CHRISTIAN CHARITY, 
 
 ITS 
 
 WITH 
 
 REFERENCE TO THE PRESENT STATE OF SOCIETY. 
 
 IN 
 
 A SERIES OF SERMONS, 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN BIRD SUMNER, D.D. 
 
 LOUD BISHOP OP CHESTER. 
 
 
 LONDON : 
 J. HATCH ARD AND SON, 187, PICCADILLY. 
 
 MDCCCXLI.
 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY JBOT90N AND PALMER, SAVOY BIREET STRAND.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Two reasons have concurred and induced me to 
 prepare the following Sermons for the press. 
 
 First, a conviction that the duty of attending to 
 the wants and circumstances of those around us, is 
 far less generally practised, than is consistent with 
 the spirit of Christianity. 
 
 Secondly, a belief that attention to such wants 
 and circumstances, i. e. that CHARITY in all its 
 branches, is the appointed preventive of the evils 
 connected with a fully peopled and highly civilised 
 community. Where it has not acted as a preven- 
 tive, it may yet be blessed as a remedy. 
 
 There exists, therefore, in the religion which is 
 professed in our country, a principle of charity ; 
 and there exists in the charity which might be 
 exercised, a remedy for the moral and physical 
 
 b 2 
 
 2017272
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 evils which abound amongst us; and if the one 
 could be brought to bear upon the other more 
 decidedly than is the case at present, a beneficial 
 change in the state of society would ensue. 
 
 I am aware, however, that it would be an in- 
 verted course of argument to enforce the exercise 
 of charity, and not rather to inculcate the principle 
 from which charity must proceed. I am aware 
 that nothing can produce or maintain a consistent 
 course of usefulness and benevolence, except the 
 divine root from which such conduct springs. It 
 must be the growth of the Gospel. It must be 
 begun and continued from faith in Christ Jesus, 
 not merely professed in the creed, but received into 
 the heart, and influencing it to fulfil all righteous- 
 ness. He has himself said, " Make the tree good, 
 and his fruit good." " If ye abide in me, ye shall 
 bring forth much fruit : for without me ye can do 
 nothing." The strengthening and nourishing the 
 root is the proper way to make the branch produc- 
 tive. Still the branch may require attention. It 
 may be pruned, that it may bear more fruit. And 
 there may be an inadequate sense of the obligations 
 of the Gospel in a particular case, among those 
 who unite in holding, and sincerely holding, 
 the truths of the Gospel. Habits may prevail of 
 too much self-indulgence, and too little self-denial ;
 
 PREFACE. V 
 
 habits of indifference as to the state of others ; in- 
 difference as to what is needed for their welfare, 
 and might be supplied if the means were not 
 wanting. 
 
 And, further, though it is undeniably true that 
 the highest style of charity can only proceed from 
 the highest style of principles, and that according 
 as the faith is so will the practice be ; yet we must 
 bear in mind that according to the divine ordinance 
 the principles and the practice act and re-act upon 
 one another ; and that one mode, in which it 
 pleases God to raise the Christian character gene- 
 rally, is through the reflex effect of good deeds 
 upon the doer. One who acquiesces in indolent or 
 selfish habits, will never rise to eminence in reli- 
 gion. Whilst another, who overcomes the natural 
 tendency to such habits, and devotes a portion of 
 his leisure and his substance to the benefit of his 
 fellow-creatures, will find the result of such bene- 
 volence in the increasing vividness of his faith and 
 ardour of his piety. " For the earth which drink- 
 eth in the rain which cometh oft upon it, and 
 bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is 
 dressed, receiveth blessing from God." 1 
 
 On this account an enforcement of the claims, 
 and an exhibition of the objects of Christian charity, 
 i Heb. vi. 7.
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 may conduce to the extension and advancement of 
 Christian faith. The principle may be promoted 
 whilst the practice is enlarged. 
 
 Especially as there are prevailing notions on the 
 subject of charity, which float as it were on the 
 surface of society, and serve to check that inquiry 
 and consideration which must precede a course of 
 activity and exertion. 
 
 One of these is an idea that a certain quantity of 
 evil must exist in the world, which no efforts can 
 overcome; which it is every man's business to 
 avoid or correct, as regards his own case ; but that 
 any attempt to remove it generally, would be like 
 attempting to reduce a mountain to a plain. De- 
 sponding ideas of this kind must necessarily pre- 
 clude exertion. They may not prevent the occa- 
 sional exercise of benevolence, but they repress the 
 active and enduring energy which a systematic 
 habit of usefulness requires. 
 
 The cause of charity has been still further affected 
 by an opinion which has gained ground of late 
 years, that the exercise of it is not only useless, but 
 absolutely injurious; that industry is restrained, 
 and the moral character of the receiver lowered, 
 by such assistance ; so that it is rather our 
 duty to repress than to encourage the feelings 
 which induce us to relieve distress and want, when
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 brought plainly before our eyes. Some such con- 
 clusion is supposed to result from the known effects 
 produced by what is now allowed to have been a 
 mistaken, though well-intended system in the 
 administration of our English poor laws. 
 
 But the conclusion must not extend beyond the 
 premises. The system was, that a deficiency in 
 the wages of labour should be supplied by public 
 means compulsorily levied. Experience clearly 
 proved that no body politic could long subsist 
 under so vicious a system, which was alike calcu- 
 lated to injure the character of the labourer and of 
 the employer of labour ; which inflicted equal 
 mischief on the property and on the morals of the 
 land. But it nowhere appears that private bene- 
 volence is thus injurious; or that assistance judi- 
 ciously directed and discriminately applied, is not 
 equally blessed to the giver and the receiver. At 
 the present period such benevolence is doubly 
 called for ; because it will be long before the body 
 of labourers can recover from the effects of a sys- 
 tem which had continued for forty years in opera- 
 tion, and of which they had not been the authors 
 but the victims. The evils of re-action, though 
 far less serious than might have been apprehended, 
 should be closely watched in every neighbourhood,
 
 viii PREFACE. 
 
 and diligently relieved. Public charity is open to 
 many objections, and should only be admitted as a 
 remedy of greater evils. But private charity is 
 essential to the nature and condition of mankind. 
 
 To whatever cause it may be ascribed, wants and 
 privations of various kinds are suffered to exist, 
 which can only be removed by more general co- 
 operation, arising from more general conviction. 
 Statistical inquiries, which have been extensively 
 pursued in many of our great towns, have brought 
 to light a condition of things, both moral and 
 physical, which ought not to be endured in a 
 country professing the religion of the Gospel, and 
 abounding in the means of amending that condi- 
 tion. 2 Both the moral and the physical wants 
 should be relieved. But they must be attacked to- 
 gether. They are closely connected. And what- 
 ever attempts are made to improve the temporal 
 condition, the results will be feeble and disappoint- 
 ing unless the principal causes of misery are 
 
 2 The documents on which these remarks are founded, may 
 be seen abundantly in the Reports of the Mendicity Society, 
 the District Visitors' Record, the Journals of the Statistical 
 Societies of London, Manchester &c. ; the published speech of 
 Mr. Slaney on the State of Populous Towns ; Alison on the 
 Management of the Poor in Scotland, &c. &c.
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 removed, and the whole character is raised by moral 
 and spiritual instruction. 3 
 
 3 The well-being of the community requires that every indivi- 
 dual should have within his reach a church where he may wor- 
 ship God, and be instructed by the minister of that church in 
 the things which belong to his everlasting peace. And such is 
 the design of our Establishment, such, we may say, is the principle 
 of Christianity : the disciples of Christ from the first assembled 
 themselves together, and elders were ordained over them, who 
 should teach, rebuke, exhort, with all authority and doctrine. 
 
 In the manufacturing districts, and in most of our great town?, 
 there does not exist at present, to speak generally, one third of 
 this requisite provision, either of church-room or of ministers. 
 The churches, which ought to contain at least a third, will not 
 suffice that a tenth part of the whole population should be pre- 
 sent together ; and the ministers have the nominal care of three 
 times the number which they are capable of superintending. 
 This still remains the case amongst a million of people in the 
 counties of Lancashire and Cheshire alone, and probably twice 
 that number would be found in the same circumstances in the 
 other parts of Britain. 
 
 If this want were supplied, education would follow in the 
 train ; such education as is compatible with the habits of early 
 labour which prevail, and prevail increasingly, through every sec- 
 tion of the land. And this early labour, which it seems impos- 
 sible to restrain, makes an opening for that most valuable bene- 
 volence which watches for opportunities of instructing and 
 advising the young as they advance towards maturity, and pre- 
 serving them from the snares and temptations by which they 
 are surrounded. And, in truth, that which in populous neigh- 
 bourhoods is no less needful than schools or churches, that
 
 X PREFACE. 
 
 I am not so visionary as to suppose that the land 
 can be cleared of misery and want. No exertions 
 of benevolence can counteract the effects of sin ; 
 can make the family of the drunkard comfortable, 
 or give competence to the idle and extravagant. 
 Still the condition of a large portion of our com- 
 munity would have been different from what we 
 actually find it, if there had not been wanting on the 
 part of the higher classes that attention to the lower, 
 which both humanity and Christianity require; 
 and especially if they who employ the labour, and 
 so promote the increase of the working classes, had 
 paid due regard to the welfare of those whom they 
 caused to congregate. 4 We find, by experience, 
 
 which must give effect to them and bring them into use, is the 
 intercourse of the higher and better educated class with the 
 classes which labour for them, and are the sources of their own 
 prosperity and superiority. The want of this communication 
 has occasioned multitudes to sink into a state of depression and 
 ^discomfort which acts most injuriously on the mind ; and phy- 
 sical distress has become moral degradation. 
 
 4 The Reports of benevolent societies, and experience of 
 benevolent persons (for there are already many such ; what we 
 desire is, to increase their number) are continually bringing to 
 light dreadful instances of destitution ; and show the straits to 
 which in a population like ours a multitude of families are re- 
 duced, from which timely advice might have preserved them, 
 and out of which timely assistance might still deliver them. 
 The worst and the most numerous cases, as might be supposed,
 
 PREFACE. XI 
 
 that when such habits of attention do prevail, the 
 manners become improved, the dress more cleanly, 
 the rooms more decent, the whole neighbourhood 
 
 exist in the metropolis, and our other largest towns, to which 
 destitute individuals, or still worse, destitute families, are led by 
 false expectations or false representations to resort, and are 
 soon lost in a labyrinth, and encompassed by every species of 
 temptation or privation. Especially as the parochial system, in 
 many parts of London, and in most of our provincial towns, has 
 been subverted by the increase of population and the want of 
 subdivision. And, unfortunately, whilst the usefulness is gone, 
 the inconveniences remain. 
 
 The physical state of the lower classes may commonly be 
 inferred from the spiritual ; as the spiritual state has an imme- 
 diate connexion with the physical. We may form, therefore, 
 a strong presumption concerning both, from the fact, that the 
 agents of the London City Mission visited a hundred and 
 twenty thousand houses, inhabited by seven hundred thousand 
 persons ; of whom more than one fourth, viz. thirty-five thou- 
 sand four hundred families, consisting of one hundred and 
 seventy-five thousand persons, did not possess a page of Scrip- 
 ture. 
 
 In Liverpool, one seventh of the whole population, or one 
 fifth of the working classes, live in cellars, of which there are 
 seven thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, containing thirty- 
 nine thousand persons. 
 
 In Manchester and Salford, out of one hundred and eighty 
 thousand persons of the working class, eighteen thousand live in 
 cellars. 
 
 In Bury, (Lancashire,) in a thousand and fifty houses, of
 
 xii PREFACE 
 
 more civilised. Vice hides its head, instead of 
 coming into open day. This effect is produced 
 in some degree, even among loose and crowded 
 courts, or where cellars have been long occupied 
 and wants long neglected. Those who visit these 
 resorts of poverty, find numbers to whom the 
 sound of the Gospel is as strange as it was to the 
 gaoler at Philippi ; numbers whom the accents of 
 human kindness have never reached, much less 
 the voice of divine mercy. But they also find that 
 " the arm of the Lord is not shortened," that truth 
 has not lost its power ; and an improvement in the 
 spiritual state is sometimes the forerunner, and 
 sometimes the consequence, of a change in the tem- 
 poral condition. There are places, we must acknow- 
 ledge, where the evil is become so deeply-seated as 
 to defy the efforts of ordinary benevolence, and re- 
 quire public aid and legislative authority. 3 But even 
 
 which a census was taken, the provision of beds was found to 
 average only one in four of the population inhabiting them. 
 
 Mortality, to a certain degree, is a test of the condition of 
 the people. In Manchester, twenty-nine of the infants born 
 die within the first year ; and forty do not attain the fourth. 
 In Leeds, one out of twenty-eight persons die annually; where- 
 as the mortality of the kingdom throughout, does not exceed 
 one in thirty-six. 
 
 5 Through the exertions of Mr. Slaney, this aid has been 
 recently called in ; and the Report of a committee of the House 
 of Commons proposes measures of remedy.
 
 PREFACE. Xlll 
 
 these must originate in private observation and 
 interposition. Individual attention leads the way 
 to general conviction, and public measures follow. 
 
 If, indeed, the amount of money demanded for 
 the spiritual instruction and temporal comfort of 
 the people, bore any comparison to the amount of 
 penury and ignorance which is to be removed ; if 
 it involved an expenditure which would require a 
 change in the general habits of the class employing 
 it ; we might hesitate to recommend the object or 
 enforce the obligations which are brought forward 
 in the following Sermons. But the ease with 
 which the demand might be met, and the wants 
 supplied, adds greatly to the weight of individual 
 responsibility. 
 
 There are many sources of wealth to Great 
 Britain, in addition to the produce of the soil. 
 But leaving everything else out of the calculation, 
 and taking the annual produce of land alone, that 
 cannot be estimated at less than three hundred 
 millions. 6 
 
 The return which is made to the Author of this 
 prosperity, in the shape of what is generally called 
 charity, i. e. in such objects as are recommended in 
 
 6 Mr. M'Queen (Statistics of British Empire, p. 79) calcu- 
 lates the produce of the United Kingdom at 474,129,688, and 
 adds the documents on which he grounds his calculation.
 
 XIV PREFACE. 
 
 the following volume, may amount to about twelve 
 millions, viz. : 7 
 
 Poor rate, annually, say . . 5,000,000 
 
 Add an equal amount, as private charity . 5,000,000 
 
 Various religious societies, say . . . 1,000,000 
 
 Local and parochial charities, as schools, hospitals, 
 
 &c.,say .... 1,000,000 
 
 12,000,000 
 
 The amount is one twenty-fifth of the produce 
 of land alone, all other sources of revenue being 
 left out of the account. No one can honestly read 
 the Scriptures, and maintain that this is the share 
 or portion of what is annually spent, which is there 
 expected to be withdrawn from private uses, and 
 applied to the various wants of the necessitous. 
 
 An annual addition to this amount, if not in- 
 considerable in itself, inconsiderable compared with 
 the object to be attained, would furnish to the popu- 
 lation what is needed to its spiritual interests and 
 physical comfort. It would provide the additional 
 means of public worship and religious instruction. 
 Itwould provide such assistance to the large families, 
 the occasional loss of earnings, the season of sick- 
 ness, the helplessness of declining years, among the 
 labouring classes, as public means ought not to 
 
 7 Though the poor rate is compulsory, it may fairly be set to 
 the account of the nation at large, which certainly does not de- 
 sire and would not consent to its abolition.
 
 PREFACE. XV 
 
 contribute, and yet Christian benevolence ought not 
 to withhold. It would provide schools and teachers, 
 for those especially who have passed the period of 
 childhood, and entered on the stage of active life 
 with little advantage of education. It would watch 
 over cases of destitution, support the orphan, and 
 prevent his becoming the prey of ignorance or 
 bad companionship. It would provide means for 
 reclaiming many who have fallen into vicious 
 habits, but who might still be recovered by timely 
 attention, religious instruction, and temporary 
 maintenance. In short, it would do that fully and 
 generally, which is now done partially and im- 
 perfectly ; but which shows us, where it is done, 
 how wide may be the field of Christian benevolence, 
 and how golden an harvest may reward the hus- 
 bandman. 8 
 
 8 I have calculated, on information as extensive as I could 
 obtain, that the objects here enumerated might be accom- 
 plished at an addition to what is now bestowed on them, 
 amounting to about ten shillings per head on the population : i. e. 
 that an additional expenditure of 500 upon every thousand 
 of the whole population would provide for the various wants 
 which need to be supplied. Therefore (excluding the poor- 
 rate) the voluntary amount of charity would require to be 
 about doubled. 
 
 The only just way of estimating such a sum, is to compare it 
 with what is spent on other purposes. It is less than one third 
 of what is annually spent on household furniture. Mr. M'Queen
 
 XVI PREFACE. 
 
 If this is ever effected, if it shall ever please God 
 to show on a large scale what the world in which 
 man is placed might become, if only it were di- 
 rected in conformity to his revealed will ; that 
 result must be wrought by the RELIGION OF CHRIST 
 actuating the hearts and regulating the practice of 
 the community in general. And the intent of the 
 present volume is to show that the RELIGION OF 
 CHRIST, when it does actuate the heart, will direct 
 the practice to this end ; and that unless, in the 
 main, the practice is thus directed, there is occa- 
 sion for much doubt, and need for much self- 
 inquiry, as to the reality of Christian FAITH. 
 
 calculates (on just grounds) the value of household furniture in 
 the country at five hundred millions. Supposing this on the 
 average to be renewed every twenty years, the annual ex- 
 penditure on household furniture is twenty-five millions. 
 
 This is merely in the way of illustration. I am not recom- 
 mending this particular method of supplying the want. Some- 
 thing, no doubt, should be taken from luxuries and superfluities 
 of every kind. But the largest portion ought to come from 
 that which is annually employed in adding to accumulated 
 opulence: in adding field to field, and business to business, and 
 factory to factory, and hoard to hoard. Indeed, if one fourth 
 part of that capital which has been used of late years for the 
 purpose of extending commercial and manufacturing concerns, 
 had been devoted to purposes more conducive to the glory of 
 God and the real welfare of the community, the reward would 
 have been immediate, and the other three fourths producing, at 
 this moment, a far more valuable return.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 SERMON I. 
 
 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 
 
 JAMES xi. 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, 
 and by works was faith made perfect ? . . Page 1 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 BENEFICENCE THE DUTY OF THE RICH. 
 
 1 TIM. vi. 17 19. Charge them that are rich in this world, 
 that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, 
 but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to en- 
 joy ; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, 
 ready to distribute, willing to communicate ; laying up in 
 store for themselves a good foundation against the time to 
 come, that they may 'ay hold on eternal life . . 17 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 1 COR. xiii. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these 
 three: but the greatest of these is charity . 31 
 
 C
 
 XV111 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 THE LOVE OF CHRIST THE CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE 
 CHRISTIAN. 
 
 2 COR. v. 14. For the love of Christ constrained! us: because 
 we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 
 and that he died for all, that they who live might no longer 
 live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them . 48 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 POWER OF LOVE AS A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 
 
 JOHN xiv. 15, If ye love me keep my commandments . 64 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 CHARITY THE CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 
 
 With reference to education. 
 
 JOHN xiii. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my dis- 
 ciples, if ye have love one to another ... 81 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 THE SUREST MODE OF BENEFITING THE POOR. 
 
 With reference to religious instruction. 
 
 ACTS iii. G. Then Peter said, Silver and goldhave I none: but 
 such as I have, give I unto thee : In the name of Jesus Christ 
 of Nazareth rise up and walk 98 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 THE DUTY OF PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 
 
 MATT. xix. 13 Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to 
 come unto me . . .114
 
 CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 THE GOSPEL A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 
 
 With reference to the supply of church accommodation. 
 
 MATT. xi. 5 The poor have the Gospel preached unto them 
 
 128 
 SERMON X. 
 
 THE DUTY OF PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 
 
 With reference to the supply of pastoral instruction. 
 EZEK. xxxiv. 6. My sheep wandered through all the moun- 
 tains, and upon every high hill ; yea, my flock was scattered 
 upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek 
 after them ........ 144 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO BUILD THE HOUSE or GOD. 
 
 With reference to the erection of churches. 
 
 1 KINGS viii. 18. And the Lord said unto David, (my father,) 
 Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house to my name, 
 thou didst well that it was in thine heart . . . 164 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 The same object. 
 
 2 CHRON. xxv. 9. And Amaziah said to the man of God, 
 What shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given 
 to the army of Israel ? And the man of God answered, The 
 Lord is able to give thee much more than this . .181 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 GOD GLORIFIED IN THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 
 
 The same object. 
 
 HAGGAI i. 8. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and 
 build the house ; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be 
 glorified, saith the Lord 197
 
 XX CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 THE DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE EXERTIONS IN 
 THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 
 
 With reference to religious societies. 
 
 HEBREWS x. 24, 25. Let us consider one another, to provoke 
 unto love and to good works : not forsaking the assembling 
 of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhort- 
 ing one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day 
 approaching . . . . . . .213 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 MOTIVES FOR PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 
 
 ACTS viii. 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went 
 everywhere preaching the word .... 236 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 THE DUTY OF SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 
 
 MATT. x. 8 Freely ye have received : freely give . 254 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 REASONS FOR MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 
 
 MATT. vi. 10. Thy kingdom come .... 282 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 ACTIVE CHARITY A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 
 
 With reference to district visiting. 
 
 JAMES i. 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the 
 Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their 
 affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world 299
 
 CONTENTS. XXI 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 The same object. 
 
 ROM. xvi. 12. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much 
 in the Lord . . . . . . .317 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 With reference to public hospitals. 
 
 JOHN xiii. 34. A new commandment I give unto you. That ye 
 love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one 
 another 334 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 
 With reference to a penitentiary. 
 
 JAMES v. 20. He that converteth a sinner from the error of his 
 way, shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of 
 sins ......... 353 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE STATE OF OTHERS. 
 
 With reference to an asylum for offenders. 
 
 1 JOHN ii. 9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his 
 brother, is in darkness, even urftil now . . . 309
 
 SERMONS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED IN THE HABITS 
 OF LIFE. 
 
 James xi. 22. 
 
 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by 
 works was faith made perfect ? 
 
 THERE are two feelings which will be found exist- 
 ing in the mind of every man who has fully 
 imbibed the spirit of the Gospel. They are not 
 exactly similar, though they are by no means in- 
 consistent with each other. 
 
 The first is, a sense of his unworthiness : of the 
 meanness of his best works, the insufficiency of all 
 his services to recommend him to the favour 
 of God. Compared with what he ought to be;
 
 2 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 compared with what he might be ; compared with 
 the rule prescribed to him and the glory set before 
 him, how lamentably cold is his heart, how griev- 
 ously deficient his practice ! " Lord, what is man, 
 that thou art mindful of him ?" 
 
 It is from an overflowing sense of this unwor- 
 thiness that St. Paul so constantly reminds his 
 disciples of the truth the humbling, yet consoling 
 truth that "not by works of righteousness which we 
 have done, but according to his mercy he saved 
 us." " By grace are ye saved ; not of works, lest 
 any man should boast." By Jesus Christ " all 
 that believe are justified from all things." " The 
 sting of death is sin ; and the strength of sin is 
 the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us 
 the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 The other feeling which the Christian will also 
 cherish in his mind, is a sense of the obligation 
 laid upon him, upon him to whom so much 
 mercy has been shown, that he walk worthy of 
 the price by which he has been ransomed, of the 
 vocation to which he has been called : that he 
 " let his light shine before men ;" that he prove 
 himself to be " dead indeed unto sin, but alive 
 unto God through Jesus Christ :" that he labour 
 " to bring every thought into captivity to the 
 obedience of Christ," and show the faith which
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 3 
 
 actuates his heart by the whole tenour of his life and 
 conversation. 
 
 It was this part of the Christian's character 
 which was uppermost in the mind of St. James, 
 when he wrote the passage to which the text be- 
 longs. He points out the signs by which faith in 
 Christ Jesus will certainly manifest itself, whenever 
 it has due possession of the heart. It will lead a 
 man to be " a doer of the word, and not a hearer 
 only." It will constrain him to " bridle his 
 tongue." It will constrain him to be just; to be com- 
 passionate ; to have respect unto the " brother of low 
 degree ;" to " visit the fatherless and widows in 
 their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from 
 the world." 1 
 
 You will at once perceive that there is nothing 
 inconsistent in these two feelings : that a dread of 
 trusting to our works, and a desire to show our 
 faith by our works, may exist together, and ought 
 to exist together, in the breast of every Christian. 
 
 God forbid, will he say, that I should look to my 
 own self, to my own life, for justification I So far 
 from depending upon the works which 1 have 
 done, I cannot bear to think of them ! So much 
 infirmity, so much deficiency, has been mixed up 
 with all, that I should be miserable were it not 
 1 Seech, i. 2227. 
 
 B 2
 
 4 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 for the assurance, that " to him that worketh not, 
 but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, 
 his faith is counted for righteousness." Such will 
 be his constant feeling : and never so vivid as 
 when he looks with the nearest and closest view, 
 first into himself, and then into the law by which 
 he is to be judged. 
 
 Still there are other seasons, during the period 
 allotted him for " working out his salvation," and 
 " making his calling and election sure," there are 
 seasons when a different course of thought will also 
 be present to his mind, and be expressed in another 
 tone. Can it be true, he will say, that I have 
 indeed an interest in Christ ? Can so corrupt a 
 heart be indeed " led by his Spirit ?" Can so bar- 
 ren a plant be united to te the true vine ?" Can 
 so unprofitable a servant receive a reward in heaven ? 
 I must " work whilst it is called to-day : before the 
 night cometh." " What do I more than others?" 
 What reason have I to believe that I am known of 
 Christ as one of his disciples ? what token of faith 
 can I allege, that he may confess me at last, and not 
 assign my place among the slothful and unprofit- 
 able? 
 
 Nor is there in Scripture anything to discourage 
 this inquiry. Nay, there is much to recommend 
 it, to enforce it. Think of our Lord's own words. 
 " If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 5 
 
 them." " Strive to enter in at the strait gate ; 
 for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, 
 and shall not be able." " Not every one that 
 saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven : but he that doeth the will of 
 my Father which is in heaven/' Think also of the 
 earnest exhortation of the apostle : " Examine 
 yourselves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove your 
 own selves." " For not the hearers of the law, 
 but the doers of the law, shall be justified before 
 God." 
 
 All these exhortations, which might be multi- 
 plied a hundredfold, speak the same language with 
 the passage to which the text belongs. " What 
 shall it profit, my brethren, though a man say he 
 have faith" profess to believe in Christ Jesus 
 " and have not works leads no correspond ing life ; 
 " shall faith save him?" Seest thou, how in 
 those whose faith did save them, to whom, as to 
 Abraham, it was counted for righteousness; faith 
 wrought with their works, and by works was faith 
 made perfect? proved to have reached its intended 
 end, to be the ruling principle of the heart, and 
 to have possession there ? 
 
 Still more. It is not only right and scriptural 
 to exercise this scrutiny, to feel this jealousy about 
 ourselves, but it is essentially needful. Every age 
 has its peculiar snare. In the early times of the
 
 6 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 church, to profess a belief in Jesus Christ was in 
 itself a proof of sincerity. It exposed the believer 
 to danger and persecution. Would that we could 
 have the same assurance now, or could be allowed 
 to hope that all who make a true confession, or en- 
 tertain an unhesitating belief, were indeed in a way 
 of salvation ! What we now want, is not confes- 
 sion. To confess the truth is honourable. Not 
 profession. We all profess and call ourselves 
 Christians. Not an orthodox creed. The doc- 
 trines of the Gospel were never, perhaps, so univer- 
 sally understood, or so popularly acknowledged. 
 What we need is PRACTICE ; practice founded on 
 those doctrines, and in conformity with them. 
 What we need is, that with the love of God in our 
 mouths, we should not have the love of the world 
 in our hearts. " For all that is in the world, the 
 lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the 
 pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world." 
 " And the world passeth away, and the lust 
 thereof; he alone who doeth the will of God, 
 abideth for ever." 
 
 May his Spirit lighten our darkness, and purify 
 our mental sight, that we may discern our real 
 state, and " assure our hearts before him." 
 
 For we shall readily perceive that FAITH, when it 
 has possession of the heart, must rule and regulate 
 the practice which depends upon the heart. Faith,
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 7 
 
 when it is anything more than a conclusion of 
 reason, or a creed of education, will manifest itself 
 by the general course of a man's conduct; will 
 give the tone to his sentiments, wishes, and pur- 
 suits, and therefore will be interwoven with the 
 whole texture of his life. 
 
 For FAITH, Christian faith, faith in the Gospel 
 which we profess what is it ? What, I mean, in 
 relation to our life and practice ? It is to believe 
 that we are " not our own :" no more our own 
 than the slave who has been purchased is his own : 
 that we are " bought with a price " and that price 
 no less a price than the blood of Christ ; as the only 
 price which will redeem a forfeited soul, or provide 
 a ransom worthy of a just and holy God. 
 
 But what is this faith, unless it becomes a prin- 
 ciple to live by? If he who has been purchased 
 by another, and for another, continues to live to 
 himself, or for the world ? 
 
 But if a man does live according to this princi- 
 ple, it must be visible and evident that he does 
 so. It affects his ordinary habits, it influences his 
 ruling: sentiments, too much to be concealed. 
 
 O ' 
 
 The faith which is the life of his soul which will 
 prove, as he trusts, its eternal life is also the faith 
 by which he moves and acts, and has his conversa- 
 tion in the world.
 
 8 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 I have said that the working of this faith will 
 be plain and evident. There are many ways in 
 which it will be seen. It will be seen in a tender 
 concern for the interests of our fellow -creatures. 
 St. John has asked, " If a man hath this world's 
 good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth 
 up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwell- 
 eth the love of God in him ?" At first we might 
 feel surprised, and be disposed to inquire, why 
 should it not ? What has the love of God to do 
 with the wants of man ? But, if we reflect a mo- 
 ment, we see that it has much to do ; and that 
 the apostle puts a just and natural question. The 
 brother is the fellow Christian. God is his Father, 
 through the adoption that is in Christ Jesus. By 
 the same adoption, God is our Father. And can 
 there fail to be love between two brethren of the 
 same family ? And where there is love, will there 
 not be pity, and fellow-feeling, and relief? No- 
 thing but sin could prevent it; nothing but that 
 deeply-rooted sin, self-love, self-preference, self- 
 indulgence. But this is the sin of the world, not 
 the sin of the believers in Christ Jesus : their faith 
 must subdue the sin of self-love, as well as every 
 other sin ; their faith must give them a new and a 
 stronger affection than the desire of earthly things. 
 And therefore St. John may justly assume, that if
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. .9 
 
 faith in Christ Jesus has brought a man to the 
 love of God, such faith will be seen in its effects, 
 and will be manifested by his feelings and conduct 
 towards his neighbour. 
 
 It has always proved so. When the world first 
 began to see bodies of persons who were actuated 
 by Christian faith, it first began to see those who 
 considered the interests of their fellow-creatures as 
 their own. We need go no farther than Scripture, 
 where we find St. Paul giving directions to the 
 Corinthian disciples : " Upon the first day of the 
 week let every one of you lay by him in store, as 
 God hath prospered him." 2 This was done to pro- 
 vide for the necessities of those brethren who were 
 in adverse circumstances. So, in the Acts of the 
 Apostles, we read of a dearth prevailing throughout 
 a great part of the Roman empire. The disciples 
 in Antioch, when they heard of it, f( every man, ac- 
 cording to his ability, determined to send relief 
 unto their brethren who dwelt in Judea." 3 To this 
 they were incited by their faith. That faith 
 wrought with their works. They denied them- 
 selves, that they might impart to others. Where 
 no such faith exists, no such relief is thought of. 
 Self there is all in all. The natives of India some 
 years ago experienced a like visitation, a grievous 
 2 1 Cor. xvi. -2. Acts xi. 2830.
 
 ]0 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 dearth. And they were astonished that our coun- 
 trymen, sojourning in that land, should endeavour 
 to save the lives of many destitute creatures, who 
 had lain down in the streets and roads to die. 
 The Gospel had not been preached among them, 
 and taught them to regard the comforts or pity the 
 miseries of their neighbours. Ah, brethren, those 
 who neglect or despise the Gospel, know not how 
 much they are themselves indebted to it. That 
 Gospel, preached in our country, and believed and 
 followed by many, has a diffusive influence of 
 which we can hardly trace the limits: just as the 
 sun in the heavens communicates a genial warmth 
 to the places which it reaches and benefits by its 
 reflection, and is felt far beyond the spot where its 
 rays are actually shining. 
 
 But the operation of FAITH upon the life and prac- 
 tice is not confined or limited to the temporal 
 wants of others. It extends its concern to their 
 souls : and its doing so is the most decided outward 
 evidence to which we can appeal of the faith which 
 exists within. 
 
 The man who, whether he believes in the Gospel 
 as a divine revelation or no, does not take it for 
 his rule, i. e. who has no practical faith, he regards 
 his fellow-creatures in a totally different light from
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 11 
 
 the consistent Christian. He sees them as those 
 who are to serve his interests : to minister, perhaps, 
 to his comforts ; to be convenient and useful to 
 him : to increase his gains, to supply his wants : 
 it may be, to gratify his pleasures. How differ- 
 ently does the believer in Christ Jesus regard the 
 multitude of human beings by whom he is sur- 
 rounded ! He sees them as immortal creatures, 
 who may be among those for whom a heavenly 
 kingdom is prepared. He sees them as persons in 
 whom he has a near concern ; the same blood 
 which was shed for him, was shed for them : and 
 therefore everything which may affect their ever- 
 lasting interests, whether for good or evil, every 
 such thing becomes a matter which he is to con- 
 sider. 
 
 See how this wrought in St. Paul's mind. 4 It 
 was a question of the day, whether a Christian 
 might lawfully eat of meat which had been offered 
 in sacrifice to idols. No doubt he might, if in him 
 it was no act of idolatry ; no part of idolatrous 
 worship. But " take heed," he says, " lest this 
 liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to 
 others ;" lest what you do innocently, they are 
 led by your example to do idolatrously. " Through 
 thy (better) knowledge shall the weak brother pe- 
 * 1 Cor. viii. 813.
 
 12 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 rish, for whom Christ died ?" Such a thing may 
 happen. " Wherefore if meat make my brother 
 to offend, I will eat no meat whilst the world 
 standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." Such 
 was his holy anxiety for others. He would not, 
 even by a lawful indulgence, run the risk of injur- 
 ing their souls. 
 
 But will this be sufficient for the Christian ? 5 Will 
 he be contented not to injure? He must actively 
 benefit. When a persecution took place against 
 the church which was at Jerusalem, the disciples 
 were forced to leave the city. But they that were 
 thus dispersed through the country, carried their 
 FAITH with them. And this faith so wrought with 
 their works, that they could not remain barren nor 
 unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We 
 read, how " they that were scattered abroad went 
 everywhere, preaching the word." 
 
 Faith cannot always show itself in the same 
 manner ; but it will always be animated by a like 
 spirit, if it has life at all. A man will not keep to 
 himself the blessing of which he feels the inesti- 
 mable value. He will not leave his family, his 
 dependents, to follow their own ways : he will guide 
 them into the paths which he knows to be the 
 paths of peace ; he will instruct them, exhort them, 
 * Acts viii. 2.
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 13 
 
 watch over them : he will provide that they have 
 the means of public worship . he will endeavour to 
 keep them in the fear of God by prayer at home : 
 he will prove that he thinks nothing of such con- 
 sequence as their everlasting welfare : he will not 
 suffer them to be careful and troubled about many 
 things, to the neglect of the one thing needful. 
 
 Brethren, the difference between a dead faith 
 and a living faith is often seen, openly witnessed, in 
 this particular. Persons may be met with who 
 have for years paid no regard to the spiritual 
 interests of others: their families have not been 
 called to prayer ; perhaps have not been allowed 
 time for divine worship in public. The state of the 
 heathen lying in darkness and the shadow of death 
 has never attracted their attention : they have 
 aided no attempts to reclaim the sinful, to awaken 
 the thoughtless, to instruct the ignorant at home. 
 
 But at length a change takes place. A domestic 
 altar is raised. The Bible rests no longer on the 
 shelf: it receives attention. The efforts of piety 
 are encouraged and assisted. Habits of life are 
 formed, with reference to their effect upon the 
 soul. It becomes an evident thing that the main 
 object now is the kingdom of God and his righ- 
 teousness. 
 
 And yet, perhaps, the subject of this change may
 
 14 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED 
 
 never have disbelieved the Gospel ; never doubted 
 of the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the 
 world to come. But what faith he had was dead, 
 was inactive. Now it is quickened into life, and 
 has become the mainspring of his conduct. It 
 was barren, and lay upon his mind like a seed 
 which lies upon sand or stone ; it remained there, 
 but did not vegetate. Now the light of the Spirit 
 has reached it ; now the Sun of righteousness has 
 warmed it ; now the dews of heaven have moist- 
 ened it ; now the ground is become fertile, and 
 brings forth fruit, thirty, sixty, or a hundred 
 fold. 
 
 Such was the faith of Abraham, which wrought 
 with his works. Such must all faith be which 
 justifies and saves : all such faith as God will ac- 
 cept now, as Christ will recognise at last. It must 
 not be a barren faith, or it is " dead, being alone." 
 It must be energetic and active, and fruitful in 
 good works. " For as the body without the spirit 
 is dead, so faith without works is dead also." 
 
 Let no one, therefore, be afraid to examine the 
 practice of his life, as well as the assurance of his 
 heart, for evidence that he is " in Christ Jesus." 
 Let no one confound this with legality or self-righ- 
 teousness. St. James, as we perceive by the text,
 
 IN THE HABITS OF LIFE. 15 
 
 requires such self-inquiry. St. John supports him ; 
 of whose first and chief epistle the greater portion 
 is employed in describing the proofs by which we 
 may " know that we are of the truth," and may 
 therefore " have confidence before God." 6 St. Paul 
 practised the same examination : and declares, 
 "Our rejoicing is this ; the testimony of our con- 
 science, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not 
 with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we 
 have had our conversation in the world." 7 Paul 
 did not value himself on this course of life, or de- 
 pend on it for justification. We know how stu- 
 diously he deprecates such thoughts, both for him- 
 self and others. And, whatever may be supposed, 
 they who have been led by the Spirit most care- 
 fully to watch over themselves, to govern their in ward 
 desires by the principles of the Gospel, and to bring 
 their active habits " to the obedience of Christ," they 
 will be the persons who will most gladly claim ano- 
 ther and a better righteousness than their own. To 
 perfect our faith by our works, is not to take a deed of 
 charity, or a deed of justice, or a habit of devotion, or 
 a habit of temperance, and place them in the scale 
 together with faith, and so make out the weight 
 which God demands. This is no more like the 
 idea of salvation which Scripture presents, than the 
 6 John iii. 1921. 7 2 Cor. i. 12.
 
 16 CHRISTIAN FAITH MANIFESTED. 
 
 word of God is like the word of man. The Chris- 
 tian's language is uniform and consistent : God 
 forbid that I should depend on anything save on 
 the cross of the Lord Jesus. Still God forbid that 
 I should depend upon his cross, unless by it " the 
 world is crucified to me, and I unto the world :" 8 
 unless I give all diligence, that I may not " be 
 barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ :" 9 unless I show by my habits what 
 is written on my heart, and " live by the faith of 
 the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself 
 forme." 10 For I am expressly assured, that not 
 every one who calleth Christ, " Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that 
 doeth the will of his Father which is in heaven." 
 s Gal. vi. 14. 9 2 Pet. i. 8. w Gal. ii. 20.
 
 17 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 BENEFICENCE THE DUTY OF THE RICH. 
 1 Tim. vi. 1719. 
 
 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they 
 be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, 
 but in the living God who giveth us richly all 
 things to enjoy ; that they do good, that they be 
 rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to 
 communicate ; laying up in store for themselves 
 a good foundation against the time to come, that 
 they may lay hold on eternal life. 
 
 IT appears from this passage that there were 
 among the Christians, at the time when Paul 
 wrote his letters, those that are rich in this world. 
 
 Yet our Lord had said, to a wealthy young man 
 who visited and consulted him, " Go thy way, sell 
 whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, andthou 
 
 c
 
 18 BENEFICENCE THE 
 
 shalt have treasure in heaven." * And we are told 
 concerning others, who first embraced the Christian 
 
 /* 
 
 faith, that they " were together, and had all things 
 common : and sold their possessions and goods, 
 and parted them to all men, as every man had 
 need." 2 
 
 Yet now, after the lapse of a few years, St. Paul 
 gives directions such as might be given at the 
 present day : such as prove to us, if proof were 
 needful, that the Christian faith was never intended 
 to bring all that profess it to a level, and that the 
 Christian character is shown, not by renouncing the 
 gifts of God, but by using them in obedience 
 to his will. Whilst the small body of believers 
 made one company in the midst of a city which 
 was opposed to them, and all were engaged in 
 some mode or other of propagating the truth which 
 they had received, they must needs " have all 
 things common :" like a party of emigrants, who 
 throw their possessions into a common stock, and 
 so provide for the expense of a tedious voyage. 
 But when they arrive at the promised land, the 
 family is no longer one ; it resolves itself into its 
 separate parts, and each individual settles on his 
 own allotment. So it was with the family of early 
 Christians : their faith did not alter their civil 
 
 1 Mark x. 21. 2 Acts ii. 44, 45. See also iv. 3437.
 
 DUTY OF THE RICH. 19 
 
 condition, it did not make the poor rich, or the 
 rich poor : the relations of life remained un- 
 changed, except that all had new duties, and new 
 motives to fulfil them. 
 
 And here St. Paul, with great plainness and 
 fulness, declares the duties incumbent upon that 
 class which must exist in every civilised commu- 
 nity : the class possessing a larger share of this 
 world's good than can ever belong to the greater 
 multitude. He warns them of their peculiar dan- 
 gers : he reminds them of their peculiar duties. 
 
 It would be difficult to find a passage more 
 important or more applicable to the state of society 
 in which we are living. 
 
 I. ]. And, first, of the dangers connected with 
 wealth. Charge them that are rich in the world, 
 that they be not high-minded. 
 
 To produce the spirit which is here condemned 
 is the natural tendency of riches. To possess that 
 which comparatively few possess, to possess that 
 which is the general object of aim and desire : to pos- 
 sess that which affords the means of enjoying those 
 things which are commonly valued and admired, 
 this will make a man high-minded, unless religious 
 care and divine grace counteract the danger. The 
 thoughts which tend to elevate must be repressed 
 
 c2
 
 20 BENEFICENCE THE 
 
 by thoughts which humiliate : by comparing the 
 degree of thankfulness which is due from those 
 
 O 
 
 who have much of this world's good, with the 
 thankfulness which is actually felt and paid : and 
 by the habitual recollection of the account which 
 those to whom much is given, must render to the 
 giver. The richest man will not " glory in his 
 riches," if he remembers that " we must all appear 
 before the judgment-seat of God," to be reckoned 
 with for the talents committed to our charge. 
 
 2. Secondly, the rich are warned not to trust in 
 uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us 
 richly all things to enjoy. 
 
 Were our nature an uncorrupt nature, earthly 
 blessings would raise the heart to God their au- 
 thor. As it is, their effect is too often to divert it 
 from him : so that men depend on riches : depend 
 on them for their happiness : make them their first 
 object; think them their chief good. It might be 
 asked, who can really trust in riches? Trust 
 in anything so fleeting, so unsubstantial, so un- 
 satisfying ? Yet do we not see that riches were the 
 real trust of him, who, when Jesus invited him to 
 sell what he had, and come and follow him, " was 
 sad at that saying, and went away grieved ; for he 
 had great possessions." 3 It is plain that he did 
 3 Mark x. 21,22.
 
 DUTY OF THE RICH. 21 
 
 that, which Job rejoiced in having been preserved 
 from doing : that he " made gold his hope, and said 
 to the fine gold, thou art my confidence." 4 He would 
 not place his dependence upon Christ, that he 
 might have treasure in heaven : he did place his 
 dependence upon riches, when, rather than part 
 with them, he renounced all hope beyond. It is 
 this which is forbidden, this trust in riches. We 
 may possess that which we do not trust in. We 
 may use gold, and yet not make gold our con- 
 fidence ; we may enjoy wealth, whilst we rely on 
 Him from whom wealth comes : just as the Chris- 
 tian soldier may wield the weapons of war, whilst 
 he looks for victory to God alone. David advanc- 
 ing against the Philistine, used the sling and 
 stone, the weapons to which he had been accus- 
 tomed. But he did not trust in them. What he 
 really trusted in, he had before declared to Saul : 
 " The Lord will deliver me out of the hand of this 
 Philistine." 5 And so a man may use the wealth 
 belonging to him, whilst his heart is neither set on 
 it nor on the advantages it procures, but habitually 
 turns to God, as giving him all things richly to 
 enjoy. 
 
 II. From warning, the text proceeds to precept. 
 4 Job xxxi. 24. 5 1 Sam. xvii. 37.
 
 22 BENEFICENCE THE 
 
 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they 
 do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to 
 distribute, willing to communicate. 
 
 In a world like ours, there will always be occa- 
 sion for this employment of wealth. There will 
 always be some whom sudden reverses and unfore- 
 seen changes reduce to poverty. There will always 
 be children whose parents have been prematurely 
 taken from them. There will always be widows 
 suffering under a double loss, the loss of the means 
 of subsistence as well as the means of happiness. 
 There will always be many naked to be clothed, 
 many hungry to be fed, many sick and afflicted to 
 be relieved. " The poor shall never cease through- 
 out the land." And these the Lord commends to 
 the care of those who are rich in this world. " In- 
 asmuch as ye do it unto these my brethren, ye do 
 it unto me.'* 
 
 God deals with his people in this matter as a 
 rich man might deal with the heir to whom he 
 bequeathed his fortune. To the deed which as- 
 signed him the inheritance, he might annex words 
 to this effect : There are many dear to me, for 
 whom I have made no special provision. There 
 are numerous dependents who have served me 
 faithfully for many years, and whom I should 
 
 * 
 
 grieve to think were suffering under privations
 
 DUTY OF THE RICH. 23 
 
 when I was no longer in the world. I would not 
 divide my fortune into even portions, that each of 
 them might have a separate share. I had rather 
 trust to the judgment of my heir to assign them a 
 provision. He will look to their individual cases, 
 and supply what is needful to them. Whatever he 
 enjoys, he receives from me. This he will remem- 
 ber. My wish will be a law to him : and my wish 
 is, that if he " see his brother have need," he do 
 not " shut up his bowels of compassion from 
 him." 
 
 Such is the case of the possessor of this world's 
 good. God has given him all things richly to enjoy. 
 And, at the same time, he has instructed him to be 
 rich in good works : not to ' ' withhold the poor 
 from their desire, or cause the eye of the widow to 
 fail." 6 It is in his power to neglect or evade the 
 precept. So, under the circumstances supposed, it 
 is in the power of the heir to find some pretext 
 why he should neglect the charge entrusted to him. 
 He could not be legally punished, by a human 
 tribunal, for so neglecting it. But he would be 
 morally guilty, and he would be morally if not 
 legally condemned. He would show a degree of 
 selfish ingratitude which would be visited with 
 heavy censure by general opinion. 
 
 6 Job xxxi. 16.
 
 24 BENEFICENCE THE 
 
 And yet this is the exact case of the man rich 
 in this world, who does " make gold his confi- 
 dence/' and trusts not in the living God ; who is 
 not ready to distribute, willing to communicate. 
 God has given him richly to enjoy : and at the same 
 time has commanded him to act towards his fellow- 
 men as he would that they should act towards 
 himself: to " give to him that asks, hoping for 
 nothing again :" to " do good unto all men, espe- 
 cially unto them that are of the household of faith :" 7 
 to use the gifts entrusted to him as a steward who 
 must give account. If he takes to himself the 
 benefit, and fails to discharge the attendant obliga- 
 tion, what is he but the unfaithful steward, the un- 
 grateful heir ? 
 
 But here an objection must be met, which 
 would lay the axe to the root of all such charity. 
 Such employment of wealth, it is said, encourages 
 indolence, and perpetuates the wants which it is 
 intended to relieve. It rewards improvidence, and 
 prevents exertion. 
 
 The answer is, that, as the world is constituted, 
 there will always be calamity which no prudence 
 could avoid, and wants which no caution could 
 remove. Without doubt, an attempt to " have all 
 things common" would preclude exertion. The 
 * Luke vi. 3035 ; Gal. vi. 10.
 
 DUTY OF THE RICH. 25 
 
 early Christians were only so maintained, whilst 
 the usual modes of revenue were closed against 
 them. The Israelites were supported by manna 
 sent from heaven, only during the season when 
 their own industry could avail them nothing. A 
 certain and regular supply would soon cease to 
 benefit the receiver. If any one, for instance, 
 comparing his own abundance with the scanty fare 
 of those around him, were to double by an indis- 
 criminate donation the current wages of the labour- 
 ers in his neighbourhood, he would soon find that 
 he had not really bettered their condition. 8 La- 
 bour, and the average return for labour, is a part 
 of the machinery by which a community is carried 
 on, and cannot be safely meddled with. Whilst 
 we attempt to regulate one wheel, we set other 
 wheels in motion of which we had not known the 
 power, and the result is confusion. So that the 
 rich man who is ready to communicate, must watch 
 for opportunities : and he will not be long in find- 
 ing much that he can do safely as well as kindly : 
 he may smooth the bed of pain, he may soften the 
 pillow of disease, he may add to the comforts of 
 old age, he may relieve the widow, and be a father 
 
 8 For two reasons. The regular employers of labour would 
 reduce their payments, and fresh labourers would crowd into 
 the favoured district.
 
 26 BENEFICENCE THE 
 
 to the fatherless : and if he dares not augment the 
 regular reward of labour, he may increase, without 
 danger, the economical dole of public charity. 
 Those gifts are injurious which may be securely 
 reckoned on or confidently claimed : which fall 
 
 / 
 
 like the morning dew, or the early and latter 
 rain, on every spot alike. But when they descend 
 like the summer shower, they cause the field 
 which is rained upon to flourish, and yet the piece 
 that is not rained upon does not wither. This 
 universal truth was proved even in that short 
 interval, during which the destitute Christians 
 were supported by those richer at Jerusalem. A 
 blight came with the supply ; and " there arose a 
 murmuring/' 9 Very different was the effect when 
 assistance was sent by the brethren in Antioch to 
 the Christians in Judea. 1 It relieved an occasional 
 dearth, in which many must have fallen victims 
 to famine ; and the good offices on the one side 
 produced nothing but thankful feelings on the 
 other. 
 
 III. And now the reason follows why they who 
 are rich in this world should be charged to be rich 
 in good works. It is, that they may lay up in store 
 for themselves a good foundation against the time 
 to come : that they may lay hold on eternal life, 
 9 Acts vi. 1. * Acts vi. 2630.
 
 DUTY OF THE RICH. 27 
 
 The apostle has here joined together two ideas 
 which are not commonly united : he has spoken of a 
 foundation as a thing laid up in store. And he has 
 spoken well : for the performance of the good 
 works which he recommends, " acceptable to God 
 through Jesus Christ," 2 does provide a man with the 
 surest store, a treasure which he will hereafter 
 need : it establishes him on an immovable foun- 
 dation : the foundation on which that man is 
 placed, who has heard the sayings of Christ, and 
 lived according to them. The Lord has left it 
 written, " Whosoever heareth these sayings of 
 mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise 
 man, which built his house upon a rock : and the 
 rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
 blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : 
 for it was founded upon a rock." 3 This, then, is 
 his foundation against the time to come ; against 
 the hour of death and the day of judgment : this 
 his store against futurity. The man who has 
 " heard the sayings of Christ," warning him against 
 covetousness, and exhorting him to liberality, and 
 yet has never set himself to do good, to be rich in 
 good works : that man may indulge hope : may have 
 a vague dependence on the mercy of God and the 
 merits of Christ Jesus : but he has no good foun- 
 
 - 1 Pet. ii. 4. 3 Matt. vii. 24.
 
 28 BENEFICENCE THE 
 
 datlon : his hopes have nothing to rest on ; no 
 solid ground in reason or in Scripture. Not that 
 there is any foundation for eternal life except that 
 is laid, the blood of the everlasting covenant. 
 " Other foundation can no man lay." 4 And cer- 
 tainly St. Paul would not be the teacher to attempt 
 it, whose uniform language is, " By grace are ye 
 saved ; not of works, lest any man should boast." 5 
 We do not, therefore, lay this as our foundation, 
 that we have been rich in good works : but these 
 good works prove that we have a foundation to stand 
 upon, when we profess our trust in Jesus Christ : 
 they show the solidity, the substantial reality, of our 
 faith : they grow out of that vital union which 
 must subsist between Christ and his true people. 
 When faith leads to these works, it is " made 
 perfect:" 6 it reaches that point which it was in- 
 tended to attain. It effects a present sacrifice for 
 the sake of a future reward. And thus we lay hold 
 on eternal life. We do not merely admire it at a 
 distance, as a thing to be desired, and let it pass 
 by us, as too remote to be attained : but make it, 
 so to speak, our own. 
 
 Brethren, this text lays down the duty belonging 
 to that class of persons who are rich in this world, 
 4 1 Cor. iii. 11. 3 Eph. ii. 9. 6 James ii. 22.
 
 DUTY OF THE RICH. 29 
 
 and who " profess and call themselves Christians." 
 It is the rule which he whose name they bear has 
 left for their instruction. If they adhere to it, 
 they complete the design of his Gospel. If they 
 neglect it, they frustrate his will, as far as in them 
 lies. For it is by this distribution of the gifts of 
 fortune that his promises are to be made good : it 
 is through the care of those to whom much is 
 given, that the righteous shall be never forsaken, 
 nor his seed found begging their bread : that the 
 wants of God's people are supplied, as surely as 
 their food to the fowls of the air : and that all 
 needful things are added to them that seek first the 
 kingdom of God and his righteousness. 7 We are 
 expressly assured that such is his design ; and that 
 with this intent he divides to every man his talents, 
 severally as he will. 8 After a time the Lord com- 
 eth, and reckoneth with his servants. Will it be 
 a satisfactory account to render, in the words of 
 Solomon, 9 Lord, " I made me great works ; I 
 builded me houses ; I planted me vineyards : I 
 made me gardens arid orchards, and I planted 
 trees in them of all kind of fruits : I made me 
 pools of water, to water therewith the wood that 
 bringeth forth trees : I got me servants and maid- 
 
 7 Matt. vi. 2732. " Matt. xxv. 15, &c. 
 
 9 See Eccl. ii. 49.
 
 30 BENEFICENCE THE DUTY OF THE RICH. 
 
 ens ; I got me men -singers and women-singers, 
 and the delights of the sons of men. So I was 
 great, and increased more than all that were before 
 me in the land." 
 
 Alas ! brethren, if this, and no other, is the 
 foundation laid up in store, it is no good treasure 
 against the time to come. Will not the Lord of that 
 servant say, " Thou knewest" that I had charged 
 thee to be rich in good works. Thou hast been rich 
 only " to thyself." " Thou knewest" that I had 
 enjoined thee to do good and to communicate. Thou 
 hast provided for thine own. " Thou oughtest to 
 have put my money to the exchangers, and then 
 at my coming I should have received mine own 
 with usury." 10 
 
 For the " unprofitable servant" there is " no in- 
 heritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." 
 10 Matt xxv. 29.
 
 31 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 1 Cor. xiii. 13. 
 
 And now abideth faith, hope, chanty, these three : 
 but the greatest of these is charity. 
 
 THERE can be no stronger proof of the sincerity of 
 the apostle Paul, than is contained in this descrip- 
 tion of charity. Those to whom the business of 
 spreading the Gospel was committed, were at that 
 time endued with powers which raised them much 
 above their fellow-creatures ; the gift of languages, 
 the gift of prophecy, the gift of miracles. In this 
 way alone could the infant church be raised and 
 brought up : in no other way could the small seed, 
 scattered by a few obscure persons, take root and 
 spread its branches far and wide, that all nations 
 might find shelter under them. The Acts of the
 
 32 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 Apostles show us how these gifts were used. The 
 gift of languages was exhibited on the day of Pen- 
 tecost ; the gift of prophecy, when Peter read the 
 heart of Ananias and Sapphira; the gift of 
 miracles, when the cripple who had lain for years 
 at the gate of the temple, was told, in the name of 
 Jesus of Nazareth, to rise and walk. 
 
 Now we might have expected that such unusual 
 powers would have made those who possessed them 
 proud. We find that very inferior gifts have often 
 that effect now ; that the gift of prayer or the gift 
 of preaching may be more profitable to others 
 than to him who exercises them, and some- 
 times tend to excite an unholy spirit of pride and 
 vanity. But how different is the example of St. 
 Paul ! He lowers these remarkable gifts, which 
 belonged to apostles alone, and to men of that 
 day ; and raises beyond them the gift of a Chris- 
 tian spirit of love and charity, which ought to 
 belong, not to apostles alone, but to every one 
 in every age who names the name of Christ. 
 " Though I speak with the tongues of men and of 
 angels, and have not charity, I am become as 
 sounding brass, and as a tinkling cymbal. And 
 though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, 
 and though I give my body to be burned, and have 
 not charity, it profiteth me nothing." 1 
 
 1 13.
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 33 
 
 At last he says, and now abideth faith, hope, 
 charity, these three : but the greatest of these is 
 charity. 
 
 This assertion may at first surprise us. We 
 are accustomed, and rightly accustomed, to treat 
 faith as the essential part of the Christian character, 
 without which, in truth, no other part can exist ; 
 the groundwork and foundation of the whole build- 
 ing. And we are accustomed, and rightly accus- 
 tomed, to consider all the Christian graces as 
 united together, equally needful and valuable, and 
 like limbs of the same body, not one to be prized 
 above another. But here St. Paul does make a 
 comparison ; does place one before another ; and 
 affirms that both faith and hope yield to charity. 
 
 All Scripture is written by inspiration of God : 
 and only comes out more clearly from what may at 
 first seem a difference or an inconsistency. 
 
 It may, therefore, prove interesting, if I attempt 
 to show, first, what the apostle means by FAITH ; 
 next, by HOPE ; and then, thirdly, why he gives 
 the preference to CHARITY. 
 
 1. Faith is here spoken of in its general sense, 1 
 not according to its peculiar evangelical meaning, 
 1 See verse 2. 
 
 D
 
 34 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 as justifying faith, or saving faith, in Christ as the 
 Redeemer : but as such reliance on the promises of 
 God as is described in the eleventh chapter to the 
 Hebrews : trust in his word : belief of all that he 
 has declared. It is a belief, for example, of all 
 that we repeat in our creed, as a summary of what 
 is revealed to us in the Bible. And farther, con- 
 sidered in its operation on the heart, it is the belief 
 of these things as applying to ourselves : a belief 
 in God, as our own God : a belief in Christ, as 
 our Redeemer ; in the Holy Ghost, as our Sanc- 
 tifier ; a belief in the world to come, as what we are 
 born for, and towards which we are daily fast pro- 
 ceeding. This is FAITH : and of such faith who can 
 speak too greatly ? What can it not perform ? 
 " All things are possible to him that believeth." 
 It was such faith, which made Abraham, at the 
 call of God, resign his son, his only son Isaac, the 
 son of his old age whom he loved, the son through 
 whom the promise had been given, that " in his 
 seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed." 
 Abraham surrendered this son at the command of 
 God : and that, not only from obedient resigna- 
 tion : not only because he felt that God, who had 
 given, had also a right to take away : he was 
 filled with faith as well as resignation : and had an
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 35 
 
 inward confidence that God would still perform 
 his promise, even if it could only be performed by 
 raising up Isaac from the dead. 2 
 
 It was this faith which made St. Paul declare al- 
 though he knew by the Holy Spirit " that in every 
 city bonds and afflictions awaited him," " None of 
 these things move me ; neither count I my life 
 dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course 
 with joy." 3 It is this faith, my brethren, and 
 nothing else, which can make any man quit what 
 is most dear to him : this faith, and nothing else, 
 can make him quit his pride and self-righteousness, 
 and look for salvation through his Saviour's merits, 
 not his own : this faith, and nothing else, can make 
 him contend against his guilty habits, and forsake 
 his ungodly practices, and fashion his life by the 
 rule of the Gospel ; through this faith alone will 
 he abandon that which is highly valued in the 
 world, " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 
 and the pride of life," and follow the pattern of him 
 who was meek and lowly in heart. Through 
 FAITH this is done ; faith in a heavenly recompense. 
 Through want of faith it is not done; not done 
 by any as it should and would be, if their practice 
 were consistent with their profession : by too many, 
 not done at all, or attempted at all, any more than 
 2 Heb. xi 19. 3 Acts xx. 24. 
 
 D 2
 
 36 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 by him who left the Saviour " sorrowing, because 
 he had many possessions." 
 
 Let us say with the disciples, " Lord, increase 
 our faith:" for how else can we overcome the 
 world, subdue the flesh, or beat down Satan under 
 our feet ? " Faith is the substance of things hoped 
 for, the evidence of things not seen ;" and in pro- 
 portion as that evidence is clear and strong to our 
 minds, the power of things seen, things temporal, 
 to engage and to mislead us, will be less and less 
 pernicious and destructive. 
 
 2. The other Christian grace which St. Paul 
 here compares with charity, is HOPE. Hope grows 
 out of faith. There may be a sort of faith without 
 hope. Such is the mournful character of hell : 
 " the devils believe and tremble :" but hope never 
 comes nigh them. On the other hand, there 
 cannot be hope without faith. " He that cometh 
 to God, must first believe that he is." " He that 
 obeys the word of God, must first credit that it is 
 his word, and will be certainly fulfilled. Thus 
 faith and hope work together in the Christian's 
 mind. We believe, for instance, that Jesus Christ 
 came into the world " to give his life a ransom :" 
 that " as many as believe in him shall not perish, 
 but have everlasting life." This is faith. But
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 37 
 
 when we trust to be saved ourselves by his sacri- 
 fice, and to possess an individual interest in his 
 mediation, this is hope. We believe that God has 
 prepared for them that love him such good things 
 as pass man's understanding, But it was hope, 
 personal hope, which taught St. Paul to exclaim, 
 " There is laid up for me, even for me, a crown of 
 life, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give 
 me at that day." By faith Noah built an ark to 
 the saving of his family. By hope he entered it, 
 when the windows of heaven were opened, and the 
 fountains of the great deep broken up. By faith we 
 look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life 
 of the world to come. But by hope we dry up 
 the tears of affliction, " sorrowing not as those that 
 are without hope :" not without hope that they 
 whose body we commit to the ground, will be 
 raised again at the last day to meet the Saviour 
 whom they believed and trusted ; and " so will 
 ever be with the Lord." Such is hope ; which St. 
 Paul justly terms " the anchor of the soul ;" 4 that 
 which makes it sure and stedfast, able to bear the 
 winds of temptation and the waves of trouble. For 
 as the anchor, fixed at once upon the ship, and 
 fixed upon the rock on which it is cast, holds the 
 vessel secure and firm, though the storm beats 
 * Heb. vi. 19.
 
 38 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 against its side ; so does hope, fixed at once within 
 the soul, and upon the everlasting world to comc 
 preserve the Christian's heart safe in trial, firm in 
 temptation, and calm in affliction. Hope supports 
 and cheers him, and strengthens him to endure 
 unto the end. This leads St. Paul in one place to 
 say, " we are saved by hope ;" 5 i. e. were it not for 
 hope, we should yield to our spiritual enemies, 
 and so faint by the way. Faith shows us the path 
 of salvation, and leads us into it : but hope enables 
 us, in spite of all labours and discouragements, to 
 persevere and continue in the road. 
 
 Such are FAITH and HOPE. Blessed are the 
 hearts in which they are found ; found together. 
 Faith without hope is wretchedness : and hope 
 without faith is ignorance or error : but scriptural 
 faith, and scriptural hope in the promises of the 
 Gospel, form a rational and efficient ground of 
 action, able to lift the soul above the paltry cares 
 and unsatisfying pleasures of this life, and fix its 
 affections on things above. They strengthen the 
 Christian to say, when encompassed by tempta- 
 tion, " We look not at the things which are seen, 
 but at the things which are not seen." They 
 strengthen him to say, in the day of sorrow, " Nay, 
 we glory in afflictions also." They strengthen him 
 5 Rom. viii. 24.
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 39 
 
 to say, in the darkest hours, " O death, where is 
 thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ?" 
 
 3. And yet, my brethren, great as these qualities 
 are, still of the three jewels which adorn the Chris- 
 tian's crown, there is one even brighter than 
 these. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these 
 three : and the greatest of these is charity. 
 
 We may well proceed to inquire what is this 
 charity, of which so much is here said. Charity is 
 that spirit which grows out of the Gospel, and 
 belongs to the believers in the Gospel alone : a 
 spirit of meekness ; of humility ; of courtesy ; of 
 kindness ; of self-denial ; of active love, which 
 exerts itself to relieve both the spiritual and tem- 
 poral wants of every fellow-creature. This spirit, 
 this temper, this state of heart, St. Paul assures 
 us, is greater than even faith or hope. But ob- 
 serve his reason : for it is no part of sound 
 truth or teaching, to raise one Christian duty or 
 one Christian quality above another. All are parts 
 of the same system ; all unite to form one charac- 
 ter : and if one be wanting, the character is defec- 
 tive, and the whole building weakened, and ready 
 to fall. 
 
 But charity is greater than faith or hjpe, not
 
 40 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 because hope is of little value, or faith can be dis- 
 pensed with now : but because charity will remain, 
 when faith is perfected and hope has reached its 
 end. " Charity never faileth :" not even in that 
 heavenly kingdom towards which we are now en- 
 deavouring to speed our way on the wings of faith 
 and hope. For charity, you observe, is the Chris- 
 tian state of heart : it is the spirit which pervades 
 and fills the Christian's soul, and is the evidence of 
 its renewal by the sanctificatiou of the Holy Ghost. 
 Now this spirit survives the grave ; is no more 
 designed to be extinguished than the soul itself: 
 it is the very spirit which the whole revelation of 
 the Gospel is meant to form ; to form and ex- 
 ercise in this preparatory stage of being, that it 
 may be made perfect and exist for ever in the 
 kingdom of heaven. 6 
 
 On the other hand, faith and hope belong to this 
 present world alone. They are, as it were, the 
 sails and the oars which carry us forward to the 
 wished-for port ; but when the mariner has reached 
 the haven where he would be, he lays by his oars 
 and takes down his sails. Faith is the evidence of 
 things not seen as yet; but when those things are 
 seen actually, there will be no more need of faith 
 6 See Gal. v. 13. Col. iii. 14. 1 Tim. iv. 1 John iv. 79.
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 41 
 
 to show them us. Hope is the prospect of some- 
 thing future, the anticipation of joy to come here- 
 after ; but what a man has, he ceases to hope 
 for ; he is no longer in expectation, but in pos- 
 session. 
 
 We shall see this more plainly if we try it by 
 example, and illustrate these several graces in 
 their actual exercise. Scripture tells us, for in- 
 stance, concerning the patriarch Enoch, in short 
 but pregnant terms first, that he " walked with 
 God:" and then, that "God took him." 7 Now 
 whilst Enoch walked with God on earth, he 
 walked by faith, i. e. he believed that there is 
 an invisible God, the " rewarder of them that dili- 
 gently seek him :" therefore, instead of prizing the 
 perishable goods of this present world, he sought 
 " first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." 
 But when God took him, and admitted him to the 
 glories of that place where He is from everlasting, 
 theru was no further need of faith ; no more exer- 
 cise of hope : what before he had believed in his 
 heart and hoped for, he now knew by the evidence 
 of his senses : and he might exclaim, in the words 
 of Job, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of 
 the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee." Before I 
 i Gen. v. '24.
 
 42 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 saw " as through a glass, darkly ; but now I know, 
 even as also I am known." 
 
 We have another example of the power of faith 
 and hope in the account of the martyr Stephen. 
 We read that Stephen, rebuking the prejudices 
 and unbelief of his countrymen who had rejected 
 and crucified the Prince of Life, so inflamed their 
 evil passions, that they rose up in unrestrained 
 violence, and put him to instant death. This he 
 submitted to in faith, believing the promise of Christ, 
 that whosoever should lose his life for his sake, 
 should find it ; find life eternal. But we are also told 
 that the last moments of this first victim in the 
 cause of Christian truth, were strengthened by un- 
 usual encouragement. " Stephen, being full of 
 the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly unto hea- 
 ven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing 
 on the right hand of God : and said, Behold, I see 
 the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing 
 at the right hand of God." 8 This was no longer 
 faith, but sight : he was allowed an actual vision 
 of that indescribable glory, which he had trusted 
 to and hoped for on the word of the Redeemer. 
 
 Enoch, then, and Stephen (I use them as ex- 
 amplesbut the same is true of all the people of 
 8 Acts vii. 56.
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 43 
 
 Christ, for it is the character of all that they 
 " walk by faith, and not by sight:") Enoch and 
 Stephen, when received within the gate of heaven, 
 would lay aside that faith and hope by which they 
 had been enabled to attain it as Elijah, when 
 taken from his earthly duties to his heavenly re- 
 compense, cast his mantle down to encourage his 
 successor, 9 who was still for a time to " know but 
 in part, and to prophesy in part" on earth. But 
 together with their FAITH and HOPE, faith now 
 changed for vision, and hope for enjoyment 
 would they also lay aside their CHARITY ? Would 
 Enoch lose that spirit of lowliness and self-denial, 
 which preferred the walking with God to the 
 pleasures or profits of the world ? Would Stephen 
 lose that brotherly-kindness, that patient and for- 
 giving temper, which breathed in his last words, 
 " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge?" No, my 
 brethren, charity never faileth : for this is the very 
 spirit of heaven, where all is love ; this is the very 
 spirit which suits the presence of God, for God is 
 love : this is the wedding-garment worn at " the 
 marriage-supper of the Lamb :" this is the white 
 robe that shall adorn the saints for ever. 
 
 Here then we perceive the reason why CHARITY 
 
 9 2 Kings ii. 13,
 
 44 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 has so high a place in the apostle's estimation. 
 It abideth for ever. It is the state of mind which 
 is fit for heaven : the temper which shall never 
 fail, but remain in " the spirits of just men made 
 perfect." 
 
 But there is still another reason, which belongs 
 to the present time. It is the proof and evidence 
 of that faith and hope which are the foundations 
 on which we rest. It is the proof that the faith is 
 real, and the hope scriptural. A man (says St. 
 James) may " say he hath faith ;" but he must 
 prove it by his practice. A man may hope for 
 eternal life; but he may deceive himself: unless 
 he gives a reason of the hope which is in hirn. 
 And charity, in all its extensive character; charity, 
 which suffers long, and is kind ; charity, which is 
 gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good 
 works : charity, which denies itself, that it may 
 bless and comfort others charity is the proof, be- 
 cause it is the fruit, of genuine faith and reasonable 
 hope. By charity we show that we are believing 
 Him who warns us, " Lay not up for yourselves 
 treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth cor- 
 rupt, and where thieves break through and steal 
 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." By 
 charity, we show that we " are not vainly hoping
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 45 
 
 for a heavenly kingdom, while our hearts are set 
 on things below :" that we are not following the 
 example of him who was " rich to himself," but not 
 " rich in good works," not " rich towards God." 
 
 Charity, no doubt, is not a deed, or a collection 
 of deeds; we must not so mistake it : it is a dis- 
 position, a state of heart and St. Paul's descrip- 
 tion of it has shown especial care that we should 
 not be allowed to misunderstand its nature. But 
 a part of it, a very important part, is the relieving 
 the various wants of our fellow-creatures. It is 
 impossible that there should be faith in Christ 
 Jesus, whose whole dispensation is a dispensation 
 of love, without the exercise of active and habitual 
 charity. If the truths of the Gospel are received 
 into the heart, the practice of charity will spring 
 from them. As the fruits of the earth spring up 
 of course out of a rich and fertile soil, when 
 watered by the dews of heaven, so will the fruits 
 of love and mercy proceed out of faith in Christ, 
 and establish the Christian's hope on a sure foun- 
 dation. If the fruit be not there, neither is the 
 root there. And if the fruit is not there, what 
 says the heavenly husbandman ? " Cut it down, 
 why cumbereth it the ground ?" 
 
 Remember, therefore, brethren, that the state of 
 mind which is to accompany the soul when it
 
 46 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 
 
 leaves this world, must be formed and established 
 here. It is here that we are to " suffer long, and 
 be kind :" here not to " seek our own," but others' 
 benefit : here to " do good, and to communicate" 
 the blessings we enjoy : here to pity the distresses 
 and relieve the wants of others ; here to show that 
 we love our neighbour as ourselves, by sparing 
 upon ourselves that we may assist our neighbour. 
 
 Examine yourselves, therefore, and see how far 
 this spirit is yours : examine, also, whether any 
 opposite spirit exists in you, and is suffered to re- 
 main. Is there any of that covetousness which is 
 ever on the watch for an advantage? That sel- 
 fishness which never concedes a claim ? Anv of 
 
 J 
 
 that indifference to the state of others, which 
 allows a Lazarus to lie neglected at the gate ? Any 
 of that apathy which can rest and slumber whilst 
 a multitude of fellow-creatures are perishing " for 
 lack of knowledge ?" 
 
 Certainly this is not charity ; and if not charity, 
 not Christianity for Christianity is charity that 
 charity which is to spring up here, though in an 
 ungenial soil, that it may flourish for ever in its 
 native heaven. 
 
 Judge yourselves, therefore, brethren, that ye be 
 not judged of the Lord. Charity, indeed, is not 
 the foundation of your hope. God forbid. But it is
 
 EXCELLENCE OF CHARITY. 47 
 
 the test, according to which your title to hope must 
 be examined. There must be a ground for scrip- 
 tural hope, there must be a result of legitimate 
 faith. The result of that faith, the ground of that 
 hope, must be a heart renewed and purified ; a 
 heart of which the character is CHARITY. The sub- 
 stance of things hoped for must be so present to 
 you, the evidence of things not seen must have 
 taken such hold upon your minds, as to lead you 
 to value things of earth only in proportion as they 
 may secure to you an everlasting habitation, eternal 
 in the heavens. Faith has not purified arid sanc- 
 tified your hearts, as they must be purified and 
 sanctified, unless you are endued with that love of 
 which your Master and great Exemplar set the 
 wonderful and inimitable pattern : unless he send 
 his Holy Spirit, and pour into your hearts that 
 most excellent gift of CHARITY, without which HOPE 
 is groundless and FAITH is vain.
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 THE LOVE OF CHRIST THE CONSTRAINING MO- 
 TIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 
 
 2 Cor. v. 14. 
 
 For the love of Christ constraineth us : because we 
 thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all 
 dead: and that he died for all, that they who live 
 might no longer live unto themselves, but unto him 
 who died for them. 
 
 IN a book of familiar letters lately published, 
 though written sixty years ago, I meet with this 
 description of a young person, who afterwards 
 became well known in the religious world. 
 
 " She was bred up in all the pride of life ; her fa- 
 ther being one of the chief merchants in London. By 
 the grace of God, at the age of sixteen she renounced 
 the world from her heart, and gave up herself to 
 the Lord. Since then she has educated and pre-
 
 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, &C. 49 
 
 pared for service seventy-four destitute young 
 females, and seen them placed out to her satisfac- 
 tion : and instead of conforming to all the vain 
 pursuits and expensive customs of the world, she 
 has been wholly employed in doing good." l 
 
 Now, when I read an account of this kind, I per- 
 ceive at once that this is not an ordinary life : and 
 I perceive that there must be some motive, some 
 strong feeling prevailing in the mind, which led 
 to it, and maintained it. 
 
 That motive, that prevailing sentiment, is ex- 
 plained by the apostle in the text. It was that by 
 which he himself was actuated. He had been 
 brought in the course of his epistle to describe his 
 own manner of life ; the exertions he was using ; 
 his zeal, his perseverance, his self-denial, his aban- 
 donment of all things present. He felt within 
 himself that this was not a natural or ordinary 
 mode of acting : that an impulse must lead to it, a 
 motive sustain it. And this brings him to explain 
 the impelling cause and the sustaining motive to 
 his Christian friends. I thus act, he writes, in 
 conformity with the faith which I profess. My 
 conduct is the necessary effect of that faith upon 
 my life and character. For the love of Christ 
 
 1 Miss Bosanquet, afterwards Mrs. Fletcher. See Venn's 
 Memoirs. 
 
 E
 
 50 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 constraineth us ; because we thus judge, that if one 
 died for all, then were all dead : and that he died 
 for all, that they which live, should live no longer 
 unto themselves, but unto him who died for them. 
 
 Such, brethren, is the bearing of that truth 
 which we all avow, upon the heart and conduct. 
 The principle is easy to understand. We see at 
 once, that whosoever has received an important 
 benefit from another, is placed towards that person 
 in a new and peculiar relation. Suppose the case 
 of one preserved from impending death at the risk 
 of another's life. Such a transaction may have an 
 effect upon all his remaining days. But suppose 
 the deliverance to have taken place under the most 
 remarkable circumstances ; with the most delibe- 
 rate self-devotion ; and not only at the risk, but 
 at the cost of life : the person rescued at this 
 price, would no longer feel that he was his own, 
 no longer consider himself free to act or not to 
 act, in any case where he might show his sense of 
 the obligation. Towards the surviving friends, to- 
 wards the children, towards any object dear to his 
 preserver, he would have no choice : love, gra- 
 titude, would constrain him to promote their inte- 
 rests at any cost, or by any labour. And if we can 
 imagine that his widow were left friendless, or his 
 children destitute, and he, possessing ample means,
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 51 
 
 allowed them to remain under privations, no lan- 
 guage would be too strong to express the general 
 feeling of wonder at such ingratitude. 
 
 No comparison is here pretended. The love of 
 Christ admits of no comparison. But this illus- 
 trates St. Paul's meaning when he says, For the 
 love of Christ constraineth us ; because we thus judge, 
 that if one died for all, then were all dead. If that 
 is true, which is the acknowledged basis of the 
 Gospel, " that Christ once suffered, the just for the 
 unjust, that he might bring us to God :" it fol- 
 lows, of course, that all were dead; all were in that 
 state, which Scripture represents as a state of 
 death, because no other term so fully describes it ; 
 all were lying under God's wrath and indignation, 
 and condemned by his sentence ; all were his 
 " enemies through wicked works," and " dead in 
 trespasses and sins." 
 
 And hence the consequent obligation. We thus 
 judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead : 
 and that he died for all, that they which live, might 
 live no longer unto themselves, but unto him that 
 died for them. We judge that the love which he 
 showed in redeeming us from death at the price of 
 his own blood, places us in a reciprocal relation 
 towards him, which gives the tone and colour to 
 our whole existence. From the time when " the 
 
 E2
 
 52 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 eyes of our understanding being enlightened," we 
 become sensible of the fact, that if we are not 
 " enemies of God," it is because Christ has re- 
 conciled us; that if we are " not appointed unto 
 wrath," it is because he has " wrought out salva- 
 tion for us;" that if we have any spiritual life, 
 it is because " he hath quickened us ;" that if we 
 have any eternal hope, it is because he hath pur- 
 chased it for us : from the time when this truth 
 obtains possession of our hearts, we have a motive 
 for action with which we should not be otherwise 
 affected, we have a rule of life by which we should 
 not otherwise be guided. In a word, we live no 
 longer unto ourselves, but unto him who died 
 for us. 
 
 Such is the principle which actuates those who 
 " live by the faith of the Son of God." St. Paul 
 says that it was the principle by which he was 
 governed. The love of Christ constrains us : con- 
 strains us, too, not as apostles, but as Christians. 
 The principle of the text is the principle of every 
 Christian. If one died for all, then were all dead: 
 and all who live, live no longer unto themselves. To 
 deny the obligation would be to disclaim the 
 benefit ; to be yet under sin, and the sentence 
 which condemns sin. If we are not absolved 
 through the blood of Christ, we are not absolved
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 53 
 
 at all : " for there is no other name under heaven 
 given unto men, whereby we may be saved." 
 And if we " have peace with God" through " the 
 blood of the covenant," then the obligation lies 
 upon us ; " we are bought with a price," " we are 
 not our own," and are bound to " glorify God 
 with our body and our spirit, which are his." 
 
 I. Observe, then, first the way of life which the 
 Christian does not follow. We live no longer unto 
 ourselves. 
 
 What it is to live to ourselves we easily under- 
 stand. It is to follow our natural inclinations ; 
 the dictates of that natural or carnal heart, which 
 is " enmity with God ;" which pleases, serves, 
 consults itself, and follows no other rule, regards 
 no other interest. The rich man, who enjoyed his 
 own wealth and luxury, and paid no heed to 
 Lazarus at his gate, shows what it is for a man to 
 live to himself. 2 The unjust judge is another spe 
 cimen ; who, even when he acted rightly, considered 
 only his own ease. 3 Though I fear not God, nor 
 regard man ; yet because this widow troubleth me, 
 I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she 
 weary me. 
 
 Alas ! brethren, need I describe what it is to 
 ~ Luke xvi. 25. 3 Luke xviii. 5.
 
 54 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 live unto ourselves ! We see too much in the 
 world to explain and represent it. Why is it that 
 the description of character with which I began, is 
 an uncommon case ? Because it is an uncommon 
 case to act as our religion would demand : to make 
 the truths of our creed the rule of conduct. All 
 of us have much reason to watch and pray, lest we 
 be drawn into the same snare, and so live, as if the 
 being conformed to this world was conformity to 
 Christ, as if the living to Him was to enjoy our- 
 selves, to take our ease, and pursue our pleasures 
 here. 
 
 II. As we understand what it is to live to our- 
 selves, so we also understand the living to another. 
 We see it in the mother, who is nursing a beloved 
 child, when every personal comfort is given up, 
 every labour readily undergone; and the only 
 thought is, what may relieve or gratify the dear 
 object of her attention. She lives not to herself. 
 It may be justly and truly said. The phrase is 
 not too strong. The same may be said of the 
 father, who lives to his family ; rises early, 
 and late takes rest, that he may provide for 
 their interests and well-being. So, too, the sol- 
 dier : he lives to his commander : uniformly 
 studies to please him, is instantly ready to obey
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 55 
 
 him. So too the patriot : he lives to his country, 
 when his principal concern is to promote his 
 country's good, when for his country's sake he fore- 
 goes his own ease or pleasure. 
 
 These show us, by their example, what it is to 
 live not to ourselves. And thus it is, that in what- 
 ever station of life he may be, whatever public or 
 private duties he is fulfilling, the Christian is 
 still living to Christ, the redeemed to the Re- 
 deemer. The love of Christ constrains him to 
 desire that Christ may be glorified, as the patriot 
 desires the honour of his country. The love of 
 Christ constrains him to seek and obey his will, 
 as the soldier follows his commander's order. The 
 love of Christ constrains him to promote his in- 
 terests, as the father pursues the interests of his 
 family : to do his pleasure, as they who love on 
 earth anticipate the wishes of those to whom their 
 attachment has devoted them. 
 
 For thus he judges, thus he reckons with him- 
 self. There is a principle, a clear principle, from 
 which his conduct springs. That Christ died for 
 all, is the first truth of our religion. If, then, he 
 died for all, he died for me : and from him I de- 
 rive it, if I have any spiritual life ; and to him I 
 owe it, if I have any future hope, if I look for 
 anything when summoned from this world, except
 
 56 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 to be " shut out from the presence of the Lord, 
 and the glory of his power." And does no duty, 
 no consequence, no obligation, result from this ? 
 If we are not our own, are we to act as if we were 
 our own ? This can never be : and therefore the 
 apostle says, We live no longer unto ourselves, but 
 unto him who died for us : we make his will our 
 rule ; his interests our concern ; his glory our prin- 
 cipal desire. 
 
 But here it may be asked, are not these mere 
 words, and nothing more ? Can it be that the 
 Redeemer should have interests which we can 
 serve ? Can his people promote his glory ? 
 
 Indeed, brethren, these are not mere empty 
 words. Mysterious as it is, the Redeemer has a 
 will which we can execute, has interests which we 
 can assist, and has a desire which may be fulfilled 
 by us. He has a will, for instance, regarding our- 
 selves. He gave himself for us, that he might 
 redeem unto himself a peculiar people, living 
 righteously, soberly, and godly in this present 
 world, and looking for his heavenly kingdom. We 
 live to him, therefore, when we live as such a pecu- 
 liar people ; mortifying the evil desires which 
 would otherwise prevail, and striving to bring 
 every thought and word and work into captivity to
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 57 
 
 the obedience which we owe him. Those of whom 
 Paul complain?, and over whose state he weeps, 
 who, " minding earthly things," turned the grace 
 of God into licentiousness : 4 those, instead of 
 living to him, crucified the Son of God afresh, and 
 put him to an open shame. They, on the other 
 hand, who study to walk even as he walked ; to be 
 holy, as he who hath called them is holy ; to 
 purify themselves even as he is pure; and so to 
 become meet for the. inheritance which he has 
 purchased for them : they live to him, because they 
 live as he desires ; they allow him to " see of the 
 travail of his soul, and be satisfied ;" they answer 
 his merciful design of " bringing many sons to 
 glory." 
 
 Examine yourselves, brethren, as to the testi- 
 mony of your own consciences in this point : how 
 far the course of your private lives is so ordered 
 as to be pleasing to Him who loved you, and gave 
 himself for you ; how far you are answering the 
 text which he has left to prove our faithfulness, 
 " If a man love me, he will keep my words." 
 
 It is, however, in his conduct towards other 
 men, that the constraining power which influences 
 the Christian is seen to act most visibly and pecu- 
 4 See Phil. iii. 18.
 
 58 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 liarly. The love of Christ exercised towards him- 
 self, the mercy of Christ extended to all mankind, 
 give him new functions to perform, and a new 
 spirit to perform them in ; the world is a different 
 place to him, and he sees its inhabitants through 
 another medium. The interests, the temporal and 
 eternal interests, of all his fellow-creatures are set 
 in a peculiar light before him. Were he as the 
 heathen, " without Christ, and a stranger from the 
 covenants of promise," he might look on other men 
 as born to serve his advantage, or minister to his 
 pleasures. But as a Christian, he looks upon 
 them as a part of that world, for which Christ's 
 blood was shed. They are made precious by the 
 value of the sacrifice which has been offered for 
 them. They are dear to Him, who is the author 
 of all his own hope. Are they poor ? To the poor 
 was the Gospel preached. Are they ignorant ? 
 The Scriptures may make them wise unto salva- 
 tion. Are they young ? Christ has said, Suffer 
 little children to come unto me. Are they cor- 
 rupt? There is fulness of grace with him, to 
 renew their hearts after the image of him who 
 created them. Are they depraved in habit, as 
 well as corrupt by nature ? Still he wills not 
 that any should perish, but that all should come 
 to repentance. Whatever may be their condition,
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 59 
 
 high or low, rich or poor, learned or ignorant, 
 amiable or despicable, of this we are sure, that 
 Christ desires their salvation ; that he died for 
 their salvation ; that if they perish, then, so far, has 
 his blood been shed in vain. 
 
 Such is the principle which is set before the 
 Christian as his rule of action. He lives by Christ ; 
 by Christ only : therefore he lives not unto himself, 
 but to the Lord who died for him. 
 
 My brethren, it is a principle of delight and 
 comfort, no less than of bounden duty and truest 
 interest. How many difficulties are thus removed ! 
 How many doubts resolved ! How many labours 
 smoothed ! What a ready answer is supplied, 
 when indolence would recommend that we con- 
 sult our ease, when pride would shrink from some 
 obvious duty, when natural will would counteract 
 some suggestions of conscience : " We live not 
 to ourselves, but to him who died for us." If we 
 lived to ourselves, we might yield to the demands 
 of self-indulgence. If we lived to ourselves, we might 
 listen to the suggestions of pride : if we were our 
 own, \ve might follow our own will, and then re- 
 pent too late. But because we are Christ's, the love of 
 Christ constrains us, and we cannot give to him 
 who " gave himself for us," we cannot give to him
 
 60 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 less than all. So that the principle which rules 
 within, is practically seen throughout the life, 
 operating and effective. We enter into the Chris- 
 tian's family : and we perceive that his household, his 
 dependents, are not merely united with himself in 
 mutual convenience and worldly interests, but are 
 persons whose welfare, both temporal and eternal, 
 he is concerned in and has at heart. Like Abra- 
 ham, " he commands his children and his house- 
 hold after him, that they keep the way of the 
 Lord." 5 By leading them to prayer, by searching 
 the Scriptures with them, he teaches them to deny 
 ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to keep them- 
 selves unspotted from the world. No business pre- 
 vents this, no pleasure interrupts it, no natural 
 disposition precludes it. The love of Christ con- 
 strains him to postpone his worldly interests, to 
 overcome his natural inclination ; the love of Christ 
 strengthens his weakness, and supplies his want of 
 resolution. As the most timid animal is roused 
 when its young, the objects dear to it, are endan- 
 gered ; so the weakest Christian becomes strong 
 and able to do all things, when his heart is 
 warmed and animated by the love of Christ. 
 
 We see him, again, on the Lord's day, not 
 " doing his own pleasure, not speaking his own 
 5 Gen. xviii. 19.
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 61 
 
 words," often denying himself that which if he 
 consulted his own gratification he might prefer, lest 
 he should injure others, or lead them into error : lest 
 in any way through him, a weak child of Adam 
 might suffer loss, " for whom Christ died." 
 
 The same principle which actuates him in re- 
 spect to his children and dependents, will carry 
 him farther too. It will begin, there, with his own 
 family, but it will not stop there. He whom he 
 serves has a family beyond. The habits and the 
 circumstances of that part of Christ's family which 
 belongs to his neighbourhood, are matters in which 
 he has a concern. These must be looked to and 
 considered. It is a case in which his Lord's honour, 
 his Lord's will is engaged, that none shall bear 
 his name upon their lips, or his cross upon their 
 foreheads, who do not also bear his faith upon 
 their hearts. And, therefore, according to his 
 means and opportunities, or rather as making means 
 and opportunities for himself, he goes about doing 
 good ; preventing evil, discouraging vice, support- 
 ing morality ; instructing ignorance, comforting 
 affliction, cherishing piety, admonishing wicked- 
 ness ; everywhere and in everything adorning the 
 doctrine of God his Saviour. 
 
 And thus, Christian brethren, I have set before
 
 62 THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE 
 
 you the principle which must actuate our lives and 
 conduct, if we mean to give a reasonable answer 
 of the hope that is in us. If this is not our ground 
 of action and our rule of living, the very faith 
 which we profess becomes our condemnation. Ac- 
 cording to our faith, we owe it to Christ Jesus that 
 we " are not appointed unto wrath, but to obtain 
 salvation." When all were dead, he died for all. 
 Must it not follow, when this is really felt, that 
 we live no longer unto ourselves, but unto Him who 
 died for us ? that we " present ourselves, our souls 
 and bodies," to the service of Him who hath 
 " bought us with his own blood ?" 
 
 O, brethren, let us not lay up a sad, but too 
 just condemnation against ourselves. Let each 
 consider how far his conduct, whether as concerns 
 himself or others, is governed by this principle ; 
 let each consider, what as members of a commu- 
 nity, what as members of a family, what in their 
 neighbourhood, or among their dependents and 
 friends, they can do for the glory of God, and the 
 cause of Him by whom they do live, and for whom 
 they ought to live. O let not the test, the proof 
 of faith be wanting ; let not the profession and the 
 practice be at variance, the creed and the con- 
 duct opposite to each other ! On the lips, we live 
 to Him ; in the character, we live to ourselves !
 
 CONSTRAINING MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN. 63 
 
 The religion of Christ is eminently a practical 
 religion. Faith in him is not a speculative no- 
 tion, but a principle of action. However beau- 
 tifully framed or correctly denned, it has no real 
 value, unless it sets the whole machinery of life 
 in motion : unless it is made, by the power of the 
 Holy Spirit, the vital principle of the soul, per- 
 vading, influencing, animating the whole man ; 
 and leading him habitually to say ; Lord, I am 
 thine ; I live by thee, and to thee ; and my first 
 desire is, to know " what thou wouldest have me 
 to do ;" how I may be best able to honour thee 
 with my lips, and serve thee in my actions; that 
 there may never be reason to ask, " Why call 
 ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which 
 I say ?" 6 
 
 Luke vi. 46.
 
 64 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 POWER OF LOVE AS A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 
 
 John xiv. 15. 
 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 
 
 IT is never wholesome or sound divinity to set 
 up, as it were, one part of revealed truth against 
 another ; so to extol one principle of the Gospel, 
 however just, as to depress other principles which 
 are equally founded on the word of God. 
 
 We find, for example, in this text, the fulfilling 
 of the law enforced on a single ground, and sus- 
 pended upon one motive. The Lord Jesus says, 
 If ye love me. He does not say, if ye hope for 
 eternal life, if ye desire to escape the wrath of 
 God, if ye look for the recompense of reward, 
 but if ye love me, keep my commandments. 
 
 Yet it would be very unsafe and erroneous
 
 POWER OF LOVE, &C. 65 
 
 teaching, if the preacher were to urge this as the 
 sole motive to obedience, were to leave his people 
 to the current of their feelings and the impulse of 
 their love ; instead of bringing their lives and 
 practice to the written commandment and positive 
 law, and comparing the one with the other. 
 
 Still it is remarkable how great a stress is laid, 
 throughout the Gospel, upon this principle of love 
 as the motive of obedience. 
 
 Our Lord himself represents it as a certain evi- 
 dence of the state of the heart towards him : "If a 
 man love me, he will keep my words." " He that 
 loveth me not, keepethnot my sayings." " He that 
 hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is 
 that loveth me." So, when he would leave a solemn 
 injunction to his apostle, his words are, " Simon, 
 lovest thou me ? Feed my sheep. Simon, lovest 
 thou me? Feed my lambs." 
 
 St. Paul speaks of this principle as the mainspring 
 of the Christian character : saying, " In Christ Jesus 
 neither circumcision availeth anything, nor un- 
 circumcision ; but faith that worketh by love." He 
 prays for the Ephesians, " that they may be rooted 
 and grounded in love ;" and he rejoices over the 
 Thessalonians, " because of their works of faith 
 and labour of love." 
 
 The epistles of John, more particularly, abound 
 
 F
 
 66 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 with various forms of the same argument ; en- 
 forcing love of God, as the only return for his love 
 towards ourselves ; and requiring that this love 
 be shown by an universal desire to fulfil his will. 
 " He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his 
 commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in 
 him ; but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily 
 is the love of God perfected : hereby know we that 
 we are in him." " This is the love of God, that 
 we keep his commandments." " He that keepeth 
 his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in 
 him." 
 
 It appears, then, that the enforcement of the 
 commandments, on the principle of love towards 
 Him who issues them, is not confined to a sentence 
 like the text, or to any one of the sacred writers, 
 but is involved in the whole texture of the Gospel. 
 The language of Christ is throughout, If ye love 
 me, keep my commandments. 
 
 And as we cannot mistake the fact, so neither 
 can we be at a loss for the reason on which it 
 proceeds. No other principle would be so uni- 
 versal no other principle so influential. 
 
 I. No other principle would be so universal. 
 The ways can never be enumerated or set forth 
 in order, in which a disciple of Christ may fulfil
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 67 
 
 his Master's will. They are infinitely various, 
 and depend upon a multitude of circumstances 
 which defy anticipation or description. They de- 
 pend upon the state of society in which the Christian 
 lives ; on the situation of life which he fills ; on the 
 education which he receives ; on the abilities with 
 which he is endued ; on the individuals with 
 whom he comes in contact; on the means and 
 opportunities which he enjoys. " God divides to 
 every man severally as he will ;" assigns him va- 
 rious powers, and various occasions of employing 
 them. It could never be accurately defined on 
 whom the different duties lie which the service of 
 Christ requires ; never laid down beforehand, for 
 instance, to whom it particularly belongs to pro- 
 pagate at home the truths of the Gospel, or to 
 carry them to foreign lands ; who are to visit the 
 sick and afflicted, and supply the destitute ; what 
 portion of his substance every different individual 
 should employ in works of mercy and piety. 
 
 It was worthy of infinite wisdom, instead of at- 
 tempting this instead of promulgating a code too 
 voluminous for ordinary use, and still imperfect 
 and inadequate at last, it was worthy of infinite 
 wisdom to leave a general principle which should 
 make such a code superfluous a principle which 
 should extend to all cases, belong to every age, 
 
 F 2
 
 68 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 apply to every individual : If ye love me, keep my 
 commandments. 
 
 You know, my brethren, the nature of a piece of 
 mechanism ; a work of art ingeniously contrived 
 to perform certain operations ; and which does per- 
 form them, perhaps, with wonderful precision. 
 But it can go no farther ; it cannot provide for 
 contingencies, or take advantage of opportunities ; 
 all must be regularly settled and previously 
 planned. To this we might compare the heart, 
 if it were solely governed by precept. 
 
 Whereas the heart, when actuated by a ruling- 
 principle, instead of by direct precept, is like that 
 astonishing living mechanism, the human body. 
 The body with its limbs and sinews, as constructed 
 by the great Creator, is convertible to every ob- 
 ject which the circumstances of man require ; and, 
 instead of defining beforehand the achievements of 
 which it is capable, we are daily surprised at the 
 new powers which it discovers and exerts. There 
 is a vital energy within, which moves every way, 
 as inclination may direct or necessity require. 
 
 So then it is with the love of Christ, shed 
 abroad in the Christian's heart. It is a vital 
 energy within, which can act everywhere, and 
 everywhere find an occasion of acting. Wherever 
 the Christian is, his Master has a will, which,
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 69 
 
 wherever he is, he can endeavour to obey and 
 serve. There may be, or there may not be, the 
 letter of the law to demand. But there is the 
 spirit of the law to direct, and the spirit of love to 
 animate : and this universal spirit of love becomes 
 the fulfilling of the law. 
 
 O, brethren, how it ennobles the heart, how it 
 exalts the life of man, to be actuated by this prin- 
 ciple ! to seek in everything the will, to study in 
 everything the interests of our heavenly Lord ! 
 And yet, remember, the spring, the source of this, 
 the love of Christ towards ourselves, however 
 deeply felt or intimately known, still passeth know- 
 ledge ; is still a depth which our present faculties 
 can never fathom. 
 
 II. Such is the UNIVERSALITY of the principle 
 of love. 
 
 It is equally true that there is no other principle 
 so influential. There may be other principles, 
 other motives of action ; but no other motive has 
 a like effect upon the mind, or leads so surely to 
 the desired end. There may be, for instance, 
 COMMAND, absolute command. And so, no doubt, 
 there is command. But command does not in- 
 fluence or affect the heart ; and though that resist- 
 ance to it must be subdued which is part of our
 
 70 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 latural corruption, there are always pretexts to 
 evade what there is no disposition to fulfil. 
 
 Try another motive, which is also calculated to 
 sway man's conduct. Try the influence of REASON. 
 The object which we propose, may be strictly in 
 accordance with reason, may agree with the best 
 and highest principles which ought to govern 
 man. But this, too, may be resisted. It may be 
 still argued that reason is fallible ; all men do not 
 see with the same eye : opinions are biassed by 
 circumstances, and perverted by affections. 
 
 Or even if you set before the mind the prospect 
 of REWARD ; this, too, may be ineffective, for this 
 may be foregone : the things to be resigned may be 
 too dear to be given up, the things to be per- 
 formed too painful to be undertaken ; and the 
 " light affliction which is but for a moment," when 
 that moment is present, may suffice to overbalance 
 the exceeding weight of future glory. The things 
 that are temporal are seen, are felt, are known. 
 
 My brethren, you have experienced all this. 
 You know, I fear, how little command can avail 
 on the one side, when passion urges on the other. 
 You know, equally, how vain it is to talk of the 
 dignity of human nature, of what is suitable and 
 honourable to it ; that such arguments, however 
 true and indisputable, have no efficacy to resist a
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 71 
 
 bad desire, or inspire a good one. We approve 
 the law of God in the inner man ; but a law in 
 our members warreth against the law of God, and 
 what we approve not, that we do. You know, too, 
 how vain it is to set the glories of heaven before a 
 man whose heart has not been raised to heaven; 
 and that the least particle of this world's plea- 
 sure, or gain, or praise, is sufficient to outweigh an 
 eternity of future blessedness ! 
 
 Yes, too true it is, that none of these things 
 move us acknowledged in theory, but neglected 
 in practice not denied, but not acted on none 
 of these things move us till the heart is animated 
 with the love of God, who hath so loved us ; till 
 the love of Christ constraineth us " to live no 
 longer unto ourselves, but unto him who died for 
 us." Then things painful will be willingly under- 
 gone, things dear to us be cheerfully resigned : 
 then labours will be borne, and enterprises achieved, 
 not grudgingly or of necessity, but spontaneously 
 and gladly ; labours which would be endured, and 
 enterprises which would be undertaken, on no other 
 motive or principle. 
 
 Brethren, it is no unknown or mysterious prin- 
 ciple, this principle of love. It is the principle 
 which animates the parent while watching over her
 
 72 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 tender infant, or ministering to the wants of her 
 dying child : it is the principle which animates 
 the child, while repaying a parent's care, alleviat- 
 ing the pains of disease, or supporting the decre- 
 pitude of age. Who could anticipate the varied 
 services which every successive hour requires ? 
 Who, again, could command the patient endur- 
 ance, the daily privation? Or what reward could 
 purchase anxiety long protracted, and watchfulness 
 which forgets repose ? 
 
 It is the spring within that actuates : the prin- 
 ciple of love is a law unto itself beyond all other 
 law ; which does without command what authority 
 would never require, and without recompense 
 what no recompense could repay. And it is the 
 same principle, and no other, which animates the 
 Christian ; which leads him in everything to in- 
 quire, " Lord, what wouldest thou have me to 
 do ?" which leads him in every place to feel, that 
 he must be about his Master's business : that same 
 principle which caused St. Paul, as the apostle of 
 Christ, to persevere with cheerful patience, " in 
 journeyings often, in perils of water, in perils of 
 robbers, in perils by his own countrymen, in perils 
 by the heathen, in weariness and painfulness, in 
 watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 73 
 
 often, in cold and nakedness." He loved much, 
 and because he loved much, he laboured more 
 abundantly than they all. 
 
 1. When a principle is set before us, as capable of 
 achieving certain operations, we always appeal to 
 experiment. We prove our theory by practice. 
 And it may serve the purpose of illustration, if we 
 try the justness of these remarks by applying them 
 to a particular case. 
 
 It is recorded by St. Luke, in his Gospel, that a 
 " woman in the city, which was a sinner, when 
 she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the house of 
 one of the Pharisees, brought an alabaster box of 
 
 7 O 
 
 ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weep- 
 ing, and began to wash his feet with tears, and 
 did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and 
 kissed his feet, and anointed them with the oint- 
 ment. 
 
 Now let us suppose that it had been previously 
 intended to effect this object ; deliberately desired 
 and purposed to cause this woman to employ 
 herself in this office, and thus to expend her trea- 
 sure. 
 
 She might have been COMMANDED so to do. 
 
 o 
 
 But she might have found reasons for evading the 
 command. She might have urged that the com-
 
 74 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 mand, though issued by authority, was not de- 
 signed for such as herself. She had been a sinner. 
 It was not for her to venture into the house of a 
 Pharisee, to interrupt an entertainment, to intrude 
 unbidden. Or she might have reasoned that such 
 commands were directed towards those richer than 
 she was ; that the costly box of ointment was re- 
 served for other purposes for a marriage, or for a 
 burial that there it would be needful, but now it 
 could be spared. 
 
 I argue thus, because we know that in a like 
 way the plain commands of God are constantly 
 disputed ; that the wilful and perverse heart can 
 always find a plea on which to escape them. 
 They are for other times ; or for other countries. 
 At any rate, they are for circumstances different 
 from our own : for age, and not for youth ; for 
 the rich, and not for the poor ; for the poor, and 
 not for the rich ; for the Jew, and not for the 
 Christian ; for the ministers of the Gospel, and not 
 for the people at large. On one ground or other 
 it is too easy to discover some reason, silencing if 
 not satisfying conscience, why the law of God in 
 our case should be set aside. 
 
 2. Another method might be tried. The action 
 might be shown to be most REASONABLE. The
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 75 
 
 excellence of our Lord's character might be set 
 before her, and she exhorted to show this token of 
 respect. He has healed our sick ; he has restored 
 eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame ; he has 
 made the widow's heart to sing with joy, recalling 
 her son from the grave: we have seen his glory, 
 full of grace and truth ; we have been astonished 
 at his doctrine, and at the gracious words which 
 proceed out of his mouth. Who will not show him 
 reverence ; who will not gladly bring forth their 
 most precious treasure, and pour it on his head ? 
 
 So men have thought, that it was enough to 
 display the excellence of virtue, and the beauty of 
 holiness, and that all would fall down and wor- 
 ship it. 
 
 And, truly, all are ready to pay an abstract ad- 
 miration, and to give virtue, and piety, and charity, 
 the homage of their praise. But when this ex- 
 cellence comes with a demand upon themselves, 
 a sacrifice of inclination or of fortune, its demands 
 are too commonly resisted, and the approval of 
 reason is experienced to be a very weak principle 
 of action. For look at the Pharisee himself, at 
 whose house this scene took place ! He, too, had 
 known the character of the Lord Jesus; he had 
 witnessed the miracle ; he had seen the blessings 
 bestowed ; he had heard the discourses ; he had
 
 76 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 beheld in human form the image of the Father. But 
 all this had been without effect upon him ; when 
 he saw it, there was no beauty that he should 
 desire it, that he should honour it, that he should 
 requite it with what means he had. The Lord 
 was forced to say to him, " I entered into thine 
 house, thou gavest me no water for my feet thou 
 gavest me no kiss my head with oil thou didst 
 not anoint." 
 
 Plainly, therefore, we must seek farther, must 
 look beyond the fitness and propriety of what ought 
 to be done, in order that that may be done which is 
 fit and proper, justly to be expected, and rightly 
 demanded of a man. 
 
 3. It may be thought, perhaps, that the 
 strongest motive is yet unnoticed ; and that what 
 might not have been yielded to command, or 
 offered to abstract excellence, might yet have been 
 secured by the hope and prospect of REWARD. I 
 must not undervalue this. It is suited to the 
 human heart ; and as such, our blessed Lord pro- 
 posed it to the heart ; the apostles were actuated 
 by it, and have held it forth to every Christian. But 
 how feeble is this motive too often found ! How 
 much is needful, besides the offer of eternal life, 
 before sins are renounced, the pursuits of sense
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 77 
 
 abandoned, self-indulgence resigned, self-denial 
 exercised ! Still more, before the heart is zealously 
 affected in the cause of God, before all things are 
 done to his glory, before every thought and word 
 and work is brought into captivity to Christ, be- 
 fore we are disposed to count all things as loss, for 
 the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus ? 
 In our own land, for example, the number is small of 
 those who do not acknowledge that they look for 
 the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the 
 world to come. We know, and we believe, that an 
 inestimable reward is reserved for those, who by 
 patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory 
 and honour and immortality. Yet who that looks 
 out into the world, even the nominally Christian 
 world, can satisfy himself that this reward is the 
 object on which the affections are mainly set? 
 Who can survey the affairs by which time is en- 
 grossed, minds are occupied, passions roused, or 
 energy excited, and say of the community, These 
 are laying up treasure in heaven ? these are act- 
 ing on the conviction that the one thing needful 
 is, " to attain that world, arid the resurrection from 
 the dead?" 
 
 Vainly, therefore, might it have been said to this 
 woman, as it is vainly said, alas ! to multitudes, 
 Do this, live thus, and great is your reward in 
 heaven.
 
 78 POWER OF LOVE AS 
 
 But there was a principle which could effect 
 what COMMAND might have failed, what REASON 
 might have failed, what RECOMPENSE might have 
 failed, to secure. That principle was grateful love. 
 As the seven years during which he served Laban 
 seemed but a few days to Jacob, for the love which 
 he bore to Rachel ; so the reproach which she 
 incurred, the humble duty which she discharged, 
 the expensive present which she conferred, seemed 
 as nothing to this woman, for the grateful love 
 which she bore to her God and Saviour. Her 
 motive is revealed to us ; the Lord who read it in 
 her heart, has left it for our instruction. " She 
 had been much forgiven, for she loved much ;" 
 and her love delighted itself in this act of zealous 
 and unsparing gratitude. 
 
 No wonder, then, that he who knew man's na- 
 ture, has left it written, If ye love me, keep my com- 
 mandments. It is not all that he has left for our 
 instruction in righteousness : he has declared the 
 will of God, and affirmed that only they who do 
 that will, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; he 
 has taught us what is suited to man, endued as he 
 is with a reasonable and immortal soul ; and has 
 directed us to " whatsoever things are honourable, 
 and true, and just, and lovely, and of good report." 
 He has not omitted the recompense of reward ; and
 
 A PRINCIPLE OF ACTION. 79 
 
 has spoken of the good things prepared at God's 
 right hand for them that love him. But he still 
 shows us a "a more excellent way ;" even that 
 law of love which extends beyond the letter of 
 command, and which is already overpaid by the 
 gratification of serving and obeying ; which is 
 never wearied, because it has in itself a perpetual 
 refreshment ; which always acts, because it exists 
 within ; which suffereth long, which vaunteth not 
 itself, seeketh not its own ; but dareth all things, 
 hopeth all things, endeavoureth all things, en- 
 dureth all things. 
 
 It now remains, brethren, that I apply what has 
 been said to our case to-day. 
 
 He, whose we are, and whom we serve, he to 
 whom we owe even ourselves, he has said, If ye 
 love me, keep my commandments. And this is his 
 commandment, " that we love one another ;" this 
 is his commandment, " that we do unto others as 
 we would they should do unto us." It is his com- 
 mand that want should be assisted, that sickness 
 should be visited, that calamity should be relieved. 
 
 The hospital,* whose funds you are invited to 
 replenish, enables you to fulfil this commandment 
 
 1 This sermon was preached at St. Martin's church in be- 
 half of the Charing Cross Hospital.
 
 80 POWER OF LOVE. 
 
 to an extent and with a success not otherwise 
 attainable. Many thousand persons every year 
 partake of its mercies. Can we doubt whether 
 this is agreeable to the Saviour's will ? He has 
 given us alike example and command, to show 
 that if we love him, we shall smooth the pillow 
 of disease, and allay the agonies of pain. For 
 he himself, though his first and chief message 
 was to the sick, yet went about doing good, re- 
 storing health to the body, strength to the limbs, 
 power to the senses ; effecting that by the exercise 
 of omnipotence, which this Institution attempts 
 through your bounty to perform. Were he pre- 
 sent now, as he was present in the house of Simon, 
 I am sure that you, like the woman who had been 
 much forgiven, would be eager to show him your 
 highest reverence, to give him every testimony of 
 your love. This ye cannot do ; for Him ye have 
 not with you ; but the poor ye have always with 
 you ; and they are his own words, " Inasmuch as 
 ye do it unto one of the least of these my brethren, 
 ye do it unto me."
 
 81 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 CHARITY THE CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 
 John xiii. 35. 
 
 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, 
 if ye have love one to another. 
 
 IT cannot surprise us that our blessed Lord should 
 make this the rule by which his disciples should 
 be governed, that they have love one to another. 
 There is something in charity and benevolence 
 so suitable to man's condition in the world, that it 
 is approved at once by our reason. The very de- 
 scription of it is captivating. " Let love be 
 without dissimulation. Be kindly affectioned one 
 to another with brotherly love ; in honour pre- 
 ferring one another ; distributing to the necessity 
 of saints ; given to hospitality. Bless them which 
 persecute you : bless, and curse not. Rejoice 
 
 G
 
 S'2 CHARITY THE 
 
 with them that do rejoice, and weep with them 
 that weep." * 
 
 These words have the effect of a delightful pic- 
 ture upon the mind. They represent a scene 
 which it is pleasing to look upon, and which it 
 would be far more pleasing to belong to. And 
 therefore we cannot be surprised that He, who for 
 us men, and for our salvation, came down from 
 heaven, should leave it in charge to his disciples, 
 that they cherish this love in their hearts, and ex- 
 hibit it in their lives. 
 
 There is something, however, arising out of 
 these words, which may well surprise us. How is 
 it, that in reading this description of philanthropy, 
 it strikes us as the description of a world which is 
 not ours? of some scene which is as foreign to our 
 experience, as it is captivating to our imagination ? 
 Why was it left as the characteristic of the dis- 
 ciples of Christ Jesus, that they have love one 
 towards another ? Is not the belonging to one 
 common nature ; is not the being creatures of the 
 same God ; is not the being exposed to the same 
 wants, the being oppressed with the same infirmities, 
 the being inhabitants of the same trying and uncer- 
 tain world, a sufficient bond of union among 
 mankind ? Must they need to be commanded so 
 1 Rom. xii. 9 15.
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 83 
 
 to act, as we might expect them to act sponta- 
 neously ? Did it require the teaching of the 
 Son of God to bring men to have love one towards 
 another ? 
 
 If we consult the testimony of facts and expe- 
 rience, we shall find it too true that it did, and 
 that it does, require such teaching to instruct man 
 in this lesson. Too truly is it the case, that the 
 heirs of this common frailty, the inhabitants of this 
 common world, are by nature far indeed removed 
 from loving one another. 
 
 If we turn, for example, to those countries which 
 are nearest to what is called a state of nature but 
 which, as we know, is not the state in which man 
 was created, but that to which he has been re- 
 duced by sin ; if we turn to these, we find that 
 life there, instead of a life of love, is a state of 
 enmity and warfare. We find that men, instead of 
 being objects of the affectionate interest of their fel- 
 lows, are objects of their hostility, their malice, their 
 revenge, their cruelty. The Scripture faithfully de- 
 scribes them, when it says that they are without 
 natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. 
 
 But we leave these degraded beings, fallen so 
 low beneath the state for which God designed 
 them. We should rather seek our specimens of 
 human nature from countries which have been 
 
 G 2
 
 84 CHARITY THE 
 
 more happily circumstanced ; which have made 
 progress in the arts which adorn humanity, and in 
 the knowledge which ennobles it ; and have realised 
 all that could be done for them by prosperity, and 
 cultivation, and philosophy. 
 
 And here, undoubtedly, we discover much that 
 is interesting and admirable ; we see that verily 
 " there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the 
 Almighty giveth him understanding :" 2 we admire 
 the exercise of his reason, the vivacity of his imagi- 
 nation, the extent of his intellectual powers ; we 
 acknowledge the traces of the image of God. But 
 still we perceive that these powers of reason and 
 of intellect never brought those who possessed them 
 to the exercise of practical benevolence. The pub- 
 lic history of the civilised nations of antiquity is a 
 history of rapine, and of oppression, and of hostility ; 
 and the private history is little better. They 
 form a striking contrast to the state of a Christian 
 land. They raised no infirmaries to relieve their 
 sick. They built no hospitals to receive the aged 
 and the orphan. They established no asylums to 
 reclaim the wicked, and no schools to educate the 
 young. After all that experience had taught, or 
 philosophy had discussed, it still remained for the 
 Son of God to " redeem to himself a holy nation, 
 - Job xxxii. 8.
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 85 
 
 a peculiar people/' whose distinction should be, 
 that they had love one towards another. 
 
 Yes, my brethren, and even still this distinction 
 remains, and those who have it are still " a pecu- 
 liar people." Even in this Christian country it 
 remains the distinction of those who are personally 
 influenced by Christian truth. I have no desire to 
 undervalue even the indirect effects of the Gospel 
 of Christ Jesus. I have been this moment allow- 
 ing them; and if we refused to allow them, we 
 must be ignorant of the annals of the world. 
 Even the infidel historian acknowledges the change 
 which he vainly and feebly endeavours to explain. 
 We do confess, with gratitude as well as with 
 admiration, that the diffusive influence of Chris- 
 tianity has cast a general face of benevolence over 
 our land. But still I am warranted in stating, in 
 a general manner, that where the Gospel does not 
 personally govern the character, where, though 
 Christianity gives the name, the world supplies the 
 motives and directs the conduct, it is not true of 
 men, though they profess and call themselves 
 Christians, that they have love one towards another. 
 They do not see in one another those whom they 
 are to honour, to assist, to benefit ; but those whom 
 in some way or other they are to make subservient 
 to their interests or their pleasures. As an ob-
 
 86 CHARITY THE 
 
 server of mankind, I cannot help remarking this : 
 as a Christian teacher, I am bound to declare it. 
 Yet I would not pronounce it dogmatically. I 
 urge it no further than may agree with your own 
 knowledge and experience. Consult, however, 
 your own knowledge. Reflect on what falls within 
 your experience ; and so judge to what extent 
 CHARITY prevails. Think of those who are con- 
 stantly on the watch to devour, nay to destroy ; 
 those who entrap the unwary for their fortunes; 
 of those who seduce the young to their ruin ; of 
 of those who, in all cases of mutual intercourse, 
 consider only how their neighbours may be made 
 useful to their private interests ; think, in short, 
 of the daily transactions of life, as they are com- 
 monly carried on in the world, and then judge 
 whether He who sees the heart, sees that it is glow- 
 ing with social affection, or actuated by Christian 
 love. No ; rather is it true, that " all men seek 
 their own," disregarding the welfare of others. 
 They value others in proportion as they may be 
 benefited by them, may have their own comfort 
 and convenience promoted by them ; further than 
 this, they are callous and indifferent ; thinking 
 little of their present good, thinking still less of 
 their eternal welfare ; nay, too often, as far as in 
 them lies, precluding it : so ordering their families
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 87 
 
 so inconsiderate of those dependent on them, that 
 the cultivation of the heart, the growth of divine 
 grace, and even the public worship of God, become 
 practically impossible. 
 
 Therefore I am justified in saying, that however 
 reasonable it might seem, and however probably 
 it might be expected, that they who inhabit in 
 common this our world, should universally be 
 actuated with mutual love; it is not really true 
 that they are so. Such love must be engrafted 
 upon them. Naturally, men love themselves, not 
 others ; look to their own, not others' good ; nay, 
 scruple not to injure others, to injure them in their 
 present, to ruin them in their everlasting interests, 
 when their own profit, their own ease, their own 
 pleasure, is concerned. And this is not love : 
 these are not the signs or the effects of love. 
 
 But our Lord has said of those who are indeed 
 his people, By this shall all men know that ye are 
 my disciples, that ye have love one towards another. 
 If so, there must be some principle in the religion 
 of Christ Jesus, which governs, in this respect, 
 the conduct of those who believe in him ; which 
 places it in contrast with those who believe not. 
 And a little consideration will prove that it is so ; 
 will prove that there are causes in continual action, 
 which will make it always the distinguishing
 
 88 CHARITY THE 
 
 character of Christians as they were distinguished 
 by the heathen in the early ages that they love one 
 another. 
 
 First, the very fact which is the basis of chris- 
 tian faith, places mankind in a new and different 
 light. They are those whom " God so loved, that 
 he gave his only Son, that all that believe in him 
 might not perish." They are those whom Christ 
 so loved, that he left the bosom of his Father, and 
 the glory which he had enjoyed from the begin- 
 ning with the Father, " to seek and to save that 
 which was lost," to " give his life a ransom for 
 many." Therefore when the Scripture enjoins us 
 to " honour all men,'' it contains a reason why 
 they should be honoured. For He has honoured 
 them, who is the source and fountain of all honour. 
 He has valued them, who knows what is really 
 precious ; and he has taught us to value them, by 
 a practical argument which can never be confuted. 
 Can I make that being the object of my private 
 interests and selfish gratifications, who has been 
 the object of my heavenly Father's everlasting 
 love? Can I injure, nay, can I neglect or dis- 
 regard, that soul which is so precious in his sight 
 that for it Christ's blood was shed ? Can I treat 
 one as the victim of my ambition, my covetous-
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 89 
 
 ness, my caprice, who is " a member of Christ, a 
 child of God, an inheritor of the kingdom of 
 heaven ?" Surely not, if I have any real sense 
 of the meaning of these words. So St. Paul ar- 
 gued, for so he felt, " from the time that the kind- 
 ness and love of God our Saviour toward man 
 appeared" to him. Before, he had acted even as 
 others. " We ourselves also," he says, " were some- 
 times foolish and disobedient, deceived, serving 
 divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and 
 envy, hateful, and hating one another." 3 Such 
 did the habit of his own mind appear to him, when 
 he looked back upon it from the station to which 
 he had been raised by the Gospel. For from the 
 time when he believed in Christ Jesus, all things 
 were seen under a new aspect : and his language is, 
 " We ought not to please ourselves, but every one of 
 us to please his neighbour for his good to edification : 
 for even Christ pleased not himself." 4 " Destroy 
 not the work of God." " Destroy not him, for 
 whom Christ died." 5 " When ye sin against the 
 brethren, and wound their weak consciences, ye 
 sin against Christ." " Through (thee) shall the 
 weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?" 6 
 Thus naturally did he draw the inference for him- 
 
 3 Tit. iii. 3. * R om . xv . 2. 
 
 5 Rom. xiv. 1520. 6 2 Cor. viii. 11, 12.
 
 90 CHARITY THE 
 
 self, which his brother apostle has left for our 
 instruction : " Brethren, if God so loved us, we 
 ought also to love one another." T 
 
 Secondly, he who believes in Christ Jesus, takes 
 his precepts for his rule, and his example for his 
 model. And his example is the practice of that 
 brotherly love, of which his precepts are the code. 
 He sums up all the law and the prophets in this, 
 that we love our neighbour as ourselves ; that 
 whatsoever we would that they should do unto us, 
 we do also unto them. 8 He says to his disciples, 
 " Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command 
 you. This is my commandment, that ye love 
 one another, as I have loved you." 9 And truly 
 he has shown us by his own conduct, what the will 
 of God is in this matter ; that men should manifest 
 their principles and employ their means in reliev- 
 ing those evils, which, partly perhaps for this very 
 reason, he has permitted to disturb our world. He 
 might have exercised his power by works of osten- 
 tation or of judgment. But he did employ it in 
 works of mercy and benevolence. The proofs of 
 his Messiahship were works of mercy. The blind 
 received their sight ; the lame walked ; the lepers 
 
 7 John iv. 11. 8 Matt. vii. 12. 
 
 9 John xv. 1214.
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 91 
 
 were cleansed ; the deaf heard. Was there a 
 widow more destitute than another ? That widow's 
 son he raised. Were there sisters, to whom a 
 brother was unusually dear? That brother he 
 recalled from the tomb. And in so doing, he has 
 taught us, and he has shown us, the will of God ; 
 which is, that men should feel for one another 
 should remedy the evil which admits of remedy, 
 and alleviate what they cannot cure. As he " went 
 about doing good," so must his disciples. They 
 must not pass by on the other side, when a fellow- 
 creature is overwhelmed with temporal distress, or is 
 perishing for lack of spiritual knowledge. And 
 if this requires, as we know it does require, pains, 
 and patience, and self-denial, this mind, too, was 
 in Christ Jesus ; for he was patient, and he was 
 self-denying, when, that he might make propitia- 
 tion for our sins, he " endured the cross, despising 
 the shame." 
 
 A third reason why the disciples of Christ are 
 known by their active charity, is this : that, if they 
 are his disciples, they have learnt of him a just 
 sense of earthly things, and of heavenly things ; 
 a moderation in present gratifications, and a desire 
 of a crown of glory. And this removes a great 
 impediment out of the way of charity. For
 
 92 CHARITY THE 
 
 all charity costs something. And the truest 
 charity, that which is employed upon the soul, 
 costs not money only, but time and pains. So 
 that a person who is devoted to this present world, 
 has no more the means of being charitable, than 
 he has the inclination. His fortune is forestalled 
 to meet the luxury, the ostentation, the extra- 
 vagance, which characterises our age. His time 
 is so occupied in business, or dissipated in amuse- 
 ment, that he has no leisure to spare for his fellow- 
 creatures. 
 
 But it is not so with him who believes in Christ 
 Jesus. For he has said, " What shall it profit a 
 man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his 
 own soul ?" When words like these are not 
 merely heard with the ear, but received into the 
 heart, they have a practical effect. They regulate 
 the habits. They take the affections from earthly 
 things, and raise them to things above. The 
 course of life is so ordered, that our fellow-crea- 
 tures are considered in it. Expenses are so regu- 
 lated, that a man " has to give to him that 
 needeth." Time is redeemed from engagements 
 which are unprofitable and vain, and may be 
 spared for needful duties. The whole life takes 
 its tint from that eternity for which it is a prepa- 
 ration ; it is employed in " seeking for glory, and
 
 CHARACTKRISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 93 
 
 honour, and immortality, by patient continuance 
 in well-doing." The main object is, not to heap 
 up treasure on earth, but to " lay a good founda- 
 tion for the time to come ;" to " make to ourselves 
 friends out of the mammon of unrighteousness;" 
 such friends as, when this world fails, may " re- 
 ceive us into everlasting habitations." 
 
 These, then, are the reasons why our Lord has 
 left this as an unalterable test by which his dis- 
 ciples may be known, that they have love one 
 towards another. There is a provision in his 
 Gospel to produce this effect ; a provision which 
 cannot fail to produce it, whenever the Spirit of 
 God has conveyed the truths of the Gospel to the 
 heart. These truths have not reached the heart, 
 unless the heart is affected by brotherly kindness ; 
 unless it is set on things above ; unless it is guided 
 by the precepts which Christ has left for our in- 
 struction. So that we are taught to examine 
 ourselves, whether we be in the faith ; and to make 
 our works the standard of that examination : we 
 are taught that as surely as a tree is known by 
 its fruit, the disciples of Christ will be distin- 
 guished by this mark, that they have love one 
 towards another.
 
 94 CHARITY THE 
 
 I need hardly point out, in conclusion, the 
 bearing of this argument upon the object which 
 is before us this morning. 1 That object is the 
 support of the schools in your parish and neigh- 
 bourhood ; schools in which the rising generation, 
 the children of your poorer brethren, are tended 
 with Christian care, and educated in Christian truth. 
 
 Now the disciple of Christ Jesus will promote 
 this object, because there is no way in which some 
 part of that fund, which he devotes to charity, may 
 be more usefully employed. 
 
 The disciple of Christ will promote this object, 
 because in so doing he follows the example and 
 the command of his Divine Master. 
 
 And still further, the disciple of Christ Jesus 
 will contribute to promote Christian education, be- 
 cause he desires the highest welfare of these 
 children. The worldly man will argue, why 
 should I educate my neighbour's child ? And per- 
 haps he will find a reason : that he may prove a 
 more useful member of the community. But the 
 disciple of Christ sees in these children those for 
 whom Christ has purchased by his blood an 
 everlasting kingdom. He sees those who have 
 been early dedicated to him ; who are called to 
 
 1 This sermon was preached on behalf of the Charity Schools 
 of St. Giles, Bloomsbury.
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 95 
 
 his service here, that they may hereafter inherit 
 his glory. But still he sees the danger to which 
 they are exposed. He looks forward to the world 
 which they must enter, to the temptations by 
 which they will be surrounded. These children, 
 for whom we desire your aid, are now in a safe 
 and happy state ; so comparatively safe and happy, 
 that it is most affecting to reflect upon the change 
 which must soon be made in their condition. For 
 these, as they advance in life, must leave the 
 school in which they are protected, and the care 
 by which they are guarded, and be thrown among 
 strangers, who, too probably, may feel little interest 
 except in their labour. They will not be watched, 
 as in other conditions of life, by a parent's anxious 
 eye ; they are not even defended by those external 
 decencies of conduct which, in the higher ranks, 
 protect the morals, and though they must not 
 he mistaken for Christian obedience, still happily 
 restrain flagrant wickedness. No, it is too likely 
 that these children, at the age which most re- 
 quires control, will be removed from any whose 
 opinion they might respect ; when passion is 
 strongest, will be mingled among those by whom 
 passion is habitually indulged ; and will be exposed 
 to all those evils which it is in the power of evil 
 practice to engraft upon corrupt nature.
 
 90 CHARITY THE 
 
 This, brethren, you foresee, but you cannot pre- 
 vent; for you cannot alter the course of the world, 
 or change the constitution of mankind. But if you 
 foresee this with a Christian's eye, you will secure 
 what is in your power ; you will " train up the 
 child in the way in which he should go," and in 
 which you desire him to go, that he may be able 
 to resist the temptations which await him. You 
 will offer him the shield of Christian faith, by 
 which he may repel " the fiery darts of the evil 
 one." You will furnish him with " the sword of 
 the Spirit, which is the word of God." You will 
 bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the 
 Lord, who is more powerful to save than Satan to 
 destroy ; and who will enable those to overcome 
 the world who put their trust in him. They must 
 go into the midst of enemies ; for where is the 
 bright spot in this our wilderness, in which the 
 soul does not find enemies ? But they need not go 
 unarmed, unwarned, or unprepared. Christian 
 education supplies them with preparation, and 
 with armour, and with warning. It nurtures the 
 child in the discipline of Christ ; and it provides 
 as far as we can provide, that he shall not depart 
 from it. 
 
 On these grounds, then, I ask your assistance for 
 the schools which your bounty must contribute to
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRISTIANS. 97 
 
 support. I ask it as a proof of your being disci- 
 ples of Christ. I " desire fruit that may abound 
 to your account." 2 Not that by this or any other 
 exercise of benevolence you are to purchase salva- 
 tion ; but that you may have in your favour a 
 test that you have " received" 3 Him, and are re- 
 ceived by Him, who has purchased it for you. I 
 have shown that if your faith in him is real, it will 
 certainly prove itself by the spirit of charity. And 
 where can charity be more usefully employed, than 
 in taking children out of the way that leadeth to 
 destruction, and placing them in the road that 
 leadeth unto life, even unto life eternal ? 
 
 2 Phil. iv. 17. John i. 12. 
 
 ii
 
 98 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 THE SUREST MODE OF BENEFITING THE POOR. 
 Acts iii. 6. 
 
 Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none : but 
 such as I have, give I unto thee : In the name of 
 Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 
 
 THESE will be remembered as the words of Peter 
 to one who had been lame from his birth ; and 
 whom they laid daily at one of the principal gates 
 of the temple at Jerusalem, that he might ask alms 
 of those who were entering. The apostle perceived 
 it to be a proper time for exercising the power 
 entrusted to him. What you expect, he said, I 
 cannot bestow on thee ; silver and gold are not 
 mine to give ; but such as I have, give I unto thee. 
 I endue thee with the power with which other 
 men are endued, but which has been withheld
 
 THE SUREST MODE, &C. 99 
 
 from thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Naza- 
 reth rise up and walk. " And he leaping up 
 stood, and walked, and entered with them into the 
 temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." 
 
 This short history, brethren, appears to me 
 capable of important application, if I use it to 
 illustrate the service which one class of men have 
 power to perform, the benefits they can bestow on 
 others. That they should leave nothing undone 
 which can be done beneficially, is acknowledged 
 by all who profess the Gospel of Christ. The 
 principle of Christ's religion is to " do good unto 
 all men;" to " love our neighbour as ourselves;" 
 to consider his wants, his interests, as our own. 
 It becomes, therefore, our duty to inquire in what 
 manner he may be best assisted by us ; how we 
 may best discharge our stewardship towards him : 
 that He who has dispensed to every one their 
 several talents, when he comes to take account, 
 may receive again " his own with usury." 
 
 I. I begin by inquiring what one class of man- 
 kind cannot do for those beneath them. 
 
 We will suppose one whom God has blessed 
 with wealth ; and who desires to act upon the 
 apostle's precept " Charge them that are rich in 
 this world, that they be rich in good works ; ready 
 
 H 2
 
 100 THE SUREST MODE OF 
 
 to distribute, glad to communicate ; laying up in 
 store for themselves a good foundation against 
 the time to come." 
 
 What, then, with these worldly means to employ, 
 and this heavenly disposition to actuate him, what 
 benefit is he capable of imparting to his fellow- 
 creatures ? what improvement can he effect in their 
 condition ? 
 
 He cannot, by any employment of his wealth, 
 by any freeness of distribution or willingness of 
 communication, effect a permanent change in the 
 state of those below him in the social scale. He 
 cannot turn dependence into independence. He 
 cannot reverse the original decree, that man shall 
 eat bread in the sweat of his brow. 
 
 Suppose him, for a moment, to attempt this, and, 
 with such design, to divide his fortune with the 
 unendowed families around him. Thus he ex- 
 empts from those wants which urge to labour, 
 perhaps ten, perhaps twenty, perhaps fifty families. 
 But what is really done by this ? What are they 
 among so many ? The general state of the world, 
 the real aspect of the community, remains the 
 same. 
 
 No, it may be replied ; and with some show of 
 reason. The argument requires that all who have 
 wealth should use it in like manner ; that all who 
 2 1 Tim. vi. 17.
 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. J01 
 
 are rich in this world's good, should share it with 
 those who have none ; and thus we see, not 
 twenty or fifty families, but a whole community at 
 ease. 
 
 This may beguile us at the first glance, like the 
 mists in the horizon which deceive the fainting 
 traveller; but carry your eye onward, look one 
 moment longer, and you must perceive that thus 
 we take away the source from which all income is 
 derived. If there is no. labour, there is no harvest ; 
 if industry is stopped, the flow of wealth is stopped ; 
 and instead of seeing a state of things in which 
 the wealth of one is subservient to the interests of 
 many, though some have more of that wealth than 
 others, you see a state in which all are destitute ; 
 not some rich and many poor, but all alike reduced 
 to indigence. 
 
 It is enough to hint at this. I need not carry 
 the subject further. The ordinance of God is, that 
 " man is born to labour." And when we can take 
 winter out of the year, and make all a perpetual 
 spring, we may take labour out of the world, and 
 place man once more in Paradise. 
 
 In this sense, then, the answer of the apostle to 
 the cripple at the temple gate must be the answer 
 of the most benevolent amongst us. Silver and 
 gold ham I none, by which to profit you, to afford
 
 102 THE SUREST MODE OF 
 
 you any real or lasting benefit. Silver and gold 
 cannot make a permanent or effectual change in 
 the condition of which you complain. It may 
 afford temporary relief; it may assist emergencies ; 
 it may provide mitigation of sickness ; it may 
 serve to smooth the pillow of the dying; it may 
 raise the orphan's head ; it may comfort the deso- 
 lation of the widow. This it may and ought to do. 
 He who left us an example that we should follow 
 his steps, he showed us by his conduct that his 
 great object, to redeem the world from eternal 
 ruin, did not divert his pity from those temporal 
 evils, which, though not to be compared with 
 things of everlasting interest, still press heavily on 
 weak and mortal man. One in whom the love of 
 God resides, will not " see his brother have need, 
 and shut up his bowels of compassion from him." 
 One who lives in the faith of Christ, will remem- 
 ber how he said, " I was naked, and ye clothed 
 me. I was sick, and in prison, and ye visited me. 
 Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
 least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto 
 me." 
 
 Here, however, we soon find the inefficacy of 
 the silver and the gold. It relieves immediate 
 destitution ; but the same indigence recurs, if the 
 cause remains from which it comes. We may
 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. 103 
 
 mitigate the severity of disease, but we cannot 
 remove the root of pain and sickness. No effort 
 of man can take away the consequences of the first 
 sin : death, and all the pain and misery that 
 leads to death : labour, and all the pressure of 
 want which enforces labour. Necessities recurring 
 succeed to necessities relieved, like the returning 
 waves after an ebbing sea, or like the waters 
 of a river of which the sources are never dry. 
 
 II. We see what man cannot do, and proceed 
 to inquire what is within his power. He must 
 have something in his power. The Bible would 
 not be so full of exhortation to be'" rich in good 
 works," to be " good stewards of the gifts of God," 
 to relieve a neighbour's wants, if there were no 
 channel into which wealth might be so directed as 
 to swell the amount of human happiness, or lessen 
 the sum of woe. The Bible would not be so full 
 of rebukes towards those who are "rich to them- 
 selves, and not rich towards God ;" who hide the 
 talent entrusted to them, if there were no way in 
 which that talent might be traded with, or God 
 glorified in the use of what he has given. 
 
 I have shown that the condition of those who 
 are low in the social scale cannot be so altered, 
 that the poor shall cease from out of the land ;
 
 104 THE SUREST MODE OF 
 
 that those who are dependent upon their labour 
 for subsistence shall be placed in circumstances of 
 ease. As soon might we turn the tides of the 
 ocean, or divert the sun from its course. 
 
 Our object, then, must be to improve the condi- 
 tion which we cannot change. To do that for the 
 poverty which must exist, which the Gospel has 
 done for the death which must arrive to take 
 away its sting. And there are means which have 
 this power. 
 
 When the Israelites were wandering through the 
 wilderness, and suffering from drought, they came 
 to the waters of Marah, and they were bitter : L 
 thirsting as they were, the people would not drink 
 them. Moses prayed unto the Lord, and the Lord 
 showed him a tree, which when he had cast into 
 the waters, the waters were made sweet. The 
 branches of the tree changed the nature of the 
 waters. It is an example of the manner in which 
 RELIGION changes the character of poverty, and the 
 condition of labour. That which was bitter, is 
 made sweet : that which caused a murmuring, is 
 complained of no more. 
 
 By religion, my brethren, I understand the Gos- 
 pel of Christ Jesus; for that is the religion re- 
 vealed to me, and I know no other. Religion can 
 1 Exod. xv. 23, &c.
 
 , 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. 105 
 
 effect that permanent change which we desire: 
 it can make an abiding improvement in the con- 
 dition ; it can lighten the burthen of labour : it can 
 lessen the weight of poverty ; it commonly prevents 
 the miseries of indigence ; and does for those who 
 are blessed by it, what the apostle did for the 
 cripple when he raised him from a state of impo- 
 tency to strength and vigour. Had Peter given 
 that poor man what he asked, he would have 
 gladdened him for the moment, and that moment 
 passed, his wants would have returned. But by 
 what he did, when he bid him to rise up and walk, 
 he removed his wants, instead of relieving them ; 
 he lifted him up to a state which before he could 
 not have reached ; the man became a new creature. 
 It was great ; but it is only an example of the daily 
 and ordinary effect of Christian faith, when re- 
 ceived into the heart. " It raises up the poor out 
 of the dust, that it may set them with princes, even 
 with the princes of the people." St. Paul has de- 
 scribed this exaltation, when he writes to the 
 Hebrew Christians, and speaks of the company 
 with which they were associated as disciples of the 
 Lord Jesus. " Ye are come," 2 he says, ye are 
 united " to an innumerable company of angels, to 
 the general assembly and church of the first-born, 
 which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge 
 2 Heb. xii. 22, 23.
 
 106 
 
 of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
 and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant." 
 With all these ye have now an interest, a con- 
 nexion. Ye are raised above the family to which 
 by birth ye belong, the fallen family of Adam, 
 and have obtained a place among the family of 
 heaven. 
 
 So that " the brother of low degree" may justly 
 " rejoice in that he is exalted." His earthly rank 
 remains the same, though even in this respect his 
 godliness may profit him : but his spiritual rank 
 connects him with angels and archangels, and 
 with all the company of heaven. He is made 
 the son of the most high God, " through the adop- 
 tion that is in Christ Jesus :" he shares the gracious 
 promise, " Ye shall be my sons and daughters, 
 saith the Lord Almighty ;" and he has an interest 
 in the inheritance prepared for him of God before 
 the foundation of the world. 
 
 And these privileges are not a mere name or 
 title. They have a reality of present blessing. 
 The sense of divine favour enlivens poverty, lessens 
 toil, and cheers privation. Every day has its 
 comfort, when the duties which are performed, are 
 done to the glory of God. Every sorrow has its 
 alleviations, when it is known to come from the 
 hand of unchanging love, and the counsels of
 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. 107 
 
 unerring wisdom. The lot, however mean, was 
 shared by Him, " who, though he was rich, yet 
 for our sakes became poor." The way, however 
 rugged, is less rugged than the way he trode : and 
 it leads to a glorious kingdom, where " there shall 
 be no more curse ;" where the " new heaven" shall 
 be without cloud or storm, and the " new earth" 
 shall not bring forth thorns or thistles ; where the 
 dead, whether rich or poor, who " have died in the 
 Lord," shall " rest from their labours, and their 
 works shall follow them." 
 
 Here, then, we find the good we want, and the 
 good which we must be first and chiefly anxious 
 to promote. The good we want, is the melioration 
 of man's state. Religion produces that melioration. 
 And the means that diffuse religion may be fur- 
 nished by the silver and the gold. For though we 
 can no more command religion, than we can com- 
 mand the wind that bloweth where it listeth, still 
 there are certain agencies by which, in the course 
 of God's ordinance, the grace of God is communi- 
 cated to man, and he becomes that new creature 
 which I have described ; agencies which those who 
 desire to glorify God may provide ; nay, which 
 God designs they should provide, and so become 
 instruments in fulfilling his merciful purposes.
 
 108 THE SUREST MODE OF 
 
 The first of these agencies is the HOUSE OF GOD, 
 in which the Gospel may be perpetually pro- 
 claimed. For we may still ask as of old, and 
 unhappily there is too much reason to ask, " How 
 shall they believe in him, of whom they have not 
 heard? And how shall they hear without a 
 preacher ? And how shall they preach, unless they 
 be sent?" 
 
 Manifestly this must be the concern of those who 
 possess the silver and gold. This they have to give. 
 God commits the duty to them. The poor have 
 not the means of providing religious knowledge for 
 themselves. There was a people once on earth, 
 over which God himself vouchsafed to preside as 
 king ; leaving thereby to future ages an example 
 of what he approves. For the religion of that people 
 he made abundant and special provision. He devised 
 ways in which all should be brought up in the know- 
 ledge of their God, all be able to enter into his courts, 
 to kneel before him in his temple, to hear his word 
 read in their synagogues every Sabbath day. 
 
 And those who believe that they have here an 
 intimation of God's will, and make a like provision, 
 are more truly benefiting their neighbours than 
 they could profit them by any other distribution of 
 their wealth. Such as you have, you give to them, 
 when you prepare the place of worship, which may
 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. 109 
 
 invite them to come in, weary and heavy laden as 
 they are, and cast their burthen upon Him who 
 offers rest unto their souls. Such as you have, you 
 give, when you provide that a minister should 
 seek after the sheep which have strayed ; should 
 warn and rebuke with the authority of one com- 
 missioned from God ; should point out the way 
 through which the most unworthy may find access 
 to God, and the most ignorant may be made wise 
 unto salvation. 
 
 Together with the means of PUBLIC WORSHIP, they 
 who possess the silver and the gold may furnish the 
 means of EDUCATION. This also must be so brought 
 within their reach as to be made easy to the poor. 
 Even if they are apprized of its value, this is a case in 
 which they require the aid of others. Securing 
 this, again you may be entitled to say, such as I 
 have, give I unto thee. You cannot send the chil- 
 dren of your poorer neighbours into the world 
 with any other endowment than that which their 
 own exertions must procure. But if you send 
 them into the world acquainted with the word of 
 life, furnished with a knowledge of God as recon- 
 ciled to man in Christ Jesus, and offering them 
 access to Him by the Spirit as their Father ; ye 
 have made them rich indeed. We do not under-
 
 110 THE SUREST MODE OF 
 
 value other learning. Secular knowledge is de- 
 sirable ; for all knowledge may be sanctified when 
 there is knowledge of God. But such knowledge 
 can profit but for time. We need provision for 
 eternity. A being who must live for ever, needs 
 that knowledge which may bless him for ever. 
 Many prophets and righteous men have desired 
 to possess that knowledge which is revealed to the 
 youngest of our children, and have not attained it ; 
 nay, even Solomon in all his wisdom was not in- 
 structed like one of them. The kingdom of God 
 had but dawned on Solomon. On them it shines 
 in all its brightness and its fulness. In its light 
 they may walk safely. By its rays they may be 
 cheered through paths that would otherwise be 
 dark and gloomy. Nay, its glory may be reflected 
 on themselves ; and they, too, may shine as lights 
 in their own proper world, their holy practice seen 
 and admired by all who know them. 
 
 A time, brethren, is spoken of in the prophets 
 when " the earth shall be filled with the know- 
 ledge of God." " After those days, saith the Lord, I 
 will put my law in their inward parts, and write it 
 in their hearts ; and I will be their God, and they 
 shall be my people. And they shall teach no 
 more every man his neighbour, and every man
 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. 1 1 1 
 
 his brother, saying, Know the Lord : for they shall 
 all know me, from the least of them to the great- 
 est/' 3 You read this in the prophet, and in your 
 minds you refer it to some imaginary period, 
 when what is described of heaven shall be realised 
 on earth, and " God shall dwell in the midst of 
 his people." Thus we turn aside what we ought 
 to be strenuously promoting. Not so the inspired 
 interpreter. 4 Paul, writing to his countrymen, 
 shows that the prophet had described the blessings 
 of the New Covenant ; that the promise belongs to 
 the present dispensation, refers to that knowledge 
 of God which the Gospel should spread throughout 
 the world. 
 
 Do we look on a very different state of things ? 
 Do not all know God, from the least to the great- 
 est ? Let us beware, that we are no way account- 
 able for this ; that the difference between what 
 is, and what God's word says, shall be, is not 
 owing to ourselves ; is not occasioned by a 
 course of conduct inconsistent with our Christian 
 profession. 
 
 We cannot plead that silver and gold we have 
 
 none. We cannot plead that there is nothing in 
 
 which silver and gold can avail us. Silver and 
 
 gold can build CHURCHES, where the people may 
 
 3 Jer xxxi 33, 34. 4 Heb. viii. 10, 11.
 
 112 THE SUREST MODE OF 
 
 assemble themselves together. Silver and gold 
 can erect SCHOOLS where the young and the 
 ignorant may find instruction. Silver and gold 
 can sustain MINISTERS, who may preach the Gospel 
 to the poor ; who may warn the unruly, reclaim 
 the wandering, comfort the weak-hearted, disturb 
 the reign of Satan, and frustrate his devices. In- 
 deed, indeed, brethren, there is much that all 
 can do, if they were once led to act upon the prin- 
 ciple, Such as I have, give I unto thee. If all who 
 have influence would use it in the cause of God ; 
 if all who have authority would countenance the 
 pious and the good, and discourage whatever tends 
 to promote licentiousness ; if all who carry on the 
 business of the world would make the service of 
 mammon give way, whenever it interferes with 
 God's service ; if all who enjoy leisure would 
 occupy it in visiting, and assisting, and cheering, 
 and exhorting those who need relief, or comfort, 
 or exhortation ; if all who have themselves drunk 
 of the waters of life would lead others to the same 
 wells of salvation, then they would really do no 
 more than the Gospel they profess demands but 
 then we should see the picture of the prophet 
 realised, as far as it can be accomplished in this 
 present world ; then we should see the tide as it 
 were turned, on which the great majority of man-
 
 BENEFITING THE POOR. 113 
 
 kind are carried ; then the general current, instead 
 of setting against religion, so that everywhere and 
 on all sides it finds an adverse stream to overcome, 
 would flow in favour of religion. 
 
 And can this ever be ? " O Lord God, thou 
 knowest." 5 What hinders, but ourselves ? This, at 
 least, we may pray : " Come from the four winds, 
 O breath, and breathe upon " this people now as- 
 sembled in the name of the Lord ; that they may 
 ever remember " whose they are, and whose are all 
 their ways ;" 6 may glorify thee on earth with the 
 gifts which thou hast bestowed ; may devote them- 
 selves, with all they are, and all they have, to the 
 service of Him " who loved them, and gave himself 
 for them!" 7 
 
 5 See Ezek. xxxvii. 39. 6 Dan. v. 23. 
 
 7 Gal. ii. -20.
 
 114 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 THE DUTY OF PROMOTING CHRISTIAN 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 Matt. xix. 13. 
 
 Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come 
 unto me. 
 
 THESE words were mercifully spoken, and are mer- 
 cifully left for our instruction. Little children 
 were brought to the Lord Jesus by their friends 
 or parents, " that he should put his hands upon 
 them, and pray ; and the disciples rebuked them." 
 He was engaged in solemn discourse, and they did 
 not approve the interruption. But Jesus said, 
 Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come 
 unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 
 As much as to say, I am come into the world to 
 give the very thing which these parents desire : to 
 give a blessing. Do not deprive these children of
 
 THE DUTY OF, &C. 115 
 
 it. Partakers of Adam's sinful nature, let them 
 also be " partakers of the divine nature." In- 
 heritors of that ruin, under which " the whole 
 creation groaneth and travaileth in pain," let them 
 also share in that restoration which comes through 
 " the second Adam." Let them be "renewed in 
 knowledge, after the image" which they have lost. 
 Born to labour and sorrow, let them also inherit 
 that which can alleviate sorrow, and cheer the 
 weariness of labour. Suffer little children to come 
 unto me. They who enter into the heavenly king- 
 dom must be such as these are now, in the time 
 of their innocence; and nothing can preserve them, 
 or make them such, except my blessing. 
 
 This, we may believe, must have been the mind 
 of the compassionate Saviour, when he rebuked 
 his disciples in these words. And thus he has left 
 to all ages a practical proof of his will ; his per- 
 petual will. He has still the same pity for our 
 fallen race ; still the same desire to save those who 
 are encompassed by outward temptation, and be- 
 trayed by inward frailty. He still invites them to 
 come to him, and desires that they should be 
 brought to him, that they may find rest in his 
 word, and protection in his love. 
 
 And whilst we consider this subject, with a view 
 to fulfil his merciful desire, may He who has pro- 
 
 i 2
 
 116 THE DUTY OF 
 
 mised to be with his people, " whenever two or 
 three are gathered together in his name," may he 
 realise his gracious assurance, and be with us and 
 bless us I 
 
 Let us then pursue the subject opened to us in 
 the text, and inquire, first, What it is for the 
 young to come to Christ : next, The need for com- 
 ing to Him : thirdly, The end of coming to Him. 
 
 I. Jesus said, Suffer little children to come unto 
 me. 
 
 But, Lord, thou art in heaven, and we thy weak 
 and sinful creatures are on earth ! It is long since 
 the angels sang, " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, 
 and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors : and the 
 king of glory shall come in !" 
 
 True, the parents of the present day cannot 
 bring their children to the Lord in the lowly form 
 of man, which for our sake he vouchsafed to bear ; 
 they cannot now behold the condescending good- 
 ness with which he took them in his arms, or laid 
 his hands upon them. 
 
 But there is a way of applying to Christ, more 
 sure than the movement of the body. Many of 
 the Jews had come to him by the movement of 
 their bodies, and were standing round him at the
 
 PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 117 
 
 very time when he said, " Ye will not come unto 
 me, that ye might have life." 1 And again, on the 
 other hand, the Ethiopian had come to him, 
 whom Philip baptized : had come to him when he 
 said, " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of 
 God ;" 2 though in the flesh he had never seen him. 
 
 It is the heart, brethren, and not the body, which 
 comes to Christ. The coming to him is the sur- 
 render of the soul to him for all that it needs : 
 for pardon, justification, redemption, instruction ; 
 in a word, for salvation. 
 
 " I will arise, and go to my father," thought the 
 prodigal in his extremity. 
 
 Now it was the mind here which really sought 
 this refuge. Before the body moved, the mind 
 had gone. 
 
 And thus it must be with the child ; thus we 
 desire it may be through the influence of early 
 teaching and continued instruction. In our chris- 
 tian land, the parent does what the Jewish parents 
 did when they brought their little children to the 
 Lord. He offers up his child to him in the way 
 and ordinance which he has himself appointed ; he 
 prays that the child may be received into his flock, 
 and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. He does this 
 with a definite object; with a clearness of view and 
 1 John vi. 40. "- Acts viii. '37.
 
 118 THE DUTY OF 
 
 knowledge which the Jewish parents could not 
 have. He feels that he has imparted a corrupt 
 nature to his children ; and that unless they be 
 " born again, born of water and of the Spirit, they 
 cannot enter into the kingdom of God." But 
 there is a remedy, and he brings them to the 
 author of that remedy, and prays that their 
 sinfulness may be atoned for, their corruption 
 purified, their children made " members of Christ, 
 children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of 
 heaven." 
 
 This is the beginning, but only the beginning. 
 Painful experience teaches us how much is still 
 required, that the child may remain a partaker of 
 these covenanted blessings ; and, when the eyes of 
 the understanding are opened, may come to Christ 
 in inward feeling, as well as by outward ceremony. 
 And, therefore, we desire that the young crea- 
 tures growing up around us should be continually 
 reminded of the covenant made for them, and of 
 the obligations to which it binds them. We desire 
 that as they advance in age, and are involved in the 
 business and temptations of the world, they should 
 understand the circumstances in which they are 
 placed; the dangers which encompass them, the de- 
 fence which may secure them. We desire that as they 
 enter into life, it should be said to them, " Behold,
 
 PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 119 
 
 you go forth as lambs among wolves." Such is 
 the nature of the world to which you belong. 
 You have enemies on every side, seeking to devour ; 
 but there is a good Shepherd, " who laid down his 
 life for his flock." He is glad "to gather the 
 lambs in his bosom, and gently lead the feeble and 
 the young ;" if only they will " hear his voice, and 
 follow him." He who is ready to save, is greater 
 than he who would destroy : and none shall pluck 
 out of his hand those who commit themselves to his 
 care. 
 
 Thus we desire that from their earliest infancy 
 these children should be acquainted with the Re- 
 deemer ; familiarised to think of him as the Giver 
 of heavenly things ; habituated to come to him in 
 their minds for that which is needful to their souls, 
 that they may be delivered from this present evil 
 world, and attain eternal life. 
 
 For, whether we speak of youth or age, this is to 
 come to Christ : habitually to look to him for " all 
 things that pertain to life and godliness:" to look 
 to him for the ransom which he has paid ; to look 
 to him for the justification which he procures ; to 
 look to him for the wisdom which he supplies ; to 
 look to him for the grace which he bestows; to 
 look to him for the rules which he prescribes : na- 
 turally to look to him, as the scholar looks to his
 
 120 THE DUTY OF 
 
 master for instruction ; as the soldier looks to his 
 general for commands ; as the child looks to his 
 parent for support, and assistance, and encourage- 
 ment, and protection, and for all that life requires. 
 
 II. Why so? will any ask? Why is it thus 
 needful ? What reason have the young for coming 
 to a Saviour ? 
 
 The strongest reason ; the most urgent need. 
 They perish without him ; they have the sentence 
 of death, eternal death in themselves, which he 
 alone can set aside. 
 
 My brethren, were you to see a child labou ring- 
 under some severe disorder; daily becoming 
 weaker, and less and less able to prevail against 
 the inward disease ; you would not ask, What need 
 of a physician ? 
 
 Now, sin is the worst disorder ; and sin is bound 
 up in the heart of every child. 3 Christ is the 
 physician, who has the only remedy against sin. 
 And therefore the child has need of Him at the 
 earliest age. The sooner we oppose natural corrup- 
 tion, the better hope we have of curing it. And the 
 longer we suffer the evil heart to rule, the more 
 unwilling to yield will it become. 
 
 Again, brethren, if you saw a child entering 
 
 Prov. xxii. 1.3.
 
 PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 121 
 
 upon a thick and tangled wilderness, through 
 which it was to find its way, you would not ask 
 why that child should need a guide. Now the 
 world is such a wilderness ; it has many wrong 
 ways, easy to find and follow ; many tempting- 
 ways, holding out to the young much pleasant fruit, 
 which grows along the path-side : and, besides, 
 many companions are wandering along those unsafe 
 paths, and will persuade, if they can, others to 
 follow them. There is but one right way leading 
 unto life, and that " a narrow way :" do we ask, why 
 the child should need a guide ? why the guardian 
 of the narrow way should say, Suffer little children, 
 and forbid them not, to come unto me ? 
 
 But, brethren, I trust that it is needless for me to 
 give reasons why it is good to come to Christ. I 
 trust that you are ready to say, like the people of 
 Samaria to their countrywoman : " Now we be- 
 lieve, not for thy saying, for we have seen him our- 
 selves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the 
 Saviour of the world." 4 The sheep know the value 
 of their shepherd, who has long directed them by 
 his voice, and fed them by his hand, and preserved 
 them by his power. The soldiers understand the 
 worth of their commander, who has never deserted 
 
 4 John iv. 42.
 
 122 THE DUTY OF 
 
 them in the hour of danger, never left them unsup- 
 ported on their post, never led them but to victory. 
 The mariners are sensible of their pilot's skill, who 
 has steered them in safety through rocks on the 
 one side and quicksands on the other, and is bring- 
 ing their vessel, frail and shaken as it is, towards 
 the haven where they would be. And so I trust 
 that you know why others should be led to Christ, 
 because you have been led by him yourselves ; be- 
 cause you know the excellence of his pastures, and 
 the security of his fold : because you, through him, 
 are " more than conquerors " against all the 
 enemies of your salvation. 
 
 III. And thus I have arrived at the last of those 
 inquiries which I proposed ; and have only to consi- 
 der, thirdly, What is gained by those who come to 
 Christ, obeying his invitation ? 
 
 My brethren, there are many paths through 
 life, but there can be only two terminations. There 
 are the paths followed by them " that are conten- 
 tious, and do not obey the truth, but obey un- 
 righteousness." The end of those paths is " in- 
 dignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, 
 reserved for every soul of man that doeth evil." 
 Then there is the path followed by them, who, " by
 
 PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 123 
 
 patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory 
 and honour and immortality." The termination 
 of this path is life eternal: this path leads to the 
 kingdom of God, prepared for the righteous from 
 the beginning of the world, " where is fulness of 
 joy and pleasures for evermore." 
 
 And this is gained by those who come to Christ. 
 They are withdrawn from the paths to which nature 
 would carry them, and example would direct them, 
 the end of which is death ; and they are con- 
 ducted into the path which leads to everlasting- 
 salvation. " He that hath the Son hath life ; 
 and he that hath not the Son of God hath not 
 life." 
 
 Look, brethren, for a moment, at these different 
 terminations : consider the two sentences. 
 
 " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting 
 fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 
 
 " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
 the world." 5 
 
 Suppose that you were hearing these different 
 
 sentences pronounced ; that you were seeing the 
 
 vast assembly on the left hand, " shut out from the 
 
 presence of the Lord and the glory of his power :" 
 
 5 Matt. xxv. 41 44.
 
 124 THE DUTY OF 
 
 whilst, on the other hand, a bright kingdom was 
 displayed, such as " eye hath not seen, neither 
 hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive." 
 
 What would be given at such a moment, if any 
 of those on " the left hand," now about to inherit 
 the consequences of their unrepented sins, could be 
 rescued from misery, and received among " the 
 children of light !" 
 
 It is, then, impossible. The final sentence hath 
 gone forth. " He that is unjust, let him be unjust 
 still ; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still ; 
 and he that is righteous, let him be righteous 
 still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." 6 
 
 Here, then, is seen the gain of those who have 
 lived in the world as disciples of Christ Jesus. 
 That is gained, which at the last will alone be 
 valuable ; that which is beyond price, and which 
 then no price can attain ; no, which not even the 
 price of Christ's own blood can purchase then, if 
 not sought at " the accepted time," not secured in 
 the " day of salvation." 
 
 Now, then, is the season when we must provide 
 for that, which, too late, we might desire in vain. 
 Now, in the beginning of their days, must children 
 6 Rev. xxii. 11.
 
 PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 125 
 
 be suffered to come unto Him, that he may secure 
 them in his fold, and nurture them in safe pastures, 
 and lead them in the way everlasting. 
 
 And the way to suffer this, is to provide for it. 
 There is no surer course by which those who 
 possess the gifts of God, and desire to use them as 
 faithful stewards, can benefit those who are less 
 favoured. This blessing they who are themselves 
 instructed can give to others who are ignorant. 
 This, they who have been taught of God the 
 value of the soul, can do for those who have no 
 sense of its importance. And too often if we do 
 not actually provide for this, we virtually forbid it. 
 The children cannot procure instruction for them- 
 selves ; nor always their parents for them, even if 
 they knew its value. 
 
 And think of the blessed result, if God favour the 
 effort, and the young are bred up "in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord." Such is human 
 nature, that to be without knowledge is to be 
 without religion ; not to be the servant of Christ, 
 is to be the slave of sin. And to serve sin, is to 
 serve that cruel tyrant, the destroyer both of body 
 and of soul. How grievous is the return he makes, 
 the wages which he pays ! There is pain, anguish 
 of body, ruined constitutions ; there is, still worse,
 
 126 THE DUTY OF 
 
 anguish of mind, the stings of conscience and of 
 sorrow, ending, perhaps, in a broken heart ; there 
 is disgrace, indigence ; there are prisons, banish- 
 ment, death. It would be less, if this were all ; if 
 death, the last consequence of sin which we actually 
 see, were indeed the last consequence of sin. But, 
 beyond the death of the body, " outer darkness" 
 awaits the soul, "weeping and gnashing of teeth;" 
 11 the worm that dieth not, the fire that never shall 
 be quenched." 
 
 When, then, we ask you to provide the means of 
 education, religious education, to those who would 
 otherwise be wanting it, we ask the means of de- 
 liverance from all these. We ask that the children 
 of corruption and the subjects of temptation maybe 
 brought to Him, who has engaged that sin shall 
 not " have dominion over them," neither shall 
 " the world overcome them." 7 He will show them 
 what is safer than sin, and better than the world. 
 Bring them to Him, and he will show them their 
 real state, and raise them out of it ; disclose to 
 them the evil which is in their hearts, and cleanse 
 them from it. Bring them to Him, who will teach 
 them thatindustry is more cheerful than idleness, and 
 contentment better than murmuring ; that sobrietv 
 7 See Rom. vi. 14. 1 John v. 4, 5.
 
 PROMOTING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 127 
 
 is happier than excess, and chastity than impurity. 
 Bring them to Him, who shows that godliness has 
 real charms, that profaneness is hateful and abomi- 
 nable ; that there is comfort in meekness and 
 kindness, but none in malice and revenge. Bring 
 them to Him, who shows that there is more blessing 
 in " the peace of God," than in anything this world 
 can give ; who can bestow on them what they can 
 never find elsewhere, rest of soul.
 
 1*28 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 THE GOSPEL A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 1 
 
 Matt. xi. 5. 
 The poor have the Gospel preached unto them. 
 
 WHEN the Son of God, now become the Son of 
 man, was asked whether he was the Saviour who 
 should come the long-promised, long-predicted, 
 long-expected Saviour of the world this was part 
 of his answer, part of the proof which he offered, 
 The poor have the Gospel preached unto them. 
 
 It. was not the only proof. He bade them attend 
 to the miracles which he wrought. " The blind 
 receive their sight ; the deaf hear ; the lepers are 
 cleansed." 2 All these things were spoken of by the 
 prophets, as signs of the times of Israel's redemp- 
 tion. All these things are done. Therefore be 
 
 1 Preached at the consecration of a church. 
 - Isa. xxix. ; ib. xxxv. 5, 6.
 
 THE GOSPEL, &C. 129 
 
 sure that he who was to come is come look for no 
 other ; God has fulfilled his promises ; the Son of 
 God is become the Son of man. 
 
 But these miracles belonged to the dwellers in 
 that age and country. The blessings which Christ 
 should bring, would belong to every age and every 
 country. These miracles were a blessing which 
 began and ended with this present world. The 
 blessings which Christ should bring, were not for 
 time, but for eternity. 
 
 And therefore our Lord, looking forward through 
 all time, and providing for eternity, concludes his 
 reply by adding, And the poor have the Gospel 
 preached unto them The poor are no longer neg- 
 lected, and passed by, as if unworthy of eternal 
 life. The Son of God is come into the world " to 
 give his life a ransom" for as many as receive him, 
 without respect of persons. And as he dies for 
 all, so the tidings of his mercy shall be proclaimed 
 to all. Provision shall be made that " all things 
 pertaining to life and godliness" shall be hence- 
 forth supplied to those, who could not from their 
 circumstances procure them for themselves. The 
 proclamation of my Gospel is, " Ho ye, every 
 one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters ; and 
 ye that have no money, come, buy and eat, 
 
 K
 
 130 
 
 buy wine and milk without money and without 
 
 price." 3 
 
 These words naturally lead me to examine, first, 
 the nature of the blessing : The poor have the Gos- 
 pel preached to them. 
 
 Secondly, the manner in which this promise is 
 accomplished : how it is ordained that the poor shall 
 have the Gospel preached to them. 
 
 I. Consider, first, the nature of the blessing. 
 
 For surely I may assume that it is a blessing. 
 When God speaks thus of the Revelation which he 
 has sent, we may conclude that in the divine mind 
 it is a benefit of which he speaks ; nay, the highest 
 benefit, the greatest blessing. 
 
 And yet there may be those to whom this shall 
 not appear. It may be doubted ; nay, I fear it is 
 by some both doubted and denied. 
 
 Some may be found who would imagine that 
 when the Son of God came from heaven, he would 
 have brought a better gift, if he had made man's 
 earthly condition more easy and plentiful : if, in- 
 stead of ordaining that the poor should have the 
 Gospel preached unto them, he had ordained that 
 3 Isaiah lv. 1.
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 131 
 
 the poor should cease throughout the land : if, for 
 instance, He had said, the original sentence is 
 removed ; man shall no longer " eat bread in 
 the sweat of his brow." The earth shall no more 
 " bring forth thorns and thistles." 4 All shall be 
 plenty, as when manna fell from heaven in the 
 wilderness. It is want which leads to labour : 
 there shall be no want ; and thus labour shall be 
 dispensed with, and the world shall be again a 
 Paradise. 
 
 This, however, is not effected by the Gospel. It 
 is not intended that the Gospel should attempt 
 this. God, who knows man better than he knows 
 himself, well knew that if man's nature remained 
 the same, to remove poverty, and together with 
 poverty to remove the necessity of labour, would 
 bring no addition to his happiness. So far from 
 it, if such a change were possible, it would not be 
 desirable ; it would not confer benefit, but injury ; 
 it would not promote happiness, but increase 
 misery. To exempt mankind from labour would 
 bring them no advantage, unless with the ease of 
 Paradise we could restore them to the innocence of 
 Paradise. To a corrupt nature idleness is the pa- 
 rent of sin. 
 
 We have too sure proof of this in the abuse of 
 4 Gen. iii. 1719. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE GOSPEL 
 
 that day of rest which God has appointed for man. 
 Occasional rest, temporary cessation from labour, 
 does promote happiness. In his mercy God has 
 provided for this ; has " given his Sabbaths" for 
 this very end. Those who use them as God de- 
 signs they should be used, know and enjoy the 
 benefits they bring. 
 
 But alas ! how few are they ! How many cease 
 to labour for mammon, only that they may labour 
 for Satan ! rest from worldly toil, only to be 
 active in sin ! 
 
 This shows how little the nature of man is fitted 
 for a state in which there should be no poverty, 110 
 want, no need of labour. For I need not say that 
 sin is not happiness. No; the real cause of nine 
 parts in ten of the misery which abounds in the 
 world, is sin ; is not the laborious lot to which the 
 first transgression condemned mankind, but the 
 corruption it entailed upon them, and the evil 
 habits springing from that corruption. He well 
 knew the real interests of mankind, what even 
 their earthly condition chiefly needed, when in 
 pity for a ruined race he designed to repair that 
 ruin, and sent his Son " to bless them, in turning 
 away every one from his iniquities." 5 Not in 
 changing the course of the world, but in changing 
 5 Acts iii. 26.
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 135 
 
 God has so willed it that he may reach the end. 
 He only shares the lot which God has appointed 
 for his people generally. It is the universal rule : 
 * 4 We must through much tribulation enter into the 
 kingdom of God." 9 It might have been that a 
 different portion should have been assigned him. 
 But what would it have profited him, ccmpared 
 with what he now has, the knowledge of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ ? " What shall it profit a man, if he 
 gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?" 
 
 But I may go further, and affirm, that he has 
 great blessings in possession. " Godliness has the 
 promise of the life that now is, as well as of that 
 which is to come." He has a blessing to which 
 peace belongs, such as nothing else can give ; he 
 is " walking in the fear of God, and in the comfort 
 of the Holy Ghost." The fear of God keeps him 
 in the path, the only safe path, where he should 
 go ; and the comfort of the Holy Ghost cheers and 
 refreshes him on his way. He has the assurance, 
 that his " God shall supply all his need, according 
 to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 1 " The 
 Lord is his shepherd : he shall not want." ' And 
 he does not want. His bread is sure. His religion 
 secures him from those necessities which give real 
 9 Acts xiv. 22. i Phil. iv. 19. 2 Ps.xxiv. 1.
 
 136 THE GOSPEL 
 
 bitterness to poverty. There is indeed much in- 
 digence, miserable indigence, to be found. But we 
 rarely find it in company with religion. Indigence 
 is seldom experienced, except as the consequence 
 of vice. Nothing is so expensive, so ruinous, as 
 vice. And vice he has renounced, because he is 
 a child of God. And thus he is doubly rewarded ; 
 for even worldly persons value him, because he is 
 faithful and profitable to them ; and in misfortune, 
 if misfortune comes, he has a sure resource in those 
 who are united with him in love towards a common 
 Saviour. 
 
 After all, these are outward things ; and happi- 
 ness does not depend on outward things. They 
 may be granted, and the heart may be still sad. 
 They may be taken away, and the heart may have 
 a spring of cheerfulness within, which the rich of 
 this world may envy, but cannot attain. Were I 
 to draw a picture of misery, I know not where to 
 look for one more striking than that which is re- 
 presented in Scripture ; where we read of one who 
 came to his house " weary and displeased, and laid 
 himself down on his bed, and turned away his face ; 
 and would eat no bread." 3 And whom does this 
 describe ? one who " rises up early, and late takes 
 3 1 Kings xxi. 4.
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 133 
 
 the course of man's heart, and bringing it from 
 sin to holiness, " from the power of Satan unto 
 God." 
 
 This, brethren, is what the Gospel does. And 
 because it does this, it is a blessing. Because it 
 does this, the Lord represents it as a blessing, when 
 he says, To the poor is the Gospel preached. That, 
 and that alone, can make a permanent change in 
 the condition of man. It does not set aside labour ; 
 but the severity of labour is softened, and it ceases 
 to be repulsive, when it is made a religious duty. 
 So in regard to poverty. The Gospel does not 
 banish poverty from the world : ' ' the poor ye have 
 always with you :" but it relieves its weight, and 
 sends a cheering ray into the darkest cottage. All 
 burthens are lessened by being shared ; and the 
 poor man's lot was shared by Him, who is the 
 author and giver of all wealth : " He who was 
 rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through 
 his poverty might be made rich." 6 
 
 Think, brethren, of the difference produced in 
 the state of one who has little of this world's good, 
 when the Gospel is preached to him, not " in word 
 only, but in power ;" 7 and he becomes a disciple 
 of the Lord Jesus. He is raised to new and real 
 dignity. He may be one of those who have small 
 6 2 Cor. viii. 9. 7 1 Thess. i. 5.
 
 134 THE GOSPEL 
 
 honour among their fellow-creatures. It is more, 
 to be honoured of God. And God has honoured 
 him. Herein is honour, that God has sent his 
 Son for his salvation. No child of Adam can be 
 so mean, so abject, but that he may become a child 
 of God, through the adoption that is in Christ 
 Jesus. And whoever is a child of God, is raised 
 to an eminence from which he cannot be cast 
 down, is made heir of a kingdom which " fadeth 
 not away." 8 
 
 Think, farther, of the comfort which he receives, 
 and the encouragement which he enjoys, when a just 
 view of this present world is set before him. It is not 
 his all. It is not his portion. It is not the world in 
 which he is to look for rest, but for labour, in order 
 that he may rest hereafter. It is not the world in 
 which his happiness is to be enjoyed, and ex- 
 hausted, like a fire of thorns, which blazes for a 
 moment, and then expires. But it is the world 
 in which he is to be prepared for happiness of real 
 and lasting brightness, " shining more and more in 
 perfect day.'' It is not the country in which he is 
 to reside for ever, but which he is to travel through 
 as " a stranger and a pilgrim." Are there times 
 of trouble? Is he made acquainted with adver- 
 sity ? These are but stages which he must pass 
 
 Psalm cxiii. 7.
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 139 
 
 Here the invitation will be regularly given, " Let 
 the wicked forsake his way, arid the unrighteous 
 man his thoughts, and return unto the Lord, and 
 he will have mercy upon him : and to our God, 
 for he will abundantly pardon." 8 Here the minis- 
 ter will continually labour, that the way of salva- 
 tion may be made known to all who seek it; 
 that the inquirer may be satisfied, the waverer 
 confirmed, the wanderer reclaimed, the peni- 
 tent comforted, the pious Christian " established, 
 strengthened, settled." 
 
 And here let me remind my brethren in the 
 ministry, how great a privilege is granted them, 
 that they are what they are, heralds of the mercy of 
 God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 If it were your chief business to administer 
 things temporal instead of things spiritual, you 
 might go from house to house, and find your 
 bounty wasted, your labour vain. Even when 
 apostles were temporal almoners, " there arose a 
 murmuring." 9 And even if human nature could 
 be so changed that there should be no discontent, 
 no envy : you would be trying an Egyptian task, 
 when labouring to remove distress out of the 
 world. Want would rise above want, and misior- 
 8 Isaiah iv. 7. 9 Acts vi. 1.
 
 140 THE GOSPEL 
 
 tune appear beyond misfortune, like hill above hill 
 to a traveller among mountains ; and, after you had 
 done all, the end would be as far off as ever. 
 
 But going as you do, " ambassadors for 
 Christ," and carrying in your hand the word of 
 eternal life, you have a substantial and lasting 
 comfort to bestow. In whatever way you find the 
 mind oppressed, you bring with you a healing 
 balm. 
 
 Is the heart sorrowing for its sins ? This may 
 well be. We wonder it is so seldom and so slightly 
 felt. The Gospel provides the means of consola- 
 tion. You have to tell of those comfortable words 
 of Christ to all who truly turn to him : " Come 
 unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
 and I will give you rest." 
 
 Is it the remaining corruption of the heart that 
 grieves the conscience ? This too may well be. For 
 we have nosure evidence ofouracceptancewith God, 
 till sin is overcome in us. " He that is born of God 
 sinneth not." But here also the Gospel has con- 
 solation. For of his flock the Saviour says, " My 
 sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they 
 follow me ; and they shall never perish, neither 
 shall any pluck them out of my hand." Though 
 the flesh lust against the Spirit, and these are con- 
 trary the one to the other," let them not despair,
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 137 
 
 rest, and eats the bread of carefulness ?" My bre- 
 thren, it describes a king, so abundant in this 
 world's treasures that he built a palace of ivory ; * 
 so displeased and heavy that his food was distaste- 
 ful to him, and his sleep went from him ; because 
 he had been disappointed in obtaining Naboth's 
 vineyard. 
 
 Were I, on the other hand, to describe happi- 
 ness, such happiness as is given to fallen men in 
 this sinful world, it would meet me in St. Paul's 
 account of his own state of mind as a Christian. 
 " I know," he says, " how to be abased, and I 
 know how to abound : everywhere and in all 
 things I am instructed both to be full and to be 
 hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I 
 have learnt, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to 
 be content." 5 
 
 This, then, is the reason, why it was promised 
 as a blessing, and foretold as a blessing, and at 
 last proclaimed as a blessing, that to the poor was 
 the Gospel preached. It makes a real, a permanent, 
 a truly desirable change in their circumstances as 
 well as in their hearts. It places them altogether 
 in a different condition, even as regards this pre- 
 sent world. In every respect it is true, that " if 
 any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature." 
 4 1 Kings xxii. 29. 5 Phil. iv. 11, 12.
 
 138 THE GOSPEL 
 
 Old things have passed away ; behold, all things 
 are become new." 
 
 II. It remains now to consider the means by 
 which this promise is continually fulfilled. It was 
 no temporary purpose. As every individual man 
 in every successive age must come for salvation to 
 the cross, so the cross must be lifted up before 
 every man in each successive age. And here, as 
 in his other purposes, God condescends to use the 
 agency of his people ; makes his will known to 
 them, and expects them to perform his will ; that 
 his will performed, may be his prophecy fulfilled. 
 He has declared his design, that the poor shall have 
 the Gospel preached unto them. And he expects 
 that his disciples, those who call him Lord, will see 
 that his purpose is accomplished. 
 
 Brethren, it is accomplished, and the poor have 
 the Gospel preached to them, when provision is 
 made for the public worship of God, and for the regu- 
 lar instruction of the people in spiritual things. The 
 church now built, and dedicated to the perpetual 
 proclamation of the Gospel, is an accomplishment 
 of the prophecy. Here the truth will be constantly 
 held forth God " willeth not that any should 
 perish, but that all should come to repentance." 7 
 62 Cor. v. 17. 7 y Pet. iii. 9.
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 141 
 
 but plead the more earnestly for his aid who said 
 to his apostle, " My grace is sufficient for thee." 1 
 They, too, may some time say with the same apos- 
 tle, " I can do all things through Christ that 
 strengthened me." 
 
 And then, in pain and sickness, how delightful, 
 through the dark and gloomy cloud that over- 
 spreads, to look towards the prospect beyond, to 
 point to the kingdom prepared for those " who, by 
 patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, 
 and honour, and immortality." " Brethren, the 
 time is short," and the trials of this present season 
 are not " worthy to be compared with the glory 
 that shall be revealed." 
 
 Such are the blessings which attend the Gospel ; 
 and such is the honour granted to the ministers, 
 by whose mouth the Gospel is preached to the 
 poor. Let them so account themselves, and let 
 men so account of them, as dispensers of the mercy 
 of God, out of the fulness that is in Christ Jesus ! 
 
 A parting word to you, my friends, for whom 
 
 all this is done. See the faithfulness of God. He 
 
 said, more than eighteen hundred years ago, The. 
 
 poor have the Gospel preached to them. And now 
 
 1 2 Cor. xii. 9.
 
 142 THE GOSPEL 
 
 he performs his promise. He puts it into the 
 hearts of some of his servants to build this church in 
 which we are assembled, that you may not have to 
 seek the Gospel at a distance, but it may come close 
 to your own homes. And he has provided that a 
 minister should reside in the midst of you, to warn, 
 and teach, and rebuke, and admonish, and comfort, 
 and lead you in the way everlasting. 
 
 When God takes this care for you, he expects 
 that it will not be thrown away. " Of them to 
 whom much is given, much will be required." 
 " Lay hold on that eternal life," which is now 
 brought nigh to you. Reflect on the law of God, 
 and on your own hearts and lives, till you perceive 
 your helpless state, if God were to call you into 
 judgment. Reflect on this again and again, till you 
 feel the burthen which you bear : distressed, though 
 not despairing ; dismayed at the difference be- 
 tween yourselves, your own character, and the 
 holiness of God's law. Then look towards the 
 Saviour Christ Jesus, as holding out his hand to 
 raise you, and place you safely. And observe the 
 road he points out ; the way in which you should 
 walk, and which if you keep, you shall do well 
 unto the end, and find him ready to present you, 
 redeemed by his blood, and purified by his Spirit, 
 before the Father's throne.
 
 A BLESSING TO THE POOR. 143 
 
 May there be many in this place, who shall so 
 attend to the word spoken, that they may be thus 
 convinced, and comforted, and converted; and 
 prove to the minister who preaches the Gospel to 
 them, " a crown of rejoicing" at the great day !
 
 144 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 THE DUTY OF PROVIDING RELIGIOUS 
 INSTRUCTION. 
 
 Ezek. xxxiv. 6. 
 
 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and 
 upon every high hill; yea, my flock was scattered 
 upon all the face of the earth, and none did search 
 or seek after them. 
 
 SUCH was the state of things in Judea when Eze- 
 kiel was commissioned to declare the word of the 
 Lord. Provision had been made for that country, 
 rich aud plentiful provision, that wide as the land 
 was, so widely should the knowledge of God be 
 spread ; that though the people should multiply as 
 the sand of the sea, the worship of God should 
 prevail amongst them all, and his commandments 
 be had in honour. Far otherwise was the event; 
 the flock was neglected, scattered upon all the face
 
 THE DUTY OF, &C. 145 
 
 of the earth, and none did search or seek after 
 them. 
 
 Hundreds of years afterwards, when He came in 
 whom all the law and the prophets were to be ful- 
 filled, the same complaint was made. Jesus, we 
 read, " went about all the cities and villages, 
 teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the 
 Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness 
 and every disease among the people. But when 
 he saw the multitudes, he was moved with com- 
 passion on them, because they fainted, and were 
 scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." l 
 Their shepherds had deserted them. There were 
 young, but no one to guide them, no one to 
 " gather them in his bosom ;" there were aged and 
 infirm, but none to " gently lead" them and com- 
 fort them ; there were sick and diseased, but none 
 to heal them ; there were those that had been 
 driven away, and others that had strayed from the 
 fold, but none to seek those that were lost, none to 
 " feed them in green pastures," or " lead them 
 forth beside the still waters;" nay, rather, " they 
 became meat to all the beasts of the field, when 
 they were scattered ;" 2 so that our blessed Lord, 
 " when he saw the multitudes, was moved with 
 compassion on them." 
 
 1 Matt. ix. 35, 36. - Ezck. xxxiv. 4, 5. 
 
 L
 
 146 THE DUTY OF 
 
 And how would it be, my brethren, if the same 
 merciful Lord were to pass through the cities and 
 villages of this land ? Would he find no reason 
 for compassion ? How would it be if another 
 Ezekiel should hear the word of the Lord saying 
 unto him, " Son of man, prophesy" ? Would he 
 find no cause to say, " They are scattered, because 
 there is no shepherd" ? 
 
 We are but too well able to answer this question. 
 The city in which we are now assembled might 
 alone furnish the prophet with too large a theme. 
 The Diocese with which 1 am intimately acquainted 
 might add to it an appalling burthen ; and the 
 Society, to which I draw your attention to-day, 
 might accumulate details from every corner of our 
 land, and complete the strain of lamentation, 
 " They are scattered, because there is no shep- 
 herd." 3 
 
 In this respect the parallel is too exact between 
 Judea and our own country. The parallel goes 
 no farther. -The condition is similar ; but it can- 
 not, in truth or justice, be traced back to the same 
 cause. 
 
 The people of God in Judea were scattered, 
 
 :J This sermon was preached at St. Bride's, Fleet Street, in 
 behalf of the Pastoral Aid Society.
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 147 
 
 because " the shepherds fed themselves, and not 
 the flock;"' 1 went after their own pursuits, con- 
 sulted their private interests, and cared nothing 
 for those whom it was their office to guide and 
 lead. 
 
 Our people are scattered, because they are too 
 many for the shepherds. The flocks have mul- 
 tiplied, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an 
 hundred, but the enclosures remain the same ; the 
 shepherds are not more numerous : and our case 
 is such as the case might have been in Judea, if, 
 while the eleven tribes, the secular part of the 
 community, increased, as they did increase from 
 the day when they entered into the land of Canaan, 
 the Levites, the religious instructors of that com- 
 munity, had continued stationary, their number 
 the same in the time of Ezekiel as it had been when 
 they passed the river Jordan. 
 
 Had this been the case in Judea, we may 
 justly conclude that Ezekiel would not have been 
 commissioned to " prophesy woe unto the shep- 
 herds," 5 or to lay the burthen of blame upon the 
 spiritual guides and teachers of the land. They 
 would not have been condemned for leaving that 
 undone, to effect which was utterly beyond their 
 power. 
 
 4 Verse 2. 3 Ib. 
 
 L 2
 
 148 THE DUTY OF 
 
 It may, seem, however, that the language of 
 Ezekiel is not addressed to the spiritual rulers 
 only, but applies no less to the civil governors ; for 
 they, too, were '' the shepherds of Israel," and were 
 charged with the spiritual, no less than with the 
 temporal interests of the people committed to them. 
 Though, therefore, the remonstrance of the prophet 
 would spare the priests and Levites, outnumbered 
 as they were by the flocks which demanded their 
 care, and fainting under the labour which it must 
 cost to " bind up that which is broken, and to 
 bring again that which is driven away :" yet still 
 the word of the Lord would come unto him, and 
 he would prophesy against the civil rulers, ** be- 
 cause the flock became a prey," and none was sent 
 " to search after them." 
 
 What shall we say, then, in applying to our own 
 case, and our own country, the word of God as 
 delivered by the prophet of old ? Shall we con- 
 tinue idle, looking upon the scattered flock, but 
 not assisting it ; and leave to " the powers that 
 be" the duty of providing for the spiritual wants of 
 the people over whom they rule ? 
 
 Brethren, this becomes a matter of grave con- 
 sideration. There is danger lest we should impute 
 to others a blame in which we share ourselves : 
 there is danger lest, while we impose on others a
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 149 
 
 duty which we conceive is theirs, the duty itself 
 remain unperformed, till the flock that is scattered 
 become scattered more and more, and those that 
 might have been restored to the fold be lost for ever. 
 
 Unquestionably, an obligation lies upon those 
 who govern a country to supply their people with 
 spiritual instruction. 
 
 We will proceed a step further, and consider the 
 grounds of that obligation. 
 
 They are these. Allowing, as we may allow, 
 that the Gospel contains no special direction upon 
 this point addressed to the governors of a country, 
 yet it is the duty of every man to promote the 
 glory of God, and therefore it is the duty of the 
 RULER ; and of his more than other men, in pro- 
 portion as he has more power. 
 
 Again, it is the duty of every Christian man to 
 advance the kingdom of the Redeemer ; and of the 
 RULER more than other men, in proportion as his 
 means are larger. 
 
 Still farther, it is the duty of all to consult the 
 welfare of their fellow-men. The higher the in- 
 terests concerned, the more urgent is the duty. 
 Spiritual interests, the welfare of the never-dying 
 soul, the things that pertain to eternity these are, 
 of all interests, the highest ; and therefore it is the
 
 150 THE DUTY OF 
 
 duty of the ruling powers to promote these in- 
 terests by all the means they have. Whatever else 
 they do, this, as far in them lies, they must not 
 leave undone. 
 
 But here observe, why and on what grounds this 
 duty is incumbent on them. Not by any specific 
 law binding those who rule, and none others, like 
 the laws which bound the Levites and the priests 
 of Israel to peculiar services; services to perform 
 which was obedience, and to neglect, transgression. 
 The obligation lies upon Christian governors, as 
 men, as Christians, as those who have an account 
 to render, as those to whom talents are en trusted- 
 talents of influence and authority which they are 
 bound to use to the glory of God and the benefit of 
 their fellow-men. 
 
 And observe, further, that for the very same rea- 
 sons the duty is incumbent ON OURSELVES. We 
 may, or may not, be equally responsible : we may, 
 or may not, have equal power, equal means com- 
 mitted to our charge ; but all have some means, 
 and some power, and all are bound to use the op- 
 portunities they have to the welfare of their neigh- 
 bours, and the honour of their God and Saviour. 
 It is only the duty of the governor, on the same 
 principle as it is the duty of every private man.
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 151 
 
 His obligation may be more urgent, because the 
 neglect of it may be more injurious: but the prin- 
 ciple is the same. Whether he performs his duty 
 or not, our duty still remains binding on ourselves. 
 It is the duty of every individual man, and still 
 more of every Christian man, that no soul should 
 " be destroyed for lack of knowledge," which he 
 may have the power of communicating. 
 
 Our Lord has inculcated this in the parable of 
 the wounded traveller. They whom it most nearly 
 concerned to relieve his condition the priest, the 
 Levite, the fellow-countrymen passed by on the 
 other side. This did not exempt the Samaritan 
 from obligation. And the approbation which he 
 received, is the praise to which it behoves us to 
 aspire. 
 
 In the same manner a parent is bound to pro- 
 vide for the child to which he has given birth ; 
 bound to supply its temporal wants ; and no less 
 bound to bring it up in the nurture and admoni- 
 tion of the Lord. But it may be that the parent 
 neglects that duty, and 1 find the child naked, 
 destitute, and ignorant. The parent's obligation 
 does not absolve me of obligation. As man and as 
 Christian I am bound, as far as may be, to fill up 
 the lack of service of the parent. 
 
 Still further observe, that all duty is limited by
 
 152 THE DUTY OF 
 
 opportunity. " A man is judged according to that 
 he hath, and not according to that he hath not." 
 Now, our governors are not omnipotent ; they can- 
 not act, except as the law permits ; and, with the 
 best possible intentions of giving a benefit to the 
 community, they could only confer it with the con- 
 currence of that community. 
 
 Brethren, of that community we form a part. 
 There is a responsibility on ourselves; a responsi- 
 bility, to which, as A NATION, we have been too 
 long insensible ; and to which, AS INDIVIDUALS, 
 we are now beginning to turn our serious at- 
 tention. 
 
 But, thanks be to God, we are beginning. The 
 evil is seen, and the duty is partly acknowledged, 
 and the first steps are already taken, that the pro- 
 phet may not always have reason to complain, 
 My flock was scattered upon all the face of the 
 earth, and none did search or seek after them. 
 
 Brethren, the Society searches and seeks after 
 them, which I introduce to your notice, and for 
 which I ask your assistance. It looked out upon 
 the wide surface of our land, and saw, in many a 
 district, the shepherds, not idling in the shade 
 while " the beasts of the field" devoured the flock, 
 not " feeding themselves" when the sheep were
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 153 
 
 without pasture, but saw them sinking under a 
 charge, which neither bodily strength could bear, 
 nor intellectual power sustain. What were they 
 among so many ? " The thing was too heavy for 
 them," as for Moses in old time. They were not 
 able to perform it themselves alone. 6 
 
 I need not go far for instances. They are too 
 generally found on every side. Too many ex- 
 amples might occur within sound of the very bells 
 which summoned us to church this day. Take but 
 a single specimen, and let the Society itself supply 
 it. The aggregate population of the parishes or 
 districts which it assists, amounts to about one 
 million and eighty- six thousand persons, in whose 
 spiritual care, before the aid of the Society, one 
 hundred and forty-seven ministers were employed, 
 each having in charge, on an average, about eight 
 thousand five hundred souls. 7 
 
 Now in whatever light we contemplate this state 
 of things, it is appalling. Shall we contemplate it 
 as a people to whom God has given " an advan- 
 tage, great every way ?" And yet, to this land so 
 blessed, so privileged, the very words of the apostle 
 may be applied, when he was looking towards a 
 
 6 See Exod. xviii. 18. 
 
 7 Such was the case in 1838. The numbers are now nearly 
 doubled, but the proportion remains the same.
 
 154 THE DUTY OF 
 
 whole world of idolaters," How shall they be- 
 lieve in Him of whom they have not heard ?" 
 
 Shall we contemplate it as those who have been 
 the causes of this increase, whose capital and com- 
 mercial industry has created the animal being, but 
 whose care and concern has not extended to the 
 spiritual being ? 
 
 Shall we look at it as members of an Establish- 
 ment, whose characteristic is, that every individual 
 in the land belongs to his own fold, and has a claim 
 upon his own shepherd ? 
 
 In all these various lights, the PASTORAL AID 
 SOCIETY contemplated the state of things; and, 
 with a single eye towards God's glory, and a firm 
 belief that the welfare of our church was connected 
 with His glory, its founders applied themselves to 
 lessen the overwhelming evil. And, breathing 
 the spirit of prayer, acting with the confidence of 
 faith, and giving themselves to the work with an 
 energy which could only have been thus sup- 
 ported, they have, in the course of two short years, 
 supplied the salaries of one hundred and twenty- 
 three curates, and twenty-two lay-assistants; thus 
 doubling the spiritual superintendence of one hun- 
 dred and thirty-two ecclesiastical districts, and of 
 more than a million of the inhabitants of our 
 land.
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 155 
 
 Brethren, I think it no disparagement to the 
 Society that it does supply the salary of twenty 
 lay-assistants. 8 If no lay-assistant may receive a 
 salary, no lay-assistant may be employed. The 
 same principle which forbids his salary must refuse 
 his aid. In many circumstances the expediency 
 may be questioned, of that, let the incumbent 
 judge, but for the legality I must earnestly con- 
 tend ; for if our clergy, in their spiritual labours, 
 are to receive no aid or co-operation, except from 
 clergy like themselves, they must sink under an 
 intolerable burthen, or their people perish in hope- 
 less ignorance. If none, except those who are 
 solemnly set apart and devoted to the ministry, are 
 to advise and instruct their neighbours in religion, 
 what multitudes must ever remain uninstructed 
 and unadvised ? And how is that time to arrive, 
 which Scripture teaches us to expect, when " all 
 shall know the Lord, from the least to the 
 greatest" ? 
 
 Still, let me not be mistaken, as if I would be 
 the author of confusion. The minister has his dis- 
 tinct duty, the duty to which he is called, to which 
 he is set apart, as the ordained dispenser of God's 
 
 8 The society requires that the lay-assistant is simply to be 
 employed as a district visitor, tract distributor, and scripture 
 reader, and by no means as a public instructor or preacher.
 
 156 THE DUTY OF 
 
 word and sacraments, as minister of the congrega- 
 tion in which he is appointed to serve. 
 
 But religion is not confined to public ordinances : 
 and there is much connected with both the know- 
 ledge and practice of religion, which needs no 
 special commission in order that it may be commu- 
 cated to others. 
 
 " Great," without controversy, " is the mystery 
 of godliness ;" so great, that " angels desire to 
 look into it." There are depths in religion which 
 no man can fathom ; and, doubtless, there are dif- 
 ficulties in Scripture which need the exercise of 
 learning in all its branches, and to which, as its 
 highest employment, we trust that learning will 
 ever be applied. But though the scheme of salva- 
 tion is a mystery, the tidings of salvation are no 
 mystery. As the apostle argues, " The word is 
 nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart ;" 
 that is, the word of faith which we preach ; " that 
 if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
 Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God 
 hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be 
 saved." 9 The mystery of salvation may be be- 
 neath thee, too deep for thy reach ; or may be 
 above thee, too high for thy contemplation ; but 
 the word of salvation is nigh thee, even at the door. 
 9 Rom. x. 810.
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 157 
 
 What is it, but man a sinner, and Christ a Sa- 
 viour ? No long course is needed of special educa- 
 tion, in order that we show to a thoughtless, god- 
 less, unenlightened transgressor of the divine law, 
 the means of escape " from the wrath to come." 
 What need we but to know that " Christ has re- 
 deemed us from the curse of the law, being made 
 a curse for us" ? That God is " long-suffering to 
 us-ward, not willing that any should perish," and 
 has ' ; given repentance" and remission of sin to 
 " as many as receive him, and believe in his 
 
 n 
 
 name : 
 
 Indeed, it often happens that the more of mys- 
 tery we mix up with the plain truths of the Gospel, 
 the more we darken the counsel of God ; and that 
 the more simple our statements are, the more they 
 will affect the hearts of those who hear, and the 
 nearer they will approach the words of inspira- 
 tion. 
 
 But there is still another light in which this 
 subject should be viewed. If only those who are 
 specially set apart for such purpose may advise or 
 instruct in spiritual things, how are ordinary Chris- 
 tians to discharge the duties of their religion ? 
 We desire to imbue them with its spirit ; we desire 
 that they glorify God in all their ways ; that they 
 love their fellow-creatures as Christ himself loved
 
 158 THE DUTY OF 
 
 them ; that they keep themselves unspotted from 
 the world, and live to the honour and service of 
 their Redeemer. This we inculcate, as the result 
 and evidence of their faith. But is this state of 
 heart to have no sphere in which it may be em- 
 ployed and manifested? Is this feeling to be con- 
 centrated \\ithin, and never expand itself abroad ? 
 Nothing can give energy but exercise ; no spirit can 
 survive the want of it. Are men to keep them- 
 selves " unspotted from the world " by hiding 
 themselves in the cloister or the desert ? Is their 
 concern for their fellow-creatures to regard their 
 perishing bodies alone ? Is all their love of God 
 to evaporate in their closet ? Are they to " live to 
 Christ," and not extend his kingdom ? 
 
 My brethren, if we were to shut out from spiri- 
 tual usefulness all who are not ordained to spiritual 
 things if we do not rather excite and urge them 
 to such duties we shall contradict the plain com- 
 mands of our religion. The apostles addressed all 
 Christians, all sorts and conditions of men within 
 the pale of the church, when they enjoined them 
 " to exhort one another daily, while it is called to- 
 day ;" to " edify one another;" to " speak to one 
 another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual 
 songs ;" to " warn the unruly," to " comfort the 
 feeble-minded ;" to " assemble themselves together,
 
 PROVIDING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 159 
 
 that they might provoke unto love and to good 
 works ;" to " visit the fatherless and widows in 
 their affliction." 
 
 These duties, therefore, are required, as forming a 
 part of the Christian character, and tending to per- 
 fect it. They are no less necessary to the religious 
 welfare of every country circumstanced and fully 
 peopled like our own. We shall never be a chris- 
 tian community, till it is with us as it was with 
 those who were first called Christians ; when every 
 one who has the knowledge of Christ in his own 
 heart, believes it his duty to bring to the same 
 knowledge the individuals with whom he is con- 
 nected : his child, his servant, his dependant, his 
 labourer, his neighbour. Then, and not before, 
 may the kingdoms of this world " become the 
 kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." 
 
 Proceeding, then, on these principles, and ac- 
 tuated by this spirit, the Society has gone forth in 
 the strength of the Lord, and has sought, and has 
 received, his blessing. 1 Great, indeed, is the debt 
 which we owe to those who have pointed out to the 
 
 1 What is here said regarding the Pastoral Aid Society, is 
 equally applicable (except as regards lay-assistants) to the 
 Curates' Fund Society, which supplies the salaries of at least 
 one hundred curates.
 
 160 THE DUTY OF 
 
 nation the extent of its real and most urgent wants ; 
 who have awakened to exertion the church at 
 large ; who have attracted public attention to the 
 weakest points of our establishment, that its 
 breaches might be repaired, that it might be 
 strengthened where alone it was assailable. They 
 have clone much, also, by drawing out into exercise 
 internal power and latent vigour ; by rousing local 
 exertions ; by multiplying opportunities of instruc- 
 tion ; by rendering existing means more useful 
 and effective. They are worthy of a return, not of 
 our good-will arid our good word only, but of those 
 resources by which their efforts may be sustained 
 and extended still more widely. 
 
 Still extended. For one effect of these inquiries 
 into the state of our church, and of these endea- 
 vours to relieve it, has been the discovery of un- 
 imagined wants, and of destitution which must no 
 longer be suffered to remain. 
 
 You, my brethren, who are hearing rne this 
 evening, you have not experienced the evil of 
 which I speak ; you know nothing of spiritual des- 
 titution. You have at hand your appointed minis- 
 ter, more ready to converse with you, than you, 
 perhaps, to listen to his words. You have your 
 places in the sanctuary, where, Sabbath after Sab- 
 bath, you are reminded of saving truths, and your
 
 PROMOTING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 161 
 
 affections are drawn from things below to things 
 
 o o 
 
 above. The Scriptures are in your hands and in 
 your ears; a word, as it were, " behind you" to 
 direct your ways, and relieve your doubts, and 
 strengthen your weakness. 2 When sorrow or when 
 sickness come, it is no strange countenance you see, 
 no unaccustomed voice you hear. The minister 
 who has been acquainted with your more pros- 
 perous days, is now your adviser in difficulty, and 
 your comforter in misfortune. You abound in 
 spiritual things, not less than he abounded in tern- 
 poral enjoyments whom the well-known parable 
 describes as " clothed in purple and fine linen, and 
 faring sumptuously every day." At that rich 
 man's gate lay Lazarus, diseased and destitute, and 
 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from 
 the board of superfluous luxury. 
 
 And think you, that, in the crowded streets and 
 lanes which surround us on every side, and which 
 teem with human existence, there is not many a 
 Lazarus, labouring under the malady which sin 
 has caused, but ignorant of its remedy ; capable of 
 receiving the bread of life, and only the more de- 
 serving of compassion because there are means of 
 grace which he is not permitted to attain ? I know 
 that those crowded streets and lanes abound in 
 2 See Isaiah xxx. 21. 
 
 M
 
 10:2 THE DUTY OF 
 
 wickedness and ignorance ; in ignorance which 
 prefers darkness to light, and in wickedness which 
 there is no purpose to abandon. But I also know, 
 that where there are mortal bodies there is also an 
 immortal principle ; that where there are men, 
 there are hearts ; and where there is a heart there 
 is a conscience; a conscience which is not always 
 seared, a heart which may, peradventure, be opened 
 to the voice of mercy, though hardened against 
 the rebuke which its guilt has incurred ; a heart 
 which may respond to the blessed invitation, 
 " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
 laden :" a heart that may be softened by the gra- 
 cious assurance, " The Son of man is come to seek 
 and to save that which is lost." 
 
 Nay, among those who have been long wander- 
 ing in the wilderness, far beyond the shepherd's 
 reach, and escaped from the safe fold, some, surely, 
 there are who were brought up as lambs of the 
 flock, and fed with " the milk of the word." 
 Once, perhaps, a pious parent could think of them 
 with hope, and a faithful minister with joy and 
 thankfulness. Now, alas, a " corrupt heart has 
 turned them aside," and they have gone into 
 strange pastures ; but are there none of these who 
 might be sought, might be recovered, might be 
 brought home " rejoicing ?"
 
 PROMOTING RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 163 
 
 And shall no messenger be commissioned to warn 
 and to reclaim ? In this our land, where the 
 " darkness is past and the true light now shineth," 
 where God has poured out his most abundant bless- 
 ings, must there still be room to ask, " How shall 
 they hear without a preacher, and how shall they 
 preach except they be sent?" 
 
 My brethren, let us not incur the guilt in spi- 
 ritual things, which the parable to which I have 
 alluded, condemns in temporal. Let us not be 
 content to enjoy our own abundance and feed upon 
 our sumptuous fare, multiply our religious exercises 
 and indulge our contemplative devotions, and for- 
 get, meanwhile, those who lie destitute and perish- 
 ing, yea, even at our very gates, and for whom 
 " nothing is prepared." 3 
 
 3 Neh. viii. 10. 
 
 M 2
 
 164 
 
 SERMON XL 
 
 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO BUILD THE HOUSE OI< 
 GOD. 
 
 1 Kings viii. 18. 
 
 And the Lord said unto David, (my father,} Where- 
 as it was in thine heart to build an house to my 
 name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. 
 
 IT is a small thing, as St. Paul most truly says, 
 to be judged of man's judgment ; swayed as man 
 too often is by passion, by interest, by error. 
 Here we have the judgment of God ; that judg- 
 ment which we must all abide at last. Blessed is 
 the man who shall then have testimony like this : 
 Thou didst well that it was in thine heart. The 
 purpose of thy heart was good and well pleasing to 
 God. 
 
 This testimony is handed down to us, and, like
 
 DAVID'S PURPOSE, &c. 165 
 
 all Scripture, is intended " for reproof, for correc- 
 tion, for instruction in righteousness." x We are 
 bound, therefore, to give it our close attention, 
 especially on an occasion like the present, when 
 you are invited to assist towards an object similar 
 to that which God in the text is represented as 
 approving. And may the Spirit of God attend 
 and enlighten us, whilst we examine the grounds 
 of the commendation which God here pronounces on 
 David : Whereas it was in thine heart to build an 
 house to my name, thou didst well that it was in 
 thine heart. 
 
 First, It was well that David in his prosperity 
 remembered God as the author of all prosperity. 
 
 We are often able to form our best and truest 
 judgment of human conduct when we see it in the 
 way of contrast. Compare, therefore, David's con- 
 duct with that of some others recorded in Scripture. 
 Compare it , for instance, with that of Belshazzar, 
 king of Babylon, whom Daniel reproves in just but 
 severe expostulation. 2 He, like David, had expe- 
 rienced the favour of God, had been raised to a 
 royal throne. He, like David, had seen in his 
 predecessor an evidence of what God approves and 
 disapproves : Belshazzar 's father, like Saul, because 
 1 Tim. iii. 16. 2 Dan, v. 1723.
 
 166 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 " his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened 
 in pride," was deposed from his kingly honours, 
 and " they took his glory from him." " Yet thou 
 his son, O Belshazzar, (so the prophet addresses 
 him,) hast not humbled thine heart, though thou 
 knewest these things. The God in whose hand 
 thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast 
 thou not glorified." 
 
 Here, then, is one example of conduct opposite 
 to that of David ; conduct as severely condemned, 
 as the other is graciously approved. 
 
 If we descend from lofty situations, and come 
 nearer to ordinary life, another striking example 
 meets us, in that rich man represented by our Lord, 3 
 whose ground brought forth plentifully so plen- 
 tifully, that he knew not where to bestow his 
 fruits. Surely he will remember the giver of so 
 much good ; surely he will turn his thoughts to 
 Him who directs the seasons holds the winds in 
 the hollow of his hand commands the rain to fall, 
 the sun to shine ! 
 
 No thought of God crosses his mind : 3 " What 
 shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow 
 my fruits ? This will I do : I will pull down my 
 barns, and build greater ; and I will say to my 
 soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for 
 3 Luke xii. 1719.
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 167 
 
 many years : take thine ease, eat, drink, and be 
 merry." 
 
 Now here, brethren, whilst we have opportunity 
 of calm reflection, we cannot see in this anything 
 to approve ; though we see an example of what, 
 in effect, is too common in the world. But our 
 reason, our conscience tells us, that we should be 
 surprised if God had declared of this rich man, 
 Thou didst well, in that it was in thine heart thus 
 to employ, and no otherwise to employ, the sub- 
 stance which God had given. 
 
 These examples place in a clearer light, by force 
 of contrast, the conduct which was approved in 
 David. 4 " It came to pass, when the king sat in 
 his house, and the Lord had given him rest round 
 about from all his enemies, that the king said 
 unto Nathan the prophet, See, now, I dwell in a 
 house of cedar : but the ark of God dwelleth within 
 curtains." I have all that is needful to me, and 
 more also : God has no temple worthy of his 
 name. " Surely I will not come into the taber- 
 nacle of my house, nor go up into my bed ; I will 
 not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine 
 eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, 
 an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob." 
 * 2 Sam. vii. 1 ; Psalm cxxxii. 3, 4.
 
 168 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 The difference is very evident between this cha- 
 racter, and the character described by our Lord 
 in his parable. One of these men regards only 
 himself, his own inclination, his own present 
 gratification. The other thinks how he may 
 please, and serve, and honour God. The one has, 
 the other has not, the love of God in his heart. 
 Love towards God is in nature like love towards 
 man ; where it exists, it will show itself ; it will 
 find occasion for acting. Whatever talents a man 
 possesses, he will employ them with a view to God's 
 glory, if the love of God prevails with him ; or 
 with a view to this present world, if the love of 
 this world actuates him. And, no doubt, things 
 are so ordered that the bent of the heart may 
 appear ; the various wants which exist, the many 
 distresses, the superfluity of some and the de- 
 ficiency of others, all the many differences of dis- 
 pensation which we see around us, are designed for 
 this great purpose : they are because God " will 
 try us, that he may know what is in our hearts." 5 
 
 And this is seen and proved. Suppose the case 
 represented in the parable : it is a case which 
 constantly occurs. The rich man's ground " brings 
 forth plentifully." His affairs are prosperous : things 
 succeed with him. The return which is made 
 5 2 Cliron- xxxii. 31.
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 169 
 
 from the employment of labour, of capital, of skill, 
 is large larger than there was any right to 
 reckon on. Now, if the heart is set upon this 
 world, we know what will be done. The fortunate 
 possessor will pull down his barns and build 
 greater : he will not be satisfied with what con- 
 tented him before. Perhaps there is an estate 
 which may be added to his territory ; and he will 
 be like those in Judea of old, whom the prophet 
 reproves, 6 saying, " Woe unto them that join house 
 to house and field to field, till there be no place, 
 that they may be placed alone in the midst of the 
 earth." Or perhaps luxury and magnificence of 
 living has most attraction. Then " the lust of the 
 flesh" is gratified ; " the lust of the eyes" is pleased 
 and indulged ; " the pride of life" is consulted ; 
 and the other representation of Isaiah is verified, 
 and the other reproof incurred : where " the harp 
 and the viol, the tabor and pipe, and wine are in 
 their feasts : but men regard not the work of 
 the Lord, neither consider the operation of his 
 hands." 7 
 
 Such will be the course of human nature, unless 
 
 it is influenced and governed by the Spirit of God. 
 
 Men will seek their own indulgence, their own 
 
 gratification, in whatever way their inclination 
 
 6 Isaiah v. 8. 7 Ibid. ii.
 
 170 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 leads them ; and as it was with Belshazzar, " the 
 God in whom they live and move and have their 
 being, they will not glorify/' 
 
 And is it well that such thoughts should be in 
 the heart, and that such should be the practice to 
 which such thoughts lead ? Is it well .as regards 
 the soul ? Does it tend to advance the eternal 
 interests ? 
 
 Suppose, for example, that instead of turning 
 his mind to build the house of God, David had 
 resolved to raise a splendid palace for himself as 
 king of Israel. We are truly told by the apostle 
 John, that the pomp and show, the grandeur and 
 magnificence, which belong to the pride of life, 
 are " not of the Father, but of the world." 8 They 
 do not direct the heart towards God who is above ; 
 too often they divert it from him. Their tendency 
 is to favour that downward impulse of the heart, 
 which sinks too naturally towards the world and 
 the things that are in the world. It might have 
 been so with David. It was so with another king 
 of Judea, even a good king, and one who feared 
 God. Hezekiah was led into error by the state 
 and splendour of his royal palace. 9 When the 
 messengers of the king of Babylon came to 
 
 a John ii 1517. 
 
 o 2 Kings xx. 1217 ; 2 Chron. xxxii. 31.
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 171 
 
 visit him, " he showed them all the house of his 
 precious things, the silver and the gold and the 
 spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house 
 of his armour, and all that was found in his trea- 
 sures :" he showed this to them with that self- 
 satisfaction which a man often feels in such pos- 
 sessions, as if forgetting from whom they come, 
 as if forgetting how soon they may leave him, or 
 he be removed from them. God sent his prophet 
 to bring him to a better mind ; assuring him that 
 all these treasures of which he was so vainly proud, 
 " all that was in his house, and all that his fathers 
 had laid up in store, should be carried into Baby- 
 lon : nothing shall be left, saith the Lord." Thus 
 it might have been with David ; and it was well 
 that other thoughts were in his heart, and that 
 his first resolve, when God had placed him on the 
 throne of Israel, was to build a temple to his 
 glory. 
 
 This proved David's own piety. But others, 
 besides himself, were concerned in what David did. 
 He was a king, and had the interests of a people 
 to promote. And it was well that such were his 
 thoughts, because it proved that David knew the 
 real foundation of happiness ; that happiness of 
 his subjects, which it was his duty to consider.
 
 172 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 The house of God, brethren, is the mean or in- 
 strument of religion. Without it, religion can 
 hardly exist, certainly can only be in a languid 
 state, unless there is a place where the word of 
 God be regularly proclaimed, to teach the igno- 
 rant, to satisfy the inquirer, to warn the careless, 
 to edify the devout and godly. And without 
 religion, what is human life? We might compare 
 it to a dream, except for the awful difference, that 
 a dream leaves no consequence behind. 
 
 Of the richer inhabitants of a land, what is the 
 life without religion? without that peace with God, 
 and that walk with God, which belongs to faith 
 in Christ Jesus? It is a life which has little of 
 real satisfaction even for the present time. If the 
 heart is turned towards that luxury and magnifi- 
 cence to which it is too naturally prone, these 
 soon satiate. If another of this world's snares pre- 
 vails, and pride has possession of the heart, this, 
 too, is restless and unsatisfying ; there is always 
 the misery of seeing others foremost in the race 
 of wealth or honour. If the current runs in ano- 
 ther channel, if covetousriess is the ruling passion, 
 and wealth is hoarded, what real pleasure can it 
 afford ? A turn of credit may scatter an accumu- 
 lated fortune to the winds ; or a spendthrift heir 
 dissipate in vicious folly the savings of useless
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 173 
 
 parsimony. Let a man, on the contrary, use his 
 fortune as a talent committed to him by the pro- 
 vidence of God, and every day that passes brings 
 him satisfaction. He sees some happy and thriv- 
 ing, who, but for his bounty, might have sunk in 
 hopeless indigence ; he sees their children, whom 
 he has helped to educate, growing up " in the 
 nurture and admonition of the Lord ;" he sees the 
 happy results of industry which he has promoted, 
 of principles which he has inculcated ; " when the 
 ear hears him, then it blesses him ; when the eye 
 sees him, it bears witness unto him : the blessing 
 of them that are ready to perish comes upon 
 him ; and he causes the widow's heart to sing for 
 
 joy." ' 
 
 David, therefore, judged well, rightly understood 
 the welfare of his subjects, when he resolved to 
 build an house to God's name, and so provided, 
 as far as in him lay, that the rich among his 
 people should walk in the fear of God, and live to 
 his glory. 
 
 But the rich are few. Turn we rather to the 
 
 poor, and think of the difference which is made in 
 
 the lot of that larger multitude, which in every land 
 
 must obtain their subsistence by the labour of 
 
 1 Job xxix. 1 113.
 
 174 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 their hands, when they live under the influence of 
 religion. 
 
 The lot of the labourer is hard, if he looks to 
 the present world alone ; and it seems to himself 
 harder than in fact it is. He sees many around 
 him in a condition very different from his own, 
 and he naturally thinks that they must be happier, 
 because they have so much more of that which all 
 mankind are striving for. He sees them possessed 
 of comforts and of ease which he can never attain ; 
 and he knows not that these blessings are often 
 unattended by enjoyment, and in themselves can 
 never purchase happiness. 
 
 But from the moment that he looks upon him- 
 self as a disciple of Christ Jesus, and on the world 
 as it is represented in the Gospel, the case is 
 altogether changed with him. Then, life is but 
 a journey, and he a pilgrim passing to another 
 country. To those who are journeying, the accom- 
 modations by the way are not the great or sole 
 object ; the object is, safely to arrive at the journey's 
 end. He is not poor, if he is rich in faith ; he is 
 not low or mean, if he is a child of God ; he is not 
 unendowed, if he has an inheritance in the king- 
 dom of heaven. He rises up early, and late takes 
 rest ; but his industry is rewarded, his labours
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 175 
 
 cheered, whilst he is " fervent in spirit, serving the 
 Lord." His home, whatever else it wants, has that 
 which is greatest ; it has God's presence : and 
 with that he has the assurance, that the God who 
 dwells with him " shall supply all his need ;" and 
 on him he may " cast all his care." If he has 
 content for the present, and hope for the future, 
 he has what riches cannot purchase, and without 
 which riches are vain ; if he has peace with God, 
 he has what this world can neither give nor take 
 away. 
 
 Thus, brethren, we see why it was pronounced 
 well, that it was in David's heart to build the 
 house of God. 
 
 It was well, because he thus gave proof that 
 whilst God brought him to wealth and honour, he 
 understood his wealth and honour to be talents for 
 which he must give account. It was well that he 
 did not incur the reproof due to one who is " rich 
 to himself, and is not rich towards God." And, 
 further, it was well, it showed a right state of mind, 
 a concern for the real welfare of the community 
 under his charge, that he desired to raise a temple 
 where " the rich and the poor might meet toge- 
 ther," and worship the Maker of them all.
 
 17G DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 And yet, brethren, we cannot adequately judge 
 of this, whilst we remain in this present world. 
 We shall never rightly understand how well David 
 resolved, till we know the realities which here we 
 believe ; till faith is swallowed up in sight and 
 knowledge. 
 
 Could we go up to the throne of God, and be- 
 hold the Judge set, and the books opened in which 
 men's lives are recorded could we have the actual 
 view of that new heaven and earth which we are 
 taught to look for, then we should be true judges 
 of these things. Then we should estimate the danger 
 of temptation, and the evil of all that ministers to 
 temptation, when we witnessed the misery which 
 results from yielding to it : then we should see the 
 end of pride, and of luxury, and of revelry, and of 
 covetousness, and of ungodliness : then we should 
 see that there is no real wealth, except that which 
 is laid up in heaven ; and that David was truly 
 wise, who provided treasure there. Then, too, we 
 should know more clearly than we can know now, 
 the blessings originating in the house of God : the 
 blessing, when one who might otherwise have 
 never been raised above the ground he treads on, 
 is made a member of Christ, a child of God, and 
 an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven : the bless- 
 ing which ensues, when that is accomplished for
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 177 
 
 which our churches are designed ; when the infidel 
 is reclaimed, the sinner converted, the wavering 
 strengthened, the mourner comforted, the penitent 
 cheered, the pious Christian established, in the 
 course which he has chosen. 
 
 O who can compare with results like these any 
 of those objects on which the gifts of God, the 
 silver and the gold, are sometimes lavished ! It is 
 not said of the luxurious, it is not said of the 
 proud, it is not said of the rich, the noble, or the 
 mighty of the world but it is said of those that 
 " turn many to righteousness, that they shall shine 
 like the stars for ever and ever." 
 
 And now, in conclusion, let me draw the proper 
 inference from the text on which I have been dis- 
 coursing. 
 
 We have in it the divine testimony to a charac- 
 ter. God himself declared of David, It is well 
 that it was in thine heart to build an house to my 
 name. 
 
 Judge concerning yourselves by this analogy 
 All religion must be judged of by its fruits; by the 
 conduct to which it leads. It would have been 
 vain for David to have uttered those sentiments 
 which we find so piously expressed in his Psalms 
 2 Dan. xii. 3. 
 
 N
 
 178 DAVID'S PURPOSE TO 
 
 " Lord, how I love thy testimonies !" " How 
 amiable are thy tabernacles !" " One day in thy 
 courts is better than a thousand !" All these would 
 have been vain, if there had been no practical con- 
 sequence ; if these testimonies had merely been 
 speculated on ; or if he had only loved the house 
 of God as "a hearer and not a doer of the 
 word !" 
 
 David was approved, because he set himself 
 strenuously to promote God's glory ; because, hav- 
 ing been placed upon the throne of Israel, his 
 first thought was to honour the God that is 
 above. 
 
 Would it have been the same with you ? Have 
 you the same conviction that the will of God is 
 the first point to be considered ? If any here, on 
 their return home, were to find intelligence await- 
 ing them of an unexpected increase of fortune, 
 would the first thought be, Now I may do more 
 for God's honour, and my neighbours' welfare ? 
 Or rather would the reflection occur Now I must 
 enlarge my habitation ; extend my concerns ; my 
 retinue must be increased ; a better provision laid 
 up for my family when I am gone ? 
 
 I will not affirm that none of these things ought 
 to be done, but I will dare affirm that the other 
 ought not to be left undone. And if any here
 
 BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD. 179 
 
 present should feel that on their part they have 
 thought more of pleasing themselves than of glo- 
 rifying God in their expenditure, an opportunity 
 is now offered them of showing a better and a 
 wiser mind. I need hardly describe the Society 
 which asks your contributions. 3 It is known, as all 
 real worth must be known, by its works. It en- 
 deavours to supply the want of accommodation in 
 our churches, which the neglect of past times, and 
 the unexampled multiplication of our people, have 
 rendered so general and so lamentable. During 
 the last twenty-four years it has assisted one thou- 
 sand six hundred and sixteen parishes in enlarging 
 their church-room, by which means four hundred 
 and thirty-five thousand additional sittings have 
 been obtained. The funds are now exhausted, by 
 which it has been from time to time supplied. 
 
 This Society, therefore, enables every man, ac- 
 cording to his several ability, to partake of the 
 commendation bestowed on David. It enables him 
 to do what otherwise he could not do ; to show his 
 zeal for God's glory. To raise the church, in 
 which the whole congregation may assemble, must 
 belong to such as, like David, have extensive 
 wealth and means. But to add a sitting to a 
 
 O 
 
 5 This sermon was preached in 1839, in behalf of the Incor- 
 porated Society for building and enlarging Churches. 
 
 N 2
 
 180 DAVID'S PURPOSE, &c. 
 
 church, in which one individual at least may join 
 the worship of his God and Saviour, is within the 
 power of most who are here present.* 
 
 Claim, therefore, brethren, to yourselves the ap- 
 proval It was well that it was in thine heart to 
 promote the worship of God. Great, exceeding; 
 great, is the honour vouchsafed to those who so 
 use his gifts, as to make him the return which he 
 requires. " Well done, thou good and faithful 
 servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, 
 I will make thee ruler over many things : enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 4 It appears by the accounts of the Society, that for every 
 twelve shillings contributed to its funds, an additional sitting 
 has been permanently provided in one of our parochial churches.
 
 181 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 2 Chron. xxv. 9. 
 
 And Amaziah said to the man of God, What shall 
 we do for the hundred talents which I have 
 given to the army of Israel f A nd the man of 
 God answered, The Lord is able to give thee 
 much more than this. 
 
 THE history belonging to this passage of Scripture 
 need not detain us long. Amaziah, king of Judah, 
 was at war with the king of Edom. In order to 
 strengthen his own army, and make victory, as he 
 thought, more secure, he had hired out of Israel, 
 as allies, an hundred thousand men, for a hundred 
 talents of silver. But there came to him a man 
 of God, a prophet, saying, " O king, let not the 
 army of Israel go with thee, for the Lord is not
 
 182 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 with Israel." Better to be without their aid, since 
 God does not favour them ; than with their aid, 
 lest God should leave us. The battle is the 
 Lord's; " God hath power to help, and to cast 
 down." 
 
 Amaziah is struck by this advice, and desirous 
 to follow it ; but in that case he would lose the 
 hundred talents, which he had already paid in 
 advance to the men of Israel. Therefore he said 
 to the prophet, What shall we do for the hundred 
 talents which I have given to the army of Israel ? 
 And the man of God answered, The Lord is able 
 to give thee much more than this. 
 
 A ready as well as just reply, offered at the 
 exact time when it was needed ; needed to confirm 
 the wavering mind of Amaziah. And such is the 
 true character of faith ; to recal the truth, to 
 supply the sentiment, to suggest the command 
 which ought to influence us, at the proper moment, 
 when the determination is to be made ; when the 
 action is to be undertaken ; when the temptation 
 is at hand. At this critical season the prophet 
 reminded the king of a truth which he acknow- 
 ledged, and ought to act on. The Lord is able to 
 give thee much more than this ; this which thou 
 art afraid of losing. " A word spoken in due 
 season, how good is it !" The king was persuaded
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 183 
 
 by it, though a weak man, who did not " follow 
 the Lord with a perfect heart :" he sent home the 
 troops of Israel ; went against his enemies the Edom- 
 ites, and gained a decisive victory. 
 
 From these words, brethren, let me endeavour 
 to stir up your minds to liberality in the cause of 
 God. For I conceive that this thought of Amaziah 
 is the thought which too commonly and too natu- 
 rally occurs when a charitable object is proposed 
 to us, especially if the demand is of an amount to 
 deserve consideration. What shall I do for the 
 talents which I am thus solicited to employ ? How 
 shall I make up the loss ? And the answer is, 
 The Lord will allow no one to be a loser by his 
 service : and is able to give thee much more than 
 this, which thou art afraid of devoting to his will 
 or to his glory. 
 
 Let me then set before your minds a few obvious 
 reflections, which will show the justness of the pro- 
 phet's words. 
 
 1 . I know that we do not deny the truth, but do 
 we properly consider it ? that no man can possess 
 anything which is not the Lord's giving. What- 
 ever his possessions are, they may be traced back to 
 the providence of God. 
 
 Perhaps he enjoys them through the care and
 
 1^4 GOD THE DISPENSEll OF WEALTH. 
 
 industry of his fathers and his forefathers. These 
 were honoured in their generation, or blessed in 
 their exertions, and have left him the fruit of their 
 talents and their labours. 
 
 This, surely, is the Lord's giving. A man does 
 not determine his own birth, or fix himself as the 
 heir of such and such a family ; it is God who in 
 this respect makes one to differ from another. 
 
 Another owes his fortune to the qualities of his 
 mind. Through such advantage he has been use- 
 ful to his fellow-creatures, and they have repaid 
 him out of that they had. 
 
 But here, again, who made him to differ from 
 others? If there is a spirit in man, it is " the in- 
 spiration of the Almighty which giveth him un- 
 derstanding." 
 
 Another has gained what he possesses by the 
 labour of his hands. But it is not less the Lord's 
 giving. Who gave him strength to labour ? Who 
 gave him industry to persevere in labour? Who 
 gave an increase to his labour ? It is not all 
 labour that brings increase. What is said to this 
 purpose by the prophet Haggai, is daily expe- 
 rienced in the ordinary course of things. " Ye 
 have sown much, and bring in little : and he that 
 earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag 
 with holes. Ye looked for much, and lo, it came
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 185 
 
 to little : and when ye brought it home, I did 
 blow upon it, saith the Lord." 1 
 
 Whichever way we look, brethren, we come to 
 the same truth. God alone is the dispenser of 
 wealth : whatever men possess, whether much or 
 little whether inherited from those before them, 
 or gained by the exercise of their own talent and 
 labour, must be referred to God. He is able to 
 give ; and he alone is able. 
 
 2. Consider, secondly, that God preserves as 
 well as gives. He still retains a power even over 
 that which he has bestowed. Men hold it on the 
 constant tenure of his will and bounty. He has 
 but to speak the word, and " riches make to them- 
 selves wings and flee away." Think how the case 
 was with that rich man whom our Lord describes 
 in his parable ; 2 whose riches had so largely in- 
 creased, that he was at a loss what use to make of 
 them. All seemed safe and happy with him : he 
 had " much goods laid up for many years ;" and 
 he delighted in the thought, how he might " take 
 his ease, eat, drink, and be merry." But see the 
 end. God said unto him, " Thou fool, this night 
 thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose 
 shall those things be which thou hast provided ?' 
 
 1 Hag. i, 6. "- Luke xii. 1020.
 
 186 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 They are thine no longer than he wills it, " in 
 whom thy breath is, and whose are all thy 
 ways." 
 
 Reflect a moment, and you will see that this is 
 no extraordinary case ; it is the case of every day. 
 A man seems to have reached the pinnacle of his de- 
 sires ; what he has been looking at and striving for, 
 has now become his own ; and, at once, he is sum- 
 moned away from all ; " the place which knew 
 him, knows him no more :" and all his thoughts are 
 buried in the grave. O brethren, God may be truly 
 said to give what he permits us to retain ; for he is 
 indeed able to take away. We speak of talents, or of 
 industry, and of fortune gained by these. But 
 what if, in the prophet's language, the Lord should 
 " blow upon them ?" In a moment all have va- 
 nished. A breath of air may fever the brain 
 which should command influence or collect wealth, 
 and all the power of the mind is gone for ever. 
 All labour, whether of mind or body, must depend 
 on health ; and health, it is God who preserves 
 or who denies ; no man can secure it for himself, 
 or regain it if it should please God to " blow 
 upon it." And this is not unusual ; nay, it hap- 
 pens so commonly, as scarcely to excite surprise : 
 it is what every one of us, if we would observe, 
 has seen and known. There are a thousand ways
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 187 
 
 in which it is daily verified circumstances which 
 God alone can prevent, and which cannot happen 
 without his permission ; may either supply four- 
 fold whatever has been expended in his service, 
 or may dissipate all that can be saved by the 
 closest parsimony. 
 
 How often is this spoken of in Scripture ! The 
 prophets are full of sentences which describe it. 
 " I have withholden the rain from you, when 
 there were yet three months to the harvest. I 
 caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not 
 to rain upon another city ; one piece was rained 
 upon, and the piece whereon it rained not, was 
 withered." 3 And who has not seen this exempli- 
 fied? How common is it to find the son lavishing, 
 what the parent had slowly and painfully accumu- 
 lated ; or the wind and storm, or other changes 
 which are as sudden and unavoidable, swallowing up 
 treasures which had been collected by the labour 
 of many, many years ? And what does this de- 
 pend on ? The storm raging. Yet God could 
 have lulled the storm, and saved the fortune from 
 its wreck. " The wind and storm fulfil his word." 
 The son lavishing ! God could have given the SOP 
 another heart. " The preparation of the heart is 
 from the Lord." He did not see fit. " He causes 
 3 Amos iv. 7.
 
 188 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 it to rain upon one city, and causes it not to rain 
 upon another city ; one piece is rained upon, and 
 the piece whereon it rained not, is withered." 
 
 Or turn your eyes to another case, likewise of 
 daily occurrence. An occasion of doing good is 
 set before us ; some destitution, which we may 
 assist to relieve; some family, plunged in unfore- 
 seen distress, from which timely help might raise 
 them ; or some neighbourhood, where the people 
 are perishing for lack of knowledge, without 
 church, without minister ; or some country which 
 remains in heathen darkness, for want of those 
 who might hold up the lamp of eternal life. We 
 hear, perhaps, of such demands upon our substance. 
 . But we argue Not yet ; this call applies to others 
 our family is still unprovided for our capital 
 must needs be increased our expenditure cannot 
 be diminished What shall we do for the talents 
 which we are thus invited to bestow ? 
 
 But suppose, before the year has reached its 
 close, God visits that family with sickness, which 
 \ve have been so anxious to provide for, or to 
 support in luxury. How soon is that lost, which 
 has been so unwisely saved ! How gladly would we 
 give it all, to recover what God alone could have 
 preserved to us ! And how quickly, as well as 
 painfully, may a funeral absorb that sum, which
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 189 
 
 might have been employed in serving God, in 
 doing the work which he would have done ! 
 
 Nay, brethren, it will be so, if God has any fa- 
 vour to us. I speak not of judgment, but of mercy. 
 God will bring his people to a sense of duty, and 
 cast down the idols which have the first place in 
 their affections, if they love and serve them instead 
 of Him. And when the trial comes, then we prac- 
 tically acknowledge what before it might have 
 been called fanatical to avow. For, let illness seize 
 one dear to us, we know where application is to be 
 made. Then we have recourse to God ; and 
 gladly confess that in Him, and Him alone, our 
 hope is rested. And must we feel his judgments, 
 before we own his providence ? Is it only by chas- 
 tisement that we can be brought to trust Him ? 
 Brethren, this is not FAITH ; for faith is to act 
 when the senses are not acted on, and to realise the 
 things which are not felt or seen. 
 
 I have confined my argument, as the prophet 
 did, to this present world ; and shall not proceed 
 to remind you, as I might, and as indeed I ought, 
 if time allowed, of heavenly promises ; of those 
 things which " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
 neither hath it entered into the heart of man to 
 conceive, which God hath laid up for those that 
 love him :" love him, not in word, but in deed ;
 
 190 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 love him well enough to sacrifice something for his 
 will or his cause; love him well enough to consult 
 his glory. 
 
 But without extending your thoughts to a sub- 
 ject so infinite, I come to the inference from these 
 sure premises ; the result of that truth which none 
 can deny, that the Lord is able not by visible 
 interposition, or what would be deemed mira- 
 culous, but in the ordinary course of his provi- 
 dence to return much more to us than we can lay 
 out for him : much more, whether in this world, or 
 in that which is to come. We all acknowledge this 
 in words; we act upon it, when we do as Amaziah 
 did. He sent away the army which he had hired, 
 and forfeited his hundred talents. The Lord, said 
 the prophet, is able to give thee much more than this. 
 The poor widow acted on it when she cast two 
 mites into the treasury, " even all her living." 
 The Lord, she knew, was able to give her much 
 more than this. The early Christians acted on it, 
 when such as had possessions and goods sold them 
 for the support of the community. The Lord, 
 they knew, was able to give them much more than 
 this. 
 
 Brethren, that alone is religion, which does act ; 
 i. e. which governs the heart and practice ; which 
 transfers the doctrines of the creed to the daily
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 191 
 
 concerns of life. And, therefore, Christian duty in 
 regard to this, is to regulate our habits according 
 to the principle, that he, who has given whatever 
 we possess, who preserves to us whatever we enjoy, 
 has a demand upon us; that we are bound to con- 
 sider his will in the use of what he has bestowed. 
 He requires his people to do something for him, 
 and to trust him for a return ; that in this they 
 may show whether their hearts are his, or no 
 whether they are serving God or mammon. The 
 amount, the proportion of revenue which should 
 be thus applied and dedicated to God's service, is 
 a question which cannot be laid down exactly. It 
 seems purposely left open, as a test of the state of 
 heart. I am far from meaning to say, that all 
 are bound to do as Zaccheus did, when he resolved 
 to live from henceforth to God, and no longer to 
 the world, and devoted " half his goods" to cha- 
 ritable uses. 4 The portion which is so dedicated, 
 must depend on varying circumstances. Some- 
 times even a large share would be too little. 
 Sometimes even a tenth would be too much. The 
 amount must be reckoned, not by the sum that is 
 given, but by what remains after it is given. But 
 this is evident : the Christian must so regulate 
 his expenditure as to leave a share for God. St. 
 
 4 Luke xix. 8.
 
 192 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 Paul speaks of it as a thing of course " On the 
 first day of the week let every man set by in store 
 according as God has prospered him ;" 5 set by in 
 store for the different wants of the community. 
 Whilst we set by in store for the necessities of life, 
 whilst we set by for the provision which a family 
 requires, we must also set by for his use, on whom 
 life itself depends. This it is, to " lay up treasure 
 in heaven." This it is, to " make to yourselves 
 friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that 
 when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting 
 habitations." 
 
 Now there are various ways in which we are 
 called to trust God with our talents. There are 
 many things for which money is required, and 
 which God has left for his people to do, that he 
 may prove their faith, show it in active exercise, 
 and reward them hereafter by giving much more 
 than he has received. He has ordered the course 
 of the world with a view to this. It is the dispen- 
 sation of his providence. He has engaged that his 
 people shall not be left to perish : they may 
 be poor, but they shall not be destitute; their 
 " bread shall be given them ; their water shall be 
 sure," as sure as the food which is supplied to 
 the fowls of the air. And he fulfils his promise 
 5 1 Cor. xvi. 2.
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 193 
 
 through the hands of those who have this world's 
 good ; and whom he charges to be " glad to dis- 
 tribute, ready to communicate," that they may be 
 his almoners, dispensers of his bounty. He will 
 take no other proof of their loving him, than that 
 they love and assist his creatures. 
 
 Nay, there are other wants of far more import- 
 ance, which he also expects his servants to supply. 
 His word must be circulated it must be " told out 
 among the heathen that the Lord is King." His 
 Gospel must be published ; those messengers of 
 truth must be sent forth, who are to proclaim his 
 mercy to those who now " sit in darkness and the 
 shadow of death." But I shall not lead you now 
 into the wants of foreign countries. There are 
 spiritual wants at home ; and I ask your aid to- 
 day for a Society 7 which assists to supply them a 
 society which is formed to do that which every 
 individual would wish done, but which individuals 
 can seldom effect ; to provide the means of public 
 worship for those places, whose churches are un- 
 able to receive their increasing people. I need not 
 explain to you, at length, how frequent is this 
 want, or how grievous its extent. Actual and 
 particular investigation has discovered that the 
 
 7 The Chester Diocesan Society for building churches in the 
 manufacturing districts of Lancashire and Cheshire. 
 
 O
 
 194 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 public worship of God is not adequately provided 
 for in any parish, unless their church will contain 
 sixty out of every hundred in the population. 8 
 About forty, rather less than more, out of every 
 hundred, are prevented from attending church by 
 age, or illness, or necessity, or circumstances. 
 Whatever proportion beyond this number are ex- 
 cluded by want of room, are either left without 
 God in the world, or forced to seek in other pas- 
 tures that spiritual food which their national 
 church denies. And is it not grievous to reflect, 
 that in many districts of this country vast mul- 
 titudes are thus left ; that out of the sixty in every 
 hundred who ought to be seated in church, or out 
 of the forty who might justly be expected to be so 
 seated, only an average of ten or twelve can really 
 find accommodation. 
 
 Such has been the result of minute personal inquiry, made 
 by Dr. Chalmers, and Mr. Collins of Glasgow. If this be 
 thought a larger number than it is practically needful to pro- 
 vide for, at least a third of the inhabitants of every well-ordered 
 parish will certainly be present at every season of public wor- 
 ship. Let this be the ground of the calculation ; and still, in 
 all towns of increasing population, a deficiency will appear of 
 one half of what is required. Even the legislature has acknow- 
 ledged this, and permits the building of an additional church 
 wherever the actual accommodation does not reach one third of 
 the population. See 1 & 2 Will. iv. c. 38.
 
 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 195 
 
 Brethren, these things ought not to have been ; 
 and being so, they must not be suffered to remain. 
 Such a disorder must not exist without a remedy. 
 The Diocesan Society was instituted for the very 
 purpose of assisting to supply this deficiency in the 
 manufacturing districts of Lancashire and Cheshire. 
 God has bestowed a special blessing on the effort. 
 Through the spirit which it has excited, the encou- 
 ragement which it has afforded, and the means 
 which it has been enabled to disburse, thirty-six 
 new churches have been provided with seat-room 
 for twenty-five thousand persons; and a hundred 
 thousand individuals, who heretofore had been des- 
 titute, to any practical purpose, of church and 
 minister, have now their resident pastor; their 
 friend, their adviser for this world and the next ; 
 the dispenser of all the blessings which our esta- 
 blished religion conveys. 
 
 Say not then, What shall we do for the talents 
 which the supply of these blessings must demand ? 
 God is able to give you much more than this I have 
 shown it in the course of his providence ; in the 
 natural order of things ; without the visible evi- 
 dence of his hand. I have also adverted to that 
 heavenly recompense reserved for those who, " by 
 patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, 
 
 o 2
 
 196 GOD THE DISPENSER OF WEALTH. 
 
 and honour, and immortality." But even now, on 
 this side the grave, the recompense begins. In 
 that declining hour to which we are all fast 
 hastening, God forbid that I should advise you to 
 look for comfort in yourselves, in your own doings 
 or deservings. The only ground of comfort, then, 
 must be an interest in him " who died for our sins, 
 and rose again for our justification." But some 
 proof you will then need, that your interest in him 
 is not merely a barren creed, a lifeless profession. 
 It is a barren creed if it does not regulate the life ; 
 it is a lifeless profession if it leads to no exertion. 
 But it is more than a lifeless profession or a barren 
 creed, if, through your means, those have been 
 brought to the light of truth, who would otherwise 
 have lain in darkness ; if those have been re- 
 claimed to righteousness, who would otherwise have 
 continued in their sins ; if any have been led to 
 faith in tnat Saviour in whom is eternal life, and 
 whom the churches we desire to build proclaim : 
 but whom, without the funds which we entreat you 
 to supply, they never might have known.
 
 SERMON XIII. 1 
 
 GOD GLORIFIED IN THE BUILDING OF 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 Haggai i. 8. 
 
 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build 
 the house ; and I will take pleasure in it, and I 
 will be glorified, saith the Lord. 
 
 THE best introduction to these words will be to 
 remind you of the occasion when they were 
 spoken. 
 
 The Jewish people were recovering from that 
 desolation, in which the magnificent temple built 
 by Solomon had been destroyed. The seventy 
 years had now expired which had been foretold 
 as the term of their captivity : they had been re- 
 stored to Jerusalem ; and the first thing com- 
 
 1 Preached at the consecration of a church.
 
 198 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 manded them, was to rebuild the temple of the 
 Lord. 2 
 
 They lingered in the work : they did not feel 
 with David " I will not give sleep to mine eyes, 
 nor slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place 
 for the temple of the Lord." But their thoughts 
 were of the nature which is more usual among 
 men. " The time is not come, the time is not 
 come, when the Lord's house should be built." : 
 
 For this the Lord rebukes them in the language 
 of the prophet, saying, " Is it time for you, O ye, 
 to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie 
 waste? Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of 
 hosts ; Consider your ways. Ye looked for much, 
 and lo, it came to little : and when you brought it 
 home, I did blow upon it. Why ? saith the Lord 
 of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and 
 ye run every man to his own house. Therefore 
 the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the 
 earth is stayed from her fruit." Then, together with 
 the rebuke, encouragement is also added. Go up 
 to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the 
 house, and I will take pleasure in it ; and I will be 
 glorified, saith the Lord. 
 
 My brethren, the encouragement is needful. 
 What are the walls which we raise, unless God 
 2 Ezra i. 3. See Haggai i. 311.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 199 
 
 take pleasure in them ? Just what a body is with- 
 out a soul : hopeless, spiritless, unprofitable. " Ex- 
 cept the Lord build the house, their labour is but lost 
 that build it." The word may be sown, but it may 
 fall by the way-side ; or it may be choked by 
 thorns, or the heat of temptation may scorch the 
 springing blade. It is only when the Lord gives 
 " the honest and good heart," that a ripe and pre- 
 cious harvest rewards the husbandman. 
 
 And therefore we rejoice in those declarations 
 of his will which are afforded us in Scripture. 
 We rejoice that he assured the Israelites, " In all 
 places where I record my holy name, I will come 
 unto thee, and bless thee." * We rejoice that he 
 declared to Solomon, " I have chosen and sanc- 
 tified this house, and mine eyes and my heart 
 shall be there perpetually." 5 We rejoice in the 
 encouragement which the text contains, / am with 
 you, saith the Lord. Go up to the mountain, and 
 bring wood, and build the house : and I will take 
 pleasure in it, and I will be glorified. 
 
 And here we might feel with Solomon, and ask 
 
 in humble wonder, as he did, " Will God in very 
 
 deed dwell on the earth ? Behold, the heaven 
 
 and heaven of heavens cannot contain him ; now 
 
 * Exod. xx. 24. 5 1 Kings ix. 3.
 
 200 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 much less this house that I have builded ?" 6 So 
 might we inquire, Will God indeed be glorified of 
 men ? Before him the angels veil their faces ; 
 and what is man, that God should be mindful of 
 him, or be glorified by him ? 
 
 Yet, brethren, there is one thing more strange 
 still ; that God should be so little glorified by men. 
 On one side is God the Creator, " in whom our 
 breath is, and whose are all our ways ;" " in whom 
 we live and move" inviting his creatures to 
 glorify him. And on the other side is man, re- 
 gardless of his Creator, setting up idols in his 
 heart, and forgetting the Lord his Maker. And 
 this, even, where he has revealed himself; where 
 " the true light" shineth, to " lighten every man 
 that cometh into the world." 7 
 
 For is it not amongst the dwellers in our land, 
 who are called to be God's people now, much as it 
 was in Judea formerly with those who were then 
 called to be his people? The prophet Jeremiah 
 says of them, " They have refused to receive cor- 
 rection : they have made their faces harder than a 
 rock : they have refused to return. Therefore I 
 said, Surely these are poor ; they are foolish ; for 
 they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judg- 
 ' 1 Kings viii. 27. f John i. 9.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 201 
 
 ment of their God. I will get me unto the great 
 men, and will speak unto them ; for they have 
 known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of 
 their God. But these have altogether broken the 
 yoke, and burst the bonds." 8 
 
 Is it not, is it not, indeed, " a very small rem- 
 nant" that the Lord hath left us ? 9 " Many are 
 called ;" but few, alas ! are they, who, even if they 
 honour God with their lips, and take his covenant 
 into their mouths, are not given up to " the world 
 and the things that are in the world/' regardless, 
 practically, of anything beyond ; or else are obey- 
 ing their natural appetites, fulfilling " the desires 
 of the flesh and of the mind," and openly avowing, 
 " Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." 
 
 It would be profane and impious to speak of 
 those as glorifying God, who live with no " fear of 
 God before their eyes." 
 
 When, then, may we say that God is glorified ? 
 He is glorified, when any are converted to him, 
 who heretofore, either in accordance with bad 
 principles, or in contradiction to better principles, 
 have been alienated from him, and transgressing 
 against him. It was to glorify God, when David, 
 his eyes being at length opened to the iniquity 
 which he had been committing, acknowledged, 
 Jer. v. 35. Isaiah i. 9.
 
 202 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 " I have sinned against the Lord ;" l and said, 
 " Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out mine 
 iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
 and renew a right spirit within me." The pro- 
 digal glorified God, when he resolved, " I will 
 arise, and go to my father, and say unto him, 
 Father, I have sinned against heaven and before 
 thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy 
 son." 2 Zaccheus glorified God, when he said, 
 confessing the error of a worldly, godless life, 
 and whilst he confesses, leaving it, " Lord, the 
 half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I have 
 taken anything from any man by false accusation, I 
 restore him fourfold." 3 
 
 Here God is glorified, because he is acknow- 
 ledged. His claim to our obedience, his claim to 
 our service, is not denied. That comes to pass 
 which is spoken by the prophet : " In the place 
 where it was said unto them, Ye are not my peo- 
 ple, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the 
 sons of the living God." 4 
 
 And shall we not unite in earnest prayer, that 
 God may be thus glorified in the house now 
 dedicated to his name? This house, where pro- 
 clamation will be made continually, " Let the 
 
 1 2 Sam. xii. 13 ; Ps. li. 2 Luke xv. 18. 
 
 3 Luke xix. 8. * Hosea i. 10.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 203 
 
 wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
 his thoughts, and return unto the Lord ; and he 
 will have mercy on him, arid to our God, for he 
 will abundantly pardon." 
 
 When these words are spoken here, may the 
 Spirit of life " breathe upon the slain," the " dead 
 in trespasses and sins," " that they may live !" 5 
 
 2. Secondly, God is glorified, when men accept 
 the way of salvation which he has prepared. 
 
 My brethren, the King of all the earth saw the 
 world which he had made in rebellion against 
 him ; neglecting, despising, dishonouring, disobey- 
 ing him ; setting up, as objects of worship, the 
 things which he had given for their use ; paying- 
 homage to the works of their own hands; tramp- 
 ling upon all his laws, and " not liking to retain 
 him in their knowledge." 
 
 Yet he did not say, " I will destroy them in a 
 moment;" " I will pour out my fury upon them. 
 They have sown the wind ; let them reap the 
 whirlwind." These were not his counsels : but 
 " Having one son, his well beloved," he said, " I 
 will send my Son ; it may be they will reverence 
 him when they see him." 6 I will send my Son. 
 He shall call them to repentance ; he shall endure 
 4 See Ezek. xxxvii. 9. 6 Luke xx. 13.
 
 204 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 the penalty which their sin has incurred ; and 
 then he shall say, " Be ye reconciled to God." 
 " He has found a ransom" for your offences, and 
 now offers peace, peace to this rebellious family. 
 " So iniquity shall not be your ruin." " He will 
 be to you a God, and ye shall be to him a 
 people." 
 
 Such is the language of the Gospel, henceforth 
 to be proclaimed in this house. And when this 
 offer is accepted, and men thank God for his 
 unspeakable gift, and acknowledge that Christ 
 Jesus is " of God made unto them wisdom, and 
 righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption ;" 7 
 then God is glorified. Then the way which his 
 wisdom has devised for bringing his creatures to 
 himself, is approved by man's conscience, that 
 faculty within us to which it is proposed. The hand 
 of reconciliation so mercifully stretched out is ac- 
 cepted ; and man once more walks with God, not 
 as a rebellious subject, but as a forgiven and fa- 
 voured son. 
 
 In the synagogue of Nazareth, for example, God 
 was not glorified. The Lord himself then stood 
 up, 8 and opened the book of prophecy, and showed 
 how all that had been written and revealed was 
 now fulfilled. " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
 7 1 Cor. i. 30. See Luke iv. 16-29.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 205 
 
 because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel 
 to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken- 
 hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and 
 recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty 
 those that are bruised ; to preach the acceptable 
 year of the Lord." " This day is this scripture 
 fulfilled in your ears." " And all they in the 
 synagogue, when they heard these things, were 
 filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out 
 of the city." 
 
 We see at once, that God was not here glorified. 
 " He had called, and they refused : he had 
 stretched out his hand, but no man regarded." 
 
 But it was otherwise in the assembly to which 
 Peter spoke the word of the Lord some three years 
 later, and showed them how God had made that 
 same Jesus, whom they had crucified, both Lord 
 and Christ. 9 " And they were pricked in their 
 hearts" with godly sorrow, and repented, and were 
 baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, even three 
 thousand souls. This was to glorify God to own 
 that he " had visited his people," in that he had 
 sent his Son " to bless them, and turn away every 
 one of them from his iniquities." 
 
 It was the same with the Bereans, who " received 
 the word with all readiness of mind, and searched 
 9 Acts ii. 3641.
 
 206 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 the Scriptures daily, whether these things were 
 so." 1 It was the same with the Gentiles of Antioch, 
 when the Jews put from them the gracious mes- 
 sage, and " judged themselves unworthy of ever- 
 lasting life." Paul and Barnabas turned to the 
 Gentiles; and " they were glad, and glorified the 
 word of the Lord." 2 
 
 And thus, in our own time and country, God is 
 glorified, when those who having been enrolled 
 among the disciples of Christ by their parents in 
 their infancy, and are now come to understanding, 
 confirm in their own hearts the covenant of their 
 baptism ; and say, in the spirit of the people of 
 Sychar, 3 " Now we believe," not for the faith of 
 our parents, or the religion of our country but 
 " we have heard him ourselves" we have come to 
 the knowledge of the truth, and know that " this 
 is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." 
 
 O may they be many, who, being justified by 
 such clear, scriptural, intelligent faith, have peace 
 with God through Jesus Christ. " For this is life 
 eternal to know thee the only true God, and 
 Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." 
 
 3. But, further, God is glorified, when they who 
 have repented, do " works meet for repentance;" 
 1 Acts xvii. 2. Ib. xiii. 46. 3 See John iv. 42.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 207 
 
 when they who like the converted Gentiles have 
 become his people through " faith that is in Christ 
 Jesus," live up to the purpose for which they were 
 redeemed; live " righteously, soberly, and godly ;" 
 and wait for his heavenly kingdom. As the tree 
 is planted that it may bring forth fruit ; as the 
 seed is sown, that it may return food to the sower 
 and bread to the eater, so is the word of God ; it 
 is sown that it may be fruitful ; it is engrafted on 
 the heart, that the heart may not bear its natural 
 evil produce, but show the fruits of the Spirit, 
 such as grow and are matured on the " trees of 
 God's planting." 
 
 Then is God glorified. He is dishonoured, 
 grievously dishonoured, when any who profess to 
 take his yoke upon them, walk unworthily " of the 
 vocation wherewith they are called." He is dis- 
 honoured, grievously dishonoured, when any who 
 pretend to be his friends, are really enemies of the 
 cross of Christ; practically " denying the Lord 
 that bought them," and by their evil ways giving 
 occasion for the adversary to blaspheme. But, on 
 the other hand, God is glorified, when they for 
 whom the precious ransom has been paid, answer 
 the object for which they were redeemed. He was 
 glorified of the Corinthian Christians, of whom 
 Paul writes, " Ye are our epistle, known and read
 
 208 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 of all men."* Such was their conduct, that they 
 furnished a living example to the world around 
 them. All might say, " See what God hath 
 wrought :" see how the religion of Christ Jesus is 
 " the wisdom of God and the power of God :" see 
 how he " has commanded the light to shine out 
 of darkness, that all may behold the glory of God 
 in the face of Jesus Christ." 
 
 Now to lead men thus, brethren, is also the 
 purpose of the church which has been here raised. 
 
 From the beginning, faithful men were ordained 
 in every church, that they who have believed in 
 Christ might be continually instructed to maintain 
 good works ; that they might be taught how God 
 had chosen them to sanctification ; and how sanc- 
 tification consists in opposing the evils of the 
 natural heart, in resisting the temptations of the 
 world, in living as the people of God, who " by 
 patient continuance in well-doing are seeking for 
 glory and honour and immortality." 
 
 And truly, brethren, it is a narrow way in which 
 the Christian walks, and greatly needs a guide. It 
 is by no plain, or smooth, or easy course, that w e 
 must enter into the kingdom of God. The heart 
 of man is not like the fountain of water, which, 
 once turned into its proper channel, can hardly be 
 * 2 Cor. iii. 2.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 209 
 
 diverted out of it, and will continue to flow on 
 unto the end. Very different is the case; and the 
 regenerate heart may rather be likened to a stream 
 which is forced out of its natural bed, and can 
 only be kept within its new course by continual 
 watchfulness and labour. Line is needful upon 
 line, and precept upon precept. Principles once 
 laid, yet require to be constantly renewed and con- 
 firmed. Errors of opinion must be continually re- 
 futed, and errors of practice continually restrained. 
 If men sleep, tares will be found in the field in 
 which good seed was sown. It is only by using 
 all diligence, that to faith can be added " virtue, 
 and knowledge, and temperance, and patience, 
 and godliness, and brotherly kindness, and cha- 
 rity." 5 
 
 Let it be thy good pleasure, O Lord God, to 
 be thus glorified by those who worship in this 
 house ! May the flock be known as the flock of 
 the true Shepherd, in that they hear his voice, and 
 follow him, and are not barren or unfruitful in the 
 knowledge of the Lord and Saviour ! 
 
 4. Finally, brethren, God is glorified when man 
 is saved. This is the crown of all ; and truly is 
 it the glory of God. Man is saved. A being so 
 * 2 Pet. i. 8. 
 
 p
 
 210 GOD GLORIFIED IN 
 
 corrupt as man (and what heart is there, which 
 knoweth not its own plague? 6 ) a being who has 
 to contend " not only against flesh and blood, but 
 against principalities and powers" leagued together 
 for his destruction a being exposed to the wiles of 
 the devil, the snares of the world, and the desires 
 of the flesh, is yet enabled to overcome all these 
 enemies of his soul, and is " made partaker of the 
 divine nature," and is raised to that kingdom 
 " wherein dwelleth righteousness." Truly is this 
 the glory of God. Whoever is made meet for 
 the heavenly inheritance, will ascribe it to him 
 alone. " He that glorieth will glory in the 
 Lord ;" will acknowledge that his Spirit influenced 
 him, his wisdom guided him, his goodness con- 
 verted him, his power defended him ; and that 
 with anything less than that all-sufficient hand, he 
 must have sunk under the dangers by which he 
 was assailed. 
 
 And here, too, brethren, let us remember the 
 means which God condescends to use ; the bless- 
 ing which belongs to his house and its appointed 
 ministrations. Here is the Scripture continually 
 set forth, which is profitable for doctrine, for re- 
 proof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- 
 ness. And here the minister will wait in humble 
 1 Kings viii. 38.
 
 THE BUILDING OF CHURCHES. 211 
 
 dependence on the promise, that they who take 
 heed to themselves and to the doctrine, shall both 
 save themselves and those that hear them." 7 
 Here he will reprove, rebuke, exhort with all 
 
 authority ; here watch for the various opportuni- 
 
 
 
 ties which demand his care ; in meekness instruct- 
 ing those that oppose themselves ; dispensing to 
 every age and every class their portion in due 
 season ; confirming those who are stedfast in the 
 faith ; comforting the weak-hearted, and helping 
 the feeble to rise, till in the end they are " more 
 than conquerors," and able to do all things in the 
 power of Christ who strengtheneth them. 
 
 And, now, brethren, if such are the blessings 
 which may be expected here, may not the words 
 of Scripture be justly repeated once more, " That 
 it was in thine heart to build a house to my 
 name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart"? 8 
 
 How soon is the benefit exhausted, if, indeed, 
 there is any benefit at all from the common uses 
 to which money is applied ! It is gone and what 
 does it leave behind ? Perhaps a vain regret that 
 we have not proved better stewards of God's gifts. 
 
 But mark the difference here. Every sinner 
 who is converted from the error of his way ; every 
 
 7 1 Tim. iv. 16. s i Kings viii. 18. 
 
 P 2
 
 212 GOD GLORIFIED, &C. 
 
 soul which is made wise unto salvation through 
 faith that is in Christ Jesus ; every member of the 
 church who, being cleansed from his sins, serves 
 God with a quiet mind ; every saint who, having 
 finished his earthly career, is added to " the spirits 
 made perfect;" each one of these, in every stage 
 of his eventful way, brings a fresh return of in- 
 terest to what has been here expended. I need not 
 urge you that are now present to claim to your- 
 selves a share in this return. What is thus em- 
 ployed will not " perish in the using ;" nay, will 
 acquire its real value when nothing else is valuable. 
 For when " this world passeth away, and the lust 
 thereof," there is that which abideth for ever. 
 " We, brethren, look for new heavens and a new 
 earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." And then 
 they that have sown, and they that have reaped ; 
 they that have built the house, and they that have 
 frequented it ; they that have ministered, and they 
 that have been ministered unto ; they that have 
 repented, and they that have exhorted to repentance ; 
 they that have proclaimed the truth, and they that 
 have obeyed it, shall rejoice together ; rejoice to- 
 gether, in that GOD is GLORIFIED, AMD MAN is 
 SAVED.
 
 213 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 THE DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 
 
 Hebrews x. 24, 25. 
 
 Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love 
 and to good works : not forsaking the assembling 
 of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; 
 but exhorting one another : and so much the more, 
 as ye see the day approaching. 
 
 Let us consider one another. This is peculiarly a 
 CHRISTIAN exhortation. The Gospel of Christ first 
 taught men to consider one another at all : still 
 more, to consider them with a view to their love 
 and good works. The common principle of the 
 human heart is the principle of selfishness. This 
 is the inheritance derived from Adam. Every 
 man seeks his own, and no man another's welfare. 
 On the other hand, no sooner does the grace of
 
 214 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 God touch the heart, than it becomes 'warmed 
 with tenderness towards all. Even the negroes 
 and savages, who have been brought out of dark- 
 ness by the pious labours of our countrymen, 
 offer the first-fruits of their faith by their works of 
 charity, and give " such as they have" towards 
 the conversion of others. It must be so ; because 
 the Spirit of God renews the heart of man after 
 the image of God, and " God is love." Where, 
 then, the Spirit of God is, there love must also be. 
 
 But if our natural disposition is indolent self- 
 indulgence ; and charity, whether spiritual or tem- 
 poral, the work of divine grace upon the heart ; 
 then we see the need of the apostle's injunction, 
 that we stir up the gift of God which is in us, and 
 provoke one another to love and to good works. 
 
 And this, I presume, is the chief design of meet- 
 ings like the present. 1 We, who compose them, 
 are in the main like-minded, as to the consequence 
 of enmity against God, and the necessity of warn- 
 ing the ignorant, and the careless, and the ungodly 
 of the world to flee from the wrath to come, and 
 seek refuge in the cross of Christ. But we know 
 that it is our nature, our sinful nature, to neglect 
 this conviction of our hearts ; to prefer ease to 
 
 1 The anniversary of the Prayer Book and Homily So- 
 ciety.
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 215 
 
 exertion, self-indulgence to self-denial. We know 
 that we live m a world, the whole stream of which 
 runs contrary to Scripture in this thing. And it 
 is impossible not to be carried down the stream, 
 unless we set ourselves against it, and oppose it 
 manfully, by every argument which reason and 
 revelation enable us to employ. And therefore we 
 do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, 
 as one of the means by which, under the influence 
 of the Holy Spirit, we may be excited to fresh 
 exertions. 
 
 With this view of the duty assigned me this 
 evening, I shall first advert briefly to some objec- 
 tions which are raised against the labours of spiri- 
 tual love ; and then point out such encouragements 
 as require us to persevere in them. 
 
 I. The grand motive to all Christian exertion is 
 contained in the words of St. John : " Beloved, if 
 God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.' 
 Those, of course, cannot be affected by this mo- 
 tive, who have never felt or understood the value 
 of such love displayed towards themselves. It is 
 natural and consistent that they should leave the 
 heathen abroad, or the profligate at home, to the 
 condition in which what they call the course of 
 circumstances has placed them.
 
 216 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 But there are other pretexts for indifference, 
 more suited to our consideration now, which per- 
 vert the minds of many amongst us. They are not 
 without a sense of the evil that is in the world. 
 They are peculiarly alive to it. But they despair 
 of its remedy. Or they perceive so much evil re- 
 sulting from the remedy itself, that they scruple 
 to apply it, and sit down in contented indolence. 
 Satisfied with their personal piety, or engrossed 
 with concerns more immediately interesting, they 
 find no plan of general benevolence pure enough, 
 or safe enough, to receive their active co-operation. 
 
 It is not, however, a reasonable objection to 
 schemes which promise the melioration of man- 
 kind, that no scheme can be so devised or executed 
 as to be free from all danger of evil. We do not 
 pretend this of any human institution. We need 
 not to be reminded, that tares will grow up in 
 every field which is cultivated by the sons of 
 Adam. Who can answer that no secular feelings 
 shall intrude into his works of piety ? Who can 
 answer that no partial or narrow spirit has cast a 
 stain upon exertions which had universal benevo- 
 lence for their object? Who will presume that 
 his own views of duty have never led him to judge 
 others uncharitably ; that his heart has been pre- 
 served free from all taint of personal vanity or
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 217 
 
 ambition? We have need, my brethren, even in 
 our best works, to " watch and pray that we enter 
 not into temptation." " We dare not call God to 
 reckoning for them, as if we had him in our debt 
 books :" 2 for if he were to weigh their merits, 
 instead of pardoning their offences, who could 
 stand ? Who could abide his exact, but too just, 
 scrutiny ? 
 
 Still, what is our duty in this case? Surely, 
 as in all other cases, to guard, and to pray, and 
 to labour against the sins which so easily beset us ; 
 but not to remain inactive till all evil is removed : 
 otherwise we must find a different world in which 
 to serve God at all, or agents of a different mould 
 must be employed. Even the apostles were only 
 freed slowly and by degrees from the prejudices 
 of their education, and the errors which had grown 
 up with them : and some of the natural infirmities 
 which long adhered to their character, are re- 
 corded, partly, no doubt, for our warning, and 
 partly, perhaps, for our consolation. 
 
 The evils, then, which sometimes insinuate them- 
 selves into measures of benevolent exertion, are not 
 reasons for declining such exertion. 
 
 Neither is it a sufficient cause for inactivity, that 
 2 Hooker, Sermon on Justification.
 
 218 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 evil will exist in the world, and, if it is diverted 
 from one channel, will break out again in another. 
 Such reasoners allow the danger of a careless and 
 ignorant condition : they allow, too, that the wel- 
 fare of our fellow-creatures is not to be treated 
 with indifference : but they argue, One evil is 
 balanced against another ; and if you get rid of 
 that indifference, you open the door to other mis- 
 chiefs, and fill the world with emulation, or osten- 
 tation, or hypocrisy. 
 
 Notions like these are a barrier to every im- 
 provement, and paralyse all energy. They intro- 
 duce a species of quietism, which is wholly incon- 
 sistent with the will of God respecting mankind. 
 They keep us reasoning, when we ought to be 
 acting. They leave us in a state of fear and 
 hesitation, when we ought to be " quitting our- 
 selves like men," and " hoping all things." No 
 one can collect, from the tenor of Scripture, that 
 our life on earth was designed to be a life of con- 
 templative piety, or our religion to consist in 
 theological speculation. 
 
 II. But indeed the will of God upon this subject 
 is disclosed in another way. It is made known 
 to us in a manner the most encouraging, by the
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 219 
 
 blessing which he allows to attend exertions under- 
 taken in his service, and intended for his glory. 
 In matters of plain and acknowledged duty, we 
 have no concern with results : the duty is with us, 
 the event with God. Every minister of the Gospel, 
 for example, is bound to labour for the flock com- 
 mitted to his charge, with earnestness, and zeal, 
 and persevering care, independently of the success 
 which may apparently ensue. Whether or not 
 it be the Divine will to bless his labours, his 
 obligation remains indisputable and unalterable. 
 " Preach thou the word ; be instant in season and 
 out of season : reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all 
 long-suffering and doctrine." So, again, every 
 Christian church is bound to extend as widely as 
 possible the privileges it enjoys ; to make known 
 on earth the ways of God, "his saving health 
 among all nations." Whether those nations reject 
 the word, or accept it with joy, we must communi- 
 cate freely what we have freely received. 
 
 But although the general obligation to spiritual 
 charity is clear, like that of temporal beneficence, 
 the particular mode of either must often be deter- 
 mined by experience ; and should it be found, on 
 trial, that any particular measure proved injurious 
 nay, even that it produced no effectual benefit, 
 could show no evidence of divine blessing then
 
 220 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 there would be just reason to review, and perhaps 
 to change, our method of proceeding. 
 
 But I argue that, in regard to the exertions 
 which have been employed and the measures which 
 have been devised in this country for the spiritual 
 benefit of mankind, we have all the testimony of 
 the approbation of God which can be derived from 
 his blessing. 
 
 If we look to cases of individual exertion, 
 rare indeed are the examples of any who labour in 
 the work of spiritual husbandry, without reason 
 to be thankful for the assistance they have enjoyed, 
 and the benefits they have been enabled to confer. 
 Ministers usually find, that in proportion as they 
 devote themselves to the service of their Lord with 
 simplicity, with earnestness, with diligence, in that 
 proportion they become instrumental in awakening, 
 and enlightening, and edifying the objects of their 
 care. Always imperfect in their characters, and 
 often humble in ability, they are assisted by a 
 grace which is " sufficient for them," and sup- 
 ported by a strength which is made perfect in 
 weakness. Though it is not a Paul who plants, or 
 an Apollos who waters, yet God vouchsafes to give 
 the increase. 
 
 We see a like result, if we extend our view be- 
 yond the limited sphere of parochial labours, and
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 221 
 
 survey the great family of the world. The labourer 
 in this moral wilderness is not without his reward. 
 It is common, indeed, to measure a hemisphere, 
 and calculate the multitudes which cover it, and 
 conclude that little has been done. But the ques- 
 tion is, has little been done in proportion to the 
 means employed ? " The weapons of our warfare 
 are not carnal:" neither must we complain, with 
 the carnal conqueror, that nothing has been 
 achieved because something yet remains to be ef- 
 fected. If we till a whole kingdom with five yoke 
 of oxen, we cannot wonder that much of the 
 ground lies fallow. Contemplate, rather, the result 
 even of these disproportionate attempts. Consider 
 the effects produced by individual labourers. One 
 such, of blessed memory, adventured upon a vast 
 and untried field ; yet it did not appear that God 
 disowned his zealous servant : many independent 
 witnesses have concurred in assuring us, that Satan 
 can hardly quench the fire which Henry Martyn 
 kindled alone in Persia. 
 
 The indefatigable efforts of another individual 
 succeeded in turning the current of opinion 
 throughout the whole land, respecting an Eccle- 
 siastical Establishment in India. It pleased God 
 to bend the heart of the nation, almost as the heart 
 of one man : within a few years the chimerical
 
 2'2'2 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 vision became a substantial reality ; the fabric rose 
 as a city set on an hill ; and now its light shines 
 before the heathen world, that they may see its 
 brightness, and, as we trust, " glorify God in the 
 day of visitation." 
 
 Indeed, with regard to India generally, if we 
 complain and murmur, we are ungrateful to Him 
 whose blessing we implore. When we say that 
 little has been effected, we judge from our wishes, 
 rather than our exertions ; or from the wants of 
 that vast wilderness, rather than from the means 
 used to supply them. The success has not been 
 disproportioned to the labour actually available 
 available against the impediments of language and 
 of distance, and the difficulty of exertion in a 
 country where exertion is always pain, and, as we 
 have unfortunately seen, too often death itself. 
 God has not " left himself without witness," but 
 encourages us still to plough and sow, and look for 
 his rain and fruitful seasons. 
 
 The present occasion, however, directs our atten- 
 tion to collective efforts, rather than to those of 
 individuals. And here also we may find that 
 which may justly cheer and animate us. 
 
 During many years many more than for the 
 honour of our country it is pleasing to reflect upon 
 one lamp of Christian light was alone set up by us
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 223 
 
 in India, that which proceeded from the Society for 
 promoting Christian Knowledge. Yet how bright 
 was the lustre which it shed ! And how greatly 
 was that single effort honoured ! So that we are 
 told by authority which is now become venerable 
 in our eyes, that the churches so founded and sup- 
 ported count their members by hundreds and by 
 thousands. 3 
 
 In the course of the last thirty years, the expe- 
 riment of collective exertions has been tried on an 
 extensive scale. New institutions have sprung up, 
 wherever it appeared that the glory of God might 
 be promoted ; and those which before existed have 
 " enlarged the place of their tents," have " length- 
 ened their cords and strengthened their stakes," 
 and redoubled their energies with the increase of 
 their powers. And it has not been in vain : it has 
 not been without a blessing. To enter into par- 
 ticulars, would be foreign from the present purpose. 
 But I appeal to the wonderful diffusion of the 
 Scriptures wonderful in itself, and still more 
 wonderful, if contrasted with the former apathy 
 of those who possessed them : I appeal to the 
 interest taken in this work by multitudes of all 
 ranks, and in very many countries : I appeal to 
 the increased use of the Scriptures amongst young 
 3 Bishop Middleton.
 
 224 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 and old, in schools and in families : I appeal to 
 the improved instruction of our villages, to the 
 attention which our crowded towns have awakened, 
 to the increased spirituality of our ministers, to the 
 more scriptural and energetic doctrines of our 
 pulpits : I appeal to the growing numbers, who, 
 in some shape or other, are taking an active part 
 in the cause of religion ; who, for the sake of doing 
 good, are denying themselves other pleasures, and 
 subduing private feelings, and resisting worldly 
 inclinations. To these, and to many other outward 
 and general signs, I appeal, when I affirm that not 
 in vain have pious and zealous men enlisted in the 
 service of their God, and endeavoured at every 
 opening to extend the kingdom of the Redeemer. 
 No, brethren, not in vain. If much less were 
 effectually done, and much more done indiscreetly 
 or unwisely, I should still pity the man who could 
 travel from Dan to Beer-sheba, and complain that 
 all is barren, because he saw many wastes still 
 unreclaimed, and many weeds still flourishing. It 
 is not all barren. The Angel is gone forth, " hav- 
 ing the everlasting Gospel to preach unto those 
 that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and 
 kindred, and tongue, and people." Christian 
 principles are widely diffused. " The brother of 
 low degree is taught to rejoice in that he is exalted,
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. '225 
 
 and the rich in that he is made low." Christian 
 instruction is extensively provided : little chil- 
 dren are suffered to come unto their Saviour, and 
 forbidden not : out of the mouth of babes and 
 sucklings praise is perfected. Christian charity 
 has remembered those who had been long forgot- 
 ten : " Sucli as sit in darkness and the shadow of 
 death, being bound in affliction and iron, because 
 they had rebelled against the words of God, and 
 contemned the counsel of the Most High" these 
 are made acquainted with the mercies of God : 
 upon their prison has the light shined. This So- 
 ciety has especially taken care, that " they that go 
 down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business 
 in great waters," should hear the words of the 
 Lord, and be taught his wonders in the deep. 
 Surely it is marvellous in our eyes ; and surely it 
 is the Lord's doing. His arm is not shortened, that 
 it will not save ; neither his ear heavy, that it will 
 not hear. Whilst enough, far more than enough 
 remains undone to employ and stimulate the zea- 
 lous, enough is accomplished to confute and shame 
 the quietist. Let him up and be doing : let him 
 rise : God calleth him. We are not in that state, 
 
 4 The Prayer Book and Homily Society has agents in the 
 port of London and in our principal maritime towns, who sup- 
 ply books to the vessels which sail from them. 
 
 Q
 
 226 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 that our strength is to sit still. Our motto must 
 rather be, " In the morning sow thy seed, and in 
 the evening withhold not thy hand ; for thou 
 knowest not whether shall prosper, this or that, or 
 whether they both shall be alike good." 
 
 And such has been the principle of the Society 
 which calls us together. It hastened to occupy 
 a space, which the measures of other Societies left 
 vacant : it proposed to supply a want which the 
 exertions of other Societies created. The circula- 
 tion of the Scriptures at home was daily increasing. 
 But the first effect of Scripture, when received into 
 the heart, is to dispose it towards prayer. We 
 provide the means of prayer. We provide it in 
 various languages. The Bible is conveyed abroad 
 into countries where it has been almost a stranger. 
 There, too, we trust, it will excite a spirit of 
 prayer; and in the Liturgy of our church, which 
 it is the object of the Society to circulate, the pious 
 mind is furnished with a manual of devotion, in 
 which Christians of every degree may meet with 
 comfort and instruction. Here the penitent finds 
 words, in which he may acknowledge and lament 
 his unworthiness : here the mourner learns to 
 spread his sorrows before the Lord : here the pros- 
 perous is enabled to offer the sacrifice of thanks- 
 giving : here the humblest and the youngest
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. '2*27 
 
 Christian may be assisted to pour out the feelings 
 of his soul : and here the most advanced Christian 
 may clothe in the purest language all that the 
 sublimest piety can feel. Multitudes have used 
 this language in seeking mercies, or acknowledging 
 them, who are now released from the imperfections 
 of all human utterance : multitudes have thus 
 lamented their transgressions, who have no longer 
 any occasion for penitence ; for where they are, is 
 no more sin, and theirs has been " washed in the 
 blood of the Lamb :" multitudes have offered these 
 supplications, who are now far removed beyond 
 the reach of sorrow, or crying, or pain ; they have 
 died in the Lord, and they rest from their labours. 
 What reflection, brethren, can more justly animate 
 us to follow their good example, that with them 
 we may be partakers of the heavenly kingdom ? 
 
 The HOMILIES also, the second object of the 
 Society's attention, have an especial value at the 
 present period : valuable they must always be, for 
 their intrinsic merits. In the language of a dis- 
 tinguished prelate, " they abound in examples of 
 a manly, nervous, unaffected eloquence solicitous, 
 not about words, but things ; and often coming 
 home to the heart and conscience with a deep, 
 forcible conviction, much resembling that of the 
 sacred Scriptures. They show a thorough ac- 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 quaintance with human nature, and with human 
 life too, as it existed in the ' olden time.' " 5 
 
 But, in addition to this general excellence, they 
 have the peculiar merit of being appropriate to the 
 present exigency, when extraordinary exertions 
 are employed to extend the faith which they espe- 
 cially assail. They contain the record of our 
 Reformers' doctrine ; therefore we must always ve- 
 nerate them : but they contain it also, as preached 
 in a " plain, popular, and effective way," to those 
 who were emerging from papal darkness. Con- 
 futing the errors which still, we grieve to think, 
 delude and bewilder so many of our countrymen 
 at home, as well as the greater part of Christen- 
 dom abroad ; and promulgating the truths by 
 which the rest of Christendom was first delivered 
 from those errors ; let us hope that the grace of 
 God may again attend them, and scatter the mists 
 which have overspread the face of Christianity ; 
 always obscuring its brightness, and too often 
 extinguishing its light And surely the anticipa- 
 tion is not unreasonable. Suppose the Romanist 
 awakened to inquiry : he naturally looks to a 
 church which, though decided in opposition to his 
 own, opposes it only where his own has deserted 
 Scripture. He finds there a discipline such as he 
 has been accustomed to venerate as apostolic : he 
 5 Bishop Jebb.
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 229 
 
 finds there a system of doctrine, which, the more 
 he examines Scripture or antiquity, the more he 
 will find agreeing with that which Peter pro- 
 claimed, when he exhorted men to " repent, and 
 be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the 
 remission of sins :" and he finds there formularies 
 he has been used to value formularies compre- 
 hensive yet simple, intelligible though sublime. 
 Why should he not " fall down and worship God, 
 and report that God is in you of a truth ?" 
 
 But whether it please God, or not, thus far to 
 bless our efforts ; yet, when I find this Society 
 dispersing the Liturgy of our Church and Selec- 
 tions from her Homilies in most of the European 
 and in many of the Indian languages, I cannot 
 but rejoice to think, that what I believe to be 
 truth, eternal truth, the surest rule of faith, the 
 safest guide of practice, the purest help of piety, 
 is " gone out into all lands, and its words unto the 
 end of the world." 
 
 These, then, are the motives to spiritual charity ; 
 the motives provoking us to love and to good works. 
 God has assigned us this duty ; has appointed, 
 that in this way one class of mankind should 
 benefit another. And, further, that we may not
 
 230 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 be faint or weary in well-doing, the exercise of 
 this duty God encourages with his blessing. 
 
 An important consideration crowns the whole : 
 Exhort one another, says the apostle, and so much 
 the more as ye see the day approaching. 
 
 If St. Paul here alludes to that day, which he 
 knew to be at hand, when the Son of man should 
 " come with power" and inflict just vengeance 
 upon the Jewish nation, he speaks with a confi- 
 dence which we have no right to claim : for we do 
 not pretend to the spirit of prophecy. We dare 
 not predict what day may be approaching. Cer- 
 tainly there are " signs of the times" which rouse 
 our anxious attention, and may justly excite our 
 hopes ; signs of shaking among the nations ; signs 
 of impatience under the fetters of bigotry and 
 error ; signs, too, we fondly trust, of spiritual life 
 and consciousness. There are still more hopeful 
 signs in the increasing energy of those who " fear 
 the Lord, and think upon his name :" they "speak 
 often one to another," and provoke one another to 
 love, and to good works. 
 
 We would not presume to speculate on the de- 
 signs of Providence, or arrogate a claim to divine 
 favour. Yet it cannot, we think, be unimportant
 
 EXERTIONS IN TEIE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 231 
 
 in the scheme of Infinite Wisdom, that so many 
 institutions should have simultaneously arisen, in- 
 dependent in their measures, yet connected in their 
 principles ; tending to the same objects, yet pos- 
 sessing all the advantage of individual energy. 
 May they be accepted by him whose glory they 
 desire to serve, as some proofs of faith and watch- 
 fulness in this highly favoured, but still too un- 
 grateful land ! 
 
 But, whatever other day may be approaching, 
 we are sure of one emphatically THE DAY in 
 Scripture, before which all others sink into insig- 
 nificance. For what is a year, or a hundred, or a 
 thousand years, in comparison of the eternity 
 which is to follow ? How trifling, unless taken in 
 reference to that eternity, how trifling is the im- 
 portance of any event to ourselves, or to our fellow- 
 creatures, which can happen before " the first 
 heaven and the first earth are passed away?" 
 " We, brethren, according to the promise, look for 
 new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth 
 righteousness." Now, the coming of that day of 
 God may be near, or may be distant, when " the 
 heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the 
 elements shall melt with fervent heat :" but one day 
 is indisputably approaching to us all, the day 
 which shall cut the thread of our earthly lives, and
 
 232 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 fix the everlasting destiny of the soul. For what 
 we are found on that day, such we shall be found 
 when we " appear before the judgment-seat of God, 
 to receive according to the things done in the 
 body." And, upon the authority of the Judge 
 himself, we are assured of the important place 
 which Christian charity will hold in determining 
 our Christian character. What could we more rea- 
 sonably expect him to consider? How can the 
 state of the heart be more surely indicated ? This 
 is not the time to speak of temporal wants : but 
 indifference towards the spiritual wants of others- 
 indifference while those around us " are destroyed 
 for lack of knowledge" must be totally inconsis- 
 tent with Christian faith ; must either show a most 
 unworthy sense of the value of the Gospel to our- 
 selves, or a lamentable disregard to the salvation 
 of others. In his wisdom, therefore, God has 
 made our doings in this respect a test of our faith. 
 " If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn 
 unto death, and those that are ready to be slain ; 
 if thou sayest, We knew it not ; shall not He 
 that pondereth the soul consider this? and shall 
 not he render to every one according to his 
 works ?" 
 
 How unlike is such indifference to the example 
 which we are taught to imitate ! How unlike the
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 233 
 
 example which heaven itself would offer us ! For 
 if we could mount up to heaven, or if heaven 
 were to open before us, and show us the employ- 
 ments of its blessed inhabitants, we should not find 
 the highest interests of men there treated witli un- 
 concern. We should witness the same purpose 
 which actuates our best and purest exertions, car- 
 ried on without the errors into which we daily fall. 
 We should see divine benevolence protecting those 
 who have chosen God for their portion, and minis- 
 tering to their several circumstances in one case, 
 exercising forbearance ; in another, dispensing com- 
 fort ; in another, assisting trials ; in another, 
 appointing salutary warnings. We should see 
 angels concerned in the spiritual welfare of man- 
 kind ; grieving over their hardness of heart and 
 contempt of God's word, and rejoicing in their 
 repentance and restoration. We should see him 
 who is " God over all, blessed for ever," guarding 
 the interests of his church, directing the minds of 
 those appointed to uphold it, and animating their 
 services ; fulfilling his gracious assurance that he 
 will be with them, " even to the end of the world." 
 Such is the pattern set us, and therefore we cannot 
 err : for we are taught to love one another, even 
 as Christ loved us; to be merciful, even as our 
 Father who is in heaven is merciful. No; we
 
 234 DUTY AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ACTIVE 
 
 cannot err for we should be misled by Scripture 
 itself we cannot err when we unite ourselves to 
 those who take their stand on the eminence of 
 universal charity, and look out towards the great 
 family of man, not for opportunities of selfish 
 interest or national aggrandizement, but for open- 
 ings to religious usefulness. And why should 
 their choice be treated with contempt, or their 
 doings with suspicion ? Private advantage, tem- 
 porary gain, is, sought at sufficient expense of time 
 and pains ; let some be spared for advantage not 
 our own, for good that is not perishable. Let 
 those whom God has permitted to labour in his 
 church, or those whom he has inclined to promote 
 his glory in the world, be allowed to consider one 
 another, to provoke unto love and good works. 
 Enough of time will still be engaged in the pursuit 
 of wealth and honour : enough of immortal mind 
 will be engrossed in the changes and chances of 
 transitory kingdoms : enough of hearts will be de- 
 voted to short-lived pleasures, or overwhelmed with 
 earthly cares. Let ours, brethren, be for a while 
 withdrawn from those dying interests, those im- 
 portant vanities, and raised above them to a love 
 of heavenly things. Our best resolves are weak, 
 our best works imperfect ; let us strengthen and 
 amend them by all the means of grace, and all the
 
 EXERTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION. 235 
 
 hopes of glory. " For all that is in the world, the 
 lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the 
 pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. 
 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; 
 but he that doeth the will of God, abideth for 
 ever."
 
 236 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 MOTIVES FOR PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 
 
 Acts viii. 4. 
 
 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went 
 everywhere preaching the word. 
 
 WE have a striking instance here and it is one of 
 many of the way in which the wrath of man, 
 his evil passions arid designs, are made to minister 
 to the praise of God, and the accomplishment of 
 his purposes. 
 
 "The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, "had 
 been now for some time proclaimed in Jerusalem 
 and throughout Judea, in obedience to the will 
 of its divine Author, who had designed, in his mys- 
 terious mercy, that they who had compassed or 
 consented to his death, should be the first to re- 
 ceive the offer of his propitiation. He sent his 
 apostles, in the first place, " to the lost sheep of the
 
 MOTIVES, &C. 
 
 house of Israel :" " to the Jew first, and afterward 
 to the Gentile." Through their means many had 
 heard of Him whom " God had exalted to be a 
 Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to 
 Israel, and forgiveness of sins." To many he had 
 already proved so : for they that believed had now 
 become " multitudes both of men and women ; 
 and the word of God increased ; and the number 
 of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly." * 
 
 Not, however, without that consequence which 
 the Lord had so constantly predicted ; not without 
 jealousy on the part of the chief priests and rulers ; 
 not without opposition and persecution. We are 
 told, " At that time there was a great persecution 
 against the church which was at Jerusalem ; and 
 they were all scattered abroad throughout the re- 
 gions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 
 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church ; enter- 
 ing into every house, and haling men and women, 
 committed them to prison." 
 
 Here, then, we might suppose the infant church 
 is stifled in the birth ; and the hard heart and un- 
 belief of man has rejected the mercy of God, 
 who hides his face in anger, and leaves those to 
 perish, who count themselves unworthy of eternal 
 life. 
 
 1 Acts v. 14 ; vi. 7.
 
 238 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 Not so. His gracious purpose might be pro- 
 moted even by the enmity which assailed these 
 first believers ; who, though persecuted, were not 
 forsaken ; though cast down, were not destroyed. 
 They that were scattered abroad went everywhere 
 preaching the word. To whatever place or country 
 they fled, whether within the remoter districts of 
 Judea, or beyond its limits to the various cities of 
 Asia, where their connexions might be settled, and 
 they might find a refuge among friends : wherever 
 this protection was offered them, they made a 
 return of infinite value ; they told the glad tidings 
 of redemption ; they spoke of what God had done 
 for mankind ; how he had " so loved the world as 
 to send his only Son, that all that believe in him 
 might not perish, but have everlasting life." And 
 they spoke of what he had done for themselves in 
 particular; how they had received this truth, and 
 rejoiced in it with joy unspeakable and full of 
 glory; and how, rather than renounce it, and 
 forfeit the peace which they had found, they had 
 left their country and their homes, and all that 
 was dearest to them in the world, looking for a 
 better country, an inheritance eternal in the hea- 
 vens. Of this we are assured by the sacred his- 
 torian, when he acquaints us, that they that were 
 scattered abroad, went everywhere preaching the 
 word.
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 239 
 
 Now it is both interesting in itself, and agree- 
 able to our object on the present occasion, to con- 
 sider why they did so. They were not the apos- 
 tles, to whom an especial commission had been 
 given, instructing them to go into all the world, 
 and preach the Gospel to every creature. 2 The 
 apostles continued for the present at Jerusalem. 
 These were the mixed body of believers, who, if 
 they had remained in their own city, would have 
 fallen under the malice of Saul and his party, and 
 been cast into prison. And these, we are told, 
 when scattered abroad, went evert/where preaching 
 the word: or, as appears more exactly in the 
 Greek original, carrying the glad tidings, pro- 
 claiming the word of salvation; 3 not formally 
 preaching it, but conveying the intelligence, and 
 laying the first elements of truth, and thus pre- 
 paring the way for those who should come after 
 with a more direct commission from above. 
 
 Let us, then, endeavour to enter into the minds 
 of these persons, and inquire what induced them 
 so to act as to be here recorded by the historian 
 among the early propagators of the Gospel. 
 
 2 Acts viii. 1. 
 
 3 EuayyeXt^o^ei'ot rov \6yov : and afterwards (xi. 20), eway- 
 ye\i^('i(jLevoL rov Ki/ptov liiaovv. See an elaborate note by Ham- 
 mond on this passage.
 
 "240 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 Consider, first, their own case. They had re- 
 ceived for themselves the truth, the great truth, 
 that " God was in Christ reconciling the world 
 unto himself:" that as there is, on the one hand, 
 " no condemnation to them that are in Christ 
 Jesus;" so, likewise, there is no salvation in any 
 other ; " for there is no other name under heaven 
 given amongst men whereby we must be saved." 
 
 This truth they had themselves received ; and 
 because they had received it, they were now scat- 
 tered abroad, driven from their homes. 
 
 Such was their case. How was it with those to 
 whom they came ? Those to whom they came 
 were their Jewish connexions, who had been led 
 to settle in various parts of Asia. These they 
 would find in the very state from which they had 
 been themselves so recently delivered ; as described 
 by St. Paul, " resting in the law, and making 
 their boast of God ; but through breaking the law 
 dishonouring God : 4 going about to establish their 
 own righteousness, and ignorant of God's right- 
 eousness ;" 5 depending upon ordinances and cere- 
 monies from which the spirit had departed, and 
 which remained a lifeless form : with none of the 
 temper and disposition which belongs to the king- 
 dom of heaven; not pure in heart; not poor in 
 4 See Rom. ii. 1724. -5 Ibid. x. 3.
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 
 
 spirit; not meek; not merciful; but proud, un- 
 hallowed, sensual, and uncharitable. St. Paul, in 
 his own character, could be no unfavourable spe- 
 cimen of the ordinary Jewish people; he who 
 speaks of himself, as having been, " touching the 
 righteousness which is in the law, blameless." 6 And 
 yet how severely he condemns his former self when 
 he compares the old man with the new ; when 
 he contrasts what he had once been, with what he 
 felt himself to have become after that the grace of 
 God in Christ Jesus had made him partaker of 
 the divine image. We ourselves, he says, looking 
 back upon his unconverted state, " we ourselves 
 were once disobedient, deceitful ; serving divers 
 lusts and pleasures : living in malice and envy ; 
 hateful, and hating one another." 7 
 
 With those, therefore, of the disciples who had 
 taken refuge among friends of their own nation, 
 there was great reason why they should preach 
 the word, and tell them of that blood by which 
 " all that believe are justified from all things, from 
 which they could not be justified by the law of 
 Moses ;" should tell them of that Spirit which 
 is able to turn the hearts of the disobedient to the 
 wisdom of the just; and to renew them in right- 
 <5 Phil. iii. 5. 7 Titus iii. 3. 
 
 R
 
 24'2 MOTIVES FOU 
 
 eousness and true holiness, after the image of him 
 that created them. 8 
 
 But, besides those who preached the word to 
 none but the Jews only, we read of others who 
 proceeded further. Some of them which were scat- 
 tered abroad were " men of Cyprus and Gyrene ; 
 which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto 
 the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 9 
 
 Who, and what may have been the persons here 
 spoken of as the Grecians, 1 is uncertain. But thus 
 much is evident from the manner in which they 
 are mentioned : they were persons of heathen 
 origin. If hitherto they had been ignorant of 
 God, living in idolatrous habits, then would the 
 Christians be still more powerfully urged to de- 
 clare the word of truth. They would feel what 
 some years afterwards was felt by the apostle Paul, 
 while waiting at Athens for Silas and Timotheus : 
 and " his spirit was stirred within him, when he 
 saw the people wholly given to idolatry." 2 He 
 had no particular commission to preach the Gospel 
 at Athens. His object was elsewhere. But he 
 could not witness the dishonour of God, and the 
 ruin of immortal souls, without an effort in their 
 
 8 Acts xiii. 39. 9 See Acts xi. 1921. 
 
 1 'E\\T)viffTat. 2 Acts xvii. 16.
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 243 
 
 cause. These, he must have thought within him- 
 self, these unhappy beings are formed for an ever- 
 lasting existence ; but are so living in their present 
 state, that they must be for ever excluded from 
 the presence of God and the glory of his power. 
 They are strangers to the living and true God ; 
 ignorant of his will. They are strangers to their 
 own destiny ; not awakened to perceive the sinful- 
 ness of sin , not aware of the bond of iniquity 
 under which they are lying, and the eternal death 
 which is suspended over them. 
 
 And what should one do in such a case, whom 
 God had made to differ, who had received the 
 word of salvation ; what should he do, when sur- 
 rounded by his fellow-creatures, still lying in dark- 
 ness and the shadow of death ? Surely he must 
 warn them to repent, for that God " has appointed 
 a day in which he will judge the world in right- 
 eousness :" surely he must show them how they may 
 flee from the wrath to come : must make known the 
 gracious assurance, that " the Son of Man is come 
 to seek and to save that which was lost," and that 
 " whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, 
 shall be saved." 
 
 Thus, at least, the apostle felt and judged and 
 acted : and " therefore disputed he in the syna- 
 gogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, 
 
 R 2
 
 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 and in the market daily with them that met with 
 him." 
 
 Brethren, can we be surprised at this? Or can 
 we wonder, if those whom the text speaks of as 
 scattered abroad, went everywhere preaching the 
 word ? Is it anything more ' than a proof that they 
 believed what they professed ; that they valued 
 what they had received ? 
 
 The wages of sin is death. And the transgres- 
 sion of the law is sin. And idolatry is^ transgres- 
 sion of the law. And all the wickedness into 
 which corrupt and unconverted nature runs, is 
 trangression of the law : all envy, and malice, and 
 covetousness, and sensuality, and impurity. These 
 transgressions they saw abounding : such trans- 
 gressors they had before their eyes, and were daily 
 conversant with. And if thev believed that death, 
 
 / 
 
 eternal death, must follow as the result of the 
 practices in which these were living, how could 
 they fail to preach the word, or to beseech all 
 to; whom they had access, to be reconciled to 
 God? 
 
 , For, if " the. wages of sin is death/* so, on the 
 other hand, " eternal life is the gift of God through 
 Jesus Christ." But " how should these believe in 
 him of whom they had not heard ?" Could they, 
 who had both heard and believed, could they fail
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. '245 
 
 to tell of him whom God had sent, in fulfilment of 
 his earliest promises, to bring men to himself ? 
 to " die for our sins, and to rise again for our jus- 
 tification ?" 
 
 And yet it is true, they might have failed. 
 They might have so lightly esteemed this mercy, 
 that intercourse with a thoughtless or idolatrous 
 world should efface it from their minds: they 
 might have deemed sin to be a venial evil, which 
 God will never be severe to mark, and especially 
 will not visit upon the ignorant and uninstructed ; 
 they might have feared to oppose received errors, 
 and condemn prevailing habits : they might have 
 preferred silence, though the silence of the grave, 
 to the words of heavenly life, if it must be a 
 stirring energetic life, and rouse them from indo- 
 lence and calm. ;, 
 
 It 1 might have been, so with them; we know it 
 too 'well. We know' it from experience. We 
 know how. far, easier . it is ' to go ' with the stream 
 ourselves, and suffer others to be carried ' down by 
 it, than to meet, and resist, and 1 stem the i over- 
 whelming tide. But they did not yield, to this 
 natural indolence. They were not kept,- back by 
 an evil heart of unbelief. The Spirit of God was 
 too strong within' them. The: love of Christ too 
 powerfully constrained' them ; the love of man
 
 246 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 encouraged them ; and they could not but speak 
 the things which they had seen and heard. They 
 knew it to be the will of God, that all should 
 come to repentance and the knowledge of the 
 truth. And therefore they knew that it must be his 
 will, that whoever possessed that knowledge, and 
 had been himself blessed with the offer of salva- 
 tion, should communicate it wherever he had the 
 means : should extend it as widely as possible, and 
 should begin by extending it to those around 
 him. Through their silent apathy, through their 
 languid indolence, through their unfaithfulness 
 and timidity, should a weak, a corrupt, an igno- 
 rant fellow-creature perish, for whom Christ died ? 
 Where then would be the sign by which the 
 disciples of Christ are to be known and read 
 of all men, that they " live not unto them- 
 selves, but unto him who loved them, and gave 
 himself for them ?" 3 And that, because " God 
 so loved them, they also have love one towards 
 another ?" 
 
 Thus it is one of the divine properties of our 
 religion, that it contains within itself a provision 
 for its own dissemination. He who has received 
 it for himself, has from that time an interest in 
 every human soul ; for the Redeemer, whose he 
 3 2 Cor. v. 15.
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 247 
 
 is, and whom he serves, " tasted death for every 
 man." And as he has an interest in souls so 
 precious, so dearly purchased, so has he also an 
 interest in the glory of his Saviour : and from both 
 these feelings he is earnestly desirous to deliver 
 them that are drawn unto death, them that are 
 ready to be slain. It is, in fact, the operation 
 of this principle, which makes the one great sacri- 
 fice, once offered, effectual to its merciful purpose. 
 Without it, the light of truth must become extinct : 
 Christ would have died in vain. A fresh revela- 
 tion must be made in every century, and a sepa- 
 rate exhibition of it given in every country under 
 heaven. 
 
 My Christian brethren, is this sufficiently con- 
 sidered ? We hear frequent lamentations, not 
 always unmixed with wonder, that notwithstanding 
 the goodness of God in sending his beloved Son, 
 so large a portion of mankind is still immersed in 
 the darkness and grossness of heathenism. And 
 well may we deplore the fact. But on whom 
 should we rest the blame ? Have men no concern 
 in this? God has prepared a mighty scheme, 
 planned from the foundation of the world, fore- 
 told from the earliest ages, commenced by a 
 long series of antecedent means, and, at last,
 
 248 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 completed by signs and wonders, and mighty 
 deeds. It is finished ; and the prophecies re- 
 ceive their accomplishment : the types disclose 
 their reality ; the ordinances their substance : the 
 miracles their purpose. And the issue is, RE- 
 DEMPTION. 
 
 This mysterious blessing, this inestimable mercy, 
 he reveals to his creatures. And then he commits 
 it, as he does all other blessings, to those who 
 have received it, to be by them imparted to succes- 
 sive generations, that the light which has been 
 once set up, may lighten every man that cometh 
 into the world. 
 
 And yet we may still say, as of old, dark- 
 ness covers the earth, and gross darkness the 
 people. 
 
 Would it have remained so, if all had felt what 
 these first believers felt, and done what these first be- 
 lievers did, and they that were scattered abroad had 
 gone everywhere preaching the word? Would it 
 have been so, for example, as far as our own 
 country is concerned if our religious activity had 
 kept pace with our civil and political activity if 
 spiritual zeal had accompanied the growth of our 
 commerce, and the extension of our national 
 power ?
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 249 
 
 Alas ! we cannot but observe the contrast. Men 
 are led, by the exercise of their faculties, to find 
 new means by which oceans may be crossed and 
 countries traversed, and the different quarters of 
 the earth are united to one another. " Verily, 
 there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the 
 Almighty giveth him understanding." " Many go 
 to and fro, and knowledge is increased." 
 
 But what knowledge is first thought of, first 
 attained, first communicated ? Is it the knowledge 
 how God's honour may be advanced, and the king- 
 dom of Christ enlarged, and those souls saved, 
 which now lie in darkness and the shadow of 
 death ? Is it not rather the knowledge of the 
 wealth which may be procured, of the covetous- 
 ness which may be gratified, of the luxury which 
 may be enjoyed, of the increase of power which 
 may be gained ? Distant regions are penetrated ; 
 new territories are opened to the enterprise of our 
 merchants, or the valour of our armies ; and it 
 is seen once more, as in the days of Solomon : 
 " the kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring 
 presents; ,the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer 
 gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, 
 all nations shall serve him." 4 
 
 Where are' those, meanwhile, who go every- 
 4 Psalm Ixxii. 10.
 
 250 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 \\herepreaching the word? How might that time 
 be hastened, when " the kingdoms of this world 
 shall become the kingdom of our Lord and of his 
 Christ," if the multitudes who are carried from 
 the east to the west, from the north to the south, 
 in the pursuit of wealth, or in the exercise of 
 military duty, bore with them the faith and zeal of 
 those who were scattered abroad by the persecution 
 that was at Jerusalem ! They would not, in the 
 exact sense, be preachers of the word : though 
 they would be ready, each for himself, in the 
 presence of idolaters and gaiiisayers, to " give an 
 answer of the hope that was in him." But they 
 would open and prepare the way for the more 
 regular ambassadors of Christ : they would invite, 
 encourage, assist, support them; and never rest, 
 till the idols which they saw around them were 
 cast down, and the darkness dispersed from the 
 face of the land, and the kingdom of Christ erected 
 over the prostrate throne of Satan. 
 
 Would that the time might come, when this 
 should describe the real state of things ! At pre- 
 sent it is far otherwise. Yet that nothing has been 
 done or is in progress, it would be ungrateful and 
 unjust to say. Enough is done to show what 
 might be effected, if the heart of the nation, as the 
 he-art of one man, were actuated by a zeal for God,
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 251 
 
 and a desire to promote his glory. But, on the 
 other hand, so much is left neglected, as to prove 
 how grievously as a nation we fall short of the 
 faith which as a nation we profess : how easily 
 we can suffer multitudes to remain in that lost 
 state, which moved the compassion of the Son of 
 God; can permit even our fellow-countrymen, 
 who have quitted their native land, to be destitute 
 of those means of grace, without which piety lan- 
 guishes, morality gives way to temptation, and 
 ultimately faith expires. How different from the 
 conduct, which I have brought before your con- 
 sideration, of those who were first called Chris- 
 tians ? How different from the conduct of the 
 apostle, whose spirit was stirred within him, 
 when " he saw the people wholly given to 
 idolatry ?" Alas ! wide as are the fields within 
 our reach, and some of them even white unto 
 the harvest, how few the labourers ! Not less 
 inadequate to the necessity of the case and the 
 greatness of the work, than if the harvest of a pro- 
 vince were committed to a single reaper. 
 
 It is some consolation, in the midst of so much 
 that must be lamented, to know that the Society 5 
 
 5 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign 
 Parts.
 
 252 MOTIVES FOR 
 
 which assembles us to-day, during one hundred 
 and thirty years has exerted itself to redeem the 
 national character in this point, and to maintain 
 the consistency of a Christian people. And by 
 every sincere Christian it must be hailed and wel- 
 comed : for it enables them to effect what indivi- 
 dually they must be most anxious to promote, but 
 what as individuals few could achieve : it enables 
 them to assist in making* known on earth the ways 
 of God, " his saving health unto all nations." 
 Here is the reservoir which collects the various 
 drops supplied from various sources : and from 
 hence they are again poured out, and divided into 
 numerous streams, in which the waters of life are 
 continually flowing. Yet is there still 'remaining 
 many a parched and barren land, where no water 
 is. There are many of our countrymen, no doubt, 
 who in such lands of barrenness ' to which they 
 have been driven, are thirsting for those draughts 
 of eternal truth which they have left behind, and 
 cannot now recover., There are many others of 
 our fellow-creatures, still more to, be lamented for, 
 who have either lost, or never known, such spiritual 
 taste, and' need that it should be excited- in them. 
 You will not,- 1 am .sure, permit this 'stream to fail. 
 You will unite your endeavours and your prayers, 
 that it may still flow on with a supply more and
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. 253 
 
 more abundant, till the utmost parts of the earth 
 are reached. And may it please God so to enlarge 
 his kingdom, that throughout the whole world 
 " whoever thirsts," may receive freely from the 
 " wells of salvation," and find refreshment and rest 
 to his soul !
 
 254 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 THE DUTY OF SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 
 
 Matt. x. 8. 
 Freely ye have received : freely give. 
 
 I HAVE selected this passage as the basis of my 
 discourse, because it contains, in short compass, 
 the scriptural argument for Missionary exertions. 
 
 It may be right, perhaps, to premise, that I take 
 the spirit of the passage, rather than its literal 
 meaning. In connexion with the context, its lite- 
 ral meaning may be no more than this : " Heal 
 the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out 
 devils :" but beware of seeking any temporal re- 
 muneration for such exercise of your powers, 
 powers bestowed on you for a purpose very differ- 
 ent from that of personal advantage: Freely ye
 
 THE DUTY OF SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 255 
 
 have received, freely give. Ye have been endued 
 with extraordinary gifts, in every sense gratui- 
 tously : their author chose you to possess them, 
 and was not chosen by you : he gave you that 
 without price, which no price could buy : and it is 
 for you to impart gratuitously, what ye have gra- 
 tuitously received. 
 
 With this, the literal translation of the passage, 
 we have at present no concern ; but with the 
 spirit of the passage we have universal concern. 
 It is the argument which pervades the Gospel. It 
 is the argument by which our Lord requires of 
 every Christian the forgiveness of injuries: " I 
 forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst 
 me ; shouldest not thou also have had compassion 
 on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee ?" 
 It is the argument by which St. John enforces 
 brotherly love : " Brethren, if God so loved us, we 
 ought also to love one another." It is the argu- 
 ment by which St. Paul exhorts us to the service 
 of Christ, that they who were dead, and live 
 through him, " should not henceforth live unto 
 themselves, but unto him which died for them." 
 All these passages come to the same point, and 
 imply the same duty Freely ye have received, 
 freely give. And it is an argument which ought 
 to strike closely home to every Christian soul.
 
 256 THE DUTY OF 
 
 You have enjoyed the testimony of the love of 
 God : you have been offered the covenant of ever- 
 lasting life : you have not heen appointed unto 
 wrath, " but to obtain salvation through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ," by the peculiar, unsought, unmerited 
 favour of God toward you. Freely ye have re- 
 ceived ; and his will is, that you should commu- 
 nicate your blessings, as far as your power extends, 
 no less freely than you have received them. This 
 is the universal demand of Scripture, with regard 
 to every blessing which one man may enjoy more 
 abundantly than his neighbour. 
 
 Now it is plain that the force of this argument, 
 as a constraining motive, will depend upon our 
 sense of the obligation conferred upon us. 
 
 In proportion as we feel the value of the Gospel, 
 the Gospel written and in our hands, the Gospel 
 preached and enforced upon our hearts, the Gospel 
 pure and unadulterated, which in this country be- 
 yond all others we enjoy ; in that proportion we 
 shall feel the corresponding duty of freely dispens- 
 ing such peculiar blessings. But this feeling of 
 obligation is apt to become very dormant in our 
 minds. We talk of the Gospel, without always 
 remembering what that term implies. We speak 
 of Christendom : and in the geographical, forget 
 the spiritual distinction. We lament the delusions
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 257 
 
 of Mahommedanism, we regret the superstitions 
 of Paganism ; as we lament the despotism of one 
 country, or the anarchy of another : but where is 
 that sense of a state of spiritual death, of enmity 
 against God, of captivity to Satan, which univer- 
 sally pervades the Scriptures ? Where is the con- 
 viction of the personal importance of faith in 
 Christ Jesus to every individual under heaven ? 
 Scriptural views on this point, my Christian bre- 
 thren, would do more than a thousand arguments, 
 to silence frivolous objections and restrain petty 
 opposition. If the question only concerns a neigh- 
 bour's trifling advantage or unessential comfort, 
 then we may reasonably be slow to interpose our 
 assistance or our counsel ; but if his condition is 
 desperate, if the case is a crisis of life or death, then 
 delay is cruel, and neglect inhuman. 
 
 But I am aware, that, on this occasion, 1 I have 
 little concern with objectors or opponents. It is 
 not probable that any should be present here, who 
 are not as much convinced of the importance of 
 the Gospel to every soul of man, as he who ad- 
 dresses you. And I find comfort in the thought ; 
 for it is difficult to CONTEND, even in a Christian 
 cause, without feelings less pure and calm and 
 
 1 The anniversary of the Church Missionary Society. 
 
 S
 
 258 THE DUTY OF 
 
 spiritual than befit this sacred place and sacred 
 office. 
 
 I conceive, then, that the object of our present 
 meeting is, not to create a feeling, but to cherish 
 and invigorate it ; to feed the flame which burns 
 too feebly ; to trim the lamp which is nigh to be 
 extinguished by the damp and chilling spirit of 
 the surrounding world. Mindful of this, we " do 
 not forsake the assembling of ourselves together," 
 but desire by every means " to provoke one an- 
 other to love and to good works." May we 
 never forget that the Spirit, which alone can 
 kindle this flame effectually, must descend from 
 heaven ! 
 
 I. I have said, that our zeal for the propagation 
 of the Gospel will, in a great measure, depend 
 upon our sense of its value to ourselves, and its 
 importance to others. Now, the fact seems often 
 to be overlooked, but can never be openly denied, 
 that the importance of the Gospel to heathen na- 
 tions now, is the same as its importance to those 
 who were heathens in the apostolical age. Pagan- 
 ism may vary in the objects of its errors or its 
 superstitions, but it must always be essentially the 
 same the same in nature and in character. Igno- 
 rance of the true God, ignorance of his holy
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 259 
 
 attributes, ignorance of his heavenly kingdom, 
 ignorance of the way of access to him are evils 
 which admit of no modification ; and did not 
 oppress more heavily the nations which the apostles 
 were commissioned to enlighten, than they oppress 
 the nations which are in darkness at this day. If, 
 then, we attempt at all to measure the value of 
 the Gospel, or, rather since it is vain to speak of 
 estimating what is beyond all price, of measuring 
 what is infinite if we desire to elevate our con- 
 ception to the height of so vast an argument, we 
 must refer to the standard of the apostles, or of 
 him who inspired their hearts and gave them their 
 commission. We must judge as they judged 
 feel as they felt ; and so we shall be more inclined 
 to follow their example, and act as they acted. 
 
 And two things particularly occur to me, as capa- 
 ble of raising our feelings towards a juster sense of 
 the importance of the Gospel : 
 
 First, Our Lord's Commission to his apostles ; 
 
 Secondly, The labours and sacrifices undergone 
 by the apostles, in executing his Commission. 
 
 1. " Behold," said our Lord, " I send you forth 
 as lambs among wolves. Be ye, therefore, wise as 
 serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of 
 men ; for they will deliver you up to the councils, 
 
 s 2
 
 260 THE DUTY OF 
 
 and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 
 and ye shall be brought before governors and 
 kings, for my sake. And the brother shall deliver 
 up the brother to death, and the father the child ; 
 and the children shall rise up against their pa- 
 rents, and cause them to be put to death. And 
 ye shall be hated of all men, for my name's 
 sake." 2 
 
 Such was the treatment which Jesus exhorted his 
 apostles to encounter, and which he forewarned 
 them to expect. 
 
 Now, the disposition which most especially dis- 
 tinguishes our Lord's character, as recorded in his 
 history, is a disposition of tenderness and compas- 
 sion. The great object which brought him into 
 the world, did not so entirely occupy and engross 
 his thoughts, as to make him insensible to the 
 temporal wants and earthly sufferings of -men ; 
 did not lead him to neglect their bodily diseases, 
 or think lightly of their sorrows. Few of the 
 miracles which attended his divinity were anything 
 else than acts of mercy. He " went about doing 
 good." He refused to satisfy his own hunger in 
 the wilderness by the exercise of miraculous 
 power; but when he was surrounded by a multi- 
 tude, who, if he had sent them away fasting, would 
 2 Matt. v. 1618, 21, 22.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 261 
 
 have fainted by the way, he " had compassion on 
 them," and supplied their wants. 3 When he saw 
 the poor widow at Nain, whose only son, the re- 
 maining stay of her life and hopes, was carried 
 out to burial, he pitied her ; and, restoring the 
 young man to life, he delivered him to his mother.* 
 Again, when Lazarus was dead, and he was an 
 eye-witness of the sorrows of the sisters, Martha 
 and Mary ; though he knew within himself how 
 short a space of time would turn that sorrow into 
 joy, when they should receive their brother raised 
 again from the tomb ; yet, when he saw Mary 
 weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came 
 with her, " he groaned in the spirit, and was trou- 
 bled :" nay, he even wept himself, in sympathy 
 with their affliction. 5 
 
 If such was the tenderness of heart which Jesus 
 uniformly displayed, we may justly believe that 
 he would not have sent forth his disciples, those 
 who had " continued with him in his temptations," 
 those whom " he loved to the end ;" he would not 
 have urged them to give up all their connexions, 
 and all their comforts, to expose themselves to 
 reproach and persecution, to a painful prison or a 
 torturing death, unless the object which he sent 
 them to accomplish was of paramount importance, 
 
 3 Mark viii. 3. 4 Luke vii. 11. 5 John xi. 33 35.
 
 262 THE DUTY OF 
 
 and could be attained in no other way. Unless 
 the state of those, to whom the apostles went 
 preaching repentance and remission of sins, had 
 been truly grievous a state to which no earthly 
 destitution, no earthly suffering, is worthy to be 
 compared he would not, to deliver them from it, 
 have exposed his followers to a life of unexampled 
 distress and labour. He would have allowed the 
 heathen to remain in their ignorance, till the pro- 
 gress of knowledge and civilization, and the 
 gradual diffusion of truth by other methods, in- 
 stead of Missionary Preaching, might introduce a 
 gleam of light amongst them, and relieve the 
 children of some future day from the palpable de- 
 lusions in which their fathers had lived and died. 
 In a word, he would have done that which we are 
 sometimes recommended, and sometimes disposed, 
 to do. But he regarded the state of the heathen 
 differently ; and can we dare to believe that he 
 did not regard it truly? He who, knowing all 
 things beforehand, knew what his apostles would 
 undergo ; and who was not without experience of 
 human sorrows, having himself drunk deep of the 
 cup of suffering he who had the greatest compas- 
 sion for human misery, inasmuch as he went about 
 relieving it, and even wept over it did, never- 
 theless, commission those whom he best loved to
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. '263 
 
 labour day and night, to encounter persecution, 
 contumely, and death itself, that they might turn 
 men from their idolatrous " vanities, to serve 
 the living God, and Jesus Christ whom he had sent." 
 Here, then, let us sit at Jesus' feet, and learn 
 the importance of what the heathen still want, but 
 which we have freely received. 
 
 2. I would observe, secondly, that our Lord's 
 representation of these things had so much effect 
 upon those who most frequently heard them, and 
 were assured of them from his own lips, that they 
 did actually set out to meet the evils which he had 
 foretold to them, and did actually resign whatever 
 was dear to them on earth, for the sake of carrying 
 far and wide the message of the Gospel. 
 
 It cannot but make a strong impression upon our 
 minds, to reflect on this ; to consider that men of 
 like passions and feelings, men sensible of the 
 same joys and sorrows, the same wants and cares 
 and fears as ourselves, did, notwithstanding, give 
 up all that human nature most delights in, and sub- 
 mit to all that human nature most abhors and shud- 
 ders at, rather than leave their fellow-creatures in 
 the ignorance to which they had been bred up, 
 and the wickedness which grew out of it. We 
 know, from the history of their proceedings, what
 
 264 THE DUTY OF 
 
 exertions they made, and what trials they under- 
 went. And for what purpose ? That the Jews 
 might no longer " go about to establish their own 
 righteousness, but submit themselves to the right- 
 eousness of God 6 that the Greeks might not per- 
 sist in the ignorant worship of a God unknown, 
 but confess him in whom we live and move and 
 have our being ; and that all men might learn 
 that " God had appointed a day in which he will 
 judge the world in righteousness, by that man 
 wiiom he had ordained ;" 7 that there is salvation in 
 no other ; 8 that, " he that hath the Son, hath life ; 
 and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not 
 life;" and that " God hath given to us eternal life, 
 and this life is in his Son." 9 
 
 Tell me, then, brethren, what consideration can 
 restrain our feelings, or circumscribe our exertions, 
 which might not equally have influenced the apos- 
 tles ? Have we to do with the votaries of a law, 
 burthensome indeed to those who observe it, but 
 no way injurious to their neighbours ? Such, too, 
 was the Jewish law ; a yoke not easily borne, 
 but perfectly inoffensive to all who did not bear 
 it. Do we speak of an elegant Mythology, un- 
 satisfactory indeed to our reason, but pleasing to 
 
 6 Rom. x. 3. 7 'Acts xvii. 28-31. 
 
 8 Actsiv. 12. 9 1 John v. 11, J 2.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 265 
 
 our imagination, and fit for the dreams of poetry ? 
 Such was that of the Greeks ; which, however, so 
 " stirred the spirit of Paul within him," that he 
 could not remain silent, but " disputed in the 
 market daily with them that met with him." x Or do 
 we speak of fables which men have received from 
 their ancestors, the errors in which they have been 
 educated, and which they maintain, not in despite 
 of better things, but in default of them, through 
 inevitable ignorance ? Such is all Paganism ; yet 
 the apostles considered it as bondage under the 
 power of Satan, and saw in it the images of dark- 
 ness and of death. This, in their view, was the 
 condition of the heathen, compared with their own 
 condition as " children of God," and " joint heirs 
 with Christ" of the eternal inheritauce purchased 
 by his blood for all who believe in him. 
 
 It was this view of the misery of heathenism, and 
 of the blessings of Revelation, which led the apos- 
 tles led those (we should remember) who were 
 best able to appreciate both to overcome the 
 strongest feelings of the heart ; which induced 
 them to abandon all that men most naturally and 
 justly love their parents, their kindred, their 
 country ; which could steel them against the re- 
 proaches of those dearest to them ; which could 
 1 Acts xvii. 16, 17.
 
 '266 THE DUTY OF 
 
 make them persevere in labours, exult in disgrace, 
 and endure the fiery trial of death and torture 
 not through obstinacy, not through any barbarous 
 hardihood of frame which defies suffering ; but 
 from a sober and holy calculation of the import- 
 ance of the object for which all this was under- 
 gone ; from a firm assurance that their own present 
 afflictions bore no proportion to the infinite gain 
 of those who should receive eternal life through 
 their means and agency. I know (says St. Paul) 
 " that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, 
 saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But 
 none of these things move me ; neither count I my 
 life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
 course with joy, and the ministry which I have re- 
 ceived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of 
 the grace of God." 8 
 
 Here, again, brethren, let us contemplate the 
 value of what we have freely received. We have 
 freely received what it was worth the labours, the 
 sacrifices, the sufferings of the apostles to convey 
 to the heathen of their day ; whose situation was 
 only what ours would have been, if God had not 
 " made us to differ" by the more happy allotment 
 of our birth and education. In these labours, in 
 these sacrifices, in this school of mortification and 
 2 Acts xx. 23, 24.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 267 
 
 self-denial, let us learn the blessing of being called 
 to the knowledge of God through the Gospel of 
 his incarnate Son. The unbeliever may dispute 
 and cavil ; but the Christian must bow to the au- 
 thority of Christ, and defer to the example of the 
 apostles. For. surely, the soul is no less precious 
 now, than eighteen hundred years ago ; nor is 
 eternity less awful. Heaven is not bereft of its 
 glories, nor is there less terror in " the blackness 
 of darkness for ever." No ! these are not changed. 
 Eternity is still a profound abyss, which our ima- 
 gination cannot fathom. The soul is still im- 
 perishable ; and God is still the same ; and Christ 
 is still the same the way, and the truth, and the 
 life, by whom alone man has access to the Father. 
 The difference is in us. We have a low and un- 
 worthy sense of blessings which we have always 
 enjoyed : we do not justly estimate the value of 
 our high calling. No man, indeed, ever did justly 
 estimate it, or ever will, on this side the grave. 
 Even the apostle failed of words to express " the 
 unsearchable riches of Christ ;" and was content, 
 in the simplicity of his gratitude, to bless God for 
 his unspeakable gift. 3 But HE will go nearest to 
 the thankfulness demanded of him, who goes near- 
 est to the apostles in his imitation of their labours 
 
 s 2 Cor. ix. 15.
 
 268 THE DUTY OF 
 
 in the Christian cause ; who, in considering the 
 case of half a world benighted, admits but the 
 single thought, how he may himself assist toward 
 enlightening that darkness what portion of his 
 leisure, of his abilities, of his wealth, he may be 
 expected to employ, in promoting the divine plan 
 for the redemption of mankind. He is not in- 
 vited to join in rash or undigested measures, which 
 defeat their own purpose : he is not required to 
 follow ill-directed zeal, or to rush into action with- 
 out knowledge and inquiry : but he is exhorted to 
 beware of the devices of Satan, who will not 
 readily abandon his strongholds ; and who would 
 constantly persuade us to mistake indifference for 
 prudence, and inactivity for discretion. Let him 
 devise his measures with the wisdom of the ser- 
 pent ; let him execute them with the meekness of 
 the dove : but let him not hesitate to devise, nor 
 delay to execute ; for, in the mean while, time is 
 hastening, immortal beings are perishing, and he is 
 " guilty concerning his brethren" guilty, by his 
 neglect of that plain and reasonable command, Freely 
 ye have received, freely give. Alas ! who can con- 
 template this who can call to mind our obliga- 
 tions as a people, and our obligations as indivi- 
 duals, and our too long insensibility to those obli- 
 gations without praying, from the bottom of his
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 269 
 
 heart, " Remember not, Lord, our iniquities, nor 
 the iniquities of our forefathers !" 
 
 II. Having thus attempted to bring your 
 thoughts, as well as my own, to a more just appre- 
 ciation of the benefits conferred upon us, it is time 
 that I should proceed, in the second place, to the 
 duty resulting from our privileges ; and implied in 
 the words, Freely give. For it is evident that all 
 are not called to the same exercise of duty in this 
 respect. " Let every man do according as he is 
 disposed in his heart," and according as he is en- 
 abled by his circumstances. 
 
 1. To some I would say, Freely give your MONEY, 
 your INFLUENCE, your ABILITIES. 
 
 With regard to money, let me observe, that it 
 is a gift within the power of those to whom no 
 other gift is practicable ; and that it has become 
 indispensable, from the time that the Head of the 
 Church has ceased visibly to interfere in the exten- 
 sion of his kingdom upon earth. Charities, we 
 know, even religious charities, like every other ex- 
 penditure, must be directed by calculation, and 
 not by enthusiasm. But we all are bound to in- 
 quire what proportion our contributions have borne 
 to the importance of their object ; all to consider 
 whether no part of our expenditure would be em-
 
 '270 THK DUTY OF 
 
 ployed in a manner more pleasing to God, and more 
 profitable to men, if it were devoted to the cause of 
 true religion. 
 
 But our cause stands in need of INFLUENCE and 
 of ABILITIES, no less than of pecuniary aid. The 
 affairs of an empire demand talents of a different 
 sort, but scarcely demand higher talents than the 
 concerns of a Missionary Society. Knowledge of 
 mankind, discrimination of individual character, 
 observation of " the signs of the times," quickness 
 in profiting by circumstances, prudence united 
 with zeal, and activity tempered by moderation 
 these are but a sample of the qualifications which 
 are required in the direction of Missionary opera- 
 tions. It is with a Society of this sort, as with an 
 individual ; his conduct is estimated according to 
 his profession : and we know that conduct unsuit- 
 able to profession is rather a matter of exultation, 
 than of regret to the enemies of religion. Now, in 
 what way can abilities be more delightfully en- 
 gaged, than in promoting, by advice, by influence, 
 by active co-operation, the extension of the church 
 of God ? The present age has this peculiar cha 
 racteristic, that no man need " stand all the day 
 idle." There have been times when many might, 
 comparatively, have sought in vain for an oppor- 
 tunity of employing their talents in the service of
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. '271 
 
 religion : but, now, every species of ability may 
 be turned to spiritual usefulness, and may co- 
 operate in the noble purpose of reconciling man to 
 God. Let the linguist unfold in new tongues the 
 mystery of Redemption : let the learned bring the 
 experience of former times to assist present exer- 
 tions : let the eloquent stimulate the tardy, and 
 rouse the indifferent : let the logical reasoner 
 silence calumny, and detect misrepresentation. 
 All have their use : and, by such use, all are 
 sanctified ; and the daily business of life becomes 
 a daily preparation for heaven. When we com- 
 pare this mode of employing talents, and the gra- 
 tification which attends it, with the way in which 
 they are sometimes neglected and sometimes mis- 
 used by men of leisure and independence, how 
 truly do we mark the reward that follows godli- 
 ness, even in the life that now is ! Far be it from 
 me to recommend a self-complacent retrospect of 
 our own doings : indeed, who, that could indulge 
 in such self-complacency, would be found to take 
 an interest in the religion of a meek and lowly Sa- 
 viour ? But, for a Christian to rejoice that he 
 has been led by the Spirit of God to devote the 
 faculties bestowed on him to the service of the 
 Giver, is according to the apostle's own example 
 " I have fought a good fight : I have finished my
 
 272 THE DUTY OF 
 
 course: I have kept the faith." 4 Nay, it has 
 even a higher sanction in the words " Father, I 
 have glorified thee on the earth : I have finished 
 the work which thou gavest me to do." 5 
 
 My brethren, a time may come, when such an 
 evidence of faith working by love will be valuable 
 to your hearts. Lay up for yourselves a conso- 
 latory reflection against the day of trial. 
 
 2. I come now to a sacrifice confessedly more 
 difficult : but there are those to whom it may be 
 proper to say, Freely give your FRIENDS and RELA- 
 TIONS to the furtherance of this holy cause. 
 
 A blameable reluctance on the part of near re- 
 lations to spare those who are dear to them, is one 
 of the greatest obstacles to the increase of the 
 Missionary Spirit among us. It is humbling to 
 reflect, that opportunities of secular advantage, 
 which equally separate a man from his friends 
 and his country, are sought with eagerness and 
 welcomed with congratulation ; but with what 
 comparative coldness, to say the least, if not with 
 evident regret, do we hear of a young friend's 
 determination to become an ambassador of Christ 
 among the heathen ! The impediment to the Mis- 
 sionary cause is to be found here. Here is the 
 * 2 Tim. iv. 7. 5 John xvii. 4.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 273 
 
 reason why our labourers are crying out, from 
 the east and from the west, and often, alas ! in 
 vain, " Come over and help us." There is talent 
 enough in our land, for this as well as other 
 objects; there is enterprise enough: and God 
 would not withhold the spirit of piety, which would 
 rejoice to spend itself in making known the bless- 
 ings of redemption. The fault lies heavily upon 
 parents and relations, who, instead of bending 
 youthful talents into this direction, too often divert 
 the ardour of enterprise into very different chan- 
 nels, and extinguish feelings which burn with a 
 desire to promote the glory of God and the salva- 
 tion of mankind. 
 
 But, you may reply, " The sacrifice is greater 
 than we can bear. That very disposition, which 
 inclines our son to the work of a missionary, is 
 the disposition which endears him to his family at 
 home. Those talents, which we have watched 
 and cultivated, we hoped to see expand into use- 
 fulness, and reward our pains. We have reared 
 the plant, and are not allowed to witness its per- 
 fection : we have nursed the bud, and the blossom 
 is taken from us, to disclose its beauty to others 
 to others, probably, who will not recognise its 
 value, but cast it from them and trample it under 
 foot."
 
 274 THE DUTY OF 
 
 These feelings are very natural ; but they are 
 not, on that account, to be encouraged. We must 
 resist them (it is the only way in which they can 
 be successfully resisted) on our knees ; praying, 
 " Lord, increase our faith" our faith in those hea- 
 venly promises, which are intended to reconcile us 
 to the loss of what we here resign in duty to thee ! 
 Where is now the faith of Abraham, when he, 
 who had received the promises offered up his only 
 son? 6 Where is the gratitude of Hannah, when 
 she said, I have lent my child unto the Lord : 
 as long as he liveth, he shall be lent unto the 
 Lord ? 7 
 
 I grant the sacrifice is great, when the child, or 
 the brother, or the friend who is dearer than a 
 brother, goes forth to encounter the vicissitudes of 
 climate, the risks of foreign travel, the enmity of 
 hardened sinners, the scorn and contumely of 
 infidels, perhaps even the injuries of those whom 
 he desires to bless. But so was the sacrifice great, 
 when the apostles left all and followed him who 
 was despised and rejected of men : and he allowed 
 it to be great, when he pronounced his solemn 
 blessing upon those who had done this, and upon 
 all who should hereafter do it, following their ex- 
 ample. 8 If we give unto the Lord that which costs 
 
 6 Heb. xi. 17. ^ I Sam. i. 28. See Luke xviii. 29, 30.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 275 
 
 us nothing, "what do we more than others?" 
 " He that soweth sparingly, shall reap also spar- 
 ingly; and he that soweth bountifully, shall reap 
 also bountifully." In truth, it is something like 
 hypocrisy, to lament over the pitiable case of the 
 heathen, and to desire that " the knowledge of the 
 Lord may cover the earth," and to " pray the 
 Lord of the harvest that he may send forth la- 
 bourers into his harvest ;" and then to grudge 
 those labourers, if they are taken from among our- 
 selves ; to withhold the instruments by which the 
 blessing must of necessity be conveyed. But let 
 us hope better things, though we thus speak. 
 Let us hope that the examples, which have been 
 already seen, of truly disinterested sacrifices, of the 
 renunciation of this world's best endearments for 
 the sake of the Gospel of Christ, may be an ear- 
 nest of a glorious season now beginning, when 
 great shall be the company of those who publish 
 the word of the Lord. 9 
 
 3. Proceeding to enforce the principle of the 
 text, I may say to others, Freely give YOURSELVES, 
 your LIVES some may be present here to whom 
 such an exhortation will not be improperly ad- 
 dressed Freely give your LIVES to the honour- 
 9 See Psalm Ixviii. 11. 
 
 T 2
 
 276 THE DUTY OF 
 
 able work of an evangelist. Yet I am too mindful 
 of the weakness of our nature, and of what the 
 cause requires, to wish this work undertaken by 
 any one rashly or unadvisedly. Sit down first, 
 and " count the cost." Consider the dangers, the 
 difficulties, the sacrifices : but do not consider 
 these alone : have respect, also, to the magnitude 
 of the object, and to " the recompense of the 
 reward." In full and unhesitating faith, contem- 
 plate the assurance of our blessed Lord, " Verity 
 I say unto you, There is no man who hath left 
 house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or chil- 
 dren, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall 
 not receive manifold more in this present time, and 
 in the world to come life everlasting. 1 
 
 For my own part, I will confess, that as far as 
 I have pursued that instructive study, the biogra- 
 phy of missionaries, I have been particularly struck 
 with the fulfilment of the paradoxical promise, 
 " manifold more in this present time." I have gene- 
 rally seen, that as many as have entered their 
 names in the glorious book of " apostles and pro- 
 phets and evangelists," 2 have taken upon them- 
 selves a laborious, a toilsome, a painful profession ; 
 but no man's consolations have been like theirs. 
 They have wandered through a wilderness of moral 
 1 Luke xviii. 29, 30. 2 Eph. iv. 11.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 277 
 
 misery ; but their path has been guided and 
 cheered ; they have not been left without the pillar 
 of cloud to screen them by day, or the pillar of 
 fire to enliven the darkness of the night. The 
 delightful intercourse of earthly friends has been 
 denied them ; but they have enjoyed the presence 
 of God : he has ' ' come unto them, and made his 
 abode with them." They have borne the burthen 
 and heat of the day ; but they have realised the 
 promise, that " as their days, so should their strength 
 be." In the midst of their usefulness, death has 
 intercepted their labours : but their hope has been 
 " full of immortality." Beyond that of others, 
 the missionary's " conversation is in heaven." 
 His employment in his Redeemer's service keeps 
 him in perpetual intercourse with his Redeemer. 
 His difficulties and his necessities maintain within 
 him a salutary feeling of dependence. Good or 
 ill success equally draws him closer to God. He 
 is encumbered less than most men with those 
 earthly cares, which press down the soul and chain 
 it to things present. The world is truly crucified 
 unto him, and he unto the world. And although, 
 in the approach towards this state, there will be 
 many a painful struggle of the flesh against the 
 spirit; yet when, by the grace of God, it is at- 
 tained, it is its own exceeding great reward : for
 
 278 THE DUTY OF 
 
 it has with it " that peace of God which passeth 
 all understanding," which this world can neither 
 give nor take away. 
 
 4. One offering remains, to which I may invite 
 you with still greater urgency, because it is an 
 offering undoubtedly within the power of all. 
 Some may have neither fortune, nor influence, nor 
 friends, nor talents to contribute ; but all may 
 freely give their PRAYERS toward the conversion of 
 the heathen. And, without prayer, what spiri- 
 tual good would be achieved, by the highest au- 
 thority, or the most splendid abilities, or the most 
 lavish contributions ? Prayer must draw down 
 that heavenly increase, without which even Paul 
 would have planted and Apollos have watered in 
 vain. Prayer gave the apostles their success ; and 
 they, in return, demanded the prayers of their con- 
 verts, that God would " open to them a door of 
 utterance to speak the mystery of Christ." 3 The 
 object MUST be a holy object, which is prosecuted 
 by prayer : other measures may originate in a 
 spirit of party, or in secular enterprise; but " fer- 
 vent effectual prayer" will only be excited by the 
 desire of the salvation of our fellow-creatures. 
 Other means, too, are of doubtful result ; but, of 
 * Col. iv. 3.
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 279 
 
 prayer, we confidently trust that it will not altoge- 
 ther fail : and the recent annals of missions war- 
 rant the belief, that God is still pleased to be 
 distinguished as one who hears and answers prayer. 
 A light, still dim, indeed, and feeble, yet a light 
 now gleams upon the heathen lands, more visibly 
 than in any former time. And in no former time 
 have such earnest supplications been raised toward 
 the throne of grace, from so many domestic altars, 
 and so many Christian hearts, imploring that the 
 lives of those good men who have gone forth may 
 not have been spent in vain. 
 
 In conclusion, brethren This discourse will 
 have answered its purpose, if it shall lead any one 
 among you to inquire what he has individually 
 done toward freely imparting that which he has 
 freely received ; whether he has contributed as 
 much toward establishing his Redeemer's kingdom, 
 as, in his particular circumstances, he was bound 
 to contribute. No doubt there are those among us, 
 who would in vain disclaim this evidence of their 
 faith : for their " praise is in all the churches." 
 But there must also be others, conscious to them- 
 selves that their exertions in the cause have been 
 not only unworthy of the object, (for of such an 
 object what exertions can be worthy?) but un-
 
 280 THE D'UTY OF 
 
 worthy of their own acknowledged duty and pro- 
 fession. O reflect, my brethren, how guilty this 
 indifference must needs appear in the sight of the 
 Son of God ! He did not think it much to leave 
 the bosom of the Father, with whom he was before 
 all worlds : he did not think it much to take upon 
 him the infirmities and sufferings of man ; he did 
 not think it much to feel the exquisite sense of sin, 
 though without its guilt, and to undergo its direct 
 penalty : and can there be such apathy in men, 
 that they should deny him the glories of a triumph 
 so hardly achieved, and grudge him the fruits of 
 his victory ? Every soul taken from the power of 
 Satan is a jewel added to his crown ; and every 
 soul which Satan still retains through our neglect 
 or delay, is a jewel withheld from his reward. As 
 far, then, as depends on you, let him " see of the 
 travail of his soul, and be satisfied." Let him be- 
 hold you, from his throne on high, contemplating 
 his unspeakable love, till some portion of it kindles 
 in your own bosom. Let him behold you medi- 
 tating on your own reconciliation with God through 
 " the blood of the everlasting covenant," till you 
 are filled with a desire to carry forth the olive- 
 branch of peace to those who are still at enmity 
 with him, still aliens from the commonwealth of 
 Israel. Let him behold you co-operating with his
 
 SUPPORTING MISSIONS. 281 
 
 mysterious plan for the redemption of the world. 
 He has left it to your co-operation. He has 
 deigned to make you his instruments. He has 
 paid down the ransom ; and has commanded YOU 
 to go forth and publish the glad tidings. Follow 
 the example which he has set up for your admira- 
 tion. Though his attributes were infinite, he em- 
 ployed them all in love to man ; his omniscience to 
 warn ; his mercy to invite ; his power to convince ; 
 his manhood to minister ; his Godhead to redeem ! 
 And, now, he calls on you to devote your faculties 
 to his service, or rather to the service of your 
 fellow-creatures for his sake. He expects you to 
 give this proof, that the mercies bestowed on you 
 have not been bestowed unworthily. The time is 
 short to any of us, during which such proofs can 
 possibly be given. Provide wisely against that 
 hour, when one token that we have been united 
 to the Saviour, in true and lively faith, will be 
 more dear to our recollection, and more soothing 
 to our hearts, than the praises, or the treasures, or 
 the glories of a thousand transitory worlds.
 
 282 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 REASONS FOR MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 
 
 Matt. vi. 10. 
 Thy kingdom come. 
 
 THE kingdom of God, here alluded to, is the king- 
 dom established in the world by Christ Jesus, and 
 created upon the ruins of the kingdom of Satan. 
 " For this was the Sou of God manifested, that 
 he might destroy the works of the devil ;" that 
 he might cast out " the prince of darkness," who 
 had been too long " the prince of this world." He 
 was to be the head of a kingdom, in which the 
 sovereignty of God should be owned ; the name of 
 God hallowed ; the will of God done. 
 
 And in making a petition that this kingdom 
 may come, a part of that prayer which has been 
 left for our constant use, our blessed Lord has
 
 REASONS FOR MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 283 
 
 interested his disciples, to the end of time, in the 
 promulgation of his Gospel. Thy kingdom come ! 
 I cannot use these words with any reasonable 
 meaning, unless I desire that the grace of God 
 may reign, first, in my own heart, and " bring 
 every thought into captivity to the obedience of 
 Christ ;" next, that it may govern my family, 
 my relations, my dependents, all, in short, with 
 whom I am concerned : and, further, that the 
 knowledge of God may be extended more and 
 more widely upon earth, till the darkness is dis- 
 persed and the true light shineth everywhere, and 
 " the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms 
 of our Lord and of his Christ." 1 
 
 Such, as far as it regards this present world, is 
 the force of the familiar petition, Thy kingdom 
 come ! We pray that the number be increased of 
 willing and obedient hearts, who serve their hea- 
 venly Lord, and acknowledge their eternal King. 
 So that all hearts may be his ; and his sovereignty 
 may be as universal as his right is indisputable ; 
 till his will is " done on earth, as it is in 
 heaven." 
 
 I proceed to consider why we should be taught 
 to make this the subject of our constant prayer; 
 what ought to be in our minds, that the words of 
 i Rev. xi. 13.
 
 284 REASONS FOR 
 
 our mouths, and the desires of our hearts, may 
 ascend to God together. 
 
 It would be a sufficient reason, that God might 
 be glorified by his creatures. This every servant 
 of God will earnestly desire. The thought is 
 shocking, that man, who cannot lift up an arm, 
 except as God gives strength man, who cannot 
 utter a breath except through him *' in whom he 
 lives and moves," should yet defy his Maker's 
 will, and live in habitual transgression of his 
 laws. 
 
 Not, however, without that consequence by 
 which God has ordained that disobedience to his 
 laws should even here be visited. And therefore 
 we pray that the kingdom of God may come, first, 
 because of the wretchedness which prevails where 
 his kingdom is not established. 
 
 I. I would not be understood to say, that in a 
 heathen country there is nothing except wretch- 
 edness. That would be as unreasonable as to 
 pretend that in a Christian country all were hap- 
 piness. There is no land where God has " left 
 himself without witness," and has not bestowed 
 many blessings of which even the wickedness of 
 man cannot entirely deprive him. Heathen lands
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 285 
 
 are compared in Scripture to a wilderness. Yet 
 in a wilderness, among the general barrenness, 
 some fruitful spots are found, and some flowers 
 which, though without culture, and without valu- 
 able fruit, delight the eye, and relieve the wearied 
 mind of the traveller who passes through. 
 
 But in heathen lands there is a vast proportion 
 of misery ; of that worst misery, which arises from 
 men's wickedness. St. Paul has left descriptions 
 which are still, alas ! but too accurate ; declaring 
 how " the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their 
 mind, having their understandings darkened, being- 
 alienated from the life of God through the igno- 
 
 ~ o 
 
 ranee that is in them, because of the blindness of 
 their heart ; who, being past feeling, have given 
 themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all 
 uncleanness with greediness. Being filled with all 
 unrighteousness, fornication, covetousness, mali- 
 ciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, 
 malignity." 2 
 
 We know the distress which a single character 
 of this kind is able to inflict upon others ; we know 
 how he is dreaded in his family, and abhorred in 
 his neighbourhood. What then must we think, 
 when a country is filled with such characters ! 
 
 But it may be asked, have the heathen no reli- 
 2 Rom. i.
 
 286 REASONS FOR 
 
 gion ? Is there nothing to correct the evil of 
 their nature ? My brethren, the very religion of 
 the heathen is their misery ; and to deliver them 
 from this, is one of the greatest blessings that can 
 be bestowed on them. What we call their religion, 
 is commonly as cruel and as sensual as their own 
 bad passions, and goes far towards exciting and 
 inflaming those passions. They have " received 
 by tradition from their fathers" what we may truly 
 call " a vain conversation ;" and according to that 
 vain conversation their priests instruct them, some- 
 times to torment themselves, and sometimes to 
 t6rment others ; to consider cruelty as obedience, 
 and anguish piety. Pompous ceremonies, vain 
 repetitions, disgusting and barbarous rites, we may 
 find amongst them ; but where shall we find that 
 which is really pleasing to the Almighty ? The 
 doing of justice ? The loving mercy ? The walk- 
 ing humbly with God? Heathenism knows not 
 this. Fallen, sinful man, discovers it not : his 
 heart is at enmity with justice, at enmity with 
 mercy, at enmity with humility, till it is renewed 
 by the Spirit of God, and instructed by his word. 
 He will do those things which are agreeable to the 
 pride of his nature, or which pamper the corrupt 
 desires of his nature, or which accord with the 
 cruelty of his nature ; but his religion neither
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 287 
 
 teaches him nor enables him to oppose these evil 
 dispositions, and to become " poor in spirit," and 
 " pure in heart," and " meek and merciful." 
 " The light that is in him is darkness ;" and truly 
 we may say, " how great is that darkness !" 
 
 Almighty Father, may thy kingdom come ! that 
 the people which walk in such darkness may see 
 thy marvellous light, and thy glory may rise upon 
 them ! 
 
 II. Heathenism, then, is misery. But the Gos- 
 pel, on the other hand, is in itself a mighty 
 blessing. 
 
 I need hardly urge this truth before those who 
 possess the Gospel, who have just now united in 
 thanking God, above all other mercies, " for the 
 means of grace and hope of glory." But perhaps 
 this very possession of the blessing makes us less 
 capable of appreciating its value. We have never 
 felt the perplexity of searching after the Creator 
 of the world, " if haply we might find him," 
 through the clouds and darkness which surround 
 his throne. We have never thought of him as 
 the object alone of undefinable dread ; we have 
 never learnt to hear his anger in storms and tem- 
 pests ; to tremble at him as the avenger, to worship 
 him as the destroyer. God has been revealed to
 
 288 REASONS FOR 
 
 us, from our youth up, not in the terrors which 
 superstition invents, or with which ignorance tor- 
 ments itself: he has been revealed to us not even in 
 the fire, and blackness, and tempests of Mount Sinai, 
 which the Israelites could not endure. 3 He has been 
 revealed to us in the still small voice of mercy. 
 The heathen have been used to regard that being 
 which they have adored as God, as cruel and 
 revengeful ; as pleased with pain and delighting 
 in blood. But we acquaint them with God as 
 " long-suffering and gracious, forgiving iniquity, 
 transgression and sin :''" who promises to the pe- 
 nitent offender, " Let the wicked forsake his way, 
 and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return 
 unto the Lord, for he will have mercy on him ; 
 and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." 
 We acquaint them with him, whose harshest words 
 are, " Why will ye die, O house of Israel, why 
 will ye be stricken any more ?" " Wash you, 
 make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings 
 from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil, learn 
 to do well." " Come now and let us reason 
 together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as 
 scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though 
 they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 
 Such is the gracious language of the Gospel : and 
 3 Heb. xiii. 18.
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 280 
 
 need I ask whether it is a blessing ? But, further, 
 it not only offers peace, but brings a pledge of it. 
 The God whom we make known to the heathen, 
 is he who " so loved the world, that he gave his 
 only Son, that all who believe in him might not 
 perish, but have everlasting life." So loved the 
 world, that when that world had destroyed itself 
 through sin, he contrived, and prepared, and ful- 
 filled a plan of mercy, which should bring men 
 back from ruin, and restore them to happiness, by 
 restoring them to the knowledge and love and ser- 
 vice of their Creator. That punishment which sin 
 incurred, that sacrifice which sin demanded, he 
 could not forego : his holiness, his justice, enforced 
 the penalty ; nay, the world (in order that it 
 might be recovered from its carnality and unbelief) 
 required a proof, a standing, undeniable proof, of 
 the consequences of unrepented wickedness. But 
 that proof he has given, not in the destruction, but 
 in the salvation of his creatures : that truth he has 
 made manifest, not by a proclamation of wrath, 
 but of mercy ; not by a message of terror, but of 
 peace ; and the language of his ministers is, " We 
 are ambassadors for God, and beseech you, for 
 Christ's sake, be ye reconciled unto God :" " God 
 hath not appointed you unto wrath, but to obtain 
 salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." He 
 
 u
 
 290 REASONS FOR 
 
 has laid on him the iniquity of us all, and im- 
 plores you to receive eternal life as his free gift 
 to all that repent and believe in that name. 
 
 Such, brethren, is the message of the Gospel ; 
 such is the message which Christ delighted to 
 bring, and angels to hear, and the apostles to 
 convey ; these are the gracious terms in which 
 God makes himself known to his erring sinful 
 creatures, and such is the pledge and covenant 
 which he has afforded of his love. I may feel 
 ashamed of labouring to prove that this revelation 
 is a mighty blessing to mankind. I trust that the 
 hearts of many here present respond to me when 
 I affirm it, because you know and feel it to be so. 
 You know that it is a blessing to yourselves. You 
 feel that it is justly described as " righteousness, 
 and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." You feel 
 it to be righteousness, because, through its strength, 
 and its sanctions, and its promises, you are enabled 
 to put off the " old man, which is corrupt accord- 
 ing to the deceitful lusts ; and to put on the new 
 man, which after God is created in righteousness 
 and true holiness." You feel it to be peace, be- 
 cause you " know in whom you have believed : 
 and that he is able to keep what you have com- 
 mitted to him unto the great day." You feel it to 
 be joy, because you walk in the comfort of the
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 291 
 
 Holy Ghost ; and " though now, if need be, you 
 are in heaviness through manifold temptations," 
 yet you can look forward to the end, and antici- 
 pating the time " when Christ, who is your life, 
 shall appear," you can smile through your pre- 
 sent tears, and rejoice " with joy unspeakable and 
 full of glory." 
 
 Almighty Father ! thy kingdom come ! when 
 " all shall know thee, from the least to the 
 greatest ;" and thou shalt be " to them a God, and 
 they shall be to thee a people !" 
 
 III. But, further, we desire that the Gospel 
 may be carried into all lands, because it leads to 
 unspeakable blessings hereafter. We cannot in- 
 deed describe those blessings ; we cannot even 
 imagine them within our minds ; for eye hath not 
 seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the 
 heart of man the things which God hath prepared 
 for them that love him. We cannot open the win- 
 dows of heaven, and display before your eyes what 
 St. John was permitted to contemplate, the holy 
 city, with its " gates of pearl, and its streets of pure 
 gold, as it were transparent glass." 4 Still less can 
 we show you the kingdom " wherein dwelleth 
 righteousness," 5 and only righteousness ; into 
 4 Rev. xxi. 21. 52 Pet. iii. 15. 
 
 U 2
 
 292 REASONS FOR 
 
 which " there shall in no wise enter anything 
 that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomi- 
 nation." 6 Alas! how should eyes which are 
 soiled with the pollutions of this corrupt world, 
 behold the realms where all is holiness and purity : 
 which " the glory of God doth lighten, and the 
 Lamb is the light thereof?" 
 
 But there are considerations by which we can 
 assure ourselves of the reality of this blessedness, 
 and the greatness of this glory : even if we are 
 unable to fill our imagination with its nature, 
 there are means by which we can satisfy our rea- 
 son of its inestimable value. 
 
 The kingdom which the Gospel opens to us, is 
 a kingdom which God from the beginning of the 
 world has prepared for the righteous. It is the 
 kingdom promised to Adam, revealed to Abraham, 
 shadowed out under the law, foretold by the pro- 
 phets, anticipated by faithful men through long 
 ages of expectation, and waited for in a patient 
 course of obedience and endurance. It is a king- 
 dom, whose nearer approach was welcomed by 
 the heavenly host in hymns and congratulations ; 
 and the things concerning which " angels desire 
 to look into." It is the kingdom perfected by that 
 wonderful mystery of godliness, God manifest in 
 
 6 Rev. xxii. 15.
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 293 
 
 the flesh ; the kingdom purchased by his precious 
 blood. Great, indeed, must be the glory which 
 is worth this astonishing sacrifice ; great the reality 
 which is ushered in with this long and mighty 
 preparation. It is a kingdom which those who 
 have understood it best, because it had been most 
 clearly revealed to them, have valued most; for 
 the sake of which they have resigned all that in 
 this world is most delightful, and endured all that 
 in this world is most fearful ; have forsaken the 
 objects of their tenderest affection, houses and 
 country, parents and children ; have " consented 
 to be tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they 
 might obtain a better resurrection ;" have sub- 
 mitted to " trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, 
 yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment ;" have 
 learnt to " joy in tribulations also," to " rejoice 
 and be exceeding glad," looking for a reward in 
 heaven. This they have done, not having re- 
 ceived the promises, but walking by faith, which 
 has been to them the evidence of things not seen. 
 And what must be the reality of that blessedness, 
 the expectation of which could achieve such 
 triumphs over the strongest feelings of our present 
 nature ? 
 
 But before a Christian congregation I have no 
 more need to enlarge upon the happiness of hea-
 
 294 REASONS FOR 
 
 ven, than upon the value of Gospel privileges. 
 Let us rather pray, " Lord, increase our faith !" 
 " Open the eyes of our understandings," that we 
 may duly prize the heavenly inheritance, and so 
 set our affections on things above, as to say with 
 earnestness and sincerity, Thy kingdom come ! 
 
 Let me now apply what has been said to the 
 purpose of my present discourse. 
 
 Brethren, we owe this to Christianity ; that the 
 rule of doing unto others as we would they should 
 do unto us, is called a golden rule, and become a 
 proverb in our mouths. Now if you were in a 
 miserable condition, you would desire that others 
 who had the power, should deliver you from your 
 low estate. I have shown that heathenism is 
 misery. Let us then exert ourselves to relieve the 
 heathen from that condition. 
 
 If another were possessed of a treasure which, 
 without impoverishing himself, nay, enriching him- 
 self the more, he might freely impart to you, you 
 would desire, and justly desire, a share of it. I 
 have shown that the Gospel is a treasure : a bless- 
 ing great in its immediate benefits, and incal- 
 culably great in its future promises. Let us exert 
 ourselves to communicate that blessing, and spread 
 it more widely over the world.
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 295 
 
 How can we do this ? you might possibly be 
 obliged to ask : what means are within our power 
 to effect so great a work ? 
 
 Such might be the inquiry, if I did not address 
 you on behalf of a Society which performs this 
 very object. 7 It is an apparatus, set in motion by 
 the love of God and man, and contrived for the 
 purpose of conveying, in the most effectual man- 
 ner, the blessings of the Gospel into the wilderness 
 of heathenism. It considers ignorance of God, 
 and of the way of access to him, as the greatest 
 misfortune ; and therefore it applies itself to relieve 
 that misfortune. It considers knowledge of God, 
 and of the means of adoption into his favour 
 through Christ Jesus, as the greatest blessing : 
 and therefore bestirs itself to communicate that 
 blessing. If there be a part of our globe where 
 ignorance is dense, and reason degraded, it is 
 Africa. And to Africa particularly have the 
 efforts of this Society been directed. If there be a 
 country where religion is truly misery, and light 
 darkness, and superstition devilish, it is India, the 
 wide expanse of our Eastern territories ; and there, 
 too, has this Society found openings for Christian 
 adventure, and assisted to exhibit the standard of 
 the cross, that whoever will, may " look up and be 
 saved." 
 
 7 The Church Missionary Society.
 
 296 REASONS FOR 
 
 Do you ask why it has done this? Because it 
 saw the nations naked and bleeding, and it could 
 not pass by on the other side. Do you ask why 
 it has done this? Because it is composed of 
 Christians ; and as Christ, when he beheld the 
 world in ruins, not only pitied, but relieved its 
 wretchedness ; so they also would be ashamed to 
 name the name of Christ, and not to follow his 
 steps in the active exercise of mercy. Do you ask 
 further, why it has done this ? Because it is com- 
 posed of churchmen ; and, as members of the 
 church, they are in the daily habit of praying-, 
 Thy kingdom come ! and they know that to pray 
 for a blessing, and not to use the means which 
 may procure it, is either vain enthusiasm or sinful 
 hypocrisy. Shall we constantly repeat the sup- 
 plication, that God would make " his way known 
 upon earth, his saving health unto all nations," 
 and shall we contribute no share towards that 
 blessed consummation ? To extend the knowledge 
 of his way, to impart to the perishing his saving 
 health, by sending messengers to convey it, is the 
 express design of this Society ; and in so doing, it 
 facilitates the efforts, even the smallest efforts, of 
 spiritual benevolence, and gives effect to the feeble- 
 ness of individual exertions. 
 
 Again, we admire the constitution of our church,
 
 MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 297 
 
 we admire its services, and think them happily 
 adapted to the wants and circumstances of man- 
 kind. Then shall we not extend the use of them ? 
 Ought we not in consistency to communicate what 
 we approve? Ought we not to enable others in 
 the same words to raise their supplications to the 
 same God ; to implore his mercy in the same 
 hurnble confessions ; and to praise his goodness in 
 the same joyful thanksgivings ? This very Sab- 
 bath, brethren, many a congregation, in many a 
 remote land, is lifting up holy hands to God ; 
 many a congregation which, but for this Society. 
 w r ould have been doubting what ought to be 
 adored, or perhaps would have been adoring the 
 evil one. This very Sabbath, brethren, the con- 
 fession of sinfulness, in which you have joined, has 
 riien also from the parching sands of Africa, and 
 from the luxuriant forests of India : and, taught 
 by the instruments which this Society has em- 
 ployed, multitudes of converted heathen have 
 imitated you in the words, " Holy, holy, holy, 
 Lord God of Sabaoth." 8 As you have borrowed 
 them from the songs of angels, the heathen have 
 copied them from the formularies of your church. 
 Have you assisted in this ? Has your mite con- 
 tributed to this blessed exchange of heathen igno- 
 8 Isa. vi. 3.
 
 298 REASONS FOR MISSIONARY EXERTIONS. 
 
 ranee for Christian worship ? Go on, and prosper. 
 Never was there a time when your exertions were 
 more needed. The Society has become impo- 
 verished by its own success ; and unless the 
 liberality of its supporters keeps pace with that 
 success, it will be forced to contract its operations, 
 and relax its efforts in the Christian cause. Is 
 there one here who has not assisted hitherto, and 
 taken no share in this work ? Hasten to wipe 
 away the stain, before it is indelible ; and show, 
 by some sacrifice on behalf of spiritual charity, 
 that you prize what you enjoy, that you can act 
 as well as pray, and diligently promote what you 
 profess earnestly to desire.
 
 299 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 ACTIVE CHARITY A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 
 
 James i. 27. 
 
 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the 
 Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows 
 in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted 
 from the world. 
 
 IT is evident from the tone of St. James's epistle, 
 that among those to whom he addressed it, a practical 
 religion was at a low ebb. Perhaps this was 
 more likely to be the case with the Jewish con- 
 verts, than with those from among the heathen 
 who had embraced the Gospel. The Jews had 
 been accustomed to the name of religion. They 
 had been used to associate with it the idea of 
 forms and ceremonies. They had always con- 
 sidered themselves as the people of God. It was 
 
 1 The twelve tribes which were scattered abroad.
 
 300 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 no new thing to cry unto him, " Abba, Father." 
 And for this reason, it would be more difficult to 
 make them understand the different relation towards 
 God in which they were placed, as disciples of 
 his blessed Son ; more difficult for them to per- 
 ceive the devotedness of heart and life to which 
 they were called through the Gospel ; to perceive 
 that names are nothing, unless they represent 
 realities; that forms are not piety, but the means 
 of piety. 
 
 On this account St. James takes great pains to 
 show the danger of being " hearers of the word" 
 only, and not " doers ;" and so " deceiving their 
 own selves" with the shadow instead of the sub- 
 stance of religion. He points out the effect which 
 FAITH will have, when it is truly planted and 
 rooted in the heart. And in the text he sets 
 forth one example, one very important instance, 
 of the way in which it will operate and direct the 
 habits of life. Pure religion and undefiled before 
 God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless 
 and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself 
 unspotted from the world. 
 
 Brethren, it well behoves us to consider what is 
 pure and undefiled religion. How earnestly are 
 we warned to consider this in time ! How care- 
 fully does our Lord guard us against that self-
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 301 
 
 deceit in which Satan would desire to lull the 
 heart ! How plainly does he declare, that " Not 
 every one that calleth him, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the 
 will of his Father which is in heaven !" 
 
 Whilst, then, I lay before you the import of 
 this text, may the Spirit of truth open your hearts 
 to examine yourselves, and see that you are not 
 " barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 I. The apostle's words prove, first, that something 
 might appear to be, or be held to be, pure and 
 undefiled religion, which is not satisfactory before 
 God. 
 
 1. They prove, for instance, that a scriptural and 
 orthodox creed is not in itself sufficient. To be- 
 lieve in God the Father ; to believe in Jesus Christ 
 the Redeemer ; to believe in the Holy Ghost the 
 Sanctifier ; to believe in the resurrection of the 
 dead, and the life of the world to come, is the 
 foundation of all righteousness ; but it is only the 
 foundation : and unless on that foundation the 
 edifice of a Christian life is raised a life of piety 
 towards God, of obedience towards Christ Jesus, 
 of dependence on the Holy Spirit, of preparation 
 for heaven then is the foundation useless; the
 
 302 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 purpose is not answered for which it was laid. It 
 is worse to begin to build, and not to be able to 
 finish, than not to build at all. And it is better 
 not to have known the truth, than to acknowledge 
 doctrines which ought to lead to active love 
 towards God and man, and to live as if we knew 
 them not. " For unto whomsoever much is given, 
 of him shall be much required : and to whom men 
 have committed much, of him they will ask the 
 more." If we are acquainted with those truths 
 which ought to guide our practice, and are not 
 actuated by them ; with principles which ought to 
 set our whole lives in motion, and are not moved 
 by them we may be judged out of our own mouths, 
 and convicted by our own confusion. 
 
 2. An orthodox faith, therefore, is not pure and 
 undefiled religion. Neither, it here appears, is an 
 inactive, contemplative religion such as God ap- 
 proves. There is much to amuse the mind and 
 captivate the fancy in this species of religion. 
 Good men (we have no doubt they were good 
 men) have been deceived by its fair form ; and 
 have persuaded themselves that the best method 
 to become conversant with a heavenly world was 
 to retire from this ; and that they approached the 
 
 - Luke xii. 48.
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 303 
 
 life of angels in proportion as they departed from 
 the life of men. Some have even dared to cast 
 reproach upon what they have termed a busy re- 
 ligion ; and have recommended a silent piety, and 
 a calm and quiet contemplation of the divine attri- 
 butes and perfections. 
 
 Plainly, these would not agree with St. James, 
 nor St. James with them. It is an active, busy 
 thing to leave the retired chamber, and the pious 
 books, and the devout meditation, and to seek out 
 and instruct the fatherless, to visit and console the 
 afflicted. Yet this, he assures us, is pure and un- 
 defiled religion ; because it is to this that medita- 
 tion and prayer will lead, if they are attended by 
 the Spirit of God : just as meditation on any ob- 
 ject of affection, just as intercourse with those we 
 love, will set us, not upon thinking of their excel- 
 lencies, but upon doing what will please them. 
 Certainly, without the religion of the closet, there 
 can be no religion out of it : we must be prepared 
 for active service by a prayerful study of the word 
 in private. But one must not supersede the 
 other; and even private devotion will decay and 
 languish, if the affections which it ought to excite 
 are suffered to remain inert, instead of being 
 strengthened and invigorated by action. 
 
 I have no doubt, for example, that the pious
 
 304 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 band of religious teachers who deny themselves 
 the rest and resign some of the privileges of the 
 Lord's day, in order that they may instruct chil- 
 dren in the nurture and admonition of the Lord 
 I have no doubt that they have a return made to 
 their own souls ; and that in this, as in all other 
 things, God will allow no one to be loser for what 
 is devoted to him. 
 
 II. It seemed needful thus briefly to hint at 
 errors in this matter, for the purpose of showing- 
 more plainly what is true and undefiled religion. 
 
 It is, first, as we are here told, to visit the father- 
 less and widows in their affliction. 
 
 One half of the world, as has sometimes been 
 said, knows not how the other half lives. This 
 will not be the case where there is pure and un- 
 defiled religion. There will be then a principle 
 which will lead the one half to inquire into the 
 condition of the other. And truly, brethren, there 
 is much need. We may well be astonished, that 
 in a country like ours, where there is so much 
 knowledge, there should also be so much igno- 
 rance ; that where there is so much superabundant 
 wealth, there should also be so much indigence 
 and wretchedness. This could not be, if pure and 
 undefiled religion were better understood, and more 
 generally practised.
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 305 
 
 When St, James mentions the widows and the 
 fatherless, he means, of course, the destitute and 
 afflicted of every class. He specifies these only as 
 most especially deserving our compassion. For 
 what is the case of one left fatherless ? The parent 
 of a young family is taken away from those whom 
 he tended by his care, and supported by his in- 
 dustry. To lose the object dearest to one on 
 earth, is in itself a grievous thing. It is still 
 more grievous when, with the father, the main- 
 tenance is lost also. And what too often follows ? 
 The education of the children, which had been 
 begun, is stopped, because the expense can no 
 longer be afforded, or because the fatherless child 
 is compelled, at a premature age, to take the 
 father's place, and earn his livelihood. This is a 
 serious evil. " That the soul be without know- 
 ledge, is not good ;" and yet this soul must grow 
 up without knowledge, for want of opportunity to 
 attain it. But the case may be still worse. A 
 family left in indigence is placed in a state of 
 great temptation. There are many too ready to 
 take advantage of such circumstances; many whose 
 habits are corrupt and vicious, and whose interest 
 perhaps it is that others should be corrupt and 
 vicious too. Without counsel, without friendly 
 attention, without that help which timely advice
 
 306 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 and assistance might afford, how dangerous as well 
 as desolate the case of the fatherless and widow I 
 
 And yet within a distance, we know not how 
 short a distance, of this bereaved family, other 
 families are living, to whom God has spared their 
 parents, their wives, their husbands; and who 
 have this world's good in plenty, if not in super- 
 fluity. Does it never occur to them to ask them- 
 selves, " What shall I render unto the Lord for 
 all the benefits which he has done unto me ?" 
 And what does the Lord require of them? He 
 has showed them what is good in his sight, and 
 has enjoined them to visit the fatherless and widows 
 in their affliction. 
 
 Observe, brethren, to visit. The original word 
 is more comprehensive than any one word of ours 
 can fully render. 3 It is to look round for and to 
 inspect their circumstances : to see the assistance 
 which they need, even as God himself did when 
 he visited and redeemed his people, having seen 
 and pitied their condition. So that none can 
 justly suppose that they have answered the re- 
 quirements of such charity, because when the 
 fatherless and widow come to their door, and dis- 
 play their case, and prove their misery, they do 
 not send them empty away. But this is not visit-
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 307 
 
 ing not looking out for distress, in order to relieve 
 it, before the case is irremediable. The first inroads 
 of indigence should be checked, as much as the 
 first inroads of disease. The habits of indigence 
 are as inveterate, and as hard to cure, as a long 
 neglected complaint. Both should be prevented, 
 not overtaken ; prevented by that kindly care, of 
 which the Gospel of Christ supplies the motive, 
 and his commandment sets the rule. 
 
 Brethren, when this is done on regular plan and 
 system, it gives to the community a Christian 
 aspect which it cannot otherwise assume. I may 
 justly say a CHRISTIAN aspect, for " by this," said 
 our Lord, " shall all men know that ye are my dis- 
 ciples, that ye have love one to another." 
 
 But a certain degree of good may be accom- 
 plished, although the plan may not be general. I 
 go into an uncultivated country, and I see before 
 me a wide-spread field, far too extensive for my 
 unassisted strength. But I do not on that account 
 return to the place I have left, or sit down inactive. 
 I apply my pains to an insulated spot, which first 
 attracts my interest and invites my care. So in 
 the wide field of that world in which their lot is 
 cast, every one may select for themselves that par- 
 ticular sphere of usefulness to which in God's 
 providence they are directed. If but one person 
 
 x 2
 
 308 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 takes twenty families under his superintendence, 
 a hundred individuals will be visited : if twenty 
 persons are moved to the visitation of a like 
 number, their care would extend over two thou- 
 sand. And though a blessing would as certainly 
 appear, as when a barren moorland is reclaimed 
 by cultivation, the extent of the good imparted, 
 and of the misery prevented, would never be known 
 on this side the grave. 
 
 I am aware that, in such engagements, difficulty 
 must be encountered ; self-denial exercised, and 
 perhaps rebukes and disappointments endured. 
 But " none of these things move me ;" for I must 
 shut up my Bible, if I am to expect that all reli- 
 gious duty is to be made easy to me, or all the 
 path towards heaven prove smooth and plain. 
 And who that is affected by genuine love towards 
 God or man, would not be amply recompensed for 
 any of such trials, if but one fellow-creature be 
 brought to the light of the Gospel who might 
 otherwise have remained in darkness, or if one head 
 be lifted out of the dust which might otherwise have 
 been prostrated in despair ? 
 
 III. I come now to the other characteristic of 
 pure and undefiled religion to keep himself un- 
 spotted from the world.
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 309 
 
 And there is a connexion between these two 
 branches here placed by the apostle on the same 
 stem. For it is commonly the world, in some form 
 or other, which hinders the exercise of this pure 
 and undefiled religion. The business of the world 
 engrosses ; its pleasures divert ; or its sentiments 
 deceive. 
 
 1. In regard to worldly business, I need not say 
 that a man does not keep himself unspotted from 
 the world by withdrawing from it. The cases 
 must be few where this could be needful. Reli- 
 gion consists in " using the world, as not abusing 
 it." Our Lord's prayer for his disciples was, 
 " not that they should be taken out of the world, 
 but kept from the evil" of it. 4 In truth, worldly 
 business may be as salutary to the religious mind, 
 as exercise is to the body. It may send a man 
 back to spiritual things with a zest and appetite 
 to enjoy them, made more lively by temporary 
 change. But then business, as well as bodily ex- 
 ercise, may be protracted so long as to weary and 
 not refresh. It may be carried to an extent which 
 shall leave for other things neither time nor in- 
 clination. That man, therefore, will keep himself 
 unspotted from the world, who limits and moderates 
 
 4 John xviii. 15.
 
 310 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 his worldly business, and never allows it so to 
 engross him as to exclude the " one thing need- 
 ful." I grant that, if he so acts, he must incur 
 some risks : temporal prospects may sometimes be 
 endangered ; others may pass by him in the race 
 of wealth or honour, with whom he might have 
 kept equal pace, if be had been equally devoted to 
 this present world. But, brethren, " they have 
 their reward." You need not grudge it them, if 
 to enjoy it here they forfeit it for ever. " For 
 what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the 
 whole world, and lose his own soul?" Remember, 
 the religion you profess is a religion of self-denial ; 
 of present sacrifice for the sake of an " exceeding 
 great reward," when this world, and all that is in 
 the world, shall have passed away. 
 
 2. The pleasures and amusements of the world 
 are still more injurious than the business of the 
 world, to pure and undefiled religion. Many of 
 them, either considered in themselves, or viewed 
 in their consequences and effects, are opposed to it 
 altogether. They involve a waste of that time 
 and that money, which ought to be employed in 
 the service of God and the welfare of mankind. 
 So that the apostle does not scruple to say of one 
 " that liveth in pleasure," that she " is dead whilst
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 311 
 
 she liveth :" 5 one that lives in vain and luxurious 
 dissipation is dead to God, dead to the proper 
 purposes for which life is given. God has mer- 
 cifully connected so much of real delight and 
 true enjoyment with those duties which he has 
 enjoined us to perform, that they bring their own 
 return, and furnish their own refreshment. And 
 to leave these pure gratifications for scenes of 
 vanity, of frivolity, of wantonness, ought to be as 
 distasteful to the Christian, as it was to St. Peter 
 and his brethren to descend from the mount on 
 which they had beheld their Lord in his divine 
 glory, and to return to the plain below, and mingle 
 again with sin and sorrows. 6 It is not in such 
 scenes, it is not when " the tabor and the pipe, 
 the harp and the viol, and wine are in their feasts, 
 that men regard the work of the Lord, or consider 
 the operation of his hands." And therefore it is 
 part of pure and undefiled religion, that a man 
 keep himself unspotted from the world. 
 
 3. For he is in danger, thirdly, from its sen- 
 timents as well as from its pleasures. Such sen- 
 timents, for instance, as I have just expressed, and 
 such employments as I have been recommending, 
 5 1 Tim. v. 5. 6 See Matt. xvii. 4.
 
 312 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 would not be in accordance with the opinions of 
 the world. The employments would be disap- 
 proved perhaps even scoffed at ; and such sen- 
 timents would be considered as savouring of un- 
 necessary strictness and austerity. Because THE 
 WORLD, avowedly, does not take its sentiments 
 from the Bible ; does not appeal to it as a standard ; 
 but sets up its own authority, enacts its own rules, 
 and issues its own decisions. 
 
 At the same time, brethren, it must not be 
 conceived that a man acts religiously, or thinks 
 scripturally, merely because he opposes general 
 opinion. The only proper course is, to be inde- 
 pendent of general opinion ; to choose a course 
 according to our special case and circumstances, 
 which we believe that God will approve, and which 
 we resolve to follow, whether approved of men or 
 no; whether with the world, or against the world. 
 St. Paul has clearly laid down the Christian feeling 
 in this matter : " With me, it is a very small 
 thing to be judged of man, or of man's judgment. 
 But he that judgeth me is the Lord." 
 
 And indeed, brethren, the world is not always 
 mistaken in its opinions. The world would pro- 
 nounce a person wrong who professed to be earnest 
 in religion, and lived as if he had no religion ;
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 313 
 
 who professed to see the value of the soul, and 
 yet lived as if it could receive no injury; pro- 
 fessed to " seek first the kingdom of God," yet 
 took no pains to secure it. The world is ready to 
 acknowledge that if any one follows pure and un- 
 defiled religion, they must lead a very different 
 life from those who seek their portion here. The 
 world is ready enough to ask, when it sees reason 
 for the question, " What do ye more than others ?" 
 Those who seek more than others, ought to do 
 more than others. Those who aspire to a place at 
 the right hand of God, " where there is fulness of 
 joy and pleasures for evermore," ought here to " let 
 their light so shine before men, that they may see 
 their good works, and glorify their Father which is 
 in heaven." 
 
 And now, brethren, I trust that you will put to 
 yourselves, before you sleep to-night, this plain 
 question : " What sign can I find in myself of pure 
 and undefiled religion ? 
 
 You believe that Christ Jesus came into the 
 world, that all that trust in him might not perish. 
 In this faith you were baptized ; this faith you con- 
 fess, now that you are come to age ; and you 
 " show forth the Lord's death," at the holy table, 
 as your own hope for eternal life. You read and
 
 314 ACTIVE CHARITY 
 
 hear his word, " which is able to make you wise 
 unto salvation." 
 
 All this is well. But all this relates to yourself. 
 The apostle acquaints you that religion must ex- 
 tend beyond yourself, and guide and actuate your 
 conduct towards others. 
 
 The history of Job sets before us a man under 
 affliction, and brought by affliction to examine 
 himself, and consider what his ways had been. 
 
 Every individual must prepare for a season like 
 this. It may not be, like Job's, a season of tem- 
 poral privation and distress ; but there must come 
 to every one a time, when the body is to return to 
 the dust as it was, and the spirit unto God who 
 gave it. And then the inquiry will be made, 
 " Wherewith shall I appear before the Lord ?" 
 
 Job found some comfort in reflecting that he had 
 not " withheld the poor from their desire, or caused 
 the eye of the widow to fail;" he had not " eaten 
 his morsel by himself alone, and the fatherless had 
 not eaten thereof." 7 So far from it, he thus re- 
 presents his case : " When the ear heard me, then 
 it blessed me ; and when the eye saw me, it gave 
 witness to me ; because I delivered the poor that 
 cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none 
 to help him. The blessing of him that was ready 
 f Job xxxi. 16, 17.
 
 A PART OF PURE RELIGION. 315 
 
 to perish came upon me ; and I caused the widow's 
 heart to sing with joy." 8 
 
 Claim, my brethren, for yourselves, a testimony 
 like this ; a testimony to be borne at last by Him, 
 for whose sake and in whose name you have thus 
 lived, and who " is not unrighteous, to forget your 
 work and labour of love." 
 
 I do not fear that the self-inquiry will lead to 
 self-righteousness. A man is little likely to justify 
 himself in a self-righteous spirit, who carefully 
 examines into his life and practice. The more 
 closely a man calculates the time which he has 
 given to God, and the time which he has given to 
 the world, the less ground will he find for self- 
 complacency. The more accurately he sums up 
 the account of his charities, and the account of his 
 worldly expenses, the more likely he is to condemn 
 himself as an unprofitable servant, who has not 
 done that which it was his duty to do. But, at all 
 events, we must blot out of the Bible a large por- 
 tion of its contents, unless we acknowledge that 
 every one is bound to judge concerning his love 
 towards God, by examining the degree of his love 
 towards man ; and to think of what he is before 
 God, according to what he is towards his neigh- 
 s Job xxix. 1113.
 
 316 ACTIVE CHARITY, &C. 
 
 hour. 9 For " hereby," by our loving " not in 
 word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth," 
 " we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure 
 our hearts before him." 1 
 
 9 ev rovry. 1 I John iii. 19. ejnrpoffdev dvrov.
 
 317 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 Rom. xvi, 12. 
 
 Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the 
 
 Lord. 
 
 THESE words appear among the different messages 
 and salutations which Paul sent to those among 
 the Christians at Rome who were personally 
 known to him. Many of them had shown their 
 zeal in the Christian cause by assistance given to 
 it. And this he does not forget to notice, whilst 
 he mentions them by name. " Greet Mary, who 
 bestowed much labour on us. Salute Urbane, our 
 helper in Christ. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, 
 who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, 
 which laboured much in the Lord." 
 
 Now we cannot but observe, that this is the
 
 318 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 language of approbation. There is no hint given, 
 that Persis or others who were similarly engaged, 
 were engaged in a way that need demand restraint 
 or excite suspicion. Persis is not warned, lest she 
 interfere in matters that are too high for her ; or 
 lest she step beyond the place assigned her in the 
 church of God ; or lest she allow her zeal to at- 
 tract notice, and make her singular. The apostle, 
 whilst he makes mention of her name, is reminded 
 of her useful, active life, her " labour of love," 
 and speaks of it in a manner which could not but 
 imply that he approved her conduct, and encou- 
 raged her to proceed. Christians have still the 
 same God to judge their actions. He changes not. 
 They have still the same motives, inseparable from 
 their faith as Christians. What, therefore, was 
 approved in Christians eighteen hundred years 
 ago, would be approved in Christians now. And 
 it behoves us to inquire, first, the nature of that 
 labour which St. Paul commends in Persis ; next, 
 the reasons which impel to it ; and thirdly, the 
 reward attending it. 
 
 First, what does the apostle allude to, when he 
 describes Persis as having laboured much in the 
 Lord ? 
 
 We immediately perceive that he is not speaking
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 319 
 
 of secular labours. He is not praising Persis be- 
 cause she performed the ordinary duties of life in 
 a conscientious spirit, discharging them " as unto 
 the Lord, and not unto men." This, indeed, 
 Persis would do ; it would be part of her Christian 
 character : but such is the case with all Christians. 
 It does not distinguish one Christian above an- 
 other, that he lives unto the Lord, that he " sets 
 God always before him." 
 
 Neither can the apostle speak of works of charity 
 alone, or of temporal assistance bestowed upon 
 the needy brethren. The phrase here used is not 
 suited to describe such works. If these had been 
 chiefly in his thoughts, he would have praised 
 Persis as one who was " glad to distribute ;" ready 
 " to do good :" as one who had " bestowed much 
 labour on us ;" or who had ministered to the 
 necessities of the saints, and yet did minister." 
 That which is peculiarly termed labour in the Lord, 
 was labour in promoting the knowledge and spirit 
 of the Gospel. Those laboured in the Lord, who, 
 having become disciples of Christ, assisted the 
 apostles and elders in the proper duties of their 
 ministry by doing what they could ; what they 
 could, consistently with their own vocations, and 
 with their abilities and their opportunities. They 
 were not preachers, to whom it was committed
 
 320 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 publicly, and with authority, to proclaim the mes- 
 sage of reconciliation ; but they were teachers, 
 " fellow -workers," or " helpers" in the Gospel. It 
 appears from the epistles of St. Paul, that these 
 were numerous, both men and women ; the latter, 
 perhaps, the most numerous, as having in all ages 
 most leisure at command. And there were many 
 duties which they might perform. Under the 
 apostles' guidance, they would instruct the con- 
 verted heathen in the many facts and truths 
 which these must needs be taught, before they 
 could give a reasonable account of the faith which 
 they had embraced. Copies of the Scriptures of 
 the Old Testament were then rare : information 
 must chiefly come by word of mouth. They would 
 acquaint the catechumens with those holy books : 
 would show the connexion between the law and 
 the Gospel; providing that they should not con- 
 tinue for ever mere " children in understanding." 
 The apostle complains, in writing to the Hebrews, 
 of those who were not competent to be thus em- 
 ployed : not enough advanced in knowledge to 
 communicate it. " For the time," he says, " ye 
 ought to be teachers ; yet ye have need that one 
 teach you again." 1 Persis, like others whom he 
 mentions as having laboured with him in the Gos- 
 1 H eb. v. 2.
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 321 
 
 pel, 2 had become a teacher : that is, was able to 
 declare to others what the Lord had done for her 
 soul ; and to lay those first principles of the doc- 
 trine of Christ, which the simplest believer may 
 communicate to his ignorant or sinful neighbour : 
 which, in truth, he must be prepared to communi- 
 cate, before he can exercise the commonest duties 
 of charity ; those duties which St. James points 
 out, as the very characteristics of the Christian. 3 
 For how can he visit the poor and fatherless, 
 without directing the fatherless to their heavenly 
 Father, and the poor to him who hath said, " Bless- 
 ed are ye poor ; for yours is the kingdom of 
 heaven." " Blessed are ye that weep now ; for 
 ye shall laugh." How can he " visit the widow in 
 her affliction," and not remind her of the hope 
 which takes its sting from death, and its victory 
 from the grave ? How can relief be ministered to 
 the sad and weary soul, without reference to him 
 who himself " took our sins, and bore our infir- 
 mities ;" 4 who, " in that he himself has suffered 
 being tempted, is able to succour them that are 
 tempted ?" 5 
 
 2 They are recognised, as having some authority, 1 Cor. 
 xvi. 16, " Submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that 
 helpeth with us, and laboureth." 
 
 3 James i. 27. * Matt. viii. 17, 5 Heb. ii. 18,
 
 322 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 Some, perhaps, may be of opinion that such 
 topics should be left to the appointed minister, and 
 that ordinary Christians should confine their advice 
 and assistance to temporal concerns. 
 
 Doubtless the minister should be informed of 
 every case of ignorance or perplexity, every case 
 demanding spiritual consolation. It is one chief 
 benefit of local visitation, that it conveys to him 
 such information ; acquaints him with many indi- 
 viduals and many circumstances, which otherwise 
 in our crowded neighbourhoods must ever remain 
 beyond his knowledge. But, meanwhile, what 
 should withhold the Christian from imparting his 
 own conviction or experience, and assuring his 
 afflicted neighbours, that there is one to whom the 
 weary and heavy laden are invited, and that 
 " those who come to him, he will in no wise cast 
 out ?" The apostolical writings imply that such 
 were the common subjects of discourse among the 
 early Christians. Indeed, they could not be the 
 subject of thought, without being the subject of 
 discourse whenever occasion should arise. Neither 
 could Christians obey the precepts enjoined them, 
 or warn one another, edify one another, exhort one 
 another, comfort one another, if they were pre- 
 cluded from the topics which minister advice, and 
 comfort, and edification. And as they could not
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 323 
 
 hold intercourse together, neither could they con- 
 form to the apostle's rule in their intercourse with 
 others, or " be ready to give an answer to every 
 man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in 
 them." 6 Every Christian makes one of a " chosen 
 generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation ;" T 
 and it his duty as well as his privilege to com- 
 municate " that which is good to the use of 
 edifying, that it may minister grace unto the 
 hearers." 8 
 
 Such was the kind of labour in which Persis 
 had been engaged, and for which St. Paul com- 
 mends her. 
 
 II. But, secondly, what should induce Persis to 
 undertake this labour ? 
 
 First. Because, as a disciple of Christ, she was 
 actuated by those feelings towards her fellow-crea- 
 tures which would not allow her to be idle, satisfied 
 with having found for herself the way to heaven. 
 Let those distrust their own state, who can be so 
 satisfied. Her neighbours had acquired a new value 
 in her eyes. They were no longer looked upon 
 merely as persons whose lot had been cast in the same 
 neighbourhood with herself, and with whom she had 
 6 1 Pet iii. 16. 7 Ibid. ii. 9. ph. iv. 29. 
 
 Y 2
 
 324 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 no concern in common, except as might regard the 
 affairs of this present life. She would look on them 
 as born for eternity ; and as capable of being heirs of 
 the same kingdom in which she had herself ob- 
 tained an inheritance. She would regard, no 
 doubt, and assist, as far as might be, their temporal 
 good ; but far more would she regard the state of 
 their immortal souls. If they were ignorant, if 
 they were careless, if they were given up to things 
 present, without Christ, without God in the world, 
 she could not see this with indifference. The 
 Christian knows the end of such a life ; knows that 
 " the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the 
 people that forget God :" and, therefore, he desires 
 to instruct ignorance, to awaken carelessness, to 
 rebuke wickedness, " if perad venture they may 
 escape out of the snares of the devil, who are now 
 taken captive by him at his will." 
 
 Brethren, where there is love, there will be this 
 anxiety : love cannot exist without it. When a 
 stranger sees a pallid countenance, a hectic cheek, 
 he passes by, it makes no impression on him 
 he has no interest in the subject of it. Not so 
 the tender parent : she watches the feverish look, 
 she marks the haggard eye : she hastens to the 
 physician, she catches at every hope of remedy ; 
 she cannot rest till this is sought ; she does what-
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 325 
 
 ever it is in her power to do. She loves, and be- 
 cause she loves, she fears : and because she fears 
 she acts. And such is the Christian's feeling for 
 the soul : he knows a danger which others disre- 
 gard : and he cannot know it without endeavour- 
 ing to avert it. Look at the apostle Paul at 
 Athens. We are told that " his heart was stirred 
 within him, when he saw the people wholly given 
 to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the market 
 daily with them that met with him." 9 Had he 
 not known the consequences of idolatry, he would 
 have seen the people wholly given to it, with no 
 emotion. He would have lamented, indeed, that 
 such was " the vain tradition which they had re- 
 ceived from their fathers ;" that such were the 
 unhappy circumstances in which they were placed ; 
 just as too many see the wicked who surround 
 them, and sigh perhaps over their state, but take no 
 pains to raise them out of it. In the apostle's 
 heart there reigned a principle, which made this 
 indolence impossible : therefore " disputed he in 
 the market daily with them that met with him ;" 
 " if God should perad venture bring them to re- 
 pentance and the knowledge of the truth." And 
 this is the measure by which Scripture teaches us 
 to judge of the reality of our love towards others. 
 9 Acts xvii. 16.
 
 326 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 How striking are those words of the inspired 
 preacher : " If thou forbear to deliver them that 
 are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to 
 be slain ; if thou sayest, we knew it not ; doth not 
 he that pondereth the heart, consider it ? and he 
 that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it ? and 
 shall he not render to every man according to his 
 works?" x 
 
 1 2. But there is another feeling in the Christian's 
 heart, which excites him to the same labour in the 
 Lord: the feeling of thankful love towards the 
 Lord for whom he labours. This love makes him 
 desire that fresh trophies should be added to his 
 cross : fresh triumphs of his grace be manifested : 
 new jewels be placed upon his crown : that he 
 should see more ami more of the travail of his 
 soul, and be more and more satisfied with the 
 blessings which reward his precious blood-shed- 
 ding. 
 
 Whoever is zealous in a cause will be earnest 
 to promote it. The atheist is eager to make his 
 proselytes. However active you may be in the 
 service of Christ, you will not be more active than 
 others even in your own town are, to do the work 
 
 1 Prov. xxiv. 11, 12.
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 327 
 
 of Satan. 2 The infidel is spreading his poison. 
 The wicked are always anxious to draw others into 
 their own corruption. And certainly that love must 
 be very lukewarm, and such as Christ will not 
 deign to accept, which will be outdone by the 
 disciples of evil : which will be content to take 
 the benefit held out, but neither regards the 
 honour of the benefactor, nor complies with his 
 commands. 
 
 O brethren, it is not well that a certain rich 
 man is spoken of in our Lord's parable, who fared 
 sumptuously every day, and took no heed of 
 Lazarus at his gate. And I am sometimes led to 
 question whether we are not alike guilty in the 
 sight of God, when we enjoy our religious privi- 
 leges, our bibles, our sermons, the minister who 
 delights us, as the rich man enjoyed his luxu- 
 rious fare, and, meanwhile, take no heed of those 
 who are famishing around ; who have no taste, 
 alas ! for the bread of life, or no means of obtain- 
 ing it. It is not more certain that a burning fire 
 will diffuse its heat to all the circle round it, than 
 that true religion, that the love of Christ, kindled 
 in the heart, will extend its radiant warmth to all 
 within its reach. And greatly do I admire that 
 
 2 This sermon was preached at Manchester on behalf of a 
 District Visiting Society.
 
 328 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 large and active band, who do not confine or 
 quench the flame which burns within their breasts, 
 but allow it to expand in the exercise of religious 
 charity ; and whether in schools or in cottages, or 
 wherever a door is opened to them, impart that 
 knowledge which is their own best possession 
 and, by kind advice and patient teaching, direct 
 their neighbours towards Him, who to them- 
 selves has been " made wisdom, and righteousness, 
 and sanctification, and redemption." Such is the 
 result of a true sense of what we owe to him who 
 loved us, and gave himself for us. It disposes and 
 leads to labour in the Lord : it is an active ener- 
 getic principle : and those in whom it exists will 
 not be satisfied unless they employ their opportu- 
 nities, their activity, their ability, their resources, 
 in whatever way seems open to them, that they 
 may bring all whom their influence can reach, to 
 " know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom 
 he hath sent." 
 
 III. I must treat but briefly on the third point, 
 the blessings which follow such labour in the Lord. 
 
 My brethren, it is truly " twice blessed." The 
 blessing, to those on whom it is conferred, who can 
 describe? We cannot calculate it. We cannot
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 329 
 
 fathom the depths of eternal misery. We cannot 
 reckon the amount of eternal happiness. 
 
 It came to my knowledge, some years ago, that 
 by a regular system of district visitation, like that 
 which it is here desired to maintain, one hundred 
 and sixty persons, in the course of two years, to 
 whom religion and its observances had previously 
 been altogether unknown, were led, through the 
 influence of personal advice and instruction, to 
 regular attendance on the means of grace. Can 
 we estimate the ulterior benefit bestowed, we may 
 trust, on many, at least, of these persons ? Never, 
 on this side the grave. And surely it is for pur- 
 poses like this, that to some the talent of leisure, 
 to others the talent of affluent fortune, to an- 
 other the talent of authority, to another the talent 
 of persuasive eloquence, is given. It is, that these 
 talents may be traded with, not hidden. O what 
 might our community become, if that revenue 
 which is annually wasted (in every rank) on things 
 worse than useless : if that time which is thrown 
 away, and leaves no trace or record that it has 
 passed : if that ability which is devoted to trifles 
 not worth a care, were used to promote the welfare 
 of our fellow-creatures, were dedicated to their 
 comfort, their relief, their instruction, their admo-
 
 330 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 nition, to the various ways in which they might be 
 made happier in this present time, and wiser unto 
 salvation ? 
 
 If we judge from experience, there are few places 
 of which the Lord might not say, as of Corinth 
 formerly, " I have much people in this city." 3 We 
 have reason to believe that many a seed lies dor- 
 mant, waiting till the earth be stirred, the Sun of 
 righteousness admitted, the dew of grace drawn 
 down from heaven. 
 
 But I rather confine myself to the blessings 
 returned by a gracious God to those who devote 
 themselves to his cause. " God is not unrighteous" 
 to forget their works and "labours of love." Their 
 life derives new value, new interest, from the 
 eternity with which it is connected. Every day 
 acquires a fresh importance from the duties to 
 which it is devoted. In this world's opinion, those 
 stand highest, and are accounted enviable, who 
 are nearest to an earthly sovereign : to be em- 
 ployed in his service, is the first dignity of the 
 land. All cannot be thus engaged ; but all may 
 be engaged in the service of him who is King 
 of kings and Lord of lords : and he repays 
 3 Acts xviii. 10.
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 331 
 
 his servants with no perishable wealth or short- 
 lived honour. " They that turn many to right- 
 eousness, shall shine as the stars for ever and 
 ever." 4 
 
 But there is also a reward which belongs to 
 this present time ; an earnest of that which is 
 to come. There is comfort, when we feel that 
 our faith is not a barren creed, or a lifeless pro- 
 fession, but an active principle in the soul : that 
 our lives are governed by it, our practice con- 
 formable to it. There is comfort, when we can 
 read the description given of those whom the 
 Lord approves, and see some agreement between 
 the habits we have cherished, and those which 
 he expects in his people. " I was naked, and 
 ye clothed me : sick, and in prison, and ye 
 visited me. Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of 
 the least of these my brethren, ye have done it 
 unto me." 5 
 
 We can read, too, St. James's description of 
 " true and undefiled religion," and see that we 
 have made it our standard : that we have " visited 
 the fatherless and widow in their affliction, and 
 kept ourselves unspotted from the world." 6 
 
 We can read the account of those who first 
 believed the Gospel, and find something of the 
 4 Dan. xii. 3. 5 Matt. xxv. 6 James i. 27.
 
 332 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 
 
 same feeling in our own breasts ; that " the love 
 of Christ constrains" us as well as them : that we 
 likewise "judge, that he died for all, that they 
 which live might live no longer unto themselves, 
 but unto him who died for them." 7 
 
 In that last hour to which we must all come, 
 there are many who may sink in apathy : their 
 consciences have been never touched or stirred, 
 and conviction will not reach them till they wake 
 in an eternal world. But they who " have been 
 once enlightened," and brought to a knowledge of 
 the truth ; these, when they come to die, will need a 
 proof that they have been not " hearers only, but 
 doers of the word." I know that in such an hour, 
 to speak of works as the ground of acceptance, of 
 merits entitling to reward, is to set the soul upon 
 the rack. The holiest man that ever lived, the 
 Christian who has laboured most abundantly in 
 the Lord, will be the first to thank God for his 
 " unspeakable gift," eternal life through Jesus 
 Christ : that " not by works of righteousness which 
 we have done, but according to his mercy he saved 
 us." 8 
 
 Still, secure to yourselves the comfort of which 
 you will then feel the indispensable value ; " the 
 testimony of your conscience," that not in carnal 
 7 -2 Cor. v. 15. s Titus iii. 5.
 
 LABOUR IN THE LORD. 333 
 
 pleasures, not in worldly gratifications, not " in the 
 lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride 
 of life," but " in simplicity and godly sincerity, by 
 the grace of God, you have had your conversation 
 in the world." 9 
 
 9 2 Cor. i. 12.
 
 334 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 John xiii. 34. 
 
 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love 
 one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also 
 love one another. 
 
 IN this passage our Lord, very shortly before his 
 death, lays down as the distinguishing character 
 of his religion, brotherly -kindness and charity : 
 and in the succeeding verse declares it to be the 
 peculiar mark by which his disciples should be 
 known, that they have love one to another. 
 
 The first thing that strikes us here, is, that 
 this should be termed a new commandment. Bene- 
 volence, if considered in the abstract, is that which 
 most ennobles the character of man, and raises 
 it nearest to what we know of the divine nature,
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 335 
 
 and prepares it best for a higher and a purer 
 state. Or again, if we argue upon the actual 
 condition of mankind, as creatures of the same 
 God, heirs of the same lot, and liable to the same 
 calamities, we should say, that charity, charity in 
 its widest sense, sympathy with the wants and 
 feelings of others, was the very quality which we 
 might expect to find most natural and universal. 
 And, undoubtedly, if man had not fallen from his 
 high original, had not lost the image in which he 
 was created, had not become corrupt and sinful : 
 he would not need to be commanded to exercise 
 charity ; no selfish feelings would restrain him 
 from hastening to relieve the sighs of pain, or wipe 
 the tears of sorrow. 
 
 But as, together with sin, pain and distress and 
 poverty entered into the world, so also does sin 
 stand in the way of the alleviations which might 
 lessen these evils. The same cause produces the 
 misery, and keeps back the remedy. Selfishness 
 and covetousness had so far prevailed, as to render 
 it a new commandment that men show love to one 
 another. To the Jew, indeed, it was new, chiefly 
 as to the principle by which it should be now en- 
 forced, and its fulfilment insured. But to the vast 
 majority of the world, to the Gentiles upon whom 
 " the day-spring from on high" was now about to
 
 36 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 shine, it was a new commandment, both in principle 
 and in practice. It is no part of our duty, in the ple- 
 nitude of religious blessings, to exult over the errors 
 or exaggerate the sins of those who wanted that 
 heavenly light, against which we who enjoy it too 
 often close our eyes. But we cannot be insensible 
 to the fact, a fact so decisive as to the natural 
 corruption of the heart, that we may read the 
 public and private history of the most civilised 
 nations of antiquity, and find scarcely a single 
 trace of that virtue which was to distinguish Chris- 
 tians ; no recognition of the principle, no practice 
 of the duty. Pressing wants were occasionally 
 relieved, sometimes from motives of ambition, and 
 sometimes from political alarms ; but we look in 
 vain for any signs of true philanthropy, any in- 
 dications of that kindness which regards a fellow- 
 creature as a friend, and treats him as a brother. 
 We do not find that the rich contributed of their 
 superfluity to mitigate the distresses of the poor 
 and needy ; that they associated to " visit the 
 fatherless and widows in their affliction ;" that they 
 devised means to instruct the ignorant, to reclaim 
 the wandering, and to receive the penitent : no 
 vestiges of ancient charity, no monuments of bene- 
 volence survive ; and, among the ruins of fallen 
 pride and useless magnificence, there may be much
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 337 
 
 to astonish the eye, but there is nothing of moral 
 interest to gratify the mind. 
 
 Something further then, it appears, is wanting 
 to restrain the predominance of natural selfish- 
 ness ; something beyond the mere circumstance of 
 beholding the wants of others, and being able to 
 relieve them. Something more is requisite to 
 awaken a sense of duty, and stimulate men to 
 fulfil it, than the possession of a common nature, 
 or the luxury of doing good. And this new prin- 
 ciple is found in the religion of Christ. Charity 
 grows naturally out of it, as a plant from the root. 
 It proceeds from the truth which the Christian 
 acknowledges, and by which he lives and moves. 
 Christ has loved him : and as Christ loves him, so 
 loves he his fellow-Christians. His benevolence 
 seeks no other pattern, and, as far as the hin- 
 drances of remaining corruption allow, is limited 
 by no other measure. A new commandment I 
 give unto you ; as I have loved you, that ye also love 
 one another. 
 
 This principle gives a distinctive character to 
 Christian charity, which I shall attempt to deli- 
 neate according to its most striking features. 
 
 I. First, it is disinterested : independent of gra-
 
 338 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 titude, or public esteem, or any other earthly re- 
 compense. 
 
 Though the happiness of the Deity is incom- 
 prehensible to human faculties, thus much ap- 
 pears evident, that it is not of a nature to receive 
 addition. Therefore when he " who was in the 
 beginning with God, and was God ;" who, being 
 " one with the Father," was " the brightness of his 
 glory, and the express image of his person :" 
 when he came down from heaven, and took upon 
 him the form and nature of man ; it was strictly 
 a DISINTERESTED act of mercy ; it originated in 
 no personal views ; it was neither prompted by 
 uneasiness nor by hope ; but resulted from pure 
 benevolence towards those whom he came to save. 
 
 A son of Adam cannot soar this height. He is 
 allowed to look for the recompense of reward. 
 The heavenly kingdom which is revealed to him, 
 hallows the ambition and justifies the self-love 
 which seeks its treasure there. But every inferior 
 motive, every mere earthly consideration, is con- 
 demned by the disinterested love which is set be- 
 fore him as his example. And such is the world, 
 that the encouragement of this example is often 
 needed. The highest and truest charity is not 
 always appreciated as it deserves, or better re-
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 339 
 
 compensed than that of Christ, when he " stretched 
 out his hands to a disobedient and gainsaying 
 people." If, then, I have the praise of this world 
 in view, my exertions will stop when the world 
 does not behold, or beholding, does not approve 
 them. But if my Redeemer, with no other ob- 
 ject than my salvation, descended from the high- 
 est heavens to walk in this vale of misery, shall 
 I look for a return, and therefore be deterred 
 by ingratitude, or restrained by disapprobation ? 
 Shall I withhold my charity, unless it is seen of 
 men, or secures the reward of their favourable 
 opinion ? Such charity, it is plain, is mixed with 
 too much of earthly dross to bear the test when 
 every man's work is tried : weighed in the 
 balance of the sanctuary, it will be found want- 
 ing. 
 
 II. Secondly, Christian love will be self-deny- 
 ing- 
 
 The Incarnation of the Son of God was truly 
 an act of SELF-DENIAL. He became man ; and of 
 man the description is, that he " is born to trou- 
 ble." But his was not the ordinary lot of men, 
 in whose cup, though mingled with bitterness, the 
 mercy of God has left much that is delightful ; 
 and whose path of life, however rugged, is en- 
 
 z 2
 
 340 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 livened with cheerful prospects, and strewed with 
 many flowers. The Saviour of the world was not 
 only " acquainted with grief," the common in- 
 heritance of all flesh ; but emphatically " a man of 
 sorrows." Not to dwell now on that last and 
 perfect sacrifice, which he came to offer ; when his 
 spirit appeared to sink under the accumulated 
 burden of the sins of men and the Father's mys- 
 terious wrath : consider only, what more parti- 
 cularly bears on our subject this day, the extent 
 of his sufferings during the whole period of his life 
 on earth. 
 
 It is painful even to good men to be forced 
 into the company of the intemperate or the pro- 
 fane ; to be made the reluctant spectators of pro- 
 fligacy or cruelty. What then must it have been 
 to our Lord, to " sit at meat with publicans and 
 sinners ?" to encounter the self-complacent haugh- 
 tiness of the Pharisees, the profane railing of the 
 Sadducees, the contemptuous neglect of the nation 
 at large ! Bitter are the feelings of an affectionate 
 father, when a prodigal son remains deaf to his 
 advice, and persists to the ruin of his soul : griev- 
 ous is the disappointment of a minister, when those 
 whom he has long and faithfully warned, " count 
 themselves unworthy of eternal life," and persevere 
 in the " broad way which leadeth to destruction."
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 341 
 
 What, then, must have been the daily anguish of 
 the Lord Jesus, whose whole life was passed under 
 the pressure of these sufferings ! How little in 
 comparison do we know, how infinitely less do we 
 feel, of the value of the soul ! Levity, prevailing 
 errors, the very frequency of sin, make us dull 
 and sceptical with respect to its exceeding sinful- 
 ness. There could be nothing of this in him who 
 saw enough in its consequences to reconcile him to 
 the cross, and enough in its extent to require 
 omnipotence for its remedy. 
 
 Will it be thought that I am overrating this 
 part of our Lord's trials ? Surely not, when we 
 remember, that as he beheld the city of Jerusalem, 
 he wept over it in an agony of prophetic grief, to 
 think that its inhabitants had refused his proffered 
 mercy, and must now await the extremity of divine 
 indignation. Surely not, when St. Paul has said, 
 that with the fashion he assumed also the feelings of 
 a man, and " was in all points tempted like as we 
 are :" and has reckoned among the severest of those 
 trials, the " contradiction of sinners against himself," 
 which he endured. 
 
 Here, then, we are furnished with an example, 
 of which the weakness of our nature requires to be 
 constantly reminded. Christian charity must often 
 be self-denying, and painful, and laborious. It
 
 342 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 demands a sacrifice of time, or a sacrifice of 
 wealth ; and there are many selfish purposes and 
 selfish indulgences, in which either might be 
 more agreeably employed. But our Redeemer 
 deprived himself of enjoyment which it passes 
 our faculties to conceive, that he might commu- 
 nicate some share of it to those who deserved 
 nothing at his hands. We are called upon to 
 visit the abodes of misery, and to witness sufferings 
 which recoil upon ourselves. But the Redeemer 
 left the songs of angels, and the adoration of the 
 host of heaven, riot merely to alleviate distress, 
 but himself to suffer its intensest agony. Again, 
 to do good, so that no evil may ensue, is labori- 
 ous, and demands the habitual exercise of pru- 
 dence, reflection, and forbearance : and charity 
 thus employed, in which case alone it can be em- 
 ployed usefully, is often received with coldness, 
 and repaid with ingratitude. But the Son of 
 God has left us an example, that we should fol- 
 low his steps ; the character of whose life it was, 
 that he went about doing good ; that he came not 
 to be ministered unto, but to minister : arid was 
 requited by the neglect, the treachery, the perse- 
 cution even unto death, of those whom he came 
 to save. 
 
 Thus are we, his disciples, taught to deem no
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 343 
 
 trial too severe, no self-denial too mortifying to 
 be undergone, by which our fellow-creatures may 
 receive benefit : our chanty must be stopped by no 
 difficulty, and repressed by no ingratitude, and 
 limited only by our opportunities of doing good. 
 For " we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he 
 became poor, that we through his poverty might 
 be made rich." And those who are engaged in 
 works of active usefulness, have often need to 
 strengthen themselves by this argument. When 
 they find their labours undervalued, their zeal mis- 
 interpreted, their efforts counteracted by ignorance 
 and sin, their best encouragement is, that " the 
 servant is not greater than his Lord;" that their 
 heavenly Master was far more unworthily requited, 
 yet was not " wearied in well-doing." 
 
 III. The last effect of the Redeemer's love which 
 1 would mention, is the close union which it 
 establishes amongst Christians. Without doubt, 
 our ideas of mankind at large are exalted, when 
 we contemplate them as objects of the divine love. 
 In that single sentence, " God so loved the world, 
 that he sent his only-begotten Son, that all that 
 believe in him might not perish, but have ever- 
 lasting life" in that single sentence there is more
 
 344 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 to elevate and ennoble man, than in all that phi- 
 losophy ever argued upon the dignity of human 
 nature. So when we descend from the universal 
 race, to the individuals with whom we are con- 
 cerned, they acquire in our esteem a tenfold value, 
 when -we regard them as united to the same Sa- 
 viour to whom we ourselves are looking for wisdom 
 and righteousness and sanctification and redemp- 
 tion. Those must not pine in ignorance, or lan- 
 guish in sickness and unmitigated pain, who are 
 dear to our Redeemer : children by adoption of 
 the same God, whom we are taught to call Father, 
 we must treat them as brethren : heirs of the same 
 heavenly kingdom to which our hopes are raised, 
 we must smooth their path to the laud of promise : 
 members of that sacred body of which Christ is 
 the head, must mutually assist and co-operate with 
 one another. Such is the invariable effect, where 
 Christian faith exists. And therefore we find, that 
 where men are to be kept down in hopeless bond- 
 age, and degraded from the rank which God de- 
 signed for them, they are at the same time debarred 
 the privileges of Christianity. As if from an in- 
 stinctive consciousness, even in those who have no 
 title to name the name of Christ, that Christianity 
 would raise them in the scale of being, and place 
 them beyond the reach of the oppressor.
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 345 
 
 These considerations naturally account for the 
 very important rank which our Lord's discourses 
 give to charity. More especially, in his prophetic 
 description of the day of judgment, we are sur- 
 prised to find this alone brought forward of all 
 the Christian graces. Not, certainly, that inte- 
 grity, purity, humility, meekness, are less required 
 or valued by him. But because thus much at 
 least may be infallibly pronounced, that whoever 
 is destitute of Christian charity, cannot be actuated 
 by Christian faith. No man can have a sense of 
 the mercy which he every day requires, yet be 
 himself unmerciful to a brother's errors. No man 
 can be duly grateful for the pity shown him, yet 
 refuse his compassion to a brother's need. No 
 man, regarding Christ as the author of all his 
 hopes, can be insensible to the welfare of those, 
 who have been bought by the price of the same 
 Saviour's blood. Gratitude to the Redeemer must 
 overflow towards the redeemed. And love denied 
 to them, is denied to him. 
 
 And the result has been seen, in fact, from the 
 earliest to the present time. To be servants of our 
 common Master, to have sought an interest in the 
 same Redeemer, is, and always has been, a bond 
 of the closest union ; and has influenced men to 
 make sacrifices for the sake of others, to which no
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 other principle could have engaged them. We 
 see in our Christian brethren those whom Christ 
 so loved, as to lay down his life for their sakes : 
 we see those whom he has called to be one with 
 him, has chosen as his flock ; who are placed 
 under his care, and supported by his Spirit ; who 
 dwell with him by faith, and will hereafter dwell 
 with him in glory. This unites them to us, as 
 children of the same father, and heirs of the same 
 inheritance: unites the highest with the lowest, 
 the wisest with the most unlearned ; to know that 
 if they have nothing else in common, they are 
 dear to the same God, and actuated by the same 
 feelings, and governed by the same love, as they 
 travel towards the same country, where all dis- 
 tinctions will be done away, except that single 
 distinction which separates the " children of dark- 
 ness" from " the children of light ;" the " children 
 of this world" from " the children of the kino-. 
 
 o 
 
 dom." 
 
 And let no one deny the credit to our holy reli- 
 gion, and suppose that men are become more cha- 
 ritable, because they are more wealthy or more 
 civilised. Alas ! wealth, without religion, is sel- 
 fish ; and refinement, without religion, is selfish 
 too : whilst true and active charity is found in the 
 humblest, and the poorest, and the least educated,
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 347 
 
 if only they are Christ's disciples. When we trace 
 a river in its progress, and find it swelled at dif- 
 ferent points by a multitude of tributary streams, 
 and reach at last the mountain spring from which 
 it issues forth, we cannot doubt the source of the 
 mighty flood which fertilizes a country, or carries 
 a navy on its surface. And with no more justice 
 can we refuse to trace back to our religion that 
 
 o 
 
 CHARITY, which we find beginning with the dawn 
 of the Gospel, and proceeding with its progress ; 
 which we find growing in the community, as the 
 Gospel is more generally received, and strength- 
 ening in the individual, as the individual is 
 strengthened in his Christian faith ; which we find 
 best understood where the Gospel is most studied ; 
 and most perfectly practised, where the influence 
 of the Gospel is felt most intimately. We see that 
 it owes its origin to the precept, A new command- 
 ment I give unto you, that ye Love one another. 
 
 See, therefore, brethren, in conclusion, the ex- 
 cellence of that religion, which, wherever it pre- 
 vails, so wonderfully meliorates the condition of 
 mankind. Our Lord himself has directed us to 
 judge of teachers who prefer a claim to our atten- 
 tion, by the fruits of their instructions. We may be 
 sure that he did riot intend to exempt his own reli-
 
 348 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 gion from a test which he applied to others. He 
 came indeed for a higher and more lasting purpose, 
 than merely to minister to temporal wants and 
 comforts. He has taught us, also, to subject the 
 body to the soul ; the perishable to the immortal 
 part of our nature. Yet since, in our present cir- 
 cumstances, afflictions, though known to be tran- 
 sitory, are often grievous to bear, we cannot be 
 surprised if a revelation like the Christian, while 
 it directs our first attention to things above, should 
 be of such a nature as to extend the comforts and 
 mitigate the evils which belong to our present 
 stage of being. If it were too much to allege that 
 we should wonder if it did not, I may at least 
 assert that we may be grateful that it does : grate- 
 ful that our divine Master, while he bids us ascend 
 by an upward and laborious course to the city of 
 God, has smoothed our progress by his merciful 
 provisions. And I need not point out what 
 chanty, if it were universal, might effect towards 
 mitigating the sorrows, tranquillising the fearful 
 apprehensions, and removing the pressing wants 
 which perplex a large proportion of our fellow - 
 creatures. I need not attempt to describe the 
 cheerful picture which our world would present, 
 if all loved their neighbours as their Redeemer 
 loved them, or as children of the same Father
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 349 
 
 should love one another. Yet I have shown that 
 chanty even of this exalted degree is so interwoven 
 with the whole texture of the religion of Christ, 
 that Christian faith cannot exist without aiming at 
 it, or be satisfied without exemplifying it. There- 
 fore from the earliest to the latest societies of 
 Christians ; from the time when " the multitude 
 of them that believed," as recorded in the Acts, 
 " were of one heart and one soul ;" to the success- 
 ful efforts of the present period, which has beheld 
 savages laying aside their ferocity, and national 
 enemies embracing one another at the foot of the 
 cross ; in every climate, in every stage of civiliza- 
 tion, the disciples of Christ have been distin- 
 guished by their mutual love ; and the Christian 
 has proved the Christian's friend, the Christian's 
 brother. 
 
 Finally, brethren, if the obligation of Christians 
 to the exercise of charity is thus binding, allow me 
 to say that the claims of that particular charity 
 are peculiarly strong, for which I solicit your aid 
 this morning. Of a public hospital, that may be 
 asserted which cannot be asserted of all charities, 
 that it is impossible it should be so perverted or 
 abused as to produce harm instead of good. In 
 this calculating age, when even begging is a trade, 
 some charities create their own objects: a fact
 
 350 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 which ought not to stop our hands, or turn away 
 our heads from the poor man : but may reason- 
 ably make us ponder as to the properest methods 
 of giving. An hospital, as we know, is designed to 
 mitigate the pain and the sicknesses to which sin 
 has made our nature liable. Now we can never 
 so effectually relieve pain and sickness, but they 
 shall still be dreaded and avoided. We may 
 weary the most patient efforts of medical skill ; we 
 may exhaust the cup of charity to the dregs ; but 
 it will still be thought better to continue in health, 
 than to have health restored ; better to be free 
 from pain, than to seek its alleviation. And if 
 health is to all proverbially the highest blessing, 
 how truly is it so to the classes for whom an infir- 
 mary is provided ; to those whose daily bread 
 depends upon their daily strength to labour, whose 
 sickness receives few comforts, and whose pillow, 
 if smoothed at all, must be smoothed by the hand 
 of charity. I feel that in behalf of such an insti- 
 tution I may speak boldly ; may without scruple 
 remind you of the apostle's words ; " He that 
 soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly ; and 
 he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bounti- 
 fully." 
 
 Indeed the annual records of an hospital furnish 
 the strongest grounds for both inward reflection 
 and active exertion.
 
 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 351 
 
 I find, that during the last year ten thou- 
 sand persons have been admitted on the books. 
 What an evidence of the calamities by which in 
 this fallen state we are surrounded ! 
 
 Have any of those here present been afflicted in 
 like manner ? Then think how much you stood 
 in need of relief, how highly you prized it, how 
 grievous you would have felt the want of it : and 
 let that recollection determine you, whether you 
 will contribute or refuse to contribute, whether you 
 will contribute largely or sparingly. 
 
 On the other hand, has God's mercy exempted 
 you from the like affliction ? What reason to be 
 grateful ! And if you do not show your gratitude 
 by assisting your less favoured brethren, how do 
 you obey the Christian precept, and love them as 
 Christ hath loved you ? 
 
 The books to which I have referred, suggest one 
 further reflection. Out of the number who sought 
 relief at the hospital, I find that two hundred and 
 sixty died. 
 
 This might have been your lot must be at 
 some time or other ; and no one, believe me, on 
 his dying bed, ever regretted the sum .which he 
 had subtracted from his own enjoyment to bestow 
 on others. Dying beds, and those who attend 
 them, have borne witness to many lamentations,
 
 352 THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. 
 
 but never bore witness to any one complaining 
 " I have withdrawn too much from myself and 
 my family, to relieve the distress around me. I 
 have done too little for myself, and too much for 
 my Saviour." 
 
 Learn, from this truth, to expend your money 
 in a way which cannot be repented of. For " he 
 that giveth unto the poor, lendeth unto the Lord : 
 and look, what he layeth out, it shall be paid him
 
 353 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING THE CONVERSION 
 OF A SINNER. 
 
 James v. 20. 
 
 He that converteth a sinner from the error of his 
 way, shall save a soul from death, and hide a mul- 
 titude of sins. 
 
 To convert a sinner from the error of his way, is 
 not the work of man, but of God. Whoever tries 
 it in his own strength, will soon find how limited 
 is the influence, in spiritual things, of one mind 
 over another. The most affectionate persuasion, 
 the most indisputable argument of the most prac- 
 tised orator, can of itself no more convert the 
 heart of man, than the most experienced philoso- 
 pher can create a world. 
 
 But God is often pleased to make use of the 
 
 A A
 
 354 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 arguments, and the persuasion, and the influence, 
 which men employ, as the instrument by which 
 his Holy Spirit works to convert a sinner from the 
 error of his way. The philosophy which cannot 
 add a single particle to the matter which the world 
 contains, can yet turn to the most useful purpose 
 the materials which God has made. And so in 
 the spiritual world, there are numerous means 
 within the power of man, to which God gives 
 efficacy, and performs through them his gracious 
 purposes of repentance, conversion, and salvation. 
 
 To this providential agency St. James alludes, 
 when he stimulates religious exertion and religious 
 charity by the motive set before us in the text. He 
 that converteth a sinner from the error of his way, 
 shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of 
 sins. May that Spirit which dictated those stir- 
 ring words, be present amongst us, whilst I endea- 
 vour to enforce the motive they contain ! 
 
 That motive is, to save a soul from death. For 
 there is a death of the soul : a twofold death to 
 which the soul is subject. There is, first, a moral 
 death, which comes by sin : a state in which the spi- 
 ritual part of man is reduced to the condition to 
 which natural death reduces the body. When life 
 has left the body, the agencies for which it was 
 formed must cease, and which in its healthy con-
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 355 
 
 dition it achieves. The senses are inert, the 
 tongue is silent, the limbs have lost their power. 
 Now the soul, like the body, has its faculties, when 
 it is a living soul : it is capable of loving, of fear- 
 ing, of honouring its God and Saviour ; capable 
 of looking beyond things temporal to things eter- 
 nal ; capable of spiritual desires, of spiritual hopes, 
 of spiritual joys. But the sinner is dead to all 
 these affections ; has no more sense of them than 
 the dead body has feeling or motion : and there- 
 fore Scripture describes those souls as dead, which 
 are insensible to God and holiness ; and those as 
 living, which, being converted from the error of 
 their way, are " dead indeed unto sin, but alive 
 unto God through Jesus Christ." 
 
 Brethren, it were much, if this were all. It 
 were much to restore the soul to life, even if we 
 looked no farther than the present world. For as 
 to the natural eye, it is delightful to witness the 
 vigour, the activity, the beauty, which belongs to 
 healthful life ; and as it is distressing, in pro- 
 portion, to see the stiffened limbs, the pallid 
 countenance of the corpse, so likewise to the moral 
 eye there is the same strong contrast between the 
 soul which lives to the great purposes of its being, 
 and the soul which lies " dead in trespasses and sins." 
 Angry, malicious, revengeful passions appetites 
 
 A A 2
 
 356 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 unsubdued low, craving, unsatisfied desires are 
 so unlovely in themselves, and so injurious in their 
 consequences, that it were much to convert a sinner 
 from the error of his way, even as regards this 
 world alone. But we are bound to look beyond. 
 The death of the soul here, is the commencement 
 of that state which awaits the soul when it leaves 
 this world, and which is described by the word of 
 God as death eternal. For " the fearful, and un- 
 believing, and the abominable, and murderers, 
 and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, 
 and all liars, shall have their part in the lake 
 which burneth with fire and brimstone : which is 
 the second death." 1 
 
 My brethren, it must be so : reason and Scrip- 
 ture assure us that it must be so. Look at the 
 sinner dying unconverted : the multitude of his 
 sins not hidden. Take the example which the 
 Bible furnishes : and call to mind the deaths of 
 Ahab, or of Jezebel, or of Herod, or of Judas. 
 Or see the single illustration supplied by Daniel, 2 
 when Belshazzar king of Babylon " made a great 
 feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine 
 before the thousand. Belshazzar, whilst he tasted 
 the wine, commanded to bring the golden and 
 silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had 
 1 Rev. xxi. 8. Dan. v. I, &c.
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 357 
 
 taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem : 
 that the king, and his princes, his wives and his 
 concubines, might drink therein." In this wanton 
 revelry, it was not enough to forget God ; he must 
 be insulted too, openly defied. " The king, and 
 his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank 
 in these vessels, and praised the gods of gold, and 
 of silver, of wood, and of stone." 
 
 The history proceeds to relate" In that night 
 was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." 
 
 Is it not then plain, too plain to be gainsayed, 
 that between the moral death of the soul on earth, 
 and the eternal death which shall ensue, there is 
 an inseparable connexion ? The one leading ne- 
 cessarily to the other? " In that night was Bel- 
 shazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Alas ! 
 my brethren, there was nothing in the nature of 
 his death, there is nothing in the nature of any 
 death, to change the character of the soul. Bel- 
 shazzar left the world, what whilst living in the 
 world he had been. His spirit returned unto God 
 who gave it, " in whose hand his breath was, and 
 whose were all his ways," yet whom " he had not 
 glorified." What could await him, but " everlast- 
 ing destruction from the presence of the Lord ?" 
 
 Think, then, what it is to save a soul from death, 
 If it were to save it merely from annihilation, from
 
 358 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 ceasing to exist at all, we might be less careful in 
 the matter ; but it is to save it from that misery 
 which Scripture teaches us to connect in our 
 minds with death eternal : that " worm which 
 dieth not ;" that " outer darkness, where is weep- 
 ing and gnashing of teeth ;" that state which so 
 moved the Father with compassion, that " he sent 
 his only-begotten Son, that all that believe in him 
 might not perish ;" that state which the Son so 
 pitied, that he consented to suffer, " the just for 
 the unjust, that he might bring us to God," our 
 sins atoned for and pardoned, and so hidden. For 
 the death of the soul is eternal death ; and the 
 eternal death of the soul is the eternal misery of 
 the soul. Truly, brethren, we need not extend our 
 thoughts beyond the capacity of the soul for suf- 
 fering, to understand the force of that motive by 
 which St. James would urge us to save a soul from 
 death. We might grant, for argument's sake, if a 
 disputant would have it so, we might grant that 
 the fire unquenchable, and the " smoke of torment 
 which ascendeth up for ever and ever," are figura- 
 tive expressions, not requiring a literal interpre- 
 tation. Be it so be it supposed that they are 
 meant to excite in us an idea of what we cannot 
 fully comprehend, by suggesting the thoughts of 
 what we here experience. At least, it must be
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 359 
 
 allowed that they are designed to suggest the notion 
 of suffering; of the heaviest, the most intolerable 
 suffering. They can signify no less, than that the 
 lost soul will endure a miserable eternity. And 
 need I remind you, brethren, of what the soul can 
 suffer ? Meed I remind you of the bitterness of 
 grief? of the wretchedness of suspense of the lin- 
 gering torture of disappointed hope ? of the agony 
 of remorse ? Need I bring before your minds the 
 recollection of the patriarch Jacob, when he 
 lamented over his favourite Joseph ? " And all his 
 sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him ; 
 but he refused to be comforted ; and he said, For 
 I will go down into the grave unto my son mourn- 
 ing. Thus his father wept for him." 3 Need I 
 set before you the wretchedness of David, when 
 grieving over the hopeless death of Absalom ? 
 " And the king was much moved, and went up to 
 the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he 
 went, thus he said ; O my son Absalom ; my son, 
 my son Absalom would God I had died for thee, 
 
 Absalom, my son, my son!" 4 The torment of 
 Judas's conscience was greater than he could bear : 
 he cried out in despair, " I have sinned, in that 
 
 1 have betrayed the innocent blood :" and casting- 
 down the silver pieces which he had received, 
 
 s Gen. xxxvii. 35. 4 2 Sam. xviii. 32, &c.
 
 360 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 and which now ate like canker into his soul, " he 
 departed, and went and hanged himself." 5 
 
 These examples give a feeble illustration of 
 what experience in this world of woe too well 
 illustrates to each individual heart, how much the 
 soul is capable of suffering. And yet in this life 
 there is no suffering without mitigation. To the 
 wicked, there is commonly some gleam of hope; 
 and to the good, there is always a light arising in 
 the thickest darkness. What, then, must we think 
 of suffering which has no alleviation of hope, or 
 of time ; which no light relieves, either from earth 
 or from heaven ? And such will be the sufferings 
 of the lost soul, from which every hope is cast 
 away ; such the remorse of a lost soul, which has 
 forfeited happiness unspeakable; such the despair 
 of a lost soul, which has no prospect but of this 
 remorse and this sorrow for ever. Surely it may 
 well be compared to " the worm which dieth not, 
 the fire which never shall be quenched ;" and we 
 need no stronger motive for exertion to convert a 
 sinner from the error of his way. 
 
 Yet there is another motive still, which I am 
 bound to lay before you : I must proceed a step 
 further, and remind you, that to save a soul from 
 5 Matt, xxvii. 5.
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 361 
 
 death, is to restore a soul to life. " The dead," 
 said our Lord, " shall hear the voice of the Son of 
 man; and they that hear shall live." The mo- 
 rally, the spiritually dead, shall come forth like 
 Lazarus from their tomb ; shall be loosened from 
 the chains of those sins which tied and bound 
 them, and be admitted into " the glorious liberty 
 of the children of God." And walking here in 
 the path of holiness, and in the light of God's 
 countenance, turned from the ways of error to the 
 ways of righteousness, they proceed to the end, 
 which is everlasting life. As the state of moral 
 death in this world leads to an immortality of 
 misery ; so a state of spiritual life conducts to an 
 immortality of glory. 
 
 We reflected, just now, on what the soul can 
 suffer. Let us also reflect on what it can enjoy. 
 For of this we have experience too. There is a 
 taste of happiness imparted to us here, which may 
 lead us to aspire after that which is eternal and un- 
 alloyed. As the patriarch Jacob's misery was 
 great, when he sighed over the loss of Joseph, so 
 was his enjoyment great, when the unexpected 
 tidings reached him of his recovery ; and he ex- 
 claimed, " It is enough : Joseph, my son, is yet 
 alive ; I will go and see him before I die." We 
 6 Gen. xlv. 28.
 
 362 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 can also conceive of David's happiness, when 
 placed upon the throne of Israel, " he went in, 
 and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O 
 Lord God, and what is my father's house, that 
 thou hast brought me hitherto ? And this was yet 
 a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God ; but thou 
 hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great 
 while to come." 7 We can also imagine what joy 
 must fill the heart of the aged Simeon, when it 
 was revealed to him, that the child then presented 
 by his parents in the temple was indeed the long 
 looked for Saviour : and he exclaimed in rapture, 
 " Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 
 peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 8 
 
 And yet here, as there is no misery unmitigated, 
 so is there no happiness unalloyed. It is never 
 complete ; it is never certain ; never permanent. 
 The same history supplies to us examples at once 
 of the highest enjoyment, and of the deepest 
 misery. There will be nothing to cloud the 
 brightness, nothing to disturb the continuance of 
 those joys which belong to life eternal ; prepared 
 in heaven for those who are converted from every 
 evil way ; who " have washed their robes and 
 made them white in the blood of the Lamb :" and, 
 being renewed in the spirit of their minds, " seek 
 i 2 Sam. vii. 18. a Luke ii. 29.
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 363 
 
 for glory and honour and immortality by patient 
 continuance in well-doing." 
 
 Such is the nature of that motive which St. 
 James has used to excite the active compassion of 
 his Christian disciples. On the same grounds, in 
 the strength of the same motive, we plead for the 
 asylum connected with this hospital. 9 It is de- 
 signed to convert sinners from the error of their 
 way, and so to save souls from death. It is 
 founded on the conviction that the state of moral 
 death in which they are when brought within 
 these walls, must lead to that eternal death from 
 which, without conversion, they cannot be deli- 
 vered. And it is founded on the conviction that 
 to achieve such deliverance no exertions can be 
 too laborious, no measures too costly. Had the 
 end been less momentous ; had the soul less power 
 to suffer or enjoy ; had the descriptions of eternal 
 misery been less awful, or of eternal happiness less 
 glorious ; or if no sanctifying, renewing Spirit 
 were made known, by which those now dead in 
 sin might be quickened with spiritual life; then, 
 perhaps, we might be content (content we could 
 not be but at least we might be forced) to leave 
 the children of disobedience to the wretchedness in 
 9 The Penitentiary connected with the Lock Hospital.
 
 364 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 which sin has plunged them. But we cannot do 
 this with the word of God in our hands, and the 
 promises of God in our knowledge. We see them 
 gliding along that downward slope which will 
 hurry them faster and faster, till at length they 
 descend into the tomb. Mortal eye can penetrate 
 no further; but the word of God extends our 
 view, and shows us " the blackness of darkness 
 for ever." The dying moan is past, and mortal 
 ear can hear no more; but " weeping, and wail- 
 ing, and gnashing of teeth," sound awfully in the 
 ear of faith. To this, then, we cannot abandon 
 them : we must make an effort for their deliver- 
 ance ; we who bear on our foreheads the title of 
 Christ's disciples. He has set us the example : 
 by his own wonderful mercy he has taught us to 
 be merciful. When all mankind were on that 
 downward path and course, he hastened down 
 from heaven for their deliverance ; he opened a 
 way by which the dead might live, and the mul- 
 titude of their sins be hidden. 
 
 Now we sometimes find those amongst us who are 
 strangely insensible to the circumstances of others. 
 But I can conceive no human being who would not 
 sacrifice every earthly consideration ; everything 
 but his own soul if he actually beheld the end ; 
 beheld that which is easily spoken of, but which
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 365 
 
 it is so hard to realise to our minds ; if the final 
 state of say a thousand impenitent, abandoned 
 souls were before his eyes ; and if he had the 
 means of recovering those thousand souls from the 
 gulf of misery which awaits " the wicked, and 
 all the people that forget God." 
 
 But in vain. The time will come when all that 
 is in the world will not avail to rescue a single 
 soul. 
 
 Yet, brethren, what hereafter will be impossible, 
 is now possible. Nay, it is what God encourages 
 us to attempt, by daily proving that it may be 
 done. I have spoken of a thousand souls. A 
 thousand souls have been brought under the teach- 
 ing of the asylum which asks your aid, and here 
 have learnt to " know the only true God, and 
 Jesus Christ whom he hath sent." Hither they 
 have come, as others are perpetually coming, in a 
 state of moral death, tainted with the practice of 
 all those sins of which Scripture declares that they 
 who do them " have no inheritance in the king- 
 dom of Christ and of God." If their future con- 
 demnation is to be averted, their present condition 
 must be changed ; changed now " in the accepted 
 time, now in the day of salvation ;" before the 
 final sentence be gone forth, " He that is unjust,
 
 366 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING 
 
 let him be unjust still : and he that is filthy, let 
 him be filthy still." 1 
 
 Now, then, step forward to convert the sinner 
 from his way, and save his soul alive. 
 
 It is a hallowed gratification, which is purchased 
 by money thus employed. It must be thus pur- 
 chased. Those means are needful to the object. 
 They who are received into this asylum, bring 
 thither nothing of their own but misery and sin. 
 
 Yet methinks this should not render them less 
 deserving of our sympathy. It is the state in 
 which all must come to the Redeemer. He " came 
 not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
 ance." Had mankind been righteous, they would 
 not have required his ransom. " In Adam all 
 died :" not those alone for whom we now entreat 
 your pity. And not your pity only, but your 
 active, self-denying charity, that here they may 
 be supported for a while ; may " cease to do evil, 
 and learn to do well:" here learn the value of 
 the soul from the price which was paid for its 
 redemption : here learn the mercy of God, who 
 " willeth not that any should perish." O where 
 shall benevolence find a safer or more useful 
 channel ? And on whom can we more justly call 
 1 Rev. xxii. 11.
 
 THE CONVERSION OF A SINNER. 367 
 
 for such benevolence, than on those who have 
 not been exposed to the temptations by which 
 others have been overcome ? Or how can they 
 who have been preserved from the snares of Satan, 
 give better proof of thankfulness to the " author 
 of every good and perfect gift," than by assist- 
 ing to deliver from his power those who are now 
 " led captive by him at his will ?" 
 
 Take, then, the opportunity which is offered. 
 There are many ways in which money is con- 
 sumed, which bring a man no peace at the last. 
 It has laid no good foundation against the time 
 to come, by proving that there is something 
 which we value more. Nay, it may excite a 
 vain regret, that we who have received the gifts 
 of God's goodness, have not administered them 
 as faithful stewards. But what is expended in 
 withdrawing a fellow-creature from the way of 
 death, and placing him within the means of sal- 
 vation, may purchase a treasure which is im- 
 perishable. It may be endowed with all the 
 blessings which the soul saved alive shall gain. 
 In the providence of God the greatest results are 
 often made dependent upon means which might 
 seem inadequate or unworthy. And that very sum 
 which would otherwise be employed to gratify 
 luxury or encourage pride, might furnish the
 
 368 THE BLESSINGS ATTENDING, &C. 
 
 means of bringing some perishing soul from death 
 to life, from the power of Satan unto God ; 
 from indignation and wrath, tribulation and an- 
 guish, to reconciliation and peace here on earth, 
 and to a blessed immortality in the world to 
 come.
 
 369 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE STATE OF 
 OTHERS. 
 
 1 John ii. 9. 
 
 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his bro- 
 ther, is in darkness even until now. 
 
 THE epistle from which these words are taken, 
 abounds with tests or signs of Christian faith ; 
 tests by which a man may try and examine him- 
 self, and prove his own soul ; discover his state in 
 the sight of God. Is he in the light or no ? 
 
 Naturally, we walk in darkness. " Darkness 
 covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." 
 The Lord Jesus Christ came to disperse that dark- 
 ness. It is the account which he gives of himself. 
 " I am come a light into the world, that whosoever 
 believeth in me should not abide in darkness." 1 
 1 John xii. 46. 
 
 B B
 
 370 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 But light may come into the world, and men may 
 love darkness rather. Such was the sin of the 
 Jews in general. Their eyes were closed ; that 
 they could not " see the glory of God in the face 
 of Jesus Christ." 2 And at all times, and in every 
 age, there have been too many such : too many 
 whose eyes the god of this world has blinded, 2 so 
 that the light of truth which shines around them 
 has never reached their hearts. 
 
 Of these St. John does not speak here. He 
 speaks of those who profess to have come to the 
 light, and to be walking in the light : who would 
 be offended if any questioned their religious state, 
 or doubted of their reconciliation with God. He 
 does not question it, or point any accusation against 
 them individually ; but lays down a general rule, 
 by which any one may judge himself, or if needful, 
 be judged of by others. If any man say that he 
 has been convinced of his natural sinfulness, and 
 consequent condemnation before God ; that he 
 has pursued the way, the only way of deliverance, 
 and been brought to embrace the faith that is in 
 Christ Jesus ; has " received him," as sent of God 
 " to seek and to save that which was lost;" that 
 therefore he is no longer " appointed unto wrath, 
 but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus 
 8 2 Cor. v. 6.
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 371 
 
 Christ ;" if any man say this, and that being thus 
 delivered from the darkness of sin and death, he 
 is enjoying the light of the divine favour, and yet 
 hateth his brother, this man deceives himself with 
 vain words and false notions ; he is in darkness even 
 until now. 
 
 May the light of divine truth shine on us whilst 
 we contemplate these words ! 
 
 The first inquiry must be, Who is the brother ? In 
 the first and highest sense, the brother is the fel- 
 low-disciple ; those of whom Paul so often speaks 
 under that endearing term, as " The saints, and 
 faithful brethren in Christ :" those whom the Lord 
 himself " is not ashamed to call his brethren ;" 
 those to whom he appeared, when before his ascen- 
 sion he " was seen of above five hundred brethren 
 at once." One, in short, who acknowledges the 
 same faith, professes the same hope, and walks 
 together in the house of God as a friend, is, in the 
 proper sense of the term, the Christian's brother. 
 
 But when our Lord was asked, in a somewhat 
 similar inquiry, " Who is my neighbour ?" 3 his an- 
 swer showed how far in his esteem the term ex- 
 tended, and with the term, the obligation attached 
 to it. It extended even to the Samaritan with 
 3 St. Luke x. 29, &c. 
 
 B B 2
 
 372 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 whom the Jews " had no dealings." And so in a 
 like spirit he is to be regarded as my brother, who 
 is heir of the same nature, born of the like parent- 
 age; nay, is a member of the same country, bap- 
 tized in the same faith, and called by the same 
 title of Christian. He may have forgotten " the 
 covenant of his fathers," he may have neglected 
 his baptismal privileges, he may be walking un- 
 worthily of his vocation. But still he is a fellow- 
 man, the offspring of the same God, the object of 
 the same universal love : and as such, he is a 
 brother. 
 
 The next inquiry must be, what it is to hate a 
 brother ? How it can be possible for any man to 
 say he is in the light, and hate his brother ? Con- 
 sider what hatred is. Joseph's brethren hated him, 
 being jealous of his character, and of the superiority 
 which seemed to await him ; and their thoughts 
 were, " Behold, this dreamer cometh ; come, let us 
 slay him." 4 Haman hated Mordecai, because he 
 was his rival in the favour of the king ; and laid 
 a snare for his life. 5 The princes of Babylon did 
 the same in the case of Daniel. 6 The chief priests 
 and rulers hated Lazarus, because he afforded an 
 evidence of the divine power of Jesus ; and they 
 
 4 Gen. xxxvii. 19. 5 See Esth. v. 6, &c. 
 
 6 Dan. vi.
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 373 
 
 " consulted to put him to death." 7 Therefore, St. 
 John writes afterwards, " He that hateth his bro- 
 ther is a murderer;" he has thoughts in his heart 
 which, if allowed to lodge and be cherished there, 
 will lead him to desire and even to compass the 
 death of him who is the object of them. 
 
 It can scarcely, therefore, be in this strong sense 
 of the word that St. John supposes the case of a 
 Christian man hating his brother. Such hatred as 
 this, and the deeds that follow it, are among the sins 
 which " go before a man to judgment;" 8 which 
 hardly allow him to deceive himself, and which 
 certainly cannot deceive others. Hatred like this 
 is the feeling of those who have no fear of God 
 before their eyes ; who are led captive by the devil 
 at his will ; who have never inquired about salva- 
 tion, or renounced sin, or aspired to heaven. Such 
 characters as these do not say that they are in the 
 light. Confessedly, they walk in darkness. 
 
 But if we examine into the usage of the word 
 hate in Scripture, we find that it does not always 
 bear this strong and active sense ; that men are 
 spoken of as hating a thing, in a very different 
 way from that in which Esau hated Jacob, or Saul 
 hated David, or Haman hated Mordecai. Men 
 are often said to hate that which they do not 
 7 John xii. 10. 8 1 Tim. v. 24.
 
 374 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 prefer ; which they give up and abandon, and in so 
 abandoning, act as if they hated it. 
 
 We know, for example, how our Lord said, " If 
 any man come to me, and hate not his father and 
 mother, yea, his own life also, he cannot be my 
 disciple." 8 
 
 Now, brethren, I need not say that no man can 
 be called upon to hate his parents. If he could do 
 so, where would his religion be ? If he " gave his 
 body to be burned, and had not that charity" 
 which binds a man to his nearest relatives if he 
 remembers not the sorrow which bore him, and 
 the care which tended him, and the solicitude 
 which prayed for him, and the labour which pro- 
 vided for his interests and supplied his wants, 
 truly may we say that he is a stranger to the grace 
 of God. How little would he resemble Him who 
 left us an example ! Him of whom we are told, 
 that after having shown his divinity in the temple 
 at Jerusalem, he accompanied his parents to Naza- 
 reth, and " was subject unto them ;" 9 and who from 
 the agony of the cross provided for the bereave- 
 ment of her whom he was leaving, and enjoined 
 his beloved disciple, " Behold thy mother !" 1 
 
 No man, therefore, can be in the light, and hate his 
 father and mother. Yet he may be obliged to act 
 s Luke xiv. 26. 9 Ibid. ii. 51. 1 John xix. 27.
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 375 
 
 as if he hated them. The Lord himself did so, 
 when he tarried behind at Jerusalem, and his 
 parents " sought him sorrowing." 2 He did so, 
 when he refused to hearken to their call, and leave 
 at their solicitation the business of his ministry. 3 
 So a man may be bound by duty to leave his 
 parents ; to separate himself from them ; to choose 
 something else in preference to them. He may be 
 called upon to act as St. Paul acted, 4 when his 
 friends at Cesarea surrounded him, and with one 
 voice " besought him not to go up to Jerusalem." 
 He broke from them, saying, " What mean ye to 
 weep and to break my heart ? For I am ready 
 not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem 
 for the sake of the Lord Jesus." See a bye- 
 stander might have said see how this man returns 
 hatred for goodwill. His friends intreat him to 
 remain amongst them. He casts them off', and 
 leaves them to themselves, that he may pursue his 
 own journey. 
 
 Just as a man, if he will be a disciple of Christ 
 Jesus, must sometimes act as if he hated his own 
 life. None, except in a morbid state of feeling, 
 can really hate their own lives. But they may act 
 as if they hated them, and wished to be rid of 
 them. If a man did hate his own life, he could 
 
 Luke ii. 48. 3 Matt. xii. 50. * Acts xxi. 13.
 
 376 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 not do more than put it into jeopardy, or suffer it 
 to be destroyed. And this the apostles did, 
 when, in defiance of the threats of the chief priests 
 and rulers, they " ceased not in the temples and 
 synagogues to teach and to preach in the name of 
 Christ." They counted not their lives dear unto 
 themselves. And what is this but, in effect, to 
 hate and renounce them? 
 
 Thus, then, I explain the meaning of the phrase, 
 when St. John speaks of one who saith he is in the 
 light, and hateth his brother. He does not contem- 
 plate the bitter and revengeful feelings which 
 belong to hatred, properly so called. He does not 
 warn us against active enmity, whether of thought, 
 word, or deed. But he would call it hatred, to 
 show no signs and give no proofs of any other 
 feeling : he would call it hatred to exercise no 
 love ; to act as those did, 8 for instance, who meet- 
 ing with a man who had fallen among thieves and 
 been left by the way naked and wounded, paid him 
 no attention, and passed by on the other side. 
 This he would call hatred, because it was not love ; 
 and because it proved that some other feeling be- 
 sides that of love towards a neighbour had posses- 
 sion of the mind ; love of ease, or love of our 
 own pursuits, or love of our possessions. St. 
 5 Luke x. 40, &c.
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 377 
 
 James writes to the same purpose. " If a brother 
 or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and 
 one of you say to them, Depart in peace, be ye 
 warmed and filled ; notwithstanding ye give them 
 not those things which are needful to the body, 
 what doth it profit ?" 6 What does it show of bro- 
 therly kindness and charity ? Yet a person might 
 argue that he had no ill will towards these ne- 
 glected individuals ; no enmity against them ; that 
 he was in charity with all mankind ; wished them 
 all possible good ; nay, would gladly promote it, 
 if he could benefit them without cost or trouble. 
 But St. James justly replies, " What doth it 
 profit ?" You say, " Be ye warmed and filled ;" 
 but ye do not provide the means : ye send away 
 the suppliant, and ye leave him to pine out of sight, 
 and remain in his state of destitution. It matters 
 little, when you act thus, whether you acknowledge 
 the feelings of hatred, or pretend to the profession 
 of love. What could hatred do more to injure, 
 than do nothing to relieve ? What could hatred 
 do more towards the most detested enemy, than 
 abandon him to perish with cold and hunger ? 
 
 Take example from the case of the rich man, at 
 whose gate Lazarus is represented as lying, and 
 being suffered to lie, " full of sores," and " desir- 
 6 James ii. 16.
 
 378 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 ing to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the 
 rich man's table." 7 Suppose this Lazarus to have 
 been the known enemy of the rich man, whom 
 after a long contest he had subdued, and brought 
 within his power. And suppose the rich man to 
 be one who indulged without restraint the passions 
 of malice and revenge, and thought himself at 
 liberty to inflict upon his conquered adversary 
 whatever his angry hatred could devise. He could 
 not have contrived a method of revenge which 
 should reduce his enemy to a state of greater 
 wretchedness than that which is described as the 
 state of Lazarus. Yet the rich man did not cause 
 that state by any active measures of injury. Only 
 he did not relieve it by any active measures of 
 charity. And he is held up to us as a specimen 
 of a character which God exceedingly disapproves, 
 and requires us not to imitate but to shun. For if 
 any man saith he is in the light, believes himself to 
 be at peace with God, and hateth his brother, he is 
 in darkness even until now. He speaks to himself 
 " peace, when there is no peace." And it appears 
 that without being conscious of the sentiment of 
 hatred, we may act the part of hatred ; that with- 
 out doing the injury which actual enmity might 
 inflict, we may incur the guilt of injuring, by 
 7 Luke xvi. 21.
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 379 
 
 withholding the benefit which Christian love, if it 
 existed, would afford. 
 
 And now let me observe that within the limits 
 of this culpable neglect, which has everything of 
 hatred except the name, all the interests of our 
 brethren are comprehended : not the temporal wants 
 of the body only, but the everlasting concerns of 
 the soul. 
 
 We may justly wonder how little this is taken 
 into consideration. 
 
 If there were any class of persons suffering under 
 bodily misfortune, whose case no charitable insti- 
 tution reached, we know, and are thankful to know, 
 that an immediate interest would be excited, and 
 appeals be made to a Christian public whether such 
 a case ought to be suffered to remain. It is the 
 honour of our country, I ought rather to say of our 
 Christianity, that none of the maladies which affect 
 the body, none of the calamities to which the 
 human frame is liable, are left without such alle- 
 viations as can be furnished by the hand of 
 charity. 
 
 But is this all that should be expected of him 
 who does not hate his brother ? Does love extend 
 no further than to the least important part of man ? 
 If we believe the Scripture, the temporary evils
 
 380 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 that can afflict the body, great as we must own 
 they often are, do not bear to be compared with 
 the exceeding weight of suffering which awaits the 
 soul, when leaving the world unreconciled to God, 
 no pardon sought, no sins repented of, no peace 
 secured. And if it is the sign of love to prevent 
 suffering, and of hatred to neglect and overlook it, 
 there may be as much of hatred in regard to the 
 soul as to the body of our brother. 
 
 This is far too little remembered. There is no 
 consistency in our conduct on this point. We 
 forget that in the case of the soul, no less than 
 in the case of the body, to neglect may be to 
 injure, not to assist, may be, virtually, to destroy. 
 Without hesitation we should condemn the person 
 who could entice or lead another into danger, and 
 then escape from it by a way open to himself alone, 
 leaving his companion behind to perish. To active 
 malice like this we should give its proper name, 
 and treat it with detestation. But a person might 
 see another entering unawares into danger, and 
 know that the end must be destruction ; yet give 
 him no warning, offer no guidance. Would he 
 be blameless? Should we not reckon him charge- 
 able with the calamity that follows ? 
 
 But if there is guilt in this, acknowledged guilt, 
 we may justly ask ourselves whether it is not the
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 381 
 
 same kind of wrong to be aware of the spiritual 
 danger of our brethren, and to leave it unre- 
 dressed ; to be acquainted with their destitution of 
 everything that can benefit the soul, and not to 
 exert ourselves towards remedying their condi- 
 tion. 
 
 If he, for instance, would be thought the most 
 barbarous of men, who should see a troop of play- 
 ful children entering the path of some tangled 
 wilderness, where he knew they would be tempted 
 to linger without thought of return, till darkness 
 overtook them, and left them exposed to the beasts 
 of the forest, which, " when night cometh, creep 
 forth and seek their prey :" if this, brethren, 
 should justly rouse our indignation, let us consider 
 whether it would be better to allow the children 
 growing up around us, corrupt as they are by nature, 
 and liable to temptation, to enter upon the wilderness 
 of a world that lieth in wickedness, with no warn- 
 ing against its dangers, and no attempt to give 
 protection. 
 
 An example of this kind, thus set before you, 
 may serve to show how differently we are affected 
 in a case of temporal danger, and of everlast- 
 ing ruin; may prove how the guilt of hating 
 others may justly be imputed to us, when we 
 neither inflicted nor intended actual injury. We
 
 382 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING 
 
 see them " drawn unto death," 8 yet we make no 
 exertion to " deliver them." Are we not then 
 " consenting to their death," and " guilty concern- 
 ing our brethren ?" 
 
 For such is the case to which I invite your atten- 
 tion now : the case of persons who having fallen 
 into evil ways, and suffered the penalty of the 
 offended law, are thrown upon the community 
 again without guidance to protect them, or re- 
 sources to support them. We know that there are 
 many such annually discharged from our prisons ; 
 and we must not close our eyes against their state, 
 and say, " We knew it not." It may be a season 
 of mercy to their souls. Their " sin has found 
 them out." Their conscience has been awakened. 
 The voice of instruction has approached them, per- 
 haps for the first time. At length the door is 
 opened to them, and they are once more at large. 
 When Peter was delivered from the custody of 
 Herod's soldiers, 9 and the gates were miraculously 
 set open to release him, he knew which way to 
 turn, and knocked at the door of a disciple, where 
 " many were gathered together praying." But, 
 alas ! there are no Christian doors open, no Chris- 
 tian disciples waiting to admit these outcasts; no 
 party of pious brethren praying for their deliver- 
 
 8 See Prov. xxiv. 11. 9 See Acts xii. 1113.
 
 THE STATE OF OTHERS. 383 
 
 ance, and ready to welcome them with thanks- 
 giving. Their fellowship has been of another 
 kind, and far different is the character of their 
 companions. Satan finds them an easy prey, re- 
 turns to their hearts again, and the " last error is 
 worse than the first." 
 
 This, brethren, is the evil against which we 
 desire to guard, in the HOUSES OF REFUGE 1 for which 
 we intreat your aid. 
 
 The prodigal in the parable, when he felt the 
 consequences of sin, bethought him of his father's 
 house, where the " hired servants had bread enough 
 and to spare." He returned to it, and was tenderly 
 received. Those for whom we are desirous to pro- 
 vide, like him are prodigals, and like him have 
 experienced the famine which prevails in the haunts 
 where Satan bears dominion. Many are less cri- 
 minal than he was ; for he abandoned the roof of 
 a kind and tender parent, and went away de- 
 signedly " into a far country." But many of these 
 have never known the blessings of parental kind- 
 ness, or even, perhaps, the safety of a parental 
 home ; they have not despised the counsel of a 
 father, but are suffering for his iniquity. 2 Let 
 
 1 Houses of Refuge lately established at Chester, for male and 
 female criminals when discharged from prison. 
 
 8 Out of 943 prisoners in the house of correction at Lewes
 
 384 THE GUILT OF NEGLECTING, &C. 
 
 them find in the asylum which Christianity affords, 
 for it is a second nature, that care which fallen and 
 corrupt nature denied them. So they may them- 
 selves become partakers of that second nature ; 
 and the punishment which falls on them as violators 
 of their country's laws, may in God's providence 
 be made " profitable for reproof, for correction, for 
 instruction in righteousness." 
 
 And you, my brethren, who furnish the means of 
 this correction and instruction, may be giving an 
 evidence that you are brought from darkness into 
 light, for you are not hating, but loving your fellow 
 men. There is no clearer sign of Christian light, 
 than to perceive the danger of an unconverted soul. 
 There is no surer proof of Christian love, than to 
 provide the means, the outward means, of that 
 soul's conversion. It is to " deliver those that are 
 drawn unto death, and them that are appointed to 
 be slain." 3 
 
 for the year 1839-40, 392 were either orphans from childhood, 
 or had become orphans, or been deserted by their parents, before 
 the age of 16. See the Chaplain's valuable Report, MDCCCXL. 
 3 Prov.xxiv. 11. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 1BUT.-.ON AND PALMER, PRINTERS, SAVOY-STREET, STRAND.
 
 

 


 
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