p souls of of death, of death roi^^cntcd oly ends |ir nature joth his On it aspiring hhivered of the Ipproach death, ? The lie law. lEMTCM. LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 69 But thanks be to God which giveth us the victoiy through our Lord Jesus Christ." " And hath brought life and immortality to light." The Greek terms would be more accurately translated — " hath illustrated life and incorruption." The two most prominent expressions here are not synonymes, but embrace the two constituent parts o^ our nature ; life referring to the soul, and incorrvpiion to the body. Whether the soul is immortal by virtue of its immateriality, or purely in consec[uence of the volition of the great Supreme, are inquiries which have often been instituted, but never satisfactorilv solved. It is enough for us to know that it will never die. No decays of the perishable habitation can impair the vitality of the celestial tenant. The undying spirit sometimes given evidences of the greatest vigour at the solemn crisis when "the earthly house of" its "tabernacle" is about to be "dissolved." "The soul's (lark cottn^o. batter'd and decay'd, Lets in nev light through chinks that time has made." The shock of dissolution by which the earth-born part of our nature is consigned to the tomb, gives pinions to the heavenly spirit, on which it soars away, to expatiate in the realms of undecaying existence. Nor shall the body be always forgotten. Though sown in corruption, it shall be raised in incorruption. The sepulchral cerement shall not always infold this chosen temple of the Holy Ghost. Duteous to the life-giving call of Christ, it will at me destined hour come forth in renovated organization and existence, exchanging the decavs and dishonours of the tomb for the glories of immortality. A large and prominent place is given to the doctrine of the resurrection in the New Testament; and it should assume a corresponding and proportionate importance in tlie estimation of Christians. With it our hope of salvation must stand or fall. It will form the grand and 60 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. blissful consummation of that series of redeeming acts which shall place the sacrificial Lamb in the midst of the throne, surround that throne with its most attractive glory, and be the theme of celestial song through interminable ages. Such are the elevated and inspiring views of the future destination of true believers in Christ, for which we are indebted, not to the discoveries of reason, nor to the lights of philosophy, but to the oracles of God. From these, and from tliese alone, cfin we derive just conceptions of those moral relations which associate man with God, and time with eternity. II. Having elucidated the import of the Apostle's declaration, we proceed to evince its iruth. In order to form any thing like a proper estimate of tlic importance aiul value of tlio.se disclosures of "the world to come" which peculiarly distinguish the Gospel, it is highly expedient to glance at the state of knowledge on this subject among the nations of Pagan anti([uity. What did the oracles of reason teach of an hereafter? What light was rellected on the vale of death, and on the regions of futurity, by those pliilosophers who were so much venerated w hilc living, and to whom all subsequent ages have concurred in awarding a niche in the temple of fame ? Let their respective systems furnish the reply. The immortality of the soul was rejected by Epicurus, as dissonant to reason and sound philosophy. With his theory of its origin, the belief of its existence after death is indeed perlectly incon»i)atiblc. He conceived, accordin'^ to Lucretius, who ds admirably delineated the Epicurean system, that the soul is formed of the most rarefied parts of the atmosphere. Et calor Vfintijs et aer inhaled by respiration, and blending in the frame with elements of a still more sublimated and active quality. Noti were that no occurs the doc means Plate immorli India, of meta ralculai 10 weak From blcndinu merely inimorta ihe iuci Xenophc whatevei aim to a lO the Di by a sii j^cneral \ breathing to have solicitude iiiterestin prelerrin< and just him sav, remains 1 will the'i noble ; b convictio nroportioi LIFE AND IMMORTALITT, Ci n\ iiiucli a<,'es a me ? curus, th his death w ith Notions equally abhorrent in their legitimate inferences were entertained by many of the Peripatetics. It is true liiat no express negation of the soul's existence after death occurs in the writings of their distinguished founder, yet the doctrines he inculct;>:eci concerning its nature are by no means auspicious of the opposite conclusion. Plato and Pythagoras avowed their creilence of the immortality of the soul ; but like the gymnosophists of India, from whom they most probably derived the elements of metaphysical science, they mixeil it up with ^jpeculations calculated, if not entirely to neutralize, yet very materially 10 weaken its moral influence. From the charge of the deterioration of iruih by thus blending it with error, Socrates stands exempted. Not merely did this illustrious sage teach that the soul is immortal, but, as is justly remarked by Dr. Good, "from ihe lucid and invaluable Memoraiulia of his disciple Xcnophon, we have hi»iorical grounds for affirming, that vviiatever may have been the train of his reasoning, it led him to a general assurance, that the human soul is allied to the Divine Being, not by a participation of essence, but by a similarity of nature." Just howevei* as were his general views upon this momentous point, and apparently breathing, at times, of inspiration, they do not appear ever to have acquired that stability necessary to j)reclude the solicitudes of occasional indecision. It is indeed a most interesting sight to behold this venerable man deliberately preferring death to a pusillanimous compromise of princi[)le, and just as he raises the poisoned cup to hi^^ lips to hear him sav, " I derive con'ulonce from the hope that something remains for man aftc deaUi, and that the state of good men will the'i be mucl; better than that of the bad." This is noble; but still it is not in the animated to^ie of perfect conviction. The want of this he seems to have felt in proportion to the nearness of his approach to the awful and 62 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. invisible scenes of eternity. *'I am leaving the world," said he, "and you are to remain in it; but which has the happier portion is known only to God." We are furnished by the prince of Roman orators with a minute and c'lo([ucnt detail of the dit^cordant lessons of philosophy on thi:^ topic ; but what is our sorrow, as well as surprise, to find that he has withlicld the requisite data from which to ascertain his own belief. In one of his dialogues, he introduces a person as thus expressing himself, after a repealed perusal of Plato's arguments, in favour of inimoilality : "I know not how it happens, but while I am reading I assent ; the moment however I lay the book aside, and begin to reason with myself, all my conviction is gone." Had not Cicero's own mind been perturbed with similar lluctuations, his writings would have no doubt supplied a defence of the inunorlality of the soul, equally distinguished by force of argument and felicity of expression. Illustrations of the scepticism, or rather infidelity, that prevailed o'^ this subject among all ranks in the most enlightened era of Roman improvement, might easily be accumnlated. I shall add I'Ut one: — Ca\sar, in an oration addressed to a full senate on occasion of Cataline's conspiracy, endeavours to dissuade them from putting the conspiiators to death, by this argument — that death is to mortals the termination of all evils, there being after it neither sullenng nor enjoyment, and that therefore its infliction would in reality be no punishment.* This rapid survey of the sentiments of the ancient philosophers abundantly evinces, that most of them were, with regard to the highest object of human solicitude and anticipation, emphatically "witliout hope," and that of the few among them wdio entertained nobler conceptions, * Eamcuncta mortalium mala dissolvcrc; ultra ncque cura?, neque gaudio locum esse. Sallust Cat. ^1. LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 63 vorld," has the rs with sons of as well te data of his limsclf, Lvoiir of Ic I am k aside, 1 gone." similar )plied a guishcd y, that e iiioHt sily be oration Italine'.^ ing the |h is to iftcr it )re its mcient were, lie and [hat of [ptions, gaudio It. ^ 1. the remark of Seneca is strictly correct — " Immortality v.as promised rather than proved by those great men ?" From the inadequacy of their views, and the inconclu- siveness of their reasonings, concerning the future destiny of the soul, we are prepared to anticipate their cheerless conclusions as to the fate of the body. If the horizon of their prospects in reference to the ethereal spirit, though still exhibiting vestiges of its primal grandeur, was so overshadowed, what hope could they cherish for its material vehicle, which, by a process commencing in death, soon becomes indistinguishablv blended with its maternal dust? None. There was nothing in the aspects of the grave to predict a resuscitation, but every thing to preclude such a hope. Hence they regarded the idea of a resurrection as fraught with absurdity. Nor did the majesty of inspiration, combined with the most insinuating address, avail to gain admission for this doctrine among the enlightened and polished Athenians, though Paul himself was its apologist. The instant he preached unto them ''the resurrection of the dead," a murmur of revolt ran through the assemblage; " some mocked, and others said. We will hear thee again of this matter." In the elegy composed on the occasion of the death of Bion by his friend and disciple Moschus, we are presented with the following eflusions of unalleviated sorrow and desperation : — " Alrts! the tender herbs and flow'ry tribes, Though crush'd by Winter's unrelonlini; liand, Revive and rise when vernal zopliyrs call; But we, the brave, the miuhty, and tlie wise, Bloom, fl(iuri.sh, fade, and fall,— and then succeeds A long, loni!, silent, dark, oblivious sbcp; A sleep, which no propitious power dispels, Nor clianging seasons, nor revolving years." Thus beclouded with the mists of ignorance and error on subjects involving the highest interests of man, did the Heathen world remain until the '* Sun of Righteousness ^ LIFE AND IMMORTALITT. arose" upon it " witli Jie.irmg in his wings." And never, without the aid of Revelation, would the case have been ameliorated — never would a single additional ray have becn reflected upon the regions of futurity, by the cultuii^ of reason. The results of her highest eflbrts, though expanded und invigorriled ))y the discoveries of inspiration, are in perlect unison with this humiliating estimate of her powers. Christian philosoplicrs liavc often argued the imniort.il'fy of the soul from tlic immateriality of its essence. But granting the force and weight of the arsuments derived from this source, by wiiich the celestial origin of the intelligence in man is maintained, docs it follow obviously and irresistibly, that, because ethereal, it can never cease to exist? Certainly not. The evidence is merely presump- tive: He who created the soul, unquestionably can, if he please, destroy it. The argument on this subject, drawn from analog}' and from the moral attributes of the Deity, admits of great amplitude of illustration, and is undoubtedly worthy of iiigh regard. When we lift our thoughts to the contemplation of the wisdom and goodness of the great Creator, and reflect on the intellectual dignity and moral capabilities of the human spirit ; when we consider that the most felicitous concurrence of temporal circumstances cannot administer unmingled happiness to the mind, — that the j^ood and virtuous long after immortality, — and that all other beings, save man, appear admirably constituted for the station assigned them in creation, we seem in possession of little less than a demonstration that we are indeed destined for another, and more exalted, as well as enduring, sphere of existence. But is this mode of reasoning sufficiently conclusive to impart the serene and dignified composure of perfect assurance 1 Were we perfectly satisfied that it was the original design of God that the soul of man shouW id never, ave been ay have le cult urn , tliough spirntion, te of her niort.il'fy cc. But > tlerivcil 1 of the obviously • cease to presum[)- an, if he ilogy ana of greai y of liigh mplaliofi tor, and )ilities of elicitous minister od and beings, station of Httle ned for sphere iTiciently )sure of |t it was shoulii LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 65 be immortal, have we no reason to apprehend that a change in the Divine purpose has been the judicial effect of a change in the character of the species, and that, in consecpience of sin, the crown of immortality lias fallen from our head? What hut an attestatit)n from Heaven can terminate the reign of doubt upon this momentous question? '• Tiic science of abstruse learning, when completely attained, is like Achilles'' spear, that heals the wounds it had made before. It casts no additional light upon the ])aths of life, but disperses the clouds with which it had overspread them. It advances not the traveller one step on his journey, but conducts him back again to the spot from which he had wandered." We have not stoppcil to iiupiire what proportion of man- kind would be susceptible of benefit from proofs emanating t>om metaphysical sources — how many have the leisure, the talents, and the habits of close and continuous thinkin^^ demandcil by such investigations. ^Vere the interesting result to be arrived at only through such a meilium, men of cultivated minds might press into the region of lisrht ; but the untutored mass of the species would remain as before, unillumined by truth — unchcered with hope. In contrast to the narrow application of such knowledge, " the poor have the Gospel preached unto them," — a system in every way adapted to attain the glorious end for which it was devised in heaven and displayed on earth. Enclothed witli the authority of the throne of God, its announcements are so simple, and yet so dignified, that while they make the illiterate " wise unto salvation," they afford matter in abundance to exercise the profoundest musings, and sustain the loftiest flights of consecrated genius. " Through" this •'Gospel, life and immortality," especially, "are brought to light." But is this, it may be asked, an excellence peculiar to Christianity? Did not the preceding dispensations of Divine grace uplift the veil of futurity ? Was it not in full b2 66 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. view of the expamling prospect of glory tliat the dying Patriarch exclaiiiied, *' I liavc waited for tliy t that said of the Gospel which is not said of any or of all the preceding disclosures of the Divine v^'ill? — why is it claimed as its ])eculiar glory, thai it lias brought life and immortality to ligiitl Let the terms of the text 1)0 taken in the sense in which we have explained them, and they will supply the appropriate and satisfactory answer to thi^ in(piiry. The doctrines of immortality and the resurrection, thougli assumed or expressed in the primeval and pro]dietic revela- tions, were never, strictly speaking, ilfuslraled until "the Gospel was ])r(*ached, with the Holy Ghost,-' the fruii of the IIedeemeii's ascension, "sent down from Heaven.*' On the resurrection of the Son of God, as on its immoveable foundation, the fabric of Christianity rests ; and by this momentous fact, lile and incorruptioii arc most luminously and impressively exhibited. If then the attestations of that fact are of such a nature as to pre- clude the very thought of imposition, the Go.^pel appears before us arrayed in the glory which the Apostle ascribe,'- to it. Let the case be examined. It courts investigation j and its proofs brighten in proportion to the diligence anii penetration with which they are scrutinized. A resurrection is the revivification, the raising to life, ol one in whom the vital principle had become extinct. Involving as the operation plainly does, an omnipotent conti'ol over the established constitution and course of nature, it possesses in a very eminent degree the distinctive LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 67 le dying ation, O i to the IS of llu- for thou enerablc le same wily i> or of all •hy is it life an(i )C taken and they 3r to thi^ , thoiigii :. revela- til "the the fi'iiit eavcii .*' on its rests ; 1011 arc [hen tlic to p re- appear? ^scribes gat ion j ce ami life, 01 extinct. I i potent iirsc of iinctive characters of a miraculons operation. To evince the reality of the miracle in such a case, or render it at all credible, there must be the exhibition of the most un«vjui vocal indications of previous dissolution in the individual upon whom it is performed. Of these there is no penun,- in the case under examination. The crucifixion of Christ took place, not in a corner, hut in the public scene of execution. Notiun^ but his lif(« would of course satisfy those who had loni; thiivted for his blood, especially when their murderous «lesii:ns were logali'/ed by the sentence of the prorurator. The Jvoman law, too, rcijuiied that the body shouUl not be removed from the cross till the sentence was fully execut»Mi. Hence, when Joseph of Arimatha'a applied for that of our blessed Lord, it was not till the ollieial testimony of the centurion who presided at the crucifixion, attesting his death, was received by the governor, that he complied with the recpiest. A circumstance, moreover, is incidentally recoriled by the evangelist John, which, however trivial it may appear at first view, claims a prominent position amonir the proofs of the real death of our Rkdkkmkr. "Then came the soldiers,*" says he, "and brake the le2;s of the first, and of the other which was crucified \vith him. l]ut when thev came to Jesus, and saw that he \vas dead already, they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear ))ierced his side, and forthwith there came thereout blood and water." The nature of this elllux proves thai the spear traversed the pericardium, \vhich contains a lymph resembling water, and wounded the heart itself. And as all wounds of the heart are mortal, had not tlr Redeemer previously yielded up his spirit, death must have lx?en the immCviate conse- quence of this act of wanton cruelty. The body was subsecpiently laid in a new tomb hewn in a rock, and a great stone was rolled to the door of the sepulchre. A watch was set, and to prevent the corruption «8 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. of the guard, ihc stone that closed the Hepiilchrc \vns scaled, most likely with the governor's seal. All these precautions however were vain. The prediction which declared that Christ would rise again on the third day could not be falsified ; and accordingly, at the time which it assigned for that event, the tomb was vacant. AVhat had beconnc of the body of CfiRisr 1 The soldiers deposed that whilst they were asleep his disciples came and stole it away. Not to urge tlie strong improbabilities, that sixty men accustomed to watch should all be so soundly asleep at the same time, that not one of them should be aroused by the rolling the sealed stone from the sepulchre, and the confusion of removing the body, — that the dispirited disciples would ever have embarked in so hazardous an enterprise without any conceivable motive, — that Roman soldiers, to whom it was death to be found asleep on guard, would have made such a declaration without a previous assurance of protection ; — were they competent to give a deposition concerning an occurrence which, according to their own showing, took place while they were asleep ! what modern enemy of the Cross would attempt to shield his scepticism l.)y a pretext bearing such conspicuous marks of clumsiness and collusion? To this fabrication is opposed the concurrent testimony of the Apostles. They affirmed with one voice that Christ arose from the dead, — shewed himself to them openly after his resurrection, and subsequently ascended into heaven. Of their competency to judge on a plain matter of fact, there surely can be no question. Incredulous in a high degree, their cautionary unbelief, which yielded only to irresistible evidence, precludes all just ground of suspicion that they were themselves deceived. And by what inducement could they be prompted to attempt to palm an imposition upon others ? Was this the road to opulence — to fame — to pleasure? Had they been conscious of imposture, the fea "Pll havi wh morj LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. fear of detection would have suggested a course the verv opposite of that which they pursued. Never would tiiev have proclaimed the resurrection in view of the scene where they alleged it to have taken place — at a time the niost unpropitious to the success of ileception, and before juilircs ami trilnmals, alike (pialified, by a perfect accpiaint- ancc with all the circumstances of the case, to expose the scheme, and inclined hy their malignant hostility to the (iospel, severely to punish its authors. JJut the Apostles undauntedlv maintained the truth, ihouj^h all the world's learning and power were arrayed against them, " God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy (iiiosT, according to liis own will." Thus by resuming the life which lie had voluntarily laid down, did the Savioltr triumphantly vindicate his claims as the true IVlESsrAii — evince the Divine eificacy of his sacrifice, and opening the portals of heaven to all believers, abolish death, and illustrate life and incorruption. Nothing but the power of the Omnipotent could have "brought back from the dead our JjOrd Jesus Ciiuist, the great Shepherd of the sheep ;'' and would that power have been thus illustriously displayed to sanction imposture and ratify falsehood? The resurrection of Christ, then, gives the strongest possible confirmation to the verity of his doctrines. Behold in this event, especially, "the proof supreme of immortal- ity" — the certpiin pledge that his voice shall vibrate through the extended realms of death, and cause them to thrill with the first pulsations of unending existence! "Marvel not at this," says he, "for the hour is coming in the which all tliat are in the graves shall hear his voice and come forth ; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." Peculiarly intimate and indissoluble is the connection tliat 70 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. Mihsists In ilio economy of Divine grace i)el\vccn the resur- rection of CiiiusT and that of his genuine tliscipl**; . The •tual reason of this connei'tion is loiuuled iij)on \i'^\< vwn relations. He is the head — thev are tlie niemhe. ile is thi^ j)r()lilic source — they, the rocipients of spiritual iidlu- once ; nrxl '• If the spirit of Him that raised up Jksls from the dead durll in you, he that niised up Christ from tlie i\ciid shall also (juicken your mortal bodies, by his spirit tint dwclleth in you." Unsustair.ed by the resurrection of CiiKiST, t!ie briyht anticipations that ijlow in the regenerate bosom would !)e disappointed, and the whole Christian system reseni!)le the beauteous but imacinativc structure of a vision without foundation, and without substance. "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye arc yet in your sins: Tlien 1h(^y also that are fallen asleej) in Christ are peris'ied. I^it now" that " Christ is risen from the dead, and !)ei'ome the first fruits of them that slept," the harvest must follow. Tlie celestial reapers only await his bidding to j^o forlii and leather his elect from the four winds of heaven. Inspirins hope! How do such prospects cast into the shade all the ulories of time ! And then, the bodies of the redeemjd will be so many living portraitures of Him who "is the resurrection and the life!" Glorious assimilation! August beyond conception are the attributes that distinguish tiic glorified humanity of the Saviour, and insulVerable the blaxe that surrounds him. A single emanation from it quenched the meridian elVulgencc of the orb of day — struck n furious persecutor blind in a moment, and prostrated him in the dust! It is true, "it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for wc shall see him as he is. Our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven, from whence alse wc look for our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodv that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. I lie resur- r.. The nu.Uial ilc is j(l influ- luy iVoni from till' lis spirit :ction of Lvncrato Jliristian ictiirc of ;e. ''If , in vour usT are iic ileail, harvest Iding to iicavcn. nto the of the m who ation ! inguish Vcrable from it -struck Oil him lat we ar, wv Our •0 also , who d like lerebv lie is al)lc to siilulue even all things unto himsi'll'.'' VVoll mav it he said of the Gospel from which we dfiive nurh iiilormatioiis, that tliroiigti it lile and inroniiption arc hrouj^lit to light; worthy is it to be "preached lo every creature under heaven." O thou Hoot ami Oll'spring of David! — Thou brii^ht and mornini^ star! I'ncioiided Sun of Righteousness! — arise resplendent on every benighletl region ! The suljject, my Brethren, to which your thou!j;hts have been directed, is not more sublime in speculation than it is iinper;ilive in its mond inlUience. C'oldly to dismiss it without employing its aid to produce a ^alulary impression on the heart and conscience, would be inconsistent alike with a perception of its importance, and a [)roper estimate of ministerial responsibility. 1 . ^Ve should learn from it hiLdily to apjn-eciale the sacred Scriptures, to which we are iiulebteil for such momentous discoveries ; and, as the appropriate evidence of our •rrati- tude for the revelations whicli they contain, to peruse them with diligence and prayer. In important liistorical infor- inalion — in faithful and instructive delineation of character — in prolound maxims for the roirulation of comluct — and in elevated poetry, the Bible slnnds unrivalled. These characters, however, are among its subordinate excellencies. Its claims to our serious and supreme rei^ard rest uj)on a much hifilier attribute. It is ''able to make us wise unto salvation, through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth." It dcvelopcs the iruldeii mysteries of redemption, "which eye had not seen, nor ear heard, neither the heart of man conceived," — mysteries replete with interest to "the princii)alities and powers in heavenly places," and from the progressive evolution v)f which, they are constantly becoming greater proficients in the knowledge of the manitbld wisdom of God. There is more true wisdom containcil in one page, yes, in many a single sentence, of the word of God, than 72 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. llie most plodding research could possibly collect from all the tomes o( Heathen ethics and philosophy. But for the indubious responses that issue from those lively oracles, the awakened conscience would have been left to prompt such enquiries as, " Wherewith shall I come before the Lord !" and, " What nmst I do to be saved f with endless iteration and unallevialed nirony. The humiliating results of expe- rience amply attest, that reason's sickly beam could never have dirisipateil the shadow of death, nor have unshrouded the regions of eternity. Can too hijih a value, tlien, be placed u]ion that Volume which supplies the re(|uisite infor- mation on subjects of such paramount consideration? The Scriptures administer the richest solace under ntllic- tion. Vic sojoinn in a land of death. The fashion of the world passeth away like a splendid pnjieant. We are bereavt'il ol' our iVieiuls *, and while we mourn tljcir loss, we are foUowinii ther.i to tlii' tomb — "the house appointed for all living."" Where, under such circumstances, can we find consolation i "To whom, (3 Loud, should we go but unto thee ? Thou hast the words of eternal life !'' Pitiable is the condition of those who are ignorant of this resource. " I passed by the buryinir-placc,"" says a Persian poet, " and wept sorely to think how nu\ny of my friends were in tlu- mansions of the dead; and in an agony of grief I cried out. * WHiere are thev'?' ami echo iiave answer and said, ' When' are they?' " But what shall be said of the guilt and folly of that man who, though encircleil uith the radiance of the Cxospel which has brought "life arul immortality to light," Hies not to it for succour ? " The precepts of Epicurus, who teaches us to endure what the laws of the universe make necessary, may silence, but not rontcnt us. The dictates of Zeno, who conunands us to look with indilVerence on external things, may dispose us to conceal our sorrow, but cannot assuage it. Real alleviation in the loss of friends, and LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 73 rom all . for the les, the pt such Lord ?" teration f t'X po- ll never lirouiled lien, he te infor- I? ?r nlllie- •hion ol" \\c are i?ir lo^'s, ^pointed can we iro hut i^itiahle 'fJOiuTe. :, "and in the ieil out. ^Vlieri' at man (lospel lies not teaches 'essary, Zeno, xternal cannot s, and rational tranquillity in the prospect of our own dissolution, can be received only from tlie promises of Him in whose hands arc life and death, and from the assurances of another :ind better state, in which all tears shall be wiped away from the eyes, and the whole soul shall be filled with joy."* Let us then search the Scriptures, — unceasingly pray, ^'that rhe God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, mav give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him ; the eyes of our understanding being enl'-ghtened : that we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." 2. Life anil incornn)tion, as illustrated by the Gospel, invest our spiritual interests wiih the highest importance. The value of the soul is incalculable. Formed originallv in the imago of God — redeemetl by blooil above all price — capable of the most exalted moral dignity, and of inefl'ablc bliss or deepest misery, its existence will be measured only by ages that never end. Can the pleasures of sin then, which are but for a moment — the palms of worldly honour, which bloom to wither — or riches, which make themselves wings and tlec away, — can the whole worhl repay the loss of the immortal soul? No. A thousand worlds thus boui^ht, were bought too dear! To estimate the loss baffles all the power of computation, and the thought that, beyond the limit of this probationary life, the soul can never, never^ NEVER be rescued, is overwheuuing. " What harp of boundless, deep, e.xhaustloss wo, Shall uller forth tlio ;;roaiiinss of tin; dainn'd, And sing the ob9e(iuiP3 of wicked souls, And wail their phingi; in tho eternal tire I— Hold, hold your hands! hold, angels!— God laments, And draws a cloud of niournin;; round his throne! The Organ of Eternity is mute! And there is eilence in \.hn Heaven of Heavens!'* Johnson. H 74. LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. From this appalling scene, my Bretliren, turn your atten- tion to the glories of the celestial world, which the Gospel expands in glowing perspective before you ; and with a zeal inspired by a view of hell on the one hand, and of heaven on the other, seek hrst the kingdom of God and his right- eousness, and give unweariablo "diligence to make your calling and election sure." In coMclusion : Let us live as expectants of immortality, and of that great ilay when " the trum])ct shall sound and the dead shall l)e raised." " Without holiness no man shall see the Loud." Have we truly lepented of our sins, and obtained their remission through faith in the redeeming blood of CiiinsT'? or arc we, l)y pouring coutemi)t on the riches of the Divine long-sulVering, "according to our hard and im])enitonl hearts, treasuring up unto ourselves wrath ngainst the day of wrath and revelation of tiie rigiiteous judgment of (rOD?" Sinner! institute the solenm examination ; tremble at the result; and cry mightily to God, to cancel thy guilt, ami to dilVuse his love and serenity abroad in thy heart. Lose; jiot aiiotht.'i' moment! God calls! time Hies! eternity is at hand ! the Judge cometh with ten thousand of hi^ saints! Christians! are ye prepared to meet him, and to echo to his\oice, "Even so come Lord Jesus?" You expect, ^^ hen absent from the body, to be present with the Lord. Having this hope in you, purify yourselves even as he is pure. Rest not, until the love of God thoroughly pervade and perfectly transform every ])owerof your minds. You cherish the deliahtful confidence that "in vourllesh ye shall see God" — that in the morning of the resurrection your bodies shall be exalted into a participation of the consummate felicity of your pcfected spirits. " I beseech you, therefore, lu'ethren," by the prospect of so glorious a destination, " that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God, lioly and acceptable, which is your reasonable service. » SERjJON IV. THE WETNESS OF THE SPIRIT. UoMANs viii. 10. •Tlic Spirit ilscU lit. rttii wiiiicsh wall our siiiiii, tiiat wo arc Uic cliiJUieu of God." Christianity presents to our rccartl, in pert'ert imij^on with tiic eniijiency of its clainiF, tlic brlglitcst t'liaracters oi" tlie wisdom, hcnignit}', and Jiolincss of God. As a system of doctrines, it discloses ti'utlis protoimdly interesiing to every human being, w hich reason, under the hiniiest cultivation and the most inspiring auspices, was never able to discover. Its moral code, pervaded with the lustre of unsullied purity, whilst it throws its salutaiy laws and awful sanctions over the whole mass of this world's inhabitants, is yet sutliciently minute in its specification of particular duties, to alford appropriate directions in every circumstance and relation in life. Nor are its ])rovisioas for the consolation of the penitent, and the happiness of the gemfme believer, less strikingly characteriwil by fulness and perfection. Justly does an inspired Apostle represent the evangelical ]>romises, by virtue of which ue are made partakers of the Divine nature, as "exceeding groat and ])recious."* Distributed through the pages of Divine inspiration, like so many radiam luminaries ndornino; the hrmament of the Church, thev shine upon the path of immortality. Yo* diese promises, so multi- plied and invaluable, may all be couiprised in one, — that of 76 THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. the gift of the Holy Spirit ; a gift which we are taught, by the Evangelist Luke, to regard as inclusive of all "good things." * The Holy Spirit is emphatically denominated "the promise of the Father." It is indeed the grand promise of tlie New Testament, as the Messiah was of the Old^5 and hence it gives to the evangelic dispensation its high and approj)riate character of the ministration of the Spirit. From the quickening influences of this Spirit, it is that tiie Gospel derives all its vitality — all that wonder-working energy, in virtue of which, it is 'Mhe ))ower of God unto salvation to every one that helieveth." Among the operations of this Divine agent, that to which your attention is now invited, is the benign act hy which he conveys to tiie believer's mind a persuasion of his interest in the paternal love of God. Tiiis equally momentous and consolatory truth is clearly exhibited in the words selected as the basis of tiic present discourse, not in the form oC a mere doctrinal *;tatoment, but in the animated and spirit- stin'ing language of nctual and blessed experience — "The Spirit itself bearetli vritness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." It is of great importance that our views of the interna! witness of the Spirit, as the common ])rivilewe of Christian believers, shouUl be scripturaJly correct ; and that in regard to a doctrine so intimately associated with all tliat is con- soling in the Gospel scheme, we sliould 'be ready always to give an answer to any man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear." I call your attention — I. To THE Nature of the Witness of the Spirit. The proposed elucidation of the interior testimony of the Spirit cannot reasonably be expected to embrace the moth in which it is communicated to the believer's heart, accoui- '" Chap. si. lo, conip. with Matt. viL IL THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. / 4 light, by I "good niinatcd e grand [ was of cnsation rRATION 3 of this -all that is "the ieveth." o which /hich he interest tons and selected rm of a [1 spirit- "The are the internal iri.^1ian regard is con- nlwavs of the MRIT. of the ? mode ICCOUi- panied with the most satisfying convictions of its heavenly origin. Such knowledge lies without the splierc of reason, and it is a point upon which Revelation is silent. Amidst abundance of disclosur*, the revealing Spirit has maintained on the subject of his o\\ n influences, as on all others con- nected with our salvation, the most dignified reserve. But to tolerate a doui)l in our minds as to the naliiij of this ope- ration, merely because we arc incapable of com[)rehendint its munner, were as mu'easonable. as the attein))t to prv into so elevated a mvsterv woulil be vain and unhallowed. ••The wind bloweth," says our blessed Lord, '* where it listelh, and thou hearest tlio sound tbereof, but canst not teli whence it cometh, or whither it goeth: so is every one tbat is born of tiie Spirit.*' Till the curtains of futurilv are uplifted, wo must be satisfied to know in pari, ami to prophesy in ]iart. Instead therefore of exclaiming, in a tone of sceptical astonishment, "How can ibese thinjis be?" — instead of wasting our intellectual strength in strenu- ous idleness, by endeavouring to develope \\ bat is involved in impenetrable obscuritv, let the full \ itcour of our minds be directed, uniler the guidance of tbe word and Spirit of God, to attain accurate conceptions of die nature of that witness which "he that believetb on tbe Son or' God hath in himself." Tbe siil>jt'c:, my Brethren, is of paramount importance: it is at once die basis on whirh the living temple of exp'. rimental religion is founded, and the glory by which it is pervaded. In what then — are you not ready, widi some degree of impatient solicitude, lo put tbe (|uesiion — In what consists the internal witness of the Spirit? Sensible of our inade- quacy to explain the things of God with that accuracy and precision which their peculiarly sacred and momentous character requires, we could wish it were in our power to reply to thi« interrogation in words which tbe Holy Spirit teacheth. But though the Sacre 1 Volume no where fur- h 2 78 THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. iiialics .1 definilion of llie witness of the Spirit, it does what amounts to the sanie, in a manner more acconlant with the ilignily of a Divine Revelation, hy supplying materials out of which such a definition may be educed, with appropriate illustrations. In exact accordance, we conceive, with the running import of the passages whicli refer to the subject under consideration, the witness of the Spirit may be defined — A vivid and joyous impression wrought in ike hclievefs heart hij the immediate energy of the Holy Ghost, whereby he is satisf'.clorily assured that his sins are pardoned, and that he is adopted into the spiritual family of God. Iii order more luminously to unfold the nature of this interior tcsiimony, I specify some of its distinguishing 'haracteristiis* 1. Let it be ob.>erved, that it is jnirely of a spiritual r/mracter. In expatiating on spiritual subjects the most i emote from any strict analo^^v to objects of vision or of sensation, the imperfection ol our knowledge renders it necessary for us to conve>' our ideas of the former in lanii;uaire and allusions borrowed from the latter. Hence the tropical style pervades the Sacred Volume. Now thi> manner of exhibiting the things of God, though of absolute necessity, and combining, when righdy apprehended, many valuable advantages, is, nevertheless, susceptible of misap- prehension and abuse from thos3 who have not "their senses exercised lo discern spiritual things." Such persons, associating gross materia! conceptions with the imagery eTni)lovL'd by the Spirit of inspiration to give us clear ami vivid perceptions of spiritual subj«^cts, comprehend not the light that encircles them, but renuun veiled in ignorance and unbelief. An impressive and memorable example of tliis we have in the case of Nicodemus. Had he known that the words with which the Redeemer accosted him were " spirit" and " life," he would not have instituted in , it (l0C5 iccordanl supplying ) educed, ! running ?ct under lefmed — believei'-s 5 whereby >ned, and >D. e of this fruis/iinw spirilual the most ion or of jenders it Di'iner in Hence Vow lhi> 'absolute 'd, many misap- "tlieir person !-, imagerv ear and not the Morancc imple of known ted him tuted in THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 79 reply tiie impertinent enquiry, " How can a man be born when lie is old?" nor, wrapt in unbelieving surprise, have cried out, "How can these things bcf The language cmj)loyed concerning the internal witness of the Spirit ha? not escaped similar perversion. It has been thoiight l)y some, that the advocates of the doctrine in (piestion believe that this Divine attestation is conveyed to the recipient by means of an audible voice from heaven, or through the medium of a visionary representation. Nothing can be more erroneous and unfounded than such an idea. Tiiat the Spirit's testimony is ever invested with such circum- stances, we contend not; and were it alwnys conveyed to the believer's mind with some such solemn and sig- nificant accompaniment, still this would no more form any constituent or essential part of the witness itself, than did the live-coal with which one of the Seraphim touched the lips of the awe-slruck Pro})het, of that J3ivinc and hallowing influence by which his inicpiity was taken away, and his sin purged. It is a testimony borne not to the eve — to the ear — nor even to anv of the inferior faculties of the soul, but immediatelv to the 7nind — to the midcrsianding, by a preternatural and interiorly sensible operation of the Spirit of the living God. 2. This witness is immcdirdv, and direct. It is not a result arrived at by a process of rational inference or deduction, from principles however luminous and Divine, but a persuasion instantaneously produced by a direct manifestation of the Holy Ghost shedding abroad the love of God in the heart. This is its most prominent and identifying feature. With deep regret, we add, how- ever, it is that feature which a large and respectable class of theologians regard, if not with positive dislike, yet with the most sensitive jealousy and suspicion. They too, indeed, admit that there is a witness of the Spirit, which it is the privilege of Christians to enjoy: but what, according to 80 THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. llieir views, is tliis \vitiict*s? The Spirit, they say, Ims inivl down in tlie New Testament the iHseriniinating marks of a genuine l)eliever in Christ; and if, on comparing our character and exi)ericnce with those marks, wc trace a coincidence hetween them, we are authorized in deihicing the conchision tliat " wc are the chikh'en of Gon." Some advance a step further, and recognizing tiie indisj)ensable necessity of Divine guidance to coinhict us in so solemn an investigation to a conclusion on which we may repose with unsuspicious confulence, tell us, that " whilst helievcn* are examininji; themselves as t«» the reality of their conversion, and (ind scriptural evidence of it, tluj lloi.v Simuit, from time to lime, shines \i])on his work, excites their holy alVections into lively exercise, renders them very ell'icaciouH upon their conduct, juid thus |>uts the matter hoyond doubt ; for while they feel the spirit of dutirul children towards (ioi), they Ijecome satisfied concerning his paternal love to them." * It is reailily ;^'ranted that frequent and scrutiniziiiL[ exami- nation of our sj)iritual state, by tlu* word of (ron, is at once an imperative «luty, and a valuable meatis by which Christians attain conlirnuUory evidence of their interest ifi the Divine Kedeeneh. IJut it is jierfectly gratuitous and absin*d to call the evidence deriveil from this source Hit witness of ihc Spirit of Gon ; for it is obviously the witness o( our own spirit^ or, in the weirds of St. Paul, the testimony of our conscience, — a testimony alt(»iiether distinct from, though harmonizing widi, the attestation borne by the Spirit of God. Have the j)ersons who thus commingle and confound the Spirit's testimony with the ojierations of our own minds, ever duly weighed the explicit and cmj)hatir phraseology which the Apostle eujploys, as if with a design to preclude the possibility of his being misunderstood? ♦ Scou's Coniroentary. THE WITNESS OF TUE SPIRIT. 81 iin.s Inki rks of a •ing our trace u Icilucing Some )eiis{il>le enin an ►se with ens are version, r, from 'ir lioly cacioiit^ (IouIjI ; io wards love to 'xarni- is at uliirii rest in IS ami ce ///i; itness iinony from, Spirit ? and f our iiatic les^ipn tood ' " The Spirit itself bearcth witness." Coulil words be more precisely imlicative of a personal and tlinct o|X'ration \ By what principle of interpretation is any one authorized in allirming, contrary to the plain and unsophisticateil import of the passage, that the meaninL' is, not that the Spirit itself attests the paternal love of Gon to our minds, hut that it enables us, hy shinins upon our hearts, and exciting in us lioly alVections, to draw the conclusion for ourseUes? It is an objection fatal to this sentiment, that it strips tlic Holy SpiiiiT of his character of witness, and thus recoirnizes only one attestation to the believer's adoption — tliat dejiosed by his own spirit or conscience ; whereas there are two wit- nesses indisputably mentioned in the text. Consistency requires that we either exi)unge tlie witness of the Holy Spirit from our creeil entirely, or admit, in acconiance with the obvious anil genuine meaning of the word of God, that it is immeihatc and tlirect. 'i. The Sjurif's witness is productive of peace and joy in helievirif^. As nothing short of the manifestation of the paternal love of God to the heart has power to trahijuillize the agitations of the avvakened conseienc:> : ♦.'f^^^' ^J" > Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 \ 5. 6^ 84 THE WITNESS OP THE SPIRIT. The individual whose melancholy case is described, is directed to trust in the Lord and stay himself upon his God, — precepts which can never be obeyed by those who are under a complete eclipse of spiritual light. It follows then irresistibly, that the darkness mentioned by the Prophet is the gloom of severe and accumulated outward trial, unmitigated by the hope of deliverance in time, but which, while the believer, in the exercise of a meek and acquiescent spirit, "trusts in the Lord and stays himself upon his God," can never extinguish the spiritual glory kindled and enshrined in his consecrated ])reast. Be it then deeply and indelibly impressed upon our minds, as a most salutary and important truth, that if we are destitute of the tranquil and holy comfort of the Spirit's interior testimony, the cause is wholly in ourselves. It is not God that withdraws from us, but we that withdra;"^ from God. God does not, purely to display his sovereignty, hide from us the light of his countenance ; but we, by our unfaithfulness to him, intercept the heavenly etVulgence. Let us yield ourselves unto him, to be governed by his word, and led by his Spirit: then shall our path be as " the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Having thus attempted to show wherein the interior testimony of the Holy Spirit consists, and to delineate its most prominent attributes, favour me with your continued attention, while I endeavour — II. To EVINCE THAT THIS WiTNESS IS THE COMMON PRIVILEGE OF TRUE BeLIEVERS IN ChRIST. Entering now on the argumentative part of this discourse, we cannot forbear expressing our astonishment and regret, that evidence of this position should be demanded by persons professing to have derived their religious sentiments from the oracles of God. Deeply indeed is it to be lamented, that from the views of experimental godliness entertained by not THE WITNESS OP THE SPIRIT. 85 ribed, is upon his lose who t follows ; Prophet ard trial, It which, quiescent upon his idled and 3eply and utary and nquil and e cause is aws from loes not, the light s to him, ourselves lis Spirit: shineth interior delineate continued COMMON discourse, (d regret, persons from the |ted, that ^d by not a. few Christians and Christian teachers, there should ho systematically excluded a doctrine inwoven with the very texture of the Gospel, as from the following considerations, it is hoped, the doctrine in question will satisfactorily appeal to be. Previously, however, to the exhibition of these evidences, it is deemed proper here to introduce a cautionary suggestion, that the mind of the least established believer may not be unnecessarily perturbed. This Divine testimony, though it is the privilege of all real Christians, is not equally clear and efficacious in allc nor do the same persons enjoy it with equal vividness at all times. It is susceptible of material variations in its degrees of strength. Hence an eminent divine, who has handled this s'cbjcct with his accustomed perspicuity and force of reasoning, recommends the sparing and cautious use of the term assurance to designate it, not indeed as objec- tionable in itself, but, as he jusdy remarks, "because it seems to imply, though not necessarily, the absence of all doubt, and shuts out all ihose lower degrees of persuasion which may exist in the experience of Christians." * Like the light of day, which, regulated by the aspects of the heavens, is sometimes bedimmed with vapours and storms, and at others shines with unclouded splendour, the believer's consciousness of the Divine favour may vary in strength, from just such a degree as is essential to the exorcise of the Christian graces, through all the intermediate stages of experience, to that " full assurance of faith," irradiated bv which — "The Cliristifin dwells, like Uriel, in the sun; Meridicin evidence puts doubt to flipht, And ardent hope anticipates the skies." But it must not be forgotten, that as the solar beam, however shaded, is distinguishable from the gloom of night, as also ♦ Watson's Theological Institutes, Part IV., page 480. 86 THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. from fictitious splendour ; so there are not wanting criteria by which the genuine witness of the Spirit in its very lowest degree may be discriminated, on the one hand from a total obscuration of the light of God's countenance, and on the other from the illusions of fancy. These observations being premised, the evidences of the doctrine stated above may now be adduced. That the Spirit of God is capable of conveying to the believer's mind such an attestation of his pardon and adop- tion as has been exhibited in the course of the preceding observations, may be assumed without fear of contradiction : at least no objection to this position can be anticipated from any who believe the word of God. In the light of that word, the Spirit appears before us arrayed in the glory of the distinctive and unalienable attributes of Supreme Divinity. He pervades immensity with his presence, and, omniscient in wisdom, " searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." Whilst yet the earth on which we dwell was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, the Eternal Spirit " Was present, and with mighty wings outspread, Dove-hite, sal brooding on the vast abyss." To him are attributed operations which none but the Omnipotent could achieve : he adorned the heavens with their splendid garniture, and " formed the crooked serpent." He is the source of inspiration. By him was futurity unveiled to the admiring gaze of the Prophets, and from him emanated all the sublime and interesting discoveries contained in the Sacred Volume. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Gpiost." His too is the work of transforming the soul into the image of God. The whole hallowing process by which the believer is made meet for the celestial inheritance, from the earliest dawn of incipient conviction, till he perfects holiness in the fear of THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 87 criteria y lowest ri a total J on the s of the g to the id adop- receding idiction : ted from i of that ry of the Divinity, miscient things of 7q\\ was e face of but the ins with erpent." futurity id from joveries lof God \His too lof God. lis made lawn of fear of the Lord, forms a part of the appropriate and peculiar work of the Holy Spirit. But why this profusion of argument to prove, what it would be blasphemy to deny — that He who constructed the mental constitution of man, and whose inspiration givetli him understanding, can with equal facility interiorly "speak peace unto his people and his saints?" Since, then, to question the power of the Holy Spirit to operate an impression on tlie believer's mind of his acceptance with God, united with a luminous assurance of its celestial inspiration, precluding at once doubt and delusion, would involve the denial of his claims to divinity, — it is submitted, whether, even anterior to direct evidence of the fact, there be any improbabiliiy in the supposition, that the benignant and condescending Deity should thus manifest his favour to those whom he justifies. True it is, indeed, that the least blessing from the High and Lofty One who inhabiteth eternity should fill us with grateful astonishment, and call forth our animated thanks'. When we contemplate his peerless majesty, as displayed in the magnificence of his works, well doth it become us, with thrilling awe and adoring wonder, to exclaim, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him ! and the Son of man, that thou vi si test him !" But, assuredly, it is not the will of God that our astonishment at his condescension and grace should degenerate into unbelief — the tomb of devotion. That the sense of his approbation, which we regard as the common privilege of his people, aftbrds a very striking proof of his limitless mercy, is readily allowed. But does it, we would ask, transcend? — does it equal? — falls it not infinitely below "the unspeakable gift" by which he has alreadv commended his love towards us? Amid the splendid manifestations of his mercy with which the Gospel surrounds us, were it not ungrateful — were it not guilty, to tolerate a single misgiving as to his willingness to bless with «very requisite of holiness and happiness those upon whom 88 THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. he looks with paternal complacency'? What! did he so " love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, thai whosoever believcth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life 1" To achieve our redemption, did he ordain that the exalted personage v^ho is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, should assume our degraded nature ? When Gethsemane exhibited a spectacle to make angels weep — when the agony of the Divine, the prostrate Sufferer, was such as to cause the blood to ooze from every pore of his body, and to extort the plaintive petition, " my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me," would the Father not permit it to pass from him until he drank it? And did he give him to the odium and the tortures of the cross, that we might triumph in immortal life, and be crowned with unfading honour? Why then should it be thought a thing incredible, that He who is thus rich in mercy should bless his people with the cloud- dispelling light of his countenance ? Must not the opponents of the doctrine of the immediate attestation of the Spirit acknowledge that, admitting its truth, it must of all blessings be the most eminently adapted to promote our sanctification, by invigorating our faith, our hope, and love, — and to augment our happiness, by expanding and elevating the mind with filial confidence and joy in God our Saviour? Now this, its obvious and undeniable tendency, furnishes strong presumptive evidence of its truth : for, he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely confer upon us a blessing so peculiarly calculated to assimilate us to himself in holiness and felicity ? But the doctrine rests not upon mere proba- bility, however strong. It is susceptible of more satisfactory demonstration. We evince its truth by fair deduction from those precepts in the New Testament which obviously imply that the persons to whom they were addressed were not only participants of grace, but that they were conscious THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 8d d he BO ON, thai ut have e ordain lis glory, ime our pectacle ine, the i to ooze plaintive [;up pass rom hini ium and m mortal ' hy then is thus 3 cloud- ^ponents e Spirit blessings fication, and to ? the VIOUR ? Lirnishes spared )w shall sing so loliness proba- sfactory on from viously d were nscious e>f the divine change that had taken place in their character. Of this kind is the injunction — " Grow in grace." How can any individual appreciate — how can he possibly recognize, his obligations to obey this command, unless he is previously assureil that he is a subject of grace ? The advances of a plant towards maturity are not looked for till it have taken root. Before a man " grow" in grace, he must be grafted into Christ the living vine ; and while he remains destitute of a consciousness that he is in a state of grace, in vain is he exhorted to grow therein. The same reasoning is I strictly applicable to the apostolic injunction — "Rejoice evermore." Utterly impossible must it be for him who has been awakened to feel the value of his soul, and the necessity of a preparation for eternity, to cherish exultant emotionsL, if the Lord, the Spirit, have not revealed Christ in his heart the hope of glory. Of the Christian's hallowed and triumphant joy, this divine evidence of acceptance with God is the animating soul. Destitute of it, just in proportion to the depth and solemnity of his views of eternal things, would be the agitation and gloom of his mind. But I need not specify additional precepts in illustration of a matter so plain. How sincerely soever any man may be devoted to God, yet if abandoned to perplexing uncertainty regarding his interest in the Divine favour, it is apparent that this must give a character of correspondent servility and incertitude to the spirit and course of his obedience : his service will be that of a slave, not of a son — the trembling subjection o{ fear, not the willing and joyous devotedness of love, "If," as a recent learned Commentator very Ibrcibly reasons, " to any man his acceptance with God be hypothetical, then his confidence must be so too. His love to God must be hypothetical, his gratitude hypothetical, his obedience hypothetical. ' If God have forgiven my sins, then I should love him, and I should be grateful, and I should testify my gratitude by my obedience.' But who 90 THE WITNESS OF THE SPlRrT. tloes not see that tliis must necessarily depend upon the ' if' in the first case ? All this uncertainty, and the perplexities resulting from it, God has precluded by sending forth the Sjnrit of his Son into our hearts, by which we cry, * Abba, Father.' " * Of this cheering truth the Sacred Volume affords evidence more lucid and decisive than has hitherto been adduced. ''' We have received," says St. Paul, "not tlie spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." That he here alludes, not to the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit peculiar to the Apostles, but to those influences without which the natural man cannot receive or know the things of the Spirit of God, whoever attentively peruses the subse- quent part of the chapter, will, it is apprehended, be fully satisfied. Admitting then the applicability of the passage to all who are spiritual, does it not plainly and irrefragably evince, that one part of the Holy Spirit's office is to give to believers a distinct perception of the blessings which God of his unmerited mercy confers upon them? Among these, their adoption into the spiritual family of God is unquestionably entitled to an eminent rank. One distin- guished end of the Spirit's mission from on high would therefore be unaccomplished, in case he did not impart to the children of God the knowledge of their salvation. Should it be objected to the preceding arguments, that tliough they may be admitted in proof of the doctrine of the conscious influences of Divine grace, yet they are not available to establish that speciality of character attributed to the Spirit's witness as being immediate and direct ; we reply — It is demonstrable, that independently of such a testimony, no man can either know that his sins are pardoned, or that he is the subject of regenerating grace. * Dr. A. Clarke's Note on Rom. viii. 15. THE WITNESS OF THE SI'IRIT. 91 the < if plexitieL- brth the ' Abba, jv'ulence idduced. it of the ht know That he e Spirit without le thingf^ e subse- be fully passage ifragably s to give which Among God is distin- would [iipart to 1. its, that octrine are not tributed d; we such a ins are grace. Let not our meaning l)e misconceived. It has ah-eady been observed, that two witnesses are distinctly recognized bv the Apostle in the text, — the witness of our spirit, as well as that of the Spirit of God. But that the deposition of our own spirit to our adoption cannot exist independently of the direct attestation of the Spirit of God, is, we think, clearly evincible from the admissions of our opponents themselves. It is a sentiment in which both those wlio advocate and those who oppugn the direct witness mutually accpiiesce, that the inferential evidence of salvation is founded upon a perceived agreement of our spiritual state with the biblical c'iiaracteristics of a child of God. These characteristics are what the Apostle denominates "the fruit of the Spirit," which he says is "love, joy, peace, long-suflering, gentle- ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." (Gal. v. 22.) Now nothing can be plainer than that these associate graces of the Spirit which are the discriminating signs of real discipleship must be infused into our hearts, before we can be conscious of possessing them. They must exist before we can have any perception of their existence. On this ground, therefore, no legitimate persuasion of acceptance with God can be generated in our hearts, until, born from above, we actually exhibit these adornings of the Spirit. Take the first in St. Paul's enumeration as an ')ucidative example: — Love to God is the vital element oi religion. The man whose heart is not consciously animate with this celestial affection, is not authorized in concluding that he is regenerated. But so long as enmity against God is his dominant propensity, he cannot be conscious that he loves God. How then, it is enquired, is this natural enmity subdued, and the opposite grace diffused abroad in his heart ? " We love him, because he first loved us," is the appropriate and scriptural answer. Our love to God must spring from a sense of his love to us. It is filial affection that he n THE WITNESS OP THE SPIRIT. requires of us: but a conviction of \m paternal love to m can alone enable us to love bim as children in return. Who or what can give birth to this conviction within us] Who has power to dispel our anxious doubts with reference to our saving interest in the mercy of God? He alone whose prerogative it is to forgive the repentant sinner, through faith in his Son. As pardon and adoption are purely acts of the Omnipotent, the knowledge of these acts can be received by the sinner in whose behalf tliey take place, only by an immediate communication from the Spirit of God. " What man knovveth the things of a man, iave the spirit of a man which is in him] Even bo the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." By the same Spirit, therefore, and by his operation alone, can they be made known to our minds. If, then, justifica- tion and adoption be acts suspended entirely upon the will of the Deity, and can be performed only by himself j if a persuasion that we are the privileged objects of these redeeming acts be essential to the creation of fdial love to God in our hearts; if the all-searching Spirit who alone knows what passes in the Divine mind touching our salva- tion, and only He, can impart to us the knowledge of our pardon, — and to these statements, we are sure, none can reasonably demur, — we are fully warranted in concluding, that the immediate attestation of the Holy Spirit must, in the nature of things, precede not only every other authorized persuasion of the favour of God, but the foundation also upon which such a persuasion can be superinduced: because it must precede that love which is the fulfilling of the law, and dissociated from w^hich all other attainments will profit us nothing. From these considerations, we conceive, it cannot but bo apparent to every one who brings to the examination of this momentous doctrine a mind unsophisticated by prejudice, that to contend for any Scripture evidence of our adoption THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 93 ive to lis rclurn. thin ub] eference e alono sinner, lion aro of these ilf tl»ey from the 'a man, I BO the God." 1 alone, uslifica'- ihe will iself; il' )f these love to > alone ' salva- of our ne can ;luding, iiist, in lorized upon ause if e law, 1 profit but be of this udice, option into the ftimily of God. itidependcnt of the internal and immediate witness of his own Spirit, is to allirni what is absurd in theory, and can never exist in experience: it is, in sliort, to assert that an elVect may be produced witliout a cause. In perfect accordance with the result to which we have been conducted by a fair investigation of this subject, is the running language of the Spirit of inspiration in describing the estimable privileges by which Christians are distinguished in the present life. "At that day," our Lord assured his desponding disciples, "ye shall know that I am in my Father, and you in uie, and I in you. He that bath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him." (John xiv. 20, 21.) "But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. iii. 18.) " The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Rom. v. 5.) " It pleased God," says Paul, " who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me ;" (Gal. i. 15, 16 ;) and so far was he from regarding his exalted privilege in this instance as peculiar to himself, that he explicitly represents Christ in believers (and how could He be in ihem but by a similar revelation 1) the hope of glory, as the elevated and inspiring theme of his ministry. (Col. i. 27, 28.) "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Eph. iv. 30.) To these citations it may be sufficient to add the text, in connexion with the preceding verse and the parallel passage in the Epistle to the Galatians, (ch. iv. v. 6.) Amid the pleasing and instructive variety of phrase and of allusion exhibited in these declarations, there is an observable harmony of 94. THE WITNESS OP THE SPIRIT. import pervading thcin all. lie who, on the face of such inspired amiouncements, does not recognize the docirino which it has been our endeavour to explain and establish, must have |>rejudged the case, and be determined to adhere to his previous opinion : any further attempt, therefore, to dissipate his doubts, or to assist his mental vision, would be vain and inelficient. Others, however, there may be, whose greatest preventive to the admission of the doctrine, is an impression that it is novel and unsanctioned. They liave been taught to regard it as one of those innovations of modern theology which, as it cannot plead the authority of presci'iption, should be condemned as imaginative and misleading. The charge of novelty in the present case may very easily be repelled. "Luther," we are informed by his biographer, *' received much comfort from God in his temptations by that saying of St. Bernard, 'It is necessary to believe, first of all, that you cannot have forgiveness but by the mercy of God ; and next, that through his mercy thy sins arc forgiven thcc. This is the witness which the Holy Spirit bears in thy heart, " Thy sins are forgiven ihee,''^ And thus it is that, according to the Apostle, a man is justified freely through faith.' " On 'his point the famous Genevan Reformer has delivered his sentiments in a manner the most lucid and scriptural. Speaking of the earnest of the Spirit, he remarks: — "As this simile is iVequently used by the Apostle, so it is a very apposite one ; for as the Spirit in attesting our adoption is the pledge, and by confirming our faith in the promises is the (sphragis) seal, so, with equal propriety, he is called the earnest, because he ratifies the covenant between God and us, which would otherwise remain, in a manner, unsettled. Hence it is worthy ol" remark, that, since this certainty transcends all human understanding, it is the olfice of the Holy Spirit to seal ia our hearts what God has promised in his word; and THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 1 of such doctrine establish, to adheri'! x»fore, to n, would inav be, doctrine, 1. They tiovationa authority itivc and cry easily ographer, ;ations by I eve, first he mercy sins are Y Spirit " And justified Genevan the most le Spirit, il by the Spirit in ming our ith equal lifies the •thervvise or thy of human to seal )rdi and therefore is he denominated, the anointing, the earnest, tho comforter, the seal. It must also be observed, that all who have not the Holy Spirit's witness, enabling them fully to confide in Gou, who has called them to the certain hope of salvation, have no just claim to the appellation of Christiana." * " It is the ofiice of the Holy Ghost," says Bishop Pearson, *' to assure us of the adoption of sons — to create in us a sense of the paternal love of God towards us — to give us an earnest of our everlasting inheritance. 'The love of God is slied abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.' 'For as many as arc led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.' And * because we arc sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba, Father.' * For wc have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.' 'The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.' As, therefore, we are born again by the Spirit, and receive from him our regene- ration, so we are also assured by the same Spirit of our adoption; and because, being sons, we are also 'heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ,' by the same Spirit we have the pledge, or rather the earnest, of our inheritance. 'For ne which establisheth us in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God ; who hath also sealed us, and hath given us the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts : * Quantum deinde pnnit, datum iinbi.s esse Spiritum instar arrlis, quos simili- tudo, ut Btepius ab ipso usurpatur, ita valde est nppDsita. Nam ut Spiritui testimonium adoptionis reddendo, nobis spnnf^or est, fidcm promissionum stabili- cndo, sphragis est ac sigillum : ita merito arrha diciiur, quia efiicit ut ratum sit utrinque Dki psictum, quod alioqui quodammodo penderet. * * * Dcindft notandum est. quum cjusmodi certitudo res sit humano; mentis captu superior, hoc esse Spiritus Sancti oflicium, nobis intus confirmare quod Dkus verbo suo promittit; unde hos tiiulos habet, quod sit unctio, arrha, paraclelus, et sigillum. Tertio notandum est, quicunque testem Spiritum Sanctum non habent, ut Deo sd certam spem salutis vocaati, amen respondeant, falso Christianum nomes obteodere. Calvin. Commknt. in 2 Cob. i. SJ,S3. 1 ' I 96 THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. SO that vve are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise) which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.' " * It were easy to multiply citations substantially similar^ from the most distinguished theologians, British and foreign, ancient and modern j but those adduced are, it is conceived* quite sufficient for our purpose. From the view which has been taken of this subject, it now remains to derive some lessons of practical utility. The vital importance of the Spirit's internal witness, and its pre-eminent adaptation to promote the comfort and holiness of believers, entitle it to a distinguished place in the ministration of the word of God. To the scheme of salvation as unfolded in all its completeness in the Cospel^ this doctrine bears a relation not less intimate and important than the key-stone does to the arch that it holds together. It is the golden link that binds it to the throne of God. Unlike one of those less considerable appendages of the system which may be thrown into the shade without materially affecting the whole, if it be not made to stand forth with due prominence, there cannot be exhibited a consistent and adequate view of the truth as it is in Jesus. Take this solitary doctrine away from the Gospel, and all the stupendous discoveries that remain lose their mighty and saving energy, and become as void of coherency and meaning as the leaves which the Sybil strewed to the wind. Peculiarly potent too is the moral influence which, when rightly apprehended, it is fitted to exert. From the general diffusion of accurate conceptions concerning it, the most valuable results could not fail to emanate. The dissipation of that prejudice with which it has at present to contend, would be among the humblest triumphs of such increase of knowledge. Christians would then take a brighter and more expansive view of the hope of their high calling, and * Exposition of the Creed. THE WITNESS OP THE SPIRIT^ 01 promise) demption y similar) d foreign, onceived* iubject, it tility. tness, and nfort and / place in scheme of le Gospel) important 5 together. B of God. res of the without to stand ^hibited a in Jesus. and all ir mighty ency and the wind, jh, when le general the most [issipation contend, increase ;hter and [ling, and yielding their hearts to hallowed and earnest aspirings after intimacy of communion with God before unfelt, they would approximate much nearer in the elevation of their enjoy- ments, and in the purity and simplicity of their lives, to the character of the primitive followers of our Lord. How incumbent then upon every Christian teacher who would be able with propriety to adopt the apostolic avowal, < I have not shunned to declare all the counsel of God,' is the duty of a?isigning to the witness of the Spirit a conspi* iration, may indeed trace, with considerable accu- racy, the immediate and the more remote ell'ects of death upon the body . Though we frequently require to be re- minded, we need no revelation to inform us of tlic humili- ating facts, that death occasions a cessation of the animal functions, — destroys the exquisite organization of the human body, and changes it into a putrid mass which must be buried out of the sight of the living. But docs this catastrophe involve the extinction of our being? Inhdelity, prcfcrnng the sliadow of death to tiie deeper dread of realizing the solemnities of judgiuent, an- swers with assumed cordidence in the alTirmative. Philo- sophy vacillates, and leaves us under the dominion of doul)t. Christianity — auspicious gift! — Christianity, however, re- veals with an explicitness which none can niisnnprehend, and establishes by demoiistrations which none can gainsay, the momentous doctrine of a future slate of blessednerjs and misery. Uplifting the awful veil which reason long endea- voured to penetrate in vain, hhe has immeasurably widened tlie area of human knowledge. In her light we behold, beyond the tomb, separated by an impassable gulf, on one side, the regions of unalleviated and endless torment, and on the other, the beauteous scenery of the paradise of Gor>, with the fruited tree of life flourishing in its midst. Death then is not the annihilation of our being, but a change in its locality and circumstances. It is the removal of the soul to its place of ultimate destination. It terminates our pro- bation — dissolves the link that connects us with the mate- rialism of the present vanishing system — and places the seal oi eternity upon either our bliss or woe. In this view death assumes an importance compared with which all the occurrences of life, whatever transports they may have enkindled, or whatever sorrows they may have inflicted^ are but as the " small dust of the balance." lOG THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. *' My liopes mid fvara Siart lip alniniM, aiid o'er lilf'ti niiiiow voa'c Look down— on whiil 1 A )Htlioiiil>'8s ub3>!>^ A druad eiuiiiity! liuw siiioly iiiiiiu!" It may well awaken ogoni/iiig solicitiule in the unregcnc- rale to rellect, tliat near and inevilable is tlie hour that shall wing their mystic llight beyond the boundary of time, and encircle them with t!ie realities of an eternal world. ''Is there not an ai)j)oiiited time to man upon the earth ? are not his davs al^^o as the davs ol' ati hireling?" Tiie sacred writers, anxious to dissipate tlie illusions of {■"cnse, and to c>onceiitrale our retiards upon that life whose vigour sickness cannot impair, nor death destroy, illustrate, by varied and ^5trikillg imagery, the' shortneKd and Iragihty of our mortal existence. Thev resemble it to the grass which clothes the lield, and to the more transient flower that adorns it ; to a "■ vapour that appearetli for a little time, and then vanisheth away ;" to a leaf — a sleep — a dream — and a tale that is told. Such truly is human life: its substance, a shadow, — its meai^ure, an hand-breadth, — and its duration, a moment! When Isaiah was conunanded to address the people with a dec[)er enei-gy, what, think you, was he directed to pro- claim 1 Was it some undeveloped mystery of providence or of grace? No: it was a truth familiar to all, though practically regarded by few. ''The voice said. Cry. And he said. What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withercth, the flower fadeth ; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; but the word of our God shall stand forever." The uncertainty which attaches to the time of our de- parture from earth, is a consideration by which we are frequenfly admonished with great force and propriety in the w^ord of God, of the necessity of immediate and constant preparation for the important crisis. " Boast not thyself of iinrcgcnc- that »liall lime, nnd 1-1(1. "Is larlh ? are 'lie sacred ie, and to ir sickness k/nried and iiir mortal clothes the IS it ; to a vanislieth liat is told, ulovv, — its moment ! ^le with a d to pro- rovidence II, though ry. And nd all the |The grass it of the ss. The our God If our de- ll we arc 3tv in the constant Ihyself of THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 107 to-morrow, for thou knowest not wliat a day may hring forth." *' Be yo tlicrcfore ready also, for the Son of man Cometh at an hour when yc think not." ])eath assails all ages. It is not the hoary head alone that he brings down to the tomb ; he tears the new-horn infant from the arins of maternal alVection — withers the pride and bivinly of youth — and prostrates the stieiigth of nKinhood. We hold our existence by a tenure so frail auvl precarious, that a trivial occurrence may soon deprive us of it. it is not ncccssarv that a comet should enter om- system — that the sun should rush from liis orbit — tliat the earth should be swept by another inundation — or that the fire which at tiie close of time shall dissolve the elements and burn up the earth, should kindle around us, in oriier to put a tcrnjination to an existence fugitive as the present. No: the ministers of death lie in audrush on every hand. The very elements that are essential to our life, may in a moment destroy it. That-Being in whose hands our brcatii is, caii resume it at his pleasure; and ho has wrapped in impenetrable obscurity the moment when he shall '-turn" us "to destruction," and say, "Return, ye children of men." How impera- tively necessary, then, that wakefid diligence which our blessed Redeemer inculcates — "Let your loins be sirded about, and your lio-hts burninurveyed vas very led such morning luted for )ne it is Who, of sin, assimi- THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 109 Inted the history of our species to tlie roll which the ancient seer beheld flying througli the lieavcns, "written within and without, with moui ling, and lamentation, and woe?" Suroly, surely, if we are not deeply impressed with the evil of sin, it is not becaunc there arc wanting eviilences the most palpable and appnlling to ( onvince us of it. I see it in the maddening rage of war, covering the tented field with promiscuous heaps of slain : I see it in those rainistcrs of Divine vengeance which are ever and anon conmiissioned to scourge a guilty people — pale famine, "the pestilence that walketh in darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noon-day :" I see it in every variety of disease that con- curs to augment the spoils of the grave : I see it inscribed on every sepulchral monument. Has not sin converted the whole world into a catacomb of death, a spacious cemetery, where all the generations that have ever lived mingle to- gether in undistinguished dust, while through all its gloomy caverns the terrific voice seems to echo — " Sin iiath REIGNED UNTO DEATH 1" Fearfully as these considerations illustrate the indescri- bable malignity of sin, it is only by tracing it to its source, — it is only by contemplating it in its principle, as it is contemplated by Him against whom it is committed, that we can arrive at any thing like correct and adequate con- ceptions of its moral turpitude. Sin is enmity against God, and the violation of his holy law. It involves contempt of his authority, and opposition to all the perfections thut support the majesty, and constitute the splendour of his Throne. What gratitude and joy, then, should it awaken within us to reflect that the oflended Potentate of the skies has provided for us a Redeemer ! " Through him is preached unto us the forgiveness of sin." In the strength of his grace we may conquer its power, and by the influ- ence of his Spirit may we be cleansed from its pollution. And though the great salvation which Christ procured no THE HOUSE OF MOURNmC* does not exempt his people from the empire of mortality^ it inspires them with the assured hope of tlie heavenly in- heritance. Consoled by his presence, — sustained by his power, — and guarded by his care, — they tread the vale of death with a firm and unfaltering step, and make it vocal with the exultant strains — "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 3. The house of mourning is peculiarly favourable to the formation of correct sentiments, in reference to the most envied pleasures and distinctions of a scene which we must soon, very soon, quit forever. In the cloudless periods of health and prosperity, we are extremely prone to contemplate the world through a false medium, and to cherish an absorbing attachment to its vanities, as debasing to our moral nature as it is inaccord- ant with the destination of beings who are "strangers and sojourners upon the earth," and whose supreme interest consists in the favour of God, and the enjoyment of eternal blessedness in his presence. But when sickness wraps in gloom the prospects which imagination had decorated with all the brilliant colourings of hope, — when death wields his insatiate lance, and aims it at our heart, — when the sepul- chre yawns beneath our feet, — we detect the nothingness of the world: all that men, who build their anticipations of bliss beneath the skies, call great or good, are seen to be only gay illusions — unsubstantial as the orient and variega- ted hues of a bubble sparkling in the sun. In the instruc- tive book from which the text is taken, the writer institutes an inquiry into the chief good; and disproves, in the most convincing manner, the claims of all sublunary acquisi- tions — whether wisdom, wealth, magnificence, power, or fame — to that elevated character. Apart from the guidance THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. Ill r mortality, eavenly in- ned by his the vale ot' ke it vocal 1 thy sting? ath is sin ; be to God, RD Jesus ourable to nee to the 2 whieh we ty, we are gh a false lent to its inaccord- ngers and e interest of eternal wraps in ated with tvields his he sepul- >thingness cipations een to be I variega- i instruc- institutes the most acquisi- ower, or guidance of inspiration, no man was ever more competent to form a proper estimate of terrestrial attainments than Solomon. In wisdom he was pre-eminent ; and he had large expe- rience of all which, according to St. John's comprehensive enumeration, is in the world — ^Uhe desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life." And what was the result of his experience? What, on this interesting subject, was the dictate of his wisdom ? — what the infal- lible decision of the omniscient Spirit? Their harmonious testimony is recorded in one impressive, one memorable sentence — and let that sentence be stamped upon all the riches of the world, — let it be inscribed on every scene which passion illuminates to deceive and to destroy, — let it form the epitaph of all the minions of fame — "Vanity of VANITIES ; ALL IS VANITY, AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT !" Bend we at the shrine of Mammon ? Have we " made gold" in prospect our " hope, or said to the fine gold" in possession, "thou art my confidence?" But few, it is ap- prehended, can exculpate themselves from the charge of this species of idolatry, under some form or other. " The love of money," though pronounced by the highest authority to be " the root of all evil," is an affection cherished in hab- itual supremacy by the mass of mankind. "Wealth," observes our great moralist, " is the general centre of incli- nation — the point to which all minds preserve an invariable tendency, and from which they afterwards diverge in num- berless directions." Universal history is in proof and illus- tration of this lamentable fact; nor can we have surveyed the scenes in our own immediate neighbourhood, without being presented with multifarious instances of the operation of the same pervading principle. But will the eager pur- suit of wealth, as the end of life, or the complacent exul- tation so often indulged in its possession, sustain the calm and serious review of " the house of mourning?" Are the riches o^ earth adapted to satisfy the lofty aspirations of the 112 THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. " spirit in man?" Does experience bear testimony to their power to expand and elevate the mind] or can they even add to tlie number of the bodily senses which are the instru- ments of animal enjoyment? To ask such questions is to answer them : and yet did all these powers and properties attach to worldly possessions, how vain were the confi- dence reposed in an object, all the splendours of which shall melt away in death, abandoning its deluded votary to range whh unresting torment the dreary waste of an unprovided eternity ! " Riches," says Solomon, " perish by an evil travail. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came ; and he shall take nothing of his labour which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go : and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind ?" And it is no small aggravation of this evil to reflect, that the votary of wealth, while the imaginative elysium of earthly bliss is floating before his enraptured mind, may be hurried hence, and the whole enchanted scene of present or expected pleasure, in an hour when he thinks not, give place to the tremendous disclosures of a coming world. This is the lesson so impressively conveyed by the parable of the rich man whose ground "brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said, this will I do : I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods ; and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him. Thou fool ! this night shall thy soul be required of thee : then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided ?" Are we "lovers of pleasure moi*e than lovers of God?" Of the ever-breathing desire of happiness, we are not re- quired by the beneficent Author of our existence to divest THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 113 ny to their they even the instru- tions is to properties the confi- hich shall y to range nprovided y an evil [lb, naked :e nothing id. And came, so )Oured for lis evil to laginative jnraptured nchanted when he res of a onveyed ' brought saying, bestow 11 down stow all 1, Soul, e thine him, f thee : Ivided 1" God ?" not re- divest ourselves : it is inseparable from our nature — an indestruc- tible vestige of our primeval dignity — and an evidence the most luminous of our exalted destination as heirs of immor- tality. But is the appropriate object of that desire to be found within the range of sublunary enjoyment? Are the sordid gratifications of animal appetite — the pleasures of the theatre, of the brilliant ball-room, of the field, or last, though not least, of cultivated intellect and various know- ledge — suited to the prominent w^ants and undefined crn- vings of the deathless spirit? Of most of these pleasures, it is true that they pollute and degrade ; and of all, that they are '-but for a moment." The voice of revelry is not heard in the grave : there the once active limb lies nerveless 1 and benumbed, and all the seductive illusions of life are dissipated forever. *' O ye gay dreamers of gay dreams ! How will y(tu weather an eternal night, Where such expedients faill" Honour, whether resulting from elevated rank, from splendid achievements, or from idolized genius, will, upon examination, appear equally unworthy of being regarded as the great end of our being. If the concurrent testimony of those w^ho have had the best opportunities of appreciating the value of human estimation — I would say, of ascertain- ing its emptiness — be entitled to attention, we shall unhesi- tatingly conclude that " this also is vanity." Of what avail is it now to the Alexanders, the Caesars, and the Napoleons of history, that they came upon the stage at a crisis favour- able to the developement of their energies, and that by the performance of exploits, wherewith the world has rung from side to side, they have enshrined their names in the shadowy splendours of fame? Did that fame exempt them from death? — -or can its loudest plaudits now send one thrill of delighted emotion through their silent dust, upon which the sepulchre has closed " till the heavens are no more ?" — ^or 1 2 114 THE HOUSE OF MOURNmO. do such achievements supply them in eternity with any materials of pleasurable recollection] Saladin, the cele- brated Saracen conqueror, distinguished himself more by the last action of his life, than by all the victories he had previously won, and to which it forms a humiliating con- trast. After he had subdued Egypt, passed the Euphrates, and conquered cities without number, — after he had reta- ken Jerusalem, and performed many deeds of valorous and daring enterprise in those wars which superstition had ex- cited for the recovery of the Holy Land, — he was arrested by the hand of death. The moment before he breathed his last, he called the herald who had carried his banners before him in all his battles, and commanding him to fasten to the top of a lance the shroud in which he was soon to be bu- ried, thus addressed him: " Go, carry this lance, unfurl this banner, and while you lift up this standard proclaim, — This, this is all that remains to Saladin the Great — the Conqueror, and the King of the Empire — of all his glory!" 4. Following the train of salutary reflections which the house of mourning is eminently adapted to suggest, and from which they derive a peculiar efficacy, there cannot fail to be excited or cherished in our minds, a deep solici- tude to prepare for those permanent scenes to which death is introductory. If it be certain that *' it is appointed unto men once to die," it is not less so, that after death there await us the solemnities of judgment. "We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." The Scripture representations of that predestined period when " the Loed himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, anu with the trump of God," infinitely surpass in interest, in grandeur, and in dread, any thing that thought can grasp, or imagination conceive. On this subject the sacred writers give evidences of a sublimer inspiration, and appear to bend under ** the powers of the world to come." with any the cele- more by 3S he had ating coii- i^uphratcs, had reta- lorous and 1 had ex- s arrested eathcd his lers before iten to the to be bu- unfurl this m, — This, Conqueror, vhich the gest, and re cannot ep solid- itch death once to it us the )efore the entations elf shall :e of the f surpass t thought >ject the tion, and THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 115 come. ?j Hear Enoch : — " Behold the Lord cometh with ten thou- sand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all the un- godly deeds which they have ungodly committed." Hear Daniel: — "I beheld, till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judg- ment was set, and the books were opened." Hear Paul : — "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire." Hear John : — " And 1 saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand bt re God." Such, my Brethren, are the solemn scenes and transactions for which it is reserved to close forever the great drama of this world's histor}'. Every eye in this assembly shall behold them : nor shall we be uninterested spectators; for, from the decisions of that day, the entire eternity of our being will receive its character and its colouring. Yes ! we shall see the celestial canopy burst asunder — the enthroned Judge descending, attended by myriads of angels and redeemed spirits — the dead rising — the earth dissolved ! We shall hear the groans of expiring nature — the astounding noise of the vanishing heavens — and, louder than all, "the voice of the Arch- angel, and the trump of God!" And then must our cha- racters sustain the scrutiny of the Omniscient, who will "render unto every man according to his works." But " who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?" The unrepenting sinner? No — "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 116 THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. The self-righteous Pharisee, who, with all his assuming pretensions to superior sanctity, never acknowledged, never saw, the deep pollutions of his nature — never fled lo the only hope of fallen man — never made a covenant with his God by sacrifice? No, No — " Ye must be born again : for I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Who then shall lift an eye, radiant with hope, to the tlirone of judg- ment, and be hailed with welcoming gratulations by him who shall sit thereon, and hear the bliss-inspiring sentence, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- pared for you from the foundation of the world ?" Those, and only those, who have truly repented, and have believed with a heart unto righteousness in the redeeming death of Christ — who have been "born of God," and walked "not after the flesh, but after the spirit;" in one significant word, those for whom to live was Christ. These, when the pillars of earth and heaven shall bend, and crumble, and dissolve, shall stand erect before the all-deciding tribu- nal; thcje, when "the wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God," shall return to the heavenly Sion, and, entering in triumph its everlasting portals, shall take possession of those mansions procured by the blood, and prepared by the hands, of their adored Redeemer. With whatever reluctance we may have entered the house of mourning, if a moral susceptibility to which we were before strangers has been there created, — if the l>est lessons have there been impressed upon our minds, — if we have been induced to lay to heart ♦he shortness ap'l uncer- tainty of life — the untold malignity of sin — the vanity of all worldly attainments — and the urgent necessity of imme- diate and habitual preparation to meet our God, — we shall retire bearing a willing testimony to the truth, verified as it ha| tlu THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 117 s assuming Jged, never fled 10 the mt with his 1 again : for ball exceed ve shall in Who then le of judg- )ns by him y sentence, igdom pre- •" Those, ^e believed g death of id walked significant ese, when 1 crumble, ling tribu- into hell, im to the verlasting procured ir adored tered the ^'hich we the l^est — if we <^ uncer- anity of f imme- vve shall ed as it lias been in our own experience, that " it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting." With one reflection of general interesst and utility, I close. "Brethren, 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 not ; and tliey that buy, as though they possessed not ; and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away." In this land of mortality, fluctuation and change are un- ceasing. The most permanent earthly relations shall soon be dissolved. The highest felicities the world can yield are but the harbingers of "the days of darkness;" and transient are the deepest sorrows it can inflict. Whatever we possess on earth is held by a tenure which is every moment liable to expire. The scenes of time are vanish- ing, to make way for the ever-during glories of the " new heavens and the new earth, wherein shall dwell righteous- ness." The sun is hastening to the day when his parting beams shall disappear in the blaze of eternity. "All, all on earth is shadow !" Are we then prepared to meet our God? Have we in heaven "a better and enduring sub- stance?" Unrepenting sinner! you are not prepared; in the celestial inheritance vou have no lot. The wrath of God abideth upon you, and can be removed only by a penitent and believing application to that blood which cleanseth from all sin. When will you awake 1 The day is already far spent, and its close may be much nearer than you apprehend. Will you await the sensible premonitions of death, before you commence the paramount business of life? Let conscience then forestall thy doom, and respond in thunder to the terror-breathing appeal — " How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?" But God forbid that an individual who hears me should neglect that salva- tion even for one moment. The urgency of the case is lis THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. -ft pressing, because eternal bliss and eternal woe are the alternatives : it is immediate, for beyond the present hour the things that make for your peace may be hid from your eyes. "Whatsoever" therefore "thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest !" It I i '■ woe are the iresent hour id from vour ideth to do, , nor device, rhither thou ">'! V SERMON VI. CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. Preached on occasion of the Death of the Rev. William McDonald, late Wesleyan Minister of Liverpool, N. S. PiiiLippiANs iii. 2f), 21. '• Our conversation is in lieaven ; from whence also wc look fur tliu Sxviors, the Lord Jksus Christ: who shall chanj^e our vile body, thai it may be fash' iont'd like unto his glorious body, according to the working wliereby he ia able «ven to subdue all things unto himself." Painful and almost overwhelming is the duty which on this solemn occasion I am called to discharge. Your late Pastor, for whom you entertained so high and afTcctionatc a regard, and on whose lips, during the brief period of his ministry among you, you have often hung delighted and edified, has finished his course and entered into rest. Ap- preciating the rare combination of talent and piety with which the God of nature and of grace had adorned him, and which to human view promised important services to the cause of the Redeemer, your earnest intercessions ascended to th(i mercy-seat for his restoration : but He " who holdeth the seven stars in his right hand" has put in a superior claim, and removed him from earth, to shine in a higher orbit. The painful duty which thus providentially devolvesi upon me is not, however, unattended with a sensible degree of mournful satisfaction. I feel it to be matter of unfeigned 120 CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. gratitude to God, that I am permitted on this afflictive occasion to alleviate, if not by counsel, at least by partici- pation, the poignancy of your regrets — to weep with them that weep ; and that I enjoy this opportunity of paying a tribute of fraternal airection and respect to the memory of one, the recollection of whose virtues and converse is too deeply engraven upon the tablet of my heart to be ever obhterated. How then shall I best discharge this office 1 Ought I to dissipate those gloomy illusions by which " the last enemy" would impose upon our senses, and seem to display with malignant triumph a fresh trophy of his power? I must carry your views forward to that auspicious day when he shall be "destroyed" — when the eyes of your Minister, now sealed in death, shall open on the grandeur of judgment and the unshadowed glories of thz; throne of (jrOD — when upon the head that now lies so low and dishonoured shall radiate a crown of righteousness — and when the attenuated hands wrapped in the shroud shall be stretched forth to receive the palm-branch of victory from his applauding Judge and Saviour ! Do you anticipate from me an effort to conciliate your ir.lnds to the mysterious dispensation of Providence by which a messenger of the Churches so gifted and devoted has, even before he had reached the palmy season of life, been summoned away from the service of that altar upon which he offered himself a living oblation unto God? The sublime relations that connect the Christian with the heavenlv world, even while he sojourns in this, must be disclosed ; and thus it will appear infinitely desirable for him at any period to "be absent from the body and present with the Lord." Oh ! how consoling is it to reflect, while we stand beside the tomb which is about to close upon the remains of our deceased friend, that with fiducial trust in the sacrifice and promises of the Son of God he could say as he entered the vale of death : " Our conversation is in heaven ; from CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP, n\ lis afflictive t by parlici- p wilh them of paying a memory of verse is too to be ever this office] vhich "the ind seem to his power? picious day ^es of your le grandeur 3 throne of o low and sness — and ud shall be ictory from anticipate mysterious ger of the re he had med away ed himself itions that ven while us it will d to "be " Oh! eside the s of our ifice and entered m : from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lr ^o Jesu Christ: who shall change our vile body, that n may Ix fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." In this view the passage selected as the basis of this discouree resembles a day-star an;^ing on the scene of our affliction ; the portentous obscurity that overshaded tiie sepulchre retires ; and we behold, through the parted gloom, the bright mansions of immortality — those mansions to which the spirit of our brother has "departed to lie with Christ, which is far belter." The topics suggested by the text arc — I. The sacred elevation of the Christian's cha- racter, II. The Christian's blessed hope, III. The glorious consummation of the Christ- ian's destiny. T. The text leads us, in the first place, to consider the sacred elevation of the Christian's character. *^ Our conversation is in heaven." When one of our own poets said, " a Christian is the highest style of man," he gave utterance to no poetical exaggeration. Every survey of the believer's character justifies the estimate ; and the testimony and delineations of the Bible abundantly confirm it. Of this the text affords an illustrious example. In perfect unison, you perceive, with the solemn averment that "without holiness no man shall see the Lord," it represents the character of the authorized expectants of future bliss as partaking so richly of a celestial quality that '' their conversation is in heaven." In common parlance, the term " conversation" signifies colloquial discourse ; but in the days of the translators of the Bible it was synony- M 122 CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. mous with conduct, or manner of life: and in this senfie it is obviouijly used hy thcMii here, as well as in several other places. But this reiuark generates a fresh dilliculty. The phrase " our deportment is in heaven" nuist btrike every one as an anomalous form of expression. A refer- ence to the comprehensive import of tl>e original word removes at once all obscurity IVimu the Ai)ostle's meaning. The term poUlcuind properly denotes a polHical sociiti/, and also ritizcnship ; meanings which, lhou;.di distinct in tiic abstract, naturally coalesce in their a[)plication to the text — seeing if we arc in alliance with the political society, so to speak, of heaven, we must he invested with the rights and immunities of heavenly citizens. This meaning of the term in question is, we apjirehcnd, clearly entitletl to preference, especially when modified by the suggestion of the acute and learned Hammond. He conceives that the Apostle refers to a municipium, which was the state of those who, though they did not reside at Rome, were nevertheless invested witii (jus civilaiis Romanat) the privileges of the imperial city. "All such," says Cicero, "have two countries — one of nature, the other of law — like Cato, who, though a native of Tusculum, was admitted into the society of the people of Rome."* In like manner the Christian, though he now resides in a province of Jehovah's empire, far distant from the holy city where his glory shines in overwhelming manifestation, is looked upon by its inhabitants, not as " a stranger and foreigner," but as "a fellow-citizen with the saints, and of the house- hold of God." Transported by faith within the precincts of the heavenly Jerusalem, the Apostle thus accosts from its portals his Hebrew brethren : " Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly * Omnibus nmnicipibus, duas esse patrias, unam naturae, alteram juris, Cato- nis exempio, qui Tuaculi natus in populi Romani socictatem susceptus est. Cic. DE Lbo. L. 2. \fi-v. Ins Bense II soveial dilliculty* ist strike A re fer- ial word meaning. / sociitij, iiEitiiict in jn to the '/ snrieti/, tiie rights waning of ntitletl to 5C«tion of that the 5 state of ne, were mo?) the Cicero, ' law — ilmitteil manner ince of Y where looked •eigner," house- recincts its from Mount javenly iris, Cato- est. ». L. 2. CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 123 Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men mnde perfect, and to Jksus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprink- ling that speakelh better things than that of Abel." lleforo we proceeil to contemplate the elevated hojie and d{'>tiny of the Cliristinn, it may be profitable to dilate a little on the instructive views of his present condition and character ' thus suggested. As citizens of glory, believers in the Lord Jesus Ciiiust have (jus census) the right of being enrolled in the celestial register. In allusion, it would seem, to the language of our text, the Apostle in the next chapter characteri/es his fellow-labourers as those "whose names are in the book of life." Tills honour have all the saints. Thus is their title to all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ divinelv authenticated: and the thrillinjr fact is ascertained to their minds in the only way in which such a fact can be communicated — by the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit. They have received, not the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba! Father! It is thus they are enabled to read their title to mansions on high ; " for if sons, then hcirs!'^ If this high privilege is yours, my Brethren, you have cause of unbounded exultation. When our Lord's disciples an- nounced to him with undue elation their signal triumphs over demoniacal influence, "In this," said he, "rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Those to whom such blessedness pertains may give full scope to their joy ; there is no danger of excess where the rapture awakened is "joy in the Holy Ghost." How great, my Brethren, should be our solicitude! how agonizing our efforts! to secure a privilege so inconceivably estimable, 124. CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. especially when we remember that in John's vision of tfie judgment, " whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Further: The heavenly citizenship of Christians secures to them the right of freedom, ' In Rome, slaves occupied every conceivable station, from the delegate superintending the rich man's villa, to the meanest office of menial labour or of obsequious vice.' In such a state of society the right of personal control (jus liberiaiis) was of course highly valued. "Tell me," said the chief captain to Paul, " art thou a Roman ? He said. Yea. And the chief cap- tain answered. With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born." But the freedom of the heavenly city is as much superior to that of Rome, as the soul is to the body, and eternity to time. Of that city, however, none are born denizens. All mankind are by nature children of wrath, and controlled by the god of this world. They are in a state of the most degrading enslavement to the power of sin, and no arm can release them but that of the omnipotent Saviour. The Spirit of the Lord God was upon Him, because the Lord anointed Him to preach deliverance to the captives. Slaves we need no longer live. Our freedom is purchased, and gra- tuitous'ly oflered ; freedom from tormenting fear — freedom from the domination of evil spirits — freedom from the empire of indwelling sin — the freedom of the city of God, The highest privilege of heaven is complete exemption from sin — perfect assimilation to the image of God. And this great salvation must be achieved in the soul here. Liberty from sin is the glory of the Gospel, the birthright of the Christian, the only preparation for the fruition of God in eternity, and the nearest approach to the enjoyment of Him in lime. " Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 125 iion of the I the book ns secures s occupied ?rintending nial labour ociety the of course in to Paul, chief cap- s freedom. e freedom of Rome, Of that mkind are the god of degrading n release Spirit of anointed laves we and gra- - freedom I from the of God. :emTition ID. And »ul here. )irth right In of God yment of Is, dearlv ;s of the rOD." Did our time permit, we might expatiate on that com- mimion with the faithful in earth and heaven — with the unfalien spirits that minister to the heirs of salvfition — with Jesus the Mediator, the Holy Spirit the Comforter, and the eternal Father, which the true Christian enjoys, as included in the privileges of his celestial citizenship; but we must leave the prosecution of this train of hallowed thought to your own meditation. }]q it however remembered, lliat rights involve obIiy which th9 sacred writers depict its grandeur shall be more than realized, — when the voice of the Archangel, and the summoning trumpet of God, shall pierce the cold ear of death, and reverberate from world to world — and the great white throne shall descend — and the heavens and the earth flee away before Behold the i;'' and the ?:pired testi- iquent ages, e translation itators of the zing np into p from you e have seen t's house," "are many vou. I jro 1 pre[)are a e you unto ilso." The abundantly ifTording as- Ir him shall ition. h trans-port an object ar felicity . Hence , that they ed in that hich they e coming to ihem. lall close, Id v\' r iters Alien the mi pet of erberate ne shall y before CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 129 the face of Him who shall sit upon it — and the elements dissolve with fervent heat, — when those phenomena shall announce the conclusion of time, they will be hailed by the faithful as the most auspicious omens — as the harbingers of their complete and final redemption. How dilTercnt the sensations which they will produce in the hearts of those who are without God and without hope in the world ! As Paul reasons of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembles. Conscience, long suppressed by the tumult of dissipation and the infidelity of the heart, now speaks out, and is fearfully responsive to the voice of truth. " He sets (lie Ji^dge onllirontd ! liie tlaining giuird I 'J'he volume opened 1 opened every lieuil!" Men and Brethren! I would that the foretold develope- nients and eternal decisions of that day might arouse us all to the great business of our prol)ationary existence. I would that the sinners in Sion were alarmed, and that "fearfulness miglit surprise the hypocrites; for who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwellvvilh everlasting burnings?"' I would that you who have far departed from God might now return with repent- ant sorrow, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye may be saved. Then would the guilty dismay which the prospect of the last doom inspires subside, and instead would come an imperturbable calm of mind — "the peace of God which passeth all understanding." Then with the loved disciple you would exult in the assurance — "Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." For, in full accordance with the uniform testimony of Scripture, the text announces — 130 CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. IIT. The grand consummation of the Christian's DESTINY : " Wlio shnll chano'e our vile bodv. that it mov be fasli- ionetl like unto lii.s glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto liimsclf." This stupendous disclosure is alike i^tere^'ting to us as mortals and as ChriHh'ans. Nothing is more indir^putable than that " we must all die ; and are as water spilt upon the ground, that cannot be ga'.hered up " To be assured then by the tcstiujony of that J3eing whose perfections ascertain tiie acconplisliment of all his purposes, that the decomposed and dissipated elements of our earth-born frame will be again collected, and assimie, under the plastic energies of his omnipotent power, a new organization, admirably adapted to their state of endless existence, is among the most heart-stirring annunciations that could be expected to distinguish a revelation from the living God. The conception indeed was too elevated, too remote from anv authorized conclusion of imaided reason, to have ever entered the human heart, till that revelation suggested it. And when it was revealed, a vain philosophy allected to treat it as a palpnble absurdity. The Athenians derided Paul when he preached to them the resurrection of the (lead; and Pliny unhesitatingly pronounces the doctrine (puerile ddirnmcnliini) a puerile dotage. But %ve rejoice to believe, on unexceptio;iableevider;ce, that Jesus Christ hath abolished death, and illustrated not only the ever- during existence of the human soul, but the destined incor" ruption of the human body also. Entering upon the attractive field of observation which this part of our subject expands before us, I would just observe, that the recognition of the supreme divinity of Christ is both absolutely necessary to every correct view of the achievement here ascribed to him, and demanded by the unequivocal sta*ements of the Apostle. If there is a Christian's [iioy be fash- thc vvorkinw ito himself." ng to us as indisputable ■r spilt upon ) be assured 3 perfections sC!?!, that the h-born frame ' the plastic organization, existence, is hat could be living God. remote from o have ever uggested it. r all'ected to ans derided tion of the he doctrine t tee rejoice us Christ r the ever- ined incor" [tion w4iich Ivvould just [divinity of )rrect view nanded by I there is a CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 131 passage in either Testament that exiiibits the illimitable power of God in one of its grandest displays, it is this. Yet the power and the operation are both immediately attributed to Jesus Christ. The conclusion, admitting thb Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, is as irresistible as it is obvious — Christ h God. With the aid of this principle, we may, dillicult as is the subject, proceed to elucidate our last position ; without, it were impossible to advance a single step. Since the resurrection is purely a doctrine of the Inspired Record, and confessedly involves an exercise of omnipotent agency which surpasses our comprehension, a constant reference to the meaning and authority of the Record, and a cautionary diihdcnce of our own understandinjis, should characterize all our enquiries concerning it. The statement of the Apostle in the text exhibits an admirable epitome of all that the Scriptures teach on the subject. The first particular tliat strikes the attention in this statement, is the description of the body for which there is reserved so glorious a transformation. It is called our vilibodij: literally, the body (tapeinoseos) o{ our humili- ation or abasement. Whether with some we consider this phrase allusive to the primal dignity and immortality of the human body or not, it is plain that its special significancy lies in the contrast it presents to the glorious body of Christ — the illustrious archetype to which ours, though now mean, mortal, and corruptible, shall be assimilated. It is equally plain from this declaration, that the same body which the soul animates in the present life, and at death resigns to the tomb, will be restored to it at the resurrection. The preservation of the substance or identity of the body is essential to a resurrection, which means the reproduction of that which before existed, and was cor- rupted. To affirm that the same body which dies shall not be raised again, but that a new one will be formed in 132 CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. its place, is to depart from the explicit information of the Record, and to substitute a kind of metempsychosis, or transmigration of the human spirit into another body, for the Scripture doctrine of the renovation of its own. How dissonant such a view is to the express declarations of the Bible, two or three references will sufficiently show: — "Though after my skin worms destroy this body, jet in my flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." (Job xix. 26, 27.) "Those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." (Dan. xii. 2.) "The hour is coming in wbich all that are in the 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 resurrection of damnation." (John v. 28, 29.) Take in connexion witli these passages the testimony of the text, that Christ will change, transform or re-fashion (for the original word denotes a change not ir. the essence, but in t:.e form of an object,) our vile body ; and if you recognize the Divine authority of the Scriptures, you can require no additional proof that the same body that dies shall rise again. Into the questions — What portion of the human body constitutes its permanent individuality? and — How, amid the unceasing mutations to which it is subjected all through life, and the assimilation of its constituent parts to other human bodies to which it is liable after death, especially if it happen to be entombed in the deep or devoured by cannibals, can that individuality be preserved separate and distinct] — into these questions I forbear entering ; not be- cause I conceive that the most plausible objections to a resurrection which such enquiries can elicit may not be just as plausibly obviated, but for this simple reason : Reve- lation does not, and human intellect cannot, answer them. The language of the Bible in asserting the sameness of the resurrection-body with that which died may be understood CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 133 ition of the ychosis, or f body, for wn. How lions of the y show: — ', }et in my nyself, and ob xix. 26, earth shall 5 in which , and shall resurrection resurrection nexion witli Christ will ginal word i.e form of the Divine additional n. iman body ^-low, amid all through s to other especially [voured by arate and ; not be- long to a y not be n : Reve- ,ver them, less of the nderstood by a child: but it gratifies not a prying and profitless curiosity as to what changes, before or after death, may be consistent with that identity ; nor does it aflbrd any other solution of the most formidable dilTiculties which, to reason, may appear to lie in the way of a resurrection, than the agency of God, "with whom all thinjrs are pos- sible." And " why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead?" Why should the pre- sumed conclusions of erring reason l)e permitted for a moment to shake our confidence in the wisdom and power of the Divinity 1 Meeting the sceptic on his own ground, wo might balance assumption against assumption ; but it would be a mere waste of time to perplex ourselves with <'the oppositions of science falsely so called," since, on a subject so nysterious and sublime, we can kruw nothing with certainty but what has been revealed. In order to preclude the most palpable diificwliies which attach to the preservation of the sameness of the body throughout the entire history of its changes, some Christians have adopted the theory — '•' That there is lodged within it some immoveable portion of matter, from which its general identity is denominated, in all the variations through which the body passes, in the devious mutations of human life."* Whatever modifications imagination may have given to this theory, its advocates concur in representing that minute portion of matter of which they conceive the visible body to be only a gross investment, as incorruptible. But the Apostle affirms of the body to be raised, that it is sown in corruption. Besides, while the running language of the Bible in reference to the resurrection does not require us to believe that all the numerical particles which at any time composed it shall be eternally associated with it hereafter, it certainly does indicate, if it mean any thing, that in * Drew's Essay on ♦he Identity and Resurrection of the Human Body. N 134 CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. substance the body will be the same. The resurrection ol* our Lord, moreover, is constantly represented in the New Testament, not merely as the pledge^ but as the pattern of ours; and was it nothing but a ^erm or stamen of his body that arose? In point of fact, there is notiiing gained by refining op the plain statements of the word of God con- cerning a matter every way so incomprehensible. In any view of a resurrection, whether philosophic or popular, the event must be regarded as miraculous, and therefore possible only to that energy whereby Christ is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Here should our faith sAand — not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. " To whom will ye liken me, or shall I be equal 1 saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number : he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. He removetli the mountains, and they know not: he over- turneth them in his anger. He shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. He commandeth the sun, and it riseth not ; and sealeth up the stars. He alone spreadcth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Lo, these are parts of his ways ; but how little a portion is heard of him ] the thunder of his power who can understand]" Can anything be reason- ably conceived difficult of achievement to that Almighty Agent who has so luminously impressed the signatures of omnipotence on all his works 1 To survey the terraqueous globe which we inhabit, pervaded with tribes of animated existence so amazingly diversified, and man, "connexion exquisite of distant worlds," at their head, — to contemplate the ponderous orbs of heaven, in comparison with which our earth is a mere speck, sweeping their ample circuits through the fields of ether with astonishing ce'erity, but without any collision, — and yet to tliink it incredible that CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 136 lurrection oC in the New 3 pattern of of his body \ gained by f God con- le. In any or popular, id therefore 5 able even Id our faith ^ver of God. I ? saith the behold who eir host bv greatness of one faileth. t : he over- arth out of mmandeth stars. He upon the |ways; but der of his be reason- Almighty natures of rraqueous animated onnexion template ith which le circuits rity, but ible that the Creator and Architect of so magnificent a fabric should raise the dead, must be the scepticism not of the head^ but of the heart. Reason, limited and dimmed though it be, recoils indignant at the imputation of such imbecility. It may safely be pronounceil impossible for us to form any conception of a power superior to that which is manifested in the creation of matter, and in the production of life and intelligence : but were it even demonstrable that the resuscitation of >(i)rmation equally Jidniirable and pleasing. I need not tell you, thai attei ut on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Chhtst." Before I close, it remains that I present you with a brief account of our lamented friend, whose remains we are about to commit to the grave under the aspects of the elevated and consoling hope which the subject just con- sidered is so adapted to inspire. The delineation of his character at any length you will not expect. It was matter of poignant regret to him that nearly twenty years- of his life passed away before he experienced the power of regenerating grace. The impressive event of his fathers death was the means of awakening his conscience, and of leading him to realize the importance of a preparation for eternity. Residing at that time in the city of Quebec, and ])eing in the habit of attending the Wesleyan Chapel, the preaching of the Rev. Richard Williams was made a great blessing to him, and was, I believe, instrumental in the conversion of his soul to God. The grace bestowed upon him was not in vain. Having by faith received Christ Jesus the Lord, he walked in him. None of his brethren in the Ministry probably have been more intimate with him since he came to this Province than myselfj and I can deliberately affirm, that I do not remember to have ever l>erceived any thing in his spirit or conduct but what was coincident with his profession as a Christian, and his office as a Minister. The appreciation of his talents as a preacher was not confined to you ; they were highly valued by the most intelligent hearers in the various congregations whom he statedly or occasionally addressed. But what now af- CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 13D mortal musi 5 shall have ave put on saying that . death, tiy victory ? orv throiiiili with a brief ins we are )ects of the it just con- Uion of his :t. It was tventy year^^ the power ' his father's nee, and of )a rati on for uebec, and hapel, the ade a great ital in the 3wed upon d Christ s brethren 5 with him nd I can ave ever what was his office preacher id by the ns whom now af- fords him inexpressibly greater pleasure than the meed of popularity, is the reflection that he was made the honoured instrument of turning sinners to righteousness, and of edify- ing, within his providential sphere, the Church of God. Early called to rest from those labours in which he de- lighted, his works follow him. His mental powers were of no common order ; and an ardent thirst for knowledge stimulated him unsparingly to exert them. Indeed his intense application to study, added to a peculiarly energetic manner of delivering his sermons, and the toils of itinerancy, was more than a constitution less delicate than his could have long sustained. His mind was greatly supported throughout his afiliction with the consolations of the Holv Spirit ; and he uniformly gave evidence of calm acquies- cence in the will of his heavenly Father. Regarding " the light afflictions which are but for a moment as not Vvorthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us," he said to me the Sabbath previous to that on which he died, "When we take an enlightened view of the future happiness of the Christian, wliat difference is there (refer- ring to the time of death) between to-night, this night twenty months, or this night twenty years'?" On a review of what has been said, and in contemplation of the reward, so transcendantly glorious, which awaits the persevering fidelity of the Christian, what hearts must we possess, if they remain unimpressed and unexcited by the grandeur of such prospects ? Do I address any who have never turned a serious attention to their eternal interests ? In what language shall I characterize your insensibility, and describe your danger? Let the present solemnity preclude the necessity of any effort to convince you that " it is high time to awake out of sleep." Let the suggestions of your own consciences, and the repentant sorrows and purposes of your hearts, prevent the solicitudes of mine. Look at the coffin of vour late Minister. Listen to his voice. HO CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. "Though dead, he yet speaketh ." 0! if you never laid to heart the messages you heard him deliver from the pulpit, profit by his last warning issuing from the shades of death ; and impose not upon him the necessity of being a swift witness against you in the day when you must again meet him at the judgment-seat of Christ. Do I address those whose " citizenship is in heaven, from w hence also they look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ?" Let them contend for the heavenly crown exhibited to their faith and hope, under a full impression of its inestimable value. Was the Grecian combatant animated in his arduous strug- gles by the prize being displayed on the summit of the goal ? how then should it inspirit you, in " fighting the good fight of faith" and " running with patience the race that is set before you," to reflect, that if faithful unto death, you shall receive, not a perishable garland, but an incorruptible crown ! *' Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Finally: Though Christianity neither confers an exemp- tion from afflictive bereavements, nor attempts the eradica- tion of those susceptibilities of our nature which such visi- tations painfully excite, it administers the firmest suppoit under the most accumulated trials. On the deepest gloom of sorrow it can impress an iris of consolation ; and attended with more than human power, its celestial voice can tran- quillize the agitations of the bursting heart. " I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not as others who have no hope ; for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus w^ill God bring with him. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of GoD^ CELESTIAL CITIZENSHIP. 141 )u never laid •m the pulpit, les of death ; leing a swift 5t again meet address those ze also thev RiST?" Let to their faith nable value. 'duous strug- of the goal ? le good fight e that is set death, you n corruptible ve steadfast, the Lord, vain in the Then we wiiich are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.'" an exemp- he eradica- such visi- 'st support »est gloom i\ attended can tran- ould not ^vhich are hope ; for so them im. For a shout, of God. SERMON vir. THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. Luke xxiv. 50, 51. " And lie led them out as f;ir as to Bethany; and he lifted up hid hand.*, and >>lei$sc(t them. And it came to pas:^, wiiile he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.'* In language of matchless simplicity, our blessed Lord has traced the process of his redeeming mediation in a single sentence — " I came forth from the Father, and am come unto the world : again, I leave the world, and go unto the Father." As our surety and substitute, it behooved iiiin to assimilate himself to our condition by the assumption of human nature, and to pour forth, on the field on which we had reared the standard of revolt against the Majesty of heaven, the blood of his pro[)itiatory sacrifice. When the *• Captain of our salvation" had thus been made " per- fect througli suffering," he resumed the life which he had voluntarily laid down, and led the ascending way in his own person to the "glory" whicli he had ))urchased for his people, and took possession of it in their name. "And he led them out," says the Evangelist, "as far as to Bethany ; and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them : and it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." d S£ tl] si I nc pa thi pa wi th^ se as at he S. as ac th th ti> in P' THE ASCENSION OP CHRIST. 143 hid handi!, nnd ;as parted from ssed Lord iation in a jr, and am md go unto behooved issumption on which Majesty When lade " per- Ich he hail iav in his Ihascd for "And far as to xl them : las parted Tliis is not the only example of a visible ascension into heaven attested by unexceptionable evidence. We know of two previous instances in which the human spirit passed into the immediate presence of GoD) without throwing off its material investment* Thus the Scriptures record three bodily ascensions — three ocular demon stiations of the re- ality of a future life, and of the nature as well as certainty of man's immortal destiny. It is moreover worthy of observation, — and the coincidence cannot reasonably be conceived to have occurred without design, — that this series of illustrious triumphs over death took place under the three dispensations. Under the Patriarchal — "Enoch walked with God ; and he was not, for God took him :" that is, says an inspired interpreter, — thus fixing the true import of the words of Moses, and precluding all neological trifling, — he "was translated, that he should not see death." A similar miracle illumined the obscurity of the Jewish eco- nomy, in the case of the renowned Tishbite : " It came to pass, as he and Elisha still went on and talked, that behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder ; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." And to the Gospel covenant the ascension of our Redeemer has afllxed its resplendent seal. Nor can we institute a comparison between his ascension and that of the Patriarch and Prophet, without at once perceiving that a greater than Enoch or Elijah is here. They ascended as redeemed sinners — He as the Saviour ; they entered heaven through grace- -He claimed as his right that the everlasting doors should be lifted up to admit him ; they were exempted from death — He invaded the realm of our mortal foe, and triumphing over him in the very heart of his dominions, led thence captivity cap- tive ; they were passive — He ascended in virtue of a power immanent in himself; they entered the celestial paradise as private individuals — He as the Mediator between God and 144. THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. man, having obtained eternal redemption for lis. In all things He has the pre-eminence ! How glorious then the scene spread before us in the text! how replete with interest, instruction, and comfort! Let us, in the first place, contemplate the circumstances associated with the ascension of Jesus ; and, secondly, the purposes in the Divine economy to the accomplishment of which it was preliminary. I. Although the circumstances of the ascension ot" Christ were not, like those of his death, matter of pro- phetic revelation, yet from their association with an event so momentous, we can neither regaril them as fortuitous, nor as devoid of special interest and significancy. Some of them indeed transpired beyond the range of mortal perception. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, the inefiablc sensations of rapture with which he was hailed by the heavenly host as he passed through their radiant files, or the acclamations of triumph with which they shook the whole ethereal, on witnessing the coronation of Him whom God then "exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel and remission of sins." But whatsoever is recorded on this subject was undoubtedly "written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope ;" and is therefore entitled to our serious regard. The benignity and wisdom of the Saviour are highly conspicuous in collecting around him his disciples to be t^ ^ spectators of his ascension. We have no means of ascer- taining how many of them were thus privileged. For aught that appears to the contrary, this may be the occasion referred to by St. Paul, when he informs us that he was seen of more than five hundred brethren at once. That the Apostles were present, we cannot doubt. From the garden of his sepulture, on the morning of his resurrection, THE ASCENSTOlf OP CHRIST. U5 ' US. In all 3US then the replete with in the Ih-st ted with the poses in the rhich it was ascension of a tier of pro- Axh an event as fortuitous, ncy. Some [0 of mortal earci, neither onceive, the ' was hailed iheir radiant h they shook ion of Him I a Saviour, sins. 55 But undoubtedly atience and is therefore arc highly es to be t^ ^ IS of ascer- For le occasion hat he was iice. That From the esurrectionj he had dismissed Mary to them with a seasonable message — "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father ; and to my God, and your God:" and now, animated with the inextinguishable aflec- tion for them which dictated that communication, he leads them forth to witness the scene it foretold. Thev had been with him in his temptation, and now they are per- mitted to behold him in liis triumph ; they liad witnessed his imperturbabl(3 patience under the moj^-t contumelious treatment at the hands of men, and now ih^'y behold angels delighting to do liim homage, and (loi '.imself crowning him with glory and honour; they had seen him e:^ import, and astonishment at tlicir previous indocility and slowness of heart to believe. But thev were destined to be tntncssc^ as well as ambassadors for Chuht; and his being "received up into glory" was a leadinj^ fact of the "great myt-tcry of god- liness" which was to constitute the subject of their testi- mony. We sbouKl indeeil have been fully authorized to believe that Christ ascended into heaven iVom his own repeated predictions on the subject, apart from apostolic testimony. I3ul in all matters involving our salvation, God has compassionately consulted, not our conviction merely, but also our "strong consolation." And the testimony of the Aposdes on this subject is worthy of universal and unhesitating credence. The circumstances under which they witnessed the ascension completely preclude the ideci or pretence of collusion. On the place from which our Lord withdrew from the scene of his humiliation, pious reflections have often been indulged, whieli, however ex- cellent their spirit and intention, arc less solid than fanciful, and founded not unfrcqucntiy on a misconception of the fact from which they arc drawn. The objects contem- plated by him in selecting Bethany, on Mount Olivet, as the place from which to ascend, appear simply to have been — abstraction from the world, which was to sec h'ln no more, — and that, by talking his departure from an eminence, the selected witnesses of the fact might have a distinct and unobstructed view of him. Unless their character then can be impugned, — unless they can be convicted of a design to deceive, — no imposition can be conceived to exist in the case, since the matter of their THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 1*7 forever, the incl saw him . Then his this world," ?ption of its idot'ility ariti as well as ivctl up into tery of god- r their testi- uthorizcU t-) jm his own in apostolic Ivation, God Lion merely, 3 testimony liversal and der which Ic tho idea which our \tion, pious 3wcver ex- an fanciful, ion of the ts conteni- Olivet, as •ly to have () sec him 3 from an night have nless their y can be on can be IV of iheir attestation, for which they were ready to lay down their lives, was not an opinion, but a fact which they were perfectly competent, and had the fullest opportunity, to ascertain. On this cardinal point they could all adopt the language of the beloved disciple — "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, whicli we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life ; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." No circumstance associntt'd with the ascension of our Redekmer is more instructive or consolatory than the manner in uhicli the monicnt that terminated his visible connexion with his Church on earth found him cinploycd: •'And he lifted up his liaiuls, and blessed them; and it came to pass, whib he blessed them, he \\as parted from them." Elessing, or the solemn anil official invocation of the Divine favour, was an important function of the priest- hood both under tlie Patriarcht.l and Mosaic economy. The only sacerdotal act ascribed to Melchizedeck was his blessing A!)rahani ; and the impressive form of benediction used by the Priests under the hnv was prescribed by the Deity himself: ''Speak unto A:iron and unto his sons, savin", On tliis wise ve fhall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee ; the Loud lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." If the intercession of mortals was constituted tlie vehicle of benefits so estimable, what may we not a!itici])ate from tiie ellicient benediction of our great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God! The Jews themselves looked Ibrward with high expectations to the blessing of the IMessiah. Their Rabbles taught that the reason why the Priest blessed the people at the celebration o'i the morning sacrifice, and not when the evening victim was offered, was to intimate, that in the last days the 148 THE ASCENSION OP CHRIST. heiiediolion of llio law would he aiipersedod by the richer anil more enicarioiis hli-ssin? of Christ. Blosj«ing is indeed the ohject of all his redeeming olficcs — the eentrt) in whieh all he hris snll'ered, all he has done, or is now doinp, meets: ^'•Goi), li:>vinii raised up his Son Ji:sus, has sent him to />/f.?v uf5, in turnifij' awny every one of us from our ini(|uities. Th e cnrumstance under our eonsideration heautilnlly illustrates tiie spirit in whieh he look his depar- ture from the world. }Ic left it breathing a blessing upon it. TUo UJiparalleled love to immortal souls whieh prompted him on the cross to intercede for his murderers still glowed unextinguished in his bosom. Already he had directed that the first oilers of merev should be made to them ; and no language of denunciation now breaks from his lips. And as to his Apostles, what blessings had he not previ- ously bestowed upon them ! "With aiVec tionate and untiring assiduity he had instructed them ; with their infirmities he had patiently borne; their depressions he had olten dis- pelled ; the precious deposit of his truth he had entrusted to their fidelity, and commissioned them to proclaim it to the emls of the earth : and now, to crown all the; former fruits of his care and munilicence, as the Prophet, the ]*riest, and the King of ids Church, with uplifted hands ho; gives thenj his parting!; benediction. Nor imagine that that bles ,ing was a mere verbal expression of benevolence, or a prayer, iiovvever fervent and faithful, for their welfare: it was divinely eliicient. Who can doubt that the utterance of his lips was attended with an emanation of his power, and that the disciples then felt an unwonted spiritual life and vigour pervade their hearts? Who can doul)t thai though t!je fulness of the promised Spirit was reserved to signalize the day of Pentecost, the earnest of that effusion already exhilarated and hallowed their minds? But the blessing did not terminate on them. You behold in the text otir great High Prieat blessing his Church to the end THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 14.9 the richer ig is indeed u in wliich ovv doing, I, has i«ent s from our isidoratiorj his dcpnr- ig upon it. prompti-d till glowed d directed liein ; and 1 his lips. not previ- nd untiring nil i ties hu often dis- entrustcd laim it to Ik; former phet, the hands lio that that ence, or welfare: utterance s power, ritual life \\\)i thai served to (fusion But the d in the the end of linio in the representatives of it by whom he was now surrounded. Loolt at the nio;j than human energy that enabled the Apostles to triumph in the suceer^s of their toils ill every j)lace, — look ;.t tlij nipiil ^-preail of Cliri.-iianity iu tliJ face of llu worhrs scoiu and persecution, — look at the [)i'e.-;Lrvatioii of ihj precious liulhs of the e\erlasting (Jospel, notwilhstamliiig all the ellurls of lues to i!i::.-ipate, and of fal.^e friends to ihlule them, — loci: at the succes- sion of t!ic faithful witne: -^es of Ji:sus from r.ge to i:ge, — look at the amount of piety and >',e;il in the Church at the present moment: tlevato your eyes to hea\en; see there tlie myriads who have bi-en u^-hered into that world of bliss since CmusT asceruL-d from Mount Olivet: — what (io you helio'.d in ail this? what but so many ilevL-lopeUients of the vital and unexhaui-ted eHicary of the fmal benedic- tion which CurasT pronounced upon his di.-cip!es! The place to whicli our Loud ascended, and where his glorihed humanity now dwelis, is usually in Scripture de- signated Heaven. In relation to him, it is exhibiteil under a variety of significant a--pec-s, of \\ hich a jur 4 conceijlion of his essential dij^nity, and of his mediatorial exaltation and ollices, will readily siigL';est the appropriate exjiosition. U is described as — his ' Father\s house*' — ' the place where liC was before "* — 't!ie pre.cncc of (jod' — 'the riiiht hand of the Majesty on l.Igh' — ' vvidiin the Neil* — 'the most holy place of til.) true tabernacle, which the Lord pilched, and not man.' We may conceive of heaven eit'icr as a ilafe or as a place. It is both ; and in each of these views its pUny immeasurably transcends our conce{?tion. Is truth the element of an intellectual nature? There it beams forth with unshaded elfulgence from its eternal source. Is righteousness the adornment of the soul ? There it is crowned and clothed with it. Is holy activity essential to our progression in intellectual and moral improvement? There all the powers and faculties of the mind find the 150 THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. nujst oiiMol)liiig employment in llic contemplation and Fer- vico of God. Is happiness "our being's tMiil and aim 1'* 'rinM'o, is *' fulness of joy, and j)leasurcs forcvermore." But heaven is a i)!aee as well as a state. This position is both seriplural and philosopliical. Did not Jnsus cx- j)ivssly tell liis disciples, " I go to prepare 'd place for youl" And however incon>p;-ehensi!)le may be the relationship of ;iM uneinbodied spirit to space, the moment it connects itself with niatter, it becomes, as to the locality of its i^xistenco, subjected to the conditions of a material body. While that alliance lasts, it must exist in Fonie place. Unless we resign our reason to the reveries of mysticism, we must believe that the body in which Christ ascended, however illustriously transformed, still retains the essential f|U!i!ities of corporeity : it is still visible and tangii)le. It must therefore exist in some part of t!ie universe ; and that j)lace is heaven. There is the tlirone of God anil of the Lamb. There sin and sorrow are unknown. There bend- ing seraphs veil their faces before the excellent jjlory, and cry one unto another, ''Holy, holy, holy, is the Loud!" There the reileemed from among men are " present with the Lord." There the four and twenty elders fall ])rostratc, and cast their crowns of gold before the throne. From that celestial sanctuary a voice addresses us, "Arise and depart, for earth is not thy rest, for it is polluted." The moment may be at liand, and cannot be very distant, that shall wing our flight beyond the limits of time: but will it c(>nvey us to the holy mansion whore Jesus dwells] Shall we, when die veil of mortality drop3, be with him where he is, and behold his glory? We learn from the first chapter of Acts, as well as from the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesub, that angelic beings attended at his ascension. Two of these, arrayed in white, — the appropriate emblem of eminence and purity, — stood by the Apostles, and thus accosted them ; THE ASCnNSION OF CIiniST. Ifil on and Fer- anil aim ?" evermoHi." lis position Jesus cx- c for you ?" Uionship of it connects ility of its crial l)ody. onic place. mysticism, r ascended, le csFcnlial mgildc. It } ; and that nnil of the 'here bcnd- •rlory, ami 10 Lord!" "cscnt with jjrojtratc, From that nd depart, c moment shall wing c(>nvey us we, when le is, and 11 as from of Jesus, 3 of these, eminence led them ; " Vc men of Galilee, why ^•tand ye pnzirg np into heaven? This same Ji:sus whirli is t;ik 'n ii|> from you into heaven, jihrdl so come in like manner as ye have seen him g.) into heaven." This addri^f^s was well ailaptod, and no doubt designed, to convey a delicate centnire ot' thr.t inordinate attachment to the corporeal |)resfM)ce of the Saviolk which die ilisciples persisted in cherishin;^, even after his explicit declaration that it was rxpvd'.cnt for thoiu that he should go away ; while, on the other haiul, it no less tended to alleviate their depressive feeling:; of bereavement at his departure, l)y assurin;^ them of the certainty of his return in a manner e(;ually uuijostlc and gloriors. Thus far was the ascending triumph displayed to the view of mortals. But it did not terminate? Iumv. The glory of the only- begotten of t!ie Father, laileu widi the spoi!-- t f h's recent victory over death and hell, was seasonably shaded fro', the eyes of meri : but then it was that it presented an object of inexpressible interest and joy to the irMicnerablc compa?iy of angels that surround the throne of Uon ; then it was tliat heaven poured forth its shinieg myriads to dilate the grandeur of the scene, and celebrate the achievements of their Loi.i). "The chariots of God," ex(';ims the Psalmist, "are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Loud is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascendetl on high ; thou l!a^•'t led captivity cap- tive : thou hast received gifts for men ; vea, for the rcboHioua also, that God might dwell among tl; ■ »," But of these circumstances, by far the most thrilling and magnificent connected with the ascension of C''iMST, we can of course form but a very inadequate coi c ption. From their nature they were necessarily placed beyond the sphere of eartlily vision. May we not, however, justly conceive, that an event so momentous in the annals of redemption — an event which forms an epoch so memorable in the history, not merely of the Church, but of heaven itself — will be dis- 152 TUB ASCENSION OF CHRIST. closed in its cclc^liiil {irciim^^tnnces in the; future stages of our licing? In tho incan tiair, it it; (-f much higher practicnl iinportaiico to us to I)0 nccjiiiiintcil with the purposes for which (Mir lii:D::y Miu a.-ceiulcii ; and •' that our faith and hcpc luitiht he i:i (iOi),'' th.'.-o are lun;inout: as the reward (d" his iuiniiiiation, ohc- tlience, and siil!eriii;.^s oii eailli — and as connected with the conmpietion of his mediatorial woik; as a hfe oi g lor j/, and a life ui' ojjlcc. To tlie hiies-ii' personally, or in reference to the work he is enL^'ig\l in carrying forward Ij a coiisumniation the most glorious and beneficent. In its asp?ct u;)o.i himself, his ascension a{T»M-ded t!ie nao.^ trinmiiiianl vin licati, :i of h.i.; charader and clainip, and was the p:-^'in;iii:i!-y siep i:i his advancoment to that state of transcendant grandenr a.'^d pjoiy in ur.ich lie now exists. I har!'/ n.^e I rendnd you that this illustrious chaiigj in llie cirruni.- t:r.ic.\s of th.) SAViOUii respects his huimi.i nnturc: t!ie j^dpaMe incongiaiily (d' predicating any cxaltafion ( f his Divine nature, tf.oi g!i gratuitously atlrihnted to i;.; hy S^).d:;ia;u', v.e utterly repudiate. Such an idea is a.-; ; reign to tiie Chrirtidegy (d" the IJihle, as unilerstood hy intelllgei.t Trinitarians, as il is dissona?it to conjmon sen :e. It is in that nature in w!:i(di lie Fullered and died lihat we heli-ne our Lor.n is nov/ exalted ami glorified. This elevation is often driinealeil in the sacred style hy his "siding on the right hand of (iof)"'— a distinc- tion to uhich it woultl he the higlu^vt presumption and impiety in any creature to aspire: ** Unto which of the angels said he at any lime, Sit thou on my right hand?" Inlerpreted hy the views of oin* Redeemer's glory suhse- quQnt to his ascension, — unfolded in other portions of the THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 153 c Ktages of T priiclicnl 'J poses for r fiiiili and e;i!c(!. f Christ ition, oljc- (1 with the of iilory, ', ;:ii(l the ;avcn was ,(;nt cither ) the work lation the orded the i ch.injp. t to that lie now Ihi.-frions \)CiU liiti Ciiicatir.i^ tultously !;>uch Ii'ihL', as •oiiaiit to ^' 'J He red \\.:\\ and :.' >acred (hstinc- ioii and of the hand?" y suhse- s of the word of God, — this significant phrase involves an assem- hlage of the morst siil)liiTie coiice})tions, to wliich we can rii present do little more than simply advert. It iniplios that his human nature is arrayed in all the jierft^ction and nlory, and po^JiNet-frjd of the higliest felicity of which it is susceptible — that in i!n|icrial (li<^nity he is elevated "far above all [)rinciparity and power, and mi^dit and dominion" — and that ap])v'ariii!r as a •' Prie^'t upon his throne," he challenges the adoration of all the orders of created intelli- gence. Yes ! on the ascen:sion of Jksus to the throne of liis niediatorship, human nature was advanced to an eminence of intellectual and moral liio:i as a man, he humbled himself, and became ohcciient mito dentli, even the dealh of the crosi^ Vv'liereforo God also hatli highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at tl)(3 name of Jrsus every knee should bow, of thii-jis in heaven, and ihinijs in earth, and thing; under the earth ; and tlial every tongue should contl'ss tliat Jesus Christ is Lord, to tii2 glory of God the Father/' Hut th;' perfjct di^'ch:lr5e of our Lord's mcdlatorinl functions also demanded his af-cension. ^Ve have already seen tliat, in reference to some important functions of his priesthool, heaven is denominated "the true sanctuary:" there he consununates t!ie design of his atonement by cxercisint];; with full efiect his oillce of intercessiosj. This was most impressively adumbrated under the law. In a devout and contemj^Jative mind under that dispensation, no part of the ceremoninl connected with the whole sacrificial system was fitted to inspire such profoimc! awe and interest as the siglit of the Iliidi Priest piissing within the veil on tlie «>;re:'.t d:;v of annual exiiatioii. AVithin that veil, the .sanctity of wli'di it was (Kvuh to violate, were the ark of the covenant, tiie resident Shechinali, and the cherubim ot' glory, overshadowing!; tb.e mercy-seat. So near an ajiproach to God was permitted to none but tlie Higli Priest ; nor was he allovvetl to enter without the blood of a piacular victim, wherewith to sprinkle the mercy-seat, and incense to wave before the Lord. The whole ceremony was highly im- THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 155 and power the Lamb sublimity is leems alone jcing in tho vvilK GoD^ ion him tho 2SS of men : led himself, onlh of iho ?d him, and : that at iho s in iieaven, h ; and that 5T is Lord, mediatorial live already tions of his sanctuary :" )nement by S105J. Tiiis law. In a ^iisation, no e sacrificial and intere:^t the veil on at veil, the the ark of herubim oi n approach st ; ner was dar victim, sc to wave highly im- posing and significant; and whatever may have been the result of the investigation:? it would naturally originate in the mind of an inquiring Jew, you can be at no loss to decipher its import. Willi the blootl of his own sacrifice, poured out u])on tic i.itar of Calvary, has the .iiOi;ij Jksus "entered, not into the holy I'hires made Vvilh hanc!;j, which are figures of the true, hue into heaven itself, then* to appear in the presence of God for us.'' There he waves tlie golden censer filled with incense, and "oilers it, wit'i the prayers of all the sainti-, upon t'le golden altar \\ hich is before the throne. "*■ When exhibited in vision to St. Jolin, he appear- ed in tho midst of tlie thn^iie as a lamb bearing t!ie marks of recent irnniolation ; whence v.e may v» ith strong proba- bility conjecture that the jippearanre of our Kedheimer in lioaven is distinguished by some tjliiking n\emorial of liis passion — some imperishable and pathetic memento of his having sacrificially poured out his blood u])on the cross. Respecting the circumstances and manner of his intercession tiiere is room for diversity of opinion ; but the sentiments of all who believe the Bible must be at unity concerning its ellicacy. If before his soul was made an offering for sin the Father heard him always, can we doubt t!ic omnipotent inlluence of that intercession which lie founds upon his perfected and accepted oblation? On his re-appearance in the heavenly tem])le, he was hailed by the Father vvilh an expression of infinite complacency which anticipated tho highest aspirations of his benevolence: '• Ask of mc, and I will give thee the iicathcn fo; tliine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earlli for thy possession." Next to the full developement of the doctrine of a Divine atone- nienl, that of the intercession of Christ unquestionably ranks as one of the surpassing excellencies of the Christian dispensation. It is not a matter of mere speculation ; it pervades the entire system, and enters into tb.e very life, of experimental and practical piety. Blessed with consciouH 156 THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. pardon, can we adopt the exultant challenge of the Apostle, " Who is he that condemnelh ?'' What could inspire such confidence but the thought — the invigorating thought — that Christ who died, and roae agnin, and is even at the right hand of Gon, **ali^o rnakclh intercesj^ion for us?" Has the Holy Spirit taken up his abode in our iiearts — there difTusing abroad liis sacred irradiations, comfort, and power? *'I will pray the Father," saiii Christ, "and he .shall give you another ComfortLT, that he may abide with you for ever." Are we emlioldeneil to approach the throne ot" grace with freedom of spirit and of speech ? It is because *'vve have such an High Priest who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God." Is there associated in our minds, with the profoundcst sense of our own infirmity and un worthiness, a fiducial and unwavering trust in the redeeming power of Christ? lie will not disappoint oui hope; for **ho is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto (^od hy him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for lui.''^ The ascension of our Redeemer bad a bearing not less important on bis prophetic oHlre. It were a view of this branch of his mediation extremely superficial and erroneous to imagine that it was circiimscrihcd by the period of his triennial ministry on earth. Its exercise was coeval with man's alienation from the life of God throujih the ignorance that is in him ; and it will be perpetuated until the redeemed are placed amid the full sphT.dours of the eternal throne. We are expressly told that the Prophets who from age to age predicted the sullerings of CiiniST, and the glory that should follow, were indebted to his Spirit for their view ot' the future; and it was plainly intimnted by himself, at tlio close of his personal ministry, that he would still continue to discharge his salutary office of instruction, though in a splrere and manner accordant with his glorified condition : " O righteous Father, I have declared unto them thy nanjic, le Apostle, 1 spire such )i!ght — tliat at the right us ?" Has arts — there ind power] e fihall give itli you Tor ; throne ot" t is because ed into the fc^sociatcd in vn infirmity tru'.:t in i\\v ^appoint oui' o«t all that ih to make ing not 1p«s iew of this Id erroneous riod of his •oeval with i 2 no ranee n^deemed nal throne, from nije to glory that leir view ol l^^elf, at tho ill continue lough in a condition : thy nanjic, THE ASCENSION OP CHRIST. 157 IJ and will declare it ; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." In the arrangement of the work of redemption, tlic full and abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit was reserved to attest and signalize the accession of Christ to his mediatorial throne. Previously to his ascension, the perfect manifestation of the Spirit was not given — " I)eeause Jesus was not yet gU)rified." Justly to appreciate the consummate wisdom of this arrangement in all its bearings and connexions w-ould recpiire a much wider range of sacred knowledge than we at present possess ; enough, however, we know to illur-tratc its eminent propri- ety. What could be more con^•onant with wisdom than that the attendant circumstances of a donation so incomparably excellent as the copious ellusion of the Divine Spirit should conspicuously designate it as " the reward of our Lord's suflerings and death — the conse(juence of his triumph — the cfl'ect of his intercession above — an ornament of his royal state — a pledge of his princely munificence?" On this principle of order the Apostle Peter explained to the awe- stricken assemblage on the day of Pentecost the scene by which they were surrounded : " Being by the right hand ol God exalted, and having received of the Father the gift of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear." Nor are we left without witness now, that "in him is life, and the life is the light of men." In the standing ministry of reconciliation, — in the endowments, graces, and unction of those who exercise it, — in the piercing and quickening energies of the word of truth, — in the experience of every individual to whom there is imparted the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge in the revelation of Christ, no less than in the miraculous gifts that distinguish- ed the first period of the Christian Church, — we recognize the agency of Him who, when he "led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and 158 THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Jesus." And while infidels and semi-infidels rest their hopes of the melioration of the species on the proj^ress of science, on improved systems of legislation, or on the idiot dream of human perfectibility, we look for immeasurably higher results from an order of means entirely diflerent; we rejoice in the assured anticipation that the foretold triumphs of the Gospel will yet adorn the page of history, because the decree has passed the lips of Him whose pleasure and purposes must be fulfilled : " I will give thee for a light of the Gentiles, that thou mayest be for salvation to the ends af the earth. '"* Once more : The accomplishment of the equally gracious and magnificent scheme of redemption demanded that he who died for us and rose again should be visibly invested in the heavens with unlimited sovereignty. Accordingly, when he had by himself expiated our sins, he for ever sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. On the head of him " Who wore the platted thorns, with bleeding brows," is now placed the diadem of boundless supremacy — a supremacy which not only receives the homage and obe- dience of the celestial host, but the explicit and solemn recognition of the Father: "Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, God, is forever and ever; and a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Here ma- jesty and mercy blend in the highest perfection ; here the sacrifice and the sceptre are associated, and concur in the accomplishment of the same great and glorious design. The work of salvation could not indeed have been other- wise effected. The moral position in which we were e work of irist: till knowledge le measure And while nelioration improved of human ssuitr from ice in the the Gospel decree ha? loses must 3 Gentiles, the earth." ly gracious d that he |ly invested cordingly, or ever sat On the THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 159 [emaoy — a and obe- id solemn pth, Thy sceptre of iHere ma- here the Icur in the is design, ken other- we were placed by our apostacy from God imperiously required that the government should be laid on the shoulders of our Redeemer. Immcr.sed in guilt and pollution, enslaved by satan, and subjected to the empire of death, to whom could we have rationally looked with confidence for deliverance, but to one who was constituted Lord, as well as Christ — a Prince, as well as a Saviour? Such a Redeemer has infinite mercy provided. From the moment that mutual enmity originated between the seed of the woman and that of the serpent, we date the commencement of our Lord's victorious struggle with the adversaries of human salvation ; over those principalities and powers he signally triumphed on the cross ; and now, visibly enthroned on high, he will reign till all his enemies are made his footstool. This government of our Saviour is peculiar in its nature. Con- sidered absolutely as God, his empire is founded purely in his high attributes; but as Mediator, his kingly power and airthorlty are the reward of his vicarious sacrifice, and are exercised in carrying out into eflect the objects of his incarnation and death. For these momentous purposes, the resources of the universe, the energies of Providence, and the services of all orders of existence, are placed at his dis- posal. His sceptre touches the limits of creation. All worlds, planetary and sidereal, are under his control. An- gels do his commandments. Gladly subservient to his redeeming counsels, they are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. If Christ is thus *< head over all things for his bodifs sake — the Church^'' what has that Church to fear from the might or malignity of lier foes, though their name be Legion 1 The rage of devils is enchained by His power, — the mutations of earth are overruled by His wisdom ; while the diffusion of knowledge — the extension of commerce — the decay of tyranny — the change of dynasties — the rise and fall of empires — and the almost universal heaving of the na- 160 THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. tions, connect themselves with objects which rarely enter into the calculations of the political theorist, and are rightly understood in their grand result only by the devout student of the sure word of prophecy. By him, however incapable of ascertaining with precision the times and seasons, they are regarded as the harbingers of that bright era of renova- tion, which, after so many ages of misery and crime, i.- destined to shed its blessings upon a redeemed world. Nor will the realization of this hope exhaust the resources of the infinite povv?r and mercy of our victorious Lord. Death, the very last enemy, shall be completely destroyed. His spoils, accumulated from the murder of righteous Abel to the close of time, will bs yielded at the call of Him who i.s the Resurrection and the Life. " Then cometh the end," the grand consummation to which all the suiVerings and operations of the Saviour have been directed, " when He shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power.'" Having thus fully executed the purpose for which He waj; invested with His kingly ofiice as Mediator, He will surren- der it back into the hands of the Father, and resuming His participation in the government of the universe, as the second person of the Trinity, with the added glory of hav- ing redeemed mankind, he will reign eternally in the union of the Divinity, and God shall be all in all. Permit me, in conclusion, to enforce upon your minds a few of the many practical con'i>iderations suggested by this elevated subject. There is none in the range of Christian theology of higher importance in this view, none more pro- fitable for reproof, for correction, and instruction in right- eousness. It reproves unbelief. Is there in this assembly, an indi- vidual overwhelmed with conscious guilt, anxious to flee from the wrath to come, but enchained and paralyzed by an apprehension of the hopelessness of his condition 1 Let him look at the ascending Saviour, and dismiss his fears. THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 161 aroly enter are rightly out Btiident r incapable asons, they of renova- 1(1 crime, i.- orlil. Nor Lirces of the D. Death, oycd. His us Abel to lini who i.s ,h the end," Verings and "when He md power.'" ich He was will surren- !SumingHis sc, as the ry of hav- 1 the union kir minds a ted by this Christian more pro- in right- ly, an indi- )us to flee rzed by an Let him I his fears. Sinner ! Here is evidence the most undeceiving that His sacrifice is accepted for thee. In thy name He enters hea- ven ; for thee he sprinkles the throne of propitiation, and pleads his agony and death. His prayer is heard. The gale of mercy is flung open for thy admission. All things are ready. 13eliold Jesus on the riglit hand of God. He is able to save thee — to save thee to the uttermost — to save thee 7101^, Belie vo and enter into rest. And is it the unbelief of the penitent only that this subject reproves ? Would that this were the case. But is not the real Chris- tian often aflected in the richness of his consolations — in tlie ardor of his spiritual desires — in the efliciency of his elTorls to grow in grace, and to exercise a salutary influence upon others, from the operation of the same principle ? Whence this deficiency ] Wliy is the spring of all spiritual activity (for such is faith) subject to such relaxation ? Why is it not always vigorous, clastic, operative ? Will not the great cause of the evil, where iniquity is not regarded in the heart, be found on examination to be the want of a realizing view of a risen and reigning Saviour? Tell me, when you carry to the mercy-seat a vivid remembrance of your JRedeemer's triumph over death — of the presentation of His sacrifice in the Heavenly Sanctuary — of His never-ceasing intercession — of His ineflable glory — is not your faith invi- gorated, your zeal rekindled, your joy expanded, and your hand nerved with more than mortal strength to execute the work assigned it to do? " Look then unto Jesus, the au- thor and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." The subject reproves earthly-mindcdness. The love of the world is the great antagonist principle of spirituality ; and so insidious is its influence, that multitudes who would have recoiled with horror from temptations to gross violations of duty, have by it been shorn of their strength. Love not p2 162 THE ASCENSION OP CHRIST. the world — is an admonition wliich the ApoBtle John tliu not deem it su|)crfluoufl to address even to fathers in Christ. To congratulate ourselves, therefore, on exemption from tin need of a similar caution, would indicate an ominous defi- ciency of self-acquaintance, and imminent exposure to the evil vvc think so remote. If ye then he risen with Christ, seek those things that are above. Heaven has for you an attraction, and a glory, which it did not possess to the Jew — it is the place n)hcrii Jesus is — the place o^ our destina- tion too if we are following Him in the Regeneration — *' Father, I will tiiatthcy also whom thou hast given me he with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." Oh defeat not the benevolence that breathes in that sublime petition, by seeking your portion in this world. Tread the seducing honors and pleasures of earth in the dust, and grasp that substantial and enduring portion, which can alone satisfy the infinite aspirations that stir within you. To the unrcpenting, the exaltation of Christ is no subject of pleasurable contemplation. What then will be theii dismay, when they shall behold him, divested of the fleecy robes of his glory, and arraj^ed in those of judgment, de- Bcendintr on the great white throne ! Eventful hour ! The heavens pass away — earth dissolves — the dead arc raised — the living changed — the books are opened — the righteous saved — the seal of eternity aflixed to the doom of the wicked. From the coming wrath, there is no way of escape but by seeking redemption in the blood of Christ. Away to Him whom you ha\ e so long despised and rejected — He waits to be gracioiij — He will not cast out your prayer — your supplications for mercy will wake the throb of compassion in the heart that was pierced for sinners; and the hand that was nailed to the cross, will be stretched forth to save you. tie John (liu in Christ. on from tin ninous deli- osui'c to the iih Christ, for you ail to the Jew mr ilcHtina- ;neration — ;iven mc bo mj' glory.'' liat sublime Tread the 2 ilust, and U can aloiir 1. ^ no subjecl II be theii the fleccv tnent, de- Diir ! The c raised — righteous m of tin- way of Christ. 1 rejected out your the throb pinners ; stretched K S E R M iN V 1 1 r. THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OF THE REDEEMER'S SUFFERINGS. I'AEAriiEO DKi5v, the exemplar and re wai'dcr) o( ouv Wuih,'"^ he is with great prol)ability conceived to refer lo !hc disirihutor of the prize (I^w.;3c\,rn3) wiio was commonly one that by achieving an Olympic triumph himself, had set an exanijile to the athleia'. Another spirit-stirring circumstance con- nected with the celebration of the games in (juestion sug- gests itself to the Aj)ostle's imagination, and is inuuediately seized on to give vividness to his represejitatiou : — It was customary * to hang the crown or \\re;ith appointcil to adorn the brow of the successful competitor, at the extremity of the stadium, that the view of it miirht excite the aspirants to that distinction, to strain every nerve in the contest ; in allusion to which, the hi^h award of glory reserved for the suflering Redeemer, is designated " the joy that was set BEFORE Him" — the unfading crown, animated by the pros- pect of which, he endured the cross. The text is, you perceive, the echo of the proplietic * Plutarch: xaScXgiv cnrf«<: garland. 166 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OF declaration of Isaiah, " 01' the travail of his soul he shall see (the fruit) and he satisfied:" it eml)odies, in fact, the burden of ancient prophecy — the sum of what the reveaHng Spirit whicli was in the Holy seers " did signify, when it testified beforehand the sniVerings of Christ, and the glor}' that shouhl follow. . . .which things die angels desire to look into." Following the example of those celestial students of Redemption, let us endeavour — I. To investigate the import of the phrase by which the Apostle portrays the sulVerings of Christ — He endured ihe cross. Nothing is more remarkable, whether in the historical delineations, or doctrinal exhibitions of the sulVerings of our Lord, contained in the New Testament, than the promi- nejice given to the instrument of torture on which he ex- pired. On what principles is this singular fact to be accountcnl foi 1 Why, in respect to this subject, have the sacred writers adopted a course so utterly opposed to every dictate of human expediency — so repugnant to the prised to every the pride of f the C5 rnal liest reasons. iRiST as the it cannot he (1 merely a< t it a?sinnes s the fiilfil- s appointed lion of our land atoning predictions g by which a distinct- roaches tho :ipated the nt sorrow upon him whom ihcij had pierced '^ and David, in a pro- ])hetic psalm, the Messianic interpretation of which is sus- ceptible of the clearest proof, represents the Saviour as complaining (obviously in allusion to his death upon the cross) " They have pierced my hands and my feet." " Thus," then, " it is written ; and thus it behoved Christ to sufler." The punishment of crucifixion was one of un- paralleled ignominy and torture — so abhorrent to every feeling of humanity that Cicero is justified in saying,* " It ought to be banished not only from the eyes and ears, but from the very thoughts of men." Yet to this kind of death did our Lord and Saviour voluntarilv submit, from love to a perishing world. Aiua'/ing grace ! Stupendous humilia- tion ! that he "who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to bo e([ual with God," should not only conde- scend to assume our degraded nature, and wear a servanVs form, but become "obedient lo deaUi, even the death of THE CROSS !" Nor arc we to conceive that the infamy and the anguish of crucifixion, inexpressibly great though they were, com- prised the full amount of our Saviour's suflering. He en- dured the cross, in a sense in which no human being ever did, in which no finite being could sustain it. The physical pain produced by the piercing and laceration of his body was the least part of his endurance. " The sufferings of his soul were tho soul of his sufferings." Else, why did all nature sympathize with the illustrious victim? Why did the sun * draw a cloud of mourning round his throne 1' No natural cause occasioned the obscuration. The moon was then at the full ; whereas a solar eclipse, as is well known, can happen only when she is in conjunction with the sun. So palpable was the miraculous character of the * In Verreid ; Jlh oculis, auribusquc, ct omnc cositationc hominum removen- dum esse. 168 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OF darkness that overspread the licavens and enwrapped the whole land for three siieeessive hours, that a scientific ob- server of nature mitfht well have exclaimed, ar^ Dyonysius is fabled to have done, "Either the God of nature is snlTer- ing, or the frame of the universe is about to be dissolved.'' We claim not the ability to decipher the emblematical im- port of this phenoiTienoii, — to tletermine whether it was a presume of the coming destruction of Jerusjdem, or was de- •iigned to army before die imagination and impress upon the heart the horrid atrocity of those who crucified the Lord of Giory, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin for which he atoned, or the blackness of darkness in which it will fuially involve the impenitont, or the total extinction of comfort in the mind of the Diviiie SulVorer : — we venture merely to assert ^vhat is too obvious to be ilenied, that a display of the sj)ecia! figency of Uic Deity so grand and appalling marked the extraordinary nature of the event that was then transj)iring on the mount of crucifixion. And assuredly, ;i robe of mourning was the most approj)riate drapery in which nature could have been clad, when He who is the "Ijiugiitness of the Father's glory" was iiimscll' under an eclip-^e — when He whose smile is the joy of seraphim, " cried with a loud voice," the climax of His anguish, " E!i, Eli, lama sabachthani 1 My God, my Goil, why hast thou forsaken me ?" Whoever attentively contemplates the last suHerings oi Ciirist Avith reference to their propiliaiory character^ will be struck with a parallelism between the history and the doctrine of His death, of Uie existence of which he may not ha\'e been previously apprised. Of this, the piercing and pathetic cry wo have just citetl alVords a pregnant exami)le. Dee[)ly is that man to be pitied, who, instead of surrendering his heart to the full impression of those awful and alVecling words of an expiring Saviour, exer- cises his ingenuity in framing hypotheses, by wliicii to ■rapped tlic L'ientific ob- ; Dyonysius [re is siilTer- dissolved.'" luatical im- ier it was a or was de- ;ss upon the the Lord of which he will linally r comfort ill 'c merely to a display of id appalling at was then assuredly, ;t ry in which vlio is the •as himscir the joy of lax of His 1, my Cioil, lunbriiigs oi \ractcr, will )/•// and the •h he may jic piercing [i pregnant ho, instead ti of those louR, exer- whicii to THE REDEEMER'S SUFFERINGS. 169 distort their purport, and neutralize their power. Were the spirit of Sociniani>^m, or of its legitimate offspring, Neology, at all susceptible of the reverence due to the "lively oracles," its impious temerity, one would imagine, must have been rebuked by the agonies of Calvary ; it must have permitted at least the di/in ditrnity, contcmjilatcd even as a martyr. \ may here re- mark, that it was customnry to aihninistcr to crimiuJils who were crucified, a medicdlcd cup of spiced wine, for ihe pur- pose of produciii!!; intoxication, and thus dctuiciiing their sensihilities. This beverage the soldiers olVered to oui Saviour; hut he refused it, obviously heetuise lie wished to sutler and die in the Jiiidisturiu'd and jicrfect exercise ol His mental faculties. (Matt, xxvii, .'M' ; Mark xv, 23.) Is any thinir further necessarv lo eoiiviiice us of the error* * U is iiialti'i til" c(Hi.i! rcfjiTi ;uiil surpri-'.' that soiipr liivo taIl(Mi iruo a .simi- lar enor who arc aliovf all sM-jpiciiMi (iC lia\ ini; \u-v\, iiii>lc(l mi this point liy any tloctriiial (ilili()iiJty, iiiul vvIid, had ihfy (>>i- a iiKimtMii pomicrcii the li-uiii- iiiaii- con.-' ipicin-.b iirsin:li Ilo!i(Hl^•, !mii-i havt,* ii'ircinl ih.'in wiili alilnnnincc. Till! it'f1»"'iioM of 111'.' pioiis f.oril CliI'M" .lii.-iiai|o\viil with so imicli aHtniii,;''"'. loaiif ; ' Noii fiii! i^iiiir lui'c nifdilaia rioisii oratio, soil vis ct iinpcuti iluiorcni siihiiam t'i vofpiii exlt>r«it, <;ui siatiiii ailttila liiit t;orret;iio." Ilarmo. in locum ) On thin L'ralii itou:i as.strlioii, lln! luU-hintcd Fariii'lon, inlfrior to iht' UtCoriiH'r iititiicr in Icariiins nor aniiii'Mi thiH si-vt-rely hut jiisily animadvtrts: " .V.'» fuil hirr vmlituta (liriftt irtilio, !^ii,[\] ('.i\\\\u, his pain wa.s so fn-at that it xave nn utile ur Itiuure to his icas.in to vvfitfhwhat Ji»-saiil, wliirh in offijol is, lie spakt III? Itncw not what. Itiii wo may truly .-ay, inni j'lii/ /i lay here rc- iiniiials who for I ho pur- liohing their ♦red to oui 3 he wished extTcisp ol •k XV, 23. r the error" IiMi iiiio n siiir.- >ii this |i()iiit li\ icri'd I he h'L'iii- 1 aliii'ii i(!nr:c. |ui)iir'p Wdnls I'lliiifril : '• Wi I'; ol' I ills I'itlci liiiiilowcil with (ll.-tillCl liCllHi' |iif." Calvii., iit.iciitaiois (I' ~ iii'lii t'do iiiii M'|trtli(;ii8ilil( ' .N'oii fiiit |iia:n «'i \(((('iii |t Ml thit) uralu iicr iiiithtT ill .y.iii j'uil h(t( |it It jjave tin I is, lie gpakt •itii inrddatii tie vvioie, w»«l THE REDEEMER'S SUFFERINGS. 171 Tind impiety of the assumption, that when the hitter cry was wrunu; from the agonized soul of our Redeemer," Mv God, MV (ioD, wrrv hast thou forsaukx mkT' ''he was tinct perception also of the <.^\act accordance of all with the reci^rded anticipatiouH of jirophccv. And let it not he forgotten, that tlu' very words in which om* Lord's deepest feeliniis of anguish found utter- ance, are among the niost striking of thf>se anticipatioiw. y'Psalm xxii, 1.) The most imposing aspect jmder which those who deny dint the suHerin'is of oir Lord wim'o vicarious caii exhihit tiiein, is as u manifestation of moral heroism. " The travail of his so'JL** their docifinal scheme entir'ly precludes ; and hence their anxiety (a very natural f<'t;'ling when their craft is in danger) to set asulo the genmne mterpretation ol his pMthetic appeal to the Divine syn;pathy in il»e extremity of nis distress, :>■ cause it accords so i!!, on llifi) in nciDl 1> vith th le magnanimous entlurance ol ni;- cor[)ora[ pain f h K^S, If nie irreverent assumption to which w r havf; ahoM' adverted caimot !)e sustained, the only way of escap'- from this j)Cr- iniu'lit ?L'(!in lint well to have advinrd with his nnsnn. Iliat would l^-avc wifidojii iIm'Ii witlimii the use \A It ; lio (jiii .-lii>ii it v/as tli^ laii(:ht» ; not a thought which did arise mnU^. ■ no! a word whii li .van inioplaccd ; not a motion which wa* not regular." (Sermon on the rui'stuii.) 172 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OP plexity open to the Socinian, is, to allege that this exdaraa- tion was not wrung from tiie Saviour by the acerbity of his sufferings, but "quoted from the twenty-second Psalm, in which the words stand, didactically to show that the whole of that composition was prophetic of him." To this it may be replied, that the mere circumstance of his citing the pas- sage would have been insufficient for that purpose, since he might hav-e used it simply byway of accommodation. Be- sides, — so striking and conclusive is the evidence drawn from internal sources, and so concurrent the testimony of exegetical tradition among the Jews, in favor of the Mes- sianic interpretation of this very Psalm, that it would be extremely difficult to point out a section in the whole rangi- of ancient prediction of which it was less necessary for oui Lord to suggest the appropriate exposition. But, granting that this was his object, what does Socinianism gain by the admission"? Just nothing. For if it be true of the whole Psalm in question that it is applicable to our Redeemer, the same must be true of every component part of it. The meaning of this citation then, is not thus to be evaded. It must still be met ; and the system that instead of meeting it fairly, shrinks from it, pronounces its own condemnation. Jt may arrogate the praise of philosophy, — but ^^e can in sincerity accord to it the honor of no other species of" phi- losophy" t'ian that wliich the New Testament represents as in intimrtte alliance with "vain deceit." It is slated by St. Paul (Heb. v, 7) tliat our blessed Lord, " in the days of his llesh. . . .offered up prayers and sup})li- rritions * with strcmg rri/imr and tears " — terms which denote the intensity of the voicv, when elevated to the high- est pitch by agonizing supplication, and ihe natural expres- sions of a pierced spirit. There can exist no doubt that one * MSToc X^avy^ig I'Sy^jPccS ''Ctl (Jaxfjwv, voce clta et larrymis, vitA a loud voice and weeping. THE REDEEMER'S SUFFERINGS. 173 is exdaraa- M'bity of his d Psalm, in i the whole I this it may ing the pas- i^e, t^ince he ntion. Bc- cnce ilrawn pf-timojiy of f the Mes- it would be »vhole range sary for oui III, granting gain by the f the whole Redeemer, of it. The evaded. It f meetinjr it deni nation. we can in es of" phi- ire.'^cnts as '>uch hctter with the termr of Scripture on this subject, and with a just appreciation of" the love of Christ which passeth know Iclge,"'' to conceive that the apostle meant by that expression — the joy of completini: the infi- nitelv benevolent >('henu> of iiuman salvation. Kven ad- mitting the accin'acy of the other interpretation, all that can be leiriliiuately inferred from the wonls thus undeislood, is, that ; I.-, the apostle's immediate object liere was not rls ? AVould he have heen satisfied to occupy* heaven itself in solitude? When, as the Captain of our salvation, lie entered the uplifted portals of that blest ahode, tliiiilc you, did he not contem- plate as esseuiial to the perfectinir of his triumph, aiul by consecpience to tlu^ hi«iliest enhancement of his joy, the '• bringing many sons unto glory V Who can cpiestion this, when he hears him with " the hour and the power of dark- ness"' full in view, utter the l)eni;:r ju'lition, "Father, I uill that they also whom thou liasi given me, be with me where 1 am : that thev mav behold mv yh)rv." Thus it is that "he shall see of the travail of bis soul and shall bo SATiSFiKi). And what is the source of that satisfaction? The prophet himself shall inform you : " Wlif-n liis sniil slinll nialu! a propiiiatnry Kncrilp'p, n t'liiitj and bi* sati-^Opd : Ily lilt" kiiiiwIi'dL'i' of liiin sliati my st-rvaiil justify n '.uy ; For tlin piiiiishiiii'iit of llicir iiiiqwiiifM li<' sliall In ai. Tliorvlbie will I illstribiitu Ici liiin tin- many fur Ins poriion, And iIk! iiiiglity pcoiili* sliull lie .share fur ills npoil." M.-niuh llil ) This passage alVords perhaps the best exposition of the nature of "the joy that was set before*" the "man of sor- rows^' any where to be found in the sacred volume. Like a pure mirror, it rellects on the interesting topic of our con- templation the light that "shines fort 1 1 from between the cherubim." Mark the latent import of the vaiie*! and appropriate imagery in which tlu; jirophet arrays bis ton- ceptionsv In accordance with the opinion prevalent among the Hebrews, that the jjigbest reward of piety enjoyed under the theocracy consisted in a long life and a numerous IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k /, {./ ^ ^5^^^, ^^ /L 2i 1.0 I.I 11.25 lii m 12.5 K J 2.2 1.4 11.6 III "Vie/ A Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WeST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ SJ \\ "^ s o^ 178 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OP train of descendants, in a higher and spiritual sense this merited recompense is said to be awarded to the Messiah : the successful achievement of redemption — the purpose of Jehovah — through him is foreshown : under the figure of a husbandman who, having laboriously cultivated his land, marks with pleasure the advancing vegetation, and at length reaps in joy the fruits of his toil and care, he is next represented as surveying, from his elevation in the heavens, with ineflable satisfaction the admirable efficiency of his gospel : the eflect of the diffusion of that gospel is seen in the pardon and acceptance through faith in his l)lood of the multitude w^ho are brought to a saving acquain- tance with Jiim : the graphic delineation closes with the splendid image of a military triumph — and so signal are the victories won by the Prince of Peace, that his mightiest opponents cither by convCision become his portion, or, by conquest, his spoil. And then of all these materials of the joy set before him his propitiatory oflering is exhibited as the foundation, the efficient cause. Thence it was that holy prophets and apostles, and Christ himself, saw a glory issuing, peculiar, transcendant, and unfading — a glory which is ever receiving new accessions, and will continue to become broader and more refulgent through the inter- minable periods of immortality. Fully to comprehend that glory, and the inexpressible joy that will in consequence dilate for ever the heart that felt on Calvary the tremendous pressure of a world's atonement, is the prerogative of no finite intelligence. There is room in the amplitude of the Supreme Mind alone for the vast conception. '' We know in part, and prophesy in part." For the more distinct understanding, as well as vivid im- pression, however, of what we do know, it may be proper more particularly to notice some of the prominent objects for the accomplishment of which, " while we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." THE REDEEMER S SUFFERINGS, 179 ense this Messiah : tirpose of figure of his land, and at re, he is n in the sfliciency gospel is ith in his acquain- with the Oil are the miglitiest yn, or, hy als of the hibited as was that If, saw a — a glory continue :he inter- pible joy Ithat felt )nement, is room the vast |n part." ^ivid im- |e proper objects /ere yet igodly." One of those — the grand and essential preliminary, too, to all the rest, was the propitiating of Divine justice by his sacrificial offering on the Cross. Man stood exposed by his apostacy to the immediate infliction of the penally attached to the law under which he was placed — " ever- lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his j)o\ver." How awful— how ominous the moment when the fatal deed was done ! The pleasures of devotion — the companionship of angels — the purity and moral energy of the soul — the hope of heaven — the appro- bation of God — all are lost ! Conscious guilt strikes its sting into the bosom. The heavens gather blackness. Guardian seraphim surround the tree of life to protect it from the violation of the hands that have plucked the for- bidden fruit. Creation offers no resource. — Call a council of angels ; let them bring all the ardor of tiieir benevolence, all their kno;vledge of the principles of the Divine adminis- tration, all the concentrated power of their intellect — to bear upon this new infraction of the laws and contempt of the majesty of God : — let them solve the great moral pro- blem, "How shall man be just with Godi" They in- stinctively fix their gaze on the stern attribute which stood forth in fearful manifestation when the standard of revolt was reared in the neighbourhood of the eternal throne — and are mute. Not even a whisper of hope breathes the por- tentous silence. But " sing, ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it : shout, ye lower parts of the earth ; for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel." The Son of God becomes our substitute — assumes our obligations — and, at once the sacrifice and the Priest, " oflers himself through the Eternal Spirit unto God." " It is finished." The penalty of the violated law is exhausted. He expires ; but it was not possible that he should be holden of death. Justice has no demand against him. Angels are commissioned to open the door of his prison, 180 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OP that he may go forth. How easy would it have been for himself to have broken the bars of the grave ! but his enlargement as our surety must appear to be what it really was — the act of propitiated justice ; and therefore officers of the celestial court are the agents employed. And now the joy that was set before him opens its auspicious reign — the glory that was to follow his sufferings sheds its orient lustre around him. At the very point where earthly triumphs terminate — the grave — his commence. The scene of his deepest humiliations becomes the field of his glory. Oh ! with what ecstasy of spirit must he on the morning of his resurrection have turned an eye on the mount crimsoned with recent efliision of his atoning blood ! The ineffable sensations of that moment were the earnest of an ample reward for his endurance of all the pains of the cross. But all this was merely preparatory : if in order to fulfil the recorded prophecies of inspiration, " it behoved Christ thus to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day," it was " that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations" — it was that re- deeming Grace might erect its throne on the indestructible foundation of a Divine atonement, and in full harmony with righteousness and truth, issue the commission, " Go ye into all the world ; and preach the gospel to every creature." By the anticipative contemplation of the results of this arrangement was the mind of the Redeemer conciliated to the bitterest ingredients shed into his cup. Those glorious results stood unveiled to his view in a manner in which enraptured seers never surveyed them. From the eminence of Calvary his mind scanned the future history of his church in all its details, and penetrated the profoundest depths of eternity. He saw prospectively, immediately on his glori- fication in heaven, the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit abundantly poured forth to glorify him at the same time on earth. He saw in the scenes of Pentecost the bright presage THE REDEEMER'S SUFFERINGS. 181 lave been ave ! but be what it I therefore ed. And auspicious s sheds its jre earthly The scene his glory. Horning of crimsoned le ineffable an ample 'TOSS. '-' er to fulfil )ved Christ third day," should be 'as that re- estructible mony with jo ye into creature." ts of this iciliated to se glorious in which eminence lis church depths of his glori- loly Spirit le time on hi presage of millennial felicity — the representatives of all nations, pressing around the unfuried banner of the cross, and hear- ing, every man in his own tongue, the wonderful works of God — he saw as the effect of the first promulgation of his gospel, a broad foundation laid for that glorious edifice, t!ie topstone of which shall be brought with shouting?, "grace, grace unto it" — in a word, he saw Satan, as when first hurled from his forfeited throne, " fall as lightning from heaven," But these were only the incipient triumphs of the gospel, — the first fruits of an abundant harvest, — the day-spring of an unsetting glory. The word of the Lonl ran, and was glorified. Winged with the ardor of celestial zeal it flew from city to city, and from province to pro- vince, till in a short period it pervaded the vast extent of the Roman empire. Everywhere it had to contend witii the native hostility of the carnal mind, and, in addition, with long-established systems of superstition and error which mingled with individual thought and feeling, am! with all the elements of the social system ; but everywhere it was evinced, in striking contrast with the moral impotency of heathenism, to be the power of God unto salvation. The excellency of that power was indeed conspicuously Divine. Nothfng but an impulse from heaven could have urged men forward in such an enterprise 5 nothing but the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit could have crowned their labours with success. " Who," we may ask, in the spirited words of Athanasius, " Who could penetrate to the Scythians, the Ethiopians, the Persians, the Armenians, the Goths — to those beyond the ocean, or beyond Hyr- cania ; who would address himself to the Egyptians and the Chaldeans ; to the latter, addicted to magic, and com- pletely under the control of superstition ; to the former, inhabiting uncultivated and desert countries, — and preach to both, with courage and ^visdom, against the worship of idols ? Who could have been adequate to this but the 182 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OP Lord of all — the Powet of God — our Lord Jesus Christ 1 He who not only caused his Gospel to be preached by his disciples annong those nations but accompanisd it with full conviction to the heart ; so that they thenceforth ceased to offer sacrifices to the gods of their Countries, and relinquished the previous rudeness of their manners. In former times, when the Greeks and Barbarians served heathen divinities, they were perpetually involved in war, and cruel even to their own kindred J no one could travel with safety by land or water, unless armed sword in hand. Their whole life in fact resembled a service under arms j their staff was the sword, the support of all their hopes. Although they continued all this time to serve the gods, no salutary change was thereby produced in theif disposition. But scarcely had they embraced the Gospel, when the heart within, being in a wonderful manner affected and subdued, rudeness and murder disappeared. What mere man Could ever have been competent to achieve so much ! — to march forth to the contest against the united legions of idolatry, the combined hosts of demons, the whole world of magic, all the wisdom of GredCej — and, at a single onset, overthrow them all !" In those signal and beneficent triumphs of the Cross over the pride of philosophy and the ignorance of barbarian de* gradation — triumphs unheard of till the Gospel commenced its career — there are presented developements, of a most interesting order, of the joy that was set before thd Son of God. Scarcely can we suppress a species of envy in con- templating the instruments of* such divine achievements. With what transport must they have looked around on so many thousands of immortal dottls rescued from idolatry, redeemed from future wrath, renewed in the spirit of their minds, and adorned with the lustre of holiness ! Superior to the scorn and malignant oppositioa of the world, they mast have lived and breathed in an element of divine THE REDEEMERS SUFFERINGS. 183 IS Christ 1 ed by his with full ceased to inquished ner times, divinities, ruel even safety by leir whole r staff was ough they iry change t scarcely irt within, , rudeness ould ever |arch forth atry, the nagic, all )verthrow ross over )arian de-^ mmenced jf a most \e Son of r in con- vements. nd on so idolatry, of theif Superior Id, they f divine exhilaration. How they stood in the estimation of men could not have cost them a thought, while in unsbrouded manifestation the hand of the Lord was with them, and Heaven itself was enriched with the spoils they won from the empire of darkness. . And what must have been the emotions of ministering angels, after having witnessed for so many ages the inefficiency of Judaism, and the world in its progressive deterioration reach the lowest point of depression, to behold the Gospel springing forth like the morning, diffusing in every direction its light and influence, and everywhere triumphant ! If there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 07ie sinner that repenteth, what limits can we assign to the benignant exultation they felt when they saw not one but myriads saved from death, and sprinkled with atoning blood I But all, and more than all the principles that can operate in either human or angelic bosoms to produce joy in the contemplation of such delightful scenes e^ist in an infinitely higher degree in the mind of our Redeemer. Does that joy arise, as experienced by them, from an apprehension of the dignity and worth of the human soul, of the awful danger to which it is exposed by sin — from a high appreci- ation of the blessings of salvation — from pure and lofty benevolence — ^from a lively interest in the manifestation of the Divine ^lory ? These qualities, you perceive at once, pre-eminently characterise the mind of Christ : and then you are to take into account the tender relation he has assumed as Mediator between God and man, and the untold agonies he endured to remove the otherwise insuperable obstacles that stood in the way of our reconciliation to God —the manner, in fact, in which he has linked his own character with the hope and happiness of man : It is thus only that your estimate of the joy with which he surveyed from the right band of the Heavenly Majesty " the IS^ THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OF gatjiering of the people to him," when repentance and remission of sins were first preached in his name among all nations, can approximate the subhme reality. And every Houl that is inducted into his fold on earth, or ushered thence into the realms of bliss, augments that joy. At no period, probably, since Christianity ascended the throne of the Csesars, have the materials of the Saviour's exultation accumulated more rapidly than within the last half-century. The primitive zeal of evangelical enterprise lias revived ; and the vigor, the range, and the efficiency of its eflbrts fix the attention of the philosopher and the statesman, as well as of the Christian, as one of the most j)rominent and prophetic signs of the times. To the wonderful and auspicious change which has thus taken place in a few short years, the translation, unprecedented issue, and almost universal diffusion of the Scriptures by that illustrious Institution whose object is not denominational predominance, but the salvation of mankind, has most powerfully contrib^ited. The knowledge of God is increas- ing ; the strong-holds of Satan are assailed ; the idols of Paganism are trembling in their shrines ; some of the most degraded tribes of the human family have been already evangelized ; the leaven of the Gospel is deposited in the most populous countries of the globe — in Africa, in China, in India and Persia, — and begins to heave the mass : Our Messiah is upon the throne of providence and grace, and he must reign till all his enemies be made his footstool. • ; " But we see not yet all things put under him." The brightest scenes of prophecy remain yet to be delineated by the historian's pen. The knowledge of God is far from l)eing yet universal. Righteousness does not yet cover the earth. The Gospel has not yet hushed the din of war by exorcising those passions of the human heart that kindle its rage. The foul blots of superstition and imposture, of cruelty and crime, of scepticism and sensuality, still appear THE ftSDCEMCR'S SUPVEAINCS, 185 mce and imong all .nd every ed thence ended the Saviour's I the last enterprise iciencv of and the ' the most To the lus taken ecedented iptures by mi national I has most is increas- e idols of the most n already ted in the in China, ass: Our race, and Itstool. ." The ineated bv far from cover the )f war by kindle its |osture, of till appear broad and conspicuous on the moral map of the world. But let no man ask in doubt, or challenge in scofn — " Where is the promise of his coming?" The grand hindrance to the universal extension of his reign does not exist in the darkness, or the institutions whether political or religious, of pagan climes. No ; it is found in the very heart of Christendom — in the infidelity and Popery which, however opposed to each other in creed, perfectly sympa- thise in their hostility to a pure and Protestant Christianity. The Great Apostacy, equally the enemy of civil liberty and of enlightened religion, still predominant on the European continent, has commenced a vigorous struggle for its ancient supremacy in England ; and, if successful, will assuredly put forth again all the arrogance of its claims, and en- force them by its favourite arguments — threatening and slaughter. ' • In contemplation of these melancholy facts, may it not be doubted, whether in the ardor of the joy inspired by the success of missionary efforts, we do not sometimes indulge unauthorised anticipations as to the proximity of the millennial era? When we are looking for universal and permanent tranquillity, we may be surprised by far different scenes — " distress of nations with perplexity, the ^a and the waves roaring, and men's hearts failing for tear, and foi* looking after those things that are coming upon Ute earth." It may be in the scheme of a redeeming Providence to purify and prepare the church of the living God for the achievement and the glory of universal conquest by unpre- cedented trials of her faith and patience. To this conclusion the most intelligent students of prophecy are conducted; and it must be admitted that the circumstances of the times seem most ominously to parallelize with their interpretations. The issue, however, is as certain as it will be glorious. The sceptre of Christ will extend over a subjugated world. ^ Hiis name shall endure for ever : his nanie shall be 136 THE ANTICIPATED REWARD OF continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him blessed." Our meditations on this thrilling topic need only advance another step to reach the highest conception we are capable of forming of the joy that is still in reversion for him who endured the cross. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. And if eternal WiSDOsf, whose goings forth iiave been of old, even from everlasting, rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth ; if his delight was with the sons of men before the world was — what will be the enhancement of his joy, when, at the predestined hour of its dissolution, " he shall come to be glorified in his saints," and admired in all them that believe ! Ecstatic anticipation ! " Now is come salvation, and glory, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ :" the mystery of God is finished — the knell of Satan's empire is rung — death is swallowed up in victory — the Kingdom is restored to the Father that God may be all in all — the joy of the Redeemer is full — and men and angels mingle their shouts in the thundering acclaim, The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth — Alleluia ! There are two practical inquiries suggested by the subject to which your attention has been directed, and with tliese we conclude. , uu 1. Have you, my brethren, by seeking redemption in the blood of Christ, and by dedicating yourselves to Him in the obedience of faith, personally contributed to augment *^the joy that was set before him 1 " '''^^ i' He has expiated your sins, and borne your sorrows. To rescue you from future wrath, he encountered " the hour and the power of darkness." His heart was pierced with anguish inconceivably more poignant than the soldier's spear could inflict, that yours might dilate forever with the joy of God's salvation. He died that you might live. And THE REDEEMER S SUFFERINGS. 187 M\ jlessed in ' advance e capable him who destroyed ings forth ed in the i with the II be the 3d hour of is saints," ticipation ! ingdom of mystery of is rung — is restored joy of the leir shouts mnipotent le subject vith tlieae '■'■'.? ion in the im in the lent "the >ws. To the hour reed with soldier's • with the ve. And what does he require '>f you in return for such superabound- ing displays of grace 1 Is it any unreasonable exaction — gny costly sacrifice ? No — all his claims are characterised by the same love that actuated him, for the suflering of death, to disrobe himself of his glory, and ascend the cross. ** Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." Accept the proffered riches of his grace^, and you obey his call, you co-operate with his Spirit, you honour his sacrifice, you advance his joy. Reject these riches, and you disappoint his l)enignant anticipations ; so far as you are individually concerned, you defeat the object of his holy incarnation and sacrificial death, you grieve him by the hardness of your hearts, you cause the wounds he endured for your transgressions to bleed afresh. Oh! who can compute the fearful amount of guilt involved in pouring contempt upon such love! — in offering indignity to such a Saviour ! Reasoning on princi- ples exemplified in the recorded procedure of Divine justice in cases of delinquency incomparably less aggravated, how tremendous the conclusion to which we are conducted ! " He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses : of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and accounted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace ? ' ■ Would you escape a doom so terrific ? Would you have your souls for a prey in the day when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire 1 Would you wake a pulsation of joy in the soul that for you was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death?" Would you bind a laurel wreath around the brow that was for you encircled with a crown of thorns? ! delay no longer to discharge obligations so reasonable and imperative. Delay no longer to embrace privileges 188 THE ANTrCIPATED REWARD OP whicli impoverish all the riches, and throw into eclipse all the honours and grandeur of earth. " Kiss the Son lout he be angry ; and yo perish from tiic way, when his wrath is kindled but a little : Blessed are all tliey that put their trust in him." 2, Another question remains to bo proposed— What nre wp doinjr to promote the Redeemer's glory in the world? What elVorts are we putting forth to accelerate the arrival of that blessed era when his empire shall extend from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth ] ^--r Such renovation and happiness, we profess to believe, are in reserve for our fallen world. The animating antici- pation rests upon the same basis that supports the general fabric of our faith. Prophecy has embodied its sublimest conceptions, and exhausted its richest imagery in the graphic delineations with which it presents us of " the latter day glory.'* But is that day to be ushered in amid the pomp of miracles ? Is it for us to await, with folded arms, the rush- ing of its splendours from on high 1 Have we no contingent of duty to perform in connex on with the plans and purposes of redeeming grace T Conscience instinctively responds 1o such inquiries in tones of accusation and rebuke. We are verily guilty concerning our brethren ! Eighteen centuries have passed away since the high commission issued from- the lips of Him who tasted death for every man—" Go ye out into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea- ture ;" and yet how large a portion of mankind people the valley of the shadow of death ! Amidst much that is mag- nanimous in purpose and glorious in achievement, in the recent movements of the Christian Church, the armies of the aliens still exhibit a formidable array, and oppose an Hnyielding resistance to the march of truth and holiness in the earth. Pagan idolatry, Mohammedan imposture, and Papal superstition, still hold in degrading bondage hundreds ofmillions of immortal minds» And shall we, while the THE REDEEMER'S SUFFEIUNGS. 189 }clipse all >n lest he ) wrath is their trust * What are le world? arrival of tm sea to a believe, ng antici' le general sublimest e graphic latter day pomp of the rush- ontingent purposes sponds to We are centuries ed from '« Go ye ry crea- ople the is mag- in the rmies of )pose an iness in lire, and undreds lile the agencies of evil are all vigilance and energy in carrying on the work of desolation and woe, shall we survey their operations with apathy, and slumber on our post ? Breth- ren ! the time is short ! Our responsibility, when we come to view it in the light of eternity, will excite astonishment at our previous lukewarnuiess and inaction in the cause of God. God is now shaking the nations, and mustering His jjosts to battle. He recognizes no neutrality. If we are not gathering with him, wo are scattering abroatl. If we are not helping, we are hindering, the salvation of our fellow men. brethren, if we feel the force of the principle, that the ability to do good imposes an obligation to do it — if we would not incur the guilt of being accessory to the loss of immortal souls — if we have ourselves tasted that the Lonl is gracious, antl desire the universal expansion of the light which has guided our feet into the way of peace — if, with the Apostle we thus judge, that if one died for all then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again — let the love of Christ, and the love of souls for which Christ died, constrain us to contribute liberally on the present occasion, and to accom- pany our contributions with earnest prayer, that we may thus be the honored instruments of enhancing a Redeemer's joy by increasing the number of the redeemed. And now, Unto Him that loved us, and washed us frbm our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion forever, and ever : Amen. '.iff SERMON IX. :i' t THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. ^' )i Acts x.\. 33. - • "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." From Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the Church. Such a message, from one whose name cari'ied their love and veneration along with it, was naturally i-esponded to by a prompt and glad compliance. The afiecting interview was necessarily short, as Paul was anxious to attend the celebration of the approaching pente- cost at Jerusalem, that he might seize an opportunity so propitious for publishing abroad " the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory." But he fully occupied the limited time he had, in reminding them of those momentous virtues and correspondent obli- gations which, for the space of three years, he had taught them day and night with tears. - j. ... Now, if the Apostle in passing hastily over so wide a range of hallowed recollection, had omitted /even an incidental reference to the duty of alms giving, would the omission have struck you as producing a chasm in his instructions? Would it have awakened any surprise — op been regarded as a defect ? We conceive not. Of the far different light, however, in which his own expanded and benevolent mind would have viewed the absence of an iX'C^ tttE BLESSEDNESS OP GIVtJTC. 191 , I' : SIG. ^*' lore blessed ailed the le whose h it, was npliance. Paul was y pente- unity so glory of glory." minding nt obli- d taiight so wide jven an ould the in his rise — or the far led and of an explicit recognition of that duty, in a paternal charge to those whom " the Holy Ghost had made overseers over the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood" we may judge from the fact — that not merely does he commend the poor to their ger.srous and effective commise- i*ation, but this, that it might be indelibly engraven on their memories and hearts, this is his parting command, — " Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all." St. Paul, you perceive, attributes the noble sentiment in the text to our blessed Lord : and such an aphorism is indeed worthy of such an author ! Concerning the cele- brated precept which was inscribed in golden characters on the Delphic temple, * Know Thyself,' Cicero observes, that it is fraught with such profound wisdom that it must have proceeded from a celestial intelligence. And with whose character could the utterance of the maxim, " It is more blessed to give than to receive," so admirably accord, as with that of Him whoj " though he was rich" in all the constituents of infinite beautitude — in the possession of the boundless magnificence and wealth of the whole creation — in all the refulgent glories of t)ivinity, " yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich 1" This declaration of the benignant Bedeemer is not recorded by the Evangelists ; but the testimony of St. Paul is proof abundant of its authenticity. It is most likely one, among many, of those " gracious words which proceeded out of the lips of the Saviour," that were cherished and often repeated among his followers, during the Apostolic age ; but it is the only one that has been transmitted to us under the sanction of inspiration, additional to those contained in the memoirs written by the Evangelists. Now, independently of the intrinsic excellence of the apothegm itself, ought not 192 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. this very circumstance to render it peculiarly estimable and impressive 1 Sliould not the consideration that it was pronounced by the lips of Him who " spake as never man spake" give to it an influence sufficient to annihilate every feeling of selfishness within us, and constrain us to deal our bread to the hungry, when we see the naked to cover him, and as we have opportunity to do good unto all men ? I am aware that all Scripture is authoritative, because it is given by inspiration of God : but, while we thankfully receive it in. all its entireness, and unreservedly subject our reason and our hearts to its teachings, the illustrious and endearing relations in which the Lord Jesus is enclothed, cannot fail to invest his sayings with an indescribable charm. Of this Paul evidently appears to have had a deep persuasion ; else, why did he throw around the bene- volent enunciation, " It is more blessed to give than to receive" the attractions and glories of that " name which is above every name ?" For aught we can tell, the individual sentence which he has thus rescued from oblivion, may have been eminently influential in the development of his own character, the sacred elevation of which has elicited the admiration of all succeeding ages. If, amidst the wondrous combination of qualities, which shed their blended radiance over that character, any one appeared to preponderate, it was his generous contempt of whatever in human life is generally most valued, and even of life itself, in the fulness of his benignant solicitude to do good to others. Impelled by thiF holy ardor he intrepidly braved the measureless tempest of persecution. " Behold," said he, *• I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there : save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afllictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course with joy, and the THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 1^ lable and L it was ever man ate every s to deal I to cover all men? because it ihankfuUy ubject our trions and enclothed, lescribable ive had a I the bene- ve than to e which is which he eminently [•acter, the ition of all )ination of over that lit was his h generally less of his lied by this jtempest of the spirit befall me jvery city, lut none of ]dear unto f, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." In his self-deny- ing endeavours also, to alleviate in every possible instancte the pressure of temporal distress, was there presented a fine exemplification of the same spirit. Here too, he not only pointed but led the way. To those who had been long and intimately acquainted with his " manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity," — the Elders of Ephesus, — he could say, " Ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak ; and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said. It is more blessed to give than to receive." The leading circumstances by which this memorable saying is advantageously introduced to our attention having been adverted to, let us now direct our thoughts to the illustration of the saying itself, and surrender our hearts to a full and operative impression of its truth and importance. Were we to listen to the expression of public sentiment respecting certain moralities of the Gospel, as a proper criterion of the state of the heart, we should be ready to conclude, that the darkened aspect of man's moral nature is not unalleviated by some redeeming qualities — that among the ruins of his apostacy there are still to be traced lingering vestiges of his primal rectitude — and that the scripture representations of the totality of hia corruption are either untrue, or to be received with considerable limitations. Charity, for example, it would seem, is a very popular vir- tue. All classes of persons are eloquent in its praise. On examination, however, it will be perceived, that the species of benevolence which assumes that appellation is often quite a distinct thing from the charity of the New Testament, whose amiable characteristics are portrayed with such copiousness and felicity of expression in the 194 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. thirteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians* Since then it is Christian beneficence, — a beneficence emanating from the love of God and of our neighbour, to which the Scriptures annex a peculiar blessedness, — fidelity to truth and to you demands, my brethren, that I should warn you against being misled by defective views of a duty so important, and thereby depriving yourselves of its appro- priate and distinguished reward. In the course of Divine Providence, which, in the present life, is not only discipli- nary, but, to a certain extent, also retributive, those who are active in doing good, though they may not be influenced by the sublime motives of Christianity, may indeed receive a temporal remuneration ; but of any higher recompense they are morally incapable, since without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Think not, then, because you iiappen to be endowed with a peculiar susceptibility of heart, which is ever responsive to the tones of lamentation, that you are therefore in the way to the kingdom of God. Think not, because you abound in alms-deeds, that your liberality, however diffusive, will place you in the last day among those who, " glowing in the robes of love and holiness,'' shall be beckoned to the everlasting mansions by the Judge of all the earth. The glorious Personage who shall then sit upon the throne and sustain that office, has declared, " Ye must be born again." And the charity, of which the gifts and the ministerings will then be recognised and munificently rewarded, is a fruit of the regenerating Spirit. It is the love which "is the fulfilling of the law." All the kindred virtues essential to constitute universal holiness stand inseparably associated with it ; for "the fruit of the Spirit is in all good- ness, and righteousness, and truth." Without this interior principle — " the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us," — the most ostensible doings of benevolence will elicit no testimony of approbation from " God, the righteous Judge, in that day." THR BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 195 nthlans* eficence bour, to —fidelity I should ►f a duty Is appro- )f Divine discipli- who are enccd by receive a 3nse they lan shall pen to be which is t you are hink not, fiberality, among oliness,'' le Judge I then sit ed, «Ye the gifts ificently the love d virtues leparably all good- interior earts by jle doings on from Equally valueless, on the other hand, are the most impos- ing pretensions to this sacred principle, unaccompanied with substantial proof of its salutary operation. Christian benevolence is practical. Flowing from that faith which " overcometh the world," and causes a filial regard to our heavenly Father, and a fraternal affection to our whole species, to predominate over the natural selfishness of the heart, it is not to be satisfied with the common-places of sympathy ; it will not be heard saying to the naked and hungry, " Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, not- withstanding it giveth them not the things that are needful for the body." It will expand in all the tangible forms of effective philanthropy adapted to the cases within its reach. " You are not to conceive yourself," says a celebrated divine and philosopher,* " a real lover of your species, and entitled to the praise or the reward of benevolence, because you weep over a fictitious representation of human misery. A man may weep in the indolence of a studious and contem- plative retirement ; he may breathe all the tender aspirations of humanity ; but what avails all this warm and diffusive benevolence if it is never exerted — if it never rise to execu- tion — if it never carry him to the accomplishment of a single benevolent purpose — if it shrink from activity and sicken at the pain of fatigue 1 It is easy, indeed, to come forward with the cant and hypocrisy of fine sentiment — to have a heart trained to the emotions of benevolence, while the hand refuses the labour of discharging its offices—- to weep for amusement, and to have nothing to spare for human suffering, but the tribute of an indolent and unmean- ing sympathy." Such unproductive sympathy possesses nothing in common with the love that dilates and adorns the heart of a genuine christian. There is no congeniality whatever between them. The former is a sickly and ima- * Dr. Cbalmere. 196 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. ginative feeling — the latter, a vigorous and divine princi- ple ; the one is dissipated in dreamy emotions — the other stimulates to active beneficence. He, then, is the real benefactor of his species who, all-animate with the love of God and man, is prompt to " do good, ready to distribute, willing to communicate j laying up in store for himself a good foundation against the time to come, that he may lay hold on eternal life." And to him it is matter of joyous experience, as well as of elevated hope, that " it is more blessed to give than to receive." . All the sources of his exalted blessedness cannot now be laid open ; but a reference to a few of them will suffi- ciently elucidate the text, and present the most persuasive excitements to beneficent exertion. First, — There results from the cultivation and exer- cise of true benevolence the purest mental delight. Sordid is the gratification of the miser when holding communion with his gold ; grovelling all the pleasures of the voluptuary even in the height of his mirthful and wanton revelry ; empty and evanescent the most splendid triumphs of the minion of fame, compared with the tranquil and joy- ous satisfaction of him who hath dispersed abroad, who hath given to the poor. This, I am aware, will be regarded as unmeaning declamation by those whose hearts are obdurat- ed by crime, and contracted by selfishness, — whose estimate of the obligations they owe to their fellow-men are superin- duced upon the calculations of a grasping covetousness, — characters as insusceptible of the pleasures that flow from the benevolent affections as they are unused to their indul- gence. The truth, however, of what we have asserted rats upon the firm basis of experiment. Not more lovely are the exemplifications of an expansive benignity to the beholder — not more celestial the aspects under which it is presented to our view, when stretching forth the hand to THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 197 the other the real e love of iistribute, nmeelf a may lay )f joyous it is more ►t now be vill suffi- ersuasive md exer- \ holding res of the wanton triumphs and joy- ho hath arded as obdurat- estimate superin- [isness, — low from }ir indul- asserted lovely |ty to the lich it is I hand to succour the distressed and relieve the necessitous, than the influence it diffuses through the bosom in which it glows, is felicitous ; — its very griefs are pleasurable, and there is a deliciousness even in its tears. But, to form a vivid conception of the happiness to be derived from ministering to the alleviation of human misery, you must make that happiness your own ; you must " put on, as the elect of God, bowels of mercies," — your feet must carry you to the abodes of the children of penury and affliction — you must remove the veil from the modest merit that pines in obscurity and wretchedness — you must hush the plaints of the orphan, cheer the bereavement of the widow, and fill the hungry with food and gladness. One consideration, abundantly demonstrative of the high superiority of the pleasures of active benevolence over all that can be realized within the enchanted circle of forbidden enjoyment, is that they are in unison with the decisions of conscience, and therefore inexpressibly augmented by its approving testimony. Human laws cannot enforce the offices of sympathy, any more than they can take cognizance of our interior emotions ; but that defect does not attach to the code of revelation, wherein there is no relative duty more strongly or more frequently inculcated, than the love and practice of mercy : and to increase the urgency of this obligation, the law written, and the tribunal erected in the heart of every man, by the Supreme Legislator, lend their powerful influence. Can we then neglect a duty so imperative, and be guiltless 1 — Can we " shut up our bowels of compassion" from a necessitous brother, without precluding, as effectually, from our own hearts, a constituent and vital principle of mental happiness — the gladdening testimony of a good conscience 1 " The good man," we are told, " is satisfied from himself;" and the solace he derives from those substantial acts of kindness in which his sympathy unfolds itself, is as perma-^ 82 198 THE BLESSEDNESS OF 6IVIIIG. nent as it is pure. Strip the earthling of his treasnre — let sickness, or some other cause, compel the votary of pleasure to retire from the scenes of dissipation — let the individual who exults in the splendid successes of his ambition, be hurled from his giddy eminence ; — abandoned of the objects in which they respectively placed their happiness, they are reduced to a condition of unalleviated and hopeless anguish. You do not trace the same dependence on external circumstances, in the conscious satisfaction that results from meliorating the condition of suffering humanity. " Unto the upright there ariselh light in darkness ; he is gracious and full of compassion." The history of the renowned Patriarch of Uz supplies an illustration of this as beautiful as it is familiar. When a series of unexampled calamities wrung from his heart the bitter cry, " O that it were with me as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me ; when his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness," to what part of his past history — to what achievements of his life did he revert with the most consoling interest ? You shall hear the reply from his own lips: — "When the ear heard me then it blessed me ; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness of me : because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him ; the blessing of him that w^as ready to perish came upon me ; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on right- eousness, and it clothed me : my judgment was a robe anfd a diadem. 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 searched out." THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 199 •easare — - irotary of ■—let the es of his bandoned ced their (alleviated external 5sults from . « Unto is gracious renowned s beautiful calamities were with ) preserved d when by lart of his he revert the reply e then it e witness and the le blessing ,e ; and I on right- robe arid Is I to the which I ' Secondly, — By disinterested efforts to do good to others the Christian manifests and increases that grace of the Spirit which constitutes the most elevated and ornamental attribute of his character. That grace is love ; — and though the blessed God is the supreme claimant of our affection, yet so far is the recog- nition of his claim from involving any interference with the love we owe to our f Mlovv beings, that just in proportion to the fervour of our aflection towards Him, will be the tender- ness of our regard to the whole human species. The grati- tude and the delight which send their aspirations up to our heavenly Father, and the benignity that excites us to prayer, to liberality, or to personal attentions, for the benefit of man, are emanations from one source. So sacred, so indissoluble is the connexion between them, that the Deity rebukes as the most impious mockery of his omniscience the professions of love to Him, by which it is attempted to veil the deform- ity of a heart in which commisseration is denied a place. " Whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" The superiority of this principle to gifts, however splendid, and to all other graces, however holy and indispensable, is established by the highest authority. Are you dazzled with the brilliancy of those miraculous powers by which, in the earliest periods of the Christian church, God gave such plain and unequivocal confirmation to " the word of his grace 1" The surpassing lustre of love casts them all into the shade, while it approves itself to as many as have " their senses exercised to discern spiritual things," as the " more excel- lent way." You may have formed an exalted opinion, and you cannot well entertain an estimate too high, of the value and importance of faith and hope ; yet on several accounts they are inferior to love. Speak we of obedience 1 " Love is the fulfilling o( the law." Of the necessity of a universal 200 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. regard to the precepts of the gospel ? *< Jlbove all things^ have fervent charity." Of christian perfection 1 " Charity is the bond of perfectness." The evangelical system is imbued throughout with this characteristic perfection of Deity and most ennobling attribute of redeemed and regen- erotod man. It originated its plan — it breathes in its spirit — it is enjoined by its precepts — it shines in its examples — it is involved in its promises. " Charity never faileth." Immortal as its source, it will burn, and brighten, and expand, forever. This it is that will adorn the celestial world with " the beauty of holiness," and fill it with unmingled and measureless joy. Viewed as an appropriate and improving exercise of so illustrious a virtue, is it not then " more blessed to give than to receive?" If, by a law of our moral nature, " love, while properly exercised, is ever increasing and re-producing itself," the blessedness of the recipient will sustain no comparison with that of the benefaclcrr, provided he is actuated by this hallowed motive. By a sort of moral reaction on his own character, he is, in virtue of the good he performs toothers, progressively advancing in a meet- ness for the high rewards of immortality. Thirdly, — A cheerful discharge of the duties to which Christian sympathy impels, is eminently conducive to the Divine glory* The obligation to glorify God is imperative and universal. It pervades all the gradations of intellectual existence, from the bending seraph before the everlasting throne down to the humblest mortal. Without a practical regard to that obligation in the government of our hearts and lives, we lose sight of the noblest end of our being ; and those powers and susceptibilities which have been conferred upon us, in order to our endless progression in the career of mental and {spiritual improvement, become the instruments of our THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 201 ill ihingSi « Charity system is ection of ind rege ri- ll its spirit camples — r faileth." jhten, and e celestial 11 it with Tcise of so jed to give ral nature, using and ripient will r, provided t of moral f the good n a meet- is to which ive to the I universal, pee, from down to Ird to that [lives, we 36 powers )n us, in lental and of our deepest degradation. We daily offer up the petition — " Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Behold then the innumerable company of angels encircling the throne, and mark the theme of their reverential and pauseless song. " They rest not day and night, crying one unto another, and saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts : the whole earth is full of his glory." To them, duty is delight. And yet, if it be reasonable to estimate the claims of the Supreme Being to the grateful homage and obedience of his accountable creatures, by the comparative magnitude of the benefits he has conferred upon them, is there, I would ask — with mingled emotions of humiliation and joy — is there, among all the radiant circles of angelic intelligences, one upon whom those claims devolve with such accumulated weight as they do upon redeemeil man 1 For us he who is " the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person," assumed a servant's form, and laid down his life amidst the ignominy and tortures of the Cross : In us, " if so be we have tasted that the Lord is gracious," the Holy Spirit dwells as our sanctifier and comforter. Can we, then, thus deeply indebted to the unsearchable riches of grace, resist the heart-stirring appeal of the apostle, " What ! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." Penetrated with these considerations, are you solicitous to ascertain every possible way in which you can exhibit evidence of their over- whelming effect upon your hearts ? Those ways are so numerous, and modified by so great a diversity of talent, and of circumstances, that they cannot be exhibited here, even in an unexpanded form. I will however mention one of them, dissociated from which, when it is practicable, the evidence arising from the most scrupulous attention to 202 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. the rest remains inconclusive : — It is what God himself has been pleased to call " honourinfr him with our substance," by appropriating a reasonable portion of the property we have received from his bountiful providence to benevolent purposes. How memorable and exciting the testimony of the divine approbation, conveyed by an angel to the devout centurion of Cwsarea, — " Cornelius," said he, " thy prayers and thine alms are come up as a memorial before Clod." Think you, would that celestial visitant have been com- missioned to enter his house, and announce to him such a message, had the expression of his piety to God been unconnected with the correspondent exercise of mercy to man ? Be not deceived with vain expectations. Ourselves and our services, while we have neither a heart to pity nor a hand to relieve the oppressed, are alike abhorrent to that God who hath declared, " I will have mercy and not sacri- fice." " Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard." Pleasing to God such barren and inconsistent devotions cannot be ; and they are just as little approved of men. There is, on the contrary, no evolution of which the grace that reigns in the heart of a christian is capable, that tends more directly to emit his light, and stimulate others to glorify his Father who is in heaven, than the manifestation of a disinterested regard to the happiness of his fellow men, diffusing itself effectively over a sphere of exertion defined only by the limits that circumscribe his power of usefulness. Are we precluded by our circumstances from doing good on a scale as extended as we desire % How consoling to reflect, that " if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not ;" — and that the " widow's mite" receives, in the calculations of the Omniscient, a credit as ample as the munificent donations of the opulent ; and even more so, if they are not equally pure in i\\Q\v principU* ^ ^ . THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 203 mself has balance," )pcrty we enevolent timony of he devout »y prayers are €od." )een com- im such a God been ' mercy to Ourselves o pity nor ;nt to that [ not sacri- le poor, he Pleasing to ot be ; and is, on the gns in the directly to ather who Bted regard effectively imits that oing good )nsoling to accepted to that he es, in the pie as the ore 80, if The privilege of glorifying God in this manner is not a monopoly of the rich. He whose prerogative it is to look upon the heart, judges, not from the amount of our benefac- tions, but by the spirit in which they are bestowed. And if they proceed from siirh a regar-l to his authority as, in the absence of all impulsive infliiMice from without, prompts us to obey his benevolent injunctions — if they are the emana- tions of grace in the heart — if, when selecting for their objects those who are " of the household of faith," they are the spontaneous elTusions of love to God, as well as to those who are spiritually related to him, our oOerings, however small, will be "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God." Fourthly, — By abounding in the ^^ labour of Jove^^ we shall augment the happiness of our future destiny. It is a first principle of the oracles of God, that " by the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified." Before the divine tribunal the whole world stands arraigned and condemned, since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God ;" and the tremendous malediction of the law is commensurate with the extent of its violation. We cannot, therefore, approach God but through the reconciling Mediator; — we cannot obtain the forgiveness of our sins but through faith in the propitiation offered on Calvary; — we cannot live to God, or stand in his favour, but by believing in his Son. Thus, it is the tendency of the gospel scheme of salvation to hide pride from man ; and to teach us, that " he that glorieth should glory in the Lord." And far be it from me to compromise principles of such vital importance, or to advance any position not in perfect harmony with them. Nor do I, when in general I assert the rewardableness of those works that flow firom faith in Christ ; nor have I, when, in particular, I affirmed that by abounding in deeds of beneficence, we shall increase the 204 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. happiness of our immortal destiny. If tlie maintenance of tliis position be incompatible with the doctrines of justifica- tion by faith and salvation by grace, the charge of inconsis- tency lies against the gospel itself. I appeal to St. Pawl : — " God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." I appeal to a greater than Paul : — " He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward ; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoso- ever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." I appeal to the decisions of the eternal judgment : — " Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- dation of the world : for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink ; I was a strang- er, and ye took me in ; naked, and ye clothed me ; I was sick, and ye visited me j I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Not merely, it seems, shall Charity receive the dis- criminating notice and plaudit of the Omniscient Judge, on the coming day of retribution, but it will be selected as that evidence of spiritual renovation upon which he will osten- sibly found the irrevocable sentence. Oh ! how shall those who have lived only for themselves^ meet the lightning of his eye ! how sustain a scrutiny which will concentrate its heart-search ings on their broadest, foulest defect ! Amidst what overwhelraings of despair will they see the imperial throne descending — anticipate their sentence — and com- mence their hell ! My brethren ! My brethren ! carry your views forward to that day. Behold in contrast with the horror of the ungodly, and the wild commotion of the melting elements, the serenity that distinguishes the man THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. 205 tenance of f justifica- if inconsis- t. Paul : — I labour of in that ye I appeal prophet in sward ; and a righteous Lnd whoso- es a cup of I say unto Dpeal to the II the King ssed of my m the foun- ye gave me a Strang- me ; I was came unto ive the dis- Judgej on ted as that will osten- shall those ightning of entrate its ! Amidst e imperial and com- IEnI carry itrast with ion of the the ma»i whose spirit and whose life were fraught with benignity ! Now, when the crowns and coronets of earth are dust, an unfading diadem sparkles upon his brow ! The everlasting doors are lifted up that- he may enter in, to mingle with kindred spirits, and dwell forever in the neighbourhood of the throne of God and the Lamb ! Is this the result of a life devoted in honour of God — to the diffusion of happiness among men t Then let it be confessed that there is a scheme of usury which yields a larger interest than that of the worldling ; let it be acknowledged that " it is more blessed to give than to receive." To the considerations illustrative of this sentiment which have been adduced, it were easy to add several more ; but your time will only permit me to advert to one, — so obvious, indeed, that you must have anticipated it, and so important that to omit it would be inexcusable. Fifthly, — By liberality and delight in giving we are assimilated to our beneficent Creator and Redeemer. " God is love. This is his name forever ; and this is his memorial unto all generations." Creation, providence, and redemption, are replete with his bounty ; they aro but varied displays of his unsparing and exhaustless munificence. Whatever obscurity, in the absence of a written revelation, invested his other perfections, the evidences of his benevo- lence have stood fortli in all places and through all ages — prominent and unequivocal ; "he left not himself without witness in that he did good, and gave rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling the heart with food and gladness." To adopt the elevated language of the apostle James — " Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variable- ness or shadow of turning." What a sublime privilege to be clothed with a resemblance, however faint and imper- fect, of the blessed God ! to reflect, however dimly, that T 206 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. auspicious attribute of his character which shines through all his works, and through all his word ! How strikingly was that attribute exemplified in the life of our Redeemer — " God manifested in the flesh !" In performing works for the purpose of attesting his celestial mission and illustrating the eminence of his character, he might have selected inanimate nature as the theatre of his power; or he might have developed that resistless energy in the destruction of his persecutors ; — He might have reined up the sun in his brilliant career by a word, or have caused the earth to open and devour those who despised and rejected him. But was this the manner in which he proceeded'? No. The works by which he demonstrated that he came from God, were miracles of mercy as well as of power. Of him it may be said without a figure, that he was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame, and life to the dead. Bene- ficence was his unceasing occupation ; — the faithful por- trait of his character this — " He went about doing good." And having in life afforded to so many, ample evidence that he was full of grace as well as of truth, — in death " he GAVE HIMSELF a ransom for all." Call we him Lord? Do we assume his name, and look for his mercy unto eter- nal life? "Let then this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus. He hath left us an example that we should follow his steps." Never, never then let us forget "the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." In this blessedness you are now invited to share ; and remember " he who soweth bountifully shall reap also boun- tifully." In the contemplation of the numerous blessings you possess, does the glow of gratitude to a beneficent Prov- idence warm your breast 1 An opportunity of affording a less equivocal proof of its genuineness than mere profes- ^ODS, is now presented. Without gratitude to his faithful es through ied in the iesh !" In lis celestial aracter, he jatre of his IS energy in lave reined ave caused nd rejected proceeded 1 at he came of power, ivas eyes to ad. Bene- aithful por- oing good." idence that death " he lim Lord? ' unto eter- tvas also in we should )rget "the )re blessed Ihare ; and lalsoboun- blessings :ent Prov- iffording a jre profes- lis faithful THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. tOl Creator, what ia man ? An incarnate fiend ? He is even worse ; — for he is a redeemed apostate. Miscreant avaunt \ Pollute not with thy presence the sanctuary of God ! But beloved, I will hope better things of you ; — I will assume, that in this assemblage there is not one whose heart does not dilate with the emotions of gratitude. Now as your righteousness extendeth not to Him who is the object of this affectionate sense of obligation — as you cannot possibly aug- ment his felicity — what better method can you adopt of giv- ing practical expression to your gratitude, than by showing pity to the poor, his chosen — his authorised representatives, whom ye have with you always, but more especially at this inclement season 1 Are you blest with health ; and if not arrayed in purple and fine linen — if you do not fare sumptuously every day, (no very enviable distinctions for a being of immortal destination) yet have you food and raiment convenient? Behold yon emaciated human form. In the world that gave him birth he seems unknown ; — sorrow has broken his spirit — dejection claims him for her victim, and sits enthroned upon his brow. His tattered attire exposes his body to the piercing blast; — for him no table is furnished with the com- forts — scantily with the necessaries of life. Have you a decent habitation, if not a splendid mansion ? See that helpless vagrant, without a house to shelter him or a pillow on which to repose \m head. Once he had a " home, sweet home !" and it is still consecrated in his mind by many a sympathy of kindred, and by many a fond recol- lection of the sunny days of childhood ; but he is now an outcast on the world's wide scene. " Lover and friend are put far from him, and his acquaintance into darkness." Are you placed at the head of a domestic circle which seems the chosen retreat of calm and rational enjoyment — where heart meets heart in mutual harmony, "wrapping the live-long day into one swell of tender emotion." In 208 THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. yonder squalid abode languishes, on the bed of death, an only son, the blighted hope of his parents. could they but solace his last hours with such alleviations as his case admits and imploringly solicits, they would bow with a more willing submission to the impending stroke, which is about to take away the desire of their eyes. My brethren! these are no fictions of the imagination. Scenes of real distress equal to any I have depicted, exist around you. And can you hesitate to givel Before j'ou part with '^the mammon of unrighteousness," do you wish to propose the question of Peter — " What shall we have therefore ?" What would you have 1 What is the object of your de- sire? Is it mercy 1 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall o!)tain mercy." Is it the complacency of an approving Deity 1 " The Lord loveth a cheerful giver. To do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Is it a divine blessing on all your lawful undertakings'! ^'^Thou shalt surely give thy poor brother, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him ; because that for this thing, the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto." Is it that the everlasting arms may en- circle and sustain you, when life is ebbing from your heart 1 "Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will strengthen him on the bed of languishing ; thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness." I now commend the poor to you ; — ^and you to that God, whose are the silver and the gold, and who hath the hearts of all in his hand. i-r ' death, an could they as his case ovv with a e, which is SERMON X. nagination. icted, exist Before you you wish 1 we have 3f your de- al, for they I approving Fo do good I sacrifices on all your ; thy poor thou givest D thy God lou puttest s may en- our heart 1 ORD will strengthen all his bed that God, the hearts CHRIST GLORIFIED IN HIS PEOPLE AT HIS SECOND COMING. 2 TlIBSSALONIANd i. 10. " When he shall come to be gloriSed in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe." From the inspired history of the Acts (chap, xvii.) we learn under what auspices Paul introduced the Gospel into Thessalonica. Transient as was his stay in that cele- brated city, the lost pleasing and signal success attended his labours : " ot devout Greeks," — persons who having abandoned idolatry attended the worship of the synagogue, called by the Jews proselytes of the gate — " a great multi- tude, and of the chief women not a few," opened their hearts to the radiance of truth, and associated themselves with its heralds as disciples of the Crucified. But, unhappily, those manifestations of the power and grace of God which kindle benignant rapture in angelic bosoms, only serve to exasperate the malignity of "the spirit that worketh in the hearts of the children of disobe- dience," Moved with envy at the results of the Apostle's preaching, the unbelieving Jews stirred up a tumultuous and violent persecution by which he was driven to Berea, and thence to Athens. This did not satisfy them ; they subsequently directed their opposition against the disciples who were resident at Thessalonica ; nor did a long series of years suffice to exhaust their unrelenting hostility, t 2 210 CHRIST GLORIFIED Had the Thessalonian converts, many of whom had just emerged from the gloom of paganism, under the impulse of temptations generated by such circumstances, fallen from their steadfastness, the catastrophe would have been less a matter of surprise than of sorrow. Such however was not the case. Their patience and faith nobly sustained the trial, and glowed with a purer lustre in the furnace. It was the main design of the Apostle in addressing to them this Epistle, as well as the previous one to which it forms a natural and appropriate supplement, to encourage them to persevere in a course alike safe and honourable to themselves, and ornamental to the doctrine of God their Saviour. And what considerations can be conceived more admirably adapted for this purpose than those urged in the chapter from which the text is selected 1 Were they in danger, from the Divine permission of the persecutions by which they were assailed, of deducing conclusions unfavor- able to their faith in the love and providential government of God ? Those calamities sanction no such unbelieving suggestions : on the contrary, they are, says the Apostle, " an evident token (svi^sj^jxa, a demonstration) of the right- eous judgment of God, that ye might be counted worthy of the kingdom for which ye also suffer." Is the glory of the Redeemer now obscured 1 Yet a little while, and the scene shall be changed ; he " shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire." Do his enemies now triumph, totally inapprehensive of any future retribution 1 Their triumph is but the prelude to their ruin ; — " who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Are his followers now regarded with contempt, and subjected to persecution ? Fs^ ditierent will be their condition and the sentiments entertained of them in THAT DAT, as the Apostle designates by way of eminence the period of judgment ; — that day to which all AT niS SECOND COMING. 211 m had just impulse of fallen from been less a vever was istained the ice. ^dressing to to which it ) encourage nourable to God their seived more urged in the ere they in ecutions by ^ns unfav^or- government unbelieving le Apostle, f the right- ed worthy ' Is the ittle while, e revealed fire." Do ve of any e prelude everlasting from the with ierent will d of them way of which all larded that love the appearing of their Lord look forward as the time of their complete and final redemption, — that day which, amid the wreck of the vanishing heavens and dis- solving elements, will exhibit the immoveable permanency of the foundation on which they rest their confidence, — that day which shall completely roll away their reproach, disclose the true dignity of their character, and amply recompense their sutTerings, — that day, in a word, " when the Lord Jesus shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe,^^ The two phrases here employed by the Apostle [sv6o^a(i9r\vai sv toij a^ioic: aurou) to be glorified in his saints and (SaufxatfSyjvaj sv 'sra'fi roij 'ffKrrsw\j(fiv) to be admired in all them that believe, may be regarded as parallel, and thus designed mutually to illustrate each other: or the former may refer to the surpassing glory with which the saints shall then be invested, and the latter to the emotions with which that glory will be contemplated, the admiration terminating upon "the Author and Finisher of their faith," which it will inspire and elicit. In either view the general sentiment is the same. Placed beyond the sphere of sense, and of merely intellectual perception, the life of true chris- tians " is now HID with Christ in God ; but when he who is their life shall appear then shall they also appear with him in glory." Overwhelming will be the grandeur of our Lord's personal appearance on the descending throne, and " every eye shall see him ;" but his people also, adorned with his image, and beaming with the reflected rays of his glory, will attract admiring notice. Celestial thrones, dominions, powers, seraphim and cherubim, will be summoned to the scene ; the whole intelligent creation shall witness it ; and every eye on the crowded theatre will recognize and adore the Saviour in those whom he has redeemed by his blood, and purified by his Spirit. What- ever diversity of sentiment may now prevail concerning 212 CHRIST GLORIFIED Christ and his genuine dieciples, but one opinion will then be entertained of them ; to Him " every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lopd" to the glory of God the Father ; and all mean and inadequate thoughts of redemption will be eternally superseded by a deep and all- pervading conviction, that, great as it was " 10 speak a wor I from noughr, 'Twas greater to redeem." The text, my brethren, opens a most consoling and monitory view of the second advent of our Lord. While we endeavour, under a variety of particulars, more fully to unfold it, may all in this assembly be incited to aspire to a participation in the bliss and honours of that high occasion. I observe — I. Christ will be glorified in his saints and admired in all them that believe, by their acquitlal before the universal tribunal from every charge of guilt, and by the public recognition of the validity of their title to the celestial inheritance. The privation of the Divine favour was the immediate and ominous effect of man's apostacy. That being lost, all was lost; nothing but darkness and desolation, — "a fearful looking for of judgment and of fiery indignation," could ensue. In this appalling position we are placed by the violation of the first covenant. All are by nature children of wrath. Our only legitimate inheritance, as descendants of the first sinning pair, is one of woe ; woe unmixed and eternal, — the righteous consequence of sin. To deliver us from the fearful penalty of guilt the Son of God became our surety, assumed our obligations to Divine justice, and through the eternal Spirit offered himself unto the Father a sacrifice upon the cross. " Him hath God set forth to be a propitiation to declare" — signafly to vindi- AT HIS SECOND COMING. 213 n will then shall bow, he glory of thoughts of ep and all- soling and D. While ore fullv to aspire to a 1 occasion. idmired in '■ universal the public celestial m mediate ig lost, all ^ a fearful ," could laced by ►y nature tance, as a n ^'oe ; woe e of sin. 5 Son of Divine self unto ath God to vindi- cate and display — " his righteousness, for the remission of Hins that are past, that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Through faith in the blood of his infinite propitiation our sins are pardoned, ir hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience, and being justified by faith we have peace with God. But whence docs this peace emanate? From the immeiliate witness of his Agent in the believing soul; from "the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." It is the appropriate and peculiar oflice of the Spirit to impart to us this conscious testimony of the favour of God ; and this is an eminent instance in which our Lord's prediction concerning the efTect of his opera- tions is verified, "He shall glorify me." It is only to faith in the blood of the Lamb that the Spirit affixes his living seal ; and it is thus that he puts honour upon his accepted atonement. But the manifestation of the glory of Christ insepara- ble from the spirit of adoption, is, in a great measure, confined to the recipient of this blessing. The scene of this manifestation of the value and virtue of the blood of the Cross is invisible. It is the secret of the Lord which is with them that fear him. But it will not always remain a secret. The day shall declare it. It will receive universal publicity when Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. Then will he confess his disciples before his Father and before the holy angels. Then will He annihilate every charge preferred against them by the accuser of the brethren with a single word — " Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire ?" Endeavour, my brethren, by a vigorous effort of the imagination to hold before your mind's eye, for a few moments the vision of the exile of Patmos, — " I beheld, and lo ! a great multitude which no man could number, of 214 CHRIST GLORIFIED all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands ; and they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." Among this vast assemblage there is not one who was not redeemed from among men, — not one upon whom the wrath of God did not once abide, — not one whom the Saviour of the lost did not find upon the verge of hell, — not one who, but for his atoning interposition, would not now be cast into the fathomless abyss that yawns beneath your feet, as the prey of its undying worm and quenchless flame. " But it is God that justifieth. Whois he thatcondemneth 1 It is Christ that died." This is their only plea ; nor do they need any other. Through it their guilt i» cancelled, and their title to immortal bliss authenticated and establish- ed. And who can view with any other than emotions of supreme admiration Him to whom they are indebted for so great salvation 1 In the stupendous efficacy of the sacrifice by which so many myriads have been delivered from the coming wrath, shall there wot be recognized the infinite dignity of the victim? shall there not be seen and acknowledged of all, the grand practical refutation of the blaspheming theories of those who, with equal gratitude and truth, " deny the Lord that bought them ?" What a contrast is here to the overwhelming sorrows of the Garden ! to the ignominy of the Cross ! to the dis- honours of the tomb ! " We see Jesus who, that he might taste death for every man, was made a little lower than the angels, now on account of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour." Behold here, — ye cher- ubim of glory that overshadow the mercy seat — behold here, the sublime mystery which has so long occupied your reverent investigations, fully developed ! the glorious object attained foe which the Immortal died ! *' Lo this is our God! we have waited for him ; and he will save us." AT HIS SECOND COMING. 215 ;iiC8, stood rvith white ed with a ich sitteth g this vast ;med from f God did he lost did but for his t into the IS the prey idemneth 1 ia ; nor do cancelled, i establish- ;motions of debted for cy of th© delivered Tnized the it be seen refutation ith equal THEM 1" lorrovvs of the dis- , that he tile lower of death ve cher- t — behold pied your IS object his is our us." II. The glory of the Mediatorial character nd won of our Lord Jesus Christ, will be reflected vt/h peculiar lustre in the beauties of holiness in which his people shall be arrayed. It is a fundamental principle of the moral administration of the Supreme Being, that, " without holiness no man shall see the Lord." That high and holy mansion which is irradiated with the transcendent manifestations of His glory is not to be desecrated by the admission of any thing unclean. The beatific vision is reserved exclusively for the. pure in heart ; for those who, anticipating on earth the highest privilege of licaven, can say with the Apostle, — "We all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, arc transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." In this requisition there is nothing unreasonable — nothing arbitrary. To have dispensed with it, would have been just as incompatible with the wisdom and love, as with the righteousness, of God. Whoever dreams of such an exten- sion of the Divine prerogative, must be profoundly ignorant at once of his own native character, and of the nature of celestial blessedness. Of that blessedness, consisting as it does in the most intimate communion with Him who is *' glorious in holiness," we are morally insusceptible, until qualified for its enjoyment by the renewing energy of the Holy Spirit. We must be born again, renewed in the very spirit of our mind, and thus " bear the image of the hea- venly." And to *•' make us meet^^ as the word of God significantly expresses it, " for the inheritance of the saints in light," the spiritual transformation of our character must be radical and thorough. It is not enough that the elements of a new and divine nature be infused into the soul by re- generating grace : those elements naust work the extirpation of every opposite principle. The love of God, — the concentrated essence of holiness, must not only be the 216 CHRIST GLORIFIED dominant, but the all-absorbing affection of the soul. This is to be " sanctified wholly ;" — this is to be " filled with all the fulness of God ;" — this is to be meet for heaven. You thus perceive, brethren, that the removal of the obsta- cles which stand in the way of our final salvation includes much more than our redemption from the curse of the law. This is but a part of our spiritual deliverance. By revoking our doom as transgressors against heaven ; by dissipating the cloud, which, charged with the elements of vengeance, overhangs our guilty heads while we remain in unbelief, it effects a change the most momentous in our moral relations. It removes the lofty interception which sin had raised be- tween us and the favor of God. But a change equal in magnitude and importance to that which Christ thus achieved for us, he also accomplishes in us. "He gave himself for us," not merely that he might exempt us from future woe, but " that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." " Thou shalt call his name Jesus," said the angelic evangelists j " for he shall save his people /row their sms 55 And O ! how illustriously will his claims to that high and endearing appellation be vindicated in the day when he shall come, attended with the shining retinue of his saved people ! There will not be exhibited by one of his innu- merable train the slightest vestige of that depravity which formed the natural characteristic of them all ! Not one, but will be adorned with robes washed and made so white in the blood of the Lamb as not to be distinguished from the vestments of unfallen seraphim ! If the expiatory virtue of that blood will be so conspicu- ously manifested in the public justification of his people, how will its cleansing efficacy be illustrated and signalized by their unsullied purity ! To those who have their senses exercised to discern spiritual things, nothing affords a more AT HIS SECOND COMING. 217 lul. This )d with all en. the obsta- n includes )f the law. y revoking ipating the vengeance, unbelief, it I relations, raised he- re equal in [RiST thus " He gave pt us from 7 iniquity, )us of good said the rom their that high y when he his saved his innu- niy which Not one, so white shed from conspicu- [is people, signalized ^eir senses Is a more interesting and elevated display of the character and grace of God our Saviour, than the mysterious but mighty operation, by which souls naturally dead in sin, are quick- ened into spiritual existence. Little as may be the attention which such occurrences awaken among men, they fix the regards of beings the best qualified to estimate their importance ; nor can they be contemplated by any who have themselves received the grace of God, but with high-raised emotions of wonder and delight. It can hardly have escaped your attention, that when the Apostle declares, — " If any man bo in Christ, he is a new creature : old things are passed away," the language of admiration instantly breaks from his lips, " behold ! all things are become new." If the work of spiritual renovation is so admirable now, though the most mature Christians are compassed about with infirmities, which, however guiltless, have the effect to obscure the lustre of the grace with which they are endued, — how divine will the beauties of holiness appear, when unshaded by infirmity, and surrounded with the advantageous circum- stances of immortality ! We have the highest authority for believing, that the moral history of the planet upon which we dwell excites an interest diffusive as the intellectual creation. It has been intensely watched by other and higher orders of existence than man, as it has for ages rolled through space, covered with a constantly deepening accumulation of crime. With what pleasing astonishment then, will those celestial spirits survey the holy throng who shall press around the Saviour as the meed of his sufferings ! " Have not this innumerable multitude of spotless beings come from the earth !" will they not be ready to exclaim? " and was not the earth a revolted province of Jehovah's empire ? was it not immersed in sin 1 was it not polluted with fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortion- u 218 CHRIST GLORIFIED ere ?" " Yes" — is the reply ; and let it, to the glory o( the Captain of their salvation, be heard to the farthest verge of the universe — " yes ;" and " such were some of these ; but they are washed, but they are sanctified, but they are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." III. The supreme admiration which Christ will com- mand at his second appearing^ — the revenue of glory which he is destined then to receive will he inexpressibly aug- mented by the signal display of his power in the bodies as well as the souls of his people. Nothing can surpa.«?s the elevation of the hope inspired, or the magnificence of the prospect unfolded, on this sub- ject, by him " who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." If we have fled for refuge to the altar of his cross, — if our citizenship is in heaven, then are we divinely authorised to look for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, from thence, " who will change our vile body, that it may be made like unto his own glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." And this hope maketh not ashamed. The anchor of the believing soul, it enters within the veil, and fastens on the throne of propitiation. The resurrection of our Lord is both the proof and the pledge that it shall be realized. And to these external evidences the quickening Spirit within us adds his vital and confirming testimony : " 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 which dwelleth in you." Now the glor)'^ of this victory over the grave, in com- parison with which the most splendid triumphs of which earth has ever been the scene are trifling and evanescent, will eternally encircle the Son of God. By him. has the riory of the rthest verge le of these : lUt thev are ihe Spirit of t will corn- glory which ssibly auQ- i ihe bodies pe inspired, on this sub- brought life If we have citizenship is look for our " who will ke unto his ereby he is And this e believing the throne iRT) is both lized. And it within us e Spirit of m youj he licken your )U. ?? re, m corn- is of which jvanescent, lim. has the AT HIS SECOND COMING. 219 right been acquired to appropriate the spoils of death ; by his agency the unnumbered tenants of the sepulchre shall live again ; and to his own glorious body, as the divine model of corporeal excellence and beauty, the re-organized bodies of his people shall be assimilated. And, think you, my brethren, among the multitudes by whom he is now despised and rejected, will there be found one, v/hose iiomage, willing or reluctant, shall be withheld from him in that day, when, bending over the earth, the spacious ceme- tery of her buried sons, with a life-conveying voice, which in the twinkling of an eye, will peal to the farthest limits of death's dominions, he shall again pronounce, "I am THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE !" This august title he claims, not because as omnipotent, he possesses the poicer to extinguish death, but because he has procured, in virtue of his sacrifice, the right to do so, and is invested with authority to exercise that power. Though he is the exuberant source of universal being — the Creator of all ^vorlds, and " upholdeth all things by the word of his power" — he could never have worn this designation, had he not made his soul an offering for sin. It shines not upon the imperial robe of his absolute divinity, but is interwoven with his vesture dipped in blood. The tree of life strikes its roots into his tomb, and derives thence its imperishable vitality and unfading verdure. " Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same ; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil ; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life- time subject to bondage." If the resurrection is sometimes in the Bible ascribed to the Father, and also to the Holy Spirit, it is obviously because the " Three that bear record in heaven," subsist in essential unity. Nothing is more unequivocally indicated in the New Testament than the immediate presidency of 220 CHRIST GLORIFIED Christ over all those dispensations which are destined to impart a solemnity and an interest so inexpressible to the close of time. Hear his own majestic declarations : " T am he thatliveth and was dead ; and behold I am alive forever- more, Amen ; and have the keys of Hades and of death. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God : and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself: and hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man." The instantaneous ema- nation of this life from the Saviour at his second coming, over the vast territory of death, pervading its entire expanse with the thrill of renovated existence, will shed the richest illustration alike on his essential and mediatorial dignity. " The hour," he exclaimed, when contemplating this scene through the vista of intervening ages — " The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone ; but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit." On how magnificent a scale is the high anticipation realized I What a teeming harvest waves in the field which a proud philosophy pro- nounced irreclaimably sterile — an eternal desolation ! " But who are these arrayed in while ? and whence came they ?" Can these be the forms that mouldered in the tomb? Are these the bodies which were sown in corruption, consigned to the earth putrid masses, doomed to disorganization and decay, — now raised in incorruption, insusceptible of disease, inaccessible to death ! Are these the bodies that were sown in dishonour, hurried away as a revolting spectacle from the view of the living, — for which the grave alone was deemed an appropriate receptacle, — now raised in renovated organization and beauty, radiating a lustre brighter than the noon-day sun ! Are these the bodies that, wasted by sickness and prostrated by death, lestined to ible to the 3 : " T am e forever- of death. , and now n of God : HER hath ave life in judgment, 50US ema- id coming, re expanse the richest ail dignity, this scene ur is come ept a corn one ; but lagnificent a teeming sophy pro- on ! whence uldered in sown in I doomed wruption, Are these away as for which ptacle, — radiating Ithese the y death, AT HIS SECOND COMING. 221 were sown in weakness, — now endowed with vigour which Bsks neither relaxatior nor repose, which disease can never invade, lassitude depress, nor age impair! Are these the structures that were sown animal* bodies, subject once to the laws of animal economy in common with the inferior tribes of existence, — now assimilated so far as mat- ter is susceptible of such a modification of its elements, to ethereal being ! made like unto the angels 1 " Oh ! the transcendent glories of the just !" Hci*e — to use the words of one whose contemplation of the glory of ' the Great Teacher ' in the gospel mirror, has evidently not been without a potent, transforming, influence on his own mind — " Here man may indulge in wonder without loss of dignity ; not to be astonished here would be unnatural ! Christ himself is represented, ages before his incarnation, as contemplating this scene with boundless delight, as rehearsing his victory over death from eternity. From the bosom of the Father he looked on through the vista of time, while the successive parts of his great work passed in slow and stately procession, till he beheld the scene of the rising dead ; all the intermediate ages instantly vanished: he saw, in anticipation, the King of Terrors disarmed beneath his feet, the world flooded with light and life, the song of myriads of myriads reached his ear, shout- ing his name as their Great Deliverer ; and with holy impatience to realize the scene, he exclaimed, *I will ransom them from the power of the grave ; I will redeem them from death ; death, I will be thy plagues ! O grave, I will be thy destruction !' And during the interval till he came in the flesh, did his interest in the prospect appear to have evaporated ? What truth did he more fre- quently or solemnly teach ? Thrice, in rapid succession, })e exclaimed, < I will raise them up at the last day,' as if be u2 222 CHRIST GLORinED sought to find, in the bare re^>etition of the truth, a solace anj compensation for deferring the event. Nor, since his ascension, does his desire to realize it appear to have suffered the least abatement. On the contrary, from henceforth he is expecting, till his last enemy be destroyed. When last he appeared before his church to close the visions of futurity, the character which he selected for the occasion was, « He that hath the keys of the invisible world and of deaths This is the capacity in which he will next greet the eyes of the redeemed ; meanwhile he is training them to raise, in concert with himself, this shout over the last of their foes — * O death, where is thy sting 1 grave, where is thy victory V " Thus from the ruins of a world desolated by sin — out of the quarry of death itself, will the man whose name is the Branch, collect materials wherewith to construct an eter- nal temple ; " and he shall hear the glory i^"* every stone in it will be instinct with life divine, — its pillars, polished after the similitude of a palace, will endure as the days of eternity, — on its altar will bum, with inextinguishable lustre, the hallowed fire of love ; while every part of the vast edifice will be forever vocal with the enraptured ascription — ** Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ !" You have not yet contemplated all the crowns which will shed their adorning lustre around the head that once 'wore the platted thorns,' and bowed beneath the weight of a world's propitiation. Splendid as will be his trophies as the victor of sin and death, these conquests will but pave the way for the evolution of the ultimate designs of his benevo- lence. By the public acquittal of those who are justified through faith in his blood — by the redemption of their bodies from corruption, in consequence of which their high-born relation as the adopted children of the Most High will be fully recognized — and by their presentation before AT HIS SECOND COMING. 223 I, a solace r, since his sir to have rary, from 5 destroyed. ) the visions he occasion orld and of I next greet lining them r the last of rave, where sin — out of ame is the uct an eter- ery stone in ^lished after of eternity, ustre, the vast edifice scription — y, through which will nee 'wore weight of a rophies as ut pave the is benevo- re justified of their hich their VIost High ion before the throne in robes of unsullied purity, he will prepare them for still more magnificent displays of his unsearchable riches. Having raised, transformed, and judged them, he will be further glorified and admired in them, IV. By their exaltation as assessors to himself in the closing scenes of the judgment^ and by the triumphant entrance which he will administer' unto them into his ever- lasting kingdom. May we not well exclaim, " Behold what manner of love he hath bestowed upon us !" How truly is it said to pass knowledge. What never could have entered the heart of man or of angel to conceive — what love without limit alone could have meditated — what it seems even now presump- tion for the most devoted of his servants to anticipate — their association with himself in the grand judicial scene — this honour, it appears, is reserved for all the saints. Does the position strike you as extravagant — as incredible 1 Examine the grounds on which we are emboldened to advance it, — on which alone we could for a moment entertain it ; and while you wonder, fall prostrate and adore. " Verily, I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones^ judging the twelve tribes of Israel." <^Mat. xix. 28.) " And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thi'ones JUBGiSG the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke xxii. 29, 30.) << Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world 1 Know ye not that we shall judge angels ?" (I Cor. vi. 2, 3.) These are our proofs. On the authority of the obvious interpretation of "these passages, the only one in fact of which they are at all susceptible without a palpa- ble departure from their philological meaning and contextual 224. CHRIST GLORlTIEb force, do we cherish the elevating anticipation, that, in the (*9 1 ; by them was both 1 on earth, they graced e imposing ill come in re indebted lie redeem- tlie most e manifold indlfTerent g. On the hievement, w no other powers and and honour of which ways asso- mitation of the appro- THERj he he will be le deepest who thus and ever : igdom" — ler which Lest the kid occa- Lial hosts, (vorld, he On two I proclaim, I pleased." At his crucifixion, so awful and illustrious werp the attesta- tions afforded to his divinity, that the presiding Centurion exclaimed, " Truly this was the Son of God." His resur- rection forever established his claim to that character ; and on his ascension, God in a pre-eminent manner " gave him glory and konoury These are pledges and proofs that honours too high for our imagination, will be publicly awarded him by the Eternal Father, "when, to those that look for him, he shall come the second time, without a sin-oftering, unto salvation." Omitting the various other doctrinal and practical infer- ences that might be appropriately deduced from this sub. ject ; as the deity of Jesus — the dignity of true religion — the Saviour's claims — the contrasted vanity of the world and value of the soul — and the unequalled glory of redemption, — I am anxious to engage your undivided attention, and memory, and heart, to a single lesson thence resulting — the necessity — the indispensable necessity — of holiness to ena- ble ut to anticipate and hail with joy the advent of the Lord Jesus. It is only in his saints that he will be glorified ; it is in the salvation of true believers alone that he will be admired. All who have not " the faith that works by love and purifies the heart," will stuud on the left in the great day, — will hear the terror-breathing word. Depart. And oh ! the deepest woes of the pit are wrapped up in that single expression ; for is it not the climax of misery to be eternally banished from Christ? to be cast beyond the precincts of celestial day into outer darkness — unvisited by a ray of the Sun of Righteousness, by the feeblest gleam of hope FOREVER ! BRETHREN ! look to things eternal — look to your hearts — look to Jesus. •* Behold he cometh with clouds : and every eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail be- cause of him. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in V 290 CHRIST GLORiriBD AT HIS SECOIfS COMIIfG. him is no darkness at all.*' He is pure, unmixed, essential holiness, unsullied by the slightest shade of impurity. " If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth : but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son clean^jeth u^ from all sin." I. -*i .^ ■ M; / ;d, essentiffi uiity. " If id walk in /e walk in p one with ;Iean«3eth u« h 'i-i » '; .«■ » - f.tt 'fk in Ci' ^' «( ;•■«».•*? ■ SERMON XL THE NAME JESUS. Matthew i. 21, *' And thou shall call his name JESUS : for he shall save his people iroiii ihf'ir sins." God manifest in the flesh is the central object in the stupendous system of truth and mercy, unfolded to our contemplation and faith in the Holy Scriptures. Without controversy, brethren, great is this mystery of godliness ; it nevertheless demands our unhesitating assent, resting as it does, on the highest species of attestation of which any fact is susceptible, — the testimony of God, From all the light which revelation has shed on our con- dition and prospects as sinners, and on the character and government of Him against whom we have sinned, it would, moreover, ap])ear, that the exemplification of this mystery was as essential to the restoration of our moral nature, as its mode is superior to the grasp oi owv intellectual. There is, at all events, no room for doubt, that in point of fact there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved, but the name of Him whom the evangelical prophet so strikingly exhibits under the contrasted characters of infantile frailty and overpowering majesty, *' Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." 232 THE NAME JESUS. The first promise of this Great Deliverer was coeval with man's apostacy. The gloom of guilt had only just gathered around his soul, when it was alleviated by a ray of mercy ; scarcely had Satan time to exult in his victory before his malignant triumph was repressed by the predic- tion of his humiliation and ultimate defeat. The horizon of human hope continued for ages to brighten and expand with new accessions of prophetic illumination. "Why the advent of the Redeemer did not immediately succeed the fall — why thousands of years were permitted to elapse between the enunciation of the first promise of his coming, and his actual manifestation to destroy the works of the devil, is a question on which much obscurity must rest while our knowledge of the ways of God are limited by the imperfections of time. That obscurity is not, how- ever, impenetrable. Reasons may, with strong probability, be assigned for the delay, which tend materially to diminish the perplexity we should otherwise experience on this sub- ject. Time was afforded, by this arrangement, to prepare the way for an event of universal and unequalled interest and importance. Among the heathen, reason completely exhausted her resources to meliorate the moral condition of man, in vain ; the conflicting systems of the philosophers had run their course, presenting in the evidences of their impotency a mortifying contrast to the pomp of their pre- tensions ; the natural result of which was a general distrust in all moral speculations, and an undefinable longing for something more certain and substantial, in which the soul might rest, and realize the object of its ever-breathing but unsatisfied aspirations. To the Jews, meanwhile, were committed the oracles op God, by no small portion of which the character and coming of the Messiah were foreshown j while the whole system of religious institutions, .Divinely established among them, was adapted, in harmony with the anticipations of prophecy, to direct their faith and i^as coeval 1 only just d by a ray his victory the predic- he horizon nd expand iimediately I permitted [nise of his the works surity must are limited i not, how. probability, to diminish •n this sub- to prepare ed interest ompletely ndition of iiosophers les of their their pre- al distrust jing for h the soul athing but liile, were ortion of iah were stitutions, harmony faith and THE NAME JESUS. 233 hope to " THE Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." The fulness of time at length arrived, — the period appointed by the infinite wisdom of God for terminating the Jewish economy, for responding to the groans of his suffering creation, for delivering mankind, through the incar- nation and sacrifice of his own Son, from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of his adopted children. The sceptre had departed from Judah, and the law-giver from between his feet , — Daniel's seventy weeks were expired ; — devout Jews, with quickened solicitude and hope, waited for consolation in Israel ; — on the authority of ancient tradition — we are told by Suetonius and Tacitus — a persuasion simultaneously prevailed among the nations that, about that period, a personage would proceed from Judea, who was destined to wield an universal sceptre ; — the g?tes of the temple of Janus were closed by order of Augustus CaBsar, — and the whole world appeared to stand in silent and breathless expectancy of some great event. At this momentous crisis it wu.: that the Eternal Logos became incarnate, — that " through the tender mercy of our God," as Zacharias beautifully expresses it, *" the day-spring from on high visited us, to give light to them that sat in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide their feet into the way of peace." Every circumstance connected with the Saviour's na- tivity was marked by the grandeur of a Divine interposition. It was foretold as at hand by Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God ; the human nature of our Lord was the immediate production of omnipotent power; angels announced his birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, and were immediately joined by a multitude of the heavenly host, celebrating the event in strains of ecstasy ; a star at; the same time came out of Jacob, and guided the eastern Magi to the scene of his nativity ; even his name was not v2 234 THE NAME JESUS. left to be determined by human wisdom or caprice, but was imposed by Divine appointment. And that his personal like his official designation might embody a compendium of his glorious gospel, ^' Thou shalt call his name Jesus f — said the angel to Joseph — "for he shall save his people from their sins." Adoring the wisdom and goodness of our heavenly Father in this appointment, let the supremely venerable and endearing name — Jesus — together with the reason assigned by the angel for its having been selected as the most appropriate designation of our incarnate Lord, furnish the materials of our present meditation. And, may the result of those meditations be a more impressive perception of its glories, and a richer experience of its virtue ! I. The name itself claims our attention, — Thou shah call his name Jesus. A great variety of names and titles the most illustrious and significant are appropriated to the Messiah by the ancient seers. Had the import of those appellations been properly regarded by the Jews, they nev^er could have so grossly perverted the testimony of Jesus. To us, also, they are of singular use in aiding our conceptions of the work of redemption, in quickening our spiritual affections, and in confirming our faith. Some of them taken separately are replete with instruction ; and when grouped, and viewed in combination in the light reflected back upon them by the Gospel, so vividly do they portray the essential dignity of Christ as one with the Father — the mysterious constitu- tion of his person — as well as his redeeming offices and operations, that he seems again to " tabernacle with us ; and we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." By none of those appellations, however, was it the Bivine intention that the Messiah should be designated, as e, but was s personal 3encliuiu of Fesus ;" — his people heavenly venerable the reason ;ted as the RD, furnish I, may the perception ue ! Thou shah t illustrious ah bv the tions been d have so also, they le work of s, and in jaratelj^ are viewed in m by the dignity of confetitu- ffices and with us ; begotten [as it the mated, as THE NAME JESUS. 235 the " Son of Man." It did not, it would seem, accord with the wisdom of God, to intimate, otherwise than very obscurely, what his personal designation should be, till very near the time of its actual imposition. This reserve was obviously attended with one happy effect. It precluded the desecration of that hallowed name by impostors, who, had it been emblazoned on the prophetic page, could easily have availed themselves of it to subserve their wicked designs. But though for this, no doubt, among other reasons, the proper name of the Saviour was so long suppressed, it is not necessary to adopt the Rabbinical fiction — ' that this was one of the seven things which were constituted before the foundation of the world,' to perceive that it would have ill comported with the majesty of " the man Christ Jesus," to have received his name in any other way than bv immediate Divine direction. If the Deity, in ail. "^ent times, gave to those individuals whom he selected el • s objects of his distinguished favour, or as eminent in.uuments of his providence, names commemorative of his own bounty, or of their destination, or of both : was it to be conceived that He would omit to assign a name equally significant and appropriate to him whom he has sealed, and sent into the world? And when its import is unfolded, it will be at once apparent, that no designation could have possessed these qualities in a higher degree than the name Jesus. Let us endeavour, therefore, with precision to ascertam its meaning. Respecting the origin and etymology of the term 'I>j(foi;f:, Jesus — matters intimately connected with a just appre- hension of its import — considerable diversity of opinion has been entertained among the learned. By some it has been traced to the Syriac^ and deduced from asa which signifies to heal. Others have considered it of Greek origin, and derived from (laofiai, fut. /a(ro/uiai, in i\\e Ionic dialect, ^/y)(}'ofi.a() a word which corresponds in 236 THE NAME JESUS. meaning with the Syriac one just noticed. But though it is a truth equally impoilant and consolatory, that Christ is the great Physician of souls, and notwithstanding the slight resemblance in sound between those words and the name Jesus, its correct etymon is to be sought elsewhere. A moderate acquaintance with the original languages of the Scriptures would have precluded such fanciful interpreta- tions, and have immediately guided the inquirer to the Hebrew, as the true source of this sacred appellation. — Nothing indeed is easier than for even the unlettered reader of the Bible to satisfy himself that the name Jesus is of Hebrew origin, by referring to a passage or two in the Eng- lish version. Thus St. Stephen, in his memorable address, recorded in the seventh chapter of the Acts, alluding to the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, says, " which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles :" and the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews (ch. 4) in order to convince them that the rest of Canaan was not the ultimate rest of the people of God, after citing the words of David, — " To day if you will hear his voice," adds, " if Jesus had given them rest then would he not afterwards have spoken of another day." In both of these passages Jos/ma is called Jesus. Two points are thus clearly established, — ^first, that Jesus is a name of Hebrew origin, and secondly, that it is identical with Joshua. The etymology of this name, as well as its appropriate interpretation as applied to Christ the Lord, may now without much difficulty be discovered. They are indeed obviously suggested by the angel, who, that the eminent propriety of the designation might be immediately and uni- versally appreciated, gave as the reason for it, " because he shall save his people from their sins.'* A reason of which it would be extremely difficult to perceive either the force or relevancy if the name does not directly involve the idea THE NAME JESUS. 237 it though it ; Christ is g the slight I the name where. A igea of the interpreta- irer to the )ellation. — ;ered reader Fesus is of n the Eng- ole address, iding to the which also ius into the the Epistle ;m that the e people of day if you them rest )lher day." ms. Two Jesus is a s identical tppropriate may now ire indeed eminent and uni- kcause he of which the force le the idea oC salvation. This consideration, it is apprehended, were alone sutFicient to condemn the singular notion of Osiander, that it is derived from Jehovah, with the first letter of the word Shiloh interposed, in order to render the (iiomen ietragrammaton) incommunicable appellation of the Su- preme Being eflable. Equally inadmissible, on the same account, is the opinion of Castalio, that it is compounded of two Hebrew words which signify "the man Jehovah," or, the incarnate Deity. By a reference to the illustrious Jewish leader to whom the name was first given in connexion with the memorable circumstances under which he received it, we are much more likely to acquire a correct view of its structure and import. Originally, it is to be observed, his name was Oshea or Hoseah, But on the occasion when Moses, in obedience to a Divine command, dismissed a man from each of the tribes to spy out the promised land, prompted no doubt by a prophetic impulse, " he called Oshea, the son of Nun, Jehoshua.^'^ Now, the name Oshea, without the subsequent addition, signifies Saviour. On the correspond- ing Greek term (]Sw supported by some Latin ones. But be that as it may, is is now almost viniversally agreed that this mode of rendering cannot be admitted, since jt would require, not (fw^op-fvou?, but (5'w5r)(j'o|Ui-Svouc;. Thus even Calvin renders, ' ^ui salvi fierent,' which yields a very different sense. The version in question must therefore be rejected, not because it intro- duces a Calvinistic doctrine (see Wetsein), imt because such a sense cannot be shown to be inherent in the words. The sense, ^ had been saved," which some Anti-Calvinistic Commentators proposed, is equally inadmissible. Others, as Grotius, and Bp. Maltby, render * those who were being saved,' namely, by being put into a state of salvation: an interpretation adopted by me in the first Edition of this work. But, on further consideration, 1 am induced to reject it ; not that (fu)Ps(fQat might not signify to be put in the way of salvation, if the context per- mitted or required it, but because such a sense would here be factitious. If we keep close to the proprietas lingua (which, where a doctrine is concerned, must be considered the only right course), we cannot translate otherw ise than the saved, those who loere saved, which is also supported by the authority of the Pesch. Syr. Version." 244 THE NAME JESUS. the angel in the text, ond pour a flood of light oii iti true meaning. Beware, my brethren, of the meagre and unevangclical ideas of those who would persuade you that to bo saved from sin merely significH to be saved from its punishment, to be put into the way of salvation, by a patient continuance in which we shall eventually attain immortality and eternal life. This is not to answer the question, " How readest thou ?" but to interpolate the oracles of God ; not to explain, but to mutilate them. All who are saved from sin will, of course, be exempted from its penal consequences ; and while by *• praying in the Holy Ghost, they keep themselves in the love of God," they are authorized with unsuspecting confi- dence to *Mook for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Such will be the glorious, the eternal deliverance and destiny of the people of Christ ; but it cannot be too strongly urged upon our attention, or too deeply impressed upon our hearts, that salvation from sin is quite a distinct thing from the mere remission of its penalty, or the putting of a person in the way to ultimate salvation ; that, while one of the first fruits of regenerating grace is the production of a living hope of heaven in the heart, such a hope is inseparable from an experimental perception that " the gospel is the the power of God unto our salvation j" that if we would not be disappointed in our anticipations of happiness in a coming worW, we must, in this, be consciously " delivered out of the hand of our spiritual enemies, and serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life." Salvation contemplates its objects as lost. Salvation from sin, the salvation ofiered in the gospel, is based upon the fact that we are sinners, and that sin is an evil the most malignant and desolating. Facts these, univerally admitted by all who believe the Bible. Here, indeed, there is no room for scepticism ; so explicit, so varied and accumulated THE NAME JESUS. 245 ' light 01) its meagre and iiade you that [\ved from its Ivation, by a ntuaiiy attain ?adest thou ?" xplain, but to ill, of course, and while by iselves in the pecting confi- Jesus Christ IS, the eternal hrist; but it pntion, or too ion from sin nission of its ly to ultimate * regenerating leave n in the experimental of God unto [appointed in •Id, we must, hand of our in holiness r life." . Salvation based upon vil the most lly admitted there is no ccumulated are its depositions, and so appalling its denunciations, against us. Now this must be realized — it must be felt by us to be our alarming condition before we are eflectually incited to seek redemption ; ay, before we can even spiritually apprehend the adaptation of the provisions of Divine mercy to our prominent wants as sinners. There may be an unreserved intellectual ac(,uiescence in all the Bible testifies respecting our guilt and depravity without that conviction of sin which is produced by the agency of the Holy Spirit, without the anguish of a pierced conscience, without the extorted cry of repentant supplication — "Save Lord, or I perish!" Where the veil has never lus been torn from the eyes of the understanding, — where the consr-ience has never been scathed by the lightnings of Sinai,- -where the law of God has never come home to the heart, revealir ., by contrast the power and pollution of inbred sin, it j not a matter of surprise that there should exist inad •}.; ite, if not positively erroneous conceptions of the natme and extent of salvation. Our estimate of the deliverance, formed on the views we entertain of our danger, will necessarily correspond therewith. How important, then, that we should be fully aware not only of the existence but of the extent of our spiritual malady, that we may feel the necessity and appreciate the value of the sovereign, the Divine remedy! That malady is sin. This is the very core and essence of our misery. 'V' at has incurred the displeasure of God ? obliterated his image from our souls ? cut us off from communion vith him? alienated our affections from their supreme claimant 1 What has made us the unresisting captives of our direst foe 1 and exposed us to the tremendous doom of the devil and his angels ? I need not answer. But the Omniscient Mind alone can take the full dimensions of the malignity of sin, one act of which unparadised forever legions of holy and happy spirits. From this evil of such fearful magnitude, the Lord Jesus w2 246 THE NAME JESUS. ia able and willing to save as ; actually does save his people, even to the uitermosU He saves them from its guilt. Does he find them involved in condemnation, *' by nature children of wrath even as others ?" None are more ready to criminate them than they are themselves. The plea of innocence, and the pride of Pharisaic pretension, they leave to others. To their minds tiie exceeding sinfulness of sin has appeared with overwhelming evidence ; to the agony of a wounded spirit they have been tremblingly alive ; they know iht terrors of the Lord, for they have not merely " heard of of him with the hearing of the ear, but their eyes have seen him, Vvlierefore they abhor themselves, and repent in dust and ashes." And whither in llieir extremity did they fly for succour? Whose name did they then find to be a strong tower, into which they ran and were yafe? The name of Jesus. He redeemed them from the curse of the law ; he SAVED them from the wrath to come. " Being justified by faith, we have peace with Cod, through our Lord Jesus Christ." The heart-withering presentiments of conscious guilt are exchanged for the "peace of God which passeth all understanding;" the "fearful looking for of judgment," for a "joy that is unspeakable and full of glory." The Judge is no •' our friend. Nor does he await (he period of the final audit to assure us of this. We are ascertained of the delightful fact by an attestation emanating immediately from Himself. " Because ye are sons" — pardoned and adopted, through the redemption that is in Christ — "God hath sent forth die Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba! Father!" Jesus saves his people from the dominion of sin. " Sin," declares the apostle, " shall not have dominion over you ; for ye are not under the law, but under grace." We are under a gracious dispensation, the provisions of which are equally ample and ellicient for our restoration to the image, THE NAME JESUS. 247 e his people, i find them en of wrath minate them nee, and the others. To las appeared f a wounded jv know Iht y " heard of es have seen ?pent in Just ' did they fly- to be a strong rhe name of the law ; he g justified by Lord Jesus of conscious liich passeth judgment," lorv." The |he period of certained of immediatdy urdoncd and 1ST — " God arts, crying, tin. "Sin," [n over you ; " We are )f which are the image, as to the favour^ of God. These blessings are, indeed; inseparable. In the order of our conceptions pardon is preliminary to the new birth ; the change of our legal relation, to the transformation of our spiritual character: but in the Divine order, and in actual experience, they are simultaneous. *' If any man be in Christ Jesus," — from the moment of his personal reconciliation to God through faith in his blood, and vital union with him, " he is a new creature." Thougli physically he remains the same, under the plastic energies of the Holy Spirit all his powers acquire a new development, and, instinct with the life of God, are controlled by new motives and principles. The charac- teriiitics of this Divine change are distinctly marked in the Sacred Scriptures. " The new man is, after God, created in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness." In knowledge ; by which the natural darkness of his under- standing is dissipated, and reason, illumined by the Spirit of God, is restored to its pristine dominion ; — a species of knowledge this, not to be acquired by study, not to be derived from books. It issues directly from the Sun of righteousness. The first utterance of the Omnipotent, when the earth was without form and void, was, " Let there be light !" and the wonderful element came instantaneously, pouring on and pervading the terrestrial mass. It is thus in the new creation. " For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." And oh! how m.arvellous the nature and efficiency of this emanation from the Father of lights ! Hou' penetrating — how vital — how revealing! By it we know the things of the Spirit of God, which, to the natural man, are foolishness ; by it we discover thope things which are hid from the wise and prudent — the true end of our l)eing — the way of peace — the preciousness of Christ* In righteousness. In this respect also the new man is 248 THE NAME JESUS. conformed to the Divine model. The principles of moral rectitude — a rectitude of which th6 love of God is both the sum and the soul, are inlused into his mind, and there put forth a dominant influence. Such, indeed, is the blessed, the unfailing result of his being renewed in knowledge ; for spiritual knowledge is no barren speculation ; it is no unproductive the9ry. He who is not changed into the image of God, has never with unveiled face contemplated His glory. And in proportion as the lineaments of that image are traced upon the soul we are saved from sin, — we experience and exemplify the characteristic of Christ's people. It is thus, that " the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." And then, the work of the Redeemer is peifect. When a voice from heaven proclaims — " hq shall save his people from their sins,'*^ who shall presume either to question the truth of the announcement, or to make it of none effect by their tradition ? Rather let it be received with the unlimited confidence and fervid gratitude due to a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation. The standard of holiness which it erects is inflexible in its elevation. It refuses to bend to the depressed and unscriptural views of those who assert that we cannot be entirely sanctified till death ; that salvation from ill sin is not attainable in the present life, or at least not before we stand on the verge of an eternal world. Let human systems reason or dogmatize as they may, the moment we place our foot upon the threshold of the gospel-temple, the inscription, traced by no mortal hand, flames on our view — He shall save his people from THEIR SINS. And, indeed, what short of this can qualify THE NAME JESUS. 249 »les of moral D is both the nd there put the blessed, knowledge ; on ; it is no to the image [xiplated His f that image m sin, — we •f Christ's rit of life in V of sin and it was weak the likeness I the flesh j Ifilled in us ?rf. When J his people uestion the none effect i with the a faithful of holiness t refuses to those who eath ; that ent life, or an eternal e as they reshold of rtal hand, IPLE FROM an qualify us for heaven t Less than this would neither have been worthy of the Son of God, nor commensurate with the capacity, the wants, and aspirations of the soul of man. Of this greai jalvation Jesus is both the author and the finisher. This idea is emphatically indicated by the original — 'Auroc:, "Ae himself shall save." "To him gave all the prophets witness" — on him the Baptist turned the attention of the multitudes that flocked to his minisuy — him the apostles preached ; " neither is there salvation in any other." All the blessings comprised in the covenant of grace are the fruits of his sacrificial death. What iiis example and instructions combined — though the one was a continuous exhibition of celestial purity, and the other distinguished by a wisdom that astonished, and an authority that awed his hearers — had not elTicacy to accomplish, was achieved by his death. We are " redeeuied, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold ; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Are we pardoned ? It li in hio) ". we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." Chh we, in the joyous confidence of our interest in the paternal love of God, approach his throne 1 " We were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son." An^ we saved from the pollutions of native de|)ravity ? "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanselh us from all sin 1" Are we sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of the celestial inheritance ? That inheritance is a "purchased possession." In the economy of redemption it is the accorded right of him who procured, actually to confer salvation. He is now, in virtue of his voluntary humiliation and death, "exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins." From his elevation we are justified in conceiving the largest expectations : " for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God by tlie death of his 250 THE NAME JESUS. Son ; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved b}" his LIFE." It is, indeed, by the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit that the blessings of salvation are imparted to believers: but that Spirit, styled the prom,ise of the Father, was received by Christ on his ascension, and by him shed forth, to give " testimony to the word of his grace, and render it the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." With him is still the residue of the Spirit ; and of his ability lo save \^slg to cravTcXs?) perfectly, to the uttermost, them that come unto God by him ; no doubt can be entertained since *Mie ever liveth to make intercession them." Hitherto, your attention has been directed to such con- siderations as are adapted to shew, that the highest import of the name Jesus is exemplified by our Lord in the discharge of his redeeming olfices. But are we thence to infer our personal safety 1 Because his atonement is universal, and its merit infinite ; because his arm can bring salvation to the guiltiest and and most depraved of our race, are we therefore authorised to reckon with certainty on his saving us? On this rock thousands have made shipwreck of their eternal interests. They have forgotten that the obligation to endure the penalty of sin, in a future life, can only be extinguished by having tlie conscience sprinkled with atoning blood, in this; that a conscious deliverance from the reign and the defilement of sin enters essentially into the nature of salvation ; that the people of Christ are those who have fled for refuge to the hope set before them, and are characterised by the faith that purifies the heart and adorns the life v/ith the fruits of holiness ; and that such onlv will be ultimatelv benefitted bv his mediation. "And being made perfect," — says the apostle — being crowned with glory and honour in heaven, after his expiatory suffer- ings on earth, — " he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that OBEY him." THE NAME JESUS. 251 5 saved b)' (ncy of the imparted to the Father, y him shed grace, and ry one that Spirit ; and '//y, to the ) doubt can ntercession ) such con- hest import ord in the we thence pnement is can bring 1 our race, nty on his hip wreck n that the re life, can sprinkled eliverance essentially HRiST are fore them, the heart \ that such "And crowned ory sufTer- salvation The allegation of a certain class of Commentators that, by the people of Jesus is meant "the elect, those whom the Father has given to Him," thereby precluding, in effect, the great mass of mankind, from the possibility of being saved, is perfectly gratuitous. So contracted a view of the design of the Saviour's incarnation and death, could never, at all events, have entered the heart of any of those celestial beings, whose benignant exultation at his nativity evidently acquired its highest intensity from the thought, that it was matter of great joy to all people. The relation subsist- ing between Christ and his people is not dated iVom eternity, but originated in time j it is constituted, not by an antemun- dane decree, but by the exercise of a yersonal trust in tlie blood of his cross. Those who actually sustain, may eternally forfeit it ; while its richest privileges are, by the provisions of the redeeming covenant, placed within the reach of all. " As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people which were not my people ; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them. Ye are not my people ; there shall they be called" — not the people merely, but — "the children of the living God." It would be difficult to exhaust the important practical lessons which the subject we have been consiilering nat- urally suggests. I shall only further ask your indulgence while I endeavour briefly to improve it, for exciting devout gratitude and joy — for dissipating a very common but de- structive illusion — for encouraging the repentant sinner to fly to the altar and the arms of Jesus — and for urging the believer to seek a fall salvation. Enter, my brethren, as you are able, into the emotions which we may justly conceive to have glowed in the bosom of the angel that appeared to Joseph, as the words of our text fell from his lips. How honoured mgst he have felt himself, in being selected from the radiant circles among whom he shone, to be the bearer of such a message ! With 252 THE NAME JESUS. no reluctant feeling, we may be assured, would he quit his throne — on no tardy pinion would he fly, to disclose it. Into no one moment of his happy existence was there ever pressed a greater amount of felicity. The fearful havock and devastation which sin had made in the earth under his own observation, and the deeper woes in which it involves its victims in eternity, pass in rapid review before him ; the prospect of Messiah's triumph over the great destroyer, and the glories of his reign burst upon his view ; and, eager to announce the accomplishment of the promises made to the fathers, he proclaims with joy unutterable — "He shall save his people from their sins." And shall not we, to whose rescue he comes, triumphantly hail our great Deliverer 1 shall not we respond with rapture, "Blessed is he that Cometh in the name of the Lord !" When Flaminius, the Roman General, having vantpiished Philip and the Mace- donians, caused liberty to be proclaimed to the Greeks while they were engaged in celebrating the Isthmian games; th'ed, and almost delirious with joy, they enthusiastically exclaimed, Soter, Soter, A Saviour ! A Saviour ! " At first" — relates the historian — " the proclamation was not generally or distinctly heard, but a confused murmur ran through the theatre ; some wondering, some questioning, and others calling upon the herald to repeat what he had said. Silence being again commanded, the herald raised his voice so as to be heard distinctly by the whole assembly. The shout which they gave, in their transport of joy, was so prodigious, that it was heard as far as the sea. The people left their seats ; there was no further regard paid to the diversions; all hastened to embrace and address the deliverer and protector of Greece."* Has temporal liberty such charms? and when emancipation from the immeasurably more debasing servitude of sin — when "the / Langhorne'a Plutarch, in vita T. Flaminii. THE NAME JESUS. 253 i he quit his disclose it. IS there ever irful havock ih under his h it involves re him ; the ?stroyer, arid ind, eager to made to the le shall save ve, to whose t Deliverer? d is he that laminius, the id the Mace- Sreeks while lian games; husiastically iour ! " At on was not Imurmur ran questioning, Iwhat he had lid raised his |le assembly, of joy, was sea. The regard paid land address las temporal •n from the when "the glorious liberty of the children of God" is proclaimed to us, shall not every heart bound with joy? every bosom glow with gratitude ? The illusion which I am wishful to employ the aid of this subject to dissipate, is the fatal, and, it is to be feared, very prevalent one, of cherishing a hope of heaven without making it the great business of life to " follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Be not igno- rant, my brethren, of this seductive device, this wile of the devil. Encircled as you are with the light of the gospel, if it is hid to you ; if its glory does not penetrate your minds ; if its power does not change your hearts, you are lost ; and, continuing to neglect so great salvation, your final ruin Cometh as desolation, and your irremediable destruction as a whirlwind. Be it written then upon your hearts, as with the point of a diamond. He shall save his people from their sins. This is the true, the only salvation. It is, indeed, a cheering fact, that " God, having raised up his Son Jesus, hath sent him to bless us ;" but how does he display his beneficent power? How does he accomplish the object of his mission? In what does that blessing consist? In turning away every one of us from our iniquities. Unless you abandon your sins ; unless your hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience ; unless you are born of God, and by patient continuance in well doing, seek after glory, honour, and immortality, not a man of you will enjoy eternal life. Vengeance unmixed. Divine, eternal, will be the inevitable portion of all them that obey not the Gospel ; " who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." But while I would thunder in the ears of the impenitent and unconverted — while I would earnestly exhort them in the language of the apostle, " Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own souls," I would rather 234 THE NAME JESUS. erect and strengthen than break the bruised reed — I wouM rather fan than quench the smoking flax. Are there in this congregation persons to whom these touching delinea- tions of Scripture apply ? — persons who feel the pressure of the wrath of God ; in vvhoae hearts there begins to kindle a desire of salvation from tiie guilt ami power of sin ? Prisoners of hope ! turn to the strong hold! "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" — to save yow, though you may have even earned a fearful pre-eminence in guilt. Stagger not at the promises of God, though superla- tively great and precious, through unbelief. Jesus speaks in righteousness, mighty to save. The shadow of death may environ you ; but he can change it into the light of the morning. Your spiritual enemies may appear invincible; but he will bruise them beneath your feet. The moral leprosy may have pervaded and corrupted all the powers of your souls ; but a touch, a word of his, can make you clean. His power and his love are alike unbounded. Go to his mercy seat; and his death and life are the ample securities of the success of your application. He demands no expensive olVering ; he imposes no macerating penance ; he requires, in order to justification, no works of righteous- ness. "To him that workelh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness." Attracted then by the name that shines upon his mediatorial crown — Jesus, go, my guilty brother, go to his throne — touch his sceptre — and live ! To conclude: let it be remembered that this hallowed name involves much more than an assurance of pardon. It embodies the whole assemblage of those promises by which, through the energy of the Holy Spirit, we are made partakers of the Divine nature. On you, therefore, my brethren, who profess to be the people of Jesus, permit me to urge the necessity of aspiring to the most sacred THE NAME JESUS. 255 id — I would Lre there in ing delinea- the pressure ins to kindle Acr of sin ? "This is a that Christ to save yoUf enrjinence in iigh superla- us speaks in f death may light of the ' invincible ; The moral the powers n make you unded. Go ; the ample He demands ng penance ; )f righteous- eth on hi in l1 to him for that shines lilty brother, characteristic that can distinguish you — to the most esti- mable blessing that can enrich you — to the highest dignity that can ennoble you — salvation from your sins. Already you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. In this grace you now stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. But here you are not to rest. The salvation provided for you, — freely v)nored to you in Christ, is deep as the pollutions and high as the loftiest imaginations of your hearts; fully adecpiate to "bring every thouglit into cap- tivitv to the obedience of Christ Jesus." Are you con- scious of an inward foe undestroycd — of a corruption not uprooted — of a moral stain unwashed away? Cry to him whose name is Jesus 5 and he will answer, / will, be thou clean! I close with the sublime petition of the apostle. May "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man ; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God." is hallowed I of pardon, )romises by rit, we are 1, therefore, sus, permit most sacred >rji SERMON XII. THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. Preached bekoke the Conkerence in Kingston, U. C, 1838. '•'•IrTi? Ephesians iii. 8-10. 8. 'Efxo«, Tw EXaxjtfTors^w <7ravTwv [twv] 'ayjwv l^odr] 't) 'n'XouTov ro'j X^iff-rou, 9. Kai (pwriCai 'iravTag, rig *r) 'ojxovofxia tou jXutfTri^iou ro') 'a<7roxsx^u|iAjji,6vou 'wro twv a/wvwv 'sv tw 05w, tw to. Tavra XTJ'3'avT* Oia 'Iritfou X^jCtou, 10. *Iva yvw^jtfdii vuv Tuig 'a^%a»? xai raij 'E^ou^fiaij ev To»g 's-TTou^avioij t)«« "ffrj^ ^sxxksffitts 'rj •n'oXu'jrojxiXoff tfo^ia tou ©sou, " 8. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that 1 should preach amoni; the gentiles the unsearchable riches ot" Christ ; " 9. Anil to make all men see what is the fellowship [dispensation] of the niystery, which from the beginning uf the world nath been hid in God, wlio created all thinj^s l)y Jesus Christ : '* 10. To the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." The elementary doctrines of Christianity are distinguished by the grandeur of simplicity. Previously to a knowledge of this fact it would be natural enough to suppose, that a system of moral truth emanating immediately from the Supreme Intelligence, — not so much as one of the peculiar principles or data of which the human mind was capable of anticipating, would, when revealed, be found proportionally x2 m^ 25S THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF Wt difficult of apprehension. But, is this rcri-' tlio case ? Is there demanded a high degree ofmentai '*, 'v'v?iion or effort in order to acquire a saving knowledge o; " ihe trutli as it is in Jesus 1" Far otherwise. If you aspire xo literary eminence among men, a lofty pile extremely difficult of ascent lies before you ; and after years of toil occupied in endeavouring to scale it, the funereal plume instead of the garland of genius — a premature grave instead of an immortality of fame, may be the reward of your labours : but if you covet earnestly the honour that cometh from God, — if you arc athirst for heavenly wisdom, you may, " from a child, know the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus." For though the truths which these Divine Records unfold immeasurably transcend in interest and sublimity the intuitions of genius, the lessons of philosophy, and the discoveries of science ; they are, with inimitable wicdom, presented in a form adapted to every variety of human intellect, the most limited as well as the most capacious. The universal adaptation of the Bible, as well to the intellectual as to the moral condition of our species, is entitled to rank among the most valuable collateral evidences of its Divine origin. It is a signature which the finger of God alone could have stamped upon upon it. This is accomplished by the exhibition of the most essential verities in the shape of attested and authoritative facts. Truths equally elevated and momentous are thus rendered intel- ligible to the humblest capacity: and while "the wise and the prudent," seduced by the vanity of intellectual pretension, turn away in disgust from " tlic focIi,?hness of preaching," it becomes, through the energy of the Holy Spirit, the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Let me not be misunderstood. Far be it from me by this i^ lio case 1 Is tion or effort ihe truth as it re to literary y difficult of toil occupied me instead of nstcad of an your labours : cometh from )m, you may, hich are able lIj which is in these Divine interest and nf philosophy, ith inimitable ry variety of as the most THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 259 well to the Lir species, is ?ral evidences the finger of it. This is lential verities lets. Truths ndered intel- "the wise f intellectual ocri!?hness of of the Holy very one that m me by this style of remark to concede that the Dible is, in the sense in which the sceptic would employ the term, a simple book. Its value as a treasury of various instruction is inappreciable. It has done more than all the other books in the universe to distend the basis and enlarge the volume of the pyramid of human knowledge, while it lifts its summit amid the splendours of the eternal throne. Apart from the supreme object of the Scriptures, their salutary influence upon literature and laws, upon liberty both civil and religious, upon moral science and public sentiment, will Ije questioned by none whose acquaintance with the light which history reflects upon these topics qualifies him to form an accurate judgment. But the crowning excellence of the sacred volume Is, that it reveals "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." It unfolds with progressive clearness that redeeming scheme which occupied the thoughts of God from everlasting — in anticipation of which Eternal Wisdom "rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delight was with the sons of men before the world was." Of this glorious scheme, it is a cheering fact, that " the wayfaring man though a fool" may attain a knowledge sufficient for the purposes of salvation. But we shall fall into a most egregious error if we thence infer, that how divinely soever it is adapted to rescue man from the guilt and the pollutions in which the aposlacy has involved him, and to conduct him to the enjoyment of unending bliss, it leaves ungratified and unheeded his aspirations after knowledge ; that while it is confessedly an efficient, and indeed the only restorative of his moral nature, there is nothing connected with it fitted to invigorate, expand, and enrich his intellectual powers. How very different was the estimate formed of it by the enlightened apostle of the Gentiles ! The treasures of Grecian literature with which his mind was early stored, and which are to the present moment the admiration of 260 THE £XALTED OBJECTS OF mankind, he counted *Mo98 for the excellency of the KNOWLEDGE of ChHst Jesus his Lord." Prompted by a hallowed emulation to become a proficient in this divine science he deter mined to know nothing else. His ardour in the pursuit, from the moment of his conversion, knew no chill ; his ellbrts no relaxation. He constantly aimed at fresh advances on his previous attainments. And with what success, his writings abundantly illustrate. Those who have studied his epistles with the deepest attention do not hesitate to allirm, tl at, taken in their chronological order, they auord interesting evidence of the progressive expansion of his " knowledge of the mystery of Christ." And yet, when he is ready to be ofiered up, — when the time of his departure is at hand ; as though he had not passed his spiritual novitiate, he breathes the fervent prayer — "that I may know IIim, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sulVerings, being made comformable unto his death.'" This, however, will excite no surprise when it is remem- bered that superior orders of intelligence have been forages, and still are, occupied in the investigation of the same subject : " Unto me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." This most elevated passage strikingly exhibits the theme — the objects — and tlie proper spirit of the Christian Ministry. LENCY of the rompted by a in this divine . His ardour version, knew istantlv aimed s. And wilh trate. Those st attention do chronolo(Tical e progressive of Christ." p, — when the lad not passed irayer — " that urrcction, and comforinable it is remem- )een forages, of the same of ull saints the Gentiles e all men see ch from the who created \i now unto ces might be God." )it3 the theme Chbistian THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 261 1. Let us attend to the theme of the Christian Ministry: it is the unsearchable riches of Christ, Of all the epistles of St. Paul this to the Ephesians is generally considered by Commentators the loftiest. There is probably no one that reads it, and institutes a comparison between it and the others, who does not receive the same impression. It is characterised, in a very eminent degree, ])y a holy exaltation of fceliinr, which, in a mind like Paul's, is aUvajs associated with a correspondent elevation and enlargenienl of the intellcdual faculty. It stands among the Epistolary writings like the narrative of John among the Gospels — imbued with a more than usual measure of the spirit of Him who was "anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows." This is acconnteil for by the occasion and o])ject of its composition. Written under the joyous e?xcitation pro- duced by the intelligence he had received of the faith and love of those of whom ho was in a special manner the apostle, its design is not so much to defend as to display " the t.H()nous gospel of the blessed God." Hence tiie holy adections of his soul flow forth v/ith I'^nwonted spon- taneity and copiousness. Hence he expatiates in an element perfectly congenial with the spirituality and amplitude of his mind. Hence his thoughts are senfi/nenfs ; and the interior of that heart is disclosed which dictated the noble avowals — "The love of Christ constraineth me." — "Neither count I njy life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, arid the ministry which I have recv^ived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." That gospel he emphatically designates in the text "the unsearchable riches of Christ." This phraseology is among the most marked peculiarities of the apostle's style. It is obv ously to be taken in the same sense as the parallel e;; pressions — " the riches of his grace" — " the exceeding riches of his grace," which occur in the previous chapters. 262 THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF You cannot, nr»y brethren, but have remarked Paul's predi- leclioa for the term a-Xouto?, riches, as adapted to convey in the most forcible manner tlie idea of exuberance or profu- sion, particularly when descanting upon the beneficence of the Deity, or the benefits which flow to us through the mediation of Christ, And how justly arc the mercies of the new covenant called "the uns-earchable riches of Christ!" Mark their variety, Man is a depetident beinjr. He was so before he lost the *^lory of his primal state. But how has his vain and impious attempt to become independent, multi[)lied and accumulated his wants ! Contrast his present iiumilialcd and wretched condition with the bliss he enjoyed when recent from the hands of his holy and beneficent Creator. Adorned with the Divine image, and admitted to the most intimate communion with his God, the perspective of foru-ily that then expanded before him was without a shadow and without a limit. I3nt now he is " alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him." Now he is an arraigneil culprit at the bar of eternal justice. Now his noble powers are desecrated by the "wnsdom from beneath, which is earthly, anil sensual, and devilish." Now his inherittince on high is forfeited ; and he is wilhottt God in the world. Whither shall he flee? To whom shall he go? " Lord, to whom shall we go 1 thou l»ast the words of eternal life." In the gospel of salvation thou hast opened the profound of thy compassions ! thou hast displayed the riches of thy redeeming grace! We are Mind, and guilty, and polluted, and lost: but thou art made of God urjto them that believe, wisdom and righteousne^s, sanctification and redemption. Contemplate their abandanre. Redeeming grace knows no parsimony. It is as exuberant as it is unmerited. Would that I could commend to you, in a manner worthy of the subject, the love of Christ. But though I spake THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRV. 263 Paul's predi- to convey in nee or profu- ?neficence of through the the mercies ble riches of ing. He was e. But how independent, Contrast his vitli the bliss his holy and iC image, and •ith iiis God, d before iiini But now he the ignorance brit at the bar |re desecrated earthly, ant! e on high is d. Whither |)rd, to whom d life." In profound of \iches of thy nd polluted, that believe, idemption. [grace knows unmerited, nner worthy igh I spake with the tongue of men and of angels this were impossible; for it ''passeth knowledge." Go to him, ye sons of ignorance; and he will ^*fill you with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Go to him, ye sons of guilt ; for '•' ho will uhantldnthj pardon" you. Go to him ye slaves of sin ; and you shall firjd ^'plenteous redemj>tion." Let those who feel iheir miserv, of every class, repair to him ; and they wili bo blessed with "the peace of God which passeth all undcr\iandiiin to being bomr/il with a price. But those who vhU not accept of " redemption through the blood" of Christ, must take the allernntive. In iiii atonement we see the price, and in that price the value of his riches, as well as the highest reason fur their being called his. And still another is, that spiritunl nuion with Christ is inseparable from an interest in those riclu.'s. To none but those who receive Him is the privilege imj)arted of becoming the sons of God. Just in proportion as " we know him, and the power of his rosiMTCction. and the fellowship of his suflering-*," are we in possession of celestial treasure. Hence believers arc said to be made partakers of Christ. Hence "all the fulness of God" is represented by the apostle as comprised in his dwcUing in the heart by faith. Such, my brethren, is the theme of the Christian Min- istry, — a theme whose resources even eternity will not exhaust, but the interest of which will on the contrary increase with the progression of the knowledge and the existence of the redeemed, lorever. It opens mines of relesiial wealth which Paul, uho had been rapt into the third heavensi and o!i whose expansive intellect the reveal- ing Spirit shone in full i'iunnnation, after endeavouring in vain to to explore, pronounces avg^jp^viatfrov unsearchable. The etymological import of the term is — whose footsteps it is impossible to trace. And unless you can by searching find out God, unless you can find out the Almighty to perfection, you cannot comprehend the wisdom, the power, the grace, the glory, involved in the riches of Christ, THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 267 1)6 gacrificial 1 corruptible us blood of [)ropoiimle»l ', iiled for tlie on, by those )Uy searching Imighty to the power, of Christ^ There is a certain class of religionists who seem sensitively afraid lest men should think too highly ef Jesus Christ; and when they discover in any part of Scriptuit; a passage, or even a phrase, which, by an artful perversion of its true design, enables them the more speciously to dilute and reduce the meaning of such expressions as this in the text, they rejoice as one that tindeth great spoil. Such persons may talk with an eloquence as bland as that of Ulysses in Homer — of the union of moral beauty and grandeur in the character of Jesus — of his example at once so pure and «o persuasive — of the relations so tender and so important which he sustains to the world ; but while they deny his essential Deity, he is insulted rather than honoured by their most splendid compliments: by such expedients they may impose upon " cnildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine," but they are not very likely to succeed in deceiving the elect. The true reason why the riches of Christ are, and will ever remain inconceiv- able in all their amplitude by finite understandings, is, that they arc the riches of The Infinite. Who can compre- hend the glory of the redeeming acts which the Great Head of the Church has already performed ! And yet we " which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for tiie a(lo[)tion — the redemption of the body." Though heirs of (ioD we have not yet come to years of majority. Oh ! the untold — the unimmrined glories within the veil ! There vve shall hehoUl the throne of God and the Lamb, and drink of the vital river which, clear as crystal, issues tlience ! There the petition of Moses, — the supreme desire of every believing soul, " I beseech thee shew me thy glory !" will be answered by Divine manifestations which mortal humanity could not for a moment have sustained — manifestations which will increase in richness, in refulgence, and in assimilating cHicacy, through the ages of immortality ! 268 THB EXALTED OBJECTS OP II. Having thus exhibited the theme, I now proceed to illustrate the objects of the Christian Ministry. They are thus described by the apostle: "'J'o make all men sec what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of Cod." From which declaration we learn, that while the immediate object of the evangelic ministry is the spiritual illumination of mankind ; in its ulterior bearings it embraces "the prin- cipalities and powers in heavenly places'' — all the various orders of God's holy intellectual creation. The immediate aspect of the Gospel revelation is, of course, upon man for whom principally it was made — for whom the Son of God was invested with his redeeming oflice — for whom he left the bosom of the Father and expired in atoning agony upon the cross — for whom he is now on the right hand of power, and ever liveth to make intercession. To turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, was therefore the primary object of the mission and ministry of the apostle, as it is also of ours. And this momentous object is only to be accom- plished by enlightening them to perceive the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God. The sense to be attached to the term, mystery, in this place, is sufficiently apparent from the explicative clause which immediately follows it. It simply imports something secret, or undeveloped. The apostle refers, as is obvious from the context, to the Divine purpose relative to the ad- mission of the Gentiles to an equal parlicpation of spiritual privileges with the Jews, under the Christian dispensation ; and he calls that purpose a mystery, because, depending as it did upon the 8overeign pleasure of the Deity, it was THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 269 w proceed to To make all , which from II God, who cnt that now places might m of God." he immediate I illumination js "the prin- ,11 the various elation is, of as made — for lis redeeming p Father and r whom he is veth to make gill, and from >rimary ohject it is also of o be accom- ellowship of le world hath |s/cry, in this native clause rts something »s is obvious |ve to the ad- of spiritual llispensation ; ?, depending )eity, it was impervious to the research of human reason, and had hitherto remained shaded in obscurity. Previously to its being brought to light by the gospel, it was hid in God. But, it may be asked — Was this important part of the redeeming plan concealed ; was the voice of inspiration entirely silent as to the purpose of God to call the Gentiles into his church, until the period arrived for its practical manifesta- tion ? Is it not plainly involved in the magnificent promise made to Abraham, that in his seed all the naiions of the earth should be blessed ? Did not the evangelical prophet with rharactc'stic clearness declare, "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the i)rcsorved Israel : I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the eml of the earth ?" And was it not a prominent object of the apostle in reasoning with the christians of Rome, to evince that the accession of the Gentiles to the fold of the Redeemer was perfectly in accordance with the anticipations of prophecy? All this is readily admitted. Yet — if the light emitted by the prophetic oracle on this subject shone in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not; if "they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, (slfCToTrtv, literally, were in an ecstasy) because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost;" if an immediate revelation was necessary to make known to Paul himself — deeply versant though he was in the writings of the prophets — "the mystery^ that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same hotly, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel ;" then may it with truth be aflirmcd — that, till the day spring from on high hath visited us, this benignant purpose of the Deity was virtually concealed within his own bosom, — that, to adopt the apostle's words in the previous part of this chap- ter, it " was not made known unto the sons of men as" (in a manner so perspicuous and Bpecific) " it is now revealed y2 270 THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF unto his holy apostles and'' evangelic " prophets by the Spirit." It was obviously ilenianded by the destination of St. Paul as "the apostle of the Gentiles," that, on a subject 80 intimately connected with the ellicierit discharge of his peculiar functions he should be favoured with the clearest revelations: and in reference to his ellbris universally to diffuse the illumination thus shed upon his own mind, and to vinilicate the Divine procedure i\\ " visiting the (lentiles to take out of them a people for his name," he could say, with the confidence of truth, " Inasiiiuch as 1 am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnifv^ mine olfice." Though it be seldom achnissible to introduce into the pulpit (juestions which approj)riately belong to the depart- ment of biblical criticism, the proper elucidation of this branch of our subject seems here to call for a moment's deviation from the ordinary course. Instead of xoivoivia, fcllows/n/j, a large proportion of the best ancient INIanu- scripta. Versions and Printi'd Eilitions of the New Testa- ment, as well as the Greek Fadiers, have oixwvofxia, the DISPENSATION or ECONOMY, " of the niystcrv." To the adoption of this reading there is hardly a dissentient voice among the learned. JMacknight indeed maintains the gen- uineness of the former; but is evidently influenced in his preference by the imagined sanction it alfords to his favourite but fanciful theory of interpretation wherever the term mystery occurs in this epistle — that the apostle employs it in allusion to the Pugnji mysteries. That which we have suggesteii, however, besides being supported by all but unexceptionable documentary evidence, accords much better, as will be perceived on examination, with the scope of the entire passage. In the preceding part of the chapter the apostle speaks of "the dispensation of the grace of God" which was given to him, and immediately explains vsrhat he meant by calling it "the mystery of Christ,^^ There is an allusion in the original word rendered dispen' OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 271 < prophets by the the destination of ' that, on a suhject it diricharge of his d with the clearest oris univer?ally to l»is own mind, and isiting the (ientiles me," lie could say, uch as 1 am the oflice.'* introduce into the ong to the dcpart- ?lucidation of this [ill for a moment's instead of xo»vwv»a, est ancient Manu- )f the New Testa- lave oixwvojjLia, the ivsterv." To the a dissentient voice maintains the gen- ; influenced in his rds to his favourite hercver the term apostle employs That which we supported by all |»ce, accords much 11, with the scope art of the chapter of the grace of Tiediately explains \stery of Christ" rendered dispen- sation, to domestic economy, or the plan adopted in the manacrement of the uffuirs of a family. The church 'i» the house, or family, ofGon; and the Divine admistration of its iilVairs has assumed various forujs in dilVerent ages of the world. The Mosaic dispensation diflereil from Uie Patriarchal; and the glory of the Gospel eciMJonr^ sur- passes them both. And what gives it this pre-eminence? The texi . jrnishes the reply, liy proclaiming the unsearch- able riches of Christ it unveils to an adiuiring world the dispensation of the mystery which was hid from ages and generations — it clearly exhibits that undisiinguishing grace of Gou by which Christ " taste calh for evkry man" — it throws o[)en the gates of Ziuu lor the admission of all, Gentiles as well as Jews, who .>eek a sanctuary from wrath and sin under the covering of the Divine and universal ATONEiMENT, Tliis is the dispensation of the niystery with the glory of which the great apostle was specially designated by the ascended Redeemer to irradiate the whole earth. Respecting God, in whose mmd this mystery so long lay concealed, it is significantly added — '' who created all things by Jesus Christ." The declaration in the epistle to tiie Hebrews — '* by whom also he made the worlds" — is strictly parallel. In both instances, ma, by, designates, not the instrumental, but the principal or ejjicicnt cause of the creation, a use of that preposition alike in accordance with classical and sacred usage. Here, indeed, the idea of instrumentality or subordinate agency is palpably absurd because necessarily preeluiled by the exigency of the case. To create is the inalienable prerogative of the Almighty. No finite being could give existence to the minutest atom, or in the slightest degree contribute to its production. Pie who created all things must have been before all things, and unquestionably possesses the incommunicable attributes of Supreme Divinity. Some, instead of by, propose to render, for, or, on whose account, which would designate V] >> /^ '•^ 7 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1*1 — I^IS 1.1 ir KS 1.6 IL25 i 1.4 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 0* 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 z 272 THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF Christ as the final cause of the creation. Without pre- tending to determine which of these interpretations is here philologically correct, we know on the highest authority that, dodrinally, both are true. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers j all things were created by him and FOR him." It would seem to have been the apostle's design by the clause under consideration to intimate that the motive by which the Deity was actuated in creating the" world is to be sought in redemption, — that when he was rearing the stupendous fabric of the universe, he was, in fact, erecting a theatre for a sublimer and more complete exhibition of His character than all its stars, and suns, and systems are fitted to display. Need I remind you, my brethren, that the efforts of St. Paul, to make all men acquainted with the dispensation of the mystery with which he was charged, and of the dignity and importance of which he entertained such exalted conceptions, were directed to lead them to not merely an intellectual, but to j*n experimental, transforming and praC' Heal knowledge of the saving plan. What, in his estimation, was emphatically the riches of ike glory of this mystery ? Let himself answer: *' Christ in you the hope of glory, whom we preach." But though this is the primary object of the Christian Ministry, which is thence appropriately termed " the min- istry of reconciliation,'^^ its design does not terminate here. It takes a wider, loftier range. Whilst it is the grand means instituted and most signally owned of God for bringing back to his family the self-exiled children of the fall, it is at the same time fraught with intellectual interest and practical utility to those elder members of his household who have never thrown off their allegiance to his authority. Angels were among the auditors of Paul ; and, though proverbial THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 273 Without pre- retations is here ighest authority T him were all it are in earth, s, or dominions, created by him en the apostle's nlimate that the in creating the" t when he was 'se, he was, in more complete ;, and suns, and lie efforts of St. dispensation of d of the dignity such exalted not merely an ning and prac- 1 his estimation, ^ this mystery ? hope of glory, the Christian led " the min- terminate here, e grand means bringing back all, it is at the and practical lold who have >rity. Angels ugh proverbial for their wisdom, were not ashamed to take a lesson on redemption from his lips; they undervalued not the treasure because, instead of being themselves entrusted with its distribution, it was deposited in earthern vessels, mean and fragile : " To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." By this designation the idiom of the New Testament admits of our understanding no other class of beings than those to whom it obviously applies, — all the different ranks of spiritual existence that occupy the heavenly mansions. Nor is this the only portion of Scripture in which they are portrayed to us as contem- plating with the liveliest emotions of interest the work of human salvation. When God was manifest in the flesh, with feelings of admiration which beings who had witnessed and celebrated his pre-existent glory alone could experience, he was seen of angels. The apostle Peter when advert- ing to the diligence with which the ancient prophets applied their minds to obtain a clear perception of the blessings of the evangelic covenant, and to ascertain with precision the time of its introduction, withdraws the veil from the celestial world, and exhibits its inhabitants as similarly engaged. "Which things" says he, "the angels desire to look into," SIS 'a s