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Bristol, Q, ANDRREW IRVINC;, EsguiRE, /\-mf»oki; Out. The Hon. GEORGE IJRVSON, Fort Couhttge, Q. AND OTHERS, AMON(; WHOM I IfAVK (J..NE PREACHINO THE <>'• THE GRACE OF (joi) ; GOSPEL WITH TMK KERVENT PRAVER THAT WHEN L.KE's TALE IS TOLD \VK MAY roME AT LAST TO " SEE H.M AS HE Is:" IMESE pa(;es are akkectio.natei.y DEDICATE l;. iki* 1 r I / e a 1; r a n S( if ^ .^?. PREFACE HK writer of the following pages, in introducing his little work to the Christian public, desires to say that he feels the infirmities of age ; and is thus strongly reminded that the time is short, that the fashion of the world passeth away, and that his own end is at hand, when the vanities of life must give place to the realities of eternity. The conviction is, therefore, forced upon him that what is to be done must be done cjuickly. After a life of considerable activity, in which he has had experience of the weariness and painfulness of physical and mental labour, he finds himself, in a great measure, laid aside from the active duties of the Christian ministry. Blessed, however, with a measure of health, he has devoted a few of his spare hours to the preparation and arrange- ment of these discourses ; hoping, in this way, to leave something behind him for the benefit of his children and his children's children, for them to look at, and think of, when the green grass shall wave over his silent grave. Is an apology recjuired for appearing in print ? He has none to offer. No man needs a license for doing good, if he can ; his honest intention plainly expressed is suffi- vn V PR K FACE. cient. If prudent and judicious men still think it expedient, this would be his explanation : — *' I have believed, there- fore have 1 spoken." For half a century he has upheld the views here enunciated ; and when he now utters from the press what he has for so long a time spoken from the pulpit, he desires gratefully to acknowledge that, whatever light has fiillen on his mind, peace in his conscience, sunshine on his path, or hoi)e in his end, he owes it all to the grace of God, And now, that the shadow is lengthen- ing, it is some comfort to think, that the great truths which engaged his attention in early life are the chief comforts of his declining years. No pretensions are made to refinement, to elegance of diction, logical acumen, or captivating pathos ; plain truths are expressed in homely style. People who are disposed to be critical or censorious may find here little to gratify their taste ; but anyone who wishes to be a Christian — the highest type of man and noblest work of God — will 'find some encouragement in running the race, climbing the hills, and fighting the battle of life. Such may read to profit, if their reading be mixed with faith and prayer. Cold water presented to a thirsty soul, in the most homely vessel, will be found as refreshing as if contained in a cup of purest gold ! It is hoped that such as are hungering and thirsting for the bread and water of life, will find here some variety of nourishment to meet their desires. viii C () N J' !«: N T S . CHAPTKR I. I'AKINTM, AMKCIION M I MS TKRIAI. INTKRKsr. II. nil. — III. J0I1114 CHAITKR II. IT IS WIS!-; AM, SAI K TO THINK OF Till KM). •I •'>'•'•. make me l-. I<,„nv mine en.l, a>..I tl,e measure ..f mv 'lays, wliat II is; tliat I may kmnv lu.vv frail I am "-l I salm WMN. 4 , ^ 10 c:HAPri;K in. iness ; I -lia'l be salishfd, when 1 awake, with 'Ihy likeness."'-- l'>a!in wii. 15 4^ CHAPrp:R VI. KKI.ICION AX INWARD IlllXd — TllK C.IVKR, JKSU.s THF, (;IFT, II IMS F I. F. * 'I'lie wale;- tint I shall i^ive him shall be in him a well of water spiingiuL; uj) into everlaslini; life " Jolmi\. 14... 54 CHAriKR VI 1. IIIF .sKRVICF OF GOU A HAI'l'V iillXd — RFAb — I'FRMAXFX I. ' riiey )ov bcfoie 'riieeaceoriliiij; to the jov in liarve-t." —Isaiah 'ix.'i • ■••• ^'^ CHAP'l'KR VIII. THF WAV 10 'IHF cool) LAM) NO I ALWAYS I'LFASAXT. " And the soul of tlie ]ieoplo was much diseourat;ed because of the way." — Numbers xxi. 4 7- CHAPTKR IX. NEEDFUL CORRFCTIOX — ITS HAIM'V RFSULIS. "Now no chastenini; for the present seemelh to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless afterward it yiehlelh the peace- able fruit of riyhleousness." — Hebrews xii. li ... .S2 X J CONTKN IS. THK CMKISTIAX SI RV.S. VIT ,s .ki.;,.;. ''""" " WhuM. I„„k.,h into the- j.orlVct law uf lil.cUv. ami .nniin,u,h ...run I,. lH-,n^^ n,„ a for.c.n,, h.a.vr Init a ,!on , ' "<.ik, tlu> man .shall he Mc.scl i,, lus,!.,,|.-_ |,,„,,, ;' '^\^ ^,, CHAP'I'KR XI. ■""■: l-IKST AM) (.Ri.AT LO.M.MAXi.MKM. '•I.nvolllKUMnc?" "Fec,ln,y.ho.i,.'_J..l,„xxi. ,;' , . ,^. CHAPTKR XII. I'All/s VIKW OF CHRISTIAN- l'R( ., iR |. .s.s am, si'cciiss. '■ n.i. one llrni^r ] ,| fon^a'tiinj^r tl,„>e thint^s whidi are l.elnn.l n.ulreadun^ .nhunto,lu.ennn,s\lucl,:u Um. i>'-lowardlI,enmrkrorthe,uixeofnadn:l,eall,'.V I liilijiinans 111. 13, i_| - >-.uiiM,^. ' ' 7 CHAPTKR XIII. ClfRISTIAN cocra(;k xot ixcoxmstkxt umi CHARIIA. I^U all your tlun^^s l.e done with cl.arity."- -,. Cor. ^X IC() CHAPTKR XI\'. '■'"■■ ''ahh of ni:i.ii.;vi:Rs ix im.; pas, ax IXCKXilVK 10 AClIVirv. f.^'than.l pal,encen,herillhei.ronuses/'_IIebrew,v, ;. . -, xi ' CONTENTS. CHAFFKR XV. lALKNIS IMPKOVKD WILL liK INCKKASKIJ — THOSK NOr IMl'ROVKI) TAKKN AWAY. I'AOK. I'or I say unto you, 'I'liat unto every one that hath, shall he t,'ivcn ; .wul from him that hath not, even tiiat lie hath shall be taken away." — Luke xix. 26 140 CHAPTER XVI. (;0()l) WORKS AN KVIDKNt K OF I.IVIXO lAITH. These tliin;^'s 1 will that thou aftirm constantly, that they w liich have believed in God might i)e careful to main- tain ijood works." Anil let our's also learn to maintain j^ood works for necessary Uses, that they he not unfruitful.'— Titus iii. S, 14 149 CHAPTKR XVII. TIIK SKCLHirV AND PKRPKTUHV Ol'I'HK CHURCH. Xo wea|)on formetl against thee shall prosper ; and every touf^ue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condenui."- Isaiah liv. 17. I'pon tliis rock I wdl builil my church, and ti.e gales of hell shall n(>l prevail against it." — Matthewxvi. 18. 160 CHAPTKR XVI II. IHK CHRISTIAN I'ASTOR S UI/llMATK AIM. Holding forth the word of life ; that 1 may rejoice in the ;lay of Christ, that I have not run in vain neither laboured in vain." -I'hilippians ii. 16 170 CHAPTER XIX. THK r.KLIKVKR's I'KAR TO BRING RKPROACH ON THE CAUSE OF GOD. Let not them that wait on Thee, O Lord (lod of hosts, he ashame ^y behevefa^d ii^fidel We do not ascribe special credit to the .VoosmJ (X ./■ fe!-:ethrKt'th:?r^^ or the whoie man. And what' givlt a '^Z.T^ f Bsn THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTAN'l SUBJECTS. thrilling interest is the fact that this sentiment — this feel- ing of affection — this undying regard for our own offspring, is felt by the whole animal creation ; the beasts and birds of prey — aye, the monsters of the deep feel it in common with rational creatures. The instinct by which the brute creation are drawn to- ward their young cannot fail to impress us, for it seems to transform their very nature, and in time of danger gives them a courage, a dauntless fortitude, never surpassed by the human race. What more timid than the sheep? What more shy than the bird ? How easy to alarm, scare, and put them to flight ! But let their young be endan- gered — no matter how numerous and formidable the enemy, they are equal to the occasion ! The bear bereaved of her whelps will rush into any dan- ger to protect her young ! It is not, therefore, to be won- dered at that man, the noblest of God's creation, should do the same, and resemble the Great Father in Heaven, who loves, feeds, defends, and blesses everything that lives. As time advances and the infirmities of age increase, this feeling of interest will increase, and become keener and stronger ; for we cannot separate the joys and sor- rows of an aged parent from his children. As the labour of his hands, in the vigour of life, was for their good, so his thoughts, when dying, will be of them. A father is wise in the wisdom, strong in the strength, and happy in the felicity of his children ! If they are respected, honoured, looked up to for counsel, the fact will gladden his heart ; if they are despised and shunned, he will feel as if personally degraded ! God has planted this synij)athy in our hearts, and we cannot help it. This feeling will survive when everything else is forgotten. The last thought of a father's heart, as he leaves the shores of mor- tality, is of his children ; it is the strongest feeling of nature. Brother may forget brother, and sister too ; but it appears as if our nature were so constituted that, bad as it is, hardened as it will be under the influence of sin, PARENTAL AFFECTION — MINISTERIAL INTEREST. it seldom succeeds in stifling the aftection of a father's heart. What dangers he has braved, what sufferings and hardships he has endured, and what unwearied toil he has borne without complaint for the sake of his offspring ! The clouds are not dense enough, the sea is not broad enough, nor the earth wide enough, to effect a separation between the father and his child ! Let us pause and ask, will not the undying regard of a father for his children be a swift witness — a telling witness against such as forget their duty to a father on earth or the Father in Heaven ? If they are not given up to an impenitent heart, what anguish they must feel when they listen to a father's lov- ing words : *' My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine." No misfortune or suffering can prevent the outgoing of a parent's heart. If a child is blind, deaf, lame, or doomed to incurable disease — if, in God's mysterious providence, he or she is deprived of reason, it only increases parental regard. Who has not witnessed in a mother's countenance the evidence of strong feeling, when her child shakes with ague or burns with fever ? No epidemic will scare a fond mother from the bedside of her suffering child ; the greater the danger, the more mfectious the complaint, the more unwearied and unwavering her attention to the invalid. Suffering in such a case gives strength to a father's arm, and increases the love of his heart. Nay, the writer has seen a father as if he were asleep, with no fire in his eyes, no energy in his arm, and evidently no pur- pose before him ; he had no interest in anything — neither business, nor money, nor pleasure had any attractions for him ; but no sooner do you mention his child, than he is all awake, all energy. His son is all the world to him ! This is nature, and the working of a father's heart. Nay, when children become unnatural and rebellious, a parent's heart will be equal to the occasion. See the case of David with the base ingratitude and daring rebellion of his son Absalom, who sought his father's dishonour and 3 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. ! I i|!t his father's life. When, in self-defence, David sent out his army to crush the treason of his son, no anger, no resentment moved his loving heart — he had only one direction to give to his General : " Deal gently, for my sake, with the young man, even Absalom." None but a father's heart could give such a direction in such a case ! In this connection we deem it right to refer to what is called the Law of Primogeniture. There is no doubt that, to serve special ends, God recognises and enjoins this law in the old dispensation. This was done for eco- nomical purposes, and we dare not question the wisdom of the Most High in giving it His sanction. In Great Britain and most of the other European States, the right of primogeniture, and the more iniqui- tous statute of entail, is followed ; but in the family of God there are no such arbitrary distinctions. Such a law as that commented on, has no place in God's spiritual household. John knew nothing of it ; he loved his children — loved them all ! There may have been a prepossession in his heart, but it was not founded on the mere accident of priority of birth, but on some more reasonable consideration. He himself was pre-eminently the disciple whom Jesus loved, but the predilection of the Saviour rested on the character of John, and not on the assumption that he was the first born. In such a calculation Andrew and not John ought to stand highest. It happens, alas! too often, that mem- bers of a professedly godly family turn out to be a disgrace and sorrow to parents. In such cases the cause of Christ suffers grievously. What, in the sad circumstances, is the father to do? ^Is he to disinherit the prodigal? Shall he take advantage of his child's follies ? or entirely cut him off? Great prudence is required in meeting such a case. An injudicious appropriation to a thoughtless child might lead to deeper degradation ; an abandonment of his child might, on the other hand, kill the remains of filial affection, and dispel the hope of restoration. A father 4 I 1 I'AKKNTAI, AFFKCIION — MINISTKKIAF, INlKklM. vid sent out must be true to himself, however unworthy his child may become ; and in acting on his natural instincts, he must endeavour to avoid giving increased facilities to an unworthy child in his downward course. What a fiither does in such a case is not to encourage wrong-doing, but to save the lost and raise the fallen ! And should he succeed, what a reward I Judging from the Saviour's words, it would be of more value than the material world ! To return from this digression. And as a father feels for and is interested in the welfare of his children, so the spiritual father — the minister of Christ. To suppose the opposite feeling would imply a state of mind incompatible with a minister's profession — a glaring defect, which would show the hireling, not the shepherd; the wolf, not the feeder of the sheep. The words of John suggest two things calling for some attention. First, a minister's desire — " that his children walk in truth ;" and, secondly, a minister's joy in the realization of his desire. His desire is that his children walk in the truth. This is his first concern, sure to take precedence of everything else. To accomplish this he will apply all his energies ; he will aim at making his hearers a reading people, knowing that an ignorant professor, whose religion is based on im- pulse, will be no credit to a minister, little benefit to the church, and less to himself He will labour to make his hearers a praying people, for a prayerless man is a grace- less man, and cannot be a Christian. The minister will exert himself to encourage serious thoughtfulness, for thought is the essence of piety, and to check evil thoughts, vain, foolish, proud and angry thoughts, which pollute the heart, and make it like a cage of unclean birds. A man in God's sight is just what his thoughts make him. And these efforts to induce careful reading, thinking and praying are a sure guide to the knowledge of the truth. 5 w \\ II THOUGHTS ON f.RAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Before men can walk in the truth, they must first know it. What then is " the truth " to which reference is made, but the great truths and doctrines of the Bible — the les- sons which Jesus taught : that God is true, that all He says is infinitely important — that God is always in earnest, and means just what He says — that He is the eternal foe of all unrighteousness, the uncompromising enemy of all that is false in spirit, erroneous in doctrine and wicked in practice ? " Evil shall not dwell with God ; fools shall not stand in His sight." It is the truth that man is a sin- ner, under the wrath and curse of God, and must remain so till he takes refuge in Jesus ; that man cannot help himself, cannot bring an end to the strife, or break the power of sin ; that he cannot forsake the evil or seek the good without divine grace ; that human nature is wholly depraved — no/ that tnere is little, but that there is fio good in us ; and further, that the love of God, the grace of the Saviour and the influence of the Spirit will not save the sinner against his will ; that we must read and think, and believe and wait. God's word is, " Turn ye at my re- proof," " I will pour out my Spirit unto you." The duty of the sinner is to turn, keeping his eye on the promise. It is to the sinner that hears and turns that the Spirit is promised. If the sinner does not turn he will not get the Spirit, and if he does not get the Spirit he cannot turn. The plain duty of the sinner is to turn at God's reproof ; he is to obey the command, do and get, get and do ; that is, " turn at my reproof" and hope in the promise — hope in the promise and " turn at my reproof." If there was more of the doing which the Scriptures command, there would be more of the getting which it promises.* This, then, is the truth in which we are to walk, looking for the help of the Spirit ; in this we are to walk reso. lutely, progressively ; then " will grace reign through right. Arnot's Laws from Heaven. PARENTAF, AFFKCTION — MINISltklAL INTF.KKSI. eousness unto eternal life," and all that is just, true, ho- nest, lovely and of good report will follow ' And this is the minister's desire ; this, all this, and nothing short of this. Do ministers rejoice ? We have heard and read of their weeping ; weeping thiU their tears were so few, as Jeremiah, who said with a sad heart, "O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people ;" and Paul, whose loving heart was moved with compassion over many offenders, of whom he said " with weeping, that they were the enemies of the Cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earth- ly things." We know something of the disquietude and shame of a good minister who weeps over those who make vows one day and forget them the next. But minis- ters do rejoice when men sorrow to repentance, and bring forth fruit unto holiness. These are their joy and crown. Though some of the seed may fall on the beaten path among stones and thorns, yet some will fall on good ground, into thought- ful, feeling and praying hearts, which shows '* first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." He will rejoice in the clear heads, the warm hearts, the healthy tongues and righteous lives of spiritual offspring. When a minister sees the fruit of his labour, he can hold up his head in church or market without a blush, and say, " Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." A minister thus honoured of God will watch with heartfelt interest every sign and symptom of coming good, whether in the bud, the blossom or the fruit. Nor will the heavy sigh or the falling tear escape his notice. Never, never did far- mer more heartily rejoice over the ripening grain waving in luxuriance over his broad acres, than the Christian fa- ther and the faithful minister over the gracious influence and quickening power of the Holy Ghost manifested in 7 IMorr.HTS nN CKAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJF.CTS. >l lU'A M the objects of his soHcitude. It is sweet music to a faith- ful shcplierd's ear, and gives the purest joy to his heart, to listen lo the bleating of the sheep and lambs — to the sobs and crios of broken spirits crying for mercy. When the languid are cheered, the faint strengthened, the wan- derer reclaimed, the sorrowful comforted, and the spiritu- ally dead quickened into life, he will joyfully cry, "Thanks l)e unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." And as the fruit of his labour matures, as men become more like Jesus — when besetments to evil are more easily overcome, and fall less frec[uent — when malice gives place to love, severity to kindness, pride to humility, and anxious fear to joyful confidence, with holy triumph he will say, "This my joy is fulfilled !" Every individual drawn from the ranks of the enemy lessens the power of opposition, and every additional conversion to the truth as it is in Jesus adds a brighter shade to the glory — another gem to the crown of the Re- deemer ; and therefore with joy he leaps forward in anti- cipation to the triumph of heaven. " Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth !" Truly there can be no greater joy, none better founded, none purer, none more durable, for it is the joy of heaven, a foretaste of glory. Of this the Apostle was a competent judge. Whatever of pure delight and pleasurable emotion were felt by those who witnessed the Saviour's miracles, who heard His doc- trines and felt the holy influence that attended their de- livery, John had seen, heard, felt the whole ! He had seen the blind, the deaf, the dumb crowding round his adorable Lord, when " virtue went out of Him and healed them all." He had witnessed the winds and waves obey Him, had seen wen wondering, i/e7u7s trembling, and the dead rising at His word. He had witnessed the Trans- figuration, was present when Moses and Elias spake with his Master, and, like his fellow-disciples, felt it " good to 8 PARFNTAr. AKFKCTION — MiNI.VlEklAL INiKKKST. li tlKic," and would gladly have joined thein in building tabernacles to perpetuate the memory of the scene. Of two things the Apostle was very sensible— first, that nothing is more mortifying than vain labour, especially when one has taken great pains, made many efforts and sacrifices for the accomplishment of the object upon which he had set his heart; secondly, thpt nothing is more gratifying than success ! When a chil.j is born, the parents are glad ; when the little one takes the first step in life and makes ludicrous attempts at naming his father, the pleasure increases ; if the child enjoys vigorous health and gets safely through the diseases common to children, there is an increase of their joy, and they think and say with Lamech, " this same shall comfort us." If there are indications of thoughtful intelligence, their joy abounds ; when their watchfulness and instructions are crowned with success, then their prayers are heard ! So it is with the true minister, when his earnest and patient labours are fruitful, and he sees his children loving and walking in the truth. There is no joy so unselfish, so pure, as the joy of doing good ; it is the joy of success ; it is "the pleasure of the Lord prospering in his hands;" it is seeing " the travail of the Saviour's soul," the end of his life and labours, " converting sinners from the error of their ways, and hiding a multitude of sins." This is add- ing to the wealth, the strength, the power of the church, and increasing the joy of heaven. Tfl CHAPTER II. IT IS WISE AND SAFE TO THINK OF THE END. [HERE are three words with corresponding ideas, that express all that is important to men — the past, the present and the future ; but these are not thought of, or cared for. There is a degree of levity in men that feels averse to such considerations. Men forget the past, trifle with the present, and refuse to anticipate the future. They would rather laugh and sing and make merry in the dance, like the men before the Flood ; it is felt to be more agreeable to flesh and blood to enjoy the present than anticipate the future, so dark, so gloomy and forbidding. Such a disposition is the greatest and most sturdy foe of vital godliness ; it is one of the prevailing sins of the world — Satan's masterpiece ! Men feel a natural anti- pathy, a felt reluctance to such reflections ; they would overlook the whole, and live in giddy and thoughtless in- sensibility. Any one who knows himself and has studied human nature, is aware that there is no other method so likely to bring men to a healthy state of mind, of feeling and action, as looking at, thinking of, and honestly laying to heart the interests, the tremendous interests of the future. With a view to raise an opposing influence, a telling force to this levity by which the devil keeps man slum- bering in security, keeping his goods and house in peace, this chapter shall be devoted to the consideration of the future, and the best method of improving the present, with a view of preparing for it. We find a subject suitable for TO IT IS WISE AND SAFE TO THINK OF THE END. our purpose in llic language of David ; " Lord, make mc to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am." — Ps. xxxix. 4. The writer feels that such a subject becomes a hoary head. Age, increasing infirmities, declining energy, give a personal interest in it. The nearness, the certainty of the end being at hand, give it a force and a power it could not have in other circumstances. If a young man, in the early part of his ministry, while yet the tide of life flows high in his veins, were to take up such a subject as this, the people would be apt to think it purely sentimental — a verbal svmpathy that did not amount to much. The writer feels it to be widely dif- ferent — that it belongs to him, and, properly considered, it belongs to all. If men were to act in this way, and pray as David did, there would be fewer death-bed alarms. The reason why death and eternity seem so awful on their approach, is just because men refuse to look the monster in the face, and think of matters which, though now dis- tant, will soon be here. David seems to feel anxious to know something of his end, and to know it in due time. He is afraid lest the matter should be laid aside till declining years and in- creasing infirmities should force it upon him. He would rather deal with it in the vigour of manhood than leave it till helpers failed and comforts had fled. He felt the im- portance of devoting time to the consideration of the subject, and prayed that he might be strengthened to do so. He knew that nothing valuable was ever secured without reflection and resolute action. All the world knows this, and all act upon it, without exception, in the several departments of life. To prepare for situations among the learned, it is not thought too much to spend half a lifetime ; and those learned men who know most are always adding to their acquisitions, and are not above taking a lesson from any quarter. If men felt so on the subject of religion, what a bless- II m TIIolOHTS ON ORAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. ing it would be ! Hoping that you are so inclined, let me ask how much time you would consider needful to prepare you to meet the e/id of your being, the enjoy- ment of immortality ? There never was a grosser decep- tion — self -deception — than the idea entertained by many, that a few thoughts in the end will be sufficient to be devoted to secure the interests of eternity ! — a feeble, dying effort to secure what is above all price : " For what is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? " Remember, it is his end that David is speaking of ; and if you, dear reader, quote David's prayer, make a personal application of it. The end of anything is important, just because it is the end ; all the rest comparatively unimportant, except in so far as it bears on the final issue ! What of a few moments of misery or joy ? hard toil or rest ? What signify the griefs and cares, the shame or glory, the gain or loss, if the ^//^/ is gained, the battle won, the prize se- cured ? And just as the youth who rises to eminence in his profession, and the business man whose speculations have succeeded, and the sailor who has safely returned to port, and the soldier to his home when the war is ended, forget all the dangers and drudgery of the past in the triumph of the end ; so the Christian feels in the end of his days, that in securing the one thing needful, all is safe, and safe for ever. Creation can furnish no greater prize, no superior acquisition, than that of winning Christ ! Should we not think of that ? What will the end be ? — our end — my end ? What is that likely to be ? Quietness, peace, assurance, joy — an abundant entrance into the kingdom ? We cannot lift the veil that hides the future, yet we would like to see what it conceals — what lies beyond. Though clouds and darkness rest upon the future, yet we may form a tolerably correct estimate of what our fu- ture may be from a careful analysis of the present. One thing, however, is to be considered as settled, that " what- 12 IT IS WISE AND SAFE TO THINK OF THE END. ■piiiai soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Good fruit cannot come from bad seed. *' If ye sow to the flesh, ye shall reap corruption ; " " If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die."' What, my reader, are jou doing now? How are your thoughts employed in every-day life ? What are the things that interest you most ? — that make the deepest impressions ? — that call forth your energies and keep them in action? What are the things that get the first, the clearest, the warmest of your thoughts in the morning, go with you through the day, and lie down with you at night ? Believe me, dear reader — for I am in earnest, and mean what I say — it is the general leaning and bent of your aff'ections that tell you, and tell you truly, what your future, your end, is likely to be. If God and His Christ, if the realities of the eternal world receive a heartier welcome, a warmer reception and better entertainment in your bosom than the concerns of this fleeting state, your prospects are good. The man that often and devoutly thinks of holiness and heaven is not likely to be disappointed in his desire of entering therein ; for God is true. But, on the other hand, if you are indifferent to spiritual interests, and, like the majority of men, you are content to risk all and take your chance — if serious thoughts are troublesome — if the self-denial of the Gospel is a grievous restriction and felt to be an- noying, your prospects are bad, and you have reason to be alarmed. The termination of a religious life is not a matter of chance, but the result of desire, design and choice, followed up by resolute action. The man who has no thoughts, no desire for holiness and heaven, is not likely to attain the one or enjoy the other I The prayer in the text should be considered as an honest wish for such a realization of the importance of present action as may tell favourably on the future. It will be sure to act in this way if it be accompanied with a desire to improve favourable opportunities. The value of opportunity has always been acknowledged by the 13 I' i 1 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. world, and acted upon by taking advantage of it. It makes all the difference between the scholar and the dunce, between the good tradesman and the indifferent, the wise man and the fool, the saint and the sinner, the saved and the damned ! The farmer, the sailor, the traveller, the man of busi- ness, the speculator in stocks and securities, all act upon it, for the seller watches the rise and the buyer the fall of the markets. It is by the improvement of opportunity that success is secured. Neglect is often ruinous. " Work while it is called to-day ; the night cometh when no man can work." Did you ever notice the stir and bustle of a large sea- port when a fair wind came up ? What a coiling of ropes ! what a sweeping of decks ! what a fastening of hatches and unfurling of sails ! We all know how diligently the farmer improves the weather of the fall in ploughing his fields, the opening of the spring in sowing his seed, and sunshine in making his hay. The family of the Roths- childs made millions at the battle of Waterloo by get- ting information of victory before the arrival of the mails! Opportunity is not chance, but noticing a favour- able turn in the course of events and promptly improv- ing it. None can bring back the sunny days of youth, so fa- vourable to all improvement ! Making the best of such, makes the man and secures a fortune. Failing to Jo so, makes the aged bosom heave with sighs, and the eyes fill with unavailing tears. It would be a sad pity if those who lost their own opjjortunities were not to warn the young of their danger of wasting time. The calculation is, that not more than half the human family exceed the age of four. How much need, then, to realize the "measure of our days." The limit is said to be three score and ten. But some, in making the journey of life, finish their course ere they leave the mother's breast, and go to be cherubs in heaven ! Others get out a little from the shore, so to 14 IT IS WISE AND SAFE TO THINK OF THE END. speak, and rise to thoughtless, happy youth. Yet these often, very often, are — " Nipt by the wind's untimely blast, Parched by the sun's directer ray ; The momentary glories waste, The short-lived beauties die away." Others, again, get far out on the sea of life, till, like the writer, they begin to live on borrowed time. Many a change they experience, many a battle they fight, many a storm they encounter while driven up and down the sea of life ; until the frail bark, close reefed and close hauled, is dashed on some rocky shore, and they are suddenly sent to their long home — the land of forgetfulness. We think of the savage tribes who, in the early days of our history, chased the game in the forests, fished in the rivers and great lakes, and with rude implements cultivated a small portion of the soil of Canada ! Where are they now ? Gone to join the majority, like the men who sur- veyed your lands, made your roads (what roads !) and built the bridges — all, all numbered with the dead ! There is no circumstance connected with our sojourn on earth so impressive as that we must leave it. You may build dwellings of solid stone and lime, and they will remain, but you must go ! You may be careful of your health, and guard against accident, intemperance and disease. Quacks may recommend their nostrums, and medical men may use their skill, but they cannot prevent themselves or you from going the way of all the earth. The only perma- nent connection we can make or can form with this world is in a grave.* No care you can take, no vigilance you can use, will prevent your expulsion from a world of which it is truly said, " one generation comes and another goes." What is it ? what will it be to me ? Just what it was to all who preceded us ; for the same diseases, the same accidents, the same anxieties and labours await us ; — there is no discharge in this warfare ! Here is a fine subject for * John Foster. 15 ' 1 i.\ THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. reflection, and if devoutly considered, will surely make us to " know how frail we are." But this we know already in a measure. The difficulty is to make w^feel it, and live under its influence. The Good Spirit, by metaphors and emblems, has said much to furnish material for reflection, and enable us to realize our frailty, and make the best of life. It is to be carefully noted, that, in doing so, the Holy Spirit never refers to anything strong, permanent or valuable, but always to what is feeble^ short-lived and luortliless. " And the voice said Cry," — cry what ? *' All flesh is grass ! " " The grass withereth, the flower fadeth." See the prophet Isaiah coming into a congregation of his countrymen with a withered leaf in his hand, and, holding it up between his finger and thumb, he cries '* We all do fade as a leaf; our iniquities like the wind have carried us away." We can hardly conceive of anything more feeble or worthless than a leaf, and especially a withered leaf ; it may hang on to the branch for a time, suspended by a single hair, but it is liable to be carried off" by the first wind that blows ! The man that does not see his frailty here must surely be uiind. The sacred writers seem to vie with each other which of them will most effectually teach the lesson of human frailty ; we are compared to a shadow, to vapour, a passing cloud, a ship on the ocean, an eagle in the air, who leave no trace behind. Our days are an hand-breadth, passing rapidly like the weaver's shuttle from side to side of the web \ the winter throwing it to the summer, and the summer back to winter again, till it is cut off" from the beam of life, and the tale is told, and man goes to his long home. How difficult it is to make men to think of their frailty and end ! They wish the end to be as far in the distance as possible ; they think the end will come soon enough ; they see no good in anticipating a sub- ject which to flesh and blood has always been unplea- sant. How few are they who, mistrusting their own inclinations and feelings, lest they should be partial i6 IT IS WISE AND SArK TO THINK. OF THK KND. and one-sided, earnestly implore Divine instruction ! The Psalmist considers God the only eftective teacher ; men, generally, think differently ; — any teacher rather than (rod, any subject rather than themselves, and any part of their life or history rather than the end. Solomon says, " Folly is bound up in the heart of a child," but unfortunately it does not pass off with child- hood. It nestles in the heart of the father too. Knowing this by painful experience (and who does not ?), I would earnestly recommend the course pursued by David as the most likely to overcome a feeling which, though natural, yet operates most seriously against our higher interests. And the prayer will be all the more likely to be answered if we come before God with the same downright honesty, for there is no dictation here. iJavid is open to convic- tion, and ready to receive instruction in any way, by any means his Heavenly Father might appoint or use ; " make me," by any means " make me to know." If health and peace and smiling friends, and happy, healthy children, and a prosperous business fail to impress me, then apply the rod and the chastisements of life, but make me, by any means make me know mine end and the measure of my days. The great business of life with every man should be the care of the soul, the imperishable part of him, and this care should be considered as belonging to the whole — as clinging to every part of life. Most men believe this, and yet the small amount of attention paid to it by the young would intimate that there is a settled impression that, however important in riper years, it ought not to have place in the youthful heart ; this is to be considered as exempt ! Manhood too often pursues a similar course ; the great consideration is pushed off from one part of life to another, and still another, till it is considered doubtful whether it belongs to any part ! Giddy-minded mortals all through life (thinking of nothing but the present) are practically saying, " This month, this week, this day is not much ; it is 17 ' , Q 1 ilW ^ ^^' it THOUGHTS ON (IRAND AND IMPORTANT SUr.JKCTS. but a particle in so ample a thing as all life ! " And thus the great concern of hfe, with most men, is pushed on and pushed off " from one part to another, or quite off the whole ! "* The prayer, " Make me to know mine end," is to be considered as a fervent wish that we should not be so infatu- ated as to leave the preparation for eternity till disease, sickness and mental imbecility should render it difficult, if not impossible ! So much then as a bid — a motive for human thought and action. So much, as a feeble effort to lay an arrest upon the trifler, by reminding him that, if he follow the inclination of his unrenewed nature, it will lead him away from God and tri i . to all eternity ! Wishing and willing, however, will not bring it ; hoping and confiding, as a human effort, will not secure the end. This can only be accomplished by the effectual working of the Spirit of God. The text is a prayer, and if men would learn anything of themselves, anything of God, they must pray — they need to pray ! Let the reader, then, offer this petition to God ; let him offer it in faith and living hope — offer it through Jesus Christ, as his Great Advocate with God, and he will surely know his m// — the measure of his days — and happily improve them and be ready for the coming of his Lord. Such reflections as the foregoing, simple though they be, will through grace lead him to think of the one thing needful — the great and mighty change of regeneration, without which no man can enter the kingdom of God. * Foster. i8 |L? CHAPTER III. REGENERATION ALL IN ALL. EFORE entering upon the consideration of this all-important subject, a few preliminary thoughts are needful. This change is almost imperceptible at the beginning, small as a mustard seed ; is gradual and some- times very slow in its progress, but sometimes it is sudden and rapid, as in the case of Saul of Tarsus and the gaoler of Philippi. But the thoughtful reader can hardly fail to observe that in any case, in every case, there is a needful preparation. It is true that the preparatory work may not be obvious to eye of flesh, yet God knows it all and does it all. Progress is the law of nature, and not less of grace. It often commences with a single reflection, a serious apprehension, a starting fear, a'n un- easy sensation, or a desire that flying off" to heaven with the rapidity of the lightning's flash, enters the ear of mercy, such as the enquiry, "Am I on the right track? Am I safe ? Happy ? Fit to live and ready to die ? What if I am in the wrong? What if God is angry?" Most of the conversions of which we read in the Scriptures begin in this way. Nathaniel under the fig-tree was doubtless praying, Zaccheus was excited with curiosity, and the Eunuch was reading when Philip met him. But it ought to be specially borne in mind that we are speaking not of the act of divine mercy in forgiving and justifying the sinner, which is the work of a moment, but of the preparatory work, the dawning of light by which conviction is produced and desire awakened, and the guilty led to consider his case. God gives His grace to 19 I' ' I' I i -I i \iv. THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. those who feel their n^ed — seldom to others. The sense of need to which we refer is produced in various ways. Manasseh would not hear the voice of God, but the captain of the host of the King of Assyria brought him among the thorns ; and the binding, the fetters, the carry- ing to Babylon humbled him, and f/ien he sought the Lord in his affliction. The low drudgery, the weariness, the hunger and utter destitution of the prodigal started him for his father's house, with confession on his lips and penitence in his heart. When this profligate had said, " Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight," he was rea^iy for the best robe, the ring and the shoes ; and with keen appetite and feeling, grateful heart, to eat of the fatted calf — not before. But to return from this seeming digression to the great subject of regeneration. Let us hear Him who does all things well, and spake as never man spake, as He directs our attention to the subject : " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." — John iii. 3. There is vast importance in this subject, for the Lord of th*e kingdom, who holds the keys and opens and none can shut, says to Nicodemus, and through him to the whole race, " He cannot see, cannot understand, cannot enter, cannot enjoy the kingdom of God !' Let us enquire into this great subject, and look at the circumstances attending its utterance. In the whole course of our Lord's ministry, there is no event of greater moment to the guilty race than his conversation with Nicodemus. Influenced by fear — fear of the Jews — this man had come to Jesus under a settled conviction that He was a teacher sent from God. The ground of this his faith is briefly and honestly stated : " No man can do these miracles that Thou doest except God be with him." This man had probably read in the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah what is said of the Messiah : " Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf 20 ! i i. RKGENERATION Al.I. IN ALL. shall be unstopped, then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing, for in the wilder- ness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert." So deeply was he interested in the Saviour's mission, so impressed with the concerns of his soul, that, forget- ting or disregarding the usual hours of repose, he rose at midnight and hied away to the chamber of the prophet, to seek an interview with Him on the great subject of His mission to our sinful world. This scene is interesting beyond all expression. Before us there are two parties : God manifest in the flesh — the good Shepherd that came to seek and to save the lost — and beside Him a man full of anxiety about his better interests. He was not easy, not at rest, not happy; the powers of the world to come were probably bearing on his conscience ; he wanted information, this is certain, and he was confident he would get it there ! And now, Christian reader, you must think here — your interest in this conversation has in it the breadth and depth of eternity ! Is it likely that Jesus would trifle with such an applicant? Would He who came to heal the broken-hearted, and loose the prisoner, break this bruised reed and quench the smoking flax ? Would He fail to improve this splendid opportunity of doing'good to this first applicant for mercy ? Will the mo- ments of this interview be wasted in talking of common- place things ? This is not at all likely. Men may fail to improve the favourable opportunity, but Jesus in frank fidelity is always up to the occasion. We are, therefore, constrained to believe that in such a case He would promptly and plainly lay before this enquirer the greatest of all great subjects, the needful change : " Ye must be born again." This great moral change lies between every sinful man and the kingdom of God. Let us try to under- stand it. We can neither understand nor feel the force of our Saviour's words, till we have first considered our previous state. The Scriptures declare it to be a condi- i '< ! i ! u THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. tion of intellectual darkness and moral death. Man is said to be dead in trespasses and sins — dead to God, to the soul and all its interests. So complete and thorough is this death that we are unwilling to hear of it, and we look with suspicioi upon any one who would direct our attention to the su jct. Dead — without thought, with- out feeling, without desire. On this subject our whole moral nature is paralysed ! The understanding is dead, God is not known ; the judgment is dead, God is not approved ; the conscience is dead, God is not feared ; the will is dead, we do not choose God ; the affections are dead, we do not love God. Now, regeneration is just the opposite of this state; it is the implantation of a principle of moral life into a dead soul. It restores to the spiritual power its dominion over the animal, the flesh. It gives light to the understanding, and God is known ; to the judgment, and God is approved ; to the conscience, and God is feared ; to the ?£'///, and God is chosen ; to the affections, and God is loved. We are not speaking of correction, of mending or im- proving the man; but we speak of a new creation, a birth unto life, born again from above — of God. The nature of this change will be better understood when we have considered its properties. They are three in number : first, divine and supernatural ; second, inward and sensible ; third, outward and visible. First — Divine and Supernatural. No man can change his own heart, or turn the current of his affections into a new channel, any more than the "Ethiopian can change his skin or the leopard his spots." Neither physical correction, nor mental culture, nor legis- lative enactment, nor self-discipline, nor anything we can do or suffer, will bring it about. All the learning, piety, and talent on earth, aided by the angels of heaven, cannot change a sinful heart : it is above the power of angels or men. It never can be effected till He who spak-j at first shall speak again, and 29 iii REGENKRATION ALL IN ALL. "command the lii^lil to shine out of darkness, and give the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ." Hence it will be found that wherever we read of con- version, whether in the darker dispensation of the old, or the brighter and better of the new, it is uniformly spoken of as the ivork of God. Man may afifect his fellow-man ; he may impart information, and suggest matters for con- sideration, but heart and conscience are beyond his reach. He that gave us our moral constitution, alone can change it. When David was affected and afflicted with a sense of guilt and innate depravity, he looked for deliverance to Omnipotence, and prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me." With all this the promises agree : " I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ; " "I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, andgive youaheart of flesh." Experience, too, agrees with this : "You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." When men are washed, justified or sanctified, it is " by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." It is divine and super- natural. Secondly, it is Inward and Sensible. By this we just mean to say that a man may know that he is a new creature, and has passed from moral death to spiritual life. To say that any serious change, physical, intellectual or moral, can take place without our knowledge, is con- trary to all experience in all ages, for man is a sentient being, and cannot be ignorant of what is passing in and about him. As consciousness is a property of mind, any- thing that gives pain or grief, or causes uneasiness, or produces gladness — as the removal of a burden, the heal- ing of disease, or relief from some dreaded calamity — must be known to him who passes through such an ordeal. That we may be ignorant of the mode by which the Spirit of God creates anew, is clear from the language of 23 THOUGHTS OX GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. > t I ': I ; the Saviour : " The wind blowcth where it listeth, and thou hcarest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it Cometh or whither it goeth ; so is every one that is horn of the Spirit." \Ve are ignorant of the mode, but confident of the fact. As there are many good men — real Christians — who do not believe the doctrine we are now inculcating, it may be well, in a plain, familiar style, to reason with them on a subject which affects so materially our enjoyments as believers. Is a man conscious of head-ache, ear-ache, tooth-ache, back-ache ? 'J'hen why should he be igno- rant of heart-ache? Mental and moral affections are as sensibly felt as physical ailments. There is more idiocy produced bv mental and moral anguish than by physical suftering. J)o not the Scrij)tures represent mental anguish and the fear of God's displeasure to be like broken bones and the pains of hell ? Who can labour under a sense of the anger of God, the displeasure of Omnipotence, and be easy? Of this state of feeling there can be no question as to the sensibility. It can be no less when the cause of dis- quietude is removed. When the broken bones are healed, when the sense of Divine displeasure is taken away, the change must be felt, and we shall feel strongly disposed to express our thankfulness in the language of an ancient saint : " O Lord, 1 will praise Thee, for though Thou wast angry with me. Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me." No man can pass from fear to cheerful hope, from a sense of distance and degradation to nearness and familiar intercourse, without a sense of change. There 7vas the sense of displeasure and danger ; there is a sense of relief ! The doctrine of our excellent catechism on this point is both clear and scriptural, and agrees with experience. Some ministers in their public discourses have more than hinted (the good Wesley, for instance) that this 24 Rl-.GENKKATION AM, IN ALL. doctrine of the knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins was not known till they published it. A grand mistake ! We can inform the followers of that good man that the doctrine in question was known and jjubiished to the world in the " Westminster Confession of Faith," and our catechism, long before he or his father were heard of; and here it is: "The benefits which in this life accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sancti- fication, are : assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end !" This last clause puts it on a sure basis, and makes it a reality, which with some it is not. The Scriptures everywhere teach that the state^ how- ever v?ried the experience^ is not only a real but a perma- nent thing. It is no less than passing from death to life, and from condemnation to peace. But still further, how delightful to think of the happy agreement there is with these ideas and the experience of all past ages. Enoch before his translation " had the testimony that he pleased God." Job "knew that his Redeemer lived." David could say, "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing ;" "Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness ; " " Bless the Lord, who forgiveth all thine iniquities." The Apostles knew the things given to them of God, that they had eternal life ! John wrote his epistles that they might know this — be assured of it. The figures by which the Scriptures represent this change tell the same truth. It i3 a change from darkness to light, from bonds to freedom. Who can pass from midnight gloom to midday splendour, or come from a prison to walk at large, and be insensible of change? Peter must have known something of this when the Angel awoke him. When he saw the great iron gate open before him without hands, then he knew that he was delivered from the power of Herod and the expectation of the Jews. I.azarus, too, must have had some idea of what it is to 25 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. pass from death to life, when Jesus cried, " Come forth ; loose him and let him go." These statements constrain the belief that when God renews the soul it is an inward and sensible change. We have no sympathy with the teaching of some minis- ters, who wrap up the whole subject of Christian experience in mystery and doubt. Such ministers ought to know that their teaching does not tally with the enjoyments of ancient saints or New Testament believers. It is sur- prising that good men, with the Bible before them, can overlook the joyful experience of God's people, and the certainty with which they express theiiiselves. Some men, themselves in darkness, have, we suppose with a view to quiet their own minds, denied a doctrine which they have subscribed, and repudiated a happy Christian experience, just because they are ignorant of it. Hence the effort often made to put down anything like reality. Instead of manfully coming to the light, the law and the testimony (not man's, but God's), they have resorted to the use of bad names for lack of argument, and call the men who know their interest in the Redeemer, fanatics, enthusiastic Puritans or Methodists. Let them call real experience of living Christianity by what names they please, it is enough for us to know that this phase of its character is fully expressed and clearly revealed in the Bible, and happily attested in the joyful experience of many a Christian. The writer of these pages feels no shame, and offers no apology, for using the strong language of joyful assur- ance : " O, happy day that fix'dmy choice On Thee, my Saviour and my God." " O, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away, and said, " Neither do I condemn thee; go in peace." It is inward and sensible. And then, in the third place, it is Outward and »> i,'^ Visible. Z(i REOF.NF.RATION ALL IN ALL. A good tree brings forth good fruit ; a corrupt tree, evil fruit. You must purify the fountain if you would have a pure stream. Men and principles, like trees, are judged of by their fruits. A holy life comes from a pure heart. The first effect of grace upon the mind of man is to en- lighten the understanding. This will convince the Juug- menf, and lead to a change of 7cn/l, and a change of will by the laws of mind will surely be followed by a change of life ; and thus the inward and sensibi become out- ward and visible. Wherever the Spirit of God works effectually in the hearts of men, it will change, first the inner, and then the outward man. The reality is seen in putting off the old man, ceasing to do evil, laying aside all that is displeasing to God, learning to do well. Grace is not of mushroom growth ; we do not leap in manhood i' to perfection, but we learn. Some professors get perfect at once, and remind one of back-grown children, whose extremities grow, but the vital part is contracted. Let us put on Christ, practising what- soever is pure, honest, lovely, and of good report. What- ever may have been our previous habits of evil will be abandoned ; " old things will pass away, all things will become new." Tastes and habits will be changed, and pleasure will flow from new sources and subjects. The renewed man, following his instincts, " will seek the things that are above." This is the teaching of Scripture and of common sense. He will "deny ungoci'lness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly." This is the sure evi- dence of conversion, to which we may add attendance upon ordinances and the practice of family and secret prayer. A knowledge of doctrine and fair speech is not to be taken as equivalent to a righteous life. The man that is not turned from sin is not turned to Christ. This subject would be insufficiently discussed if we fail 27 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. to speak of its indispensable necessity. This necessity must have appeared from previous remarks, but line upon line, precept upon precept, is God's method of teaching and producing conviction. The necessity of this change will appear from the im- mutability of the Divine nature. God is unchanging and unchangeable. What He was at the creation He had been from eternity, and will remain the same to eternity. There is no variation or shadow of change with God. He is of one mind. He is the unchangeable foe of all sin. No man can mistake the Divine testimony on this point. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart shall dwell with Him, but sinners shall not stand in the judgment. On the wicked, because he is wicked, God will rain fire and brimstone and a horrible tempest. This shall be the portion of their cup. These sayings of God will stand with all the certainty of a Divine decree. Now, as God is incapable of change, the sinner must be changed or he cannot dwell with God. The same necessity will appear from the consideration of man's radi- cal depravity and enmity to God. Men by nature feel no regret at the sad perversion of their nature against God. They do not and cannot think favourably of their Maker, nor do they approve of God's expedient of mercy through Jesus Christ. The fearful picture Paul has drawn of man's sinful na- ture should startle the unconverted, make them tremble, and lead them to reflection. " The carnal mind is enmity against God." Let us not attempt to qualify or soften down the alarm- ing statement, but let us take it in its obvious meaning, the English of which is this — he Junes God. This is the right expression. Among men there are many character- istics of human nature, and they are divided into different groups. Some are like the Laodiceans, neither cold nor hot ; or like Ephraim, a cake not turned, neither dough nor bread — not dough, for part of it is bread ; not bread, 38 t "w REGENERATION ALL IN ALL. for part is dough ; he is neither saint nor sinner, but like a cake not turned — good for nothing. Some, halting and hesitating, may imagine themselves neutral. God judges differently, and will treat them in character. We are either friends or foes ; we gather or scatter, we love or hate. Paul's picture of human nature in its two phases cor- responds with this view. We find a reference to the spiritual and carnal in the strong language of St. James, who styles depraved humanity as earthly^ sensual^ dei'ilish. Can any sane man think of such dwelling with God? Depraved humanity is essentially one : the carnal heart, dress it as you please, give it what attractions you may, give it the manners of the polished gentleman or the ac- complishments of the fine lady, yet it is enmity to God. Man's opposition to God, His nature and kingdom, is so radical, so desperate, that it nestles in the core of his moral being. It cannot be subdued — cannot be made to submit to the law of God. How frightful is this ! — how alarming ! Wild beasts, serpents and the like, have been brought under subjection, but the evil nature cannot. As an evil nature, it acknowledges no law, recognises no authority, feels no obligation to anything but what is agreeable to its own feelings ; therefore it must be eradi- cated. Who can conceive of such discord, hatred, enmity 'entering the kingdom of peace, holiness and love ? It is clear, then, that a change must take place either in the sinner or God. God must be reconciled to evil and love what is inimical to His nature, or the sinner must be bom again. The nature of the kingdom and its enjoyments shows the same necessity. This will be seen and felt if we en- quire and ask, In what will the felicities of the heavenly world consist ? We answer — in seeing God (the glorified humanity of Christ), in being like (xod, and in communion with Him for ever. Is seeing God, being like God, and dwelling with Him, 29 1 i i m M THou(iHrs ()U orand and impok tant subjkcts. a matter of desire with sinful man ? Does not his whole nature fall back and shrink from the very thought of such a sight — such fellowship ? Does not all within say, " I would rather not ? " Now, if sinful man cannot think of God with desire and delight, is it possible that he can conceive of a God that can approve of sinful man ? Can evil dwell with God ? What communion hath light with darkness ? What concord hath Christ with Belial ? What agreement hath the temple of (iod with idols ? If such is God's nature, and such man's antipathy to that nature, how can there be fellowship — how can there be enjoy- ment ? Can an enemy stand before God ? Who is there that does not feel the force of these questions ? Who so ignorant as not to know that in order to enjoyment there must be agreement, unity of sentiment and feeling ? Man can never enjoy God without capacity — without a relish and taste for Divine things. There must be the adapta- tion of natures, and a fitness in the nature of man to enjoy such a heaven as we have described, or he cannot enter it. "Ye must be born again." No man can enjoy any- thing without capacity. It is so in nature ; it must be so in grace ! A blind man cannot enjoy the beauties of a lonely landscape, because he does not see. The most de- lij^ntful music can never be relished by him who hears not. Observation may instruct us here. Do the ignorant and uncultivated ever seek the society of the learned ? Do unconverted men enjoy the society of the pious ? If all this is true on earth, it must apply more forcibly to the heavenly state. Thrust a man who has no sense of sin, no desire for holiness, one who never prays, into the midst of a praying group who love to speak of Jesus — of the cleansing efficacy of His blood through the influence of the Spirit — and how does he feel? Just like one breathing an uncongenial atmosphere; and he will not and cannot be at rest till he make his escape and mingle in the society of those who are like himself. " Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, ye must be bom again." 30 cL RKC.F.NKRATION ALL IN ALF,. The exercises and euipioymeiils ot the kingdom show the same necessity. In the heaven of God, His children shall serve Him, His name shall be on their forehead. His love in their hearts. His praise on their lips — they sing a new song. Such an exercise would be new — some- thing strange., to which he was not accustomed and for which he had no relish. How awkward such a person would feel ! He would feel no congeniality with the com- pany, and would have no knowledge of the song — its sentiments, that thrill the heavenly throng, grate upon his uncircumcised ears. Possibly he might sing part, " He loved us," but even that might be the subject of uneasi- ness, as it would remind him how little he had valued that love ! What self-reproach ! What stinging of con- science would be felt for his despising and rejecting that which all heaven so highly prize ! None will be silent there — all will praise Him. This man has lost his way and is out of his latitude, for he cannot sing. If he at- tempted it he would sing a lie ! Jesus loved him — that is true ; but he never washed in His blood, his robes are not white, he is not at home ! " Ye must be born again." Our last remark, on the necessity of this change, is sug- gested by and contained in the text, " Verily, verily," — language equal to the most solemn oath : ** Amen, amen ; except a man be born again, he cannot see or enter the kingdom." Jesus is a competent Judge here, for He speaks of His own ! He is the faithful and true witness. He will not, cannot lie ! " He liveth who was dead ; is alive for ever- more, and hath the keys of hell and of death." *' He opens, and none can shut; He shuts, and none can open." He cannot be thwarted or resisted. It is this great and glorious Being who is the Judge of all — the light and glory of the kingdom — that says " Ye must be born again." Dare you, my hearer, appeal from such decision of such a Judge, of whose fiat all heaven is ready to say, "Just 31 It THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. ]; •j I; I! and true are Thy ways, Thou king of saints ; who shall fear Thee and magnify Thy name, for Thou only art holy?" To conclude. This change must take place on earth, for there can be no change beyond. Death can do nothing for us ; it can- not alter our moral state, it will only confirm it. When a man dies his character is fixed for ever. Saint and sinner have before them, in the Divine word, the great truth that change in the future cannot be, for " he that is filthy shall be filthy still, and he that is holy shall be holy still I" Do any doubt? See \\r>v; 't was with the rich man. He lived, he died, with* ut ( . vVe have no reason to believe he ever mourned over ; i.me to believe he ever de- sired holiness ; the world was his God. He valued nothing, cared for nothing, but w'lat he c.xild see and hear, eat and drink — gay clothing an*., suuipiaous fare was his all. This is just the state in which he awoke in the other world, as is clear from the narrative : " He lifted up his eyes in hell." He was tormented. He wished to escape bodily and mental suffering, and manifested desire for nothing else. He did not ask for pardon and holiness ; he had the same moral feelings and was in the same spiritual state as on earth ; no God here, none there. He acknowledges none. His prayers were too late, were presented to a creature, and they were rejected ! He would not hear when God spake in mercy ; God will not now hear when he cries in his misery. Pray now, my fellow-sinners, pray now, for mercy's ear is open — God waits to be gracious ! O, how plainly, how loudly, the case of this lost soul cries in the ears of mortals ! '* Behold, now i the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation. As the Holy Ghost saith. To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Do not venture on further delay ; delays are always dangerous. O do not give the go-by to this awfully solemn subject. It will not be easy to do that, for you must sail through a sea of mercy in making your way to perdition, 3» RKfJENLRATION ALL IN ALL You m:iy, in your heedlessness, give it tlie slip as being repulsive to your carnal nature, but that will not end the matter ! It will speak to you again, perhaps on a sick bed and in a dying hour ; at all events it will meet you in the judgmenL God will not willingly let the sinner die ! " He will have all to be saved and come to the knowledge and enjoyment of the truth !" Vou can only come to the kingdom in the way and through the medium appointed. Now He has a right to fix the terms of admission into His kingdom, and He has (lone it in the text. Embrace it instantly and heartily, and you are safe ; reject it, and you are undone for ever ! The design of this discourse is to produce some telling permanent result ; to give light, to produce conviction, to awaken desire, to wound and to heal, to kill and to make alive. If there has been no light diffused, there will be no conviction ; if no desire has been awakened, there will be no seeking. If none have been wounded, there will be no healing; if no killing, no life giving power ; and the consecjuence will be that all will pass off as a morning cloud, and we shall have written in vain. Whether any rousing or pleasing results have been ])roduced will be most readily discovered by inquiry. My dear reader, what- ever may be your age or condition or your relation to the Church, allow me to ask if you have ever been made to know and feel that jw^r state by nature is that of death — helpless, hopeless, till you take refuge in Jesus.? Have you known anything of the healing process ? Felt that spiritual life has been imparted — life in all the powers of the mind and the aftections of the heart? Do you know that none but God in His creating energy can give the new heart? Has He given it to you, and made you sensible of it. and hai)])y in its enjoyment? Perhaps you belong to that numerous class who do not believe that any such state is attainable, but that the whole of religion is necessarily of doubtful speculation. If you are right in that surmise, then Knoch and lob, D w "3 iHi IHOUGH'IS ON (JRAXIJ AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. David and Isaiah, John and Paul, were all deceived ; and when we read of God shining into the heart, no know- ledge is communicated. Is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus only a delusive dream? Does the Spirit bear witness to what is fwt /rue, but a delusion? Just think of that — yes, think of that. I am happy to believe that the standards of our Church are sound on this point. I would have you plead with God that you may realize the truth of the thirty-sixth question of our catechism. It is said that the ** testi- mony of two men is true," but I have given you the tes- timony of twenty, and could easily double the number ! If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. I believe the whole doctrine I have taught, and therefore pray, hoping you will join in the petition, "Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause." ■ ! n 34 CHAPTER IV. FAITH, THE WORK OF GOD — THE DUTY OF MAN. HE next subject to be noticed in the heavenly course is faith. No subject has engrossed more of the attention of commentators, scholars and critics than this. Some consider faith merely an intellectual act, and consequently easy, and within the power of all, and easily exercised. Others hold that it requires the exercise of both mind and heart. The first idea is incorrect, as it withholds from the worship and service of God the noblest power — a loving heart. The second is the teaching of Scripture, and is the very truth. The language of the Author and (iiver of faith — " He that believeth shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned " — is sufficient to show its importance. A living author, of well-known repute, holds the follow- ing : — *' Faith is not fear; nor fear, faith. The terrors of the Lord dashing into the conscience, and using guilt as fuel for premature torment, do not constitute conversion. * * * * Faith includes a complete renuncia- tion of all pretensions — the acknowledgment of a state of guilt. Stripped of all self-righteousness and self-confi- dence, it acknowledges that we are undone, and have no ability to help ourselves. Faith is a solemn abdication of all worth, all merit — an entire resignation of ourselves into the hands of God ; in other words, it puts God in His own place and us in ours — God on the throne, and we in the dust." " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." — Hebrews xi. i. From 35 !• rn«)U ;:ris <)\ (;r.\ni) axd iMr')RrANr ^^l',Ji;<^^. which \vc take occasion tos; ■..•ak of the // r/wr, importance^ exploits and rewards of faith. Its nature. — Little is said in the sacred volume by way of explaining its nature. The reason is, it needs none ; definitions are few, illustrations are numerous. The loving confidence of children is its best illustration. Children and simple unlettered men, though their ideas are few, often understand it better, and enjoy its hapi)y results more satisfactorily, than the learned and gifted men, who often "darken counsel by words without knowledge." The Giver of faith, with ini- mitable simplicity, says it is "To believj My words;" ■• To believe the testimony God has given of His Son ;' to believe all that Jesus said, as the truth, whether Hj spake of doctrine, duty or experience. When the great Teacher set the child in the midst, the single point to be observed is the unsuspecting simplicity of the little one, who has no fear, no suspicion, no doubt of the Father's promise being fulfilled. Two children who attended the same school were very differently circum- stanced : one was highly flivoured, comfortably clad ; the other was very poor. The first said to her less ftivoured compa- nion, " How is it that your clothes are so clean and tidy, so neatly mended, when you have no mother to love you, nor any one to take care of you ? " The answer would become a Christian philosopher : " Jesus Christ takes care of me." " Ah," said the other, " Jesus lives far, far u]i in the sky, and has something else to do than take care of children." The reply was, " He says He will, and that's enough for me." Here we have the loving, unsuspecting confidence of a child; and this is faith ! We give another illustration from second childhood. Most of our readers have read it. Dr. Chalmers was visiting an old woman on a sick bed. He strove to impress on her mind faith in a Saviour's love, and confidence in a Saviour's sympathy. She could not comprehend his ab- stract definitions, when he cried, in a state of excitement 36 I'AITH, TIfK, WORK (>K COO— THI I HIV Ol' MAN. caused by his failure, *' Woman, can ye no lippen to Him?" "Lippen to Him !" she replied, "is that a'? 1 can lippen a' to Him." " That will do," said the Doctor, for he had got as good a definition of faith as he had e\ er met in his extensive reading, or given the Church in his voluminous writings. Our catechism, catching the inspiration of the Sa- viour's action in the case of a child, brings faith to the level of an infant m'nd : " To receive Christ and rest ui)on Him, Him alone, with all the heart." What further need of definition ? All the learned men in the world, since the opening of the Christian era, could not make it plainer. The old woman, without knowing it, gave the very essence of faith, " I can lippen to Him." This old crea- ture, with the child at her side, may stand abreast before the most learned divines in the world, for none can make plainer what it is to believe in Jesus. Paul's definition in the text must be noticed, as it is tht only formal definition of faith given in the Scriptures. " It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It affords present subsistence; it gives something in hand ; it brings near the distant, and Liiakes it palpable to our aspirations, for it is substance and not shadojv. In short, it makes divine things as real as if they were before our eyes. It is of the nature of faith to attach itself, before all and above all, to what Cod hius said, whether it be threatening, command, or promise. To believe, is to repose entirely on the infallibility of Cod ; it is to place His testimony above all kinds of certainty or guarantee ; it is to regard every word coming from Him as more substantial and real than reality itself; it is to practise and regard duty, in the form Cod has enjoined it, as the clearest and most imperative of all obligations. Notice, next, the importance of faith. If faith had no place among men except in the creeds of churches and in systems of theology, the opposition men 37 IHOUGHTS ON «;KANn AND IMPORTANT SUHJKC'IS. have shown to the faith might he overlooked ; but on a close and critical examination of men and their actions, it will be found that faith lies at the bottom, and is the grand propelling |)ower that sets them in motion and keeps them a-going. We can neither cat nor drink, buy nor sell, build nor plant without faith. The farmer turns up the soil and sows his seed in faith. 'I'he plodding industry of the stu- dent, and the readiness with which the mechanic plies the tools of his handicraft, and the energy with which the explorer wends his weary way, are all sustained by faith — the hope of reward ! All the activity and perseverance with which commerce and trade have been pushed forward, by which houses have been built and homes secured, or fortunes made, are traceable to the evident fact thaty^//// is an essential and component part of humanity — an instinct of our very being. If we take away faith we para- lyse the arms of men, and arrest activity among all intel- ligent creatures. Thus it will be seen that faith has a place, not only in Christianity, but with everything else. When, therefore, the Saviour gives faith such a prominent place in the scheme of mercy, He has only acted on a principle everywhere seen. As far as men are concerned (whether sceptics or believers), faith keeps the world moving ! We must not forget that want of it proved the ruin of our race, and we can never be restored to the favour of God till we return to faith. The Apostle speaks a great and fundamental truth when he says, " Without faith it is impossible to please God." God cannot come to men nor men to God without faith. No man will come to a God in whose existence he does not believe ; no one will ])ray to a being on whose good- ness and mercy he cannot rely. " He that comes to God must believe that He is, and is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." He that comes believes, and he that believes will come, and no other ! There is an immense chasm between guilty man and an offended God, and nothing but faith can span it. 38 FANH, IHK WORK t)l <;iH» IHI, IdlV (). M \N. When the Jews asked the Redeemer what they must do to work the works of God, He gave this answer, " This is the work of (Jod, that ye believe in Him whom He hath sent." Jesus began His ministry with the publication of lis subject, and His Apostles were sent into the world to give it a i)rominent place in every overture of mercy. Faith is the connecting link between heaven and earth — the sinner and his (iod. All the spiritual good that comes to man comes through fliith. We are justified by faith ; by fi\ith we have peace, both in the sense of reconciliation and of tranquillity ; — we stand by faith ; maintain the struggle with sin and Satan, and overcome the world by faith ; indeed we exercise every grace and discharge every duty in the same way, and it is by the exercise of faith that we make the application of that blood that cleanses from all sin ; and it is " by the unity of the faith and of 'he knowledge of the Son of God, that we come to the mea- <^ure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." What amount of ignorance may be consistent with the vcrcise of a saving faith is hard to say, and not for us to determine. This we know, however, that the information of Zaccheus, the Publican, the Jailor of Philippi, the Thief on the Cross, and the Ethiopian Eunuch, must have been very small. This last case which we have cited is strik- ing. He was so ill-informed as not to know of whom the Prophet spake, yet hearing Philip and receiving his instruc- tion he said to Philip, " See, here is water ; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip, without reference to other qualifications, said, " If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." He said, " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," and he was baptized on that confession, showing plainly that faith, and faith only, is required of him who comes to Jesus ! Thank God it is still true, " He that believeth shall be saved." The Exploits of faith are now to be considered. The expression we have used is rather singular ; but the author of Christianity was singular; the doctrines He 39 'I \' THO.' IJ!.- ON <;KANI) AM) IMPORTANT SUI'.JHCTS. taught, the spirit He niiinilested, and the effects that followed were all .singular. Besides, the expression is scriptural, for the Prophet Daniel says, "The people that know their God shall be strong and do exploits." The chapter that begins with the text is full of the exploits of faith. The persons named were all moral heroes, for they exhibit a decision, a firmness, an energy unecjualled in any age of the world. Their defiance of suffering and death, death in its most fearful aspect, awakens in our minds a deep and holy reverence for their memory. In the same chapter the Apostle speaks of " Gideon and Barak, of Samson and Jephtha, of l)avid and Samuel, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteous- ness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens." The admiration that is awakened in our minds by their noble heroism, when they endured the tortures and cruel mockings inflicted by their enemies, prepares us to homologate the judgment of the Apostle when he says, " Of whom the world was not worthy." Never did admiral on the deck of a gallant ship, nor patriot in his love of country, nor philanthropist in self-denial, surpass, or even equal, the noble daring of the servants of God in defence of the Faith I 'J'here are names in ancient and modern history that ought to be had in everlasting remem- brance : as Paul and Luther, Zuingle, Knox, and others ; — not forgetting the noble heroes of the Covenant and our martyred forefathers, nor the noble spirits of '43, when nearly five hundred ministers of the Church of Scotland, for conscience sake, threw up, without a grudge, their manses, their glebes, and their stipends, rather than sub- mit to the grinding oppression of the civil power I Where will you find men with clearer heads, warmer hearts, stronger arms, or more unselfish, undying regard for the Faith than you will find in the believers of revelation ? The Spirit of God has left this record in the nth chapter 40 FAITH, THK WORK OF OOP — THF. DIIV OF MAN. of the Hebrews for the encouragement and contirniation of the Faith. And we devoutly record our thankfuhiess to God for the escape of the Free Church from Egyptian bondage. The disruption of 1843 filled the world with delight ; and it will hold a place in the annals of the Church to the latest posterity. We have this record of the noble exploits of the an- cients to encourage us in doin*^ likewise. We are not, however, called upon to do as they did, for the simple rea- son that we are not in the same circumstances. No one seeks to deprive us of civil liberty ; no armed legions at- tempt to take away our religious freedom ; yet we are called upon to meet other foes, which, though not so for- midable, are equally dangerous. The pride, selfishness, and covetous tendency of our carnal nature, have to be resolutely opposed ; anger, wrath, malice, have to be subdued. Wc are expected to raise an opposing force against all unrighteousness and ungodli- ness of men. The case of Christians of the present day is the more trying, as the enemies they have to oppose are not without, />>«/ in f/icm. We are not to take the easy course adopted by Roman Catholics, who hang a crucifix about their necks and make the sign of the cross on their forehead, or on the fleeting air. It is easier work, this, than to mortify the pride, stifle the anger and crucify the animal appetites of our carnal nature. The Cross with us must be in the heart. That we may not mistake the matter, we consider it important to give specimens of what is expected of us. Here is a man who is a good hater, who does not for- give. The exploit he is to perform as a Christian is freely and heartily to forgive the malicious, spiteful foe who may have injured his name or deprived him of his property. This is a diflicult matter, as is clear from the expeiience of the disciples, who, when required to do so, felt the difti- culty to be very great, and prayed," Lord, inc. ease our faith." THOUGHTS ON CRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Here, again, is one who finds himself strongly inclined to covetoiisness — getting all he can and keeping all he gets. Now, such a man, to check the grasping of his covetous heart, must open the safety-valve of Christian benevolen< e, and give to him thai needeth, and he will do an exploit worthy the Christian name, and resemble Him who went about doing good. Take another case of one naturally passionate, who *' gathers his brows like a gathering storm — nursing his wrath to keep it warm." He must subdue and crucify his passion, and so avoid the Divine displeasure. This would be a heroic act, a noble exploit, which the Spirit of God has marked with approbation — " He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." The last illustration we give is that of one given to appetite. By long continuance in the use of stimulants he ultimately becomes a lover of strong drink. He would be a hero who would conquer in this conflict. The strong language of Scripture should startle the inebriate and set him a-thinking : he should seriously weigh the language and queries of Solomon when he says," Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging." The raging of a drunken man can only be illustrated in a lunatic asylum. O, what odium, what infiimy the Spirit of God has left on this vile prac- tice ! It is true to the life, we see here a combination of all that is " earihly, sensual and devilish !" " Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling ? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes ? They that tarry long at the wine — they that seek mixed wine ! " And these queries — start- ling enough — Solomon follows up with something more alarming. The gratification of the appetite, though agree- able to flesh and blood, will in the end " bite like a serpent and sting like an adder." The exploit required is to keep out of the way of the dram-shop ; and the drinker to say " No " to every one who asks him to take, and to 42 1AHH, TUK WORK OK (;(JJ> THK DUTV OF MAN'. Stand to it, and he will do a noble exploit, more difficult to accomplish than the victory of Leonidas at the pass of Thermopylae, or of David's heroism when he slew Goliath, or the prayers of Joshua, which, through Omnipotence, made the sun stand still ! Men can get through the world, and the Church too, with little of the polish of polite literature, with a small amount of human learning, and with many weaknesses — many falls — but a man cannot be a Christian without faith ! The Church, with its prayers and sermons and sacraments, and even the atonement of Christ, can be of no saving value to men without faith. Let my read- ers then have ftiith in God, in Christ, and cast themselves upon His promised mercy, and then they may look with joyful anticipation for the place He has gone to prepare for them that love Him. The rewards of faith are next to be considered. These we present as inducements to holy living and active fiuth — as attractions to draw you heavenwards. No man serves God for nought. It is true that religion is thought a gloomy subject, made up of restrictions and prohibitions, unproductive of good. There never was a greater mistake. Men often miss the mark — God never fails. His wisdom will always guide to the best and fittest means of attaining the end contemplated. Redemption is neither a mistake nor a failure. The purpose of God, the end for which the Saviour lived, died, and rose again, shall surely be accomplished. We cannot conceive of an Infinite Intelligence being bafiled ! Vet there is a con- siderable amount of unbelief lurking in the hearts of many who sincerely serve God ; and as their experience is small, they are apt to inquire "what profit they shall have if they pray unto Him." I shall conclude this part of my subject by answering that question — "What profit shall we have ?" Much every way, but chicHy in the following: There will be an approving conscience and the pea( e of God. It is a happy thing to be at peace with (iod--to 43 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT STIHJKCTS. I have the approbation of our own thoughts. " If our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God, and shall assure our hearts before Him." Sin is its own tormentor, but " a good man is satisfied from himself." The spring of contentment is in him, and he feasts on the happy, joyful thought, " God loves me." No man can be happy who is at variance with himself. There will also be a standing in grace, and a knowledge that we stand and "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." How blessed to be able to say, " I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day ! " It is true we may often be in a wilderness — in a weary, thirsty land, where no water is, where there is little to satisfy a soul ; but if we are believers we have access to the fulness of Him who filleth all in all, and can turn the shadow of death into the morning. What a privilege to have free and unreserved access to Him who knows the way that we take, and tell Him all our fears, all our hopes and de- sires, with the freedom of a child speaking to a father ! ^'' lVhatsoez>er ye ask in My name," says Jesus, '■'that loill I do," — that very thing — " that the Father may be glorified in the Son !" And this promise becomes more satisfac- tory and precious as we are assured of an interest in the intercessions of Him who cannot pray in vain. How happy to have a friend in court, and especially such a Friefid, who never lost a case committed to His care, and will not fail in ours. And further, we shall be preserved from sin, our heaviest burden, our only grief; God's hedge shall be about us, His eye upon us, His provi- dence will defend us, His skill will mingle our cup, "the eternal God will be our refuge." Jabez prayed that God would " keep him from evil, that it might not grieve him," and He granted him that which he requested. This blessedness will be the portion of the man who prays. " They shall not be ashamed that wait on Me." How strongly the Saviour puts this forward as the reward and 44 FAITH, THK WORK Ob (iOlJ — THK DUTY UK MAN. the fruit of living faith : " He that hearcth My word, and be- Heveth on Him that sent Me, /ia//i everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation,but is passed from death into life." " He that believeth in Me shall never die ! " We shall have fightings without and fears within, but this anchor is sure — steadfast, because it flistens on the throne of God ; and the believer need not fear, *' though the earth be removed and the mountains be cast into the midst of the sea." Temptations and fiery trials will come, hut Jesus will make a way for escape, and bruise Satan under the believer's feet. And yet another reward of faith remains, a reward that is above all and crowns all 1 Ho will confess His believ- ing people before an assembled wcjrld I While they read and thought, wept and prayed, and had frequent com- munication one with another, as they thought of His name, He said then, " They shall be mine in the day when I make up my jewels." When that day comes He will make good His word, and will say, " Well done." This will astonish the believer. *' W^ell done ! " What was it he did so well ? He cannot call up anything he said or did or gave to the blessed Redeemer's cause, but was so small, so imperfect, and often so blameable, that his greatest surprise is to find that /le is there ; but when he hears "Well done I " he will cast his crown at th^ feet of Jesus, lost in wonder, love and praise. " And now, little children, abide in Him," and you shall have as your re- ward purer gold than that of Ophir, sweeter songs than those of Zion, better grapes than those of Eschol, and a richer crown than ever adorned the head of a monarch 1 :up, that ^,- Gx^'^^ ■• ""^€1:^"^ and 45 CHAPTER V. ill lit TRUE ENJOYMENT DERIVED ONLY FROM LIKENESS TO GOD. OTHING else but what we have enumerated — the new heart, the right spirit, a sure trust in the blessed Saviour — can bring heartfelt satisfac- tion to a Christian's soul. And if we would taste and rejoice in its sweetness, and bask in its sun- shine, we must take the course of one who wrote on the subject — wrote wisely, and understood it well. " Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify unto you this day." Set your hearts to understand them, to believe them, to enjoy them, to reduce them to practice ! Scrip- ture character is set before us for our encouragement and imitation. David evidently understood the secret of the Lord, in holy living and happy enjoyment. His temper must be our temper, his example must be followed by us if we would mark with satisfaction the footsteps of the flock, and stand in the latter day in our lot. No brighter or better example of personal piety, generally, can be found than that of the son of Jesse. When we read with loving, believing attention, the lan- guage of this good man in the concluding verse of the seventeenth Psalm, we are constrained to acknowledge that we have found a man of God. " But as for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteous- ness. I shall be satisfied when I awake in Thy likeness." There is decision here, independence here ; there is an earnest longing after holiness, and its result will be satis- faction. Let us be imitators of him, and his joy will be 46 TKLK F.NJOYMENT DKRIVEIJ ONLY FROM LIKKNESS TO fJOD. ours. " As for me." Here was a man who had the right idea of religion — a personal concern. Here was one who read and thought and chose for himself. He had obtained the victory over foreign influence ; he thought for himself. He would not stay to consider what others thought or how they would act, whether they would approve of his course. If they did approve he would be glad to enjoy their company, but if they objected, he would go on his way li'ithout them. He would respect the opinions of others so far as they had a claim to consideration, but he would be guided by none ; he would choose and act for himself ! Like Joshua, Caleb, Daniel, and Paul, he would decide for himself. This has always been a strik- ing characteristic of good men, who know and feel that " every man must give an account of himself io God." Wealth, honour and power may satisfy those who had their portion in this life ; these were not enough for David. He felt he was but a sojourner, a stranger on earth, and that material things could not meet the desires of his immortal nature. It is pleasing to think that, though the Jewish system was made up to a great extent of carnal things, yet not a few of those trained in that school were far in advance of their dispensation, and looked to and thought of the imperishable. The sweet singer of Israel is a fine illustration. Earth in its wealth, honour and glory were little to him ; his thoughts flew off, and his desires rose above all sublunary things — above sun, moon and stars ; up, up to the throne of the Eternal. " 1 shall behold Thy face in righteousness." The favour and image of God was to him the sum of all good, and would satisfy him. The language here is very significant — " I shall be- hold Thy face." The face, in Scripture as in common life, is taken as an index to the mind. Any one can read the countenance of his fellow, and a child can tell the thoughts and feelings of his father, nnd see from his face what is likely to be the success of his re(iuest. The emo- 47 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. i I I. tions of the inner man, love or aversion, tenderness or indifference, are easily discovered in the countenance ! David anticipated some smile of approbation, some un- mistakable evidence of affection, that would meet his earnest anticipations. Beholding the face of God is to be taken fiiiiiuratively, not literally. To see God, would be rrore than frail humanity could bear ; no man could see that face and live. If the Israelites could not behold "the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance," what, then, must it be to behold the ineffable glory of the Infinite ? Had the rec|uest of Moses, " Show m^ Thy glory," been granted, it would have resulted in death. Indeed, all that will be seen of Him who is properly the Invisible, will be in the glorified humanity of the Redeemer. The great Prophet of His Church sets the matter at rest when he said to the disciples, *' He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." The Father's wisdom, goodness and grace were easily read in the spirit and temper of the Messiah. We see the love of our Father's heart in the tenderness of Jesus, and hear its utterances of mercy on the cursed tree, when Jesus prayed: "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do." And still more is it seen when it plucked the thief as a brand from the burning, and bore him away in triumph to the paradise of God. By the face of God, we are to understand His approba- tion and image. But surely the language intimates the most intimate fellowship, as children with a father. There will doubtless be in heaven a visible glory, and it is to that glory the Saviour refers when He said of the happy spirits of the dead, " they always behold the face of My Father." This glory was seen in a measure by the disciples when they testified, " We have seen His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." But there will be an addition to the glory when we shall be like Him, and see Him as He is, and be with Hun for ever. 46 TRUE ENJOYMKNI' UKRlVtU ONLY FROM LIKENESS TO (lol). of lie is, But observe, it was in righteousness David expected to see His face. How careful is the Spirit of God in guiding aright on that matter ! In righteousness — not by com- promise, not by overreaching mercy, truth, holiness or justice, but by the most rigid maintenance of all the attributes of the Deity, especially of the justice and holi- ness of God ! From that display of glory David ex- pected satisfaction. " I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness." Not till then. It may here be observed, and fairly inferred from the language before us, that dissatisfaction is inseparable from the present state, and may arise from a thousand sources: from bodily weakness, nervous debility, and other infirmi- ties ; from disease and consequent pain ; from worldly losses ; family relations ; from business connections ; from church and state. From such annoyances no man can claim exemption. No man's health is perfect ; none are free from infirmity, or secured against misfortune. " We are born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward." There are weak points in the strongest and the best of men. Every one born of woman has more or less of disease from the economy under which he lives. Among family relations there may be much of the milk of human kindness; there may be prudence, forecast, fidelity and truth; but in all these there will be qualifying considerations — some draw- back, some defect, something to forbear, something to forgive. There will be many inequalities and sources of pain and uneasiness, which all our prudence and forecast could neither foresee nor prevent. The honest politician has often been confounded, and the patriot thwarted in his schemes for public benefit ; and the philanthropist has been compelled to sit down and mourn over the woes of his countrymen. The very graces of Christianity, though they come from heaven, are im- perfect. The strongest faith will sometimes waver, the warmest heart will sometimes chill, the brightest eye will be occasionally dimmed, and tlie loveliest sky be clouded, 49 « THOUGHTS ON GRAND A>ii> IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. The promised land, with its corn and wine and oil, its milk and honey, was not paradise. The Jewish state, with laws so righteous, privileges so great, hopes so bright, and kings so wise and good and brave, yet found Amorites, Hittites and Jebusites as thorns in their sides ! Nay, in the family of Jesus we find some drops of bitterness in the cup of life. The primitive church, too, grand model of all that is wise and good, fair and happy among men, with its elders and deacons, its sure inspiration and divine protection, found the kings of the earth leagued together against it and the Lord and His anointed. It was on the other side of Jordan that David looked for a better state of things. " When I awake," — intimating most decidedly that good men are often found in a dormant state, and that much of life is spent, not in the night only, but frequently in the day, in pursuit of the idle vagaries of the land of dreams. Now, though a Christian does not and cannot sleep as do others, yet he not unfrequently slumbers. There is often a drowsy insensibility felt even in the sacred duties of hearing, read- ing and praying. Is it not for this reason we have the rousing admonition of the Apostle, " It is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed?" When we awake there will be a change for the better — a happy change, " for that which is in part shall have passed away, and that which is perfect have come." All that caused anxiety, suffering and pain shall pass away for ever, and give place to the realities of the unchanging state. In that happy world there will be no slumbering, no idle imaginations, no mistakes, no mis- apprehensions through mental blindness or moral torpor. Perception will be clear and distinct, the joy will be un- speakable, the glory full ; and this will give completeness, and bring the happy assurance that all is incorruptible — incapable of defilement, and shall never fade away. Changes often take place in the world — calm and storm 50 TRUE ENJOYMENT DERIVED ONLY FROM LIKENESS TO GOD. cloud and sunshine, joy and grief ; but there all will be stable and abiding. Here, in the wilderness, we sometimes come to spring wells and palm trees, and we fain would rest ; we think ourselves nearing the land of promise, when some sddden and unforeseen event reminds us that we are still in the wilderness ; but there, the only change will be from the less to the greater, " from glory to glory." When the body shall rise from the grave, built on in- destructible principles, we shall be satisfied, and feel at home, where all labours will be overpaid — all longings satisfied. There shall be no limit to enjoyment there, but capacity ; and that shall be increasing and enlarging for ever. What a happy change that will be to the poor, the diseased, the hard-wrought, ill-fed, ill-paid poor, when the recollection comes up that all the evil is left behind ; that the sun shall never set, and the stars never withdraw their shining; that the company is all heavenly — all of one mind, the unity of love ! It is clear that death, in the estimation of the Psalmist, was not annihilation, not a leap in the dark, not an eternal sleep ! He expected to live beyond the grave, where sickness and death would be unknown, and he should wake up in the lovely likeness of his Lord. How cheer- ing and invigorating the language of Isaiah, " Thy dead men shall live ; together with my dead body they shall rise ; " " Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust." Still more delightful is the sentiment of Paul : " They that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him ! " O, happy day, when death shall be swallowed up of life, and we are ever with the Lord. This satisfaction which the Psalmist anticipated is to arise from resemblance — " I shall awake in Thy likeness." Likeness signifies an external form or representation of any person, such as we have in the photographs we find every, where, and in every house ! 51 I ! ^ THOUGHTS ON rjRANK AND IMPORTANT SUnjKCTS. It signifies a true resemblance between one person and another in personal appearance, stature and complexion ; and if in moral temper and habits they agree, the resem- blance is more complete. The latter idea is the one in- tended here ; one mind, one heart, seeking the same ob- ject in the use of the same means. This was Paul's idea in writing to the Philippians, " that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." This was forcibly inculcated by the Redeemer — " that ye may be the children of your Father," like Him " who makes His sun to rise on the €vil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." In this way Christians are to be the salt of the earth, that preserves and prevents decay and corruption ; and the "light of the w( rid," guiding the steps of the benighted, and, by their example of godly tempers, so influencing their fellows as to encourage them in well-doing, and thus " glorify the Father in heaven." Nothing on earth is more lovely, delightful, and attractive than the bright example of a warm-hearted and consistent Christian, especially when love is without dissimulation, and with none of the foldings of hypocrisy. When professing Christians learn to be " kindly affectioned one toward another" — when " they prefer one another in love," religion will Live a tenfold force, and men will be disposed to believe that there is something good in religion, and disposed to give it a trial. This state cf holiness on earth David expected to be perfected in heaven, when he would gain the summit of his wishes, the ultimate object of his ambition. This powerful attraction was always drawing him up- wards and heavenwards, " where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore." It will be a great and happy thing for the Church of God, and cheering to individual believers, when men generally think and speak of religion as an individual interest, a personal concern ; and hap- pier still when they display a manly independence in 52 TRUE KNJOYMKNT DKUIVKD ONLY FROM LIKENESS TO GOD. making up their minds, with a decision unalterable, a firmness unflinching, and a faith unwavering, to be Chris- tians indeed — all saying, in the warmth of devotion, ^' As for tncy I shall behold Thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when I awakewithThylikeness." Thrice happy the man who can say, " If my friends go with me I shall be glad, but if they refuse 1 will go without them !" How sad to belong to the silly tribe who have no mind of their own, and cannot take a solitary step even on the way to heaven till their friends are consulted ; thus making sure of smiling friends, to obtain whose favour they would hazard eternal interests. Consult your friends, but re- member they cannot answer to God for you. If they dis- courage, your faith will have the greater trial ; but hold on to the Apostolic sentiment, and " obey God rather than men," even affectionate friends. Some men cannot go alone ; they must be with the crowd, perchance to heaven, if not to hell. O, there is a wonderful sublimity, a moral grandeur in the decision and firmness of such men as Joshua, Caleb, David and Paul, all of whom prac- tically said, " As for fnc .'" I ^^^. ^y< ? r.^ ^^ w ■>J^ 53 Ji !1 ' i If i III CHAPTER VI. ::;elicion an inward thing : the giver' jesus ; the gift, himself. HEN we consider the darkness of the dispensa- tion in which he lived, and how few his ad- vantages, it is truly delightful to observe how fully David caught the spirit of the New Testa- ment ! As in his day, so in these, '* there be many that say. Who will show us any good ? " The worldliness of all such is reproved by the sublime sentiment and hea- venly aspiration of the King of Israel, who sought some- thing better and mo»-e satisfactory than material good : " Lord, lift Thou upon us the light of Thy countenance," and put gladness in our hearts. This, and this alone, can fill and satisfy a soul. But the full realization of the felicity he anticipated was yd future ! Here we must notice the great superiority of the^Christian over the Jewish dispensation. Jesus brings us nearer to God than Moses ; He makes us know (iod ; he lets us /w/^Kiod. "The ministration of death written and engraved on stones was glorious"- • the ministration of condemnation was awfully grand and imposing — but there is a "glory that excelleth," that shall never i)ass away. Great and satisfactory for the time being as were the spiritual enjoyments of Jewish saints, yet there was a darkness that rested on them ; they were not so full and happy as the believers. David speaks of the nver of God's pleasures, full of water, the streams of which make glad the city of God, flowing through the tabernacles of 5^ ' RliLiGlON AN INWAKl) THING. the Most High ; but Jesus l)rings the water of life nearer, and fixes a fountain in the believer's heart. ** The water that I :>hall give him shall be in him a well of water spring- ing up into everlasting life." — John iv. 14. There are few portions of Divine revelation that more hapj)ily l)ring out the reality and power of Christian en- joyment than the text before us. 'I'his might be expected, for the speaker is the "Light of life " "Never man spake like this man," — so wisely, so truly, so effectually, with so much gentleness, kindness and grace. The excellence and superiority of the (Ireat Teacher will be still more aj)parent when we have duly considered this portion of the "Word of life." If we emjjhasize the passage, the order will be, the Giver; the Gift; its Residence; its Tendency. "The water that I shall give him." Men love to speak of the wise, the i^reat, and the good ; of the great logical reasoncr, of the mighty orator who, in his captivating ekxpience, can entrance a nation, rouse an army, and inspire the populace with an impetuous enthusiasm that will bear dov/n all opposition, and make tyrants tremble ! Now, while wc think ajtprovingly of Ciesar, Hannibal, Napoleon, Washington and Wellington among generals, — of Bacon, l.ocke and Newton among philosophers, -of Howard, Nightingale and I'eabody among philanthropists, — persons these who richly deserve the halo of glory that rests upon their illustrious memory, — we should not forget Him who is Himself the origin and source of all wisdoui, .v^vho, though " He was the image of the invisible (lod,and 55 1 I THOUGHTS ON (JRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. the express image of His person, yet made Himself of no reputation," and became the servant of His own crea- tures, and washed the feet of the disciples with His own hand ! " O love divine ! O mercy infinite!" The Maker of the ends of the earth, the God of all that breathe — of angels and of men — becomes servant of all ! If we look at the case before us, we shall see something of the tenderness of His love — the abundance of His grace. Did ever greater worthlessness, deeper shame, or darker turpitude of crime meet His eye ? Yet see how He pities, clearly showing that He came " not to condemn !" How true His own word, " Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." The Jews and the Samaritans both saw something that day that they would never forget. Yes, let me commend the Saviour to the reader, that blessed Saviour who is the revealer of all the snares and chasms that lurk in the dark- ness of the human heart ; who calms the ocean, and the still more terrible storm of human passion ; who is the adomer of all that is beautiful ; the harmonizer of all discords ; the healer of all disease ; the saviour from sin ! Never did a lovelier character lay claim to human hearts ! or one so adapted to our circumstances, and qualified to repair the ruins of God's moral creation. It is said " all fulness dwells inHim," for He is the Fountain for refresh- ment, the Vine for gladness, the Ros" for beauty, the Friend for counsel, and the Brother for V^ve ! The per- son and character of Jesus is unique — i^- J.ier, fairer than the sons of men. No vice that has a name can be thought of in connection with Jesus of Nazareth. Ingenious ma- lignity seeks in vain for the slightest trace of self-seeking in His motives ; sensuality shrinks abashed from His ce- lestial purity ; falsehood could not bear the light of His countenance, or leave a stain on Him who was Incarnate Truth ; avarice, hypocrisy and injustice fled at His rebuke. The selfish and illiberal felt abashed when they looked on His self-abnegation ! 56 RELIGION AN INWARD THING. So much for the Giver, and now for the gift. What the gift is will be easily learned from the tenth verse, ** If thou knewest the gift of (iod, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink ; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." Does He then promise Himself? It is even so. The water here is only a symbol of the spirit and grace which Jesus bestows. The gift is Himself. The benefits derived from Christ as the gift of God are variously represented in the Scriptures. Sometimes Jesus is bread — bread in its nourishing quality. He is " the true bread that cometh down from heaven, of which if a man eats he will never die." The use of bread for the body symbolizes the Saviour's grace to the soul, significantly expressed in the words of the InstitutidYi, " Take, eat, and live." Sometimes as a king, and as bestowing a kingdom ; a kingdom for extent and resources, — " 1 appoint unto you a kingdom !" Mark that, ye poor, who have not a foot of ground you can call your own. A kingdom ! Not a potato patch or garden of vegetables ; not an orchard or a farm ; no, not even a province, but a kingdom ! In the promise He makes to the woman of Samaria he represents Himself as water — living water ! No one can be at a loss to catch the idea intended. Water cleanses, water refreshes, water fructifies. The importance of water is felt all the world over. Vegetable and animal life could not be maintained without it. In some circumstances its importance is more deeply felt. In the hospital, among its fevered inmates; in the camp of the soldier, especially among the wounded ; and in great deserts, under a burning sun, the cry is. Water, water ! So it is with a sinner convinced of guilt before God. He cries for mercy ! But the gift of God fairly includes the gift of the Spirit, in the lessons He teaches, in the revelations He makes, and in the comfort He be- stows. " In the last day of the feast Jesus stood in the midst and cried, 'Ifany man thirst let him come unto Me 57 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. and drink ; and if he believe in Me, as the Scriptures hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, be- cause that Jesus was not yet glorified." To sum up all : here are included all in the promise, and the covenant ordered in all things and sure — sure as the oath and word of God could make it, — all the enlightening, restraining, guiding, converting and sanctifying grace of God, here and hereafter, the joys which are at God's right hand for evermore : in other words, all that Jesus died to procure, and lives to bestow ! What a delightful subject we have been considering, and in it we find Jesus all in all — the Guide and the way, the Teacher and the lesson, the Priest and the sacrifice, the Giver and the gift. This precious gift has its residence in the heart. " // shall he in him." Of this we take no further notice than just to observe that religion is an inward thing ; not a no- tion or idea, but a living principle. How often is this glorious truth distinctly taught in the Bible: " I will walk in them, and dwell in them." " I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts ;" "I in them and they in me ;" " The kingdom of God is within you." We must observe, that nothing else will do ; it must be an in- ward thing. The disease is in the heart — the plague is there — that is the nest of unclean birds. All that is wrong in man is in his heart ; the enmity, the root of moral wrong, is there, and it must be reached. The cleansing process must be- gin there ! The foundation must be well and carefully laid. The festering sore must be probed to the bottom, or death will ensue. All that is said of religion, from the first dawn of light to the perfect day ; from the awaken- ing to the tasting of the joy unspeakable ; from the blade to the full corn, tells us plainly that it is and must be an in- ivard work. We cannot conceive of any part, any item, 58 RELIGION AN INWARD THING. that is not inward. A new heart, a right spirit, is the grand requisite. If we think of the component parts of the religion of the Bible, this will appear as clear as noon. Conviction, contrition, desire, faith, hope, joy, peace, are inward ; their place is not in the head, but in the heart ! Yet some seem to think that it is all outward, and consists in Bible reading, psalm singing, church going, and the regu- lar observance of the sacraments. But it is undeniably true that men often hear but do not understand, and see without perceiving, and sing but do not praise, and pray without desire ! The Jew had his foreskin circumcised, the Christian his heart ! When God speaks men should listen, when He is angry we should weep, when He for- gives we should rejoice. The New Testament teaches us to look for an indwell- ing God ! He walks in us as in His temple. The man whose religion is all in the book, in the sermon, in the church and its sacraments, has reason to be alarmed, for it will do him no good while he lives, and far less when he dies. What Jesus gives is "in him !" And now just a few words on its activity and heavenly tendency : " Springing up to everlasting life !" All religious impressions and convictions are more or less active. We cannot conceive of convictions that do not humble, or hopes that do not excite, or love that does not draw to the object of attachmtnt. Every figure by which godliness is represented is active and progressive. Enoch and Noah walked with Him j David waited on Him all the day • the path of the just is like the shining light, in which we have the dawn, the brighter light, the perfect day. Paul ran, and fought, and //-^jj-^v/ toward the mark of a high calling. Peter gave diligence, and required the churches to which he wrote to be adding. Jude en- joined Christians to be building up an holy faith. Sin is to be overcome, the devil is to be resisted, and the prize is to be won ! Such tempers and active habits are not foun^ 59 I THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. in the sluggard, and therefore " he will beg in harvest and have nothing." It is living water Jesus gives — an active principle ; it springs up; it is a living, rising, flowing well; not a stagnant pool, but a flowing spring ! Who values a stagnant pool ? No one washes there, or quenches his thirst from its filthy waters ! Religion is the soul of acti- vity — hence the frequent comparison to the sun, the shin- ing light. Nothing in the universe is more active or un- wearied than the sun and the stars — " For ever singing as they shine, The hand that made us is Divine." We doubt the religion that is not active, the faith that has no work, the love that has no labour, and the hope that has no patience. It is not only active in its work, in bearing ill and doing well, but its tendency, Hke its motto, is onward, upward, heavenward — on to the goal, up to glory. The spiritual birth is of heaven and from above, and the hope and the treasure are there ! So soon as the Saviour's resurrection power is felt, we seek the things that are above. We set our affection there ! Just as naturally as rivers seek the ocean, or fire ascends, so naturally we think of and aspire after " the hope laid up for us in hea- ven !" That is the tendency; everything draws in that direc- tion, and thus everything reminds us of the coming. Faith is not only the substance, but the evidence of the unseen. The first ripe grapes draw our thoughts and desires onward to the fiill vintage. ** Springing up" — up in strong desires to instruct the ignorant, help the helpless, and aid all who travel the same heavenly course and seek the same end. The living water will continue to rise in the soul of the pilgrim till he see the " River of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God," and drink of its life-giving streams, " that make glad the city of God." Permit me, dear reader, who " am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience ot Jesus," to ask, AVhat think you of the Gi-er? What 69 RELIGION AN INWARD THING. think you of the gift, and of the price it cost the Giver ? If you think meanly of Him, and disparagingly of His gift, allow me to say, in all faithfulness, yet with all affec- tion, that no discourse will do you any good, no ordinance be profitable, till you return to Jesus and drink of the liv- ing water. This water is just the thing for thirsty souls. Nothing on earth, nothing in heaven, is, or can be, of equal value to Jesus. Gems from the mountain, pearls from the ocean, myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine, are not to be compared to Him whose value to the weary, thirsty souls of men, is above all price ! Are you longing to drink of " the beautiful river flowing from the throne of God ?" Let your prayers and mine be in the language of that beautiful hymn, so full of Christ : " Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin ; Let the healing streams abound, Make, and keep me pure within. Thou of life the Fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee ; Spring Thou up within my heart, Rise to all eternity." No subject on which you can fix your attention, no re- fuge to which you can fly, can afford such satisfaction as you will find in Jesus; for — " His name yields the richest perfume, And sweeter than music His voice; His presence disperses our gloom, And makes all wiihin us rejoice." Amen. 6i I ■' CHAPTER VIT. THE SERVICE OF GOD A HAPPY THING — REAL, PERMANENT. EN have always looked upon and thought of reli- gion as a very grave and gloomy subject, neces- sarily separate from all that is joyful and happy. Hence the earnest Christian, who is decided in his purpose, is thought to be destde himself — a person to be wondered at — one who has most egregiously missed his way, and will fail of the mark. It is the judgment of the world that what is called Christian enjoyment is a grand delusion, and that the idea is most injurious to human interests, and destructive of all pleasure. Good men tell us they are happy — that they can live by religion, and die by it too ! The Scriptures assure us of the same, and it has been tested a thousand times by the wisest and the best of men in the sweetest mea- sure. Yet there are people who think it a gross mistake. We must not rest in doubt and uncertainty here. The por- tions of Scripture that speak of God and His service as the sweetest, happiest study in all creation, are very numerous and very strong. " There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High ! " " Great peace have they that love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them." " In the way of right- eousness is life, and in the pathway thereof is no death !" The way is said to be pleasant and the path peaceful. It will be worth our while to examine this subject, and the first question we propose comes right to the point. Is all this true— -all we have said above ? Is there such a 62 e e h t- !" d [s a THE SERVICE OF GOD A HAPPY THING — REAL, PERMANENT. river? Have any drank of it? Is there such j)eace? Do any possess it and have any enjoyed it ? Is there a way in which there is life, and in its pathway no death ? If these statements are correct, our safety and comfort require us to search it out, and know it for ourselves. If we were to cite all the portions of Scripture that speak of the service of God as honourable, safe and happy, we would transcribe a large portion of the Divine record. We content ourselves with two : " The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever." Again : " They joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil ! " In these and many other portions of the word of God it is affirmed that the service of God makes men joyful ; but the men of the world deny it, and assert the contrary. Now, which is right — God or man ? The Scriptures or the fallen race ? They cannot both be true. This world is said to be a valley of tears, and generally men are eager to hear of any- thing to assuage and give relief. Let it be so with both writer and reader while we honestly consider the Divine testimony, " They joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil." — Isaiah ix. 3, second clause. We understand the word joy in this passage in a reli- gious sense, as arising from the service of God. The whole context is a plain reference to Evangelical times — to the advent of the Messiah, and the establishment of His kingdom in the world. His subjects are happy — " They joy ! " This is our starting point : religion makes a man happy. He that made man and gave him his physical and moral constitution, can make him joyful ! And the service of God was intended to secure joy. Surely the Infinite must know His creatures better than they do one another, or any man himself! Surely none will be so inational as to suppose even the possibility of mistake 63 It THOUGHTS ON f'.RAND AND IMPORTANT SUHJKCTS. with Him whose resources are infinite, or think that He shall fail in His purpose. He who disregards the mind of God, and daily and designedly does what He prohibits, is not likely to be happy. The man who intentionally studies to please God is not likely to be unhappy. We are to consider religion as we find it in the Bible, and the experience of good men (not as men judge and speak of it), whether it is fitted to make us happy. What is religion ? It is love — this is its very essence. Are men under the influ- ence of that passion generally unhappy ? Or, can it be possible that loving Him who made me can render me miserable ? The service and enjoyment of God practi- cally is just the realization of His interest in me — that He cares for me and delights to do me good — that He is my Father, my Friend — that He chooses my lot, mingles my cup, guides my steps, and numbers the hairs of my head ! Is this, all this, likely to be an element of disquietude ? Can I fall, if Omnipotence upholds me ? Can I want, if the source of supply be the fulness of Him that filleth all in all ? Cannot He who fills heaven with glory, satisfy me? But do not the Scriptures speak of God's service as free and happy? Its first announce- ment was hailed with delight, when " the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy." The plains of Bethlehem heard a pleasing and exciting announcement when the Saviour's birth was revealed; the heavenly host sang a song then, a joyful song, that will be continued on earth as long as the moon endures : "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good- will to men." Surely this savours of joy I The inculcations of a religious nature are so pure, so just, so righteous, that human nature, bad as it is, will scarcely venture to demur. Our nature may rebel against some of its duties, yet in our hearts we wish all its joys our own. An unconverted man, who never tasted that the Lord is gracious, may see many things in reli- 64 THE SERVICE OF GOD A HAPPY THING — REAL, PERMANENT. gion he does not like, yet in his conscience he secretly approves of the whole. *' Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound," that hear the silver trump an- nounce the Jubilee, when the captive is free and the forfeit- ed estate is restored ; but happier still the man who heard Jesus — Jesus teaching, healing, dying, rising, reigning ; Jesus *' able to save, to save to the uttermost, all that come to God by Him," and closed with Him. Does it not appear to my readers as if we were entering here into the very soul of primitive Christianity, and showing its honest face beaming with heavenly delight : *' Whom having not seen ye love ; in whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ? " Though *' fighting without and fears within " must be the portion of all of woman born, yet how delightful to think of the path the Christian treads, the company he enjoys, the songs he sings and the hope laid up for him in heaven. " They go forth with joy, and are led forth with peace ; the mountains and the hills break forth before them into joy and singing, and all the trees of the wood clap their hands ; instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. This is the heritage of those that fear Him, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord ! " But experience is the only judge of religious joy. The men that have not tasted cannot judge. Jesus has given a criterion by which to judge of His service : " If any man do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself." Doing the will of God, obeying the gospel, reducing its teaching to practice, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, is the true way of testing religious joy, because it is trying it on its own terms ! Let irreligious men take this method, and if, after a fair trial, it brings them not the peace and joy it promises, thev can reject 65 F THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. it. But this is not the method men take— they would be saved /'«, not from^ their sin. They wish to follow a course of living j they begin at the wrong end and will never succeed ; their judgment of the matter is, therefore, no more to be depended on than the opinion that the blind pass on colours, or the deaf on music. They must therefore receive in good faith the judgment of the pious. They have tried both ways — the way of transgressors, which they find to be hard; and the yoke of Jesus, which they find to be easy and light. The sinner has only one way, and therefore cannot judge of a path on which he has never trod ! Besides, he is not satisfied with his own ; he cannot lay his hand on his heart and say he is happy. How should he when he feels that God is angry, and his own conscience con- demns him ? All this is conscious experience, of sin on the one hand, righteousness on the other. The good man does not draw his knowledge of human nature or religious joy from books, from the laborious research of the critic or the scholar. He has tasted of the wormwood and the gall ; he has felt the powers of the world to come, and got a knowledge of other men's hearts from the knowledge of his own ! And what is our design in speaking thus ? To make our readers unhappy ? We plead guilty to the charge, but it is with the honest design of leading them into the paths of peace. Not only is the Christian happy but he "joys before God." While this phrase doubtless refers to the appearance ot Israel before God at the annual festivals — for it was a law in Israel that all the males were to appear *' before God," to rejoice before Him — yet other and better things are in- tended, and justly understood. Looking at the phrase in an evangelical sense, it is very significant. " Before God" just means that it is a joy that will bear Divine inspection ; not only a joy which God gives, but a joy of which He approves ; and this we con- 66 THE SERVICE OF GOD A HAPPY THING — REAL, PERMANKNl , of To the liem :on- sider as a ratification of the first idea, and a proof of its genuineness. There is no mistake or misapprehension of this matter ; there is reaUty in all that is "before God." There are various kinds of joy among men. There is the joy of the world, that is light and evanescent, " like the crackling of thorns under a pot ;" the delusive joy of earthly men in grasping and hoarding ; the joy of jo- vial companions in midnight revels ; the lust of the eye and of the flesh, and the pride of life, consisting mainly in the gratification of animal appetites. Fine houses, splendid furniture, and suitable attendance have their attractions ; but these only will not bear the critical ex- amination of close inspection in view of eternity ; but joy before God will bear the eye of Omniscience. There is no sham in the joy that He gives and ap- proves. It comes from well-doing and upright living ; from the testimony of the conscience, " that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, we have our conversation in the world." " If our consciences condemn us not, then have we con- fidence toward God, and shall assure our hearts before Him'' The joy of the sinner is sweetest in the fellowship of kindred spirits j it is most satisfactory when all thought of God is banished from his mind. But the good man's is sweetest when alone — alone with God ! It arises, at least in part, from the sought and highly-valued presence of his God, whom he sets always before him. It ought to be observed that holy joy is for the most part secret. No stranger intermeddles with it ; it is not a matter of sense, for " it comes not with observation ;" you cannot see its source, or measure its depth. You may know something of the good man's burden, but you see not the everlasting arms by which he is supported. You know he lets go, but you know not what he gets. You may have a correct idea of his trials and the vexatious circum- stances of his lot, but the fellowship he has with God is invisible ! " The secret of the Lord is with them that 67 ill IHOUOHTS ON' (iRAND ASl) IM FORI' A NT SUHJl'XTH. fear flim, and He will showthejn His rovenant,"and their interest in it. 'J'his is easily illustrated. The [jerson who sits at yfjiir si(]e in the same jjew, hears things you do nfjt hear, and sees and feels what you never saw or felt. A pro- cess of thought and desire may be going on, a jjrtjfiess of hope anrl love, lf> whif;h some of you may be strangers. You cannot see those desires that sheaks peace to His saints and to His j)('0])le. He brings them inf) His holy mountain, and makes them joyful in His house uf j;rayer. liut this joy is " according to the joy of harvest." There are several seasons of annual joy among n.''n. There is the joy of spring, wh(.-n life seems to spring from utter death ; when the worse gives [ilace to the bet- ter season of the year ; when winter with its stormy blasts retires, and trees begin to bud, and birds to sing ; when all nature seems to heave with vegetative liff. anrl voimg 6.S J Hi. SKKVfCK OK ',( )i) A HAJ'I'Y IHI.M. KI.AI., I'l.KM AN KNJ , animalsfri.sk and play in joyful mood. It is well expressed ])y the poet — *' She couH.s with smiles and It i\is, The Iriily of the Spring ; And earth fui^^et.s her fears, Aii'i hirds Ije^jin to injj !" A happy season this, full of hope and prcjrnise, the seed- time of the earth, (lod blesses the springing of iIk; earth. And then there is the joy of suniMier, when April sIkjw- ers are hjllowed by the llowers of May ; when nature puts on her gay attire, anr(jtecti(jn against fire, stormy winds, thief or midniglit marauder, iiut there is n: t tlie slight- est danger of the Christian's pf>rti(,?), ior hi > j^erson, his life and all dear to him are in (Jod's pr'd<( ikju, "hid with Christ in Ciod. No rust can corrode tiier< no tl net tan steal, no fire can burn, and no oppressor « an wrench from him his portion. 'I'hey are both m ^.de keeping— Ac for his portion, aiul // for him. .N'dhing nu earth is 69 m ^.i 'I'hou«';hts on f;kA\r> and i.mfortani' sunrKcis. surer, u!lin)}rtdy, than the Christian's joy, for Clod has ma<^; our (;r)rn'fort and assurance very plain, and given them a promni^nce wliicli He has not given to other things. He has issued a guarantee in His word that cannot be (]uestioned ; and if, i^ given with the design ofsetthngall disputes, removing evjry tear, and furnishing strong con- solation : " Wherein Ood, willing more abundantly to yhow to the heirs of jiromise the immutability of His r.oiinsel, confirmed it by an onth, that by two immutable things in which it was imjiossible for Clod to lie, we might have a strong consolation, whcj have fled f(jr refuge to the hope set before us in the gosi)el, which hope we have as an anf;hor of the soul, both .s^«;r and strndfdst.''' There arc few things on which the All wise has cfjndescended to swear; and the certainty of the strong consolation of His peo{>le is one of them! Amcjng men, "an oath for confirmation is an end of all strife." It ought to be so here ; but with some it is not. Sucli ought to be ashamed when they (all in (juestion the word and oath of Him that cannot lie!" We may learn some useful lessf)ns here. 'The harvest is not secured without labour, watchfulness and care. The soil has to be broken up, the stones renu^ved, the seed sown, and the whole duly enclosed and jjrotcf ted from the ravages of unruly cattle. No farmer eats the bread of idleness ; there is a continual demand on his attention. The end C)f one piece of work is the beginning of another. .N'olhing is won or k('[jt without wakeful vigilance in sf)nie way. It is just so with the Christian. He is t(j " exercise himself unto godliness," to "worship in the spirit," to " watch unto prayer," to " give diligence to make his call- ing and (;lection sure." The farmer having d(ine his j)art, waits for the early and latter rain. Patience too is much re(ji.''-ed. It is " patient con- tinuance in well-doing " that succeed*;. The race is before the Christian, but he must run it with patience. He must 70 riiK .SKKVi<:i: 'jf con a mai'I'V rin\'; ri.ai,, im.kmavknt. f:liml) the iiill, do the work, right the battle of htc, and wait for the harvest. If the farmer regards with too much anxiety the cold c)r stormy blast, it will surely affect the reaping ' Just so with the ('hristian. In Ixjtli cases (jod has ordained that the h.ind of the diligent shall make rich. This is heaven's dec,ree, which cannot be altered to suit any one. Before the husbandman re- tires to rest, he lr;(jks with some solicitude on the faf;e of the 1:v. If the tokens are favourable, he is at rest and Luanklul ; but if unfavourable, he sjiends his wakeful hours in moody silence. .So the good man studies the state of his heart ; if he [x.-rceives unfavourable symj)- toms, i 1 desires and a wandering heart, he fears and sometimes doubts his sonship. The absence of spiritu- ality and prayer r)ften prompts the jirayer, '' Lord, I am (oppressed, undertak«j for me." |{ut his greatest care is wi*n .'.i! ' of himself. Am I a child of (iod? Are these coiini,'] and irregular thoughts jjrayc.-r ? (Jan -'lisimijul- sive nature of mine be under the mfluenc.e of grace? " Cast me not away from Thy piesence; take not Thy holy Spirit from me." J.et us not forget to ask if our re- ligion has made us happy, given us peace and joy in Ood througii Jesus Christ. If it has not done so, it is to a great extent a failure. It is not like that of which the Bible treats, and therefore it is spurif)us. No truth is plainer than this, and few more frequently taught than this— Ood can bless His creatures and make them happy ! scout it, we will tena* though ay isly hold on to the scrijjtural truth, " Mer ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her jjaths are peace." Amen. ^•o,^Ae) /-'' 7» CHAPTER VIII. THE WAY TO THE GOOD LAND NUT ALWAYS I'LLASANT. M:: HE man who exj)C'cls the way to heaven to l)e smooth and straiglit, and free from obstructions, is sure to lie disappointed, just as certainly as the voyaj^er on the sea of Hfe who looks for only a calm sea and plain sailin^^. Such persons nrc expecting what no |)ilgrim has ever found, or but rarely. 'I'he com- fort of the way and the prosperity of life's journey depends very much upon a rational calculation of probabilities, such as l)efei the Israelites in the wilderness, and after they had entered the |)romised land; or the exjjerience of David and the projjhets; or, what is nearer to our own case, the changes, a(Mi( lions and trials thr(jugh which th(' Church has had to pass. Helievers like Paul have had tumults, fastings, honour and dishonour; sometimes dying yet living, sorrowful yet rejoicing, as having nothing yet possessing all things. Though the Apostles never questioned the real safety of a Christian life, yet they had health and sickness, vic- tory and defeat, like all who have travelled to the skies ! Now, " Whatsoever things were writt'.-n aforetime were written for our learning, that we through |)atience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." The incidents of the past are merciful remembrances, designed to be guide posts of warning and comfort. We are too apt to be self-confident, and to think our mountain slimds strong and secure; but we forget our ignorance, and that preju- dices often itvvolve us in dilifu ulties and trouble, because we take appearances for realities. The best of men will 72 TMK WAY TO THK GOOD LAND NOT ALWAYS PLKASANT. fall into niislakes a fact this often ai)i)caring in the history of (iod's servants. When Lot chose the vale of Sodom because it was well watered, and David went to Gath, and said there was nothinfr better for him to do, they were both grievously mistaken, and sorely they suffered for their choice ! Who is there that knows himself, and has made any jotting of the events of life, that is not aware that, not unfre(iuently, events which we have dreaded as likely to prove the most disastrous, have jjroved most favourable ; and tliat the very things we hailed with delight, as secur- ing all we wished, have i)roved most injurious ? These things, viewed in the light of personal experience, have been the means of leading us to adopt the better ar.d safer course of the jjrudent, who, seeing the coming evil, hid from it, or prepared for it. And as in temporal, so in spiritual interests. " The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong ; neither yet bread to the wise, nor riches to men of under- standing ; nor yet favour to men of skill ; but time and chance hapj)eneth to them all." " The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." As the book of God is the great chart and the sure guide to the heavenly country, we do well to study it with candour, and learn the lessons it was designed to teach. Here is one: — " The soul of the peo])le was much dis- couraged because of the way." — Numbers xxi. 4. Their future liome and fmal resting-place were very far off, and they were discouraged because of the len^j^th of the way. 'I'he figurative language of .Scrijjture is for in- struction ; earthly things will explain tlie heavenly; and Israel's journey to the land of jjromisc will guide us in the better way. 'I'he fretjuent reference in the New Testa- ment to the journeys of the Israelites througli the wilder- tiess, and the Apostle's ai)i)hcation of the incidents therein, clearly show th.at God intended them to be instructive. 73 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMIMjRTANT SUnjF.CTS. Bunyan, in his inimita])le allegory, has shown his tho- rough knowledge of human nature, as well as of true reli- gion, from its first start in conviction, onward through faith, repentance, self-denial, and spiritual aspirations, till the pilgrim entered the pearly gales ! Many a sore conflict and mortifying defeat, many a misapprehension is recorded in the history of Israel, to teach us prudence and forecast ! Indeed, the whole- course was a conflict — severe, earnest and constant — from begin- ning to end. No one will make a fair and iiopeful start in the way of life till the subject is well understood, as suggesting what may rational! v be expected. " Forewarned, forearmed !" The man who reckons on difficulty^ who expects the assaults of the enemy, is not likely to be surprised or to forget his shield, sword and buckler. Nature is opposed to grace. The antipathy of man to (iod is radical, and this lays the foundation for the war- fare. There is nothing in which we are interested ; no- thmg from which we derive benefit ; no calling, no pro- fession is exempt from difficulties and triais, especially in the outset. No trade or profession wa.s ever mastered without meeting the j^ainful and unpleasant ! The boy, the man, the merchant and the scholar all fare alike. The Saviour recjuiring His followers " to count the cost," is just inviting us to mark experience, and is teaching us that act'nnty precedes joyful experience, and that triumph will follow i)atient endurance. No character can be com- plete without exj)erience of varied and conflicting vicissi- tudes. The man who gathers the largest fortune, and he who has the deepest knowledge of divine things, alike passes through such an ordeal. In the case before us, the j^eojjle's courage began to fail because of the length of the way. Canaan was not very far distant ; the journey could have been accomplished in a few days, as we may see from tlie speedy return of Joseph's brethren with corn in their sacks. The shortest 74 n u THE WAY TO THE G(J()1> LAND NOT ALWAYS PLEASANT. route would have been through P.dom, hut their guide knew best. He determined that they should go to the school of experience, and receive a much-needed education. The raw recruits must be trained, and (iod was intent uj)on drillingand makingthem good soldiers. Had they obtained possession of the land with ease and without trouble, it would have been with them, as with their fellows in every gene- ration, esteemed of little value. That which costs us something, for which we have toiled, will be valued at a high price. In looking over the history of the world in material things, and of the Church in spiritual matters, we are struck with the varied experience of the successful candidates. He who gave laws to Israel and delivered the people from Egyptian oppression, once floated in a cradle of bulrushes on the Nile. David, who became the lich, honoured, and powerful king of all Israel, once kept his father's sheep. We remember Dick Whittington, the famous I.ord Mayorof London, entering the city with a pack on his bac;k. Hugh Miller, the distinguished geologist and eminent author, for many a day plied the mallet and the chisel ; and Klihu Burritt, one of the first linguists of his time, was wont to lay aside the heels of the horse and his leather apron, and turn to the study of languages, and with hard hands carefully turn the leaves of his lexicon and grammar. And v,'ho will assert that this rough, this painful training- was unnecessary? Who will affirm that any of the dis- tinguished individuals whom we have mentioned were the worse for the lesson ? It was rather like the burnishing of metal or the purifying of gold, to make them shine the brighter. The man who expects difficulty will naturally prepare for it. What is unexpected is likely to prove over- powering, and fill with ccMisternation and alarm, and put in the condition of men in war whocan neither tindtheitliands nor their arms- The success of a general in the field de- pends much on his sagac;ious aniuipation of the move- ments of llie enemy, and his readiness to meet hnu 75 4 ' lii THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. \ Every connection reminds us of the danger of bereave- ment ; and every possession, of the possibility of loss. False security, as it throws us off our guard, is the great- est danger of all. " Watch and pray " is a caution always in season. Victory is not to be expected in any other way ! We are always to be readv for action, looking and listening for the stealthy approach of the foe, and prompt in giving the alarm. Discouraged because of the roughness of the way. The Israelites had to go through a terrible wilderness, it was full of pits and snares, and was in the possession of wild animals. No man passed along that dreary region ; there was no highway, no human dwelling, no green fields, no bleating of sheep or lowing of oxen. Their way was said to be as the shadow of death. Is it not so with the heavenly pilgrim ? His path is beset with danger on every hand. No man can adequately conceive of the cunning, the deceit, the cruelty of the great enemy, who, as a roaring lion, is ever looking for those he may devour. What renders the assaults of the enemy more dangerous is the fact that our own evil nature is ever disposed to yield to his suggestions and solicitations. Satan acts on all our senses, and on all our passions and propensities. Everything we see and hear, all we taste and feel, are made the medium of thrusting aside the good and giving terrible power to the evil. Such cruelty and malevolence can only be thwart- ed by watchfulness and prayer. The narrowness of the way is another cause of dis- couragement. But it is a grievous mistake to speak of the way as being narrow. It is indeed felt to be restrictive by certain characters, for it frowns on all moral wrong, and it gives no countenance to the likes and dislikes of flesh and blood ; it recjuires not only the mortification, but the crucifixion of every temper of mind opposed to the mind of God. The terms are unalterably ^avv/.- " he that taketh not up his cross," says Jesus, " cannot be My 76 THE WAY TO THE GOOD LAND NOT ALWAYS PLEASANT. disciple." The way is not narrow in itself; all the world may walk abreast ; there is nothing unreasonable, unjust or prejudicial to our best interests ; all the straitness, all the tight lacing, as it is called, is in ourselves ; in the un- belief that hesitates ; in the pride that will not come down; in the obduracy and frowardness that prefers the gratification of inclitiation to the will of God ! But still the statement of the Head of the Church re- mains, and will ever remain, "Strait is the gate, and nar- row is the way that leadcth unto life." It is clear that the straitness is not in the large, loving and lovely spirit of the gospel, but in the pride and haughtiness, in the deceit and wickedness that would override Divine law, and cleave to the indulgence of prohibited sin, although it will exclude men from the kingdom ot heaven. Men prefer a wide gate, a broad road, indulgence, instead of self-denial ; and here the whole grievance lies. God in mercy has put a hedge on one side of the way of life, and a ditch on the other, to prevent our going astray. He would have us ponder the path of our leet, and our eyes to look straight before us. Our safety, comfort and success lie in the midst of the paths of judgment ; between rashness on the one hand and timidity on the other ; between confidence and presump- tion. If we had more of the patience and submission of a child, we would have more of the joy of a son. If we were ready to throw aside the weights that encumber, we would mn with greater speed, encouraged by the glorious truth, " His commandments are not grievous." Discouraged by the smallness of our progress. Like Israel, we pass from one wilderness to another. There is constant change, and, we think, little progress. We go through the slough of despond with many agitations, many fears ; and when we reach the other side, we have to go down into the valley of humiliation, and then to climb the hill of diflficulty ; and wondering, we inquire, '* Can the way to the realms of the blest be 77 THOUGHTS UN GRAND AND IMPORTAN'l SUBJECTS. ■ 1 through such obstacles ? " We read and think, we hope and pray, and water our couch with bitter tears in sad mortification, that what we do, we allow not ; and what we hate, that we do. What more vexatious or trying than constant effort and frequent frustration of our object? In consecjuence of increasing fears, multiplied enemies, and bad weather, we seem sometimes to be retrograding instead of advancing. The craft and cruelty of the enemy, the dereitfulness of sin, and the treachery of our own hearts, often prompt the exclamation, " How strong is sin ! how hard to die ! " " O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? " But we forget that gold and silver are purified in passing through the fire ; and in like manner every grace is tried. A child is none the worse of correction, nor the soldier of his exercise, nor the Christian of his trials ! Was not Paul a better Christian, an abler divine, a nobler wrestler and more successful worker in the ministry, by the trials he endured ? We know what long confinement in Bed- ford Gaol did for Bunyan ; and we thus learn that the grievous temptations and trials of life " work out the peaceable fruits of righteousness." God takes this way of drawing us nearer to Himself, though we may not be conscious of it. Another source of discouragement arises from the number of pilgrims we find retracing their steps, and bringing back a bad report of the good way, and thus givmg religion a bad name. This class of disappointed men, who do not give the service of Christ fair play, like the dissatisfied in every enterprise, in every speculation, are always very numerous. However great the number that have been successful, you will always find some to contradict and vilify. Men going to the diggings have not unfrequently found others returning, and confidently affirming that the favourable report was false — all was deception. 78 THK WAY TO THE GOOD LANT) Nl)T ALWAYS PtKASANT. The spies, though they brought back grapes from Eschol, yet ten of them, with the grapes before them, spake unfaYOurably of the land. So the Jews who heard the gospel that saved others and made them happy, boldly affirmed that the Redeemer was a false prophet, a deceiver, mad, and had a devil, and was guilty of blas- phemy ; and in proof of their sincerity they nailed Him to the accursed tree. So we find men who never believed, never repented, never turned from sin or sought God in earnest, treating all religion as a vile imposition. Hence you will often hear that the minister, the office bearers and members of the church have done them the most grievous injustice ! Indeed, there are no bounds to the rage of half-hearted, disappointed, offended men, who never studied religion, and yet abuse it : men who, if they had prosecuted the business of the world in the same spirit as they did re- ligion, would have been in the poor-house long ago ! And some will believe them, but others see through the thin veil, and do not believe they know anything of the subject that they vilify and condemn. It is the heartless formalist that speaks evil of the good way. He resem- bles the Jews, who one day cut down the branches, and strewed their garments in the way, and cried "Hosannah !" and the next day shouted lustily, " Away with Him I " Such persons seldom subside into neutrals. They will tell you they are more liberal now ; have got out of leading strings and got rid of strait lacing and become men of independetice ! And bad men and the devil will say " Amen." But Avhat will they do in the end, when there will be neither opportunity nor disposition to mend the matter ? When a man is changed and made a new creature — when he is full of his first love, of faith and hope and joy, he feels as if he were just about to seize the prize, wear the crown, and enter into the glory ; but he is apt to forget that possibly the Master may need him — need 79 ■ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ A% i/u 1.0 I.I XL. i'. ilM IIIIIM *" IIIIIM 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1 6 — — — ^ f," ► V] <^ 71 ■^/ '<^. % o /,. 7 /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, ^Y MS80 (716) 872-4503 ,V ^ ^ o o"^ <1? 'ij.^ A^ THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJKCTS. his light, his example, to check the tendency to moral corruption and decay, — that he is required to witness for the truth, and therefore to remain at his post, to serve his generation. The testimony of living men who are doers of the truth gives power to the teaching of the pulpit and makes it more easily understood. Besides, if a Christian were, on his conversion, immediately removed to the rest of heaven, how could he learn to practise those graces that give tone and telling power to moral character? Where would his patience, forbearance and long-suffering be found ? Of what use would such be to the living ? Who would be the better of his example ? The teaching of the pulpit, however earnest, loses half its power when not followed and confirmed by the conduct of living men. This is the reason why Jesus prayed, " not that they should be taken out of the world, but kept from the evil." Men require a pattern, a living example in flesh and blood. They can understand that ! But we have dwelt long enough on the shady side. Thank God, it i*? not all shade — all climbing ; always watching — fighting ! There is a sunny side even in a wilderness ; there will be an occasional oasis, some green spot, some spring well, where we may quench our thirst, and for a time enjoy the refreshing shade of the spreading oak. There is such a thing as the believer resting joyfully under the shadow of Him who is the Almighty. The night of weeping, every one who dwells in Mesech will surely have, but the morning of joy will follow. Clouds and darkness will obscure the horizon, but the sun will sometimes break through to show the way, and the faithfulness of Him who hath said, " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." "God is faithful, who hath called us into the fellowship of His Son ; " in every emer- gency, in every case, to every one, He is faithful. " He is not ashamed to be called the God of His people, for He hath prepared for them a city." 80 J'^^^Z''^ "^^ ^"^ ^'^'''' ''^''° '''''^ ''^'^^''^ PLEASANT. "His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour ; The bud may have a bitter taste, Bi't sweet will be the flower. *' Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain ! " But we shouldcome short, if we failed, just here to show "^^A^ ^v «wi^ I « 8i I< ' CHAPTER IX. NEEDFUL CORRECTION — ITS HAPPY RESULTS. HEN we think of all the way through which the Lord leads His people, the events through which they pass, the trials they endure, the burdens they bear, we should be overwhelmed and give up in despair, were it not for the consideration that our Father is at the helm of affairs, overlooks every event, mingles every cup, and will do all things well. This is clearly pointed out in the 12th chapter of Hebrews, from which it appears that all the sufferings of life are chastisements from the hand of a loving Father, and are proofs of His regard ; that they are inflicted " not willingly, but for our profit." The reasoning of the Apostle, by which he would bring us to a quiet and happy submission to the will of God, is very conclusive. " We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence ; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits, and live ? For they, verily, for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure ; but He for our profit." Then the Apostle brings out the gracious results that follow, the consideration of which would make us glad to come under such discipline, so wisely, tenderly and effectively applied, by a wisdom that cannot err, and a love that can- not be unkind. The Heavenly Father is so pitiful that He allows the groaning produced by anguish ; He docs not forbid the irritation caused by pain, but hears our cry. He bottles our tears and marks the way that we take. Suffering and trial have more to do with the perfecting of the saints than men are willing to allow. When a father 82 ! . NEEDFUL CORRECTION— ITS HAPPY RKSUI-TS. IT cry. take. ing of father chastens, he will often suffer as much as the corrected culprit ; hence the lash is laid on with reluctance. God sees the danger of going astray, and, resolved on reclaim- ing, He inflicts the smaller evil to prevent the greater. And this chastisement is ofi/y inflicted^ because milder means, health and prosperity, have failed ! The wisdom of God will not allow His dealings to go to waste, but the accom- plishment of the Divine purpose takes some time. It is not while the trial lasts, or the suffering is endured, that the profit comes, but "afterwards," — when we have time to reflect, — when the storm subsides and the tempest is calmed ! " Afterwards" they work surely, eft'ectually, " the peaceable fruits of righteousness." The sorrowful and suffering — the poor man without bread, the homeless without shelter, the stranger deprived of the comforts of home, are most likely to get all the benefit by throwing their burden on Him who thinks of them, and cares for them ! But it is mainly with the fruits of righteousness we have at present to do : when the varied trials of life provoke inquiry, and we ask with Job, " Wherefore doth the Lord contend with me ?" This is a genuine fruit of righteous- ness, as it indicates a thoughtful mind and a feeling heart. One thing is clear from all history and all experience, that no disease or scathing calamity ever fell upon the guilt- less. No one is likely to get the advantage intended by the evils of life till this matter is well understood and deeply f >lt. 'Tis our sins that cloud the face of our loving Father with frowns of displeasure, and keep good things from us. It is from a conviction of the wisdom and jus- tice of God's dealings with His creatures that we are made to see our own sin, and feel His goodness ! Gratitude is sure to flow from such a state of mind, and is certainly a fruit of righteousness. More men than David have said, " Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I learned Thy law, and that in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me." It is not easy for proud sinners to be made to i^^A that 83 or ill t THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Heaven's chastisements are all right and all wise, and designed to make us wiser, better and happier ! This s jb- mission of which we speak is not the sullen acquiescence of the stoic, who labours by stupid apathy to silence his murmurs and complaints. It is a noble grace '..hat says, all is right, "Thy will be done ;" that sees and feels that sin and sinfulness are the cause of all God's contendings ! These apparently severe chastisements — the discipline of a loving Father — will produce another fruit of righteous- ness when they make the Saviour more precious. The grand design of the Scriptures is to reveal Christ ; in other words, to guide us to the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. "This is eternal life." And we would be far more likely to be reconciled to the evils and bitters in our cup, if thereby Jesus were made unto us " wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption." God's providence " makes all things work together for good ;" not a part, but the whole combined. Like chemical ingredients compounded to produce a cer- tain effect, one thing may be added to another, and still another, and all may fail, till something else is added that shall work on all the other ingredients, and in its marvellous influence combine and concentrate the whole of their united forces, and bring about the desired result. These ingredients, separately, or even combined, produce no effect till the last is added, which like fire in an engine raises the steam and sets all in motion. In all chemical compounds, there is an essential without which all the rest are ineffective ', so in the operations of grace ! Several events may be noticed as producing no favourable result on the mind of the Christian, till some other is added which makes all profitable. A well-ploughed field, made soft and mellow, and sown with the best of seed, would be fruitless without the rain and the sunshine. Jut.' so the providence of God, which commands all influences, all agencies, is through all and above all, and like a che- mical compound acts upon all, and makes them work 84 NEEDFUL (JORRECliON — ITS HAPPY RESULTS. together, bringing about this precious fruit of righteous- ness, that makes Jesus precious ! Another peaceable fniit of righteousness coming after the chastisements, will be a deep sense of our need of the Spirit's influence, as the source of all that is wise, holy and true. The Spirit in the gospel is like the sun in the material heavens, that makes all manifest, all useful, all glorious. It is the Spirit that opens the understanding, that ;lears the mental vision, and gives decision to the judgment, submission to the will, affection to the heart, and grasping tenacity to our faith ; for we can nei- ther get hold nor keep hold without the Spirit's happy influence ! We are now under the dispensation of the Spirit; our Bible is the dictation of the Spirit, the gift of the Spirit ! The Spirit has come to supply the place of the Saviour — to teach, correct, reprove, to quicken and sanctify, to wound and heal, to make holy. " He guides into all truth," shows the adaptation of the promise to our state, and makes it all our own. Paul, when he speaks of the Spirit's influence, includes all that was taught in the Old Testament, by instruction, promise or prediction, when he uses the remarkable exhorL^tion : " Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith. To-day if ye hear His voice harden not your hearts." He seems to claim the whole Bible as the gift of the Spirit. He that reads the Bible, or even a good book, or listens to the sermon under the influence of the Spirit, will understand what he reads or hears. He that walks in the Spirit will //^/fulfil the lusts of the flesh. He that prays in the Spirit will not pray in vain. He that studies and preaches under the guidance of the Spirit, will understand all things and be a successful herald of the Cross ; and He who passes through the troubles of life, and looks upon them all as sent for his good, will get all the good, all the profit, that is intended, "for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God." And whenever there is coldness or apathy in his duties and graces, he will pray, " Cast me not away from Thy pre- 85 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. sence ; take not Thy Holy Spirit from me." All the efficacy, all the melting, subduing, sanctifying power of the gospel is in the Spirit. The Spirit was the great agent in the material creation, for the Spirit moved on the chaotic mass and produced the lovely world. It is just so in regeneration, for " He that commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shines in our hearts, and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of (lod in the face of Jesus Christ." To know all this in a happy experience is one of the best fruits of righteousness. O, to be filled with the spirit of love, power, and of a sound mind ! This is all the Church wants to make her ministers a flame of fire — to enable them to level mountains, raise valleys, and cause the word of the Lord to run swiftly, as fire among dry stubble, setting all in a blaze ! "On all the earth Thy Spirit shower ; The earth in righteousness renew, Thy kingdom come, and hell's o'erpower, And to Thy sceptre all subdue." Would not that be a peaceable fruit of righteousness ? The gospel, under the influence of the Spirit, is the only effective agent by which the world shall be converted to God, and the marvels of prophecy fulfilled — " when the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb^ and the leopard lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the failing together ; and a little child shall lead them ! And the co7v and the bear shall feed, and their young ones shall lie down together ; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand (with- out fear) upon the cockatrice den ! " Then — " No longer hosts encountering hosts, Shall crowds of slain deplore ; They hang the trumpet in the hall, And study war no more." NEEDFUL CORRECTION — ITS HAPPY RESULTS. Ploughshares are better than swords, and pruning hooks than spears. It will be another fruit of righteousness when the sor- rows of life make the Scriptures more precious to God's suffering people ! If we want to know the deep things of God, and understand the mysteries of redemption, we need not look for them among the men that are at ease, who enjoy every comfort of health and peace and plenty, for " because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God ; " but we will find what we search for among the poor, the unfortunate, the suffering ; for it is written, " Blessed is the man whom the Lord corrects, and teaches out of His law." An intimate knowledge of the law of God, a familiarity with its mottoes, its lessons, its doctrines and parables, will ensure a deeper work of grace — a closer walk with God. This will both awaken and sustain within us habits of watchfulness and prayer, and we will joyfully say, *' O, how love I Thy law ! it is my study all the day." Then we shall know that " the law of God is perfect, converting the soul ; that His testimony is sure, making wise the simple ; that His statutes are right, rejoicing the heart ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever ; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altoge- ther — more to be desired are they than gold, sweeter than honey or the honeycomb, and in keeping of them there is great reward." If men would make the most and the best of life — if they would get the good of their chastisements, they must seek a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. They will furnish abundant material for reflection, and subjects of prayer ; reasons for watchfulness ; warnings against evil ; examples of holy living, of patient endu- rance of the evils of life, and ample encouragement in all that is holy and true. The man that can pray in the language of David, " When my heart is overwhelmed, lea 1 87 r THOUOHTS ON P.RAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. ^iJ me to the Rock that is higher than I," has reaped one of the fruits of righteousness. Another fruit of sanctified affliction will be a hearty sympathy for our .suffering fellows, and a disposition to " remember those in bonds as bound with them, and those that suffer affliction as being ourselves in the body." It is the suffering portion of the community who can " weep with those that weep." It is a mournful fact, too well established, that the sons of sorrow and want are far more pitiful than those in prosperous circumstances. The enlarged heart, the sympa- thising soul and the helping hand will, for the most part, be found with those who suffer most and have least. The poor man with his scanty supply is more ready and prompt in relieving the suflferer than the prosperous with his abundance. Here we see the advantage of family sympathy, of which those deprive themselves who ignore — practically ignore — the ordinance of God in family re- lations. It is true, a man's money may procure the needed help, but not sympathy. Real heartfelt affection is not a marketable commodity. Money cannot buy it. I would rather have the pity and love that is freely given than what is bought ! They who would enjoy the sympathy of loving hearts must take God's method of obtaining it, or go without it Another fruit of righteousness which sanctified affliction will produce will be a readiness to bear, with becoming patience, the allotted amount of evil which God, in His providence, may be pleased to inflict. " He for our profit." Many have read this, and read it often, but the Chris- tian alone understands it. It requires strong faith such as Abraham's to receive it. It is easily read, easily heard, and easily talked about, but it is a very different thing to believe and practise it. A harder lesson was never given to the human race than this, in the words " He for our profit." What? Believe that loss is gain, pain is ease ? 88 f NEEDFUL CORRECTION — ITS HAPPY RESULTS. A broken limb, a dull ear, a palsied hand, and loss of health, profit ? That a ruined business, poverty and want are profitable ? Yet so it is. Men who are unregenerated cannot understand it ! 'Tis a mystery ! They cannot conceive how suffering will make them happier, safer, richer, holier. But it is capable of explanation. If the loss of earthly things lead to an increase of heavenly wealth ; if a broken leg, or lost character, or buried child, lead, in God's mysterious providence, to a healthy soul, what matters the loss of earthly poss.. ion ? If I have " in heaven a better and more enduring substance " — if the loss of the fading leads to the securing of the imperishable, all is plain, and the gain is incalculable. ** Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experi- ence, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." If my readers wish to see the silver with the least dross, or the gold with the least alloy, or, dropping the figure, if they wish to see the man who shines brightest in the Christian graces, and rises gradually into the image of his God, they will find him among those who have suffered and wept and prayed, as they passed through the fining process, by which our Heavenly Father fits them for His kingdom and glory. In the tribulation, patience, experience, and hope of the Christian, we see the process by which confidence in God is increased, greater patience in bearing evil ac- quired, and further progress in the way of life secured ! We have felt something of the tribulation, and found it true, though strange, that hindrances help onwards and upwards ; that our being baffled, rebuked, and defeated, only helps our progress ! This is experience, and expe- rience is just gleanings of the past — jottings by the way. No Christian can forget the mental anguish he has come through, occasionally, by the irritability, the ill-humour and fractious impatience of an ill-temper, nor the blind- ness, insensibility and guilt it occasioned. 89 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJKCTS. i This is experience which puts him on his guard for the future. Experience is just the common jottings of memory, and serves the same purpose to the Christian as the maps and charts, the buoys and light-houses, do to the mariner as he nears the shore. " Experience, hope." This hope is strengthened by confidence in God ; as Paul has it : " He hath delivered, He doth deliver, in whom we trust that He will yet de- liver ! " It is pleasing to observe the use God's people make of past experience in encouraging hope. When David offered to fight Goliath, Saul objected on the ground of his youth ; but the stripling replied, drawing from the past : " There came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock, and I went after him and smote him I Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this Philis- tine shall be even as one of them. The Lord who de- livered me out of the paw of the bear will deliver me from this Philistine ! " " Hope makelh not ashamed." The shame here is just the chagrin and mortification of one who fails in his de- sign, or when the person in whom he trusted has deceived him and baulked expectation. No such shame or confusion can crimson the face of him that hopes in God. Faith in God may be rationally indulged, for the promise is sure. God's wisdom cannot be baffled ; His eye cannot be eluded, nor His arm resisted ; all emergencies, all crea- tures, all agencies and appliances are under His control. " Nothing is too hard for the Lord." " He can turn the shadow of death into the morning ! " We have a striking illustration of the shame caused by a false hope in men, in the worshippers of Baal ; and equally strong of the hope that " maketh not ashamed," in the triumph of Elijah. It was agreed between the prophets of Baal and Elijah that none should be acknowledged God but He that answered by fire. With intense interest the multitude look on while . the idolators worship. From morning till midday the 90 NEEDFUL CORRECTION — ITS HAPPY RESULTS. idolaters cry, " O, Baal, hear us ; " but there was no voice, no fire. They become frantic and fi'^fous ; they leap on the altar, they cut themselves with knives, but there is no response ! Who can conceive of the deep mortification of the worshippers of Baal, when Elijah mocked them, and, with a sarcasm more telling than direct rebuke, said, " Cry aloud, for he is a god ; either he is engaged in talking, or on a journey, or perchance he is pursuing, or he is asleep and must be awaked." They cry aloud, but cry in vain ! O, what uneasiness they must have felt ! Jezebel gnashing her teeth with rage, and Ahab ready to hide h!'^. face in baffled confusion ! And now the altar of Jehovah is built, the wood arranged, the sacrifice laid on it, and Elijah prays. His God is neither deaf, distant nor asleep. " Lord God of Abram, Isaac and Jacob, let it be known that there is a God In Israel, and that I have done these things at Thy word." Then came the fire from heaven and set all in a blaze, and consumed the sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water though thrice re- peated. Here we have shame on one side and triumph on the other. The feeling of exultation cannot be put in words more expressive than those before us — " The Lord He is God ;" He answers by fire, and Elijah is not ashamed — no, not ashamed ! Let the men be ashamed whose hopes have been cut off. Let men be ashamed of the reli- gion that brings no good, no joy, no peace. Let men be ashamed of prayers that were never heard, and of the church that makes them no better, and of the sacraments that bring no communion with God. The Christian has no cause to be ashamed, either of his aflllictions or his hope, inasmuch as the first have done him good, and the second makes him happy. This hope is " laid up for him in heaven." One remark may be made In conclusion. It is clear from all we have said, and from the text, that the sorrows and afflictions of life are a part of the disciplinary process 91 THOUGHTS ON GRAN'> AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. by which our graces are matured. Let no man, therefore, be ashamed of his sufferings or his hope ; his afflictions are necessary to complete and finish his character. Jesus Himself was made perfect through suffering ! The sufferer is the succourer ! And we, too, when we are " patient in tribulation," and mercifully inclined to pity others in their sorrows, will bring forth one of the best evidences of true godliness — one of the finest " fruits of righteousness," when we are kind and pitiful, when we " re- member those that are in bonds, as bound with them ; and them that suffer adversity, as being ourselves also in the body." One of the most lovely and attractive features of our Lord's character was His compassion for the suffering. It is well to be like the Master ! ■> ^u 9f CHAPTER X. THE CHRISTIAN SERVES, YET IS FREE. |E will be all the more disposed to consider what- soever Jesus said to His followers, and feel a deeper interest in marking the footprints of the flock, if we have a firm conviction of the Divine authority of the moral law, and the claims of Christ upon the hearts of men ; and are persuaded that " the law is holy and the commandment holy, just and true," and that all its requirements are reasonable, and enforced by considerations that weigh with rational intelligence. Jesus requires no blind obedience to mere authorit) ; and the Christian " can give a reason for the hope that is in him," and also a reason for what he does, why he sub- mits and why he obeys. This will appear by a careful consideration of the gospel as a nile of conduct. The gospel is a law of liberty, perfect in all its parts, and cer- tain to accomplish the end for which it was given. It will brighten the hopes, strengthen the faith, and increase and sustain the patience of the pilgrim, to know that he is under law to Him who is so great and good, so just and true. Every one in the Church, and every one out of it, ought to study the words of one of the most practical and ener- getic of the New Testament writers : ** But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. — James i. 25. We all know the difference between liberty and bond 93 > THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. age, between theory and practice. If we are careful ob- servers of what is passing around us, we may have illus- trations of the difference every day of our lives. The man of theory is good at building airy castles, the other looks well to the foundation ; one is a man of words, the other of deeds ; one is much concerned about appearances, the other thinks cf what will stand the coming storm. Every one who is of a practical turn of mind will love to study the writings Oi" James ; there is so much plain common sense, so much practical wisdom, so much telling logic in them, that they cannot fail to recommend themselves to the favourable regard of men, as just the thing to help them in telling the tale and doing the business of life. Two things are very observable in this Apostle. He earnestly contended for decision of character and consistency of conduct. Without the first we cannot take a single step in advance ; here is the starting-point in all that is wise and good. An undecided man is a cypher, find him where you may — in the army, in the navy, in the world, or the church ! Religion begins, advances and ends with decision ; and the man who wants this charac- teristic tells the world that his profession is a farce, and that he is as unstable as a wave of the sea, and will go with the wind. Such a man will find the powers of dark- ness more than a match for him ; the allurements of the world, the snares of the devil, and the deceitfulness of his own heart, will carry him away as chaff before the wind ! A light skiff on a stormy ocean will be all the safer for a little ballast. The other matter for which this practical Apostle contended was consistency. If this quality is wanting, all who know the professor will perceive that it is only profession — a name — all outside. Alas ! how true, how often true — '• Nothing more common than the name ; Nothing more rare than the thing." And here you contemplate a character in whom there is 94 THE CHRISTIAN SERVES, YET IS FREE. no symmetry, no beauty, no attraction ; such is the man who blows hot and cold with the same mouth, who blesses and curses with the same lips, who tries to draw sweet and bitter water from the same fountain, and gather grapes and thorns from the same vine. This man's life gives the lie to his profession. We may sometimes doubt the creed that is written, but he that lives his creed defies criticism and scepticism too ; for acts, like facts, are stubborn things, and cannot be disputed. The man of words avers that he believes ; so do the devils, and they tremble, while he does not. Observe, the gospel is a law. It is wisely so called, for all that is necessary to form a law is found in it. There can be no law without a law- giver, and no lawgiver without authority. Right on the part of the lawgiver is indispensable I We claim that right, that authority, for the God of the Bible — for the Saviour of men. He that made the world has a right to govern it. Men claim a right to do their own business, and manage their own affairs, and rule their own servants, as they see fit. No man will be so void of prudence as to dispute this point ; nor can he object to the Almighty doing as men do ! We are God's property absolutely : our physical, intellectual, and moral constitu- tions are from Him. All we can do for God, or give to Him, are already His. Creation gives the right to govern, but redemption makes the claim stronger ! Jesus might have cut us off or passed us by, leaving us to perish. But He pitied our infatuation and sin, and, in- stead of taking vengeance. He died for the guilty. He paid for us a price of infinite worth — paid our debt. He paid it all, and therefore has a right to govern the creati res whom He has redeemed, as well as those who eat His bread and share His protection. But every proper law must have justice and equity in its precepts. All the injunctions and prohibitions of the gospel are just and equitable. No advantage is taken of 95 I.; .11 J; iiii 4 ' THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. any one, or of any circumstance — all get their due. There is no overreaching — nothing is hard, nothing is unreason- able ! Jesus reaps only where He has sown, and will re- quire only an account of His own. No one will say that the faith, the submission, the obedience He requires, is more than is due ! In even-handed justice He will deal with every man : — " To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and honour, eternal life ; but unto them who are contentious, and do not obey the truth, indignation and wrath." "There is no respect of persons with God." Again, every proper law binding upon men will study the interests of the people. No other ought to be respected among men. And does not the gospel study the interests of men ? Every injunction and prohibition say plainly, " Do thyself no harm." The whole drift of the Word is to draw us away from the evil — sin, wrath, and the second death — and alluie us to the joy and pleasure which are at God's right hand in glory. So that if the gospel is soberly considered, it will be found to have all the force of a law — a righteous law. One point yet remains to be considered to establish the authority of the law, and the obligations of men to obey it : it must be promulgated — published. Authority, justice, equity, and the interest of men, are considered in the gospel ; this is well, but not enough. The law must be made known. " Where there is no law there is no transgression." Where the law is not known or within the reach of the people, it cannot in jus- tice condemn them for its violation. Hence the publicity given to all legal enactments. How beautifully and forcibly Jesus presents this whole matter : " If I had not done among them the things no other man did, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin." To the Jews He said, " If ye were blind (if ye did not know the law) ye would have no sin, but now ye say we see, therefore your sin remaineth." You may pity a blind 96 THE CHRISTIAN SERVES, YET IS FREE. y ly id man who falls into the ditch, but you cannot in jusiice blame him ! Here is the reason why the gospel is preached — " Go ye into all the world ; preach the gospel to every crea- ture." Tell them God has no pleasure in the death of sinners — tell them that He sent His Son to bless them by turning them from their iniquities. But the gospel is also a law of liberty. We may serve and yet be free ! The gospel binds, but leaves its sub- jects free. A pleasing bondage is the service we love and enjoy ; A glorious paradox. When we deal with this subject, we come into contact with the carnal mind — into closer collision with men who know not God. Unrenewed men do not understand, cannot comprehend this. It is foolishness to them ; they do not like it, and they are not willing to look at it. Every- thing that has a religious bearing is suspected. " God's way is always grievous ; " its teaching is far above and out of their sight ; their whole nature rises against it. The gospel a law of liberty — freedom ? Who can believe it ? The proud hearts of sinners, the vitiated taste of carnal nature, have no relish for anything that lays restriction upon their pleasures. Their contemptuous inquiry is : " What is the use, and where the advantage, of so many restrictions and prohibitions? Where is the advantage of so much reading, thinking, praying — of so much self-denial and strait lacing ? Is it this you call freedom ? It is a weariness, an affliction and an oppres- sion ! " We must not be impatient with such ; we must instruct, not coerce ; must draw, not drive ! Before you can understand this subject you must first be reconciled to God — to His nature, to His law, to His gospel, But when the love of God is shed abroad in your hearts every thing will be changed, and you will form a different esti- mate, and a more correct one, when the subject is viewed from a different standpoint. Why persist in looking 97 » i 'I ilili iNI I ; R I THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. through the wrong end of the glass ? Turn it, and every- thing is transformed ] then religious exercises, instead of being irksome, will be pleasing, easy, delightful. We will not deny that you are bound, but it is with the cords of love and he bands of a man. You will indeed be under obligation, but it will be felt as the obligation of a mother to love her child. Mothers, is there hardship in that ? It will be like the obligation of a sick man to take his cordial. The law will be felt to be a yoke, but it will be like the yoke of married life where parties love one another ! It will be a burden too, but like the burden of wings to a bird, which do not restrict its freedom, but leave it the open heavens in which to fly ; and as it soars aloft towards heaven, it will sing all the way ! " His commandments are not grievous ! " And what matters it to a good man that sin is forbid- den ? It is forbidding what he hates, therefore no hard- ship is felt Sin is the source of all his disquietude, all his sorrows ; it is his greatest affliction, and often he sighs, " O, wretched man, who shall deliver ? " He has no liking for sin, therefore abstinence is most desirable. On the other hand, the inculcation of Christian duties and graces is his delight and element, and adds to his joy, for like the sweet singer of Israel he can say : "I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right." " O, how love I Thy law ! " Do you understand the liberty of God's law now ? Love is always easy, and its burden is light ! But this law is perfect " It converts the soul, it enlightens the eyes, it rejoices the heart, it endures for ever ! " Perfect It has no defects, no redundance ; it has neither excess nor lack. No one can suggest improvement or additions, as if anything were wanting. The law is, like Him who gave it, perfect. Men are always blundering, coming short or going too far ; hence it is often found that the law enacted last session of Parliament comes up again to be amended. But God never mends His law -, He THE CHRISTIAN SERVES, YET IS FREE. rbid- lard- ?, all ighs, no On and , for all how il, it ts for |t has Iment like pring, [bund is up He never will, for it is perfect ; like Himself, " the same yesterday, to-day and for ever." It is perfect, for it does its work well ! Satan's sorceries may for a time hinder or obscure its operations, and the tumults of human passion may throw a cloud on the horizon, but nothing can shut out the shining light. It will flash into the sinner's conscience with the velocity of lightning, and leave conviction there ; will tell him that he is a sinner and needs mercy ! Its operations are per- fect in applying the remedy too! It will show Jesus •' made of God unto him wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi- cation, redemption ;" and yet more, it will preserve him till the day of Christ, and present him spotless before the throne ! Both he and his interest are kept by the power of God. Notice, next, our duty in regard to this law — " to look into it, and continue therein." This looking into the law, in its idea, seems taken from the Cherubim over the ark, with spread wings, looking into it with an intense interest, as if they would pierce it with their eyes to inspect its contents and mysteries. In this looking, three things are implied : First, deep meditation and intense interest, like the anxious look of the Apostle into the empty sepulchre. John and Peter both ran together, and John being the younger outran Peter, and came first to the tomb ; and he looked in. O, what a look was that ! how earnest, how searching ! What thoughts it would suggest ! What impressions it would make ! What recollections it would revive of what Jesus said, and did, and promised ! " I will rise again the third day ! " "I will see you again and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you ! " Is this true — all true ? Shall we see Him again, and see Him so soon ? All doubt about the rising from the dead is passing away, and the sun of righteousness is rising, at least in hope. When Joseph and Nicodemus laid His body in 99 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. il I i I ^ the tomb, the hopes of the disciples were buried with Him. But the report of Mary and Peter and Cleopas was as a shock of electricity ; it thrilled them with de- light, it was " as life from the dead ! " Similar to this ought to be the interest with which we should look info the word, the law of God, or we shall fail in realizing the intended advantage. Religion has internal evidences, joys and pleasures which a superficial observer will never realize ! The word in the text is not look a/, but info, the law ! If looking at were sufficient, there would be few formalists. Looking af is not enough ; there must be something more ; there must be fhou^^hf, desire, feeling, and faith. Lively impression is another thing included in our duty. Clear, lively, animated impression is essential in the service of God. Since the sacrifices of the old law were done away, God will not acknowledge or receive what is dead ! Christianity is a living thing — living faith in the living God and the risen Saviour. Men may look and not perceive — they may pray without feeling or desire ; but God will ignore the service unless the think- ing mind and feeling heart are in exercise. The claim of Christ's law is on the whole man — body, spirit and soul. While we give the eye, the ear, the hand, we must not withhold that which is the seat and centre of life — the heart. Not to give that is dishonest ; for nothing is clearer than this, that the powers God hath given us are to be exercised in His service ! Think of the family group listening to the reading of the will of a deceased father, in which all are interested, and you have the right idea of what we mean by lively impression. Interest is the soul of attention ! It is the expected benefit, each looking for his share, that fixes the eye, opens the ear and rivets attention ! This is the correct idea ! Did you ever read with fixed attention and earnest expectation the title-page of the lOO THK CHRISTIAN SERVES, YET IS FREE. New Testament? What is it — what does it signify? " The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." And what is that but His Will? 'I'here you will find your portion which He has bequeathed to you. If men are not lively here, lively in proportion to the value of the interest, where shall life be found ? The third idea embraced in this looking is diligence ; which implies constant, uninterrupted application, early and late, waiting at the posts of Wisdom's doors, looking, listening, expecting ! This temper of mind is needful in every enterprise, and will not and cannot be dispenstd with in the service of the living God. Careless and negligent men may see here the reason of their failure in the things of God. There must be asking, seeking, knocking, if we would enter into life. Jesus gives the whole in one word, " Strive." But it is added, " And continueth therein." Every word here is in the present tense and active voice. It is not he that heard, but heareth; not he that did, but doeth ; not he that ran well a while, but he that con- tinueth. It is continued action, best expressed in the present participle — reading, hearing, praying, watching, waiting for the salvation of God. We sometimes speak of the perseverance of the saints, and with good reason, for it runs through the whole Bible. The Saviour gives deserved prominence to this. He never speaks of His people with the doubtful language of uncertainty of their final safety. And Paul does the same. Our safety depends in a measure on our activity, but chiefly on the Saviour's hold of us. There can be no mistake in His words ; and unless men and devils and the power of sin are a match for Omnipotence, God's people cannot perish. " None can pluck them out of My hand," "none out of My Father's hand." But the continuing cannot be separated. It signifies a mind made up, in which there is no hesitation — a mind that will not easily give up its hold. If he falls, he is up again. lOI I '; 'I THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. The Christian will plead and wait and pray, like Abraham and Hannah ; and wrestle like Jacob, and persist like the widow before the unjust judge; or, like the Syro- Phoenician woman, be content to be treated as a dog, so she may gain iier suit. This is taking the kingdom by force. A negro, one of nature's unsophisticated sons, was asked "What is perseverance ?" He sagely replied, " Lay hold, hold on, and never let go." That is the persever- ance of the Bible, the practical part. Hold on to Ma/y and though there may be many delays, many defeats, the world mocking, sin raging, and Satan assaulting, nothing shall separate the believer from Christ. Perseverance is the crowning grace. Leaving, reach- ing, pressing and giving all diligence — that L perseverance. Perseverance never failed, and never will. Who shall be saved ? He that endureth to the end ! Who shall receive the crown of life ? He that is faithful unto death. Who shall sit down with Christ on His throne ? He that overcometh. God has something good for such, and hcie it is : — " He shall be blessed in his deed." This man and no other. Hold on, then, to your Calvinistic sentiment of the perseverance of the saints, but do not forget " continuance in well-doing." Still cultivate delight in God's law, and you "shall be like a tree planted by the river," and " you shall be blest in your deed." In it, not for it ; you shall be assisted in it, and rewarded for it. God regards the motive, the spring of action, the honest intention, the single eye. Blest, not in commending religion to others, but in doing it. Such a man shall be blest in all he does — in battling with sin^nd crucifying the flesh. If he teaches in a Sab- bath school, or visits the sick, or cheers the widow in her loneliness, or if he is kind and attentive to strangers, or runs an errand of mercy, or gives a penny or offers a prayer, he shall be blest in all. When he bears the bur- dens of the saints or does the work of the church, in that he shall be blest. Not a tear that he sheds or a sigh that I02 THE CHRISTIAN SERVES, YET IS FREE. heaves his bosom in behalf of the suffering, nor a cup of cold water given in Jesus' name and for Jesus' sake, shall lose its reward. And this blessedness consists in the assurance that the conflict will end favourably — that flesh and blood, principalities and powers, shall ultimately be overcome. A generous-hearted Christian will be more blest in giving than a worldling in hoardin,.' ; he will have more joy in the weariness and painfulnessr~u>Ar U9 CHAPTER XV. ' TALENTS IMPROVED WILL BE INCREASED; THOSE NOT IMPROVED, TAKEN AWAY. CONTINUATION of the same subject is deemed necessary, more especially in the rural portions of Canada, because there is such a general neglect of the duties of religion. Reli- gion is not a subject for the Sabbath only — it has a claim on every day — and no man's heart will be right with God who overlooks it. How often do we iind a congregation which will average a hundred and thirty on the Sabbath, giving an attendance of eight or ten at the prayer meeting ! Some congregations, with an average attendance of four or five hundred on the Sabbath, will only yield some fif- teen or twenty at the prayer meeting, and one-third of these children ! This plainly shows that there is little thirst for the water of life, and as little hunger for its bread. Let no man blame us for severity ; for we make every allowance for the aged and infirm, for the sick and afflicted, for mothers with large families, for such as may be insuf- ficiently clothed, and for persons living at a distance ! But we cannot make allowance for persons in vigorous health ; and such a meagre attendance on the house of God as we have referred to is no credit to a Canadian congregation, and is a sure indication that vital religion is at a very low ebb, if not quite dead. We are at a loss to know, how such persons can say, with David, " Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, the place where Thine honour dwelleth." If such are sincere, then why so seldom there ? "I was glad when they said unto me, 140 TALENTS IMPROVED OR NOT IMPROVED. Let US go unto the house of the Lord." Is staying away a proof of attachment and joy? Have we not good reason for calling in question the truth of such language on such lips ? Sometimes ministers inveigh against salvation by works. If the idea is that men may make, or think they may make, good their claim for Divine mercy by an attendance on the services of the house of God, we can assure them that there is little cause for alarm ; for if the state of a man's soul depends upon regularity and patient waiting upon God, there is very little of the life of God among us ; and there is the greatest need to reiterate the warning of the Apostle, " Forsake not the assembling of yourselves to- gether, as the manner of some is ; and so much the more as ye see the day approaching," when the wood, the hay and stubble shall be burned up, and nothing remain but purified " silver and gold and precious stones." A word of caution and warning should here be dropped, for such as think of little else, care for little else, and value little else but that on which they can put a money value. Let me remind such that, as far as human effort is concerned, grace and glory are obtained in the same way as dollars and cents. And if this be true, what, think you, will be your gain from a subject that gets so little of your time and attention ? Let us hear what the Master says on the subject, and see if we find a corroboration of the previous remarks : " For I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given ; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away." — Luke xix. 26. There can be no higher authority than the speaker in this passage. He is Lord of the kingdom ; He gave the Church her constitution and laws ; He appoints every man his work, and brings all into judgment. The plain English of these words is just this : Work hard, and you shall have a great reward. Improve your talents, and they will increase ; neglect your opportunities, 141 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. fail to improve them, and they will become less, and you are undone. In considering this passage as bearing upon our Chris- tian duties and graces, we will view them as pointing out : First, a principle established ; second, a fact realized ; third, a lesson inculcated. First, as a principle established. And that principle is this : that when men look for the accomplishment of an object, they must use the means likely to bring it about. Few men will be so void of good sense as to expect success in any other way. This principle shows that our civil advantages and intellectual ability and moral improve- ment will increase or diminish as we are active or negli- gent. All the world will be dealt with on this principle, whe- ther Heathen, Jew or Christian. Men shall be judged, rewarded or punished, according to their works. God has annexed a blessing to the use of means, and if men are sincere, these means cannot be used in vain. We see it in God's providence, and it is proved in the expe- rience of all thoughtful men, whether good or bad, believer or infidel; so that we look upon it as the fast and abiding ordination of God ! Everything we have comes from God, from " the Father of lights ;" we have nothing but what we receive. The material heavens and earth are just what God made them, save the changes which the sin of man has brought upon them. The earth brings forth fruit, because God wills it. There is vegetative life in seeds, because the Maker put it there for the service of man ; but in order to the blade and the bud, we need the genial sunshine and the fertilizing shower. We cannot command these, but we can clean and plant and plough ; and when the harvest comes we can reap and gather into barns and protect from injury. He that would rationally rely on the ordination of the Maker, 142 TALENTS IMPROVED OR NOT IMPROVED. must use the means He has appointed. The earth, under the curse, will yield thorns and thistles, and hence the la- bour and industry of man is required to keep down weeds and secure more nourishment to the plant. Few men will complain of this, for even in a state of innocence Adam was to till the ground. Agricultural skill and diligence will be rewarded ! Our own acts will regulate the reaping and ingathering ! The nakedness and sterility of the slothful man's gar- den was brought about by the folding of his hands — by his love of ease and slumber ! It is just so in religious matters. The man who will not use the understand- ing and judgment which God has given him will be stricken with moral poverty ; his thoughts will be con- fused, his judgment perverted, his conscience seared, his mind unhappy, his whole life a wilderness — like a salt land, not inhabited, doomed to sterility and disgrace. Natural and acquired talents can only be improved by practice. The minds of men as well as their bodies ; their thoughts, desires and affections require cultivation as well as their gardens. In the latter case, air, sunshine, and the genial shower are indispensable, and in the former there must be mental exercise on suitable subjects, and then, according to diligence used and efforts put forth, will be the improvement. God gives freely, graciously, abundantly, and without our painstaking He could cause such influences to bear upon the mind as would produce continual sunshine and perpetual improvement ; but this would not be in agreement with our mental constitution or the design of God. Man is not a mere machine ; he is required to keep his heart, and give intentionally a right direction to mind and conscience. What is good we must receive with open heart and loving mind \ what is evil must be rejected. The man who allows his thoughts to run wild, and never puts on the brakes on the downward grade, will find his soul like the sluggard's garden, all overgrown with weeds 143 r THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. I, I I Ki I: il : and briars; for if there beany desire really good, it will be apt to be checked by the luxuriant crop of thorns and thistles. Faith becomes stronger, hope brighter, patience more enduring, and humility more lovely, by cultivation. We can get nothing and keep nothing but by the use of means. In our physical, mental and moral interests, Solomon's judgment will be found correct : " He becometh poor who dealeth with a slack hand." And this is the principle established by reason, common sense, and the universal experience of mankind, whether the object be enlarging their barns, filling their pockets, or cultivating their minds. With a similar train of thought we now proceed to consider the words of the Redeemer as a "fact real- ized," known and felt to be true ! Who can be ignorant here ? It is a practical question, easily analysed I Experience is a famous and successful teacher. Its terms are clear, but its impressions deep and seldom lost. We may not remember the process of rea- soning, or the items that formed the basis of remark, but the impression remains, and we will not, and cannot, in ordinary cases, forget the result. A Christian has what we call spiritual discernment and a spiritual taste, and he has the faculty of communicating to others what he knows himself. He has, besides, the power of spreading before the Lord all his wants and desires. God has given us all these faculties, and we can use them. Now, it is a realized fact that they all increase by constant exercise. The discerning power will become quicker, readier, clear- er, stronger and more correct by use. The spiritual, on frequent gratification, will become discriminating and refined. As evil habits become confirmed by indulgence, so the good are strengthened by enjoyment. The more a man prays, the more he would ; because the clearer the conviction of need, the fuller and more settled his belief in the Divine mercy and grace. Every prayer an- swered enlarges desire and increases faith, and will draw 144 TALENTS IMPROVED OR NOT IMPROVED. the applicant back to the throne, now made more sacred and attractive by what he has already received. Was it not so with David ? He had seen God's power and glory in the sanctuary ; he felt it good to be there, and this is the reason why he would go again, and be a student there all the days of his life. On the other hand, the less a man prays the less he desires to pray, and, failing in enjoyment, his desires become weak and ready to die. And this is the natural result arising from want of enjoy- ment. The soul may be starved as well as the body, and poisoned too. There are more souls that perish through famine than bodies by hunger. And this will be the more impressive, as there must be the consciousness that this sad state has been brought about by personal neglect. " Ye have not, because ye ask not " — a realized fact. Failure in divine things can always be explained on com- mon sense principles. The man who conducts his busi- ness in a careless manner, that has no forethought, but is rash and inconsiderate, whose books are always in confu- sion, who will give credit without due inquiry, and pro- mises to pay without the needful provision, will lose his business, his character and his capital ; the whole is a wreck — " what he had is taken away." Some men guard against heavy loss, robbery and oppression, but forget the moth and rust. Religion, like business, has a great deal to do with littles. This fact appears in the exercise of grace. Diligence and earnest perseverance are like the stirring up of the fire, or the addition of fuel ; or they resemble deep and frequent ploughing, the sure method of killing weeds, softening the soil, and increasing the nourishment of the seed and the plant; or this active diligence is like the oiling of machinery, which prevents friction, increases speed and secures success. If a man does not keep his faith in exercise, it will give way to doubt, and doubt will generate fear, and fear will make him unhappy ; and an unhappy man is seldom strong, seldom prosperous. 145 K THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Action, laborious action, seldom fails in any enterprise. The work of grace is not like statuary, for the artist may leave his work for a length of time, and on his return he will find it just as he left it. Grace is more like vegetable or animal life, always requiring new supplies. This is a realized fact, that secures progress and improve- ment. The Christian should never lose sight of Peter's advice : " Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue know- ledge," &c. In the third place, we consider the language of our Lord now before us as a lesson inculcated — a lesson of warning — a fear of damage arising from neglect — the loss of all — the condemnation of the slothful servant. Every man has some talent, or talents, more or less. We may not like the idea of anticipating the judgment ; but like it or not like it, ready or not ready, the time will come when the Master will reckon with all His servants. God will be as faithful to His promise as is mother earth to the industry and labour of men. The text will meet us in the great day, and regulate the final awards. It will then be seen shining as the bright- ness of the firmament " He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him ; " and no less certain the confusion and ruin of the unprofitable servant, when there will be " weeping and gnashing of teeth." Think of Lot's wife — of the carcasses that fell in the wilderness — of those who failed of the grace of God, that failed to give earnest attention "to the things which they had heard." Let us lay this subject to heart, thinking of the result of diligence or neglect ; it will be life or death : " Come, ye blessed ;" or " Depart, ye cursed. ' " Behold, then, the goodness and severity of God ; on them which fell severity, but toward thee goodness, if thou continue in His goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." " Serve the Lord with fear ; rejoice with 146 TALENTS IMPROVED OR NOT IMPROVED. trembling." Improve the sunshine, the influence of the Spirit and the happy associations of a religious life, and think of the end / It is also a lesson of encouragement. Your talents may be few, but exercise will make them brighter and better. God will not " break a bruised reed nor quench the smok- ing flax." He " takes the lambs in his bosom, and gently leads those who are young " with desire. " Delight thyself also in God ; commit thy way to Him, and He shall bring it to pass." " He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon- day." Great events have often small beginnings \ but no earnest purpose honestly improved, no prayer coming from a sincere heart, and offered in faith through Jesus Christ, can ever be lost. There is a world of importance in waiting ! Do not grudge the time ; " Be not weary in well-doing, for in due time ye shall reap if ye faint not." And what a harvest that will be ! What a prodigious gain, when God will say of all His faithful servants, " They are mine/" The shady side of the text, which is a perversion of its lesson, will make a dribbling idiot of the philosopher, and 2l pauper of the millionaire ; while the right applica- tion of the lesson will make of an errand boy a man of weight and worth, and of commanding, influence in the world and the Church. What has not earnest purpose and diligent effort achieved ? It has raised the drummer boy to the rank of a general, the studious blacksmith to be the first of lin- guists, and the plodding stone-cutter to take rank with the first geologists of the age. It has, under a gracious in- fluence, elevated the rough sailor and the profane tinker lO be the honoured servants of God in the gospel of His Son ! Hence it is clear that there is nothing in books, in science, or study of any kind, that will long resist the iron will of th*^' youth who has resolved to be — somebody ! somethin^^ ! a figure in the world ! This noble, enterpris- 147 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. ing spirit of industry has 7von laurels and worn them all the world over. It is to the persevering energy of reso- lute men we owe steam navigation, agricultural improve- ments, railroad speed in travelling, and that wonder of the age, the telegraphic despatch, flying through the earth with the speed of lightning ! But there is no rail- road to heaven ; no royal way to geometry ; nothing but the old, rough, weary, thorny path of diligent and resolute application. He who wishes to see what patient and resolute appli- cation can do may visit Bedford gaol, and look on the Prince of Dreamers as, in his half-lighted dungeon, he scrawls out his " Pilgrim's Progress," that grand panora- mic view or chart of the way to heaven. We leave the text blazing in the light of that wonderful sentence, in- structive of all generations — *' No cross, no crown." •*<.^-\ '¥^' 148 CHAPTER XVI. GOOD WORKS AN EVIDENCE OF LIVING FAITH. N a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honour and some to dishonour." And ™ what is the Church of Christ but a house, of which He is Head — " Whose house are we f" The Church is also represented as engaged in a war- fare, and there must be many combatants, superior as well as inferior officers, besides rank and file. Now, it takes the whole to make an army ; the highest can- not do without the lowest. The Church is also com- pared to the human body, in which there are many mem- bers ; but all members have not the same office, yet every member is essential to the effective operation of the body. If one member is wanting, the body is incomplete. It is the whole body of which Christ is the Head, and from Him all the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment mi- nistered and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." " From whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted (dove-tailed), according to the effectual work- ing in t le measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love ! " It is the whole body — not three-fourths nor nine-tenths, but the whole ; every bone, every muscle, every tendon is necessary ; the least as well as the greatest, the feeblest as well as the strongest. These considerations (not the opinions of men) make it manifest that the combined and individual action of cr// is required. From all this it is clear that there can 149 ' ir : ' i THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. be no idler in the Church of Christ ; every one must have something to do. The law of Christ's kingdom is — " To every man his work." Let us look at the state of the Church in the light of this command, and what do we see ? A multitude of idlers who have nothing to do, and have no intention of doing anything ! And what increases the confusion (and should make ministers and officers of the Church blush) is the fact that all seem quite con- tent that things should remain so. Here is a gross viola- tion, not of the law of the Church, but of the will of God, and is one reason of the Church's inefficiency. To meet this case, in a feeble effort for the removal of this glaring defect, this chapter is added. Surely there is none who will controvert so evident a truth, that the great majority are idle. The foregoing state- ments make it plain that every member of the Church ought to take an interest in her affairs, and have some- thing to do. Is there any other way of securing a happy and prosperous Church ? How clearly and strongly this grand essential is brought out in Paul's counsels to Titus, twice repeated : " This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God be careful to maintain good works. These are good and profitable unto men." " Let ours also learn to maintain good works, for necessary uses, . Sat they be not unfruit- ful." — Tit. iii. 8, 14. The Ape i '♦ mind was fully made up : "I will that thou affirm " — akfirm constantly — that God'o people be careful to maintain good works ; that they should /mr;/ to do so, and that in his judgment these were necessary and useful. This is the common sense view to take of any subject in which men are engaged in a collective capacity, whether it be business, politics or religion. These things were submitted to the consideration of Titus, and were intended to guide his course, and they are consequently submitted to us. 150 Si > GOOD WORKS AN EVIDENCE OF LIVING FAITH, A careful analysis of them will doubtless prove " pro- fitable for doctrine, reproof and instruction in righteous- ness." They are the dictation of the Spirit of God. The first thought they present for our consideration is this : that good men, and especially ministers, feel a deep and lively interest in the spiritual welfare of the Church. The mind of any one who can shake off this thought must be strangely perverted. Whatever difficulty may be felt in the present generation of dealing with this matter, it certainly was capable of a very easy, happy illustration in apostolic times. It meets us on the foreground of every New Testament Epistle. It meets us in brotherly salu- tations; in the commendation of Christian charity, kind- ness aad sympathy with the poor and the afflicted of our fellow-men; in earnest prayers for " grace, mercy and peace" in all the bowels of Jesus Christ. We see an openness, a frankness, an undisguired simplicity and cor- diality of affection which strongly marks the children of our Father in heaven. The epistles to Timothy and Titus, and that to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, are fine specimens of brotherly regard. The language of men divinely inspired to in- struct the Church and guide her operations ought not to be overlooked. " God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers. I long to see you, that I might impart unto you some spiritual gift." " My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved," and abound in every good word and work. And this spirit for which the Apostle prayed was to be shown in pitying the ignorant and those that are out of the way. *' What thanks can we render to God for you, brethren, for all the joy wherewith we joy before God, night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face with joy?" So great was his loving solici- tude for the best interests of the people, that he never lost sight of them, and was never happier than when he was '51 THOUGHTS ON GRAND ANIJ IMPORl ANT SUBJECTS. thinking of them, praying for, or writing to them. " They were in his heart to live and to die with them." With the men of the world it is very generally " Out of sight, out of mind;" but no affliction, no distance, could alienate Paul from his brethren beloved. " Though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ." To this we may add positive instruction : — " To do good and communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." " Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness . . . forbearing one another and forgiving one another." " Be not forgetful to entertain strangers." " Pure and undefiled religion, before God and the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflic- tions." Nor is this'Christian sympathy and solicitude for the igno- rant, the poor and the suffering to be confined to ministers and office-bearers in the Church ; it was a family likeness — the Christian badge of discipleship — and belonged to the whole brotherhood. There were many large and loving hearts among the body of the people, men and women who were the salt of the earth and the light of the world, who co-operated with the holy men whose time and talents were consecrated to God and His Church. The active service so favourably noticed by Paul among many of the saints, plainly shows their habit, and what we ought to do. Priscilla and Aquila were " helpers in Christ Jesus. * There were many who bestowed much labour, and many others whose names are in the Book of Life. Such men, such women, are much missed in our day ; but wherever they are found, and whatever men may think of them, " they shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and with them who turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever." A second thought suggested by these words is, that 152 GOOD WORKS AN EVIDENCE OF LIVING FAITH. good works become the Christian character, and that the servants of God have a right to expect them from the peo- ple, as demonstrative of their professed principles. In Christianity, living, active Christianity, there is something believed, and something enjoyed, and from what is en- joyed, something may be expected to be done. Saying is very well — doing is better. Activity is the very soul of vital godliness. The believer is a " doer of truth." This is marked by common sense, and is approved of by God and men. The members of a family ought to take an interest in family affairs. Even little children can do something. We have often smiled with a feeling of real pleasure, when the farmer was en- gaged in the logging field, to see how the little ones have toiled in gathering chips and roots, with faces as black as coal, and with bare feet, to save the father time and lessen his labour — reminding us of the old adage, " Many hands make light work." And is it not, ought it not to be, so in the Church 1 The citizen ought to take an interest in the State. This is a stubborn fact, acted on everywhere, doubted nowhere but in the Church. The little ones, who eat and drink and require clothing, do well to help father \ the man who enjoys the privileges of the State, and the man who enjoys the ministry of the Word, should, in like manner, help to bear its burdens and do its work ! This is not an arbitrary matter, but a thing of right ; and if men and women and youths, when they are received into the church, were properly instructed, half the difficulty would be overcome. Are not believers, when received into the church, to be considered and treated as disciples ? And what are disciples but learners, students of cha- racter — especially the character of the Great Teacher whose followers they profess to be ? All this is in happy agree- ment with the whole tenor of Christian instruction, and their relation to Christ and His Church. Are not Chris- tians " God's workmanship "--" Created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works ? " Were not the Scriptures in their ' 153 i THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. doctrine and teaching given to men that they " might be furnished unto good works ? " Were not holy women to adorn themselves with good works? Widows were to " be well reported of for good works." Titus was " to be a pattern of good works ; " good men were to be " zealous of good works," and they were enjoined " to provoke one another to love and good works." If these fail in the Church, where will we find them ? "By their fruits ye shall know them.' We have many fair talkers, but few hard workers. In confirmation of all this, it can be safely affirmed, that all the refuges for the poor, the soldier, the sailor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger ; for the deaf, the dumb and the insane, are the fruits of Christianity. Infidels, though they sometimes boast of morality, cannot lay claim to the credit of making a home for any, even those of their own stamp. The soul of a Christian is large and liberal : liberality among infidels has yet to begin ! This is not idle boasting ; it is a fact : they never made a home for the poor ! They talk of philosophy and science, but nothing of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Their system does little for themselves, and less for the unfortunate. Christianity is the strength, the honour and glory of humanity, for the Christian believes it " more blessed to give than to receive ; " and, like the Master, is ever "going about doing good." " He scatters, yet increases." He feels for him " that is ready to perish." The next thought these words suggest is this : That the habit or love of doing good is not natural to man, but is acquired. One of the first lessons religion teaches is the badness and selfishness of nature ; but " after the love of God toward man appears," and is understood and felt — after being blest himself, the Christian thinks of blessing others. Till touched by grace, there is always something that holds him back, and this will continue till a gracious influence disposes him aright. In her words, he learns 154 GOOD WORKS AN EVIDENCE OF LIVING FAITH. to do good, and learns also that grace enables him to maintain it vigorously, patiently — to persist in his course. Progress is the law of nature, and not less of grace ; the blade, the ear, and the fulljcom is the order ; the dawn, the brighter light, the perfect day. Christianity in any of its parts is not of mushroom growth. No man, however great the grasp of his mind, or however warm his heart, can understand the whole will of God at once, in respect of either graces or duties. Matter, manner, and motive have all to be studied. It requires an effort, and a strong one, to maintain that which conscience pronounces right and good. The text seems to anticipate opposition, and this is the reason why we have the word " Maintain." This word signifies to jjreserve, to uphold, to prove ; to plead for and argue in behalf of the object intended. There will be opposing influences in ourselves, from others — from what we suppose to be the part of others — opposition from love of ease and from a strong disposition to delay ; and these must be met by persistence in well-doing. Some- times the opposition will come from the evil heart or the Father of lies — that the whole is an attempt to obtain salvation by works ! Then we must treat the whole as Jehu treated the messengers of Joram, saying to each as it comes up, " Get thee behind me." And this is no new idea; it is at the least eighteen hundred years old, for Paul made progress in his latter end ; and he knew in the end what he did not know in the early part of his expe- rience, " I have learned to be content." There is much lo be done on every hand : there is ignorance to be in- structed ; sorrow to be cc mforted ; the sick to be visited ; and the empty coffers of the church to be replenished ; and careless ones to be quickened and allured by kind words and loving arguments to draw them to the house of God, where they may feel an influence that will bring them back again, and this may result in lasting good. The last thought which these exhortations suggest is »55 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJF,CTS. this : That the absence of good works among Christians is very unseemly, and just cause for reproach. The professor who does nothing is hke a vine planted on a rich soil, hedged about, and enjoying the skill and care of the vine dresser, that rewards him with leaves — leaves instead of fruit. It is a reproach, because true godliness has always been inseparable from active bene- volence. The first impression — the earliest impulse of a new-born soul — is a desire to be useful to others. We doubt the impulse that does not think of others. When a man escapes from the society of evil companions, his first thought will be, how he may be useful to those who may have led him astray, or whom he may have encou- raged before in the evil courses. This thought will prompt him to the adoption of expedients for their deliverance. The change is doubtful where such a feeling, such a desire, is wanting. The man who is himself awakened will not fail to feel pity for such as are yet in danger. Was it not for this reason, that our Lord said to those whom He healed and saved, and who wished to remain with Him, " Go back to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee?" It is a reproach to be listless where real benefit has been received. Efforts were made for such as have been reclaimed, and it is natural they should make efforts for others. Besides, these efforts are commanded : " With- hold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." The very reason why believers are called the salt of the earth and the light of the world is because they are to prevent corruption and lay an arrest upon moral decay. Their lives are to be a standing and living protest against the wickedness of men. And this will be realized not only in the full blaze of gospel light and joy, but in the most isolated circumstances. See the little captive maid in the camp of Syria — far, far from home, with no sister to cheer her, no mother to smile encouragement upon • 156 GOOD WORKS AN EVIDENCE OF LIVING FAITH. her ! Yet, the sight of the sad circumstances of her master moved the generous sympathies of her heart, even in the midst of idolators. " Would God my lord were with the prophet which is in Samaria, for He would re- cover him from his leprosy ! " Priscilla and Aquila took to them the eloquent Apollos, and " instructed him in the way of God more perfectly." Lois and Eunice instructed the young evan- gelist, and poured into his open ear the treasure of their superior knowledge. If these genuine marks of discipleship, which have been stereotyped for thousands of years, are a-wanting, the family likeness is gone. But the obligation still remains ; the Master has said it ; said it for our direction, upon whom the ends of the world are come : " To every man his work." No man can do work for another. If others do the work for him, he will not get the credit nor the reward. Therefore, no man can put his hand into his pocket and say, there is money for some one to work for me. The Gospel requires every one to work ; it deals with in- dividuals. Exemption from labour can only be claimed on one of two grounds — either, first, on the supposition that the Master has made a mistake and has no claim ; or, second, that he feels no interest. To plead either of these is a tacit acknowledgment that such are not Chris- tians. Exchange, barter, trading may be allowed in the farms, mills and shops of our fellow-men, but let no man be so bold, so shameless as to trade with the capital of the King of kings. It is disreputable for any man to have nothing to do where all are needed, and all are under the greatest obligations. It is a reproach to professed Christians to look upon a large assemblage of persons who have met to worship God, and to feel that not one of them is there by their effort or invitation : a reproach to look on a large and splendid place of worship, erected for the worship of 157 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Jehovah, in which they have not a stone, a plank, a brick, or a nail ! It is a reproach to withhold our countenance from a business meeting when we are needed, and thus discourage the brethren on whom falls the heavy burden. Such men must be mean and shameless characters, for they clearly think that others are under obligation to provide for them. It will be quite time enough to excuse such characters when we find their like in the business of the world ! Where will you find a mason who cannot use a mallet ? or a blacksmith who cannot use a hammer ? or a carpen- ter who does not know the use of a saw or a plane ? No one requires to be told that these are not tradesmen ! And yet you will find many who pass for Christians who do not help the Church in bearing her burdens and doing her work ! To speak charitably and say the least of it, the religion of such is very doubtful ! The Gospel, as preached by Paul, may be reduced to two propositions — Faith and Works. These are the two pillars on which the Christian system rests. These two — Faith and Works — have been compared to the opposite motions of the heart, which anatomists call diastole and systole ; the one powerfully contracting, and the other forcibly dilating that vital organ ; yet both together pro- ducing the circulation of the blood. So faith is ever re- ceiving the mercies of God, and work is ever returning all that is received. The believing heart and the working hand constitute the Christian. The law of gravitation furnishes another illustration of the point in hand. Here, as in the other case, we have two forces — attraction and repulsion ; and, like faith and works, they seem opposed to each other \ yet are they so nicely balanced that by the excellent combination we have the wonderful phenomenon the law of gravitation, by which the heavenly bodies revolve round the sun and round each other ! In like manner the promises of the gospel attract to Christ, and the precepts powerfully 158 GOOD WORKS AN EVIDENCE OF LIVING FAITH. impel us forward in the straight line of Christian duty, obeying the Master, and imitating the servant in running errands and doing the work of the Lord ! ^s» 59 CHAPTER XVII. THE SECURITY AND PERPETUITY OF THE CHURCH. I E can only work by faith, and faith must have something en which to feed; some sure pro- mise on which to rest ; a promise assuring the Church, on the highest authority, that the result is not doubtful ; that the struggle will end favourably ; that " They shall not be ashamed that wait on God ;" that the Church's enemies shall be found liars by God's people ; that the Church shall continue " as long as the Sun ; " that " all nations yet shall call Jesus blessed ; " that " He shall reign till His enemies are made His footstool;" and "the whole earth be filled with His glory." Now, all that He is and has, all that He can command, are pledged for the accomplishment of this consummation ! The guarantee is good — the deed of gift is without a flaw ! " The covenant is ordered in all things and sure.'' The promise, like the Promiser, is unchanging and unchangeable. " Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to the hope set before us." This promise like all others on Christ is reliable, and may be safely trusted. How careful our Heavenly Father has been ! What pains He has taken to keep our minds quiet and at ease respecting all His promises ! How happy to think that, instead of doubt and fear, all is certain, and so expressed as to exclude any uneasiness : [60 THE SECURITY AND PERPETUITY OF THE CHURCH. *• Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing; and they that strive against thee shall perish." "Thou shalt seek them, and shall not find them, even them that contended with thee ; they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought." We take two passages here, one given in confirmation of the other ; one by the prophets, the other by the God of the prophets : " No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper ; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord ; and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord." " And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." — Isaiah liv. 17 ; Matt, xvi. 18. Here is the guarantee of the Church's continuance, progress and final triumph. It is the word of Him who will not and cannot lie ; " for the gifts and callings of God are without repentance." God never turns back to mend or improve anything He says ; and seeing it is so, what occasion for the unbelieving cry, ** The Church is in danger ! " What ! The Church in danger in God's keeping, under His protection, in the everlasting arms ? Will there be a failure there? Who is the Shepherd? Will He fail — will His patience get exhausted — His resources fail t Who is the Guide ? Can He be ignorant of the way? Are the enemies too strong for Him ? Can they thwart His purpose or resist His arm ? What is the measure of the Church's supply? "The fulness of Him that fiUeth all in all." Will He who bids the planets to roll, and " weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance, and takes up the isles as a very little," who sustains all creation, be overburdened with this little world, or the affairs of His Church ? It is said, '* He 161 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTAN I SUBJECTS. I ' I keeps it as the apple of His eye," what more would mor- tals have? Tlie principalities and powers of this evil world are no match for Omnipotence. He knows all their craft and cunning — He binds them at His pleasure ; they can do nothing without His permission ! Did He not protect, guide and bless the Jewish Church and will he fail with us ? Though there can be no real danger of the Church in any of its interests, yet from the i^ortion of the Divine word at the heading of this chapter, it is clear that she will be assailed, that the principalities and powers of both the Jewish and the Gentile world will be up in arms against her -that the struggle will be long and desf)erate, but there is no uncertainty as to the issue ! " God is not a man that He should lie, nor the Son of man that He should rejient." "His purposes will riyieri fast, Unfoldiiij^ every hour : The hud may have a hitter taste, Hut sweet will he the flower.'' Failure cannot be with Him who has all resources in His hands, all events, all men, all devils, under perfect control. The foundation He has laid in Zion is a sure, elect and precious one : it is all rock. The rock is unchange- able truth ; His own purpose ; His own mercy in Christ Jesus ; the sacrificial death of His own Son. We reject with scorn the idea that Peter, the fisherman of Galilee, is the foundation or head of the Church ! Peter, vacillating Peter, who could not foresee thf? future, or keep himself an hour. The language of Scrii)ture is, "The wisdom of man is foolishness with God." Th'2 reverse is the creed of Rome ! God is said to have laic a founda- tioH, Rome thinks she can do better and improve on it. That Peter would be far more convenient, every way better, than God's foundation is a fair interpretation of 162 THE SF.CURITY AND PERPETUITY OF THE CHURCH. in ect ect ge- rist cct ilee, ter, eep The ;e is ida- it. way of the course pursued by Rome ; for if he is not thought better than Christ, why set him up? Why prefer the rock confessing to the Rock confessed? No one can mistake the meaning of Peter unless he is wilfully blind. Peter does not speak as giving a current opinion, nor as giving his oivn conviction, but rather under the power of a Divinely wrought faith in his heart, " Thou art the Christ!'^ Now the Romish inteqjretation is objection- able, because it is inconsistent with the figure employed. Who ever heard of a shifting foundation ? or a founda- tion being changed ? There can be no succession in a foundation ! A foundation is a permanent thing, incapa- ble of change, and opposed to the idea of succession. We object to Rome's interpretation, because it does manifest injustice to the other disciples, who were as much interested as Peter. What Jesus said, "Whose soever sins ye remit, i\jc," belongs as much to Peter's brethren as to himself; for the Church IS built upon the Apostles and Prophets^ Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone," The Apostles as a body are called the foundation ! In the Revelations we read of the names of the Apostles being written on the foun- dation, and on the walls of the City of the New Jerusalem. The object contemplated in the language of Isaiah and Matthew, is to give the Church a comfortable assurance of her continuance till every law of sin is reversed, till the earth is overflowed and the universe filled with the glory of God, till earth and heaven shall join in one long loud shout of triumph, " Alleluia : for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." We now proceed to show the grounds upon which the faith of the Church rests, that she sh?ll never be over thrown, and that every weapon, every art, every device, brought to bear upon her, with the intention of injuring her, will be blunted, discarded ar.d thrown aside as powe'less; and that every opposing tongue '-hall i)e silenv.ed, confounded, condemned. 163 ^ is :1 ^^^ ' X THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. The first is : — The invariable interest which Almighty God has taken in His Church in every age. How re- freshing, ajnd assuring, is the glowing language of the Spirit on the subject ! " There shall be an handful of corii on liie tops of the mountains, and the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth." " His name (Jesus) shall endure for ever — shall continue as long as the Sun, all nations shall be blessed in Him — all nations shall call Him blessed ! " Again, the Church " shall go forth with joy, and be led forth with peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth before them into singing and all the trees of the wood shall clap their hands ; instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree ; instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree ; and it shall be to the Lord for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." The Cod in whom we trust is He " who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand ; and meted out the heavens with a span ; and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure ; weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance !" The unbelief of the Church is thus reproved by the prophet. " Have ye not known ? Have ye not heard ? Hath it not been told you from the beginning ? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the world ? It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grass- hoppers, that stretched the heavens as a curtain, and .spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." The (jod in whom we trust never fails, never wearies. If the Church is a vineyard, " He watches it every moment ! He keeps it night and day lest any hurt it ! " Is the Church represented as a besieged city? He is a "wall of fire for her defence and the glory in the midst ! " We have here an all-pervading Providence, an ever wakeful, ever watching Shepherd whose hand is never weary, whose " eyelids never .sleep !" Nothing is beneath His notice, nothing above His control ; all is guided by a wisdom 164 o 1( ci rt II h 1 THE SECURITY AND PERPP:TUITY OF THE CHURCH. that i:. ir. capable of error ; a faithfulness incapable of fail- ure ; a love that is incapable of taking any step that would ultimately prove injurious to the interests of Zion ! Blessed be God ! in this love, this faithfulness, this unwearied watchfulness, we have a deep, all depth below, a height above all expression or conception — a climax beyond which there is no ascent. By way of increasing rtfl strengthening the confidence of His people, God often refers to human attachments and family relations — as the mother for her child, who never wearies, never complains. Can there be oversight or forgetfulness here ? Can a mot' '.. . f rget? Will a father cease to pity, to help? Will the bridegroom forget his bride ? And can any one doubt Divine love ? Was it ill rontrived ? ill bestowed ? badly executed ? We measure human attachments in their integ- rity by what men have ^one for their fellows — the objects of 'ove But what have men done for their fel' ws that will compare with the care, the love, the unceasing watchful- ness, the undying interest God has taken in His Church ! The story of Divine love is unequalled in the world. Who loves so tenderly, so faithfully, so unweariedly, so efTec- tually ? If He engage to defend, who can annoy ? If He bless, who can reverse it ? Can any one ungrasp the hold of His right hand ? Will His faithfulness fail ? Will the immutable change? No, it cannot be, therefore Zion will continue before Him. The past history of the Church affords strong presump- tive evidence of her continuance and her future triumph. Nothing but faithfulness could bring the Church through the trying ordeals of the past. Could envy be more jealous, or hatred more bitter, or persecution more fiery and re- lentless than were seen in ancient times ? Could the devil, devil as he is, be more remorseless in his antipathy to the religion of the Saviour ? Could opposition be more reso- lute, cunning, or artful than was shown against Jesus when He entered on His journey on earth, ind durinti the .65 I THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. whole time of its continuance ? Yet the Church lives ! " The bush burned but was not consumed ! " At the time of the Reformation how great were the Church's trials ? What a combination of forces against her ? What corruption of morals ? What bitterness among men and devils ? Yet the sons of God, as the cedars of Lebanon, struck their roots more firmly into the everlast- ing hills ! Then it was found, and it still remains the bulwark of the Church's hope, " God is our refuge and strength." We have another source of encouragement for the con- tinuance of the Church, in the heroic courage of her sons. No nation on the earth, among her patriots and philan- thropists, has produced better or braver men than Moses, Joshua, David and Paul. We can challenge the world, in all its ranks, to surpass in dauntless courage and fearless endurance of opposition the noble sons of the Church, such as Huss and Luther, Melancthon and Knox, Ridley and Cranmer, fearless and unflinching advocates for the truth, and uncompromising witnesses for the Redeemer. True, scholars, commentators, critics and orators die, but God has ordered it that they always leave their footprints behind them to encourage their brethren that follow. He never leaves Himself without witnesses for the truth. How cheering to think of the faithfulness of the illus- trious dead ! No tongue can tell ; no heart can ade- quately conceive of the value of Godly example. A leader, a champion may fall, but frequently it will be found that half a dozen of stalwart men spring up to fill the gap and present a stronger and broader front to the enemy. Thank God for great and good men ! Jonathan encouraged the heart and strengthened the hands of David in his God. We all know how much the zeal, courage, and patience of Paul were increased by his sons, Timothy and Titus, Barnabas and Silas, Onesiphorus and others, whose prayers and countenance were to him a bulwark of strength ! " Come," I ather would say to his friend i66 THE SECURITY AND PERPETUITY OF THE CHURCH. Melancthon, when cast down, " come, let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm, and let Rome and hell do their worst !" " ijod is our refuge and strength ! " How often has the tedium of a long journey been beguiled by the approving smile of warm and tried friendship or hearty counsel. When the large and liberal spirit of true, Christian charity is diffused, we shall have a renewed Church, with all the warmth, unity and vigour of vital Godliness, indi- cating the near approach of the Millenium glory. " There- fore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the moun- tains shake with the swelling thereof." *' There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High." " God is in the midst thereof." "(iod shall help her and that right early." Here is the source of the Church's strength : " God is our refuge and strength." " The God of Jacob is our refuge" ; not our armies or navy, not our fortresses or powerful explosives ; but God, the living God, always within our call ! Is there any artifice, any movement of the enemy which He cannot anticipate and frustrate ? Is there any stronghold He cannot demolish ; any enemy He cannot fill with terror, and send back the way he came as He did the army of Sennacharib ? There is not a truer sentiment in the Scriptures than our motto, " No weapon formed against thee shall prosper." When the time of the promise drew near, a cruel plot was formed to prevent increase among Israel (the destruction of the male children) ; but it did not prosper ; it helped instead of hindering, for then Moses was born ! Pharaoh's daughter shall nurse him, Pharaoh's wise men shall teach him — teach the man who should shortly whip them with scorpions ! Cruel Pharaoh thought he had ' irael at the Red Sea, but what are seas and mountains to God ? Pharaoh thou.^ht lie h.id the victory, but he found a grave. Then sang Mose s a' J Israel, 167 -Thy right hand, O Lord, ■: ' rHOUGHTS ON CRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. iiath triumphed gloriously, &c." When Herod slew all the children in Bethlehem he thought that he was sure of Jesus ; but God sent the wise men beforehand to furnish Joseph with the means of going down into Egypt. When the High Priest and the Jewish people and Pilate had crucified the Saviour, they thought that they had done with Him and Christianity ; but no, for God raised Him from the dead. When the Apostles were shut up in prison, it was easy for God to open the door and send them to the temple to preach. Herod had Peter secured, for four times four soldiers watch him ; but prisons and bolt? and bars are nothing with God. The earthquake loosed Peter's ch lins, but could not rouse the guards, for God rocked the cradle and the soldiers slept soundly ! The Jews and Herod are disappointed, the servant of God is free and the devil's agent is eaten up of worms. The dis- ciples are scattered, but they go everywhere preaching and Christianity sjjreads wider, and takes a greater hold on the public mind. In 1588, Philip of Spain brought out his invincible Ar- mada for the purpose of annihilating British Christianity, but he learned with a vengeance that, when the kings of the earth plot against the Lord, He can dnsh them in pieces like a potter's vessel, and " that fire and hail and stormy winds and vapours" fulfil His pleasure and accom- plish His purposes. " He makes the wrath of man to praise Him." Bad men and the devil shut up Bunyan in prison, but here they outwitted themselves and promoted the cause they hoped to hinder. His wonderful allegory has asSiSted and comforted many pilgrims, and will do so to the end of time. " Great and marvellous are thy ways, Thou King of Saints." This song we sing now, our children will learn to chant it, and teach it to their chil- dren, and nations yet unborn shall praise the Lord. And when the beast and the false prophet, and the man of sin, are cast into the lake of fire, we shall sing it again and sing forever. 168 THE SECURITY AND PERPETUITY OF THE CHURCH. All these instances which we have given of weapons being formed, and designs arranged to arrest the progress of the word of life, have failed, every one in every case failed. The gates of hell have not prevailed ! He that sits in the heavens laughs at them, and holds them in derision. There is no counsel that can stand against the God of the Bible. " God moves in a mysterious way, His wondeiis to perform ; He plants His footsteps on the sea, And rides ui5on the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill. He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds ye so much dread. Are big with mercy and will break, In blessings on your head ! " God fwill make plain all the mysteries of providence, and redemption too, and sin and Rome and hell shall know that every word of God is true, the text included : — "No weapon formed against thee shall prosper !" " And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying — " Alleluia : for the Lord Godomnipotent reigneth." 169 CHAPTER XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR's ULTIMATE AIM. E began our little work by referring to the Christian Pastor, in his love to, and interest in the people of his charge. We have noticed what he wished to see in them and be done by them, as the absorbing and all-commanding concern of his life. For this he thought and read, for this he laboured, lived and died — that they should know, and love and do the truth — that they should be made happy in its en- joyment here, and have a rational and well-grounded hope, in the end, of " seeing the King in His beauty ;" sitting down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the Kingdom of God to the marriage supper — when the Bride will be adorned in all the excellencies of holiness — and drinking of the "river of water of life clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb !" This is an object worthy of the angels — worthy of man, worthy of God ; and he is no Christian parent, no shepherd of the flock of Christ, that does not look for- ward to that with thrilling interest. This great object of hope, however, requires some attention. We cannot ex- pect to rest there, unless we labour here. And now we return to the subject with which we started — the only difference being, that we carry it a little farther, on to the consummation of all things, and the grand purpose for which all things were made. What a noble guide, what a fine example was Paul, 170 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR S ULTIMATE AIM. and how safely we may follow his lead, both as teacher and taught. " Holding forth the word of life ; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." Phil. ii. i6. It is very clear that, when the Apostle speaks of hold- ing forth the word of life, he refers as much to the godly example of the Philippian Christians as to the labours of the pulpit. Believers are as " the light of the world ; " they shine in the darkness, like a briglit flame on a high tower, or a light-house, to guide the benighted traveller, and aid the mariner in steering his course into the desired haven. The believer, in his temper and habit of life, as well as the Apostle in his teaching, are both holding forth the light, by presenting Christianity in its most attractive form, which gives tenfold force to the ministry of God's word. The Apostle appears before us in a twofold character : First, as a racer, and, second, as a labourer. The running we apply to his personal character as an individual Christian — to his personal piety as a follower of Jesus, seeking holiness of heart and Ufe, as the only fitness for heaven ! The labour we restrict to his efforts for the good of others. Here we have a lovely combination, a happy union of prayer and preaching, that never fails of success. These God has joined like a wedded pair — with two bodies, in- deed, but only one heart ; they go together, for mutual help and encouragement. The proper balancing and due proportion of these, viz., personal piety and official exertion, must go hand in hand. A separation here would prove ruinous to the minister, and dangerous to the interests of the people. If the min- ister himself is not a pious man no one will believe him ; people are apt to follow his example in this case, not his teaching. 171 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. We sometimes speak of talent, tact, industry and energy, but here is the secret of success ! the im- The clear head and the sound mind will be all more efficacious in connection with a warm heart, pressed by the influence of a righteous life. The appear- ance of seriousness in the minister is seemly and well, and will be felt to be right ; order, too, and precision and pathos are happy additions, so are elegance of diction, the purity of language and power of logic. These will add considerably to the force of his arguments, and will lend grace and telling energy to a good delivery ; but if there is wanting a steady aim, and a fixed purpose to be useful to souls of the people, anything else would make the whole a solemn farce — a mockery of God, because not in keeping with the design of the speaker. There is a world of importance in this idea, and it is easily illus- trated. If a criminal is brought before a court of justice, where it is proved that he is so by " habit and repute," there is no doubt of guilt and little difficulty in coming to a judgment. So it is with a good minister ; when the people know that it is " habit and repute," they will say that is just " like the man," and in keeping with the object of his life. No one in that case can doubt his honesty, or can edge off his arguments, for he is " habit and repute! " The object on which a minister should set his heart is, " to save himself (first) and them that hear him." The designation here applied to the Gospel, " the word of life," is exceedingly appropriate and significant ; the Logos or Word being, in the Greek Scriptures, the distin- guishing appellation of '' Him that was the light and life of men." There is no inherent power in the Gospel apart from the influence that attends it. If there were such intrinsic power in the word, as a human production, then it would follow that all who heard it, would be brought into a state of spiritual life. But it is not so; there are thousands who have heard, who have not felt its power ; they have 172 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR S ULTIMATE AIM. not been moved, they remain unsaved, in darkness and guilt. Yet often, even in such cases, the word is not without power, fo"* " We are made a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish." It is a savour of life or death. The Gospel is " the word of life " in two ways. Firsts when it shines into the sinner's heart, rends the vail, and gives a distinct knowledge of the spirituality and extent of the law, and leaves a settled conviction of personal guilt and danger. Then it is '* quick and powerful, a dis- cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." What- ever may be the power of the Gospel, to preach it is the first and appropriate work of the minister. When this is done, when the servant of God views the bones that are dry, very dry, and is asked, " Can they live ? " his duty is still to preach and " hold forth the word of life." And when, by Divine direction, he prophesies to the wind, and prays for the spirit, there is an instant motion among the bones, indicative of returning life ; " bone comes to his bone, and sinews and flesh and skin will cover them," and the prayer of faith brings the power, the spirit ; and an army is raised from bones that were very dry ! But these effects are not always produced in the same way, nor by the same means. One may hear the thunder and feel the earthquake ; another the "still small voice." One is gently drawn, graciously inclined to attend to what is spoken, like Lydia ; the other is suddenly smitten down with keen conviction and great alarm ; but both feel their need of mercy. When this is done, something ir accomplished ; without it, nothing. Second, the Gospel is the word of life, when it effec- tually applies the remedy, and gives the required relief. The convinced sinner cannot dismiss his fears, or throw off his load ; he cannot bring an end to the mortal strug- gle ; life and deliverance must come from a higher power. Feeling the " body of sin and death," he has no rest, no 173 i> t>. ^v%*^:a^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // J. '''&S 1.0 'zm m I.I 1.25 IIM 2.2 m ^ 2.0 1= U II 1.6 vQ <^ /^ % >; ^;. y -<^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872 4S03 I i i ■t^' 1 mmi THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. ease, but cries out, " Who shall deliver me ? " Now, what, in such a case, will give peace to a troubled mind ? Talk to such a man of the state of the markets, the in- terests of trade, or the prospects of the harvest, or general interests, and you will find he cannot listen to you. He does not understand you ; his thoughts are off in another direction. If you wish to comfort such a person you must come to the point. He is hungry, and must have food ; thirsty, and must drink ; weary, and must rest. Take an illustration from the experience of a city missionary, who had called to visit a poor man supposed to be dying. The missionary began by speaking of Jesus as the sinner's friend. The poor man raised his ghastly visage and said, " O, sir, I am cold and hungry ; if you will give me some- thing to eat I can hear you." Any thing else will be up- hill work. Nothing will give peace and bring enjoyment but che appropriate remedy. I have no hesitation in say- ing that feeding the hungry would open the way to many a guilt; conscience. Physicians and benevolent persons accompanying the missionary is not a bad arrangement of the Church. The Gospel is just the thing that meets the case, by the hopes it inspires, by the promises it makes, and the gua- rantee it furnishes, for it is " the word of life." It shows how life was procured ; it offers it. It reveals the moving cause, the " love of God ; " the procuring cause, the blood of Jesus ; the instrumental cause, our faith ; and the effi- cient cause, the spirit of God ! If we take the whole to- gether, as God's scheme of mercy, it will just be the " Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that makes us free " in- deed. It brings order oat of confusion, light from dark- ness, and life from utter death. In order to carry the whole subject with us, we must consider ministerial agency : First, in unfolding Christian doctrine ; and, second, fidelity in its application. First of Doctrine. We must never forget that we have to do with fallen men, a rebel race, lost sinners ; that we 174 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR S ULTIMATE AIM. have t^ do with men who are enemies to God, and in their nature characterised as "earthly, sensual and devilish." A minister's discourses may be theologically correfc, natural and happy in their arrangement ; interesting and important in the matter ; illustrations may be apt, striking, and elegant ; they may be adorned with all the flowers of rhetoric ; and enforced by the soundest logic ; and men may be carried away wi^ the matchless elo- quence of the speaker ; but a discourse in which the sad condition of lost sinners is overlooked, or thrown into the shade, is not a Christian sermon ; and he who delivers it is not " holding out the word of life." Jesus calls sinners, fwt the righteous, to repentance. A faithful minister will speak of Jesus — ^Jesus the first and the last, Jesus suffer- ing, dying, rising ; of Jesus as the only hope of the guilty, " as the way, the truth, the life," as " able to save to the uttermost ;" as the only One who can say to blind eyes, ephatha; to the leprous, " I will, be thou clean," and to the sleeping and th.. dead, " awake and arise." He will always give a prominence to the work of the Spirit — that all the merit is in the work of Christ, and all the power in the spirit of the Lord. He it is that enlightens, draws and inclines men to anything that is good and godly, and gra- dually sanctifies their nature. A good man will declare the whole counsel of God, and call upon men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel ; to obey its precepts and practise its self-denial, and on (not for) their obedience promise them, in Jesus' name, eternal life. In the second place, fidelity will mark the application, whether men bear or forbear. Tre faithful minister will know no man after the flesh ; he will deal with men as sin- ners ; no deference will be paid to the man with the gold ring and the dashing apparel. The nobleman in his man- sion and peasant in his hut are treated alike. He that has everything is no better than the man that grooms the horses, or the maid that cooks the dinner. The preacher has a 175 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. word for every one ; rich and poor will get their portion. He will tell the man of wealth and fashion that a broken heart and a contrite spirit is of more value in the sight of God — richer, better, clearer — than the gems of the moun- tain, the pearls of the ocean, or the gold of the mine. And he will tell the poor, naked, homeless wanderer, who begs for his supper, that he can buy without money ; and while the poor man is eating his crust, by way of giving relish to his homely meal, he will remind him that all is of grace and all is free. He will inform all that the milk and honey of the Gospel are designed for those that have nothing to pay. And if there be any deference it will be shown to the poor, the captive, the diseased and the lost. Jesus came to save sinners. The ultimate object upon which Paul and all faithful ministers fix their eyes is, that " they may rejoice in the day of Christ ! " John, Peter and Paul often speak of that day, properly called the day of Christ. It will be the day of Christ, inasmuch as He will be the great actor, on whom all eyes shall be fixed. Nothing will be thought of, nothing valued, nothing cared for, but the smile and approbation of Him who died on the cross. His train shall be graced by the millions redeemed by his blood. Now, when all the hierarchies of the skies shall fall down and do homage to Zion's King, will Pilate say then, " I have power to release thee ; I have power to crucify thee ? " When the crown of the universe is put on the adorable head of the Redeemer, where will Herod and his men of war be found, who crowned Him with thorns? They will not mock him now. And where will stand in that day the impious men who smote Him on the face, and said, " Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee ? " When the united symphonies of the skies, with happy voices and harps of gold, shall raise the ever- lasting, never-ending Hallelujah, where will be found the 176 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR S ULTIMATE AIM. wicked Jews who cried, " Away with him, crucify him ? " Where, in that day, will be found the lying guard, who received a large sum of money to tell the in^mous story, " His disciples came and stole him away while we slept ? " And where will be found the followers of bloody Popery and not less bloody Prelacy, who slaughtered the servants of God, because they would not give the honour due only to Christ to their Popes and Bishops ? Ah, the faces of such shall gather blackness, and, with the beast and the false prophet, shall go into perdition. It will be the day of Christ, because His character shall be vindicated from the vile aspersions cast upon Him in time. No one will then say He is mad, and has a devil ! No, that will be the day of triumph, not of shame. It will be the day of Christ, inasmuch as His servants shall be openly acknowledged by Him, according to pro- mise, and they shall receive their reward ! All that Jesus said and promised in time shall be acted out then before an assembled world. The last vestige of scepticism will disappear and pass into everlasting oblivion. Men heard in time of the resurrection and of immorta- lity ; they will now see, hear, and feel that the doctrine is true. Thci last trumpet shall rouse the sleeping dead, and wake them up, not to hear of a judge but to see Him, not to be plied with arguments to induce them to believe, but to receive at His hands the reward of their doings. The tables shall then be turned ; Annas andCaiaphas, and John and Alexander, and the High Priest, and other worthies, will hold no counsel — they will not ask the servants of God on what authority they preached Jesus and the re- surrection ! The wicked Jews, when they had crucified Jesus, thought they had done with Him, but they were most grievously mistaken; they shall see Him again. They would not hear Him on earth, but there shall be no option now. To their everlasting confusion, they will see that all power in heaven and earth is His, that He whom they rejected, the carpenter's son, the Nazarene, will be judge 177 M THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. of quick and dead ! How will they blame themselves then ? What bitter reflections they will have ! They were always asking a sign when His whole life, His every act was a sign : the sign that will be seen then will be too true for them ! They shall sadly mourn because of Him and they shall have bitterness without any hope of relief for ever. The next remark is this, that no man shall have such an interest in that day as the occupant of a pulpit ! It will not matter how he got there ; whether he entered by the door or climbed over the wall, whether he was a true shep- herd of the flock who fed the sheep, or a hireling who fleeced them. Ah, none will wail so bitterly in that day as the false messenger ! With what anguish will such seek a hiding place from Jehovah's wrath, and the hot displeasure of the Lamb. Most wretched, most vile, most accursed shall stand the false priest, for he has on his hands the blood of souls that will not wash away. He promised to preach the master Christ, yet preached himself ! He swore that love to Christ and the souls of men had drawn him to the church, yet he strewed the way to hell with tempting flowers ; and in the ears of men as they took the way to death he whispered peace. His prophecies he said were from the Lord, and yet with quackish ointment he tried to heal the wounds and bruises of the soul ! The man that came with thirsty soul to hear of Christ, went away unsatisfied, for he heard another Gospel preached than Paul had preached, and one that had no Saviour in it. He was wont to tell his hearers that they would meet his sermons on the great day, but often forgot they would meet himself there. What an awful, frightful interest, the wolf in sheep's clothing will have in that day? But the faithful sentinel, the minister whose heart is in his work, will have an interest too, a glorious interest ! Com- missioned to make kno. n the will of God, the eternal counsels, he treats with men, of justice, holiness and truth 178 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR'S ULTIMATE AIM. r? his Ul th — of life, death, bliss and woe ; with all patience and affec- tion he teaches, rebukes, persuades and warns. And not without good effect, for poor and needy, sick and dying men, heard his feet approach their bed, like music in the dance, and guilty wretches took new hope from his prayers, and wept and smiled, and blest him as they //m'// forgiven ! It was over such, and others saved through his ministry, that Paul wished to rejoice ; owtt brands plucked from the burning, trophies of mercy — over men to whose ears he had brought the music of the Saviour's name, the virtue of which healed their wounds, dried their tears and drove their fears away. He hoped to rejoice over the wounds he had inflicted, the diseases he had been instrumental in healing, and the feet he had lifted rom the miry clay ! These in thai day would be his joy and crown. All the joy on this side of that day will necessarily be mixed with trembling— and there is reason for trembling. Satan is so crafly and cruel ; the world is so ensnaring ; sin is so hardening, the heart so deceitful, and ready to yield to evil influence, that man cannot but tremble for the result. He wrestles not only against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, and thus his anxieties about the future are most intense. There is so much levity and trifling, so much unwatchfuUiess and instability; there are so many that see without perceiving, that hear without feeling, that pray without desire ; so many that hear the word but do it not ; so many blossoms that never ripen into fruit ; so many that go back and walk no more with Christ ; so many that are discouraged because of the length, the straitness and dangers of the way ; so many that fail of the grace of God, and come short of the meetness ; that he doubts and fears, and trembles. To a good man who is really in earnest about the sal- vation of men, this subject is awfully solemn and impres- sive, because he knows well that to be near the mark, is to miss it ; to be lifted to heaven in privilege, and not to 179 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. gain the meetness, is to be thrust down to hell ; to be al- most cured is to die of disease ; to be almost saved is to be wholly damned. The very possibility of such things natuially suggests thoughts of what may be needful, on the part of those looking forward to that day with hope. The minister himself must be of the right stamp, and have the root of the matter in himself; he must be fed himself before he can feed others ; he must know the good and green pastures or he cannot lead the way ; he is not to be a mere finger post, pointing to a way on which he never sets a foot ; he must know die Master that he recommends to others ; he must bear the yoke he would impose upon others. Motive, desire and aim must be narrowly in- spected. It is not likely that he who never knew the bitterness of repentance will be successful in leading others to the exercise of a godly sorrow. It is not likely that he who never used the heavenly armour will induce others to put it on, and show them how to wield it. A man that knows nothing of navigation, and nothing of the channel, the rocks and shoals of the course, is not the man to take the wheel and guide the ship. He that is afraid of tlie smell of gun- powder is not the man to direct the fire of the artillery ! The minister who would rejoice in that day, must be a labourer, and bend his whole energies, intellecttial, emo- tional and moral, in his Master's work. He must consider the state of his hearers, their circumstances, education and prejudices, and adapt his teaching to their case, in plain language easily understood ; he must please before he can profit them ; he must, like the busy bee, " gather honey all the day fi-om every opening flower." There will be a great amount of work in cutting off the suckers, in digging, manuring, pruning, weeding ; in other words, in watching, urging, reproving, rebuking " with all long suffering and doctrine." He must tell them their faults, their duties and privileges, with the hope of " presenting them faultless before the throne." 1 80 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR'S ULTIMATE AIM. But the people must not think that all labour, anxiety and fidelity is to be confined to the pulpit Cooperation is required on the part of the hearers ; an earnest and hearty co-operation; they must be fellow-workers with Christ ; they must all draw together, and all draw in the same direction, or there will be concision, aHenation and discord. The minister requires aid, and must have it, or the pro- gress will be small. Success, to a great extent, will de- pend on co-operation. Moses' hands were heavy, they got wearied in prayer, and Amalek prevailed ; but Aaron and Hur held them up, and Israel prevailed. Who can tell the efficacy of earnest and hearty co-operation in prayer ? If men agree in their requests, God will hear and answer too. It was so from the beginning ; it will be so to the end. Wherever you find a minister preaching with suc- cess, moving the hearts of the people, and drawing them to the Saviour, you will always find a lively S3rmpathy on the part of the people, with the servant of the Lord in his work ; and you will find among the officials a living, loving, and hearty co-operation. Preaching is good ; be- lieving prayer added makes it irresistible. Preaching calls forth the agency of man ; prayer brings the power of God. Great as were the talents of Paul, his success would have been much less without the prayerful sympathies of men who had power with God. The loving, earnest, believing prayers of the people was the fulcrum on which his lever rested. Their uniform devotion and holy lives were to Paul what the blackboard is to the teacher, on which he gives the object lesson, " Ve are our epistle, our joy and crown." There can be no greater hindrance to the progress of the Gospel than a cold, formal, loose-living, and unsym- pathizing people, and no better adjunct, or more effectual help than the clear heads, the warm hearts, the healthy tonsues and righteous lives of a devoted people. These l3» THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. gave to Paul's labours a force and power that could nei- ther be gainsaid nor resisted. What a fine illustration we have of this power in the Pentecostal revival. Here the Apostles and people were one — one soul, one heart ; with one accord they met in one place — ^all were looking in the same direction, wait- ing for the same thing, the promised power from on high, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Christian sympathv and unity of desire that brought them together, were neea- ful to realize the expected baptism. They waited not long, not in vain, for " suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them ! " Peter was the speaker, but the Holy Ghost dictated. But Peter was not alone ; there were one hundred and twenty souls in full sympathy with his own ; one hundred and twenty warm hearts, through which the electric fire flowed, filling the disciples with joy, and the minds of the onlookers with great anxiety. — " What meaneth this ? " How wonderful ! Here was the proper opening of the Christian era ; here were seen the hand, the power, the grace of God. Here the Church saw and felt the power by which alone it could succeed in waging war upon sin and Satan. This was just what the Church wanted, and always wants. Give us the same union and we shall have the same strength and the same success, for this spirit is designedly infectious ! And if there be cold hearts, we cannot warm them and move them to action ; let us leave them for a time, lest their coldness should cool our ardour, and their indifference paralyse our efforts. If we cannot thaw out these captious spirits, we must leave them, for it will be dangerous for us to remain too long in the cold I We must either melt them or they will freeze us. We cannot leave this subject without noticing the able, 182 THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR S ULTIMATE AIM. '1 seasonable and effective assistance which ministers receive from the generous-hearted co-operation of the elders and deacons of the Church. The minister who has a large staff* of whole-hearted men, always ready with counsel, prayers and liberality, is to be envied ; and he that lacks them is to be pitied. There is no concealing the fact that /Aese are the right eye, the right arm and the back bone of all our ecclesiastical operations! These active, thoughtful business men will save the minister many an anxious hour, and sore heart ; they will lighten his burden and strew his path of duty with flowers of sunshine and joy I Some churches concentrate all the power, all the wis- dom and energy in the clergy, but it won't do. The Church never succeeded, and never will, without the aid of laymen ; they are indispensable. How unhandsome, ungenerous and unchristian the treatment that laymen sometimes receive at the hands of clergymen. They will receive their plans and schemes and liberality in buying sites and building churches ; but when they com i to the management and oversight, they ignore and snuff* them out as if they had no souls, and no interest in the pro- visions of the Gospel. A good movement is now being made, in some churches, for the recognition of the lay element in the house of God. This, to us who have so long acknowledged the privilege which God has given to His people from the beginning, is cause of great joy and thankfulness, because it is coming near the great model we have in the New Testament, so very beautifully and strongly given us in Romans xvi. There is some- thing very lovely and attractive in the Christian Church of the New Testament. Who can fail to notice the real pleasure and heartfelt satisfaction of the Apostle Paul, in thinking and speaking of laymen, and the profound re- spect he showed to the " women who laboured with him in the Gospel " (though not in the pulpit). Their " names were in the book of life," and they are surely worthy of being acknowledged among men as labourers in th^ «83 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Church. What of Phebe ? What of Priscilla and Acquila ? What of Onesiphonis and others, who minister- ed to his necessities ? Who can overlook the real joy Paul anticipated in meeting his helpers in glory ! We may think and speak of that joy, but we cannot realize it till we get there. How happy Paul and Barnabas and Silas, and Acquila and Priscilla, and Onesiphonis and others, when, in glory, they thought of their labours and success on earth, and spake of the time when they read and thought, wept and prayed together ! How they would talk of marvel- lous escapes, wonderful deliverances, timely supplies and glorious success in many a place ! What a harvest for Jesus would be rejoiced in ; what a song of triumph would be raised, when they should see Him as He is, and be like Him and with Him for ever ! How full of com- mon sense is the religion of Jesus Christ ! How adapted to our circumstances as dependent creatures and servants of God : " Not unto us, not unto us !" The great lesson to be learned here, is this — that when men, moved by proper motives, use the means God has appointed, these means will not be in vain, for '' He is faithful that promised." Hirelings, droner and heartless men, may be disap- pointed, but the servants of God will not ! Here we sow — there we reap ; here we labour — there we rest ; here we suffer — there we reign. " We sow in tears, we reap in joy 1 " " He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing pre- cious seed, shall, doubtless^ come again with rejoicmg, bringing his sheaves with him." " He will rejoice in the day of Christ that he has not run in vain nor laboured in vam." Hallelujah. Amen. I 184 CHAPTER XIX. THE believer's FEAR TO BRING REPROACit ON THE CAUSE OF GOD. IN the preceding pages we have considered religion in its commencement, its convictions, desires, hopes, and fears ; in its conflicts with evil, and its glowing hopes of final triumph. We have spoken of encouragements and discouragements, of enemies and friends, of hindrances and helps, and the lively, lovely and energetic examples of all that is honest, faithful and true. Yet we can only hope for a happy close in the use of appointed means and agencies. We have seen that the whole ecclesiastical machinery must be in active operation ; every man must do his duty ; every grace be in lively exercise ; the whole body com- pacted together in faith, love, and holy perseverance. We have seen that there must be mutual confidence and de- pendence one upon another, the strong assisting the weak, and each saying to his brother, — be of good courage; and, finally, that all our hopes rest upon the promise and faith- fulness of God ! Every nut, bolt, screw and piston must be in good working order ! A rusty bolt, a stiff joint, will hinder and prevent the easy, graceful and successful action of the body. It is eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear, hands that do not work and feet that do not move that impede our progress. In other words, it is church-members that do nothing, that fold their hands and look on, that are the sturdiest foes to advancement. There can be no such thing as independent action ; every member, however feeble, will be useful ; the body is not 185 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. one but many members. The eye cannot do without the feet ; mutual dependence is the law of nature, and also of the Church. There must be no schism in the body. We shall receive in the Psalms the necessary caution, warning and encouragement, as also learn the necessity of prayer on the part of every Christian believer. " Let not them that wait on Thee, O Lord God of Hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek Thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. — Psalm Ixix. verse 6. No man can come into the world, and act his part for a while, and then slip out of it without doing good or evil. No man is without influence, for as long as he has eyes they will see, as long as he has ears they will hear j and while men have minds they will think, mark, and take notes of all that is passing around them ; they will criticize and try character and form a judgment of every man and every action they witness, and they will draw encouragement in well or evil doing from what they behold ; and though the memories of men may be short regarding their own delinquencies, they will be faithful and tenacious in recording the mistakes and failures of the people of God ; and they will not fail to serve them up when it will suit their purpose ! Bad men will make no allowance for weakness, for sudden surprise, or the strength of temptation. Excuses for themselves will be plentiful, but not for Christians. Such a narrow and critical observation of what is unseemly in a professor, will be rigidly applied and that without mercy. And whether we relish such critical observation or not, yet with- out our knowledge — without our consent — it takes place every day, and we can neither help nor prevent it. The only course of safety left us is to look well to our doings, and by well doing put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. That is what David suggests in the words we have quoted. A few reflections, if wise and natural, may be useful ind high in social life or in the Church ; if you i86 THE BELIEVERS PEAR. you are an officer in the Church, or the head of a family, the more good or evil you are likely to do. Because the narrow inspection to which we have referred is not only common among men, but it is the design of God that it should be so — it is, therefore, lawful and fair. This will become the more serious when we think that others will be affected by us, and that they will affect others in their turn ; and thus our example will go on, and the sum total of the good or the evil we have done will meet us in the great day. It is clear that fear, hope and desire all sug- gested the prayer : " Let not them that wait on Thee be ashamed for my sake : " desire that others might pros- per in the battle of life ; hope that his example might encourage well doing, and fear lest his example should prove mischievous. And this last thought will be the more exquisitely felt, when we think of the fickleness of human temper, the weakness of our faith, and the deceit- fulness of the heart, through which we yield to evil temp- tation and so lead others astray. Now it was to prevent such sad consequences of leading others astray, and to bring an opposite influence upon the minds of men that the prayer is offered : " Let not them that wait on Thee be ashamed for my sake." We see the same thought in the Saviour's counsel. " Let your light shine before men ! " Paul, also, adds the force of his judgment too, when he says, wisely and prudently says : — *' Only let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ." There is nothing so powerful in putting down evil speaking as well doing ! Christian men should be the salt of the earth — prevent- ing moral decay j the light of the world — dispersing the darkness ; and thus the lives of believers should be a standing protest against all that is evil and a check to the tendency to moral decay. The sense in which we understand the word " ashamed — confounded for my sake," is just this : that none who pray or offer praise to God should be ashamed of the 187 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Master or the Master's service on my account, through my indolence, neglect or folly. The influence of our example on our children should here receive due conside- ration ! The hearts of parents will always cling to their children, think of their children, provide for their children, and remove every stumbling-block out of the way. The persoii3 in whose society we mingle and with whom we do business should not be overlooked. When these see bad tempers, ill humour, pride, selfishness, covetousness or anger prevailing, they will be very apt to ask and very naturally to ask — is this Christianity? Is that like Jesus? Are these the followers of Him who was meek and lowly ill heart ? How dreadful if men receive bad impressions of the service of God through us I Just as naturally as a thorough tradesman will be ashamed if his apprentice turns out a botch, or the virtuous mother, of a prodigal daughter, or the minister be confounded at the profanity and wickedness of the young he has trained with care ; so young Christians, starting in a religious life, will be scandalized, ashamed, confounded, by the angry passions, covetous practices, untruthfulness or dishonesty of religious professors. Let us think ; is it for my sake ? Young Christians lack experience, and they need encouragement ; they look up to older brethren for such, and they have a right to expect an example. If they do not find it in the Church, among the followers of Jesus, where will they get it ? Some of these young professors may be living in ungodly families, where no Sabbath is observed, or holy exercise respected ; and they want to see, in older persons who have been long on the way to Zion^ something to counter- act, some sober, godly and consistent men and families to smile approval, and strengthen their faith in God. It is a great thing to be a Christian, a happy, consistent, useful Christian ! Next to the atonement of the Son of God, a preached Gospel and the influence of the Spirit pf God — there is no greater power in the Church, none t83 THE BELIEVERS FEAK. that will prevent so much evil, and secure so much good, as the clear head, the warm heart, the healthy tongue, and the righteous life of a good man ! Ingenious and malignant spirits, who are ever watching and looking for defects in believers, will look in vain for a peg on which to hang an objection to Christianity among the men who are true to their fellows, true to their profession, and true to God ! A clever sceptic may be able to confound an ill-informed Christian in argument, but there is something in a righteous man that will puzzle and silence him. When the labours of the spring, or the harvest field, or the pressure of business, or the heat of summer, or the cold of winter, or the gathering cloud or impending storm, would prevent you from attending to the morning prayer, or lead you to lie down on your bed without acknowledg- ing the Giver of all good, then think of the text ; think of David's prayer, the and probable influence your neglect will have upon the weak Christian, in leading him astray — and thus his heart be discouraged iox your sake! When you meet with bad men and crooked things, and trying events; when you would be tempted to speak unadvisedly with your lips, then think of the text, and " set a watch before your mouth and keep the door of your lips." When you are tempted to spend the Sabbath in guilty indolence and unprofitable gossip then — ^just then — think of the text. When drinking men ask you to taste, then think of the thousands of well meaning men, and especially rf the young, who have been drawn into ruin by following the example of drinking, tippling Christians. On all such occasions, offer the seasonable prayer of our motto : " Let not those that seek Thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel." These thoughts remind us oi two different characters : Those that hinder, and those that help the Church in her work. These noted characters must be marked on earth, for surely they are marked in heaven ! 189 THOUGHTS ON GRAND AND IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. Who are they then that hinder ? but they who say but do not ', who pray without desire and worship God with- out a heart ; who make a man an offender for a word or a look ; who cannot bear and will not submit to the search- ing, winnowing process of the Gospel ; who ignore its self- denying course, and take no interest in the Sabbath-school or the Bible-class, or the business meeting of the Church. These are the croakers, the fault-finders ; sure to blame the action of the Church, while they take care that the active man shall not have the benefit of their counsel or advice ! Such men are of no use in running or working the machinery of the Church, except it be in putting down the breaks and lessening the speed. And now in conclusion, a thought or two on those who help. They are easily described, for their character is writ- ten in many a page of the blessed book. They have the heart of a brother ; " they weep with those that weep, — rejoice with them that rejoice ; " they can bear another's burden, can bear plain dealing, and never reckon the minister their enemy because he tells them the truth ; they are not offended with plain dealing or the home- thrusts, the corrections and reproofs of the Gospel ; they can bear the closest scrutiny without complaint, and, instead of kicking against the goads or demanding the head of the reprover in a charger — they will say with the utmost meekness : " Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness ; let him reprove me, it shall be an excel- lent oil, that will not break my head." These are men that love the Saviour, the brethren, the book and the house of God ; — they are not easily provoked, think no evil and have the charity that bears, hopes, believes and endures all things— that never fails ! They are pillars in the house they love so well. Love is the power that pro- pels them onward 1 A man will do anything for a person or cause he loves. The path of love is always strewed with flowers, and cheered with songs and sunshine, and animated with hope. 190 THE believer's FEAR. move on cheerful^ ,„S "' "hichyou are a member, will minbterwmS^n Z?P/r'^' »"d you and your ' vain or laCedTva"n and ;h.l^°!5 """^ ""' ™" '» the everlastino- K-iLT ' ^n ,™ abundant entrance into 191