C ^ y^^ 
 
 V' ^v^ 
 
 Y^^^^^^ 
 
 ^' 
 
(t: ■ 
 
 OF THK 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 SAMUEL AGNE\V, 
 
 OF !■ H 1 I. A D K L P H I A , PA. 
 
 Q4f>. 
 
 |] fVf.sv% Division f|-- 
 
 '% Slu'lf, Section .»••: 
 
 I ./^'>'>^- No. -.1. 
 
 -ir o .^^pa og<^^se,^^s e^^>s s<^^s e<^^Q » 
 
SERMONS AND PRAYERS, 
 
 ^ranslateH from 
 
 THE DANISH. 
 
TRINTED BY J. MOYES, GREVILLE STREET. LONDON. 
 
SELECT 
 
 SERMONS, 
 
 WITH 
 
 APPROPRIATE PRAYERS, 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM 
 
 C6e SDtiginal Daniglb 
 
 OF 
 
 y 
 
 DR. NICOLAY EDINGER BALLE, 
 
 COURT CHAPLAIN AND REGIUS PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY AT COPENHAGEN. 
 
 REV. W. PULLING, M.A. F.L.S. 
 
 AND LATE OF SIDNEY SUSSEX COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR OGLE, DUNCAN, AND CO. 
 
 37, PATERNOSTER ROW, AND 295, HOLBORN. 
 
 1819. 
 
.:l 
 
 .7 \><\Y.O.^ 
 
TO THE 
 
 HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 GEORGE PELHAM, D.D, 
 
 LORD BISHOP OF EXETER, 
 
 Sermons, 
 
 PERMITTED TO APPEAR UNDER HIS 
 DIGNIFIED PATRONAGE, 
 
 ARE 
 
 ■ DeHicateQ, 
 
 WITH EVERY SENTIMENT OF PROFOUND RESPECT 
 AND LASTING GRATITUDE. 
 BY HIS LORDSHIP'S MOST OBEDIENT AND OBLIGED SERVANT, 
 
 Th'E TRANSLATOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The Sermons and the appropriate Prayers 
 which I have presumed to lay before the 
 Public in an English dress, as a novelty, 
 and with the idea of their being deserving 
 of translation, are selected from several 
 volumes of similar compositions of the 
 same author, which were delivered before 
 the Court of Denmark in the Chapels 
 Royal, between Whitsuntide 1774, when 
 he preached his initiatory discourse, as 
 Court Chaplain, and November 1776, 
 when he gave them to the great body of 
 his countrymen. They were dedicated to 
 her Majesty Juliana Maria, Queen of Den- 
 mark, who had been constant in her 
 attendance at their delivery, and was his 
 most zealous Patroness : and among the 
 
Vin PREFACE. 
 
 subscribers to his work, the author had the 
 flattering honour to enumerate not only her 
 Majesty, but also his Sovereign, Christ- 
 ian VII. and the whole of the Royal Family. 
 His Royal Patrons took an hundred copies ; 
 and all the illustrious personages of the 
 reahii emulated each other, in giving their 
 support to a dignitary who was so de- 
 servedly distinguished. For the informa- 
 tion of those of the public who may honour 
 this translation with their notice, perhaps 
 it may not be superfluous to mention, that 
 various parts of it have been heard by 
 many of its most distinguished patrons; 
 and I am proud to have it in my power 
 to assert, that their kind support of this 
 publication was the effect of their warm ap- 
 proval. In my version, I have endeavoured 
 to be hteral, and whenever there has 
 been a deviation from that system, it 
 was done merely to give greater variety to 
 the style. My chief object has been 
 perspicuous simplicity, which is the cha- 
 racter of my author : how well I have suc- 
 ceeded in my design, is left to an enlight- 
 ened and candid public to decide. 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 In the original, the eleventh Sermon 
 concludes with adverting a second time 
 to the distresses from which the Danish 
 people had been delivered by the hand of 
 the Almighty, described in the ninth, and 
 with a state prayer for the Crown Prince 
 in particular, it being preached on the 
 anniversary of his birth, and for all the 
 Royal Family individually ; but as it is too 
 similar to that in the first, to be interesting 
 to an English reader, it has been omitted. I 
 thought it proper to give one at length, 
 to show the manner of the author. 
 
 Of the doctrine contained in the works 
 of this great ornament and pillar of the 
 Danish Church, I believe none of our 
 orthodox clergy will doubt the general ex- 
 cellence. Notwithstanding the energy and 
 enthusiasm apparent in his discourses, 
 (and which were indisputably occasioned 
 by his most earnest desire to guard his 
 compatriots against heterodoxy, and to 
 make them partakers of the fruits of 
 the Christian dispensation, intended for 
 all who truly desire and labour with a 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 co-ope raling Spirit to attain them,) J can 
 have no just cause to fear that in his 
 English, although unadorned garb, he can 
 either give offence to those who prefer 
 moral to doctrinal discourses, or be 
 considered as the supporter of others who 
 seem to think that morality is misplaced 
 in religious compositions. The doctrine is 
 Lutheran, according to the established 
 religion : and consequently conformable 
 in every material point of faith, to that 
 of our own most excellent church. 
 
 I have only given a verse or two of each 
 Gospel for the day, which forms the sub- 
 ject of Dr. Balle's Discourses, as I thought 
 that would be sufficient to answer every 
 purpose, and as an insertion of the whole 
 would have added much to the size of 
 the volume, without producing any good 
 effect. 
 
 To the many noble and distinguished 
 individuals, by whose support I have 
 been honoured, I take this opportunity to 
 express my warmest gratitude : and if 
 the opinion of the public be favourable 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 to this work, I intend soon to lay before 
 them another volume, of which the com- 
 ponent parts have been already heard 
 and approved by several sound divines 
 and elegant scholars. 
 
 London, 
 May 7, I8I9. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 10, line 18, for efforts, read effects. 
 8, /or- 2, 3. read 1, 2. 
 5, insert the before fallen. 
 21, for vice, read vices. 
 5, — exemption, read exception. 
 2, — was, read he. 
 

 A ,- 
 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 A. 
 
 Anson, The Right Hon. Lady, 2 Copies. 
 
 Acheson, The Hon. Lady Millicent. 
 
 Ashbridge, the Rev. J., M. A., and Fellow of Trinity College, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Atkinson, VV. J. Esq. King's Bench Walk, Temple. 
 
 B. 
 
 Burgess, Thomas, D. D. the Right Rev. Lord Bishop of St. David's. 
 
 Bath, the Most Noble the Marquess of, 5 Copies. 
 
 Bath, the Most Noble the Marchioness of, 5 Copies. 
 
 Bradford, the Right Hon. the Countess of, 2 Copies. 
 
 Babbage, Benjamin, Esq. Totnes, Devon, 3 Copies. 
 
 Babbage, Mrs. J. Totnes, Devon, 2 Copies. 
 
 Babbage, Charles, Esq. M.A. and F.R.S. Devonshire Street, 
 
 Portland Place, 3 Copies. 
 Baylay, the Rev.W. F., M.A., F.A.S., Vicar of Margate, 2 Copies. 
 Blackwell, Mrs. 
 Blackwell, Miss. 
 Blackwell, Miss F. 
 Blackwell, Miss E. 
 
 Bloomfield, the Rev. S. T., M. A., Rector of Bisbrook, Rutlandshire. 
 Boddington, Mrs. 
 Boddington, Miss. 
 Boucher, William, Esq. Salisbury. 
 Boyd, Hugh Stuart, Esq. ■ * , 
 
XIV SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Boyd, Mrs. 
 
 Bridgman, the Hon. and Rev. G. 2 Copies. 
 
 Bridgman, the Hon. Mrs. G. 2 Copies. 
 
 Bridgman, the Hon. and Rev. Henry. 
 
 Briggs, the Rev. J., M.A., Rector of Little Gransden, Cambridge- 
 shire. 
 
 Brodie, WilHam, Esq. SaHsbury. 
 
 Bromhead, Charles, Esq. M.A., and Fellow of Trinity College, 
 Cambridge. 
 
 Bromhead, E. F., Esq. M.A. andF.R.S. 
 
 Browne, Mrs. Hawkins, 2 Copies. 
 
 C. 
 
 Cork, the Right Hon. the Earl of. 
 
 Cork, the Right Hon. the Countess of. 
 
 Campbell, the Hon. Lady Elizabeth. 
 
 Calvert, the Rev. T., B. D., Norrisian Professor of Divinity, and 
 
 Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. 
 Campbell, John, Esq. M.P. 2 Copies. 
 Campbell, Robert, Esq. 2 Copies. 
 
 Campbell, William, Esq. Weasenham, Norfolk, 2 Copies. 
 Campbell, the Rev. C. 
 Campbell, Robert, Esq. 
 Carr, Mrs. Edmund, 2 Copies. 
 Catton, the Rev. T., B. D., -Fellow of Sc. John's Cullcgc, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Chafy, the Rev. William, D. D. and Master of Sidney Sussex 
 
 College, Cambridge. 
 Chapman, the Rev. T , M.A., Biiniingham. 
 
 Clarke, the Rev. E. D , LL. D., Professor of Mineralogy, Cambridge. 
 Cory, the Rev. Robert Tovverson, D. D. and Master of Emmanuel 
 
 College, Cambridge, 
 Cory, the Rev. 1. J., Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, 
 
 2 Copies. 
 Coxe, the Venerable William, M.A. &.c. Archdeacon of \\'iUs, ^c. 
 
 4 Copies. 
 Coxe, Mrs. '2 Cnpies. 
 4 
 
SUBSCllIBERS. XV 
 
 Coxc, the Rev. G. Winchester. 
 Coxe, Mrs. E. H. Winchester. 
 
 D. 
 
 Douglas, the Rev. William, Chancellor of Sarum, 2 Copies, (dec.) 
 Douglas, Miss, 2 Copies. 
 
 E. 
 
 Ekins, the Rev. Charles, Canon of Salisbury. 
 Evans, the Hev. Dr. Salisbury. 
 
 Fisher, John, D. D. the Right Rev. Lord Bishop of Salisbury, 
 
 Upper Seymour Street, Portman Square. 
 Fisher, Mrs. Upper Seymour Street, Portman Square. 
 Franks, the Rev. S. Clarke, M. A. Boxworth, Cambridgeshire. 
 
 Greenwood, Thomas, Esq. Gray's Inn. 
 
 Gwatkin, Richard, Esq. M.A. and Fellow of St. John's College, 
 Cambridge. 
 
 H. 
 
 Halliday, S. Esq. Lower Berkeley Street, Manchester Square, 
 
 2 Copies. 
 Halliday, the Rev. Walter, M.A. Lower Berkeley Street, Manchester 
 
 Square, 2 Copies. 
 Harr.ilton, Henry Parr, Esq. M.A. and Fellow of Trinity College, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Harris, the Rev. James, B.D. and Fellow of St. John's College, 
 
 Oxford. 
 Heapy, Mrs. Goodge Street. 
 
 Herschel, J. W. F. Esq. M. A., F. R. S. &c. Slough. 
 Hetley, the Rev. Henry, Rector of Wilton. 
 Hetley, Henry, Esq. Salisbury. 
 Hetley, Richard, Esq. Salisbury. 
 Hinxman, Edward, Esq. Salisbury. 
 Hole, the Rev. T., M. A., Rector of Doddiscombeleigh, Devon, 
 
 2 Copies. 
 
XVI SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Holme, the Rev. Mr. B. D. and Fellow of Emmanuel College, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Hume, the Rev. Henry, Canon Residentiary of Sarum, 
 
 I. 
 Isaac, E. Esq. Boughton House, Worcester, 2 Copies. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kelly, Dr. Finsbury Square. 
 Kendall, Mrs. Exeter. 
 
 L. 
 
 Laing, the Rev. F., M. A. 
 
 Laing, Mrs. 
 
 Le Blanc, Thomas, Esq. LL.D. Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, 
 
 &c. 4 Copies. 
 Le Blanc, Mrs., Hampton, 2 Copies. 
 Le Blanc, the Misses, Hampton, 2 Copies. 
 Lowry, Wilson, Esq. F. R. S. Titchfield Street. 
 Luxraoore, the Rev. Mr. M. A. Gloucester Place, Portman Square. 
 
 M. 
 
 Macarthur, J. Esq. LL. D. Hinton, 2 Copies. 
 
 Macarthur, J. Esq. B. A., Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, 2 Copies. 
 
 Macqueen, Thomas Potter, Esq. M. P. Ridgemont Hall, Bedfordshire, 
 
 2 Copies. 
 Mathew, Henry Albert, Esq. Russell Place, Fitzroy Square, (dec.) 
 Mill, the Rev. Mr., M. A., Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 Morris, Miss S., Gransden, Hunts. 
 
 N. 
 
 Newport, the Right Hon. Viscoinit, 2 Copies. 
 Newport, the Right Hon. Viscountess, 2 Copies. 
 
 O. 
 
 Ogle, the Rev. John, Canon Residentiary of Sarum. 
 2 
 
SUBSCRIBERS. ?iVll 
 
 P. 
 
 Pelham, George, D. D. the Hon. and Right Rev. Lord Bishop 
 
 of Exeter, 2 Copies. 
 Pembroke, the Right Hon. the Earl of. Privy Garden. 
 Pembroke, the Right Hon. the Countess of, Privy Garden. 
 Park, Dr. Southampton Street, Bloomsbury Square, 4 Copies. 
 Perring, Mrs. Wimpole Street. 
 
 Pike, Joseph, Esq. Jun. Windsor Terrace, City Road, 2 Copies. 
 Portman, Miss, Salisbury. 
 Portman, Miss Wyndham, Salisbury. 
 
 Price, the Rev. Dr. Canon Residentiary of Sarum, 2 Copies. 
 Prince, Mrs. Magdalen Hospital, 2 Copies. 
 Pulling, Lieutenant James, R. N. Chudleigh, Devon. 
 
 Q. 
 
 Quintin, T. Esq. Gransden, Hunts. 
 
 R. 
 Radnor, the Right Hon. the Earl of, 2 Copies. 
 Radnor, the Right Hon. the Countess of, 2 Copies. 
 Rivers, the Rev. Sir Henry, Bart. Winchester. 
 Rivers, the Dowager Lady, Winchester. 
 Rumbold, the Hon. Lady, Walton, Herts. 
 Rumbold, Miss, Walton, Herts. 
 Rumbold, Miss, Walton, Herts. 
 Relhan, the Rev. R., M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., Rector of Hemingby, 
 
 Lincolnshire. 
 Reynell, the Rev. C. Rector of Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire. 
 Richards, the Rev. Thomas, 2 Copies. 
 Robertson, A. Esq. M. P. 
 . Roscoe, Robert, Esq. Inner Temple, 2 Copies. 
 Rowlatt, the Rev. Mr. Euston Square. 
 Roy, the Rev. Mr. Fulham. 
 Ryan, E. Esq. M. A. Lincoln's Inn. 
 Ryan, Mrs. 
 
 s. 
 
 Say, the Rev. F. E., M. A. Vicar of Braughin, Herts, Sec. 
 Shadwell, Mrs. Queen Square. 
 
XVlll SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Smyth, Willinin, Esq. M. A. Professor of Moileiii Ili'^tovy, and y.-llo\v 
 
 of Peter-house, Cainbridoe. 
 Still, the Rc\-. John, Salisbary. 
 
 T. 
 
 Thynne, the lloii. Ludy John, 3 Copies. 
 
 Talbot, the Very Rev. Charles, D.D. Dean of Salisbury. 
 
 Tinney, J. P. Esq. Salisbury. 
 
 W. 
 
 Weymouth, the Right Hon. Viscount. 
 
 Whitmore, VV. W. Esq. Dudmaston, Shropshire, 10 Copies. 
 
 Whitmore, the Hon. Lady Lucy, 4 Copies. 
 
 Webb, the Rev. William, D. D. and Master of Clare Hall, Cambridge. 
 
 Walker, John, Esq. Jan. Argyll Street, Hanover Square, 2 Copies. 
 
 Whewell, William, Esq. B. A. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 
 Whitfeld, the Rev. W. Brett, B.D. and Fellow of St. John's College, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Whittalcer, J. W. Esq. M.A. and Fellow of St. John's College, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Wilde, J. F. T. Esq. New Square, Lincoln's Inn. 
 Wilkinson, the Rev. Henry, M.A. and Fellow of St. John's College, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 Williams, F. Esq. Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn. 
 Williams, Mrs. 
 
 Woolfe, L. Esq. Balham, 2 Copies. 
 Wyatt, Mrs. B. Foley Place. 
 Wyndbam, Wadham, Esq. M. P. Salisbury. 
 
LIST 
 
 SERMONS AND APPROPRIATE PRAYERS 
 
 CONTAINED IN 
 
 THIS VOLUME. 
 
 Sermon Page 
 
 I. — For the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. — 
 The works of the Lord, the most worthy object of 
 the attention of considerate Christians - - 1 
 
 II. — ForQuinquagesima Sunday. — The Christian's 
 . worthy preparation for a solemn remembrance of 
 the passion and death of Jesus - - - 28 
 
 III. — For Septuagesima Sunday. — Men's dissi- 
 milar participation in the benefits of the Deity does 
 not tend to the abasement of the directing power and 
 mercy of all-wise Providence, but to their far supe- 
 rior exaltation - - - - - - 51 
 
 IV. — For Good Friday. — The only Son of God cru- 
 
 cified on Golgotha for the guilt of sinners - - 75 
 
 V. — For Sexagesima Sunday. — The salutary effects 
 
 which are produced in the human heart by the right 
 use of the word ------ 96 
 
 VI. — For the Fourth Sunday after Trinity, — 
 
 The divine attributes, a model most deserving of 
 being imitated by the true worshippers' of God - 1 22 
 
XX CONTENTS. 
 
 Sermon Page 
 
 VII. — For Christmas Day. — The glory of God, 
 which was manifested to the world by the nativity 
 
 of Jesus ------- 147 
 
 VIII. — For the Tenth Sunday after Trinity. 
 
 — The certain avenging consequences of a con- 
 tinual abuse of the divine long suffering - - 169 
 
 IX. — For the First Sunday in Lent. — The 
 
 Victory which was obtained by Jesus for the 
 deliverance of Sinners, in his conflict with the 
 Devil - 200 
 
 X. — For the Third Sunday in Advent. — Stea- 
 diness of faith under the scandalous judgment of 
 the world relative to the crucified Jesus - 228 
 
 XI. — For the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany. 
 
 — Why God is induced to delay the assistance of 
 which men occasionally appear to be most in want 252 
 
 XII. — For the First Sunday in Advent. — 
 Jesus Christ the peculiar King and Lord of his 
 Redeemed --••---- 276 
 
FOR THE TWELFTH 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 THE WORKS OF THE LORD, THE MOST WORTHY 
 OBJECT OF THE ATTENTION OF CONSIDER- 
 ATE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Wisdom and understanding, omnipotence and good- 
 ness. Eternal Father ! are predominant in all thy ways 
 and operations. Thy grandeur and majesty are not con- 
 cealed from the eyes of those of thy rational subjects 
 who consider, with due attention, what thou hast ap- 
 pointed. In all thy works thou demonstratest that the 
 real felicity of thy creatures, in consonance with thy 
 sovereign power, is the object at which thou aimest. 
 Would that our thoughts were constantly directed to- 
 wards thy wonderful government, and that we were as 
 constantly attentive to thy daily direction as we ouo-ht 
 to be ! From step to step, we should discover the most 
 perceptible evidences of the wisest care and providence. 
 By new occasions, every moment we should be animated 
 to pay thee a tribute of praise and thanksgiving. Oh ! 
 that the veil were torn away which covers the eyes of 
 
2 
 
 the inconsiderate, and prevents their contemplation of 
 thy glory ! Touch the cold heart, O Lord, that by the 
 consideration of thy works, it may be excited to love, 
 reverential awe, and adoration. Our lips shall be dedi- 
 cated to thy renown ; and with exulting voices we will 
 chaunt the praises of the Deity. Our Father, who art in 
 heaven, &c. 
 
SERMON L 
 
 Mark, vii. 31— 37. 
 
 And again departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, 
 he came unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of 
 the coast of Decapolis. 
 
 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an 
 impediment in his speech : and they beseech him to put 
 his hand upon him, S)X. 
 
 As subjects of an Almighty Lord, whose simple 
 fiat appoints our whole felicity, we are bound to be 
 obedient to his will. As those who are both fash- 
 ioned by his hands, and have their lives continued 
 through his goodness, it is incumbent on us to offer 
 him the most sincere thanksgivings. As Christians, 
 who are redeemed from death to life by a divine 
 Saviour, we ought to praise, extol, and celebrate his 
 name. Who can deny him these claims without 
 acting in repugnance to reason, and speaking against 
 the clearest testimony of Scripture ? " Praise ye the 
 Lord," says David, "for it is good to sing praises 
 unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is come- 
 ly." — Psalm cxlvii. 1. It is dear and agreeable to 
 
him to hear his children testify their grateful hearts ; 
 and it is beneficial to them, as an encouragement 
 under the molestations of life, as an effectual remem- 
 brance of their duties and obligations, and for the 
 augmentation of virtue and genuine piety. But 
 who can praise the Lord with the understanding, 
 except it be he who is acquainted with his sublime 
 perfections? And where are these revealed more 
 gloriously than in his great and admirable works ? 
 In order to attain to the most worthy ideas of the 
 grandeur and the majesty of God, we ought to 
 direct our whole attention to the great thing which 
 here he has performed. "The works of the Lord 
 are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure 
 therein. His work is honourable and glorious." — 
 Psalm cxi. 2. In the Gospel for the day, we meet 
 with a proof of the efficiency of the Deity, which 
 is deserving of our closest examination. The 
 people are witnesses of one of the stupendous mi- 
 racles of Jesus, and acknowledge it as an evidence 
 of his divine dignity. He is the subject of their 
 admiration and their praise, being convinced by an 
 act which had brought every considerate observer 
 to reflection. This will give me occasion to pro- 
 pose to you 
 
 THE WORKS OF THE LORD, AS THE MOST 
 WORTHY OBJECT OF THE ATTENTION OF 
 CONSIDERATE CHRISTIANS. 
 
I will show, 
 
 1st. How greatly all the divine operations are 
 deserving of that attention ; 
 
 And afterwards I will represent to you, 
 
 2dly. What is required for such an attention to 
 the works of the Deity, and to what design it ought 
 to be directed. 
 
 1st. All the works of the Lord, whether they 
 be of common or of less frequent occurrence, and 
 whether they be those of the kingdom of nature or of 
 grace, are deserving of being noticed with the most 
 careful diligence; for in them all he is great, and 
 worthy of admiration. A goodness unparalleled 
 — a wisdom, of which no one can fathom the pro- 
 fundity — a mightiness which surpasses the highest 
 powers of spirits and of men — which of the de- 
 crees of the Deity has not exhibited these attri- 
 butes in their plenitude of brightness ? None but 
 fools can be so blind as not to behold them. 
 Daily do we see the most glorious proofs of the 
 astonishing efficacy of a tender Father; and daily 
 ought our hearts to be elevated in reverential 
 hymns of gratitude for the manifestation of his 
 Avorks of omnipotence. But how lamentable it is, 
 that most painful experience forces from us a con- 
 fession which is disgraceful both to mind and heart! 
 The multitude see and hear without thought or 
 understanding. What the Lord has performed is 
 
contemplated with an eye of indifference; and his 
 incomparable marks of favour are too commonly 
 received with an unfeeling frigidity of mind. And 
 why is this the case ? Because we only know them 
 partially. We do not apprehend the great, the 
 elevated, and the momentous in the operations of 
 the Deity, for that demands experimental reflection. 
 We can be excited by nothing but by external 
 lustre, which affects the senses; and apparent 
 unusual circumstances can alone set the mind in 
 motion. By the general mass of men the ope- 
 rative goodness of God is seldom felt, and seldom 
 are his true wisdom and mightiness conceived; 
 because his works are contemplated without con- 
 sideration. Would we acknowledge their elevated 
 degree with penetration and conviction, then we 
 ought to consider them in a twofold point of view: 
 1st. With respect to the manner in which they are 
 performed : Qdly. With a view to their important 
 designs and glorious benefits. 
 
 The manner in which the works of the Deity 
 are performed ; the plan, order, skill, and power 
 M'hich are discoverable in his dealings, are first de- 
 serving of being meditated on with attention. It 
 is true that admirable are all the ways of the Al- 
 mighty; but man has not sufficient faculties either 
 to survey or fathom all the methods in which the 
 Infinite can execute his wise decrees, and forward 
 the felicity of his creatures. " Who hath stood in 
 
the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and 
 heard his word ?" is the inquiry of the Prophet Je- 
 remiah, xxiii. 18. What he will order at a future 
 season is hidden from our eyes; and frequently we 
 know not what is his scope in those occurrences 
 by which we are encompassed at the present 
 time. That of which we had the least expectation 
 occasionally happens, while that which was antici- 
 pated is destitute of its accomplishment. So little 
 ought we to hope to be able, by our perspicacity 
 alone, to discover the causes or the consequences 
 of the government of God, if he be pleased to keep 
 them in concealment. Still, this ought not to arrest 
 our inclination to examine the works in which he 
 has revealed himself already. Wherefore should 
 he display the most evident proofs of wisdom and 
 understanding? Why should he act in a manner 
 which plainly marks the most incomprehensible 
 omnipotence and bounty, if it were not with a view 
 to his rational creatures, to rouse them to a more 
 accurate inquiry, and to guide them to a clearer 
 knowledge of his sublime perfections? We are 
 taught, both by Scripture and experience, that ge- 
 nerally all the divine operations are performed in 
 two ways. One is regular, according to established 
 and usual means. The other is extraordinary, by 
 sole omnipotence, without the exercise of natural 
 means. But in both there is an operation of 
 the one infinite and indivisible power, which com- 
 
8 
 
 prehends the essence of tlie Deity. The same 
 omnipotence, the same wisdom and goodness are 
 every where effective. The manner alone in which 
 he acts is different, according to the quahties of 
 things, or the especial object which he would at- 
 tain. He commonly operates, at one time by the 
 aid of nature, of which the innate powers are 
 adopted for their appointed use; at another, by the 
 instruments of grace, the Word and Sacraments, 
 which are ordained to illuminate and improve cor- 
 rupted man. Thus the dew of heaven irrigates the 
 fruitful earth, that corn may grow up for the sus- 
 tenance of man and beast. " I will hear," saith 
 the Lord, by the prophet, " I will hear the hea- 
 vens, and they shall hear the earth, and the earth 
 shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and 
 they shall hear Jesreel." — Hosea, ii. 21, 22. Thus 
 one citizen is sustained by the prosperity of another. 
 The mighty live by the toils of their inferiors; and 
 the latter are protected by the former. Each con- 
 tributes to his own advantage by giving assistance 
 to others; and all conduce to the general good by 
 common efforts. Thus the Word is taught by 
 some for the instruction and sanctification of others, 
 and their hearts are improved by a right use of the 
 means of grace in the Word, which have been pre- 
 scribed by God. lie has arranged the whole plan, 
 and he actuates the individual parts for its per- 
 formance. He preserves, supports, and blesses the 
 
whole with a happy progress; and to Him alone 
 the praise and honour appertain, as to one who 
 brought forth all these things, and through whose 
 pleasure they continue to exist in their present con- 
 dition. Who does not see the grandeur and the 
 majesty of God conspicuously represented in his 
 wonted mode of administration? And what can 
 exculpate the criminal torpor with which these 
 works are commonly considered by the multi- 
 tude? 
 
 Men are more strongly affected by extraordinary 
 events, because they happen more unfrequently. 
 But is the power by which such deeds have been 
 performed more sublime and glorious than the om- 
 nipotence which daily preserves the world and all 
 created things? The wisdom of the Lord is not 
 more glorified by miracles than by the common 
 government of nature ; and solely to condescend to 
 the infirmity of men, he appears to have occasion- 
 ally performed what was miraculous. It repre- 
 sents his omnipotence not more magnificently in 
 itself, but more clearly to the eyes of those who 
 are most influenced by what is sensible. With a 
 word, Jesus loosens the tongue of the dumb man; 
 and without human skill he procures him his lost 
 power of hearing. He does this chiefly to excite 
 the ignorant multitude to the consideration and 
 reverential awe of his holy discourses. 
 
 The Lord conducted the children 6f Israel through 
 
 X 
 
10 
 
 the Red Sea dry-foot — fed them with heaven-de- 
 scended manna in the wilderness — opened to them 
 a beaten track to the land of Canaan through the 
 waters of Jordan — and blessed them above all other 
 nations, with unheard-of victories. This he did to con- 
 firm his supreme Divinity by such evidences as were 
 most required, and could be most speedily received 
 by the unpolished people of the times. Still we have 
 not fewer opportunities to bestow attention on 
 the works of the Lord than ancient Israel had, 
 even when continually favoured with new and 
 mighty miracles. The daily benefits which flow 
 incessantly from the munificent hand of a loving 
 Father on us and on our brethren, viz. health of 
 body, strength of limb, necessary sustenance, fer- 
 tility of soil, tranquillity and peace of the State, the 
 welfare of the land, the progress of religion, and the 
 protection of virtue ^ — all these efforts of a ruling 
 Providence bear witness that God is not simply 
 great in power, but infinite in wisdom, and of the 
 greatest goodness. How easily we could discover 
 occasional extraordinary things even in the common 
 works of Providence, if we were not insensible to 
 them in consequence of habit ! So many contend- 
 ing powers in divers parts of the earth, that might 
 demolish each other, are still all held in harmony 
 most perfect. Even in the hottest battle the hu- 
 man s[)ecies is preserved ; and civil society stands 
 by mightiness amid all its changes, although all its 
 
11 
 
 members think, desire, act, and strive unlike each 
 other, every one according to his designs or predo- 
 minant incUnations. What a power, which has 
 alone a capabihty of giving an impulse to all these 
 forces by a nod, and of bending these minds to 
 its pleasure ! What wisdom, to be able to forward 
 the advantage of the whole by the internal resist- 
 ance of things! What greater miracle than that 
 which ever floats before our eyes? Thus neither 
 can it be denied that all the works of God; with 
 respect to the mode in which he performs them, 
 are deserving of our most careful attention. 
 
 But they merit to be observed with similar di- 
 ligence in consideration of their important designs 
 and glorious utility. They are the effects of bound- 
 less compassion, and the noblest fruits of the love 
 of God, and they have an influence both on body 
 and soul, both on man's present and his future 
 bliss. What an affecting spectacle is this beau- 
 teous world in all its pride, brought forth and or- 
 namented for our use by an omnipotent Creator ! 
 What enrapturing joy, throughout the various 
 changes of the year, to be always discovering new 
 proofs of the favour and loving kindness of the 
 heavenly Father! The earth opens her prolific 
 bosom, the sea ix)urs out its riches, and the 
 heavens overflow with blessings for the abundant 
 nourishment of man and beast. The frigidity of 
 winter and heat of sunnner, the darkness of 
 
 \ 
 
u 
 
 night and light of day, proclaim a Governor, who 
 directs all with inscrutable wisdom, and orders and 
 connects the most discordant things, for the pre- 
 servation of the whole. Yes, David had reason 
 to testify that " The heavens declare the glory of 
 God, and the firmament showeth his handy-work. 
 One day telleth another, and one night certifieth 
 another." — Psalm xix. 2, 3. But we who are en- 
 vironed by these speaking evidences, and daily hear 
 them give fresh confirmation of the mercy of the 
 Most High, should we stop our ears, or divert our 
 thoughts from their testimony ? Oh! what a re- 
 proach ! " The ox knoweth his owner, and the 
 ass his master's crib, but Israel doth not know." — 
 Irrational beasts evince a greater gratitude than 
 rational men ! How few are they who think of the 
 donor, while they are sated with the gifts ! 
 How many participate in the benefits of the Lord, 
 without considering the munificence M'ith which 
 they are poured out ! Amid the superfluities of 
 life, the discontented spirit frequently breaks forth 
 with sorrowful complaints, and reprehends the most 
 wise plan of government which has been laid down 
 by Providence. But in the assault of adversity, 
 when the body is attacked by torments and disease; 
 when goods and property are abridged by unex- 
 pected losses; when the hope of earthly profit is 
 subverted by unanticipated misfortunes; how seldom 
 is the rebellious mind restrained from bitterest dis- 
 
13 
 
 pleasure? We complain, as they do, who are 
 justified in their conduct; and only feel that which 
 is burdensome in our situation, without seeing the 
 paternal Lord, who chastens in love with the 
 most noble intentions. Even our necessity is an 
 act of God which is worthy of our respect and 
 reflection. Does not the dumb and deaf man in 
 the Gospel, a bearer of his cross in the most pi- 
 tiable condition, incapacitated from the service of 
 others, and disqualified for the advancement of his 
 own welfare, appear, at first sight, to be an object 
 of the Almighty's anger, and a victim to the most 
 cruel persecutions of cheerless destiny? But, be- 
 hold what the Lord, in his eternal counsels, had 
 decreed for his deliverance ! For the purpose of 
 being produced as an evidence of the divine grand- 
 eur of Jesus, he must be subject to suffering a short 
 time, until the wisdom of the Deity finds it ser- 
 viceable to execute its project. His sorrow is ex- 
 changed for redoubled joy, and he becomes an 
 instrument for the extension of the Saviour's ho- 
 nour; a means for the defence of truth against the 
 infidelity of contemners; and a glory, for the wise 
 administration of the Divinity. Let every man try 
 his own affliction, and judge by the result if the 
 Lord has not done all things well. How often the 
 most uncertain prospects are converted into joyous 
 expectations, and threatening dangers changed to 
 peace and to tranquillity ! The evil 'which occurred 
 
 \ 
 
14 
 
 to us afforded fresh opportunities for augmented 
 evidences of mercy. He who excited the painful 
 sensations, has assuaged them ; and his hands have 
 effected the cure of those w^ounds which were oc- 
 casioned by correction. This is the design and 
 glorious usefulness of the works which are wrought 
 by the Omnipotent in the kingdom of Nature, 
 both when he terrifies and gives us joy. Who, 
 indeed, would divert from them his most sedulous 
 attention? But in the kingdom of grace, how 
 numerous and how great are the proofs in which' 
 his omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness, are also 
 conspicuous ! In order to awaken the senseless 
 people that were slumbering in profound ignorance, 
 under the tyranny of vice and prejudice, Jesus un- 
 dertakes the most stupendous things; and by his mi- 
 racles he removes every obstacle to their acknow- 
 ledgment of his divine mission. Publicly, in the 
 presence of all, he makes whole him who was both 
 dumb and deaf, to stamp the saving doctrines on 
 their minds with energy and conviction ; that they 
 might be actuated to hear him with devotion, and 
 coincide with his preaching, and that they might 
 clearly recognise his credibility, which was ex- 
 hibited in the most infallible and immoveable cha- 
 racters. Still, what is this benefit when compared 
 with those indescribable proofs of mercy, of which' 
 tlie solemn remembrance is constantly renewed 
 among us in our pious congregations, although not 
 
15 
 
 always with suitable progress? That a divine Re- 
 deemer has voluntarily freed us from the curses of 
 the law and the dominion of Satan, with his own 
 dear blood; that a compassionate Father, simply 
 through pity, will concede to us the salvation which 
 Christ procured, and consider us, through his me- 
 rits, as perfectly righteous; and that the Spirit, by 
 the word, will adapt us for, and make us worthy to 
 receive that everlasting joy, with our understandings 
 enlightened and our hearts sanctified, are opera- 
 lions so mighty that they transcend all the excel- 
 lence which can be imagined, and so important that 
 they contain the only foundation of all our antici- 
 pated happiness. To wander here, in the mists of 
 ignorance, alike cold and unmoved, is more than 
 unthankfulness : it discovers, at the same time, a 
 wicked contempt and an insolent resistance of the 
 most friendly invitations of the kindest Father. 
 Daring fools ! who defy Heaven, and rush to their 
 own destruction. What the Lord has done is 
 lightly esteemed by the voluptuous, blind, and un- 
 thinking slaves of Mammon, " whose god is their 
 belly, and whose glory is their shame;" but they 
 flatter themselves in their carnal ingenuity. They 
 open their ears to the licentious jests of scoffers, 
 to the wanton bursts of wit of buffoons, and to the 
 crafty or the impetuous counsel of the .ungodly; 
 but to listen to the all-bounteous Father, whose 
 voice pervades the universe, is to them intolerable. 
 
16 
 
 That the truth may make no impression, they have 
 armed their vain minds with prejudices and false 
 principles ; and that their hearts may be unmoved 
 by the warning admonitions of the word, they have 
 their thoughts constantly dissipated in worldly cares 
 and worldly pleasures. Thus the heedless world 
 causes its own ignorance of the works of the Deity. 
 Men neglect to consider them in a right point of 
 view, and think nothing of the manner in which 
 they ai-e performed — nothing of their important 
 design and glorious uses. That, by a continual 
 neglect, we may not fall into the same most highly 
 destructive ignorance, it is necessary that we should 
 contemplate the divine operations with a compe- 
 tent and well-employed attention. What this re- 
 quires, and with what design it ought to be carried 
 into effect by considerate Christians, shall be 
 more fully explained in the second part. 
 
 Or, in other words, what ought to be the mental 
 disposition of a Christian who will meditate pro- 
 perly on the worlds of God ? He ought to possess, 
 1st. A virtuous and docile heart, which is sincerely 
 desirous of honouring and loving God with all the 
 affection of which, by his sublime perfections, he 
 is deserving; and, 2dly. An exercised understand- 
 ing, which is not unaccustomed and a stranger to 
 sacred meditations. 
 
 If our reflections were not supported by a vir- 
 tuous and docile heart, how soon they would lead 
 
17 
 
 us to the most dangerous errors 1 Mental acute- 
 ness, without religion, frequently deviates into 
 pernicious suspicions of the most holy truths. It 
 weakens men's respect for the divine doctrines; 
 invents unjust opinions; approves inaccuracies, 
 through a vain love of novelty ; and loses itself im- 
 perceptibly in the general incertitude. There are 
 many who investigate the mysteries of nature and 
 of grace ; many, who deliberate on what has been 
 decreed by the Lord, as well that which relates 
 to the happiness of all his creatures in general, as 
 also to that of men in particular. But among 
 them the number of those is not small, who miss 
 the right road, and turn aside to inaccurate con 
 ceptions. The reproach which was cast on the 
 sages among the Pagans, when they gazed on the 
 works of the Creator, without tracing his mighti- 
 ness and wisdom in their connexion, is still valid 
 with regard to many of the imaginary wise men 
 of our own times, who set themselves up to judge 
 that which they do not understand ; " because 
 that when they know God, they glorify him not as 
 God, neither are thankful, but become vain in their 
 imaginations, and their foolish heart is darkened." 
 Romans, i. 21. Some will derive the whole fabric 
 of the world from blind necessity; others ascribe 
 to chance and unexpected contingencies, its whole 
 regulation. To exclude Providence from the ma- 
 nagement of things, it is pretended by some, that 
 
18 
 
 the Creator only gave the world its first impulsej 
 and afterwards resigned it to its own course. 
 Under the pretext of not multiplying the incom- 
 prehensible operations of God, men have explained 
 the miracles of Jesus as the consequences and 
 effects of the powers laid down in nature. What 
 opinions ! As unworthy of reason as they are re- 
 pugnant to divine revelation. A world which is 
 subject to countless vicissitudes cannot be neces- 
 sary. It must then have never been, or have con- 
 tinued different from what it is : none of its parts 
 could be dissolved, metamorphosed, or augmented. 
 But a world without a cause or Creator, and a 
 beauteous edifice without a plan or architect, are 
 they not equal absurdities? Could a thing pro- 
 ceed from itself, had there been nothing previ- 
 ously existent? Can a heap of stones fly together 
 to form a palace, or a promiscuous collection of 
 words arrange itself in a well-written dissertation ? 
 But now the world would be preserved by its own 
 powers, and yet it possesses nothing, except from 
 God, on whose simple will all its strength is depend- 
 *ent. Can then that which had not been in existence, 
 had it not been his pleasure, continue to exist, were 
 he to withdraw from it his efficient influence, which 
 is the only basis on which it rests ? Men are de- 
 sirous of setting bounds to the incomprehensible 
 dealings of God, and still confess, that his omni- 
 potence in the regulation of nature operates daily 
 
beyond our conceptions. But the vile origin of 
 such false ideas is immediately discoverable. 
 They are the gproduce of carnal hearts, which 
 panted for outward commendation, and in which 
 most arrogant self-love had fixed its seat. They 
 had no other wish than to extend their own ho- 
 nour, and lent out their wit on usury, in order to 
 be recompensed with the senseless admiration of 
 the simple, being unsolicitous about the value 
 which ought to be attributed to God. Is it won- 
 derful, then, that their heated imaginations gained 
 a victory over reason, and immersed them in the 
 most abominable delusions ? If, then, the Lord's 
 works are to be considered with due attention, our 
 heart should be good, and our soul wrested from 
 the dominion of concupiscence. What Jesus 
 performed is seen by the people in the gospel 
 without misbelief, with their eyes solely directed 
 to an accurate examination of all the circum- 
 stances, with their mind prepared to receive the 
 right impression, and they hear them not ; as 
 the Pharisees, to obscure his honour with ma- 
 licious criminations. In their conduct, there is 
 no appearance of the least desire to oppose the 
 truth with wrong interpretations; for scarcely does 
 the dumb and deaf man begin to speak, before 
 their hearts are instantaneously filled with holy 
 admiration of his power. To his renown, they 
 confess, with reverential awe, " He hath done 
 
 \ 
 
20 
 
 all things well : he inaketh both the deaf to hear ' 
 and the dumb to speak." — Ver. 37. So correct 
 once again, was their judgment of the works 
 of Christ, while wicked inclinations had not in- 
 flamed them to persecute him with asperity. They 
 meditated on his miracles, in order that thence 
 they might be convinced of his being sent from 
 God. Thus the considerate Christian remarks 
 what God has done, to discover new evidences of 
 his infinite perfections. His heart is devoid of 
 all evil propensities, which could divert it from 
 the love of truth ; — he is neither in pursuit of the 
 diffusion of his honour, nor of the commendation 
 of men, and he cares not for the boastful name of 
 perspicacity; but only wishes to know God as he 
 is, to worship him with greater confidence and 
 veneration. Therefore, from time to time, he 
 searches the decrees of the Deity with inquiring 
 eyes, and finds what he had sought assiduously, 
 always greater, and always clearer evidences of 
 the boundless wisdom and goodness of an omni- 
 potent and compassionate Deity. 
 
 But, to pay a due attention to the divine opera- 
 tions, it is also requisite that there should be a 
 disciplined understanding, which is not unaccus- 
 tomed, and a stranger to pious meditation. It is 
 in vain to extol the ways of God before him who, 
 through a vvant of spiritual knowledge, apprehends 
 not with what wisdom and goodness the Deity 
 
21 
 
 operates. In fact, could the carnally-inincicd 
 man think on the goodness of God, according to 
 its effects on the soul and body, without reluc- 
 tance ? How little he is affected by the scriptural 
 representations of the majesty of the Most High ! 
 How seldom he is moved by the most sublime de- 
 scriptions of the love and mercy of the Sovereign 
 Lord ! Such ideas are spiritual, but he is car- 
 nal. Every serious reflection speedily begets dis- 
 gust in minds which are not habituated to any 
 other feelings than those which are excited by 
 the senses. In all cases that which is not sought is 
 but little understood ; and without experience, men 
 seldom judge with accurate sagacity. Of what 
 avail is a hasty glance, a thought which rapidly 
 passes away, or a careless side-view, in order to 
 have an insight into the great and important in the 
 w'orks of God ? And they only who are practised 
 in religious meditations, and who, by a constant pe- 
 rusal of the Scriptures, have acquired a readiness 
 in thinking upon God and godly things, will be 
 able to ruminate on his works with suitable atten- 
 tion. Their thoughts are accustomed to such 
 speculations as require devotion, and a taste for 
 that which is spiritual; — -their ideas are raised 
 above what is earthly, and approximate themselves 
 to heaven; and their understanding penetrates into 
 the divine operations more deeply than the eye 
 can reach : because it has learned to seek what 
 
 \ 
 
32 
 
 is invisible, and stops not, as the children of the 
 world, at that brilliancy which is merely external. 
 Who then is better fitted to search what the Lord 
 has performed, than an industrious lover of the Word, 
 who is devoted unto God; and who is better fitted 
 to prove and judge the wisdom, goodness, and omni- 
 potence which are manifested in all his operations ? 
 But what ought to be the design of such an atten- 
 tion of considerate Christians ? Is it sufficient to 
 simply know the grandeur and majesty of God, or 
 to have a mere insight into the divine power with 
 which he operates on the world, and ordains the 
 happiness of things created ? Yet of what utility 
 is it for knowledge to rest in the understanding 
 without working on the will, and causing an amend- 
 ment of the heart? What profit arises from a 
 treasure which is hidden in the earth, and where 
 it is consumed by rust and worms ? God will be 
 known by his intellectual creatures, that they may 
 honour and magnify him with lively convictions, 
 in worthy canticles of praise; and he places his 
 glory before them in his wise plan, for the go- 
 vernment of the world, that they may observe it 
 with admiration, and be grateful to his mercy for 
 its abundant aid. The people in the Gospel were 
 not wrong because they divulged the miracles of 
 Jesus with judicious panegyrics. In this only 
 were they culpable, namely, they were too eager 
 in giving them publicity. For a time only they 
 
23 
 
 were forbidden to talk of thetii by him ; as he 
 wished to {prevent the Jewish council, that were ex- 
 asperated against him on account of his increasing 
 reputation, from assailing him with violence, and 
 depriving him of liberty or life, before the arrival 
 of that time which his Father had appointed for his 
 death. But for that reason, he had not forbidden 
 his acknowledgers to praise his glorious attributes 
 inwardly, and to be grateful to the Heavenly 
 Father, who had sent a Saviour of such power to 
 give relief to those who were afBicted. On the 
 contrary, when at last he had completed his ex- 
 piatory sacrifice, it would be their holy duty to 
 confess his divine mission in all places, in the 
 presence of his friends and foes ; to spread abroad 
 his doctrine, promulgate his works, and celebrate 
 his. name; in order to persuade the faithless world 
 to become obedient to the Gospel. " The Spirit 
 of truth which proceedeth from the Father," says 
 Jesus, "shall testify of me, and ye also," namely, 
 his disciples, " shall bear witness ; because ye have 
 been with me from the beginning." — John, xv. ^6, 
 27. Then, ought not we, who have received 
 his faith, and are led by his precious doctrine 
 to a right knowledge of the most glorious ordi- 
 nances of the Deity, to witness to the world that 
 God is great, and infinite, wise, and good, mighty 
 andVighteous, holy and merciful without bounds? 
 Then, ought we not to "manifest our love of Christ, 
 
24 
 
 and openly exalt his inestimable merits ? Yes, this 
 shall be the object of the attention which we pay 
 to the works of God. David contemplated them 
 with heart-felt joy ; and full of holy inspiration, 
 sang, " Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through 
 thy works : I will triumph in the works of thy 
 hands. O Lord, how great are thy works, and 
 thy thoughts are very deep." — Psalm xcii. 6, 7. 
 Yes, it is a pleasure, my serious brethren, to be able 
 to discourse of the supreme dignity of our dear Re- 
 deemer, and it is a joy which satisfies the soul and 
 refreshes the heart when in the most severe ad- 
 versity. We ought to be impelled to a most dili- 
 gent observation of the Lord's works, not solely 
 by our duty, but also by our own advantage. 
 What greater encouragement is there in the un- 
 certain circumstances of the present life than that 
 Avhich arises from a contemplation of the mighty 
 providence, wise care, and compassionate mercy 
 of our Heavenly Father, exhibited as in a living 
 image, in every part of the kingdom of Nature, 
 whithersoever the eye can be directed ? Every 
 day, every step in our lives, will display new proofs 
 of the exuberant favour and loving kindness of the 
 all-bounteous God. His works are more nu- 
 merous than the sand of the sea; by whom can 
 they be counted ? They are altogether unmerited 
 benefits, real blessings, and gifts of mercy; and 
 who can fathom the boundless aflection with which 
 
25 
 
 he loves us? The morning of this day testifies 
 again, what we have often experienced, that he is 
 wise, mighty, and good in all his ways. This is 
 an act of God, and a proof of his especial care 
 and defence of us and of our children. That the 
 dear foster-mother of the land has recommenced 
 another year of her existence, endowed with fa- 
 culties and strength to pray, watch, and care for 
 us, is it not the work of the Lord ? whose arm 
 was stretched out to overshadow and preserve her 
 from dangers ; whose hand was lifted up for 
 her defence and protection ; and • whose word and 
 promises have strengthened her soul to courage 
 under the most grievous burdens. Behold ! it is 
 the Lord's doing, that she who is beloved by Him 
 was continued a blessing to us, when we were 
 without hope; that love and inward confidence 
 unite the most exalted personages in common zeal 
 for the welfare of their subjects; and th?'. virtue 
 is honoured, piety is promoted, and sobriety re- 
 tains its worthiness undiminished. Our beloved 
 Queen has been a chosen instrument in the Lord's 
 hand. May He be her great reward and strong 
 fortress in all adversity. What but wishes could 
 we lay at the feet of a virtuous mother, who inces- 
 santly does good to us, and loves us as her chil- 
 dren? What besides could we bring forward as an 
 evidence of our sincere gratitude? Let us com- 
 mend our great benefactors, the King and Royal 
 
 x 
 
m 
 
 House, to the safeguard of the Almighty, vvhilewith 
 our spirits and our hearts we pray : Father, pro- 
 pitiated, heavenly Father and Lord ! by thy Word 
 and Spirit, preserve thine Anointed, our dearest Go- 
 vernor, king Christian the Seventh, in the road 
 which leads to life ! May his counsels be continually 
 guided by pious wisdom — may his zeal to extend 
 thy honour, and the welfare of his kingdom, be 
 recompensed with a blessed progress ! His life, con- 
 tinued in uninterrupted health, prosperity, and bles- 
 sing, until extreme old age, will be the most important 
 benefit which thou couldest bestow on us, O Lord, 
 through pity and kindness, for the sake of Jesus. Let 
 thy goodness continually distinguish our dearest 
 queen, Juliana Maria, among those whom thou bles- 
 sest ; and exhilarate her noble heart, during many 
 years, with this most valued pleasure of the pious : 
 to be enabled to glorify thy great name by virtuous 
 dealings; to be beneficent towards the necessitous, 
 and to protect the distressed. May she be our pride 
 and joy, our comfort and hope ; a pattern for us in 
 undissembled piety, and a lively proof of thine 
 especial good pleasure, until at length thou shalt 
 call her home, full of years, to the blissful assembly 
 of Spirits, to crown her fidelity with a glory which 
 transcends all earthly expectations. May the eye 
 of thy mercy be open over our dearest Crown 
 Prince, to watch and preserve him from all dan- 
 gers ! Lead him early to a fruitful observation 
 
27 
 
 of thy glorious Works, that his youthful years may 
 be filled with veneration for thy Divine Majesty, 
 before the world's bewitching adulation has choked 
 the good seed which the Spirit has disseminated 
 in his heart, through the medium of the Word. 
 Augment thy mercy towards our dearest Here- 
 ditary Prince, that he may see the most desirable 
 fruits of his indefatigable industry for the welfare 
 of the land ; and may he rejoice in thy trusty de- 
 fence ! Pour out thy best benefits over the dearest 
 Princesses, and let them never want the most ani- 
 mating occasions to celebrate thy goodness. Be 
 beneficent to all who hope in thy bounty. We 
 will sing thy grandeur and majesty with gladness, 
 and will thank thee from the inmost recesses of our 
 hearts with joyous hymns of praise. Our Father, 
 who art in heaven, &c. 
 
 \ 
 
FOR 
 
 QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY 
 
 THE CHRISTIANS WORTHY PREPARATION FOR 
 A REMEMBRANCE OF THE PASSION AND 
 DEATH OF JESUS. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 A THANKFUL remembrance of thy sufferings, hal- 
 lowed Redeemer, shall be the worship with which we 
 presume to come into thy presence, to supplicate thy 
 continual compassion. Lord, how greatly thou hast 
 loved us, as through voluntary mercy, thou wouldest 
 descend to our nature, and subject thyself to the bit- 
 terest contumely, to free us from the merited perdition. 
 Thou oughtest to be thanked with hearts and lips in 
 fervent songs of praise ; — thou oughtest to be praised 
 and honoured in prayers replete with devotion ; — and 
 with the greatest possible zeal thou oughtest to be 
 obeyed and followed by thy ransomed worshippers. 
 What less proofs couldest thou require of our sincere 
 gratitude for thine infinite benefits? But, how few are 
 willing enough to give thee even the most trifling 
 thanks for all thy hardships ! And these few — how 
 
29 
 
 often are they tardy, weak, and addicted to what is 
 sensual ? So that thy worship is occasionally neglected 
 even by them also. Thou hadst reason, Almighty Sa- 
 viour! to avenge thy depreciation with severity; but 
 thou art good, and full of affection, without any limits. 
 We hasten into the arms of thy mercy with a penitent 
 remorse and sorrow, to bewail our sins, and to pray 
 that they may be forgiven. Thou wilt hear us, and by 
 thy supplications wilt procure us the favour of thy 
 Father. For our parts, we will strive, with greater 
 thoughtfulness hereafter, to acknowledge thy precious 
 merits. Strengthen us in this pious resolution by the 
 succour of the Holy Spirit, through the medium of the 
 operation of the Word ; and let it be put into execution, 
 in actions to thine honour, but for our advantage, we be- 
 seech thee, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Hear 
 us, Triune God ! Our Father, who art in heaven, &c. 
 
 X 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 Matthew, iii. 13 — 17 * 
 
 Then cometh Jems from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to 
 
 be baptized of him. 
 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized 
 
 of thee, and comest thou to me ? S^c. 
 
 jDOTH the Gospel for the day, which has just 
 be6n read, and the day itself, with which bur com- 
 monly called Lent-weeks commence, bring us again 
 to one of the most remarkable seasons of our Eccle- 
 siastical year; when the remembrance of the death 
 and passion of Jesus ought to be held sacred. 
 " Behold, my brethren, now is the accepted tirrie, 
 now is the day of salvation." — 2 Cor. vi. 21. By 
 the gracious direction of Providence, which has 
 preserved our lives, and defended the Word of 
 Truth from adulteration, again we are invited to 
 consider one of the wisest ordinances of the Deity 
 with renovated attention. The boundless loving- 
 
 • " According to the ancient custom in Denmark, this 
 portion of the Holy Scriptmcs is read for the Gospel on 
 Quinquagesima Sunday." 
 
SI 
 
 kindness and mercy of the Eternal Father, evinced 
 in the sending of his Son to take upon himself the 
 propitiation for sinners ; — the incomprehensible 
 glory and grace to which the holy blood of Christ, 
 which was shed in our stead, has opened unto us an 
 unimpeded avenue, and the incomparable deliver- 
 ance of which we are thereby partakers : — (for 
 punishment is done away, death is vanquished, and 
 the dominion \vhich Satan had usurped, by means 
 of sin, is subverted) — all these inestimable benefits 
 shall be again recalled in a grateful remembrance, 
 and exhibited to our eyes in their full splendour. 
 How pleasing then must this time be to the consi- 
 derate friends of Jesus, who acknowledge his in- 
 finite merits, and know how to estimate them ac- 
 cording to their real value ? Here are consolation 
 and -relief, hope and joy, peace of conscience, and 
 spiritual tranquillity, which will not be shaken by the 
 most severe tribulations. Here is a worthy object 
 for the serious meditations of a thinking spirit ; and 
 here the grandeur and majesty of the Deity are 
 revealed as clearly as could be borne by a mortal, 
 and a limited being. But who can duly estimate 
 all the blessedness which has been eftected by the 
 Redeemer? Heaven, which was shut before in 
 consequence of the unexpiated trespasses of sin- 
 ners, is opened. The righteous anger of the Al- 
 mighty Judge is exchanged for the love of a com- 
 passionate Father. We are liberated from the 
 
 \ 
 
32 
 
 tyrannical yoke of concupiscence : we are rescued 
 from the violence of the tempter, and are carried back 
 to the paths of piety, where we shall be sustained 
 and guided by an Almighty Power. What is more 
 just than to be grateful here, where all that is pre- 
 sented to us is pure beneficence and blessing? Sucli 
 great evidences of favour, in comparison of which, 
 the most excellent benefits in temporal concerns 
 are nothing, ought not to be set aside in silence. 
 Even the mere instinct of gratitude which is im- 
 planted in our nature, commands us to diffuse the 
 honour of the compassionating Deity in reverent and 
 solemn hymns of praise. But are we sufficiently 
 worthy to celebrate this divine miracle according 
 to its deserts ? Can we consider it with pene- 
 tration and understanding? Ought we not to be 
 previously prepared for this our important duty 
 by holy meditation ? Let us then devote the 
 present hour to a labour which will not be per- 
 formed in vain. We will consider 
 
 THE christian's WORTHY PREPARATION FOR 
 A SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE OF THE PASSION 
 AND DEATH OF JESUS. 
 
 For this, it is requisite, 
 
 1st. That he should sincerely feel his want of a 
 Divine Redeemer. 
 
 I2d. That lie should acknowledizc the wise coun- 
 
33 
 
 sels of God, in the passion and deatii of Jesus, 
 with penetration and understanding. 
 
 3d. That he should admire the grandeur and 
 majesty with which Jesus was encompassed amid 
 his sufferings. 
 
 The Gospel for the day will lead us to a more 
 perfect illustration of those subjects. A Christian's 
 worthy preparation for a solemn remembrance of 
 the death and passion of Jesus requires, then, 
 
 1st. That he should sincerely feel his want of 
 a Divine Redeemer. 
 
 When Jesus demands baptism of John, the lat^ 
 ter declares publicly : " I have need to be bap- 
 tized of thee." — He does not merely feel his mean- 
 ness in comparison with the divine grandeur and dig- 
 nity of our Lord; — he does not simply acknowledge 
 himself to be nothing when assimilated to Jesus, 
 God's own Son, and the Messiah promised by the 
 Father; — it is not the mere veneration which is 
 owed by the inferior to the superior, which induces 
 him to deprecate the mark of honour which was 
 intended for him by the Redeemer: — No! his heart 
 is full of lively feelings of his greatest want of the 
 compassionate mercy of Jesus — "I have need to 
 be baptized of thee." By this visible means of 
 grace which God has appointed, that is, baptism, 
 the real laver of regeneration, thou art able to im- 
 part to me the forgiveness of my sins. Thou hast 
 
 D 
 
 \ 
 
34 
 
 power to perform that of which I am not capable, 
 to take away sin, and to avert its merited correc- 
 tion ; but I, like other men, am in urgent want 
 of this dear benefit. I also ought to partake of 
 the deliverance which thou procurest for fallen 
 human species, for I am sinful, depraved by nature, 
 and, but for thee, condemned to endless sufferings. 
 What a pattern for the self-liumiliation of a peni- 
 tent Christian ! So great a personage as John the 
 Baptist, who, according to the testimony of Christ, 
 was " much more than a Prophet, and than 
 whom there was none greater among those who 
 were born of woman ;" — he who was delegated 
 by the Lord, according to a former published 
 prophecy, to announce the advent of the Child 
 of Promise, and had received the immediate com- 
 mand of God to baptize in Judea — how deeply 
 he humbles himself before his Redeemer ! How 
 sincerely he testifies his unworthiness, his infirmity, 
 his need and urgency for the effectual compassion 
 of a Saviour ! And we, who are unlike him both in 
 vocation and in properties, — should we then be 
 less ready to humble ourselves, less in need of the 
 atoning death and sufferings of Christ ? Still, who 
 among us has any doubts of his manifold sins ? 
 And who will deny his natural degeneracy, or as- 
 cribe to himself one meritorious virtue, which could 
 procure the love of the Creator, without a pre- 
 vious satisfaction ? None of us will presume to 
 
35 
 
 contradict tlie testimony of St. Paul; " we are all 
 gone out of the way; — we are altogether beconie 
 unprofitable." Our own hearts will extort from us 
 the same confession as was made by this heavenly- 
 minded Apostle himself: " I know that in me, that 
 is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing ; for to will 
 is present with me, but how to perform that which 
 is good I find not." — Rom. vii. 18. Only the 
 proud soul who is enamoured of her own ima- 
 ginary merits, can flatter herself with a perfect 
 purity ; for experience teaches us more frequently 
 than we could wish, that imperfection and defect 
 characterize all our endeavours. But is it sufficient 
 to confess our guiltiness with voluntary lips, and 
 not to fancy that we have a holiness untainted? Is 
 it enough to hold this common language, which is 
 not seldom heard even in careless companies ? — we 
 are wretched sinners ! Ah ! what an easy repent- 
 ance ! It solely costs a sound of words, while the 
 mind is unmoved and void of feeling. It demands 
 no subsequent attention ; — it causes no affliction ; — 
 and disturbs not carnal pleasures. What are the 
 compunction and contrition of the multitude but 
 forced sighs, pretended marks of sorrow, and ex- 
 ternal humility? But thence proceed that blind 
 levity which steeps conscience in the slumbers of 
 security, until death makes his assault; that in- 
 different converse with the most astonishing proofs 
 of favour of the Deity; that heedless carnage 
 
 \ 
 
36 
 
 towards the incomprehensible soHcitude of the 
 Redeemer; and that cold and dead devotion 
 with which his bitterest smarts, and the pangs and 
 agonies which he endured, are customarily re- 
 membered. We confess our transgressions without 
 inspecting or observing their abomination, and 
 avow that Jesus is the only Saviour, and that we 
 must have been for ever lost, if he had not given 
 his life as an oblation for our sins ; but without 
 any sentiments of sincere and tender gratitude. 
 The most inconsiderable number can perceive how 
 greatly we required the deliverance which he ob- 
 tained, and how great a favour he did us freely, 
 when he delivered himself up as an atonement for 
 our evil deeds. Shall this inestimable benefit re- 
 tain its value, and not become indifferent to us ? 
 Then, it ought to be known in its right form, and 
 regarded as the only refuge for a sorrowing soul, 
 and the sole remaining hope in the general con- 
 fusion which has been caused by sin and Satan. 
 We ought to deem ourselves deserving of the 
 avenging wrath of an offended Father, in conse- 
 quence of our continued aversion to follow his holy 
 precepts ; which betrays itself too frequently, even 
 in mere precipitation ; — we ought to consider our 
 ingratitude for all this good with which we are blessed 
 as one of the least pardonable failings ; — to search the 
 most secret thoughts of our hearts, and to observe, 
 with blushes, how seldom they are perfectly free 
 
37 
 
 from all pollution. This is the method of attain- 
 ing a lively conviction of the extreme necessity for 
 redemption. Then the anguished heart with 
 longing will desire the protection of the Deity ; for 
 being penetrated with sorrow and affliction for the 
 abomination of sin, it feels its own infirmity ; — and 
 then with a grateful zeal, the contrite soul receives the 
 meritorious righteousness of Jesus, and seeks a 
 shelter in his wounds ; for she knows by her own 
 experience how great is her desert of chastisement. 
 Oh ! how can we avoid being excited to the most 
 ardent love for Him who has rescued us from the 
 jaws of death, as soon as we are inwardly con- 
 vinced that he alone has averted this certain con- 
 demnation ? Then we learn to love him as the 
 most incomparable benefactor, and to honour him 
 as a deliverer, from whom arises all our blessedness. 
 Who can have a better idea of the assistance 
 which was afforded him than he who was in need, 
 and feared destruction? As that miserable being 
 whose hunger could be satisfied with bread and 
 water, is frequently more thankful to the donor 
 than he who is ever accustomed to swim in plea- 
 sure, and to see good days, is, when he has the 
 most important gifts ; — thus the sinner should 
 become the prey of anguish, as one devoid of suc- 
 cour and of counsel. He ought to be driven bv 
 hunger and by thirst after a gracious compassion, 
 before he properly can set a value on the inde- 
 
38 
 
 scribable tenderness of the God of mercy. See 
 then, dear Christians, in what manner we ought 
 to prepare ourselves for a solemn remembrance of 
 the death and sufferings of Jesus : not as those 
 vain fools of the world, who begin with sinful re- 
 creations this remarkable time, which is appointed 
 for repentance and amendment : not as all the 
 secure and untroubled ones, whose lukewarmness 
 in devotion is dishonourable to Him who was 
 crucified. Scarcely do they deign to cast on 
 him one pitying glance in all his painful sor- 
 rows. They are regardless of his contumely, 
 or hear it as a recital of uninteresting occurrences, 
 without bestowing on them a further attention ; 
 and prosecute their former sinful courses, as if 
 he had made satisfaction, to procure them an 
 unimpeded freedom in carnal deeds. Through 
 the means of these his false adorers, his holy name 
 must hear itself depreciated among the contemners 
 of the Faith. From their inadvertent conduct, 
 mockers take occasion to brand with infamy the 
 cross of Christ. Redemption assumes the ap- 
 pearance of a doctrine of security, which simply 
 tends to support the wickedness of the impious; 
 and the Son of God is "laughed to scorn" by 
 heathens and by unbelievers ; because they who 
 are designated by his name, both in their conduct 
 and their conversation, most frequently evince the 
 extreme of levity. — Nay, my serious brethren, be 
 
39 
 
 it far from us thus to desecrate the precious blood 
 which Jesus shed. His death and passion shall 
 be solemnly remembered with hearty thanksgivings, 
 with fervent prayers and canticles of praise, and 
 with sincere, humble, anci^ affectionate adoration. 
 Inwardly sorrowful for the manifold and heinous 
 misdeeds with which we have occasioned him such 
 bitter pains, we will assemble under bis cross, to 
 brins him the oblation of which our hearts are 
 capable, a penitent, filial, and hope-fraught faith 
 and confidence in his victorious satisfaction. Thou 
 seest, Lord Jesu ! — thus thinks the consider- 
 ate Christian, who will prepare himself . for a 
 worthy commemoration of the Redeemer's pas- 
 sion ; — thou seest my weakness, and knowest my 
 degeneracy. How little have I regarded thy in- 
 finite compassion ! how impotent am I to eradi- 
 cate' the sinful enticements of corrupted nature! 
 how completely should I be deserving of being 
 cast into the fearful darkness which is prepared 
 for the Devil and his angels, if my deeds were 
 judged according to the rigorous laws of righte- 
 ousness ! Thou knowest this, O Lord, and takest 
 compassion on my calamitous condition. To 
 emancipate me from the thraldom of death, thou 
 wouldest submit to it thyself, and wast the bearer 
 of that load of sorrow which should eternally con- 
 sume my strength. Oh, thou most precious 
 Prince of Life ! the fountain and thp base of my 
 
40 
 
 salvation, to whom but unto thee should I repair, 
 that I may save me from the impending danger? 
 By thee I am lifted up from despair to hope, and 
 out of anguish unto joy fulness. By thee I ought 
 to venture, even amid iiy infirmities, to advance 
 in the slippery paths of life, through temptations 
 and through sorrows, to meet eternity ; for thou 
 wilt be my strengthener and guardian; and by 
 thee I shall stand at last in the presence of the 
 Father, absolved through thy righteousness, im- 
 puted in faith, from the most afflicting conse- 
 quences of sin, a never-ending state of repro- 
 bation. And thou who, through compassion 
 on my misery, hast stretched out thy arms on the 
 cross, to be transpierced with ignominious pains, 
 with the most tender love, thou wilt extend them 
 again in honour and in glory above, to embrace 
 me as thy dearest child, and to exhilarate me with 
 a beatific enjoyment of all the benefits which thou 
 hast purchased at so high a price. — Humbled 
 with these thoughts, but being again encouraged 
 and adapted to devotion, let us proceed to con- 
 sider, 
 
 2dly. How a Christian will worthily prepare 
 himself for a solemn remembrance of the death 
 and passion of Jesus, by acknowledging in 
 them the wise counsel of God, with penetration 
 and conviction. The Deity had decreed that a 
 Redeemer should be subject unto sutfering for 
 
41 
 
 fallen mankind. His death was the Lord's own 
 counsel, and the noblest arrangement of eternal wis- 
 dom; and this ought to be acknowledged by a 
 faithful worshipper of Christ, that he may pay due 
 respect to the work of reconciliation. We are 
 again led to this consideration by the Gospel for 
 the day. Jesus requires baptism of John in these 
 words : " Suffer it to be so now ; for thus it be- 
 cometh us to fulfil all righteousness." The word 
 righteousness expresses here in the text what is 
 right before God : and what God has established 
 as a law, and declared to be right, are in agree- 
 ment with his holy will. It was the determinate 
 counsel of the Lord that Jesus'^ should be publicly 
 baptized in the waters of Jordan ; therefore John 
 was obliged to be obedient, and accomplish his 
 request, But why should he be baptized ? Did 
 he also stand in need of a means of grace, to ob- 
 tain the remission of his sins ? Should he also be 
 sanctified through the medium of the power of the 
 Spirit, that operates by water, to make a reno- 
 vated progress in virtue and religion ? Yet, what 
 sin could be forgiven in Him who knew none — 
 " who did no sin, neither was guile found in his 
 mouth?" — 1 Peter, ii. 22. What means could be 
 required to forward in the paths of virtue him 
 " who was anointed with the Holy Ghost, and 
 with power?" — Acts of the Apostles, x. 38. It is 
 evident, that for another reason tfie baptism of 
 
42 
 
 Jesus must have been ordained in tlic counsels of 
 the Deity, not to be useful to himself, but for 
 the advantage of those for the sake of whom he 
 was come into the world. Immediately after, he 
 begins his public instruction, and works miracles 
 for the confirmation of his doctrine. He diffuses 
 the only saving knowledge in exhortations and 
 cautions, amid countless distresses and persecu- 
 tions, until he ends his life upon the cross. Thus 
 God then decreed his baptism, that thereby he 
 might consecrate him for his important errand, and 
 exhibit him to the eyes of all, as the delegated 
 Saviour of the world. Scarcely is he baptized ere 
 he begins to act as the Messiah. It might also 
 be the intention of his being baptized, that 
 God would bring him forward on the theatre 
 of the world, as the long anticipated and now ar- 
 rived deliverer of Israel. Christ himself calls it a 
 righteousness, that is, one of God's established 
 laws, or immoveable decrees. Who then can 
 doubt if his death and suffering were in unison 
 with the wise counsels of the Almighty ? That 
 the Jewish spiritual magistrates allow him to 
 be seized ; — examine and doom him to death ; — 
 that the heathen governor, Pilate, ratifies his 
 sentence, and permits him to be scourged, 
 crowned with thorns, and crucified ; — and that he 
 is tortured both in the garden of Gethsemane 
 and on the cross, with most tremendous agony of 
 
43 
 
 soul, are not sufferings wiiich were occasioned by 
 chance, by the ascendency of men, or by hapless 
 destiny : — the Eternal Father himself had ordered 
 all these circumstances, with wisdom and with infi- 
 nite understanding, ere the foundations of the world 
 were laid. He foresaw the cruel machinations of 
 these obdurate Jews, and permitted them to be 
 put into execution. He decreed that Jesus should 
 become the prey of their violence ; and Jesus chose 
 to yield himself up voluntarily into their inhuman 
 hands, to be executed as a malefactor, instead of 
 man, according to the arrangement which God had 
 made from eternity for the deliverance of sinners. 
 The Apostles confirm this important truth with 
 indubitable evidence ; " Ye men of Israel, hear 
 these words," says St. Peter, in his discourse on 
 the day of Pentecost, " Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
 approved of God among you by miracles and 
 wonders and signs, which God did by him in the 
 midst of you, as ye yourselves also know : him 
 being delivered by the determinate counsel and 
 foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by 
 wicked hands, have crucified and slain :" — Acts, ii. 
 22, 23. Jesus is heard to testify before Pilate: 
 " Thou couldest have no power at all against me, ex- 
 cept it were given thee from above."— John, xix. 1 1. 
 Again : " O fools, and slow of heart to believe all 
 that the prophets have spoken ! Ought not Christ 
 to have suffered these things, and to 'enter inlo his 
 
44 
 
 glory ?" — Luke, xxiv. 25, 2.6. Thus, after his 
 resurrection, he upbraids his disciples on the way 
 to Emmaiis. Yes ! it is evident, that the sufferings 
 and death of our Lord ought to be ranked among 
 the ordinances of the Deity himself. Through gra- 
 tuitous mercy, the Father took compassion on 
 mankind, and appointed their deliverance. The 
 Son offered himself to be their Redeemer, and 
 was made man in order to effect his purpose ; and 
 the Holy Ghost took upon him to mould the 
 body of the Saviour in the womb of Mary ; to 
 anoint him with extraordinary gifts, for the ad- 
 vancement of his ministry; to operate on the 
 human heart by the Word and Sacraments, for its 
 improvement; and to make us worthy of the 
 heavenly glory which has been obtained for us by 
 Christ. In this manner does the Triune Deity 
 contribute with one and the same efficacy to the 
 deliverance of sinners. This is an operation com- 
 mon to all the Persons of the Godhead : it was ar- 
 ranged from eternity; and, when the fulness of time 
 was come, it was executed by their united power. 
 How important in his sufferings is Jesus now ! 
 There, where he is suspended on the cross, he is 
 an offering to eternal righteousness, prepared by 
 eternal wisdom. Who can contemplate him in his 
 pangs and wounds, without seeing the wonderful 
 works of the Almighty ? Is it not the Lord him- 
 self who gave him up as a ransom for our mis- 
 
45 
 
 deeds? Ought we to presume to reprehend a 
 means of deliverance which has been ordered by 
 the will of the Supreme Governor of the world 
 himself? Still, what is done by those scoffers 
 who, with a furious zeal, attack the Saviour, and 
 trample under foot his sacred blood? It is like 
 storming the heavens, and calling forth to battle 
 the Creator : an audacity which will terminate in 
 misery and lamentation. " They who deny the 
 Lord, who bought them, will bring upon them- 
 selves a speedy destruction." — 2 Peter, ii. 1 . Do 
 they not deserve to be punished with severity, as 
 an example to all spirits and intellectual creatures ? 
 They have abused supreme wisdom as folly, 
 and have vilified the inscrutable understanding of 
 the Deity. A more glorious means for the sal- 
 vation of those who were lost it is not possible to 
 devise ; and still they have despised it. Let a man 
 examine all the ways to happiness which reason 
 can discover, and let him ascertain their real 
 nature; on the most trifling reflection, they will be 
 found insufficient : then, on the contrary, that 
 which has been revealed to us by God, can solely 
 take us to the wished-for object. Can the blood 
 of oxen or goats take away sins, or cleanse trans- 
 gressions? St. Paul declares it is not possible, 
 Heb. X. 4. and simple reason must confirm his 
 judgment. What proportion is there between the 
 anger of an eternal, righteous, and Almighty God, 
 
46 
 
 and the violent death of an irrational beast, which 
 knows not his laws, and which, through a defect of 
 mental faculties, has not been able to offend him ? 
 Could previous wickedness be annihilated, or ex- 
 piated, merely by man's own contrition ? Then 
 the holy claims of the law would not be satisfied ; 
 the majesty and sovereign mightiness of the Su- 
 preme Lord would not be sustained; perpetrated 
 transgressions would want a compensation ; and 
 God could not exempt from punishment without 
 diminishing his spotless holiness; — without render- 
 ing it suspicious, and drawing on himself the vili- 
 fying reproach of secretly approving, or consent- 
 ing to the wickedness of transgressors. Now, on the 
 contrary, as Jesus has made satisfaction, the righte- 
 ousness of the Infinite is fully recompensed, and 
 the Law retains its reputation. He made satisfac- 
 tion both as God and man. As the latter, by 
 spontaneous sufferings, he'endures the chastisement 
 of sinners; and they are imputed to his divine 
 nature, that redemption may be elevated to an un- 
 limited dignity. As a man, he bears the burden ; 
 but as a God, he sustains his human nature, of 
 which the powers alone had been too feeble. All that 
 eternal righteousness could require as an equivalent 
 for the innumerable transgressions of sinners, he 
 was able to supply in both his natures. This is 
 accomplished, and now we are completely free, 
 but he is glorified. Thus the incomprehensible 
 
47 
 
 wisdom of the Deity has ordained this one ser- 
 viceable and effectual means for our emancipation. 
 We, who should be punished, have our pardon ; 
 and God, whose holiness had been offended, obtains 
 its satisfaction. What must we think of the death ^ 
 and sufferings of the Saviour, when set before us 
 in this important point of view ; — and what better 
 preparation for a worthy remembrance of redemp- 
 tion than to meditate on the wise counsel, accord- 
 ing to which he was to make an atonement for our 
 sins ? Here we are offered the most abundant oc- 
 casion for admiration and thanksgiving; and here, 
 full of rapturous delight, a never-dying Spirit makes 
 a pause, and beholds her celestial Father encom- 
 passed by a glory which transcends the most en- 
 chanting pageantry of nature. The kingdom of 
 grace is laid open with greater brilliancy, beaming 
 from the incomprehensible perfections of the Cre- 
 ator than that of nature ; and he is greater in the 
 former by means of his bounty, wisdom, and merci- 
 ful affection. Yes, Father, thou hast displayed thy 
 divine majesty in its most glorious light by the 
 sending of thy Son. He comes to suffer, and Thou 
 appointest him unto death, to impart life to those 
 who were condemned to die. What archangels 
 and all spirits sought vainly to discover, that was 
 found out by thy divine wisdom. Thou wast ac- 
 quainted with our distress ; — thou knewest how to 
 effect its alleviation, and wast willing to promote 
 
48 
 
 our felicity. As long as our lips can express the 
 inmost thoughts of our souls in articulate sounds; 
 and as long as our mouth can interpret the motions 
 of the heart, among us shall thy holy name be bles- 
 sed ; until thou hast admitted us into the assembly 
 of those who are beatified above, where, with 
 angel-voices, we shall sing incessant hymns of 
 praise to Thee and to the Saviour. This our 
 pious resolution, with which we prepare ourselves 
 for the solemn remembrance of the death and suf- 
 ferings of Christ, will be further confirmed in the 
 third consideration : where we find occasion to ad- 
 piire the elevation and majesty by which he was 
 surrounded amid his sufferings. 
 
 Sdly. He was baptized, as we read in the Gospel, 
 to be dedicated to a ministry, which brought with it 
 the most severe tribulations ; and yet he is glorified 
 by a heavenly voice, which declares, " This is my be- 
 loved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He is dear 
 to the Father as his only Son, born of his own nature, 
 end a partaker of the same attributes and dignity 
 as himself. So great is the hallowed Redeemer 
 of the human species ! more excellent than all the 
 kings of the earth, higher than all principalities, 
 powers, and dominions which have a seat in 
 heaven ! " Let all the angels of God worship 
 -him," says St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, 
 j. 6. How much more ought he to be adored by 
 his redeemed; — by those whom he has distinguished 
 
49 
 
 among all creatures by most especial goodness 
 and compassion ! Who can read his life, as it is 
 >vritten by the Evangelists, and entertain a doubt 
 of his being deserving of our most profound vene- 
 ration, evinced in prayers, exercises of devotion, 
 thanksgivings, and in songs of praise ? His Divi- 
 nity beams forth every where, even when outwardly 
 he is the most debased. The Pharisees persecute 
 liim with defamatory criminations, and the people 
 rage together to overwhelm him M'ith stones. He 
 repays their cruel stratagems with goodness, ren- 
 dered effective by Omnipotence. He cures the 
 sick, cleanses the leper, raises the dead, drives 
 devils out of those who were possessed, regales the 
 hungry, and consoles the mourner. By his own 
 power, without any instrument or human skill, he 
 performs more in one moment than all the saf^es 
 of the world could do by industry the most soli- 
 citous. He is a Teacher, so indigent and wretched 
 as scarcely to be the owner of that which could 
 procure him a place where he could rest his head: 
 but yet he is so great, that he rules over life and 
 death, and over the sea and spirits. He was more 
 than a man, that is evident. He is worthy to re- 
 ceive our whole reverence and adoration ; who 
 ought to deny him this ? He is treated as a male- 
 factor : still he shows, by different proofs, that he 
 cannot be brought down to a similarity with others. 
 When the guard rush forward to seize him, with 
 
50 
 
 a word he strikes them all to the ground. When 
 he is anguished in the garden of Getbsemane, 
 under the most excruciating sufferings of the soul, 
 *' an angel appears strengthening him." On the 
 cross again he discovers his sovereignty over the 
 visible and invisible. On his own authority he 
 assures the penitent thief : " I say unto thee, this 
 day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." He is 
 agonized by the last ignominious pangs, and the 
 sun loses his light, and darkness is spread over the 
 whole land — He dies ! and the earth quakes, and 
 the veil of the temple is rent in twain. What 
 characters of elevation and of majesty ! His life is 
 a compound of tribulations and stupendous deeds; 
 and his death is distinguished by infamy and ho- 
 nour. For our sake, he is the jest of the Jews 
 and scandal of the Romans ; and is suspended in 
 derision on the accursed tree, between thieves: but, 
 for his sake, nature is in commotion and perturba- 
 tion. Yes ! we have a Redeemer, who is higher 
 than the heavens, whose mightiness cannot be li- 
 mited ! We have a Deliverer, whose name ought 
 to be commemorated with the most profound ado- 
 ration! — " Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain, to 
 receive power and riches, and wisdom and strength, 
 and honour and glory, and blessing." — Rev. v. 12. 
 Amen. 
 
FOR 
 
 SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 MENS DISSIMILAR PARTICIPATION IN THE 
 BENEFITS OF THE DEITY, DOES NOT TEND 
 TO THE ABASEMENT OF THE DIRECTING 
 POWER AND MERCY OF ALL-WISE PROVI- 
 DENCE, BUT TO THEIR FAR SUPERIOR EX- 
 ALTATION. 
 
 ^ 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Ihou art righteous in thy ways, O Lord ! and full of 
 loving kindness in thy works. From thy bounteous 
 hands all thy creatures have received their allotted 
 portion ; and all, according to their several wants, are 
 blessed with what is requisite for the maintenance of 
 life. How little have we reason to reprehend the 
 unequal distribution of thy gifts of mercy among man- 
 kind ! Frequently the apparent difference is only ima- 
 ginary ; but always it is wise, and concordant with the 
 welfare of the whole. Although, as Sovereign Lord, 
 thou hast the power to manage thy possessions accord- 
 ing to thy good pleasure only, without m'ore extensive 
 
52 
 
 aims ; yet, howsver, the utility which accrues to us from 
 our dissimilar conditions, evinces that thy whole plan of 
 government is directed by goodness and by mercy. 
 How sinful has been our conduct, that we, however, 
 have mistaken thy wisdom, and have allowed ourselves 
 to be drawn away by depreciating doubt ; some through 
 the infirmity of the mind ; and some through wickedness 
 and inclination. But, dearest Father ! thy Son, our 
 Saviour, steps forward in our behalf, and pleads our 
 cause ; and, for his sake, we may hope for that forgive- 
 ness, which by our actions is not merited. Pray for us, 
 dearest Jesu ! exalted, compassionating Being ! and let 
 thy blood be the shield which hides us from the righteous 
 anger of an offended Father ! Send us at this time the 
 Spirit of thy grace, to illuminate our dark ideas, and, 
 by the conviction of thy word, instruct us how to judge 
 more righteously of the goodness of the Creator towards 
 his children in their dissimilar circumstances. Then 
 hereafter we should bring forward the most hearty 
 thanksgivings for all benefits which have been conferred 
 on us, the least as well as the most important, to Thee, 
 O Triune God ! Our Father, who art in heaven, &c. 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 Matt. xx. 1 — 16. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an 
 householder, which went out early in the morning to 
 hire labourers into his vineyard, S^c. 
 
 JDlVINE Providence has exhibited the most 
 glorious proofs of wisdom and of goodness in its 
 government of the world. — Men have received num- 
 berless benefits from the hand of an affectionate 
 father, and ought to testify their gratitude with 
 praises and thanksgivings, without being impeded 
 by certain occurrences which may appear to them 
 to be less in unison with their ideas of rectitude 
 and justice. Is not the righteousness of the Lord 
 confirmed so frequently by unfallacious evidence, 
 that our doubt should cease, although these events 
 be inexplicable by us ? The only wise and all holy 
 Being cannot act except with good intentions ; and 
 we are bound to think the best of all his arrange- 
 ments, even when their utility is concealed ; because 
 He hitherto has never given us an opportunity to 
 suppose that it is the worst which could be planned. 
 
54 
 
 However, even in this case, too often are we 
 accustomed to discover our weakness. The most 
 trifling difficulties, which cannot be explained imme- 
 diately, set the mind in motion, and fill the heart 
 with painful restlessness. The unequal portions of 
 the divine benefits which are conferred upon men, 
 are one of the stumbling blocks, both for virtuous 
 and unrepentant Christians, by which their confi- 
 dence in the governing wisdom of Providence fluc- 
 tuates the soonest. The pious Asaph was not far 
 from doubt, when he appeared to notice the most 
 perceptible difference between the destiny of the 
 wicked and the good. He understood not how to 
 make the tribulations of the latter, and the welfare 
 of the former, harmonize with the righteousness of 
 the Deity. " He saw the prosperity of the wicked, 
 and that their strength was firm. He saw that they 
 were not in trouble, and that they were not plagued 
 like other men. He saw their pride, and was a 
 witness of their violence. They were tranquil in 
 the world ; and of their riches there was an augment- 
 ation ; while all the day long he was plagued, 
 and chastened every morning, which made him 
 exclaim, that " his feet were almost gone, and that 
 his steps had well nigh slipped." Psalm Ixxii. 2, &c. 
 So dangerous it is to disquiet ourselves with waver- 
 ing doubt of the impartial government of Provi- 
 dence ! — These repining thoughts do not merely 
 weaken our love for God, and cause a diminu- 
 
55 
 
 tion of that reverence which we ought always to 
 evince for Him, but soon they will become extra- 
 vagant in ideas which are derogatory to religion, 
 and break forth in open mockery. In our days, 
 also, Asaph has brethren, of whom the number is 
 not inconsiderable. By such temptations the most 
 pious souls may be assailed ; but still all are not 
 capable of withstanding or repelling them with equal 
 strength. Therefore I have resolved this day, with 
 the assistance of God, and by the help of the oppor- 
 tunity which is presented to me by the Gospel, to 
 guide my hearers to a more correct judgment of the 
 dissimilarity which exists in the distribution of the 
 benefits of Heaven. The chief doctrine which is to 
 be expatiated on and demonstrated, is therefore this, 
 
 "That men's dissimilar participation 
 
 IN THE BENEFITS OF THE DeITY DOES NOT 
 TEND TO THE ABASEMENT OF THE DIRECTING 
 POWER AND MERCY OF ALL-WISE PrOVIDENCE, 
 BUT TO THEIR FAR SUPERIOR EXALTATION." 
 
 To prepare the way which leads to a fundamental 
 conviction of this momentous truth, we must consi- 
 der the three particulars which follow : — 
 
 1st. That the diversity in the partition of the 
 divine benefits is not imputable as a fault to Pro- 
 vidence, because it is frequently ' more imaginary 
 than real : 
 
56 
 
 2d. That the directing might and power of Pro- 
 vidence are peculiarly apparent in the disposal of 
 its gifts of mercy, as itself approves. 
 
 3d. That the directing might and loving kindness 
 of Providence are glorified the most by the various 
 conditions of mankind. 
 
 1st. That the diversity in the partition of the 
 divine benefits is not imputable as a fault to Pro- 
 vidence, because it is frequently more imaginary 
 than real. 
 
 The labourers in the vineyard who first were 
 hired, murmured against the good man of the 
 house, " because the same reward had been assigned 
 unto their latest associates," saying, " these last 
 have wrought but one hour, aud thou hast made 
 them equal unto us which have borne the burden 
 and heat of the day." They vent reproaches against 
 the generous Lord for paying no attention to 
 deserts ; — they grudge their brethren an unantici- 
 pated happiness, without regarding their necessity ; 
 and in consequence of their ideal superior worthi- 
 ness, they crave a greater abundance, although 
 they do not need it. The recompence of which, 
 in reality, they were deserving, was given them ; 
 but they do not appreciate it as they ought, and 
 complain as if they had sustained an injury. — 
 Here is a lively representation of the general disap- 
 proval of the government of Providence. It shows 
 both the basis on which it stands, and the manner 
 
57 
 
 in which it is evinced : — self-interest and insatiable 
 desires obtain the ascendency within our hearts ! 
 To palliate a mode of thought, which in its true 
 form ought to excite detestation in others, and 
 cause our own confusion before the judgment-seat 
 of conscience, we begin to over-estimate our apparent 
 good actions. Defect and imperfection are set 
 aside ; but the individual virtuous deeds which we 
 have occasionally performed, are brought to light. 
 Our useful dealings we consider as proofs of our 
 noble-mindedness, without reflecting on our obliga- 
 tion to perform them ; and their value is exalted by 
 self-love. Present blessings and donations of mercy 
 are received as a recompense which was well- 
 deserved, and we feel ourselves worthy of greater 
 proofs of the attention of Providence, and expect 
 them, as those who crave essential gifts from princes 
 because they have performed their bounden duty. 
 
 The pious fellow-citizen, whose virtue was con- 
 cealed because he was destitute of opportunities 
 to display it, at last is made effective. He is dis- 
 tressed and indigent, because his former situation 
 had deprived him of the power to obtain what was 
 necessary. But Heaven meliorates his lot, and 
 makes him similar to those to whom he previously 
 had been inferior. Oh, how vexatious is this to 
 those arrogant and selfish souls i Revenge and 
 envy gain immediate possession of their malicious 
 tongues. With vilifying accusations they thus assail 
 
m 
 
 Providence and its instruments : How unequal is 
 the distribution of things in this world ! How little 
 is the attention which is paid to equity ! How great 
 is the felicity of one man when compared with that 
 of another ! — The exclamations of the discontented 
 when they enumerate their meritorious virtues, 
 are such as these ; one boasts of his ancestry, 
 another of his rank, a third of his important situa- 
 tion, and powerful friends, or of whatever is regarded 
 as deserving, according to the fancy of the times. 
 But such an unequal share in the bounty of the 
 Deity is remarked by none but by those who have 
 deceived themselves with unjust expectations. The 
 first labourers in the vineyard had agreed with the 
 householder for the common daily hire, a penny, or 
 a coin which, according to our reckoning, was about 
 the value of one twelfth of a shilling. Their own 
 promises had engaged them to prosecute their 
 labours through the day. What they themselves 
 had desired, and the most that they could deserve, 
 was delivered to them in due time. To hope for 
 more, was simply self-deceit, and to require more, 
 was the greatest injustice. *' Friend, I do thee no 
 wrong, didst thou not agree with me for a penny ? 
 Take that thine is, and go thy way." In such a 
 case, who among us would give a different answer ? 
 The last labourers had consumed the greater part of 
 the day in idleness ; but of the fault they were not 
 culpable. They were ready in the market-place, 
 
59 
 
 but were hired by none. Compassion stimulates the 
 benevolent owner of the vineyard to give them that 
 which they required for the maintenance of life ; 
 and, through compassion, in his recompense he 
 assimilates them to their predecessors, that he might 
 not give them up to that want of which they were 
 not deserving. Is not this a species of conduct 
 which ought to be eulogized, instead of being cen- 
 sured ? Both parties are the receivers of that which 
 they require ; the one sustains no loss, because the 
 other is indemnified : and with respect to both, the 
 householder is good and righteous. To the former 
 he gives the exact reward which was merited by 
 their toils, and, through his munificence, he supplies 
 that which had been innocently lost by the latter. 
 
 How frequently are men the accusers of the 
 unequal distribution of the benefits of Providence, 
 and have, however, no greater reason for their 
 censure, than those envious husbandmen ! We are 
 all the children of God; — we all are ransomed by 
 the Saviour's blood; — and, by means of our bap- 
 tism, we are equally entitled to the good things 
 which can be given us for the sake of Christ. — One 
 need not be destitute, that on another a blessing 
 may be conferred : and the heavenly Governor does 
 not defraud one subject of what is necessary, to 
 pour out a greater abundance on another, for He is 
 powerful enough to cause the felicity of all, without 
 the degradation of each other. Is it an injury to 
 
 \ 
 
60 
 
 the healthy and the lively, that they who are dis- 
 eased receive their cure? — or what is the detriment 
 which is experienced by those who are already 
 favoured with welfare and with honour, if the same 
 progress be made by their poorer brethren ? Should 
 we then be constantly raised above others, and 
 constantly distinguished as the favourites of heaven, 
 by extraordinary proofs of mercy? But, however, 
 let us not consider our duties as deserts. Our 
 vocation in the world is a task which is imposed 
 on us by the Sovereign Lord ; of equal use to us as 
 unto others. It is not at all serviceable to us, 
 except by the consolation of conscience, the noblest 
 and most precious recompense, that we have done 
 according as we ought. So likewise "Ye," says 
 Christ, " when ye shall have done all those things 
 which are commanded you, say, We are unpro- 
 fitable servants, we have done that which was our 
 duty to do." — Luke, xvii. 10. Thus, then, nothing 
 remains which can varnish over our displeasure at 
 the happiness of others. Whether their labours 
 were of long or of short continuance, and whether 
 they were hired early or late, or were of higher or 
 inferior merit because the Lord is bountiful to them, 
 he ceases not to be the same to us; we wanted 
 nothing; to constitute a rational and Christian 
 blessedness, while they, perhaps, were forced to feel 
 the pressure of adversity and opposition. Our 
 situations are suited to our abilities : and who knows, 
 
61 
 
 if our minds be sufficiently powerful to receive and 
 avail ourselves of several gifts, in conformity with the 
 rules of Christ, while, perhaps, they are better fitted 
 for, or could eventually be more instrumental in pro- 
 moting the honour of the Creator and the advantage 
 of men. The mercy which has been shown to us 
 already, soars above our worthiness, and even in cir- 
 cumstances more calamitous we ought to be thank- 
 ful to Providence instead of murmurincr at its de- 
 
 O 
 
 crees; for a sinful and corrupted nature can possess 
 no prerogative by which we could be entitled to the 
 benefits of the Deity. This would be thinking like 
 Christians, and judging with the understanding re- 
 specting the unequal portions in which the Lord 
 appears to bestow his favours on mankind. It is 
 more imaginary than real. Every one receives 
 what he requires, what he is adequate to use, and 
 ought to hope for without presumption. — "Thou 
 openest thy hand, O Lord, and fiUest all things 
 living with plenteousness." — Psalm cxlv. 16. 
 
 But should this also be allowed by a virtuous 
 poor man, " who in the sweat of his face" toils 
 for his bread, and scarcely gains the needful sus- 
 tenance ; and while so many of the sincere acknow- 
 ledgers of Jesus suffer want, and the unrighteous 
 swim in plenteousness? Frequently does the un- 
 godly man adorn his voluptuous body with costly 
 ornaments, and is surrounded by flattering wor- 
 shippers, while the pious one must clothe himself in 
 
 V. 
 
62 
 
 mean attire and shrink back before the unworthy, 
 covered with confusion. Is not the bounty of God 
 too unequally distributed among them ? In contra- 
 diction to equity, the good man appears to be trans- 
 formed into the heedless, and without any reason 
 the destiny which was merited by the one has been 
 conferred upon the other. Notwithstanding this, 
 our established observation can be maintained here 
 also. The difference is more chimerical than real. 
 The bounty which surpasses all temporal benefits, 
 namely, the forgiveness of sins and the certain 
 hope of salvation ; — ^this is the guide of the sincere 
 Christian through all disappointments, to make him 
 a double restitution for every loss in what is tem- 
 poral. Endued with a cogitative spirit, which can 
 investigate the wonders of nature and of grace, in 
 every situation he finds the most abundant source of 
 noble pleasures, and being redeemed from con- 
 demnation by a divine Saviour; — enlightened by 
 the Word, favoured with peace of conscience, 
 through the medium of faith in Christ, and being 
 destined in him for the incorruptible glories of the 
 eternal kingdom; — he bears his lot with joyous in- 
 trepidity, and to him alone belongs this consolatory 
 encouragement of the apostle, that " God hath not 
 appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by 
 our Lord Jesus Christ." — 1 Thess. v. 9- In his 
 opulence and pleasures, never was the impenitent 
 so happy, as not to put it in the power of the pious 
 
 4 
 
63 
 
 man, with these evidences of the divine favour, to 
 be the possessor of far superior felicity, even amid 
 his most severe afflictions. If the former be de- 
 lighted with his treasures and his banquets; the 
 latter is exhilarated by his piety and hopes of faith. 
 The joy of the one produces no effect but on the 
 senses; it passes by him with rapidity, and at the 
 hour of death is changed to horror ; but the cheer- 
 fulness of the other nourishes the soul ; it continues 
 in every vicissitude of life; and when the hour of 
 dissolution comes, it increases to an unparalleled 
 salvation. How precipitately then is Providence 
 deemed less solicitous relative to an indigent 
 Christian ! for he is blessed in a degree far superior 
 to those, by whom his destiny is pitied. Generally 
 we are too full of error, vi'hen we judge of the good- 
 ness of the Deity towards men, according to exter- 
 nal brilliancy ; for it is not that which strikes upon 
 the eye: but the composure of the heart and the 
 joyfulness of the soul, grounded on a conviction of 
 the favour of the Supreme Being, that can occasion 
 our felicity. Disquietude and anguish often draw 
 the deepest lines of care on the countenances of the 
 opulent and the mighty ; sleep causes its refreshing 
 rest to descend on the lowly hovels of the poor ; but 
 speeds its flight from princely habitations, and the 
 daily hireling is re-invigorated by his homely- fare of 
 dry bread and cold water, while restlessness and 
 sorrow excite a loathing of the most' dainty viands 
 
 V 
 
64 
 
 in the palaces of kings; for by manifold vexations 
 power and reputation are surrounded. — Yes! the 
 greater is the dignity, the more numerous are the 
 burdens and sufferings ; and little is known respect- 
 ing that which will be advantageous to them, by 
 those who have a longing after what is magnificent 
 and glittering in the world, being dissatisfied with 
 the tranquil station in which they have been placed 
 by Providence. The dissimilarity which exists be- 
 tween the happiness of lords and servants, appears 
 to be disproportionately great; but frequently it is 
 the imaginary and not the real case. Then we are 
 prepared in this first part to form a more correct 
 opinion of men's unequal participation in the 
 benefits of God. It is less considerable than it is 
 supposed to be by the generality of men; no one 
 sustains an injury; each possesses the portion which 
 belongs to him, or compensation is made for the 
 deficiency by spiritual blessings, when the individual 
 is willing to accept them ; and, under every circum- 
 stance, genuine felicity lies open to all men, in every 
 situation. 
 
 But, by this, the whole difference which exists in 
 the gifts distributed by Providence is not sufficiently 
 explained. Some are favoured still less, without any 
 regard to their ability : though they had the power 
 of being more useful, if God had supported their 
 faculties with the necessary means, and had directed 
 them to higher objects. Others have received more, 
 
65 
 
 with which to operate, than either understandings 
 or hearts to bring it into use. To discover the 
 cause of these unequal shares, we must inquire, in 
 the second place, 
 
 Whether the power and mightiness of Providence 
 be not pecuharly apparent in its self-approved ad- 
 ministration of its benefits? The parable in the 
 Gospel leads us immediately to this elevated con- 
 ception of the independent and unlimited govern- 
 ance of the Sovereign Lord. The householder asks 
 one of the envious labourers, " Is it not lawful 
 for me to do what I will with mine own ?" The 
 pence were his property, and he was most perfectly 
 at liberty to distribute them, in more or less con- 
 siderable sums, to whom he chose, according to his 
 pleasure. Has not God the same authority and 
 power over his donations? The omnipotence by 
 which the earth was moulded into shape, com- 
 municated to her the capability of bringing forth 
 her fruits ; and the hand which spread abroad the 
 firmament of heaven, sends down rain to give 
 moisture to the fields and render them prolific. 
 The earth and atmosphere and seas, with all the 
 opulence which they possess, are the property of 
 the Creator: their use is intrusted unto man, but 
 without any return; for what recompense could 
 be made by us, who are ourselves the operation 
 of his hands, and can do nothing without his 
 succour; and "as in Him" alone we 'live, move, 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 and have our being?" But lie is the uncircurn- 
 scribed Lord of all things, and a benefactor through 
 mere compassion. It is spontaneous mercy that our 
 bodies are strengthened by the food which he pre- 
 pares, and that our hearts are revived by the bless- 
 ings which he has appointed ; and who ought then 
 to prescribe to him the method or the measure of 
 his benefits? Whether his bounty be trifling or 
 considerable, and whatever be the season or the 
 design, it is his own good pleasure : and is it not 
 consistent with our state, to be acquiescent in his 
 will in all things, and to acknowledge his supre- 
 macy, without presuming to extend our judgment? 
 We are ourselves too jealous in retaining the in- 
 dependent direction of our own possessions; we 
 cannot bear that an account should be demanded by 
 those whom it concerns not ; and, least of all, would 
 we tolerate it in those who are beneath us. But 
 must God be obliged to act every where according 
 to our fancy? Should our Father and Governor 
 acquaint us, in all cases, with the grounds of his 
 operations? So little is the veneration which men 
 discover for their Sovereign Lord, that they judge his 
 works with imperious authority, and in their judg- 
 ments treat him as an equal. On all occasions men 
 put the remainder of his perfections to the test ; they 
 censure the ideas which are formed of his attributes ; 
 they have recourse to evasions ; they adopt and 
 they reject ; but most frequently forget his freedom 
 
67 
 
 and his lordly rule : properties, however, by which 
 he is distinguibhed from all beings, and by which 
 all are rendered his subjects. Let us rectify this 
 error: for it derogates from the grandeur of the 
 Divinit}', and is an obstacle to that pious reverence 
 which is his due. With the most profound humility 
 let us admire, as proofs of his authority and power, 
 those ordinances of which we can neither discover 
 the reason nor design. It is his will that we should 
 acknowledge this, and it is for our own advantage 
 to honour him, not only as the most perfect, but 
 also as the most independent and exalted Sovereign 
 Lord. In the instance of Esau and Jacob, St. 
 Paul has shown us the clearest proofs of the Lord's 
 self-pleasing administration of his benefits — Be- 
 fore they had beheld the light of life, and had 
 done what was either good or evil, their mother 
 .was informed by the Lord, that the elder was to 
 serve the younger. — Gen. xxv. 23. But the 
 Apostle justified the ordinance of the Deity, in 
 these words — " that the purpose of God, according 
 to election, might stand, not of works, but of 
 him that calleth." — Rom. ix. 11. He meant to 
 say, that it was thus, in order that God's freedom in 
 his decrees, with respect to the greater and less 
 felicity of man, might be manifested to the world. 
 We ought to learn from this, that the supreme 
 Sovereign of heaven is not bound to show any 
 evidences of his goodness, either to merit or to 
 
 •v. 
 
68 
 
 worthiness. He is not influenced by respect of 
 persons, but confers or withdraws either in an 
 inconsiderable or a great degree, according to his 
 pleasure. 
 
 It is the inquiry of the Apostle, if there is un- 
 righteousness with God ? Be that far from him. — 
 He says himself to Moses, " I will have mercy 
 on whom I will have mercy, and I will have 
 compassion on whom I will have compassion. — So, 
 then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that 
 runneth, but of God, that showeth mercy;" that is 
 to say, it depends not on the desire and endeavours 
 of men, but on the simple merciful bounty and 
 voluntary pity of the Deity. " Therefore hath he 
 mercy on whom he will have mercy, and hardeneth" 
 or treats severely him with whom he pleases to 
 deal in that manner, (15th, l6th, and 18th verses.) 
 Who ought to lift his voice against these divine 
 assurances? What audacity would it be to deny 
 the Creator a right which is a consequence of 
 the essence which he possesses, and of the bond 
 by which we are connected with himself. Of the 
 utility of his decrees we ought to entertain 
 no doubt, for the All-wise does not act without 
 design, and the Holy One allows nothing which 
 militates against rectitude and justice. The mo- 
 tives which actuate him to distribute a greater 
 portion of temporal good things to those who are 
 the least deserving ; or to diminish his munificence 
 
69 
 
 towards those by whom a better use of it would 
 be made, are wise and holy, and suited to the 
 welfare of the whole. To Him they are known 
 the best, and are established in unison, both with 
 the wisdom and the goodness of his eternal counsels. 
 But he has chosen to hide them from our view, 
 that our hearts might be habituated to a perfect 
 obedience and subjection to his simple will. If 
 the understanding could always fathom the advan- 
 tageous and the wise in the paths of the Lord, 
 before we have adapted ourselves to follow them, 
 would not then our own discernment be more en- 
 titled to our obedience than his commands ? How 
 then could we acknowledge, that he is more than 
 a legislator and an instructor, and that he is a 
 Governor and King? But on our side, most con- 
 siderable is the advantage. Even the most trifling 
 benefits are received with more fervent joy, when 
 we regard them as gifts of mercy, of which we 
 were undeserving, and as the effects of the bene- 
 volent impulses of the heart of a loving Father. 
 They assure us of his affection and solicitude 
 for our deliverance;, they strengthen our confidence 
 in his protection, in supervening dangers, and raise 
 up hope in that desponding soul who entertained 
 doubts of her emancipation and of the acceptance 
 of her petitions, through an apprehension of her 
 failings. Yes! it is for our real welfare, tliat 
 Providence displays its directing migh't and j^owcr 
 
70 
 
 in the administration of benefits as itself approves. 
 So little is our God depreciated by men's unequal 
 shares in the blessings of this, life, that the disparity 
 is the cause of the greater increase and exaltation 
 of his unlimited dominion. In fine, it sets forth 
 his infinite goodness in its greatest splendour. Our 
 third remark shall prove 
 
 That the directing mercy and loving kindness 
 of Providence are glorified the most by the dis- 
 similar conditions of men. " Is thine eye evil," is 
 the inquiry of the householder, " because I am 
 good?" He reproaches those who had murmured 
 with, having allowed envy to banish pity from their 
 breasts, and to render them incapable of discern- 
 ing or considering the noblest beneficence. But 
 the same reproaches ought to be directed against 
 those inconsiderate beings who mistake the won- 
 derful anxiety of God for the effectual advantage 
 of men, when he imparts his blessings to them with 
 a difference of number or of magnitude. Let us, for 
 one moment, consider a world, the inhabitants 
 of which are similar to each other in welfare 
 and in rank: — where one does not require the 
 support or protection of another: — where opu- 
 lence and penury, power and weakness, wisdom 
 and simplicity, do not distinguish the multitude 
 into several classes, and where all are completely 
 furnished with the most abundant stores of every 
 thing which can be necessary. Of this world is 
 
 1 
 
71 
 
 the felicity more considerable, and do the lives 
 of these men pass on more pleasantly? at least, 
 intrinsic love has not bound them to each other 
 with that strong bond which joins the indigent 
 to those who are their benefactors — because they 
 are unacquainted with need, they know not how 
 to set a value on abundance. Stimulated by pride 
 and thirst of power, with haste they take up arms, 
 and pursue each other with the bitterest animosity. 
 To be bountiful to the necessitous is a pleasure 
 which they have never felt: — to be perplexed and 
 afterwards relieved by assistance, which could not 
 be anticipated, is a happiness to which they are 
 strangers. Meekness, humility, patience, and fer- 
 vour in devotion, are virtues of rarer occurrence 
 among them than us : but sensuality, profusion, 
 boldness in word and action, violence and crafty 
 and other vices of a similar nature, are predominant. 
 If such be the case, the condition of the present 
 world has incomparably the pre-eminence. In our 
 various conditions and dissimilar circumstances, the 
 especial mercy and loving kindness of Providence 
 shine forth with a glorious lustre. The all-good 
 Father has strengthened one with power and skill ; 
 but has given over another to weakness and in- 
 firmity. Both will tend to promote his glory ; 
 their services will be reciprocal, and they will 
 benefit each other in their respective situations. 
 The stronger ought to avail himself of his ability to 
 
 X. 
 
72 
 
 assist the weaker, to protect liini against violence, 
 and to contribute to his advancement. This 
 teaches him to be grateful to the Creator for the 
 means which he has communicated to him, and 
 to think more considerately on their excellent utility. 
 This awakes in his heart a more ardent desire 
 to be careful not only for himself, but also for 
 others, and supplies him with the means to improve 
 his disposition. The weaker also derives a real 
 advantage from his infirmity. — He learns to ejv- 
 ercise patience, and that will divert his thoughts 
 from outward vanities, will excite a longing in 
 his heart for a communion with God, through 
 faith in the Redeemer, and make him take plea- 
 sure in spiritual meditations. The Lord, who 
 appointed him his weakness, is also the preparer of 
 his release from it, by the instrumentality of those 
 who are his superiors. By this he is encouraged to 
 evince his gratitude towards God and man; and, 
 by this also, a sincere love is excited, both in 
 the assistant and the assisted. They bind each 
 other to a reciprocation of services, in occurring 
 casualties. The distress of the one gives the other 
 an opportunity of manifesting his virtues, and both 
 are subservient to the diffusion of the renown 
 of Providence, in consequence of its gracious ar- 
 rangements for their dissimilar conditions. Were 
 there none in indigence who could receive the gifts 
 of the opulent, their stores would lose tlieir value 
 
73 
 
 and would become a burden on the conscience; for 
 what are they but dust and rottenness, the prey 
 of worms and of devouring time? Their fruits 
 alone, viz. the succouring of those who are in need; 
 — the deliverance of families from destruction; — 
 the advancement of the general welfare; — and 
 other good actions of a similar nature, for the 
 performance of which the treasures of the earth 
 are ordained by Providence; — these alone re- 
 tain their value undiminished, and continue to 
 subsequent generations. When St. Paul was de- 
 sirous of dictating " to the rich in this world" 
 the manner in which they ought to make use of 
 their possessions, in order to be pleasing unto God, 
 and for their own felicity ; he charged them to 
 do good, that they might be rich in good works, 
 ready to distribute, willing to communicate. — 
 1 Tim. vi. 1 8. Thus, the indigent are so far from 
 being appointed for a torment to the wealthy, as 
 to be intended for a blessing. The Lord has dis- 
 tinguished them by a disparity of conditions in that 
 which is external, for the purpose of making them co- 
 alesce in common endeavours for the improvement 
 of the heart, to the praise and thanksgiving of the 
 all-bounteous Ruler of the world. He who gives 
 will be exercised in compassion, and, by the misery 
 of his neighbour, he will be reminded of his own 
 want of the continual protection of Providence; 
 and he, by whom the gifts have been received, will 
 
 V 
 
74 
 
 be exercised in gratitude, contentment, moderation, 
 and a disregard of that which is terrestrial. Their 
 debt is mutual : for either procures the other 
 suitable opportunities to perform the virtues of 
 Christianity, and to magnify the honour of the 
 Supreme Being, in their respective lives. Be ye, 
 therefore, tranquil and acquiescent before God, my 
 serious brethren, in your several circumstances; 
 giving thanks always, for all things, unto God and 
 the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 — (Ephes. v. 20.) Amen. 
 
FOR 
 
 GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 THE ONLY SON OF GOD CRUCIFIED ON GOL- 
 GOTHA FOR THE GUILT OF SINNERS. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 O CRUCIFIED, but now glorified Redeemer! Thou 
 art our defender and the fountain of our salvation. 
 What thanks should we give thee for the holy blood 
 which thou hast poured out for the forgiveness of our 
 sins ; and for thy smarts and anguish, thy wounds and 
 ignominy, and disgraceful death, to which thou hast 
 subjected thyself, entirely through love and pity, to 
 save us from the punishment of which we were so de- 
 serving ? Yes ! we have not thanked thee as we should 
 have done : but have frequently forgotten thine incom- 
 parable faithfulness, and have remunerated thee with an 
 inconsiderate disrespect. We have neglected to diffuse 
 thine honour among men ; or have evinced a less degree 
 of zeal than was befitting us as thy redeemed ; still 
 thou preservest thy love unaltered, and continuest to 
 protect our dearly-purchased souls against the supe- 
 riority of Satan, being ready to support piir faith, and 
 
 X 
 
76 
 
 strengthen it for victory, if we do but heed thine 
 exhortations. Allow, then, thy dear redemption to be 
 continually our most holy meditation ; and thy suiferings 
 to be the object to which our hearts are most desirous of 
 directing their devotion. Strengthen us henceforth in a 
 lively confidence in thy merits. — Awaken in our souls 
 an ardent longing after thy society and communion. — 
 Give us power to overcome the bewitching allurements 
 of corrupted nature, and augment our vigour for the 
 exercise of virtue, that our lives may be an ornament to 
 thy holy name, in this world, until, with lips of angel 
 purity, we shall sing thee a more worthy hymn of 
 gratitude hereafter. Our Father, who art in heaven, &c. 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 John, xix. 1 — 37. 
 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him, 8fc, 
 
 What an important day for heaven and earth 
 is this ! and of much greater moment unto us, 
 men corrupted by sin, than that on which God 
 formed our first parent out of the dust and made 
 him a reasonable creature. In our present situation 
 we must grieve that we were created, if Christ had 
 not effected our redemption, and with great fear and 
 trembling we must flee, as from Mount Sinai ancient 
 Israel did, if Golgotha did not exhibit the crucified 
 Jesus raised on the cursed tree, for the guilt of our 
 sins, in order to make an eternal atonement for us 
 by his sufferings. " This is the day which the Lord 
 hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. This 
 is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
 eyes." — Psalm cxviii. 23, 24. In the council of 
 his eternal Godhead, the Father had appointed us 
 this precious oblation as a propitiation for our sins : 
 the Son, the Lamb of God, who bare the sins 
 of the world, had voluntarily taken upon himself 
 
 V 
 
78 
 
 to make compensation for that which we had 
 infringed; now he consummates his gracious de- 
 termination, and now he makes satisfaction in our 
 stead, that the path to our forfeited happiness 
 may be re-opened to us, and that the Holy Ghost 
 may be able to make us worthy to receive it 
 with purified hearts. Come, then, let us worship 
 before the Throne of grace, and testify, by our 
 devout thanksgivings, that we acknowledge the 
 goodness of the merciful God : come, let us con- 
 template the Shepherd of our souls in his sufferings, 
 and the blood-stained Prince of our salvation in his 
 conflict with death and hell. The account of his last 
 moments, that has just been read, demands our whole 
 attention, and teaches me, both for edification and 
 devotion, to represent to my hearers, on this day,- 
 
 Christ, the only Son of God, crucified 
 ON Golgotha for the guilt of sinners. 
 
 1st. As a lively image of the righteous God's 
 avenging detestation of sin and wickedness : 
 
 2dly. As an instructive pattern for true servants 
 of God in their most severe tribulations : 
 
 3dly. As a consolatory pledge of the grace and 
 compassion of the Most High towards the penitent. 
 
 The only Son of God, the Saviour Christ, nailed 
 to the cross on Golgotha, for the guilt of sinners, 
 
79 
 
 represents, in his person, amidst the most excru- 
 ciating pain, 
 
 1st. A living type of a righteous God's avenging 
 detestation of sin and wickedness. How fearful is 
 the account that we have just heard of his last 
 sufferings ! Warriors, the Roman soldiers, bring 
 him out from the judgment hall to the common 
 place of execution, out of the city of Jerusalem, 
 that was called the Place of a Skull, because, 
 during many years, theie the guilty of death had 
 paid the forfeit of their crimes. Jesus was looked 
 on as a public malefactor; was judged worthy of 
 an ignominious capital punishment, and treated 
 in the same manner as the vilest murderer. What 
 cruelty towards that innocent One, into whose 
 heart neither wickedness nor guile had ever entered ! 
 At the place, vinegar mingled with gall is given 
 him to drink : the Jewish council, which had always 
 been accustomed to allow a sort of intoxicatinst 
 potion to be given to those who were to suffer death, 
 in order that they might be deprived of their senses, 
 and consequently be less susceptible of pain, had 
 sanctioned that drink which was offered him, that 
 an ancient lawful custom n)ight not be set aside. 
 But here also the priests and scribes found an 
 opportunity to manifest their hateful bitterness; 
 instead of wine they brought him the sourest 
 vinegar; this they mingled with myrrh, as bitter 
 
80 
 
 as gall, merely through wickedness, to torment him 
 by every method that their barbarity could devise. 
 He tasted it, but would not drink : he observed the 
 wickedness which they had in their minds, to 
 bewilder his understanding, and to augment his 
 internal sufferings ; therefore he determined rather 
 to faint under the burning thirst that the anguish 
 and restlessness of the night had excited. Here 
 again is a fresh proof of derision, the more intole- 
 rable as it was combined with the most deadly 
 hatred. Jesus must want even the least drop of 
 water to cool his burning tongue; no one will 
 afford him this most necessary refreshment, but 
 his enemies endeavour to torture him still more, 
 by things that had a power to do him injury. 
 What treatment ! now stripped of his apparel he 
 is crucified between two malefactors ; is set forth to 
 be a common jest; is hanged on a tree as the leader 
 of a gang of thieves ; and, according to the pro- 
 phecy of Isaiah, " is numbered with transgressors." 
 Behold, my devout brethren ! all the agonizing 
 species of ignominy, that a raging wrath can devise, 
 heaped together on your pious Redeemer, whose 
 whole life had been a series of great and virtuous 
 actions. His body is exhausted by a lingering, 
 but inconceivably excruciating punishment : and his 
 mind is disturbed and tortured by the most indig- 
 nant contempt. The superscription on the cross 
 denominates him a King, but merely as a mockery 
 
81 
 
 and dishonour: he must suffer the Gentile guard 
 " to part his garments among them, and upon his 
 vesture to cast lots :" his needy friends, who were 
 in want of it, must lose their poor inheritance, 
 and he is not able to defend their right. How 
 this grieved his affectionate and benevolent heart ! 
 He must hear the most vilifying reproaches whilst 
 seized by the sharpest pains of death : the travellers 
 who accidentally passed by, and the chief priests with 
 the scribes and the elders, and the rest of the people, 
 yea, even one of the malefactors themselves, who 
 were crucified with him, and the soldiers by whom 
 he was guarded, all upbraid him with his present 
 visible weakness I — all deride his divine dignity, 
 and despise his kingdom, saying, " Thou that 
 destroyest the temple and buildest it again in three 
 days, save thyself: if thou be the Son of God, 
 come down from the cross." And again, " He saved 
 others, himself he cannot save :" " if he be the King 
 of Israel, let him now come down from the cross 
 and we will believe him." Here enmity and a thirst 
 after vengeance gained the victory over all human 
 feelings ; and here wickedness and hatred banished 
 the last remains of natural compassion. A well- 
 disposed man never insults the unfortunate in their 
 sufferings, although they have deserved them : but 
 these savage minds assail their most sincere bene- 
 factor, who had taught them a pure knowledge 
 of God with wisdom and meekness, had healed 
 
 "V 
 
82 
 
 their sick, given rest to the needy, rescued the 
 possessed from the violence of the devil, and fed 
 them in their hunger: — these are they who assail 
 him with unjust criminations, who pervert his doc- 
 trine and testimony to a reproach against himself, 
 and redouble his sufferings with contemptuous mer- 
 riment. Oh ! think then on the anguish that Jesus 
 must endure amid those tyrannically-minded men, 
 and judge what his noble soul felt at such outrages ! 
 Their obduracy in open unrighteousness; their 
 daring abuse of the most sacred truths to derision 
 and contempt ; and their invincible blindness and 
 resistance — what could he do but grieve over such 
 melancholy proofs of the excessive depravity of 
 the human heart? But his torture is not yet 
 ended. The most violent anguish of soul, under 
 the bitterness of which he had nearly sunk in the 
 garden of Gethsemane, assails him again, and 
 forces from him this tremendous cry : " My God, 
 my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Thus 
 he had not that consolation remaining, by which 
 other witnesses of the truth were encouraged at 
 their death, that the Father had deigned to bestow 
 upon him his gracious protection and pleasure. 
 Thus the powerful influence of grace was taken away 
 from his sorely afflicted soul, and an agonizing 
 dread laid siege against all his intellectual faculties. 
 He saw the boundless deep which was filled up 
 with the transgressions of sinners, and all these he 
 
83 
 
 must consider as his own, because he had imputed 
 them to himself, as Redeemer. He saw the burn- 
 ing wrath of eternal righteousness kindled against 
 him for vengeance, as a warning and example to 
 the whole rational creation. Is it then wonder- 
 ful that he broke out into a woeful, but confident 
 complaint ? Lastly, when a sponge filled with 
 vinegar, fixed on a bunch of hyssop, had been 
 offered him, he bowed his head and yielded up 
 the ghost O fearful event! 
 
 But how could Providence, which is the guardian 
 of the innocent, here suffer that the most zealous 
 worshipper of God and the most sincere of men 
 should be so piteously tormented, even unto death ? 
 And how could it deny him its consoling favour 
 at this lamentable time, without acting in oppo- 
 sition to justice, and ceasing to be righteous ? We 
 must stop at these questions, both perplexed and 
 uncertain in what manner they ought to be an- 
 swered; if the Scriptures had not taught us, that 
 in the person of our blessed Saviour, God would 
 set forth a living type of his avenging detestation 
 of wickedness, and that our sins were laid upon 
 him ; for we could not bear them ourselves without 
 being immersed in incessant misery. " Surely he 
 hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows:" 
 and again, " he was wounded for our transgressions, 
 he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement 
 of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes 
 
 V 
 
84 
 
 we are healed." — Isaiah, liii. 4, 5. And " he that 
 knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might 
 be made the righteousness of God in him." 
 2 Cor. V. 2 1. 
 
 Both the sovereign power and the other holy 
 attributes of God, the reputation of the law, and 
 the felicity of the reasonable world, demanded 
 an atonement for the trespasses of men ; and either 
 they themselves must be given up to their own 
 destiny, and condemned to ceaseless wailings, 
 through their continuing disobedience, — but this 
 was too inconsistent with the compassion of the 
 merciful Father, who had formed us to receive the 
 abundant proofs of his favour, and desired our 
 eternal welfare — or another, if we could be 
 saved from the impending danger, must make satis- 
 faction for our misdeeds in our stead. — And by 
 what means could God prove that he ruled over 
 all nature with unlimited power, if he could not 
 punish his enemies according to their merits ? Who 
 could recognise his detestation of sin and impiety, 
 or worship him as a holy and righteous Judge, 
 if he had not proved in action how much he 
 was offended by that evil ? But by what method 
 could he manifest this his holiness and righteous- 
 ness, except by that of punishing transgressors? 
 What availed it to bind thinking creatures to virtue 
 and good works by laws, if they who refused to 
 obey were not corrected? and how could angels 
 
85 
 
 arid all other rational beings discover his deter- 
 mined hatred of vice and trespasses, if punishment 
 were not inflicted on the contemners of the divine 
 commandments? The Lord then must require 
 an atonement for our sins. Without a propitia- 
 tion he could not forgive, except he chose to 
 militate against his own perfections : then, as man 
 could not make satisfaction without his own destruc- 
 tion, the Son was sent to take our obligations 
 on himself and to fulfil them. The punishment 
 which we ought to suffer must be undergone by 
 him, that the righteousness of the Deity might be 
 glorified; that his holiness might shine forth in 
 its full brightness before spirits; and that his 
 sovereign dominion and power might be fixed on 
 an immoveable foundation. Has not St. Paul 
 expressly asserted, that " God hath set forth 
 Jesus to be a propitiation, through faith in his 
 blood, to declare his righteousness for the re- 
 mission of sins?" — Rom. iii. 25. Now we con- 
 ceive, why it was allowed by Providence that the 
 guiltless Saviour should become the prey of his most 
 cruel enemies ; that angels and the sons of men might 
 learn what chastisement is merited by sin, and how 
 hateful it is to God; and in this the wise Creator 
 would exhibit an affecting proof of his purest 
 love of virtue and of truth ; a love, which cannot 
 bear the least wickedness to be unpunished. He 
 will admonish us all of his burning wrath against 
 
 V 
 
wickedness and vice, to deter us from tlie service 
 of sin, to impress our souls with both fear and 
 sorrow for voluntary disobedience, to draw away 
 our minds from the vanities of the world, and 
 to disturb the carnal security in which the sensual 
 man so quickly sleeps. What then is Jesus in his 
 crucifixion, but a visible evidence of his heavenly 
 Father's impartial righteousness and hatred of sin? 
 But his behaviour on the cross is also, 
 
 2dly. An instructive pattern for true worshippers 
 
 of God in their most severe tribulations. — The 
 
 words which he spake are golden rules for 
 
 the conduct of a Christian, for they show such 
 
 a noble disposition of mind, that it ought to be 
 
 held up as a model, after which all right-minded 
 
 men should form their characters and modes of 
 
 thought. When his enemies mock him, he is 
 
 heard to pray, " Father ! forgive them, they know 
 
 not what they do." What patience! David, 
 
 transported by the zeal of the Spirit, curses the 
 
 enemies of the Church of God : but Jesus blesses 
 
 those who had raised their violent hands against 
 
 her Lord. Elias prays that fire may fall from 
 
 heaven and consume those who would seize him : 
 
 but Jesus prays that heaven may open its kingdom 
 
 of grace, and pour out its loving kindness over 
 
 those who had torn his agonized body to pieces 
 
 with murderous stripes; — had doomed him to a 
 
 painful death without a cause, and now reviled 
 
87 
 
 him in his anguish. What meekness! His heart 
 knows no longing after revenge, and he accom- 
 plishes in action the advice that he had formerly 
 given his disciples : " Love your enemies, bless 
 them that curse you, do good to them that hate 
 you, and pray for them which despitefuUy use you 
 and persecute you." — Matt. v. 44. But how in- 
 structive for us is this pattern of placability ! We 
 also, as the faithful followers of Christ, are bound 
 to pardon the defects of our adversaries : and who 
 would leave the world with a soul thirsting after 
 vengeance ? Would we accuse our frail brethren 
 hereafter; we, who are accused by an evil con- 
 science ourselves, and require forgiveness ? W^ould 
 we prosecute our warfare there, where peace and 
 unanimity prevail ; there continue our disputes, 
 where no sentence will be passed except on those 
 who' are worthy of condemnation ? Therefore, if 
 ye do not forgive men their trespasses, your hea- 
 venly Father will not forgive yours : forgive your 
 debtors, if you would wish that God should for- 
 give your offences. — This is the doctrine of our 
 Lord, strengthened by his own example : this is 
 one of the most sacred Christian duties, which have 
 been enjoined by the Saviour, and for the perform- 
 ance of which he will demand an account at the 
 last day. — ^Yes, Father ! — thus thinks a disciple of 
 Jesus both in hfe and death; — forgive my enemies, 
 for they know not what they either are doing or 
 
88 
 
 have done. Did they know their duty and my 
 innocence, they would not have depreciated me : 
 teach Thou them to see their own defects, and give 
 them grace for repentance, that the bonds of friend- 
 ship which have been burst on earth, may, at least, 
 be rejoined hereafter, and continue inseparable in 
 a blissful eternity. The affectionate anxiety of the 
 crucified Jesus for his afflicted mother is also 
 heard. — " Woman," says he, " behold thy son!" 
 and immediately after he turned to John, and said, 
 " Behold thy mother !" Her tears of sorrow pene- 
 trated his feeling soul : he was moved to compassion 
 on the helpless condition in which his death would 
 soon leave her, and was sedulous to procure her the 
 support of a sincere friend. John, his most beloved 
 disciple, is appointed to be her guardian and her 
 comforter ; that he might love her as her only son, 
 and might experience a maternal love from her 
 in return. So powerfully is the heart of Jesus 
 affected by the need of his friends, that he forgets 
 his own sufferings to hasten to their assistance. 
 What a demonstration of fidelity and love! It 
 ought to be followed by a worthy acknowledger of 
 the Redeemer, and become a rule for the tenderness 
 which a Christian should feel for his family. How 
 little is it considered by parents, who thoughtlessly 
 waste their possessions in sinful pleasures, until 
 at last they quit this world in penury, and leave 
 behind their children unprovided for, and in cir- 
 
89 
 
 cumstances the most miserable ! How shamefully 
 is it transgressed by those thankless children who 
 abandon an urgent parent to a painful want, and 
 deny him the necessary relief ! Faithless masters 
 of families forget their honest servants, when they 
 are rendered useless by disease, and unrighteous 
 rulers stop their ears against the piteous clamours of 
 their subjects. But their mind is worldly, and not 
 consistent with the Christian temper : and Paul has 
 painted them in right colours when he testifies, " that 
 if any provide not for his own, and especially for 
 those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, 
 and is worse than an infidel." — 1 Tim. v. 8. 
 
 The latest words of Jesus on the cross teach us 
 the best manner of death, and represent a depar- 
 ture from the world that is on many accounts 
 deserving of our wishes. " Father," says he, " into 
 thy hands I commend my spirit." Father ! O thou, 
 my God, who hast loved me with a paternal affec- 
 tion as thy Son, may my soul be committed to thine 
 Almighty care and protection, now when it departs 
 from the body ; take it to thyself in thy kingdom of 
 glory, and exhilarate it with an unchangeable joy in 
 thy society. I have lived to thy honour, and faith- 
 fully have I performed thy holy commandments ; 
 and according to thy wisdom and thy goodness 
 thou wilt recompense this my soul with abundant 
 blessings. After the example of his Saviour, this 
 is the language that is held by the hope-fraught 
 
90 
 
 Christian at his death. He is not distracted by 
 fearful doubts respecting his future destiny ; for 
 faith is preserved in an unspotted conscience from 
 his days of health ; and he does not cast back his 
 longing eyes towards the world, with a desire of 
 living there any longer, for he has learned to despise 
 its deceitful brilliancy. No anxious arrangements 
 are heard respecting earthly prosperity, or other 
 similar unseasonable preparations with which the 
 ungodly frequently torment their spirits at the final 
 hour. His heart is already so engrossed by the 
 anticipated happiness of heaven, that it is no longer 
 susceptible of worldly cares. It may excite painful 
 feelings in a virtuous father and mother, that death 
 will separate them from each other, and tear them 
 away from their children ; but they are not over- 
 come with grief; for the Lord liveth, who is able to 
 provide for the survivors : time glides rapidly away, 
 and eternity will again- effect a union which will 
 never end. What reason is there then for un- 
 willingness or dread ? During life, O Christian ! 
 mayest thou be thus prepared by faith and piety 
 to meet the approach of death with the fortitude of 
 the Redeemer ! Let not the lust of the flesh dimi- 
 nish or expel thy longing after what is heavenly ; for 
 only let the vanities of the world intoxicate thy 
 heart, and thou wilt hang upon its outward mere- 
 tricious glare, and be suddenly betrayed. Let thy 
 heart be converted into a dwelling for the Holy 
 
91 
 
 Ghost, that being sustained by him, thou mayest 
 confidently exclaim, " Abba, Father !" and eagerly 
 desire that he may accept thy prayer. Then thou 
 wilt die the death of the righteous, and thy last 
 end will be like his. But, my devout brethren, 
 look also on the crucified Jesus, in his sufferings, 
 
 3dly. As a consolatory pledge of the mercy 
 and compassion of the Most High towards the 
 penitent. His language comprehends this cheering 
 hope, that a better life awaits us after death ; 
 because all that the Deity required, as an atone- 
 ment for sin, was by him accomplished. How 
 animating is his address to the penitent thief! 
 " Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be 
 with me in Paradise." Here is an assurance of 
 pardon, and of a forgiveness of sin ; and here is a 
 promise of a glorious immortality ! Jesus, that 
 man who was despised by the people, and was 
 himself in the most fearful agonies, yet dares 
 to assure a contrite malefactor of the divine mercy. 
 As he who was himself the author of life, and as 
 Lord, possessed the heavenly blessedness, he pro- 
 mises the thief to carry him to his kingdom, and 
 to give him a share of the joys of Paradise. He 
 testifies by his words that the soul is not destroyed 
 with the body, but is continued in a state of being 
 after its egress from the world ; that it will be 
 admitted immediately into a blissful residence; 
 
92 
 
 and he proves his own glory by declaring, that the 
 thief would be with him in Paradise. 
 
 What precious doctrines ! And these were 
 promulgated by our Saviour in the midst of his hu- 
 miliation, with an authority which belonged to 
 him, as the Son of God. He proves then, even 
 on the cross, that he is more than man ; and he 
 confirms our hope of life and salvation through 
 him ; not simply with promises, but in deed and 
 in truth. This once careless, but now amended 
 sinner, mounts from the cross to heaven. Jesus, 
 in his victorious triumph over Sin and Death, 
 conducts him into the presence of his Father; 
 places him before the throne of grace as the spoil 
 of his struggle, and as the fruit of his bloody con- 
 flict ; and glorifies his redemption by giving him a 
 deliverance from the menaces of hell. Oh ! why 
 then should we doubt whether the death of our 
 Lord has also taken away our guilt, and whether 
 his passion has opened to us a sure avenue to the 
 glorious mansions of incorruption ? On the peni- 
 tent thief we see that accomplished which the Re- 
 deemer had promised his servants in the preceding 
 part of his ministry ; viz. " I am the Resurrection 
 and the Life : he that believeth in me, though he 
 were dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth 
 and believeth in me, shall never die." — St. John, 
 xi. 25, £6. 
 
93 
 
 This then ought to be our most important con- 
 cern, to be able to imitate this pardoned sinner, by 
 an earnest repentance, and by an immoveable 
 trust and comfort in the propitiation which was 
 made by Christ. How powerful was the faith 
 that he evinced, although surrounded with terrify- 
 ing doubt and severe temptations ! He saw the 
 Saviour in his deepest humihation ; and yet he could 
 honour him as the sovereign ruler of the world. 
 And what are all the impediments which keep 
 back contemners from an acknowledgment of Him 
 now, when compared with those with which the 
 thief must contend, and still he gained the victory? 
 Should zve then be more tardy in our conviction, 
 more lukewarm in our submission, and wavering 
 in the veneration which we owe him; — we, who 
 have the most immoveable certainty of the grandeur 
 and power of Jesus, in his stupendous resurrection ? 
 Our faith will vanquish the most seducing doubt, 
 when it is rooted in a heart which repents of sin and 
 hates iniquity : simply the inordinate lusts of the 
 flesh, and an excessive regard for what is sensual, 
 are the cause of the removal of that trust which 
 ought to signalize the friends of Christ; — those 
 who bear his name, and pretend that they are his 
 adorers. Let a man only strive first to suppress the 
 enticements of evil propensities, and faith wi-ll not 
 then be so easily shaken, for it is built on the 
 firmest foundation. Furthermore, has not Jesus 
 
94 
 
 declared, in his solemn assurance on the cross, that 
 all is fulfilled ? What the prophets had foretold, 
 and the types had prefigured, that is consummated 
 by his death. The scheme which God had formed 
 from eternity, for the deliverance of a ruined race, 
 is brought forth and fulfilled by his atonement. 
 Our sins are exactly expiated, and an eternal recon- 
 ciliation is established between the Deity and us. 
 Yes, " Death, where is thy sting ? O Grave, where 
 is thy victory?" Thanks be to God, my beloved 
 brethren, that giveth us the victory, through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. He cried, " It is finished !" 
 and immediately after yielded up his spirit into 
 the hands of his Father, for now there was no 
 longer any reason why he should live any more in 
 misery : the wretched were ransomed from con- 
 demnation, and a well-grounded freedom was pro- 
 cured them. O victorious Redeemer ! would that 
 the world could aw^ake from the sleep of security 
 in which it is buried, in profound ignorance, and 
 perceives not what would be for its advantage. The 
 slaves of lust, and captives of the flesh, reject the 
 state of liberty which has been purchased for them 
 with thy blood. They choose rather to serve the 
 old seducer, and to obey his violent dominion, than 
 to possess their dearly-purchased souls, unstained 
 and purified from vanity, beneath thy benign 
 government. Yet rather ought we to pray for 
 their respite, and that grace may be given them for 
 
95 
 
 repentance, than to arraign them for their disobedi- 
 ence. Stir them, then, O Lord ! with the penetrating 
 power of thy Spirit, that worketh through the medi- 
 um of the word, that they may perceive their want of 
 thy precious satisfaction, and in due season seek for 
 the remission of their sins by thy holy blood : — and 
 keep all of us, who love thee and confess thy name, 
 unalterably in a lively faith, until our final breath, 
 that while we are here, we may be able to diffuse thy 
 honour among men by our pious conduct, and that 
 hereafter we may be deemed worthy to sing solemn 
 songs of praise to thee, with the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, amid a countless multitude of spirits, 
 in an eternity of happiness. Amen. 
 
FOR 
 
 SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 THE SALUTARY EFFECTS WHICH ARE PRO- 
 DUCED IN THE HUMAN HEART BY THE 
 RIGHT USE OF THE WORD. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Praised be tliy all-holy name, our Father and com- 
 passionate God ! that thou hast appointed us thy divine 
 word to be a rule for our conduct ; that thou hast set it 
 as a shining light in the paths of our salvation, and hast 
 ordained it to be a remedy for our feeble powers i What 
 thy piteous grace and love decreed for our deliverance ; 
 what thy gracious Son, our dear Saviour, suffered and 
 accomplished for our freedom ; and by what means our 
 sinful nature shall be rendered fit to receive the pur- 
 chased salvation ; — are subjects which we learn with the 
 most perspicuous certainty from thy sacred doctrines. 
 May we ever be but as ready to avail ourselves of 
 thy gracious benefits, as thou hast been bountiful and 
 munificent to impart them. May we only be suffi- 
 ciently considerate to prefer the everlasting felicity of 
 
97 
 
 tlie soul to the deceitful pleasures of the world and to 
 the happiness of life. O ! how soon then we should 
 experience the effectual power which thou hast given 
 to thy word, to comfort and refresh, to hallow and 
 improve us. Armed for a triumphant warfare against 
 the allurements of the flesh, we should perambulate thy 
 ways with strength and confidence ; we should love thy 
 truth, estimate it highly, and in all our conduct 
 follow it as an infallible model. Teach us then, O mer- 
 ciful Father ! to be more mindful of thy goodness, and 
 to make use of it more worthily. Give us grace to 
 hear thy precious exhortations with an unfeigned 
 desire of instruction. Give us wisdom and prudence 
 to adopt thy affectionate counsels ! Give strength and 
 ability to execute thy holy will with a happy progress, 
 and permit that in our conduct it may be seen what 
 thy word is able to effect in the amelioration of sinners, 
 in the suppression of voluptuousness, and in the increase 
 of virtue ; we beseech thee, in the name of our 
 Redeemer, Jesus. Our Father who art in heaven, &c. 
 
 li 
 
 V 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 Luke, viii. 4 — 15. 
 
 And zehen much people were gathered together^ and tcere 
 come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable : 
 
 A sower went out to sow his seed : and as he sowed, some 
 fell by the zoay-side, and it zcas trodden down, and the 
 foxvls of the air devoured it, SjC. 
 
 As by its origin the word of God is distinguished 
 from human wisdom and earthly ingenuity; that 
 is, his holy servants spoke because they were under 
 the impulse of the Spirit, that searcheth all 
 things, even the deep things of God ; so, by its 
 especial power, it is highly glorified above all that 
 has been discovered by the human understanding. 
 It does not merely fill the ear with pleasing sounds, 
 but it penetrates into the heart, sets the mind in 
 motion, and excites a longing after a conduct that 
 is well-pleasing to the Deity. And that it persuades 
 us to become virtuous, and exhorts with energy, is 
 not all ; for of itself it effects an improvement of 
 our hearts, it suppresses evil desires, — it ennobles 
 our will, and gives us power to perform that of which 
 
99 
 
 corrupted nature is not capable. Only read with 
 reflection the sublime description which the Lord 
 gave of the miraculously powerful operations of his 
 word in the prophecy of Isaiah. " For as the rain 
 cometh down, and the snow from heaven," saith he, 
 " and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, 
 and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may 
 give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater ; so 
 shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth : 
 it shall not return unto me void ; but it shall 
 accompUsh that which I please, and it shall pros- 
 per in the thing whereto I sent it." — Iv. 10, 11. 
 In what a lively manner does this simile represent 
 the prolific influence of divine truth on the soul of 
 man ! By rain the earth is softened, and becomes 
 fit to bring forth fruit ; and by the word the natural 
 hardness of a sinful heart is taken away, and it 
 communicates to the feeble sinner fresh energies 
 and fresh powers for the performance of good 
 works. The rain returns not to the clouds, but 
 spreads its moisture on the thirsty land, and hides 
 its fruitful parts in the bosom of the earth; and 
 God will not deprive his word of its perpetual 
 efficacy, but continues with a signal progress to make 
 use of it on the soul for a real improvement. Rain 
 refreshes the fainting creature which languished 
 under thirst, and the word animates the anguished 
 mind, that was pressed down by torturing anxiety. 
 Under a similar figure, in the Gospel for the day, 
 
 V 
 
100 
 
 Jesus has attributed the same properties to his 
 word of grace : he describes it as a productive 
 seed, the fruit of which could be increased to an 
 hundred-fold; and shows that its powerful effects 
 are not arrested, except by the obstacles which 
 have been raised by men themselves. But in this 
 remembrance are also contained both a caution for us 
 against all heedless converse with the sacred truths, 
 and an adinonilion respecting their right use, in 
 order to attain to the object for which they wei'e 
 promulgated. What better opportunity could I 
 even desire, to liold up and unfold to my hearers 
 the following most important fundamental doctrine; 
 namely, 
 
 THE SAVING EFFECTS WHICH ARE PRODUCED 
 IN THE HUMAN HEART BY A RIGHT USE 
 OF THE WORD. 
 
 And for that purpose I ought to explain, in the 
 first place. 
 
 What saving effects can be produced in the 
 human heart by the word ; 
 
 And in the second. 
 
 Its right use, in order to produce these glorious 
 effects. 
 
 The first head also comprises two remarks ; 
 and we must primarily ascertain whence proceeds 
 
101 
 
 the especial power with which the word of God is 
 endowed ; and, secondly, in what are shown the 
 effects of which it is productive. What Jesus 
 has briefly alleged in explanation of both parts, 
 is more amply illustrated by the Holy Ghost in 
 other places in the Scriptures ; and he confirms it 
 with indubitable evidence. As far as it is possible, 
 we Avill collect them in a connected order, that 
 their meaning may be placed in a clearer light, and 
 consequently more certain inferences be deduced. 
 
 In the present parable, Jesus informs us of the 
 origin of the especial power with which the sacred 
 Scriptures are endowed. The word, designated by 
 the seed, he calls the word of God himself: that is, 
 a doctrine which has been revealed, not by man, but 
 by God ; and truths which have been brought to light, 
 not by any finite and circumscribed understanding, 
 but by the omniscience and wisdom of the Deity. 
 They are distinct from the inventions of the worldly 
 wise, and are hallowed by their immediate divine 
 original ; and they derive their strength and power 
 not from the artifices of wit, or the alluring fasci- 
 nations of eloquence, but from the co-operation of 
 the Omnipotent. The Holy Ghost combines his 
 effectual grace with the heavenly doctrines, gives 
 weight to the promises, deepens their impression 
 on the heart, and excites in the soul of the readers 
 or hearers, at one time, an inward sorrow for past 
 sins, and at another, a consoling hope and confi- 
 
 V. 
 
10? 
 
 dence in the merits of Christ Jesus, and an ardent 
 desire to follow the footsteps of the Saviour in the 
 paths of virtue, according to their actual situation 
 and mental disposition. He is ever ready to cause 
 these emotions by means of the word, when it is 
 either heard or read, although in different degrees. 
 His co-operating power is ever living, although not 
 always equally perceptible, and leaves perpetual 
 hints in the mind which is docile. Not the sound 
 of the word, or the form of the letter, but the con- 
 tents and meaning are rendered effectual on the 
 devout heart, by means of the assistance of the 
 Spirit. The precious and benign assurances 
 by which the supreme compassionating Deity 
 has promised penitent offenders the remission 
 of their sins through Christ, our Lord ; — the 
 glorious encouragements by which the faithful are 
 made certain of an access to, and an inheritance in 
 eternal life, through the medium of the atonement 
 and intercession of the Saviour; — and the excellent 
 admonitions that ought to persuade and lead a 
 Christian to an irreproachable holiness, after the 
 example of God and Jesus; — these are the Scrip- 
 tural truths with which the Holy Ghost especially 
 conjoins his operation. Their power is super- 
 natural, because it surpasses all the great and mo- 
 mentous things that man could eflect by his own 
 skill ; and it is divine, because it proceeds from 
 God, the Holy Ghost, who in essence and in attri- 
 
.10^ 
 
 butes is one with the Father and the Son. lu 
 this respect the name of Word of God is borne 
 by the sacred doctrines : they are called " the 
 power of God unto salvation to every one that 
 believeth," Rom. i. 16; and, " unto us which are 
 saved, it is the power and wisdom of God." — 1 Cor. 
 i. 18, 21. For the same reason St. Paul bore 
 witness that his preaching was not with enticing 
 words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration 
 of the Spirit and of power, that the faith of his 
 converts should not stand in the wisdom of men, 
 but in the power of God. — 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. There- 
 fore he says of those who had received the Gospel 
 of salvation, that " they were sealed with that holy 
 spirit of promise," Ephes. i. 1 3 ; and therefore the 
 holy oracles are called " an incon^i^ptible seed, 
 that liveth and abideth for ever." — 1 Pet. i. 23. 
 This testimony confirms what Jesus has declared, 
 under the parable in the Gospel, that the Divinity is 
 the cause of the effects of the word, and that its whole 
 salutary influence on men derives its origin from 
 him. Cannot the world bring forward the clearest 
 proofs of the supernatural efficiency of the sacred 
 doctrines, by its own experience ? In vain so many 
 sages among the heathens had been zealous against 
 vice, and had eulogized virtue. With their spark- 
 ling eloquence, scarcely could they stimulate a 
 small number of their fellow-citizens to external 
 decorum; the propensities which tyrannized over 
 
 V 
 
104 
 
 the mind were always too powerful for them. They 
 knew of no method that could be adopted to bring 
 them to subjection. Their hearers found no counsel 
 against the violent assault of concupiscence, and 
 they were the slaves of their bosom sins themselves. 
 Lust, superstition, ignorance of God, and the un- 
 righteousness and subtlety of the mighty, had 
 plunged the most polished nations into the vilest 
 bondage. Piety was depressed, but irreligion 
 triumphed in every place, when the Gospel of Jesus 
 was first to be planted. This word, so displeasing 
 to the flesh ; this preaching, so foolish to imaginary 
 wisdom ; and these doctrines, so little compatible 
 with the customary wishes of the world, were de- 
 livered in simplicity, without skill or grandeur, 
 by indigent and illiterate fishermen. These rejected 
 teachers were persecuted with the most bloody 
 cruelty ; and their adherents, before they dared to 
 support the doctrines of Christ, must resolve to 
 expose their lives to the greatest dangers, and 
 sacrifice all their earthly welfare and dignity, 
 rather than war against the truth. Notwithstandinjj 
 this, the Gospel vanquishes the most formidable 
 enemies : it incites to a serious conversion num- 
 berless persons of both sexes, in every place, from 
 every corner of the earth ; and effects in one age 
 by poor and despised instruments, that which, 
 during many centuries, mere reason could not, 
 although it was surrounded by honour and by 
 
i05 
 
 reputation. The heattiens become Christians, 
 more humane, virtuous, and reverential towards the 
 Supreme Being : they learn to know the Eternal as 
 he is, both the rich and poor, the exalted and the 
 lowly : they have a greater certainty of a future 
 state of existence, and no longer seek their hap- 
 piness in the vanities of the flesh. Does not this 
 visible change supply the clearest evidence of the 
 divine power of the word ? It is manifest that the 
 Divinity himself must work with the holy truths ; for 
 the world has experienced it in such proofs as 
 no human art and power could produce. Let us 
 receive this consolatory assurance wdth hearts full 
 of joy and gratitude ; we are now convinced that 
 the pious thoughts, the holy purposes, and the 
 devout emotions that arise and burst forth within 
 our souls under a perusal or a hearing of the 
 Scriptures, are grateful to the Lord, for they are his 
 own work. Now we have no longer any reason 
 to doubt the possibility of our conversion ; and we 
 have nothing to excite apprehension in consequence 
 of difficulties which meet us in the paths of piety, 
 because the Almighty performs that of which our 
 feeble faculties are not capable: He strengthens 
 the languid powers; — He raises the sinking heart, 
 and by his invincible assistance the word will 
 contend with the depravity of nature and make 
 us profitable in good works. How glorious is the 
 consolation that reanimates our anguished hearts, 
 
 X 
 
106 
 
 when meditating on the sufferings of Jesus ! It 
 sweetens the bitter pains which no human counsel 
 could mitigate, for it is the Spirit of God by whom 
 we are comforted. Why does a Christian joyfully 
 await his fast-approaching emancipation from the 
 miseries of the world ? — The promises of the word 
 refresh his fainting spirit under the burden of the 
 cross ; and this is to him a precious pledge of the 
 loving kindness and grace of the eternal Father, for 
 it is occasioned by the Spirit, that worketh on the 
 heart, according to the will of the Father. This 
 leads me to inquire, in the second point to be con- 
 sidered, viz. in what manner the word of God 
 chiefly evinces its glorious effects. These, in the 
 Gospel for the day, are assimilated by the parable 
 to the produce of a fruitful seed. " That on the 
 good ground," says Jesus, " are they which, in an 
 honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep 
 it, and bring forth fruit with patience." A mind 
 which is calm, and takes delight in God, and that 
 murmurs not against Providence because of the 
 tribulations of life, but endures its lot, and bears it 
 with fortitude; a sincere and unpretended resig- 
 nation to the paternal mercy of the Deity, w ithout 
 either prescribing to him the manner or season, ordis- 
 trusting his succour in due time, however long it may 
 be withheld — this, according to the testimony of 
 our Lord, is the Christian's mental disposition, which 
 will be the fruit of the word, for it causes patience 
 
107 
 
 ill sufferings, constancy in hope, confidence and 
 comfort in the protection of Providence in all cir- 
 cumstances. But he would simply adduce one 
 proof of its efficacy. His Apostles, however, 
 found an opportunity to illustrate it more exten- 
 sively, and they have ascribed to the revealed doc- 
 trines the most efficacious influence on the prin- 
 cipal faculties of the soul, — the understanding and 
 the will. St. Paul testifies, that " God, who com- 
 manded the light to shine out of darkness, hath 
 shined in our hearts to give the light of the know- 
 ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
 Christ;" — 2 Cor. iv. 6; and that the holy Scrip- 
 tures are able to make men wise unto salvation; 
 and that they are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 
 for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. 
 2 Tim. iii. 15. Jesus himself certifies, that it is 
 his Spirit that quickeneth : the flesh profiteth no- 
 thing ; and that the words that he spake unto them 
 were spirit and life. — John, vi. 63. And he ordained 
 revelation for a common means of grace, both for 
 the instruction of the faithless, and for the confirma- 
 tion of believers, in the acknowledged truth. 
 
 Thus, then, by the word will be eftected all 
 the iuiportant changes which pertain to the real 
 improvement and conversion of the natural man ; 
 it disperses the mists of ignorance, and destroys 
 errors; it exhibits the most glorious attributes 
 of the Deity in their full splendour ; •■ it teaches 
 
 V 
 
108 
 
 lis to have an adequate knowledge of tlie decrees 
 of the ]\Iost High, that we may judge correctly 
 respecting what is required for our eternal deliver- 
 ance, and to have an insight into our duties to- 
 wards Him, ourselves, and our neighbours, with the 
 most perfect conviction. By this means only can 
 the will be incited to an earnest liatred of sin, and 
 to a longinp; after holiness ; and from no source but 
 this can virtue emanate, or righteousness derive its 
 origin. The word ought to be our rule in our actions, 
 because it contains the commandments and the 
 precepts of the Lord himself. But it is more than a 
 rule or law : it is a means of enabling us to accom- 
 plish that which he enjoins. Here the understand- 
 ing discovers what he has done for our redemption ; 
 and here the will is encouraged to make it sub-- 
 servient to its interests. We are enlightened re- 
 specting the road to life in the Gospel, and are 
 strengthened to follow it by the same holy Book. 
 It binds us to duties, and gives power to perform 
 them ; it cautions us against vice, and imparts 
 vigour to resist their seductive fascinations. Here 
 the sufferer will not seek alleviation or relief in vain; 
 for the preaching of the cross pictures to his eye 
 the crucified Saviour as the mighty deliverer of the 
 distressed, who, by his own blood, entered once 
 into tiie holy place, and brought him back an eternal 
 redemption from liis jjreatest woe, — the everlasting 
 unsTuish of the soul. Here counsel and comfort will 
 
109 
 
 be found by the disconcerted sinner, who trenihlod 
 before at the righteous anger of the Sovereign Judge ; 
 and here is a cure for the wounded spirit, and en- 
 couragement and consolation for. a broken heart. 
 Oh ! what joy in every trouble to have recourse to 
 this fountain of comfort ! O thou afflicted and tor- 
 mented One ! that, destitute of friends, fluctuatest 
 between hope and fear, wanting the most need- 
 ful restoratives in worldly concerns, and also 
 full of anguish in those which are spiritual ; re- 
 pair to the oracles of mercy, and attend to the 
 precious promises in which the heavenly Father lias 
 poured out the fulness of his commiserating heart. 
 Mark those affectionate words, " As I live, saith 
 the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of 
 the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way, 
 and live." — Ezekiel, xxxiii. 11. " Fear thou not; 
 for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I am 
 thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help 
 thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of 
 my righteousness." — Isaiah, xli. 10. Hear also 
 this heart-strengthening encouragement: " God so 
 loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten 
 Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not 
 perish, but have everlasting life." — John, iv. 16. 
 Hear this inestimable assurance : " The blood of 
 Christ cleanseth us from all sin ;" — this joyful 
 hope: " There is no condemnation to them wiio 
 are in Christ Jesus, who walk not aftep the flesh, 
 
 V 
 
110 
 
 but after the Spirit;" — and also the friendly 
 invitation of the Redeemer himself: " Come unto 
 me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I 
 will give you rest." 
 
 Canst thou either hear or read these and 
 numberless other divine promises of a similar 
 nature, without being penetrated with desire and 
 joyfulness; — without being reanimated to hope and 
 fortitude, and excited to the most inward thanks- 
 giving, and without forming the most ardent re- 
 solutions to give subsequent honour to the great 
 compassionate Being, by a persevering virtuous 
 course, in due obedience to his holy precepts? 
 When these thoughts and emotions are occasioned 
 by [the word, mayst thou give them thy perfect 
 soul! They are the works of the Spirit, which 
 bring forth abundance of fruit for the confirma- 
 tion of hope, the increase of piety, and the sup- 
 pression of appetite. Thus, by means of the co- 
 operation of the Holy Ghost, do the saving truths 
 manifest their divine power in those hearts which 
 are contrite and penitent. 
 
 The word operates ditferently on the secure 
 and impenitent, who must be brought to conver- 
 sion under the discipline of the Spirit: to such 
 belong the menaces of the law and the dreadful 
 fear of wrath, for the hardened heart must 
 be mollified by powerful means; therefore the 
 word which the Lord speaketh is compared to a fire, 
 
Ill 
 
 and a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ; — 
 (Jer. xxiii. 29) and it is quick, and powerful, and 
 slmrper than any two-edged sword, piercing even 
 to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and 
 of the joints and marrow ; and is a discerner of the 
 thoughts and intents of the heart. — Heb. iv. 12. 
 
 When the Almighty declares his eternal dis- 
 pleasure and threatens with vengeance ; — when the 
 derided name and dishonoured blood of Jesus 
 bring complaints against transgressors; — when all 
 the dreadful anticipations that death and repro- 
 bation represent to the ungodly, assail the con- 
 science ; and when the Spirit himself stamps horror 
 on the troubled heart by these torturing images 
 — What an affliction! — who could repel these 
 agonizing emotions and go on in his former in- 
 consideration ? To despise them would be to 
 harden one's self to a sceptical temerity. Would 
 rather that in their invading anguish the uncon- 
 verted would follow that warning voice which calls 
 them to the Gospel ! Would that they became 
 obedient to the chastisement of the Lord, and 
 suffered themselves to be bowed down to humility ! 
 And would that with a mournful hate of sin, they 
 sped them to the grace of the Redeemer, and 
 sought for an asylum in his merits ! To actuate 
 them to this resolution, for their own deliverance 
 and emancipation, the Spirit has disturbed their 
 security by his threatenings : " The law is our 
 
 V 
 
112 
 
 schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ," says St. 
 Paul. — Gal. iii. 24. Thus, even what is terrible 
 in the operations of the word, has no other object 
 than the advantage of men. In all cases it is an 
 inestimable means of grace, and a proof of the 
 especial tenderness of the Deity towards the ruined 
 descendants of Adam, which exceeds the highest 
 blessings of the earth. But how little could this 
 really profit us, if we were constantly neglectful of 
 its right use? They who continue from time to 
 time in infidelity and impenitence, know, by their 
 own experience, that the sacred dogmas produce not 
 their effects with irresistible power; for by opposition 
 sinners can efface, or at least weaken the strongest 
 impression. This very circumstance is more ac- 
 curately explained by our divine Teacher in the pre- 
 sent parable, when he enumerates the different 
 methods by which the progress of the seed may be 
 arrested. But under this parable is also contained 
 an instructive remembrance of the holy duties, which 
 are to be more deeply considered in the second 
 head. Christ's description of the impediments to the 
 fruitfulness of the seed teaches us, 
 
 2dly. How to acquire a more perfect knowledge of 
 the right use of the word, in order to bring forth 
 its glorious fruits. Attend particularly to the fol- 
 lowing triple rule: — it ought to be heard and 
 read — 1st. with seriousness and attention, — 2dly. 
 witii penetration and conviction, — and 3dly. 
 
lis 
 
 with an indefatigable desire to follow in a sin- 
 cere simplicity what the Lord has enjoined. 
 
 The word cannot produce its glorious effects, 
 except in those who, according to the first rule, are 
 accompanied by devotion and attention when they 
 either read or hear it. As the scattered seed 
 could not penetrate into the beaten path, and 
 was sown to no purpose, being either trodden 
 down by travellers or devoured by the birds of 
 heaven, so neither can the word sink into the 
 hearts of those by whom it is either heard or 
 read, without subsequent meditation : the tempter 
 is at hand and snatches it away; for he is an 
 enemy to their salvation, and tries to obstruct 
 their faith, in order to plunge them into everlasting 
 ruin. " Those by the way side," says Jesus, " are 
 they that hear; then cometh the devil and taketh 
 away the word out of their hearts, lest they should 
 believe and be saved." That he, the old serpent, 
 and crafty seducer, who surprised the innocence 
 of our first parents and occasioned their ruin, 
 still persecutes their posterity with the same cruelty, 
 is what we are taught by the Apostle Peter, when 
 he exhorts us to be vigilant, " because our adver- 
 sary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, 
 seeking whom he may devour." — 1 Peter, v. 8. 
 But whom can he vanquish with greater ease than 
 the heedless, and whom would he more frequently 
 attack than the simple, who, through a want of 
 
 I 
 
 V 
 
114 
 
 knowledge, caused by their own negligence, are 
 destitute of weapons to withstand him ? The word 
 pf God ought to fortify them with vigour and 
 courage, but this they know not through their 
 carelessness, and it ought to lead them through 
 all temptation to the wished-for goal, but they 
 are ignorant of its glorious utility, because it has 
 never been the subject of their meditations. — 
 Is it wonderful, then, that many who listen to 
 the divine promises only through custom and 
 without feeling, should cast away their unstable 
 faith at the first attack, and allow the destroyer 
 to gain a victory over the last remains of decorum ? 
 We should count a smaller number of the reck- 
 less and sinful, were all industrious in the examina- 
 tion of the sacred doctrines; and the contemners 
 of God would be fewer, and the great multitude 
 of secure sinners would be perceptibly diminished, 
 if all were desirous of instruction and ready to 
 meditate on the word. To a cold negligence 
 of the truth ignorance owes its birth ; ignorance 
 is the parent of vice, and vice begets mockery. 
 What dangerous consequences ! It is rarely the 
 case that wickedness attains at once its summit: 
 it increases gradually, and advances from the 
 least to the greatest offences : but it is not un- 
 common, that they who were at first negligent 
 or less under the influence of awe, break out at 
 last into an open rejection of the most sacred 
 
115 
 
 injunctions. How assiduously the apostle advises us 
 to " give ear to the word of prophecy, which is as a 
 light that shineth in a dark place!" — 2 Peter, i. 19. 
 
 David calls him alone " the blessed man, whose 
 delight is in the law of the Lord, and who me- 
 ditates in his law, day and night." — Psalm i. 2 ; 
 and St. Paul commended the Bereans, because 
 " they received the word with all readiness of mind, 
 and searched the Scriptures daily whether those 
 things were so." — Acts, xvii. 1 1 . 
 
 However, at last we ought to be persuaded to 
 become devout and attentive in our pious exercises 
 by so many motives, that is, the dangers to which 
 we are otherwise exposed, the exhortations of God 
 himself, and the example of the saints. Let us 
 then be sedulous to hear and ready to read what 
 God has prescribed, when neither hindered by 
 time nor circumstance; and let us banish extraneous 
 thoughts and lay aside worldly cares whilst me- 
 ditating on the word, that the mind may not 
 be disturbed and lose its love for what is spiritual ! 
 May this be a law which ought never to be trans- 
 gressed, to begin the day with prayers and close 
 it with thanksgiving; and may it be one of the 
 most considerable of our duties, and one of the 
 first and most important of our labours, to search 
 the Scriptures, in order to collect a greater stock 
 of spiritual ideas for the enlightening and refreshing 
 of the soul ; then we are duly prepared to ex- 
 
116 
 
 perience the powerful effects of which the word 
 can be productive. By the second rule we are 
 bound to carry on our pious meditations with pe- 
 netration and conviction. This also has been 
 urged by Christ, in the adduced parable: — "A 
 part of the seed that fell upon stony places, sprang 
 up, but withered away, because it had no deepness 
 of earth." — This is an emblem of those hearers 
 who receive the word with joy when they hear 
 it; but as they have no root, they only believe 
 for a time, and fall away in the days of tribulation. 
 Their faith was not rooted on a grounded con- 
 viction; it rested merely on imagination and hu- 
 man credit, and their knowledge was not the 
 result of deliberation, but had been received with- 
 out a farther trial. They had confidence in the 
 truth, but without feehng its power, because they 
 knew it not exactly according to its nature ; their 
 strength was not real but imaginary ; thus when 
 sufferings environed the body, hope must fall, 
 because it was built without a foundation ; and 
 when anguish assailed the heart, their faith tot- 
 tered, for it was destitute of the support which 
 it required. They wanted enlightening, and had 
 believed without the understanding, as blind wor- 
 shippers of a Redeemer, of whose worthiness and 
 properties they were ignorant. What then could 
 strengthen their courage, or confirm their constancy, 
 when calamity befel them ? Alas ! that this num- 
 
117 
 
 ber should even now be the greatest ! But how 
 few are furnished with spiritual wisdom to examine 
 truths, and to judge respecting their intrinsic ex- 
 cellence I How seldom is the knowledge of the 
 mysteries of Christ's kingdom so considerable and 
 extensive, that a man can discover the glorious 
 connexion and order in which one is combined 
 with another, all for the honour of God and our 
 advantage. On this account, so great is the multi- 
 tude of vacillating and unstable Christians ; and 
 from this arise the many scandalous changes in 
 the Christian world. At one time, when mockery 
 and ungodliness bore sway, men wished to appear 
 to be free-thinkers, perspicacious, more skilful than 
 the great body of mankind, and determined scep- 
 tics; and at another, when virtue was the direc- 
 tress, they were anxious to seem devout, feeling, 
 inwardly affected, and full of faith ; for men for 
 the most part take pleasure in the name of Jesus, 
 and wish to become Christians ; but they forget 
 the trial which ought to be made of the Christian 
 doctrines, and coincide with them without the 
 understanding : neither are they penetrated with 
 the love of the Saviour, for this pre-supposes deep 
 views and deliberation ; but they are merely heated 
 by certain motions of the fancy, which pass hastily 
 away, and are annihilated in a moment when tliey 
 meet with opposition. Therefore when St. Paul 
 was desirous of preventing the converted Colossians 
 
 V 
 
118 
 
 from relapsing into their former infidelity, through a 
 want of a well grounded conviction, it was his prayer 
 to God " that they might be filled with the know- 
 ledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual under- 
 standing ; that they might walk worthy of the Lord, 
 unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, 
 and increasing in the knowledge of God." — Coloss. 
 i. 9, 1 0. Thus then may it be a steadfastly con- 
 tinuing and unalterable law for all Christians who 
 are rightly disposed and willing to learn, to increase 
 their insight into religion by industry, to weigh 
 the holy doctrines fundamentally, to prove them 
 with care, and to confirm their faith with im- 
 moveable evidences. Let them ascertain exactly 
 how much, or how little, the understanding has 
 comprehended of the confession which is made 
 with the lips ; and examine what impression the 
 truth has effected, and what joy, or comfort, or 
 fortitude it has excited in the heart. We confess 
 that our Lord is the Son of God, really God 
 and Man, the Redeemer of the world, and the 
 Prince of salvation; but let us scrutinize what 
 is our precise idea of these expressions ; whether 
 we understand in what respect the Saviour is 
 called the Son of God, and how both natures, 
 the divine and human, are united in one person ; 
 to what end he made an atonement, by what 
 means, and what was its cause. Then let us try 
 our own strength, whether we know the Scripture 
 
119 
 
 evidences of these mysteries, and how to explain 
 them? If there be not some doubts remaining 
 that require an answer, and how it ought to be 
 given? If such doctrines could contribute to the 
 advancement of holiness, and in what their utility 
 consists ? If we be too weak to satisfy ourselves 
 with respect to these or other questions of a similar 
 nature, then also our knowledge is insufficient, 
 and our faith stands on a feeble foundation, and 
 is suddenly subverted in tribulation and adversity. 
 In order that the word then may produce its 
 glorious effects, it ought to be made use of for 
 edification, with clear views and conviction. 
 Lastly, in our meditations on the word, we are 
 bound to bring with us an indefatigable desire to 
 follow, in a sincere simplicity, that which God has 
 appointed. Some of the seed, under the similitude 
 of which the word is described in the Gospel, 
 " fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprang up 
 with it and choked it." " Such," says Christ, 
 " are they, which, when they have heard, go forth 
 and are choked with the cares and riches and 
 pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to per- 
 fection." — An invincible distaste for spiritual me- 
 ditations prevails in their earthly minds : the sa- 
 cred doctrines are heard with aversion, when de- 
 cency commands an attendance in the temple of 
 the Lord, and a wearisome stupefaction envelopes 
 the understanding as long as the enjoined devotion 
 
120 
 
 is continued : they turn their attention to irrele- 
 vant and sinful thoughts, that their consciences 
 may not be affected by the admonition of the word, 
 and sacrifice their whole time to external objects 
 which merely concern the body, being careless 
 about the soul, whose advancement in eternal wel- 
 fare must always be deferred to a more convenient 
 opportunity. Do not these men frustrate the utility 
 which they might derive from the doctrine of 
 Christ, and make the labour of the Spirit profitless 
 by their voluntary disobedience? Their conduct 
 bespeaks a free-willed contempt of grace, and the 
 evil and polluted heart is apparent in all their actions : 
 they are determined transgressors, like the obdurate 
 and stubborn Jews, of whom the martyr Stephen tlius 
 complained: — " Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised 
 in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy 
 Ghost." — Acts, vii. 51. Differently disposed are 
 Christians who have learned to prize the inestimable 
 value of the word. They take delight in thinking 
 upon God, and in living in an intercourse with him 
 by prayer and devotion ; they are desirous of 
 hearing that which he commands, and seek their 
 dearest bliss in his communion. In their opinion 
 nothing is to be pursued with greater eagerness 
 than an enlightening relative to his wondrous es- 
 sence and his deep decrees ; than a knowledge of 
 his holy will and their own duties ; and encourage- 
 ment and consolation from his precious promises. 
 
121 
 
 Such a mental disposition characterizes the sincere 
 and good heart in which the word of God will 
 be preserved : but only to those who keep it in 
 such hearts, has Jesus promised its most glorious 
 fruits. — Yes, Lord! thy law is perfect, convert- 
 ing the soul : thy testimony is sure, making wise 
 the simple : thy commandments are right, and give 
 joy to the heart: thy precepts are clear, and en- 
 lighten the eyes; and this shall be our comfort in 
 our woes, that thy word will give us endless life. 
 Amen. 
 
 V 
 
FOR THE FOURTH 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES, A MODEL MOST 
 DESERVING OF BEING IMITATED BY THE 
 TRUE WORSHIPPERS OF GOD. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 So gloriously, O hallowed God ! thou hast reveakd 
 thine infinite perfections in all nature, and thy divine 
 majesty shines forth so transcendently, through the 
 evidence of thy word'; that with admiration thy true 
 worshippers must magnify and praise Thee, as the most 
 perfect Being; and inclination and zeal must impel them, 
 when they meditate on thine attributes, to imitate Thee 
 as a model of virtue most deserving of being followed. 
 Forbid, Lord, that any among us should intentionally 
 shut his eyes, or steel his heart, to a determined 
 resistance. Enlighten the understanding of those who 
 are now surrounded by the darkness of ignorance, that 
 they may see thy glory; — and stamp in their hearts a 
 prevailing longing for thy more immediate society, and 
 a zealous desire to resemble Thee in all the good which 
 
123 
 
 can be suitable unto our nature. Give all of us both 
 inclination and power to follow thine example, and 
 strength and courage to walk in thy footsteps, in the 
 paths of truth and righteousness : then also thy God- 
 head will be glorified by our lips before the world, until 
 we can sing Thee a more worthy hymn of praise amid 
 the spirits and the saints above. Hear us, Our Father 
 who art in heaven, &c. 
 
 V. 
 
SERMON VI. 
 
 Luke, vi. 36 — 42. 
 
 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is 
 merciful, 8^c. 
 
 When Moses meditated on the infinite per- 
 fections of the Supreme Being, with justice he 
 could ask, " Who is like unto Thee, O Lord ! among 
 the gods ? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, 
 fearful in praises, doing wonders?" — Exodus, xv. 11. 
 He thought of the idols of the heathens, and 
 saw their weakness. He thought of the unworthy 
 actions for which their blind worshippers extolled 
 them as holy. He thought of the vices to which 
 they were openly avowed to be addicted, and of 
 the absurd motives, which were related of them 
 by their ministers, in order to deceive the senseless 
 people. But, at the same time, he turned his eye 
 towards the God of Israel, and contemplated His 
 mightiness and glory, evinced in miracles the most 
 stupendous. He observed the dignity which con- 
 ducted all His operations; the lioliness which 
 shone forth in all His ordinances ; and the hatred 
 and abhorrence of evil which were manifested in 
 the most righteous laws. He saw the intinite 
 difference between the false gods that were the . 
 
125 
 
 works of men's hands, and the true Deity who 
 had been the immediate Creator of both heaven 
 and earth. Is it surprising, then, that he inquires 
 with pious reverence, or rather that full of holy 
 wonder he breaks forth in this affecting canticle 
 of praise, " Who is like unto Thee, O Lord ! 
 among the gods? glorious in hohness, fearful in 
 praises, doing wonders ?" But who have greater 
 reason to admire the attributes of God than the 
 acknowledgers of Jesus, to whom the Father, with 
 the Son and Holy Ghost, is revealed in his most 
 glorious splendour? and who ought to take greater 
 pleasure in meditating on the divine perfections, 
 than those who worship Christ, who are not merely 
 led to a right knowledge of God, but are also 
 encouraged and commanded to imitate their hea- 
 venly Father, as worthy children? He will not 
 simply be acknowledged and honoured by us, 
 as the most perfect Sovereign Lord, but will be 
 loved and followed by his sincere adorers as their 
 best model. With this intent let us sustain our 
 devotion with a closer consideration of the divine 
 perfections : I will propose 
 
 THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY, AS A MODEL 
 MOST DESERVING OF THE IMITATION OF HIS 
 TRUE WORSHIPPERS. 
 
 To illustrate this doctrine, it is necessary to 
 inquire, ' ' 
 
 V. 
 
126 
 
 1st. What divine attributes the true servant of 
 God ought to imitate? 
 
 And then,,:ji ^..-.ju. 
 
 2dly. For what purpose, and in what manner, 
 they ought to be imitated? 
 
 "Be ye merciful," says Jesus in the Gospel, 
 " as your Father also is merciful." He exhorts 
 his hearers to meditate on the mercy of the ever- 
 lasting Father, with the determination of imitating 
 him in modes of thought and conduct. They 
 must evince compassion on their necessitous neigh- 
 bour, as the Father has shown pity and mercy 
 to sinners who had been rendered wietched by the 
 fall. They must dilate their hearts to the need 
 of the afflicted, — alleviate their grief, — soften their 
 severe destiny, and succour them with benefits, — 
 with the same promptitude, zeal, and affectionate 
 anxiety as the celestial Parent daily discovers in 
 his gracious provision for them and for their 
 brethren. Here, then, one of the attributes of the 
 Deity is set before our eyes as a pattern deserving 
 of imitation. Here Christ himself has encouraged 
 us to regulate our conduct towards our neighbour, 
 when he is pressed down by adversity, conformably 
 to the tender solicitude which God manifests 
 towards all of us, for our deliverance and for 
 our protection. But is mercy, then, the only one 
 of the divine attributes which ought to be imitated ? 
 
127 
 
 Are his other perfections less consistent with our 
 nature ? Or does his divine essence possess nothing 
 noble, — nothing deserving of admiration, — which 
 could adorn our immortal soul, except mere com- 
 passion ? But let us not be hasty in drawing 
 conclusions to the abasement of the holy majesty 
 of God. Because in the Gospel which has just 
 been read Jesus simply enjoins an imitation of 
 the divine mercy, he does not deny that the Deity 
 in other respects must also be our model. Here 
 he merely spoke of general charity unto all man- 
 kind : he had recently cautioned them against 
 vengeance and against misanthropy ; he had com- 
 manded them *' to love their enemies, and to lend 
 to them from whom no return could be expected :" 
 now he proceeds to develope the several proofs in 
 which the love of our neighbour should be evinced ; 
 and among them, the first which he denominates 
 is mercy. He had not a fit opportunity to extol 
 more of the divine perfections at this place, as 
 deserving of imitation : he requires by name that we 
 ought to follow the Father in mercy on the afflicted, 
 because it was the chief tenor of his present sermon 
 to inculcate on men, a disinterested, impartial, and 
 operative love towards each other : but on other 
 occasions Jesus himself directed his hearers to an 
 imitation of others of the attributes of God. " Be 
 ye perfect ; that is, holy, righteous, and without sin, 
 even as your Father which is in hea>ven is perfect." — 
 Matth. v. 48. Without any limitation, St. Paul 
 
 V. 
 
128 
 
 exhorts the Ephesians '' to be followers of God 
 as dear children." — v. i. : and St. Peter admo- 
 nishes us " to be holy, in all naanner of conversa- 
 tion, as he which hath called us is holy." — 1 Epist. 
 i. 15, 16. Thus then we are bound to imitate 
 more of the attributes of the Deity, in order to 
 be formed after his likeness. In many respects 
 he is our pattern ; for his essence contains the 
 most glorious perfections in which our image ought 
 to be invested, in order to attain to the worthiness 
 without which he cannot recognise us as his chil- 
 dren. But is it possible for us to resemble him 
 in all? Can our Hmited nature then either receive 
 or contain the grandeur and the majesty of the 
 Infinite? It is evident, my devout brethren, that 
 in many glories he cannot be the object of our 
 imitation. We ought to separate the divine at- 
 tributes, to which some similarity may have a 
 place in a spirit which is limited, from those which 
 distinguish the Most High, and glorify the great 
 Creator of the world above all his creatures. 
 That the former and not the latter are to be 
 imitated, I hope to be able to explain more fully 
 in the first consideration, where it is asked, 
 
 3. What divine attributes the true worshipper 
 of God ought to try to imitate? We know that 
 under the name of the essence of the Deity is 
 contained all the great, the glorious and the perfect 
 that can be imagined respecting a God, considered 
 as Creator of the world, and the Sovereign Lord 
 
129 
 
 over all things ; his essence is indivisible, and 
 nothing can be separated from all the grandeur 
 which is ascribed to him, if he be to continue 
 God. No change, no turning, no beginning or end, 
 no measure, no limit, no confine can be found in his 
 nature : the moment that he is changed from what 
 he is, whether increased, altered, or diminished, we 
 must immediately acknowledge that in himself he 
 is not necessary, and independent of other things. 
 Neither also could he be eternal, but must 
 derive his origin from a higher cause, that could 
 direct, appoint, deteriorate, or improve him. How 
 little then would he be the most perfect Being, 
 the Supreme, the One mighty Lord over all crea- 
 tures ! — if he with justice bears that appellation, 
 in all things he must be infinite : what he pos- 
 sesses must be natural to him, and indivisible 
 from his Godhead, which is all only one per- 
 fection, one grandeur, one glory and majesty. He 
 operates at all times and in every place, with 
 one and the same infinite power, but in different 
 ways, according to the different qualities of things 
 that are subject to his operation. Our concep- 
 tions of God, when we wish to speak accurately 
 respecting him, must always then be collected under 
 one and the same expression, because he cannot be 
 separated from himself into several parts, except in 
 the consideration of his several perfections: therefore 
 is his essence only one, and God is one. But what 
 » K 
 
130 
 
 darkness would conceal the celestial Father from 
 his short-sighted children, if all the great and 
 perfect which can be imagined of him were to be 
 surveyed at one glance, or comprehended under 
 one idea, in our feeble understanding ! We 
 should lose our intellectual faculties in the depths 
 of the Deity, and apprehend nothing. We should 
 be stopped by the mere sound of the word ; our 
 thoughts would extend no farther, and disorder, 
 confusion, and obscurity would invade and baffle 
 our judgment. On that account, in our ideas, 
 we must discriminate several perfections in the 
 essence of the Godhead, although in themselves 
 they are all united ; and therefore we must think 
 of God at one time as omnipotent, at another, 
 as wise and righteous ; now, as bounteous, and 
 full of loving-kindness, and then as omniscient, 
 omnipresent, eternal, and immutable. It is one 
 and the same God, by whom these attributes 
 are all possessed; in the aggregate they con- 
 stitute one and the same essence; and are an 
 infinite power in the Supreme Spirit, being solely 
 distinct with regard to their operations : but we 
 must consider them separately, because our weak 
 understanding cannot comprehend them, at once, 
 with equal clearness ; therefore several properties 
 are ascribed to Him, and every distinct perfection 
 in his essence, of which we derive a knowledge 
 either from the sacred page of Scripture, or from 
 
131 
 
 the powers of reason, is denominated an attri- ■ 
 bute. As many individual glories and pre-emi- 
 nences of which he is the possessor, so many 
 attributes then we believe are found in him, but 
 all combined together in one indivisible power and 
 grandeur. 
 
 Of these there are some by which he is distin- 
 guished, as Sovereign Lord and as Creator : but 
 there are others which appertain to Him in conse- 
 quence of his spiritual nature. To the first division, 
 eternity, immutability, omnipotence, omnipresence, 
 and omniscience, are especially belonging: on the 
 contrary, the second contains his holiness, goodness, 
 mercy, wisdom, and righteousness. Can it now 
 be difficult for us to judge which of the attributes 
 of the Deity ought to be the objects of our imi- 
 tation ? As little as we can ascribe to ourselves a 
 superiority over the universe, a power to create, 
 or a free and unlimited faculty to operate ac- 
 cording to our own pleasure; so little ought we 
 to imagine that we could resemble our God, in 
 the former division of his properties, by which 
 he is distinguished as Creator and as Sovereign 
 Lord. Then our life has a beginning and hastens 
 on to its impending end ; and then our spirit is 
 not self-existent, but draws her origin from God ; 
 who, according to his own good pleasure, has 
 formed her for an everlasting state : besides what 
 similarity is there between the eternity of which 
 
 V. 
 
132 
 
 He is the possessor, and that of which we could 
 have any expectation r He for ever knows 
 no origin and no decay, and of his years there 
 cannot be either an increase or a diminution : he 
 has always dwelt in his divine glory, and he 
 eternally will be existent, encompassed with the 
 highest happiness. David says of him, " Before 
 the mountains were brought forth, or ever the 
 earth and the world were made, thou art God 
 from everlasting, and world without end." — 
 Psalm xc. 2. " The heavens and the earth shall 
 perish," says St. Paul, '* but thou, O Lord ! re- 
 mainest: they shall wax old as doth a garment, 
 and as a vesture thou shalt fold them up and 
 they shall be changed : but thou art the same, 
 and thy years shall not fail." — Heb. i. 10, 11, 12. 
 And St. James says, that " with the Father 
 of lights there is no variableness or shadow of 
 turning." — i. 17. His mightiness forsakes him 
 not, and his power passes not away. What he 
 decreed from eternity, will be immoveable for ever : 
 it repents him not to have determined on a counsel : 
 and this must be accomplished without being ar- 
 rested by impediments. But what is more variable 
 than man, both in mental qualities and in corpo- 
 real condition ? What formerly we would not, 
 that we have now resolved to do ; and that which 
 formerly we disbelieved, may, after a little time, be 
 adopted with our concurrence. Yes ! it would be 
 
133 
 
 evident folly to have a wish to resemble the Deity 
 in his eternal and unchanging nature. Such per- 
 fections are suitable to none, except to Him who 
 is the Author of the good and perfect. 
 
 But could it be more easy for us to imitate his 
 omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence? God 
 is almighty, because He presides over all nature, 
 and effects all by his simple will. That which he 
 will execute occasions him no trouble : with a word 
 he creates the world, and with a nod he turns it to 
 destruction. Bv the word of the Lord were the hea- 
 vens made, and all the host of them by the breath of 
 his mouth : he spoke, and it was done ; he commanded, 
 and it stood fast." — Psalm xxxiii. 6, 9- God is omnis- 
 cient, because the most secret thoughts in the hearts 
 of men are known to him ; and because the most 
 remote past occurrences and future casualties, even 
 to the desolation of the world ; both the actual and 
 the possible, and the vast and the diminutive, from 
 everlasting, are contemplated by him with the most 
 certain insight and prescience, as in the clearest 
 light. " Lord," says the Psalmist, " thou iiast 
 searched me out, and known me ; thou knowest my 
 down-sitting and up-rising : thou understandest my 
 thoughts long before ; thou art about my path, and 
 about my bed, and spiest out all my ways. For, lo ! 
 there is not a word in my tongue, but thou, O Lord ! 
 knowest it altogether." — Psalm cxxxix. 1, 2, 3. 
 He rules in heaven and earth, is equally near all his 
 
134 
 
 creatures, is effective on them all, and is present 
 with every one, vv^ith vt^ill and understanding, with 
 knowledge and with power, with essence and with 
 nature. " Whither shall I go then from thy 
 spirit ?" continues David ; " or whither shall I go 
 from thy presence? If I climb up into heaven, 
 thou art there ; if I go down to hell, thou art there 
 also : if I take the wings of the morning, and remain 
 in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there also 
 shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall 
 hold me." — Psalm cxxxix. 6, 7, 8, 9- But do we 
 not learn immediately from this description of these 
 attributes of God, that they also exceed all our 
 powers ? There is nothing in our whole nature by 
 which they can be imitated : and neither in mightiness 
 nor in knowledge, nor in omnipresence, can finite 
 man assimilate himself to that which is infinite. Our 
 weakness prohibits our execution of such works as 
 he performs; — our ignorance does not allow us to 
 scan his knowledge, much less to reach it ; — and our 
 limited nature must be confined to certain places, 
 and is incapable of being in every place as the 
 Lord is. How then could we presume to follow the 
 example of God in these perfections ? Who would 
 set before him as a model, his eternity, immutability, 
 omnipotence, omniscience, and ubiquity, and form 
 after them his modes of cogitation, or of conduct ? 
 With other views God has informed us of these his 
 attributes; not to imitate them in our conduct, but 
 
135 
 
 to become the subject of our thoughts, that we 
 may praise, admire, and spread abroad the honour 
 and renown of our Creator. They are to be the 
 basis of our hope, our confidence, our consolation, 
 and our refuge ; they are to excite a holy venera- 
 tion in our hearts, and impress our souls with an 
 immoveable assurance of his gracious succour in all 
 our necessities ; and, by their means, the mind is to 
 be drawn away from the service of vanity, and the 
 will is to be deterred from the lusts of the flesh. 
 What a comfort it is to those who are in need, that 
 God is omnipotent; and never was the most afflic- 
 tive dispensation so great as not to allow the power 
 of the Deity to afford assistance to be greater and 
 mightier ! What an admonition to those who are 
 secure and unrepentant, that God is omniscient, 
 and that all their thoughts and wishes, and all their 
 paths and actions are observed by a righteous 
 Judge, who does not relinquish, although he stays his 
 vengeance ! And what an exhortation to holiness 
 and virtue, as well in solitude as in public, — as well 
 in heart as in expression and external demeanour, 
 that God is omnipresent ! He conducts us from step 
 to step; he sees us in the darkest corner, and he 
 follows us to the inmost recesses of our lonely habi- 
 tations. Who then would awaken him to anger by 
 secret transgressions, although they were not noticed 
 by the world ? Thus the former division of the divine 
 attributes serves for our improvement, although not 
 
 •V 
 
136 
 
 for our imitation. We can be encouraged by 
 them to act providently, and to pay attention to 
 religion; but they do not teach us by what 
 method our mind can be formed to a resemblance 
 of the image of God ; and they furnish us vvitli no 
 pattern that, in our weak and infirm nature, could 
 be adopted for improvement. 
 
 God will only be imitated by his upright wor- 
 shippers with respect to those perfections which 
 pertain to him in consequence of his spiritual 
 nature. What their spirit can have in common with 
 his, although in a lower degree, in that he requires 
 that they should select him for an example, and 
 follow his footsteps : it is possible for us to pursue 
 holiness and virtue; for, by a proper use of the 
 means of grace, our soul is endowed with a 
 capability of subduing evil inclinations, and is ex- 
 cited to the love of truth ; therefore God has set 
 forth his own holiness, his abhorrence of sin, and 
 his pleasure in that which is good, as a model which 
 ■we ought to try to imitate. It is not impossible, while 
 we are in a state of mortal life, to be endued with 
 Christian wisdom; to deal righteously ; to overcome 
 the malice of our foe; to exercise beneficence to- 
 wards the distressed ; or to perform other virtues of 
 a similar nature, which are well-pleasing to the Deity; 
 therefore he commands us to be wise, righteous, 
 compassionate, and tenderly afiectioned, as himself. 
 Our spirit is gifted with a thinking understanding, 
 
137 
 
 and with a free power to resolve, or a will. It is 
 formed in the image of God for righteousness and 
 holiness, and consequently is not destitute of the 
 necessary capacities for receiving that virtuous 
 formation of mind which He desires ; and here 
 his own Word is an encouragement and guide, 
 for from him those virtues derive their origin 
 and are grounded in his essence. In these 
 attributes he is a model for the faithful which 
 can be imitated, because grace renders them fit 
 to effect this, and nature meliorated by conversion, 
 no longer impedes, or arrests their industry. You 
 now see, my Christian brethren, what are the 
 divine attributes which ought to be copied by the 
 real worshippers of God : they ought to be ob- 
 servant of his wisdom, and be led, ^y that means, 
 to a course of sanctity and foresight: they ought 
 to direct their attention towards his holiness, 
 to discover how sin should be abominated and 
 piety esteemed : they ought to place before them 
 his tender compassion, that they may be moved 
 to loving-kindness and mercy towards the mi- 
 serable condition of the indigent ; and they ought 
 to ponder his righteousness and his stern anger 
 towards ungodly scoffers, who deride or neglect 
 his proffered means of deliverance, in order to 
 see how zealously truth and rectitude should' be 
 defended against falsehood and agains,t injustice. 
 The wisdom, holiness, righteousness, and good- 
 
 V 
 
138 
 
 ness of God, are then the attributes which he 
 wishes to become the model of imitation for his 
 worshippers. But let us consider more accurately, 
 in the second head, 
 
 In what respect, and after what manner, these 
 attributes of the Deity should be imitated. But 
 is it required by the similarity at which we 
 ought to aim, that our virtues should correspond 
 with the divine perfections in purity and splendour? 
 Should our holiness be analogous to that of the Di- 
 vinity in degree and magnitude, and should our 
 goodness or loving-kindness be elevated to the 
 same height as those of the Father who is in 
 heaven ? What a request ! both unworthy of 
 God, and inconsistent with the feeble nature of 
 the human species. Even our forefathers in their 
 state of innocence could not attain to a perfect 
 likeness of the Supreme Being: their wisdom was 
 noble and devoid of imperfection; but it was li- 
 mited : on the contrary, God is at all times equally 
 infinite in wisdom and in judgment. Their ho- 
 liness was clean and uncontaminated, but it was 
 circumscribed : it could increase and decrease ; it 
 could be augmented or diminished, and it required 
 daily support. In God, on the contrary, holiness 
 is of the same compass as the remainder of his 
 attributes : he is infinitely holy and so completely 
 free from sin, that he could not possibly commit it. 
 His holiness is one of his essential characters, and 
 
139 
 
 it is hostile to his lofty nature to think evil, or to will 
 that which is injurious. Then as man in his 
 primeval innocence could not imitate the divine 
 perfections in their magnitude and splendour, being 
 lower, infinitely lower than God, although in his 
 perfect form he bore the image of the Deity; 
 how much less ought we to expect to arrive at a 
 resemblance of Him now, without a distinguishable 
 inferiority ? And how infinitely are we beneath Him 
 now, as sin has corrupted us, wickedness has defiled, 
 and a concomitant depravity has defaced the glorious 
 features with which we were originally formed ? 
 "Who can boast in the sight of the Omniscient 
 that he has even one perfect and unpolluted virtue ? 
 We are beneficent towards our fellow-men ; we 
 remove the load of the miserable; we feed the 
 hungry, and we clothe the naked ; this w^e do after 
 the precept of Jesus, to imitate the Father in 
 loving-kindness and in mercy : but on that account 
 are we as merciful as God himself? Can 
 our goodness, although fashioned according to the 
 model which he has given us, be considered as 
 noble, perfect, clean, and unspotted as that which 
 he evinces daily towards us and our brethren? 
 How often is the beneficent mind distracted by 
 an invading disgust, although without design ! 
 The indigent encompass us in crowds, and exhaust 
 our patience. How often self-esteem can persuade 
 
 V 
 
140 
 
 us to an adulatory self-commendation ! But with all 
 our promptitude, do we not nevertheless often 
 neglect to succour him, by whom such succour 
 is required; — to do for the advantage of others 
 that of which our faculties make us capable; — and 
 to avail ourselves of the talents entrusted to us 
 by Providence at the fittest season, and with the 
 wisest, and the most useful design ? But is our ho- 
 liness more immaculate, our wisdom more pro- 
 vident, or our righteousness more free from im- 
 perfection ? Even here we must confess with 
 the Psalmist, " Lord, if thou art strict to mark 
 what is done amiss, who can abide it ? And enter not 
 into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight 
 shall no man living be justified." — Psalm cxliii. 2. 
 The man of piety has a sincere abhorrence of 
 sin, but still he often feels a secret desire which 
 burns within his heart, and would willingly burst 
 forth. He loves rectitude, and is disgusted at all 
 injustice ; but even on this side also, the flesh 
 seeks for an occasion to be his tempter. With 
 the best intentions, we have frequently offended, 
 through a defect of prudence and precaution ; the 
 good that we would, that we do not, through 
 carelessness ; but the evil that we would not, 
 that we do, through precipitation. Why need 
 I prove more amply, how little the best Christ- 
 ian can attain to the most exact conformity 
 
141 
 
 with the divine perfections ? When we are or- 
 dered to be followers of God, as dear children ; 
 , to be holy as he who has called us; to be perfect 
 as our heavenly Father ; — has He then also 
 exacted the most inconsistent similarity between 
 him and us ? No ! He saw our weakness ; he 
 was acquainted with our incapability, and knew 
 how great was our imperfection. Of what service 
 was it then for him to impose duties which 
 could not be performed? The Sovereign Lord 
 does not require of sinners, that they should fol- 
 low his example, in order to approach the gran- 
 deur and the dignity with which he himself is en- 
 compassed. His intention is more compatible 
 with our present state. It is his desire that 
 we should imitate those of his attributes which 
 appertain to him in consequence of his spiritual 
 nature, and some of which may have a place in a 
 thinking soul : those he wishes we should imitate 
 as far as grace gives strength, and Jesus will ad- 
 vance us by his word: first, as a sure and un- 
 fallacious rule, according to which our modes of 
 thought and conduct can be best adjusted ; 
 secondly, as an infallible token, by which our real 
 mental character can be most securely determined, 
 and thirdly, as the most powerful means of encou- 
 ragement to zeal, and a steady progress in holi- 
 ness and virtue. The attributes of God will 
 then become an unerring rule, according to which 
 
142 
 
 our modes of thought and conduct can be best 
 adjusted. The word prescribes us our duties with 
 perspicuous expressions in plain precepts ; but by 
 what method they can be observed ; how easy is 
 their execution ; from what side they are to begin ; 
 under what circumstances, and in what form and 
 fashion they are to be accomplished : — this is 
 to be learned more by example than command- 
 ment. Mere injunctions work with inferior energy 
 on the mind ; but examples give greater vitality 
 to knowledge: they advance us in the paths of 
 virtue, and persuade us to engage in the pursuit 
 of that which otherwise we had scarcely presumed 
 to do. On that account the Scriptures refer the 
 true worshippers of God to shining patterns of 
 virtue and of holiness : they command them to act 
 virtuously, but prove also how such actions are 
 performed by others in order to excite them to a 
 more earnest desire and a more ardent zeal. Thus 
 Jesus exhorts us in the Gospel — " Be ye merci- 
 ful !" but shows us also, how this mercy ought 
 to be evinced, namely, as your Father is merciful. 
 The example of the Father will lead us to correct 
 notions of the compassion which we owe to our 
 neighbour: we ought to consider ZT?"* conduct 
 towards afflicted and unhappy sinners, to learn 
 from it what ours should be when we would 
 show mercy unto those who are in sorroAv. 
 The heavenly Father took compassion on fallen 
 
143 
 
 mankind, and determined to deliver them without 
 any view to his advantage, or to his remuneration. 
 Thus the sincere Christian ought neither to inquire 
 after his own gain, nor aim at being requited, 
 when he is bountiful unto his neighbour : he ought 
 to assist him, through mere pity, without the hope 
 of any recompense, simply to save him from the 
 threatening ruin. The heavenly Father took com- 
 passion on his enemies, and ransomed those who 
 had provoked him by voluntary disobedience; 
 and thus the genuine worshipper of God ought 
 not to deprive his adversary of the needed succour ; 
 his pity must extend itself to all those who are 
 in necessity; and without any exception of friend 
 or foe, he ought to aid and support his neighbour 
 in his penury, as far as his abilities allow 
 him. You see by this, how the attributes of 
 God are a rule for our modes of thought and 
 conduct; and then first could we hope to live 
 exactly according to his commandments, when we 
 meditate on his own example, and endeavour to 
 imitate it as far as it is possible for a mortal to do 
 while here in life, with the co-operation of the Spirit. 
 Christ, the Saviour, in particular, in his conduct 
 which was suited to the will and counsel of God, 
 and in consistence with his high perfections, has 
 left us the best example, the most secure 
 plan, and the clearest method for the exercise of 
 piety. He was holy, merciful, righteous, good and 
 
 V 
 
14.4 
 
 wise, like the Father* Let us follow his steps; 
 then we advance to meet the Father, and ap- 
 proximate ourselves to his likeness, for the Son 
 performed his works. 
 
 But the divine attributes are likewise an infal- 
 lible criterion by which our real disposition can be 
 best determined. Nothing can be of more im- 
 portance to us than to be rendered certain re- 
 specting our spiritual temper ; whether we be wor- 
 thy of the society of God and partakers of his 
 paternal loving-kindness, or if our souls be ex- 
 cluded from the affection which is felt for none, 
 but for the faithful? In order to satisfy ourselves 
 with regard to this momentous consideration, we 
 ought to put our internal condition to the test 
 and search it according to certain tokens : but 
 what characteristic is more unerring than that which 
 shines forth from the attributes of the Most High? 
 As a Christian I will be merciful and really sym- 
 pathizing. But am I so? How shall I. judge 
 if my compassion be more tlie offspring of natural 
 humanity than of true religion ? How shall I 
 ascertain if my love towards my neighbour be more 
 restricted than it ought to be ? Here I have 
 nothing to do, but to turn my thoughts to the 
 mercy of the heavenly Father. How kindly has 
 God favoured me with the richest blessings, 
 although I did not merit them, and how anxiously 
 he provides for my welfare, and frees me from 
 
145 
 
 the utmost misery? But with the same willing- 
 ness have I poured out my donations upon those 
 who suffered want, according to my capabihty ? 
 Have I followed the Father as an example, and 
 without an exemption of friend or enemy, have 
 1 relieved the children of distress? Scarcely 
 will such an inquiry be instituted before the 
 conscience gives a verdict : and it is just, because 
 it is conformable to the clearest, the most infallible 
 criterion, the attributes of God. 
 
 Lastly, these will be our most powerful incen- 
 tives to a continual advancement in sanctity and 
 virtue. Our God is holy, bounteous, merciful, 
 righteous and wise. He will love us as children, 
 acknowledge us as heirs, and make us members 
 of his most sacred society, after the conquest 
 of the king of terrors ! What precious expec- 
 tations ! What desirable promises! But without 
 resembling him in holiness, goodness, mercy, 
 wisdom and righteousness; — without being actu- 
 ated by the same thoughts as he is, and without 
 following his example in our conduct, we could 
 not promise ourselves the fulfilment of this hope. 
 Polluted and unclean sinners are unworthy of his 
 society; and he endures not the presence of 
 transgressors. They are his. abomination, and he 
 must hate them with abhorrence. With what zeal 
 and manfulness, then, ought we to contend with 
 the seductive blandishments of lust ! With what 
 
 •v. 
 
146 
 
 ardour and courage we should strive to overcome 
 the allurements of the world, and the artful attacks 
 of Satan ! and what more powerful stimulus can 
 there be to make us labour for a real sanctifi- 
 cation ? The holy God will make us eternally 
 happy, when, by faith in Christ and sincere piety, 
 we are cleansed from the impurities of the flesh 
 and of the spirit : — the good God w\\\ eternally de- 
 light us with the most unutterable joy, when we 
 have learned to imitate his bounty towards our 
 fellow men; — and the merciful Father will have 
 eternal compassion on us, and give us a happiness 
 indescribable, in the blissful mansions above, when 
 we have learned to have such a mind as He has, 
 and have proved ourselves sincerely compassionate 
 towards our necessitous brethren. Dear Christians, 
 be ye, therefore, followers of God as dear children ; 
 as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy 
 in all manner of conversation, that at the last ye 
 may be partakers of the incorruptible, undefiled, and 
 unfading inheritance, which is reserved in heaven 
 for all the sincere adorers of God and Jesus. Amen. 
 
FOR 
 
 CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 THE GLORY OF GOD WHICH WAS MANI- 
 FESTED TO THE WORLD BY THE NATIVITY 
 OF JESUS. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Lord, our God and Father ! thou eternal and most 
 merciM One, with a hvely acknowledgment of thine 
 infinite bounty, we presume this day to bring forward 
 our imperfect offerings of thanks. Lord ! thou didst 
 love us with the most wonderful tenderness, when we 
 were deserving of thy wrath. Lord ! thou hast pardoned 
 instead of punishing us, and hast glorified thy goodness 
 in a manner that surpasses every expectation. Thou 
 wouldest give us thine only-begotten Son, as a sacrifice 
 for our offences, and thine own image was to be dressed 
 in our weak nature, that by a voluntary passion and 
 obedience, he might satisfy the claims of thy immutable 
 righteousness. Never could mercy and goodnes's be 
 exalted to a greater perfection. The proofs of it are 
 infinite. Thy whole majesty and glory are 'revealed to 
 
 v. 
 
148 
 
 our eyes, in the great miracle of which, on this day we 
 ought to hold the commemoration sacred. May our lips 
 be but worthy to tune thee a becoming song of praise. 
 Oh, may this cold heart be inflamed with the most ardent 
 desire to diffuse thy glory and celebrate thy name, thou 
 powerful One ! who rulest continually, to emancipate and 
 render happy. Strengthen us in this holy resolution 
 with thy powerful assistance, without which we can do 
 nothing. First, we will prepare ourselves to praise thee 
 in the spiritual prayer, which was prescribed by the Re- 
 deemer, and afterwards to elevate our voices to thy 
 praise in the devout hymns of gratitude of the church. 
 Hear us then, Our Father, who art in heaven, &c. 
 
SERMON VII. 
 
 Luke, ii. 1 — 14. 
 
 And it came to pass in those dat/s, that there went out 
 a decree from Casar Augustus, that all the world should 
 be taxed, S^c. * 
 
 Although all the works of the Lord bear 
 witness to his sublime perfections, and although 
 all nature exhibits the most evident proofs of the 
 omnipotence, goodness, and wisdom of the Creator, 
 yet there is nothing which can be compared with 
 the especial glory of the Deity, which is manifested 
 to the world in his gracious arrangement for the 
 deliverance of sinners : and what work can be 
 thought greater, or more extraordinary, than the 
 
 * My learned and dignified author, who made use of his 
 own version of the portions of the sacred Scriptures on which 
 he discoursed, instead of saying " that all the world should be 
 taxed," has " that all the inhabitants of the Roman empire 
 should be enrolled or recorded." Of the diversity of opinions 
 concerning this and the following verse, I need not speak to 
 my enlightened readers. — Translator. 
 
 V 
 
150 
 
 nativity of Christ, for the commemoration of which 
 the pious assembling of ourselves, on this day, is 
 appointed. Here is a miracle which surpasses 
 all the astonishing things that have been wrought 
 by the Almighty. God's own Son, the true God, 
 and similar to the Father in essence and in at- 
 tributes, has assumed human nature in the womb 
 of the Virgin Mary ; has effected an incompre- 
 hensible union between his Godhead and manhood 
 in one person, and has permitted himself to be 
 born as a child, in order to deliver the sinner 
 from the condemnation of which he was deserving. 
 Here is an evidence of love, of which the mag- 
 nitude cannot be ascertained either by earthly or 
 celestial beings: — unruly subjects, who ought to 
 be punished in consequence of their insurrection 
 against the best of governors, are still the objects 
 of his tender pity, and receive their pardon from 
 his hands, because the Son of God has taken on 
 himself to make a perfect restitution for their 
 delinquencies; and here are a boundless wisdom 
 and judgment which cannot be conceived by the 
 most acute intellectual faculties: — a sinner is re- 
 leased from punishment, and notwithstanding this, 
 sin can be punished ; and God displays compassion 
 towards transgressors, and yet none of the strictest 
 claims of righteousness will be relaxed. Yes ! 
 we are the adorers of a Lord whose glory angels 
 contemplate with admiration, and which all crea- 
 
151 
 
 tures acknowledge with pious awe : — for the coining 
 of Jesus upon earth has raised his power to 
 infinity, and has glorified his name over the whole 
 reasonable world. How true is that which was 
 testified by our Lord himself, in his spiritual prayer, 
 a short time prior to his passion ! " O Father, I 
 have glorified thee on earth; I have manifested 
 thy name unto the men which thou gavest me 
 out of the world." — John, xvii. 4, 6. And how 
 correct was the judgment of St. Paul, when he 
 declared, " that God, who hath commanded the 
 light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in 
 our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of 
 the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 
 ■ — 2 Corinthians, iv. 6. Let us now prosecute 
 this subject with more accurate attention : for 
 it prepares our souls and hearts to bring forth 
 worthy ' thanksgivings unto the Lord. The Gos- 
 pel will lead us to consider the following doc- 
 trine, and which accords with the design of the 
 festival, that is, 
 
 THE GLORY OF GOD WHICH WAS MANIFESTED 
 TO THE WORLD BY THE NATIVITY OF 
 
 JESUS ; 
 
 Which is shown, 
 
 1st. By the especial ordinances, for which this 
 birth was remarkable ; and • , 
 
 V 
 
152 
 
 2dly. By the great and inomqiitous purpose for 
 which it was designed. 
 
 Both of these considerations will elevate our 
 souls to a holy admiration, and fill our hearts 
 with the most ardent gratitude: as they tend to 
 the glorification of the Creator's honour, and exhibit 
 in their clearest light his high perfections, namely, 
 his omnipotence, wisdom, compassion, and incom- 
 prehensible solicitude to work the happiness of 
 ruined sinners: — these beams of the majesty and 
 glory of the Godhead shone on us with redoubled 
 brilliancy when Jesus, the Redeemer, came on 
 earth. Then let us contemplate them, 
 
 1st. In the especial ordinances, by which the 
 nativity of our Lord was distinguished. 
 
 In this respect, the whole narrative of the Evan- 
 gelist is deserving of our attention, but on this 
 occasion, I have only time to consider these two 
 circumstances : 1 st. The taxing of the Jews, which 
 was ordered that year by Augustus Caesar; and 
 2dly. The solemn intelligence of the birth of Jesus 
 that was communicated to the shepherds in the 
 fields by heavenly messengers. In this two-fold 
 arrangement, the most incomprehensible power and 
 wisdom are already conspicuous. Ceesar enjoins 
 a general enrolment of a people, that hitherto had 
 retained their own form of government unrescinded, 
 during the greatest changes of the world ; and he 
 
153 
 
 exercises over them an authority which belongs to a 
 lord of a country over his subjects, and every one 
 must give an account of his name, and ability, 
 lineage, and occupation, in order to be included 
 in a public census or taxing, like his other subjects. 
 In former times they had been frequently subdued : 
 now by the mighty Babylonian princes; then by 
 the governors of Syria; and the Romans them- 
 selves had reduced them to obedience, before Au- 
 gustus had been invested with the insignia of 
 authority; but still, amid these distresses, they 
 did not lose the privilege of being a distinct 
 nation, ruled by its own magistrates; they were 
 captives or vassals, but not properly subjects, 
 and were obliged to obey those who were set 
 over them, who, in their turn, were under the 
 necessity of performing the conditions which had 
 been imposed on them by the conqueror, as a 
 mark of his supreme domination. Now, on the 
 contrary, at the nativity of our blessed Saviour, a fo- 
 reign ruler begins to treat them as their lawful lord. 
 Herod is king, but still Cassar commands the 
 Jews in his own name, and lays upon them duties, 
 to which they had hitherto been unaccustomed. 
 The Evangelist calls taxing the first duty: in the 
 second, which was put into execution not long 
 after, they were obliged to be submissive to public 
 imposts, and scarcely had there been a lapse of 
 
 X 
 
154 
 
 ten years, before the land was transformed 
 into a province, or territory of the Roman 
 empire. 
 
 Had not then St. Luke reason to mention an 
 important occurrence at the birth of Christ, which 
 produced the most considerable alterations in the 
 Jewish state? In order to determine the epoch 
 with the greater accuracy, he even notices the name 
 of the governor who was sent out from Rome to 
 regulate the taxing. Cyrenius was the ambassador 
 extraordinary, who, under the character of governor 
 of the country, was to take an account of the 
 inhabitants of Syria, and those of Palestine among 
 them ; both countries being reckoned together at 
 that time, while another, who bears a different 
 name in history, performed the common duties 
 of the ruler. So fully has the Evangelist described 
 all the circumstances relative to this enjoined en- 
 rolment ! and it may be easily discovered that 
 he is desirous of representing it as an event pecu- 
 liarly remarkable respecting the nativity of Jesus. 
 He has the same inducement to relate another 
 occurrence, and which ought not to be set aside 
 without consideration, any more than the 
 other. The pregnant Mary, who expected 
 her delivery at her usual residence at Nazareth, 
 was under the necessity of preparing herself 
 for an unanticipated journey in co!isc(juence of 
 
155 
 
 the mandate of Caesar, and to give birth to her 
 offspring at a place which she had no idea of 
 visiting. 
 
 We need only consider these particulars with 
 suitable attention, and the weakest understanding 
 will not mistake in them an especial operation 
 of the Deity : but, with a little consideration and 
 reflection, we could easily discover all the wisdom 
 and the mightiness with which the Supreme Being 
 is wont to characterize his most extraordinary 
 actions. Who does not perceive that the nativity 
 of our blessed Lord, under these circumstances, 
 is a most exact fulfilment of the predictions of 
 the holy prophets ? *' The sceptre shall not depart 
 from Judah," said the dying Jacob to his assembled 
 children, " nor a lawgiver from between his feet, 
 until Shiloh come." — Genesis, xlix. 10. Now, the 
 same year that Jesus came into the world the Jews 
 are despoiled of the last remains of their former 
 liberty, and are really embodied among those who 
 owed obedience to the power of Rome. *' Thou, 
 Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among 
 the thousands of Judah, — this was the prophetic 
 language of Micah, — yet out of thee shall He come 
 forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel." — v. 2. 
 Jesus was conceived at Nazareth, but was born 
 unexpectedly in Bethlehem. What evidences of 
 the divine fore-knowledge ! So many centuries 
 beforehand the Deity had permitted tliese events 
 
 X 
 
156 
 
 to be promulgated, and had determined their cer- 
 tainty ! So exactly was he acquainted with things 
 the most remote, which could be discovered by 
 no finite understanding, because they were founded 
 on circumstances which were fortuitous, and partly 
 dependent on the option of mankind ! What to- 
 kens of the mighty and wise government of Provi- 
 dence ! Until the appointed time the Almighty 
 preserves the statutes of his people unabrogated : 
 but at the instant that he had fixed for that purpose, 
 from eternity, a foreigner is allowed to violate 
 them, and God actuates him to put his plan 
 into execution in that very year in which the 
 Saviour came to dwell among us. It is known 
 that this taxing had been long meditated by Au- 
 gustus, but that he found no opportunity to ac- 
 complish it, before it was consistent with the will 
 of God, and the same Almighty power guides 
 the hand of Cassar, w-hen he expedites his order. 
 The Lord appointed him to make the classification 
 of a people according to their lineage, and that 
 every one should be taxed in his own city, and 
 this obliges Mary to repair to Bethlehem, although 
 she was in a state unfit for travelling, that the 
 prophecy relative to the birth of the Child of 
 Promise might be fulfilled. 
 
 How great then are the mightiness and power 
 of the Lord, whose simple nod can arrest the 
 decrees of potentates ; — can turn their counsels; — 
 
157 
 
 can command them to put his will into execution, 
 and can remove all the impediments which prevent 
 the performance of his designs ! But how similarly 
 great and infinite are his understanding and his 
 wisdom ! He would arrange these events, to fix 
 on an immoveable foundation, that truth on which 
 our everlasting happiness depends, to convince us 
 by the most manifest evidences, that the new-born 
 Jesus of Nazareth, in whose person all the pro- 
 mises would harmonize, is the true Messiah ; — he 
 would combine the Jews with the Romans under 
 one sovereign, to open a communication between 
 them, and by that means promote the diftusion of 
 the precious doctrine which Christ was to pro- 
 mulge, to every corner of the known world ; — and 
 he would signalize the Saviour's birth by such 
 remarkable occurrences as have the most percep- 
 tible influence on the generality of men, in order 
 to distinguish him as a personage of extraordinary 
 elevation and dignity, for the sake of whom the 
 Deity himself had pre-ordained the most important 
 alterations. But should not these circumstances 
 impress our souls with a profound veneration for 
 the omnipotence and wisdom of the Most High, 
 and penetrate our hearts with the most internal 
 joy and gratitude? By this we are assured, that 
 the advent of the Messiah was the operation of 
 God himself; an evidence of his perfections and a 
 proof of his all-effective mightiness; and* here wc 
 
158 
 
 have an adequate sign, in which the higli destina- 
 tion of the Son to spread abroad the honour of tlie 
 heavenly Father is clearly visible ? 
 
 Still, the other arrangement at the birth of 
 Christ, to which we have proposed to turn our 
 view, is not less remarkable. The Almighty sends 
 out a celestial Spirit to announce it to the shepherds 
 in the fields, and a band of angels solemnize it 
 with triumphant songs of joy. Not simply the 
 festivities themselves, of which the splendour ob- 
 scures our most magnificent exhibitions, shall here 
 engage our attention : — it is true, that it presents 
 to our senses an affecting evidence of the extra- 
 ordinary character of Jesus, and awakens in our 
 minds the most elevated ideas of the especial re- 
 spect and love which were evinced for him by 
 the Deity; but this alone shall not arrest our 
 thoughts : for the wisdom also which shines forth 
 from this event is peculiarly deserving of our ad- 
 miration, and to inquire into it is to prepare our- 
 selves for new thankfulness. Wisely did the Lord 
 permit the nativity of our Saviour to be known 
 immediately, and poor and lowly shepherds were 
 wisely appointed to receive the intelligence : " tiie 
 same night the angel of the Lord stood suddenly 
 before them as they were abiding in the fields 
 keeping watch over their flocks, and communicated 
 to them the good tidings of great joy;" and, as 
 eye witnesses, they ^vere to corroborate, when Jesus 
 
159 
 
 manifested himself in his years of manhood, that 
 this was He who had been sent from heaven. Tlieir 
 testimony of the celestial pomp, which decorated 
 his advent upon earth, was to stamp on those 
 who had not known him from his earliest youth, 
 a due respect for his person, and to make 
 them attentive to his preaching. With a painful 
 anxiety, many pious men were now in expectation 
 of the hope of Israel, and for their sakes also 
 the angels might inform the shepherds of the ar- 
 rival of the promised Saviour. What they had 
 seen and heard is soon tried by a common rumour : 
 for they forgot not to publish it the following 
 day among their friends, who, in their turn, carried 
 it farther : but the godly-minded Israelite received 
 their intelligence with consideration, and treasured 
 it in a consolatory hope. On this account he paid 
 a more -willing attention to the exhortations of 
 the Baptist in after-times; meditated more accu- 
 rately on the characteristics of the approaching 
 Messiah, which had been predicted by the inspired 
 servants of the Almighty ; and at last he was more 
 ready to acknowledge the Redeemer in his public 
 ministry, to be what he really was, without being 
 hindered by prejudice. So useful was it for God 
 to divulge the Saviour of the world, as soon as 
 he was born, to certain men, who might also com- 
 municate the necessary intelligence to others, and 
 this is a fresh confirmation of that which we have 
 
 V 
 
160 
 
 learned already, that wisdom presides over all the 
 operations of the Deity. Perhaps it may be asked, 
 what was the reason that this important piece 
 of information was not communicated by the angel 
 either to the inhabitants of Jerusalem or to the 
 Sanhedrim? Perhaps also the idea may occur, 
 that such a disclosure of the event would have 
 produced a more considerable effect, and would 
 have induced the whole nation to hasten out to 
 receive the new-born Messiah with veneration. 
 But what impression could the truth have made,- 
 either on the disposition of Herod or on the 
 prevailing modes of thinking of the times? The 
 question answers itself, and these doubting sug- 
 gestions are put to flight, at the first view which 
 we take of the existing condition of Jerusalem. 
 Of a rival in his kingdom, Herod was apprehen- 
 sive, but the Sanhedrim and the populace ex- 
 pected a princely hero. Jesus lying in a manger 
 and wrapped in the garb of poverty would have 
 been a scandal to both parties : a victim to the 
 blood-thirsty suspicion of the king, and a stumbling 
 block to the arrogant minds of the people: the 
 former would have robbed him of existence, and 
 by the latter he would have been scorned. Was 
 it not wiser then to secrete his infancy, rather 
 than to intrust it to the violence of those who 
 would annihilate the object of his mission? It 
 is even a glorification of the wisdom of the Deity, 
 
161 
 
 that he sent his angel not to the superior classes 
 of the Jewish nation, who were every where corrupt, 
 and immersed in ungodliness ; but unto lowly 
 and poor shepherds, whose habits of Hfe kept them 
 from heinous sins; whose simpHcity preserved them 
 from vain desires and prejudices ; and whose sin- 
 cere devotion, innocent conduct, and genuine recti- 
 tude, confirmed their credibiUty, and rendered their 
 testimony admissible by others. They would be 
 the best propagators of the rumour among the loAver 
 orders, who had still some remains of virtue and 
 religion, even in the most inconsiderable villages 
 far distant from the capital ; and by them the 
 longing of the sincere could be best satisfied, as 
 their humble station precluded the possibility of 
 their being suspected of self-interested views in this 
 occurrence. Such is the manifestation which is 
 made of the glory of God in the especial ordinances, 
 by which the nativity of tlie Son is distinguished. 
 Every thing testifies his supreme power and do- 
 minion over heaven and earth, angels and mankind ; 
 over all that is assembled in the world, the greater 
 and also the more minute ; and over all our thoughts 
 and resolutions. This is a complete glorification 
 of his wise and incomprehensible understanding, 
 which foresees the best method of attaining the 
 best object ; which predetermines the most useful 
 means ; and knows the most occult impediments, 
 and how to obviate them by precauiion. But 
 
 V 
 
162 
 
 these attributes are brought into action to illustrate 
 the dignity of the Son, and to establish our con- 
 fidence in him ; and God displayed his perfections 
 in all their brightness at the birth of Christ, to 
 designate him as the author and the basis of our 
 ■eternal happiness, with infallible tokens of a divine 
 co-operation. May then the grateful heart raise 
 the most ardent thanksgivings ; for to be destitute 
 of feeling here is a scornful contempt of the Deity: 
 and may our affected souls burst forth in moving 
 hymns of praise ; for to refrain from giving honour 
 to the Lord on this occasion is the most disgraceful 
 species of ingratitude ! Still there is one proof 
 remaining of the glory revealed at the Saviours 
 birth, which surpasses all the grandeur that has 
 hitherto fallen beneath our observation. It is this 
 which shows itself, 
 
 2dly. In the great and momentous purpose 
 for which the nativity of the Redeemer was 
 designed. 
 
 This also the angel announced in the name of 
 the Lord to the shepherds in the field. " Fear not," 
 says he, " for behold I bring you good tidings of 
 great joy, that shall be unto all people; for unto 
 you is born this day, in the city of David, a 
 Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord."— Ver. 10, IL 
 How precious is this assurance ! How consolatory 
 and joyful for the sore-afflicted soul who feels her 
 own infirmity! For the advantage and good of 
 
163 
 
 sinners, the Son is come into the world, dressed in 
 our nature, that he may bring them a double 
 benefit, both as a Saviour and a Lord. He was 
 destined by God, and self-appointed, to be the deli- 
 verer of a ruined race, to release them from the mi- 
 serable consequences of the fall, namely, a merited 
 anger of eternal continuance, the dominion of Satan, 
 and the despotic sway of sensuality; God ordained 
 him to be a Lord and Ruler over all those whom he 
 redeemed; to defend them against their spiritual 
 enemies ; to forward them in godliness, by his 
 powerful assistance, and to help on, and advance 
 them to an actual participation in the blessedness 
 which he had purchased. Jesus is born to die, 
 and through him we shall live; — he dies to be- 
 come our sovereign, and from him we shall receive 
 our beatification; he is man to recall our nature 
 to its hunian dignity, and he is our brother to in- 
 corporate us, as his joint-heirs, into the kingdom of 
 •his Father. Ah ! this is a depth of compassion 
 and of love which cannot be fathomed by the 
 highest of created Spirits. Conscience called for 
 vengeance ; righteousness threatened ; the sinner 
 was a victim to the wrath of the Almighty, and 
 death stood ready armed for his destruction. 
 Oh, miserable men! Who could deliver us from 
 this most cruel state of desperation ? Even the last, 
 although uncertain resolution, was torn from us; — 
 • even an earnest repentance of our sins surpassed 
 
 V 
 
16*4 
 
 our strength. Suft'erings and inclinations were 
 alternate ; we must be apprehensive of the former, 
 and follow the latter with an anguished appetite, 
 because the pov^ers of the soul were rendered 
 subject to the wild suggestions of the senses. A 
 piteous condition ! and it was similarly formidable 
 unto all, because it extended itself to all, without 
 any exception. Who trembles not at the bare 
 retrospect of this misery? But still, would that 
 it were more frequently recollected by us, that 
 we might be deterred from the voluntary bondage 
 of evil propensities ! Or rather, would that it never 
 were forgotten, that the tempter may not again 
 fetter us in the former slavery, from which the 
 merciful and benign Creator was desirous of res- 
 cuing us, when he sent down his Son to earth, 
 and permitted him to be born in the fashion of 
 a man : " for God so loved the world, that he 
 gave us his only begotten Son, to the end that 
 we might not perish, but have everlasting life !" — 
 John, iii. 16. And therefore our affectionate 
 and compassionate Saviour determined to ransom 
 us with his innocent blood; for, according to his 
 own avowal, " he was come to give his life, as 
 a ransom for many." — Matt. xx. 28. 
 
 Compare, then, the present deliverance with that 
 misery, and judge if the goodness which God 
 evinced towards us by the incarnation of his Son 
 be not infinitely superior to all the elevated and 
 
165 
 
 the excellent things which can be imagined by 
 the understanding I Now the conscience of tlie 
 believer is appeased, and righteousness no longer 
 menaces, as a mediator is born for us, to put an 
 end to condemnation, and to make an atonement 
 for our transgressions. Now the fearful antici- 
 pation of death is exchanged for a consoling hope 
 in those who are in misery: — peace and joy will 
 eternally surround the sincere Christian, in the 
 blissful mansions which the Redeemer went away 
 to prepare for his virtuous worshippers, and no 
 longer will the infirmity of nature keep back the 
 amendment of our hearts: for the blessed Lord^ 
 who consented to be bom, to die in our stead, 
 has appointed adequate means against the pre- 
 dominance of carnal desires, and strengthens the 
 fainting spirit to sustain a bold conflict with the 
 seductive blandishments of the tempter. Reason 
 is emancipated from her disgraceful thraldom 
 under the despotic dominion of the senses; the 
 darkness of error is dispelled ; open abominations 
 are diminished ; virtue is protected ; vice is covered 
 with confusion ; and without any exception arising 
 from a difterence of nation or lineage, situation 
 or condition, the road to a better life, after this, 
 is opened unto all the penitent. Such is the mighty 
 deliverance which was effected by the eternal Son 
 of God, when he united himself with human nature 
 in one person ! — This is the momentous purpose 
 
 v. 
 
166 
 
 for nhici) the Father had ordained his glorious 
 birth, and for this cause the pious aged Simeon 
 acknowledged him as the " salvation of the Lord." 
 — Luke, ii. 30. The apostle Peter described his 
 day as " the times of refreshing from the presence 
 of the Lord ;" — Acts, iii. 19 ; and St. Paul testified 
 that " God commendeth his love towards us, in that 
 while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." — 
 Rom. V. 8. Thus then they have represented his as- 
 sumption of flesh as the most exalted benefit for 
 the human race, and one in which God had dis- 
 played the clearest proofs of his pitiful loving- 
 kindness, and had glorified his inscrutable com- 
 passion ; but in considering him in this light, we 
 are not simply justified by their concurrence, for 
 our own experience obliges us to make a similar 
 confession. What strengthens the courage with 
 which a dying Christian approaches the frightful 
 mansion of the grave; except this, the only con- 
 solation, built on the worthiness and merits of 
 the Saviour, that the soul will be taken under 
 the protecting providence of a loving and a sym- 
 pathizing Father ? And what will sustain us under 
 the burden of the cross, or mitigate the smarts 
 and agonies which are occasioned by adversit}^ 
 except the hope which was confirmed by Jesus, 
 that a reward is laid up in the eternal state, greater 
 and more excellent than all the good things which 
 are the property of the world ? Thus of ourselves 
 
167 
 
 we experience the salutary effects of the mercy of 
 the Deity, and our own hearts must give their 
 assent, in consequence of a sensible conviction tliat 
 Christ is born for our felicity and freedom, because 
 God was gracious, and loved us infinitely with 
 the most marvellous affection. 
 
 We have seen, my devout brethren, in what 
 manner the glory of the Lord is manifested by 
 the advent of the Son. The highest power, an 
 indescribable wisdom, and an unsearcliable good- 
 ness and compassion, (the most perceptible attri- 
 butes of the divine essence,) shine forth in all their 
 radiance, partly in the especial occurrences by which 
 this nativity was distinguished, and partly in the 
 mighty and important purpose for which it was 
 intended. It is scarcely necessary for me to use 
 more persuasions to excite the upright to praise 
 and to thanksgiving, for who is the senseless and 
 the simple one that can listen to the greatest proofs 
 of the incomprehensible care of the Deity to make 
 the children of perdition blessed, and not be roused 
 to warmest gratitude? Thus may every grateful 
 and awakened heart unite its pious sighs unto my 
 prayers, and in the name of Jesus, the Redeemer, 
 we will bring the offering of our lips before our 
 merciful God, with devotion and veneration. 
 
 Thanks be to thee, thou Lord of glory, and 
 mighty Ruler of the universe ! thanks be to Thee, 
 our gracious mid compassionating Father; that 
 
 V. 
 
168 
 
 thou hast appointed thy Son to be our Saviour ; 
 — that tliou, in and through him, hast revealed 
 to our eyes thy high perfections, — and that, by 
 this incon)parable means, the wonderful nativity 
 of Christ, thou hast provided for our deliver- 
 ance from the utmost dangei", and hast elevated 
 our souls to acknowledge thee in thy supreme 
 dignity, for our own happiness. With adoration we 
 prostrate ourselves before thy throne of grace, and 
 confess that thou art a God above all gods, infinite 
 in thy essence, and incomprehensible in thy ope- 
 rations. Our tongues shall diffuse thy praises 
 among the nations of the earth, and our hearts 
 shall be continually consecrated as a temple for 
 Thee, and thy dear Son, in union with the Holy 
 Ghost : all Three, our supreme Benefactor, our God 
 and our Preserver. O Lord ! we have received 
 innumerable blessings from the fulness of thy 
 mercy; again thou hast ennobled our degenerate 
 nature, and hast vouchsafed to give us thy most 
 immediate society in our exalted Brother. Grant 
 us understanding to be mindful of this grace here- 
 after, and hearts to acknowledge it with lively 
 thanksgivings, and also give us strength to testify 
 our gratitude in life and conduct, as thy obedient 
 and thy faithful subjects : until thou hast admitted 
 us into the kingdom of thy honour, to a contem- 
 plation of thy glory, face to face. Amen. 
 
FOR THE TENTH 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 THE CERTAIN AVENGING CONSEQUENCES OF 
 A CONTINUAL ABUSE OF THE DIVINE LONG 
 SUFFERING. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Merciful Father! how great and incomprehensible 
 art thou in thy long endurance of our sins ! Thy 
 paternal heart has poured out the fulness of its bounty ; 
 and thy tender compassion has proved itself to be 
 wonderful. So long hast thou spared us and our fathers 
 from condign chastisement ! yes, thou hast overpowered 
 us with blessings, when we were the least deserving 
 of them. How often hast thou allured us by thy be- 
 nignant benefits, to follow thy bounteous precepts, 
 but in vain ! How little are we improved, even if 
 not deteriorated, since the time that thou ceasedst to 
 punish us ! O Lord ! hast thou determined to visit us 
 early with the more tremendous vengeance, because we 
 have so long increased our debt of sinfulness by the 
 abuse of thy long suflcring ? Will thy righteous 
 
 V 
 
170 
 
 arm be extended at last to destroy that people 
 among whom thou hast so often glorified thy mercy ? 
 Yes ! this is merited by our misdeeds, of which the 
 number is incalculable. Wert thou to overtake us with 
 the desolation of Jerusalem, we should have nothing of 
 which to complain, except our own ingratitude, which 
 has ascended to its very summit. Of ourselves we dare 
 not deprecate the impending punishment ; for our lips 
 are void of purity. But Jesu ! dearest Saviour ! be our 
 advocate. Thine all-holy blood, which was effused to 
 make restitution for our sins, shall be our shield ; and 
 thy merits and powerful supplications can be our only 
 protection. Still may the powerful admonition of thy 
 Spirit, by the word, incline our hearts to a sincere 
 repentance of our sins ; and teach us to consider our 
 own advantage. Deliver us, Lord ! from the chastise- 
 ment of vengeance, and allow mercy to take the lead of 
 righteousness. We beseech thee in confidence in thy 
 own atoning passion and death. In thy name we 
 humble ourselves, with the same prayer before thy 
 Father's throne. Hear us, Our Father, who art in 
 heaven, &c. 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 Luke, xix. 41 — 48. 
 
 Jnd lelwi he was come near, he beheld the city and wept 
 
 over it, 
 Saying, if thou hadst knoum, even thou, at least in this thy 
 
 day, the things which belong unto thy peace ! but now 
 
 they are hid from thine eyes, &j'c. 
 
 That a righteous God must hate sin and punish 
 wicked deeds according to their merits, is confessed 
 by every one who has learned, by the aid of scrip- 
 tural evidence, to judge accurately relative to the 
 divine attributes. But how few are those on 
 whom this acknowledgment can produce its full 
 effect ! It ousht to deter sinners from determined 
 transgressions. It ought to arrest the ungodly in 
 their rash career, and actuate them to a speedy 
 repentance ; as nothing can be more insensate than 
 to run towards an evil which could be prevented by 
 precaution. Notwithstanding this, the great mul- 
 titude advance with firm steps in the paths of 
 pleasure, regardless of the impending^ misery. 
 
 •v. 
 
17'^ 
 
 We know that punishment awaits on sin, but 
 prosecute it still without alarm; — we hear the 
 fearful denunciations of the law against the volun- 
 tary slaves of wickedness ; — we foresee the coming 
 vengeance, and we observe the anger of the Judge 
 by palpable admonitions ; but the mind is too 
 hardened to receive or retain their impression. It 
 continues to cherish its dangerous propensities, and 
 is alive to nothing but the present delight, without 
 heeding the subsequent calamity. Of this Solo- 
 mon has assigned the right cause, and it is con- 
 firmed by experience : " Because sentence against 
 an evil work is not executed speedily," says he, 
 " therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully 
 set in them to do evil." — Ecclesiastes, viii. 11. 
 Because, at the very instant of the commission 
 of the sinful act, the Deity does not visit with 
 sudden vengeance, but withholds it through re- 
 prieving compassion, therefore the bold sinner me- 
 ditates incessantly on the gratification of his cri- 
 minal inclinations, and advances from sin to sin 
 with undaunted obstinacy. Transgressors per- 
 vert the divine forbearance to a support for their 
 security : and voluptuaries take occasion from the 
 manifested mercy, to increase their wickedness : 
 thus, that which should improve us is abused to 
 cause an augmentation of our guilt. How little 
 does this simple generation understand how to 
 consider its own advantage; and how ill re- 
 
175 
 
 murierated is the incomprehensible mercy which 
 God evinces towards the servants of sin ! He spares 
 tliem through tenderness, because he is desirous 
 of their salvation ; but they counteract his best 
 designs by the contumacious hardness of their 
 hearts: — and He inflicts not instant vengeance, 
 in order not to deprive them of time to repent 
 them truly of their sins ; but they despise the riches 
 of his long suffering, and will not learn that kind- 
 ness should impel them to amendment. Thus to 
 make an abuse of the tender compassion and love 
 of the merciful Father is, at last, deserving of 
 being punished with the greater vengeance. Sin 
 is doubly abominable, because it discovers a most 
 ungrateful heart. The holy will of the Divinity 
 is not merely transgressed deliberately and through 
 wickedness; it experiences the same fate from 
 contempt of, and insensibility towards the most 
 affectionate admonitions, and the evil is not merely 
 reiterated with pleasure and with inclination : 
 no! it is repeated after the long-continuing in- 
 dulgence and countless evidences of favour of a 
 pitying Judge. Is it then wonderful, that the 
 long-suffering One should eventually prove himself 
 righteous? For these children of ungodliness he 
 destines the most severe tribulations, and com- 
 mands his judgments to bring them to desola- 
 tion; although the Lord delays hi^ coming, still 
 *' he will not , absent himself for ever."' 7'he 
 
 V 
 
174 
 
 Saviour's mournful address to obdurate Jerusalem, 
 in the Gospel for the day, announces to us 
 
 THE CERTAIN AVENGING CONSEQUENCES OP 
 A CONTINUAL ABUSE OF THE DIVINE LONG 
 SUFFERING. 
 
 Let us then consider, 
 
 1st. Man's continual abuse of the divine long 
 suffering ; 
 
 And then examine, 
 
 2dly. The testimonies which make it indubitable 
 that the divine vengeance will be consequent upon 
 such an abuse. 
 
 1st. To describe this abuse, is a topic which 
 cannot be equally grateful unto all, because it 
 reminds the multitude of their failings; but to 
 neglect the opportunity which I am offered by the 
 Gospel, to stimulate their slumbering consciences, 
 would be criminal in me, of whom it is the duty, 
 according to the injunction of St. Paul, " to preach 
 the word; be instant in season, out of season; 
 reprove, rebuke, and exhort" my hearers. — 
 2 Tim. iv. 2. A rightly disposed Christian is 
 never grieved at serious admonitions ; because they 
 serve him as a caution against carnal security ; but 
 the unrepentant and thoughtless lovers of the 
 world constantly require them, and they ought 
 
175 
 
 to know themselves, for the purpose of not being 
 deceived by an imaginary righteousness. But 
 eould the bitter expostulation which our blessed 
 Lord poured forth over Jerusalem be also made 
 over us and our cities? And have we continued 
 even unto this very day to abuse the long suffering 
 of the Deity? Before these painful questions can 
 be answered, we ought to inquire, in what especial 
 proofs this divine long suffering is principally 
 apparent ; and in what different methods it is com- 
 monly abused by mankind, from time to time. 
 Both parts can be illustrated by the example of 
 the Jews in the Gospel for the day. The Deity 
 had long manifested peculiar proofs of his long 
 suffering towards the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 
 He had long granted them freedom and a respite 
 from their merited punishment: — He had ap- 
 pointed them rousing warnings and powerful exhort- 
 ations to repentance : — He had furnished them with 
 tlie most convenient opportunities, and had oflered 
 them the best means for a sincere conversion; 
 but on their side we see nothing, but a continual 
 abuse of the loving-kindness with which he favoured 
 them: — 1st. To a carnal and senseless security 
 in the most disgraceful vices; Sdly. To a contu- 
 macious contempt for virtue and religion ; and 
 Sdly. To a heedless converse with the public wor- 
 ship of the Divinity. ' . 
 
 Notwithstanding this, he had long withheld their 
 
 v 
 
176 
 
 Inerited punishment from tlie ungrateful Jews.' 
 When Jesus heuailed the impending destiny of 
 their city, the people had been long vitiated by 
 evil courses and pernicious prejudices. It is true 
 that they had cast away their heathen idols, and, 
 since the Babylonian captivity, were the wor- 
 shippers of the real God, according to the law 
 of Moses ; but their obduracy of heart, the an- 
 cient stigma on the nation, seemed to have un- 
 dergone no change. Impiety had the ascendency 
 in every place : and even the teachers themselves, 
 who ought to have guided the simple to accurate 
 knowledge, ran wildly from truth and from religion 
 into the most dangerous extravagancies. But in 
 spite of this, God had spared them during some 
 centuries. They lived in tranquillity under their 
 own governors, after Simon Maccabasus had tri- 
 umphantly gained them a permanent freedom from 
 the Syrian domination ; and the Romans, of whom 
 they were forced to acknowledge the supremacy, a 
 few years prior to the birth of Christ, had neither 
 despoiled them of their former privileges nor 
 weakened their statutes. The Deity kept back 
 its chastisement from the ungodly city, the blood- 
 suiltiness of which exceeded all bounds bv the 
 death of Jesus, until forty years after, although in 
 the interval it was inundated with the most abo-' 
 minable iniquities. Yes ! the example of that 
 nation has in reality confirmed that which had 
 
177 
 
 been antecedently testified by Jonah after Nineveh 
 was pardoned ; that God is " gracious and merciful, 
 slow to anger and of great kindness." — iv. 2. Yes, 
 Lord, in thy forbearance thou art infinite, and 
 devoid of bounds in thy compassion, for thou hast 
 also granted unto us a long continuing respite from 
 our condign correction ! For, my serious brethren, 
 ought not all of us to repeat this acknowledgment, 
 with heart-moved gratitude, that our misdeeds 
 have long called down vengeance on us and on 
 our whole land, but that till now the Lord has 
 been indulgent? To none of us are known the 
 devastations which result from war : we were born 
 in peace, and have had our lives prolonged, even 
 to old age, beneath her sceptre. The enemy has 
 not plundered our cities, stripped our habitations, 
 or massacred our children or our friends. The 
 husbandman has gathered in the produce of his 
 fields for his own use; the father and the son 
 successively being unmolested in their toils. The 
 industrious citizen has left behind his treasures 
 for his own posterity, without burying them in 
 the bowels of the earth, through fear of either 
 violence or theft. We are unacquainted with 
 pestilence, and are not tormented by famine. 
 Where is the country in these regions of the 
 world, which can enumerate so many blessings 
 in an unbroken series from generation to gene- 
 ration ? Still, we are not protected in consequence 
 
 N 
 
 \ 
 
178 
 
 of virtue and religion. Conscience and daily 
 experience make a contrary attestation. The 
 Lord has screened us from the chastisements of 
 foreign nations; but we have not preserved our- 
 selves unsullied by their sins: He disciplined our 
 forefathers with many grievous dispensations, al- 
 though they were more zealous in his M^orship 
 and more blameless in their whole conduct : but 
 he protects us, among whom his precious name 
 is frequently dishonoured, both by vile hypocrites 
 and bold contemners. He defends us against the 
 craftiness of the malevolent and the violence of 
 the persecutor, although we have been long ha- 
 bituated to set aside candour and fidelity, 
 for self-interest, voluptuousness and profusion. 
 But, then, are not our wicked actions displeasing 
 to the holy God? Is he an indifferent observer 
 of the conduct of mankind ? Or does he tolerate 
 their offences, because he will not disturb his tran- 
 quillity by being their corrector.^ These infatuated 
 ideas are repelled by David, when he assures us, 
 that " the countenance of the Lord is against them 
 that do evil." — Psalm xxxiv. 16. And sound 
 reason has always acknowledged, that in conse- 
 quence of his perfect sanctity, the Supreme Being 
 cannot do otherwise than hate, abominate, and 
 punish all unrighteousness. He hath not justified 
 the conduct of the ungodly, or forgiven the wicked- 
 ness of sinners, because vengeance is delayed. 
 
179 
 
 He merely is lenient for a time, to evidence 
 his long forbearance. 
 
 But what affecting warnings and powerful ex- 
 hortations to repentance he had appointed for the 
 Jews ! How often they were warned by fearful 
 threats ; and how often they were admonished by 
 extraordinary benefits ! At one time famine was 
 commanded to invade their cities, although it 
 consumed not all of them. The Lord allowed it 
 to rain over one city and not on another : he smote 
 them with blasting and mildew : and the palmer- 
 worm devoured their gardens, and their vineyards, 
 and their fig trees, and their olive trees, but yet 
 it brought them not unto repentance. — The pes- 
 tilence approached their confines ; and a numerous 
 band of enemies encircled the uttermost parts of 
 the land. — Amos, iv. 6 — 10. The prophets me- 
 naced them with a speedy desolation; and lastly, 
 with gushing tears, Jesus informed them of their 
 consummate ruin. But neither was Providence 
 sparing of any benefit for their admonition. God 
 visited the earth and blessed it, and made it 
 very plenteous. He crowned the year with his 
 goodness : and his clouds dropped fatness : the 
 folds were fiill of sheep, and the valleys stood 
 thick with corn. — Psalm Ixv. 9, 12, 14. The poor 
 were fed with the produce of the land, and the 
 wealthy swam in plenteousness. Here also is 
 another proof of the most wonderful forbearance- 
 
 V. 
 
180 
 
 of the Deity towards a sinful people, and one 
 which, from the most remote ages, he has simi- 
 larly shown to us. We are often admonished 
 by threatenings, and are called to remembrance 
 by especial benefits. 
 
 Not far from our dwellings the flames of war 
 •were already kindled, and devastation only waited 
 for its last orders. A contagious murrain among 
 the cattle, the sterility of the soil, and poverty 
 and want of bread in the cottages of the lowly, an- 
 nounced to us the indignation of the Righteous One : 
 and a crowd of impious scoffers had conspired to un- 
 dermine the welfare of the state and to eradicate the 
 last remains of virtue and decorum : but the Lord 
 hath saved us, as a reeking brand, from the devouring 
 fire. The animosity of the mighty is converted into 
 friendship without the effusion of blood. The sighs 
 of the miserable are exchanged for the loud acclaim 
 of joyfulness ; for blessings return with a two-fold 
 provision, and the plagues are staid. The snares 
 are rent asunder; the chains which were prepared 
 for us are broken, and calamity has overwhelmed 
 the heads of those who thought to have effected 
 our destruction. Neither fear nor self-interest has 
 hitherto sealed up in silence the lips of the wit- 
 nesses of the truth, and there are those who in 
 the name of the Deity are continually exhibiting 
 their sins to the impenitent, without respect of 
 persons. Let a man judge for himself then. 
 
181 
 
 whether God has neglected to give us evidences 
 of his long-suffering! What else could he appoint 
 to rouse the conscience from its deep repose, and 
 bring it to reflection? Denunciations should in- 
 timidate, but benefits be able to persuade. The 
 Lord would have recourse to every expedient 
 with respect to us, before he ultimately takes ven- 
 geance on us according to our merits. Both good- 
 ness and severity are used to lead us to repent- 
 ance, but the chastisement has been withheld, 
 that we might not be snatched away in our 
 transgressions. Ah ! this mercy is greater than 
 all our powers to speak our gratitude, but still 
 not sufficient to exhaust the riches of his Ions 
 forbearance. 
 
 The. Divinity hath also exhibited his merciful 
 loving-kindness in one proof, by which the ante- 
 cedent are transcended. To us he has made an 
 overture of the most favourable opportunities, and 
 has afforded the best means for the advance- 
 ment of repentance. Thus, by his heavenly mes- 
 sengers, he visited Jerusalem with instructive ex- 
 hortations. In older times, the prophets had an- 
 nounced his sacred precepts; when Christ arrived, 
 the Baptist was sent out to prepare the people 
 for a serious change of mind ; and the Saviour 
 came forward among them as a divine Teacher, 
 endowed with super-human qualities, for an af- 
 fecting and energetic mode of preaching, Tiiey 
 
 V. 
 
182 
 
 could learn of him what would tend to their 
 temporal and eternal blessedness. He exhorted 
 them to piety and virtue : he inculcated a genuine 
 love of their neighbour, which clears the road 
 to peace and unanimity with others ; and he set 
 himself forth as a Mediator and Interpreter between 
 the Deity and themselves, to procure them the 
 remission of their sins, and tranquillity of con- 
 science with regard to the fearful expectations 
 of eternity. They wanted nothing for an entire 
 enlightening relative to all the truths, of which a 
 knowledge is requisite for repentance and salvation. 
 To be edified by his discourse, they never vainly 
 sought the blessed Jesus. To tend to their ad- 
 vantage by his doctrines, he sought them in every 
 public place where multitudes were collected, daily 
 and without cessation. The Evangelist certifies, 
 that he " taught daily in the temple." ver. 47. This 
 was the precious time of visitation, which Jerusalem 
 knew not. Alas ! it is but little known, w'here 
 also it has commenced and has been of long 
 continuance. The same opportunities which are 
 found among the Jews, the Lord hath also granted 
 unto us, and ceaselessly doth He proffer us the 
 same means for the furtherance of our conversion. 
 Although He addresses us not by the mouth of 
 his prophets and apostles, yet still he speaks to 
 us in the Word which they promulged ; and al- 
 though Jesus does not give us immediate instruction 
 
183 
 
 under a visible form in our temples; yet we are 
 the auditors of his own doctrine, illustrated and 
 set forth without human additions. David ac- 
 knowledged it to be his sovereign good to dwell 
 in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, 
 to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to 
 visit his temple. — Psalm xxvii. 4. An unim- 
 peded, free and rational worship of the Deity 
 was his most inward wish. Oh ! that we were as 
 mindful of that good as we ought to be ! It is our 
 portion, in preference to innumerable others of 
 our fellow-men, not to be prohibited to search the 
 holy Scriptures, and to put our credence to the 
 test. The divine promises are not hidden from 
 our eyes; they are not perverted by false expo- 
 sitions to ensnare souls; and they are not treated 
 with contempt by the superior classes of society, 
 to the scandal of the populace. From our years 
 of infancy to extreme old age, consolation and 
 relief, instruction and advice, are prepared for 
 every one who will inquire after and receive that 
 which is taught by religion. Devotion retains its 
 honour ; the contemner of the Deity does not 
 presume to make him the object of his public 
 defamation ; and virtue may expect a recompense, 
 as she is neither destitute of friends nor guardians. 
 Of what do we stand in need, except of an in- 
 clination and a will to become effectually im- 
 proved? Opportmiities are abundant, and there 
 
 V. 
 
184 
 
 is an adequacy of means. It is clear that the 
 divine long-suffering has evinced itself in especial 
 proofs towards us and our fellow-citizens. It has 
 given us a long respite from the punishment of 
 which we are deserving; it has appointed us pa- 
 thetic warnings and powerful admonitions, and by 
 glorious means it has endeavoured to forward our 
 conversion. 
 
 But with equal sincerity let us examine and 
 acknowledge by how many different methods these 
 divine favours are abused among us. Threefold 
 was the abuse which had the mastery among the 
 Jews. The most general showed itself in a carnal 
 and infatuated security. Jesus laments over Je- 
 rusalem ; " the things which belong unto thy peace 
 are now hid from thine eyes." That is, *' blinded by 
 thine earthly wishes and desires, thou perceivest not 
 what the Deity hath prepared for thy deliverance ; 
 and enchanted by the enticing and impure incli- 
 nations of the flesh, hitherto thou art wholly 
 insensible both to his menaces and his allurements. 
 Vainly have I endeavoured to dissipate the clouds 
 of ignorance by which thine understanding is en- 
 veloped : for thou hast turned away thy vain mind 
 from my doctrine, and hast steeled thy heart against 
 all mine admonitions. All this is hid from thine 
 eyes ; for thou observest not the impending danger, 
 but art devoid of terror in thy sins!" It is scarcely 
 necessary for us to inquire, if the same complaints 
 
185 
 
 exist in our days; for it cannot be unknown to 
 us, how trifling is the progress which is made in 
 virtue by the many of mankind. Peace in the 
 land has not produced in the heart the fruits of 
 a sincere detestation of evil, but buries the mul- 
 titude in the sleep of sin; as if the danger were 
 completely vanished, and no correction left to 
 call up fear. The great events in which we have 
 been warned and called to remembrance by the 
 Divinity are forgotten. Without reflexion the 
 word is heard by many, but by more with an 
 oblivious attention. Immorality is now regarded 
 as a species of politeness ; and, according to the 
 old custom, Christianity is acknowledged with the 
 lips : but it profits litde to require it in action 
 and in conduct, in mind and modes of thought : 
 this is deferred until a more convenient season. 
 Our solicitude concerning that which is terrestrial, 
 diverts the thoughts from what is heavenly; and 
 our external pleasures, in which one will imitate 
 another, that he may not appear to be in lower 
 life, are the suppressors of the good emotions 
 which may occasionally be felt within us. Where- 
 fore should I conceal your defects with varnished 
 excuses? Or is it permissible to pass over the 
 general corruption in silence, when time and cir- 
 cumstances bid me speak; — when the righteous 
 sovereign Lord again denounces vengeance, 
 and is in readiness, who knows how soon. 
 
 "V 
 
186 
 
 to visit both the righteous and the wicked, in 
 consequence of the prevalent security ? 
 
 Still man's abuse of the divine long-suft'ering 
 can ascend higher. Among the Jews it mani- 
 fested itself farther in a contumacious contempt 
 and determined obduracy. This also was a rea- 
 son why Jerusalem knew not " the things which 
 belonged unto her peace." The great multitude 
 adhered to Jesus to be his auditors, more through 
 admiration of the novel and the unusual in his 
 preaching, than through a longing after more cor- 
 rect information. Quickly were they excited to 
 devotion, and quickly they lost again their pious 
 resolutions. Inconsideration retained the ascendant. 
 But not a few, particularly among those who were 
 dignified, made a determined resistance, and disdain- 
 ed the most excellent doctrines of the Saviour. 
 How lamentable it is that he must thus reprove them 
 publicly; " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often 
 would I have gathered thy children together, even 
 as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, 
 and ye would not!" — Matt, xxiii. 37. The Pha- 
 risees, the chief priests, the scribes, and the most 
 exalted among the people evinced an open ha- 
 tred of his person. They jeered at his works, 
 braved his admonitions, and strove to bring his 
 life unto a close, although they were acquainted 
 with his innocence. Still it is more disgraceful 
 that Christendom itself contains a multitude of 
 
187 
 
 such contemners ! Men do not blush to mock 
 the precious name through which salvation is 
 prepared for them ; they struggle against the 
 truth, and are at variance with the Omnipotent, 
 to pull down the bulwarks with which religion 
 is encircled. Wisdom may cry as formerly by 
 the mouth of Solomon, " How long, ye simple 
 ones, will ye love simplicity ? and the scorners 
 delight in their scorning, and fools hate know- 
 ledge?" " She has called, and they have refused; 
 she has stretched out her hand, and no man re- 
 garded." — Prov. i. 22, 24. We have reason to 
 be thankful to Providence, which, with its powerful 
 arm, has crushed triumphant fool-hardiness, and 
 counteracted the enterprises of the deceiver. Yet 
 would that those scoffers were frequently to call 
 to mind the former misery, in order that they 
 might thence have a better idea of their pre- 
 sent deliverance ; and that they often returned 
 in thought to their former terror, to be kept with 
 the greater facility from an ungrateful and base 
 scepticism in their present state! By the wise 
 direction of the All-powerful One, fortunately un- 
 belief is restricted. Seldom does it dare to come 
 forward in public societies; and to this day it 
 exempts the simple from open assaults; but on 
 that account it is not destitute of secret wor- 
 shippers. There are scoffers in the church, of 
 whom St. Peter has predicted, that " they walk 
 
 V 
 
188 
 
 after their own lusts, and ask, with jeering doubt, 
 where is the promise of the Saviour's coming?" 
 — 2 Epist. iii. 3, 4. There are voluptuaries and 
 careless ones, who give themselves up to a voluntary 
 obduracy, that they may suppress the corroding 
 reproaches of conscience. There are those who 
 apostatize to inditl'erence for the most important 
 doctrines, and excuse or palliate errors ; and 
 again there are others who excite distrust of the 
 credibility of the word, by perverting the clearest 
 evidences according to their own interpretations. 
 So little is the attention which is paid to the 
 especial proofs in which the Lord has displayed 
 his long forbearance; and because anger is not 
 kindled to fearful and immediate vengeance, men 
 forget that He is an equitable Judge, who does 
 not pardon, notwithstanding he respites : they 
 degenerate from security to rebellious disrespect; 
 and steel their minds against every admonition 
 by a resolute audacity. 
 
 How litde more supportable is the abuse which 
 manifests itself in a heedless converse with the 
 public worship of the Deity ! The Gospel ad- 
 duces a remarkable instance of the Hght esteem 
 in which the Jewish people held the temple. 
 They converted " the house of prayer into a den 
 of thieves." That holy place where the Eternal 
 would be honoured and adored with divine wor- 
 ship, or the commonly called outer court of the 
 
189 
 
 Gentiles, was thronged with selfish and de- 
 ceitful men, who enriched themselves by un- 
 righteous traffic, partly with victims for sacrifice, 
 and partly with certain pieces of money which 
 were appointed for the sanctuary. In lieu of 
 prayers and thanksgivings, nothing met the ear 
 but execrations and offensive quarrels ; and in 
 lieu of pious thoughts and pious meditations, the 
 heart was filled with criminal desires. There, 
 where devotion and holy awe should be pre- 
 dominant, avarice and craft had fixed their seat ; 
 and piety must give way to earthly advantage. 
 But how litde more could we boast of our 
 superior intercourse with holy things ! Neither 
 are our temples free from an unpermissible abuse. 
 We have lukewarmness in devotion, — a dissipa- 
 tion of the thoughts in worldly cares, under a 
 hearing of the word, — an indifference for the prof- 
 fered exhortations, — prayers and hymns of praise 
 uttered with cold lips, and without any emotion 
 of the heart. Is not the sanctuary dishonoured 
 by those who frequent it with such a mental 
 disposition ? To traffic publicly in the Lord's 
 house, as the Jews did, or, during the service of 
 the Deity, to turn our hearts and thoughts to 
 other transactions which belong to common -life, 
 are they not both equally incompatible with a 
 sincere adoration of that great Being? He re- 
 quires to be adored in spirit and in truth ; that 
 
 •v 
 
190 
 
 is, in exercises of devotion which are not solely 
 performed outwardly, but which fill the soul 
 with the most internal piety and thanksgiving. 
 Has not Christ himself commanded us to pay 
 such a true and spiritual homage to that God 
 who is a Spirit ? — John, iv. 24. A transgression 
 of the Sabbath is become habitual to many ; a 
 pious assembling of themselves is neglected without 
 a cause ; and the time which was appointed for 
 the worship of the Deity in his sanctuary is con- 
 sumed in sinful recreations ; and the relaxation 
 from labour which is afforded by festivals, is 
 perverted to temerity in evil. It is not unusual, 
 even at this time, for taverns to be crowded with 
 sensual associates, who celebrate this summer season 
 •with an offensive joy, while the churches are empty. 
 But the admonitions of the preacher are disdained, 
 because it is believed that there is no cause for 
 his expostulations. Yet what will be the end 
 of all this evil, which is so prevalent, when 
 God's forbearance is at length exhausted ? Our 
 Lord has told us in the present Gospel, and 
 predicts a fearful doom upon Jerusalem. " The 
 days shall come upon thee," says he, " that 
 thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and 
 compass thee round and keep thee in on every 
 side, and shall lay thee even with the ground and 
 thy children within thee, and they shall not leave 
 in thee one stone upon another, because thou 
 
191 
 
 knewest not the time of thy visitation ;" — 
 ver. 43, 44; and didst not avail thyself of the 
 opportunity which was aftbrded thee by the 
 Messiah to obtain the favour and blessing of the 
 Deity. This leads us to the other consideration, 
 where we shall be convinced, 
 
 2dly. Of the certain vengeful consequences 
 which result from a continual abuse of the divine 
 long-suffering. 
 
 It is no pleasure to me, O 3'e pious ones! to 
 keep up your attention with these mournful de- 
 scriptions. Who can think upon the divine ven- 
 geance, without being alarmed and full of fear 
 for his own destiny? The righteous also may 
 suffer when the Lord visits a corrupted nation; 
 as we have all reason to tremble at the chastise- 
 ment of the Almighty, although conscience acquits 
 some among us of deliberate offences. The 
 necessity of our neighbour cannot be indifferent 
 to us if we feel a fraternal affection for him, 
 according to the order of the Saviour ; and neither 
 can the pious man require, that Omnipotence 
 should save him from the common desolation by 
 a miracle. Of what avail then is it to console 
 ourselves or others with flattering hope when 
 misery is lighting on our heads? In this place 
 particularly, where means are not wanting to cause 
 a prevention of that corruption which, is gaining 
 the ascendency, a seasonable warning of the cer- 
 
 V 
 
192 
 
 tain vengeful consequence is of double utility. I 
 must show first, how the divine vengeance, in 
 consequence of a continual misuse of long suf- 
 fering, is ultimately manifested ; and then, secondly, 
 that the same misuse is infallibly visited by a 
 similar vengeance. 
 
 The vengeance of the Deity on sinners is most 
 generally revealed in two ways : it bursts forth 
 either in palpable judgments and external punish- 
 ments ; or shows itself in an abandonment of the 
 obdurate to their own minds which are perverted 
 by pernicious delusions. Both parts are the dreadful 
 but righteous consequences of abused mercy. It is 
 first manifest in sensible calamities and external 
 correction. But who can enumerate them all, or 
 pre-determine that which has been decreed by the 
 Lord ? He who governs all nature by his simple 
 nod, and orders all events with boundless power, 
 is neither destitute of arms nor strength, to punish 
 such as treat him with contempt. In the 
 Gospel for the day, Jesus threatens Jerusalem 
 with a numerous host of savage enemies, who 
 would demolish her most massy walls, would lay 
 the city level with the ground, and cause a uni- 
 versal massacre, without exempting those of tender 
 age. To David, whose pride had incensed the 
 Lord, the prophet Gad was ordered to propose 
 three judgments, of which he had his choice: 
 namely, " Seven years of famine, three months' 
 
193 
 
 flight before his enemies, while they pursued him ; 
 or three days' pestilence in his land." — 2 Sam. xxiv. 
 12, 13. " The cides of Judah were burnt with fire, 
 and strangers devoured their land, because the Lord 
 was wroth." — Isaiah, i. 7. He threatened Israel 
 by the mouth of Jeremiah, that " he would con- 
 sume them by the sword, and by the famine, 
 and by the pestilence." — xiv. 12; and "fire and 
 hail, snow and vapours, wind and storms, fulfil 
 his word." — Psalm cxlviii. 8. All created things, 
 which from the beginning were intended for the 
 advantage of men, can be adopted for their injury 
 and chastisement, when it is pleasing unto God. 
 I know not how he will scourge us, neither do 
 I. know when; but amid all these dispensations, 
 none can be more afflictive than is merited by our 
 manifold transgressions. Yes ! the longer is the 
 respite, the greater is the punishment : for guilt is 
 augmented by an abuse of forbearance. Vengeance 
 shows itself farther in an abandonment of the obdu' 
 rate to their own minds perverted by destructive de- 
 lusions. Here again Jerusalem serves us for an exam- 
 ple. She was ultimately given up to extravagant ideas, 
 relative to the earthly kingdom of the Messiah, 
 although, during the whole of his ministry, Jesus 
 had fruitlessly testified to the contrary ; and she was 
 left to her own blindness, as she had long rejected 
 the clearest evidences of his divine mission, and 
 had long contemned bis friendly persuasions. One 
 
 o 
 
 v. 
 
194 
 
 false prophet arose after another: artful deceivers, 
 who soothed the wrong ideas of the people, and 
 plunged them into utter misery, with glittering 
 promises. Thus the heathens were cast into 
 the most shameful uncleanness, in consequence of 
 their voluntary opposition to the convictions of 
 reason and the voice of conscience. As they did 
 not like to retain God in their knowledge, God 
 gave tliem over to a reprobate mind, to do those 
 things which are not convenient. — Rom. i. 28. 
 And the disobedient Christian, who walks in the 
 light with blinded eyes and hardens his heart to 
 a determined resistance, is not free from corrupt 
 errors, St. Paul predicted the doom which 
 is reserved for those who receive not the love 
 of truth, or who reject the gracious promises of 
 the Gospel : " for this cause, God," says he, " shall 
 send them strong delusion, that they should believe 
 a lie." — 2 Thess. ii. 10, 11. He does not send 
 it by immediate inspiration, or by teachers 
 regularly appointed for that purpose : then he 
 would himself be the author of the confusion 
 which is occasioned by spurious doctrines, and 
 would tend to the degradation of his sanctity. 
 Men are the inventors of their own inaccurate 
 notions ; and God permits them to run into ex- 
 travagancies, because he prohibits not the use of 
 their powers of mind as they please ; that he may 
 not do violence to the freedom of the soul. These 
 
195 
 
 Avanderers from the truth diffuse their incorrect 
 opinions with zeal and subtlety. The others, who 
 conceal a secret enmity against the Christian 
 doctrine, because it is adverse to their wicked 
 inclinations, are overcome with admiration for the 
 novel and the extraordinary ; take pleasure in it ; 
 and fix their faith on the words of the deceiver. 
 But God permits him to insnare them, because 
 they obstinately reject the saving instruction. 
 What St. Paul predicted was fulfilled long since 
 in many parts of the church of Christ. Where 
 the light appeared first, the thickest darkness now 
 predominates. Oh, that it may not invade our 
 borders, and obscure that light which hitherto has 
 thrown its beams on us ! Let the signs of the times 
 appear. False prophets raise their daring cries, 
 and talk loudly against the Lord's Anointed. 
 The word of God is assailed, not simply by jeerers 
 whose ridicule is now less detrimental than for- 
 merly, because it is the fashion no longer; but 
 by hypocrites and spurious religionists, who set 
 themselves up as the apostles of infidelity, under 
 the name of friends and reformers of Christianity. 
 Our Danish and Northern Church has not been 
 hitherto assaulted. Even unto this day, Providence, 
 through boundless mercy, has kept us from se- 
 ducement. But how long there will be a con- 
 tinuance of internal tranquillity in the church or 
 of external peace ,and felicity in the state, will 
 
 •V 
 
196 
 
 undoubtedly depend on our amended and more 
 Christian conduct ; for the divine long-suffering 
 has unfailingly such a vengeance as its follower. 
 
 This has been shown already in the preceding 
 testimonies, in which the Lord has appointed the 
 divers judgments with which the hardened are 
 at length chastised. But all his words are true. 
 Both promises and threats shall be fulfilled. " God 
 is not a man that he should lie, neither the Son 
 of man, that he should repent ; hath he said, 
 and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and 
 shall he not make it good ?" This is what the Lord 
 said of himself by the mouth of Balaam. — 
 Numbers, xxiii. 19. Nothing can be more cer- 
 tain than that piety and virtue are favoured with 
 rich blessings ; for the heavenly Father has promised 
 the abundance of his mercy to those who walk 
 uprightly before his face ; and he does not flatter 
 with false hopes, for he is faithful. But on the 
 contrary also, nothing can be more certain than that 
 audacity and wickedness are requited with heavy 
 chastisements. This is the threat of the Almighty : 
 " if the children of David break my statutes and keep 
 not my commandments, I will visit their offences 
 with the rod and their sin with scourges." — 
 Psalm Ixxxix. 32. But he is true and earnest in 
 his assurances. How then can the sinner promise 
 himself a continual exemption from sensible cor- 
 rection? To save his own honour, the Lord must 
 
197 
 
 punish the ungodly; and to preserve his holiness 
 from humiliating reproaches, in action he must 
 testify the most perceptible detestation of evil. In 
 correcting transgressors, he is actuated by goodness 
 and by wisdom : otherwise innocence would become 
 the prey of the violence of the mighty, and the proud 
 would forget that he is the Sovereign Lord. Often 
 has the world experienced, that the arm of the 
 Righteous One was stretched out for vengeance, 
 when the measure of wickedness was filled up. 
 Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans, and taken 
 by storm ; all her inhabitants were slain or sold 
 for slaves ; their temple was thrown down ; the 
 city was burnt, and levelled with the ground. 
 And where are Nineveh and Babylon? Where 
 are Tyre and Carthage? The mighty kingdoms 
 which were the strength of Asia and of Africa, 
 and the terror of Europe; the great monarchies, 
 before which the earth trembled ; are they not all 
 brought to desolation, through their sins? Their 
 still-remaining ruins testify that the God of Israel 
 is an omniscient, righteous, and Almighty Judge : 
 for by his prophets he acquainted them with his ven- 
 geance, whilst they were in a flourishing condition ; 
 at the appointed time he executed it by his own 
 power : so now they are subverted and are buried in 
 oblivion for ever. None but fools consider these 
 events as mere casualties or the effects of blind 
 destiny.' For what ^are chance and destiny but 
 
 V 
 
198 
 
 empty words which have no meaning when they are 
 separated from the direction of the Deity ? And 
 none but the imaginary wise consider them as the 
 necessary and inevitable consequences of the me- 
 chanical course of nature. Did not the Creator 
 foresee every possible occurrence before he formed 
 nature? He arranged them altogether after the 
 wisest plan. He saw from eternity that those 
 cities and regions would defile themselves with 
 vices which would cry to heaven; therefore he 
 determined from eternity to punish them at a 
 certain time, and in a certain manner; and he 
 saw that other nations, by powerful warnings, 
 would be brought to reflection ; therefore he 
 determined to give them a longer respite from the 
 merited correction. What, in consideration of the 
 foreseen state and conduct of countries, he had 
 decreed, that he executes in due time on every one, 
 when it is found consistent with the counsel which 
 he had established ; and thus he rules in all things 
 as an independent Lord. He governs all, and 
 appoints all our events according to his wise plea- 
 sure. They are then neither casualties, nor the 
 effects of blind destiny; neither are they the ne- 
 cessary consequences of the mechanical course of 
 nature; but proofs of a ruling Providence, which 
 employs them to warn and to admonish, or at 
 length to avenge a continual abuse of his long-suf- 
 fering. So many words are here uttered this day. 
 
199 
 
 and so many incitements and exhortations to an 
 unfeigned liumility before the throne of grace with 
 prayer and devotion in the name of the Redeemer ! 
 Forgive us, O propitiated Father ! we have sinned, 
 and are deserving of thy righteous vengeance. 
 Willingly will we improve, and acknowledge thy 
 kindness with lively thanksgivings. Save us, Lord ! 
 for the sake of thy mercy, which thou hast always 
 glorified among us by wondrous proofs, and for the 
 sake of thy dear Son, who prays, and advocates our 
 cause before thy face. Amen. 
 
 V 
 
FOR THE FIRST 
 
 SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 THE VICTORY WHICH WAS OBTAINED BY JESUS 
 FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF SINNERS, IN HIS 
 CONFLICT WITH THE DEVIL. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 What a victory, O dearest Redeemer, hast thou 
 gained over the most powerful enemy of the human 
 race ! How judiciously thou hast confounded his crafti- 
 ness, annihilated his plans,- enfeebled his might, and 
 destroyed the dominion which he had arrogated to him- 
 self, over the wretched inhabitants of the earth, by the 
 fall of Adam. Now we are plucked out of the snares of 
 the devil, as thou hast rent them asunder and hast 
 restored us our lost liberty. Now we are released from 
 his tyrannical yoke, as in thy victorious contest thou 
 hast shivered to pieces his most mighty weapons. What 
 joy it is for us, that now we ought to withstand all his 
 assaults, with hopes of victory ! Through Thee we shall 
 conquer: for thou tightest with us, and strengthenest 
 our weakness. Oh ! that we were but grateful for thy 
 
201 
 
 sedulous forethought with worthy thanksgivings ! 
 Would that we only knew how to make a right use of the 
 glorious advantage which thou hast gained for the 
 deliverance of the soul ! Yet, Lord ! by the operation of 
 the Spirit, through the medium of the word, bow down 
 our hearts to obedience unto thee, aud teach us to per- 
 ceive how much greater is the felicity which we could 
 enjoy under thy mild government, than under the 
 slavish yoke of our spiritual enemies. Give us grace to 
 preserve undiminished the freedom which thou hast con- 
 ferred on us. When we are assaulted, be present with us 
 with thy powerful help ; augment our strength and con- 
 firm our courage ; that the struggle which is begun may 
 be completed to thy honour, but to our ceaseless eman- 
 cipation from the misery of the condemned in eternity. 
 Would that thou mayest hear our humble request, for 
 the sake of the Mediator, Jesus Christ, and fulfil it, 
 Triune God ! Our Father, who art in heaven, &c. 
 
 •v 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 Matthew, iv. 1 — 11. 
 
 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness, 
 to be tempted of the devil, ^c. 
 
 Thus the seed of the woman shall bruise the 
 head of the serpent that seduced our first parents 
 to disobey the commands of the Almighty; thus 
 Jesus, merely the son of a woman according to 
 the flesh, but begotten by the omnipotence of the 
 Creator without any human agency, shall overcome 
 the seductive designs of the evil spirit, and break 
 the rod of power which he had arrogated to himself 
 over the human race, by means of sin. In the 
 remarkable Gospel for the day, our deliverer com- 
 mences the momentous contest in Avhich, on our' 
 account, he was to engage with the Tyrant of 
 the world. God's first promise to fallen man, that 
 from his flesh and blood should spring a Saviour, 
 endowed with skill and power to fight against his 
 most inveterate opponents, approaches now to its 
 
203 
 
 accomplishment. On this day Jesus dares to make 
 his first struggle, and gains a victory : during the 
 remainder of his time of ministry he continues 
 to weaken the power and reputation of our mighty- 
 foe, both by his doctrines and his miracles. He 
 disturbed the kingdom of darkness, in which Satan 
 had long reigned by means of superstition and 
 infidelity. He trembles under the most bitter agony 
 of soul, to discharge the debt of sinners and to 
 rescue them from the violence of the devil. He 
 pours out his blood upon the Cross, as an atone- 
 ment for the misdeeds which we had wrought, and 
 that on their account the tempter should no longer 
 appropriate to himself a prerogative to torment 
 us. He dies, and God is made propitious ; Satan 
 is overcome ; the chains of hell are severed ; and the 
 original author of wickedness has been despoiled of 
 his authority. " The God of peace shall bruise 
 Satan under the feet of the faithful," says St. Paul. 
 — Rom. xvi. 20. What events ! the most extraor- 
 dinary in the innumerable parts of the whole com- 
 pass of the world ! We will now recollect them 
 in our Lent meditations, as an evidence of our 
 sincere gratitude : and what greater unthankfulness 
 can there be than to forget the most important 
 benefits, from which all our happiness both tem- 
 poral and eternal must be derived ? The season 
 enjoins us to remember them with .peculiar de- 
 votion, and the Gospel gives us an opportunity this 
 
 V 
 
204 
 
 day to investigate one species of them, which, 
 in consideration of its consequences, is deserving 
 of being assimilated to the most momentous. I 
 will comprise the whole narrative of the Evangelist 
 in one chief point of doctrine, according to which 
 I will develope it. We will inquire then 
 
 WHAT WAS THE GLORIOUS VICTORY WHICH 
 JESUS GAINED FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF 
 SINNERS IN HIS WARFARE WITH THE DEVIL? 
 
 In this weighty truth the three following principal 
 considerations are contained : 
 
 1st. We ought to learn to know the foe with 
 whom Jesus engaged in war for sinners ; 
 
 2dly. We ought to consider the contest in itself; 
 how it was prosecuted, and terminated triumph- 
 antly by the Redeemer ; and 
 
 Sdly. We ought to illustrate the designs and the 
 benefits of this, his victorious conflict with the most 
 powerful enemy of mankind. 
 
 Let us then turn our attention, 
 
 1st. To the foe with whom Jesus contended 
 for sinners. 
 
 In the Gospel he is called " the devil, the 
 tempter, and Satan." The evangelist relates that 
 immediately after his baptism, " Jesus was driven 
 by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of 
 
205 
 
 the devil," and this tempter is immediately after- 
 wards denominated Satan, for Jesus said " Get 
 thee behind me, Satan." Who then is this crafty 
 enemy, who endeavours, under the mask of friend- 
 ship, to persuade Jesus to unseemly and perilous 
 actions ? Perhaps a Pharisee, or some other wicked 
 and artful Jew, who had noticed the peculiar ani- 
 mation with which Jesus was zealous for the truth, 
 but was apprehensive lest he might eventually dis- 
 cover that of which the people ought not to be 
 informed; viz. their violent oppression under the 
 pretended piety of the council and themselves. 
 Perhaps he was sent out by the chief priests to 
 bring him to the close of his career, or to in- 
 veigle him to do a sinful act, so that his dishonour 
 might be spread abroad among the people, and 
 that thereby an end might be put to his influence 
 over their understandings. It is wonderful indeed, 
 that these ideas have been countenanced by Christ- 
 ian expositors ! Why at that time should the 
 Sanhedrim be fearful of the courage of Jesus? 
 ■They knew him not, and had heard nothing which 
 could awaken their suspicions ; for until his bap- 
 tism he had lived unknown, far distant from 
 Jerusalem, in a city which was despised, calm 
 and at rest, in the dwelling of his reputed father, 
 in whose labour he participated, and was ready, as 
 an obedient son, to perform all the tasks which 
 were imposed on him. Once only, in his twelfth 
 
 V. 
 
206 
 
 year, he had exhibited most astonishing proofs of 
 
 penetration and understanding, when he interpreted 
 
 the' most abstruse prophecies, in the presence of 
 
 the Jewish doctors in the temple: but in his whole 
 
 discourse, not the sHghtest disapprobation of the 
 
 predominant modes of thought of the great council 
 
 was evinced : since that time there had been a 
 
 lapse of eighteen years, and Jesus still lived in 
 
 tranquillity without disclosing his divine mission. 
 
 By baptism he steps forward the first time, as the 
 
 Redeemer of the world, who had been promised by 
 
 God ; but scarcely is he baptized, before the spirit 
 
 drives him into the wilderness to be tempted of the 
 
 devil. " Then," says the evangelist, " he was driven 
 
 by the spirit into the wilderness," as soon as the 
 
 voice from heaven, at the river Jordan, had declared 
 
 him to be the Father's only and beloved son. 
 
 How then could the Jews be excited to hatred and 
 
 bitterness against him at that time, as from his lips 
 
 no word had yet been heard which could occasion 
 
 their disquietude; and that they had sent out a 
 
 tempter to him, is also an unfounded and unde- 
 
 monstrable conjecture. But could he who tempted 
 
 him be a mere man ? What ridiculous pride it 
 
 would be in a Jewish citizen to long for adoration ; 
 
 that most abominable request, which never could 
 
 have entered into the mind of a Jew, as by the 
 
 whole nation idolatrous worship was abhorred. 
 
 What man could be so foolish as to offer the king- 
 
207 
 
 doms and the glories of the world for an external 
 mark of veneration, and to disgrace himself by a 
 promise that evinced a want of sense and under- 
 standing ; for who can dispose of that of which he 
 is not the possessor, and which he is not able to 
 procure ? It is evident that the tempter of Jesus 
 must be the evil Spirit, he whom the sacred writers 
 generally denominate the devil or Satan, and the 
 old serpent, whose head, according to the prophecy, 
 was to be bruised by the Messiah, because he had 
 seduced our first parents. To him alone is the 
 name of devil or Satan peculiarly applicable ; he 
 is the most bitter enemy to man, and a daring 
 opposer of the will of the Almighty : it is even he 
 of whom Christ bears witness, that he is the father 
 of lies, ■ a murderer from the beginning, and abode 
 not in the truth. — John, viii. 44. Who but the 
 spirit that had apostatized from God, could presume 
 to make such an assault upon the guiltless Jesus ; 
 and to whom could he be an object of suspicion at 
 that time, except to the crafty betrayer, who with 
 restlessness and anguish had long expected that 
 the Deliverer of the human race, whom God had 
 promised, would arrive, and bereave him of his 
 sovereignty? And in the temptation we see at 
 once the artful wickedness concealed beneath the 
 cloak of piety, which has distinguished all the de- 
 signs of Satan from the very beginning; — it 
 indicates the wonted hatred and the cruel desire 
 
 X 
 
208 
 
 to effect the perdition of the lovers of religion, which 
 was previously evinced towards the primeval in- 
 habitants of the world ; and it unmasks his haugh- 
 tiness and ambition, which were the sins by which 
 himself had fallen, and into which Adam had been 
 drawn by his seductive artifices. To crave adora- 
 tion ; to offer the kingdoms of the world and all 
 their glories ; and to persuade others to an arrogant 
 self-confidence, are such lively features of his own 
 likeness, that we can easily discover that this was 
 the evil Spirit. The raiser of sedition in the king- 
 dom of the Creator, who would not acknowledge 
 the supremacy of his legitimate Lord, but on the 
 contrary, desired to be the master of the world 
 himself, can neither think nor act in a different 
 manner. It is probable that the festive nativity of 
 Jesus, which was solemnized by bands of angels 
 with triumphant songs of joy, had made him at- 
 tentive. He knew not what would be achieved by 
 this distinguished child; yet he was apprehensive of 
 the Messiah, and must immediately conjecture, from 
 these preparations, that Jesus was He of whose 
 advent he had long been fearful. From that mo- 
 ment he began to scrutinize most deeply all the 
 events which were connected with the object of his 
 suspicion ; he had not even been absent from his 
 baptism, but had remarked the voice which had 
 been neard from heaven, and that had inspired 
 him with the agonizing doubt whether this Jesus 
 
209 
 
 were not the Messiah. Now, under the impulse 
 of the Spirit, the Redeemer wanders forth into the 
 wilderness. The Holy Ghost, that recently had 
 lighted on his head as he stood in the water, ac- 
 tuated him by an internal powerful incentive to 
 go immediately after his baptism into the wilder- 
 ness, between Jericho and Jerusalem ; a frightfully 
 desolate, mountainous, uncultivated and rocky spot; 
 which was the refuge of wild beasts and of 
 robbers. 
 
 This was the place in which God had decreed 
 that Christ should exhibit the first proofs of his 
 courage and constancy, and thither he was con- 
 ducted by the influence of the Spirit, to suffer the 
 temptations of the Devil. There, under the sup- 
 port of the operative omnipotence of his divine na- 
 ture, he has lived forty days and forty nights without 
 food or drink, has devoted his time to prayer 
 and meditation, has thought over the momentous 
 errand on which the Father had sent him into 
 the world, and has prepared himself to complete it 
 with alacrity. It can scarcely be doubted whether 
 in the interval all his actions had not been ob- 
 served by Satan, for of what could he be more 
 desirous than of obtaining a perfect certainty of the 
 person of Jesus, who he was, and for what purpose 
 God had favoured him with extraordinary evidences 
 of his especial affection ? To make this experiment, 
 
210 
 
 he follows him into the wilderness; but fear allows 
 him not to venture any examination before the Saviour 
 feels, and probably confesses, his hunger in audible 
 petitions. The tempter thinks this the time to 
 commence the attack, when his apparent faintness 
 promised him a victory. Now he is emboldened 
 for the enterprise, and advances with all the subtlety 
 which could be devised, in order to deceive the 
 heart of innocence. But how does he present 
 himself to the eyes of Christ? Was it by images 
 excited in the imagination, by the means of which 
 he might think that he conversed with a person 
 present, and heard a human voice ; or in an external 
 form, as a journeying Hebrew; or perhaps a mes- 
 senger of light ? The Evangelists mention nothing 
 relative to these questions^ and our own conjectures 
 are scarcely adequate to their solution. However, 
 it is certain that Satan did not work immediately 
 on the understanding of our Lord, or infuse into him 
 the thoughts and ideas which are contained in the con- 
 versation which is described by the sacred penmen, 
 who relate the whole as a real occurrence, without 
 leaving the least vestige, from which the contrary 
 could be concluded. How could Satan have the 
 power of instilling such impure desires and such dis- 
 graceful wishes into the holy soul of Jesus, for it is 
 not possible for him to excite evil propensities in a 
 heart which is not of itself corrupt ; and if it were 
 
m 
 
 allowable for him, through irresistible violence, to 
 cause illicit sensations in the minds of the pious, 
 how could sin be imputable to men themselves? 
 He tempts those who fear God, by the help of 
 their innate evil inclinations, and impels the un- 
 godly to sinful actions, with the assistance of their 
 inordinate desires, which have the ascendency with- 
 in their minds. In this manner, through the me- 
 dium of covetousness, which had long been rooted 
 in his heart, he wrought on Judas to betray his mas- 
 ter : but Jesus was conceived by the immediate 
 operation of the Holy Spirit, without any inter- 
 mixture of human agency, and his soul was not con- 
 taminated by the natural depravity, which, by an 
 ordinary birth, is transmitted from generation to 
 generation. " He did no sin, neither was guile found 
 in his mouth." — 1 Pet. ii. 22. Thus neither was 
 the tempter capable of exciting unlawful emo- 
 tions in his mind, there being nothing found 
 within it, on which he had power to operate; 
 and there was no sinful propensity, of which he 
 could either cause the excitement or augmentation. 
 In consequence of these grounds, with justice we 
 may assert, that he assailed the Redeemer in a 
 visible form and with an external discourse and 
 audible expressions. But who can determine what 
 was the shape which he assumed, whether it 
 was that of a human being or of an angel ? So 
 much the more dangerous the tempter would have 
 
212 
 
 been had he appeared before the Saviour's eyes, sur- 
 rounded by the glorious brilHancy which decks the 
 spirits of the realms of Hght. Then he would have 
 seemed to be sent down from heaven, to minis- 
 ter to the assistance and support of the necessitous 
 Jesus, and his proposal would have been considered 
 as an injunction of the Deity. But our Lord would 
 have fallen into the greater perplexity ; and with 
 difficulty would he have escaped from the tempta- 
 tion, if wisdom and foresight, piety and prudence, 
 had not conducted him through every step of the 
 slippery paths of mortal existence. 
 
 Now then we know the enemy against whom 
 Jesus entered the lists for sinners. Let us pause 
 a little at this consideration, in order to muse on 
 the severe destiny of our dear Redeemer at his 
 entrance on his mediatorial office. Scarcely is he 
 ready to begin his mighty work, before the greatest 
 obstacles are raised by wickedness and falsehood, 
 and he is exposed to the crafty persecutions of a 
 cruel and a cunning spirit. Pure and innocent as 
 he is, he cannot be free from temptation to sin. 
 The seducer will wage war against his fidelity and 
 do violence to his mental rectitude. The old in- 
 fernal serpent thirsts for his precious blood, and for 
 his holy soul prepares eternal ruin, and the Lord 
 of the creation is to become the victim of the most 
 unworthy of all creatures. O what a deep abase- 
 ment is here! And to this he has voluntarily 
 
213 
 
 subjected himself for thee, O sinner! that thoii 
 niightest be rescued from the overbearing power 
 of the Devil. There he stands, solitary and aban- 
 doned, where desolate nature had accumulated her 
 most tremendous horrors. He stands exhausted 
 with hunger, bereft of all human assistance, and 
 under a heaven which was closed against him, and 
 out of which no ray of hope will gleam, as if the 
 Lord had consigned him to the most miserable 
 death; and he is assaulted by a foe, who is not 
 satisfied with the ruin of his body, but pants for 
 the destruction of his soul. We have reason to 
 contemplate this sight with pitying eyes. Our 
 hearts must feel the most afflictive sorrow. He 
 stands there in our stead, to pay the penalty of our 
 offences, and to make satisfaction for our incon- 
 sideration. Are we then so deeply sunk in our 
 secular delights, that our minds can no longer be 
 capable of these friendly emotions of grief and 
 melancholy, which would otherwise be excited 
 by the necessity of a benefactor? And is not 
 this the time when Jesus suffers, to wail the sins 
 for which his generous soul must tolerate the most 
 acute affliction? Or shall the world continually 
 withhold our thoughts from this most serious one? 
 This ought, however, to be reflected on more atten- 
 tively by every one in his closet. 
 
 But I will proceed to the second consideration, 
 M'hich will inform us' of the conflict itself; how it 
 
 V 
 
214 
 
 was prosecuted and terminated triumphantly by the 
 Saviour. Thrice Jesus was assailed, and thrice he 
 gained a victory. The tempter falls on him with dif- 
 ferent weapons; but ever experiences the same resist- 
 ance, and is finally under the necessity of retreating 
 in confusion. " If thou be the Son of God," 
 thus he accosts him the first time; " command 
 that these stones be made bread." — Ver. 2. "If 
 thou be the Messiah, the Son of the Supreme Being, 
 of whom David sang in prophecy : " Thou art 
 my Son, this day have I begotten thee." — • 
 Psalm ii. 7; — " if thou be the beloved of the 
 Lord, of whom the Jewish people are in anxious 
 expectation, then also thou must have power to 
 transform these stones into bread. Would not 
 then the mightiness of thy Father to create be 
 also communicated to thee? And would he have 
 exposed thee in this place to perish with hunger? 
 By this alone thou mayest be anticipatingly assured 
 whether he recognises thee as his Son, and thine 
 omnipotence will prove itself effectual, as soon as 
 thou dost put it to the test." But with this flattering 
 counsel there was an intermixture of secret poison. 
 The tempter will not raise the Saviour, but depress 
 him. He will infuse a distrust into the heart of 
 Jesus, whether he had indeed the Father's love? 
 And if the voice which published at his baptism, 
 ** this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 pleased," came down from God? How could so 
 
215 
 
 high a dignity be consistent with his present suf- 
 ferings ? The question is put with double crafti- 
 ness. If he would not entertain a doubt of 
 this, then he must be drawn to presumption. At 
 least it was the wish of Satan to be able to prevail 
 on him to make an arrogant and boastful use of 
 the miraculous powers of which he was possessed. 
 Had our blessed Lord executed the proposal which 
 was made him ; had he metamorphosed the stones 
 into bread, as he did water into wine at the mar- 
 riage in Cana of Galilee ; how then the tempter would 
 have jeered at his credulity, and have upbraided 
 him with having had an unreasonable recourse 
 to the wonderful gifts which had been imparted 
 to him by the Deity ! Of what utility would 
 it be to work miracles for the Devil ? He is neither 
 actuated to conversion nor to faith. He rages 
 with revenge against the most exalted Majesty, 
 and is eternally incorrigible. But the most subtle 
 wiles are overcome by the cautious sagacity of 
 Jesus. His confidence in the protection of the 
 Father is immoveable, and his conviction of his 
 being delegated by the Deity can be weakened 
 no more by menaces than by enticements. He 
 rejects the artful counsel of the enemy with this 
 pious answer, " Man shall not live by bread alone, 
 but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
 mouthy of God." — Ver. 4. That is,' by every 
 thing which the Lord pleaseth to appoint for 
 
 V. 
 
216 
 
 nourishment. " I require not," he would say, " to 
 have my life protracted by means of bread, or to 
 be kept from destruction by the common modes 
 of human preservation. It is equally possible for 
 Omnipotence to support my strength by other 
 means. And if the numerous Israelitish host, 
 that wandered for the space of forty years through 
 desert and uncultivated regions, could be sustained, 
 without either corn or fruits, by manna solely 
 W'hich the Lord rained down ; who ought then 
 to entertain any doubt of the all-effective opera- 
 tions of Providence? Wherefore should I avail 
 myself of my powers, to anticipate the timely 
 succour of my Father by a miracle? A work 
 which ought not to be performed, except as an 
 evidence before men of the divine origin of my 
 doctrines." Such is the language of the intrepid 
 One whose confidence is grounded on true con- 
 viction, and thus a good conscience produces an 
 undaunted courage in the most severe tribulations, 
 and virtue communicates powers to resist the most 
 dangerous attacks of the tempter ! Here genuine 
 resignation to that which is pleasing to the Deity, 
 is represented in its true colours; heie patience 
 and hope are both effective in their full force, 
 and here religion gains a victory, but wickedness 
 and craft are put to shame. Yes ! it is gratifying, 
 even amid our sorrow for the undeserved treatment 
 of the Saviour, to mark the valour with ^vhich 
 
217 
 
 he fights our battles. The fierce persecutor who 
 ceaselessly is prowling for our souls, to plunge 
 them into ruin, can be vanquished. Who then 
 would dread him, or be terrified at that power 
 which he has now remaining? And although he 
 frequently attack, yet he will be as fi-equently 
 repelled when Jesus is our fellow-combatant. 
 
 This is proved in the other temptation with 
 which Satan presumes again to assail the Saviour : 
 " Then the Devil taketh him up into the holy city 
 and setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple, and 
 saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast 
 thyself down ; for it is written, He shall give his 
 angels charge concerning thee ; and in their hands 
 they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou 
 dash thy foot against a stone." — Ver. 5, 6. The 
 holy city is Jerusalem, dignified trom the times 
 of old with such an honourable name by the 
 prophets, because it contained the holy temple, 
 in which the Majesty of heaven and earth visibly 
 revealed his especial presence. But that which 
 was commonly called the pinnacle of the temple, 
 was an elevated side-building or wing, looking 
 towards the south, at its base encompassed by a 
 vale so deep, that it could not be contemplated 
 from above, without terror. To this dangerous 
 spot, our Lord wanders accompanied by the evil 
 spirit. He mounts the walls, and looks into the 
 vale. This had beeh desired by the Devil, and 
 
 X 
 
218 
 
 for what purpose it is not difficult to conclude 
 from the request. He was desirous of persuading 
 Jesus to a daring leap, to make him a self-mur- 
 derer. " If thou be the Son of God, cast thy- 
 self down." " In the wilderness thou hast just 
 exhibited the most praise-deserving proofs of 
 thine immoveable confidence in the protection 
 of Providence. But who could admire thy 
 virtue and estimate thy worthiness according to 
 its merits in that place ? Thou wast destitute 
 of considerate witnesses, and thine honour was 
 robbed of its brilliancy through a want of en- 
 comiasts. Thou oughtest to manifest thy confi- 
 dence here before the eyes of all the dwellers in 
 Jerusalem, that they may celebrate the omnipotence 
 of thy Father, and extend thy renown in merited 
 commendations; and here thou shouldest act as 
 a Messiah, in order to be acknowledged by the 
 multitude, and to be received with suitable respect. 
 In fact, to what danger couldest thou be obnoxious, 
 being a Son of the Creator, the beloved of the 
 Deity, and the favourite of heaven ? Hath not 
 God commanded his angels to take care of the 
 faithful, and to guard them against perils?" So 
 craftily does the evil spirit conceal his sanguinary 
 intention ! Jesus must have died, had he been 
 willing to precipitate his body into llie terrible 
 abyss ; or must be publicly insulted with acri- 
 monious upbraidings " in the audience of the 
 
219 
 
 people," who were present in the temple, to sacri- 
 fice or pray; if he would not accommodate him- 
 self to the will of the Devil. Then it would be 
 evident, that he was not capable of any thing, 
 except that which could be done by others; and 
 then he would have manifested a distrust which 
 would not correspond with his former intrepidity, 
 and would be little consistent with a Messiah. 
 What a triumph for the tempter, if Jesus had not 
 again burst the snares asunder and again obtained 
 the ascendency! But the Saviour of Israel is as 
 great in prudence and in penetration, as in au- 
 thority and mightiness, in both respects unlimited. 
 He answers the treacherous enticement of his 
 adversary with this short remembrance : " It is 
 written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord 
 thy God." — Ver. 7. That is, without a reason 
 and necessity, thou oughtest not to require an 
 evidence of his miraculous protection; and thou 
 oughtest to walk in the ways which he hath pointed 
 out, with confidence in his succouring defence, but 
 not take an unnecessary step " which leadeth to 
 destruction." It is wisdom combined with meek- 
 ness which moderates the speech of the Redeemer. 
 He borrows God's own testimony from the holy 
 word, to deprive the tempter of every opportunity 
 for evasion, and he shows that not a deficiency 
 of trust in Providence, but allegiance^ to God 
 
 4 
 
 V 
 
220 
 
 and veneration for his government, ought to 
 restrain his feet from the paths of wickedness. 
 The evil which had been meditated by the deceit- 
 ful spirit could be easily discovered ; but, notwith- 
 standing, no reproach, no complaint, no asperity 
 is heard to proceed from the lips of Jesus. At 
 all times he is alike tranquil and unaltered : 
 he is actuated by a meek spirit, which cheerfully 
 endures the greatest wrongs, and thirsts not after 
 vengeance. Yes ! the victory which our blessed 
 Lord obtained is glorious above measure ; for it 
 is distinguished by understanding, as well as by 
 the most noble properties of the heart. He is 
 assailed with greater audacity the third time, but 
 he withstands it as hitherto, is conqueror again, 
 and crowns his triumph by the final routing of 
 his enemy. Again the Devil taketh him to one 
 of the highest mountains of the country, the great 
 hill not far from Jerusalem, in the frightful desert 
 which has been previously described. There he 
 points out to him all the kingdoms of the world, 
 and the glory of them. On all sides, as far 
 as the eye can reach, he shows him Italy, Syria, 
 Persia and Egypt, and in the most magnificent 
 manner he describes that which the powers of 
 vision could neither penetrate nor contain. " All this 
 will I give thee," says he, " if thou wilt fall down 
 and worship me." The proud Spirit cannot restrain 
 
go I 
 
 his ambitious wishes : he manifests himself by that 
 which is designed to entrap Jesus, and is recog- 
 nised. By riches and by honours, which are the 
 common snares for the human species, he hoped 
 at last to weaken the constancy of our blessed Lord. 
 According to the opinion of the Jews, Messias was to 
 rule over the earth, with glitterincr authority, sur- 
 rounded by the pageantry of princes. Of him they 
 were in anxious expectation, and wished soon to 
 be able to hasten out to meet him to attend his 
 festive triumph over captive kings. From this 
 circumstance Satan now endeavoured to derive 
 a new pretext for his third temptation. He would 
 smooth the way for Jesus to obtain the sovereign 
 rule over other nations without farther difficulty, 
 and thereby enable him to shine before the world 
 as the anticipated Messiah ; and as a recompense, 
 he wanted nought but simple adoration. Christ 
 was only to hail him as his sovereign, and bend 
 his knee before him as a vassal. Kingdoms would 
 then become his own, and might be ruled according 
 to his pleasure ; as formerly the cruel Herod had 
 governed Jewry, whilst Augustus had retained the 
 sovereign power and highest rank. For a carnally- 
 minded soul, of all the assaults, this would have 
 been the fiercest. How few would have subdued 
 their sensual lusts, and rather chosen poverty than 
 riches, or infamy than mightiness and, honour, 
 that God's commancjments might not be trans- 
 
222 
 
 gressed ! But Jesus is holy, undefiled, and free 
 from all inordinate desires : lie knows no greater 
 happiness than to love his Father and follow his in- 
 junctions ; and he dismisses the impious tempter 
 with this merited rebuke, " Get thee behind me, 
 Satan ! for it is written, Thou shalt worship the 
 Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." 
 — Ver. 10. Satan had debased the majesty of the 
 Most High ; he had done violence to the rights 
 which appertain to no one but the true Deity ; 
 had set himself up as the governor of the world ; 
 and had required an unseemly adoration. Is it 
 then wonderful that Christ declares how inwardly 
 it grieved his noble soul to hear such insults ? 
 His zeal intimidates the scoffer, who flees away 
 confounded ; and to the honour of our conquering 
 Saviour, in concert we can sing the glorious 
 song of joy, " O Death ! where is thy sting ? O 
 Grave ! where is thy victory ? Thanks be to 
 God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." The important reasons, which, in 
 consequence of the valiant conflict of Jesus, ought 
 to augment the most internal pleasure of our hearts, 
 shall be briefly mentioned now, 
 
 Under the third head, in which I have to de- 
 scribe the design and utility of our Saviour's strug- 
 gle with the most inveterate enemy of mankind. 
 The Evangelist describes the temptation of Jesus, 
 as a determinate counsel of God, and an event 
 
229 
 
 and continually guided by the light of thy word to a 
 right knowledge of thine infinite merits. May their 
 faith be led by a sincere love to thee and to thy Father ; 
 by an operative desire of genuine piety, and by a lively 
 and immoveable hope amid the most perilous tempta- 
 tions. Thou knowest thy true worshippers, O Lord ! 
 and art not ignorant of their distress. Who can 
 strengthen them in their infirmity, but thou. Almighty 
 One ! who hast subdued their most ferocious enemy, 
 the primitive seducer ? Be also present with them now, 
 to be their ally against infidelity and mockery, against the 
 subtlety of deceivers, mid the violent assaults of the 
 ungodly. If during a short time we must be harassed 
 by various afflictions, still give us grace and power, 
 that this trial of our faith may be found to our com- 
 mendation, praise and honour, at thy future glorious 
 appearance. Incessantly will we love thee with the 
 most ardent affection, although our eyes cannot behold 
 thee in thy divine glory at this time. To thee alone 
 shall our whole heart intrust itself, until it shall please 
 thee to crown our faith with an eternal beatification. 
 Hear us, we entreat thee, with the Father and the Holy 
 Ghost. Relying on thine atoning righteousness, we 
 beseech thee to hear our urgent prayers, O triune God ! 
 Our Father, who art in heaven, 8cc. 
 
 X 
 
SERMON X. 
 
 Matthew, xi. 2 — 10. 
 
 Now when John had heard in the prison the zoorks of 
 Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 
 
 And said unto him. Art thou he that should come, or do 
 we look for another'^ S^c. 
 
 JlOW must the sinners tremble, who deride the 
 Son of the Most High, and depreciate his divine 
 dignity ! Listen to the meekest of men, when, with 
 a voice of lamentation, he denounces the merited 
 chastisement of sinners : " Woe unto the world 
 because of offences." — Matt, xviii. 7. On other 
 occasions love issued from his lips, and his mouth 
 overflowed with the most friendly language of 
 exhortation to melancholy souls. But now vehe- 
 ment in spirit, he breaks out with a menacing 
 woe, which announces punishment and desolation. 
 He proclaims the most fearful vengeance over a 
 
 
231 
 
 faithless and ungodly generation, that had roused 
 the Deity to anger by their offences. But in what 
 consists this sin so heinous, the abhorrence of which 
 could infuse the most violent displeasure into the 
 tender heart of Jesus ? Is it an immediate offence 
 against the Supreme Majesty of the Sovereign 
 Lord ? Or does the word give us to understand 
 an injustice towards our neighbour; a stumbling 
 block, a misleading, by which innocence is betrayed 
 and plunged into calamity? According to the 
 Scriptural . use of the word, the expression may 
 comprise both. To take offence, means most ge- 
 nerally to occasion the fall of others, either by 
 word or carriage, or by deeds and conduct. He 
 who by boldness of manners or of morals inclines 
 his neighbour to coolness or security, offends him, 
 and the same is done by him who seduces others by 
 his example, to do that which otherwise they 
 had not done. In this sense Christ cautioned us 
 not to offend one of the least of those who believe 
 in him ; and said that it is better for such an 
 oftender, " that a millstone were hanged about 
 his neck, and he were cast into the sea." — 
 Mark, ix. 42. But the same expression also sig- 
 nifies an audacious offence against the most holy 
 person of our Lord himself; a stumbling block in 
 the minds of men respecting his sufferings and 
 death, which breaks out into conjtempt and 
 mockery. To be offended at Jesus ; that is, to be 
 
232 
 
 ashamed of his name, to reject his propitiation; 
 to deprive him of the honour which is his due, for 
 the mercy which he has shown unto the human 
 race, and to evince such a small degree of respect 
 for him as to depreciate his divine mightiness, is 
 what was meant by the disciples when they said, 
 that the Pharisees who heard the words of Jesus 
 were offended at him. — Matt. xv. 12. How lament- 
 able it is, that their mode of thinking is revived and 
 has diffused its ruinous effects over all Christendom ! 
 " False prophets arise and deceive many. Iniquity 
 is abundant and love is cold. Many are offended : 
 they betray one another; they hate one another, 
 and, were it possible, even the elect also would be 
 deceived." — Matt. xxiv. 10, 1 1, 12. Who can stand 
 in the general confusion which has been occasioned 
 by the enemies of Jesus? Who can preserve his 
 faith unadulterated and free from pernicious errors, 
 until the end ? Still, my devout brethren, it be- 
 comes us not either to renounce or mistrust it. 
 We are baptized in the name of the Father, of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost. We have learned to 
 hold all that our blessed Saviour has commanded ; 
 and he will be with us daily unto the close of this 
 terrestrial scene. Confident and full of this con- 
 soling hope, I venture this day, according to the 
 opportunity afforded by the Gospel, to encourage 
 your devotion to 
 
233 
 
 A STEADINESS IN THE FAITH AMID THE SCAN- 
 DALOUS JUDGMENT OF THE WORLD, RESPECT- 
 ING THE CRUCIFIED JESUS. 
 
 I must describe to you, 
 
 1st. How he is become an offence to the world, 
 and then consider, 
 
 2dly. By what means we shall best preserve our 
 faith unadulterated and pure amidst this scandal. 
 
 The first consideration cannot be pleasing to 
 rightly- disposed Christians, who love and honour 
 their Redeemer with a sincere heart. They must 
 hear ungrateful infidelity recompense her greatest 
 benefactor with unworthy reproaches; and they must 
 see rebellious sinners tread under-foot the Son of 
 God, and vilify the holy blood which was, however, 
 shed for their redemption. What grief to a nobly 
 thinking soul, that understands and appreciates 
 the unmerited benefits of Jesus towards trans- 
 gressors, who were deserving of reprobation ! And 
 how distressing to a mind devoted to its God to per- 
 ceive the faithless conduct of the impious towards 
 their most sincere friend and unwearied merciful 
 Saviour and Intercessor ! Still these are the times 
 in which he has foretold that the great mul- 
 titude in persecuting him and his disciples would 
 think to do God service. Even ma;ny among 
 
 \ 
 
234 
 
 those who live by the Gospel, pervert that most 
 precious part of it relative to a divine Saviour; 
 they are offended at him crucified. In order 
 not to be drawn away by their delusive repre- 
 sentations we ousht to know what is the scandal 
 at which they take offence. So little can 
 such considerations tend to the encouragement 
 of those who fear God, that they must rather 
 excite sorrow and displeasure ; yet it is necessary, 
 at all events, when opportunities present them- 
 selves, to recall them to mind as a warning and 
 admonition against the artifices of the deceiver. 
 The Gospel for the day calls on me to insist 
 on the following words of Jesus, which are doubly 
 important to us in the present disposition of the 
 world, viz. " Blessed is he whosoever shall not 
 be offended in me." Let us then consider, 
 
 1st. How the crucified Redeemer is become an 
 oflience to the world. 
 
 It shows itself constantly in scepticism and 
 infidelity, in hatred and in bitterness against the 
 divine truths, and evinces, by actions from gene- 
 ration to generation, that which the Apostle Paul 
 formerly lamented, that " the carnal mind is enmity 
 against God, for it is hot subject to the law 
 of God, neither indeed can be." As those 
 enemies of Jesus, the Pharisees and Scribes, w hile 
 he was a pilgrim upon earth, shut their eyes 
 
23o 
 
 against the clearest evidences of his divine power 
 and dignity ; so now the fascinated multitude that arc 
 only governed by the senses and follow their carnal 
 lusts, go on to raise doubts of his divinity, or wholly 
 to deny him. Similar to those blinded Jews, who 
 mocked him in his sutferings, without considering 
 the counsel of the eternal Deity in which these igno- 
 minious tortures were appointed, as a redeeming offer- 
 ing for the sins of all men ; so now the careless slaves 
 of concupiscence continue to jeer at the crucifixion 
 of our Lord, and despise him in his death, without 
 any dread of the righteous vengeance which God 
 had denounced against the enemies of the cress, 
 " that they shall bring upon themselves a swift 
 destruction." Although the times are changed, still 
 wickedness retains the same mode of cogitation ; 
 and although the hatred and detestation of the 
 Christian doctrines, which are entertained by the 
 ungodly, be concealed under different disguises, 
 their basis is continually the same. Men hide 
 them under the semblance of friendship, and do 
 a greater injury," because it is less noticed by those 
 who are rightly disposed. Many seem to be 
 zealous for the dignity of Jesus, and are not- 
 withstanding secretly his persecutors ; by w^-ong 
 expositions, they endeavour to weaken the power 
 of his redemption and rob him of the supreme 
 honour of being similar to the Fathef in essence 
 and in works ; thfey devise innumerable artifices. 
 
 V 
 
236 
 
 to draw away the mind of the simple from the 
 heavenly truths, to notions merely earthly and 
 carnal, which fill up the confused fancy with 
 lascivious images; and they bring forth calumniating 
 complaints against those who love the Redeemer 
 and preach his death, as well through hatred 
 towards those disagreeable witnesses of the truth, 
 as through craft and deceit, to infuse into the 
 church a tormenting distrust, even of religion. 
 That Christ, God's own Son, had resigned his life as 
 a guilt-offering for all our transgressions, was to 
 the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks 
 foolishness. This is an obstacle to our imaginary 
 philosophers, that have thrown away the light 
 of the Gospel to wander about in the former 
 darkness, under the feeble guidance of their reason. 
 The proud Pharisees would not acknowledge the 
 inability of nature to attain the right properties 
 of trup virtue by her own strength, but relied on 
 self-formed faculties to fulfil the law of God, and 
 boasted of their own righteousness. Neither will 
 high-minded infidelity allow her innate weakness, 
 but ventures to defy the Lord with a self-elected 
 integrity, and despises the most glorious means 
 of grace, which he hath appointed for the improve- 
 ment of the heart; thus is the world scandalized 
 at a crucified Saviour ; it takes offence at his 
 doctrine and person ; it cannot tolerate his works 
 and institutions for the deliverance of the miserable, 
 
237 
 
 and endures not the order and plan which he 
 has prescribed for the acceptance of salvation. 
 
 But what is the cause? This also continues 
 to be the same now as in the ages which are 
 past away ; false prejudices and sensual incli- 
 nations. The chief priests and all the Jewish 
 people, drawn away by preconceived sentiments 
 respecting the earthly kingdom of the Messiah, 
 did not allow that Jesus was the true one, 
 because they saw not the external magnificence, 
 the splendour and power, in which they thought 
 the promised Saviour would shine forth. His 
 poverty was an obstacle for them, and his mean 
 appearance gave them an opportunity to despise 
 him. This utterly corrupted nation, that had long 
 been plunged in vice and in unrighteousness, had 
 lost both the knowledge and desire of that which is 
 celestial : nothing could please them except the 
 earthly, that glittered to the eye ; and nothing could 
 delight their vain hearts, save the hope of being 
 raised in life to riches and to honour. Instead 
 of flattering promises and pompous panegyricks, 
 simply warnings and exhortations to a serious 
 repentance were heard from the mouth of Jesus. 
 In vain they expected the wished-for freedomfr om 
 the Roman yoke; he was desirous of delivering 
 their souls from the dominion of Satan, but not 
 of procuring them an abundance of temporal 
 felicity : and they rejected the former benefit, 
 
 V 
 
238 
 
 because of much greater moment to them was 
 the latter. What indeed does the carnally minded 
 soul care for the inestimable glories of eternity, 
 when only the body here, in time, can be gratified 
 and lefreshed with the joys of appetite ? Just 
 such a spirit animated the false prophets, of whom 
 St. Peter testifies, " that in the last days, they shall 
 bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord, 
 which bought them ; through covetousness," says 
 he, " shall they with feigned words make mer- 
 chandise of you ; they walk after the flesh in the 
 lust of uncleanness, and despise government; pre- 
 sumptuous are they and self-willed; they are not 
 afraid to speak evil of dignities," speak evil of things 
 they do not understand ; " they count it pleasure to 
 riot in the day time, having eyes full of adultery, 
 and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable 
 souls, and speak great swelling words which allure, 
 and promise liberty to them who allow them- 
 selves to be enticed by them, whilst they themselves 
 are the servants of corruption." — -2 Pet. ii. 1, 3, 
 10, 12, ]3, 14, 18, 19. 
 
 How similar is this description to the prevailing 
 infidehty of the times! It seems as if the present 
 state of the world had been pictured to the eye 
 of the Apostle when he wrote. Here is manifested 
 the true motive of the ungrateful acrimony of 
 the enemies of Christ, and here their whole cha- 
 racter is apparent in its proper form. The Spirit 
 
239 
 
 of God lias laid thein bare in their ignominy; 
 and it is testified by experience, that he hath. O 
 grievous recollection, that our brethren, who are 
 redeemed as well as ourselves, will be stigmatized 
 with these tremendous marks, at the righteous tri- 
 bunal of the Lord ! But see, O Christian, an 
 evident proof of the divinity of the Scriptures! 
 So many centuries before, a disciple of the Saviour 
 predicted what was to happen at this time, and 
 it is exactly fulfilled ! Then he, who knew the 
 hearts of these men before they and their fathers to 
 the thousandth degree of consanguinity were 
 brought forth, must be omniscient. He must have 
 given the Apostles their thoughts, and have lent 
 them every stroke in their whole portraiture. 
 Thus then the doctrine of Jesus is divine, for 
 they by whom it was promulged were under 
 the impulse of the Holy Ghost: "a Spirit that 
 searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." 
 — 1 Cor. ii. 10. Consider also, O afflicted soul! 
 what are the comforts and the encouragements 
 which are contained in ancient prophecy ! Thus 
 it ought to happen, for it was both foreseen and 
 foretold by the Lord, From eternity he knew 
 the tribulation of his church, and with the rejection 
 of his Son he was acquainted, before he reared 
 the lofty frame of nature. He permits the ungodly 
 to make a progress in the broad road of sin, 
 and holds back vengeance through compassion. 
 
 V. 
 
240 
 
 A time is fixed for the combination of omni- 
 potence and righteousness, when the divine for- 
 bearance is ultimately wearied, in order to 
 advance the interest of the pious with strength 
 and victory. Wherefore should we distrust, or 
 cast away a hope of a future improved condition 
 of virtue and religion ? " Upon this rock," says 
 Christ, " I will build my church, and the gates 
 of hell shall not prevail against it." Before the 
 earth experiences destruction, and all the elements 
 return to nothing, the kingdom of grace of the 
 Redeemer will not be deprived of its existence. 
 Constantly will it flourish, whatever be the state 
 of individual portions of the inhabited world; and 
 constantly he will continue to collect citizens 
 for the heavenly Jerusalem from every nation 
 and all languages. There are many in Europe, 
 who now deride and dishonour him, but indeed 
 there are more considerable numbers in another 
 part of the world, by whom he is served and 
 from whom he receives adoration; and who can 
 enumerate his secret adherents, even there where 
 " the abomination of desolation," has fixed her 
 chief abode? Elijah was apprehensive that "he 
 was the only true worshipper of God that remained 
 in idolatrous Israel; but he was assured by the 
 Lord, that there were seven thousand left him who 
 had not bowed their knees unto Baal." — 
 1 Kings, xix. 14, 18. How happy hitherto have 
 
241 
 
 we been, among whom bold contemners have not 
 openly presumed to raise their seducing cry ! By a 
 heedless and incautious lukewarmness may we not 
 render ourselves unuorthy of the continuance of so 
 great a mercy ! Both our own advantage and the 
 salvation of posterity, enjoin us to make a season- 
 able defence of the saving knowledge which is 
 implanted in our souls by the word, and to arm our 
 hearts for a valiant perseverance in the faith, of 
 which we once made a profession. With this inten- 
 tion, the gospel for the day leads us to inquire, 
 
 2dly. By what means we shall be best able to 
 preserve our faith unadulterated and pure amid the 
 scandal of the world ? For this purpose, let us first 
 examine our grounds of faith, and prove the evi- 
 dences on which our confidence in Christ depends ; 
 and then, in the second place, let us balance care- 
 fully the dangers which are the concomitants of 
 infidelity against the consequences of a lively faith. 
 Both parts were commanded by our Lord in his 
 conversation with the disciples of the Baptist. 
 They also were on the point of being drawn away 
 by the general prejudice against his person ; and 
 their Master appeared to them to be better adapted 
 to represent the expected Messiah than He. They 
 were offended at his mean appearance among the 
 Jewish people, and were also inflamed with bitter 
 envy, because by his ministry he seeh:ied to be 
 doing an injury to the JBaptist. John was desirous 
 
 R 
 
 •V 
 
242 
 
 of divesting his disciples of those dangerous doubts, 
 which could easily degenerate into infidelity and 
 disrespect, and sends them unto Jesus himself, in 
 order to facilitate their attainment to the most 
 certain conviction. To their sceptical inquiry, 
 " Art thou he that should come, or do we look for 
 another ? " the Saviour gives an answer replete 
 with meekness, elucidation, and direction; — that 
 they should meditate on his works with their 
 thoughts turned towards the language of the pro- 
 phets ; and compare his conduct with those cha- 
 racters which were ascribed to him in the Old 
 Testament, in order to judge whether in his person 
 the Messiah, who had been promised by God, was 
 come into the world or not : " Go," saith he, 
 " and show John again those things which ye do 
 hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and 
 the lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed, and 
 the deaf hear ; the dead are raised up, and the 
 poor have the Gospel preached to them." — 
 Ver. 4, 5. Here Jesus opens the surest avenue to a 
 rational and well-grounded knowledge of the truth. 
 We ought to prove his works and search his con- 
 solatory doctrine : we ought to derive our informa- 
 tion respecting him from this only unfallacious 
 source ; and we ought to decide with deliberation 
 according to the true tokens, without making hu- 
 man authority our basis. 
 
 Who that contemplates the works of our Lord 
 1 
 
us 
 
 with the accuracy vvliich is required by a sincere love 
 of truth, can avoid being filled with admiration 
 and with holy awe ? With a mere word he clears 
 the blinded eye, and gives the power of standing to 
 those limbs which ever had been useless until then* 
 By simply speaking to the lepers, they are cleansed ; 
 and he restores existence to the dead. He lavishes 
 no human skill in the cure of those who were dis- 
 eased; and he borrows no assistance to mitigate 
 the sufferings of the needy. As man was formed 
 at first by the mere will of the Creator, without 
 foreign aid ; in the same manner Jesus procures 
 debilitated man his vigour and vivacity, without 
 requiring the succour of another. His will alone 
 was sufficient to effectuate more than could be done 
 by the most skilful in the art of healing by science 
 and by application. He rules as sovereign over 
 life and death : equal to the Father in power 
 to knit or to dissolve the natural union between 
 the soul and body. Who sees not here the most 
 apparent proofs of wisdom and omnipotence? 
 What more could we require for a firm conviction of 
 the divine authority and worthiness of the Saviour? 
 Has not David certified that " God only doeth 
 great wonders?" — Psalm cxxxvi. 4. And who 
 could do them, except the Supreme Being, who 
 knows no bounds, either in mightiness or penetra- 
 tion ? Has Christ executed the same works a 
 could be done by no one but the Father? has he 
 
 V 
 
244 
 
 evinced his all-efFective power in such proofs as 
 demand infinite strength and understanding? Who 
 could doubt then if the essence and properties of 
 the Father belong to him ? And the most im- 
 partial truth is plainly testified by the apostle St. 
 John, when he says of him : " This is the true 
 God and eternal life." — 1 Epist. v. 20. His 
 precious doctrine furnishes us with a similar as- 
 surance of the forgiveness of our sins, through faith 
 in his blood. He preached the Gospel to the 
 poor ; he encouraged - the sorrowing hearts which 
 felt their inherent corruption with the most tor- 
 turing melancholy : he strengthened them for new 
 hope and consolation with this glorious promise: 
 " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest." — Matthew xi. 28. 
 And, in lieu of sinners^ he entered on the dreadful 
 road, where intolerable sufferings and torments 
 awaited him, through voluntary pity, with fraternal 
 love and affection, in order to rescue the race of 
 sinful Adam from the slavish prison of darkness 
 and from misery. " The Son of Man came not 
 to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
 his life a ransom for many." — Matt. xx. 28. Cer- 
 tainly, then, such a desirable compensation for all 
 our transgressions is really accomplished. Our 
 confidence in the propitiation of Jesus is too firmly 
 grounded to be overthrown by the scandalous 
 judgments and reproaches of the world : and for 
 
245 
 
 those only who cherish doubt, cither through carnal 
 desires or determination, can hope seem dubious 
 or to be distrusted. Is it not built on the all- 
 holy testimony of our Lord himself? But who 
 ought to subvert his authority, as it is publicly 
 confirmed by signs and wondrous operations? 
 Did not the Deity himself ratify the validity of 
 the atonement, by raising the Redeemer from the 
 dead? He died for our sins and rose again to 
 glorify and confirm his propitiation. Only reflect, 
 my fellow-redeemed Christians, on the manifold 
 evidences of the Saviour's errand in the world, 
 which occur to us every where in the sacred Scrip- 
 tures, with a liberal soul and with an open heart. 
 Examine them with consideration, according to 
 their connexion and the natural sense of their order, 
 without prejudiced opinions. Think with pleasure 
 and attention upon the great works which Christ 
 performed, to confirm his divine mission, to deliver 
 sinners from their merited punishment. The fas- 
 cinating flatteries of the flesh ought not to divert 
 our thoughts from religious meditations, or diminish 
 our desire for the exercises of devotion ; neither 
 ought the secret disgust, or degeneracy of the 
 heart, to have the ascendency over the voice of 
 conscience, by which we are incessantly admo- 
 nished. The longer we are habituated to a reve- 
 rential intercourse with God in prayers dnd songs 
 of praise, the more ' frequently we recollect the 
 
 "s 
 
246 
 
 Saviour in his painful sufferings, with feeUngs of 
 our own unworthiness of so exalted a benefit : 
 the more firmly rooted is our conviction, and daily 
 the truth shines more clearly in our eyes. Then 
 the anguish and disquietude which had been pre- 
 viously excited by the bantering assault of infidelity, 
 are put to flight. Then the inveigling craftiness 
 of the ungodly is deprived of all its power, and 
 virtue is preserved uninjured. In vain will 
 voluptuousness avail itself of all its artifices to 
 delude us, and in vain will the tempter abuse 
 his sagacity, to precipitate us into ruin, for then 
 we are furnished with the weapons peculiar to 
 the Spirit, in order to withstand our enemies, 
 and to damp their violence. The Lord hath 
 strengthened us in our weakness: he hath clad 
 us in his whole armour, and hath made us mighty 
 to resist the artful onset of the wicked One. 
 -^— Ephes. vi. 1 1. 
 
 But in the Gospel for the day, Christ also 
 alleges a powerful motive for the unchanging 
 steadiness of his genuine servants : that is, the 
 danger which is consequent upon infidelity, com- 
 pared with the salvation which is the follower 
 of a lively faith. He declares that those who 
 are not offended in him, are the only blessed. 
 How then can there be happiness in such as 
 outrage him with an offence against his mighty 
 person ? If none but he can screen them from the 
 
247 
 
 condign punishment of their transgressioiis, and 
 if they still reject his proffered means of grace; 
 who then can save them from the extreme of 
 woe? Infidelity recompenses her worshippers 
 merely with anguish and desponding horror at the 
 approach of death. Immoderate sensuality weakens 
 the body, vitiates the soul, and presses down the 
 mind into a heedless stupefaction. Avarice con- 
 sumes life, and pride renders it odious. The world 
 is its own destroyer by its evil inclinations, as the 
 ungodly one bears his punishment in his bosom, 
 occasioned by his own iniquities ; — a racking 
 conscience ; a corroded and tormented heart, rent 
 asunder by internal secret reproaches. At last, 
 however, the soul is satiated with carnal pleasures, 
 but then experiences no greater joy; and under the 
 most painful feelings of sorrow and affliction, it 
 sinks into the most melancholy inaction. Only 
 allow the mass of mankind to triumph in their 
 irreligion as in a state of freedom, when every 
 band is burst and all restraint has ceased ; they 
 are not sensible of their slavish yoke as long as 
 their appetites can be gratified by a succession 
 of many species of delights; but how soon this 
 unbridled merriment is changed to trouble and to 
 bitterness ! How speedily sensual bliss exhausts 
 its skill to satisfy the vanities of the mind ! Amid 
 tumultuous giddiness, an infidel spirit is devoid 
 of the internal pleasure, without which no man can. 
 
 \ 
 
248 
 
 be really happy. Smiles play around the mouth, and 
 the heart is filled with trepidation. The tongue 
 pours forth the language of mockery, and con- 
 science passes sentence on the offender. Men 
 defy death with boastful contumely, and still are 
 terror-struck at the least sign which excites any 
 supposition of its presence. They jeer at judg- 
 ment and eternity, but endeavour also to escape 
 from every thought and idea of them, as long 
 as there is any possibility, and frequently they 
 show by their behaviour that all their bravery is 
 mere pretence. But above — where the Sovereign 
 Judge summons to an account, without regard- 
 ing the external aspect ; there, where the most 
 hidden thoughts will be brought to light, and 
 justice will be done to every one, without either 
 partiality or indulgence; there, Vk'here the abyss 
 has spread its dreadful jaws, to swallow up the 
 sons of condemnation — who can endure these 
 terrible discussions? and there the infidel will 
 be punished incessantly, according to his deserts. 
 Our Lord himself, the most compassionate of 
 judges, was under the necessity of passing a fearful 
 sentence on such a one, that he might not act in 
 contradiction to righteousness : " He that believeth 
 on him is not condemned," saith he; ** but he that 
 believeth not is condemned already, because he 
 hath not believed in the name of the only begot- 
 ten Son of God. The wrath of God abideth on 
 
249 
 
 him." — John iii. 18, 36. Often, my devout bre- 
 thren,' we will call to mind the dreadful danger 
 which is attendant on infidelity, both in the tem- 
 poral and the eternal state ! It admonishes us to 
 be prudent and circumspect in our conversation 
 with the world ; that by bad examples, piety may 
 not be transformed into indifference or contempt; 
 and it deters and draws back the mind from the 
 flattering persuasions of sensuality. The more we 
 know of the unhappy condition of contemners, 
 the less will their jeering accusations disturb our 
 faith or weaken our conviction. Nothing would 
 contribute to our advantage, if we gained the 
 world, but did an injury unto our souls. 
 
 But to withdraw his faithful from a participation 
 in the scandal of the world, their heavenly Lord brings 
 farther to their minds the great salvation which is 
 attendant on a lively faith. " Blessed is he whosoever 
 shall not be offended in me." — Ver. 6. Happy is 
 the man who receives and confesses my doctrine 
 without taking offence at it; and who loves and 
 honours me with the most sincere veneration, 
 without being hindered by my present external 
 poverty ! But what is the happiness which he 
 promises them ? Does it deserve also to be set 
 in comparison with those terrestrial glories, 
 which ought to be renounced for Jesus' sake r 
 He who fears God will be best able to judge, 
 by his own experience, whether the love of the 
 
 V, 
 
'250 
 
 world, or the faith of the Redeemer, can be the 
 promoter of his genuine welfare. When the 
 former has delighted the senses for a moment, 
 it leaves after it the most painful w'ounds in the 
 afflicted conscience. On the contrary, when the 
 latter begins from sorrow, in consequence of sin, 
 it advances to hope for its remission ; is augmented 
 to courage, and becomes a joy so pure, that 
 it is mingled with no gnawing disquietude; so 
 great, that it sweetens the bitterest adversity ; and 
 so steadfast and immoveable, that death itself 
 cannot diminish it. Have we meditated on the 
 Saviour, as absent and concealed from our sen- 
 sual eyes, with an inferior sort of joy here, then 
 hereafter we shall see him face to face, encom- 
 passed with divine magnificence and majesty, and 
 full of an ineffable delight, which continues without 
 cessation during an unlimited eternity. What a 
 salvation ! Should we then hate ourselves more 
 than we are hated by our sternest foes, and not 
 desire to share this blessed hope ? Should we 
 exchange this real felicity for earthly opulence, 
 which thieves can steal away and moths corrupt ? for 
 worldly greatness, which produces envy, and which 
 allures malicious men to hurt us? or for carnal 
 pleasure, which debilitates, dishonours and destroys 
 both soul and body? What jewel can counter- 
 balance a good conscience and a heart delighted with 
 its God? — A possession common to the wealthy 
 
251 
 
 and the indigent, and to all those who unfeignedly 
 confess the name of Christ, and follow his ex- 
 hortations. How good it is to be true unto 
 the Lord, for he remunerates our faithfulness with 
 rich blessings ! How joyful to be assured of his 
 especial favour, as a son is of the affection of 
 his father ; for, according to the manner of the 
 world, he deceives not with false promises; but 
 abides by his covenant, and gives abundantly ! Let 
 nought intimidate thee, fellow Christian, for that 
 which thou mayest suffer under the scandalous 
 judgments of the world respecting Jesus who was 
 crucified ! Be faithful unto death ; adhere to the 
 word; pay attention to thy ways; follow thy 
 Saviour, and he will give thee a crown of life. 
 — Rev. ii. 10. Amen. 
 
 V. 
 
FOR THE FOURTH 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 WHY GOD JS INDUCED TO DELAY THE AS- 
 SISTANCE OF AVHICH MEN OCCASIONALLY 
 APPEAR TO BE MOST IN AVANT. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Ihou doest all things well, all-wise, gracious and 
 merciful God ! thou leadest us onward amid sorrow 
 and joyfulness, sufferings and felicity, want and abund- 
 ance ; according to the wise plan which thou hast 
 formed in thine eternal counsel, for the advancement 
 of thine honour and the real welfare of thy reasonable 
 creatures. Even then, when thou appearest to treat 
 us with severity, our salvation is thy chief object. In 
 thy whole administration there is nothing which we 
 could reprehend with justice, or which could be ordered 
 more advantageously. It is all one unfathomable depth 
 of riches in goodness, compassion, wisdom and in mercy. 
 And in all thy ways thou art worthy of admiration ; a 
 Father, a commiserating God that deserveth our most 
 inward thanksgivings. Teach us to perceive and feel 
 
253 
 
 this weighty truth with a lively conviction, that our 
 faith may not stagger and our hope sustain an injury. 
 Let thy Spirit, by the power of the word, make it 
 effectual on our hearts at this time, that our mouths 
 may be filled with the sincere language of gratitude 
 for thine infinite evidences of mercy ! Our Father, who 
 art in heaven, &c. 
 
 X 
 
SERMON XL 
 
 Matthew, viii. 23 — 27. 
 
 And zohen he was entered into a ship, his disciples 
 followed him. 
 
 And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, in so 
 much that the ship teas covered zvith the waves : hut he 
 was asleep, S^c. 
 
 What can parallel the consolator}? hope 
 which is imparted to the upright and genuine 
 worshippers of the Deity, in every passage of the 
 Holy Scriptures ? They shall be rescued from the 
 perils which could not be eluded by either human 
 prudence or by human power; they shall not be 
 destitute of any of the good things which are found 
 serviceable to them by the wisdom of the Lord, 
 and they shall not protitlessly have cast all their 
 care on his paternal mercy. He will make all 
 their events terminate to his own honour and to 
 their real prosperity. " Call upon me in the time 
 of trouble; so will I hear thee," saith he. — 
 
255 
 
 Psalm i. 1.5. '' Commit thy way unto the Lord, 
 and put thy trust in him; and he shall bring it 
 to pass." — Psalm xxxvii. 5. And in the same 
 book of the sacred Scriptures we also find these 
 words, " They that know thy name will put their 
 trust in thee, for thou, Lord, hast never failed 
 them that seek thee." — Psalm ix. 10. How many 
 glorious promises of a similar nature has God 
 published in his word, by the prophets and apostles, 
 for the consolation and relief of those who are 
 afflicted ! Who ought to entertain a doubt of their 
 accomplishment? They are given by a Deity who 
 loves truth and abominates lies; who tolerates not 
 that which is false, and destroys all those who 
 speak proud words with flattering lips. In spite 
 of this, -it is not of unfrequent occurrence that the 
 Lord appears to be forgetful of his promises. 
 Both the pious and the ungodly fall often into 
 distresses of doubtful termination. They cry unto 
 the God of mercy, but he hears them not; they 
 complain of their calamities, but he gives them 
 no comfort; and they appear to be on the point 
 of sinking into the most horrible abyss, and yet no 
 succour is in readiness. The disciples in the Gospel 
 are in momentary danger of being hurried to the bot- 
 tom of the sea; but their divine Master slumbers, as 
 if he were unsolicitous respecting them, and cared 
 not about their ruin. What is the cause of these 
 unanticipated events by which hope is disturbed; 
 
 "V 
 
256 
 
 and the divine promises appear to be enfeebled? 
 Can they also be in congruity with the Lord's 
 gracious assurances of the most indubitable pro- 
 tection? And wherefore does the wise Governor 
 act so little consistently with his most holy 
 covenant? To obviate this language of distrust, 
 which might easily perplex the understanding, 
 and rob it of its peace, we will inquire, 
 
 WHY GOD IS INDUCED TO DELAY THE AS- 
 SISTANCE OF WHICH MEN APPEAR TO BE 
 OCCASIONALLY IN WANT? 
 
 We must search the right causes ; 
 
 1st. On the side of God, in his infinite wisdom 
 and goodness ; 
 
 2dly. On the side of men, in their own unsea- 
 sonable and discontented conduct. 
 
 The succour of which men seem to be most 
 in want, is postponed occasionally: 1st. Through 
 motives on the side of God ; that is, he is 
 actuated to retard the deliverance of those who 
 suffer need, by his infinite wisdom and goodness. 
 A boisterous storm has overtaken the disciples 
 of our blessed Lord. The sea of Galilee, 
 which they were crossing, is in commotion even 
 from the bottom, and *' the ship is covered with 
 the waves;" but Jesus sleeps, as if he heeded 
 
257 
 
 not their misery. They awake him at the instant 
 that the vessel is sinking, and death stands before 
 them. But yet he reproves them for their fearful 
 behaviour, before he will avail himself of his divine 
 power to save them from their destruction. How 
 astonishing it is that this affectionate Instructor, 
 whose Almighty hand could cause the motion of 
 the universe, will abandon his most faithful friends 
 to the fury of the waters ! But in the extreme of 
 peril, to rebuke them for their terror, and to defer 
 his assistance until it must soon appear too late to 
 brino; it into action: — how little can this conduct 
 harmonize with the soft disposition of his heart ! A 
 ruthlessness which could be the least expected from 
 a compassionate man, who on frequent former occa- 
 sions had snatched the afflicted from their grievous 
 state, although he had not been solicited. Still we 
 ought not to be precipitate in our decisions on the 
 operations of the Deity : — " All his paths are mercy 
 and truth." — Psalm xxv. 9- His footsteps are 
 marked with wisdom, and all that he performs bears 
 witness of the deepest understanding. With the 
 wisest design, Jesus allowed his disciples to be 
 immersed in danger, and, through goodness, he 
 only determined to withhold his protection from 
 them for a season. He was desirous of procuring 
 them an opportunity to recognise his divine pro- 
 perties with a sensible conviction, and they were to 
 be placed in calamitous circumstances themselvejs, 
 
 s 
 
258 
 
 in order to experience, in their own case, witli what 
 extraordinary power he could become the deliverer 
 of the needy. As the future teachers of the Gospel, 
 it was peculiarly important for them to have the 
 greatest possible certainty of the divine worthiness 
 of Jesus. The authenticity of the doctrines of 
 which they were to be the propagators, was built 
 on this foundation ; and their own courage to tes- 
 tify to the world the Godhead of their master, even 
 under the most barbarous persecutions, was de- 
 manding of the most powerful support. There 
 should not be left them the smallest occasion to 
 doubt, that their faith might not be weakened and 
 lose its strength in adventitious temptations. But 
 ■what better expedient could there be for the pre- 
 vention of all probable distrust of the God-like 
 mightiness of the Saviour, than this perilous situa- 
 tion, in which Providence must operate in the most 
 miraculous manner for their preservation ? Already 
 is the vessel covered with the waves. The storm 
 was a hurricane : a situation in which our blessed 
 Lord, as merely man, irresolute and destitute of 
 succour, was rendered subject to the self-same dan- 
 ger, but as God also he could screen them all. 
 When they exclaimed, " We perish ;" without skill, 
 by the word of his power he converted the most 
 fearful expectations to a delightful issue: — he shut 
 the yawning jaws of instant death, and recalled the 
 hope of life. — " He arose, rebuked the waves and 
 
259 
 
 the sea, and there was a great cahii." — Ver. 26. 
 A miracle so mighty, that it surpasses all the 
 powers of nature : for never were the troubled 
 waters soothed, at the same moment that the wind 
 has ceased, but the commotion is of lonjr continu- 
 ance, and is slowly stilled. Here the disciples per- 
 ceived that their IMaster was superior to humanity. — 
 Who is this ? They interrogate each other with 
 astonishment and fear : " What manner of man is 
 this, that even the winds and the sea obey him !" 
 —Ver. 27. The occurrence made the strongest 
 impression on their souls. They had previously be- 
 held his stupendous operations, and had admired 
 them, but without being perfecdy sensible of the 
 divine power by which they were distinguished. 
 Their heedless habits of thought allowed them not 
 to carry their conjectures farther than their eyes 
 could reach ; and they soon forgot, even on the fol- 
 lowing day, that which had happened on the one 
 preceding. The assistance was not experienced by 
 themselves, but by others ; persons in whose wel- 
 fare they were not interested, and with whose ne- 
 cessity they were not acquainted. Neither did they 
 understand how to appreciate them according to 
 their value. Sceptics had seduced them to injurious 
 suspicions, with facility ; and at least by such ob- 
 jections as it was difficult for them to remove, they 
 had enfeebled the impression which was made on 
 their minds by subsequent miracles. Now, on the 
 
260 
 
 contrary, what clubitation could be sufficiently 
 powerful to disturb their faith, or banish the respect 
 which they had entertained for the person of Jesus, 
 as their hearts confirm that which had been per- 
 ceived with their eyes; — now as internal feeling 
 corroborates the testimony of their senses ; and 
 as they have learned by their own experience to be 
 grateful for his Almighty power to give relief? 
 Although Peter, through an unseasonable terror of 
 the Jewish council, could swerve to perjury, and in 
 the course of a few hours, avert an ideal danger of 
 death by a renunciation of his Lord ; still his con- 
 science bore witness against him, and finally com- 
 pelled him to confess the truth. How could he 
 eradicate the inward conviction of these truths which 
 were planted in his soul, that Christ was the true 
 prophet, the promised Messiah, the Son of God 
 himself, and the divine Lord and Governor of all 
 nature? Experience had inculcated and confirmed 
 them. Therefore he acknowledged the Redeemer 
 in his apostolical office, with an incomparable intre- 
 pidity ; and sealed his confession with the most 
 excruciating martyrdom. And therefore John could 
 solemnly declare, " That which we have heard, 
 which we have seen with our eyes, which we have 
 looked upon and our hands have handled, of the 
 Word of life ; that which we have seen and heard, 
 declare we unto you." — 1 Epist. i. 1,3. Was not 
 then our Lord's determination to subject his dis- 
 
261 
 
 ciples to the utmost danger, manifest wisdom and 
 goodness ? Their necessity was to glorify his migh- 
 tiness ; and the latter also was to be exhibited to 
 their eyes for the immoveable confirmation of their 
 faith. 
 
 A consolatory doctrine for thinking Christians, 
 who are habituated to scrutinize the works of Jesus 
 with suitable attention ! They are all surrounded 
 by abundant opportunities for useful thoughts and 
 useful meditations. Those operations do not merely 
 display the most evident proofs of the divine origin 
 of religion, and represent the glorious attributes of 
 our Mediator, his supreme dominion and majesty, 
 his almightiness, providence, promptitude to suc- 
 cour, and other perfections of a similar nature, in 
 their full effectuality : no I hence we learn also to 
 have a better insight into the wise plan, according 
 to which he orders all our events, — and they prove 
 that we are governed by a compassionate Lord, who 
 in the most doubtful circumstances has still proposed 
 to himself our real welfare as the chief object of his 
 administration. He it is who operates with the 
 Father and the Spirit in the common providence 
 for the preservation of the world. He took his 
 seat at the right hand of the Father, after the guilt 
 of sin was expiated, to rule there as God and man, 
 in conjunction with Him, over every creature : but 
 it is he likewise who, in an especial manner, 
 exercises the supreme authority over the Church 
 
262 
 
 that he has ransomed. In all that occurs to us, 
 whether it be corporeal or spiritual, he is effectually 
 and powerfully present. Even when the soul is 
 disquieted by agonizing sorrow in consequence of 
 the merited punishment of sin, and vainly sighs for 
 comfort — a torture far greater than the most 
 grievous sufferings of the body; — even then, when 
 the Church is assaulted by the enemies of the truth, 
 and the darkness of delusion appears to overshadow 
 the radiance of the Gospel ; — even then, when war 
 rages, when pestilence depopulates a country, and 
 famine rends her vitals, — and even when a storm 
 lays low all our earthly hopes, — who could appoint 
 us all these calamities, but he who alone taketh 
 counsel for all things, and without whose permis- 
 sion not even the Tempter, the old Serpent, would 
 dare to shed his poisonous influence on us ? But 
 on that account does he discontinue to be the same 
 affectionate Redeemer, who loved us so tenderly 
 that he immolated his precious life as a propitiation 
 for our sins ? Is it indifference or hatred that 
 induces him to delay the aid of which we are some- 
 times most in want ? On the contrary, it is wisdom 
 and goodness, and the judicious and benignant fore- 
 thought of a paternal governor. Let us prosecute 
 this idea in individual exigencies, for the editication 
 of our understandings and our hearts. What is 
 more afflictive, than during prayer and supplication 
 to the compassionate God for the remission of our 
 
263 
 
 sins, to be tortured notwithstanding by racking 
 doubts, which extinguish the power of the gracious 
 promises of the Gospel ? What anguish to have a 
 continual hope of the alleviation of conscience, 
 and to be constantly experiencing the most violent 
 disquietude ! and ever to heave the sigh, and 
 shed the bitter tear, with the most inward desire for 
 consolation to invigorate the heart, and yet for sighs 
 and tears to be in vain ! Was not Asaph long 
 under the necessity of giving vent to the most sor- 
 rowful complaints, before his prayers were granted 
 by the Almighty ? " In the time of my trouble," said 
 he, " I sought the Lord ; my sore ran, and ceased 
 not in the night-season : my soul refused comfort. 
 When I am in heaviness, I will think upon God : 
 when my heart is vexed, I will complain. Will the 
 Lord absent himself for ever : and will he be no 
 more entreated ? Is his mercy clean gone for ever : 
 and his promise come utterly to an end for ever- 
 more ? Hath God forgotten to be gracious : and 
 will he shut up his loving-kindness in displeasure?" 
 " — Psalm Ixxvii. 2, 3, 7, 8, 9- With these pangs 
 the careless lovers of the world are unacquainted ; 
 but among the really religious, there are not a few 
 by whom their bitterness has been experienced. 
 Grace shows its influence more powerfully upon 
 some than upon others ; and in some the hope of 
 conversion is most prevailing, and in others, 
 despondency. One who is weak in faith, long 
 
 \ 
 
264 
 
 advances timid and trembling before the throne of 
 mercy, without being re-animated by a consolation 
 sufficiently strengthening ; but another hastens on- 
 ward with firmer steps, and tastes the heavenly gifts 
 without a tedious expectation. Scarcely had St. 
 Paul bewailed his former hatred of the Christian 
 doctrines, during the space of three days, ere he 
 received divine comfort, and was armed for a 
 peculiar intrepidity. There a sincere Christian ex- 
 pired with a lively foretaste of the happiness of 
 heaven ; but yonder, another resigns his exhausted 
 spirit amid the prayers of lamentation, and after 
 floods of tears. What a difterence in the behaviour 
 of Jesus towards these his worshippers ! Should 
 we question his readiness to mitigate the anguish of 
 the sorrowful ? And could the most compassionate 
 of men be partial in his dealings with them ? Oh ! 
 it is wisdom and mercy united for their advantage. 
 He saw that they required humiliation, that they 
 might not be drawn away to a proud contempt of 
 their meaner brethren, or buried in the slumbers of 
 security, and fall again into their former irregular- 
 ities. He saw how greatly they required palpable 
 admonitions of their want of the merits and sup- 
 plications of a Redeemer. By their example, he 
 would instruct and warn others ; and he would pre- 
 pare them to receive the gladness of faith with the 
 greater gratitude. After a sorrow of a short dura- 
 tion, a pleasure will succeed which will abundantly 
 
265 
 
 repay the hardships which have been undergone, 
 with a twofold revival of the mind. Did not 
 the previous anguish of the rescued disciples render 
 their happiness doubly valuable? And in the same 
 manner, he who has long prayed for mercy fruit- 
 lessly, will obtain an exuberant addition of joy and 
 happiness, most commonly while in this mortal life, 
 and indubitably after death. The present condition 
 of the Christian Church exhibits the most dis- 
 tressful image of carelessness, infidelity, deluding 
 errors, and vile hypocrisy. It is a vessel in the 
 roughest ocean, and on the point of being over- 
 whelmed by raging and wild billows. It fluc- 
 tuates between superstition and a denial of God, 
 and between doubts of the most momentous truths, 
 reproaches even against the sanctuary, and internal 
 persecution. The builder sleeps or remains mo- 
 tionless, and scarcely does the danger seem to pro- 
 duce any effect on him : his servants are amazed and 
 rendered dumb : his word is dishonoured, and they 
 who " make a mock" of his divinity, or confound 
 his atonement, think that they do the Deity a ser- 
 vice. Where is the assistance which should raise 
 the courage of the candid, and repel the despotic 
 assault of ignoiance? Where is the hope which 
 should console true believers, and strengthen their 
 confidence in this precious promise ; " t[pon this 
 rock I will build my Church; and the gates of Hell 
 shall not prevail against it?'' — IMatthew, xvi. 1-8. 
 
 •v 
 
266 
 
 Hath the Lord then determined in his anger to 
 come speedily upon us to remove our candlestick 
 from our habitations ? We must certainly acknow- 
 ledge that the punishment would be equitable and 
 deserved. Few amon«; us remember from whence 
 we are fallen, and how many are they who repent 
 and do the first works? — Rev. ii. 5. Still it is 
 better here also to discover the wisdom and the 
 goodness of the eternal and compassionate One. 
 Often hath he shown, in similar events, with 
 what facility he is able to derive good consequences 
 from the evil actions of men, and to convert fraudu- 
 lent counsels to the advantage of those who were 
 to have been destroyed. Perhaps he designs now 
 to open the road to heterodoxy, that hypocrites 
 and mercenaries may be discriminated from the 
 upright; and that the torpor of the multitude 
 may be exchanged for zeal and industry ; to arrest 
 ignorance, — to excite a general desire of instruc- 
 tion, — to cleanse the sacred truths from optional 
 adjuncts, by the efforts of those who are bound to 
 be their guardians, — and to set forth genuine 
 Christianity in a more glorious lustre. Or perhaps 
 this is the time which was predicted by St. Paul, in 
 these words, " Because they received not the love 
 of the truth that they might be saved ; for this cause 
 God shall send them strong delusion, that they 
 should believe a lie, that they all might be damned 
 who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in 
 
267 
 
 unrighteousness." — 2 Thessalonians, ii. 10, 11, 12. 
 It is sufficient for us that a deliverance is not re- 
 tarded except by causes which can harmonize with 
 wisdom and with goodness ; and we will entertain 
 the soothing hope, that they are intended to contri- 
 bute to the general prosperity and advancement of 
 the Church. 
 
 The same tenderness distinguishes the ways of 
 Providence in our corporeal tribulations, and the 
 same wisdom regulates the decrees of the Almighty, 
 relative to our temporal happiness. The poor man 
 toils under an oppressive servitude, and still he 
 scarcely earns the coarsest food for the support 
 of life. Yet let him not bewail his cheerless fate, 
 but be content and full of gratitude ! It was fore- 
 seen by the Creator before the world was called 
 into existence, that riches would not tend to make 
 him blest, and that leisure would precipitate him 
 into the most enormous crimes. Of all the pos- 
 sible situations among the inhabitants of the world, 
 that oue is assigned him from which he could 
 derive the greatest utility, in relation to the whole. 
 To be prepared for the ineffable delights of the 
 eternal state, without any interruption arising from 
 outward vanities, he is destitute of the smallest 
 surplus for more than the necessaries of life. Is 
 not the Lord then both reasonable and. good, to 
 deprive him of that^ which is terrestrial, that he 
 may have no opportunity to strip himself of wiiat 
 
 \ 
 
26S 
 
 belongs to heaven? A malady consumes the 
 stoutest hero, who was before the terror of 
 his foes. Perhaps the Lord intends it to abase 
 hini; or to restrain him from erroneous steps. 
 Hatred and persecution are exasperated to make 
 an attack upon the innocent. This is permitted 
 by the Supreme Being to admonish them to be 
 circumspect and prudent in their conduct. Again : 
 the man of piety and diligence is snatched away 
 amid his blooming years by a disastrous death; 
 the world loses the advantage which he could 
 procure it ; friends and families are bereft of their 
 protector; his children are houseless and his widow 
 destitute of bread ; but God would keep him safe 
 from flagrant sins, and preserve his soul from those 
 seducements which were prepared for him, either 
 by the evil Spirit or by the sons of carelessness ; 
 and with the most sedulous vigilance he will pro- 
 vide for the necessities of the survivors. How 
 evident it is by all these recollections that the 
 causes on the side of God, through which he 
 is actuated to delay the succour of which men 
 appear to be most immediately in want, ought 
 merely to be sought in his infinite wisdom and 
 benignity ! 
 
 2dly. But he is often necessitated to withhold 
 his support, in consequence of reasons on the side 
 of men ; that is, through their own undue and 
 discontented conduct. This also can be illustrated 
 
269 
 
 by the behaviour of the disciples in the Gospel. 
 Their recourse to Jesus was not the effect of 
 coniidence, but anguish ; their exclamation for his 
 assistance, was not a hearty prayer, but an im- 
 patient and reproachful cry ; and they required 
 his succour, more as a right than as a boon of 
 mercy, without humility and with vehement ex- 
 pressions. " Lord save us," said they, " we perish." 
 What distrust blended with displeasure ! Nothing 
 but the danger in which they were involved can ex- 
 tenuate their guilt. They had outraged all venera- 
 tion for the person of the Redeemer, and were 
 ready to cast away their feeble faith which had 
 been previously occasioned by his doctrines and 
 his wondrous operations. Could he not justly 
 reprove them in these words, " Why are ye fearful, 
 O ye of little faith ?" *' Doth it become you to 
 be so violently alarmed in the presence of me, 
 on whose protection you have sufficient grounds 
 to fix your hopes? And have I deserved your 
 confidence and high respect so little, that without 
 any reserve you assail ine with vilifying accusa- 
 tions?" It was just that they should hear their 
 misdemeanor and should learn to know it, before 
 he would accomplish their desires. Therefore, 
 at first he chides and afterwards delivers them. 
 Alas ! there are numbers who daily raise greater 
 obstacles to the succouring promptitude of God 
 and Jesus, than the' disciples ! The irreligious 
 
 X 
 
270 
 
 man pours forth no prayer, except when tribulation 
 falls upon him ; but his entreaty is the confused 
 and deceitful cry of a foe who has been vanquished. 
 He would rather wish, far removed from the 
 regards of the Lord, and without apprehension 
 of his punishment, to be enabled to enjoy his 
 pleasures, or practise his iniquities. During the 
 continuance of the storm, he sorrowing seeks the 
 pardon of his sins, that death may not drag him 
 away suddenly amid his impenitence ! Does he 
 desire with perfect earnestness to be loosed from 
 transgressions? Are they truly his abhorrence; 
 and, on the contrary, is piety with faith in the 
 Redeemer, his most fervent longing? Oh! the 
 dreadful tempest has only to subside a little, and 
 the sun begin to appear in his brightness ; a 
 companion of congenial disposition has but to 
 give the signal for merriment, and he has already 
 forgotten both the Divinity and his offences. He 
 is again gratified by his wonted recreations, 
 and is again upon the road of sin, devoid of sorrow 
 and alarm, but replete with shame for the terror 
 by which he recently had been disturbed ; — his 
 terror of the universal Judge ! How the sinner 
 trembles under the acute pangs of a fatal malady ! 
 How heartily he is desirous of a blissful departure 
 hence, if his terrestrial life has reached its end ! 
 And what docs he not promise for conversion 
 and reformation, if God will raise him from his 
 
271 
 
 dying bed, and give Ijim vigour to effect a cure? 
 His prayer is granted ; and now there ought 
 to be a fultihnent of his engagement, I mean, 
 the holy purpose to amend his Hfe. But see, 
 whether all the careless habits, which were to be re- 
 linquished, do not once more retain the ascendency: 
 if virtue do not vanish from his view ; if faith 
 be not contemned, and God repaid with a ne- 
 glectful apathy of mind ! Thus all the pious and 
 the holy things of which he made profes- 
 sions in his sickness, were not tlie genuine feel- 
 ings of his heart: thus he simply prayed with 
 his lips that God would clothe him with the purity 
 of the angels, but still he kept the wish within 
 his breast, that he might prosecute his sinful 
 courses ; and thus he sought deliverance from 
 his misery, rather from the physician than from 
 God, whose communion in prayer and piety was 
 his aversion. Is it then surprising, that the All- 
 knowing Deity must often shut his ears against 
 the mournful lamentations of these hypocrites, and 
 suffer them to pine amid their sorrows ? He 
 sees the inmost th robbings of their carnal hearts, 
 and abhors them, because they are disgraceful to 
 his name. Unfeigned repentance requires an entire 
 change of disposition and modes of thought. If 
 they be sincere in their contrition, the ungodly 
 cannot continue to cherish their corrupt propen- 
 sities. No ! they ought to bo subdued, and ex- 
 
 V. 
 
272 
 
 changed for a purer desire for real piety. Without 
 a Hvely affection for God and for the Saviour, 
 which manifests its power in a holy course of life, 
 faith has no existence; but without it there is 
 no salvation resulting from the redemption of Jesus : 
 " Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, 
 but have everlasting life; and he that believeth 
 not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of 
 God abideth on him." — John, iii. 16, 36. Of 
 what avail is it then to implore the favour of a 
 merciful Deity with the sighs of anguish, while 
 the heart is continually under the spell of an ardent 
 longing after earthly vanities ? Could, indeed, the 
 Lord take pleasure in the prayers of those who 
 solely require his assistance, that they may not 
 be destitute of all ability and power for the service 
 of sin ? Because equity allovvs him not to promote 
 their criminal designs, the necessary succour is 
 delayed ; or it is withheld from them as a well- 
 deserved punishment for their preceding trans- 
 gressions. With a view to this he declared to 
 Israel : " When ye spread forth your hands, I will 
 hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make 
 many prayers, I will not hear ; your hands are full 
 of blood." — Isaiah, i. 15. 
 
 But the distrusting and groundless hope with 
 which sinners frequently approach the throne of 
 grace, is 'equally a reason why their misery is 
 protracted. Men pray through custom, but witiiout 
 
273 
 
 confidence and consolation in the decrees of the 
 Deity. Where that which is possible cannot be sur- 
 veyed, and where the coherence in the events which 
 have occurred, is hidden and unknown, there hope is 
 excluded, and comfort degenerates into corroding 
 desperation. Men propose their own plans, as 
 a rule for Providence, and require that they should 
 be followed. On the least deviation from them, 
 distrust is again excited, and the mind relapses 
 into an agonizing disquietude. Prayers are mingled 
 with impatient complaints, wishes digress into 
 numberless possibilities which are all rejected. We 
 fear and we expect, alike uncertain, whether the 
 Lord will send down a judgment to avenge a 
 dereliction of duty, or a favour or blessing, as an 
 evidence, of his infinite goodness. But of these 
 waverings what is the utility? And what does 
 distrust produce in the Almighty, but displeasure ? 
 He who will ask for aught is instructed by the 
 Apostle James to do so, " in faith, nothing waver- 
 ing: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the 
 sea, driven with the wind and tossed." — Epist. i. 7. 
 So many have prayed even to the last and re- 
 ceived nothing, because they clamoured with 
 vehement impatience. Their mind was inflamed 
 with secret indignation at the misfortunes which 
 befell them, and they had flattered themselves with 
 greater proofs of the protection of Providence, 
 because they thought that they deserved them; 
 
274 
 
 but now, when invaded by adversity and overtakenr 
 by sufferings, they step forward, as those who have 
 experienced cruel treatment. They weep and vent 
 the words of lamentation, without receiving aught 
 to give them comfort. They represent their 
 burden as doubly galling, and are anxious to de- 
 monstrate the injustice which is done to them, 
 in comparison of others. All these inordinate 
 feelings alternate with their prayers, and often are 
 conjoined with their devotions. What should the 
 Lord do, but occasionally withhold the assistance 
 which they required ? They ought to discover, 
 that all his donations are the effects of an un- 
 merited bounty and compassion, and their behaviour 
 towards him ought to be so regulated as to evince 
 the most profound veneration and the firmest trust. 
 To exercise their patience and by that means to 
 prepare them for a greater tranquillity of mind, 
 he conceals his kindness and seems as if he had not 
 heard their supplications. Their lot is grievous, but 
 what is its cause? Have they not been plunged 
 into long-continuing misery by their doubts and 
 their impatience ? Thus doth our Supreme Go- 
 vernor justify his whole conduct towards his 
 subjects, and in all things he acts consistently 
 with wisdom and benignity ; with truth and righ- 
 teousness ! 
 
 Lastly. May these reflections lead our thoughts 
 to discern, in all occurrences, the wise and af- 
 
275 
 
 fectionate Director by whom they are appointed ; — 
 may they impress our hearts with a lively awe 
 of the Sovereign Lord of the world and of 
 the church, combined with the most ardent love 
 and confidence ; — may they caution us against 
 distrust and against disquietude, and encourage 
 us to contentment; — and may they teach us to 
 be satisfied with the condition which has been 
 appointed for us by God, without panting after 
 a greater portion of felicity with restlessness and 
 vehement desire ! Amen. 
 
 \di 110 I; ilJiMsO 
 
FOR THE FIRST 
 
 SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 JESUS CHRIST THE PECULIAR KING AND 
 LORD OF HIS REDEEMED. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 Gracious Redeemer, exalted King and Lord ! we 
 prostrate ourselves before thy throne of grace with 
 devotion and adoration, as thy most immediate subjects 
 whom thou hast ransomed with thine own blood, to 
 implore thee to vouchsafe thy continual defence of the 
 kingdom which thou hast established amongst us. 
 Sorrowfully must we confess, O dear Lord, and De- 
 liverer ! that we have not honoured thee as we ought to 
 do, and have not obeyed thy holy commandments with 
 becoming zeal, but have rendered ourselves unworthy 
 of the glorious privilege of being subjects in thy king- 
 dom of grace. Still thou art not a King that persecuteth 
 or punisheth : for thy government is grace, mercy, and 
 compassion. Thou rvdest and governest only to effect 
 our felicity. In this consolatory hope, grounded on thy 
 
277 
 
 sufferings and death, we presume once again to suppli- 
 cate thy reprieving lenity and compassion, instead of the 
 deserved punishment. Continue with us. Lord, with thy 
 divine protection : preserve thy holy word and thy true 
 doctrines unadulterated among us until the end of time. 
 Give us a desire to hear, and strength to follow thine 
 affectionate exhortations, until at last thou shalt remove 
 us from this state of probation to thine eternal king- 
 dom of glory, and there gladden us with all the saints 
 in happiness incorruptible. In reliance on thy merits, 
 we address these our prayers to Thee, with the Father, 
 and the Holy Ghost. Hear us, Triune Deity ! Our 
 Father, who art in heaven, 8&c. 
 
 V 
 
SERMON XIL 
 
 Matthew, xxi. 1 — 9. 
 
 j4nd when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come 
 to Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent 
 Jesus two disciples, 
 
 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, 
 and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt 
 with her : loose them, and bring them unto me, Sfc. 
 
 1 HE Gospel which has just been read, exhibits 
 our blessed Saviour under a more glorious aspect 
 than we are accustomed to see him present else- 
 where. He is denominated a King, makes his 
 entry into Jerusalem, and is honoured by the 
 unanimous people with all the veneration which, 
 according to the custom of the country, could be 
 evinced for royal personages. They spread out 
 their garments in the way, as a carpet for him to 
 ride upon, as was done formerly for Jehu, when he 
 
279 
 
 was chosen to be King over Israel. — 2 Kings, ix. 13, 
 They also strewed the way with palm and olive 
 branches, or carried them in their hands, and 
 escorted him with festive hymns of gratulation, as 
 in former times the people with branches of the 
 palm-tree in their hands, had sung the deliverance 
 of Jerusalem from the pollutions of idolatry by 
 Simon Maccabceus. — 1 Maccab. xiii. 51. They 
 chaunted in concert a song of joy taken from their 
 great Hallelujahs. — Psalm cxviii. And a solemn 
 confession was made that he is *' the Son of 
 David," that " he cometh in the name of the 
 Lord," and is the true Messiah. But what vicissi- 
 tudes ! Formerly despised, and wandering about 
 from one place to another, amid various distresses ; 
 but now extolled by common approbation, and 
 overpowered with marks of reverence; — formerly 
 so indigent, and full of misery, as not to pos- 
 sess the little which could procure him shelter 
 for his head ; but now to resemble a prince, by a 
 retinue, which was the custom in the times of old ! 
 . After a few days, this glory is again exchanged for 
 scorn ; and the same people who shouted 
 " Hosanna, blessed be he that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord, Hosanna in the Highest ! " ex- 
 claimed a little after, with wild cries, " Crucify 
 him, crucify him ! " and this very Jesus, who is 
 now ushered into their metropolis in a sort of tri- 
 umph, after a lapse of a few days, is driven put to 
 
 2 
 X 
 
280 
 
 Golgotha as a malefactor, and ends his days with 
 thieves upon the cross. — Oh ! what vicissitudes ! 
 
 Could Jesus then, by the assistance of the popu- 
 lace, have endeavoured to raise himself to the regal 
 dignity in Jerusalem ? And could his intention 
 have been counteracted by the craftiness of the 
 Pharisees, and death have been his sentence as a 
 punishment for his unlawful seizure of the power 
 of the country's sovereign ? No ! this accusa- 
 tion is in no respect consistent with the conduct 
 and disposition of our blessed Saviour. He 
 had previously opposed the excited multitude 
 that were set in motion by his miracles, in their 
 design of making him a king. — John vi. 15; he 
 had recently predicted his approaching sufferings 
 and death ; — he had bewailed the impending deso- 
 lation of the Jews, — and had threatened the city 
 with the vengeance of the Lord. What hope then 
 could he entertain of a kingdom there, where after 
 a few days he justly expected the period of his life ; 
 and where the arm of the Almighty was extended 
 for vengeance, and direful punishment was on the 
 point of being inflicted ? Of these unusual festivi- 
 ties, the Evangelist has interwoven the real cause 
 in his narration : — " All this was done," says he, 
 " that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the 
 prophet, saying, tell ye the Daughter of Sion, 
 Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and 
 sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass." — 
 
281 
 
 Zach. ix. 9' The approaching Messiah was to be 
 distinguished, among many other characteristics, by 
 an individual extraordinary pomp, which caught 
 the eye, and made an impression, that the sensual 
 multitude might be the more easily induced to allow 
 him to be that which he was, and that he might 
 exhibit all the marks which had been given to him 
 by the prophets. In his person there had already 
 been an exact fulfilment of the greater part; only 
 this one remained prior to his sufferings, to make 
 his entry into Jerusalem on a tame ass, with her 
 colt by her side ; and to this then Jesus must also 
 adapt himself, that in all things he might accom- 
 plish all the requisites which had been prescribed to 
 the true Messiah. Thus, on this day, he would 
 not assume an external regal dignity and power over 
 the Jewish nation : as he is a potentate of greater 
 glory, and is the possessor of a superior realm 
 which surpasses all that is terrestrial in mightiness 
 and in authority, we are bound to honour him as our 
 sovereign Ruler and most immediate Lord; and he 
 is called our King, both by the prophets and 
 apostles : but we ought not to vilify his dominion, 
 by comparing it with one that is earthly. Both the 
 importance of the thing, aind the present suitable 
 opportunity, oblige me to develope this subject in 
 a short and connected discourse, as it involves a 
 momentous truth in the religion of a Christian. 
 
282 
 
 The chief point of doctrine which is to be pro- 
 pounded on the present occasion is therefore this : 
 
 JESUS CHRIST THE PECULIAR KING AND 
 LORD OF HIS REDEEMED. 
 
 We will direct our thoughts, 
 
 1st. To the kingdom itself, of which the Saviour 
 is the Sovereign. 
 
 2dly. To the plan of administration, according 
 to which he manages and exercises that royal 
 power. 
 
 1st. Perspicuity and order command me to col- 
 lect all the conceptions which pertain to the king- 
 dom of the Messiah under these two considerations : 
 1st. That the realm which he governs by virtue of 
 his redemption, is not earthly ; it flourishes on 
 earth, but yet without all terrestrial and evanes- 
 cent greatness : 2dly. That the realm in which he 
 reigns as Redeemer is spiritual ; it diffuses itself 
 over the souls of men, and furthers their eternal 
 happiness. Both these divisions will lead us to a 
 pure, scriptural idea of the kingdom, or the 
 generally- called regal office, of Christ. Under this 
 name we are accustomed to represent to ourselves 
 the different transactions and ordinances by which 
 he purchased for the fallen human species that 
 
283 
 
 blessedness which they had forfeited. According 
 to his voluntary counsel, he was appointed to be a 
 Mediator for sinners between the Deity and them. 
 It was his peculiar, his chief province, to reconcile 
 the incensed Creator to his rebellious creatures, and 
 to remove all the obstructions by which their 
 intimate union had been interrupted : in conse- 
 quence of which, he must procure for transgressors 
 freedom from punishment, and access to the divine 
 mercy; — he must inform them of the salvation 
 which he had obtained, and be their Instructor in 
 the means by which it could be acquired, — and he 
 must participate in the labour, and arrange that 
 which is necessary for the effectual beatification of 
 his redeemed. To each of these departments, 
 certain .especial and honourable titles have been 
 given by the Scriptures ; and they describe him as 
 a High Priest, when he comes forward as an 
 atoning sacrifice, to obtain salvation for us ; — as a 
 Prophet, when he informs us of it by his doc- 
 trines, — and as a King, when he avails himself of 
 his supreme mightiness to make freely purchased 
 transgressors the partakers of the real benefits and 
 fruits of his redemption. The vocations of High 
 Priest, Prophet, and King, are then the separate 
 parts of the one grand dominion which he will exer- 
 cise in the world : that is, in all of them he is a 
 Mediator and a Peace-maker, and this momentous 
 object is common to all of them, in order to execute 
 
 V 
 
284 
 
 and complete the everlasting deliverance of ruined 
 man. For the same reason, in various pas- 
 sages, St. Paul comprises all the benefits of our 
 blessed Lord towards the human race under the 
 simple name of Mediator. He calls him ^' a Media- 
 tor between God and man," — " tlie Mediator of a 
 better Covenant," and of the New Testament. 
 Now this hint may serve to explain the constitution 
 of the Saviour's kingdom. He is not then our 
 Sovereign in the most proper acceptation of the 
 word, because, in conjunction with the Father and 
 the Spirit, he governs the dominions of the Almighty, 
 which extend over all nature, and which authority 
 is founded on creation ; for by creating, preserving, 
 and sustaining both angels and men, and both 
 animate and inanimate things, God hath established 
 for himself a boundless sovereignty over the whole 
 world. This also belongs unto the Son, as he is 
 God, and of the same nature and properties as the 
 Father ; and it is his as Man, by virtue of the in- 
 comprehensible union by which his human nature 
 was conjoined with the divine, in one person, and 
 made partaker of all the glory that is possessed by 
 the Deity ; for " He hath put all things in subjec- 
 tion under his feet : for in that he put all in sub- 
 jection under him, he left nothing that is not put 
 under him." — Heb. xi. 8. But Christ ruleth over 
 this kingdom as God and Man, and not as Re- 
 deemer : and it belongs to his common providence 
 
285 
 
 over the universe ; but not to his atonement for men 
 in particular : and then only has this his supreme 
 empire any influence on the work of redemption, 
 when he avails himself of it to promote either 
 the one or the other in the especial system which is 
 arranged for the salvation of a ruined race. Over 
 these he hath his own especial sovereignty, and a 
 dominion over the property which had been deli- 
 vered up to him by the Father, when he bound 
 himself by an everlasting covenant to become their 
 Saviour. They are his peculiar subjects, and He is 
 their proper and most immediate Lord. It is a 
 kingdom of grace, in which by the assistance of cer- 
 tain means which are intended for that purpose, he 
 governs, and disposes his gratuitously purchased 
 people for the blessedness, for the sake of which 
 he tasted death for them, and for an actual partici- 
 pation of all the spiritual and endless glory, in 
 which we have a portion and inheritance, in conse- 
 quence of his spontaneous sufferings. Jesus Christ 
 is then our King and Lord, because he is a Me- 
 diator and Peace-maker between the Deity and us ; 
 and we are his subjects, not merely as the crea- 
 tures of his hands, but as those who were once 
 forlorn, but are now redeemed by him unto a life 
 which never will be ended. Hear him testify this 
 himself in his solemn address to the Father, when 
 on the eve of his concluding sufferings : " Thou hast 
 given him," that is, thy Son, " power over all flesh. 
 
 V. 
 
286 
 
 that he should give eternal life to as many as thou 
 hast given him." — John xvii. 2. Of the constitu- 
 tion of this kingdom of Jesus, it cannot then be 
 difficult for us now to form an opinion. 
 
 The former of the two premised considerations 
 is already partly demonstrated. The kingdom is 
 not earthly ; it flourishes on earth, but is devoid 
 of all terrestrial grandeur. We are not redeemed 
 to be promoted unto worldly honour, to revel in 
 sensuality, or to sparkle with the deceitful ornaments 
 of riches. A petty happiness ! which malice can 
 destroy and craft corrupt ; which violence can 
 hurry to destruction, which worms can devour, and 
 which the sepulchre can swallow up. The Saviour 
 sacrificed his precious life, to convey to us a more 
 durable and more noble felicity. We were to be 
 prepared for a worthy communion with the 
 supreme Governor of heaven and earth. But 
 how little adapted to so exalted a destination is 
 terrestrial magnificence ! For this only draws away 
 the mind from that which is invisible, and presses it 
 down under sensual desires ; this induces us to 
 forget God, instead of rendering him honour and 
 thanksgivings. Christ had been an unwise King, 
 the ruin and the real desolation of his subjects, 
 if, through outward pomp and worldly decorations, 
 he had taught them to be vain : and little did 
 the Jews know how to judge respecting their 
 own advantage when they looked for a Messiah, 
 
287 
 
 who would erect triumphal columns over innu- 
 merable heaps of slaughtered enemies, and satiate 
 their licentious appetites with the fruitfulness of 
 the earth. Their carnal disposition gained a victory 
 over reason, and concealed from their fascinated 
 eyes the true design of the promises of the 
 Deity; so that they neither saw nor inquired after 
 any thing but blessings which were corporeal. 
 When the Lord attested occasionally by the 
 Psalmist, that " the promised Saviour should rule 
 from one sea to the other, should tread kings 
 under foot in the day of his vi'ratb, and judge 
 among the heathen," their concupiscence was 
 ready immediately to convert these expressions 
 into sensual descriptions. The prophets selected 
 such em.blems of the Messiah's kingdom, in order 
 to impress the people with the most lofty notions 
 of his infinite power and dignity. The name of 
 King was the highest honour, and the mightiness 
 of a conqueror the greatest glory ; for men knew 
 nothing more exalted : and he was sometimes 
 portrayed under these forms, that anxiously desiring 
 Israel might meditate on him, in the expectation 
 of a most excellent and elevated personage, and 
 that a long series of years might not cause a 
 diminution of their wish for him, and chill their 
 hearts against his advent. God, however, would 
 not confine the hope of the people concerning the 
 arrival of " the Prince of Peace" to earthly 
 
 \ 
 
288 
 
 views; and with sufficient perspicuity he had 
 characterized him, in other prophecies, as the 
 DeHverer of the Soul, the Protector of Virtue, the 
 Consolation of the miserable, the Relief of the 
 afflicted, the Propitiator of sins, and the Author 
 of an everlasting felicity for all men. His kingdom 
 is not described as a tyranny, but as a " blessing 
 over all people." — Gen. xii. and xxii : as a con- 
 version, enlightening, and an advancement of salva- 
 tion, not only of the Jews, but of all the Gentiles. — 
 Isaiah, ix. and xlix : as a diffusion orrighteousness, 
 virtue, piety, and an eternal deliverance. — Jer. xxiii. 
 5, 6. As the mercy of God upon a sinful nation. — 
 Hosea, ii. 23. Further, this same King, whose 
 dominions were to extend to the uttermost parts 
 of the earth, is described by Moses as a Prophet 
 and an Instructor. — Deut. xviii. 15: by David, 
 as a Priest for ever. — Psalm ex. 4: and by the 
 Prophet Isaiah, as despised and rejected of men, as 
 one who was wounded for our transgressions, 
 bruised for our iniquities, who took upon himself 
 the chastisement of our peace, and with whose 
 stripes we are healed. — liii. According to the 
 prophecies then, the Messiah could not glitter as 
 a terrestrial potentate, environed with external 
 state and splendour: and his government was 
 not to be distinguished by long extended ranks 
 of valiant or of gorgeous attendants, or by im- 
 mense treasures, by rich possessions, or by bloody 
 
289 
 
 victories. The elder, but more judicious Israel 
 expected him under a more glorious appearance, 
 and considered him " as the Lord, their Righteous- 
 ness." — Jeremiah, xxiii. 6. Only the posterior, 
 corrupt generation that were inflamed with a foolish 
 jealousy against the Romans, forgot the purpose 
 of the Saviour's mission, and fancied a Protector 
 unlike the one the Deity had promised. It 
 is melancholy, indeed, that a great number of 
 the more modern acknowledgers of Christianity 
 are fallen into the same prejudices ! On this 
 ground the pretended vicegerent of Jesus has 
 established his unjust monarchy ; and from this 
 idea is derived the flattering hope in some simple 
 ones, relative to the future visible kingdom of the 
 Messiah. The sad effect of the propensity of the 
 human heart that inclines it to what is sensual ! 
 And being abandoned to its own desires, it pre- 
 sumes ultimately to resist and pervert the clearest 
 truths. What is plainer than this express assurance 
 of our blessed Lord ? " My kingdom is not of this 
 world." — John, xviii. 36, And as his whole life 
 was an unbroken chain of the most grievous hard- 
 ships, being overpowered with ignominy and sought 
 after by ferocious persecutors ; can there be a cleaier 
 evidence that nothing which is earthly has a place 
 in the dominions of the promised Christ? . It was 
 to flourish upon earth, and to be established among 
 men without any exception of country or of 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 people ; and from all nations the Messiah will 
 collect inhabitants for the heavenly Jerusalem, 
 and exercise his regal authority over the dwellers 
 in every part of the world : it was this that the 
 prophets had in view, when they declared that 
 the Gentiles should be his inheritance, and the 
 ends of the earth for his possession; and David 
 himself has interpreted their predictions in that 
 sense, " All the ends of the world shall remember 
 themselves, and be turned unto the Lord; and 
 all the kindreds of the nations shall worship 
 before him." — Psalm xxii. 27. But in this king- 
 dom, M'hich is so extensive, no part will be adorned 
 with empty grandeur; and his subjects must not 
 evince their respect for him by external pompous 
 ceremonies, and expensive rites and ordinances to 
 his honour, and much less must they arrogate to 
 themselves a greater power, in his name, and as 
 for his glory. The realm in which he ruleth as 
 Redeemer, is spiritual; it diffuses itself over the 
 souls of men, and forwards their eternal happiness. 
 The proofs of this, our second proposition, are 
 chiefly comprehended in the former ; for what 
 except the soul can belong to that state which, 
 according to the adduced evidence, is to cause 
 conversion and instruction; to exercise itself in 
 righteousness, in virtue, and in piety ; to effectuate 
 a deliverance from the merited chastisement of 
 sin, and to open the road to an everlasting state 
 
291 
 
 of felicity? — glories of which an intelligent and 
 thinking spirit is either solely or chiefly susceptible. 
 But neither hath the Saviour neglected here also 
 to lead us to correct conceptions, by his instructive 
 lessons. He testifies openly, " the kingdom of 
 God cometh not with observation : neither "^hall 
 men say, lo here ! or lo there ! for behold the king- 
 dom of God is within you." — Luke, xvii. 20, 21. 
 And he confesses before Pilate, " thou sayest 
 that I am a king ;" but he also describes the 
 constitution of his government in these words • 
 " to this end was I born, and for this cause came 
 I into the world, that I should bear witness unto 
 the truth ;" therefore, then, as a king he ought to 
 inculcate, plant and defend the truth, and, accord- 
 ing to his regal dignity, he ought to produce and 
 maintain in the heart, the diffusion and the pro- 
 gress of the true divine word, the precious Gospel. 
 He discriminates his domination from an earthly 
 power, and then calls it, " a heavenly kingdom, or 
 that of God ;" he requires repentance and faith as 
 a condition in those who wish to become his 
 subjects : " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven 
 is at hand, repent ye and believe the Gospel." 
 Lastly, St. Pvaul has developed and defined the 
 Messiah's government in this concise but forcible 
 description : " the kingdom of God is not meat 
 and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy 
 in the Holy Ghost."— Rom. xiv. 17. And again, 
 
 V 
 
292 
 
 at another place, where mention is made of the 
 covenant into which the Redeemer hath entered 
 with the members of his kingdom, he is introduced 
 as saying, " I will put my laws into their mind 
 and write them in their hearts, and I will be to 
 them a God and they shall be to me a people." 
 — -Hebrews, viii. 10. With the assistance of these 
 divine assurances let us come to right conclusions 
 concerning the kingly administration of the Re- 
 deemer; that it is established in the soul and re- 
 lates to the eternal bliss of mankind, by a confession 
 of the truth, and that it comprehends the know- 
 ledge and understanding of the ways of life; faith 
 and confidence in the means of redemption which. 
 God appointed; aversion from evil, love of that 
 which is good, and an unfeigned religious venera- 
 tion. Our blessed Saviour rules as king, in that 
 he disseminates and establishes this knowledge, 
 and supports, promotes and maintains an effective 
 love of holiness and virtue in the amended heart ; 
 and he exercises his regal authority, when, by 
 useful arrangements, he assists the advancement 
 of the Gospel, — prepares what is requisite for the 
 powerful operation of truth upon the mind, — defends 
 his church against the violence of persecutors, — 
 secures his doctrines from the subtlety of deceivers, 
 — wards off the formidable attack which the Spirit 
 of lies, associated with scoffers, presumes to make 
 occasionally; and when he hurls the bold sinner, 
 
293 
 
 who had long defied his mercy, into his deserved 
 perdition, but brings out the good man from all 
 his troubles with conquering power until at last 
 he is crowned with honour and with glory in 
 eternity. The members of his realm, over whom 
 this perfect form of government can be exercised 
 for their own advantage, are the converted and 
 the faithful; but he that continues in impenitence 
 is still a subject, although he denies his dutiful 
 allegiance to his lawful Sovereign; for Jesus doth 
 not lose his title as proprietor, or his regal power, 
 although the ungodly dare to rise against him. 
 Even for those who dishonour him by their words 
 or conduct, he shed his blood ; and on those who 
 indurate their hearts for a determinate resistance, 
 he avails himself of the most serviceable means 
 of improvement. Does not this benefit deserve 
 to be denominated kindness; and are not they, 
 who are thus disobedient, made subject unto his 
 authority ? To speak definitely, the subjects of 
 his kingdom are all mankind, for all participate 
 in his redemption ; but only those who are his 
 faithful servants, as being obedient, rightly disposed 
 and sincere, are deserving of the appellation of 
 true subjects of the kingdom of grace. The rem- 
 nant are seditious, evil-minded and worthless ones, 
 who are only tolerated for a time, as long as 
 mercy combined with wisdom can permit it. By 
 
 \ 
 
296 
 
 pure doctrine, and seduce the inconsiderate mul- 
 titude : an unanticipated occurrence arrests wicked- 
 ness in the midst of its career, and leads back 
 the deluded to reflection. This was certainly 
 the Lord of the Church, who would keep them 
 from perdition. A trading people discovers an 
 unknown region, where bigotry and ignorance 
 prevail : this is the means of producing a know- 
 ledge of the Gospel, which takes root and grows 
 up to the consolation of innumerable souls. Who 
 ought to defraud the Sanour of the honour of 
 having led the travelhng Christians to those 
 ignorant beings for the purpose of extending his 
 kingdom to the most remote parts of the earth, 
 according to the prophecy.'^ Here simple con- 
 jecture shall not serve for an evidence. We have 
 his own testimony to allege — " All power is given 
 unto me in heaven and earth,'' saith he; and this 
 assures us, that the whole creation, both immaterial 
 and material beings ; and both the living and 
 the void of life, are read}* for his service when 
 he orders ; but that they minister to him in action 
 for the advancement of truth and piety, he proves 
 himself in the following additional clause : by virtue 
 of this power in heaven and earth, he inspires his 
 apostles for the promulgation of the Gospel : " Go," 
 saith he, " and teach all nations." — Matthew, 
 xxviii. 18, 19. Thus, then, his ambassadors might 
 prepare ^themselves with confidence for the most 
 
297 
 
 tottsome journies and the greatest hardships ; for 
 whatsoever befell them, he could turn to their 
 advantage, and would promote their errand bv a 
 powerful support of every thing in nature, which 
 has been put in subjection under him. 
 
 Still such means are less effective and less fre- 
 qoentlv adopted than those which are spiritual. 
 As Redeemer, he hath appointed the word and 
 sacraments, these ordinary instruments of grace, 
 for the proper governance of his kingdom. With 
 these be will penetrate the heart and purify the 
 soul, and through them his saving pwwer will be 
 operative on the mind. He works with the word 
 of the law upon the secure and refracton.-, to 
 infiise into them acerbity and sorrow, and be avails 
 himself of the benign promises of the Gosp)el, 
 when addressing himself to the heart-broken and 
 the contrite, to fill them with consolation. The 
 former are to be persuaded to amend their liv^ 
 and the latter are to be advanced to courage in the 
 faith ; the former are to be brought to a repentance 
 of their sins, and the latter strengthened in the love 
 of virtue ; and the former are to be introduced 
 into the kingdom of grace, whilst the latter are 
 to be protected as its legitimate subjects. Thus 
 be describes the use of the Scriptures in the 
 glorious address to his FathCT. as St John re- 
 lates it : "I have given unto them," that is, the 
 
298 
 
 apostles, " the words which thou gavcst me, and 
 they have received them, and have surely known 
 that I came out from God, and they have 
 believed that thou didst send me." — John, xvii. 8. 
 An enlightening and faith are then the effects of 
 the word; but tliese are produced by the mighty 
 influence of our Lord himself; and on this account 
 the aposdes ascribe to him both their vocation 
 to the ministry and their success in the diffusion 
 of his dogmas. They portray him as a chief 
 Shepherd, who not only appoints his servants, 
 but also endues them with suitable strength, and 
 blesses their preaching by a divine co-operation. 
 
 With the means which Christ employs in the 
 administration of his kingdom we are now ac- 
 quainted : but that we may have a most accurate 
 conception of his whole plan of government, we 
 must briefly inquire, by what method he makes use 
 of them, that by their means he may effect his 
 important purpose? This is correspondent with 
 his sublime perfections : he rules with an all-seeing 
 wisdom and an irresistible power; with clemency 
 and with reprieving mercy. From this point of 
 view in particular, his regal office in the Gospel 
 for the day is chiefly derived. It exhibits a 
 remarkable instance of his wisdom and omni- 
 science. He had a fore-knowledge of the most 
 fortuitous occurrence, that in a village where he 
 
299 
 
 had not been, an ass stood tied with her foal, 
 at the very instant that he drew nigh to the Mount 
 of Olives ; but this circumstance, which was ap- 
 parently unimportant, was wisely adopted for a 
 most momentous transaction, for it supplied him 
 with an opportunity to accomplish a sublime pro- 
 phecy relative to the expected Messiah. Just 
 before he had evinced his Omnipotence, by healing 
 two blind men who cried after him ; the extra- 
 ordinary veneration which was demonstrated for 
 his person by the populace, and their unanticipated 
 conviction of his divine dignity, are also peculiarly 
 declaratory of his mightiness and power to bend 
 men's hearts according to his pleasure. Lastly, 
 meekness is also ascribed to him as a distinguishing 
 feature, for which his regal government should 
 be peculiarly remarkable. What an unspeakable 
 consolation for the blessed subjects who are obe- 
 dient, is to be derived from all these attributes! 
 With a glance he surveys all the possible events 
 which can either cause the increase or diminution 
 of their welfare. The necessities of his kingdom 
 are not unknown to him; neither is he destitute 
 of the best counsel to remove them ; for pru- 
 dence and foresight conduct all his decrees ; in 
 indigence he knows how to procure seasonable 
 succour, and in prosperity he forgets not to 
 prevent the injurious consequences which would 
 
300 
 
 ensue from the assault of adversity. His mighty 
 weaponed arm lays low the most violent enemies, 
 and repels the fiercest encounters. He is always 
 invincible, always victorious, constantly ready to 
 be the defender of his faithful, and their surest re- 
 fuge when deserted by the world. He decrees and 
 he executes, without being impeded by occurring 
 difficulties : he commands, and all nature must 
 obey his first signal. Yes, what can press down 
 him whom he will make mighty ? "I can do all 
 things, through Christ, which strengtheneth me," 
 says St. Paul. — Phil. iv. 13. Notwithstanding 
 this, our blessed Lord does not govern with inflex- 
 ible severity. He thunders out no sentence of death 
 on the first offence, and pours forth no bitter re- 
 proaches against those by whom he is forsaken : 
 through love he suffered death for us : in love he 
 invited us to his kingdom, and with love he rules 
 us. Instead of commanding, he makes use of per- 
 suasions and allurements ; and we are not regarded 
 as his slaves, but as his children and beloved 
 friends. He forgives trespasses without avenging 
 them, provided they be discontinued : from time to 
 time he spares obdurate sinners, and repeats his 
 offers with equal sincerity and willingness, as long 
 as the general welfare of the state does not compel 
 him to resort to vengeance. 
 
 I need scarcely ask if this plan of government 
 
V