..^... > IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) r^(9 .^^ 1.0 2.2 LI !!^ M° III 2.0 1.25 III 1.4 111.6 ^ 6" - ^ ^. ^. V] <^ 7J (p'^fc^^"'^ /A Sciences Corporation 23 WSST MAIN STRKT WEBSTER, N.Y. I4SS0 (716) 873-4503 1 ^^ °\A. ~JL. 'V- ;:l f/j 1 HONORARY CANON OF THE CATHEDRAL OP CHRIST's CHmOH, AM) .RECTOR OF ran PARISH OF ST. JOHN, IfcB. J ^ ■• i^l <»^ M H :^i ^> \\\ '\ W !<■; 10 T/-;l ^lU H/^f (.!^. [-(HT In committing these Sermons to the Press, the Author of them desires to say, thiit they were not written with any view to their being published. He is quite sensible of their defects; but cheerfully coaiplies with the request of his Parishioners, and shall be truly glad, if in the haij.ds of the Spirit, they should be made instrumental in strengthening the iaith or animating the hopes of those, amongst whom it has long been his privilege to minister in holy things. His earnest desire and prayer for them is that they niuy live " looking^ for and hasting unto the coming of the day of Christ," and be found waiting for and ready to welcome Him, when the time oi His glorious Advent arrives. • ' •,!;nCJ ?t TgliUlJ iO -TAiiG'UtT/ •"•■ ■^•.vt\.3 (5. Vh/v^ Y^uu f,TTM-->M (HI desires to ihod. He request of pirit, they ating the linister in ' riiuy live 1 be found I glorious ro-'' :(U^/ ill !'<• rh'rl it^^'iu i]hiA'iUiii!l otmI .'/ ' Til.''- • ') :'.oi!'rnq • ■I, ul'uN 'V-^niE SEOONT) ADVENT OF OfTK LOliD. !(. ;i. ' / '.■■' W^'li. , I !.>':• i i ! ' •?) I . " Where is the proniiao of His ooining V'^IJ. Peter, iii. 4. The true posture of the uiilitaiit Clmrcn is a waiting one. It has always hofore it an object of exiioetation. That object, nndertbe rfewish economy, was Messiah's adx'ent in the tiesh. He Avas to come indeed as the Ivini/" of Zion and Lord of His Temple, yet as the man of sorrows ard y 1; acquainted with grief, divested of form and comeliness, afriicted of God and (U^spised hy Ma,n. Under the Chris- tian dispensation the oves of the waiting Church are still directed to the same object, but under widely different circumstances. It Is not now the infant of Betlilehem, but the mighty and tri.umphant God, not the feeble sciqn of the house of David, hut the Lord of Glory, not bending under the Cross, but seated upon a throne, not followed by a few timid disoiples, but surrounded l)y myriads of lieav- enly spirits, all radiant with the beauty of holiness, ready and able to execute their Lord's commands. To this object believers, under the Gospel, are taught to look f^^ward with intense desire, as the blessed hope of the Church, as a matter of great rejoicing and inevitable certainty, but still with much obscurity, as to the {»recise time of its oc(uirrence. They may investigate prophecies .v K li MO Ns r p X T II I-: ami scrutinize their circle of dates, and endeavor to find the i^Mitre where their radii meet; but all in vain ; -'of tliut day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in lioaven, but the Father onlv." Tli« reason why these things are thus phiced beforo us in Sc-iipture is obvious. This expecting' state is favorable to propurution : and the obscurity which rests upon the ques- tion of time, shews the necessity for being always prepared : it suvH to all the expectants of that glorious event, "Be ye ulsu ready, for at such an hour as ye think not, tlic Son of man vometh." Tlio Scriptures, however, by no moans authorize us to suppose, that all who hear the Gospel and have the oppor- tunity of knowing these things, will be influenced by such ail oxpectatiou. On the contrary the}' plainly tell us that tin- re will be niann even in the latter days, when these <*vcnts are hastening on to their consummation, who will set at naught the warnings they oifer, some praclicalljj de- nying them by their unlioly lives, "having the form of godlincs.s, and denying the power thereof," others rejec^t- Ing thorn, not merely in practice, but in theory too, openly soofting at the thought of a final retribution, and demnnd- ing. in reference to the Judge of quick and dead. " where is the promise of his coming " ? lielieving it to be well for the Christian to be preparoii fur this state of things, especially in times like the presenr wiien so much infidelity prevails, I purpose to take this ^lemand of the unbeliever, as the subject of our reflections to-day. weighing first the Qubstion, and then the Chris- tian">! answer to it ; and for a week or two to come, to follow out the important revelations of this instructive chapter in regard to the second Advent, and the immediate ron. sequences of it, both to man, and to the world which he at present inhabits. x /-; / • n V /) ,1 nv /■: y r o r o i n i. o n n. g May the Spirit of (iod ha our giii(li3 uwd tom^Uor while n'O are einployoresent themselves to an ingenuous mind, they are not eagerly grasped at, or used for any bad purpose. They are not boasted of as the discoveries of an independent mind, or employed for the purpose of undermining the laith of others. Thoy are a grief to the person wlio feels them. They lead liim to humble inquiry, to fervent prayer, to patient waiting uj)on God, and are sure in (iJod's good time to be removed." A man of refined taste and education, who had been thrown into the soeieiy of infidels in his early days, once stated his doubts to me. lie said he sincerely wished that he could believe the Bible for he felt that infidelity could never make him happy. There was avoid in liis soul that it could uot fill. After conversing witli ]iim much on the subject of his doubts, I recommended him to //•// p7'at/er, and to persist in it eveii in the midst of doubts. At the end of six months, he franklv confessed that his #V iif>t wlicthor he is now livijijjf or tiot, hut I do Kmiow tliiit, l>»'loro ho lot't th<^ coriininnity wh(M'o I then rosidod, ho wns ;i oonstMJit iind upparcntly Hincoro and t'orvent coinTnuiii- cunt in my Cliurch. ' , / Thiii'o iiro others, whose donhts are the i-oHnlt of moral rMtlierthan intelloctnal causes; and yet it may ho t)>ey are not thnniselves /mwow/ persons, or even oonseions ot'tlie ri'al source from wlience tViose doubts arise. ThcMr seepti- (.'isiu. in some iu'^ranues, springs from the dis^ijust tliey 'eel at seeing" th«.^ ineonsisteneies of religious persona, and fr(>m avtaehing too much importatice to their mistakes and in- lirmities, thus failing to diseriminate between the essentia! verifies of riiligion, and the mere eireumstantials that atletid it in perso!)-^ of w(^alv intellects, though it may be of sincere liearts. These (h.)ubters are. in rnanv instances, nior-.' ro l>hime than the pei'sons ti'om \\'hom they (ierive their pleas for doubting. Tliey are responsible for not aualvsi)!,''- their own feeling's, and tracing; out tlie tmo cause of their nnbeiief. if they examined their hearts faithtnlly tliey would see that, pride oi- vanity, or tliiB mere gratifica- tion of taste was the true cause from wiieuce their doubts sprufig, in other words, that they were mere prejudices, fostered by their owti internal emotions, and as such ren- dering them criminal before God. \ , .,, . Bijt tb.c persons who put tlie ([uestion in the text belong to neither of the classes I have uoav named. The context shows that they are nien of a very different stamp. Tlieir unbelief arises, not from the difficulty of reconciling Scrip- ture with science, or witli itself, uor from the inconsisten- cies they observe in those who profess to bo religious, but simply from the love of sin, aud the wish to pursue it un- disturbed by tlie rebukes of conscience, or the terrible forebodings of ;i future judgment. -' ' " • St. E\^.ter gives us in the context, a full length portrait of s Hco A' fi A i> V /•; iV 7 fi I o r n l o i; n. 7 thcso jioir.oiirt. Uo (loHcriboH tlu'in uh ''HoolKirti," mon who, like V^)ltiilr(sti'oiittbo\vlK)lo subject, of relig-ioii witlipi-ofaiit.' (uiiiiviupt iitul ridiciilo, and whose umiiiu'i- of life iy worthy of tlieir cnH'(l, bcins; Htiiiiied with the grossest iinpnriti(.'s. lie Htvh''^ tlieui "Hjtots jind blemisheH," nieuiiini;- that they j were a diHo-race and Hcundal to the Chri.^tian name. Ifr represcMitH tJuMn iw "sporting themselves witli their own doeeivings" while tlicy mingled with tiie faitiiful in their holy foaats ;" as having " eyes full of adultery, and that j eannot cease from sin" as ''beguiling unstable aouls," alluring into the paths of death those who had previously i '" escaped from the pollutiouH of the world, through the I knowknlge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." " 1 It mav seem atranirc to us that such men eonld intro- duce themselves into Ohristiun society at all, that they should be permitted for a moment to retain th« name of $ Christian.s and still more so, that they should be sufltered t to minii:le with Christians in their holy rites. But we see : enough, at the present day, to convince us that men of ' licentious habits still cling to the forms of Christianity, and that Teacliers of the grossest heresies, adhere \.o offices t from which emoluments are derived. I t^uch are the men who put the question in the text. Let us now inquire icIiaX they mean by it? It is quite pos- sible for such a question to ha put by ihe true Christian to indicate his ardent desire for his Saviour's advent Thus the martyrs of old were represented as crying from beneath the Altar, " bow long, Lord, holy and true dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood, on them that dwell on the earth?" But when the scoffer asks, "where is the promise of His coming," he has a very different mean- ing. His object is to deny that Christ will ever come for the purpose ^e^c^fi^ciji^gcripture, yi^,.tojudg9.t|}e; World; '■ * See chapter 2. ;. , ,., ^.n^W^k 11 I w lu f; .V A' n iW (f A' A r I (> \ r ii /• iiiid thU, witli the I'urtlier object of lUHloniiinin^- tho I'aith ot'othern, and releasing thciii from those fears of a future judgment, which exercise a rcHtraint ui»ori tiifir <'onduct. Uut why uudermiue tlie faitli ot otlicrs ? Wliy not al- low thciii to clioriKli their expectation, even if it be delu- sive, of happiness beyond the tomb ? Hecause my lireth- rcn, wicked men do not wish to stand alone : they like to have companions in their guilt, imismuch as it tends to al- lay their own ir^ars. Tliey wish that the holy Jesus may never come to judge the VV^orh!, and labor to strengthen their own convictions that he never Avill, by subverting the fu'.th of others and drawing then, into their own wretched delusions. There is a lurking apprehension in the mind of the Infidel, that the testimony of the 13ible, as to the return of Christ, may after all prove true, an appre- hension which the presence of a firm and consistent be- liever tends to deepen. On the other hand, the vacilla- tions and apostacies, of unstable souls tend to encourage him. Hence his eftbrts to multiply these apostacies : hence his scoffs at the earnest Christian's belief, jind his argu- ments, such as they are, to subvert it. Some grounds however, apparent or real, unbelievers must have, for asserting that Christ will not return to judge the World; let us now therefore inquire wlii/ they profess fo think so," The reason is plainly stated in the loliowing tei*ms, "For since the Fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation."* By " tlie Fathers " are meant, the persons to whom the prophets delivered their predictions of the mighty changes for which Christians look at the second Advent : by the '' all things," the objects and operations of nature in the visible Universe around us ; and the thing asserted is, that * Chap. 2, V. 4. .V K CO s n Ah V K s T V li NT O A' U II L tl P . 13 renoaina (i years, e should y of that to wliose J aro ex- 3k at the what we 1 estima- ild burst ttle sea- 'hich we )m thofee des, our see the ! rules of he Sove- Lc attain- saved ! How inauy perhaps amougat ourselves, who are now trifling with the proffers of His love, but who may hereafter have conviction brought home to their souls, and be drawn to Christ for salvation, would in that case be found unprepared to meet their God I But will not this, you may be disposed to ask, be the case at any time upon our Lord's arrival, happen when it may V Perhaps not my Brethren, at all events, not in an equal degree. As the Gospel spreads among the nations, the collective body of mankind have the means of accepting or refusing its gracious offers more extensively placed within their reach. The rejection of these, on the part of the wicked lills up the measure of their guilt. There is also a progress for good or evil, in the moral condition of the world. As individuals ripen for glory or degradation, becoming dai- ly more fitted for the respective regions, whether of bliss or misery, which they are to occupy in a future world, so it is with nations during their national history, and with the entire population of the earth during the earth's con- tinuance. As time rolls on, the two classes of men which compose the world's population become more distinct, be- lievers more decidedly pious, unbelievers m^re intensely wicked ;'' and of this perhaps we have an intimation in the appalling description which St. Paul gives of the perilous times that are to come "in the last days,"* a description, it may be, that will have its most ample fulfillment at the closing period of the present dispensation. There is now therefore a reason for our Lord's (\e\i\,y which will not always exist; for this progress *in good or evil will one day reach its culminating point ; so that at last, when the sickle of the reaping angels is applied. " the harvest of 1:he earth will be ripe." *Il. Tiin.;^, 1— r>. ( I \: I 14 s EH Mays upon rut: May God in His abundant mercy grant, that those amongst us, who are still unconverted, still living without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world, may take advantage of that precious season while His long suf- fering lasts, to *< repent and be converted that their sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord ;" and may those amongst us who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and pledged their souls to Him, see the futility of the In- fidel's scoff, and be prepared to give to him, and to every man that asks it, "a reason of the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear."— Ahen! /^f ''M:'' ^i>J " - •'.. tfl vv.'n A : -Tijiiy T.'i»^n'; iU *> l it .-.#{!> fff «*rij ,Qr) .iK'iw/r "Hnk;t"i> til xft^^ ■^'^^> "^^ ^"^' -ir^-^i iWubfi ^ywakai sv » ■ - ■ . 10 Vtl%.iui^''i.^M ■% 1 ,> V. m at those witliont rid, may long suf- beir sins ng shall ay those gracious, f the In- to every in them, •H) l-V'.iO'JL:, flhvnhiil ri' r^ >f f fl •"> !^ *' 'f . •MM-0>i .ft 1/ "•*•"■ "Hut tho day of tlie Lord will come iia a thlof in tlio night, in tho which the heavona shall pass away with a great noise, and tho elements shall molt with fer- vent heat: the cnrth also and the works that arc therein shall be burned up." IT. Pet. iii. 10. #f5L^7s} Jains K!ib >o s-ri!*! -.r''' ■!(; j-vr •ri»i-. In the earlier versos of this Chapter, we are taught that Infidelity of the worFL kind is to be expected "in the last days." To this prediction your attention was called on Sunday last. You then saw the bearing of that Infidelity upon the Christian's blessed hope, the hope which centres in the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour J esus Christ. You saw the reason why the unbeliever wish- es to hide that prospect from his mind, nd the folly of his appeal to the permanency of Nature's Laws to aid him in his attempt. You saw, my Brethren ! and felt, I trust, that the centuries which have intervened, or which may yet intervene, between the giving and the accomplishment of the Divine promise, w^ero not to be accounted along period, that let them be multiplied as they may, they are after all, but a diminutive span, in comparison of those rolling ages which stretch into a past and future eternity, and which expand before the Infinite mind of Him, from whom that promise emanated. You were reminded also, and this is by no means the least weighty consideration that ought to sustain the believer in patiently waiting for liis Lord's return, that there is a reason, an ample reason, growing out of the benevolent designs of a merciful God, which sufficiently' accounts for every moment's delay in regard to this great event. Thus fortified against the baneful influence of the unbelievers suggestions, which often harass, even where they do not convince, let us turn "<•* mim f i h > ■I i IQ .V A' li M iV S U r N T II h' --. **. our thoughts this moruing, to some of the further disclo- sures of this Chapter upon the subject of the second Ad- vent — viz. the certainty the manner and the consequences of it. I. The Era of this great event, St. Peter styles in the text, "the day of the Lord," meaning by these terms, "the day of His coming." At the seventh verse he styles it "the day of Judgment," indicating as I conceive, that the second Advent, and the Judgment of the World, are events that stand in close proximity. nji l^ot that we are to understand the term " day which is here employed, as limited to what we mean by the solar day, or the period of twenty-four hours. In our popular use of the term, we do not necessarily so limit it. We sometimes mean by it, the duration of a man's life, some- times the age in which he lived, and sometimes we speak of the gospel day, meaning by it, the undefined period of the gospel dispensation. Precisely in the same latitude, is this term used in Scripture : it means there a duration having limits, but those limits various, and not to be as- certained by the mere force of the term itself In some instances it indicates the solar day in others a year, and in the first Chapter of Genesis, those extended- periods, marked indeed by well defined limits, but yet, as it re- gards the duration of the periods themselves, unknown to any but the Infinite God who determined them. We have nothing, therefore, to guide us as to the extent of this day of the Lord : all we know is, that the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of Heaven, prepared, as the Judge of Quick and Dead, to summon the nations of the World before Him, will initiate the morning of that day, and that its duration will be 8uflS.ciently long to accomplish the mighty objects for which He returns to it. But will that day in very deed arrive ? Are we sure that it will come ? The Apostle affirms it in the text, but t SECOND ADVENT OF OUR LOUD. yi his attestatioil is only one out of many concurrent testimo- nies. Let us recall to our minds a few of them. ' ; There is first the silent testimony of that inward moni- tor which we term conscience, awakening mysteriously in the recesses of the soul, the deep conviction, that we have a future account to render. - "^ ...k.^. ,4> .,..._.. ,. Then there is the testimony of reason, leading the thoughtful mind to infer it, from the imperfect adjust- ment of human rights in the present world. Solomon's words are striking. " I saw under the Sun the place of Judgment that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there." And what then ? Why the very inference I have named — " I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked."* : Then there is the plain and positive i ^surance of God's inspired witnesses, vQ\iQViiiQ(\. under each successive dispen- sation. Hear it from the Prophet of Antediluvian times: " Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment upon all." f Hear it from the wisest of men under the legal economy : " God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." ."j: Hear it, lastly, from the lips of the blessed Jesus himself: " When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the Throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd dividetli his sheep from the goats." § There is nothing obscure, nothing figurative, nothing mystical in this language. The testi- mony is plain, literal, unequivocal, and it extends over more than S 000 years. ;.-■? Lm^ iToj>.T.-!i!» tniii • And then, my Brethren ! there is \hQ foreshadowing of a future judgment, in those striking interpositions of Provi- * Eooles : 3— vs. 16—17. 3 t Judo 14. t Eccles. xii. 14. g Matt. 25, vs. 31 . a?. !i 18 SKHMONS UPON Tit f! ^ dence which wo Hometirnes witness, where the criminal i» drawn forth from what had seemed impenetrable shades, and convicted, by the very means he has employed to con- (!oal his guilt. Mark this, in a recent example. / i^'i Tempted, like Achan, by the glittering gold, a young man perpetrates murder in a railway carriage. No human eye is witness to it. The darkness of night envelops him. He leaves the carriage unsuspected, mingles with the «3rowd8 of the great metropolis of England, soon sails for a distant land, reaches it in safety, and is just about to mingle with its busy population. Who can interrupt his prospects ? Who can cast a suspicion upon him ? The blood of his victim indeed cries for vengeance, but that cry is too distant to be heard : the broad Atlantic rolls between to intercept it, and even if it could reach beyond its waves, it could not name the murderer. Yes, but it need not name him: his name is already told: the lining of a hat left in the blood stained carriaf^c has told it : a little paper box, given as rt play thing to a child has told it: and already the minister of Justice stands beside him: then the carefully secreted watch confirms the previous testimony : no doubt remains as to the perpetrator: he is arrested, re-conducted over the ocean he has so lately cross- ed, tried, convicted, executed, after confessing his guilt, and all, in little more than four brief months from the dark hour in which he committed the foul deed.* Is there no evidence here of an over-ruling Providence ? uo sign of retributive justice? uoforeshadowingof a future judgment? no unfold- ing of those principles of the Divine government which au- thorize us to infer what will be, from what has already been ? The sudden and unexpected manner in which these in- terpositions sometimes burst upon the criminal who imagines that he is exempt from danger, is a material cir- * See account of MiilJer's trial in London Times. . • wift'ld ■" SECOND ADVENT OF OUR LORD. 19 riminal in le shadcB, ed to con- , II .young S^o humai) 3lops liini. with tlie n sails for t about to ;errnpt hin im ? The , but that antic voIIb eh beyond fos, but it the lining told it : a Id has told Gside him : previous itor : he is itely cross- 3 guilt, and ! dark hour 10 evidence retributive no unfold- t which au- 'eady been ? h these in- ninal who material cir- cumstance that will find its counterpart at the second Advent of our Lord. To inipresn ihis upon us is the ob- ject of the comparison which wo find in the text, as well as in other passages of Scripture, between the coming of Christ, and the coming of a thief at night. s[\y\o );/ i . An extraordinary iiiferencc has been drawn from this comparison by persons wh se imaginations outweigh their judgments, that prior to vhe coming of Christ on that august occasion, the bodiefj of the saints will be secretly removed from their repting-places in the tomb, and translated to the presence of their Lord. This extravaga ., c deduction from the comparison between the coming of ouv Lord and the coming of the thief at night has arisen from overlooking the fact, that the design of the com^jarison is not to illustrate the object, but the manner of nis coming, and, in regard to this, simply, that it will be sudden and unexpected. It was never meant to indicate that our Lord's Advent, at that time would be either secret in itself, or for secret purposes. On the contrary, the whole Universe will v/itness both His coming and His acts. As the light- ning cometh out of tlie East, and shineth even unto the West, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." And when the opening tombs release their awakened tenants, whether those who rise to descend again into deeper gloom, or those who rise to shine as the brightness of the firma- ment and as the stars forever and ever, th3 Archangel's trump will announce the fact, in the recesses, however re- mote, of Heaven, Earth and Hell ; and yet, it will be true, in accordance with the revelation in our text, that the Ad- vent of Christ will be a sudden and unexpected event, b}' a portion, at least, of the then living occupants of the world. Vast changes I doubt not, will take place in the relative positions of the Church and the world before this event occurs. The Gospel message will have sounded in the I I if 20 SKliMONS UPON Tlfe ears, unci no doubt will have reached the hotirts of tlioir- sunds and tonn of thousands now sitting in Pagan darkness and the deep shades of moral death. It may be that not one member of the human family at that time, wi'll l)e ig- norant of the name and gracious invitations of Christ. But there may be myriads who will have rejected them, through unbelief and hardness of heart, and who will be saying, as Infidels have ever said in profane derision, "where is the promise of His coming?" ^ .m^m..,^,.... What a dreadful shock must such men realize then ! What an icy coldness must seize upon the springs of life when doubt gives way to conviction, when delusion flees l)eforc the actual vision of the Christ of God, when the scofi' cannot, banish, and the laugh cannot drown, and com- panions cannot hide the solemn truth, that all must stand before the eludgment Seat ! Our imaginations may give us some faint conceptions of the thrill of horror which rushed through the soul of a solitary criminal, when ho saw be- fore him, on the deck, the officer of Justice ; but who can measure, in his thoughts, the terrible consternation, height- ened by the sympathy of millions, which will seize the un- converted, when they look upon the radiant countenance of the Lord of Glory ? Whose lips could then sing, in unfaltering tones ? . J' ' r ^ . . ♦ f . • f '' Great God, wh;it do I see and hoar ! " The end of things created : "The Judge of all men doth appear, ■'• ' ; " On clouds of Glory seated : "The trumpet sounds the graves restore " The dead which they contained before." t/li.? )'. :'ti9>a 11. Yes, the graves will restore their dead. What a preliminary, my Brethren ! to the solemn events that are to follow ! That restoration I presume, will include the bodies of the just as well as the unjust, for I see no inti- .V Knt y/t A I) y a; ,v r o f or n t. o n n. 21 inution hore or olsovvlicre, of uiiy prolractfd interval bo- twoon the riHuig of tliCHc; two classes, unleHH we are to find it ill one highly tigurativc passage in Revelations, winch has, I think, a totally different meaning, and which would have to form an exception to the general mode oi' interpretation which that Prophecy demands, in order to warrant this view of it.* . . , ;f<.,! ...u ....... « . ..And when this stiipcndons event has occurred, vvlien the Tombs of successive ages, and Hie areas, of IJattle tields, and the recesses of the mighty deep, have yielded up their tenants, and their kindred spirits have come from the invisible world to occupy them again, then shall all stand, not on the surface of the earth, that would be too contracted a sphere, but in the regions of the clouds above us, where all. Angelic as well as human, who encii- cle the tlirone of our Incarnate God, will find a place pre- pared for -them. And that, my Brethren ! will be 3''our leave-taking of the present world as you now behold it, though not your immediate introduction to that difterent scene, which you are to occupy, when the cycles of time liave completed their revolutions. ,-, , , i *. For then comes the awful crisis which is properly termed "the day of Judgment " because it will witness that final adjudication as to the state and destinies of men, of which all temporal and intermediate Judgments are but the fee- ble adumbrations. Then each one of ub must give an ac- count of himself or herself to God, a seperate account, a full account, embracing every transaction, every word and every thought that has been connected with our personal history, and each of these, with a precision that cannot mistake, and an impartiality which cannot be impeached, will have *Tbo Autlior is d in the context, the "day of perdition of miffodly men.'' The word " nngodly " comprehends all who have !»ot the love of God in their hearts, and whose lives are not conformed to the demands of Christ's holy Gospel. Of all such, though doubtless among them, there will be various shades of guilt, and, as the result of these varieties, a penalty adapted to the state of each, yet, of all such, there is one emphatic term that describes their final des- tiny, and that term is "perdition," a word which conveys an intimation the more apprMing, because it does not mean annihilation, or a state of unconsciousness, but that sad condition to which the Scripture afiixes the name of the "second death," and, to represent the misery and per- petuity of which, it employs the most terrific images which language can supply. I know, my Brethren, that people do not like to hear much upon this subject now. The doctrine of eternal punishment is not a popular one. The sickly sentimentalism of the age shrinks back from it. Infidels revile it; divines too frequently soften it, and high tribunals treat it as an open question. But God's word, whether declared by Prophets, Apostles, or the Holy Jesus hinidelf, describes the penalty of those who fall short of the Kingdom of Christ, as an eternal one, as a living death, which admits of no reversal, beyond the probationary term of the present life. It is here, my Brethren, in this preparatory school, Sh'CONO A I) V K N T O A' (KUt hOlU). 28 whoro roiMcditil muuHurcs cuii hv. employcU, wlicm i\\t offorH ot inorcy arc Hounding in our curs, und the |»rovi- nions of morcy arc uvvtiiting our accoptunco, tliat llu- possibility of escaping tlio wrath to come, is afforded to the sinner. In the world that sin marred, must the par- don of sin 1)0 gained, if it bo ever gained at all. Bui how will it bo gained there, when the world itself ban readied the termination of its career, boiiig blotted I'rom existence altogether, or so changed in its condition and use, as to be no longer the abode of an Apostate and fallen race? ., , ./This mightj revolution in the physical conditioi» of our world is the point that now claims attention. Let us ponder it for a moment. The pen of inspiration says that "the heavens shall pass away with a groat noise" that "being on fire, they shall !)e dissolved," that "the oloraents shall melt with fervent heat," that "the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." In touching upon a subject so utterly beyond the reach of our experience or powers of computation, it behoves us to take heed not to go beyond what is written. It is un- wise, I conceive to attempt to fill up the blanks which scripture has left unfilled, or to define what revelation has left undefined; but there arc some things in this descrip- tion which are plain, level to our comprehension, which are intended to bo understood and to leave their impres- sion upon us. It seems obvious, in the first place that the language employed here, is to bo received in a literal, and not in a figurative sense. The Apostle is not using the terms Earth, Heaven, elements, as symbols of spiritual things. By the Earth, he means the Globe we tread upon : by the heavens, the aerial regions that immediately surround us : and by the elements, just what we mean, and what the 24 suHMoys rpoN thk ancients meant by that term ; air, water, earth, the compo- nent parts of this material fabrick. That this literal ac- ceptation is the true one here, the whole design a!id scope of the passage, together with the allusion to the rlelnge, as an illustration, places, I hink, beyond a doubt. Another point that may be viewed as certain, is the fact, that " fire " is to be the instruraeni employed to accom- plish the destruction which is here predicted, whatever the nature or extent of that destruction may be. And, independently of revelation's testimony upon this point, which is as plain as language can make it, there is nothing in itself more probable than the suggestion. When we reflect that fire \ras a constituent part in the original com- position of our vVorld, that the World itself was once in a irelted condition under its influence, that it probably still rages with intense i:eat at the Earth's centre, and that it would only require the increase of one of the com- ponent parts of our atmosphere, or the diminution oi another, to cause these aerial heavens to burst into flames around us, we see that what revelation disclosed upon this point at a remote period, is in perfect harmony with the discoveries of science in after times. We reach however a more difficult question, when we come to inquire into the extent of that destruction, which is here predicted. The language employed is strong. Of the heavens, it is said, " they shall bo dissolved and pass away," of the "elements," that "they shall melt with fer- vent heat," of '• the Earth and its works," that they "shall be burned up." The melting, the dissolving, the burning, the passing-uLOug, are all plainly asserted. But what does this mean ? Annihilation of the materials of our World ? Not necessarily. The blotting it out from its place in the planetary system ? It may be so, or it may not. The re- duction of its surface to a state of utter desolation, so that SlCaOND ADVENT OF O U li LORD. 26 the vestiges of man's inhabitation of it, shall be forever obliterated ? Yes, undoubtedly, at the lowest estimate, it must mean this. It must, as far as its adaptation to be the abodio of man extends, imply a total destruction. His world, with which he has been conversant, with all its beauties and defects, with all its pleasures and its sorrows, with all the magnificence of nature, with all the achieve- ments of art and science, must crumble under the power of the devouring flame, and pass into oblivion. It may then be the will of God to renovate it again for other purposes ; or it may be His will to leave it for ever, a barren waste, without atmosphere, without vegetation, without inhabi- tant, a vacant, lonely, sin-smitten monument of the wrath of Heaven. But, whichever of these it may please the Sovereign of the Universe to choose, this Earth and these heavens, as we now behold them, will have passed away, not by a gradual process, as nature's changes are now conducted, but by a rapid and violent convulsion, the suspension, if so we are pleased to term it, of those wise but misconstrued laws, in which the Infidel finds tbo pledge, of a permanency never to end. What a scene my Brethren, will that be to witness ! Can the heart contemplate it, even at a distance, without feelings of the deepest awe ? When a cyclone rolls over a single city, or a conflagration rages through a single village, what consternation spreads on every hand ! What sadness, what amazement, what terror, as the power of the raging element increases, and the helplessness of man becomes more and more apparent, and the work of ruin spreads, without indicating the limits of its desolating commission ! Yet, what are such events, but the drops of water to the Ocean, or the grain of sand to the whole world, in comparison of that tremendous sight, where every city, and every forest, and every wave of the vast 4 i'»VW" .\'o"!l,llHJl4il Jl I, UlllUMI 26 SEJiMON.'i UPON Tllh' Ocean and of tlie still vaster fields of ether that oucirclf it, shall dissolve under the power of the devouring flame ? "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my wcrd," said the blessed Jesus, "shall not pass away," Do you credit this ray Brethren ? Do you expect to v/itness this terrific scene ? Do you realize the fact, tliat when your bodies have slept for a season in the silent tomb, and your spirits have been conversant for a little while with that invisible world, the scenes of which, as far as we are concerned, are veiled in impenetrable mystery, your eyes will actually look upon a dissolving world, upon the com- plete dissolution of nature's frame work here, the utter destruction of terrestrial things, as far as they have been adjusted to your occupancy and comfort ? Then why should you idolize that world ? Why risk your happiness in Eternity, to amass its ti'casures? Why spend the little span of human probation, in rearing the memorials of ambitious folly, as if " your houses were to continue for- ever, and your dwelling-places to all generations "? O, is it not better to "seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness," to secure "an inheritance that is incor- ruptible," to embrace the free pardon and bow to the laws of Christ, that when the crumbling tenements of this world have passed away, you may have a mansion in Kis Father's house, as glorious as it is permanent, as full of rest and purity and joy, as your present abode is of unrest, disquietude, and sin ? — Amen. A, -ii ^4 'it ■' Novortholosii wis, according to Ili» promise, look for new Heavens, and u new lilarth, wherein dwelloth righteouBnoss.''— II. Pet. iii. 13. In contemplating the events connected with the second Advent, we have reached the point at which the history of this workl ends. If beyond the destruction which this chapter describes, and to which our attention has been already drawn, there remains for it any further uses in connection with the moral Government of God, or the destiny of His intelligent creatures, the Great Author of revelation has not seen fit to disclose it. As far as our knowledge extends it becomes as much a blank in the Creation, as the flowers and fruits of that terrestrial Paradise, in which our first parents spent the happy morning of their days. To the man whose all of hope centres in the present world, this thought must be a painful one indeed. What a gloomy prospect is it for him to think of the instantaneous destruction of all that is fair and lovely and attractive In earthly scenes ! to see, by anticipation, the beauties of nature and the products of art and science, the wealth of the merchant, the books of the learned, the monuments of the ambitious, reduced, by one stroke of Divine vengeance, to the smouldering pile of ruins ! Yes, no doubt the thought of such u judgment, must be a sad one, to the man who lives at ease in his possessions, whose comforts all emanate from a worldly source, and whose affections all centre in the scenes with which he is conversant here. But is this the case with all ? Is it so now ? Will it be so hereafter ? Look, my Brethren, at msmmm 28 SERMONS UPON Til K that emphatic word, with which the text begins, for it marks a contrast hero. " Nevertheless," says the Apostle, after describing the terrific scenes that will present themselves to the spectators of a dissolving world, "nevertheless," notwithstanding the mighty work of devastation, which sweeps away the resting place of the unbeliever, and scatters for ever his worldly prospects and visionary hopes, "nevertheless," we, who knew be- fore-hand that this event was coming, ive who believe in the Son of God, and to whom His Glorious Gospel han " brought life and immortality to light," " loe look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Such is the bright prosi^ect that expands before the mind of the true believer in the Son of God. The passing away of these heavens and this earth, however solemn such an event may seem to him, does not, as in the case of others, annihilate his hope ; because, when he has done with these, he has more than an equivalent for them, in the happier regions to which he is hastening. I. But whence this expectation, my Brethren ? Who authorized the Christian to entertain it? The Apostle tells us that it rests upon a good foundation, the promise of God himself, "we, according to IBs promise, look for new lieavens, and a new earth." Where then is that promise recorded ? There are many promises emanating from the lips of our Lord and His Apostlv?s, in reference to the resurrection and eternal life ; but ^vhere do we find the express words of this promise, as St. Peter gives them to us in the text. In the Revelations of St. John no doubt we find them, but then that prophecy was not written when St. Peter ^^enned this Epistle. Again we find them in the sixty-fifth chapter of the prophet Isaiah. There at the seventeenth verse, we read, " For behold I create new Heavens and a new earth," the identical words, you per- .S' K V N n A D V li N T O F U H L It I) 20 ceivc, which St. Peter uses; and I have no doubt, as u (luotation from this very passage. It is true that the Pro- phet makes use of imagery in this chapter, which seems more applicable to the Church on earth than to the Church in glory, and particularly to the Jewish people after their restoration to Divine favor. But this does not prohibit the idea that some of its glowing promises are to have a higher fulfilment. It is obvious that several of its predic- tions look onward to the times of the Messiah, whose kingdom was to begin in this world, but to be consum- mated in heaven. Now, in describing the glories of that kingdom the prophets in general, and Isaiah more espe- cially, appear to me to blend together without any labour- ed distinction, the terrene and the celestial images. They classify Messianic events, not so much according to their chronology as their character ; so that in looking at a chap- ter which describes the blessings that are to be conferred upon God's church in after times, we discern a number of bright and beautiful images presented to our eyes without seeing the intervals of time between them, just as we look at the stars appearing in the firmamental heavens, as if they were all marshalled on the same plane, though in reality they are severed from each other by inconceivable distances. The Christian ttien need not hesitate to derive hopes of future glory from this promise because it is found in connexion with others which have a less exalted refer- ence. Suffice it that the same Spirit which authorized the Prophet to utter that promise under the old economy, has taught an Apostle to interpret it under the new, and that his interpretation bids us look beyond this earthly scene for the fulfilment of it. But what are the objects to which that promise points ? | Another "Heaven" and another "Earth" both of them r "new,'' that is, different in many essential points, from lA 80 SEHMOjyS UPON THE those he has boon familmr with in this world. Wherein that (lifFcrenco, as far as it relates to physical distinctions, may consist, we cannot possibly define. The world he then inhabits, will no doubt be adapted, in all respects, to his altered condition, to a being possessed of a body as ■ well as a soul, but that body a glorified one, refined, im- . mortal, indestructible. The heavens ani the earth of that world, will contain nothing that can in any way interfere with the happiness of tlie one, or the permanency of the other, but on the contrary, every thing that can minister to the supreme and eternal felicity of both. We catch some glimpses of the excellence that pertains to those new heavens and that new earth, from the con- cluding chapters of the Book of Revelations, enough, not to satisfy oiir curiosity upon all points, but to elevate our conceptions of their superior glory, and perfect adaptation to the condition of man, in his renewed and glorified state. We learn for example, that in those empyreal heavens, neither sun nor moon will be present, and that simply because their light, beautiful as it is to us in this lower sphere, and essential to mark the alternations of day and night, will not be needed in a world where night never comes, and where a light more splendid, even the light of the Glory of the Father of Lights Himself, forever shines upon the mansions of the blessed. In regard to the new earth we are taught, that wijthin its happy precincts, there will be no more "curse," and no more "sea;" in other words, there will be no vestige of that blighting sentence, under which the thorn and the thistle usurped the place of a more useful vegetation, giving rise to the incessant toil and labor of the human family. Kor will those wars and tumults and political convulsions, of which the sea, in T>, )phetic language, is the expressive symbol, ever inv: : the territories of a world, whose occupants are uni- ted \i \q bonds of perfect and everlasting love. Whorein it i notions, world he ispccts, to I bodj as fined, iin- th of that interfere cy of the minister t pertains the con- 3Ugh, not evate our daptation Qcd state. I heavenSf^ [it simply his lower* day and jht never e light of 'er shines the new ' cts, there in other sentence, the place incessant lose wars the sea, )ol, ever ( are nni- SEOO Nl) A J) V KN T OF O U H L R P. 31 But these blessings, which I have now ouuniorated aro merely negative ones. The description, thus far, only tells us what will be absent from that scene. But the tcstimonv of revelation does not rest here: it goes ftirthcr: it tells as, in certain particulars, what will be present there ; and, in doing so, derives the imagery it employs, from the an- cient record of the terrestrial Paradise. As, in Eden of old, there was a river that Avatered the garden, so, in Par- adise regained, there will be "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb," so that those who dwell there, will thirst no more. As, in the former, there was the tree of life, that would have conferred immortality on man, liad he retained his innocence, so, in the latter, that tree will re- appear, growing on either side of the river, that all may have access to it, bearing diversified fruits, that the taste for them may never be satiated, yielding them perpetually, that those who feed upon them may never hunger, and excluding, by the salutary virtues that pertain even to its leaves, the invasion of disease, or the possibility of death. I do not doubt, my Brethren, that the language here employed, is to be understood, as other parts of this won- derful prophecy are, in a figurative sense ; for what terms are there, derivable from earthly scenes, that could be ■ strictly applicable to the inheritance of the saints in light? But, of this I am well assured, that whatever allowance is to be made for the use of figures and symbols, let them be as beautiful and expressive as they may, the reality will , far exceed the picture they present to us : the antitype will transcend the type ; the enjoyment will eclipse the anticipation ; so that, like Sheba's Queen, when she be- held the glory of Solomon's palace and temple, wc shall be compelled to say "the half was not told us." On the face of this Creation there is nothing more legibly written 32 SEUMONS UPON THE I' than the term progress. Each successive revolution through which our world has passed, has been one of advancement. From the hour when the Spirit of God first brooded over the face of the primeval waters, imparting life to the low- est classes of animated beings, up to the time when man, the most perfect in the ascending scale, came forth in the image of his Creator, undeviating progress, step by step, and itage by stage, has been the order of the Divine pro- cedure. What then must we expect to find in that new Creation which is held out to the righteous as their final reward which brings them into contact with the perfec- tions of the Infinite God himself, and into the possession of blessings such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, even when aided by the light of the glorious Gospel day ! You will readily perceive from these remarks, my Brethern ! that I do not identify these descriptions of the new heavens and earth, with any occurrences that are to happen in what are termed millemal times; and which many expounders of Prophecy regard as so near to us, that even the seniors amongst us may expect to wit- ness them. Their calculations are based upon an elabor- ate comparison of dates which they find in the writings of Daniel and the revelations of St. John, and may be, to a certain extent, correct. But, whether correct or other- wise, they have no immediate connexion with the bless- ings I am describing, and which are to be realised, if there be anything like sequence in the predictions of St. John, after the general resurrection, the final Judgment, and the passing away of the heavens and earth with which we are now familiar. And you will also perceive, that I do not anticipate, the coming down of these blessings to us from a higher world, to be enjoyed in a renovated Earth, but our our s K V ON n A n V KN T y V H 1. o n n. jjg; ijoiug up to Ihem, cveii as the bleased Jesus did, when He left Mount Olivet, and, making the clouds His chariot find walking upon the wings of the wind, went up far above all heavens that are visible to our mortal sight. To pre- pare mansions for His people. He went away from the present world, bidding us look for them, not here, but in "His Father's House." When He returns in Glory, it will bo to " receive His people unto Himself, that where He is, there they may be also." In the mean time, they arc to set their aftections not on the earth in a renovated state, but ''on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God." Moreover, when they attain their final rest, they will be the companions of angels, of those imfallen spirits who have hitherto had their homes in the regions of light, and sung their anthems in the immediate vicinity of the Throne of God : can it be imagined for ii moment, that the celestial Hierarchy, angels, archangels and all the company of Heaven, the Church of the redeem- ed and the Redeemer of the Church, Immanuel, God with us, are to be transferred from the heights of the celestial Zion, to this contracted sphere, to have their eternal dwell- ing place in a world, which has withered under the curse of heaven, because of man's apostacy from God? In regard to the moral aspect of that world, to which the believer looks for his final rest, there cannot be a shadow of doubt. Whatever else is questionable, this is certain : it is a place " wherein dwelleth righteousness ;"• and in this respect, stands widely contrasted with the scene we at present occupy. We have a righteousness, my Brethren, a perfect righteousness, even in this world, if we are believers in the Son of God ; but that righteous- ness is an imputed one : we are accounted righteous and treated as such, because of what Christ has done for us. And we have also a personal righteousness, consisting of ^ M 84 SKItMONS UPON TI/M Hi! holy though t8, desires and nets, jusik so far as our hearts are brought under the powerful influence of the Holy Ghost. But how imperfect is that rigliteousness, even in the most perfect of the saints of God ! What coldness, what omissions, what worldlincss do they betray ! How little of the mi;id of Christ, of His ])atience, His meekness, His self-denial. His compassion. His zeal. His purity and love to God and man do thej- cxhil)it ! And yet ihn/ arc the only exceptions to the universal prevalence of sin in the human fiimily. In all others, it rules supreme. Of this world, including tlic vast majority of its inhabitants, it must bo confessed, that now, as well as in the day of Christ's earthly sojourn, "itlieth in wickedness." And herein consists the great and important difference, tlie difference tliat outweighs all other considerations between the present and the future inheritance of the believer. He looks forward to a world, which sin never enters, from which the drunkard, the swearer, the fornicator, the adulterer, the murderer, the liar, the idolater, and the thief are forever excluded, a world in which righteousness, pure, perfect, unsullied, universal righteousness, has, not merely a temporary lodging, like the guest that tarries l)ut a night, but its permanent everlasting dwelling place, sanctifying every mansion, and gladdening every breast with the glow of transcendent,'unutterable joy. >nj in. And here my Brethren ! we are compelled to feel, what the Apostle proceeds to urge upon us with the most impressive earnestness, the necessiiy of preperation/or a world so different from this. But how are we to prepare for it ? How are we to live so as to be meet for it ? How are we to think, to feel, to act, so that when we go up to those higher realms there may be a correspondence between our thoughts, and feelings, and habits, with those of the blessed spirits who have evev dwelt there ? • . S KCO N t> A hV a; N T O F O II H L eforeliand, beware lest ye also," ye whom 1 delight to re- cognize as persons who have obtained the like precious faith with myself,* and whose pure minds I wish to stir up by way of romembrance,t "lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." And tlien, my Brethren, he finishes this instructive I'liapter, by adding a precept, which, if only acted upon by those wlio profess to be looking for "the new heavens iind tlie new earth," would guard them on their way to them, and. ensure their entrance at the close of their perilous journey. "But grow he says, in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Chri8t."iiv/ By "the grace of Christ" is meant His favor, and the fruits of that favor, those holy dispositions and internal graces in which the image of God consists; vvA, by "the knowledge of Christ," that spiritual discernment of the beauty and excellence of His character, the depths of His love, the riches of His grace, the fulness of His wisdom, the preciousncss of His promises, and the glories of His Kingdom, which they only possess, whose hearts have been given to Him. And they all do possess them, though, in • Chap. T.V.I. tChai.. lir. V. 1. m s Ktfo \ It \ h v /•; A' /• o f of II I. o n /< jj^ Homo inatuiK'Os porliapn, to u vory liinitcd oxtoiit. I^'or in those acqu'iHitions, my Brethrori, there uro diilenMit (ie*(ives. extending from tl»c elomentary «?rjiee and knowledge ol" the mere bahe in Christ, up to the miituro uttainnients of tlie veteran HoUlier of tlie erosH, wlio has ntruggled in many a conflict, and prayed in nuiny a struggle, and drawn strength in many an liour of weakncHs from Him in wliom all fulnens dwells, and who i« «till moving onwards and upwards, praying an'd trusting and struggling still, for- getting those things which are behind, and stretching forth u!ito those which are before, to reach, if possible, before he goes hence, ''tlie fulness of the measure of tlie stature or Christ. It is to engage with vigor in this spiritual conflict, and to rise in this ascending scale of Christian attainment, that the Apostle summons us, when he bids us "grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ." And ho does this, for two reasons, first, that progress may prevent declen- sion, that a nearer union with God may counteract the ten- dency to apostatize from Him : and secondly, that, as time rolls on and we proceed from strength to strength, and the distance shortens that intervenes between us and the object of our desires, there may bdin us a closer correspond- ence in our dispositions, feelings and habits, with those of the happy and holy occupants of the loorld of glory. May it bo your happiness, m^^ Brethren ! to know ex- perimentally what this progress means, that as you look for " new heavens and a new earth," at the final Advent of the Lord, you may be yourselves in all respects, " new creatures in Christ," prepared to taste the joys, and mingle with the inhabitants, and engage in the hallowed employ- ments of a world, where righteousness, with all its happy results, completely, universally, everlastingly reigns. — Ambn ! , fr^'rww I. J " Ephraim what shall I do unto thoe? Jadah what shall I do unto thee ? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it gooth away.— rif( Ho8oavi.4. • ! jWi ?f U«n| flf > . The present Sunday, occurring as it does on New Year's day, has its claim to a peculiar class of topics ; and it is '.veil for us, at such a time, to give them a full share of our attention. We naturally and profitably it may be hoped, turn to the changes which are incident to our con- dition in the present life, and think of how many of these we have witnessed in the little span of a single year. We have seen changes pass over the face of Nature : the scene around us has gone through the several revolutions which Divine Wisdom has appointed for the comfort of man. We have seen changes in Society around us : some are added to it whom in former years we knew not: some are gone from it to the silent tomb whom we had long rejoiced to know. The aspect of the times has changed. Troubled as the political atmosphere of the world was a twelvemonth ago it has become more lowering in the intermediate time; wars and rumours of wars are on every side. Our own plans, in many instances, and our prospects, it may be, have changed. A thousand designs have been formed and frustrated since we last assembled at this season, and a multitude of new ones are now in possession of our hearts, which will probably share the same fate before we celebrate it again. "^ "" '5^' "* -''""'* ^«.*.->i^- But there are changes, my Brethren ! of a different class, which merit more attention, changes, the influence of *Thi8 sermon, though not one of the Advent course, was added, in consequence of a request to that effect. /'iaKt'^-vt*.- / / ^6s^ 94k TliA NaiK NT E MO TtONS NO T TR IJE It KL 10 10 N. 39 which will be felt when seasons have ceased to roll, and times to alter, and plans and purposes to fail, when all that is now mutable and varying around us shall have given place to the fixed, permanent, unalterable things of eternity. And what are these ? They are the changes which we experience in reference to spiritual things, the changes which bring our souls more near to God, or carry them farther from Him. The former, assuming them to be genuine and permanent, are blessed changes : we can- not in this life- duly estimate the value of them ; but like all other good things, they have their counterfeits where the resemblance may be close, but the result of mistake is fatal. It is quite possible to experience many changes in our religious state and feelings, to be frequently under the influence of some of them, and yet, in reality, to be no farther advanced towards heaven than we were before ; because though alterations have taken place in us, they have not be a effectual or durable ones. Are there none of us who are sensible of having realized these ? Are there none whose hearts can testify of holy resolutions formed and broken ? of serious intentions framed and relinquish- ed ? of vows and promises which heaven has heard expressed, but never seen fulfilled ? If there be, and doubt- less there are such before me, let mc invite them to fix their thoughts upon a passage which accurately describes their state, and what is more important, the light in which God regards it. It was addressed, it is true, to another people, but is applicable to all who in any measure re- semble them, and may, through the blessing of God, be made effectual at this hour, to show to such the unsound- ness of their religious condition. f. The text exhibits, with great precision, the character of such persons. It tells us that their " goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away "i*; ., ,. ■) ^■vmmm^oi^m 40 TltANSlENT KMOTIONS NOT THUK it fj L I (,' 1 Jf. J Here we ma^i remark, with regard to these persons, that a certain goodness is attributed to them ; and, from the context, it is obvious that this is not the goodness which belongs to deliberate hypocrites, nor, on the other hand, is it the goodness possessed by real penitents. It is, as distinguished from both of these, a seeming goodness, which pertains to the self deceiver, to the man who mis- takes something short of real piety, for piety itself, something that savours of religion for genuine religion, something which imposes upon others and consoles his own heart, but is not after all the one thing needful for his salvation. 'i 'v-ni r;; ■ Kinrnmi iht; I The first characteristic of this goodness then is, that it is fair and imposing in its appearance. What is more beauti- ful than the morning cloud which catches and reflects the rays of the rising sun ? What is more bright and fair than the drops of dew which glitter in the early light ? Who that, for the first time, fixed his eyes upon these splendid objects, would ever imagine them to be the fleeting unsubstantial things they are ! i/t vru..:; -t Yet just so fair and imposing in outward appearance, is the religion which has no true or solid foundation to rest upon* It is seen upon the early effusion of light, when the pure rays of the Gospel first open upon the benighted mind : it is seen glistening with joy and hope, and lifting itself to heaven with lofty promises and pro- fessions ; but, it has no penitence, no humility, no self- denial, no fervent love, no real holiness attached to it. It is not the religion which springs from the gracious work of the Spirit of (Jod upon the heart, but some faint and imperfect impression, which is too readily mistaken for it. ' It is an easy thing, my Brethren, to mistake mere animal feeling for true devotion ; and yet, no two things are more essentially distinct than they : the highest degree lese persons, I ; and, from he goodness on the other enitents. It ng goodness, an who mis- piety itself, ine religion, consoles his jedful for his len is, that it nmore beauti- l reflects the ^ht and fair early light ? upon these : to be tlie '■■''Ki'fv' 'I'f,^,, appearance, undation to 3n of light, n upon the y and hope, es and pro-, ty, no self- ed to it. It icious work e faint and akeu for it. stake mere two things best degree f HANS IE NT EMOTIONS NOT TRUE RELIGION. ^\ of the one may exist, without any portion of the other. A worldly man, for example, may feel much under the preaching of the Gospel or the lofty strains of sacred melody, yet be a worldly man still. Even an infidel may melt at the narrative of a Saviour's sufferings, or the pathetic and earnest appeals of His love, and yet be an I infidel still ; nay that heart which dissolves at the bare mention of death, judgment and Eternity, may be without any true faith in Christ, or genuine love to God. Let us then take heed how we place any confidence in the [transient ebullitions of animal feeling : let us examine [carefully into their origin, and mark what influence they exert upon the general tenour of our lives, for these are the only evidences of their connexion with vital piety, [upon which we can safely rely. .irs'^-i^ v: i. Ir; vog.-.id to the goodness mentioned in the text you lay observe that it is a merejieeling and evanescent possession, \y the "morning cloud" is meant, those light mists or fvapors which accumulate during the night, and which, .together with the drops of dew, are dispersed by the rays jof the ascending sun ; and, if so, how perfect is the image [which is here employed to describe those light and super- icial impressions, which are often mistaken for real piety. [Mark the accuracy of the image. A little light discloses [the beauty of the cloud and dew. A little more disperses lit. Thus a Utile light, in matters of religion, often brings I to view those ff i;r:;g3 and emotions which look like the [effects of grace, I>u- a little more dissolves the charm and they are gone. Hov/ often do we see those who have apparently begun to run well, turn aside for the most trifling obstacle ! How often does the discovery that the path is narrow and steep, discourage the heart which at first seemed to burn with zeal and ardour to pursue it ! How often "!oes a little opposition from the world, or 6 . 't 42 TItANSIKNT EMOTIONS NOT TRUE HEUOION. ridicule from profane companions turn back the young disciple who had resolved to depart from sin, and again entangle those, who had escaped from the pollutions oi the world ! The truth is, my Brethren, that unless the foundation be laid in a full discovery of the guilt and misery of sin, the impression never will be deep or lasting : it will not break the charm of worldly delusions, or lead it captive to that Saviour who alone can enable him to resist them. It will please the eye of the beholder, and deceive its possessor for a season, but like the morning cloud and early dew, it will soon vanish and be forgotten. Let it be noted also with care, that this species of good- ness, may he renewed again and agaiv with as little permanent effect as the first impression produced. , 'to cloud and the dew return at stated intervals : they ppear indeed to vanish utterly from existence before the rays of the sun, but night resumes her dominion and brings them in her train, and morning exhibits them again, as fair, as impo- sing, as beautiful and attractive as ever. ,^ And thus it is with those imperfect impressions, to which the text refers our attention : they have their inter- vals when they go and come, their seasons when they vanish and return, their evenings and their mornings when they dissolve and when they unite again. They are apt for example, to be renewed by our solemn Festivals which bring conspicuously before us the great facts of the christian revelation. There is something in the religion of Christ which is awfully grand and impressive : there is something in the Spirit of His dispensation which is inexpressibly gracious and tender. How is it possible to listen to its wondrous disclosures, to frequent its sacred ordinances, to approach its hallowed sacraments, and not feel some strong emotions excited in our breasts? That heart must be stone indeed, which can enter and leave the TRANSIENT EMOTIONS NOT TRUE RELIGION. 48 house of God, without some feelings of awe, affection or sorrow. But yet, how little dependence is to be placed upon these transient emotions ! How little may that man have of true religion, whose heart is most susceptible of them ! How frequently may they bo felt in the Sanctuary or even at the table of Christ, without exerting the smallest influence upon our daily plans and conduct ! And why do they not exert this influence ? Because in the cases supposed they are mere animal and not spiritual affections, the offspring of the natural, not of the renewed heart, and, like every thing else which springs from this corrupt source, perishable in their nature. iV/ .,..1. ..r These emotions are often excited also, by deep and heavy afflictions. Affliction is the messenger of Heaven, sent to arouse the careless soul and wean it from the world ; and though it often fails to effect this gracious purpose, yet it seldom departs without producing some inward emotion which savours of a religious feeling, some sentiment of compunction, some holy purpose, some pious resolution or design. But alas ! how seldom does it produce an effectual and lasting change ! How few, comparatively speaking, of the sons and daughters of affliction will be able in the end to say, it is good for me to have been afflicted! It may be frequently the case, that, " by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better;'' but more frequently, it is to be feared, the heart is left where it was. I appeal to your experience upon this point, your experience in those hours of trial when you have said with apparent sincerity, "come let us return unto the Lord, for He hath torn, and He will heal us, He hath smitten, and He will bind us up." How often has this language flowed from the lips of some of us, in whose hearts the power of religion never has been truly felt ! How often when you have mourned over I ' i ' f 5 ■ , I' •MM- LI.:; H 44 TRANSIENT FJUfOTlONS NOT TRUE RELIGION. some distressing bereavement have you returned and inquired after God, but when tlie tear was dried upon the cheek, returned and inquired after the world ! How often when sitting by the bed of a dying friend, have you remembered that God was your rock, and the high God your Redeemer; bat when the friend was gone, remem- bered these things no more ! Alas ! You did but flatter Him with your mouth ; your heart was not right with Him : therefore you have not been steadfast in His covenant; it was not true repentance you felt, therefore "your goodness has been like the morning cloud, and as the early dew whiuh goeth away." Such emotions may be excited also, upon the ap'proach of death, or in the moments of imminent danger. The visita- tions of Providence may impress us when they affect our property or our friends ; but when they touch our persons, their appeal is more forcible and irresistible — When they lay us upon the bed from whence we expect to pass to the Judgment Throne of God ; when the hour is at hand, in which a heart searching Judge is to place our misdeeds before Him, and our secret sins in the light of His countenance, then the long list of laws broken, duties neglected, mercies slighted, passions unsubdued, and sins unmortified, appears in array before the guilty soul ; then for a time, the heart relents, the soul trembles, the tear falls, and the holy resolution is formed, to live in future for God, and for God alone. But is the resolution kept if it should please God to restore us? Ah my Brethren • how many living examples are there at this moment, to prove that these impressions also, are often like the morn- ing cloud, and the early dew ! How obvious is it that they are frequently the result of a guilty fear alone, without any portion of love, that they come with the hour of danger, and depart when it is gone ! How many of us, TJiANSfKNT HM Of IONS NOT TllVh' R H I. lU 10 N. 46 if we suffer ourselves to be candid, must bear testimony to the truth of this statement ! How many does tlie Almighty address when He says — "Woe unto them, for they have fled from me ; they have not cried unto me with their hearts when they mourned upon tlieir beds: they returned, but not to the Most High ; they are like a deceitful bow!" n. We see then, the nature of that goodness which resembles the morning cloud, and the early dew, how widely it differs from that genuine religion which belongs to the faithful servant of God, which is based upon a true faith, and animated by the principle of love. But let us now turn to contemplate the more important inquiry, viz. In lohai light does God behold the character of such persons ? What views of their state does He indicate, when He makes the pathetic appeal — "O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee ? Judah, what shall I do unto thee ?" This is evidently not the language of a stern and unre- lenting Judge, but of a kind and affectionate parent, who has long been wearied with the perverseness of a wayward child, and who now almost despairing of his repentance, beholds him with grief and tender concern. It shews, but in language full of condescension and kindness, the sin- fulness of their state, who thus trifle with the goodness of God. It implies that it is a state of rebellion persisted in, notwithstanding frequent and earnest attempts to reclaim them. This was precisely the case of Ephraim and Judah when this appeal was made to them. From the time that the two kingdoms had seperated under the successors of Solomon, to the days of Hosea which was about two centuries and a half, incessant efforts had been made to wean them from their idolatries, but all in vain. Momen- tary impressions were produced, but only momentary: they were an impenitent people still. 'iJ^nmtf s^rofiff b&'Xl 46 TRANSIENT EMOTION ii NOT TJiUK HELIUION. And are they who claim the privileges, but imitate the perverseness of Ephraim and Judah less guilty at the present hour ? Think, my Bretheru ! of the mercies you have realized in your persons, property or friends. Think of the light you have enjoyed under the Gospel of the Son of God. Think of the means which God has employed to reconcile you to himself. Think of the infinite ransom which He has given for your souls, think of the warnings He has sent you, of the time Ho has afforded you, raid the strong encouragement He has held out to you, and then say, whether a state of impenitence in your case ; or what amounts to the same thing, a state of wavering and un- certain devotions, is not a state of deep and aggravated sin ? These momentary relentings you are apt to think will mitigate your guilt in the sight of a holy God. But you mistake the case : they will rather tend to aggravate it, and deepen its crimson dye. They are registered in heaven, to shew that you were conscious of what you ought to have been, and to prove that moans were employed to bring you to a holy state. They will be enumerated, on the day of account, to exhibit the violence you were con- strained to do to your feelings, in resisting the Grace of God, to confirm the solemn fact, that when you resigned yourselves to the world again, you did it against the strong convictions of your conscience, against the best feelings of your heart, against the dictates of an enlightened judgment. Oh let nothing conceal from you the solemn fact, that such a state as yours is a state of aggravated guilt ; for one day or other, this truth must force itself upon your convictions. The language of the text suggests the danger and misery of such a state ; it implies that something must be done to reclaim such characters, that some expedient must be tried more painful than any which has hitherto been employed. God is too merciful to relinquish without t ■, t ' fll. ^^ TRANSIKNT KMO'CIONS NOT 111 UK It EL Hi ION. 47 «omo groat elFort, the souls of men. Whoro lesser judg- ments have been tried in vain, some greater ones must be inflicted. Have you hitherto resisted the calls and warn- ings of God ? Have you remained impenitent under His successive mercies and judgments ? Has year after year- revolved, and found you still destitute of true and vital religion ? What shall the merciful and gracious Father of Heaven now do to restore you ? He has not, we will suppose, yet given you up to your idols. He has not yet solemnly s'.vorn that you shall never enter into His rest. He is still bending over you with the gaze of Parental affection, and saying, "How shall I give thee up Ephraim, how shall I deliver thee Israel ? How shall I make thee as Admah, how shall I set thee as Zeboim ?" And what course do you imagine Ho will adopt, in order to avoid this fatal issue ? Perhaps He will lay some deep affliction, some painful dispensation upon you. He will do to you. as He did to Ephraim and Judah. And what was this ? Hear it in His own words, " I will be unto Ephraim as a Lion and as a young Lion to the House of Judah. 1, even I will tear and go away. I will go, and return to my place, and they shall acknowledge their offence and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me early." Tliere is yet more howeverj implied in the words before us. They suggest, and this is indeed the most imj^ortant intimation they aflbrd, the fatal issue of such a state, if per- sisted in, notwithstanding these relocated efforts on the part of God. Wherefore does this pathetic language issue from the lips of Jehovah ? Wherefore does He ask with appa- rent concern and grief, what course He shall adopt towards such persons ? Because He knows it to be impossible to extend the blessing of His friendship to them in their present state, and, as a necessary consequence, that unless they are changed, and brought to a very different one, their souls must perish forever. h k 4g TRAHSIENT /■JMOT/O/fS NOT TRVK HELIUION. This is u Bolemu thought. All othor considorationB aru of little moment in comparison of this. All minor judg- ments arc but the small dust in the balance, when compared with that final sentence which is to effect an everlasting separation between the soul and its God ! IjQi us bring this thought, my Brethren, home to our hearts. Let us bo assured tnat, the goodness wh'ch now resembles the morning cloud and the early dew, is not the goodness that is to flourish in Heaven. A few more nights of sorrow may renew it here, and a few more morninff suns may chase it from us again, but when the sun is darkened, and the moon is blood, and the stars have fallen from their lofty spheres, when the heavens are rolled together, and the earth consumed, and wo removed to a scene, where all is lasting, changeless, and eternal, this goodness will not place us among the sons of God, or fit us to celebrate His praises in the Sanctuary above. The counsel, then, which solemnly and emphatically claims your attention, is this — Be sure you do not mistake the nature of true religion. Remember it is not forms, or doctrines, or transient feelings, but the holy affection of j love to God and the children of God, deeply and perma- nently seated in the heart, having the Divine Spirit for its author, holiness and all good works for its effects, and ^ ifeaven for the scene of its full and final expansion. , Such is true religion : bear it ever iu mind ; and, as the last truth which the text enforces upon you, never imagine that you can he saved without it. As coming from God, adoring God, and resembling God, this religion is adapted to the world where God reigns; and no other religion, and nothing short of this can be adapted to that world. Then seek for this inestimable treasure now while time is afforded you to obtain it. Halt no longer between two opinions. Cease from the vain attempt to unite the ser- vices of God and mammon. Aim at something more than the mere feelings of a moment : aim at the possession of a new heart, and a right spirit, a heart which can find its delight in God on earth, and, in God, its recompense in Heaven. — Amen ! . 'Vjll '. . „! hi