,,the ,,christian ,,life2 ,,its ,,course1 ,,its ,,hindrances1 ,,and ,,its ,,helps4 ,,by ,,thomas ,,arnold1 ,d4,d41 ,,head ,,master ,,of ,,rugby ,,school1 ,,and ,,late ,,fellow ,,of ,,oriel ,,college1 ,,oxford4 ,from the ,fifth ,london ,edition4 #ahef4 ,as far as the principle on which ,archbishop ,laud and his followers acted went to re-actuate the idea of the church1 as a co-ordinate and living power by right of ,christ's institution and express promise1 ,i go along with them2 but ,i soon discover that by the church they meant the clergy1 the hierarchy exclusively1 and then ,i fly off from them in a tangent4 ,for it is this very interpretation of the church1 that1 according to my conviction1 constituted the first and fundamental apostasy2 and ,i hold it for one of the greatest mistakes of our polemical divines1 in their controversies with the ,romanists1 that they trace all the corruptions of the gospel faith to the ,papacy4--,,coleridge1 ,literary ,remains1 vol4 iii4 p4 #chf4 ,,contents4 ,,introduction4 ,,lecture ,i4 ,,gen4 iii4 #bb4--;,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,behold1 the man is become as one of us1 to know good and evil4 ,,lecture ,,ii4 #a ,,cor4 xiii4 #aa4--,when ,i was a child ,i spake as a child1 ,i understood as a child1 ,i thought as a child2 but when ,i became a man1 ,i put away childish things4 ,,lecture ,,iii4 #a ,,cor4 xiii4 #aa4--,when ,i was a child ,i spake as a child1 ,i understood as a child1 ,i thought as a child2 but when ,i became a man1 ,i put away childish things4 ,,lecture ,,iv4 ,,col4 i4 #i4--,we do not cease to pray for you1 and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding4 ,,lecture ,v4 ,,col4 i4 #i4--,we do not cease to pray for you1 and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding4 ,,lecture ,,vi4 ,,col4 iii4 #c4--,ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,,lecture ,,vii4 #a ,,cor4 iii4 #ba--bc4--;,all things are yours2 whether ,paul1 or ,apollos1 or ,cephas1 or the world1 or life1 or death1 or things present1 or things to come2 all are yours1 and ye are ,christ's2 and ,christ is ,god's4 ,,lecture ,,viii4 ,,gal4 v4 #af1 #ag4--,walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4 ,for the flesh lusteth against the ,spirit1 and the ,spirit against the flesh2 and these are contrary the one to the other1 so that ye cannot do the things that ye would4 ,,lecture ,,ix4 ,,luke xiv4 #cc4--,whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,,lecture ,x4 #a ,,tim4 i4 #i4--,the law is not made for a righteous man1 but for the lawless and disobedient1 for the ungodly and for sinners1 for the unholy and profane4 ,,lecture ,,xi4 ,,luke xxi4 #cf4--,watch ye1 therefore1 and pray always1 that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass1 and to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,,lecture ,,xii4 ,,prov4 i4 #bh4--,then shall they call upon me1 but ,i will not answer3 they shall seek me early1 but they shall not find me4 ,,lecture ,,xiii4 ,,mark xii4 #cd4--,thou art not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,,lecture ,,xiv4 ,,matt4 xxii4 #ad4--;,for many are called1 but few are chosen4 ,,lecture ,,xv4 ,,luke xi4 #be4--,when he cometh he findeth it swept and garnished4 ,,john v4 #db4--;,i know you1 that ye have not the love of ,god in you4 ,,lecture ,,xvi4 ,,matt4 xi4 #aj4--;,i send my messenger before thy face1 who shall prepare thy way before thee4 ,,lecture ,,xvii4 #a ,,cor4 ii4 #ab4--,we have received not the ,spirit of the world1 but the ,spirit which is of ,god4 ,,lecture ,,xviii4 ,,gen4 xxvii4 #ch4--;,and ,esau said unto his father1 ,hast thou but one blessing1 my father8 ,bless me1 even me also1 ,o my father4 ,,matt4 xv4 #bg4--;,and she said1 ,truth1 ,lord3 yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table4 ,,lecture ,,xix4 ,,matt4 xxii4 #cb4--;,god is not the ,god of the dead1 but of the living4 ,,lecture ,,xx4 ,,ezek4 xiii4 #bb4--,with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad1 whom ,i have not made sad2 and strengthened the hands of the wicked1 that he should not return from his wicked way1 by promising him life4 ,,lecture ,,xxi4 ,,advent ,,sunday4 ,,heb4 iii4 #af4--;,for some when they had heard did provoke2 howbeit not all that came out of ,egypt by ,moses4 ,,lecture ,,xxii4 ,,christmas ,,day4 ,,john i4 #aj4--;,he was in the world1 and the world was made by him1 and the world knew him not4 ,,lecture ,,xxiii4 ,,sunday ,,next ,,before ,,easter4 ,,matt4 xxvi4 #dj1 #da4--,what1 could ye not watch with me one hour8 ,watch and pray1 that ye enter not into temptation2 the spirit indeed is willing1 but the flesh is weak4 ,,lecture ,,xxiv4 ,,good ,,friday4 ,,romans v4 #h4--;,god commendeth his love towards us1 in that1 while we were yet sinners1 ,christ died for us4 ,,lecture ,,xxv4 ,,easter ,,day4 ,,john xx4 #bj4--,then the disciples went away again unto their own home4 ,,lecture ,,xxvi4 ,,whitsunday4 ,,acts xix4 #b4--;,have you received the ,holy ,ghost since ye believed8 ,,lecture ,,xxvii4 ,,trinity ,,sunday4 ,,john iii4 #i4--;,how can these things be8 ,,lecture ,,xxviii4 ,,exod4 iii4 #f4--;,and ,moses hid his face1 for he was afraid to look upon ,god4 ,,luke xxiii4 #cj4--,then shall they begin to say to the mountains1 ,fall on us2 and to the hills1 ,cover us4 ,,lecture ,,xxix4 ,,psalm cxxxvii4 #d4--- ,how shall we sing the ,lord's song in a strange land8 ,,lecture ,,xxx4 #a ,,cor4 xi4 #bf4--;,for as often as ye eat this bread1 and drink this cup1 ye do show the ,lord's death till he come4 ,,lecture ,,xxxi4 ,,luke i4 #c1 #d4--;,it seemed good to me1 also1 having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first1 to write unto thee in order1 most excellent ,theophilus1 that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed4 ,,lecture ,,xxxii4 ,luke i4 #c1 #d4--;,it seemed good to me1 also1 having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first1 to write unto thee in order1 most excellent ,theophilus1 that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed4 ,,lecture ,,xxxiii4 ,,john ix4 #bi4--,we know that ,god spake unto ,moses2 as for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is4 ,,lecture ,,xxxiv4 #a ,,cor4 xiv4 #bj4--;,brethren1 be not children in understanding3 howbeit1 in malice be ye children1 but in understanding be men4 ,,lecture ,,xxxv4 ,,matt4 xxvi4 #de1 #df4--,sleep on now and take your rest2 behold the hour is at hand1 and the ,son of ,man is betrayed into the hands of sinners4 ,rise1 let us be going3 behold he is at hand that doth betray me4 ,,lecture ,,xxxvi4 #b ,,cor4 v4 #ag1 #ah4--,old things are passed away2 behold all things are become new1 and all things are of ,god1 who hath reconciled us to himself by ,jesus ,christ4 ,,lecture ,,xxxvii4 ,,ezek4 xx4 #di4--,then said ,i1 ,ah1 ,lord ,god6 they say of me ,doth he not speak parables8 ,,lecture ,,xxxviii4 ,,isaiah v4 #a4--,now will ,i sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard4 ,,lecture ,,xxxix4 ,,col4 iii4 #ag4--,whatsoever ye do in the word or deed1 do all in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 giving thanks to ,god and the ,father by ,him4 ,,notes4 ,,introduction4 ,the contents of this volume will be found1 ,i hope1 to be in agreement with its title4 ,amongst the helps of ,christian life1 the highest place is due to the ,christian church and its ordinances4 ,i have been greatly misunderstood with respect to my estimate of the ,christian church1 as distinguished from the ,christian religion4 ,i agree so far with those1 from whom ,i in other things most widely differ1 that ,i hold the revival of the church of ,christ in its full perfection1 to be the one great end to which all our efforts should be directed4 ,this is with me no new belief1 but one which ,i have entertained for many years4 ,it was impressed most strongly upon me1 as it appears to have been upon others1 by the remarkable state of affairs and of opinions which we witnessed in this country about nine or ten years ago2 and everything since that time has confirmed it in my mind more and more4 ,others1 according to their own statement1 received the same impression from the phenomena of the same period4 ,but the movement had begun earlier2 nor should ,i object to call it1 as they do1 a movement towards something deeper and truer than satisfied the last century#a4 ,it began1 ,i suppose1 in the last ten years of the last century1 and has ever since been working onwards1 though for a long time slowly and secretly1 and with no distinctly marked direction4 ,but still1 in philosophy and general literature1 there have been sufficient proofs that the pendulum1 which for nearly two hundred years had been swinging one way1 was now beginning to swing back again2 and as its last oscillation brought it far from the true centre1 so it may be1 that its present impulse may be no less in excess1 and thus may bring on again1 in after ages1 another corresponding reaction4 ,footnote #a3 ,see ,mr4 ,newman's ,letter to ,dr4 ,jelf1 p4 #bg4 ,now if it be asked what1 setting aside the metaphor1 are the two points between which mankind has been thus moving to and fro2 and what are the tendencies in us which1 thus alternately predominating1 give so different a character to different periods of the human history2 the answer is not easy to be given summarily1 for the generalisation which it requires is almost beyond the compass of the human mind4 ,several phenomena appear in each period1 and it would be easy to give any one of these as marking its tendency3 as1 for instance1 we might describe one period as having a tendency to despotism1 and another to licentiousness3 but the true answer lies deeper1 and can be only given by discovering that common element in human nature which1 in religion1 in politics1 in philosophy1 and in literature1 being modified by the subject-matter of each1 assumes in each a different form1 so that its own proper nature is no longer to be recognized4 ,again1 it would be an error to suppose that either of the two tendencies which so affect the course of human affairs were to be called simply bad or good4 ,each has its good and evil nicely intermingled2 and taking the highest good of each1 it would be difficult to say which was the more excellent2--taking the last corruption of each1 we could not determine which1 was the more hateful4 ,for so far as we can trace back the manifold streams1 flowing some from the eastern mountains1 and some from the western1 to the highest springs from which they rise1 we find on the one side the ideas of truth and justice1 on the other those of beauty and love2--things so exalted1 and so inseparably united in the divine perfections1 that to set either two above the other were presumptuous and profane4 ,yet these most divine things separated from each other1 and defiled in their passage through this lower world1 do each assume a form in human nature of very great evil3 the exclusive and corrupted love of truth and justice becomes in man selfish atheism2 the exclusive and corrupted worship of beauty and love becomes in man a bloody and a lying idolatry4 ,such would be the general theory of the two great currents in which human affairs may be said to have been successively drifting4 ,but real history1 even the history of all mankind1 and much more that of any particular age or country1 presents a picture far more complicated4 ,first1 as to time3 as the vessels in a harbour1 and in the open sea without it1 may be seen swinging with the tide at the same moment in opposite directions2 the ebb has begun in the roadstead1 while it is not yet high water in the harbour2 so one or more nations may be in advance of or behind the general tendency of their age1 and from either cause may be moving in the opposite direction4 ,again1 the tendency or movement in itself is liable to frequent interruptions1 and short counter-movements3 even when the tide is coming in upon the shore1 every wave retires after its advance2 and he who follows incautiously the retreating waters1 may be caught by some stronger billow1 overwhelming again for an instant the spot which had just been left dry4 ,a child standing by the sea-shore for a few minutes1 and watching this1 as it seems1 irregular advance and retreat of the water1 could not tell whether it was ebb or flood2 and we1 standing for a few years on the shore of time1 can scarcely tell whether the particular movement which we witness is according to or against the general tendency of the whole period4 ,farther yet1 as these great tendencies are often interrupted1 so are they continually mixed3 that is1 not only are their own good and bad elements successively predominant1 but they never have the world wholly to themselves3 the opposite tendency exists1 in an under-current it may be1 and not lightly perceptible2 but here and there it struggles to the surface1 and mingles its own good and evil with the predominant good and evil of its antagonist4 ,wherefore he who would learn wisdom from the complex experience of history1 must question closely all its phenomena1 must notice that which is less obvious as well as that which is most palpable2 must judge not peremptorily or sweepingly1 but with reserves and exceptions2 not as lightly overrunning a wide region of the truth1 but thankful if after much pains he has advanced his landmarks only a little2 if he has gained1 as it were1 but one or two frontier fortresses1 in which he can establish himself for ever4 ,now1 then1 when ,mr4 ,newman describes the movement of the present moment as being directed towards something better and deeper than satisfied the last century1 this description1 although in some sense true1 is yet in practice delusive2 and the delusion which lurks in it is at the root of the errors of ,mr4 ,newman and of his friends4 ,they regard the tendencies of the last century as wholly evil2 and they appear to extend this feeling to the whole period of which the last century was the close1 and which began nearly with the sixteenth century4 ,viewing in this light the last three hundred years1 they regard naturally with excessive favour the preceding period1 with which they are so strongly contrasted2 and not the less because this period has been an object of scorn to the times which have followed it4 ,they are drawn towards the enemy of their enemy1 and they fancy that it must be in all points their enemy's opposite4 ,and if the faults of its last decline are too palpable to be denied1 they ascend to its middle and its earlier course1 and finding that its evils are there less flagrant1 they abandon themselves wholly to the contemplation of its good points1 and end with making it an idol4 ,there are few stranger and sadder sights than to see men judging of whole periods of the history of mankind with the blindness of party-spirit1 never naming one century without expressions of contempt or abhorrence1 never mentioning another but with extravagant and undistinguishing admiration4 ,but the worst was yet to come4 ,the period which ,mr4 ,newman and his friends so disliked1 had1 in its religious character1 been distinguished by its professions of extreme veneration for the ,scriptures2 in its quarrel with the system of the preceding period1 it had rested all its cause on the authority of the ,scripture1--it had condemned the older system because ,scripture could give no warrant for it4 ,on the other hand1 the partizans of the older system protested against the exclusive appeal to ,scripture2 there was1 as they maintained1 another authority in religious matters2 if their system was not supported in all its points by ,scripture1 it had at least the warrant of ,christian antiquity4 ,thus ,mr4 ,newman and his friends found that the times which they disliked had professed to rely on ,scripture alone2 the times which they loved had invested the ,church with equal authority4 ,it was natural then to connect the evils of the iron age1 for so they regarded it1 with this notion of the sole supremacy of ,scripture2 and it was no less natural to associate the blessings of their imagined golden age with its avowed reverence for the ,church4 ,if they appealed only to ,scripture1 they echoed the language of men whom they abhorred2 if they exalted the ,church and ,christian antiquity1 they sympathised with a period which they were resolved to love4 ,their theological writings from the very beginning have too plainly shown in this respect the force both of their sympathies and their antipathies4 ,thus previously disposed1 and in their sense or apprehension of the evil of their own times already flying as it were for refuge to the system of times past1 they were overtaken by the political storm of #ahca1 and the two following years4 ,that storm rattled loudly1 and alarmed many who had viewed the gathering of the clouds with hope and pleasure2 no wonder1 then1 if it produced a stormy effect upon those who viewed it as a mere calamity1 an evil monster bred out of an evil time1 and fraught with nothing but mischief4 ,farther1 the government of the country was now1 for the first time for many years1 in the hands of men who admired the spirit of the age1 nearly as much as ,mr4 ,newman and his friends abhorred it4 ,thus all things seemed combined against them3 the spirit of the period which they so hated was riding as it were upon the whirlwind2 they knew not where its violence might burst2 and the government of the country was1 as they thought1 driving wildly before it1 without attempting to moderate its fury4 ,already they were inclined to recognise the signs of a national apostasy4 ,but from this point they have themselves written their own history4--,mr4 ,percival's letter to the editor of the ,irish ,ecclesiastical ,journal1 which was reprinted in the ,oxford ,herald of ,january #hj1 #ahda1 is really a document of the highest value4 ,it acquaints us1 from the very best authority1 with the immediate occasion of the publication of the ,tracts for the ,times1 and with the objects of their writers4 ,it tells us whither their eyes were turned for deliverance2 with what charm they hoped to allay the troubled waters4 ,ecclesiastical history would be far more valuable than it is1 if we could thus learn the real character and views of every church1 or sect1 or party1 from itself1 and not from its opponents4 ,mr4 ,percival informs us1 that the ,irish ,church ,act of #ahcc1 which abolished several of the ,irish ,bishoprics1 was the immediate occasion of the publication of the ,tracts for the ,times2 and that the objects of that publication were1 to enforce the doctrine of the apostolical succession1 and to preserve the ,prayer ,book from the ,socinian leaven1 with which we had reason to fear it would be tainted by the parliamentary alteration of it1 which at that time was openly talked of4 ,but the second of these objects is not mentioned in the more formal statements which ,mr4 ,percival gives of them2 and in what he calls the matured account of the principles of the writers1 it is only said1 ,whereas there seems great danger at present of attempts at unauthorized and inconsiderate innovation as in other matters so especially in the service of our ,church1 we pledge ourselves to resist any attempt that may be made to alter the ,liturgy on insufficient authority3 i4e4 without the exercise of the free and deliberate judgment of the ,church on the alterations proposed4 ,it would seem1 therefore1 that what was particularly deprecated was the alteration of the ,liturgy on insufficient authority1 without reference to any suspected character of the alteration in itself4 ,but at any rate1 as all probability of any alteration in the ,liturgy vanished very soon after the publication of the tracts began1 the other object1 the maintaining the doctrine of the apostolical succession1 as it had been the principal one from the beginning1 became in a very short time the only one4 ,the great remedy1 therefore1 for the evils of the times1 the something deeper and truer than satisfied the last century1 or1 at least1 the most effectual means of attaining to it1 is declared to be the maintenance of the doctrine of apostolical succession4 ,now let us hear1 for it is most important1 the grounds on which this doctrine is to be enforced1 and the reason why so much stress is laid on it4 ,i quote again from ,mr4 ,percival's letter4 ,considering1 #a4 ,that the only way of salvation is the partaking of the body and blood of our sacrificed ,redeemer2 #b4 ,that the mean expressly authorized by him for that purpose is the holy sacrament of his supper2 #c4 ,that the security by him no less expressly authorized1 for the continuance and due application of that sacrament1 is the apostolical commission of the bishops1 and under them the presbyters of the church2 #d4 ,that under the present circumstances of the church in ,england1 there is peculiar danger of these matters being slighted and practically disavowed1 and of numbers of ,christians being left1 or tempted to precarious and unauthorized ways of communion1 which must terminate often in vital apostasy3-- ,we desire to pledge ourselves one to another1 reserving our canonical obedience1 as follows3-- #a4 ,to be on the watch for all opportunities of inculcating1 on all committed to our charge1 a due sense of the inestimable privilege of communion with our ,lord1 through the successors of the apostles1 and of leading them to the resolution to transmit it1 by his blessing1 unimpaired to their children4 ,then follow two other resolutions3 one to provide and circulate books and tracts1 to familiarize men's minds with this doctrine2 and the other1 to do what lies in us towards reviving among churchmen1 the practice of daily common prayer1 and more frequent participation of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,the fourth resolution1 to resist unauthorized alterations of the ,liturgy1 ,i have already quoted3 the fifth and last engages generally to place within the reach of all men1 accounts of such points in our discipline and worship as may appear most likely to be misunderstood or undervalued4 ,these resolutions were drawn up more than seven years ago1 and their practical results have not been contemptible4 ,the ,tracts for the ,times amount to no fewer than ninety2 while the sermons1 articles in reviews1 stories1 essays1 poems1 and writings of all sorts which have enforced the same doctrines1 have been also extremely numerous4 ,nor have all these labours been without fruit3 for it is known that a large proportion of the clergy have adopted1 either wholly or in great part1 the opinions and spirit of the ,tracts for the ,times2 and many of the laity have embraced them also4 ,it seems also1 that in the various publications of their school1 the object originally marked out in the resolutions quoted above1 has been followed with great steadiness4 ,the system has been uniform1 and its several parts have held well together4 ,it has1 perhaps1 been carried on of late more boldly1 which is the natural consequence of success4 ,it has in all points been the direct opposite of what may be called the spirit of ,english protestantism of the nineteenth century3 upholding whatever that spirit would depreciate2 decrying whatever it would admire4 ,a short statement of the principal views held by ,mr4 ,newman and his friends1 will show this sufficiently4 ,the sacraments1 and not preaching1 are the sources of divine grace4 ,so it is said in the ,advertisement prefixed to the first volume of the ,tracts for the ,times1 in exact conformity with the preamble to the resolutions1 which ,i have already quoted4 ,but the only security for the efficacy of the sacraments1 is the apostolical commission of the bishops1 and under them1 of the presbyters of the ,church4 ,so it is said in the preamble to the resolutions4 ,these two doctrines are the foundation of the whole system4 ,god's grace1 and our salvation1 come to us principally through the virtue of the sacraments2 the virtue of the sacraments depends on the apostolical succession of those who administer them4 ,the clergy1 therefore1 thus holding in their hands the most precious gifts of the ,church1 acquire naturally the title of the ,church itself2 the ,church1 as possessed of so mysterious a virtue as to communicate to the only means of salvation their saving efficacy1 becomes at once an object of the deepest reverence4 ,what wonder if to a body endowed with so transcendant a gift1 there should be given also the spirit of wisdom to discern all truth2 so that the solemn voice of the ,church in its creeds1 and in the decrees of its general councils1 must be received as the voice of ,god himself4 ,nor can such a body be supposed to have commended any practices or states of life winch are not really excellent2 and the duty either of all ,christians1 or of those at least who would follow the most excellent way4 ,fasting1 therefore1 and the state of celibacy1 are the one a christian obligation1 the other a christian perfection4 ,again1 being members of a body so exalted1 and receiving our very salvation in a way altogether above reason1 we must be cautious how we either trust to our individual conscience rather than to the command of the ,church1 or how we venture to exercise our reason at all in judging of what the ,church teaches2 childlike faith and childlike obedience are the dispositions which ,god most loves4 ,what1 then1 are they who are not of the ,church1 who do not receive the ,sacraments from those who can alone give them their virtue8 ,surely they are aliens from ,god1 they cannot claim his covenanted mercies2 and the goodness which may be apparent in them1 may not be real goodness2 ,god may see that it is false1 though to us it appears sincere2 but it is certain that they do not possess the only appointed means of salvation2 and therefore1 we must consider their state as dangerous1 although1 we may not venture to condemn them4 ,i have not consciously misrepresented the system of ,mr4 ,newman and his friends in a single particular2 ,i have not1 to my knowledge1 expressed any one of their tenets invidiously4 ,an attentive reader may deduce1 ,i think1 all the ,subordinate points in their teaching from some one or more of the principles which ,i have given2 but ,i have not wilfully omitted any doctrine of importance4 ,and1 in every point1 the opposition to what ,i may be allowed to call the protestantism of the nineteenth century is so manifest1 that we cannot but feel that the peculiar character of the system is to be traced to what ,i have before noticed--the extreme antipathy of its founders to the spirit which they felt to be predominant in their own age and country4 ,it is worth our while to observe this1 because fear and passion are not the surest guides to truth1 and the rule of contraries is not the rule of wisdom4 ,other men have been indignant against the peculiar evils of their own time1 and from their strong impression of these have seemed to lose sight of its good points2 but ,mr4 ,newman and his friends appear to hate the nineteenth century for its own sake1 and to proscribe all belonging to it1 whether good or bad1 simply because it does belong to it4--,this diseased state of mind is well shown by the immediate occasion of the organization of their party4 ,mr4 ,perceval tells us that it was the ,act for the dissolution of some of the ,irish bishoprics1 passed in #ahcc1 winch first made the authors of the ,tracts resolve to commence their publication4 ,mr4 ,perceval himself cannot even now speak of that ,act temperately2 he calls it a wanton act of sacrilege1 a monstrous act1 an outrage upon the ,church2 and his friends1 it may be presumed1 spoke of it at the time in language at least equally vehement4 ,now1 ,i am not expressing any opinion upon the justice or expediency of that ,act2 it was opposed by many good men1 and its merits or demerits were fairly open to discussion2 but would any fair and sensible person speak of it with such extreme abhorrence as it excited in the minds of ,mr4 ,perceval and his friends8 ,the ,act deprived the ,church of no portion of its property2 it simply ordered a different distribution of it1 with the avowed object on the part of its framers of saving the ,church from the odium and the danger of exacting ,church ,rates from the ,roman ,catholics4 ,it did nothing more than what1 according to the constitution of the ,churches of ,england and ,ireland1 was beyond all question within its lawful authority to do4 ,the ,king's supremacy and the sovereignty of ,parliament may be good or bad1 but they are undoubted facts in the constitution of the ,church of ,england1 and have been so for nearly three hundred years4 ,i repeat that ,i am stating no opinion as to the merits of the ,irish ,church ,act of #ahcc2 ,i only contend1 that no man of sound judgment would regard it as a monstrous act1 or as a wanton sacrilege4 ,it bore upon it no marks of flagrant tyranny3 nor did it restrain the worship of the ,church1 nor corrupt its faith1 nor command or encourage anything injurious to men's souls in practice4 ,luther was indignant at the sale of indulgences2 and his horror at the selling ,church pardons for money was1 by ,god's blessing1 the occasion of the ,reformation4 ,the occasion of the new counter-reformation was the abolition of a certain number of bishoprics1 that their revenues might be applied solely to church purposes2 and that the ,church might so be saved from a scandal and a danger4 ,the difference of the exciting cause of the two movements gives the measure of the difference between the ,reformation of #aeag1 and the views and objects of ,mr4 ,newman and his friends4 ,there are states of nervous excitement1 when the noise of a light footstep is distracting4 ,in such a condition were the authors of the ,tracts in #ahcc1 and all their subsequent proceedings have shown that the disorder was still upon them4 ,beset by their horror of the nineteenth century1 they sought for something most opposite to it1 and therefore they turned to what they called ,christian antiquity4 ,had they judged of their own times fairly1 had they appreciated the good of the nineteenth century as well as its evil1 they would have looked for their remedy not to the second or third or fourth centuries1 but the first2 they would have tried to restore1 not the ,church of ,cyprian1 or ,athanasius1 or ,augustine1 but the ,church of ,st4 ,paul and of ,st4 ,john4 ,now1 this it is most certain that they have not done4 ,their appeal has been not to ,scripture1 but to the opinions and practices of the dominant party in the ancient ,church4 ,they have endeavoured to set those opinions and practices1 under the name of apostolical tradition1 on a level with the authority of the ,scriptures4 ,but their unfortunate excitement has made them fail of doing even what they intended to do4 ,it may be true that all their doctrines may be found in the writings of those whom they call the ,fathers2 but the effect of their teaching is different because its proportions are altered4 ,along with their doctrines1 there are other points and another spirit prominent in the writings of the earlier ,christians1 which give to the whole a different complexion4 ,the ,tracts for the ,times do not appear to me to represent faithfully the language of ,christian antiquity2 they are rather its caricature4 ,still more is this the case1 when we compare the language of ,mr4 ,newman and his friends with that of the great divines of the ,church of ,england4 ,granting that many of these believed firmly in apostolical succession2 that one or two may have held general councils to be infallible2 that some1 provoked by the extravagances of the puritans1 have spoken over-strongly about the authority of tradition2 yet the whole works even of those who agree with4 ,mr4 ,newman in these points1 give a view of ,christianity different from that of the ,tracts1 because these points1 which in the ,tracts stand forward without relief1 are in our old divines tempered by the admixture of other doctrines1 which1 without contradicting them1 do in fact alter their effect4 ,this applies most strongly1 perhaps1 to ,hooker and ,taylor2 but it holds good also of ,bull and ,pearson4 ,pearson's exposition of the article in the ,creed relating to the ,holy ,catholic ,church is very different from the language of ,mr4 ,newman3 it is such as1 with perhaps one single exception1 might be subscribed by a man who did not believe in apostolical succession#b4 ,again1 ,pearson is so far from making the creeds an independent authority1 co-ordinate with ,scripture1 that he declares1 contrary1 ,i suppose1 to all probability1 that the ,apostles' ,creed itself was but a deduction from our present ,scriptures of the ,new ,testament#c4 ,undoubtedly the divines of the seventeenth century are more in agreement with the ,tracts than the ,reformers are2 but it is by no means true that this agreement is universal4 ,there is but one set of writers whose minds are exactly represented by ,mr4 ,newman and his friends1 and these are the nonjurors4 ,footnote #b3 ,the sixth and last mark which he gives of the unity of the ,church is1 the unity of discipline and government4 ,all the ,churches of ,god have the same pastoral guides appointed1 authorized1 sanctified1 and set apart by the appointment of ,god1 by the direction of the ,spirit1 to direct and lead the people of ,god in the same way of eternal salvation2 as1 therefore1 there is no ,church where there is no order1 no ministry1 so where the same order and ministry is1 there is the same ,church4 ,and this is the unity of regiment and discipline4 ,pearson on the ,creed1 ,art4 ,,ix4 p4 #cda1 seventh edit4 fol4 #agja4 ,it would be easy to put a construction upon this paragraph which ,i could agree with2 but ,i suppose that ,pearson meant what ,i hold to be an error4 ,yet how gently and generally is it expressed2 and this doubtful paragraph stands alone amidst seventeen folio pages on the article of the ,holy ,catholic ,church4 ,and in his conclusion1 where he delivers what every one ought to intend when they profess to believe the ,holy ,catholic ,church1 there is not a word about its government2 nor is ,pearson one of those interpreters who pervert the perfectly certain meaning of the word ,catholic to favour their own notions about episcopacy4 ,i could cordially subscribe to every word of this conclusion4 ,footnote #c3 ,to believe1 therefore1 as the word stands in the front of the ,creed1 444 is to assent to the whole and every part of it as to a certain and infallible truth revealed by ,god1 444 and delivered unto us in the writings of the blessed apostles and prophets immediately inspired1 moved1 and acted by ,god1 out of whose writings this brief sum of necessary points of faith was first collected4 7,p4 #ab47 ,and in the paragraph immediately preceding1 ,pearson had said1 ,the household of ,god is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets1 who are continued unto us only in their writings1 and by them alone convoy unto us the truths which they received from ,god1 upon whose testimony we believe4 ,it appears1 therefore1 that ,pearson not only subscribed the #fth ,article of the ,church of ,england1 but also believed it4 ,many reasons1 therefore1 concur to make it doubtful whether the authors of the ,tracts have discovered the true remedy for the evils of their age2 whether they have really inculcated something better and deeper than satisfied the last century4 ,the violent prejudice which previously possessed them1 and the strong feelings of passion and fear which led immediately to their first systematic publications1 must in the first instance awaken a suspicion as to their wisdom2 and this suspicion becomes stronger when we find their writings different from the best of those which they profess to admire1 and bearing a close resemblance only to those of the nonjurors4 ,a third consideration is also of much weight--that their doctrines do not enforce any great points of moral or spiritual perfection which other ,christians had neglected2 nor do they1 in any especial manner1 preach ,christ4 ,in this they offer a striking contrast to the religious movement1 if ,i may so call it1 which began some years since in the ,university at ,cambridge4 ,that movement1 whatever human alloy might have mingled with it1 bore on it most clear evidence that it was in the main ,god's work4 ,it called upon men to turn from sin and be reconciled to ,god2 it emphatically preached ,christ crucified4 ,but ,mr4 ,newman and his friends have preached as their peculiar doctrine1 not ,christ but the ,church2 we must go even farther and say1 not the ,church1 but themselves4 ,what they teach has no moral or spiritual excellence in itself2 but it tends greatly to their own exaltation4 ,they exalt the sacraments highly1 but all that they say of their virtue1 all their admiration of them as so setting forth the excellence of faith1 inasmuch as in them the whole work is of ,god1 and man has only to receive and believe1 would be quite as true1 and quite as well-grounded1 if they were to abandon altogether that doctrine which it is their avowed object especially to enforce--the doctrine of apostolical succession4 ,referring again to the preamble of their original resolutions1 already quoted1 we see that the two first articles alone relate to our ,lord and to his ,sacraments2 the third1 which is the great basis of their system1 relates only to the ,clergy4 ,doubtless1 if apostolical succession be ,god's will1 it is our duty to receive it and to teach it2 but a number of clergymen1 claiming themselves to have this succession1 and insisting that1 without it1 neither ,christ nor ,christ's ,sacraments will save us1 do1 beyond all contradiction1 preach themselves1 and magnify their own importance4 ,they are quite right in doing so1 if ,god has commanded it2 but such preaching has no manifest warrant of ,god in it2 if it be according to ,god1 it stands alone amongst his dispensations2 his prophets and his apostles had a different commission4 ,we preach1 said ,st4 ,paul1 not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord2 and ourselves your servants for ,jesus' sake4 ,it is certain that the enforcing apostolical succession as the great object of our teaching is precisely to do that very thing which ,st4 ,paul was commissioned not to do4 ,this1 to my mind1 affords a very great presumption that the peculiar doctrines of ,mr4 ,newman and his friends1 those which they make it their professed business to inculcate1 are not of ,god4 ,i am anxious not to be misunderstood in saying this4 ,mr4 ,newman and his friends preach many doctrines which are entirely of ,god2 as ,christians1 as ministers of ,christ's ,church1 they preach ,god's word2 and thus1 a very large portion of their teaching is of ,god1 blessed both to their hearers and to themselves4 ,nay1 even amongst the particular objects to which their own ,resolutions pledge them1 one is indeed most excellent--the revival of daily common prayer1 and more frequent participation of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,this is their merit1 not as ,christians generally1 but as a party1 7,i use the word in no offensive sense27 in this respect their efforts have done1 and are doing great good4 ,but they have themselves declared that they will especially set themselves to preach apostolical succession2 and it is with reference to this1 that ,i charge them with preaching themselves2 it was of this ,i spoke1 when ,i said that there was a very great presumption that their peculiar doctrines were not of ,god4 ,again1 the system which they hold up as better and deeper than satisfied the last century is a remedy which has been tried once already3 and its failure was so palpable1 that all the evil of the eighteenth century was but the reaction from that enormous evil which this remedy1 if it be one1 had at any rate been powerless to cure4 ,apostolical succession1 the dignity of the ,clergy1 the authority of the ,church1 were triumphantly maintained for several centuries2 and their full development was coincident1 to say the least1 with the corruption alike of ,christ's religion and ,christ's ,church4 ,so far were they from tending to realize the promises of prophecy1 to perfect ,christ's body up to the measure of the stature of ,christ's own fulness1 that ,christ's ,church declined during their ascendancy more and more2--she fell alike from truth and from holiness2 and these doctrines1 if they did not cause the evil1 were at least quite unable to restrain it4 ,for1 in whatever points the fifteenth century differed from the fourth1 it cannot be said that it upheld the apostolical succession less peremptorily1 or attached a less value to ,church tradition1 and ,church authority4 ,i am greatly understating the case1 but ,i am content for the present to do so3 ,i will not say that ,mr4 ,newman's favourite doctrines were the very ,antichrist which corrupted ,christianity2 ,i will only say that they did not prevent its corruption1--that when they were most exalted ,christian truth and ,christian goodness were most depressed4 ,after all1 however1 what has failed once may doubtless be successful on a second trial3 it is within possibility1 perhaps1 that a doctrine1 although destitute of all internal evidence showing it to come from ,god1 may be divine notwithstanding2--revealed for some purposes which we cannot fathom1 or simply as an exercise of our obedience4 ,all this may be so2 and if it can be shown to be so1 there remains no other course than to believe ,god's word1 and obey his commandments2 only the strength of the external evidence must be in proportion to the weakness of the internal4 ,a good man would ask for no sign from heaven to assure him that ,god commands judgment1 mercy1 and truth2 whatsoever things are pure1 and lovely1 and of good report1 bear in themselves the seal of their origin2 a seal which to doubt were blasphemy4 ,but the cloud and the lightnings and thunders1 and all the signs and wonders wrought in ,egypt and in the ,red ,sea1 were justly required to give divine authority to mere positive ordinances1 in which1 without such external warrant1 none could have recognised the voice of ,god4 ,we ask of ,mr4 ,newman and his friends to bring some warrant of ,scripture for that which they declare to be ,god's will4 ,they speak very positively and say1 that the security by our ,lord no less expressly authorized for the continuance and due application of the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 is the apostolical commission of the bishops1 and under them the presbyters of the ,church4 ,they say that our ,lord has authorized this no less expressly than he has authorized the ,holy ,supper as the mean of partaking in his body and blood4 ,what our ,lord has said concerning the communion is not truly represented3 he instituted it as one mean of grace among many2 not asthe mean2 neither the sole mean1 nor the principal4 ,but allow1 for an instant1 that it was instituted asthe mean2 and give this sense to those well-known and ever-memorable words in which our ,lord commanded his disciples to eat the bread and drink of the cup1 in remembrance of him4 ,his words commanding us to do this are express2 not less express1 we are told1 is his sanction of the apostolical commission of the bishops1 as the security for the continuance and due application of the ,sacrament4 ,surely these writers allow themselves to pervert language so habitually1 that they do not consider when1 and with regard to whom1 they are doing it4 ,they say that our ,lord has sanctioned the necessity of apostolical succession1 in order to secure the continuance and efficacy of the sacrament1 no less expressly than he instituted the sacrament itself4 ,if they had merely asserted that he had sanctioned the necessity of apostolical succession1 we might have supposed that1 by some interpretation of their own1 they implied his sanction of it1 from words which1 to other men1 bore no such meaning4 ,but in saying that he has expressly sanctioned it1 they have1 most unconsciously1 ,i trust1 ascribed their own words to our ,lord2 they make ,mm to say what he has not said1 unless they can produce#d some other credible record of his words besides the books of the four evangelists and the apostolical epistles4 ,footnote #d3 ,scripture alone contains what remains to us of our ,lord's teaching4 ,if there be a portion of revelation sacred beyond other portions1 distinct and remote in its nature from the rest1 it must be the words and works of the eternal ,son ,incarnate4 ,he is the one ,prophet of the ,church1 as he is our one ,priest and ,king4 ,his history is as far above any other possible revelation1 as heaven is above earth3 for in it we have literally the sight of ,almighty ,god in his judgments1 thoughts1 attributes1 and deeds1 and his mode of dealing with us his creatures4 ,now1 this special revelation is in ,scripture1 and in ,scripture only3 tradition has no part in it4--,newman's ,lectures on the ,prophetical ,office of the ,church4 #ahcg4 ,pp4 #cdg1 #cdh4 ,that their statement was untrue1 and being untrue1 that it is a most grave matter to speak untruly of our ,lord's commands1 are points absolutely certain4 ,but if they recall the assertion1 as to the expressness of our ,lord's sanction1 and mean to say1 that his sanction is implied1 and may be reasonably deduced from what he has said1 then ,i answer1 that the deduction ought to be clear1 because the doctrine in itself bears on it no marks of having had ,christ for its author4 ,yet so far is it from true1 that the necessity of apostolical succession1 in order to give efficacy to the sacrament1 may be clearly deduced from any recorded words of our ,lord1 that there are no words#e of his from which it can be deduced1 either probably or plausibly2 none with which it has any1 the faintest1 connexion2 none from which it could be even conjectured that such a tenet had ever been in existence4 ,i am not speaking1 it will be observed1 of apostolical succession simply2 but of the necessity of apostolical succession1 as a security for the efficacy of the sacrament4 ,that this doctrine comes from ,god1 is a position altogether without evidence1 probability1 or presumption1 either internal or external4 ,footnote #e3 ,since this was written1 ,i have found out1 what certainly it was impossible to anticipate beforehand1 that our ,lord's words1 ,do this in remembrance of me1 are supposed to teach the doctrine of the priest's consecrating power4 ,but the passage to which ,i refer is so remarkable that ,i must quote it in its author's own words4 ,mr4 ,newman1 for the tract is apparently one of his1 observes1 that three out of the four ,gospels make no mention of the raising of ,lazarus4 ,he then goes on1 ,as the raising of ,lazarus is true1 though not contained at all in the first three ,gospels2 so the gift of consecrating the ,eucharist may have been committed by ,christ to the priesthood1 though only indirectly taught in any of the four4 ,will you say ,i am arguing against our own ,church1 which says the ,scripture 'contains all things necessary to be believed to salvation8' ,doubtless1 ,scripture contains all things necessary to be believed2 but there may be things contained which are not on the surface1 and things which belong to the ritual1 and not to belief4 ,points of faith may lie under the surface3 points of observance need not be in ,scripture at all4 ,the consecrating power is a point of ritual1 yet it is indirectly taught in ,scripture1 though not brought out1 when ,christ said1 ',do this1' for he spake to the apostles1 who were priests1 not to his disciples generally4--,tracts for the ,times4 ,tract #he1 p4 #df4 ,this passage is indeed characteristic of the moral and intellectual faults which ,i have alluded to as marking the writings of the supporters of ,mr4 ,newman's system4 ,but what is become of the assertion1 that this security of the apostolical commission was expressly authorized by our ,lord1 when it is admitted that it is only indirectly taught in ,scripture8 ,and what becomes of the notion1 that what our ,lord did or instituted may be learned from another source than ,scripture1 when ,mr4 ,newman has most truly stated1 in the passage quoted in the preceding note1 that our ,lord's history1 the history of his words and works1 is in ,scripture1 and ,scripture only3 tradition has no part in it8 ,i pass over the surprising state of mind which could imagine a distinction between things necessary to be believed1 and necessary to be done2 and could conceive such a distinction to be according to the meaning of our article4 ,it would appear that this shift has been since abandoned1 and others1 no way less extraordinary1 have been attempted in its place2 for an extraordinary process it must be which tries to reconcile ,mr4 ,newman's opinions with the declaration of the sixth article4 ,but now for ,mr4 ,newman's scriptural proof1 that our ,lord committed to the priesthood the gift of consecrating the ,eucharist4 ,when ,christ said1 ',do this1' he spake to the apostles1 who were priests1 not to his disciples generally4 ,this would prove too much1 for it would prove that none but the clergy were ordered to receive the communion at all3 the words1 ,do this1 referring1 not to any consecration1 of which there had been no word said1 but to the eating the bread1 and drinking of the cup4 ,again1 when ,st4 ,paul says1 the cup which we bless1'--the bread which we break1 it is certain that the word we1 does not refer to himself and ,sosthenes1 or to himself and ,barnabas1 but to himself and the whole ,corinthian church2 for he immediately goes on1 for we1 the whole number of us1 7,greek3 oi polloi compare ,romans xii4 #e17 are one body1 for we all are partakers of the one bread4 ,thirdly1 ,tertullian expressly contrasts the original institution of our ,lord with the church practice of his own day1 in this very point4 ,eucharisti sacramentum et in tempore victus1 et omnibus mandatum a ,domino1 etiam antelucanis coetibus nee de aliorum manu quam prridentium sumimus4 7,de ,coron ,mililis1 #c47 ,i know that ,tertullian believes the alteration to have been founded upon an apostolical tradition2 but he no less names it as a change from the original institution of our ,lord2 nor does he appear to consider it as more than a point of order4 ,lastly1 what shadow of probability is there1 and is it not begging the whole question1 to assume that our ,lord spoke to his apostles as priests1 and not as representatives of the whole ,christian church8 ,his language makes no distinction between his disciples and those who were without2 it repels it as dividing his disciples from each other4 ,his twelve disciples were the apostles of the church1 but they were not priests4 ,in such matters our ,lord's words apply exactly1 ,one is your ,master1 even ,christ1 and all ye are brethren4 ,on the whole1 then1 the movement in the church1 excited by ,mr4 ,newman and his friends1 appears to be made in a false direction1 and to be incapable of satisfying the feeling which prompted it4 ,i have not noticed other presumptions against it1 arising from the consequences to which the original doctrines of the party have since led1 or from certain moral and intellectual faults which have marked the writings of its supporters4 ,it is enough to say1 that the movement originated in minds highly prejudiced beforehand1 and under the immediate influence of passion and fear2 that its doctrines1 as a whole1 resemble the teaching of no set of writers entitled to respect1 either in the early church1 or in our own2 that they tend1 not to ,christ's glory1 or to the advancement of holiness1 but simply to the exaltation of the clergy2 and that they are totally unsupported by the authority of ,scripture4 ,they are a plant1 therefore1 which our heavenly ,father has not planted2 a speaking in the name of the ,lord what the ,lord has not commanded2 hay and stubble1 built upon the foundation of ,christ1 which are good for nothing but to be burned4 ,i have spoken quite confidently of the total absence of all support in ,scripture for ,mr4 ,newman's favourite doctrine of the necessity of apostolical succession1 in order to ensure the effect of the sacraments4 ,this doctrine is very different from that of the ,divine appointment of episcopacy as a form of government1 or even from that of the exclusive lawfulness of that episcopacy which has come down by succession from the apostles4 ,much less is it to be confounded with any notions1 however exalted1 of the efficacy of the sacraments1 even though carried to such a length as we read of in the early church1 when living men had themselves baptized as proxies for the dead1 and when a portion of the wine of the communion was placed by the side of a corpse in the grave4 ,such notions may be superstitious and unscriptural1 as indeed they are1 but they are quite distinct from a belief in the necessity of a human priest to give the sacraments their virtue4 ,and1 without going to such lengths as this1 men may overestimate the efficacy of the sacraments1 to the disparagement of prayer1 and preaching1 and reading the ,scriptures1 and yet may be perfectly clear from the opinion which makes this efficacy depend immediately on a human administrator4 ,and so again1 men may hold episcopacy to be divine1 and the episcopacy of apostolical succession to be the only true episcopacy1 but yet they may utterly reject the notion of its being essential to the efficacy of the sacraments4 ,it is of this last doctrine only that ,i assert1 in the strongest terms1 that it is wholly without support in ,scripture1 direct or indirect1 and that it does not minister to godliness4 ,in truth1 ,mr4 ,newman and his friends are well aware that the ,scripture will not support their doctrine1 and therefore it is that they have proceeded to such1 lengths in upholding the authority not of the creeds only1 but of the opinions and practices of the ancient church generally2 and that they try to explain away the clear language of our article1 that nothing which is neither read therein 7i4e4 in holy ,scripture17 nor may be proved thereby1 is to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith1 or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation4 ,it would be one of the most unaccountable phenomena of the human mind1 were any man fairly to come to the conclusion that the ,scriptures and the early church were of equal authority1 and that the authority of both were truly divine4 ,if any men resolve to maintain doctrines and practices as of divine authority1 for which the ,scripture offers no countenance1 they of course are driven to maintain the authority of the church in their own defence2 and where they have an interest in holding any particular opinion1 its falsehood1 however palpable1 is unhappily no bar to its reception4 ,otherwise it would seem that the natural result of believing the early church to be of equal authority with the ,scripture1 would be to deny the inspiration of either4 ,for two things so different in several points as the ,christianity of the ,scriptures and that of the early church1 may conceivably be both false1 but it is hard to think that they can both be perfectly true4 ,i am here1 however1 allowing1 what is by no means true1 without many qualifications1 that ,mr4 ,newman's system is that of the early church4 ,the historical inquiry as to the doctrines of the early church would lead me into far too wide a field2 ,i may only notice1 in passing1 how many points require to be carefully defined in conducting such an inquiry2 as1 for instance1 what we mean by the term early church1 as to time2 for that may be fully true of the church in the fourth century1 which is only partially true of it in the third1 and only in a very slight degree true of it in the second or first4 ,and again1 what do we mean by the term early church1 as to persons2 for a few eminent writers are not even the whole clergy2 neither is it by any means to be taken on their authority that their views were really those of all the bishops and presbyters of the ,christian world2 but if they were1 the clergy are not the church1 nor can their judgments be morally considered as the voice of the church1 even if we were to admit that they could at any time constitute its voice legally4 ,but1 for my present purpose1 we may take for granted that ,mr4 ,newman's system as to the pre-eminence of the sacraments1 and the necessity of apostolical succession to give them their efficacy1 was the doctrine of the early church2 then ,i say that this system is so different from that of the ,new ,testament1 that to invest the two with equal authority is not to make the church system divine1 but to make the scriptural system human2 or1 at the best1 perishable and temporary1 like the ceremonial law of ,moses4 ,either the church system must be supposed to have superseded the scriptural system#f1 and its unknown authors are the real apostles of our present faith1 in which case1 we do not see why it should not be superseded in its turn1 and why the perfect manifestation of ,christianity should not be found in the ,koran1 or in any still later system2 or else neither of the two systems can be divine1 but the one is merely the human production of the first century1 the other that of the second and third4 ,if this be so1 it is clearly open to all succeeding centuries to adopt whichever of the two they choose1 or neither4 ,footnote #f3 ,this1 it is well known1 has been most ably maintained by ,rothe1 7,artfnge der ,christlichen ,kirche und ihrer ,verfassung1 ,wittenberg1 #ahcg17 with respect to the origin of episcopacy4 ,he contends that it was instituted by the surviving apostles after the destruction of ,jerusalem1 as an intentional change from the earlier constitution of the church1 in order to enable it to meet the peculiar difficulties and dangers of the times4 ,to this belongs the question of the meaning of the expression1 ,greek3 oi tais deuterais ton ,apostolon diataxesi parakolouthaekotes1 in the famous ,fragments of ,irenus1 published by ,pfaff1 from a manuscript in the library of ,turin1 and to be found in the ,venice edition of ,irenus1 #agcd1 vol4 ii4 ,fragmentorum1 p4 #aj4 ,but then ,rothe would admit that if the apostles altered what they themselves had appointed1 it would follow that neither their earlier nor their later institutions were intended to be for all times and all places1 but were simply adapted to a particular state of circumstances1 and were alterable when that state was altered3 in short1 whatever institutions the apostles changed were shown to be essentially changeable2 otherwise their early institution was defective1 which cannot be conceived4 ,and thus it may well be that the early church may have altered1 in some points1 the first institutions of the apostles1 and may have been guided by ,god's ,spirit in doing so2 but the error consists in believing that the now institutions were to be of necessity more permanent than those which they succeeded2 in supposing that either the one or the other belong to the eternal truths and laws of ,christ's religion1 when they belong1 in fact1 to the essentially changeable regulations of his church4 ,to such consequences are those driven who maintain the divine authority of the system of ,mr4 ,newman4 ,assuredly the thirst for something deeper and truer than satisfied the last century1 will not be allayed by a draught so scanty and so vapid2 but after the mirage has beguiled and disappointed him for a season1 the traveller presses on the more eagerly to the true and living well4 ,in truth1 the evils of the last century were but the inevitable fruits of the long ascendency of ,mr4 ,newman's favourite principles4 ,christ's religion had been corrupted in the long period before the ,reformation1 but it had ever retained many of its main truths1 and it was easy1 when the appeal was once made to ,scripture1 to sweep away the corruptions1 and restore it in its perfect form2 but ,christ's church had been destroyed so long and so completely1 that its very idea was all but lost1 and to revive it actually was impossible4 ,what had been known under that name1--,i am speaking of ,christ's church1 be it observed1 as distinguished from ,christ's religion1--was so great an evil1 that1 hopeless of drawing any good from it1 men looked rather to ,christ's religion as all in all2 and content with having destroyed the false church1 never thought that the scheme of ,christianity could not be perfectly developed without the restoration of the true one4 ,but the want was deeply felt1 and its consequences were deplorable4 ,at this moment men are truly craving something deeper than satisfied the last century2 they crave to have the true church of ,christ1 which the last century was without4 ,mr4 ,newman perceives their want1 and again offers them that false church which is worse than none at all4 ,the truths of the ,christian religion are to be sought for in the ,scripture alone2 they are the same at all times and in all countries4 ,with the ,christian church it is otherwise2 the church is not a revelation concerning the unchangeable and eternal ,god1 but an institution to enable changeable man to apprehend the unchangeable4 ,because man is changeable1 the church is also changeable2 changeable1 not in its object1 which is for ever one and the same1 but in its means for effecting that object2 changeable in its details1 because the same treatment cannot suit various diseases1 various climates1 various constitutional peculiarities1 various external influences4 ,the ,scripture1 then1 which is the sole and direct authority for all the truths of the ,christian religion1 is not in the same way1 an authority for the constitution and rules of the ,christian church2 that is1 it does not furnish direct authority1 but guides us only by analogy3 or it gives us merely certain main principles1 which we must apply to our own various circumstances4 ,this is shown by the remarkable fact1 that neither our ,lord nor his apostles have left any commands with respect to the constitution and administration of the church generally4 ,commands in abundance they have left us on moral matters2 and one commandment of another kind has been added1 the commandment1 namely1 to celebrate the ,lord's ,supper4 ,do this in remembrance of me1 are our ,lord's words2 and ,st4 ,paul tells us1 if we could otherwise have doubted it1 that this remembrance is to be kept up for ever4 ,as often as ye eat that bread or drink that cup ye do show the ,lord's death till he come4 ,this is the one perpetual ordinance of the ,christian church1 and this is commanded to be kept perpetually4 ,but its other institutions are mentioned historically1 as things done once1 but not necessarily to be always repeated3 nay1 they are mentioned without any details1 so that we do not always know what their exact form was in their original state1 and cannot1 therefore1 if we would1 adopt it as a perpetual model4 ,nor is it unimportant to observe that institutions are recorded as having been created on the spur of the occasion1 if ,i may so speak1 not as having formed a part of an original and universal plan4 ,a great change in the character of the deacon1 or subordinate minister's office1 is introduced in consequence of the complaints of the ,hellenist ,christians3 the number of the apostles is increased by the addition of ,paul and ,barnabas1 not appointed1 as ,matthias had been1 by the other apostles themselves1 but by the prophets and teachers of the church of ,antioch4 ,again1 the churches founded by ,st4 ,paul were each1 at first1 placed by him under the government of several presbyters2 but after his imprisonment at ,rome1 finding that they were become greatly corrupted1 he sends out single persons1 in two instances1 with full powers to remodel these churches1 and with authority to correct the presbyters themselves3 yet it does not appear that these especial#g visitors were to alter permanently the earlier constitution of the churches2 nor that they were sent generally to all the churches which ,st4 ,paul had founded4 ,indeed1 it appears evident from the epistle of ,clement1 that the original constitution of the church of ,corinth still subsisted in his time2 the government was still vested not in one man1 but in many#h4 ,yet a few years later the government of a single man1 as we see from ,ignatius1 was become very general2 and ,ignatius1 as is well known1 wishes to invest it with absolute power#i4 ,i believe that he acted quite wisely according to the circumstances of the church at that period2 and that nothing less than a vigorous unity of government could have struggled with the difficulties and dangers of that crisis4 ,but no man can doubt that the system which ,ignatius so earnestly recommends was very different from that which ,st4 ,paul had instituted fifty or sixty years earlier4 ,footnote #g3 ,the command1 to appoint elders in every city1 is given to ,titus1 according to ,paul's practice when he first formed churches of the ,gentiles 7,acts xiv1 #b47 ,nor did ,timothy1 or ,titus1 remain permanently at ,ephesus1 or in ,crete4 ,timothy1 when ,st4 ,paul's second ,epistle was written to him1 was certainly not at ,ephesus1 but apparently in ,pontus2 and ,titus1 at the same period1 was gone to ,dalmatia3 nor indeed was he to remain in ,crete beyond the summer of the year in which ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle was written2 he was to meet ,paul1 in the winter1 at ,nicopolis4 ,footnote #h3 ,only elders are spoken of as governing the church of ,corinth4 ,it is impossible to understand clearly the nature of the contest1 and of the party against which ,clement's ,epistle is directed4 ,where he wishes the heads of that party to say1 ,greek3 ei di eme stasis kai eris kai schismata1 ekchoro1 apeimi1 ou ean1 boulaesthe1 kai poio1 ta1 prostassomena upo tou plaethous1 c4 #ed1 it would seem as if they had been endeavouring to exercise a despotic authority over the church1 in defiance of the general feeling1 as well as of the existing government1 like those earlier persons at ,corinth1 whom ,st4 ,paul describes1 in his second ,epistle1 xi4 #bj2 and like ,diotrephes1 mentioned by ,st4 ,john1 #c ,epist4 #i1 #aj4 ,but in a society where all power must have depended on the consent of those subject to it1 how could any one exercise a tyranny against the will of the majority1 as well as against the authority of the ,apostles8 ,and ,greek3 ta prostassomena upo tou plaethous must signify1 ,i think1 the bidding of the society at large4 ,compare for this use of ,greek3 plaethos1 ,ignatius1 ,smyrna4 #h2 ,trallian4 #a1 #h4 ,a conjecture might be offered as to the solution of this difficulty1 but it would lead mo into too long a discussion4 ,footnote #i3 ,insomuch that he wished all marriages to be solemnized with the consent and approbation of the bishop1 ,greek3 meta gnomaes tou episkopou1 that they might be according to ,god1 and not according to passion2 ,greek3 kapa ,theon kai mae kat epithomian4--,ad4 ,polycarp4 #e4 ,on two points1 however1--points not of detail1 but of principle1--the ,scripture does seem to speak decisively4 #ast4 ,the whole body of the church was to take an active share in its concerns2 the various faculties of its various members were to perform their several parts3 it was to be a living society1 not an inert mass of mere hearers and subjects1 who were to be authoritatively taught and absolutely ruled by one small portion of its members4 ,it is quite consistent with this1 that1 at particular times1 the church should centre all its own power and activity in the persons of its rulers4 ,in the field1 the imperium of the ,roman consul was unlimited2 and even within the city walls1 the senate's commission in times of imminent danger1 released him from all restraints of law2 the whole power of the state was1 for the moment1 his1 and his only4 ,such temporary despotisms are sometimes not expedient merely1 but necessary3 without them society would perish4 ,i do not1 therefore1 regard ,ignatius's epistles as really contradictory to the idea of the church conveyed to us in the twelfth chapter of ,st4 ,paul's ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians3 ,i believe that the dictatorship1 so to speak1 which ,ignatius claims for the bishop in each church1 was required by the circumstances of the case2 but to change the temporary into the perpetual dictatorship1 was to subvert the ,roman constitution2 and to make ,ignatius's language the rule1 instead of the exception1 is no less to subvert the ,christian church4 ,wherever the language of ,ignatius is repeated with justice1 there the church must either be in its infancy1 or in its dotage1 or in some extraordinary crisis of danger2 wherever it is repeated1 as of universal application1 it destroys1 as in fact it has destroyed1 the very life of ,christ's institution4 ,but1 #b;d1 the ,christian church was absolutely and entirely1 at all times1 and in all places1 to be without a human priesthood4 ,despotic government and priesthood are things perfectly distinct from one another4 ,despotic government might be required1 from time to time1 by this or that portion of the ,christian church1 as by other societies2 for government is essentially changeable1 and all forms1 in the manifold varieties of the condition of society1 are1 in their turn1 lawful and beneficial4 ,but a priesthood belongs to a matter not so varying--the relations subsisting between ,god and man4 ,these relations were fixed for the ,christian church from its very foundation1 being1 in fact1 no other than the main truths of the ,christian religion2 and they bar1 for all time1 the very notion of an earthly priesthood4 ,they bar it1 because they establish the everlasting priesthood of our ,lord1 which leaves no place for any other2 they bar it1 because priesthood is essentially mediation2 and they establish one ,mediator between ,god and man--the ,man ,christ ,jesus4 ,and1 therefore1 the notion of ,mr4 ,newman and his friends1 that the sacraments derive their efficacy from the apostolical succession of the minister1 is so extremely unchristian1 that it actually deserves to be called anti-christian2 for there is no point of the priestly office1 properly so called1 in which the claim of the earthly priest is not absolutely precluded4 ,do we want him for sacrifice8 ,nay1 there is no place for him at all2 for our one atoning ,sacrifice has been once offered2 and by its virtue we are enabled to offer daily our spiritual sacrifices of ourselves1 which no other man can by possibility offer for us4 ,do we want him for intercession8 ,nay1 there is ,one who ever liveth to make intercession for us1 through whom we have access to 7,greek3 prosalogaen1 admission to the presence of7 the ,father1 and for whose sake1 ,paul1 and ,apollos1 and ,peter1 and things present1 and things to come1 are all ours already4 ,his claim can neither be advanced or received without high dishonour to our true ,priest and to his blessed gospel4 ,if circumcision could not be practised1 as necessary1 by a believer in ,christ1 without its involving a forfeiture of the benefits of ,christ's salvation2 how much more does ,st4 ,paul's language apply to the invention of an earthly priesthood--a priesthood neither after the order of ,aaron1 nor yet of ,melchisedek2 unlawful alike under the law and the gospel4 ,it is the invention of the human priesthood1 which falling in1 unhappily1 with the absolute power rightfully vested in the ,christian church during the troubles of the second century1 fixed the exception as the rule1 and so in the end destroyed the church4 ,it pretended that the clergy were not simply rulers and teachers1--offices which1 necessarily vary according to the state of those who are ruled and taught1--but that they were essentially mediators between ,god and the church2 and as this language would have sounded too profanely1--for the mediator between ,god and the church can be none but ,christ1--so the clergy began to draw to themselves the attributes of the church1 and to call the church by a different name1 such as the faithful1 or the laity2 so that to speak of the church mediating for the people did not sound so shocking1 and the doctrine so disguised found ready acceptance4 ,thus the evil work was consummated2 the great majority of the members of the church1 were virtually disfranchised2 the minority retained the name1 but the character of the institution was utterly corrupted4 ,to revive ,christ's church1 therefore1 is to expel the antichrist of priesthood1 7which1 as it was foretold of him1 as ,god1 sitteth in the temple of ,god1 showing himself that he is ,god17 and to restore its disfranchised members1--the laity1--to the discharge of their proper duties in it1 and to the consciousness of their paramount importance4 ,this is the point which ,i have dwelt upon in the ,,xxxviiith ,lecture1 and which is closely in connection with the point maintained in the ,,xlth2 and all who value the inestimable blessings of ,christ's church should labour in arousing the laity to a sense of their great share in them4 ,in particular1 that discipline1 which is one of the greatest of those blessings1 never can1 and1 indeed1 never ought to be restored1 till the ,church resumes its lawful authority1 and puts an end to the usurpation of its powers by the clergy4 ,there is a feeling now awakened amongst the lay members of our ,church1 which1 if it can but be rightly directed1 may1 by ,god's blessing1 really arrive at something truer and deeper than satisfied the last century1 or than satisfied the last seventeen centuries4 ,otherwise1 whatever else may be improved1 the laity will take care that church discipline shall continue to slumber1 and they will best serve the church by doing so4 ,much may be done to spread the knowledge of ,christ's religion2 new churches may be built2 new ministers appointed to preach the word and administer the sacraments2 those may hear who now cannot hear2 many more sick persons may be visited2 many more children may receive religious instruction3 all this is good1 and to be received with sincere thankfulness2 but1 with a knowledge revealed to us of a still more excellent power in ,christ's church1 and with the abundant promises of prophecy in our hands1 can we rest satisfied with the lesser and imperfect good1 which strikes thrice and stays8 ,but1 if the zeal of the lay members of our ,church be directed by the principles of ,mr4 ,newman1 then the result will be1 not merely a lesser good1 but one fearfully mixed with evil--,christian religion profaned by anti-christian fables1 ,christian holiness marred by superstition and uncharitableness2 ,christian wisdom and ,christian sincerity scoffed at1 reviled1 and persecuted out of sight4 ,this is declared to us by the sure voice of experience2 this was the fruit of the spirit of priestcraft1 with its accompaniments of superstitious rites and lying traditions1 in the last decline of the ,jewish church2 this was the fruit of the same spirit1 with the same accompaniments1 in the long decay of the ,christian church2 although1 the indestructible virtue of ,christ's gospel was manifest in the midst of the evil1 and ,christ1 in every age and in every country1 has been known with saving power by some of his people1 and his church1 in her worst corruptions1 has taught many divinest truths1 has inculcated many holiest virtues4 ,when the tide is setting strongly against us1 we can scarcely expect to make progress2 it is enough if we do not drift along with it4 ,mr4 ,newman's system is now at the flood2 it is daily making converts2 it is daily swelled by many of those who neither love it nor understand it in itself1 but who hope to make it serve their purposes1 or who like to swim with the stream4 ,a strong profession1 therefore1 of an opposite system must expect1 at the present moment1 to meet with little favour2 nor1 indeed1 have ,i any hope of turning the tide1 which will flow for its appointed season1 and its ebb does not seem to be at hand4 ,but whilst the hurricane rages1 those exposed to it may well encourage one another to hold fast their own foundations against it2 and many are exposed to it in whose welfare ,i naturally have the deepest interest1 and in whom old impressions may be supposed to have still so much force that ,i may claim from them1 at least1 a patient hearing4 ,i am anxious to show them that ,mr4 ,newman's system is to be opposed not merely on negative grounds1 as untrue1 but as obstructing that perfect and positive truth1 that perfection of ,christ's church1 which the last century1 it may be1 neglected1 but which ,i value and desire as earnestly as it can be valued and desired by any man alive4 ,my great objection to ,mr4 ,newman's system is1 that it destroys ,christ's church1 and sets up an evil in its stead4 ,we do not desire merely to hinder the evil from occupying the ground1 and to leave it empty2 that has been1 undoubtedly1 the misfortune1 and partly the fault of ,protestantism2 but we desire to build on the holy ground a no less holy temple1 not out of our own devices1 but according to the teaching of ,christ himself1 who has given us the outline1 and told us what should be its purposes4 ,the true church of ,christ would offer to every faculty of our nature its proper exercise1 and would entirely meet all our wants4 ,no wise man doubts that the ,reformation was imperfect1 or that in the ,romish system there were many good institutions1 and practices1 and feelings1 which it would be most desirable to restore amongst ourselves4 ,daily church services1 frequent communions1 memorials of our ,christian calling continually presented to our notice1 in crosses and way-side oratories2 commemorations of holy men1 of all times and countries2 the doctrine of the communion of saints practically taught2 religious orders1 especially of women1 of different kinds1 and under different rules1 delivered only from the snare and sin of perpetual vows2 all these1 most of which are of some efficacy for good1 even in a corrupt church1 belong no less to the true church1 and would there be purely beneficial4 ,if ,mr4 ,newman's system attracts good and thinking men1 because it seems to promise them all these things1 which in our actual ,church are not to be found1 let them remember1 that these things belong to the perfect church no less than to that of the ,romanists and of ,mr4 ,newman1 and would flourish in the perfect church far more healthily4 ,or1 again1 if any man admires ,mr4 ,newman's system for its austerities1 if he regards fasting as a positive duty1 he should consider that these might be transferred also to the perfect church1 and that they have no necessary connexion with the peculiar tenets of ,mr4 ,newman4 ,we know that the ,puritans were taunted by their adversaries for their frequent fasts1 and the severity of their lives2 and they certainly were far enough from agreeing with ,mr4 ,newman4 ,whatever there is of good1 or self-denying1 or ennobling1 in his system1 is altogether independent of his doctrine concerning the priesthood4 ,it is that doctrine which is the peculiarity of his system and of ,romanism2 it is that doctrine which constitutes the evil of both1 which over-weighs all the good accidentally united with it1 and makes the systems1 as such1 false and anti-christian4 ,nor can any human being find in this doctrine anything of a beneficial tendency either to his intellectual1 his moral1 or his spiritual nature4 ,if mere reverence be a virtue1 without reference to its object1 let us1 by all means1 do honour to the virtue of those who fell down to the stock of a tree2 and let us lament the harsh censure which charged them with having a lie in their right hand#aj4 ,footnote #aj3 ,the language which ,mr4 ,newman and his friends have allowed themselves to hold1 in admiration of what they call reverential and submissive faith1 might certainly be used in defence of the lowest idolatry2 what they have dared to call rationalistic can plead such high and sacred authority in its favour1 that if ,i were to quote some of the language of the ,tracts for the ,times1 and place by the side of it certain passages from the ,new ,testament1 ,mr4 ,newman and his friends would appear to have been writing blasphemy4 ,it seems scarcely possible that they could have remembered what is said in ,st4 ,matthew xv4 #i-bj1 and who said it1 when they have called it rationalism to deny a spiritual virtue in things that are applied to the body4 ,what does the true and perfect church want1 that she should borrow from the broken cisterns of idolatry8 ,holding all those truths in which the clear voice of ,god's word is joined by the accordant confession of ,god's people in all ages2 holding all the means of grace of which she was designed to be the steward--her common prayers1 her pure preaching1 her uncorrupted sacraments1 her free and living society1 her wise and searching discipline1 her commemorations and memorials of ,god's mercy and grace1 whether shown in her ,lord himself1 or in his and her members2--looking lovingly upon her elder sisters1 the ancient churches1 and delighting to be in communion with them1 as she hopes that her younger sisters1 the churches of later days1 will delight to be in communion with her2--what has she not1 that ,christ's bride should have8 what has she not1 that ,mr4 ,newman's system can give her8 ,but because she loves her ,lord1 and stands fast in his faith1 and has been enlightened by his truth1 she will endure no other mediator than ,christ1 she will repose her trust only on his word1 she will worship in the light1 and will abhor the words1 no less than the works1 of darkness4 ,her sisters1 the elder churches1 she loves and respects as she would be herself loved and respected2 but she will not1 and may not1 worship them1 nor even1 for their sakes1 believe error to be truth1 or foolishness to be wisdom4 ,she dare not hope that she can be in all things a perfect guide and example to the churches that shall come after her2 as neither have the churches before her been in all things a perfect guide and example to herself4 ,she would not impose her yoke upon future generations1 nor will she submit her own neck to the yoke of antiquity4 ,she honours all men1 but makes none her idol2 and she would have her own individual members regard her with honour1 but neither would she be an idol to them4 ,she dreads especially that sin of which her ,lord has so emphatically warned her--the sin against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,she will neither lie against him by declaring that he is where his fruits are not manifested2 nor blaspheme him1 by saying that he is not where his fruits are4 ,rites and ordinances may be vain1 prophets may be false1 miracles may be miracles of ,satan2 but the signs of the ,holy ,spirit1 truth and holiness1 can never be ineffectual1 can never deceive1 can never be evil2 where they are1 and only where they are1 there is ,god4 ,there are states of falsehood and wickedness so monstrous1 that1 to use the language of ,eastern mythology1 the ,destroyer ,god is greater than the ,creator or the ,preserver1 and no good can be conceived so great as the destruction of the existing evil4 ,but ordinarily in human affairs destruction and creation should go hand in hand2 as the evergreen shrubs of our gardens do not cast their old leaves till the young ones are ready to supply their place4 ,great as is the falsehood of ,mr4 ,newman's system1 it would be but an unsatisfactory work to clear it away1 if we had no positive truth to offer in its room4 ,but the thousands of good men whom it has beguiled1 because it professed to meet the earnest craving of their minds for a restoration of ,christ's church with power1 need not fear to open their eyes to its hollowness2 like the false miracles of fraud or sorcery1 it is but the counterfeit of a real truth4 ,the restoration of the church1 is1 indeed1 the best consummation of all our prayers1 and all our labours2 it is not a dream1 not a prospect to be seen only in the remotest distance2 it is possible1 it lies very near us2 with ,god's blessing it is in the power of this very generation to begin and make some progress in the work4 ,if the many good1 and wise1 and influential laymen of our ,church would but awake to their true position and duties1 and would labour heartily to procure for the church a living organization and an effective government1 in both1 of which the laity should be essential members1 then1 indeed1 the church would become a reality#aa4 ,this is not ,erastianism1 or rather1 it is not what is commonly cried down under that name2 it is not the subjection of the church to the state1 which1 indeed1 would be a most miserable and most unchristian condition2 but it would be the deliverance of the church1 and its exaltation to its own proper sovereignty4 ,the members of one particular profession are most fit to administer a system in part1 most unfit to legislate for it or to govern it3 we could ill spare the ability and learning of our lawyers1 but we surely should not wish to have none but lawyers concerned even1 in the administration of justice1 much less to have none but lawyers in the government or in parliament4 ,what is true of lawyers with regard to the state1 is no less true of the clergy with regard to the church2 indispensable as ministers and advisers1 they cannot1 without great mischief1 act as sole judges1 sole legislators1 sole governors4 ,and this is a truth so palpable1 that the clergy1 by pressing such a claim1 merely deprive the church of its judicial1 legislative1 and executive functions2 whilst the common sense of the church will not allow them to exercise these powers1 and1 whilst they assert that no one else may exercise them1 the result is1 that they are not exercised at all1 and the essence of the church is destroyed4 ,footnote #aa3 ,the famous saying1 extra ecclesiam nulla salus1 is1 in its idea1 a most divine truth2 historically and in fact it may be1 and often has been1 a practical falsehood4 ,if the truths of ,christ's religion were necessarily accessible only to the members of some visible church1 then it would be true always1 inasmuch as to be out of the church would then be the same thing as to be without ,christ2 and1 as a society1 the church ought so to attract to itself all goodness1 and by its internal organization1 so to encourage all goodness1 that nothing would be without its pale but extreme wickedness1 or extreme ignorance2 and he who were voluntarily to forfeit its spiritual advantages1 would be guilty of moral suicide2 so ,st4 ,paul calls the church the pillar and ground of truth2 that is1 it was so in its purpose and idea2 and he therefore conjures ,timothy to walk warily in it1 and to take heed that what ought to be the pillar and ground of truth should not be profaned by fables1 and so be changed into a pillar of falsehood4 ,but to say universally1 as an historical fact1 that extra ecclesiam nulla salus1 may be often to utter one of the worst of falsehoods4 ,a ferry is set up to transport men over an unfordable river1 and it might be truly said that extra navem nulla salus2 there is no other safe way1 speaking generally1 of getting over2 but the ferryman has got the plague1 and if you go in the boat with him1 you will catch it and die4 ,in despair1 a man plunges into the water1 and swims across2 would not the ferryman be guilty of a double falsehood who should call out to this man1 extra navem nulla salus1 insisting that he had not swum over1 when he had1 and saying that his boat would have carried him safely1 whereas it would have killed him8 ,the first step towards the restoration of the church seems to be the revival of the order of deacons2 which might be effected without any other change in our present system than a repeal of all laws1 canons1 or customs which prohibit a deacon from following a secular calling1 which confer on him any civil exemptions1 or subject him to any civil disqualifications4 ,the ,ordination ,service1 with the subscription to the ,articles1 would remain perfectly unaltered2 and as no deacon can hold any benefice1 it is manifest that the proposed measure would in no way interfere with the rights or duties of the order of presbyters1 or priests1 which would remain precisely what they are at present4 ,but the benefit in large towns would be enormous1 if1 instead of the present system of district visiting by private individuals1 excellent as that is where there is nothing better1 we could have a large body of deacons1 the ordained ministers of the church1 visiting the sick1 managing charitable subscriptions1 and sharing with their presbyter in those strictly clerical duties1 which now1 in many cases1 are too much for the health and powers of the strongest4 ,yet a still greater advantage would be found in the link thus formed between the clergy and laity by the revival of an order appertaining in a manner to both4 ,nor would it be a little thing that many who now become teachers in some dissenting congregation1 not because they differ from our ,articles1 or dislike our ,liturgy1 but because they cannot afford to go to the universities1 and have no prospect of being maintained by the church1 if they were to give up their secular callings1 would1 in all human probability1 be glad to join the church1 as deacons1 and would thus be subject to her authorities1 and would be engaged in her service1 instead of being aliens to her1 if not enemies4 ,when we look at the condition of our country3 at the poverty and wretchedness of so large a portion of the working classes2 at the intellectual and moral evils which certainly exist among the poor1 but by no means amongst the poor only2 and when we witness the many partial attempts to remedy these evils--attempts benevolent indeed and wise1 so far as they go1 but utterly unable to strike to the heart of the mischief2 can any ,christian doubt that here is the work for the church of ,christ to do2 that none else can do it2 and that with the blessing of her ,almighty ,head she can8 ,looking upon the chaos around us1 one power alone can reduce it into order1 and fill it with light and life4 ,and does he really apprehend the perfections and high calling of ,christ's church2 does he indeed fathom the depths of man's wants1 or has he learnt to rise to the fulness of the stature of their divine remedy1 who comes forward to preach to us the necessity of apostolical succession8 ,grant even that it was of divine appointment1 still as it is demonstrably and palpably unconnected with holiness1 as it would be a mere positive and ceremonial ordinance1 it cannot be the point of most importance to insist on2 even if it be a sin to neglect this1 there are so many far weightier matters equally neglected1 that it would be assuredly no ,christian prophesying which were to strive to direct our chief attention to this4 ,but the wholly unmoral character of this doctrine1 which if it were indeed of ,god1 would make it a single mysterious exception to all the other doctrines of the ,gospel1 is1 ,god be thanked1 not more certain than its total want of external evidence2 the ,scripture disclaims it1 ,christ himself condemns it4 ,i have written at considerable length3 yet so vast is the subject1 that ,i may seem to some to have written superficially1 and to have left my statements without adequate support4 ,i can only say that no one paragraph has been written hastily1 nor in fact is there one the substance of which has not been for several years in my mind2 indeed1 in many instances1 not only the substance1 but the proofs in detail have been actually written3 but to have inserted them here would have been impracticable1 as they would have been in themselves a volume4 ,neither have ,i knowingly remained in ignorance of any argument which may have been used in defence of ,mr4 ,newman's system2 ,i have always desired to know what he and his friends say1 and on what grounds they say it2 although1 as ,i have not read the ,tracts for the ,times regularly1 ,i may have omitted something which it would have been important to notice4 ,finally1 in naming ,mr4 ,newman as the chief author of the system which ,i have been considering1 ,i have in no degree wished to make the question personal2 but ,mr4 ,percival's letter authorizes us to consider him as one of the authors of it2 and as ,i have never had any personal acquaintance with him1 ,i could mention his name with no shock to any private feelings either in him or in myself4 ,but ,i have spoken of him simply as the maintainer of certain doctrines1 not as maintaining them in any particular manner1 far less as actuated by any particular motives4 ,i believe him to be in most serious error2 ,i believe his system to be so destructive of ,christ's church1 that ,i earnestly pray1 and would labour to the utmost of my endeavours for its utter overthrow3 but on the other hand1 ,i will not be tempted to confound the authors of the system with the system itself2 for ,i know that the most mischievous errors have been promulgated by men who yet have been neither foolish nor wicked2 and ,i nothing doubt that there are many points in ,mr4 ,newman1 in which ,i might learn truth from his teaching1 and should be glad if ,i could come near him in his practice4 ,,note4 ,in order to prevent the possibility of misunderstanding1 it is proper to repeat what has been often said by others1 that the ,english word priest has two significations1--the one according to its etymology1 through the ,french prtre1 or prestre1 and the ,latin presbyterus1 from the ,greek ,greek3 presbuteros2 in which sense it is used in our ,liturgy and ,rubrics1 and signifies merely one belonging to the order of ,presbyters1 as distinguished from the other two orders of bishops and deacons4 ,but the other signification of the word priest1 and which we use1 as ,i think1 more commonly1 is the same with the meaning of the ,latin word sacerdos1 and the ,greek word ,greek3 iepeus1 and means1 one who stands as a mediator between ,god and the people1 and brings them to ,god by the virtue of certain ceremonial acts which he performs for them1 and which they could not perform for themselves without profanation1 because they are at a distance from ,god1 and cannot1 in their own persons1 venture to approach towards him4 ,in this sense of the word priest1 the term is not applied to the ministers of the ,christian church1 either by the ,scripture1 or by the authorized formularies of the ,church of ,england2 although1 in the other sense1 as synonymous with ,presbyters1 it is used in our ,prayer ,book repeatedly4 ,of course1 not one word of what ,i have written is meant to deny the lawfulness and importance of the order of ,presbyters in the church2 ,i have only spoken against a priesthood1 in the other sense of the word1 in which a priest means a mediator between ,god and man2 in that sense1 in short1 in which the word is not a translation of ,greek3 presbuteros1 but iereus4 ,,lecture ,i4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,genesis iii4 #bb4 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,behold1 the man is become as one of us1 to know good and evil4 ,this is declared to be man's condition after the ,fall4 ,i will not attempt to penetrate into that which is not to be entered into1 nor to pretend to discover all that may be concealed beneath the outward1 and in many points clearly parabolical1 form of the account of man's temptation and sin4 ,but that condition to which his sin brought him is our condition2 with that1 undoubtedly1 we are concerned2 that must be the foundation of all sound views of human nature2 the double fact employed in the word fall is of the last importance2 the fact on the one hand of our present nature being evil1 the fact on the other hand that this present nature is not our proper nature2 that the whole business of our lives is to cast it off1 and to return to that better and holy nature1 which1 in truth1 although not in fact1 is the proper nature of man4 ,all individual experience1 then1 and all history begins in something which is evil2 all our course1 whether as individuals or as nations1 is a progress1 an advance1 a leaving behind us something bad1 and a going forwards towards something that is good4 ,but individual experience1 and history apart from ,christianity1 would make us regard this progress as fearfully uncertain4 ,clear it is that we are in an evil case2 we have lost our way2 we are like men who are bewildered in those endless forests of reeds which line some of the great ,american rivers2 if we stay where we are1 the venomous snakes may destroy us2 or the deadly marsh air when night comes on will be surely fatal2 it is death to remain1 but yet if we move1 we know not what way will lead us out1 and it may be that1 while seeming to advance1 we shall but be going round and round1 and shall at last find ourselves hard by the place from which we set out in the beginning4 ,nay1 we may even feel a doubt1--a doubt1 ,i say1 though not a reasonable belief1--but a doubt which at times would press us sorely1 whether the tangled thicket in which we are placed has any end at all2 whether our fond notions of a clear and open space1 a pure air1 and a fruitful and habitable country1 are not altogether merely imaginary2 whether the whole world be not such a region of death as the spot in which we are actually prisoned2 whether there remains any thing for us1 but to curse our fate1 and lie down and die4 ,under such circumstances1 although we should admire the spirit which hoped against hope2 which would make an effort for deliverance2 which would1 at any rate1 flee from the actual evil1 although1 other evil might receive him after all his struggles2 yet we could forgive those who yielded at once to their fate1 and who sat down quietly to wait for their death1 without the unavailing labour of a struggle to avoid it4 ,but when the declaration has been made to us by ,god himself1 that this dismal swamp in which we are prisoners is but an infinitely small portion of his universe1 that there do exist all those goodly forms which we fancied2 and more1 when ,god declares too that we were in the first instance designed to enjoy them2 that our error brought us into the thicket1 having been once out of it2 that we may escape from it again2 nay1 much more still1 when ,he shows us the true path to escape1 and tells us1 that the obstacles in our way have been cleared1 and that he will give us strength to accomplish1 the task of escaping1 and will guide us that we do not miss the track2 then what shall we say to those who insist upon1 remaining where they are1 but that they are either infatuated1 or indolent and cowardly even to insanity2 that they are refusing certain salvation1 and are1 by their own act1 giving themselves over to inevitable death4 ,this1 then1 is the truth taught us by the doctrine of the ,fall2 not so much that it is our certain destruction to remain where we are1 for that our own sense and reason declare to us1 if we will but listen to them2 but that our present position is not that for which ,god designed us1 and that to rest satisfied with it is not a yielding to an unavoidable necessity1 but the indolently or madly shrinking from the effort which would give us certain deliverance4 ,now it is a part of our present evil condition from which we must escape1 that we know good and evil4 ,we are in the world where evil exists within us1 and about us2 we cannot but know it4 ,true it is1 that it was our misfortune to become acquainted with it2 this noisome wilderness of reeds1 this reeking swamp2 it would have been far happier for us1 no doubt1 had we never become aware of their existence4 ,but that wish is now too late4 ,we are in the midst of this dismal place1 and the question now is1 how to escape from it4 ,we may shut our eyes1 and say we will not see objects so unsightly2 but what avails it1 if the marsh poison finds its way by other senses1 if we cannot but draw it in with our breath1 and so we must die8 ,and such is the case of those who now in this present world confound ignorance with innocence4 ,this is a fatal mistaking of our present condition for our past2 there was a time when to the human race ignorance was innocence2 but now it is only folly and sin4 ,for as ,i supposed that a man lost in one of those noxious swamps might shut his eyes1 and so keep himself in some measure in ignorance1 yet the poison would be taken in with his breath1 and so he would die3 even thus1 whilst we would fain shut the eyes of our understanding1 and would so hope to be in safety1 our passions are all the time alive and active1 and they catch the poison of the atmosphere around us1 and we are not innocent1 but foolishly wicked4 ,we must needs consider this carefully2 for1 to say nothing of wider questions of national importance1 who that sees before him1 as we must see it1 the gradual change from childhood to boyhood1 who that sees added knowledge often accompanied with added sin1 can help wishing that the earlier ignorance of evil might still be continued2 and fancying that knowledge is at best but a doubtful blessing8 ,but our path is not backwards1 but onwards4 ,israel in the desert was hungry and thirsty1 while in ,egypt he had eaten bread to the full2 ,israel in the desert saw a wide waste of sand1 or sandy rock1 around him1 while in ,egypt he had dwelt in those green pastures and watered gardens to which the ,nile had given freshness and life4 ,but that wilderness is his appointed way to ,canaan2 its dreariness must be exchanged for the hills and valleys of ,canaan1 and must not drive him back again to the low plain of ,egypt4 ,there is a moral wilderness which lies in the early part of our ,christian course2 but we must not hope to escape from it but by penetrating through it to its furthest side4 ,undoubtedly this place1 and other similar places1 which receive us when we have quitted the state of childhood1 and before our characters are formed in manhood1 do partake somewhat of the character of the wilderness2 and it is not unnatural that many should shrink back from them in fear4 ,we see but too often the early beauty of the character sadly marred1 its simplicity gone1 its confidence chilled1 its tenderness hardened2 where there was gentleness1 we see roughness and coarseness2 where there was obedience1 we find murmuring1 and self-will1 and pride2 where there was a true and blameless conversation1 we find now something of falsehood1 something of profaneness1 something of impurity4 ,i can well conceive what it must be to a parent to see his child return from school1 for the first time1 with the marks of this grievous change upon him3 ,i can well conceive how bitterly he must regret having ever sent him to a place of so much1 danger2 how fondly he must look back to the days of his early innocence4 ,and if a parent feels thus1 what must be our feelings1 seeing that this evil has been wrought here8 ,are we not as those who1 when pretending to give a wholesome draught1 have mixed the cup with poison8 ,how can we go on upholding a system1 the effects of which appear to be so merely mischievous8 ,believe me1 that such questions must and ought to present themselves to the mind of every thinking man who is concerned in the management of a school3 and ,i do think that we could not answer them satisfactorily1 that our work would absolutely be unendurable1 if we did not bear in mind that our eyes should look forward1 and not backward2 if we did not remember that the victory of fallen man is to be sought for1 not in innocence1 but in tried virtue4 ,comparing only the state of a boy after his first half-year1 or year1 at school1 with his earlier state as a child1 and our reflections on the evil of our system would be bitter indeed2 but when we compare a boy's state after his first half-year1 or year1 at school1 with what it is afterwards2 when we see the clouds again clearing off2 when we find coarseness succeeded again by delicacy2 hardness and selfishness again broken up1 and giving place to affection and benevolence2 murmuring and self-will exchanged for humility and self-denial2 and the profane1 or impure1 or false tongue1 uttering again only the words of truth and purity2 and when we see that all these good things are now1 by ,god's grace1 rooted in the character2 that they have been tried1 and grown up amidst the trial2 that the knowledge of evil has made them hate it the more1 and be the more aware of it2 then we can look upon our calling with patience1 and even with thankfulness2 we see that the wilderness has been gone through triumphantly1 and that its dangers have hardened and strengthened the traveller for all his remaining pilgrimage4 ,for the truth is1 that to the knowledge of good and evil we are born2 and it must come upon us sooner or later4 ,in the common course of things1 it comes about that age with which we are here most concerned4 ,i do not mean that there are not faults in early childhood--we know that there are2--but we know also that with the strength and rapid growth of boyhood there is a far greater development of these faults1 and particularly far less of that submissiveness which belonged naturally to the helplessness of mere childhood4 ,i suppose that1 by an extreme care1 the period of childhood might be prolonged considerably2 but still it must end2 and the knowledge of good and evil1 in its full force1 must come4 ,i believe that this must be2 ,i believe that no care can prevent it1 and that an extreme attempt at carefulness1 whilst it could not keep off the disorder1 would weaken the strength1 of the constitution to bear it4 ,but yet you should never forget1 and ,i should never forget1 that although the evils of schools in some respects must be1 yet1 in proportion as they exceed what must be1 they do become at once mischievous and guilty4 ,and such1 or even worse1 is the mischief when1 with the evil which must be1 there is not the good which ought to be2 for1 remember1 our condition is to know good and evil4 ,if we know only evil1 it is the condition of hell2 and therefore1 if schools present an unmixed experience1 if there is temptation in abundance1 but no support against temptation1 and no examples of overcoming it2 if some are losing their child's innocence1 but none1 or very few1 are gaining a man's virtue2 are we in a wholesome state then8 or can we shelter ourselves under the excuse that our evil is unavoidable1 that we do but afford1 in a mild form1 the experience which must be learned sooner or later8 ,it is here that we must be acquitted or condemned4 ,i can bear to see the overclouding of childish simplicity1 if there is a reasonable hope that the character so clouded for a time will brighten again into ,christian holiness4 ,but if we do not see this1 if innocence is exchanged only for vice1 then we have not done our part1 then the evil is not unavoidable1 but our sin3 and we may be assured1 that for the souls so lost1 there will be an account demanded hereafter both of us and you4 ,,lecture ,,ii4 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,corinthians xiii4 #aa4 ,when ,i was a child1 ,i spake as a child1 ,i understood as a child1 ,i thought as a child2 but when ,i became a man1 ,i put away childish things4 ,taking the ,apostle's words literally1 it might appear that no words in the whole range of ,scripture were less applicable to the circumstances of this particular congregation3 for they speak of childhood and of manhood2 and as all of us have passed the one1 so a very large proportion of us have not yet arrived at the other4 ,but when we consider the passage a little more carefully1 we shall see that this would be a very narrow and absurd objection4 ,neither the ,apostle1 nor any one else1 has ever stepped directly from childhood into manhood2 it was his purpose here only to notice the two extreme points of the change which had taken place in him1 passing over its intermediate stages2 but he1 like all other men1 must have gone through those stages4 ,there must have been a time in his life1 as in all ours1 when his words1 his thoughts1 and his understanding were neither all childish1 nor all manly3 there must have been a period1 extending over some years1 in which they were gradually becoming the one less and less1 and the other more and more4 ,and as it suited the purposes of his comparison to look at the change in himself only when it was completed1 so it will suit our object here to regard it while in progress1 to consider what it is1 to ask the two great questions1 how far it can be hastened1 and how far it ought to be hastened4 ,when ,i was a child1 ,i spake as a child1 ,i understood as a child1 ,i thought as a child2 but when ,i became a man1 ,i put away childish things4 ,it will be seen at once1 that when the ,apostle speaks of thought and understanding1 7,greek3 erronoun elogizomeaen17 he does not mean the mere intellect but all the notions1 feelings1 and desires of our minds1 which partake of an intellectual and of a moral character together4 ,he is comparing what we should call the whole nature and character of childhood with those of manhood4 ,let us see1 for a moment1 in what they most strikingly differ4 ,our ,lord's well-known words suggest a difference in the first place1 which is in favour of childhood4 ,when he says1 ,except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye can in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven1 he must certainly ascribe some one quality to childhood1 in which manhood is generally deficient4 ,and the quality which he means is clearly humility2 or to speak perhaps more correctly1 teachableness4 ,it is impossible that a child can have that confidence in himself1 which disposes him to be his own guide4 ,he must of necessity lean on others1 he must follow others1 and therefore he must believe others4 ,there is in his mind1 properly speaking1 nothing which can be called prejudice2 he will not as yet refuse to listen1 as thinking that he knows better than his adviser4 ,one feeling1 therefore1 essential to the perfection of every created and reasonable being1 childhood has by the very law of its nature2 a child cannot help believing that there are some who are greater1 wiser1 better than himself1 and he is disposed to follow their guidance4 ,this sense of comparative weakness is founded upon truth1 for a child is of course unfit to guide himself4 ,without noticing mere bodily helplessness1 a child knows scarcely what is good and what is evil2 his desires for the highest good are not yet in existence2 his moral sense altogether is exceedingly weak1 and would yield readily to the first temptation4 ,and1 because those higher feelings1 which are the great check to selfishness1 have not yet arisen within him1 the selfish instinct1 connected apparently with all animal life1 is exceedingly predominant in him4 ,if a child then on the one hand be teachable1 yet he is at the same time morally weak and ignorant1 and therefore extremely selfish4 ,it is also a part of the nature of childhood to be the slave of present impulses4 ,a child is not apt to look backwards or forwards1 to reflect or to calculate4 ,in this also he differs entirely from the great quality which befits man as an eternal being1 the being able to look before and after4 ,not to embarrass ourselves with too many points1 we may be content with these four characteristics of childhood1 teachableness1 ignorance1 selfishness1 and living only for the present4 ,in the last three of these1 the perfect man should put away childish things2 in the first point1 or teachableness1 while he retained it in principle1 he should modify it in its application4 ,for while modesty1 humility1 and a readiness to learn1 are becoming to men no less than to children2 yet it should be not a simple readiness to follow others1 but only to follow the wise and good2 not a sense of utter helplessness which catches at the first stay1 whether sound or brittle2 but such a consciousness of weakness and imperfection1 as makes us long to be strengthened by ,him who is almighty1 to be purified by ,him who is all pure4 ,i said1 and it is an obvious truth1 that the change from childhood to manhood is gradual2 there is a period in our lives1 of several years1 in which we are1 or should be1 slowly exchanging the qualities of one state for those of the other4 ,during this intermediate state1 then1 we should expect to find persons become less teachable1 less ignorant1 less selfish1 less thoughtless4 ,less teachable1 ,i would wish to mean1 in the sense of being less indiscriminately teachable2 but as the evil and the good are1 in human things1 ever mixed up together1 we may be obliged to mean less teachable simply4 ,and1 to say the very truth1 if ,i saw in a young man the changes from childhood in the three other points1 if ,i found him becoming wiser1 and less selfish1 and more thoughtful1 ,i should not be very much disturbed if ,i found him for a time less teachable also4 ,for whilst he was really becoming wiser and better1 ,i should not much wonder if the sense of improvement rather than of imperfection possessed him too strongly2 if his confidence in himself was a little too over-weening4 ,let him go on a little farther in life1 and if he really does go on improving in wisdom and goodness1 this over-confidence will find its proper level4 ,he will perceive not only how much he is doing1 or can do1 but how much there is which he does not do1 and cannot4 ,to a thoughtful mind added years can scarcely fail to teach1 humility4 ,and in this the highest wisdom of manhood may be resembling more and more the state of what would be perfect childhood1 that is1 not simply teachableness1 but tractableness with respect to what was good and true1 and to that only4 ,but the danger of the intermediate state between childhood and manhood is too often this1 that whilst in the one point of teachableness1 the change runs on too fast1 in the other three1 of wisdom1 of unselfishness1 and of thoughtfulness1 it proceeds much too slowly3 that the faults of childhood thus remain in the character1 whilst that quality by means of which these faults are meant to be corrected1--namely1 teachableness1--is at the same time diminishing4 ,now1 teachableness as an instinct1 if ,i may call it so1 diminishes naturally with the consciousness of growing strength4 ,by strength1 ,i mean strength of body1 no less than strength of mind1 so closely are our body and mind connected with1 each other4 ,the helplessness of childhood1 which presses upon it every moment1 the sense of inability to avoid or resist danger1 which makes the child run continually to his nurse or to his mother for protection1 cannot but diminish1 by the mere growth of the bodily powers4 ,the boy feels himself to be less helpless than the child1 and in that very proportion he is apt to become less teachable4 ,as this feeling of decreased helplessness changes into a sense of positive vigour and power1 and as this vigour and power confer an importance on their possessor1 which is the case especially at schools1 so self-confidence must in one point at least1 arise in the place of conscious weakness2 and as this point is felt to be more important1 so will the self-confidence be likely to extend itself more and more over the whole character4 ,and yet1 ,i am bound to say1 that1 in general1 the teachableness of youth is1 after all1 much greater than we might at first sight fancy4 ,along with much self-confidence in many things1 it is rare1 ,i think1 to find in a young man a deliberate pride that rejects advice and instruction1 on the strength of having no need for them4 ,and therefore1 the faults of boyhood and youth are more owing1 to my mind1 to the want of change in the other points of the childish character1 than to the too great change in this4 ,the besetting faults of youth appear to me to arise mainly from its retaining too often the ignorance1 selfishness1 and thoughtlessness of a child1 and having arrived at the same time at a degree of bodily vigour and power1 equal1 or only a very little inferior1 to those of manhood4 ,and in this state of things1 the questions become of exceeding interest1 whether the change from childhood to manhood can be hastened4 ,that it ought to be hastened1 appears to me to be clear2 hastened1 ,i mean1 from what it is actually1 because in this respect1 we do not grow in general fast enough2 and the danger of over-growth is1 therefore1 small4 ,besides1 where change of one sort is going on very rapidly2 where the limbs are growing and the bones knitting more firmly1 where the strength of bodily endurance1 as well as of bodily activity1 is daily becoming greater2 it is self-evident that1 if the inward changes which ought to accompany these outward ones are making no progress1 there cannot but be derangement and deformity in the system4 ,and1 therefore1 when ,i look around1 ,i cannot but wish generally that the change from childhood to manhood in the three great points of wisdom1 of unselfishness1 and of thoughtfulness1 might be hastened from its actual rate of progress in most instances4 ,but then comes the other great question1 ,can it be hastened1 and if it can1 how is it to be done8 ,can it be hastened means1 of course1 can it be hastened healthfully and beneficially1 consistently with the due development of our nature in its after stages1 from life temporal to life eternal8 ,for as the child should grow up into the man1 so also there is a term of years given in which1 according to ,god's will1 the natural man should grow up into the spiritual man2 and we must not so press the first change as to make it interfere with the wholesome working of the second4 ,the question then is1 really1 can the change from childhood to manhood be hastened in the case of boys and young men in general from its actual rate of progress in ordinary cases1 without injury to the future excellence and full development of the man8 that is1 without exhausting prematurely the faculties either of body or mind4 ,and this is a very grave question1 one of the deepest interest for us and for you4 ,for us1 as1 according to the answer to be given to it1 should depend our whole conduct and feelings towards you in the matter of your education2 for you1 inasmuch as it is quite clear1 that if the change from childhood to manhood can be hastened safely1 it ought to be hastened2 and that it is a sin in every one not to try to hasten it3 because1 to retain the imperfections of childhood when you can get rid of them1 is in itself to forfeit the innocence of childhood2 to exchange the condition of the innocent infant whom ,christ blessed1 for that of the unprofitable servant whom ,christ condemned4 ,for with the growth of our bodies evil will grow in us unavoidably2 and then1 if we are not positively good1 we are1 of necessity1 positively sinners4 ,we will consider1 then1 what can be done to hasten this change in us healthfully2 whether we can grow in wisdom1 in love1 and in thoughtfulness1 faster in youth1 than we now commonly do grow3 and whether any possible danger can be connected with such increased exertion4 ,this shall be our subject for consideration next ,sunday4 ,meantime1 let it be understood1 that however extravagant it might be to hope for any general change in any moral point1 as the direct result of setting truth before the mind2 yet1 that it never can be extravagant to hope for a practical result in some one or two particular cases2 and that1 if one or two even be impressed practically with what they hear1 the good achieved1 or1 rather1 the good granted us by ,god1 is really beyond our calculation4 ,it is so strictly2 for who can worthily calculate the value of a single human soul8 but it is so in this sense also1 that the amount of general good which may be done in the end by doing good first in particular cases is really more than we can estimate4 ,it was thus that ,christ's original eleven apostles became1 in the end1 the instruments of the salvation of millions3 and it is on this consideration that we never need despair of the most extensive improvements in society1 if we are content to wait ,god's appointed time and order1 and look for the salvation of the many as the gradual fruit of the salvation of a few4 ,,lecture ,,iii4 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,corinthians xiii4 #aa4 ,when ,i was a child1 ,i spoke as a child1 ,i understood as a child1 ,i thought as a child2 but when ,i became a man1 ,i put away childish things4 ,after having noticed last ,sunday what were those particular points in childhood1 which in manhood should be put away1 and having observed that this change cannot take place all at once1 but gradually1 during a period of several years1 ,i proposed to consider1 as on this day1 whether it were possible to hasten this change1 that is1 whether it could be hastened without injury to the future development of the character2 for undoubtedly1 there is such1 a thing in minds1 as well as in bodies1 as precocious growth2 and although it is not so frequent as precocious growth in the body1 nor by any means so generally regarded as an evil1 yet it is really a thing to be deprecated2 and we ought not to adopt such measures as might be likely to occasion it4 ,now ,i believe the only reason which could make it supposed to be possible that there could be danger in hastening this change1 is drawn from the observation of what takes place sometimes with regard to intellectual advancement4 ,it is seen that some young men of great ambition1 or remarkable love of knowledge1 do really injure their health1 and exhaust their minds1 by an excess of early study4 ,i always grieve over such cases exceedingly2 not only for the individual's sake who is the sufferer1 but also for the mischievous effect of his example4 ,it affords a pretence to others to justify their own want of exertion2 and those to whom it is in reality the least dangerous1 are always the very persons who seem to dread it the most4 ,but we should clearly understand1 that this excess of intellectual exertion at an early age1 is by no means the same thing with hastening the change from childishness to manliness4 ,we are all enough aware1 in common life1 that a very clever and forward boy may be1 in his conduct1 exceeding childish2 that those whose talents and book-knowledge are by no means remarkable1 may be1 in their conduct1 exceedingly manly4 ,examples of both these truths instantly present themselves to my memory1 and perhaps may do so to some of yours4 ,i may say farther1 that some whose change from childhood to manhood had been1 in ,st4 ,paul's sense of the terms1 the most remarkably advanced1 were so far from being distinguished for their cleverness or proficiency in their school-work1 that it would almost seem as if their only remaining childishness had been displayed there4 ,what ,i mean1 therefore1 by the change from childhood to manhood1 is altogether distinct from a premature advance in book-knowledge1 and involves in it nothing of that over-study which is dreaded as so injurious4 ,yet it is true that ,i described the change from childhood to manhood1 as a change from ignorance to wisdom4 ,i did so1 certainly2 but yet1 rare as knowledge is1 wisdom is rarer2 and knowledge1 unhappily1 can exist without wisdom1 as wisdom can exist with a very inferior degree of knowledge4 ,we shall see this1 if we consider what we mean by knowledge2 and1 without going into a more general definition of it1 let us see what we mean by it here4 ,we mean by it1 either a knowledge of points of scholarship1 of grammar1 and matters connected with grammar2 or a knowledge of history and geography2 or a knowledge of mathematics3 or1 it may be1 of natural history2 or1 if we use the term1 knowledge of the world1 then we mean1 ,i think1 a knowledge of points of manner and fashion2 such a knowledge as may save us from exposing ourselves in trifling things1 by awkwardness or inexperience4 ,now the knowledge of none of these things brings us of necessity any nearer to real thoughtfulness1 such as alone gives wisdom1 than the knowledge of a well-contrived game4 ,some of you1 probably1 well know that there are games from which chance is wholly excluded1 and skill in which is only the result of much thought and calculation4 ,there is no doubt that the game of chess may properly be called an intellectual study2 but why does it not1 and cannot1 make any man wise8 ,because1 in the first place1 the calculations do but respect the movements of little pieces of wood or ivory1 and not those of our own minds and hearts2 and1 again1 they are calculations which have nothing to do whatever with our being better men1 or worse1 with our pleasing ,god or displeasing him4 ,and what is true of this game1 is true no less of the highest calculations of ,astronomy1 of the profoundest researches into language2 nay1 what may seem stranger still1 it is often true no less of the deepest study even of the actions and principles of man's nature2 and1 strangest of all1 it may be1 and is often true1 also1 of the study of the very ,scripture itself2 and that1 not only of the incidental points of ,scripture1 its antiquities1 chronology1 and history1 but of its very most divine truths1 of man's justification and of ,god's nature4 ,here1 indeed1 we are considering about things where wisdom1 so to speak1 sits enshrined4 ,we are very near her1 we see the place where she abides2 but her very self we obtain not4 ,and why8--but because1 in the most solemn study1 no less than in the lightest1 our own moral state may be set apart from our consideration2 we may be unconscious all the while of our great want2 and forgetting our great business1 to be reconciled to ,god1 and to do his will3 for wisdom1 to speak properly1 is to us nothing else than the true answer to the ,philippian jailor's question1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,now then1 as knowledge of all kinds may be gained without being received1 or meant at all to be applied1 as the answer to this question1 so it may be quite distinct from wisdom4 ,and when ,i use the term thoughtfulness1 as opposed to a child's carelessness1 ,i mean it to express an anxiety for the obtaining of this wisdom4 ,and farther1 ,i do not see how this wisdom1 or this thoughtfulness1 can be premature in any one2 or how it can exhaust before their time any faculties1 whether of body or mind4 ,this requires no sitting up late at night1 no giving up of healthful exercise2 it brings no headaches1 no feverishness1 no strong excitement at first1 to be followed by exhaustion afterwards4 ,hear how it is described by one who spoke of it from experience4 ,the wisdom that is from above is first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy and good fruits1 without partiality and without hypocrisy4 ,there is surely nothing of premature exhaustion connected-with any one of these things4 ,or1 if we turn to the third point of change from childhood to a ,christian manhood1 the change from selfishness to unselfishness1 neither can we find any possible danger in hastening this4 ,this cannot hurt our health or strain our faculties2 it can but make life at every age more peaceful and more happy4 ,nor indeed do ,i suppose that any one could fancy that such a change was otherwise than wholesome at the earliest possible period4 ,there may remain1 however1 a vague notion1 that generally1 if what we mean by an early change from childishness to manliness be that we should become religious1 then1 although it may not exhaust the powers1 or injure the health1 yet it would destroy the natural liveliness and gaiety of youth1 and by bringing on a premature seriousness of manner and language1 would be unbecoming and ridiculous4 ,now1 in the first place1 there is a great deal of confusion and a great deal of folly in the common notions of the gaiety of youth4 ,if gaiety mean real happiness of mind1 ,i do not believe that there is more of it in youth than in manhood2 if for this reason only1 that the temper in youth being commonly not yet brought into good order1 irritation and passion are felt1 probably1 oftener than in after life1 and these are sad drawbacks1 as we all know1 to a real cheerfulness of mind4 ,and of the outward gaiety of youth1 there is a part also which is like the gaiety of a drunken man2 which is riotous1 insolent1 and annoying to others2 which1 in short1 is a folly and a sin4 ,there remains that which strictly belongs to youth1 partly physically--the lighter step and the livelier movement of the growing and vigorous body2 partly from circumstances1 because a young person's parents or friends stand between him and many of the cares of life1 and protect him from feeling them altogether2 partly from the abundance of hope which belongs to the beginning of every thing1 and which continually hinders the mind from dwelling on past pain4 ,and ,i know not which of these causes of gaiety would be taken away or lessened by the earlier change from childhood to manhood4 ,true it is1 that the question1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 is a grave one1 and must be considered seriously2 but ,i do not suppose that any one proposes that a young person should never be serious at all4 ,true it is1 again1 that if we are living in folly and sin1 this question may be a painful one2 we might be gayer for a time without it4 ,but1 then1 the matter is1 what is to become of us if we do not think of being saved8--shall we be saved without thinking of it8 ,and what is it to be not saved but lost8 ,i cannot pretend to say that the thought of ,god would not very much disturb the peace and gaiety of an ungodly and sinful mind2 that it would not interfere with the mirth of the bully1 or the drunkard1 or the reveller1 or the glutton1 or the idler1 or the fool4 ,it would1 no doubt2 just as the hand that was seen to write on the wall threw a gloom over the guests at ,belshazzar's festival4 ,i never meant or mean to say1 that the thought of ,god1 or that ,god himself1 can be other than a plague to those who do not love ,him4 ,the thought of ,him is their plague here2 the sight of ,him will be their judgment for ever4 ,but ,i suppose the point is1 whether the thought of ,him would cloud the gaiety of those who were striving to please ,him4 ,it would cloud it as much1 and be just as unwelcome and no more1 as will be the very actual presence of our ,lord to the righteous1 when they shall see ,him as ,he is4 ,can that which we know to be able to make old age1 and sickness1 and poverty1 many times full of comfort1--can that make youth and health gloomy8 ,when to natural cheerfulness and sanguineness1 are added a consciousness of ,god's ever present care1 and a knowledge of his rich promises1 are we likely to be the more sad or the more unhappy8 ,what reason1 then1 is there for any one's not anticipating the common progress of ,christian manliness1 and hastening2 to exchange1 as ,i said before1 ignorance for wisdom1 selfishness for unselfishness1 carelessness for thoughtfulness8 ,i see no reason why we should not2 but is there no reason why we should8 ,you are young1 and for the most part strong and healthy2 ,i grant that1 humanly speaking1 the chances of early death to any particular person among you are small4 ,but still1 considering what life is1 even to the youngest and strongest1 it does seem a fearful risk to be living unredeemed2 to be living in that state1 that if we should happen to die1 7it may be very unlikely1 but still it is clearly possible17--that if we should happen to die1 we should be most certainly lost for ever4 ,risks1 however1 we do not mind2 the chances1 we think1 are in our favour1 and we will run the hazard4 ,it may be so2 but he who delays to turn to ,god when the thought has been once put before him1 is incurring something more than a risk4 ,he may not die these fifty or sixty years2 we cannot tell how that may be2 but he is certainly at this very present time hardening his heart1 and doing despite unto the ,spirit of ,grace4 ,by the very wickedness of putting off turning to ,god till a future time1 he lessens his power of turning to ,him ever4 ,this is certain2 no one can reject ,god's call without becoming less likely to hear it when it is made to him again4 ,and thus the lingering wilfully in the evil things of childhood1 when we might be at work in putting them off1 and when ,god calls us to do so1 is an infinite risk1 and a certain evil2--an infinite risk1 for it is living in such a state that death at any moment would be certain condemnation2--and a certain evil1 because1 whether we live or not1 we are actually raising up barriers between ourselves and our salvation2 we not only do not draw nigh to ,god1 but we are going farther from ,him1 and lessening our power of drawing nigh to ,him hereafter4 ,,lecture ,,iv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,colossians i4 #i4 ,we do not cease to pray for you1 and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding4 ,this is the first of three verses1 all of them forming a part of the ,epistle which was read this morning1 and containing ,st4 ,paul's prayer for the ,colossians in all the several points of ,christian excellence4 ,and the first thing which he desires for them1 as we have heard1 is1 that they should be filled with the knowledge of ,god's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding2 or1 as he expresses the same thing to the ,ephesians1 that they should be not unwise1 but understanding what the will of the ,lord is4 ,he prays for the ,colossians that they should not be spiritually foolish1 but that they should be spiritually wise4 ,the state of spiritual folly is1 ,i suppose1 one of the most universal evils in the world4 ,for the number of those who are naturally foolish is exceedingly great2 of those1 ,i mean1 who understand no worldly thing well2 of those who are careless about everything1 carried about by every breath of opinion1 without knowledge1 and without principle4 ,but the term spiritual folly includes1 unhappily1 a great many more than these2 it takes in not those only who are in the common sense of the term foolish1 but a great many who are in the common sense of the term clever1 and many who are even in the common sense of the terms1 prudent1 sensible1 thoughtful1 and wise4 ,it is but too evident that some of the ablest men who have ever lived upon earth1 have been in no less a degree spiritually fools4 ,and thus1 it is not without much truth that ,christian writers have dwelt upon the insufficiency of worldly wisdom1 and have warned their readers to beware1 lest1 while professing themselves to be wise1 they should be accounted as fools in the sight of ,god4 ,but the opposite to this notion1 that those who are1 as it were1 fools in worldly matters are wise before ,god2 although this also is true in a certain sense1 and under certain peculiar circumstances1 yet taken generally1 it is the very reverse of truth2 and the careless and incautious language which has been often used on this subject1 has been extremely mischievous4 ,on the contrary1 he who is foolish in worldly matters is likely also to be1 and most commonly is1 no less foolish in the things of ,god4 ,and the opposite belief has arisen mainly from that strange confusion between ignorance and innocence1 with which many ignorant persons seem to solace themselves4 ,whereas1 if you take away a man's knowledge1 you do not bring him to the state of an infant1 but to that of a brute2 and of one of the most mischievous and malignant of the brute creation4 ,for you do not lessen or weaken the man's body by lowering his mind2 he still retains his strength and his passions1 the passions leading to self-indulgence1 the strength which enables him to feed them by continued gratification4 ,he will not think it is true to any good purpose2 it is very possible to destroy in him the power of reflection1 whether as exercised upon outward things1 or upon himself and his own nature1 or upon ,god4 ,but you cannot destroy the power of adapting means to ends1 nor that of concealing his purposes by fraud or falsehood2 you take only his wisdom1 and leave that cunning which marks so notoriously both the savage and the madman4 ,he1 then1 who is a fool as far as regards earthly things1 is much more a fool with regard to heavenly things2 he who cannot raise himself even to the lower height1 how is he to attain to the higher8 he who is without reason and conscience1 how shall he be endowed with the spirit of ,god8 ,it is my deep conviction and long experience of this truth1 which makes me so grieve over a want of interest in your own improvement in human learning1 whenever ,i observe it1 over the prevalence of a thoughtless and childish spirit amongst you4 ,i grant that as to the first point there are sometimes exceptions to be met with2 that is to say1 ,i have known persons certainly whose interest in their work here was not great1 and their proficiency consequently was small2 but who1 ,i do not doubt1 were wise unto ,god4 ,but then these persons1 whilst they were indifferent perhaps about their common school-work1 were anything but indifferent as to the knowledge of the ,bible3 there was no carelessness there2 but they read1 and read frequently1 books of practical improvement1 or relating otherwise to religious matters1 such as many1 ,i believe1 would find even less inviting than the books of their common business4 ,so that although there was a neglect undoubtedly of many parts of the school-work1 yet there was no spirit of thoughtlessness or childishness in them1 nor of general idleness2 and therefore1 although ,i know that their minds did suffer and have suffered from their unwise neglect of a part of their duty1 yet there was so much attention bestowed on other parts1 and so manifest and earnest a care for the things of ,god1 that it was impossible not to entertain for them the greatest respect and regard4 ,these1 however1 are such rare cases1 that it cannot be necessary to do more than thus notice them4 ,but the idleness and want of interest which ,i grieve for1 is one which extends itself but too impartially to knowledge of every kind3 to divine knowledge1 as might be expected1 even more than to human4 ,those whom we commonly find careless about their general lessons1 are quite as ignorant and as careless about their ,bibles2 those who have no interest in general literature1 in poetry1 or in history1 or in philosophy1 have certainly no greater interest1 ,i do not say in works of theology1 but in works of practical devotion1 in the lives of holy men1 in meditations1 or in prayers4 ,alas1 the interest of their minds is bestowed on things far lower than the very lowest of all which ,i have named2 and therefore1 to see them desiring something only a little higher than their present pursuits1 could not but be encouraging2 it would1 at least1 show that the mind was rising upwards4 ,it may1 indeed1 stop at a point short of the highest1 it may learn to love earthly excellence1 and rest there contented1 and seek for nothing more perfect2 but that1 at any rate1 is a future and merely contingent evil4 ,it is better to love earthly excellence than earthly folly2 it is far better in itself1 and it is1 by many degrees1 nearer to the kingdom of ,god4 ,there is another case1 however1 which ,i cannot but think is more frequent now than formerly2 and if it is so1 it may be worth while to direct our attention to it4 ,common idleness and absolute ignorance are not what ,i wish to speak of now1 but a character advanced above these2 a character which does not neglect its school-lessons1 but really attains to considerable proficiency in them2 a character at once regular and amiable1 abstaining from evil1 and for evil in its low and grosser forms1 having a real abhorrence4 ,what1 then1 you will say1 is wanting here8 ,i will tell you what seems to be wanting--a spirit of manly1 and much more of ,christian1 thoughtfulness4 ,there is quickness and cleverness2 much pleasure1 perhaps1 in distinction1 but little in improvement2 there is no desire of knowledge for its own sake1 whether human or divine4 ,there is1 therefore1 but little power of combining and digesting what is read2 and1 consequently1 what is read passes away1 and takes no root in the mind4 ,this same character shows itself in matters of conduct2 it will adopt1 without scruple1 the most foolish1 commonplace notions of boys1 about what is right and wrong2 it will not1 and cannot1 from the lightness of its mind1 concern itself seriously about what is evil in the conduct of others1 because it takes no regular care of its own1 with reference to pleasing ,god2 it will not do anything low or wicked1 but it will sometimes laugh at those who do2 and it will by no means take pains to encourage1 nay1 it will sometimes thwart and oppose any thing that breathes a higher spirit1 and asserts a more manly and ,christian standard of duty4 ,i have thought that this character1 with its features more or less strongly marked1 has shown itself sometimes amongst us1 marring the good and amiable qualities of those in whom we can least bear to see such a defect1 because there is in them really so much to interest in their favour4 ,now the number of persons of extraordinary abilities who may be here at any one time can depend on no calculable causes3 nor1 again1 can we give any reason more than what we call accident1 if there were to be amongst us at any one time a number of persons whose whole tendency was decidedly to evil4 ,but if1 in these respects1 the usual average has continued1 if there is no lack of ability1 and nothing like a prevalence of vice1 then we begin anxiously to inquire into the causes1 which1 while other things remain the same1 have led to a different result4 ,and one cause ,i do find1 which1 is certainly capable of producing such a result3 a cause undoubtedly in existence now1 and as certainly not in existence a few years back2 nor can ,i trace any other besides this which appears likely to have produced the same effect4 ,this cause consists in the number and character and cheapness1 and peculiar mode of publication1 of the works of amusement of the present day4 ,in all these respects the change is great1 and extremely recent4 ,the works of amusement published only a very few years since were comparatively few in number2 they were less exciting1 and therefore less attractive2 they were dearer1 and therefore less accessible2 and1 not being published periodically1 they did not occupy the mind for so long a time1 nor keep alive so constant an expectation2 nor1 by thus dwelling upon the mind1 and distilling themselves into it as it were drop by drop1 did they possess it so largely1 colouring even1 in many instances1 its very language1 and affording frequent matter for conversation4 ,the evil of all these circumstances is actually enormous4 ,the mass of human minds1 and much more of the minds of young persons1 have no great appetite for intellectual exercise2 but they have some1 which by careful treatment may be strengthened and increased4 ,but here to this weak and delicate appetite is presented an abundance of the most stimulating and least nourishing food possible4 ,it snatches it greedily1 and is not only satisfied1 but actually conceives a distaste for anything simpler and more wholesome4 ,that curiosity which is wisely given us to lead us on to knowledge1 finds its full gratification in the details of an exciting and protracted story1 and then lies down as it were gorged1 and goes to sleep4 ,other faculties claim their turn1 and have it4 ,we know that in youth the healthy body and lively spirits require exercise1 and in this they may and ought to be indulged3 but the time and interest which remain over when the body has had its enjoyment1 and the mind desires its share1 this has been already wasted and exhausted upon things utterly unprofitable3 so that the mind goes to its work hurriedly and languidly1 and feels it to be no more than a burden4 ,the mere lessons may be learnt from a sense of duty2 but that freshness of power which1 in young persons of ability would fasten eagerly upon some one portion or other1 of the wide field of knowledge1 and there expatiate1 drinking in health and strength to the mind1 as surely as the natural exercise of the body gives to it bodily vigour1--that is tired prematurely1 perverted1 and corrupted2 and all the knowledge which else it might so covet1 it now seems a wearying effort to attain4 ,great and grievous as is the evil1 it is peculiarly hard to find the remedy for it4 ,if the books to which ,i have been alluding were books of downright wickedness1 we might destroy them wherever we found them2 we might forbid their open circulation2 we might conjure you to shun them as you would any other clear sin1 whether of word or deed4 ,but they are not wicked books for the most part2 they are of that class which cannot be actually prohibited2 nor can it be pretended that there is a sin in reading them4 ,they are not the more wicked for being published so cheap1 and at regular intervals2 but yet these two circumstances make them so peculiarly injurious4 ,all that can be done is to point out the evil2 that it is real and serious ,i am very sure1 and its effects are most deplorable on the minds of the fairest promise2 but the remedy for it rests with yourselves1 or rather with each of you individually1 so far as he is himself concerned4 ,that an unnatural and constant excitement of the mind is most injurious1 there is no doubt2 that excitement involves a consequent weakness1 is a law of our nature than which none is surer2 that the weakness of mind thus produced is and must be adverse to quiet study and thought1 to that reflection which alone is wisdom1 is also clear in itself1 and proved too largely by experience4 ,and that without reflection there can be no spiritual understanding1 is at once evident2 while without spiritual understanding1 that is1 without a knowledge and a study of ,god's will1 there can be no spiritual life4 ,and therefore childishness and unthoughtfulness cannot be light evils2 and if ,i have rightly traced the prevalence of these defects to its cause1 although that cause may seem to some to be trifling1 yet surely it is well to call your attention to it1 and to remind you that in reading works of amusement1 as in every other lawful pleasure1 there is and must be an abiding responsibility in the sight of ,god2 that1 like other lawful pleasures1 we must beware of excess in it2 and not only so1 but that if we find it hurtful to us1 either because we have used it too freely in times past1 or because our nature is too weak to bear it1 that then we are bound most solemnly to abstain from it2 because1 however lawful in itself1 or to others who can practise it without injury1 whatever is to us an hindrance in the way of our intellectual and moral and spiritual improvement1 that is in our case a positive sin4 ,,lecture ,v4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,colossians i4 #i4 ,we do not cease to pray for you1 and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding4 ,these words1 on which ,i spoke last ,sunday1 appeared to contain so much1 which concerns us all so deeply1 and to suit the peculiar ease of many of us here so entirely1 that ,i thought they might well furnish us with matter for farther consideration to-day4 ,and though ,i noticed one particular cause1 which seemed to have acted mischievously1 in the last few years1 upon the growth and freshness of the mind in youth1 yet it would be absurd to suppose that before this cause came into existence all was well2 or that if it could be removed1 our progress even in worldly knowledge would henceforth be unimpeded4 ,there are many other causes no doubt which oppose our growth in worldly wisdom2 and still more which oppose our growth in the wisdom of ,god4 ,one of these causes meets us at the very beginning2 it exists at this very moment2 it makes it difficult even to gain your attention for what is to be said4 ,this cause is to be found in the want of sympathy between persons of very different ages1 between what must be1 therefore1 in the common course of nature1 different degrees of thoughtfulness4 ,it is the want of sympathy1 properly speaking1 which creates in these matters a difficulty of understanding2 for the attention and memory are alike apt to be careless where the mind is not interested2 and how can we understand that to which we scarcely listened1 and which we imperfectly remember8 ,nature herself seems to lead the old and the young two different ways3 and when the old call upon the young to be thoughtful1 it seems as if they were but calling them to a state contrary to their nature2 and the call is not regarded4 ,is it then that we have here an invincible obstacle1 which renders all attempts to inspire thoughtfulness utterly vain8 and if it be so1 what use can there be in dwelling upon it8 ,none1 certainly1 if it were actually and in all cases invincible2 but if it be every thing short of invincible1 there is much good in noticing it4 ,there is much good surely in trying to impress the great truth1 that nature must be overcome by a mightier power1 or we perish4 ,there is much good in meeting and allowing to its full extent what we are so apt in our folly to regard as an excuse1 and which really is the earnest of our condemnation4 ,it is very true1 and to be allowed to the fullest extent1 that it is against the nature of youth in all ordinary cases to be thoughtful2 that it is very difficult for you even to give your attention to serious things when spoken of1 more difficult still to remember them afterwards and always4 ,it is for the very reason because it is so difficult1 because it is a work so against nature1 to raise the young and careless mind to the thought of ,god2 because it is so certain that1 in the common course of things1 you will not think of ,him1 but will follow the bent of your own several fancies or desires1 that therefore ,he1 who wills in his love to bring us to himself1 knowing that without the knowledge of ,him we must perish for ever1 was pleased to give his only-begotten ,son1 that through ,him we might overcome nature1 and might turn to ,god and live4 ,i wish that ,i could increase1 if it were possible1 the sense which1 you have of the difficulty of becoming thoughtful1 so that you could but see that out of this very difficulty1 and indissolubly connected with it1 comes the grace of ,christ's redemption4 ,you have not strength of purpose enough to shake off folly and sin2 surely you have not1 or else1 why should ,christ have died8 ,it is so hard to come to ,god2 undoubtedly1 so hard that no man can come unto ,god except ,god will draw him4 ,nature herself leads us to be careless1 our very strength and spirits of themselves will not allow us to reflect4 ,most true2 for that which is born of the flesh1 is flesh2 and we inherit a nature derived from him in whom we all die4 ,i believe that it is not idle to dwell upon tins2 for it is scarcely possible but that good and earnest resolutions should often enter the minds of many of you2 or1 if not resolutions1 yet at least wishes1 wishes chilled but too soon1 ,i fear1 by the thought or feeling1 that however much to will may be present with you1 yet how to perform it you find not4 ,now1 if this true sense of weakness might but lead any one to seek for strength where it may be found1 then indeed it would be a feeling no less blessed than true2 for it would urge you to seek ,god's help and ,christ's redemption1 instead of desperately yielding to your weakness1 and so remaining weak for ever4 ,you may look at the prospect before you in all its reality3 you may see how much must be given up1 how much withstood1 bow much1 endured2 how hard it is to alter old ways1 not in itself only1 but because the change attracts attention1 and is received1 it may be1 with doubts as to its sincerity1 with irony1 and with sneers4 ,there is all this before you3 it cannot be denied2 it must not be concealed4 ,the way to life is not broad and easy2 it is not that way which is most trodden4 ,to pass from what we are to what we may be hereafter1 from an earthly nature to an heavenly1 cannot be an easy work1 to be done at any time1 with no effort1 with no pain4 ,it is the greatest work which is done in the whole world1 it is the mightiest change2 death and birth are1 as it were1 combined in it2 but the ,lord of birth and of death is at hand1 to enable us to effect it4 ,think that this is so2 and the more you feel how hard a task is set before you1 the more you will be able to understand the language of joy and thankfulness with which the ,scripture speaks of a human soul's redemption4 ,this great work may be wrought for every soul here assembled2 the want of sympathy in sacred and serious things may be changed to sympathy the most intense2 the carelessness of fools may be changed into spiritual wisdom4 ,it may be wrought for all2 but it is more happy to think that it will be wrought for some2--for whom1 no mortal eye or judgment can discern2 but it will be wrought for some4 ,if many should yield in despair to their enemy1 yet some will resist him3 if ,christ be to many no more than foolishness1 if his name convey nothing more than a vague sense of something solemn1 which passes over the mind for an instant1 and then vanishes1 yet to some undoubtedly1 he will be found to be the wisdom of ,god1 and the power of ,god4 ,there are some here1 we may be quite sure1 who will be witnesses for ever to all the world of men and angels1 that what truly was impossible to nature1 is possible to nature renewed and strengthened by grace4 ,without such a change1 it is vain1 ,i fear1 to look for any thing like wisdom or spiritual understanding2 for how can such a seed be expected to grow in a soil so shallow as common thoughtlessness8 and how can merely human motives have force to overcome so strong a tendency of nature8 nay1 how can such motives be brought to act upon the mind8 for it is absolutely impossible that the middle-aged and the young should be brought into entire sympathy with each other1 unless ,christ's love be their common bond4 ,human wisdom in advanced life may be1 and is to persons of strong faculties of mind1 naturally pleasant3 but how can it be made so to persons of ordinary faculties in early youth8 ,there are faults which society condemns strongly1 while the temptation to them in after life is slight4 ,persons in middle age may resist these easily1 and abhor them sincerely2 but how can we make young persons do the same when the temptation to commit them is strong1 and the condemnation of them by their society is either very slight1 or does not exist at all8 ,and1 therefore1 we find that1 do what we will1 the same faults' continue to be common in schools1 the same faults both of omission and commission2 there is the same inherent difficulty of bringing persons of different ages and positions to think and feel alike1 unless ,christ has become possessed of the thoughts and feelings of both1 and so they become one with each other in him4 ,but it was our ,lord's charge to ,peter1 ,thou1 when thou art converted1 strengthen thy brethren4 ,as sure as it is that some who hear me are turned1 or turning1 or will turn1 to ,god1 so sure is it that these1 be they few or many1 will do something towards the strengthening of their brethren4 ,whatever good is to be done amongst us on a large scale1 it must be done only in this way1 the many half despairing prayer may be1 ,lord1 ,i believe2 help thou mine unbelief2 but if any one is moved by ,christ's call1 and feels within himself that he should like to follow ,christ1 and to be with him always1 let him cherish that work of the ,holy ,spirit within him1 which has given him if it be only so much of the will to be saved4 ,it is a spark which may be quenched in a moment2 in itself it can give no assurance2 but if any one watches it carefully1 and prays that it may live and be kindled into a stronger spark1 till at last it break out into a flame1 then for him it is full of assurance2 ,god has heard his prayer2 and he has received the gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 an earnest of his eternal inheritance4 ,will he not then watch and pray the more anxiously1 lest the fruit which1 is now partly formed should never ripen8 ,will he not see and feel that there is some reality in the things of ,god1 that strength1 and peace1 and victory1 are not vainly promised8 ,will he not hold fast the things which he has now not heard only1 but known1 lest by any means he should let them slip8 ,may ,god strengthen such1 whoever they may be1 with all the might of his ,spirit2 and may he be with them even to the end4 ,but for those1--who they are1 again1 we know not1 nor how many2 but here1 also1 there will too surely be some1--for those who hear now1 as they have often heard before1 words which1 they scarcely heed1 which1 have at times partially caught their attention1 but have not produced in them the slightest real effect1 for them the words are coming to an end2 they will soon be released from the irksome bondage of hearing them2 and another opportunity of grace will have been offered to them in vain4 ,tomorrow1 and the day after1 they will walk as they have walked before1 the wretched slaves of folly and passion2 half despairing prayer may be1 ,lord1 ,i believe2 help thou mine unbelief2 but if any one is moved by ,christ's call1 and feels within himself that he should like to follow ,christ1 and to be with him always1 let him cherish that work of the ,holy ,spirit within him1 which has given him if it be only so much of the will to be saved4 ,it is a spark which may be quenched in a moment2 in itself it can give no assurance2 but if any one watches it carefully1 and prays that it may live and be kindled into a stronger spark1 till at last it break out into a flame1 then for him it is full of assurance2 ,god has heard his prayer2 and he has received the gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 an earnest of his eternal inheritance4 ,will he not then watch and pray the more anxiously1 lest the fruit which is now partly formed should never ripen8 ,will he not see and feel that there is some reality in the things of ,god1 that strength1 and peace1 and victory1 are not vainly promised8 ,will he not hold fast the things which he has now not heard only1 but known1 lest by any means he should let them slip8 ,may ,god strengthen such1 whoever they may be1 with all the might of his ,spirit2 and may he be with them even to the end4 ,but for those1--who they are1 again1 we know not1 nor how many2 but here1 also1 there will too surely be some1--for those who hear now1 as they have often heard before1 words which they scarcely heed1 which have at times partially caught their attention1 but have not produced in them the slightest real effect1 for them the words are coming to an end2 they will soon be released from the irksome bondage of hearing them2 and another opportunity of grace will have been offered to them in vain4 ,tomorrow1 and the day after1 they will walk as they have walked before1 the wretched slaves of folly and passion2 leaving undone all ,christ's work1 and greedily doing his enemy's4 ,yet even these ,christ yet spares1 he still calls them1 he has died for them4 ,still the word must be spoken to them1 whether they will hear1 or whether they will forbear4 ,it may be1 that they will some day turn2 and if not1 ,christ has perfected his mercy towards them2 and ,christ's servants have delivered their own souls in warning them4 ,may there be but few of us on whom this horrible portion will fall2 yet1 is it not an awful thing to think of1 that it will1 in all human probability1 fall on some8 and that whoever hardens his heart1 and resists the word spoken to him this day1 he is one who has done as much as in him lies to make himself among that number4 ,,lecture ,,vi4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,colossians iii4 #c4 ,ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,when ,i have spoken1 from time to time1 of denying ourselves for the sake of relieving others1 although self-denial and charity are1 in their full growth1 amongst the highest of ,christian graces1 yet ,i have felt much hope that1 up to a certain degree1 in their lowest and elementary forms at least1 there might be many that would be disposed to practise them4 ,for these are virtues which do undoubtedly commend themselves to our minds as things clearly good3 so much so that ,i am inclined to think that the much-disputed moral sense1 the nature of which is said to be so hard to ascertain1 exists most clearly in the universal perception that it is good to deny ourselves and to benefit others4 ,i do not say merely that there is a perception that it is good to deny ourselves in order to benefit others2 but that there is in self-denial1 simply1 something which commands respect2 an unconscious tribute1 ,i suppose1 to the truth1 that the self which1 is thus denied is one which1 if indulged1 would run to evil4 ,but a point of far greater difficulty1 of absolutely the greatest difficulty1 is to impress upon our minds the excellence of another quality1 which is known by the name of spiritual or heavenly-mindedness4 ,in fact1 this1--and this almost singly1--is the transcendent part of ,christianity2 that part of it which is not according to1 but above1 nature2 which1 conscience1 ,i think1 itself1 in the natural man1 does not acknowledge4 ,when ,christianity speaks of purity1 of truth1 of justice1 of charity1 of faith and love to ,god1 it speaks a language which1 however belied by our practice1 is at once allowed by our consciences3 the things so recommended are1 beyond all doubt1 good and lovely4 ,but when it says1 in ,st4 ,paul's words1 ,set your affections on things above1 not on things on the earth3 for ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god1 the language sounds so strange that it is scarcely intelligible2 and if we do get to understand it1 yet it seems to give a wrench1 as it were1 to our whole being1 to command a thing extravagant and impossible4 ,i am persuaded that this would be so1 more or less1 everywhere2 but in how extreme a degree must it hold good amongst us6 ,even in poverty1 in sickness1 and old age1 where this life would seem to be nothing but a burden1 and the command to set the affections on things above might appear superfluous1 still the known so prevails over the unknown1 the familiar over the incomprehensible1 that hope and affection find continually their objects in this world1 there is still a clinging to life1 and an unwillingness to die4 ,but in a state the very opposite to this1 in plenty1 in health1 in youth2 with much of enjoyment actually in our hands1 and more in prospect2 with just so much mystery over our coming life as to keep alive interest1 yet with enough known and understood in its prospects to awaken sympathy2 what deafest ear of the deaf adder could ever be so closed against the voice of the charmer1 as our minds1 so engrossed with the enjoyments and the hopes of earth1 are closed against the voice which speaks of the things of heaven8 ,again1 ,i have said1 when speaking of other subjects1 that ,i looked upon the older persons among you as a sort of link between me and the younger1 who communicated1 in some instances1 by their language and example1 something of an impression of the meaning of ,christian teaching4 ,but when we speak of a thing so high as spiritual-mindedness1 it seems as if none of us can be a link between ,christ's words and our brethren's minds3 as if we all stand alike at an infinite distance from the high and unapproachable truth4 ,the mountain of ,god becomes veiled1 as it were1 with the clouds which rested upon ,sinai2 we cannot approach near it1 but stand far off1 for a moment1 perhaps1 in awe2 but soon in neglect and indifference4 ,let any one capable of thinking1 but in the full vigour of health of body and mind1 placed far above want1 and with the prospect1 according to all probability1 of many years of happy life before him1 let such an one go forth1 at this season of the year above all1 let him see the vast preparation for life in all nature1 amongst all living creatures1 in every tree1 and in every plant of grass2 let him feel the warmth of the sun1 becoming every day stronger and stronger2 let him be possessed1 in every sense1 with an impression of the vigour and beauty and glory around him2 and let him feel no less a vigour in himself1 too1 of body and mind1 and infinitely varied power of enjoyment in so many faculties of repose and of energy1--and then let him calmly consider what ,st4 ,paul could mean1 when he says generally to ,christians1 ,set your affections on things above1 not on things on the earth2 for ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,let a person capable of thinking1 and such as ,i have supposed in all other respects1 consider what ,st4 ,paul could mean by calling him dead4 ,with an almost thrilling consciousness of life1 with an almost bounding sense of vigour in body and mind1 he is told that he is dead4 ,and stranger still1 he is told so by one whose recorded life1 and existing writings declare that he too must have had in himself a consciousness of life no less lively2 that there was in him an activity and energy which neither age nor sufferings could quell2 that he wielded an influence over the minds of thousands1 such as kings or conquerors might envy4 ,if ,st4 ,paul could stand by our side1 think we that he1 any more than ourselves1 would be insensible to the power within him1 and to the beauty and the glory without8 ,yet his words are recorded2 he bids us not set our affections on things on the earth2 he declares of himself1 and of us equally1 if we are ,christ's servants1 that we are dead1 and that our life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,i have put the difficulty in its strongest form1 for it is one well worth considering4 ,what ,st4 ,paul here urges is indeed the highest perfection of ,christianity1 and therefore of human nature2 but it is not an impossible perfection1 and ,st4 ,paul's own life and character are our warrant that it is nothing sickly1 or foolish1 or fanatical4 ,but let us first hear the whole of ,st4 ,paul's language3 ,if ye1 then1 be risen with ,christ1 seek those things which are above1 where ,christ sitteth at the right hand of ,god4 ,set your affections on things above1 not on things on the earth4 ,for ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,when ,christ1 who is our life1 shall appear1 then shall we also appear with him in glory4 ,mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth2 fornication1 uncleanness1 inordinate affection1 evil concupiscence1 and covetousness1 which is idolatry4 ,mortify1 ,i need not say1 is to make dead1 to destroy4 ,ye are dead2 therefore let your members on earth be dead2 fornication1 uncleanness1 inordinate affection1 c4 ,as if he had said1 ,by becoming ,christians ye engaged to be dead2 and therefore see to it that ye are so4 ,but what he requires us to make dead or to destroy1 are our evil affections and desires2 it is manifest1 then1 that it is to these that1 by becoming ,christians1 we engage to become dead4 ,this is true2 and it is most certain that ,christ requires us to be dead only to what is evil4 ,but the essence of spiritual-mindedness consists in this1 that it is assumed that with earth1 and all things earthly1 evil or imperfection are closely mixed2 so that it is not possible to set our affections keenly upon1 or to abandon ourselves to the enjoyment of1 any earthly thing without the danger of those affections and that enjoyment becoming evil4 ,in other words1 there is that in the state of things within and around us1 which1 renders it needful to be ever watchful2 and watchfulness is inconsistent with an intensity of delight and enjoyment4 ,for1 consider the case which ,i was just supposing2 that lively sense of the beauty of all nature1 that indescribable feeling of delight which arises out of the consciousness of health1 and strength and power4 ,suppose that we abandon ourselves to such impressions without restraint1 and is it not manifest that they are the extreme of godless pride and selfishness8 ,for do we not know that in this world1 and close to us wherever we are1 there is1 along with all the beauty and enjoyment which we witness1 a large portion also of evil1 and of suffering8 ,and do we not know that ,he who gave to the earth its richness1 and who set the sun to shine in the heavens1 and who gave to us that wonderful frame of body and mind1 whose healthful workings are ,so delightful to us1 that ,he gave them that we might use both body and mind in ,his service2 that the soldier has something else to do than to gaze like a child on the splendour of his uniform or the brightness of his sword2 that those faculties which we feel as it were burning within us1 have their work before them1 a work far above their strength1 though multiplied a thousand fold2 that the call to them to be busy is never silent2 that there is an infinite voice in the infinite sins and sufferings of millions which proclaims that the contest is raging around us2 that every idle moment is treason2 that now it is the time for unceasing efforts2 and that not till the victory is gained may ,christ's soldiers throw aside their arms1 and resign themselves to enjoyment and to rest8 ,then when we turn to the words1 our life is hid with ,christ in ,god1 the exceeding greatness of ,christ's promises rises upon us in something of the fulness of their reality4 ,some may know the story of that ,german nobleman#ab1 whose life had been distinguished alike by genius and worldly distinctions1 and by ,christian holiness2 and who1 in the last morning of his life1 when the dawn broke into his sick chamber1 prayed that he might be supported to the window1 and might look once again upon the rising sun4 ,after looking steadily at it for some time1 he cried out1 ,oh6 if the appearance of this earthly and created thing is so beautiful and so quickening1 how much more shall ,i be enraptured at the sight of the unspeakable glory of the ,creator ,himself6 ,that was the feeling of a man whose sense of earthly beauty had all the keenness of a poet's enthusiasm2 but who1 withal1 had in his greatest health and vigour preserved the consciousness that his life was hid with ,christ in ,god2 that the things seen1 how beautiful soever1 were as nothing to the things which are not seen4 ,and so1 if from the feeling of natural enjoyment we turn1 at once thankfully and earnestly1 to remember ,god's service1 and to address ourselves to his work2 and sadly remember1 that1 although we can enjoy1 yet that many are suffering2 and that1 whilst they are so1 enjoyment in us for more than a brief space of needful rest cannot but be sin2 then there must come upon us1 most strongly1 the impression of that life where sin and suffering are not2 where not ,god's works only1 but ,god ,himself is visible2 where the vigour and faculties which we feel within us are not the passing strength of a decaying body1 nor the brief prime of a mind which in a few years must sink into dotage2 but the strength of a body incorruptible and eternal1 the ripeness of a spirit which shall go on growing in wisdom and love for ever4 ,footnote #ab3 ,the ,baron ,von ,canitz4 ,thus1 then1 if we consider again ,st4 ,paul's meaning1 we shall find that1 high and pure as it is1 it is nothing unreasonable or impossible2 that what he requires us to be dead to absolutely is that which is evil2 that1 because of the mixture of evil with ourselves and all around us1 this life must not and cannot be a life of entire enjoyment without becoming godless and selfish2 that1 therefore1 our affections cannot be set upon earthly things so as to enjoy them in and for themselves entirely1 without becoming inordinate1 and therefore evil4 ,he does require us1 old and young alike1 to set our affection on things above3 to remember that with ,god1 and with ,him alone1 can be our rest1 and the fulness of our joy2 and amidst our pleasure in earthly things to retain in our minds1 first1 a grateful sense of their ,giver2 secondly1 a remembrance of their passing nature2 and thirdly1 a consciousness of the evil that is in the world1 which makes it a sin to resign ourselves to any enjoyment1 except as a permitted refreshment to strengthen us for duty to come4 ,above all1 let one feeling be truly cherished1 and it will do more1 perhaps1 than any other to moderate our pleasure in earthly things1 and to render it safe1 and wholesome1 and ,christianlike4 ,that feeling is the remembrance of our own faults4 ,let us bear these in mind as ,god does2 let us consider how displeasing they are in ,his sight2 how often they are repeated2 how little they deserve the enjoyments which are given us4 ,if this does not change our selfish pleasure into a zealous gratitude1 then1 indeed1 sin must have a dominion over us2 for the natural effect would be1 that our hearts should burn within us for very shame1 and should enkindle us to be thankful with all our strength for blessings so undeserved2 to show something of our love to ,god who has so richly shown his love to us4 ,,lecture ,,vii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,corinthians iii4 #ba-bc4 ,all things are yours2 whether ,paul1 or ,apollos1 or ,cephas1 or the world1 or life1 or death1 or things present1 or things to come2 all are yours2 and ye are ,christ's2 and ,christ is ,god's4 ,it is very possible1 that all may not distinctly understand the force of the several clauses of this passage1 yet1 all1 ,i suppose1 would derive a general impression from it1 that it spoke of the condition of ,christians in very exalted language1 and made it to extend to things in this world1 as well as to things in the world to come4 ,but can it be good for us to dwell on our exaltation8 ,and if we do1 may we not dread lest such language might be used towards us as that which ,st4 ,paul uses in the very next chapter to the ,corinthians1 ,now ye are full1 now ye are rich1 ye have reigned as kings without us2 and ,i would to ,god ye did reign1 that we also might reign with you4 ,it would seem1 however1 that it would be good for us to dwell on the greatness of our condition and privileges1 because ,st4 ,paul1 who thus upbraids the ,corinthians with their pride1 had yet himself immediately before laid the picture of their high privileges1 in the words of the text1 in full detail before them1 as if he wished them carefully to consider it4 ,and so indeed it is4 ,it feeds pride to dwell upon our good qualities or advantages1 as individuals1 or as a class in society1 or as a nation1 or as a sect or party2 but1 to speak generally1 our advantages and privileges1 as ,christians1 have not a tendency to excite pride2 for some reasons in the nature of the case2 for this reason amongst ourselves particularly1 because the very essence of pride consists in contrast2 we are proud that we are1 in some one or more points1 superior to others who come immediately under our observation4 ,now1 we have so little to do with any who are not ,christians1 that the contrast is in this case wanting2 we have none over whom to be proud2 none whom we can glory in surpassing2 and1 therefore1 a consideration of our ,christian advantages1 in the absence of that one element which might feed pride1 is likely with us to work in a better manner1 and to lead rather to thankfulness and increased exertion4 ,i say to increased exertion2 for what would stop exertion is pride4 ,it is the turning back1 and pausing to look with satisfaction on what is below us1 rather than the looking upward to the summit1 and thinking how much our actual elevation has brought us on the way towards it4 ,and1 further1 there is coupled with every consideration of ,christian privileges1 the thought of what it must be to leave such privileges unimproved4 ,in this respect1 how well does the language of the two lessons from ,deuteronomy suit the lesson from the ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,we heard the description of the beauty and richness of the land which ,god gave to his people1--there were their advantages and privileges1--we heard also1 the declaration of their unworthiness1 and the solemn threatening of vengeance if1 after having received good1 they did evil4 ,and as the vengeance has fallen upon them to the utmost1 so we are taught expressly to apply their example to ourselves4 ,if ,god spared not the natural branches1 such was ,st4 ,paul's language to the church at ,rome1 take heed lest he also spare not thee4 ,let us not fear1 then1 to consider more nearly the high privileges which1 as ,christians1 we enjoy3 let us endeavour to understand1 not merely generally1 but in detail1 the exalted language of the text1 where it is said1 that all things are ours2 ,paul1 ,apollos1 and ,cephas1 the world1 and life1 and death1 the things of time1 and the things of eternity4 ,these are ours because we are ,christ's1 and ,christ is ,god's2 they are ours so long as we are ,christ's1 and so far as we are his truly4 ,they are not ours so far as we are not his3 they are ours in no degree whatever the moment that he shall declare that we are his no longer4 ,paul1 and ,apollos1 and ,peter1 are ours4 ,this1 perhaps1 is the expression which we should understand least distinctly of any4 ,it is an expression1 however1 of deep importance1 though perhaps less so here than in congregations of a different sort4 ,i need not1 therefore1 dwell on it long now4 ,but the ,corinthians1 as many ,christians have done since1 were apt to think more of their being ,christians of a certain sort1 than of being ,christians simply3 some said1 ,we have ,paul's view of ,christianity1 the true and sound view of it1 free from superstition3 others said1 ,but we have ,peter's view of ,christianity1 one of ,christ's own apostles1 who were with him on earth2 ours is the true and earliest view of it1 free from all innovations3 and others1 again1 said1 ,nay1 but we have been taught by ,apollos1 an eloquent man1 and mighty in the ,scriptures2 one who best understands how to unite the law and the gospel2 one who has given us the full perfection of ,christianity4 ,no doubt there were some differences of views even between ,paul1 and ,peter1 and ,apollos2 for while1 on the one hand1 they were all enlightened by the ,spirit of ,god1 yet1 on the other hand1 they retained still their human differences of character and disposition1 which must on several occasions have been manifest4 ,but ,st4 ,paul does not tell us what these were1 nor how far they extended1 nor to what degree they had been exaggerated by those who heard them4 ,he does not insist upon the truth of his own view1 nor wish the ,corinthians to lay aside their divisions1 after the manner so zealously enforced by some persons now1 namely1 that those who said they were of ,peter1 or of ,apollos1 should confess that they had been in error1 and declare themselves to be now only of ,paul4 ,such a condemnation of schism he would have held to be in itself in the highest degree schismatical4 ,but ,st4 ,paul was earnest1 that schism should be ended after another way than this1 by all parties remembering1 that whatever became of the truth or falsehood of their own particular views of ,christianity1 yet1 that ,christianity according to any of their views was the one great thing which was their glory and their salvation4 ,paul1 and ,apollos1 and ,peter1 are all yours3 but you are ,christ's4 ,you should not glory in men2 that you belong to a purer church than other ,christians2 but that you belong to the church of ,christ2 that church1 which1 in its most pure particular branches1 has never been free from some mixture of human infirmity and error2 nor yet1 in its worst branches1 has ever lost altogether the seal of ,christ's ,spirit1 nor ceased to believe in ,christ crucified4 ,but the next words are of more particular concern to us here4 ,the world1 and life1 and death1 and things present1 and things to come1 are all ours4 ,they are all ours1 so far as we are ,christ's4 ,the world is ours2 its manifold riches and delights1 its various wisdom1 all are ours4 ,they are ours1 not as a thing stolen1 and which will be taken from us with a heavy over-payment of penalty1 because we stole it when it did not belong to us2 but they are ours by ,god's free gift1 to minister to our comfort1 and to our good4 ,and this is the great difference2 the good things of this world are stolen by many2 but they belong1 by ,god's gift1 to those only who are ,christ's3 and there is the sure sign1 generally1 to be seen of their being stolen1--an unwillingness that ,he to whom of right they belong should see them4 ,what a man steals1 he enjoys1 as it were1 in fear3 if the owner of it finds him with it1 then all his enjoyment is gone2 he wishes that he had never touched it2 it is no source of pleasure to him1 but merely one of terror4 ,and so it is often with our stolen pleasures1--stolen1 ,i mean1 not in respect of man1 but of ,god1--stolen1 because we do not feel them to be ,god's gift1 nor receive them1 as from him1 with thankfulness4 ,they may be very lawful pleasures1 so far as other men are concerned2 pleasures bought1 it may be1 with our own money1 or given to us by our own friends1 and enjoyed without any injury to any one4 ,they may be the very simplest enjoyments of life1 our health1 the fresh air1 our common food1 our common amusements1 our common society2 things most permitted to us all1 as far as man is concerned1 but yet things which are constantly stolen by us1 because we take them without ,god's leave1 and enjoy them not as his gifts4 ,they are all his1 and he gives them freely to his children4 ,if we are his children1 he gives them to us2 and delights in our enjoyment of them1 as any human father loves to see the pleasure of his children in those things which it is good for them to enjoy4 ,but then1 is any child afraid of his father so seeing him8 or is the thought of his father any interruption to his enjoyment8 ,if it would be1 we should be sure that there was something wrong2 that the enjoyment1 either in itself1 or with respect to the particular case of that child1 was a stolen one4 ,and even as simple is the state of our dread of ,god1 of our wish to keep his name and his thought away from us4 ,it is the sure sign that our pleasures are stolen1 either as being wrong in themselves1 or much oftener1 because we have taken them without being fit for them1 have snatched them for ourselves1 instead of receiving them at the hands of ,god4 ,two of us may be daily doing the very same thing in most respects1--enjoying actually the very same pleasures1 whether of body or of mind2 the same exercises1 the same studies1 the same indulgences1 the same society1--and yet these very same things may belong rightfully to the one1 and be stolen by the other4 ,to the one they may come with a double blessing1 as the assurance of ,god's greater love hereafter3 to the other1 they are but an addition to that sad account1 when all good things enjoyed here1 having been not our own rightly1 but stolen1 shall be paid for in over measure1 by evil things to be suffered hereafter4 ,and what ,i have said of the world1 will apply also to life and to death4 ,oh1 the infinite difference whether life is ours1 or but stolen for an instant2 whether death is ours1 our subject1 ministering only to our good2 or our fearful enemy1 our ever keen pursuer1 from whose grasp we have escaped for a few short years1 but who is following fast after us1 and when he has once caught us will hold us fast for ever6 ,have we ever seen his near approach--has he ever forced himself upon our notice whether we would or no8 ,but two days since he was amongst us1--we were1 as it were1 forced to look upon him4 ,did we think that he was ours1 or that we were his8 ,if we are his1 then indeed he is fearful3 fearful to the mere consciousness of nature2 a consciousness which no arguments can overcome2 fearful if it be merely the parting from life1 if it be merely the resigning that wonderful thing which we call our being4 ,it is fearful to go from light to darkness1 from all that we have ever known and loved1 to that of which we know and love nothing4 ,but if death1 even thus stingless1 is yet full of horror1 what is he with his worst sting beside1 the sting of our sins8 ,what is he when he is taking us1 not to nothingness1 but to judgment8 ,he is indeed so fearful then1 that no words can paint him half so truly as our foreboding dread of him1 and no arguments which the wit of man can furnish can strip him of his terrors4 ,but what if death too1 as well as life1 be ours8--which he is1 if we are ,christ's2 for ,christ has conquered him4 ,if he be ours1 our servant1 our minister1 sent but to bring us into the presence of our ,lord1 then1 indeed1 his terrors1 his merely natural terrors1 the outside roughness of his aspect1 are things which the merest child need not shrink from4 ,then disease and decay1 however painful to living friends to look upon1 have but little pain for him who is undergoing them4 ,for it is not only amidst the tortures of actual martyrdom that ,christians have been more than conquerors1--in common life1 on the quiet or lonely sick bed1 under the grasp of fever or of consumption1 the conquest has been witnessed as often and as completely4 ,it is not a little thing when the faintest whisper of thought to which expiring nature can give utterance breathes of nothing but of peace and of forgiveness4 ,it is not a little thing when the name of ,christ possesses us wholly2 not distinctly1 it may be1 for reason may be too weak for this2 but with an indescribable power of support and comfort4 ,or even if there be a last conflict1--a season of terror and of pain1 a valley of the shadow of death1 dark and gloomy1--yet even there ,christ is with his servants1 and as their trial is so is his love4 ,thus it is1 if death be ours2 and death is ours1 if we be ,christ's4 ,and are we not ,christ's8 ,we bear his name1 we have his outward seal of belonging to his people1--can we refuse to be his in heart and true obedience8 ,would we rather steal our pleasures than enjoy them as our own2 steal life for an instant1 rather than have it our sure possession for ever8 ,would we rather be fugitives from death1 fugitives whom he will surely recover and hold fast1 than be able to say and to feel that death1 as well as life is ours1 things to come1 as well as things present1 because we are truly ,christ's8 ,,lecture ,,viii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,galatians ,v4 #af1 #ag4 ,walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4 ,for the flesh lusteth against the ,spirit1 and the ,spirit against the flesh2 and these are contrary the one to the other1 so that ye cannot do the things that ye would4 ,we cannot do the things that we would4 ,these are words of familiar and common use2 this is the language in which we are all apt to excuse1 whether to ourselves or to others1 the various faults of our conduct4 ,we should be glad to do better1 so we say and think1 but the power to do so fails us4 ,and so far it may seem that we are but echoing the apostle's language2 for he says the very same thing1 ,ye cannot do the things that ye would4 ,yet the words as we use them1 and as the apostle used them1 have the most opposite meaning in the world4 ,we use them as a reason why we should be satisfied1 the apostle as a reason why we should be alarmed2 we intend them to be an excuse1 the apostle meant them to be a certain sign of condemnation4 ,the reasons of this difference may be understood very easily4 ,we1 in the common course of justice1 should think it hard to punish a man for not doing what he cannot do4 ,we think1 therefore1 that if we say that we cannot do well1 we establish also our own claim to escape from punishment4 ,but ,god declares that a state of sin is and must be a state of misery2 and that if we cannot escape the sin1 we cannot escape the misery4 ,according to ,god's meaning1 then1 the words1 ,ye cannot do the things which ye would1 mean no other than this3 ,ye cannot escape from hell2 ye cannot be redeemed from the power of death and of ,satan2 the power is wanting in you1 however much you may wish it3 death has got you1 and it will keep you for ever4 ,so that1 in this way1 sickness or weakness of the soul is very like sickness or weakness of the body4 ,we cannot help being ill or weak in many cases3 is that any reason why1 according to the laws of ,god's providence1 we should not suffer the pain of illness8 ,or is it not1 rather1 clear that we suffer it just because we have not the power to get rid of it2 if we had the power to be well1 we should be well4 ,a man's evils are not gone because he wishes them away2 it is not he who would fain see his chains broken1 that escapes from his bondage2 but he who has the strength to rend them asunder4 ,thus1 then1 in ,st4 ,paul's language1 ,ye cannot do the things that ye would1 means exactly1 ,ye are not redeemed1 but in bondage2 ye are not saved1 but lost4 ,but he goes on to the reason why we cannot do the things which we would1 which is1 because the flesh and the ,spirit are contrary to one another1 and pull us1 as it were1 different ways4 ,just as we might say of a man in illness1 that the reason why he is not well1 as he wishes to be1 is because his healthy nature and his disease are contrary to one another1 and are striving within him for the mastery4 ,his blood1 according to its healthy nature1 would flow calmly and steadily2 his food1 according to his healthy nature1 would be received with appetite1 and would give him nourishment and strength2 but1 behold1 there is in him now another nature1 contrary to his healthy nature3 and this other nature makes his blood flow with feverish quickness1 and makes food distasteful to him1 and makes the food which he has eaten before to become1 as it were1 poison2 it does not nourish him or strengthen1 but is a burden1 a weakness1 and a pain4 ,as long as these two natures thus struggle within him1 the man is sick2 as soon as the diseased nature prevails1 the man sinks and dies4 ,he does not wish to die1--not at all1--most earnestly1 it may be1 does he wish to live2 but his diseased nature has overcome his healthy nature1 and so he must die4 ,if he would live1 in any sense that deserves to be called life1 the diseased nature must not overcome1 must not struggle equally2 it must be overcome1 it must be kept down1 it must be rendered powerless2 and then1 when the healthy nature has prevailed1 its victory is health and strength4 ,so far all is alike2 but what follows afterwards8 ,as ye cannot do the things which ye would1 because the flesh and the ,spirit are contrary to one another1--what then8 ,therefore1 says the apostle1 walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh4 ,surely there is some thing marvellous in this4 ,for1 let us speak the same language to the sick man3 tell him1 ,follow thy healthy nature1 and them shalt not be sick1 what would the words be but a bitter mockery8 ,how can you bid me1 he would say1 to follow my healthy nature1 when ye know that my diseased nature has bound me8 ,have ye no better comfort than this to offer me8 ,tell me rather how ,i may become able to follow my healthy nature2 show me the strength which may help my weakness2 or else your words are vain1 and ,i never can recover4 ,most true would be this answer2 and therefore disease and death do make havoc of us all1 and the healthy nature is in the end borne down by the diseased nature1 and sooner or later the great enemy triumphs over us1 and1 in spite of all our wishes and fond desires for life1 we go down1 death's conquered subjects1 to the common grave of all living4 ,this happens to the bodies of us all2 to the souls of only too many4 ,but why does it not happen also to the souls of all8 ,how is it that some do fulfil the apostle's bidding8 that they do walk in the ,spirit1 and therefore do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh2 and therefore having conquered their diseased nature1 they do walk according to their healthful nature1 and are verily able to do1 and do continually1 the very things that they would8 ,surely this so striking difference1 between the universal conquest of our diseased nature in the body1 and the occasional victory of the healthy nature in the soul1 shows us clearly that for the soul there has appeared a ,redeemer already1 while for the body the redemption is delayed till death shall be swallowed up in victory4 ,for most true is it that in ourselves we could not deliver ourselves either soul or body4 ,walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh1 might have been as cruel a mockery to us1 as the similar words addressed to the man bodily sick1--,walk according to thy healthy nature1 and thou shalt not suffer from disease4 ,they might have been a mockery1 but blessed be ,god1 they are not4 ,they are not1 because ,god has given us a ,redeemer2 they are not1 because ,christ has died1 yea rather has risen again2 and because the ,spirit of ,christ helpeth our infirmities1 and gives us that power which by ourselves we had not4 ,not by wishing then to be redeemed1 but by being redeemed1 shall we escape the power of death4 ,not by saying1 ,alas6 we cannot do the things that we would6 but by becoming able to do them4 ,walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh2 but if ye do fulfil them1 ye must die4 ,the power to walk in the ,spirit is given by the ,spirit2 but either all have not this power1 or all do not use it4 ,i think rather it is that all have it not1 for if they had it1 a power so mighty and so beneficent1 they surely could not help using it4 ,all have it not2 but ,i do not say that they all might not have it2 on the contrary1 all might have it1 but in point of fact they have it not4 ,they have it not because they seek it not3 for an idle wish is one thing2 a steady persevering pursuit is another4 ,they seek not the ,spirit by the appointed means1 the means of prayer and attending to ,god's holy word1 and thinking of life and death and judgment4 ,do those seek the spirit of ,god who never pray to ,god8 ,clearly they do not4 ,for they who never pray to ,god never think of ,him2 they who never think of ,him1 by the very force of the terms it follows that they cannot seek his help4 ,and yet they say1 ,oh1 ,i wish to be good1 but ,i cannot6 ,but this1 in the language of the ,scripture1 is a lie4 ,if they did wish to be good they would seek the help that could make them so4 ,there is no boy so young as not to know that1 when temptation is on him to evil1 prayer to ,god will strengthen him for good4 ,as sure as we live1 if he wished really to overcome the temptation1 he would seek the strength4 ,consider what prayer is1 and see how it cannot but strengthen us4 ,he who stands in a sheltered place1 where the wind cannot reach him1 and with no branches over his head to cause a damp shade1 and then holds up his face or his hands to the sun1 in his strength1 can he help feeling the sun's warmth8 ,now1 thus it is in prayer3 we turn to ,god1 we bring our souls1 with all their thoughts and feelings1 fully before ,him2 and by the very act of so doing1 we shelter ourselves from every chill of worldly care1 we clear away every intercepting screen of worldly thought and pleasure4 ,it is an awful thing so to submit ourselves wholly to the influence of ,god4 ,but do it2 and as surely as the sun will warm us if we stand in the sun1 so will the ,giver of light and life to the soul pour his ,spirit of life into us2 even as we pray1 we become changed into his image4 ,this is not spoken extravagantly4 ,i ask of any one who has ever prayed in earnest1 whether for that time1 and while he was so praying1 he did not feel1 as it were1 another man2 a man able to do the things which he would2 a man redeemed and free4 ,but most true is it that this feeling passes away but too soon1 when the prayer is done4 ,still for the time1 there is the effect2 we know what it is to put ourselves1 in a manner1 beneath the rays of ,god's grace2 but we do not abide there long1 and then we feel the damp and the cold of earth again4 ,therefore says the ,apostle1 ,pray without ceasing4 ,if we could literally pray always1 it is clear that we should sin never3 it may be thus that ,christ's redeemed1 at his coming1 as they will be for ever with him and with the ,father1 can therefore sin no more4 ,for where ,god is1 there is no place left for sin4 ,but we cannot pray always3 we cannot pray the greatest portion of our time2 nay1 we can pray1 in the common sense of the term1 only a very small portion of it4 ,yet1 at least1 we can take heed that we do pray sometimes1 and that our prayer be truly in earnest4 ,we can pray then for ,god's help to abide with us when we are not praying3 we can commit to his care1 not only our hours of sleep1 but our hours of worldly waking4 ,i have work to do1 ,i have a busy world around me2 eye1 ear1 and thought will be all needed for that work1 done in and amidst that busy world2 now1 ere ,i enter upon it1 ,i would commit eye1 ear1 thought and wish to ,thee4 ,do thou bless them1 and keep their work thine2 that as1 through thy natural laws1 my heart beats and my blood flows without my thought for them1 so my spiritual life may hold on its course1 through1 thy help1 at those times when my mind cannot consciously turn to ,thee to commit each particular thought to thy service4 ,but ,i dare not say that by any the most urgent prayers1 uttered only at night and morning1 ,god's blessing can thus be gained for the whole intervening day4 ,for1 in truth1 if we did nothing more1 the prayers would soon cease to be urgent2 they would become formal1 that is1 they would be no prayers at all4 ,for prayer lives in the heart1 and not in the mouth2 it consists not of words1 but wishes4 ,and no man can set himself heartily to wish twice a day for things1 of which he never thinks at other times in the day4 ,so that prayer requires in a manner to be fed1 and its food is to be found in reading and thinking2 in reading ,god's word1 and in thinking about him1 and about the world as being his work4 ,young men and boys are generally1 we know1 not fond of reading for its own sake2 and when they do read for their own pleasure1 they naturally read something that interests them4 ,now1 what are called serious books1 including certainly the ,bible1 do not interest them1 and therefore they are not commonly read4 ,what shall we say1 then8 ,are they not interested in becoming good1 in learning to do the things which1 they would8 ,if they are not1 if they care not for the bondage of sin and death1 there is1 of course1 nothing to be said2 then they are condemned already2 they are not the children of ,god4 ,but one says1 ,i wish ,i could find interest in a serious book1 but ,i cannot4 ,observe again1 ,ye cannot do the things that ye would1 because the flesh and the ,spirit are contrary to one another4 ,however1 to return to him who says this1 the answer to him is this1--,the interest cannot come without the reading2 it may and will come with it4 ,for interest in a subject depends very much on our knowledge of it2 and so it is with1 the things of ,christ4 ,as long as the life and death of ,christ are strange to us1 how can we be interested about them8 but read them1 thinking of what they were1 and what were their ends1 and who can help being interested about them8 ,read them carefully1 and read them often1 and they will bring before our minds the very thoughts which we need1 and which the world keeps continually from us1 the thoughts which naturally feed our prayers2 thoughts not of self1 nor selfishness1 nor pleasure1 nor passion1 nor folly1 but of such things as are truly ,god's--love1 and self-denial1 and purity1 and wisdom4 ,these thoughts come by reading the ,scriptures2 and strangely do they mingle at first with the common evil thoughts of our evil nature4 ,but they soon find a home within us1 and more good thoughts gather round them1 and there comes a time when daily life with its various business1 which1 once seemed to shut them out altogether1 now ministers to their nourishment4 ,wherefore1 in conclusion1 walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh2 but do even the things which ye would4 ,and ye can walk in the ,spirit1 if ye seek for the ,spirit2 if ye seek him by prayer1 and by reading of ,christ1 and the things of ,christ4 ,if we will do neither1 then most assuredly we are not seeking him2 if we seek him not1 we shall never find him4 ,if we find him not1 we shall never be able to do the things that we would2 we shall never be redeemed1 never made free1 but our souls shall be overcome by their evil nature1 as surely as our bodies by their diseased nature2 till one death shall possess us wholly1 a death of body and of soul1 the death of eternal misery4 ,,lecture ,,ix4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,luke xiv4 #cc4 ,whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,in order to show that these words were not spoken to the apostles alone1 but to all ,christians1 we have only to turn to the #beth and #bfth verses1 which run thus3--,and there went great multitudes with him1 and he turned and said unto them1 ,if any man come to me1 and hate not his father and mother1 and wife and children1 and brethren and sisters1 yea and his own life also1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,the words were not1 then1 spoken to the twelve apostles only1 as if they contained merely some rule of extraordinary piety1 which was not to be required of common ,christians2 they were spoken to a great multitude2 they were spoken to warn all persons in that multitude that not one of them could become a ,christian1 unless he gave himself up to ,christ body and soul4 ,thus declaring that there is but one rule for all2 a rule which the highest ,christian can never go beyond2 and which the lowest1 if he would be a ,christian at all1 must make the foundation of his whole life4 ,now take the words1 either of the text or of the #bfth verse1 and is it possible to avoid seeing that1 on the very lowest interpretation1 they do insist upon a very high standard2 that they do require a very entire and devoted obedience8 ,is it possible for any one who believes what ,christ has said1 to rest contented1 either for himself or for others1 with that very low and very unchristian standard which he sees and knows to prevail generally in the world8 ,is it possible for him not to wish1 for himself and for all in whose welfare he is interested1 that they may belong to the small minority in matters of principle and practice1 rather than to the large majority8 ,and because he so wishes1 one who endeavours to follow ,christ sincerely can never be satisfied with the excuse that he acts and thinks quite as well as the mass of persons about him2 it can never give him comfort1 with regard to any judgment or practice1 to be told1 in common language1 ,everybody thinks so2 everybody does so4 ,if1 indeed1 this expression everybody might be taken literally2 if it were quite true1 without any exception1 that everybody thought or did so2 then ,i grant that it would have a very great authority2 so great that it would be almost a mark of madness to run counter to it4 ,for what all men1 all without a single exception1 were to agree in1 must be some truth which the human mind could not reject without insanity1--like the axioms of science1 or some action which if we did not we could not live1 as sleeping and eating2 or if there be any moral point so universally agreed upon1 then it must be something exceedingly general3 as1 for instance1 that truth is in itself to be preferred to falsehood2 which to dispute would be monstrous4 ,but1 once admit a single exception1 and the infallible virtue of the rule ceases4 ,i can conceive one single good and wise man's judgment and practice1 requiring1 at any rate1 to be carefully attended to1 and his reasons examined1 although millions upon millions stood against him4 ,but go on with the number of exceptions1 and bring the expression everybody1 to its real meaning1 which is only most persons1 the great majority of the world2 then the rule becomes of no virtue at all1 but very often the contrary4 ,if in matters of morals many are on one side and some on the other1 it is impossible to pronounce at once which are most likely to be right3 it depends on the sort of case on which the difference exists2 for the victories of truth and of good are but partial4 ,it is not all truth that triumphs in the world1 nor all good2 but only truth and good up to a certain point4 ,let them once pass this point1 and their progress pauses4 ,their followers1 in the mass1 cannot keep up with them thus far3 fewer and fewer are those who still press on in their company1 till at last even these fail2 and there is a perfection at which they are deserted by all men1 and are in the presence of ,god and of ,christ alone4 ,thus it is that1 up to a certain point1 in moral matters the majority are right2 and thus ,christ's gospel1 in a great many respects1 goes along with public opinion1 and the voice of society is the voice of truth4 ,but this1 to use the expression of our ,lord's parable1 this is but half the height of that tower whose top should reach unto heaven4 ,christianity ascends a great deal higher2 and therefore so many who begin to build are never able to finish4 ,christ's disciples and the world's disciples work for a certain way together2 and thus far the world's disciples call themselves ,christ's1 and so ,christ's followers seem to be a great majority4 ,but ,christ warns us expressly that we are not his disciples merely by going a certain way on the same road with them4 ,they only are ,his1 who follow ,him to the end4 ,they only are ,his1 who follow him in spite of everything1 who leave all rather than leave him4 ,for the rest1 ,he does not own them4 ,what the world can give they may enjoy2 but ,christ's kingdom is shut against them4 ,speaking1 then1 according to ,christ's judgment1 and we must hold those to be of the world1 and not of ,him1--and therefore in ,god's judgment1 to be the evil and not the good1--who do not make up their minds to live in ,his service1 and to refer their actions1 words1 and thoughts to ,his will4 ,who these are it is very true that we many times cannot know3 only we may always fear that they are the majority of society2 and therefore we are rather anxious in any individual's case to get a proof that he is not one of them1 because1 as they are very many1 there is always a sort of presumption that any given person is of this number1 unless there is some evidence1 or some presumption at any rate1 for thinking the contrary4 ,when we speak1 then1 of the good and of the evil side in human life1 in any society1 whether smaller or larger1--this is what we mean1 or should mean4 ,the evil side contains much that is1 up to a certain point1 good3 the good side1--for does it not consist of human beings8--contains1 unhappily1 much in it that is evil4 ,not all in the one is to be avoided1--far from it2 nor is all in the other by any means to be followed4 ,but still those are called evil in ,god's judgment who live according to their own impulses1 or according to the law of the society around them2 and those are to be called good1 who1 in their principles1 whatever may be the imperfections of their practice1 endeavour in all things to live according to the will of ,christ4 ,and in this view the characters of ,jacob and ,esau are1 as it seems to me1 full of instruction2 and above all to us here4 ,for ,i have often observed that the early age of an individual bears a great resemblance to the early age of the human race1 or of any particular nation2 so that the characters of the ,old ,testament are often more suited1 in a ,christian country1 for the instruction of the young than for those of more advanced years4 ,to ,christian men1 looking at ,jacob's life1 with the faults recorded of it1 it is sometimes strange that he should be spoken of as good4 ,but it seems that in a rude state of society1 where knowledge is very low1 and passion very strong1 the great virtue is to be freed from the dominion of the prevailing low principle1 to see and resolve that we ought and will live according to knowledge1 and not according to passion or impulse4 ,the knowledge may be very imperfect1 and probably is so3 the practice may in many respects offend against knowledge1 and probably will do so3 yet is a great step taken2 it is the virtue of man1 in such a state of society1 to follow1 though imperfectly1 principle1 where others follow instinct1 or the opinion of their fellows4 ,it is the great distinguishing mark1 in such a state of things1 between the good and the evil2 for this reason1 amongst many others1 that it is the virtue1 under such1 circumstances1 of the hardest attainment4 ,now1 the ,scripture judgment of ,jacob and ,esau1 should be in an especial manner the basis of our judgment with regard to the young4 ,none can doubt1 that amongst the young1 when they form a society of their own1 the great temptation is to live by impulse1 or according to the opinion of those around them4 ,it is like a light breaking in upon darkness1 when a young person is led to follow a higher standard1 and to live according to ,god's will4 ,esau1 in his faults and amiable points alike1 is the very image of the prevailing character amongst boys2 sometimes violently revengeful1 as when ,esau looked forward with satisfaction to the prospect of his father's death1 because then we should be able to slay his brother ,jacob2 sometimes full of generosity1 as when ,esau forgot all his grounds of complaint against his brother1 and received him on his return from ,mesopotamia with open arms2--but habitually careless1 and setting the present before the future1 the lower gratification before the higher1 as when ,esau sold his birth-right for a mess of pottage4 ,and the point to be noted is1 that1 because of this carelessness1 this profaneness or ungodliness1 as it is truly called in the ,new ,testament1 ,esau is distinguished from those who were ,god's people2 the promises were not his1 nor yet the blessing4 ,this is remarkable1 because ,esau's faults1 undoubtedly were just the faults of his age3 he was no worse than the great majority of those around him2 he lived as we should say1 in our common language1 that it was natural for him to live4 ,he had1 therefore1 precisely all those excuses which are commonly urged for the prevailing faults of boys2 yet it is quite certain that the ,scripture holds him out as a representative of those who were not on the side of ,god1 ,if the ,scripture has so judged of ,esau and ,jacob1 it must be the model for our judgments of those whose circumstances1 on account of their belonging to a society consisting wholly of persons young in age1 greatly resemble the circumstances of the early society of the world4 ,i lay the stress on the belonging to a society wholly formed of young persons2 for the case of young persons brought up at home1 is extremely different2 and their circumstances would be best suited by a different scriptural example4 ,but here1 with you1 ,i am quite sure that the great distinguishing mark between good and evil1 is the endeavouring1 or not endeavouring1 to rise above the carelessness of the society of which you are members2 the determining1 or not determining1 to judge of things by another rule than that of school morality or honour2 the trying1 or not trying1 to please ,god1 instead of those around you3 for the notions and maxims of a society of young persons are like the notions and maxims of men in a half-civilized age1 a strange mixture of right and wrong2 or rather wrong in their result1 although with some right feeling in them1 and therefore as a guide1 false and mischievous4 ,that it is natural to follow these maxims1 is quite obvious3 they are the besetting sin of your particular condition2 and it is always according to our corrupt nature to follow our besetting sin4 ,it is quite natural that you should be careless1 profane1 mistaking evil for good1 and good for evil2 but salvation is not for those who follow their nature1 but for those in whom ,god's grace has overcome its evil2 it is for those1 in ,christ's language1 who take up their cross and follow him2 that is1 for those who struggle against their evil nature1 that they may gain a better nature1 and be born1 not after the flesh1 but after the ,spirit of ,god4 ,what is to be said to this8 or what qualification1 or compromise1 is to be made in it8 ,the words of the text will authorize us1 at any rate1 to make none3 their language is not that of indulgent allowance2 but it is a call1 a loud and earnest1 even a severe1 call1 it may be1 in the judgment of our evil nature1--to shake off the weight that hangs about us2 to deliver our hearts from the dominion of that which cannot profit1 and to submit them to ,christ alone4 ,this is ,god's judgment1 this is ,christ's word2 and we cannot and dare not qualify it4 ,they are evil1 for ,god and ,christ declare it1 who judge and live after the maxims of the society around them1 and not after ,christ2 they are evil who are careless2 they are evil who live according to their own blind and capricious feelings1 now hot1 now cold2 they are evil who call evil good1 and good evil1 because they have not known the ,father nor ,christ4 ,this1 and nothing less1 we say1 lest we should be found false witnesses of ,god3 but if this language1 which is that of ,scripture1 seem harsh1 to any one1 oh6 let him remember how soon he may change it into the language of the most abundant mercy1 of the tenderest love2 that if he calls upon ,god1 ,god is ready to hear2 that if he seeks to know and to do ,god's will1 ,god will be found by him1 and will strengthen him2 that it is true kindness not to disguise from him his real danger1 but earnestly to conjure him to flee from it1 and to offer our humblest prayers to ,god1 for him and ourselves1 that our judgments and our practice may be formed only after his example4 ,,lecture ,x4 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,timothy i4 #i4 ,the law is not made for a righteous man1 but for the lawless and disobedient1 for the ungodly and for sinners1 for the unholy and profane4 ,these words explain the meaning of a great many passages in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 in which also he speaks of the law1 and of not being under the law1 and other such expressions4 ,and it is clear also1 that he is not speaking solely1 or chiefly1 or1 in any considerable degree1 of the ceremonial law2 but much more of the law of moral good1 the law which told men how they ought to live1 and how they ought not4 ,this law1 he says1 is not made for good men1 but for evil3 a thing so plain1 that we may well wonder how any could ever have misunderstood it4 ,it is so manifest1 that strict rules are required1 just exactly in proportion to our inability or want of will to rule ourselves2 it is so very plain1 that1 with regard to those crimes which we are under no temptation to commit1 we feel exactly as if there were no law4 ,which of us ever thinks1 as a matter of personal concern1 of the law which sentences to death murderers1 or housebreakers1 or those who maliciously set fire to their neighbours' property8 ,do we not feel that1 as far as our own conduct is concerned1 it would be exactly the same thing if no such law were in existence8 ,we should no more murder1 or rob1 or set fire to houses and barns1 if the law were wholly done away1 than we do now that it is in force4 ,there are1 then1 some points in which we feel practically that we are not under the law1 but dead to it2 that the law is not made for us3 but do we think1 therefore1 that we may murder1 and rob1 and burn8 or do we not rather feel that such a notion would be little short of madness8 ,we are not under the law1 because we do not need it2 not because there is in reality no law to punish us if we do need it4 ,and just of this kind is that general freedom from the law1 of which ,st4 ,paul speaks1 as the high privilege of true ,christians4 ,but yet ,st4 ,paul would not at all mean that any ,christian is altogether without the law3 that is1 that there are no points at all in which his inclination is not to evil1 and in which1 therefore1 he needs the fear of ,god to restrain him from it4 ,when he says of himself1 that he kept under his body lest that by any means he should become a castaway2 just so far as this fear of being a castaway possessed him1 that is1 just so far as there were any evil tendencies in him1 which required him to keep them under by an effort1 just so far was he under the law4 ,and this is so1 as we full well know1 with us all2 for as there is none of us in whom sin is utterly dead1 so neither can there be any of us who is altogether dead to the law4 ,yet1 although this be so1 there is no doubt that the gospel wishes to consider us as generally dead to the law1 in order that we really may become so continually more and more4 ,it supposes that the ,spirit of ,god1 presenting to our minds the sight of ,god's love in ,christ1 sets us free from the law of sin and death2 that is1 that a sense of thankfulness to ,god1 and love of ,god and of ,christ1 will be so strong a motive1 that we shall1 generally speaking1 need no other2 that it will so work upon us1 as to make us feel good1 easy1 and delightful1 and thus to become dead to the law4 ,and there is no doubt also1 that that same freedom from the law1 which we ourselves experience daily1 in respect of some particular great crimes1 7for1 as ,i said1 we do not feel that it is the fear of the law which keeps us from murder or from robbing17 that very same freedom is felt by good men in many other points1 where it may be that we ourselves do not feel it4 ,a common instance may be given with respect to prayer1 and the outward worship of ,god4 ,there are a great many who feel this as a duty2 but there are many also to whom it is not so much a duty1 as a privilege and a pleasure2 and these are dead to the law which commands us to be instant in prayer1 just as we1 in general1 are dead to the law which commands us to do no murder4 ,this being understood1 it will be perfectly plain1 why ,st4 ,paul1 along with all his language as to the law being passed away1 and our being become dead to it1 yet uses1 very frequently1 language of another kind1 which shows that the law is not dead in itself1 but lives1 and ever will live4 ,he says1 ,we must all stand before the judgment seat of ,christ1 that every one may receive according to what he has done in the body4 ,and he adds1 ,knowing therefore the terror of the ,lord1 we persuade men4 ,but the judgment1 and the terror of the ,lord1 mean precisely what are meant by the law4 ,and this language of ,st4 ,paul shows more clearly1 that1 unless we are first dead to the law1 the law is not1 and never will be dead to us4 ,i should not have thought it useless1 to have offered merely this explanation of a language1 which is very common in the ,new ,testament1 which1 forms one of its characteristic points1 7for ,st4 ,john's expression of ,perfect love casteth out fear1 is exactly equivalent to ,st4 ,paul's1 ,that we are dead to the law17 and which has been often misunderstood1 or misrepresented4 ,but yet ,i am well aware1 that mere explanations of ,scripture cannot be expected to interest those to whom ,scripture is not familiar4 ,the answer to a riddle would be very soon forgotten1 unless the riddle had first at once amused and puzzled us4 ,just so1 explanations of ,scripture1 to be at all valued1 must suppose a previous knowledge of1 and desire to understand1 the difficulty2 and this we cannot expect to find in very young persons4 ,thus far1 then1 what ,i have said has been necessarily addressed1 ,i do not say1 or mean1 to the oldest part of my hearers only1 but yet to the older1 and more considering part of them4 ,but the subject is capable1 ,i think1 of being brought much more closely home to us2 for what ,st4 ,paul says of the law1 with reference to all mankind1 is precisely that state of mind which one would wish to see here2 and the mistakes of his meaning are just such as are often prevalent1 and are likely to do great mischief1 with regard to the motives to be appealed to in education4 ,now1 what is the case in the ,scripture8 ,men had been subject to a strict law of rewards and punishments1 appealing directly to their hopes1 and to their fears4 ,the gospel offered itself to them1 as a declaration of ,god's love to them2 so wonderful1 that it seemed as though it could not but excite them to love him in return4 ,it also raised their whole nature2 their understandings1 no less than their affections2 and thus led them to do ,god's will1 from another and higher feeling than they had felt heretofore2 to do it1 not because they must1 but because they loved it4 ,and to such as answered to this heavenly call1 ,god laid aside1 if ,i may venture so to speak1 all his terrors2 he showed himself to them only as a loving father1 between whom and his children there was nothing but mutual affection2 who would be loved by them1 and love them forever4 ,but to those who answered not to it1 and far more1 who dared to abuse it2 who thought that ,god's love was weakness2 that the liberty to which they were called1 was the liberty of devils1 the liberty of doing evil as they would2 to all such1 ,god was still a consuming fire1 and their most merciful ,saviour himself was a judge to try their very hearts and reins2 in short1 the gospel was to them1 not salvation1 but condemnation2 it awakened not the better1 but the baser parts of their nature2 it did not do away1 but doubled their guilt1 and therefore brought upon them1 and will bring through all eternity1 a double measure of punishment4 ,now all this applies exactly to that earlier and1 as it were1 preparatory life1 which ends not in death1 but in manhood4 ,the state of boyhood begins under a law4 ,it is a great mistake to address always the reason of a child1 when you ought rather to require his obedience4 ,do this1 do not do that2 if you do this1 ,i shall love you2 if you do not1 ,i shall punish you2--such is the state1 most clearly a state of law1 under which we are1 and must be1 placed at the beginning of education4 ,but we should desire and endeavour to see this state of law succeeded by something better2 we should desire so to unfold the love of ,christ as to draw the affections towards him2 we should desire so to raise the understanding as that it may fasten itself1 by its own native tendrils1 round the pillar of truth1 without requiring to be bound to it by external bands4 ,we should avoid all unnecessary harshness2 we should speak and act with all possible kindness2 because love1 rather than fear1 love both of ,god and man1 is the motive which we particularly wish to awaken4 ,thus1 keeping punishment in the background and1 as it were1 out of sight1 and putting forward encouragement and kindness1 we should attract1 as it were1 the good and noble feelings of those with1 whom we are dealing1 and invite them to open1 and to answer to1 a system of confidence and kindness1 rather than risk the chilling and hardening them by a system of mistrust and severity4 ,and for those who do answer to this call1 how really true is it that they do soon become dead1 in great measure1 to the law of the place where they are living6 ,how little do they generally feel its restraints1 or its tasks1 burdensome6 ,how very little have they to do with its punishments6 ,led on by degrees continually higher and higher1 their relations with us become more and more relations of entire confidence and kindness2 and when at last their trial is over1 and they pass from this first life1 as ,i have ventured to call it1 into their second life of manhood1 how beautifully are they ripened for that state6 how naturally do all the restraints of this first life fall away1 like the mortal body of the perfected ,christian2 and they enter upon the full liberty of manhood1 fitted at once to enjoy and to improve it6 ,but observe1 that ,st4 ,paul does not suppose even the best ,christian to be without the law altogether3 there will ever be some points in which he will need to remember it4 ,and so it is unkindness1 rather than kindness1 and a very mischievous mistake1 to forget that here1 in this our preparatory life1 the law cannot cease altogether with any one2 that it is not possible to find a perfect sense and feeling of right existing in every action2 nay1 that it is even unreasonable to seem to expect it4 ,little faults1 little irregularities1 there always will be1 with which the law is best fitted to deal2 which should be met1 ,i mean1 by a system of rules and of punishments1 not severe1 certainly1 nor one at all inconsistent with general respect1 kindness1 and confidence2 but which check the particular faults alluded to better1 ,i think1 than could be done by seeming to expect of the individual that he should1 in all such cases1 be a law to himself4 ,there is a possibility of our over-straining the highest principles1 by continually appealing to them on very trifling occasions4 ,it is far better1 here1 to apply the system of the law2 to require obedience to rules1 as a matter of discipline2 to visit the breach of them by moderate punishment1 not given in anger1 not at all inconsistent with general confidence and regard1 but gently reminding us of that truth which we may never dare wholly to forget1--that punishment will exist eternally so long as there is evil1 and that the only way of remaining for ever entirely strangers to it1 is by adhering for ever and entirely to good4 ,this applies to every one amongst us2 and is the reason why rules1 discipline1 and punishments1 however much they may be1 and are1 kept in the background for such1 as have become almost wholly dead to them1 must yet continue in existence1 because none are1 or can be1 dead to them altogether4 ,but now1 suppose that we have a nature to deal with1 which1 cannot answer to a system of kindness1 but abuses it2 which1 when punishment is kept at a distance1 rejoices1 as thinking that it may follow evil safely2 a nature not to be touched by the love of ,god or man1 not to be guided by any perception of its own as to what is right and true4 ,is the law dead really to such as these8 or should it be so8 ,is punishment a degradation to a nature which1 is so self-degraded as to be incapable of being moved by anything better8 ,for this is the real degradation which we should avoid2 not the fear of punishment1 which is not at all degrading1 but the being insensible to the love of ,christ and of goodness2 and so being capable of receiving no other motive than the fear of punishment alone4 ,with such natures1 to withhold punishment1 would be indeed to make ,christ the minister of sin2 to make mercy1 that is1 lead to evil1 and not to good4 ,for them1 the law never is dead1 and never will be4 ,here1 of course1 in this first life1 as ,i have called it1 punishment indeed goes but a little way3 it is very easy for a hardened nature to defy all that could be laid upon it here in the way of actual compulsion4 ,our only course is to cut short the time of trial1 when we find a nature in whom that trial cannot end in good4 ,still there may be those in whom this life here1 like their greater life which shall last for ever1 will have far more to do with punishment than with kindness2 they will be living all their time under the law4 ,continue this to our second life1 and the law then will be no less alive1 and they will never be dead to it1 nor will it be ever dead to them4 ,and however a hardened nature may well despise the punishments of its first life1--punishments1 whose whole object is correction1 and not retribution1--yet1 where is the nature so hard as to endure1 in its relations with ,god1 to feel more of his punishment than of his mercy2 to know him for ever as a ,god of judgment1 and not as a ,father of love8 ,,lecture ,,xi4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,st4 ,,luke xxi4 #cf4 ,watch ye1 therefore1 and pray always1 that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass1 and to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,this might be a text for a history of the ,christian ,church1 from its foundation to this hour1 or to the latest hour of the world's existence4 ,we might observe how it ,lad fulfilled its ,lord's command2 with what steadiness it had gone forward on its course1 with the constant hope of meeting ,him once again in glory4 ,we might see how it had escaped all these things that were to come to pass3 tracing its course amidst the manifold revolutions of the world1 inward and outward4 ,in the few words1 all these things that shall come to pass1 are contained all the events of the last eighteen hundred years3 indistinct and unknown to us1 as long as they are thus folded up together2 but capable of being unrolled before our eyes in a long order1 in which should be displayed all the outward changes of nations1 the spread of discovery1 the vicissitudes of conquest2 and yet more1 the inward changes of men's minds1 the various schools of philosophy1 the successive forms of public opinion1 the influences of various races1 all the manifold elements by which the moral character of the ,christian world has been affected4 ,we might observe how the ,church had escaped all these things1 or to what degree it had received from any of them good or evil4 ,and then1 stopping at the point at which it has actually arrived1 we might consider how far it deserves the character of that ,church1 without spot1 or wrinkle1 or any such thing1 which should be presented before the ,son of ,man at his coming again4 ,this would be a great subject2 and one1 if worthily executed1 full of the deepest instruction to us all4 ,but our ,lord's words may also be made the text for a history or inquiry of another sort1 far less comprehensive in time and space1 far less grand1 far less interesting to the understanding2 yet1 on the other hand1 capable of being wrought out far more completely1 and far more interesting to the spiritual and eternal welfare of each of us4 ,they may be made the text for an inquiry into the course hitherto held1 not by the ,church as a body1 but by each of us individual members of it2 an inquiry how far we1 each of us1 have watched and prayed always1 that we might be accounted worthy to escape all the things which should come to pass1 and to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,and1 in this view of the words1 the expression all these things which shall come to pass has reference no longer to great political revolutions1 nor to schools of philosophy1 nor to prominent points of national character2 but to those humbler events1 to those lesser changes1 outward and inward1 through which we each1 pass between our cradle and our grave4 ,how have we escaped these1 or turned them to good account8 ,have earthly things so ministered to our eternal welfare1 that if we were each one of us1 by a stroke from heaven1 cut off at that very point in our course to which we have severally attained this day1 we should be accounted worthy to stand before the ,son of ,man8 ,here is1 indeed1 a very humble history for us each to study2 yet what other history can concern us so nearly8 ,and as1 in the history of the world1 experience in part supplies the place of prophecy1 and the fate of one nation is in a manner a mirror to another1 so in our individual history1 the experience of the old is a lesson to the middle-aged1 and that of the middle-aged a lesson to the young4 ,if you wish to know what are the things which shall come to pass with respect to you1 we can draw aside the veil from your coming life1 because what you will be is no other than what we are4 ,if we would go onwards1 in like manner1 and ask what are the things which shall come to pass with respect to us1 our coming life may be seen in the past and present life of the old2 for what we shall be is no other than what they have been1 or than what they are4 ,let us take1 then1 the actual moment with1 each of us1 and suppose that our ,lord speaks to each of us as he did to his first disciples3 ,watch and pray always1 that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things which shall come to pass1 and to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,we ask1 naturally1 ,what are the things which shall come to pass8 and it is to this question that ,i am to try to suggest the answer4 ,those arrived at middle age may ask the question1 ,what are the things which shall come to pass to us8 ,now1 setting aside extraordinary accidents1 on which we cannot reckon1 and the answer would1 ,i think1 be something of this sort3 ,there will not come to pass1 it is likely1 any great change in our condition or employment in life4 ,in middle age our calling1 with all the duties which it involves1 must generally be fixed for each of us4 ,our particular kind of trial will not1 it is probable1 be much altered4 ,we must not1 as in youth1 fancy that1 although our actual occupation does not suit us1 although its temptations are often too strong for us1 yet a change may take place to another line of duty1 and the temptations in that new line may be less formidable4 ,in middle age it will not do to indulge such fond hopes as these4 ,on the contrary1 our hope must lie1 not in escape1 but in victory4 ,if our temptations press us hard1 we cannot expect to have them exchanged for others less powerful3 they will remain with us1 and we must overcome them1 or perish4 ,have we tastes not fully reconciled to our calling1--faculties which seem not to have found their proper field8 ,we must seek our remedy not from without1 humanly speaking1 but from within3 we must discipline ourselves2 we must teach our tastes to cling gracefully around that duty to which else they must be helplessly fastened4 ,if any faculties appear not to have found their proper field1 we must think that ,god has1 for certain wise reasons1 judged it best for us that they should not be exercised2 and we must be content to render him the service of others4 ,in this respect1 then1 the immediate prospect for middle age is not so much change as steadfastness4 ,fortune will not suit herself to our wishes3 we must learn to suit our wishes to her4 ,but go on a little farther1 and what are the things which must come to pass then8 ,a new and most solemn interest arising to us in the entrance of our children into active life4 ,hitherto they have lived under our care1 and our duty to them was simple2 but now there comes the choice of a profession1 the watching and guiding them1 as well as we can1 at this critical moment of their course4 ,what cares await us here2 and yet what need of avoiding over care6 ,what a trial for us1 how we value our children's worldly interests when compared with their eternal--whether we prefer for them the path which may lead most readily to worldly wealth and honour1 or that in1 which they may best and safest follow ,christ6 ,this is a danger which will come to pass to us ere long3 do we watch and pray that we may be delivered from it8 ,the interest of life1 which had1 perhaps1 something begun to fade for ourselves1 will revive with vigour at this period in behalf of our children2 but after this it will go on steadily ebbing4 ,what life can offer we have tasted for ourselves2 we have seen it tasted1 or in the way to be tasted1 by them4 ,the harvest is gathered1 and the symptoms of the fall appear4 ,is it that some faculty becomes a little impaired1 some taste a little dulled2 or is it that the friends and companions of our life are beginning to drop away from us8 ,long since1 those whom we loved of the generation before us have been gathered to the grave2 now those of our own generation are falling fast also--brothers1 sisters1 friends of our early youth1 a wife1 a husband4 ,we are surrounded by a younger generation1 to whom the half of our lives1 with all their recollections and sympathies1 are a thing unknown4 ,impatience1 weariness1 a clinging to the past1 a vain wish to prolong it in an earthly future1--these are the things which shall befal us then3 and they will befal us too surely1 and too irresistibly1 unless1 by earlier watchfulness and prayer1 we may have been enabled to avoid them4 ,for vain will it be1 with faculties at once weakened by the decay of nature and perverted by long habits of worldliness1 to essay1 for the first time1 to force our way into the kingdom of heaven4 ,old age is not the season for contest and victory2 nor shall we then be so able to escape unharmed from the temptations of life as to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,these are the things which will come to pass for us and for you4 ,but for you there is much more to come1 which to us is not future now1 but past or present4 ,with you1 for a time1 it will be all a course forwards and upwards4 ,from the preparation for life1 you will come to the reality2 from a state of less importance1 you will be passing on to one of greater4 ,your temptations1 whatever they may be now1 will not certainly become weaker4 ,as outward restraint is more and more taken off from you1 so your need of inward restraint will be greater4 ,will those who are extravagant now on a small scale1 be less extravagant on a large scale8 ,will those who are selfish now1 become less selfish amidst a wider field of enjoyment8 ,will those who know not or care not for ,christ1 while yet1 as it were1 standing quietly on the shore1 be led to think of him more amidst the excitement of the first setting sail1 amidst the interest of the first newly-seen country8 ,you know not yet1 nor can know1 the immense importance of that period of life on which many of you are entering1 or have just entered4 ,you are coming1 or come1 to what may be called the second beginning of life3 to which1 in the common course of things1 there will succeed no third4 ,ignorance1 absence of temptation1 the presence of all good impressions1 constitute much of the innocence of mere childhood1--so beautiful while it lasts1 so sure to be soon blighted6 ,it is blighted in the first experience of life1 most commonly when a boy first goes to school4 ,then his mere innocence1 which indeed he may be said to have worn rather instinctively than by choice1 becomes grievously polluted4 ,then come the hardness1 the coarseness1 the intense selfishness2 sometimes1 too1 the falsehood1 the cruelty1 the folly of the boy3 then comes that period1 so trying to the faith of parents1 when all their early care seems blasted2 when the vineyard1 which they had fenced so tenderly1 seems all despoiled and trodden under foot4 ,it is indeed a discouraging season1 the exact image of the ungenial springs of our natural year4 ,but after this there comes1 as it were1 a second beginning of life1 when principle takes the place of innocence4 ,there is a time1--many of you must have arrived at it1--when thought and inquiry awaken2 when1 out of the mere chaos of boyhood1 the elements of the future character of the man begin to appear4 ,blessed are they for whom the confusion and disarray of their boyish life is quickened into a true life by the moving of the ,spirit of ,god6 ,blessed are they for whom the beginnings of thought and inquiry are the beginnings also of faith and love2 when the new character receives1 as it is forming1 the ,christian seed1 and the man is also the ,christian4 ,and1 then1 this second beginning of life1 resting on faith and conscious principle1 and not on mere passive innocence1 stands sure for the middle and the end3 those who so watch and pray as to escape out of this critical period1 not merely unharmed1 but1 as it were1 set clearly on their way to heaven1 will1 with ,god's grace1 escape out of the things which shall befal them afterwards1 till they shall stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,but the word is1 ,watch and pray always1 that ye may be accounted worthy to escape4 ,we see the time with many of you come1 or immediately coming2 out of your present state a character will certainly be formed2 as surely as the innocence of childhood has perished1 so surely will the carelessness of boyhood perish too4 ,a character will be formed1 whether you watch and pray1 or whether you do neither2 but the great point is what this character may be4 ,if you do not watch the process1 it will surely be the character of death eternal4 ,thought and inquiry will satisfy themselves very readily with an answer as far as regards spiritual things3 their whole vigour will be devoted to the things of this world1 to science or to business1 or to public matters1 all alike hardening rather than softening to the mind1 if its thoughts do not go to something higher and deeper still4 ,and as years pass on1 we may think on these our favourite or professional subjects more and more earnestly2 our views on them may be clearer and sounder1 but there comes again nothing like the first free burst of thought in youth2 the intellect in later life1 if its tone was not rightly taken earlier1 becomes narrowed in proportion to its greater vigour2 one thing it sees clearly1 but it is blind to all beside4 ,it is in youth that the after tone of the mind is happily formed1 when that natural burst of thought is sanctified and quickened by ,god's ,spirit1 and we set up within us to love and adore1 all our days1 the one image of the truth of ,god1 our ,saviour ,jesus4 ,then1 whatever else may befal us afterwards1 it rarely happens that our faith will fail2 his image1 implanted in us1 preserves us amid every change2 we are counted worthy to escape all the things which may come to pass1 and to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,,lecture ,,xii 99 99 99 99 99 ,,proverbs i4 #bh4 ,then shall they call upon me1 but ,i will not answer2 they shall seek me early1 but they shall not find me4 ,christ's gospel gives out the forgiveness of sins2 and as this is its very essence1 so also in what we read connected with ,christ's gospel1 the tone of encouragement1 of mercy1 of loving-kindness to sinners1 is ever predominant4 ,what was needed at the beginning of the gospel is no less needed now2 we cannot spare one jot or one tittle of this gracious language2 now1 as ever1 the free grace1 that most seems to be without the law1 does most surely establish the law4 ,but yet there is another language1 which is to be found alike in the ,old ,testament and in the ,new2 a language not indeed so common as the language of mercy1 but yet repeated many times2 a language which we also need as fully as it was ever needed1 and of whose severity we can no more spare one tittle than we can spare anything of the comfort of the other4 ,and yet this language has not1 ,i think1 been enforced so often as it should have been4 ,men have rather shrunk from it1 and seemed afraid of it2 they have connected it sometimes with certain foolish and presumptuous questions1 which we1 indeed1 do well to turn from2 but they have not seen1 that with such it has no natural connexion1 but belongs to a certain fact in the constitution of our nature1 and is most highly moral and practical4 ,the language to which4 ,i allude is expressed1 amongst other passages1 by the words of the text4 ,they speak of men's calling upon ,god1 and of his refusing to hear them2 of men's seeking ,god1 and not finding him4 ,remember1 at the same time1 our ,lord's words1 ,ask1 and ye shall receive2 seek1 and ye shall find4 ,i purposely put together these opposite passages1 because the full character of ,god's ,revelation is thus seen more clearly4 ,do we doubt that our ,lord's words are true1 and do we not prize them as some of the most precious which he has left us8 ,we do well to do so2 but shall we doubt any more the truth of the words of the text2 and shall we not consider them as a warning no less needful than the comfort in the other case8 ,indeed1 as true as it is1 that1 if we seek ,god1 we shall find him2 so true is it that we may seek him1 and yet not find him4 ,now1 then1 how to explain this seeming contradiction8 ,we can see at once1 that these things are not said of the same persons1 or rather of the same characters at the same time4 ,they are said of the same persons3 that is1 there is no one here assembled who is not concerned with both1 and to whom both may not be applicable4 ,only they are not and cannot be both applicable to the same person at the very same time4 ,if ,god will be found by us1 at any given moment1 on our seeking him1 it is impossible that1 at that same moment1 he should also not be found4 ,thus far is plain to every one4 ,and now1 is it true of us1 at this present time1 that ,god will be found by us if we seek him1 or that he will not be found8 ,if we say that he will be found1 then the words of the text are not applicable to us at present1 although at some future time they may be2 and then we have that well-known difficulty to encounter1 to attempt to draw the mind's attention to a future and only contingent evil4 ,if we say that he will not be found1 then of what avail can it be to say any word more8 ,why sit we in this place1 to preach1 or to listen to preaching1 if ,god1 after all1 will not be found8 ,or1 again1 should we say that there are some by whom he will not be found1 then who are they that are thus horribly marked out from among their brethren8 ,can we dare to conceive of any one amongst us that he is such an one2 that there are some1 nay1 that there is any one amongst us1 to whom it is the same thing whether he will hear1 or whether he will forbear2 who may close his ears as safely as open them1 because ,god has turned his face from him for ever8 ,it were indeed horrible to suppose that any one of us were in such a state2 and happily it is a thought of horror which the truth may allow us to repel4 ,but what1 if ,i were to say1 that now1 at this very moment1 the words of the text are both applicable to us1 and not applicable8 ,is this a contradiction1 and therefore impossible8 ,or is it but a seeming contradiction only1 and not only possible1 but true8 ,let us see how the case appears to be4 ,we should allow1 ,i suppose1 that the words of the text were at no time in any man's earthly life so true as they will be at the day of judgment4 ,the hardest heart1 the most obdurate in sin1 the most closed against all repentance1 is yet more within the reach of grace1 we should imagine1 whilst he is alive and in health1 than he will be at the day of the resurrection4 ,we can admit1 then1 that the words of the text may be true1 in a greater or less degree2 that they will be more entirely true at the last day1 than at any earlier period1 but yet that they may be substantially true1 true almost beyond exception1 in the life that now is4 ,now carry this same principle a little farther1 and we come to our very own case4 ,the words of the text will be more true at the day of judgment1 than they ever are on earth2 and yet on earth they are often true substantially and practically4 ,and even so1 they may be more true to each of us a few years hence1 than they are at this moment2 and yet1 in a certain degree1 they may be true at this moment2 true1 not absolutely and entirely1 but partially2 so true as to give a most solemn earnest1 if we are not warned in time1 of their more entire truth hereafter1--first1 in this earthly life2 then most perfectly of all1 when we shall arise at the last day4 ,it may be1 then1 that the words of the text1 although not applicable to us in their full and most fatal sense1 may yet be applicable to us in a certain degree3 the evil which they speak of may be1 not wholly future and contingent1 and a thing to be feared1 but present in part1 actual1 and a matter of experience4 ,this is not contradiction3 it is not impossible2 it may be our case4 ,let us see whether it really is so1 that is1 whether it is in any degree true of us1 that when we call upon ,god he will not answer2 that when we seek him1 we shall in any manner be unable to find him4 ,it is manifest that1 in proportion as ,christ's words ,seek1 and ye shall find1 are true to any man1 so are the words of the text less true to him2 and in proportion as ,christ's words are less true to any one1 so are the words of the text more true to him4 ,now1 is ,christ's promise1 ,seek1 and ye shall find1 equally true to all of us8 ,conceive of one--the thing is rare1 but not impossible1--of one who had been so kept from evil1 and so happily led forward in good1 that when arrived at boyhood1 his soul had scarcely more stain upon it than when it was first fully cleansed1 and forgiven1 in baptism6 ,conceive him speaking truth1 without any effort1 on all occasions2 not greedy1 not proud1 not violent1 not selfish1 not feeling conscious that he was living a life of sin1 and therefore glad to come to ,god1 rather than shrinking away from him6 ,conceive how completely to such an one would ,christ's words be fulfilled1 ,seek1 and ye shall find6 ,when would his prayers be unblessed or unfruitful8 ,when would he turn his thoughts to ,god without feeling pleasure in doing so2 without a lively consciousness of ,god's love to him2 without an assured sense of the reality of things not seen1 of redemption and grace and glory8 ,would not the communion with ,god1 enjoyed by one so untainted1 come up to the full measure of those high promises1 ,it shall come to pass1 that before they call1 ,i will answer1 and while they are yet speaking1 ,i will hear8 ,would it not be plain1 that ,god was as truly found1 by such a person1 as he was sought in sincerity and earnestness8 ,but now1 take the most of us3 suppose us not to have been kept carefully from evil1 nor led on steadily in good2 suppose us to have reached boyhood with bad dispositions1 ready for the first temptation1 with habits of good uncultivated2 suppose us to have no great horror of a lie1 when it can serve our turn2 with much love of pleasure1 and little love of our duty2 with much1 selfishness1 and little or no thought of ,god3 suppose such an one1 so sadly altered from a state of baptismal purity1 to be saying his prayers as he had been taught to say them1 and saying them sometimes with a thought of their meaning and a wish that ,god would hear them4 ,but does ,god hear them8 ,i ask of your own consciences1 whether you have had any sense that he has heard you8 whether death and judgment1 ,christ and ,christ's service1 have become more real to you after such prayers8 ,if not1 then is it not manifest1 that you have sought ,god1 and have not found him2 that you have called upon him and he has not heard8 ,you know by experience1 that you are not as those true children who are ever with him1 who listen to catch the lightest whisper of his ,spirit1 for whom1 he1 too1 vouchsafes to bless the faintest breathing of their prayer4 ,or1 again1 in trying to turn from evil to good1 have you ever found your resolutions give way1 the ground which you had gained slide from under your feet1 till you fell back again to what you were at the beginning8 ,has this ever happened to us8 ,if it has1 then in that case1 also1 we sought ,god1 but failed to find him2 the victory was not yours1 but the enemy's2 the ,spirit of ,christ did not help you so as to conquer4 ,take another case yet again4 ,has it ever happened to any of you1 to have done a mischief to yourselves which you could not undo8 ,it need not be one of the very highest kind2 but has it ever happened1 that1 by neglect1 you have lost ground in the society in which you are placed1 which you cannot recover2 that your contemporaries have gained an advance upon you1 while you have not time left to overtake them8 ,does it ever happen that1 from neglecting some particular element of learning in its proper season1 and other things claiming your attention afterwards1 you go on with a disadvantage1 which you would fain remove1 but cannot8 ,does it1 in short1 ever happen to any1 that his complete success here is become impossible2 that whatever prospects of another kind may be open to him elsewhere1 yet that he cannot now be numbered amongst those who have turned the particular advantages here afforded them to that end which they might and ought to have done8 ,to whomsoever this has happened1 the truth of the words of the text is matter of experience1 not in their full and most dreadful extent1 but yet quite enough to prove that they are true2 and that just as he now feels them in part1 so1 if he continues to be what he is1 he will one day feel them wholly4 ,he feels that it is possible to seek ,god1 and not to find him2 he has learnt by experience that neglected good1 or committed evil1 may be beyond the power of after-regret to undo4 ,it is true1 that as yet1 to him1 other prospects may be open3 prospects which1 probably1 he may deem no less fair than those which he has forfeited4 ,this may be so2 but the point to observe is1 that one prospect was lost so irretrievably by his own fault1 that afterwards1 when he wished to regain it1 he could not4 ,now ,god gives him other prospects1 which he may realize3 but as he forfeited his first prospect beyond recovery1 so he may do also with his last3 and though ill-success at school may be made up by success in another sphere1 yet what is to make up for ill-success in the great business of life1 when that1 too1 has been forfeited as irrecoverably2 when his last chance is gone as hopelessly as his first8 ,now1 surely there is in all this an intelligible lesson4 ,i am not at all exaggerating the importance of the particular prospect forfeited here3 but ,i am pressing upon you1 that this prospect may be1 and often is1 forfeited irrecoverably2 that when you wish to regain it1 it is too late1 and you cannot4 ,and ,i press this1 because it is a true type of the whole of human life2 because it is just as possible to forfeit salvation irrecoverably1 as to forfeit that earthly good which is the prize of well-doing here1 with this infinite difference1 that the last forfeit is not only irretrievable1 but fatal2 it can no more be made up for1 than it can be regained4 ,here1 then1 your present condition is a type of the complete truth of the text3 but there are other points1 to which ,i alluded before1 in which it is more than a type2 it is the very truth itself1 although1 happily1 only in an imperfect measure4 ,that unanswered prayer1 of which ,i spoke1 those broken resolutions1--are they not actually a calling on ,god1 without his hearing us2 a seeking him1 without finding him8 ,we remember who it was that could say with truth to his ,father1 ,i know that thou nearest me always4 ,we know what it is that hinders ,god from hearing us always2 because we are not thoroughly one in his ,son ,christ ,jesus4 ,but this unanswered prayer is not properly the ,state of ,christ's redeemed3 it is an enemy that hath brought us to this2 the same enemy who will1 in time1 make all our prayers to be unanswered1 as some are now2 who will cause ,god1 not only to be slow to listen1 but to refuse to listen for ever4 ,now we are not heard at once1 we must repeat our prayers1 with more and more earnestness1 that ,god1 at last1 may hear1 and may bless us4 ,but if1 instead of repeating them the more1 we do the very contrary1 and repeat them the less2 if1 because we have no comfort1 and no seeming good from them1 we give them up altogether2 then the time will surely come when all prayer will be but the hopeless prayer of ,esau1 because it will be only the prayer of fear2 because it will be only the dread of destruction that will1 or can1 move us3--the love of good will have gone beyond recall4 ,such prayer does but ask for pardon without repentance2 and this never is1 or can be1 granted4 ,so then1 in conclusion1 that very feeling of coldness1 and unwillingness to pray1 because we have often prayed in vain1 is surely working in us that perfect death1 which is the full truth of the words of the text4 ,of all of us1 those who the least like to pray1 who have prayed with the least benefit1 have the most need to pray again4 ,if they have sought ,god1 without finding him1 let them take heed that this be not their case for ever2 that the truth1 of which the seed is even now in them1 may not be ripened to their everlasting destruction1 when all their seeking1 and all their prayer1 will be as rejected by ,god1 as1 in part1 it has been already4 ,,lecture ,,xiii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,mark xii4 #cd4 ,thou art not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,whoever has gone up any hill of more than common height1 may remember the very different impression which the self-same point1 whether bush1 or stone1 or cliff1 has made upon him as he viewed it from below and from above4 ,in going up it seemed so high1 that we fancied1 if we were once arrived at it1 we should be at the summit of our ascent2 while1 when we had got beyond it1 and looked down upon it1 it seemed almost sunk to the level of the common plain2 and we wondered that it could ever have appeared high to us4 ,what happens with any natural object according to the different points from which we view it1 happens also to any particular stage of advancement in our moral characters4 ,there is a goodness which appears very exalted or very ordinary1 according as it is much above or much below our own level4 ,and this is the case with the expression of our ,lord in the text1 ,thou art not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,does this seem a great thing or a little thing to be said to us8 ,does it give us a notion of a height which we should think it happiness to have readied2 or of a state so little advanced1 that it would be misery to be forced to go back to it8 ,for1 according as it seems to us the one or the other1 so we may judge of the greater or less progress which we have made in ascending the holy mountain of our ,god4 ,but while ,i say this1 it is necessary to distinguish between two several senses1 in which we may be said to be near to the kingdom of ,god1 or actually in it4 ,these two are in respect of knowledge1 and in respect of feeling and practice4 ,and our ,lord's words seem to refer particularly to knowledge4 ,the scribe to whom he used them1 had expressed so just a sense of the true way of pleasing ,god1 had so risen above the common false notions of his age and country1 that his understanding seemed to be ripe for the truths of that kingdom of ,god1 which was to make the worship of ,god to consist in spirit and in truth4 ,now as far as the knowledge of the kingdom of ,god is concerned1 although1 undoubtedly1 there are many amongst us who are deficient in it1 yet it is true also1 that a great many of us are in possession of it2 we are familiar enough with the truths of the kingdom of ,god1 and our understandings fully approve them4 ,but we may be near to or far from the kingdom of ,god1 in respect also of feeling and practice2 and this is the great matter that concerns us4 ,it is here1 then1 that we should ask ourselves what we think of our ,lord's words in the text2 and whether he to whom they were spoken appears to us an object of envy or of compassion2 one whom we envy for having advanced so far1 or pity for not being advanced further4 ,not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,again1 if we take the words ,kingdom of ,god in their highest sense1 then the expression contains all that we could desire to have said of us in this life2 hope itself on this side of the grave can go no higher4 ,for as1 in this sense1 the kingdom of ,god cannot be actually entered before our death2 so the best thing that can be said of us here1 is1 that we are not far from it2 but we are in the land of ,beulah1 so happily imagined in the ,pilgrim's ,progress2 all of our pilgrimage completed1 save the last act of crossing the river2 with the city of ,god full in sight1 and with hearts ready to enter into it4 ,in this sense1 even ,st4 ,paul himself1 when he wrote his last epistle from ,rome1 could say no more1 could hope for1 could desire no more1 than to be not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,yet again1 take the words ,kingdom of ,god in their lowest sense1 and then it is woe to us all1 if the expression in the text is all that can be said of us2 if1 in this sense1 we are only not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,for take the kingdom of ,god as ,god's visible ,church1 and then1 if we are not ,christians at all1 but only not far from becoming so2 if we have not received ,christ1 but are not far from receiving him2 this is a state so imperfect1 that he who is in it1 has not yet reached to the beginning of his ,christian course2 and we need not say how far he must be from its end1 if he have not yet come as far as its beginning4 ,thus1 in one sense1 the words express something so high that nothing can be higher2 in another1 something so low1 that1 to us1 nothing can be lower4 ,we have yet to seek that sense1 in which they may afford us a useful criterion of our own several states1 by appearing high1 perhaps1 to some of us1 and to others low4 ,the sense which we seek is given by our ,lord1 when he declares that the kingdom of ,god is within us2 or by ,st4 ,paul1 when he tells us1 that it is righteousness1 peace1 and joy in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and now it is no more a thing which we cannot yet have reached1 or1 on the other hand1 which we all have reached3 there is now a great difference in us1 some are far from it1 some are near it1 and some are in it2 and thus it is1 that they who are near it1 seem in it to those who are afar off1 and far from it to those who are in it4 ,now1 first1 do they seem far from it8 ,then1 indeed1 ours is a happy state1 as many of us as can truly feel that they live so constantly in holy and heavenly tempers1 in such lively faith and love1 so tasting all the blessings of ,god's kingdom1 its peace1 and its hope1 and its joy1 that they cannot bear to think of that time1 when these blessings were not enjoyed except in prospect2 when they rather desired to have faith and love1 than could be said actually to have them2 when their tempers were not holy and heavenly1 although they were fully alive to the excellence of their being so1 and had seen them already cleansed from the opposites of such a state1 from ill-nature1 and passion1 and pride4 ,if any such there be1 in whom good resolutions have long since ripened into good actions1 and the continued good actions have now led to confirmed good habits1 how miserable will they think it to be only not far from the kingdom of ,god6 ,how ill could they bear to go over again the struggle which used to accompany every action1 when it was done in defiance of habits of evil2 or to be called back to that condition when resolutions for good were formed over and over again1 because they were so often broken1 but had as yet rarely led to any solid fruit6 ,how thankful will they be to have escaped from that season when they were seeking1 but had not yet found2 when they were asking of ,god1 but had not yet received2 when they were knocking1 but the door had not yet been opened6 ,they were then1 indeed1 not far from the kingdom of ,god1 but they were still without its walls2 they were still strangers1 and not citizens4 ,it had held out to them a refuge1 and they had fled to it as suppliants to the sanctuary2 but they had not yet had the word of peace spoken1 to bid them no more kneel without1 as suppliants1 but to enter and go in and out freely2 for that all things were theirs1 because they were ,christ's4 ,i have dwelt purposely somewhat the longer upon this1 because the more that we can feel the truth of this picture1 the more that we can put ourselves into the position of those who are within the kingdom of ,god1 and who1 living in the light of it1 look back with pity upon those who are only kneeling without its gates1--the more strongly we shall feel what must be our condition1 if those who are without its gates appear to us to be objects of envy rather than pity1 because they are so near to that place from which we feel ourselves to be so distant4 ,or1 to speak without a figure1 if we could but understand how persons advanced in goodness would shrink from the thought of being now only resolving to be good1 then we shall perceive how very evil must be our condition1 if this very resolving to be good seems to us to be an advance so desirable2 if we are so far from being good actually1 that the very setting ourselves in earnest to seek for good strikes us as a point of absolute proficiency in comparison of our present degradation4 ,yet is not this the case with many of us8 ,do we not consider it a great point gained1 if we can be brought to think seriously1 to pray in earnest1 to read the ,bible1 to begin to look to our own ways and lives8 ,we feel it for ourselves1 and others also feel it for us3 it is natural1 it is unavoidable1 that we feel great joy1 that we think a great deal is done1 if we see any of you1 after leading a life of manifest carelessness1 and therefore of manifest sin1 beginning to take more pains with himself1 and so becoming what is called somewhat more steady and more serious4 ,i know that the impression is apt to be too strong upon us3 we are but too apt to boast for him who putteth on his armour as for him who putteth it off2 because he who putteth on his armour at least shows that he is preparing for the battle1 which so many never do at all4 ,we observe some of these signs of seriousness3 we see perhaps1 that a person begins to attend at the ,communion2 that he pays more attention to his ordinary duties2 that he becomes more regular4 ,we see this1 and we are not only thankful for it1--this we ought to be1--but we satisfy ourselves too readily that all is done3 we reckon a person1 somewhat too hastily1 to be already belonging to the kingdom of ,god1 because we have seen him turning towards it4 ,then1 if he afterwards does not appear to be entered into it2 if we see that he is not what we expected1 that he is no longer serious1 no longer attentive to his common duties1 we are overmuch disappointed2 and1 perhaps are tempted too completely to despair for him4 ,is it not that we confounded together the beginning and the end2 the being good1 and the trying to become so3 the resolution with the act2 the act with the habit8 ,did we not forget that he is not at once out of danger who begins to mend3 that the first softening of the dry burning skin1 the first abating of the hard quick pulse1 is far removed from the coolness1 and steadiness1 and even vigour of health restored1 or never interrupted8 ,but what made us forget truths so obvious8 ,what made us confound things so different that the most ignorant ought to be able to distinguish them8 ,cannot we tell why it is8 ,is it not because there are so many in whom we cannot see even as good signs as these1--of whom we cannot but feel that it would be a great advance for them1 a matter of earnest thankfulness1 if we could only see that they were not far from the kingdom of ,god1--nay1 even that their steps were tending thither8 ,let us look ever so earnestly1 let us watch ever so carefully1 let us hope ever so charitably1 we cannot see1 we can scarcely fancy that we see1 even the desire to turn to ,god4 ,we do not see gross wickedness2 it is well2 we see much that is amiable2 that is well also3 but the desire to turn to ,god1 the tending of the steps towards the kingdom of heaven1--that we cannot see4 ,but this is a thing1 it may be said1 that man cannot see3 it may exist1 although we cannot perceive it4 ,oh1 that it might and may be so6 ,yet1 surely1 as out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh1 so a principle so mighty as the desire of turning to ,god cannot leave itself without a witness3 some symptoms must be shown to those who are eagerly watching for them2 some ground for hope must be afforded where hope is so ready to kindle4 ,if no sign of life appears1 can the life indeed be stirring8 ,and if the life be not stirring2 if the disorder is going on in so many cases1 raging1 with no symptom of abatement2 is it not natural1 that when we do see such symptoms1 we should rejoice even with over-measure1 that we should forget how much is yet to be done1 when we see that something has been done4 ,to such persons1 it would be an enviable state1 to be not far from the kingdom of ,god4 ,but what1 then1 must be their state actually8 ,a hopeful one1 according to many standards of judgment2 a state that promises well1 it may be1 for a healthy and prosperous life1 with many friends1 perhaps with much distinction4 ,we know that all this prospect may be blighted2 still it exists at present2--the healthy constitution1 the easy fortune1 the cheerful and good-humoured temper1 the quickness and power of understanding2 all these1 no doubt1 are hopeful signs for a period of forty1 or fifty1 or perhaps sixty years to come4 ,but what is to come then8 what is the prospect for the next period1 not of fifty1 or sixty1 not of a hundred1 not of a thousand1 years2 not of any number that can be numbered1 but of time everlasting8 ,is their actual state one of hopeful promise for this period1 for this life which no death shall terminate8 ,nay1 is it a state of any promise at all1 of any chance at all8 ,suppose1 for a moment1 one with a crippled body1 full of the seeds of hereditary disease1 poor1 friendless1 irritable in temper1 low in understanding2 suppose such an one just entering upon youth1 and ask yourselves1 for what would you consent that his prospects should be yours8 ,what should you think would be your chance of happiness in life1 if you were beginning in such a condition8 ,yet1 ,i tell you that poor1 diseased1 irritable1 friendless cripple has a far better prospect of passing his fifty1 or sixty1 years1 tolerably1 than they who have not begun to turn towards ,god have of a tolerable eternity4 ,much more wretched is the promise of their life2 much more justly should we be tempted1 concerning them1 to breathe that fearful thought1 that it were good for them if they had never been born4 ,and now if1 as by miracle1 that cripple's limbs were to be at once made sound1 if the seeds of disease were to vanish1 if some large fortune were left him1 if his temper sweetened1 and his mind became vigorous1 should not we be excused1 considering what he had been and what he now was1 if we1 for a moment1 forgot the uncertainty of the future2 if we thought that a promise so changed1 was almost equivalent to performance8 ,and may not this same excuse be urged for some over-fondness of confidence for their well-doing whom we see so near to the kingdom of ,god1 when we consider how utter is the misery1 how hopeless the condition of those who do not appear to have1 as yet1 stirred one single step towards it8 ,,lecture ,,xiv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,matthew xxii4 #ad4 ,for many are called1 but few are chosen4 ,the truth here expressed is one of the most solemn in the world1 and would be one of the most overwhelming to us1 if habit had not1 in a manner1 blunted our painful perception of it4 ,there is contained in it matter of thought more than we could exhaust1 and deeper than we could ever fathom4 ,but on this ,i will not attempt to enter4 ,i will rather take that view of the text which concerns us here2 ,i will see in how many senses it is true1 and with what feeling we should regard it4 ,many are called1 but few are chosen4 ,the direct application of this was to the parable of those invited to the supper2 in which it had been related1 how a great multitude had been invited1 but how one among them--and the application as well as the fact in human life1 require that this one should be taken only as a specimen of a great number--had been found unworthy to enjoy the feast prepared for them4 ,they had not on the wedding garment2 they had not done their part to fit themselves for the offered blessing3 therefore they were called1 but not chosen4 ,god had willed to do them good1 but they would not2 and therefore1 though he had called them at the beginning1 he1 in the end1 cast them out4 ,we have to do1 then1 not with an arbitrary call and an arbitrary choice1 as if ,god called many in mockery1 meaning to choose out of them only a few1 and making his choice independently of any exertion of theirs4 ,the picture is very different2 it is a gracious call to us all1 to come and receive the blessing2 it is a reluctant casting out the greatest part of us1 because we would not try to render ourselves fit for it4 ,i said1 that we would take the words of the text in reference to ourselves1 for here1 too1 it is true1 that many are called1 but few are chosen4 ,it is a large number of you1 which ,i see before me2 and if we add to it all those who1 within my memory1 have sat in the same places before you1 we shall have a number very considerable indeed4 ,all these have been called2 they have been sent here to enjoy the same advantages with each other2 and those advantages have been put within their reach4 ,they have entered into a great society which1 on the one hand1 might raise them forward1 or1 on the other1 depress them4 ,there has been a sufficient field for emulation3 there have been examples and instructions for good2 there have been results of credit and of real improvement made attainable to them1 which might have lasted all their lives long4 ,to this1 they have been all1 in their turns1 called2 and out of those so called1 have all1 or nearly all1 been chosen8 ,i am not speaking of those1 who1 ,i trust1 would be a very small number1 to whom the trial has failed utterly1 who could look back on their stay here with no feelings but those of shame4 ,but would there not be a very large number1 to whom their stay here has been a loss1 compared with what it might have been2 who have reaped but a very small part of those advantages to which they had been at first called8 ,are there not too many who must look back on a part1 at least1 of their time here as wasted2 on the seeds of bad habits sown1 which1 if conquered by after-care1 yet1 for a long time1 were injurious to them8 ,are there not too many who carry away from here1 instead of good notions1 to be ripened and improved1 evil notions1 to be weeded out and destroyed8 ,are there not1 in short1 a great number who1 after having had a great advantage put within their reach1 and purchased for them by their friends1 at a great expense1 have made such insufficient use of their opportunities1 to say nothing stronger1 as to make it a question afterwards1 whether it might not have been better for them had they never come here at all8 ,thus far ,i have been speaking of what are called the advantages of this place in our common language4 ,that argument1 which ,butler has so nobly handled1 in one of the greatest works in our language1 the resemblance1 namely1 between the course of things earthly and that of things spiritual1 is one which we should never fail to notice4 ,we can discern the type1 as it were1 of the highest truth of our ,lord's sayings in the experience of our common life in worldly things4 ,when he tells us1 speaking of things spiritual1 that many are called1 but few are chosen2 that whoso hath1 to him shall be given2 but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath1--although the highest truth contained in these words be yet1 in part1 matter of faith1 for we have not yet seen the end of ,god's dealings with us3 yet what we do see1 the evident truth of the words1 that is1 in respect to ,god's dealings with us in the course of his earthly providence1 may reasonably assure us of their truth no less in respect to those dealings of ,god which as yet are future4 ,i began1 therefore1 with reminding you of the truth of the words of the text with regard to worldly advantages2 that even here1 on this small scale1 the general law holds good2 that more things are provided for us than we will consent to use2 that1 in short1 many are called1 but few are chosen4 ,but it were ill done to limit our view to this3 we are called to much more than worldly advantages2 and what if here1 too1 we add one more example to confirm our ,lord's words1 that many are called1 but few chosen8 ,now here1 as ,i said1 it is very true that ,god's choice is as yet not a matter of sight or of certainty to us2 we cannot yet say of ourselves1 or of any other set of living men1 that few are chosen4 ,but though the full truth is not yet revealed1 still1 as there is a type of it in our worldly experience1 so there is also a higher type1 an earnest1 of it in our spiritual experience3 there is a sense1 and that a very true and a very important one1 in which we can say already1 say now1 actually1 in the life that now is2 say1 even in the early stage of it1 that some are1 and some are not1 chosen4 ,we have all been called1 in a ,christian sense1 inasmuch as we have been all introduced into ,christ's church by ,baptism2 and a very large proportion of us have been called again1 many of us not very long since1 at our ,confirmation4 ,we have been thus called to enter into ,christ's kingdom3 we have been called to lead a life of holiness and happiness from this time forth even for ever4 ,nothing can be stronger than the language in which the ,scripture speaks of the nature of our high calling3 ,all things1 says ,st4 ,paul to the ,corinthians1 all things are yours2 whether ,paul1 or ,apollos1 or ,peter1 or the world1 or life1 or death1 or things present1 or things to come1 all are yours2 and ye are ,christ's1 and ,christ is ,god's4 ,now1 if this be the prize to which we are called1 who are they who are also chosen to it8 ,in the first and most complete sense1 no doubt1 those who have entered into their rest2 who are in no more danger1 however slight2 with whom the struggle is altogether past1 and the victory securely won4 ,these are entered within the veil1 whither we can as yet penetrate only in hope4 ,but hope1 in its highest degree1 differs little from assurance2 and even1 as we descend lower and lower1 still1 where hope is clearly predominant1 there is1 if not assurance1 yet a great encouragement2 and the ,scripture1 which delights to carry encouragement to the highest pitch to those who are following ,god1 allows of our saying of even these that they are ,god's chosen4 ,it gives them1 as it were1 the title beforehand1 to make them feel how doubly miserable it must be not only not to obtain it1 but to forfeit it after it had been already ours4 ,so then1 there are senses in which we may say that some are chosen now2 although1 strictly speaking1 the term can by us be applied1 in its full sense1 to those only who are passed beyond the reach of evil4 ,those1 then1 we may call chosen1 who1 having heard their call1 have turned to obey it1 and have gone on following it4 ,those we may call chosen1--,i do not say chosen irrevocably1 but chosen now2 chosen so that we may be very thankful to ,god on their behalf1 and they thankful for themselves1--who1 since their ,confirmation1 or since a period more remote1 have kept ,god before their face1 and tried to do ,his will4 ,those are1 in the same way1 chosen1 who having found in themselves the sin which did most easily beset them1 have struggled with it1 and wholly1 or in a great measure1 have overcome it4 ,thus1 they are chosen1 who1 having lived either in the frequent practice of selfish1 extravagance1 or of falsehood1 or of idleness1 or of excess in eating and drinking1 have turned away from these things1 and1 for ,christ's sake1 have renounced them4 ,they are chosen1 ,i think1 in yet a higher sense1 who1 having found their besetting sin to be1 not so much any one particular fault1 as a general ungodly carelessness1 a lightness which for ever hindered them from serving ,god1 have struggled with this most fatal enemy2 and1 even in youth1 and health1 and happiness1 have learnt what it is to be sober-minded1 what it is to think4 ,now1 such as these have1 in a manner1 entered into their inheritance2 they are not merely called1 but chosen4 ,god and spiritual things are not mere names to them1 they are a reality4 ,such persons have tasted of the promises2 they have known the pleasure--and what pleasure is comparable to it8--of feeling the bonds of evil passion or evil habit unwound from about their spirit2 they have learnt what is that glorious liberty of being able to abstain from the things which we condemn1 to do the things which we approve4 ,they have felt true sense of power succeed to that of weakness4 ,it is a delightful thing1 after a long illness1 after long helplessness1 when our legs have been unable to support our weight1 when our arms could lift nothing1 our hands grasp nothing1 when it was an effort to raise our head from the pillow1 and it tired us even to speak in a whisper1--it is a delightful thing to feel every member restored to its proper strength2 to find that exercise of limb1 of voice1 of body1 which had been so long a pain1 become now a source of perpetual pleasure4 ,this is delightful2 it pays for many an hour of previous weakness4 ,but it is infinitely more delightful to feel the change from weakness to strength in our souls2 to feel the languor of selfishness changed for the vigour of benevolence2 to feel thought1 hope1 faith1 love1 which before were lying1 as it were1 in helplessness1 now bounding in vigorous activity2 to find the soul1 which had been so long stretched as upon the sick bed of this earth1 now able to stand upright1 and looking and moving steadily towards heaven4 ,these are chosen2 and they to whom this description does in no degree apply1 they are not chosen4 ,they are not chosen in any sense1 they are called only4 ,and1 now1 what is the proportion between the one and the other2 are there as many chosen as there have been many called8 ,or do ,christ's words apply in our case no less than in others2 that though they who are called are many1 yet they who are chosen are few8 ,this ,i dare not answer2 there is a good as well as an evil which is unseen to the world at large1 unseen even by all but those who watch us most nearly and most narrowly4 ,all we can say is1 that there are too many1 who we must fear are not chosen2 there are too few1 of whom we can feel sure that they are4 ,yet hope is a wiser feeling than its opposite2 it were as wrong as it would be miserable to abandon it4 ,how gladly would we hope the best things of all those whom we saw this morning at ,christ's holy table6 ,how gladly would we believe of all such1 that they were more than called merely2 that they had listened to the call3 that they had obeyed it2 that they had already gained some ,christian victories2 that they were1 in some sense1 not called only1 but chosen4 ,but this we may say2 that hope which we so long to entertain1 that hope too happy to be at once indulged in1 you may authorize us to feel it2 you may convert it into confidence4 ,do you ask how8 ,by going on steadily in good1 by advancing from good to better1 by not letting impressions fade with time4 ,now1 with many of you1 your confirmation is little more than three months distant2 when we next meet at ,christ's table1 it will have passed by nearly half-a-year4 ,it may be1 that1 in that added interval1 it will have lost much of its force2 that1 from various causes1 evil may have abounded in you more than good2 that then shame1 or a willing surrender of yourselves to carelessness1 will keep away from ,christ's ,communion1 many who have this day joined in it4 ,but1 if this were not to be so2 if those1 whom we have seen with joy this day communicating with us in the pledges of ,christian fellowship1 should continue to do so steadily2 if1 in the meantime1 traits shall appear in you in other things that our hope was well founded2 if the hatred of evil and the love of good were to be clearly manifest in you2 if by signs not to be mistaken by those who watch earnestly for them1 we might be assured that your part was taken1 that you were striving with us in that service of our common ,master1 in which we would fain live and die2 if evil was clearly lessened among us--not laughed at1 but discouraged and put down2 if instead of those turning away1 who have now been with us at ,christ's table1 others1 who have now turned away1 should then be added to the number2 then we should say1 not doubtingly1 that you were chosen3 that you had tasted of the good things of ,christ2 that the good work of ,god was clearly begun in you4 ,we might not1 indeed1 be without care1 either for you or for ourselves3 ,god forbid1 that1 in that sense1 any of us should deem that we were chosen1 until the grave has put us beyond temptation4 ,but how happy were it to think of you as ,christ's chosen1 in that sense which should be a constant encouragement to us all3 to think of you as going on towards ,god2 to think of you as living to him daily2 to think of you as on his side against all his enemies2 to think of you as led by his ,spirit1 as living members of his holy and glorious ,church1--militant now1 in heaven triumphant6 ,,lecture ,,xv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,luke xi4 #be4 ,when he cometh1 he findeth it swept and garnished4 ,,john v4 #db4 ,i know you1 that ye have not the love of ,god in you4 ,these passages1 of which the first is taken from the gospel of this morning's service1 the other from the second lesson1 differ in words1 but their meaning is very nearly the same4 ,the house which was empty1 swept and garnished1 was especially one empty of the love of ,god4 ,whatever evil there may not have been in it2 whatever good there may have been in those of whom ,christ spoke in the second passage3 yet it and they agreed in this2 one thing they had not1 which alone was worth1 all the rest besides2 they had not the love of ,god4 ,and so it is still2 many are the faults which we have not2 many are the good qualities which we have2 but the life is wanting4 ,what is so rare as to find one who is not indifferent to ,god8 ,what so rare1 even rarer than the other1 as to find one who actually loves him8 ,therefore it is that those who go in at the broad gate of destruction are many1 and those who go in at the narrow gate of life are few4 ,for destruction and life are but other terms for indifference to ,god on the one hand1 and love to him on the other4 ,all who are indifferent to him1 die2 a painless death of mere extinction1 if1 like the brute creation1 they have never been made capable of loving him2 or a living death of perpetual misery1 if1 like evil spirits and evil men1 they might have loved him and would not4 ,and so all who love him1 live a life1 from first to last1 without sin and sorrow1 if1 like the holy angels1 they have loved him always2 a life partaking at first of death1 but brightening more and more unto the perfect day1 if1 like ,christians1 they were born in sin1 but had been redeemed and sanctified to righteousness4 ,whoever has watched human character1 whether in the young or the old1 must be well aware of the truth of this3 he will know that the value of any character is in proportion to the existence or to the absence of this feeling1 or rather1 ,i should say1 this principle4 ,an exception may1 perhaps1 be made for a small1 a very small number of fanatics2 an apparent exception likewise exists in the case of many who seem to be religious1 but who really are not so4 ,the few exceptions of the former case are so very few1 that we need not now stop to consider them1 nor to inquire how far even these would be exceptions if we could read the heart as ,god reads it4 ,the seeming exceptions being cases either of hypocrisy1 or of very common self-deceit1 we need not regard either2 for they are1 of course1 no real objection to the truth of the general statement4 ,it remains true1 then1 generally1 that the value of any character is in proportion to the existence1 or to the absence1 in it of the love of ,god4 ,but is there not another exception to be made for the case of children1 and of very young persons8 ,are they capable of loving ,god8 and are not their earthly relations1 their parents especially1 put to them1 as it were1 in the place of ,god1 as objects of trust1 of love1 of honour1 of obedience1 till their minds can open to comprehend the love of their ,father who is in heaven8 ,and does not the ,scripture itself1 in the few places in which it seems directly to address children1 content itself with directing them to obey and honour their parents8 ,some notions of this sort are allowed1 ,i believe1 to serve sometimes as an excuse1 when young persons are blamed for being utterly wanting in a sense of duty to ,god4 ,the passages which direct children to obey their parents1 are of the same kind with those1 directing slaves to obey their masters1 and masters to be kind to their slaves2 like those1 also1 which ,john the ,baptist addressed to the soldiers and publicans3 in none of all which there is any command to love ,god1 but merely a command to fulfil that particular duty which most arose out of the particular relation1 or calling of the persons addressed4 ,in fact1 when parents are addressed1 they are directed only to do their duties to their children1 just as children are directed to do theirs to their parents2 in both cases alike1 the common duty of parents and children to ,god is not dwelt upon1 because that is a duty which does not belong to them as parents1 or as children1 but as human beings2 and as such1 it belongs to all alike4 ,in fact1 the very language of ,st4 ,paul's command to children implies this2 for he says1 ,children1 obey your parents in the ,lord3 for this is right3 right1 that is1 in the sight of ,god3 so that the very reason for which children are to discharge their earthly duties is1 because that earthly duty is commanded by1 or involved in1 their heavenly duty2 if they do not do it1 they will not please ,god4 ,but it is manifest that1 in this respect1 there is for all of us one only law1 so soon as we are able to understand it4 ,the moment that a child becomes capable of understanding anything about ,god and ,christ1--and how early that is1 every parent can testify1--that moment the duty to love ,god and ,christ begins4 ,it were absurd to say1 that this duty has not begun at the age of boyhood4 ,a boy is able to understand the force of religious motives1 as well as he can that of earthly motives3 he cannot understand either1 perhaps1 so well as he will hereafter2 but he understands both enough1 for the purposes of his salvation2 enough1 to condemn him before ,god1 if he neglects them2 enough to make him derive the greatest benefit from faithfully observing them4 ,and what can have been the purpose with which the only particular of our ,lord's early life has been handed down to us1 if it were not to direct our attention to this special truth1 that our youth1 no less than our riper age1 belongs to ,god8 ,wist ye not that ,i must be about my ,father's business8 were words spoken by our ,lord when he was no more than twelve years old4 ,at twelve years old1 he thought of preparing himself for the duties of his after-life2 and of preparing himself for them1 because they were ,god's will4 ,he was to be about his ,father's business4 ,this is ,christ's example for the young2 this1 and scarcely anything more than this1 is recorded of his early years4 ,those are not like ,christ who1 at that same age1 or even older1 never think at all of the business of their future lives1 still less would think of it1 not as the means of their own maintenance or advancement1 but as the duty which they owe to ,god4 ,such as these are the very persons whose hearts are like the house in the parable1 empty1 swept1 and garnished4 ,the house so described in the parable is one out of which an evil spirit has just departed4 ,in case of the young1 the evil spirit in this sense1 that is1 as representing some one particular favourite sin1 may perhaps have never entered it4 ,that empty1 swept1 and garnished house1 how like is it to what ,i have seen1 to what ,i am seeing so continually1 when a boy comes here with much still remaining of the innocence of childhood6 ,evil spirit1 in the sense of any one particular vice1 there is none to be found in that heart1 nor has there been any ever4 ,it is empty1 swept1 and garnished3 there is the absence of evil2 there are the various faculties1 the furniture1 as they may be called1 of the house of our spirits1 which the spirit uses either for evil or for good4 ,there is innocence1 then2 there is1 also1 the promise of power4 ,god hath richly endowed the earthly house of our tabernacle3 various and wonderful is the furniture of body and mind with which it is supplied4 ,how can we help admiring that open and cheerful brow which1 as yet1 no care or sin has furrowed2 those light and active limbs1 full of health and vigour2 the eye so quick2 the ear so undulled2 the memory so ready2 the young curiosity so eager to take in new knowledge2 the young feelings1 not yet spoiled by over-excitement1 ready to admire1 ready to love8 ,there is the house1 the house of ,god's building1 the house which must abide for ever2 but where is the spirit to inhabit it8 ,evil spirit there is none3 is it1 then1 possessed by the ,spirit of ,god8 ,has the fire from heaven as yet descended upon that house1--the living sign of ,god's presence1 which alone can convert the house of perishable clay into the everlasting temple8 ,can that blessed ,spirit of ,god be indeed there1 and yet no sign of his presence be manifest8 ,it may be so1 or to speak more truly1 it might have been supposed to be so1 if ,god's word had not declared the contrary4 ,what ,god's secret workings are2 in how many ways1 to us inscrutable1 he may pervade all nature2 in how many cases he may be near us1 and we know it not2 may1 perhaps1 be amongst those real mysteries1 those truths revealed to none1 nor to be revealed2 those yet uncleared forests1 so to speak1 of the world of nature1 into which the light of grace has not been permitted to penetrate4 ,but all such mysteries are to us as if they did not exist at all3 we have nothing to do with them4 ,god has told us nothing of his unseen and undiscernible presence2 when and where he is so present1 he is to us as if he were not present at all4 ,god was in the wilderness of ,horeb before the bush was kindled2 but he was not there for ,moses4 ,god1 in some sense discernible1 it may be1 to other beings1 may be in that house which1 to us is empty2 but ,god1 our own ,god1 the ,holy ,spirit1 into whose service we were baptized1 where he is1 the house is not empty to us1 but full of light4 ,invisible in himself1 the signs of his presence are most visible3 where no works1 no fruits of the ,holy ,spirit are to be discerned1 there1 according to our ,lord's express declaration1 there the ,holy ,spirit is not4 ,but the light which declares his presence may indeed be a little spark2 just to be seen1 and no more4 ,it may show that he has not abandoned all his right to the house of our tabernacle as yet2 that he would desire to possess us fully4 ,such a little spark1 such an evidence of the ,holy ,spirit's presence1 is to be found in the outward profession of ,christianity4 ,they who call ,jesus ,lord1 do it by the ,holy ,ghost2 and1 therefore1 it is quite true in this sense1 that in every baptized ,christian1 who has not utterly apostatized1 there is that faint sign of the ,holy ,spirit's still having a claim upon him2 he is not yet utterly cast off4 ,this is true2 but it is not to our present purpose2 such a feeble sign is a sign of ,god's yet unwearied mercy1 but no sign of our salvation4 ,the presence with which the parable is concerned1 is a far more effectual presence than this2 the house in which there is no more than such a faint sign of a divine inhabitant1 is1 in the language of the parable1 empty4 ,to no purpose of our salvation is the ,spirit of ,god present in the house1 when the light of his presence does not flash forth from every part of it1 when it is not manifest1 not only that he has not quite cast it off to go to ruin1 but that he has been pleased to make it his temple4 ,in this sense1 therefore1 in this practical1 scriptural1 ,christian sense1 those many young minds1 which we have seen so often1 may truly be called empty4 ,but will they remain so long8 ,how often have ,i seen the early innocence of boyhood overcast2 the natural simplicity of boyhood1 its open truth1 its confident affection1 its honest shame1 perverted1 blunted1 hardened6 ,how often have ,i seen the seven evil spirits enter in and dwell there1--,i know not1 and never may know1 whether to be cast out again1 or to abide for ever4 ,but ,i have seen them enter1 and1 whilst the person was yet within my view1 ,i have not seen them depart4 ,and why have they entered2 why have they marred that which was so beautiful8 ,for one only reason1--because the house was empty1 because the ,spirit of ,god was not there3 there was no love of ,god1 no thought of ,god4 ,mere innocence taints and spoils as surely before the influence of the world1 as true principle flourishes in spite of it1 and strengthens4 ,this1 too1 ,i have seen1 not once only3 ,i have seen the innocence of early boyhood sanctified by something better than innocence1 which gave a promise of abiding4 ,i have seen1 in other words1 that the house was not empty2 that the ,spirit of ,god was there4 ,i have watched the effect of those influences1 which you know so well3 the second half-year came1 a period when mere innocence is sure to be worn away1 greatly tainted1 if not utterly gone2 but still1 in the cases which ,i am now alluding to1 the promise of good was not less1 but greater1 there was a more tried1 and1 therefore1 a stronger goodness4 ,i have watched this1 too1 till it passed on1 out of my sight4 ,i never saw the blessed ,spirit of ,god depart from the house which he had chosen3 ,i well believe that he abides in it still1 and will abide in it even to the day of ,jesus ,christ4 ,this ,i have seen1 and this ,i shall continue to see2 for still the great work of evil and of good is going on2 still the house1 at first empty1 is possessed by the spirits of evil1 or by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,and if we do not see the signs of the ,spirit of ,god1 we are but too sure that the evil spirit is there4 ,we know him by the manifold signs of folly1 coarseness1 carelessness2 even when we see not1 as yet1 his worse fruits of falsehood and profligacy4 ,we know him by the sign of an increased1 and increasing selfishness1 the everlasting cry of the thousand passions of our nature1 all for ever calling out1 ,give1 give2 all for ever impatient1 complaining1 when their gratification is withheld1 when the call of duty is set before them4 ,we know him by pride and self-importance1 as if nothing was so great as self1 as if our own opinions1 judgment1 feelings were to be consulted in all things4 ,we know him by the deep ungodliness which he occasions--no thought of ,god1 much less any love of him2 living utterly without him in the world1 or1 at least1 whilst health and prosperity continue4 ,these are the fatal signs which show that the house is no longer empty2 that the evil spirits have entered in1 and dwell there1 to make it theirs1 as too often happens1 for time and for eternity4 ,,lecture ,,xvi4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,mathew xi4 #aj4 ,i send my messenger before thy face1 who shall prepare thy way before thee4 ,if it was part of ,god's dispensation1 that there should be one to prepare the way before ,christ's first coming1 it may be expected much more1 that there should be some to prepare the way before his second4 ,and so it is expressed in the collect for the third ,sunday in ,advent3 ,o ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee2 grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way1 by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just1 that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight1 who livest and reignest with the ,father and the ,holy ,spirit1 ever one ,god1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,,now1 in what does this preparing for him consist2 and what is its object8 ,the ,scripture will inform us as to both4 ,the object is1 ,lest he come and smite the earth with a curse2 lest1 when he shall come1 his coming1 which should be our greatest joy and happiness1 should be our everlasting destruction2 for there can abide before him nothing that is evil4 ,this is the object of preparing for ,christ's coming4 ,next1 in what does the preparation consist8 ,it consists in teaching men to live above the common notions of their age and country2 to raise their standard higher2 to live after what is right in ,god's judgment1 which often casts away1 as faulty and bad1 what men were accustomed to think good4 ,and as the people of ,israel1 although they had ,god's revelation among them1 had yet let their standard of good and evil become low1 even so it has been in the ,christian ,israel4 ,we have ,god's will in our hands1 yet our judgments are not formed upon it2 and1 therefore1 they who would prepare us for ,christ's coming1 must set before us a commandment which is new1 although old3 in one sense old1 in every generation1 inasmuch as it is the same which we had from the beginning2 in another sense1 in every generation more new1 inasmuch1 as the habits opposed to it have become the more confirmed2 and the longer the night has lasted1 the more strange to our eyes is the burst of the returning light4 ,but when we thus speak of the common notions of our age and country being deficient1 and thus1 in effect1 commend notions which would be singular1 do we not hold a language inconsistent with our common language and practice8 ,do we not commonly regard singularity as a fault1 and attach a considerable authority to the consent of men in general8 ,nay1 do we not often appeal to this consent as to a proof which a sane mind must admit as decisive8 ,even in speaking of good and evil1 have not the very words gained their present sense because the common consent of mankind has agreed to combine notions of self-satisfaction1 of honour1 and of love1 with what we call good1 and the contrary with what we call evil8 ,a short time may1 perhaps1 not be misapplied in endeavouring to explain this matter2 in showing where1 and for what reasons1 the common opinion of our society is to be followed1 where it is to be suspected1 and where it is absolutely to be shunned or trampled under foot1 as clearly and certainly evil4 ,i must begin with little things1 in order to show the whole question plainly4 ,take those tastes in us which most resemble the instincts of a brute2 and you will find that in these1 as with instinct1 common consent becomes a sure rule4 ,when ,i speak of those tastes which most resemble instincts1 ,i mean those in which nature1 doing most for us at first1 leaves least for us to learn for ourselves4 ,this seems the character of instinct3 it is far more complete than reason in its first stage1 but it admits of no after improvement2 the brute in the thousandth generation is no way advanced beyond the brute in the first4 ,of our tastes1 even of those belonging to our bodily senses1 that which belongs to what are called particularly our organs of taste is the one most resembling an instinct3 we have less to do for its improvement than in any other instance4 ,men being here1 then1 upon an equality1 with a faculty given to all by nature1 and improved particularly by none1 those who differ from the majority are likely to differ not from excellence but from defect3 not because they have a more advanced reason1 but because they have a less healthy instinct1 than their neighbours4 ,thus1 in those matters which relate to the sense of taste--,i am obliged to take this almost trivial instance1 because it so well illustrates the principle of the whole question--we hold the consent of men in general to be a good rule4 ,if any one were to choose to feed upon what this common taste had pronounced to be disgusting1 we should not hesitate to say that such an appetite was diseased and monstrous4 ,now1 let us take our senses of sight and hearing1 and we shall find that just in the proportion in which these less resemble instincts than the sense of taste1 so is common consent a less certain rule4 ,up to a certain point they are instincts3 there are certain sounds which1 ,i suppose1 are naturally disagreeable to the ear2 while1 on the other hand1 bright and rich colours are1 perhaps1 naturally attractive to the eye4 ,but1 then1 sight and hearing are so connected with our minds that they are susceptible of very great cultivation1 and thus differ greatly from instincts4 ,as the mind opens1 outward sights and sounds become connected with a great number of associations1 and thus we learn to think the one or the other beautiful1 for reasons which really depend very much on the range of our own ideas4 ,consider1 for a moment1 the beautiful in architecture4 ,if the model of the leaning tower of ,pisa were generally adopted in our public buildings1 all men's common sense would cry out against it as a deformity1 because a leaning wall would convey to every mind the notion of insecurity1 and every body would feel that it was unpleasant to see a building look exactly as if it were going to fall down4 ,now1 what ,i have called common sense is1 in a manner1 the instinct of our reason3 it is that uniform level of reason which all sane persons reach to1 and the wisest in matters within its province do not surpass4 ,but go beyond this1 and architecture is no longer a matter of mere common sense1 but of science1 and of cultivated taste4 ,here the standard of beauty is not fixed by common consent2 but1 in the first instance1 devised or discovered by the few3 and1 so far as it is received by the many1 received by them on the authority of the few1 and sanctioned1 so to speak1 not so much from real sympathy and understanding1 as from a reasonable trust and deference to those who are believed the best judges4 ,here1 then1 we suppose that the common judgment is right2 but we perceive a difference between this case and the one mentioned before1 inasmuch as in the first instance the right judgment of the mass of mankind is their own2 in the second instance1 they have adopted it out of deference to others4 ,not only1 then1 will men's common judgment be right in matters of instinct and of common sense1 but also in higher matters1 where1 although they could not have discovered what was right1 yet they were perfectly willing to adopt it1 when discovered by others4 ,and this opens a very wide field4 ,for in all matters which come under the dominion of fashion1 where the avowed object is the convenience or gratification of society1 men listen to those who profess to teach them with almost an excess of docility3 they will adopt sometimes fashions which are not convenient4 ,but yet1 as men can tell well enough by experience whether they do find a thing convenient and agreeable or not1 so it is most likely that fashions which continue long and generally prevalent are founded upon sound principles2 because else men1 being well capable of knowing what convenience is1 and being also well disposed to follow it1 would neither have been very long or very generally mistaken in this matter2 nor would have acquiesced in their mistake contentedly4 ,we do perfectly right1 then1 to regard the common opinion as a rule in all points of dress1 in our houses and furniture1 in those lighter usages of society which come under the denomination of manners1 as distinguished from morals4 ,in all these1 if the mass of mankind could not find out what would best suit them1 yet they are quite ready to adopt it when it is found out2 and so they equally arrive at truth4 ,but take away this readiness1 and the whole case is altered4 ,if there be any point in which men are not ready to adopt what is best for them2 if they are either indifferent1 or still more1 if they are averse to it2 if they thus have neither the power of discovering it for themselves1 nor the will to avail themselves of it1 when discovered for them2 then it is clear that1 in such a point1 the common judgment will be of no value1 nay1 there will even be a presumption that it is wrong4 ,now as the common consent of mankind was most sure in matters where their sense most resembled instinct1 that is1 where nature had done most for them1 and left them least to do for themselves2 as here1 therefore1 they who are sound are the great majority1 and the exceptions are no better than disease2 so if there be any part of us which is the direct opposite to instinct1 a part in which nature has done next to nothing for us1 and all is to be done by ourselves2 then1 here the common consent of mankind will be of the least value2 here the majority will be helpless and worthless2 and they who are happy enough to be exceptions to this majority1 will be no other than ,christ's redeemed4 ,now1 again1 if this deficient part of our nature could be seen purely distinct from every other2 if it alone dictated our language1 and inspired our actions1 then it would follow1 that language which must ever be fixed by the majority1 would be1 in fact1 the language of the world of infinite evil2 and our actions those of mere devils4 ,then1 whoever of us would be saved1 must needs begin by forswearing1 altogether1 both the language and the actions of his fellow-men4 ,but this is not so2 in almost every instance this deficient part of our nature acts along with others that are not so corrupted2 it mars their work1 undoubtedly2 it often confuses and perverts our language2 it always taints our actions2 but it does not wholly usurp either the one or the other2 and thus1 by ,god's blessing1 man's language yet affords a high witness to divine truth1 and even men's judgments and actions testify1 though with infinite imperfection1 to the existence and excellence of goodness4 ,and this it is which forms one of the great perplexities of life2 for as there is enough of what is right in men's judgments and conduct to forbid us from saying1 that we must take the very rule of contraries1 and think and do just the opposite to the opinions and practice of men in general2 so1 on the other hand1 there is always so much wrong in them1 that we may never dare to follow them as a standard1 but shall find1 that if trusted to as such1 they will inevitably betray us4 ,so that in points of greater moment than mere manners and fashion1 it will ever be true1 that if we would be prepared for ,christ's coming1 we must rise to a far higher standard than that of society in general2 that in the greatest concerns of human life1 the practice of the majority1 though always containing something of good1 is yet in its prevailing character1 as regards ,god1 so evil1 that they who are content to follow it cannot be saved4 ,this is the explanation of the apparent difficulty in the general1 and thus1 while acknowledging that there are points in which men1 by common consent1 make out what is best2 and others in which1 although they do not make it out1 nor at first appreciate it1 yet they are very willing to adopt it upon trust1 and so come by experience to value it2 while1 therefore1 there are a great many things in which singularity is either a disease or a foolishness2 so again there are other points in which men in general have not the power to make out what is good1 nor yet the docility to adopt it2 and1 therefore1 in these points1 which relate to the great matters of life1 singularity is wisdom and salvation1 and he who does as others do1 perishes4 ,that is what is called the corruption of human nature4 ,i shall attempt1 on another occasion1 to go into some further details1 and show1 by common examples1 how strangely our judgment and practice contain1 with much that is right1 just that one taint or defect which1 as a whole1 spoils them4 ,and this one defect will be found to be1 as the ,scripture declares1 a defect in our sense of our relation towards ,god4 ,,lecture ,,xvii4 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,corinthians ii4 #ab4 ,we have received not the spirit of the world1 but the ,spirit which is of ,god4 ,and1 therefore1 he goes on to say1 our language is different from that of others1 and not always understood by them2 the natural man receiveth not the things of ,god1 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4 ,that is1 they are discerned only by a faculty which he has not1 namely1 by the ,spirit2 and1 therefore1 as beings devoid of reason cannot understand the truths of science1 or of man's wisdom1 for they are without the faculty which can discern them2 so beings devoid of ,god's ,spirit cannot understand the truths of ,god4 ,now1 in order to turn this passage to our profit1 we need not consider those who are wholly without ,god's ,spirit1 or inquire whether1 indeed1 there be any such2 it is not that there are two broadly marked divisions of all men1 those who have not the ,spirit of ,god at all1 and those who have it abundantly3 if it were so1 the separation of the great day of judgment would be begun already1 nor would it require1 in order to effect it rightly1 the wisdom of ,him who trieth the very hearts and reins4 ,no doubt there will be at last but two divisions of us all1 the saved and the lost2 but now the divisions are infinite2 so much so that the great body of us offer much matter for hope as well as for fear4 ,we cannot say1 that they are without the ,spirit of ,god2 yet neither can we say that they are led by the ,spirit1 so as to be ,god's true servants4 ,we cannot say1 that the things of ,god's are absolutely to them as foolishness2 yet certainly1 we cannot say either1 that they are to them as the divinest wisdom4 ,and here we return to the subject on which ,i was speaking last ,sunday4 ,it is because we are not led by the ,spirit of ,god1 but have within us much of the spirit of the world1 that our judgments of right and wrong are so faulty2 and that this faultiness is particularly seen in our faint sense of our relations to ,god4 ,these relations seem continually foolishness to us1 because they are spiritually discerned1 and we have so little of ,god's ,spirit to enable us to discern them4 ,and our blindness here affects our whole souls2 we have1 in consequence of it1 a much fainter perception even of those truths which reason can discern by herself2 or1 at any rate1 if we do not doubt them1 they have over us much less influence4 ,now we will first see how much of natural reason1 and even of the ,spirit of ,god1 does exist in our common judgments2 for it is fair to see and to allow what there is of right in our language and sentiments1 as well as to note what is wrong4 ,reason influences thus much1 that we not only commend good generally1 and blame evil2 but even1 in particular cases1 we commend1 ,i think1 each separate virtue1 and we blame each separate vice4 ,i never heard of justice1 truth1 kindness1 self-denial1 c41 being other than approved of in themselves2 or injustice1 falsehood1 malice1 and selfishness being other than condemned4 ,and the ,spirit of ,god influences at least thus much1 that we shrink from direct blasphemy and profaneness2 we cannot but respect those whom we believe to be living sincerely in the fear of ,god2 and further1 if we thought our death near1 we should desire to hear of ,god1 and to depart from this life under his favour4 ,no doubt1 all such feelings1 so far as they go1 are the work of ,god's ,spirit3 whatever is good and right in our minds towards ,god1 that proceeds not from the spirit of the world1 but from the ,spirit of ,god4 ,where1 then1 is the great defect which yet continually makes our practical judgments quite wrong2 which makes us1 in fact1 so often countenance and support evil1 and discountenance and discourage good8 ,first1 it is owing to the spirit of carelessness4 ,one of the most emphatic terms by which a good man is expressed in the language of the ,greek philosophers1 is that of ,greek3 opdouiaos1 one who is in earnest4 ,to be in earnest is1 indeed1 with1 most of us1 the same as to be good2 it is not that we love evil1 but that we are indifferent both to it and to good4 ,now1 many of us are very seldom in earnest4 ,by this ,i mean1 that the highest part of our minds1 and that which judges of the highest things1 is generally slumbering or but half awake4 ,we may go through1 a very busy day1 and yet not be1 in this true sense1 in earnest at all2 our best faculties may1 as it were1 be all the while sleeping or playing4 ,it is notorious how much this is so in the common intercourse of society in the world4 ,light anecdotes2 playful remarks2 discussions1 it may be1 about the affairs of the neighbourhood1 or1 in some companies1 on questions of science or party politics2 all these may be often heard2 but we may talk on all these brilliantly and well1 and yet our best nature may not once be called to exert itself4 ,so again1 in mere routine business1 it is the same3 the body may toil2 the pen move swiftly2 the thoughts act in the particular matter before them vigorously2 and yet we our proper selves1 beings understanding and choosing between good and evil1 have never bestirred ourselves at all4 ,it has been but a skirmishing at the outposts2 not a sword had been drawn in the main battle4 ,take younger persons1 and the same thing is the case even more palpably4 ,here there is less of business in the common sense of the term2 the mind is almost always unbraced and resting4 ,we pass through the good and evil of our daily life1 and our proper self scarcely ever is aroused to notice either the one or the other4 ,but the worst of it is1 that this carelessness is not altogether accidental3 it is a carelessness which we do not wish to break4 ,so long as it lasts1 we manage to get the activity and interest of life1 without a sense of its responsibility4 ,we like exceedingly to lay the reins1 as it were1 upon the neck of our inclinations1 to go where they take us1 and to ask no questions whether we are in the right road or no4 ,inclination is never slumbering3 this gives us excitement enough to save us from weariness1 without the effort of awakening our conscience too4 ,therefore society1 expressing in its rules the feelings of its individual members1 prescribes exactly such a style of conversation as may keep in exercise all other parts of our nature except that one which should be sovereign of all1 and whose exercise is employed on things eternal4 ,not being1 then1 properly in earnest1--that is1 our conscience and our choice of moral good and evil being in a state of repose1--our language is happily contrived so as that it shall contain nothing to startle our sleeping conscience1 if her ears catch any of its sounds4 ,we still commend good and dispraise evil1 both in the general and in the particular4 ,but as good and evil are mixed in every man1 and in various proportions1 he who commends1 the little good of a bad man1 saying nothing of his evil1--or he who condemns the little evil of a good man1 saying nothing of his good1--leads us evidently to a false practical conclusion2 he leads us to like the bad man and to dislike the good4 ,again1 the lesser good becomes an evil if it keeps out a greater good2 and1 in the same way1 the lesser evil becomes a good4 ,if we have no thought of comparing good things together1 if our sovereign nature be asleep1 then we shall most estimate the good to which we are most inclined2 and where we find this we shall praise it1 not observing that it is taking up the place of a greater good which the case requires1 and1 therefore1 that it is in fact an evil4 ,so that our moral judgments may lead practically to great evil3 we may join with bad men and despise good2 we may approve of qualities which1 are1 in fact1 ruining a man2 and despise others which1 in the particular case1 are virtues2 without ever in plain words condemning virtue or approving vice4 ,but1 farther1 this habit of never being in earnest greatly lowers the strength of our feelings even towards the good which we praise and towards the evil which we condemn4 ,it was an admirable definition of that which excites laughter1 that it was that which is out of rule1 that which is amiss1 that which is unsightly1 7these three ideas1 and other similar ones1 are alike contained in the single ,greek word ,greek3 aischron17 provided that it was unaccompanied by pain4 ,this definition accounts for the otherwise extraordinary fact1 that there is something in moral evil which1 in some instances1 affects the mind ludicrously4 ,that is to say1 if moral evil affects us with no pain2 if we see in it nothing1 so to speak1 but its irregularity1 its strange contrast with what is beautiful1 its jarring with the harmony of the system around us2 then it does acquire that character which is well defined as being ridiculous4 ,thus it is notorious that trifling follies1 and even gross vices1 are often so represented in works of fiction as to be exceedingly ludicrous4 ,it is enough1 as an instance of what ,i mean1 to name the vice of drunkenness4 ,get rid for the moment of the notions of vice or sin which1 accompany it1 and which give moral pain2 get rid also of those points in it which awaken physical disgust2 retain merely the notion of the incoherent language1 and the strange capricious gait of intoxication2 and we have then an image merely ridiculous1 as much1 so as the rambling talk and absurd gestures of the old buffoons4 ,here1 then1 we have the secret of vice becoming laughable2 and of things which are really wicked1 disgusting1 hateful1 being expressed by names purely ludicrous4 ,where no great physical pain or distress is occasioned by what is evil1 our sense of its ludicrousness will be exactly in proportion to the faintness of our sense of moral evil2 or1 in other words1 to our want of being in earnest4 ,the evil that does not seriously pain or inconvenience man1 is very apt to be regarded with feelings approaching to laughter1 if we have no sense of pain at the notion of its being an offence against ,god4 ,thus1 then1 we have seen how1 from the want of being in earnest1 from the habitual slumber of conscience1 or that sovereign part of us which looks upon our whole state with reference to its highest interests1 and passes judgment upon all our actions1--how1 from the practical absence of these1 we may get to follow evil persons1 and be indifferent to the good2 to admire qualities which1 from usurping the place of better ones1 are actually ruinous2 and1 finally1 to regard all common evil not so much with deep abhorrence1 as with a disposition to laugh at it4 ,and thus the practical judgment and influence of the society around us may be fatally evil2 while the society all the time shall contain1 even in its very perversion1 various elements of truth and of good4 ,i have kept to general language1 to general views1 perhaps too much2 but all the time my mind has been fixed on the particular application of this1 which lies scarcely beneath the surface1 but which ,i cannot well bear more fully to unveil4 ,but whoever has attended to what ,i have been saying1 will be able1 ,i should trust1 to make the application1 for himself1 to those points in our society which most need correction4 ,he will be able to understand how it is that the influence of the place is not better1 while it undoubtedly contains so much of good2 how the public opinion of a ,christian school may yet be1 in many respects1 very unchristian4 ,if he has attended at all to what ,i have said about our so rarely being in earnest1 he will see something of the mischief of some of those publications1 of those books1 of that tone of conversation1 which1 ,i suppose1 are here1 as elsewhere1 in fashion4 ,utterly impossible is it to lay down a rule for others in such matters3 to say this book is too light1 or this is an excess of light reading1 or this laugh was too unrestrained1 or that tone of trifling too perpetual4 ,but1 in these things1 we should all judge ourselves2 and remember that you are so little under outward restraint1 your choice of reading is so free1 your intercourse with one another so wholly uncontrolled1 that1 enjoying thus the full liberty of more advanced years1 you incur also their responsibility4 ,there is1 doubtless1 an excess of light reading1 both in kind and in quantity2 there is such a thing as a tone of conversation and manner too entirely1 and too frequently1 trifling4 ,and you must be quite aware that we are placed here for something else than to indulge such a temper as this4 ,cheerfulness and thoughtlessness have no necessary connexion2 the lightest spirits1 which are indeed one of the greatest of earthly blessings1 often play around the most earnest thought and the tenderest affection1 and with far more grace than when they are united with the shallowness and hardness of him who is1 in the sight of ,god1 a fool4 ,it were a strange notion1 that we could never be merry without intoxication1 yet not stranger than to think that mirth is the companion only of folly or of sin4 ,but1 setting ,god in ,christ before us1 then the conscience is awake2 then we are in earnest2 then we measure things rightly2 then we feel them strongly2 then we love those that are good1 and shun those that are evil2 then we learn that sin is no matter of laughter1 that it ill deserves to be clothed under a ludicrous name2 for that thing which we laugh at1 that which we so miscall1 is indeed the cause of infinite evil2 for that ,christ died2 for that there are some who die that death which lasts for ever4 ,,lecture ,,xviii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,genesis xxvii4 #ch4 ,and ,esau said unto his father1 ,hast thou but one blessing1 my father8 ,bless me1 even me also1 ,o my father4 ,,matthew xv4 #bg4 ,and she said1 ,truth1 ,lord3 yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table4 ,of these two passages1 the first1 as we must all remember1 is taken from the first lesson of this morning's service2 the second is from the morning's gospel4 ,both speak the same language1 and point out1 ,i think1 that particular view of the story of ,jacob obtaining the blessing which is most capable of being turned to account2 for1 as to the conduct of ,jacob and his mother1 it is manifestly no more capable of affording us benefit1 as a matter of example1 than the conduct1 in some respects similar1 of the unjust steward in our ,lord's parable4 ,the example1 indeed1 is of the same kind as that4 ,if the steward was so anxious about his future worldly welfare1 and ,jacob about the worldly welfare of his descendants1 that they did not scruple to obtain their ends1 the one by dishonesty1 the other by falsehood1 much more should we be anxious about the true welfare of ourselves and those belonging to us1 which no such unworthy means can be required to gain4 ,but the point of the story to which the text refers1 and which is illustrated also by the words of the ,syrophoenician woman1 is one which very directly concerns us all1 being no other than this1--what should be the effect upon our own minds of witnessing others possessed of greater advantages than ourselves1 whether obtained by the immediate gift of ,god1 through the course of his ordinary providence1 or acquired directly by some unjust or unlawful act of those who are in possession of them8 ,now1 it is evident that1 as equality is not the rule either of nature or of human society1 there must be many in every congregation who are so far in the condition of ,esau and of the ,syrophoenician woman1 as to be inferior to others around them in some one or more advantages4 ,the inferiority may consist in what are called worldly advantages1 or in natural advantages1 or in spiritual advantages1 or in some or all of these united4 ,and it is not to be doubted that the sense of this inferiority is a hard trial1 both as respects our feelings towards ,god and towards men4 ,it is a hard trial2 but yet1 no trial overtakes us but such as is common to man3 and here1 as in all other cases1 ,god will1 with the trial1 also make a way for us to escape1 that we may be able to bear it4 ,let us consider1 then1 some of the most common cases in which this inferiority exists amongst us4 ,with regard to worldly advantages1 the peculiar nature of this congregation makes it less necessary than it generally would be1 to dwell upon inequality in these3 in fact1 speaking generally1 we are a very unusual example of equality in these respects2 the advantages of station and fortune are enjoyed not1 literally1 in an equal degree by all of us1 but equally as compared with1 the lot of the great mass of society2 we all enjoy the necessaries1 and most of the comforts of life4 ,what differences there are would1 probably1 appear in instances seemingly trifling1 if1 indeed1 any thing were really trifling by which the temper and feelings1 and through them the principles1 of any amongst us may be affected for good or for evil4 ,it may possibly happen that1 in the indulgences1 or means of indulgence1 given to you by your friends at home1 there may be sometimes1 such a difference as to excite discontent or jealousy4 ,it may be1 that some are apt to exult over others1 by talking of the pleasures1 or the liberty1 which they enjoy2 and which the friends of others1 either from necessity or from a sense of duty1 are obliged to withhold4 ,if this be ever felt by any of you as a trial2 if it gall your pride1 as well as restrict your enjoyments2 then remember1 that here1 even in this seemingly little thing1 the inferiority of which you complain may be either increased ten-fold1 or changed into a blessed superiority4 ,increased ten-fold1 even as from him that hath not1 shall be taken away even that which he hath1 if by discontent1 and evil passions towards ,god and man1 you make yourselves a hundred times more inferior spiritually than you were in outward circumstances2 but changed into a blessed superiority1 if it be borne with meekness1 and patience1 and thankfulness1 even as it was said of the ,gentile centurion1 that there had not been found faith equal to his1 no1 not in ,israel4 ,but turning from worldly advantages to those which are called natural1 and the inequality here is at once as great as elsewhere4 ,in all faculties of body and mind2 in the vigour of the senses1 of the limbs1 of the general constitution2 in the greater or less liability to disease generally1 or to any particular form of it2 or1 again1 in powers of mind1 in quickness1 in memory1 in imagination1 in judgment2 the differences between different persons in this congregation must be exceedingly wide4 ,but1 with regard to bodily powers1 the trial is little felt1 till the inferiority is shown in actual suffering from pain or from disease4 ,so long as we are in health1 our enjoyments are so many1 and we so easily accommodate our habits to our powers1 that a mere inferiority of strength1 whether it be of limb or of constitution1 is not apt to make us dissatisfied4 ,but if it comes to actual illness or to pain1 if we are deprived of the common enjoyments and occupations of our age1 then perhaps the trial begins to be severe2 and when we look at others who have taken the same liberties with their health as we have done1 and see them notwithstanding perfectly well and strong1 while we are disabled or suffering1 we may think that ,god has dealt hardly with us1 and may be inclined to ask with ,esau1 ,hast thou but one blessing1 my ,father8 bless me1 even me also1 ,o my ,father6 ,now this language1 according to the sense in which we use it1 is either blameable or innocent4 ,if we mean to say1 ,hast thou health to give to others only and not to me8 give me this blessing also1 as thou hast given it to my brethren3 then it has in it somewhat of discontent and murmuring2 it implies a claim to which ,god never listens4 ,but if we mean1 ,hast thou only one kind of blessing1 my father8 ,if thou hast blest others in one way1 ,i murmur not nor complain3 but out of thine infinite store1 give me also such a blessing as may be convenient for me2 then ,god hears the prayer1 then he gives the blessing1 and gives it so richly1 and makes it bear so evidently the mark of his love1 that they who were last are become first2 if others have health1 and we have sickness1 yet the spirit of patience and cheerful submission which ,god gives with it is so great a blessing1 and makes us so certainly happy1 that the strongest and healthiest of our friends have often far more reason to wish to change places with us1 than we with them4 ,let us now take inequality in powers of mind4 ,and here1 undoubtedly1 the difference is apt to be a trial4 ,not that1 probably1 it excites discontent or murmuring against ,god2 nor jealousy against those whose faculties are better than our own3 the trial is of another kind2 we are tempted to make our inferiority an excuse for neglect2 because we cannot do so much nor so easily as others1 we do far less than we might do4 ,but the parable shows us plainly1 that if one talent only has been given us1 while others have ten1 yet that the one1 no less than the ten1 must be made to yield its increase4 ,here is the feeling expressed so earnestly by the woman entreating ,christ to heal her daughter4 ,the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table4 ,small as may be the portion of power given us1 when compared with the plenty vouchsafed to others1 still it is capable of nourishing us if we make use of it2 still it shows that we too have our blessing4 ,and if using it with thankfulness1 if doing our very best with it1 knowing that a man is accepted according to what he hath1 and not according to what he hath not1 we labour humbly and diligently2 then1 not only does the talent itself become increased1 so that our ,lord1 when he comes to reckon with us1 may receive his own with usury3 but a blessing of another kind is added to our labours1 again1 as in the former case1 making those who were last to become first4 ,for if there be one thing on earth which is truly admirable1 it is to see ,god's wisdom blessing an inferiority of natural powers1 when they have been honestly1 humbly1 and zealously cultivated4 ,from how many pains are they delivered1 to which great natural talents are continually exposed2 irritation1 jealousy1 a morbid and nervous activity1 bearing fruits not of peace1 but of gall6 ,with what blessings are they crowned1 to which1 the most powerful natural understanding is a stranger6 the love of truth gratified1 without the fear that truth will demand the sacrifice of personal vanity2 the line of duty clearly discerned1 because those mists of passion and selfishness which obscure it so often from the view of the keenest natural perception1 have been dispersed by the spirit of humility and love2 imperfect knowledge patiently endured1 because whatever knowledge is enjoyed is known to be ,god's gift1 and what he gives1 or what he withholds1 is alike welcome4 ,this is the blessing of those who having had inferior natural powers1 have so laboured to improve them according to ,god's will1 that on all there has been grafted1 as it were1 some better power of grace1 to yield a fruit most precious both for earth and heaven4 ,but ,i spoke of an equality of spiritual advantages also1 and this is perhaps the hardest trial of all4 ,oh1 how great is this inequality in truth1 when it seems to be so little6 ,all of you1 the children of ,christian parents2 all members of the ,christian ,church2 all partaking here of the same worship1 the same prayers1 the same word of ,god1 the same sacrament2 are you not all the ,israel of ,god1 and not1 like ,esau1 or the ,syrophoenician woman1 strangers to the covenant of blessing8 ,yet your real condition is1 notwithstanding1 very unequal4 ,how unlike are your friends at home2 how1 unlike1 also1 are your friends here6 ,are there not some to whom their homes1 both by direct precept and by example1 are a far greater help than to others8 ,are there not some1 whose immediate companions here may encourage them in all good far more than may be the case with1 others8 ,so1 then1 there may be some to whom this great blessing has been denied1 whilst others enjoy it4 ,what then8 ,shall we say1 that1 because we have it not1 we will refuse to go in to our ,father's house2 that we will not walk as our brother walks1 unless we have his advantages8 ,then must we remain cast out2 vessels fashioned to dishonour2 rejected of ,god1 and cursed4 ,nay rather let us put a ,christian sense on ,esau's prayer1 and cry1 ',hast thou but one blessing1 my ,father8 bless me1 even me also1 ,o my ,father4' ,if thou hast given to others earthly helps1 which thou hast denied to me1 give me thyself and thy own ,spirit the more6 ,if father and mother forsake my most precious interest1 do thou take me up4 ,if my nearest friends will not walk with me in the house of ,god1 be thou my friend1 and abide with1 me always1 making my house as thine4 ,outward and earthly means thou givest or takest away at thy pleasure2 but give me help according to my need1 that ,i yet may not lose thee4 ,how naturally are we interested at the thought of any one so circumstanced1 and uttering such a prayer6 ,how earnestly do we wish to help him1 to show our respect and true love for a faith so tried and so enduring6 ,and think we that ,god cares for it less than we do8 or have we not already the record of his love towards it1 when ,christ answered the ,syrophoenician woman1 ,o woman1 great is thy faith3 be it unto thee even as thou wilt8 ,he may not1 indeed1 see fit to give the very same blessing which was in the first instance denied3 we may still have fewer spiritual advantages than others1 as far as human helps are concerned2 fewer good and earnest friends2 fewer examples of holiness around us2 fewer to join with us in our prayers and in our struggles against evil4 ,but though this particular blessing may be denied1--as ,esau could not gain that blessing which had been given to ,jacob1--yet there is a blessing for us also1 which may prove1 in the end1 even better than our brother's4 ,he who serves ,god steadily1 amidst many disadvantages1 enjoys the blessing of a more confirmed and hardier faith2 he has gone through trials1 and been found conqueror2 and for him that overcometh is reserved a more abundant measure of glory4 ,but on the other side1 we who1 like ,jacob1 or ,jacob's posterity1 have the blessing1--whether it be natural1 worldly1 or spiritual1--let us consider what became of it when it was not improved4 ,what was the sin of ,esau1--speaking not of the individual1 but of the less favoured people of ,edom1--compared with the sin of ,jacob8 ,nay1 not of ,edom only2 but it shall be more tolerable for ,sodom1 in the day of judgment1 than for the unbelieving cities of ,israel4 ,so it is1 not only with the literal1 but with the ,christian ,israel2 so it is1 not only with the ,church as a whole compared with heathens1 but with all those individuals amongst us1 who enjoy in any larger measure than others any of ,god's blessings4 ,they are blessings2 but they may be made fatal curses4 ,this holds true with blessings of every kind3 with station and wealth1 with bodily health and vigour1 with1 great powers of mind1 with large means of spiritual improvement4 ,to whom much is given1 of him shall be much1 required4 ,it is required of us to enjoy our blessings by using them3 so will they be blessings indeed4 ,so it is with money and influence1 with health1 with talents1 with spiritual knowledge1 and good friends and parents4 ,there are first who shall be last2 that is1 those who began their course with advantages which set them before their brethren1 if they do not exert themselves1 will fall grievously behind them3 for the blessing denied may be1 in effect1 a blessing given2 and the blessing given1 in like manner1 becomes too often a blessing taken away4 ,,lecture ,,xix4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,matthew xxii4 #cb4 ,god is not the ,god of the dead1 but of the living4 ,we hear these words as a part of our ,lord's answer to the ,sadducees2 and1 as their question was put in evident profaneness1 and the answer to it is one which to our minds is quite obvious and natural1 so we are apt to think that in this particular story there is less than usual that particularly concerns us4 ,but it so happens1 that our ,lord1 in answering the ,sadducees1 has brought in one of the most universal and most solemn of all truths1--which is indeed implied in many parts of the ,old ,testament1 but which the ,gospel has revealed to us in all its fulness1--the truth contained in the words of the text1 that ,god is not the ,god of the dead1 but of the living4 ,i would wish to unfold a little what is contained in these words1 which we often hear even1 perhaps1 without quite understanding them2 and many times oftener without fully entering into them4 ,and we may take them1 first1 in their first part1 where they say that ,god is not the ,god of the dead4 ,the word dead1 we know1 is constantly used in ,scripture in a double sense1 as meaning those who are dead spiritually1 as well as those who are dead naturally4 ,and1 in either sense1 the words are alike applicable3 ,god is not the ,god of the dead4 ,god's not being the ,god of the dead signifies two things3 that they who are without him are dead1 as well as that they who are dead are also without him4 ,so far as our knowledge goes respecting inferior animals1 they appear to be examples of this truth4 ,they appear to us to have no knowledge of ,god2 and we are not told that they have any other life than the short one of which our senses inform us4 ,i am well aware that our ignorance of their condition is so great that1 we may not dare to say anything of them positively2 there may be a hundred things true respecting them which we neither know nor imagine4 ,i would only say that1 according to that most imperfect light in which we see them1 the two points of which ,i have been speaking appear to meet in them3 we believe that they have no consciousness of ,god1 and we believe that they will die4 ,and so far1 therefore1 they afford an example of the agreement1 if ,i may so speak1 between these two points2 and were intended1 perhaps1 to be to our view a continual image of it4 ,but we had far better speak of ourselves4 ,and here1 too1 it is the case that ,god is not the ,god of the dead4 ,if we are without him we are dead2 and if we are dead we are without him3 in other words1 the two ideas of death and absence from ,god are in fact synonymous4 ,thus1 in the account given of the fall of man1 the sentence of death and of being cast out of ,eden go together2 and if any one compares the description of the second ,eden in the ,revelation1 and recollects how especially it is there said1 that ,god dwells in the midst of it1 and is its light by day and night1 he will see that the banishment from the first ,eden means a banishment from the presence of ,god4 ,and thus1 in the day that ,adam sinned1 he died2 for he was cast out of ,eden immediately1 however long he may have moved about afterwards upon the earth where ,god was not4 ,and how very strong to the same point are the words of ,hezekiah's prayer1 ,the grave cannot praise thee1 ,death cannot celebrate thee2 they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth2 words which express completely the feeling that ,god is not the ,god of the dead4 ,this1 too1 appears to be the sense generally of the expression used in various parts of the ,old ,testament1 ,thou shalt surely die4 ,it is1 no doubt1 left purposely obscure2 nor are we ever told1 in so many words1 all that is meant by death2 but1 surely1 it always implies a separation from ,god1 and the being--whatever the notion may extend to--the being dead to him4 ,thus1 when ,david had committed his great sin1 and had expressed his repentance for it1 ,nathan tells him1 ,the ,lord also hath put away thy sin2 thou shalt not die3 which means1 most expressively1 thou shalt not die to ,god4 ,in one sense1 ,david died1 as all men die2 nor was he1 by any means1 freed from the punishment of his sin3 he was not1 in that sense1 forgiven2 but he was allowed still to regard ,god as his ,god2 and1 therefore1 his punishments were but fatherly chastisements from ,god's hand1 designed for his profit1 that he might be partaker of ,god's holiness4 ,and thus although ,saul was sentenced to lose his kingdom1 and although he was killed with his sons on ,mount ,gilboa1 yet ,i do not think that we find the sentence passed upon him1 ,thou shalt surely die2 and1 therefore1 we have no right to say that ,god had ceased to be his ,god1 although be visited him with severe chastisements1 and would not allow him to hand down to his sons the crown of ,israel4 ,observe1 also1 the language of the eighteenth chapter of ,ezekiel1 where the expressions occur so often1 ,he shall surely live1 and ,he shall surely die4 ,we have no right to refer these to a mere extension1 on the one hand1 or a cutting short1 on the other1 of the term of earthly existence4 ,the promise of living long in the land1 or1 as in ,hezekiah's case1 of adding to his days fifteen years1 is very different from the full and unreserved blessing1 ,thou shalt surely live4 ,and we know1 undoubtedly1 that both the good and the bad to whom ,ezekiel spoke1 died alike the natural death of the body4 ,but the peculiar force of the promise1 and of the threat1 was1 in the one case1 ,thou shalt belong to ,god2 in the other1 ,thou shalt cease to belong to him2 although the veil was not yet drawn up which concealed the full import of those terms1 belonging to ,god1 and ceasing to belong to him3 nay1 can we venture to affirm that it is fully drawn aside even now8 ,i have dwelt on this at some length1 because it really seems to place the common state of the minds of too many amongst us in a light which is exceedingly awful2 for if it be true1 as ,i think the ,scripture implies1 that to be dead1 and to be without ,god1 are precisely the same thing1 then can it be denied1 that the symptoms of death are strongly marked upon many of us8 ,are there not many who never think of ,god1 or care about his service8 ,are there not many who live1 to all appearance1 as unconscious of his existence as we fancy the inferior animals to be8 ,and is it not quite clear1 that to such persons1 ,god cannot be said to be their ,god8 ,he may be the ,god of heaven and earth1 the ,god of the universe1 the ,god of ,christ's church2 but he is not their ,god1 for they feel to have nothing at all to do with him2 and1 therefore1 as he is not their ,god1 they are1 and must be1 according to the ,scripture1 reckoned among the dead4 ,but ,god is the ,god of the living4 ,that is1 as before1 all who are alive1 live unto him2 all who live unto him1 are alive4 ,god said1 ,i am the ,god of ,abraham1 and the ,god of ,isaac1 and the ,god of ,jacob2 and1 therefore1 says our ,lord1 ,abraham1 and ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 are not and cannot be dead4 ,they cannot be dead1 because ,god owns them3 he is not ashamed to be called their ,god2 therefore1 they are not cast out from him2 therefore1 by necessity1 they live4 ,wonderful1 indeed1 is the truth here implied1 in exact agreement1 as we have seen1 with the general language of ,scripture2 that1 as she who but touched the hem of ,christ's garment was1 in a moment1 relieved from her infirmity1 so great was the virtue which went out from him2 so they who are not cast out from ,god1 but have any thing whatever to do with him1 feel the virtue of his gracious presence penetrating their whole nature2 because he lives1 they must live also4 ,behold1 then1 life and death set before us2 not remote1 7if a few years be1 indeed1 to be called remote17 but even now present before us2 even now suffered or enjoyed4 ,even now1 we are alive unto ,god1 or dead unto ,god2 and1 as we are either the one or the other1 so we are1 in the highest possible sense of the terms1 alive or dead4 ,in the highest possible sense of the terms2 but who can tell what that highest possible sense of the terms is8 ,so much has1 indeed1 been revealed to us1 that we know now that death means a conscious and perpetual death1 as life means a conscious and perpetual life4 ,but greatly1 indeed1 do we deceive ourselves1 if we fancy that1 by having thus much told us1 we have also risen to the infinite heights1 or descended to the infinite depths1 contained in those little words1 life and death4 ,they are far higher1 and far deeper1 than ever thought or fancy of man has reached to4 ,but1 even on the first edge of either1 at the visible beginnings of that infinite ascent or descent1 there is surely something which may give us a foretaste of what is beyond4 ,even to us in this moral state1 even to you advanced but so short a way on your very earthly journey1 life and death have a meaning3 to be dead unto ,god1 or to be alive to him1 are things perceptibly different4 ,for1 let me ask of those who think least of ,god1 who are most separate from him1 and most without him1 whether there is not now actually1 perceptibly1 in their state1 something of the coldness1 the loneliness1 the fearfulness of death8 ,i do not ask them whether they are made unhappy by the fear of ,god's anger2 of course they are not3 for they who fear ,god are not dead to him1 nor he to them4 ,the thought of him gives them no disquiet at all2 this is the very point we start from4 ,but ,i would ask them whether they know what it is to feel ,god's blessing4 ,for instance3 we all of us have our troubles of some sort or other1 our disappointments1 if not our sorrows4 ,in these troubles1 in these disappointments1--,i care not how small they may be1--have they known what it is to feel that ,god's hand is over them2 that these little annoyances are but his fatherly correction2 that he is all the time loving us1 and supporting us8 ,in seasons of joy1 such1 as they taste very often1 have they known what it is to feel that they are tasting the kindness of their heavenly ,father1 that their good things come from his hand1 and are but an infinitely slight foretaste of his love8 ,sickness1 danger1--,i know that they come to many of us but rarely2 but if we have known them1 or at least sickness1 even in its lighter form1 if not in its graver1--have we felt what it is to know that we are in our ,father's hands1 that he is with us1 and will be with us to the end2 that nothing can hurt those whom he loves8 ,surely1 then1 if we have never tasted anything of this3 if in trouble1 or in joy1 or in sickness1 we are left wholly to ourselves1 to bear as we can1 and enjoy as we can2 if there is no voice that ever speaks out of the heights and the depths around us1 to give any answer to our own2 if we are thus left to ourselves in this vast world1--there is in this a coldness and a loneliness2 and whenever we come to be1 of necessity1 driven to be with our own hearts alone1 the coldness and the loneliness must be felt4 ,but consider that the things which1 we see around us cannot remain with us1 nor we with them4 ,the coldness and loneliness of the world1 without ,god1 must be felt more and more as life wears on3 in every change of our own state1 in every separation from or loss of a friend1 in every more sensible weakness of our own bodies1 in every additional experience of the uncertainty of our own counsels1--the deathlike feeling will come upon us more and more strongly3 we shall gain more of that fearful knowledge which tells us that ,god is not the ,god of the dead4 ,and so1 also1 the blessed knowledge that he is the ,god of the living grows upon those who are truly alive4 ,surely he is not far from every one of us4 ,no occasion of life fails to remind those who live unto him1 that he is their ,god1 and that they are his children4 ,on light occasions or on grave ones1 in sorrow and in joy1 still the warmth of his love is spread1 as it were1 all through the atmosphere of their lives3 they for ever feel his blessing4 ,and if it fills them with joy unspeakable even now1 when they so often feel how little they deserve it2 if they delight still in being with ,god1 and in living to him1 let them be sure that they have in themselves the unerring witness of life eternal3 ,god is the ,god of the living1 and all who are with him must live4 ,hard it is1 ,i well know1 to bring this home1 in any degree1 to the minds of those who are dead3 for it is of the very nature of the dead that they can hear no words of life4 ,but it has happened that1 even whilst writing what ,i have just been uttering to you1 the news reached me that one1 who two months ago was one of your number1 who this very half-year has shared in all the business and amusements of this place1 is passed already into that state where the meanings of the terms life and death are become fully revealed4 ,he knows what it is to live unto ,god1 and what it is to die to him4 ,those things which are to us unfathomable mysteries1 are to him all plain3 and yet but two months ago he might have thought himself as far from attaining this knowledge as any of us can do4 ,wherefore it is clear1 that these things1 life and death1 may hurry their lesson upon us sooner than we deem of1 sooner than we are prepared to receive it4 ,and that were indeed awful1 if1 being dead to ,god1 and yet little feeling it1 because of the enjoyments of our worldly life1 those enjoyments were on a sudden to be struck away from us1 and we should find then that to be dead to ,god was death1 indeed1 a death from which there is no waking1 and in which there is no sleeping for ever4 ,,lecture ,,xx4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ezekiel xiii4 #bb4 ,with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad1 whom ,i have not made sad2 and strengthened the hands of the wicked1 that he should not return from his wicked way1 by promising him life4 ,the verses which immediately precede this1 require explanation1 but perhaps our knowledge is hardly sufficient to enable us to give it fully4 ,there are allusions to customs1--to fashions rather1--common amongst the ,israelites at the time1 which we can now scarcely do more than guess at2 but we may observe1 that there was a general practice1 which even ,god's own prophets were directed often to comply with1 of enforcing what was said in word by some corresponding outward action1 in which the speaker made himself1 as it were1 a living image of the idea which he meant to convey4 ,thus1 when ,zedekiah1 the son of ,chenaanah1 was assuring ,ahab1 that he should drive the ,syrians before him1 he made himself horns of iron1 and said1 ,with these shalt thou push the ,syrians1 until thou have consumed them4 ,in the same way1 it is imagined that the false prophetesses spoken of in the text were in the habit of wearing pillows1 or cushions1 fastened to their arms1 and directed those who came to consult them to do the same1 as a sign of rest and peace2 that they who trusted to them had nothing to fear1 but might lie down and enjoy themselves at their feasts1 or in sleep1 with entire security4 ,or1 again1 if we connect what is said of the pillows with what immediately follows about the kerchiefs put upon the head1 we may suppose that both are but parts of a fantastic dress1 such as was often worn by pretended prophets and fortune-tellers1 and which they may have made those wear1 also1 who came before them4 ,we know that the covering on the head was1 for instance1 a part of the ceremonial law of the ,roman augurs1 when they began their divinations4 ,but1 however this be1 the exact understanding of these particular points is not necessary to our deriving the lesson of the passage in general4 ,i know that there is something naturally painful to an active mind in being obliged to content itself with an indistinct notion1 or still more1 with no notion at all1 of the meaning of any words presented to it4 ,but1 whilst we should highly value this sensitiveness1 as1 indeed1 few qualities are more essential in the pursuit of truth1 yet we must be careful not to let our disappointment carry us too far1 so as to pass over a whole passage1 or portion1 of ,scripture1 as if in despair1 because we cannot understand every part of it4 ,much of the supposed obscurity of the prophets arises from this cause--that we find in them particular expressions and allusions1 which1 whether from a1 fault in the translation1 or from our imperfect knowledge of the times of which the prophets speak1 and of the language in which they wrote1 are certainly quite unintelligible4 ,but these are only a few expressions1 occurring here and there2 and it is a great evil to fancy that their writings1 in general1 are not to be understood1 because of the difficulty of particular passages in them4 ,thus1 with the very chapter of which we are now speaking1 the expression to which ,i have alluded can only be uncertainly interpreted1 yet the lesson of the chapter1 as a whole1 is perfectly clear1 notwithstanding4 ,the dress1 or fashions1 or particular rites1 of the false prophets of ,jerusalem and their votaries1 may offer no distinct image to our minds2 but the evil of their doings1 how they deceived others1 and were themselves deceived2 the points1 that is1 which alone concern us practically1 these are set before us plainly4 ,with their lies they made the heart of the righteous sad1 whom ,god had not made sad2 and they strengthened the hands of the wicked1 that he should not return from his wicked way1 by promising him life4 ,where the way of life was broad1 they strove to make it narrow2 and where it was narrow1 they strove to make it broad3 by their solemn and superstitious lies1 they frightened and perplexed the good1 while1 by their lives of ungodliness1 they emboldened and encouraged the wicked4 ,it may not1 at first sight1 seem necessary that these two things should go together2 there might be1 it seems1 either the fault of making the heart of the righteous sad1 without that of strengthening the hands of the wicked3 or there might be the strengthening of the hands of the wicked1 without making sad the heart of the righteous4 ,and so it sometimes has been3 there has been a wickedness which has not tried to keep up superstition3 there has been a superstition1 the supporters of which have not wilfully encouraged wickedness4 ,yet1 although this has been so1 with respect to the intention of the parties concerned1 yet in their own nature1 the tendency of either evil to produce the other is sure and universal4 ,we cannot exist without some influences of fear and restraint1 on the one hand1 and without some indulgence of freedom1 on the other4 ,god has provided for both these wants1 so to speak1 of our nature2 he has told us whom we should fear1 and where we should be restrained1 and where1 also1 we may be safely in freedom3 there is the fruit forbidden1 and the fruit which we may eat freely4 ,but if the restraint and the liberty be either of them put in the wrong place1 the double evil is sure to follow4 ,restrained in his lawful liberty1 debarred from the good and wholesome fruit of the garden1 man breaks out into a liberty which is unlawful2 he eats of the forbidden fruit1 whose taste is death2 or1 surfeited with an unholy freedom1 and let to run wild in a space far too vast for his strength to compass1 he turns cravingly for that support to his weariness which a narrowed range would afford him2 and he limits himself on that very quarter in which alone he might expatiate freely4 ,superstition1 in fact1 is the rest of wickedness1 and wickedness is the breaking loose of superstition4 ,but1 however true this may be1 are we concerned in it8 ,first of all1 when we find an evil dwelt upon often in the ,prophets1 and find it dwelt upon again by our ,lord and his ,apostles with no less earnestness1 there is1 at least1 a strong presumption1 that an evil of this sort is nothing local or passing1 but that it is fixed in man's nature1 and is apt to grow up in all times1 and in all countries4 ,now1 the double evil spoken of in the text1 occurs again in the gospel2 there we find men spoken of1 who1 in like manner1 insisted upon what was trifling1 and were careless of what was important2 and in the epistles1 we find1 again1 the same characters holding up as righteous others than those who worked righteousness3 men1 who spoke lies in hypocrisy1 having their conscience seared with a hot iron4 ,we may presume1 therefore1 that this evil is of an enduring character2 but if we look back to the history of the ,christian ,church1 or look around us1 the presumption becomes the sad conviction of experience4 ,nor is the evil merely one which exists in the country at large2 a thing which might be fully dwelt upon any where but here4 ,on the contrary1 ,i hardly know of an age more exposed to it than youth4 ,there exist in youth1 in a very high degree1 those opposite feelings of our nature1 which ,i have before spoken of2 a tendency to respect1 to follow1 to be led1 on the one hand2 and on the other1 a lively desire for independence and freedom4 ,these feelings often exist in the greatest strength in the same individual2 and when they are not each turned in their proper direction1 ruin is the consequence4 ,nothing is more common than to see great narrowness of mind1 great prejudices1 and great disorderliness of conduct1 united in the same person4 ,nothing is more common than to see the same mind utterly prostrated before some idol of its own1 and supporting that idol with the most furious zeal1 and at the same time utterly rebellious to ,christ1 and rejecting with scorn the enlightening1 the purifying1 and the loving influences of ,christ's ,spirit4 ,the idols of various minds are infinitely various1 some seducing the loftiest natures and some the vilest4 ,but of this we may be sure1 that every one of us has a tendency to some one idol or other1 if not to many2 and our business is especially each to watch1 ourselves1 lest we be enslaved to our peculiar idol4 ,i will now1 however1 speak of those which1 tempt the highest minds2 which1 by their show of sacredness and excellence1 make us fancy1 that while following them we are following ,christ4 ,and let none be surprised1 if ,i rank among idols many things1 which1 in themselves and in their proper use and order1 are indeed to be loved and reverenced4 ,it was most right to respect the ,apostle ,peter1 and listen to his word2 but that great ,apostle would have been ruin to ,cornelius1 and not salvation1 if he had suffered him1 without reproof1 to fall down before him1 and render to him the service due to ,christ alone4 ,how many good and pious feelings must have been awakened from age to age in many minds1 at the sight of the brazen serpent on the pole1 the memorial of their fathers' deliverance in the wilderness6 ,but when this awakening1 this solemn memorial was corrupted into an idol1 when men bowed down before it in superstition1 it was the part of true piety to do as ,hezekiah did1 to dash it1 notwithstanding all its solemn associations1 into a thousand pieces4 ,thus things good1 things noble1 things sacred1 may all become idols4 ,to some minds truth is an idol1 to others justice1 to others charity or benevolence2 and others are beguiled by objects of a different sort of sacredness3 some have made ,christ's mother their idol2 some1 ,christ's servants2 some1 again1 ,christ's sacraments1 and ,christ's own body1 the ,church4 ,if these may all be idols1 where can we find a name so holy1 as that we may surrender up our whole souls to it2 before which obedience1 reverence1 without measure1 intense humility1 most unreserved adoration1 may all be duly rendered4 ,one name there is1 and one only2 one alone in heaven and in earth2 not truth1 not justice1 not benevolence1 not ,christ's mother1 not his holiest servants1 not his blessed sacraments1 not his very mystical body1 but ,himself only1 who died for us and rose again1 ,jesus ,christ1 both ,god and ,man4 ,he is truth1 and he is righteousness1 and he is love2 he gives his grace to his sacraments1 and his manifold gifts to his ,church2 whoever hath him hath all things2 but if we do not take heed1 whenever we turn our mind to any other object1 we shall make it an idol and lose him4 ,take him in all his fulness1 not as ,god merely1 not as man merely2 not in his life on earth only1 not in his death only1 not in his exaltation at ,god's right hand only2 but in all his fulness1 the ,christ of ,god1 ,god and ,man1 our ,prophet1 our ,priest1 our ,king and ,lord1 redeeming us by his blood1 sanctifying us by his ,spirit2 and then worship him and love him with all the heart1 and with1 all the soul1 and with all the strength2 and we shall see how all evil will be barred1 and all good will abound4 ,no man who worships ,christ alone1 can be a fanatic1 nor yet can be a more philosopher2 he cannot be bigoted1 nor yet can he be indifferent2 he cannot be so the slave of what be calls amiable feelings as to cast truth and justice behind him2 nor yet can he so pursue truth and justice as to lose sight of humbler and softer feelings1 self-abasement1 reverence1 devotion4 ,there is no evil tendency in the nature of any one of us1 which has not its cure in the true worship of ,christ our ,saviour4 ,let us look into our hearts1 and consider their besetting faults4 ,are we indolent1 or are we active2 are we enthusiastic1 or are we cold2 zealous or indifferent1 devout or reasonable2 whatever the inclination1 or bias of our nature be1 if we follow its kindred idol1 it will be magnified and grow on to our ruin2 if we worship ,christ1 it will be pruned and chastened1 and made to grow up with opposite tendencies1 all alike tempered1 none destroyed2 none overgrowing the garden1 but all filling it with their several fruits2 so that it shall be1 indeed1 the garden of the ,lord1 and the ,spirit of the ,lord shall dwell in the midst of it4 ,and who shall dare to make sad the heart of him who is thus drinking daily of the well-spring of righteousness1 by telling him that he is not yet saved1 nor can be1 unless he will come and bow down before his idol8 ,and if1 rather than do so1 he break the idol in pieces1 who shall dare to call him profane1 or cold in love to his ,lord1 when it was in his very jealousy for his ,lord1 and in his full purpose to worship him alone1 that he threw down all that exalted itself above its due proportion against him8 ,and if a man be not so worshipping ,christ only1 who shall dare to encourage him in his evil way1 by magnifying the sacredness of his idol1 and ascribing to it that healing virtue which belongs to ,christ alone8 ,what has been here said might bear to be followed up at far greater length than the present occasion will admit of4 ,but the main point is one1 ,i think1 of no small importance1 that all fanaticism and superstition on the one hand1 and all unbelief and coldness of heart on the other1 arise from what is in fact idolatry1--the putting some other object1 whether it be called a religious or moral one1--and an object often in itself very excellent1--in the place of ,christ himself1 as set forth to us fully in the ,scriptures4 ,and as no idol can stand in ,christ's place1 or in any way save us1 so whoever worships ,christ truly is preserved from all idols and has life eternal4 ,and if any one demand of him further1 that he should worship his idol1 and tells him that he is not safe if he does not2 his answer will be rather that he will perish if he does2 that he is safe1 fully safe1 and only safe1 so long as he clings to ,christ alone2 and that to make anything else necessary to his safety1 is not only to minister to superstition1 but to ungodliness also2 not only to lay on us a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear2 but1 by the very act of laying this unchristian yoke upon us1 to tear from us the easy yoke and light burden of ,christ himself1 our ,lord and our life4 ,,lecture ,,xxi4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,advent ,,sunday4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hebrews in4 #af4 ,for some1 when they had heard1 did provoke3 howbeit not all that came out of ,egypt by ,moses4 ,i take this verse as my text1 rather than those which immediately go before or follow it1 because it affords one of the most serious instances of mistranslation that are to be met with in the whole ,new ,testament4 ,for the true translation of the words is this3 ,for who were they who1 when they had heard1 did provoke8 nay1 were they not all who came out of ,egypt through ,moses8 ,and then it goes on--,and with whom was he grieved forty years8 was it not with them that had sinned1 whose carcases fell in the wilderness8 ,and to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest1 but to them that believed not8 ,i call this a serious mistranslation1 because it lessens the force of the writer's comparison4 ,so far from meaning to say that some1 but not all did provoke1 he lays a stress on the universality of the evil3 it was not only a few1 but the whole people who came out of ,egypt1 with only the two individual exceptions of ,caleb and ,joshua4 ,all the rest who were grown up when they came out of ,egypt did provoke ,god2 and the carcases of that whole generation1 fell in the wilderness4 ,had the lesson from the ,hebrews been actually chosen for the service of this day1 it could hardly have suited it better4 ,for this day is the ,new-year's day of the ,christian year2 and it is probably for this reason that the service of the first day of the common year is confined entirely to the commemoration of our ,lord's circumcision1 and takes no notice of the beginning of a new year4 ,it is manifest that it could not do so without confusion3 for the first of ,january is not the beginning of the ,christian year1 but ,advent ,sunday2 the last ,sunday of the ,christian year is not ,christmas-day1 as it would be this year if we reckoned by the common divisions of time2 but it is the last ,sunday after ,trinity4 ,now1 then1 we are at the beginning of our year2 and well it is that1 as our trial is now become shorter by another year1 as another division of our lives has passed away1 we should fix our eyes on that which makes every year so valuable1--the ,judgment1 for which it ought to be a preparation4 ,in fact1 if we observe1 we shall see that these ,sundays in ,advent are much more regarded by the ,church as the beginning of a new year1 than as a mere prelude to the celebration of the festival of ,christmas4 ,that is1 ,christmas-day is regarded1 so to speak1 in a two-fold light1 as representing both the comings of our ,lord1 his first coming in the flesh1 and his second coming to judgment4 ,when the day actually arrives1 it commemorates our ,lord's first coming3 and this is the beginning of the ,christian year1 historically regarded1 that is1 so far as it is a commemoration of the several events of our ,lord's life on earth4 ,but before it comes1 it is regarded as commemorating our ,lord's second coming3 and wisely1 for his first coming requires now no previous preparation for it2 we cannot well put ourselves into the position of those who lived before ,christ appeared4 ,but our whole life is1 or ought to be1 a preparation for his second coming2 and it is this state1 of which the season of ,advent in the ,church services is intended to be the representation4 ,there is something striking in the season of the natural year at which we thus celebrate the beginning of another ,christian year4 ,it is a true type of our condition1 of the insensible manner in which all the changes of our lives steal upon us1 that nature1 at this moment1 gives no outward signs of beginning3 it is a period which does not manifest any striking change in the state of things around us4 ,the ,christian ,spring begins ere we have reached the half of the natural winter4 ,nature is not bursting into life1 but rather preparing itself for a long period of death4 ,and this is a type of an universal truth1 that the signs and warnings which we must look to1 must come from within us1 not from without3 that neither sky nor earth1 will arouse us from our deadly slumber1 unless we are ourselves aroused already1 and more disposed to make warnings for ourselves than to find them4 ,if this be true of nature1 it is true also of all the efforts of man4 ,as nature will give no sign1 so man cannot4 ,let the ,church do all that she may2 let her keep her solemn anniversaries1 and choose out for her services all such passages of ,scripture as may be most fitted to impress the lesson which she would teach2 still we know that these are alike powerless and unheeded2 that unless there be in our own minds something beforehand disposed to profit by them1 they are but the words of unavailing affection1 vainly spoken to the ears of the dead4 ,oh that we would remember this1 all of us2 that there is no voice in nature1 no voice in man1 that can really awaken the sleeping soul4 ,that is the work of a far mightier power1 to be sought for with most earnest prayers for ourselves and for each other3 that the ,holy ,spirit of ,god would speak1 and would dispose our hearts to hear2 that so being awakened from death and our ears being truly opened1 all things outward may now join in language which we can hear2 and nature1 and man1 life and death1 things present and things to come1 may be but the manifold voices of the ,spirit of ,god1 all working for us together for good4 ,till this be so1 we speak in vain2 our words neither reach our own hearts1 nor the hearts of our hearers2 they are but recorded in ,god's book of judgment1 to be brought forward hereafter for the condemnation of us both4 ,yet we must still speak2 for the ,spirit of ,god1 who alone works in us effectually1 works also secretly2 we know not when1 nor how1 nor where4 ,but we know1 that as the ,father worketh hitherto1 and the ,son worketh hitherto1 so the ,holy ,spirit worketh hitherto1 and is still working daily4 ,we know that1 every year1 he creates in thousands of ,god's people that work which alone shall abide for ever4 ,we know that in the year that is just past he has done this2 that in the year which is just beginning he will do it4 ,have we not here1 also1 many in whom he has wrought this work8 may we not hope1 and surely believe1 that there are many in whom he is even now preparing to work it8 ,we know not who these are2 still less do we know1 what were the occasions which the ,holy ,spirit so blessed as to work in them his work of life4 ,but this we know1 that we are bound to minister all the occasions which we can2 we must not spare our labour1 although it is ,god alone who gives the increase4 ,we must speak of life and of death1 of ,christ and of judgment1 not forgetting that we speak often1 and shall speak1 utterly in vain2 yet knowing that it is by these very thoughts1 though long unheeded1 that ,god's ,spirit does in his own good time awaken the heart2 he takes of the things of ,christ and shows them to us2 and then1 what was before like a book in a strange language--we saw the figures1 but they conveyed no meaning to our minds--becomes1 on a sudden1 instinct with the language of ,god1 which we hear and understand as readily as if it were our own tongue wherein we were born4 ,therefore1 we speak and say1 that another year has now dawned upon us2 and we would remind you1 and remember1 ourselves1 in what words the various ,scriptures of this day's service point out its inestimable value4 ,now is our salvation nearer than when we believed4 ,so says ,st4 ,paul in the epistle of this day2 and how blessed are all those amongst us who can feel that this is truly said of them6 ,then1 indeed1 a new year's day is a day of rejoicing2 we are so much nearer that period when all care1 all anxiety1 all painful labour will be for ever ended4 ,but there is other language of a different sort1 which1 it may be1 will suit us better4 ,i have nourished and brought up children1 and they have rebelled against me4 ,their land is full of idols2 they worship the work of their own hands1 that which their own fingers have made2 which means to us1 the work of our own hearts1 that which our own fancies and desires have made4 ,enter into the rock1 and hide thee in the dust1 for fear of the ,lord1 and for the glory of his majesty4 ,for in the very temple of ,god1 his ,church1 all manner of profane thoughts and words and works are crowded together2 the din of covetousness and worldliness is loud and constant1 and will ill abide the day of his coming1 who will1 a second time1 cast out of his temple all that is unclean4 ,and is there not also in us that evil heart of unbelief and disobedience which departs from the living ,god8 are there not here those who are becoming daily hardened through the deceitfulness of sin8 ,how are they passing their time in the wilderness1 and with what prospects when they come to the end of it8 ,god said1 ,i sware in my wrath1 that they shall not enter into my rest4 ,by the way that they came1 by the same shall they return2 they shall go back to that bondage from which they were once redeemed1 and from which they will be redeemed again no more for ever4 ,these are some of the passages of this day's service which speaks to us at the beginning of this new ,christian year4 ,let me add to all this language of warning1 the language in which ,god1 by his apostle ,paul1 answers every one of us1 if we ask of him in sincerity of heart1 ,lord1 what wilt thou have me to do8 ,he answers1 ,the night is far spent1 the day is at hand3 let us walk honestly1 as in the day2 not in rioting and drunkenness1 not in chambering and wantonness1 not in strife and envying3 but put ye on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and make not provision for the flesh1 to fulfil the works thereof4 ,now1 ,i grant1 that this day1 of which the apostle speaks1 has never yet shone so brightly1 as he had hoped and imagined2 clouds have1 up to this hour1 continually overshadowed it4 ,i mean1 that the lives of ,christians have hindered them from being the light of the world4 ,it has been a light pale and dim1 and therefore the works of darkness have continued to abound4 ,but admit this1 and what follows8 ,is it1 or can it be1 anything else but a more earnest desire not to be ourselves children of darkness1 lest what we see to have happened in part should happen altogether2 namely1 that the day should never shine on us at all8 ,we see that ,god's promises have been in part forfeited2 we see that ,christ's kingdom has not been what it was prophesied it should be4 ,is not this a solemn warning1 that for us1 too1 individually1 ,god's promises may be forfeited8 that all we read in ,scripture of light1 and life1 and glory1 and happiness1 should really prove to us words only1 and no reality8 that whereas the promise of salvation has been made to us1 we should be in the end1 not saved1 but lost8 ,if1 indeed1 ,god's kingdom were shining around us1 in its full beauty2 if every evil thing were driven out of his temple2 if we saw nothing but holy lives and happy1 the fruits of his ,spirit1 truth1 and love1 and joy2 then we might be less anxious for ourselves2 our course would be far smoother2 the very stream would carry us along to the end of our voyage without our labour3 what evil thoughts would not be withered1 and die long ere they could ripen into action1 if the very air which we breathed were of such1 keen and heavenly purity6 ,it is because all this is not so1 that we have need of so much watchfulness2 it is because the faults of every one of us make our brethren's task harder2 because there is not one bad or careless person amongst us who is not a hindrance in his brother's path1 and does not oblige him to exert himself the more4 ,therefore1 because the day is not bright1 but overclouded2 because it is but too like the night1 and too many use it as the night for all works of darkness2 let us take the more heed that we do not ourselves so mistake it2 let us watch each of us the light within us1 lest1 indeed1 we should wholly stumble2 let us put on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,you know how often ,i have dwelt on this2 how often ,i have tried to show that ,christ is all in all to us2 that to put on ,christ1 is a truer and fuller expression1 by far1 than if we had been told to put on truth1 or holiness1 or goodness4 ,it includes all these1 with something more1 that nothing but itself can give--the sense of safety1 and joy unspeakable1 in feeling ourselves sheltered in our ,saviour's arms1 and taken even into himself4 ,assuredly1 if we put on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 we shall not make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof2 such a warning would then be wholly unnecessary4 ,or1 if we do not like language thus figurative1 let us put it1 if we will1 into the plainest words that shall express the same meaning2 let us call it praying to ,christ1 thinking of him1 hoping in him1 earnestly loving him2 these1 at least1 are words without a figure1 which all can surely understand4 ,let us be ,christ's this year that is now beginning2 be his servants1 be his disciples1 be his redeemed in deed2 let us live to him1 and for him2 setting him before us every day to do his will1 and to live in his blessing4 ,then1 indeed1 if it be his pleasure that we should serve him throughout this year1 even to its end1 we may repeat1 with a deeper feeling of their truth1 the words of ,st4 ,paul2 we may say1 when next ,advent ,sunday shall appear1 that now is our salvation nearer than when we became believers4 ,,lecture ,,xxii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,john i4 #aj4 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4 ,when we use ourselves1 or hear others use1 the term mystery1 as applied to things belonging to the gospel1 we should do well to consider what is meant by it4 ,for our common notion of the word mystery is of something dark2 whereas ,christ and his gospel are continually spoken of as being1 above all other things1 light4 ,then come others1 and say1 ,light and darkness cannot go together3 what you call the mysteries of ,christianity are no part of it1 but the fond inventions of man3 ,christianity is all simple and clear3 and thus they strike away some of the very greatest truths which ,god has revealed to us4 ,thus they deal in particular with the great truth declared in the text1 that ,he who made the world visited it in the likeness of man4 ,now1 if this truth were a mystery1 in the common notion of that term2 if it were a thing full of darkness1 defying our minds to understand it1 or to draw any good from it2 then1 indeed1 it would be of little consequence whether we received it or no4 ,it is because it is a mystery in a very different sense1 in the sense in which the word is used commonly in the ,scriptures2 that is1 a thing which was a secret1 but which ,god has been pleased to reveal1 and to reveal for our benefit1 that therefore the loss of it would be the loss of a real blessing1 a loss at once of light and comfort4 ,but we must go a little further1 and explain from what this sad confusion in the use of the term mystery has arisen4 ,there are many things relating to ourselves and to things around us1 which by nature we cannot understand2 and of ,god we can scarcely understand anything4 ,now1 while the gospel has revealed much that we did not know before1 it yet has not revealed everything3 of ,god1 in particular1 it has given us much most precious knowledge1 yet it has not removed all the veil4 ,it has furnished us with a glass1 indeed1 to use the apostle's comparison2 but the glass1 although1 a great help1 although reflecting a likeness of what1 without it1 we could not see at all1 is yet a dark and imperfect manner of seeing1 compared with1 the seeing face to face4 ,so1 when the gospel tells us that ,he who made the world visited it in our nature1 it does not indeed enable us yet fully to conceive what ,he is who made us1 and then became as one of us2 there is still left around the name of ,god that light inaccessible which is to our imperfections darkness2 and so far as we cannot understand or conceive rightly of ,god1 so far it is true that we cannot understand all that is conveyed in the expression that ,god was in the world dwelling among us4 ,yet it is still most true that by the revelation thus made to us we have gained immensely4 ,god1 as he is in himself1 we cannot understand2 but ,jesus ,christ we can4 ,when we are told to love ,god1 if we look to the life and death of ,christ1 we can understand and feel how truly he deserves our love2 when we are told to be perfect as ,god is perfect1 we have the image of this perfection so truly set before us in his ,son ,jesus1 that it may be well said1 ,whoso hath seen ,him hath seen the ,father2 and why1 then1 should we ask with ,philip1 that ,he should show us the ,father8 ,what1 then1 the festival of ,christmas presents to us1 as distinct from that of ,easter1 is generally the revelation of ,god in the flesh4 ,true it is1 that we may make it1 if we will1 the same as ,easter3 that is1 we may celebrate it as the birth of our ,saviour1 of him who died and rose again for us2 but then we only celebrate our ,lord's birth with reference to his death and resurrection3 that is1 we make ,christmas to be ,easter under another name4 ,and so everything relating to our ,lord may be made to refer to his death and resurrection2 for in them consists our redemption1 and for that reason ,easter has ever been considered as the great festival of the ,christian year4 ,but yet apart from this1 ,christmas has something peculiarly its own3 namely1 as ,i said before1 the revelation of ,god in the flesh1 not only to make atonement for our sins1--which is the peculiar subject of the celebration of the season of ,easter1--but to give us notions of ,god at once distinct and lively2 to enable us to have ,one in the invisible world1 whom we could conceive of as distinctly as of a mere man1 yet whom we might love with all our hearts1 and trust with all our hearts1 and yet be guilty of no idolatry4 ,it is not1 then1 only as the beginning of an earthly life of little more than thirty years1 that we may celebrate the day of our ,lord's birth in the flesh4 ,his own words express what this day has brought to us3 ,henceforth shall ye see heaven opened1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of man4 ,the words here1 like so many of our ,lord's1 are expressed in a parable2 but their meaning is not the less clear4 ,they allude evidently to ,jacob's vision1 to the ladder reaching from earth to heaven1 on which the angels were ascending and descending continually4 ,but this vision is itself a parable2 showing1 under the figure of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven1 and the angels going up and down on it1 a free communication1 as it were1 between ,god and man1 heaven brought nearer to earth1 and heavenly things made more familiar4 ,now1 this is done1 in a manner1 by every revelation from ,god2 most of all1 by the revelation of his ,son4 ,nor is it only by his ,spirit that ,christ communicates with us even now2 though1 he is ascended again into heaven1 yet the benefits of his having become man1 over and above those of his dying and rising again for us1 have not yet passed away4 ,it is still the man ,christ ,jesus who brings heaven near to earth1 and earth near to heaven4 ,it has been well said by ,augustine1 that babes in ,christ should so think of the ,son of man as not to lose sight of the ,son of ,god2 that more advanced ,christians should so think of the ,son of ,god as not to lose sight of the ,son of man4 ,augustine well understood how the thought of the ,son of man is fitted to our weakness2 and that the best and most advanced of us in this mortal life are never so strong as to be able to do without it4 ,have we ever tried this with our children8 ,we tell them that ,god made them1 and takes care of them1 and loves them1 and hears their prayers1 and knows what is in their hearts1 and cannot bear what is evil4 ,these are such notions of ,god as a child requires1 and can understand4 ,but1 if we join with them some of those other notions which belong to ,god as he is in himself2 that he is a ,spirit1 not to be seen1 not to be conceived of as in any one place1 or in any one form2 what do we but embarrass our child's mind1 and lessen that sense of near and dear relation to ,god which1 our earlier accounts of ,god had given him8 ,yet we must teach him something of this sort1 if we would prevent him from forming unworthy notions of ,god1 such as have been the beginning of all idolatry4 ,here1 then1 is the blessing of the revelation of ,god in ,christ4 ,all that he can understand of ,god1 or love in him1 or fear in him--that is to be found in ,christ4 ,christ made him1 takes care of him1 can hear his prayers1 can read his little heart1 loves him tenderly2 yet cannot bear what is evil1 and will strictly judge him at the last day4 ,but what we must teach when we speak of ,god1 yet which has a tendency to lessen the liveliness of our impressions of him1 this has no place when we speak of ,christ4 ,christ has a body1 incorruptible and glorified indeed1 such as they who are ,christ's shall also wear at his coming1 yet still a body4 ,christ is not to be seen1 indeed1 for the clouds have received him out of our sight3 yet he may be conceived of as in one place--at the right hand of ,god2 as in one certain and well-known form--the form of the ,son of man4 ,yet let us observe again1 and be thankful for the perfect wisdom of ,god4 ,even while presenting to us ,god in ,christ2 that is to say1 ,god with all those attributes which we can understand1 and fear1 and love2 and without those which1 throw us1 as it were1 to an infinite distance1 overwhelming our minds1 and baffling all our conceptions2 even then the utmost care is taken to make us remember that ,god in himself is really that infinite and incomprehensible ,being to whom we cannot1 in our present state1 approach2 that even his manifestation of himself in ,christ ,jesus1 is one less perfect than we shall be permitted to see hereafter2 that ,christ stands at the right hand of the ,majesty on high2 that he has received from the ,father all his kingdom and his glory2 finally1 that the ,father is greater than he1 inasmuch as any other nature added to the pure and perfect essence of ,god1 must1 in a certain measure1 if ,i may venture so to speak1 be a coming down to a lower point1 from the very and unmixed ,divinity4 ,i have purposely mentioned this last circumstance1 although it is not the view that ,i wish particularly to take to-day1 because such passages as that which ,i quoted1 where ,christ tells his disciples that his ,father was greater than he1 and many others of the same sort1 throughout the ,new ,testament1 are sometimes apt to embarrass and perplex us1 if we do not consider their peculiar object4 ,it was very necessary1 especially at a time when men were so accustomed to worship their highest gods under the form of men1 that whilst the gospel was itself holding out the man ,christ ,jesus as the object of religious faith1 and fear1 and love1 and teaching that all power was given to him1 in heaven and in earth1--it should1 also1 guard us against supposing that it meant to represent ,god as1 in himself1 wearing a human form1 or having a nature partaking of our infirmities2 and1 therefore1 it always speaks of there being something in ,god higher1 and more perfect1 than could possibly be revealed to man2 and for this eternal and infinite1 and inconceivable ,being1 it claims the reserve of our highest thoughts1 or1 rather1 it commands us to believe1 that they who shall hereafter see ,god face to face1 shall be allowed to see something still greater than is now revealed to us1 even in him who is the express image of ,god1 and the brightness of his glory4 ,but1 now1 to return to what ,i was dwelling on before4 ,it is not only for children1 that the revelation of ,god in ,christ is so valuable2 it is fitted to the wants of us all1 at all times1 and under all circumstances4 ,say1 that we are in joy2 say1 that we are enjoying some of the festivities of this season4 ,it is quite plain1 that1 at whatever moment the thought of ,god is unwelcome to us1 that moment is one of sin or unbelief3 yet1 how can we dare to mix up the notion of the most high ,god with any earthly merriment1 or festivity8 ,then1 if we think of him who was present at the marriage in ,cana of ,galilee1 and who worked a miracle for no other object than to increase the enjoyment of that marriage supper1 do we not feel how the highest thoughts may be joined with the most common occasions8 how we may bring ,christ home with1 us to our social meetings1 to bless us1 and to sanctify them8 ,imagine him in our feasts as he was in ,cana3--we may do it without profaneness2 being sure1 from that example1 that he condemns not innocent mirth2 that it is not merely because there is a feast1 or because friends and neighbours are gathered together1 that ,christ cannot1 therefore1 be in the midst of us4 ,this alone does not drive him away2 but1 oh consider1 with what ears would he have listened to any words of unkindness1 of profaneness1 or of impurity6 with what eyes would he have viewed any intemperance1 or revelling2 any such1 immoderate yielding up of the night to pleasure1 that a less portion of the next day can be given to duty and to ,god6 ,even as he would have heard or seen such things in ,cana of ,galilee1 so does he hear and see them amongst us2 the same gracious eye of love is on our moderate and permitted enjoyments2 the same turning away from1 the same firm and just displeasure at every word or deed which turns pleasure into sin4 ,but if ,i seek for instances to show how ,god in ,christ is brought very near to us1 what can ,i choose more striking than that most solemn act of ,christian communion to which we are called this day8 ,for1 what is there in our mortal life1 what joy1 what sorrow1 what feeling elated or subdued1 which is not in that communion brought near to ,christ to receive his blessing8 ,what is the first and outward thing of which it reminds us8 ,is it not that last supper in ,jerusalem1 in which men1--the twelve disciples1 the first members of our ,christian brotherhood1--were brought into such solemn nearness to ,god1 as seems to have begun the privileges of heaven upon earth8 ,they were brought near at once to ,christ and to one another3 united to one another in him1 in that double bond which1 is the perfection at once of our duty and of our happiness4 ,and so in our communion we1 too1 draw near to ,christ and to each other2 we feel--who is there at that moment1 at least1 that does not feel8--what a tie there is to bind each of us to his brother1 when we come to the table of our common ,lord4 ,so far1 the ,lord's ,supper is but a type of what every ,christian meeting should be3 never should any of us be gathered together on any occasion of common life1 in our families or with our neighbours2 we should sit down to no meal1 we should meet in no company1 without having ,christ also in the midst of us2 without remembering what we all are to him1 and what we each therefore are to our brethren4 ,but when we further recollect what there is in the ,lord's ,supper beyond the mere meeting of ,christ and his disciples2 what it is which the bread and the wine commemorate2 of what we partake when1 as true ,christians1 we eat of that bread1 and drink of that cup2 then we shall understand that ,god indeed is brought very near to us2 inasmuch1 as he who is a ,christian1 and partakes sincerely of ,christian communion1 is a partaker also of ,christ3 and as belonging to his body1 his living spiritual body1 the universal ,church1 receives his share of all those blessings1 of all that infinite love which the ,father shows continually to the head of that body1 his own well-beloved ,son4 ,say not then in your hearts1 ,who can ascend up into heaven1 that is1 to bring ,christ down8 ,as on this day1 when he took our nature upon him1 he came down to abide with us for ever2 to abide with1 us1 even when we should see him with our eyes no more3 for whilst he was on earth he so took part in all the concerns of life1 in all its duties1 its sorrows1 and its joys1 that memory1 when looking back on the past1 can fancy him present still2 and then let the liveliest fancy do its work to the utmost1 it cannot go beyond the reality2 he is present still1 for that belongs to his almightiness2 he is present with us1 because he is ,god2 and we can fancy him with us1 because he is man4 ,this is the way to lessen our distance from ,god and heaven1 by bringing ,christ continually to us on earth3 the sky is closed1 and shows no sign2 all things continue as they were from the beginning of the world2 evil abounds1 and therefore the faith of many waxes cold2 but ,christ was and is amongst us2 and we need no surer sign than that sign of the prophet ,jonah--,christ crucified and ,christ risen--to make us feel that we may live with ,god daily upon earth1 and doing so1 shall live with him for an eternal life1 in a country that cannot pass away4 ,,lecture ,,xxiii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sunday ,,next ,,before ,,easter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,matthew xxvi4 #dj1 #da4 ,what1 could ye not watch with me one hour8 ,watch and pray1 that ye enter not into temptation3 the spirit indeed is willing1 but the flesh is weak4 ,these words1 we cannot doubt1 have an application to ourselves1 and to all ,christians1 far beyond the particular occasion on which they were actually spoken4 ,they are1 in fact1 the words which ,christ addresses daily to all of us4 ,every day1 when he sees how often we have gone astray from him1 he repeats to us1 ,could ye not watch with me one hour8 ,every day he commands us to watch and pray1 that we enter not into temptation2 every day he reminds us1 that however willing may be our spirits1 yet our flesh is weak2 and that through that weakness1 sin prevails over it1 and having triumphed over our flesh1 proceeds to enslave our spirit also4 ,and as the words are applicable to us every day1 so also are they in a particular manner suitable now1 when the season of ,lent is so nearly over1 and ,easter is so fast approaching4 ,have we been unable to watch1 with ,christ one hour8 ,already are the good resolutions with which1 we1 perhaps1 began ,lent1 broken in many instances2 and the impressions1 if any such were made in us1 are already weakened4 ,they have been a burden1 which we have shaken off1 because the weakness of our nature found it too heavy to bear4 ,sad it is to think how often this same process has been repeated in all time1 how often it will be repeated to the end4 ,let us just review what the course of this process has probably been4 ,now1 as the parable of the ,sower describes three several sorts of persons1 who never bring forth1 fruit2 so in the very same persons1 there is at different times something of each of the three characters there described4 ,we1 the very same persons1 are at one time hard1 at another careless1 and at another over-busy2 although1 if compared with1 other persons1 and in the general form of their characters1 some are hard1 and others are careless1 and others over-busy2 different persons having different faults predominantly4 ,but even the hardness of the road side1 although ,god forbid that it should be our prevailing temper1 yet surely it does sometimes exist in too many of us4 ,in common speech1 we talk of a person showing a hard temper1 meaning1 generally1 a hard temper towards other men4 ,we have done wrong1 but being angry when we are reproved for it1 we will not acknowledge it at all1 and cheat our consciences1 by dwelling upon the supposed wrong that has been done to us in some over-severity of reproof or punishment1 instead of confessing and repenting of the original wrong which we ourselves did4 ,but is it not true1 that a hard temper towards man is very often1 even consciously1 a hard temper towards ,god8 ,does it never happen1 that if conscience presents to us the thought of ,god1 whether as a ,god of judgment to terrify us1 or as a ,god of love to melt us1 we repel it with impatience1 or with sullenness8 ,does not the heart sometimes almost speak aloud the language of blasphemy3 ,who is ,god1 that ,i should mind him8 ,i do not care what may happen1 ,i will not be softened4 ,do not all sorts of unbelieving thoughts pass rapidly through the mind at such moments2 first in their less daring form1 whispering1 as the serpent did to ,eve1 that we shall not surely die2 that we shall have time to repent by and by2 that ,god will not be so strict a judge as to condemn us for such a little2 that by some means or other1 we shall escape8 ,but then they come1 also1 in their bolder form3 ,what do ,i or any man know about another world1 or ,god's judgments8 may it not be all a fiction1 so that ,i have1 in reality1 nothing to fear8 ,in short1 under one form or another1 is it not true1 that our hearts have sometimes displayed actually hardness towards ,god2 that the thought of ,god has been actually presented to our minds1 but that we have turned it aside1 and have not suffered it to make any impression upon us8 ,and thus1 we have not only not watched with ,christ according to his command1 but have actually told him that we would not4 ,but this has been in our worst temper1 certainly2 it may not have happened1--,i trust that it has not happened often4 ,more commonly1 ,i dare say1 the fault has been carelessness4 ,we have gone out of this place2 sacred names have ceased to sound in our ears2 sights in any degree connected with1 holy things have been all withdrawn from us4 ,other sounds and other sights have been before us1 and our minds have yielded to them altogether4 ,there are minds1 indeed1 which have no spring of thought in themselves2 which are quiet1 and in truth empty1 till some outward objects come to engage them4 ,take them at a moment when they are alone1 or when there is no very interesting object before them1 and ask them of what they are thinking4 ,if the answer were truly given1 such a mind would say1 ,of nothing4 ,certain images may be faintly presented to it2 it may be that it is not altogether a blank2 yet it could not name anything distinctly4 ,no form had been vivid enough to produce any corresponding resolution in us2 we were1 as it were1 in a state between sleeping and waking1 with neither thoughts nor dreams definite enough to affect us4 ,this state finds exactly all that it desires in the presence or the near hope of outward objects2 the mind lives in its daily pursuits1 and companions1 and amusements4 ,what impressions have been once produced are soon worn away2 and in a soil so shallow nothing makes a durable impression3 everything can1 as it were1 scratch upon its surface1 while nothing can strike deeply down within4 ,or1 again1 take the rarer case of those who are over-busy4 ,there are minds1 undoubtedly1 which are as incapable of rest as those of the generality of men are prone to it2 there are minds which enter keenly into everything presented to them by their outward senses1 and which1 when their senses cease to supply them1 have an inexhaustible source of thought within1 which furnishes them with abundant matter of reflection or of speculation4 ,to such a mind1 doing is most delightful2 whether it be outward doing1 or the mere exercise of thought1 either supplies alike the consciousness of power4 ,where1 then1 is there room for the less obtruding things of ,god8 ,into that restless water1 another and another image is for ever stepping down1 pushing aside and keeping at a distance the sobering reflections of ,god and of ,christ4 ,alas6 the thorns grow so vigorously in such a soil1 that they altogether choke and kill the seed of ,god's word4 ,so1 then1 we are either asleep1 or1 if we are awake1 we are not waking with ,christ4 ,on one side1 in that garden of ,gethsemane were the disciples sleeping2 below1 and fast ascending the hill1--not sleeping1 certainly1 but with lanterns and torches and weapons1--were those whose waking was for evil4 ,where were they who watched with ,christ one hour then1--or where are those who watch with him now8 ,,how gently1 yet how earnestly1 does he call upon us to watch and pray1 lest we enter into temptation4 ,to watch and to pray3 for of all those around him some were sleeping1 and none were praying2 so that they who watched were not watching with him1 but against him4 ,in our careless state of mind the call to us is to watch2 in our over-busy state the call to us is to pray2 in our hard state there is equal need for both4 ,and even in our best moods1 when we are not hard1 nor careless1 nor over-busy1 when we are at once sober and earnest and gentle1 then not least does ,christ call upon us to watch and to pray1 that we may retain that than which else no gleam of ,april sunshine was ever more fleeting2 that we may perfect that which else is of the earth1 earthly1 and when we lie down in the dust will wither and come to dust also4 ,jesus ,christ brought life and immortality1 it is said1 to light through the gospel4 ,he brought life and immortality to light3--is this indeed true as far as we are concerned8 ,what do we think would be the difference in this point between many of us--who will dare say how many8--and a school1 ,i will not say of ,jewish1 but even of ,greek or ,roman or ,egyptian boys1 eighteen hundred1 or twenty-four hundred1 or three or four thousand years ago8 ,compare us at our worship with them1 and then1 ,i grant1 the difference would appear enormous4 ,we have no images1 making the glory of the incorruptible ,god like to corruptible man2 we have no vain stream of incense2 no shedding of the blood of bulls and calves in sacrifice3 the hymns which are sung here are not vain repetitions or impious fables1 which gave no word of answer to those questions which it most concerns mankind to know4 ,here1 indeed1 ,jesus ,christ is truly set forth1 crucified among us2 here life and immortality are brought to light4 ,but follow us out of this place1--to our respective pursuits and amusements1 to our social meetings1 or our times of solitary thought1--and wherein do we seem to see life and immortality more brightly revealed than to those heathen schools of old8 ,do we enjoy any worldly good less keenly1 or less shrink from any worldly evil8 ,death1 which to the heathen view was the end of all things1 is to us 7so our language goes7 the gate of life4 ,do we think of it with more hope and less fear than the heathen did8 ,christ has risen1 and has reconciled us to ,god4 ,is ,god more to us8--,god now revealed to us as our reconciled ,father--do we oftener think of him1 do we love him better1 than he was thought of and loved in those heathen schools1 which had ,homer's poetry for their only gospel8 ,we talk of light1 of revelation1 of the knowledge of ,god1 while verily and really we are walking1 not in light1 but in darkness3 not in knowledge of ,god1 but in blindness and hardness of heart4 ,the spirit indeed is willing1 but the flesh is weak4 ,how great is the loving-kindness of these words1--how gently does ,christ bear with the weakness of his disciples6 ,but this thought may be the most blessed or the most dangerous thought in the world2 the most blessed if it touches us with love1 the most dangerous if it emboldens us in sin4 ,he is full of loving-kindness1 full of long-suffering2 for days1 and weeks1 and months1 and years he bears with us3 we grieve him1 and he entreats2 we crucify him afresh1 yet he will not come down from the cross in power and majesty2 he endures and spares4 ,so it is for days1 and months1 and years2 for some years it may be to most of us1--for many years to some of the youngest4 ,there may be some here who may go on grieving ,christ1 and crucifying him afresh1 for as much as seventy years2 and he will bear with them all that time1 and his sun will daily shine upon them1 and his creatures and his word will minister to their pleasure2 and he himself will say nothing to them but to entreat them to turn and be saved4 ,this may last1 ,i say1 to some amongst us for seventy years2 to others it may last fifty2 to many of us it may last for forty1 or for thirty2 none of us1 perhaps1 are so old but that it may last with us twenty1 or at the least ten4 ,such is the prospect before us1 if we like it3 not to be depended upon with certainty1 it is true1 but yet to be regarded as probable4 ,but as these ten1 or twenty1 or fifty1 or seventy years pass on1 ,christ will still spare us1 but his voice of entreaty will be less often heard2 the distance between him and us will be consciously wider4 ,from one place after another where we once used sometimes to see him1 he will have departed2 year after year some object which used once to catch the light from heaven1 will have become overgrown1 and will lie constantly in gloom2 year after year the world will become to us more entirely devoid of ,god4 ,if sorrow1 or some softening joy ever turns our minds towards ,christ1 we shall be startled at perceiving there is something which keeps us from him1 that we cannot earnestly believe in him2 that if we speak of loving him1 our hearts1 which can still love earthly things1 feel that the words are but mockery4 ,alas1 alas6 the increased weakness of our flesh1 has destroyed all the power of our spirit1 and almost all its willingness3 it is bound with chains which it cannot break1 and1 indeed1 scarcely desires to break4 ,redemption1 ,salvation1 ,victory1--what words are these when applied to that enslaved1 that lost1 that utterly overthrown and vanquished soul1 which sin is leading in triumph now1 and which will speedily be given over to walk for ever as a captive in the eternal triumph of death6 ,not one word of what ,i have said is raised beyond the simplest expression of truth2 this is our portion if we will not watch with ,christ4 ,we know how often we have failed to do so1 either sleeping in carelessness1 or being busy and wakeful1 but not with him or for him4 ,still he calls us to watch and pray1 lest we enter into temptation2 to mark our lives and actions2 to mark them often2 to see whether we have done well or ill in the month past1 or in the week past1 or in the day past2 to consider whether we are better than we were1 or worse2 whether we think ,christ loves us better1 or worse2 whether we are more or less cold towards him4 ,i know not what else can be called watching with ,christ than such a looking into ourselves as we are in his sight4 ,it is very hard to be done2--yes1 it is hard--harder than anything probably which we ever attempted before2 and1 therefore1 we must pray withal for his help1 whose strength is perfected in our weakness4 ,and if it be so hard1 and we have need so greatly to pray for ,god's help1 should we not all also be anxious to help one another8 ,and knowing1 as we do from our own consciences1 how difficult it is to watch with ,christ1 and how thankful we should be to any one who were to make it easier to us1 should we not be sure that our neighbour is in like case with ourselves2 that our help may be as useful to him as we feel that his would be to us8 ,this is our bounden duty of love towards one another2 what then should be said of us if we not only neglect this duty1 but do the very contrary to it2 if we actually help the evil in our brother's heart to destroy him more entirely2 if we will not watch with ,christ ourselves1 and strive to prevent others from doing so8 ,,lecture ,,xxiv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,good ,,friday4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,romans v4 #h4 ,god commendeth his love towards us1 in that1 while we were yet sinners1 ,christ died for us4 ,we all remember the story in the ,gospel1 of the different treatment which our ,lord met with in the same house1 from the ,pharisee1 who had invited him into it1 and from the woman who came in and knelt at his feet1 and kissed them1 and bathed them with her tears4 ,our ,lord accounted for the difference in these words1 ,to whom little is forgiven1 the same loveth little2 which means to speak of the sense or feeling in the person's own mind1 ,he who feels that little is or needs to be forgiven him1 he also loves little4 ,and this same difference which existed toward him when he was present on earth1 exists no less now1 whenever he is brought before our thoughts4 ,the same sort of persons who saw him with indifference1 think of him also with indifference2 they who saw him with love1 think of him also with love4 ,there is no art1 no power in the world1 which can give an interest to words spoken concerning him1 for those who feel that little is and that little needs to be forgiven them1 or to those who never consider about their being forgiven at all4 ,to such1 this day1 with its services1 what they hear from the ,scriptures1 or what they hear from men1 must be alike a matter of indifference3 it is not possible that it should be otherwise4 ,yet1 ,god forbid that we should design what we are saying this day only for a certain few of our congregation1 as if the rest neither would nor could be interested in it4 ,so long as any one is careless1 he cannot1 it is true1 be interested about the things of ,christ2 but who can say at what moment1 through ,god's grace1 he may cease to be careless8 ,is it too much to say1 that scarcely a service is performed in any congregation in the land1 which does not awaken an interest in some one who before was indifferent8 ,i do rot say a deep interest1 nor a lasting one1 but an interest2 there is a thought1 a heeding1 an inclination of the mind to listen1 created probably by the ,church services in some one or other1 every time that they are performed4 ,as we never can know in whom this may be so created1 as all have great need that it should be created1 as all are deeply concerned whether they feel that they are so or no1 so we speak to all alike2 and if the language does pass over their ears like an unknown or indistinct sound1 the fault and the loss are theirs2 but the ,church has borne her witness1 and has so far done her duty4 ,but again1 for ears not careless1 but most interested2 for hearts to whom ,christ is more than all in the world besides2 for minds1 before whom the wisdom of the gospel is ever growing1 rising to a loftier height1 and striking downwards to a depth more profound1--yet without end in its height or its depth2 is there not1 also1 a difficulty in speaking to them of that great thing which the ,church celebrates to-day8 ,is there no difficulty in awakening their interest1 or rather how can we escape even from wearying or repelling them1 when their own affections and deep thoughts must find all words of man1 whether of themselves or others1 infinitely unworthy to express either the one or the other8 ,to such1 then1 the words of the preacher may be no more than music without any words at all2 which does but serve to lead and accompany our own thoughts1 without distinctly suggesting any thoughts of another to interrupt the workings of our own minds4 ,we would speak of ,christ's death2 most good it is for us and for you to think upon it2 so far as our words suit the current of your own thoughts1 use them and listen to them2 so far as they are a too unworthy expression of what we ought to think and feel1 follow your own reflections1 and let the words neither offend you nor distract you4 ,i would endeavour just to touch1 upon some of the purposes for which the ,scripture tells us that ,christ died1 and for which his death was declared to be the great object of our faith4 ,this done in the simplest and fewest words will best show the infinite greatness of the subject2 and how truly it is1 so to speak1 the central point of ,christianity4 ,first of all1 ,christ died as a proper sacrifice for sin2 as a sacrifice1 the virtue of which1 is altogether distinct from our knowledge of it1 or from any effect which it has a tendency to produce on our own minds4 ,we are forgiven for his sake2 we are acquitted through his death1 and through faith in his blood4 ,what a view does this open1 partially1 indeed1--for what mortal eye can reach to the end of it8--of the evil of sin1 and of ,god's love6 of what ,god's justice required1 and of what ,god's love fulfilled6 ,this great sacrifice was made once1 but it will not be made again2 for those who despise this there remains no more offering for sin1 but their sin abideth with them for ever4 ,secondly1 ,christ's death is revealed to us as a motive capable of overcoming all temptations to evil4 ,how much more shall the blood of ,christ purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living ,god8 ,he suffered for sins1 the just for the unjust1 that he might bring us to ,god2 that is1 that a consideration of what ,christ's death declares to us should have power to melt the hardest heart1 and to sober the lightest3 that1 when we think of ,christ dying1 dying for us1 and so purchasing for us the forgiveness of sins1 and everlasting life1 such a love1 and such a prospect of peace with ,god1 and of glory1 should in the highest degree soften and enkindle us2 and from love for him1 and confidence of hope through the prospect which he has given us1 we should be able to overcome all temptations4 ,i am persuaded1 says ,st4 ,paul1 that neither death1 nor life1 nor angels1 nor principalities1 nor powers1 nor things present1 nor things to come1 nor height1 nor depth1 nor any other creature1 shall be able to separate us from the love of ,god1 which is in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4 ,thirdly1 ,christ suffered for as1 leaving us an example that we should follow his steps4 ,he left us an example of all meekness1 and patience1 and humility2 he left us an example of perfect submission to ,god's will2 he left us an infinite comfort by letting us feel when we are in any trouble1 or pain1 or affliction1 that he was troubled too2 that he knew pain1 and endured affliction4 ,above all1 in that hour which must come to all of us1 he has left us the greatest of all supports2--for he endured to die2 and we may enter with less fear into the darkness of the grave1 for even there ,christ has been for our sakes1 and arose from out of it a conqueror4 ,fourthly1 ,christ died that he might gather together in one the children of ,god that were scattered abroad2 he died to purchase to himself his universal ,church4 ,so it is said in the ,scriptures3 and on this particular purpose of his death1 it may not be amiss to dwell1 for none so needs to be held in remembrance4 ,many there are1 and ever have been1 who have rested their whole hope towards ,god on his sacrifice2 many who have learnt from his cross to overcome sin2 from his resurrection to overcome the world2 many who1 amidst all the troubles of life1 and in the hour of death1 have been supported by the thought of his example4 ,but where is his universal ,church8 where the company of ,god's children gathered together into one8 where is the city set upon the hill1 that cannot be hid8 where is the visible kingdom of ,god1 where all its people are striving under one ,divine ,head1 against sin1 the world1 and the devil8 ,this is the sign which we look for and cannot find2 this is the fulfilment of the prophecies for which we seem destined to wait in vain4 ,and what if1 on the contrary1 that which is called the ,church act rather the part of the world2 if our worst foes be truly those of our own household3 if they who should have been for our help1 be rather an occasion of falling3 if one of our greatest difficulties in following ,christ steadily1 arise from the total want of encouragement1 yea1 often from the direct opposition of those who are themselves pledged to follow him to the death2 if that ,church1 which was to have been the clearest sign to the world of the truth of ,christ's gospel1 be now1 in many respects1 rather a stumbling-block to the adversary and unbeliever1 so that the name of ,god is through us blasphemed among the heathen1 rather than glorified2 may we not humble ourselves before ,god in sorrow and in shame8 and must we not confess1 that through our sin1 and the sin of our fathers1 ,christ1 in respect of this one purpose of his death1 has as yet died in vain8 ,israel after the flesh1 lamenting their ,jerusalem which is now not theirs1 and mourning over their ruined temple1 in all their synagogues repeat constantly the prayer1 ,o ,lord1 build thou the walls of ,jerusalem6 ,o ,lord1 build6 ,o ,lord1 build6 ,o ,lord1 build6 is the solemn chorus1 marking by its repetition the earnestness of their desire4 ,and should not this be the prayer of the ,israel of ,god1 scattered now as they are into their thousand divided and corrupted synagogues1 and no token to be seen of the pure and universal ,church1 the living temple of the ,spirit of ,god2 should not we too1 privately and publicly1 join in the prayer of the earthly ,israel1 and pray that ,christ would build for us the walls of our true ,jerusalem8 ,for only think what it would be1 if ,christ's ,church existed more than in name2 consider what it would be if baptism were a real bond2 if we looked on one another as brethren1 redeemed by one ransom1 pledged to one service2 if we bore with one another's weaknesses2 if we helped one another's endeavours2 if each saw and heard1 in the words and life of his neighbour1 an image of ,christ1 and a pledge of the truth of his promises4 ,consider what it would be1 if1 with no quarrels1 with no jealousies1 with no unkindness1 we sought not every man his own1 but every man also another's welfare2 as true members one of another1--of one body1 of which ,christ is the head4 ,consider what it would be1 if our judgments of men and things were like ,christ's judgments2 neither strengthening the heart of the careless and sinful by our laxity1 nor making sad the heart of ,god's true servant by our uncharitableness2 not putting little things in the place of great1 nor great things in the place of little2 not neglecting the unity of the ,spirit2 not stickling for a sameness in the form4 ,or1 if we carry our views a little wider2 if we look out upon the world at large1 and hear of rumours of wars1 and see the signs of internal disorders1 and perhaps may think that the clouds are gathering which1 herald one of the comings of the ,son of man to judgment1 whether the last of all or not it were vain to ask2 how blessed would it be1 if we could see such an ark of ,christ's ,church as should float visibly upon1 the stormy waters2 gathering within it1 in peace and safety1 men of various dispositions and conditions1 and opinions2 those who held much of truth1 and those who had mixed with it much of error3 those whom ,christ would call clean1 and those1 too1 whom some of their brethren call unclean1 but whom ,christ has redeemed1 and will save no less than their despisers2 all1 in short1 who fled from sin and from the world to ,christ1 and to the company of ,christ's people6 ,o if we could but see such an ark preparing while ,god's long-suffering yet withholds the flood6 ,o that all ,god's scattered and divided children would join together in one earnest prayer1 ,o ,lord1 build thou the walls of ,jerusalem6 ,o ,lord1 build6 ,o ,lord1 build6 ,o ,lord1 build6 ,yet1 for this1 among other purposes of mercy1 did the ,son of ,god1 as on this day1 suffer death upon the cross3 he died that we might be one in him4 ,let us turn1 then1 from the thought of the general temple in ruins1 and let us see whether we cannot1 at any rate1 within the walls of our own little particular congregation1 fulfil also this object of ,christ's death1 and be one in him4 ,let us consider one another1 to provoke unto love and to good works3 we too often consider one another for the very contrary purpose1 to provoke to contempt or ill-will4 ,true it is1 that if we look for it we can find much of evil in our brethren1 and they can find much also in us2 and we might become all haters of one another1 all in some sort deserving to be hated4 ,but where is he who is entitled to hate another's evil when he has evil in himself2 and when ,christ1 who had none1 did not hate the evil of us all1 but rather died to save it8 ,and is it not true also1 that1 if we look for it1 we can also find in every one something to love8 something1 undoubtedly1 even in him who has in himself least3 but much1 infinitely much in all1 when we look upon them as ,christ's redeemed4 ,not more beautifully than truly has it been said1 that ,christian souls-- ,though worn and soiled by sinful clay1 ,are yet1 to eyes that see them true1 ,all glistening with baptismal dew4 ,they have the seal of belonging to ,christ2 they are his and our brethren4 ,and1 as his latest command1 and his beloved ,apostle's also1 was that we should love one another2 so1 if we would bring all our solemn thoughts of ,christ's death to one point1 and endeavour to derive from it some one particular lesson for our daily lives1 ,i know not that any would be more needed or better for us1 than that we should especially apply the thought of ,christ dying on the cross for us to soften our angry1 and proud1 and selfish feelings2 to restrain us from angry or sneering words2 from unkind1 offensive1 rude1 or insulting actions2 to excite us to gentleness1 courtesy1 kindness2 remembering that he1 be he who he may1 whom we allow ourselves to despise1 or to dislike1 or to annoy1 or to neglect1 was one so precious in ,christ's sight1 that he laid down his life for his sake1 and invites him to be for ever with1 him and with his ,father4 ,,lecture ,,xxv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,easter ,,day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,john xx4 #bj4 ,then the disciples went away again unto their own home4 ,with this verse ends the portion of the scripture chosen for the gospel in this morning's service4 ,it finishes the account of the visit of ,peter and ,john to the sepulchre2 and1 therefore1 the close of the extract at this point is sufficiently natural4 ,yet the effect of the quiet tone of these words1 just following the account of the greatest event which earth has ever witnessed1 is1 ,i think1 singularly impressive2 the more so when we remember that they were written by one of the very persons1 whose visit had been just described2 and that the writer1 therefore1 could tell full well1 to how intense an interest there had succeeded that solemn calm4 ,they went away from the very sight1 if ,i may so speak1 of ,christ risen1 to their own homes4 ,and what thoughts do we suppose that they carried with them8 ,let us endeavour to recall them1 for our benefit1 also1 who1 like them1 are going1 as it were1 to the ordinary tenure of our daily lives from this day's high solemnity4 ,the disciples went away to their own homes2 and there they waited1 either in ,jerusalem or in ,galilee1 pursuing1 as we find from the last chapter of ,st4 ,john1 their common occupations1 till1 after their ,lord's ascension1 power was given them from on high1 and the great work of their apostleship began4 ,during this period1 ,christ appeared to them several times3 he conversed with them1 he ate and drank with them3 but he did not live continually with them1 as he had done before his crucifixion3 he did not take them about with him as before1 while he was performing the part of the great prophet of the house of ,israel4 ,they were now at their own homes waiting for his call to more active duties4 ,they had seen him dead1 and they had seen1 him risen1 and they were receiving into their souls all the lessons of his life and death and resurrection1 brought before them1 and impressed upon them by that ,holy ,spirit1 who1 according to ,christ's promise1 was to take of the things which are ,christ's1 and to show them to ,christ's disciples4 ,it is true that there came upon them1 after this1 an especial visitation of the ,spirit of power1 to fit them for their particular work of apostles or messengers to mankind4 ,having been converted themselves1 they were to strengthen their brethren4 ,and as this especial visitation of the ,holy ,spirit was given to them only1 and to those on whom they themselves laid their hands1 so none have ever since been called to that particular work to which they were called1 in any thing of the same degree of fulness4 ,what is peculiar to them as apostles is not applicable exactly to us2 but we are all concerned in what belongs to them as ,christians3 in this respect1 their case is ours2 and they1 when at their own homes1 and engaged in their own callings1 stand in the same situation as we all4 ,we may1 however1 still make a two-fold division2 we may regard the apostles going away to their own homes1 as a temporary thing1 as a mere term of preparation for the duties which they were afterwards called to2 or we may look upon it as complete so far as earth is concerned1 since1 taking them as ,christians only and not as apostles1 they might have so lived on to the end of their lives1 having received all those helps which were needed for their own personal salvation1 and having only to use them daily for their soul's benefit4 ,this same distinction we may apply to ourselves4 ,we may consider ourselves as going to our own homes for a time only1 awaiting our call to active life2 or we may consider ourselves as withdrawing1 after every celebration of ,christ's resurrection1 to that round of daily duties which on earth shall never alter2 and to which all the helps derived from our communion with ,christ are to be applied1 with nothing future1 so for as earth is concerned1 for which we may need them4 ,so then1 of whatever age we may be1 what is said of the apostles in the text may apply to us also3 after having witnessed1 as it were1 ,christ's resurrection1 we go away to our own homes4 ,let us first take that part of the text which is common to us all1 though not in the same degree--the having been witnesses of ,christ's resurrection4 ,john and ,peter found him not in the sepulchre2 they found the linen clothes and the napkin lying there1 but he was gone4 ,and upon this1 as ,john assures us1 both for himself and his companion1 they believed4 ,they believed1 we should observe1 when as yet they had no more seen ,jesus himself after his resurrection1 than we ,lave now4 ,they only knew that he had been dead1 and that he was not in the sepulchre4 ,and this we know also2 we have not seen him1 indeed1 since his resurrection3 but we are sure he is not in the sepulchre4 ,we are sure that the malice of his enemies did not do its work3 we are sure1 for we are ourselves witnesses of it1 that that name1 and that word1 which they hoped would have been destroyed for ever1 like the names of many1 not only of false prophets and deceivers1 but even of good men and of wise1 have not perished1 but have brought forth fruit more abundantly1 from the very cause that was intended to put them out4 ,christ's gospel1 assuredly1 is a living thing1 full of vigour and full of power2 it has worked mightily for good1 and is working2 it is so full of blessing1 it tends so largely towards the happiness that is enjoyed upon earth1 that we are quite sure it is not lying still buried in ,christ's sepulchre4 ,they 7the two disciples7 then went away believing1 because they found that he was not in the sepulchre4 ,but ,mary ,magdalene came and told them1 that she had seen him risen1 and had heard his voice with her ears4 ,what she told ,peter and ,john1 ,peter and ,john are now telling to us4 ,they tell us that they have heard him1 have seen him with their eyes1 have looked upon him1 yea1 that their hands have handled him4 ,they tell us even more than ,mary ,magdalene told them2 for she had not been allowed to touch him4 ,we may well trust their testimony1 as they trusted hers1 being quite ready indeed to believe that he was alive1 because they had found that he was not amongst the dead4 ,and so we1 finding that he is not amongst the dead1 seeing and knowing the fruits of his gospel1 the living and ever increasing fruits of it1 may well believe that its author is risen1 and that the pains of death were loosed from off him1 because it was not possible that he should be holden by them4 ,in this way1 we1 like the two disciples1 may be all said to be witnesses of ,christ's resurrection4 ,may it not be said still more of those amongst us who assembled this morning round ,christ's table1 to keep alive the memory of his death2 when we partook of that bread1 and drank of that cup1 of which so many thousands and millions1 in every age and in every land1 have eaten and drunken1 all receiving them1 with nearly the same words1--the body that was given for us1 the blood that was shed for us1--all1 making allowances for human weakness1 finding in that communion the peace and the strength of ,god2 all alike receiving it with penitent hearts1 and with faith1 and purposes of good for the time to come8 ,did we not then witness that ,christ is not perished8 that he has been ever1 and still is1 mighty to save8 ,that command given to twelve persons1 in an obscure chamber in ,jerusalem1 by one who1 the next day1 was to die as a malefactor1 has been1 and is obeyed from one end of the world to another2 and wherever it has been obeyed1 there1 in proportion to the sincerity of the obedience1 has been the fulness of the blessing4 ,but this is now past1 as with the two disciples1 and we are going again to our own homes4 ,there1 neither the empty sepulchre nor the risen ,saviour are present before us1 but common scenes and familiar occupations1 which1 in themselves have nothing in them of ,christ4 ,so it must be2 we cannot be always within these walls2 we cannot always be engaged in public prayer2 we cannot always be hearing ,christ's word1 nor partaking of his communion2 we must be going about our several works1 and must be busied in them2 some of us in preparation for other work to come1 others to go on till the end of their lives with this only4 ,may we not hope that ,christ1 and ,christ's ,spirit1 will visit us the while in these our daily callings1 as he came to his disciples ,peter and ,john1 when following their business as fishers on the lake of ,gennesareth8 ,how can we get him to visit us8 ,there is one answer--by prayer and by watchfulness4 ,by prayer1 whether we are in our preparatory state1 or our fixed one2 by prayer1 and ,i think ,i may add1 by praying in our own words4 ,of course1 when we pray together1 some of us must join in the words of others2 and it makes little difference1 whether those words be spoken or read4 ,but when we pray alone1 some1 perhaps1 may still use none but prayers made by others1 especially the ,lord's prayer4 ,we should remember1 however1 that the ,lord's prayer was given for this very purpose1 to teach us how to pray for ourselves4 ,but it does not do this1 if we use it alone1 and still more1 if we use it without understanding it4 ,if we do understand it1 and study it1 it will indeed teach us to pray2 it will show us what we most need in prayer1 and what are our greatest evils2 but surely it may be said1 that no man ever learnt this lesson well without wishing to practise it2 no man ever used the ,lord's prayer with understanding and with earnestness1 without adding to it others of his own4 ,and this is not a trifling matter4 ,we know the difficulty of attending in prayer2 and if we use the words of others only1 which we must1 therefore1 repeat from memory1 it is perfectly possible to say them over without really joining with them in our minds3 we may say them over to ourselves1 and be actually thinking of other things the while4 ,and the same thing holds good1 of course1 even with prayers that we have made ourselves1 if we accustom ourselves to repeat them without alteration2 they then become1 in fact1 the work of another than our actual mind1 and may be repeated by memory alone4 ,therefore1 it seems to be of consequence to vary the words1 and even the matter of our private prayers1 that so we may not deceive ourselves1 by repeating merely1 when we fancy that we are praying4 ,ten words actually made by ourselves at the moment1 and not remembered1 are a real prayer2 for it is not hypocrisy that is the most common danger2 our temper1 when we are on our knees1 is apt indeed to be careless1 but not1 ,i hope and believe1 deceitful4 ,this1 of course1 must be well known to a very large proportion of us2 but1 perhaps1 there are some to whom it may be useful2 some to whom the advice may not yet have suggested itself1 that they should make their own prayers1 in part1 at least1 whenever they kneel down to their private devotions4 ,and this sort of prayer1 with ,god's blessing1 is likely to make us watchful4 ,we rise in the morning3 we say some prayers of our own2 we hear others read to us2 and yet it is possible that we may not have really prayed ourselves in either case2 we may not have brought ourselves truly into the presence of ,god4 ,hence our true condition1 with all its dangers1 has not been brought before our minds2 the need of watchfulness has not been shown to us4 ,but with real prayer of our own hearts' making it is different2 ,god is then present to us1 and sin and righteousness3 our dream of carelessness is1 for a moment at least1 broken4 ,no doubt it is but too easy to dream again2 yet still an opportunity of exerting ourselves to keep awake is given us2 we are roused to consciousness of our situation2 and that1 at any rate1 renders exertion possible4 ,there is no doubt that souls are most commonly lost by this continued dreaming1 till at length1 when seemingly awake 7they are not so really71 they are like men who answer to the call that would arouse them1 but they answer1 in fact1 unconsciously4 ,we cannot tell for ourselves or others any way by which our souls shall certainly be saved1 in spite of carelessness2 or any way by which1 carelessness shall be overcome necessarily2 all that can be done is1 to point out how it may be overcome1 by what means the soul may be helped in its endeavours2 not how those endeavours and holy desires may be rendered needless4 ,thus1 then1 we may gain ,christ to visit us at our own homes and in our common callings1 when we are returned to them4 ,and that difference which ,i spoke of as existing between us1 that some of us are waiting for ,christ's call to a higher field of action1 while others are engaged in that sort of duty which will last their lives1 ,i know not that this--though it be often important1 and though ,i am often obliged to dwell on it--need enter into our considerations to-day4 ,rather1 perhaps1 may we overlook this difference1 and feel that all of us here assembled--those in their state of earliest preparation for after duties2 those to whom that earliest state is passed away1 and who are entered into another state1 in part preparatory1 in part partaking of the character of actual life2 and those also whose preparation1 speaking of earth1 only1 is completed altogether1 who must be doing1 and whose time even of doing is far advanced--that all of us have in truth one great call yet before us3 and that1 with respect to that1 we are all1 as it were1 preparing still4 ,and for that great call1 common to all of us1 we need all the same common readiness2 and that readiness will be effected in us only by the same means1--if now1 before it come1 ,christ and ,christ's ,spirit shall1 in our homes and daily callings1 be persuaded to visit us4 ,,lecture ,,xxvi4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,whitsunday4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,acts xix4 #b4 ,have you received the ,holy ,ghost since ye believed8 ,it appears1 by what follows these words1 that the question here related especially to those gifts of the ,holy ,ghost which were given1 in the first age of the church1 as a sign of ,god's power1 and a witness that the work of the gospel was from ,god4 ,yet although this be so1 and therefore the words1 in this particular sense1 cannot to any good purpose be asked now2 yet there is another sense1 and that not a lower but a far higher one1 in which we may ask them1 and in which it concerns us in the highest degree1 what sort of answer we can give to them1 ,i say1 what sort of answer2 for ,i think it is true of all ,christians that1 in a certain measure1 they have received the ,holy ,ghost4 ,not only does the doctrine of our own1 and ,i believe every other1 church1 concerning baptism1 show this3 but it seems also necessarily to follow1 from those words of ,st4 ,paul1 that ,no man can say that ,jesus is the ,lord but by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and yet the ,scripture and common experience alike show us1 that a man may call ,jesus ,lord1 and yet not be really his1 nor one who will be owned by ,him at the last day4 ,so that what is of real importance to us is1 the degree of fulness and force with which we could give the answer to the words of the text2 not simply saying that we have received the ,holy ,ghost1 which would be true1 but might be far from sufficient2 but saying that we have received ,him and are receiving ,him more and more1 so that our hearts and lives are showing the impression of his heavenly seal daily more and more clearly and completely4 ,and this must really have always been the answer which it concerned every ,christian to be able to make2 although it has been in various instances1 and by very opposite parties1 tried to be evaded4 ,it is evaded alike by those who set too highly the grace given in baptism1 and by those who1 setting this too low1 direct our attention to another point in a man's life1 which they call his justification or conversion4 ,for both alike would give an exaggerated importance to one particular moment of our lives1 and to the grace then given4 ,now1 the importance of particular moments in men's lives differs exceedingly in different persons2 but yet in all may be exaggerated4 ,i suppose that if ever in any man's life a particular point was of immense importance1 it was the point of his conversion in the case of ,st4 ,paul4 ,there were here united all that grace which according to one view accompanies baptism especially1 and all which according to the other view accompanies conversion and justification4 ,here was a point which separated ,st4 ,paul's later life from his earlier with a broader line of separation than can possibly be the ease in general4 ,there can be no doubt that he1 if ever man did1 received at that particular time the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but if1 ten or twenty years afterwards1 ,st4 ,paul had been asked concerning what the ,holy ,ghost had done for him1 he would not certainly have confined himself in his answer to the grace once given him at his conversion and baptism1 but would have spoken of that which he had been receiving since every hour and every day1 carrying forward and completing that work of ,god which had been begun at the time of his journey to ,damascus4 ,and as he had received more and more grace1 so was his confidence in his acceptance with ,god at the last day more and more assured4 ,for he writes to the ,corinthians1 many years after his conversion and baptism1 that he kept under his body1 and was bringing it into subjection1 lest that by any means1 after having preached to others1 he should be himself a castaway4 ,and some years later still1 though he does not use so strong an expression as that of becoming a castaway1 yet he still says1 even when writing to the ,philippians from ,rome1 that he counted not himself to have apprehended1 nor to have attained his object fully2 but forgetting what was behind1 even the grace of his conversion and baptism1 he pressed on to the things which were before1 even that continued and increasing grace which was required to bring him in safety to his heavenly crown4 ,but if we go on some years yet farther1 when his labours were ended1 and the sure prospect of speedy death was before him2 when the past grace was everything1 and what he could expect yet to come was scarcely any other than that particular aid which we need in our struggle with the last enemy--death2 then1 his language is free from all uncertainty2 then1 in the full sense of the words1 he could say that he had received the ,holy ,ghost1 that his spirit had been fully born again for its eternal being1 and that there only remained the raising up also of his mortal body1 to complete that new creation of body and soul which ,christ's ,spirit works in ,christ's redeemed4 ,i have fought the good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 ,i have kept the faith4 ,henceforth there is laid up for me my crown of righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the righteous judge1 will give me at that day4 ,it seems1 then1 that the great question which we should be anxious to be able to answer in the affirmative1 is this1 ,are we receiving the ,holy ,ghost since we believed8 ,since we believed1 whether we choose to carry back the date of our first belief to the very time of our baptism1 when grace was given to us1--we know not to what degree nor how1--yet given to us1 as being then received into ,christ's flock2 or whether we go back only to that time when we can ourselves remember ourselves to have believed1 and so can remember that ,god's grace was given to us4 ,have we been ever since1 and are we still1 receiving the ,holy ,ghost8 ,o blessed above all blessedness1 if we can say that this is true of us6 ,o blessed with a blessedness most complete1 if we only do not too entirely abandon ourselves to enjoy it6 ,elect of ,god2 holy and beloved2 justified and sanctified2 there is nothing in all the world that could impair or destroy such happiness1 except we ourselves1 in evil hour1 believed it to be out of the reach of danger4 ,but if the witness of memory and conscience be less favourable2 if we can remember long seasons of our lives during which we were not receiving the ,holy ,ghost2 long seasons of a cold and hard state1 in which there was1 as it were1 neither rain nor dew1 nor yet sun to ripen what had grown before2 but all was so ungenial that no new thing grew2 and what had grown was withering and almost dying2 what shall be said1 then1 and how can the time be made up which was so wasted8 ,but we remember1 it may be1 that this deadly season passed away3 the rain fell once more1 and the tender dew1 and the quickening sun shone brightly3 our spiritual growth began again1 and is now going on healthily2 we have not always been receiving the ,holy ,ghost since we believed1 but we are receiving him now4 ,how gracious1 then1 has ,god been to us1 that he has again renewed us unto repentance2 that he has shown that we have not1 in the fullest sense1 sinned against the ,holy ,ghost1 seeing that the ,holy ,ghost still abides with us6 we grieved him1 and tried his long-suffering1 but he has not abandoned us to our own evil hearts2 we are receiving him who is the giver of life1 and we still live4 ,but must not we speak of others8 is not another case to be supposed possible8 may there not be some who cannot say with truth that they are receiving the holy ,ghost now8 ,they received him once2 we doubt it not2 perhaps they were receiving him for some length of time2 their early childhood was watched by ,christian care2 their youth and early manhood1 when it received freshly things of this world1 received also1 with lively thankfulness1 the grace of ,god2 they can remember a time when they were growing in goodness2 when they were being renewed after the image of ,god4 ,but they can remember1 also1 that this time passed away2 the grace of early childhood was put out by the temptations of boyhood2 the grace of youth and opening manhood died away amid the hardness of this life's maturity4 ,it is so1 ,i believe1 often2 that boyhood1 which is1 as it were1 ripened childhood1 destroys the grace of our earliest years2 that again1 when youth offers us a second beginning of life1 we are again impressed with good2 but that ripened youth1 which is manhood1 brings with it again the reason of hardness1 and again our spiritual growth1 is destroyed4 ,we can remember1 ,i am supposing1 that this fatal change did take place2 but can we date it to any particular act1 or month1 or day1 or hour8 ,we can do so most rarely3 in this respect the seed of death can even less be traced to its beginning than the seed of life4 ,and yet there was a beginning1 only we do not remember it4 ,and why do we not remember it8 ,because the real beginning was in some act which seemed of so little consequence that it made no impression2 in the altering some habit which we judged to be a mere trifle2 in the indulging some temper which even at the time we hardly noticed4 ,some such little thing1--little in our view of it1--made the fatal turn2 we received the grace of ,god less and less3 we heeded not the change for a season2 and when it was so marked that we could not but heed it1 then we had ceased to regard it2 and so it was that the spring of our life was dried up3 and it is of no more avail to our present and future state1 that we once received grace1 than the rain of last winter will be sufficient to ripen the summer's harvest1 if from this time forward we have nothing but drought and cold4 ,some few1 again1 there may be1 who1 within their own recollection1 could not say that they have received the ,holy ,ghost3 persons who have lived among careless friends1 to whom the way of life has never been steadily pointed out2 while the way of death1 with all its manifold paths1 meeting at last in one1 has been continually before them4 ,shall we say that these1 because they have been baptized1 are therefore guilty of having rejected grace given8 that this sin is aggravated1 because a mercy was offered them once of which they were unconscious8 ,we would not say this2 but we would say that it is impossible but that they must have received the ,holy ,ghost within their memory2 it is impossible but that conscience must have sometimes spoken1 and that they must have sometimes been enabled to obey it2 it is impossible but that they must have had some notions of sin1 and some desires to struggle against it2 and so far as they ever felt that desire1 it was the work of ,god's ,holy ,spirit4 ,man cannot dare to say how great the amount of their guilt may be2 but guilt there certainly is2 they have grieved the ,holy ,spirit2 and1 though we dare not say that they have utterly blasphemed him1 yet they have a long hardness to overcome1 and every hour of delayed turning to ,god increases it3 it may be possible still to overcome it1 but meanwhile it is not overcome2 they are not receiving the ,holy ,spirit2 they are not being renewed into the likeness of ,christ1 without which no man can see ,god4 ,here1 then1 are the four cases1 one of which must belong to every one of us here assembled4 ,either we have been always and still are receiving the ,holy ,ghost2 or we can remember when we were not1 but yet are receiving him now2 or we can remember when we were1 but yet now are not2 or we cannot remember to have received him ever1 nor are we yet receiving him4 ,i cannot say which of the last two states is the most dreadful1 nor scarcely which of the first two states is the most blessed4 ,but yet as even those happy states admit not of over-confidence1 so neither do the last two most unhappy states oblige us to despair4 ,not to despair2 but they do urge us to every degree of fear less than despair4 ,there is far more danger of our not fearing enough than of our being driven to despair4 ,there is far more danger of your looking on the season of youth1 of our looking on to old age2 you trusting to the second freshness and tenderness of the first1--we to the calmness and necessary reflection of the last4 ,there is far more danger of our thus hardening ourselves beyond recall2 there is not only the danger1 but there is the sin1 the greatest sin1 ,i suppose1 of which the human mind is capable1 that of deliberately choosing evil for the present rather than good1 calculating that1 by and by1 we shall choose good rather than evil4 ,i believe1 that it is impossible to conceive of any state of mind more sinful than one which should so feel and so choose2 and this is the state which we incur1 and which we persist in whenever we put off the thought of repentance4 ,now1 then1 it only remains1 that we apply this each to ourselves2 ,i say all of us apply it1 the young and the old alike2 for there is not one here so young as not to have cause to apply it2 there is not one of us who would not1 ,i am sure1 be a different person from what he now is1 if he were to ask himself steadily every day1 ,have ,i been and am ,i receiving the ,holy ,ghost since ,i believed8 ,,lecture ,,xxvii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,trinity ,,sunday4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,john iii4 #i4 ,how can these things be8 ,this is the second question put by ,nicodemus to our ,lord with regard to the truths which ,jesus was declaring to him4 ,the first was1 ,how can a man be born when he is old8 which was said upon our ,lord's telling him that1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,now1 it will be observed1 that these two questions are treated by our ,lord in a different manner3 to the first he1 in fact1 gives an answer2 that is1 he removes by his answer that difficulty in ,nicodemus's mind which led to the question2 but to the second he gives no answer1 and leaves ,nicodemus--and with ,nicodemus1 us all also--exactly in the same ignorance as he found him at the beginning4 ,now1 is there any difference in the nature of these two questions1 which led our ,lord to treat them so differently8 ,we might suppose beforehand that there would be2 and when we come to examine them1 so we shall find it4 ,the difficulty in the first question rendered true faith impossible1 and1 therefore1 our ,lord removed it2 the difficulty in the second question did not properly interfere with faith at all1 but might1 through man's fault1 be a temptation to him to refuse to believe4 ,and as this1 like other temptations1 must be overcome by us1 and not taken away from our path before we encounter it1 so our ,lord did not think proper to remove it or to lessen it4 ,we must now unfold this difference more clearly4 ,when ,christ said1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god1 ,nicodemus could not possibly believe what our ,lord said1 because he did not understand his meaning4 ,he did not know what he meant by a man's being born again1 and1 therefore1 he could not believe1 as he did not know what he was to believe4 ,words which we do not understand1 are like words spoken in an unknown language2 we can neither believe them nor disbelieve them1 because we do not know what they say4 ,for instance1 ,i repeat these words1 ,greek3 tous pantas haemas phanerothaenai dei emprosaen tou baematos tou ,christou4 ,now1 if ,i were to ask1 ,do you believe these words8 is it not manifest that all of you who know ,greek enough1 to understand them may also believe them2 but of those who do not know ,greek1 not a single person can yet believe them8 ,they are as yet words spoken as to the air4 ,but when ,i add1 that these words mean1 ,we must all stand before the judgment-seat of ,christ2 now we can all believe them because we can all understand them4 ,it is1 then1 perfectly impossible for any man to believe a statement except in proportion as he understands its meaning4 ,and1 therefore1 our ,lord explained what he meant to ,nicodemus1 and told him that1 by being born again1 he did not mean the natural birth of the body2 but a birth caused by the ,spirit1 and therefore itself a birth of a spirit3 for1 as that which is born from a body is itself also a body1 so that which is born of a spirit is itself also a spirit4 ,so that ,christ's words now are seen to have this meaning1--,no man can enter into the kingdom of ,god except ,god's ,spirit creates in him a spirit or mind like unto himself1 and like unto ,christ1 and like unto the ,father4 ,nicodemus1 then1 could now understand what was meant1 and might have believed it4 ,but he asks rather another question1 ,how can these things be8 ,how can ,god's ,spirit create within me a spirit like himself1 while ,i continue a man as before8 ,many persons since have asked similar questions2 but to none of them is an answer given4 ,how ,god's ,spirit works within us ,i cannot tell2 but if we take the appointed means of procuring his aid1 we shall surely find that he has worked and does work in us to life eternal4 ,we must1 then1 in order to believe1 understand what it is that is told us2 but it is by no means necessary that we should understand how it is to happen4 ,it is not necessary1 and in a thousand instances we do not know4 ,if we take poison1 we shall die3 there is a statement which we can understand1 and therefore believe4 ,but do we understand how it is that poison kills us8 ,does every one here know how poisons act upon the human frame1 and what is the different operation of different poisons1--how laudanum kills1 for instance1 and how arsenic8 ,surely there are very few of us1 at most1 who do understand this3 and yet would it not be exceedingly unreasonable to refuse to believe that poison will kill us1 because we do not understand the manner how8 ,thus far1 ,i think1 the question is perfectly plain1 so soon as it is once laid before us4 ,but the real point of perplexity is to be found a step further4 ,in almost all propositions there is something about the terms which we do understand1 and something which we do not4 ,for instance1 let me say these few words3--,a frigate was lost amidst the breakers4 ,these words would be understood in a certain degree1 by all who hear me3 and so far as all understand them1 all can believe them4 ,all would understand that a ship had sunk in the water1 or been dashed to pieces2 that it would be useful no more for the purposes for which it had been made4 ,but what is meant by the words frigate and breakers all would not understand1 and many would understand very differently3 that is to say1 those who had happened to have known most about the sea and sea affairs would understand most about them1 while those who knew less would understand less2 but probably none of us would understand their meaning so fully1 or would have so distinct and lively an image of the things1 as would be enjoyed by an actual seaman2 and even amongst seamen themselves1 there would again be different degrees of understanding1 according to their different degrees of experience1 or knowledge of ships1 or powers of mind4 ,i have taken the instance at random1 and any other proposition might have served my purpose as well4 ,but men do not speak to one another at random2 when they say anything to their neighbour1 they mean it to produce on his mind a certain effect4 ,suppose that we were living near the sea-coast1 and any one were suddenly to come in1 and to utter the words which ,i have taken as my example3 should we not know that what the man meant by these words was1 that there was a danger at hand for which our help was needed8 ,it matters not that we have no distinct ideas of the terms frigate or breakers2 we understand enough for our belief and practice1 and we should hasten to the sea-shore accordingly4 ,or suppose that the same words were told us of a frigate in which we had some near relation3 should we not see at once that what we were meant to understand and to believe in the words was1 that we had lost a relation8 ,that is the truth with which we are concerned2 and this we can understand and feel1 although we may be able to understand nothing more of the words in which that truth is conveyed to us4 ,now1 in like manner1 in whatever ,god says to us there is a purpose3 it is intended to produce on our minds a certain impression1 and so far it must be understood4 ,but when ,god speaks to us of heavenly things1 the terms employed can only be understood in part1 and so far as ,god's purpose with regard to our minds reaches2 but there must be a great deal in them which we can no more understand than one who had never seen a ship1 or a picture of one1 could understand the word frigate4 ,our business is to consider what impression or what actions the words are intended to produce in us4 ,up to this point we can and must understand them3 beyond this they may be wholly above the reach of our faculties1 and we can form of them no ideas at all4 ,it is clear that this will be the case most especially whenever ,god reveals to us anything concerning himself4 ,take these few words1 for example1 ,god is a spirit2 take them as a mere abstract truth1 and how little can we understand about them6 ,who will dare to say that he understands all that is contained in the words ,god and spirit8 ,we might weary ourselves for ever in attempting so to search out either4 ,but ,god said these words to us3 and the point is1 ,what impression did he mean them to have upon us8 how far can we understand them8 ,this he has not by any means left doubtful1 for it follows immediately1 ,they who worship him should worship ,him in spirit and in truth4 ,for this end the words were spoken1 and thus far they are clear to us4 ,god lives not on ,mount ,gerizim or at ,jerusalem3 but in every place he hears the prayers of the sincere and contrite heart1 in no place will he regard the offerings of the proud and evil4 ,or again1 ,god so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten ,son1 to the end that all who believe in him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,here are words in themselves1 as abstract truths1 perfectly overwhelming2 ,god1 ,god's only-begotten ,son1 ,eternity4 ,who shall understand these things1 when it is said1 that none knoweth the ,son1 save the ,father2 that none knoweth the ,father1 save the ,son8 ,but did ,god tell us the words for nothing8 can we understand nothing from them8 believe nothing8 feel nothing8 ,nay1 they were spoken that we might both understand1 and believe1 and feel4 ,how must ,he love us1 who gives for us his only-begotten ,son6 how surely may we believe in ,him who is an only-begotten ,son to his ,father1--so equal in nature1 so entire in union6--,what must that happiness be1 which reaches beyond our powers of counting6 ,would we go further8--then the veil is drawn before us2 other truths there are1 no doubt1 contained in the words2 truths which the angels might desire to look into2 truths which even they may be unable to understand4 ,but these are the secret things which belong unto our ,god2 the things which are revealed they are what belong to us and to our children1 that we may understand1 and believe1 and do them4 ,again1 the ,comforter1 whom ,christ will send unto us from the ,father1 even the ,spirit of ,truth1 which proceedeth from the ,father1 he shall testify of ,christ4 ,what words are here6 ,the ,spirit of ,truth1 the ,spirit proceeding from the ,father2 the ,spirit whom ,christ will send1 and send from the ,father4 ,can any created being understand1 to the full1 such heavenly things as these8 ,but would ,christ have uttered to his disciples mere unintelligible words1 which could tell them nothing1 and excite in them no feeling but mere wonder8 ,not so2 but the words told them that ,christ was not to be lost to them after he had left them on earth2 that every gift of ,god was his3 that even that ,spirit of ,god1 in which is contained all the fulness of the ,godhead1 is the ,spirit of ,christ also2 that that mighty power which should work in them so abundantly1 was of no other or lower origin than ,god himself2 as entirely ,god1 as the spirit of man is man4 ,but can we therefore understand the ,spirit of ,god1 or conceive of him8 ,how should we1 when we cannot understand our own8 ,this1 and this only1 we understand and believe1 that without him our spirits cannot be quickened2 that unless we pray daily for his aid1 and listen to his calls within us1 our spirit will never be created after his image1 and we cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,it is thus1 and thus only1 that the revelations of ,god's word are beyond our understandings3 that in them1 beings and things are spoken of1 which1 taken generally1 and in themselves1 we should in vain endeavour to comprehend4 ,but what ,god means us to know1 or feel1 or do1 respecting them1 that we can understand2 and beyond this we have no concern4 ,it is1 in fact1 a contradiction to speak of revealing what is unintelligible2 for so far as it is a revealed truth it is intelligible2 so far as it is unintelligible1 it is not revealed4 ,but though a thing revealed must be intelligible in itself1 yet it by no means follows that we can understand how it happens4 ,when we are told that the dead shall rise again1 we can understand quite well what is meant2 that we beings who feel happiness and misery1 shall feel them again1 either the one or the other1 after we seemingly have done with them for ever in the grave4 ,but ,how are the dead raised up1 and with what body do they come8 are questions to which1 whether asked scoffingly or sincerely1 we can give no answers2 here our understanding fails1 and here the truth is not revealed to us4 ,how1 then1 has ,christianity no mysteries8 ,in one sense1 blessed be ,god for it1 it has many4 ,using mysteries in ,st4 ,paul's sense of great revelations of things which were and must be unknown to all1 except ,god had revealed them3 then1 indeed1 they are many2 the pillar and ground of truth1 great without controversy1 and full of salvation4 ,but take mysteries in our more common sense of the word1--as things which are revealed to none1 and can be understood by none1--then it is true that ,christianity leaves many such in existence2 that many such she has done away2 that none has she created4 ,she leaves many mysteries with respect to ,god1 and with respect to ourselves2 ,god is still incomprehensible2 life and death have many things in them beyond our questioning2 we may still look around us1 above us1 and within us1 and wonder1 and be ignorant4 ,but if she still leaves the veil drawn over much in heaven and in earth1 yet from how much has she removed it6 ,life and death are still in many respects dark2 but she has brought to light immortality4 ,god is still in himself incomprehensible2 but all his glory1 and all his perfections1 are revealed to us in his only-begotten ,son ,christ ,jesus4 ,god's ,spirit who can search out in his own proper essence8 yet ,christianity has taught us how we may have him to dwell with us for ever1 and taste the fulness of his blessings4 ,yea1 thanks be to ,god for the great ,christian mystery which we this day celebrate2 that he has revealed himself to us as our ,saviour and our ,comforter2 that he has revealed to us his infinite love1 in that he has given us his only-begotten ,son to die for us1 and his own ,eternal ,spirit to make our hearts his temple4 ,,lecture ,,xxviii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,exodus iii4 #f4 ,and ,moses hid his face1 for he was afraid to look upon ,god4 ,,luke xxiii4 #cj4 ,then shall they begin to say to the mountains4 ,fall on us2 and to the hills1 ,cover us4 ,these two passages occur1 the one in the first lesson of this morning's service1 the other in the second4 ,one or other of them must have been1 or must be1 the case of you1 of me1 of every soul of man that lives or has lived since the world began4 ,there must be a time in the existence of every human being when he will fear ,god4 ,but the great1 the infinite difference is1 whether we fear him at the beginning of our relations to him1 or at the end4 ,the fear of ,moses was felt at the beginning of his knowledge of ,god4 ,when ,god revealed himself to him at the bush1 it was1 so far as we are told1 the first time that ,moses learnt to know him4 ,the fear of those who say to the mountains1 ,fall on us1 is felt at the very end of their knowledge of ,god2 for to those who are punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the ,lord1 ,god is not4 ,so that the two cases in the text are exact instances of the difference of which ,i spoke1 in the most extreme degree4 ,moses1 the greatest of the prophets1 fears ,god at first2 those who are cast into hell1 fear him at last4 ,the appearance of ,god1 as described in this passage of ,scripture1 is an image also of his dealings with us at the beginning of our course1 when we fear him with a saving fear4 ,the bush burned with fire1 but the bush was not consumed4 ,god shows his terrors1 but he does not1 as yet1 destroy with them4 ,it is the very opposite to this at last1 for then he is expressly said to be a consuming fire4 ,moses turned aside to see this great sight1 why the bush was not burnt4 ,that sight is the very same which the world has been offering for so many hundreds of years3 ,god's terrors are around it1 but1 as yet1 it is not consumed1 because he wills that we should fear him before it is too late4 ,there is1 indeed1 this great difference2--that the signs of ,god's presence do not now force themselves upon our eyes2 so that we may1 if we choose1 walk on our own way1 without turning aside to see and observe them4 ,and thus we do not see ,god1 and do not1 therefore1 hide our faces for fear of him1 but go on1 and feel no fear1 till the time when we cannot help seeing him4 ,and it may be1 that this time will never come till our life1 and with it our space of trial1 is gone for ever4 ,here1 then1 is our state1 that ,god will manifest himself no more to us in such a way as that we cannot help seeing him4 ,the burning bush will be no more given us as a sign2 ,christ will no more manifest himself unto the world4 ,and yet1 unless we do see him1 unless we learn to fear him while he is yet an unconsuming fire1 unless we know that he is near1 and that the place whereon we stand is holy ground1 we shall most certainly see him when he will be a consuming fire1 and when we shall join in crying to the mountains1 to fall on us1 and to the hills1 to cover us4 ,every person who thinks at all1 must1 ,i am sure1 be satisfied1 that our great want1 the great need of our condition1 is this one thing--to realize to ourselves the presence of ,god4 ,it is a want not at all peculiar to the young4 ,thoughtfulness1 in one sense1 is indeed likely to come with advancing years3 we are more apt to think at forty than at fifteen2 but it by no means follows that we are more apt to think about ,god4 ,in this matter we are nearly at a level at all times of our life3 it is with all of us our one great want1 to bring the idea of ,god1 with a living and abiding power1 home to our minds4 ,this is illustrated by a wish ascribed to a great and good man--,johnson1 and which has been noticed with a sneer by unbelievers1 a wish that he might see a spirit from the other world1 to testify to him of the truth of the resurrection4 ,this has been sneered at1 as if it were a confession of the unsatisfactory nature of the evidence which we actually possess3 but1 in truth1 it is a confession only of the weakness which clings to us all1 that things unseen1 which our reason only assures us to be real1 are continually overpowered by things affecting our senses2 and1 therefore1 it was a natural wish that sight might1 in a manner1 come to the aid of reason2 that the eye might see1 and the ear might hear1 a form and words which belonged to another world4 ,and this wish might arise 7,i do not say wisely1 or that his deliberate judgment would sanction it1 but it might arise7 in the breast of a good man1 and one who would be willing to lay down his life in proof of his belief in ,christ's promises4 ,it might arise1 not because he felt any doubt1 when his mind turned calmly to the subject2 not because he was hesitating what should be the main principle of his life2 but because his experience had told him1 that there are many times in the life of man when the mind does not fully exert itself2 when habit and impressions rule us1 in a manner1 in its stead4 ,and when so many of our impressions must be earthly1 and as our impressions colour our habits1 is it not natural 7,i do not say wise1 but is it not natural7 to desire some one forcible unearthly impression1 which might1 on the other side1 colour our habits1 and so influence us at those times when the mind1 almost by the necessity of our condition1 cannot directly interpose its own deliberate decision as our authority8 ,no doubt the wish to which ,i have been alluding is not one which our reason would sanction2 but it expresses in a very lively and striking manner a want which is most true and real1 although it proposes an impossible remedy4 ,but the question cannot but occur to us1 ,can it be that our heavenly ,father1 who knows whereof we are made1 should have intended us to live wholly by faith in this world8 ,that is1 ,can it have been his will that all visible signs of himself should be withdrawn from us2 and that we should be left only with the record and the evidence of his mighty works done in our behalf in past times2 and with that other evidence of his wisdom and power which is afforded by the wonders of his creation8 ,we look into the ,scriptures and we learn that such was not his will4 ,we were to live by faith1 indeed1 with1 respect to the unseen world1 there the sign given was to be for ever only the sign of ,christ's resurrection4 ,but yet it was not designed that the evidence of ,christ's having redeemed us should be sought for only in the records of the past2 he purposed that there should be a living record1 a record that might speak to our senses as well as to our reason2 that should continually present us with impressions of the reality of ,christ's salvation2 and so might work upon the habits of our life1 as insensibly as the air we breathe4 ,this living witness1 which should last till ,christ came again1 was to be no other than his own body instinct with his own ,spirit--his people1 the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 his holy universal ,church4 ,if we consider for a moment1 this would entirely meet the want of which ,i have been speaking4 ,it is possible1 certainly1 to look upon the face of nature without being reminded of ,god2 yet it is surely true1 that in the outward creation1 in the order of the seasons1 the laws of the heavenly bodies1 the wonderful wisdom and goodness displayed in the constitution of every living thing in its order1 there is a tendency at least to impress us with1 the thought of ,god1 if nothing else obstructed it4 ,but there is a constant obstruction in the state of man4 ,looking at men1 hearing them1 considering them1 it is not only possible not to be reminded of ,god2 but their very tendency is to exclude him from our minds1 because the moral workmanship which is so predominant in them has assuredly not had ,god for its author4 ,we all in our dealings with one another1 lead each other away from ,god4 ,we present to each other's view what seems to be a complete world of our own1 in which ,god is not4 ,we see a beginning1 a middle1 and an end2 we see faculties for acquiring knowledge1 and for receiving enjoyment2 and earth furnishes knowledge to the one and enjoyment to the other4 ,we see desires1 and we see the objects to which they are limited2 we see that death removes men from all these objects1 and consistently with this1 we observe1 that death is generally regarded as the greatest of all evils4 ,man's witness1 then1 as far as it goes1 is against the reality of ,god and of eternity4 ,his life1 his language1 his desires1 his understanding appear1 when we look over the world1 to refer to no being higher than himself1 to no other state of things than that of which sight testifies4 ,now1 ,christ's ,church1 the living temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 puts in the place of this natural and corrupt man1 whose witness is against ,god1 another sort of man1 redeemed and regenerate1 whose whole being breathes a perpetual witness of ,god4 ,consider1 again1 what we should see in such a ,church4 ,we should see a beginning1 a middle1 but the end is not yet visible2 we should see1 besides the faculties for knowledge and enjoyment which were receiving their gratification daily1 other faculties of both kinds1 whose gratification was as yet withheld2 we should see desires not limited to any object now visible or attainable4 ,we should see death looked to as the gate by which these hitherto unobtained objects were to be sought for2 and we should hear it spoken of1 not as the greatest of evils1 but as an event solemn1 indeed1 and painful to nature1 but full of blessing and of happiness4 ,we should see love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1 temperance2 a constitution of nature as manifestly proclaiming its author to be the ,god of all holiness and loving-kindness1 as the wonderful structure of our eyes or hands declares them to be the work of the ,god of all wisdom and power4 ,we should thus see in all our fellow-men1 not only as much1 but far more than in the constitution of the lower animals1 or of the plants1 or of the heavenly bodies1 a witness of ,god and of eternity4 ,their whole lives would be a witness2 their whole conversation would be a witness2 their outward and more peculiar acts of worship would then bear their part in harmony with all the rest4 ,every day would the voices of the ,church be heard in its services of prayer and thanksgiving2 every day would its members renew their pledges of faithfulness to ,christ1 and to one another1 upon partaking together the memorials of his sacrifice4 ,what could we desire more than such a living witness as this8 ,what sign in the sky1 what momentary appearance of a spirit from the unseen world1 could so impress us with the reality of ,god1 as this daily worshipping in his living temple2 this daily sight1 of more than the ,shechinah of old1 even of his most ,holy ,spirit1 diffusing on every side light and blessing8 ,and what is now become of this witness8 can names1 and forms1 and ordinances1 supply its place8 can our unfrequent worship1 our most seldom communion1 impress on us an image of men living altogether in the presence of ,god1 and in communion with ,christ8 ,but before we dwell on this1 we may1 while considering the design of the true ,church of ,christ1 well understand how such excellent things should be spoken of it1 and how it should have been introduced into the ,creed itself1 following immediately after the mention of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,that holy universal ,church was to be the abiding witness of ,christ's love and of ,christ's promises2 not in its outward forms only1 for they by themselves are not a living witness2 they cannot meet our want--to have ,god and heavenly things made real to us2 but in its whole spirit1 by which renewed man was to bear as visibly the image of ,god1 as corrupted man had lost it4 ,this was the sure sign that ,christ had appointed to abide until his coming again2 this sign1 as striking as the burning bush1 would compel us to observe2 would make us sure that the place whereon we stand is holy ground4 ,then follows the question3 ,with this sign lost in its most essential points1 how can we supply its place8 and how can we best avail ourselves of those parts of it which still remain8 and how can we each endeavour to build up a partial and most imperfect imitation of it1 which may yet1 in some sort1 serve to supply our great want1 and remind us daily of ,god8 ,this opens a wide field for thought1 to those who are willing to follow it2 but much of it belongs to other occasions rather than this3 the practical part of it1--the means of most imperfectly supplying the want of ,god's own appointed sign1 a true and living universal ,church1 shall be the subject of my next ,lecture4 ,,lecture ,,xxix4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,psalm cxxxvii4 #d4 ,how shall we sing the ,lord's song in a strange land8 ,this was said by the exiles of ,jerusalem1 when they were in the land of their captivity in ,babylon4 ,there is no reason to suppose that their condition was one of bondage1 as it had been in ,egypt3 the nations removed by conquest1 under the ,persian kings1 from their own country to another land1 were no otherwise ill-treated2 they had new homes given them in which they lived unmolested2 only they were torn away from their own land1 and were as sojourners in a land of strangers4 ,but the peculiar evil of this state was1 that they were torn away from the proper seat of their worship4 ,the ,jew in ,babylon might have his own home1 and his own land to cultivate1 as he had in ,juda2 but nothing could replace to him the loss of the temple at ,jerusalem3 there alone could the morning and evening sacrifices be offered2 there alone could the sin-offering for the people be duly made4 ,banished from the temple1 therefore1 he was deprived also of the most solemn part of his religion2 he was1 as it were1 exiled from ,god2 and the worship of ,god1 as it was now left to him1--that is1 the offering up of prayers and praises1--was almost painful to him1 as it reminded him so forcibly of his changed condition4 ,such also1 in some respects1 was to be the state of the ,christian ,church after our ,lord's ascension4 ,the only acceptable sacrifice was now that of their great ,high ,priest interceding for them in the presence of the ,father3 heaven was their temple1 and they were far removed from it upon earth3 they1 too1 like the ,jews in ,babylon1 were a little society by themselves living in the midst of strangers4 ,our citizenship1 says ,st4 ,paul to the ,philippians1 is in heaven3 here they were not citizens1 but sojourners4 ,why1 then1 should not the early ,christians have joined altogether in the feeling of the ,jews at ,babylon8 why should not they1 too1 have felt and said1 ,how can we sing the ,lord's song in a strange land8 ,the answer is contained in what ,i said last ,sunday2 because ,christ had not left them comfortless or forsaken1 but was come again to them by his ,holy ,spirit2 because ,god was dwelling in the midst of them2 because they were not exiles from the temple of ,god1 but were themselves become ,god's temple2 because through the virtue of the one offering for sin once made1 but for ever presented before ,god by their ,high ,priest in heaven1 they1 in ,god's temple on earth1 were presenting also their daily and acceptable sacrifice1 the sacrifice of themselves2 because also1 though as yet they were a small society in a land of strangers1 yet the stone formed without hands was to become a mighty mountain1 and cover the whole earth3 what was now the land of strangers was to become theirs2 the whole earth should be full of the knowledge of the ,lord2 the kingdoms of the world were to become his kingdom2 and thus earth1 redeemed from the curse of sin1 was again to be so blessed that ,god's servants living upon it should find it no place of exile4 ,but if this1 in its reality1 does not now exist2 if1 although ,god's temple be on earth1 the appointed sacrifice in it is not offered1 the living sacrifice of ourselves2 if the society has1 by spreading1 become weak1 and the kingdoms of the earth are ,christ's kingdoms in name alone2 are we1 then1 come back once more to the condition of the ,jews in ,babylon8 are we exiles from ,god1 living amongst strangers8 and must we1 too1 say1 with the prophet1 ,how can we sing the ,lord's song in a strange land8 ,this was the question which ,i proposed to answer3 ,what can we do to make our condition unlike that of exiles from ,god3 to restore that true sign of his presence amongst us1 the living fire of his ,holy ,spirit pervading every part of his temple8 ,i mean1 what can we do as individuals8 for the question in any other sense is not to be asked or answered here4 ,but we1 each of us1 must have felt1 at some time or other1 our distance from ,god4 ,put the idea in what form or what words we will1 we must--every one of us who has ever thought seriously at all--we must regret that there is not a stronger and more abiding influence over us1 to keep us from evil1 and to turn us to good4 ,now1 the vestiges of ,christ's church left among us are chiefly these3 our prayers together1 whether in our families or in this place2 our reading of the ,scriptures together2 our communion1 rare as it is1 in the memorials of the body and blood of ,christ our ,saviour4 ,these are the vestiges of that which was designed to be with us always1 and in every part of our lives1 the holy temple of ,god1 his living church2 but which now presents itself to us only at particular times1 and places1 and actions2 in our worship and in our joint reading of the ,scriptures1 and in our communion4 ,it will be understood at once why ,i have not spoken here of prayer and reading the ,scriptures by ourselves alone4 ,most necessary as these are to us1 yet they do not belong to the helps ministered to us by the church2 they belong to us each as individuals1 and in these respects we must be in the same state everywhere3 these were enjoyed by the ,jews even in their exile in ,babylon4 ,but the church acts upon us through one another1 and therefore the vestiges of the church can only be sought for in what we do1 not alone1 but together4 ,i1 therefore1 noticed only that prayer1 and that reading of the ,scriptures1 in which many of us took part in common4 ,such common prayer takes place amongst us every morning and evening1 as well as on ,sundays within these walls4 ,whenever we meet on those occasions1 we meet as ,christ's church4 ,now1 conceive how the effect of such meeting depends on the conduct of each of us4 ,it is not necessary to notice behaviour openly profane and disorderly3 this does not occur amongst us4 ,we see1 however1 that if it did occur in any meeting for the purposes of religious worship1 such a meeting would do us harm rather than good3 its witness to us would not be in favour of ,god1 but against him4 ,but take another case3 when we are assembled for prayers1 suppose our behaviour1 without being disorderly1 was yet so manifestly indifferent as to be really indecent2 that is1 suppose every countenance showed such manifest signs of weariness1 and impatience1 and want of interest in what was going forward1 that it was evident there was no general sympathy with any feeling of devotion4 ,would not the effect here also be injurious8 would not such a meeting also shock and check our approaches towards ,god8 would it not rather convince us that ,god was really far distant from us1 instead of showing that he was in the midst of us8 ,ascend one step higher4 ,our behaviour is neither disorderly1 nor manifestly indifferent3 it is decent1 serious1 respectful4 ,what is the effect in this case8 ,not absolutely unfavourable certainly2 but yet far from being much help towards good4 ,we bear our witness that we are engaged in a matter that should be treated with reverence3 this is very right2 but do we more than this8 ,do we show that we are engaged in a matter that commands our interest also1 as well as our respect8 ,if not1 our witness is not the witness of ,christ's church3 it does not go to declare that ,god is in us of a truth4 ,let us go on one step more4 ,we meet together to pray3 we are orderly1 we are quiet1 we are serious2 but the countenance shows that we are something more than these4 ,there is on it the expression1 never to be mistaken1 of real interest4 ,remember ,i am speaking of meetings for prayer1 where the words are perfectly familiar to us1 and where the interest therefore cannot be the mere interest of novelty4 ,say1 then1 that our countenances express interest3 ,i do not mean strong and excited feeling2 but interest1 which may be very real yet very quiet also4 ,we look as if we thought of what we were engaged in1 of what we are ourselves1 and of what ,god is to us4 ,we are joined in one common feeling of thankfulness to him for mercies past1 of wishing for his help and love for the time to come4 ,now1 think what would be the effect of such a meeting4 ,would it not be1 clearly1 positively good6 ,would not every individual's earnestness be confirmed by the manifest earnestness of others8 ,would not his own sense of ,god's reality be rendered stronger1 by seeing that others felt it just as he did8 ,then1 here would be the church of ,god rendering her appointed witness3 she would be giving her sure sign that ,god is not far from any one of us4 ,now1 then1 observe what we may lose or gain by our different behaviour1 whenever we meet together in prayer2 what we lose1 nay1 what positive mischief we do1 by any visible impatience or indifference2 what we should gain by really joining in our hearts in the meaning of what was uttered4 ,it is a solemn thing for the consciences of us all2 but surely it must be true1 that1 whenever we are careless or indifferent in our public prayers1 we are actually injuring our neighbours1 and are1 so far as in us lies1 destroying the witness which the church of ,christ should render to the truth of ,god her ,saviour4 ,i do not know that there is anything more impressive than the sight of a congregation evidently in earnest in the service in which they are engaged4 ,we then feel how different is our own lonely prayer from the united voice of many hearts2 each cheering1 strengthening1 enkindling the other4 ,we then consider one another to provoke unto love and good works4 ,how different are the feelings with which we regard a number of persons met for any common purpose1 and the same persons engaged together in serious prayer or praise6 ,then ,christ seems to appear to us in each of them2 we are all one in him4 ,how little do all earthly unkindnesses1 dislikes1 prejudices1 become in our eyes1 when the real bond of our common faith is discerned clearly6 ,there is indeed neither ,greek nor ,jew1 circumcision nor uncircumcision1 ,barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond nor free1 but ,christ is all1 and in all4 ,and to look at our brethren1 once or twice in every day1 with these ,christian eyes1 would it not also1 by degrees1 impress us at other times1 and begin to form something of our habitual temper and regard towards them8 ,thus much of our meetings for prayer4 ,one word only on those in which we meet to read the ,scriptures4 ,here ,i know1 that difference of age1 and our peculiar relations to each other1 make us very apt to lose the religious character of our readings of the ,scriptures1 and to regard them merely as lessons4 ,no doubt1 the object here is instruction2 it is not so much in itself a religious exercise1 as a means to enable you to perform religious exercises with understanding and sincerity4 ,still there is a peculiar character attached even to lessons1 when they are taken out of the ,scriptures3 and the duty of attention and interest in the work becomes even stronger than under other circumstances4 ,but with those of a more advanced age1 ,i think there is more than this2 ,i think it must be our own fault1 if1 whilst engaged together in reading the ,scriptures1 which we only read because we are ,christians1 we do not feel that there also we are employed on a duty belonging to the ,church of ,christ4 ,lastly1 there is our joint communion in the bread1 and in the cup1 of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,here there is seriousness2 here there is always1 ,i trust and believe1 something of real interest2 and1 therefore1 we never1 ,i think1 meet together at the ,lord's table1 without feeling a true effect of ,christ's gifts to and in his ,church2 we are strengthened and brought nearer to one another1 and to him4 ,but this most precious pledge of ,christ's ,church we too often forfeit for ourselves4 ,that we have lost so much of the help which the ,church was designed to give1 is not our fault individually2 but it is our fault that we neglect this means of strength1 so great in bearing witness to ,christ1 and in kindling love towards one another4 ,what can be said of us1 if1 with so many helps lost1 we throw away that which still remains8 if1 of the great treasure which the ,church yet keeps1 we are wilfully ignorant8 ,how much good might we do1 both to ourselves and to each other1 by joining in that communion6 ,how surely should we be strengthened in all that is good1 and have a help from each other1 through his ,spirit working in us all1 to struggle against our evil6 ,,lecture ,,xxx4 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,corinthians xi4 #bf4 ,for as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup1 ye do show the ,lord's death till he come4 ,when ,i spoke last ,sunday of the benefits yet to be derived from ,christ's ,church1 ,i spoke of them1 as being1 for the most part1 three in number--our communion in prayer1 our communion in reading the ,scriptures1 and our communion in the ,lord's ,supper2 and1 after having spoken of the first two of these1 ,i proposed to leave the third for our consideration to-day4 ,the words of the text are enough to show how closely this subject is connected with that event which we celebrate to-day#ac3 ,as often as ye eat this bread1 and drink this cup1 ye do show the ,lord's death till he come4 ,the communion1 then1 with one another in the ,lord's ,supper is doing that which this day was also designed to do2 it is showing forth1 or declaring the ,lord's death2 it is declaring1 in the face of all the world1 that we partake of the ,lord's ,supper because we believe that ,christ our ,passover was sacrificed for us4 ,footnote #ac3 ,good ,friday4 ,god might1 no doubt1 if it had so pleased him1 have made all spiritual blessing come to us immediately from himself4 ,without ascending any higher with the idea1 it is plain that ,christianity might have been made a thing wholly between each individual man and ,christ2 all our worship might have been the secret worship of our own hearts2 and in eating the bread1 and drinking the cup1 to show forth the ,lord's death1 each one of us might have done this singly1 holding communion with ,christ alone4 ,i mean1 that it is quite conceivable that we should have had ,christianity1 and a great number of ,christians spread all over the world1 but yet no ,christian ,church4 ,but1 although this is conceivable1 and1 in fact1 is practically the case in some particular instances where individual ,christians happen to be quite cut off from all other ,christians1--as has been known sometimes in foreign and remote countries2 and although1 through various evil causes1 it has become1 in many respects1 too much the case with us all2 for our religion is with all of us1 ,i am inclined to think1 too much a matter between ,god and ourselves alone2 yet still it is not the design of ,christ that it should be so3 his people were not only to be good men1 redeemed from sin and death and brought to know and love the truth1 in which relation ,christianity would appear like a divine philosophy only1 working not only upon individuals1 but through their individual minds1 and as individuals2 but they were to be the ,christian ,church1 helping one another in things pertaining to ,god1 and making their mutual brotherhood to one another an essential part of what are called peculiarly their acts of religion4 ,so that the ,church of ,england seems to have well borne in mind this character of ,christianity1 namely1 that it presents us not each1 but all together1 before ,god2 and therefore it is ordered that even in very small parishes1 where there are not more than twenty persons in the parish of discretion to receive the communion1 yet there shall be no communion1 except four1 or three at the least1 out of these twenty communicate together with the priest4 ,nay1 even in the ,communion of the ,sick1 under circumstances which seem to make religion particularly an individual matter between ,christ and our own single selves2 when the expected approach of death seems to separate1 in the most marked manner1 according to human judgment1 him who is going hence from his brethren still in the world2 even then it is ordered that two other persons1 at the least1 shall communicate along with the sick man and the minister4 ,nor is this ever relaxed except in times of pestilence2 when it is provided1 that if no other person can be persuaded to join from their fear of infection1 then1 and then only upon special request of the diseased1 the minister may alone communicate with them4 ,so faithfully does our ,church adhere to this true ,christian notion1 that at the ,lord's ,supper we are not to communicate with ,christ alone1 but with him in and together with our brethren2 so that ,i was justified in regarding the ,holy ,communion as one of those helps and blessings which we still derive from the ,christian ,church--from ,christ's mystical body4 ,it is the natural process of all false and corrupt religions1 on the contrary1 to destroy this notion of ,christ's ,church1 and to lead away our thoughts from our brethren in matters of religion1 and to fix them merely upon ,god as known to us through a priest4 ,the great evil in this is1 7if there is any one evil greater than another in a system so wholly made up of falsehood1 and so leading to all wickedness2 but1 at any rate1 one great evil of it is17 that whereas the greatest part of all our lives is engaged in our relations towards our brethren1 that there lie most of our temptations to evil1 as well as of our opportunities of good1 if our brethren do not form an essential part of our religions views1 it follows1 and always has followed1 that our behaviour and feelings towards them are guided by views and principles not religious2 and that by this fatal separation of what ,god has joined together1 our worship and religious services become superstitious1 while our life and actions become worldly1 in the bad sense of the term1 low principled1 and profane4 ,if this is not so clear when put into a general form1 it will be plain enough when ,i show it in that particular example which we are concerned with here4 ,nowhere1 ,i believe1 is the temptation stronger to lose sight of one another in our religious exercises1 and especially in our ,communion4 ,our serious thoughts in turning to ,god1 turn away almost instinctively from our companions about us4 ,practically1 as far as the heart is concerned1 we are a great deal too apt to go to the ,lord's table each alone4 ,but consider how much we lose by this4 ,we are necessarily in constant relations with one another2 some of those relations are formal1 others are trivial2 we connect each other every day with a great many thoughts1 ,i do not say of unkindness1 but yet of that indifferent character which is no hindrance to any unkindness when the temptation to it happens to arise4 ,this must always be the case in life2 business1 neighbourhood1 pleasure1--the occasions of most of our intercourse with one another1--have in them nothing solemn or softening3 they have in themselves but little tendency to lead us to the love of one another4 ,now1 if this be so in the world1 it is even more so here2 your intercourse with one another is much closer and more constant than what can exist in after life with any but the members of your own family2 and yet the various relations which this intercourse has to do with1 are even less serious and less softening than those of ordinary life in manhood4 ,the kindliness of feeling which is awakened in after years between two men1 by the remembrance of having been at school together1 even without any particular acquaintance with each other1 is a very different thing from the feeling of being at school with each other now4 ,i do not wonder1 then1 that any one of you1 when he resolves to come to the ,holy ,communion1 should rather try to turn away his thoughts from his companions1 and to think of himself alone as being concerned in what he is going to do4 ,i do not wonder at it2 but1 then1 neither do ,i wonder that1 when the ,communion is over1 and thoughts of his companions must return1 they receive little or no colour from his religious act so lately performed2 that they are as indifferent as they were before1 as little furnishing a security against neglect1 or positive unkindness1 or encouragement of others to evil4 ,depend upon it1 unless your common life is made a part of your religion1 your religion will never sanctify your common life4 ,now consider1 on the one hand1 what might be the effect of going to the ,holy ,communion with a direct feeling that1 in that ,communion1 we1 though many1 were all brought together in ,christ ,jesus4 ,and first1 ,i will speak of our thoughts of those who are partakers of the ,communion with us1 then of those who are not4 ,when others are gone out1 and we who are to communicate are left alone with each other1 then1 if we perceive that there are many of us1 the first natural feeling is one of joy1 that we are so many2 that our party1--that only true and good party to which we may belong with all our hearts1--that our party1--that ,christ's party1 seems so considerable4 ,then there comes the thought1 that we are all met together freely1 willingly1 not as a matter of form1 to receive the pledges of ,christ's love to us1 to pledge ourselves to him in return4 ,if we are serious1 those around us may be supposed to be serious too2 if we wish to have help from ,god to lead a holier life1 they surely wish the same2 if the thought of past sin is humbling us1 the same shame is working in our brethren's bosoms2 if we are secretly resolving1 by ,god's grace1 to serve him in earnest1 the hearts around us are1 no doubt1 resolving the same4 ,there is the consciousness1 7when and where else can we enjoy it87 that we are in sympathy with all present2 that1 coloured merely by the lesser distinctions of individual character1 one and the same current of feeling is working within us all4 ,and1 if feeling this of our sympathy with one another1 how strongly is it heightened by the thought of what ,christ has done for us all6 ,we are all loving him1 because he loved us all2 we are going together to celebrate his death1 because he died for us all2 we are resolving all to serve him1 because his ,holy ,spirit is given to us all1 and we are all brought to drink of the same ,spirit4 ,then let us boldly carry our thoughts a little forward to that time1 only a short hour hence1 when we shall again be meeting one another1 in very different relations2 even in those common indifferent relations of ordinary life which are connected so little with ,christ4 ,is it impossible to think1 that1 although we shall meet without these walls in very different circumstances1 yet that we have seen each other pledging ourselves to serve ,christ together8 if the recollection of this lives in us1 why should it not live in our neighbour8 ,if we are labouring to keep alive our good resolutions made at ,christ's table1 why should we think that others have forgotten them8 ,we do not talk of them openly1 yet still they exist within us4 ,may not our neighbour's silence also conceal within his breast the same good purposes8 ,at any rate1 we may and ought to regard him as ranged on our side in the great struggle of life2 and if outward circumstances do not so bring us together as to allow of our openly declaring our sympathy1 yet we may presume that it still exists2 and this consciousness may communicate to the ordinary relations of life that very softness which they need1 in order to make them ,christian4 ,again1 with regard to those who go out1 and do not approach to the ,lord's table4 ,with some it is owing to their youth2 with others to a mistaken notion of their youth2 with others to some less excusable reason1 perhaps1 but yet to such as cannot yet exclude kindness and hope4 ,but having once felt what it is to be only with those who are met really as ,christians1 our sense of what it is to want this feeling is proportionably raised4 ,is it sad to us to think that our neighbour does not look upon us as fellow ,christians8 is it something cold to feel that he regards us only in those common worldly relations which leave men in heart so far asunder8 ,then let us take heed that we do not ourselves feel so towards him4 ,we have learnt to judge more truly1 to feel more justly1 of our relations to every one who bears ,christ's name3 if we forget this1 we have no excuse2 for we have been at ,christ's table1 and have been taught what ,christians are to one another4 ,and let our neighbour be ever so careless1 yet we know that ,christ cares for him2 that his ,spirit has not yet forsaken him1 but is still striving with him4 ,and if ,god vouchsafes so much to him1 how can we look upon him as though he were no way connected with us8 how can we be as careless of his welfare1 as apt either to annoy him1 or to lead him into evil1 or to take no pains to rescue him from it1 as if he were no more to us than the accidental inhabitant of the same place1 who was going on his way as we may be on ours1 neither having any concern with the other8 ,and1 now1 is it nothing to learn so to feel towards those around us2 to have thus gained what will add kindness and interest to all our relations with others2 and1 in the case of many1 will give an abiding sense of the truest sympathy1 and consequently greater confidence and encouragement to ourselves8 ,be sure that this is not to profane the ,lord's ,supper1 but to use it according to ,christ's own ordinance4 ,for though the thoughts of which ,i have been speaking1 have1 in one sense1 man and not ,god for their object1 yet as they do not begin in man but in ,christ1 and in his love to us all1 so neither do they1 properly speaking1 rest in man as such1 but convert him1 as it were1 into an image of ,christ3 so that their end1 as well as their beginning1 is with ,him4 ,i do earnestly desire that you would come to ,christ's table1 in order to learn a ,christian's feelings towards one another4 ,this is what you want every day2 and the absence of which leads to more and worse faults than1 perhaps1 any other single cause4 ,but1 then1 this ,christian feeling towards one another1 how is it to be gained but by a ,christian feeling towards ,christ8 and where are we to learn brotherly love in all our common dealings1 but from a grateful thought of that ,divine love towards us all which is shown forth in the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper2 inasmuch as1 so often as we eat that bread and drink that cup1 we do show the ,lord's death till ,he come4 ,,lecture ,,xxxi4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,luke i4 #c1 #d4 ,it seemed good to me also1 having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first1 to write unto thee in order1 most excellent ,theophilus1 that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed4 ,these words1 from the preface to ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 contain in them one or two points on which it may be of use to dwell2 and not least so at the present time1 when they are more frequently brought under our notice than was the case a few years ago4 ,on a subject which we never1 or very rarely hear mentioned1 it may be difficult to excite attention2 and1 as a general rule1 there is little use in making the attempt4 ,but when names and notions are very frequently brought to our ears1 and in a degree to our minds1 then it becomes important that we should comprehend the matter to which they relate clearly and correctly2 and a previous interest respecting it may be supposed to exist1 which make further explanation acceptable4 ,st4 ,luke tells ,theophilus that it seemed good to him to write in order an account of our ,lord's life and death1 that ,theophilus might know the certainty of those things in which he had been instructed2 and this1 as a general rule1 might well describe one great use of the ,scripture to each of us1 as individual members of ,christ's ,church--it enables us to know the certainty of the things in which we have been instructed4 ,we do not1 in the first instance1 get our knowledge of ,christ from the ,scriptures1--we1 each of us1 ,i mean as individuals1--but from the teaching of our parents first2 then of our instructors1 and from books fitted for the instruction of children2 whether it be the ,catechism of the ,church1 or books written by private persons1 of which we know that there are many4 ,but as our minds open1 and our opportunities of judging for ourselves increase1 then the ,scripture presents itself to acquaint us with the certainty of what we had heard already2 to show us the original and perfect truth1 of which we have received impressions before1 but such as were not original nor perfect2 to confirm and enforce all that was good and true in our early teaching2 and if it should so happen that it contained any thing of grave error mixed with truth1 then to enable us to discover and reject it4 ,it is apparent1 then1 that the ,scripture1 to do this1 must have an authority distinct from1 and higher than1 that of our early teaching2 but yet it is no less true that it comes to us individually recommended1 in the first instance1 by the authority of our early teaching1 and received by us1 not for its own sake1 but for the sake of those who put it into our hands4 ,what child can1 by possibility1 go into the evidence which makes it reasonable to believe the ,bible1 and to reject the authority of the ,koran8 ,our children believe the ,bible for our sakes2 they look at it with respect1 because we tell them that it ought to be respected2 they read it1 and learn it1 because we desire them2 they acquire a habit of veneration for it long before they could give any other reason for venerating it than their parents' authority4 ,and blessed be ,god that they do2 for1 as it has been well said1 if we their parents do not endeavour to give our children habits of love and respect for what is good and true1 ,satan will give them habits of love for what is evil3 for the child must receive impressions from without2 and it is ,god's wisdom that he should receive these impressions from his parents1 who have the strongest interest in his welfare1 and who have besides that instinctive parental love which1 more surely1 as well as more purely1 than any possible sense of interest1 makes them earnestly desire their child's good4 ,but when our children are old enough to understand and to inquire1 do we then content ourselves with saying that they must take our word for it2 that the ,bible is true because we tell them so8 ,where is the father who does not feel1 first1 that he himself is not fitted to be an infallible authority2 and1 secondly1 that if he were1 he should be thwarting the providence of ,god1 who has willed not simply that we should believe with understanding4 ,he gladly therefore observes the beginnings of a spirit of inquiry in his son's mind1 knowing that it is not inconsistent with a belief in truth1 but is a necessary step to that which alone in a man deserves the name of belief--a belief1 namely1 sanctioned by reason4 ,with what pleasure does he point out to his son the grounds of his own faith6 how gladly does he introduce him to the critical and historical evidence for the truth of the ,scriptures1 that he may complete the work which he had long since begun1 and deliver over the faith which had been so long nursed under the shade of parental authority1 to the care of his son's own conscience and reason6 ,we see clearly that our individual faith1 although grounded in the first instance on parental authority1 yet rests afterwards on wholly different grounds2 namely1 on the direct evidence in confirmation of it which is presented to our own minds4 ,but with regard to those who are called the ,fathers of the ,church1 it is contended sometimes that we do receive the ,scriptures1 in the end1 upon their authority3 and it is argued1 that if their authority is sufficient for so great a thing as this1 it must be sufficient for every thing else2 that if1 in short1 we believe the ,scriptures for their sake1 then we ought also to believe other things which they may tell us1 for their sake1 even though they are not to be found in ,scripture4 ,in the argument there is this great fault1 that it misstates the question at the outset4 ,the authority of the ,fathers1 as they are called1 is never to any sound mind the only reason for believing in the ,scriptures2 ,i think it is by no means so much as the principle reason4 ,it is one reason1 amongst many2 but not the strongest4 ,and1 in like manner1 their authority in other points1 if there were other and stronger reasons which confirmed it1--as in many cases there are1--is and ought to be respected4 ,but1 because we lay a certain stress upon it1 it does not follow that we should do well to make it bear the whole weight of the building4 ,because we believe the ,scriptures1 partly on the authority of the ,fathers1 as they are called1 but more for other reasons1 does it follow that we should equally respect the authority of the ,fathers when there are no other reasons in support of it1 but many which make against it8 ,in truth1 however1 the internal evidence in favour of the authenticity and genuineness of the ,scriptures is that on which the mind can rest with far greater satisfaction than on any external testimonies1 however valuable4 ,on one point1 which might seem most to require other evidence--the age1 namely1 and origin of the writings of the ,new ,testament--it has been wonderfully ordered that the books1 generally speaking1 are their own witness4 ,i mean that their peculiar language proves them to have been written by persons such as the apostles were1 and such as the ,christian writers immediately following them were not2 persons1 namely1 whose original language and habits of thinking were those of ,jews1 and to whom the ,greek in which they wrote was1 in its language and associations1 essentially foreign4 ,i do not dwell on the many other points of internal evidence3 it is sufficient to say that those who are most familar with such inquiries1 and who best know how little any external testimony can avail in favour of a book where the internal evidence is against it1 are most satisfied that the principal writings of the ,new ,testament do contain abundantly in themselves1 for competent judges1 the evidence of their own genuineness and authenticity4 ,that the testimony of the early ,christian writers goes along with this evidence and confirms it1 is matter indeed of sincere thankfulness2 because more minds1 perhaps1 are able to believe on external evidence than on internal4 ,but of this testimony of the ,christian writers it is essential to observe1 that two very important points are such as do indeed affect this particular question much1 but yet do not confer any value on the judgment of the witness in other matters4 ,when a very early ,christian writer quotes a passage from the ,new ,testament1 such as we find it now in our ,bibles1 it is indeed an argument1 which all can understand1 that he had before him the same ,bible which we have1 and that though he lived so near to the beginning of the gospel1 yet that some parts of the ,new ,testament must have been written still nearer to it4 ,this is an evidence to the age of the ,new ,testament1 valuable indeed to us1 but implying in the writer who gives it no qualities which confer authority2 it merely shows that the book which he read must have existed before he could quote it4 ,a second point of evidence is1 when a very early ,christian writer quotes any part of the ,new ,testament as being considered by those to whom he was writing as an authority4 ,this1 again1 is a valuable piece of testimony2 but neither does it imply any general wisdom or authority in the writer who gives it3 its value is derived merely from the age at which he lived1 and not from his personal character4 ,and with regard to the general reception of the ,new ,testament by the ,christians of his time1 which1 in the case supposed1 he states as a fact1 no doubt that the general opinion of the early ,christians1 where1 as in this case1 we can be sure that it is reported correctly1 is an authority1 and a great authority1 in favour of the ,scriptures3 combined1 as it is1 with the still stronger internal evidence of the books themselves1 it is irresistible4 ,but it were too much to argue that1 therefore1 it was alone sufficient1 not only when destitute of other evidence1 but if opposed to it2 and especially if it should happen to be opposed to that very ,scripture which we know they acknowledged to be above themselves1 but which we do not know that they were enabled in all cases either rightly to interpret or faithfully to follow4 ,when1 therefore1 we are told that1 as we believe the ,scriptures themselves upon tradition1 so we should believe other things also1 the answer is1 that we do not believe the ,scriptures either entirely or principally1 upon what is called tradition2 but for their own internal evidence2 and that the opinions of the early ,christians1 like those of other men1 may be very good in certain points1 and to a certain degree1 without being good in all points1 and absolutely2 that many a man's judgment would justly weigh with us1 in addition to other strong reasons in the case itself1 when we should by no means follow it where we were clear that there were strong reasons against it4 ,this1 indeed1 is so obvious1 that it seems almost foolish to be at the trouble of stating it2 but what is so absurd in common life1 that the contrary to it is a mere truism1 is1 unfortunately1 when applied to a subject with which we are not familiar1 often considered as an unanswerable argument1 if it happen to suit our disposition or our prejudices4 ,but1 although the ,scripture is to the ,church1 and to the individual1 too1 who is able to judge for himself1 the only decisive authority in matters of faith1 yet we must not forget that it comes to us as it did to ,theophilus1 to persuade us of the certainty of things in which we have been already instructed2 not to instruct from the beginning1 by itself alone1 those to whom its subject is entirely strange3 in other words1 it is and ought to be the general rule1 that the ,church teaches1 and the ,scripture confirms that teaching3 or1 if it be in any part erroneous1 reproves it4 ,for some appear to think1 that by calling the ,scripture the sole authority in matters of faith1 we mean to exclude the ,church altogether2 and to call upon every man1--nay1 upon every child1--to make out his own religion for himself from the volume of the ,scriptures4 ,the explanation briefly given is this2 that while the ,scripture alone teaches the ,church1 the ,church teaches individuals2 and that the authority of her teaching1 like that of all human teaching1 whether of individuals or societies1 varies justly according to circumstances2 being received1 as it ought to be1 almost implicitly by some1 as a parent's is by a child1 and by others listened to with respect1 as that which is in the main agreeable to the truth1 but still not considered to be1 nor really claiming to be received as1 infallible4 ,but this part of the subject will require to be considered by itself on another occasion4 ,,lecture ,,xxxii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,luke i4 #c1d4 ,it seemed good to me also1 having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first1 to write unto thee in order1 most excellent ,theophilus1 that than mightest know the certainty of those things in which thou hast been instructed4 ,i said at the conclusion of my lecture1 last ,sunday1 that when we of the ,church of ,england assert that the ,scripture is the sole authority in matters of faith1 we by no means mean to exclude the office of the ,church1 nor to assert any thing so extravagant1 as that it is the duty of every person to sit down with the volume of the ,scriptures in his hand1 and to make out from that alone1 without listening to any human authority1 what is the revelation made by ,god to man4 ,but ,i know that many are led to adopt notions no less extravagant of the authority of the ,church and of tradition1--even to the full extent maintained by the ,church of ,rome1--because they see no other refuge from what appears to them1 and not unreasonably1 so miserable and so extreme a folly2 for an extreme and a most miserable folly doubtless it would be1 in any one1 to throw aside all human aid except his own2 to disregard alike the wisdom of individuals1 and the agreeing decisions of bodies of men2 to act as if none but himself had ever loved truth1 or had been able to discover it2 and as if he himself did possess both the will and the power to do so4 ,this is so foolish1 that ,i doubt whether any one ever held such notions1 and1 much more1 whether be acted upon them4 ,but is it more wise to run from one form of error into its opposite1 which1 generally speaking1 is no less foolish and extravagant8 ,what should we say of a man who could see no middle course between never asking for advice1 and always blindly following it2 between never accepting instruction upon any subject1 and believing his instructors infallible8 ,and this last comparison1 with our particular situation here1 will enable us1 ,i think1 by referring to our own daily experience1 to understand the present question sufficiently4 ,the whole system of education supposes1 undoubtedly1 that the teacher1 in those matters which he teaches1 should be an authority to the taught3 a learner in any matter must rely on the books1 and on the living instructors1 out of which and from whom he is to learn4 ,there are difficulties1 certainly1 in all learning2 but we do not commonly see them increased by a disposition on the part of the learner to question and dispute every thing that is told him4 ,there is a feeling rather of receiving what he is told implicitly2 and1 by so doing1 he learns3 but does it ever enter into his head that his teacher is infallible8 or does any teacher of sane mind wish him to think so8 ,and observe1 now1 what is the actual process3 the mind of the learner is generally docile1 trustful1 respectful towards his teacher2 aware1 also1 of his own comparative ignorance4 ,it is certainly most right that it should be so4 ,but this really teachable and humble learner finds a false spelling in one of his books2 or hears his teacher1 from oversight1 say one word in his explanation instead of another3 does he cease to be teachable and humble1--is it really a want of childlike faith1 and an indulgence of the pride of reason1 if he decides that the false spelling was an error of the press2 that the word which his teacher used was a mistake8 ,yet errors1 mistakes1 of how trifling a kind soever1 are inconsistent with infallibility2 and the perceiving that they are errors is an exercise of our individual judgment upon our instructors4 ,to hear some men talk1 we should think that no boy could do so without losing all humility and all teachableness2 without forthwith supposing that he was able to be his own instructor4 ,i have begun on purpose with an elementary case1 in which a very young boy might perceive an error in his books1 or in his instructors1 without1 in any degree1 forfeiting his true humility4 ,but we will now go somewhat farther3 we will take a more advanced student1 such as the oldest of those among you1 who are still learners1 and who know that they have much to learn1 but who1 having been learners for some time past1 have also acquired some knowledge4 ,in the books which they refer to1 and from which they are constantly deriving assistance1 do they never observe any errors in the printing8 do they never find explanations given1 which they perceive to be imperfect1 nay1 which they often feel to be actually wrong8 ,and1 passing from books to living instructors1 should we blame a thoughtful1 attentive1 and well-informed pupil1 because his mind did not at once acquiesce in our interpretation of some difficult passage2 because he consulted other authorities on the subject1 and was unsatisfied in his judgment2 the reason of his hesitation being1 that our interpretation appeared to him to give an unsatisfactory sense1 or to be obtained by violating the rules of language8 ,is he proud1 rebellious1 puffed up1 wanting in a teachable spirit1 without faith1 without humility1 because he so ventures to judge for himself of what his teacher tells him8 ,does such a judging for himself interfere1 in the slightest degree1 with the relation between us and him8 ,does it make him really cease to respect us8 or dispose him to believe that he is altogether beyond the reach of our instruction8 ,or are we so mad as to regard our authority as wholly set at nought1 because it is not allowed to be infallible8 ,doubtless1 it would be wholly set at nought1 if we had presumed to be infallible4 ,then it would not be merely that1 in some one particular point1 our decision had been doubted1 but that one point would involve our authority in all2 because it would prove1 that we had set up beforehand a false claim3 and he who does so is either foolish1 or a deceiver2 there is apparent a flaw either in his understanding1 or in his principles1 which undoubtedly does repel respect4 ,let me go on a step farther still4 ,it has been my happiness to retain1 in after years1 my intercourse with many of those who were formerly my pupils2 to know them when their minds have been matured1 and their education1 in the ordinary sense of the term1 completed4 ,is not the relation between us altered then still more8 ,is it incompatible with true respect and regard1 that they should now judge still more freely1 in those very points1 ,i mean1 in which heretofore they had received my instructions all but implicitly8 that on points of scholarship and criticism1 they should entirely think for themselves8 ,or does this thinking for themselve mean1 that they will begin to question all they had ever learnt8 or sit down to forget purposely all their school instructions1 and make out a new knowledge of the ancient languages for themselves8 ,who does not know1 that they whose minds are most eager to discern truth1 are the very persons who prize their early instruction most1 and confess how much they are indebted to it2 and that the exercise of their judgments loads them to go on freely in the same path in which they have walked so long1 here and there it may be departing from it where they find a better line1 but going on towards the same object1 and generally in the same direction8 ,what has been the experience of my life1--the constantly observing the natural union between sense and modesty2 the perfect compatibility of respect for instruction with freedom of judgment2 the seeing how ,nature herself teaches us to proportion the implicitness of our belief to our consciousness of ignorance3 to rise gradually and gently from a state of passively leaning1 as it were1 on the arm of another1 to resting more and more of our weight on our own limbs1 and1 at last1 to standing alone1 this has perpetually exemplified our relations1 as individuals1 to the ,church4 ,taught by her1 in our childhood and youth1 under all circumstances2 taught by her1 in the great majority of instances1 through our whole lives2 never1 in any case1 becoming so independent of her as we do in riper years1 of the individual instructor of our youth2 she has an abiding claim on our respect1 on our deference1 on our regard3 but if it should be1 that her teaching contained any thing at variance with ,god's word1 we should perceive it more or less clearly1 according to our degrees of knowledge2 we should trust or mistrust our judgment1 according to our degree of knowledge2 but in the last resort1 as we suppose that even a young boy might be sure that his book was in error1 in the case of a manifest false print1 so there may be things so certainly inconsistent with ,scripture1 that a common ,christian may be able to judge of them1 and to say that they are like false prints in his lesson1 they are manifest errors1 not to be followed1 but avoided4 ,so far he may be said to judge of his teacher2 but not the less will he respect and listen to her authority in general1 unless she has herself made the slightest error ruinous to her authority by claiming to be in all points1 great or small1 alike infallible4 ,men crave a general rule for their guidance at all times1 and under all circumstances2 whereas life is a constant call upon us to consider how far one general rule1 in the particular case before us1 is modified by another1 or where one rule should be applied1 and where another4 ,to separate humility from idolatry1 conscience from presumption1 is often an arduous task3 to different persons there is a different besetting danger2 so it is under different circumstances1 and at different times4 ,every day does the seaman1 on a voyage1 take his observations1 to know whereabouts he is2 he compares his position with his charts2 he considers the direction of the wind1 and the set of the current1 or tide2 and from all these together1 he judges on which side his danger lies1 on what course he should steer1 or how much sail he may venture to carry4 ,this is an image of our own condition3 we cannot have a general rule to tell us where we should follow others1 and where we must differ from them2 to say what is modesty1 and what is indolence2 what is a proper deference to others1 and what is a trusting in man so far1 that it becomes a want of trust in ,god4 ,only1 we are sure that these are points which we must decide for ourselves2 the human will must be free1 so far as other men are concerned4 ,if we say1 that we will implicitly trust others1 then there is our decision1 which no one could have made for us1 and which is our own choice as to the principle of our lives2 for which choice1 we each of us1 and no one else in all the world1 must answer at the judgment-seat of ,god4 ,only1 in that word there is our comfort1 that1 for our conduct in so doubtful a voyage as that of life1 amidst so many conflicting opinions1 each courting our adherence to it1--amidst such a variety of circumstances without1 and of feelings within1 and on which1 notwithstanding1 our condition for all eternity must depend1--we shall be judged1 not by erring man1 not by our own fallible conscience1 but by the all-wise1 and all-righteous ,god4 ,with him1 after all1 even in the very courts of his holy ,church1 we yet1 in one sense1 must each of us live alone4 ,on his gracious aid1 given to our own individual souls1 and determining our own individual wills1 depends the character of our life here and for ever4 ,trusting to him1 praying to him1 we shall then make use of all the means that his goodness has provided for us2 we shall ask counsel of friends2 we shall listen to teachers2 we shall delight to be in the company of ,god's people1 of one mind1 and of one voice1 with the good and wise of every generation2 we shall be afraid of leaning too much to our own understanding1 knowing how it is encompassed with error2 but knowing that other men are encompassed with error also1 and that we1 and not they1 must answer for our choice before ,christ's judgment1 we must1 in the last resort1 if our conscience and sense of truth cannot be persuaded that other men speak according to ,god's will1--we must follow our own inward convictions1 though all the world were to follow the contrary4 ,,lecture ,,xxxiii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,john ix4 #bi4 ,we know that ,god spake unto ,moses2 as for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is4 ,the questions involved in the conversations recorded in this chapter1 are of great practical importance4 ,not perhaps of immediate practical importance to all in this present congregation2 but yet sure to be of importance to all hereafter1 and of importance to many at this actual moment4 ,nay1 they are of importance to those who1 from their youth1 might be thought to have little to do with them1 either where the mind is already anxious and inquiring beyond its years1 or where it happens to be exposed to strong party influences1 or that its passions are likely to be engaged on a particular side1 however little the understanding may be interested in the matter4 ,in fact1 in religious knowledge1 as in other things1 the omissions of youth are hard to make up in manhood2 they who grow up with a very small knowledge of the ,scriptures1 and with no understanding of any of the questions connected with them1 can with difficulty make up for this defect in after years2 they become1 according to the influences to which1 they may happen to be subjected1 either unbelieving or fanatical4 ,if we were to question the youngest boy about the language held in this chapter by the ,pharisees1 and by the man who had been born blind1 we should1 no doubt1 be answered1 that what the ,pharisees said1 was wrong2 and what the man born blind said1 was right4 ,this would be the answer which it would be thought proper to give2 because it would be perceived that the ,pharisees' language expressed unbelief in ,christ2 and that the man born blind was expressing gratitude and faith towards him4 ,nor1 indeed1 should we expect a young boy to go much farther than this2 for such general impressions are1 at his age1 as much many times as can be looked for4 ,but it is strange to observe how much this want of understanding outlasts the age of boyhood2 how apt men are to judge according to names1 and to see no farther3 to say1 that the language of the ,pharisees was wrong1 because they find it employed against ,christ2 but yet to use the very same language themselves1 whilst they think that they are all the while speaking for ,christ4 ,but in this conversation between the ,pharisees and the blind man1 there are1 indeed1 as ,i said1 points involved of very great importance2 it contains the question as to the degree of weight to be attached to miracles2 and the question1 no less grave1 with what degree of tenacity we should reject what claims to be a new truth1 because it seems to be at a variance with supposed old truths to which we have been long accustomed to cling with undoubting affection4 ,the question as to the weight of miracles is contained in the sixteenth verse4 ,some of the ,pharisees said1 ,this man is not of ,god1 because he keepeth not the ,sabbath day4 ,others said1 ,how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles8 ,that is to say1 the first party rejected the miracles because they seemed to be wrought in favour of a supposed false doctrine2 the other accepted the doctrine1 because it seemed warranted to their belief by the miracles4 ,the second question is contained in the words of the text1 ,we know that ,god spake to ,moses2 as for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is4 ,we have been taught from our childhood1 and have the belief associated with every good and pious thought in us1 that ,god spake to ,moses1 and gave him the law as our rule of life2 but as for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is4 ,his works may be wonderful1 his words may be specious2 but we never heard of him before1 and we cannot tear up all the holiest feelings of our nature to receive a new doctrine4 ,we will hold to the old way in which1 we were taught by our fathers to walk1 and in which they walked before us4 ,this last question is one which1 as we well know1 is continually presented to our minds4 ,no one says1 that the ,pharisees were right1 any more than those very ,pharisees thought that their fathers were right who had killed the prophets4 ,but as our ,lord told them1 that they were in truth the children in spirit of those who had killed the prophets2 because1 although they had been taught to condemn the outward form of their fathers' action1 they were repeating it themselves in its principles and spirit2 so many of those who condemn the ,pharisees are really their exact image1 repeating now against the truths of their own days the very same arguments which the ,pharisees used against the truths of theirs4 ,for the arguments of these ,pharisees1 both as regards miracles1 and as regards the suspicion with which we should look on a doctrine opposed to the settled opinions of our lives1 have in fact1 in both cases1 a great mixture of justice in them2 and it is this very mixture which we may hope beguiled them2 and also beguiles those1 who in our own days repeat their language4 ,for most certain it is that the ,scripture itself supposes the possibility of false miracles4 ,the case is especially provided against in ,deuteronomy4 ,it there says1 ,if there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams1 and giveth thee a sign or a wonder1 and the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee1 saying1 ,let us go after other gods which thou hast not known1 and let us serve them3 thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams1 for the ,lord your ,god proveth you1 to know whether ye love the ,lord your ,god with all your heart and with all your soul4 ,observe how nearly this comes to the language of the ,pharisees1 ,this man is not of ,god1 because he keepeth not the ,sabbath day4 ,here1 they might have said1 is the very case foreseen in the ,scriptures3 a prophet has wrought a sign and a wonder1 which is at the same time a breach of ,god's commandments4 ,god has told us that such signs are not to be heeded1 that he does but prove us with them to see whether we love him truly3 knowing that where there is a love of him1 the heart will heed no sign or wonder1 how great soever1 which would tempt it to think lightly of his commandments4 ,shall we say that this is not a just interpretation of the passage in ,deuteronomy8 shall we say that this is the language of unbelief or of sin8 or1 rather1 shall we not confess that it is in accordance with ,god's word1 and holy1 and faithful1 and true8 ,and yet this most just language led those who used it to reject one of ,christ's greatest miracles1 and to refuse the salvation of the ,holy ,one of ,god4 ,can ,god's truth be contrary to itself8 or can truth and goodness lead so directly to error and to evil8 ,now1 then1 where is the solution to be found8 for some solution there must be1 unless we will either condemn a most true principle1 or defend a most false conclusion4 ,the error lies in confounding ,god's moral law with his law of ordinances2 precisely the same error which led the ,jews to stone ,stephen4 ,the law had undoubtedly commanded that he who blasphemed ,god should be stoned2 the ,jews called ,stephen's speaking against the holy place and against the law blasphemy against ,god1 and they murdered ,god's faithful servant and ,christ's blessed martyr4 ,even so the law had said1 ,let no miracle be so great as to tempt you to forsake ,god3 the ,jews considered the forsaking the law of the ,sabbath to be a forsaking of ,god1 and they said that ,christ's miracle was a work of ,satan4 ,there is no blasphemy into which we may not fall1 no crime from which we shall be safe1 if we do not separate in our minds most clearly such laws as relate to moral and eternal duties1 and such as relate to outward or positive ordinances1 even when commanded or instituted by ,god himself4 ,it is most false to say that the fact of their being commanded sets them on a level with each other4 ,so long as they are commanded to us1 it is no doubt our duty to obey them equally3 but the difference between them is this1 that whereas the first are commanded to us and to our children for ever1 and no possible evidence can be so great as to persuade us that ,god has repealed them2 7for the utmost conceivable amount of external testimony1 such as that of miracles1 could only lead to madness2--the human mind might1 conceivably1 be overwhelmed by the conflict1 but should never and could never be tempted to renounce its very being1 and lie against its ,maker27 the others1 that is1 the commands to observe certain forms and ordinances1 are in their nature essentially temporary and changeable3 we have no right to assume that they will be continued1 and therefore a miracle at any time might justly require us to forsake them2 and not only an outward miracle1 but the changed circumstances of the times may speak ,god's will no less clearly than a miracle1 and may absolutely make it our duty to lay aside those ordinances1 which to us hitherto1 and to our fathers before us1 were indeed the commands of ,god4 ,now let us take the other question1--which may indeed be called a question as to the allowableness of resting confidently in truth already gained1 without consenting to examine the claims of something asserting itself to be a new truth1 yet which seems to interfere with the old4 ,is nothing within us to be safe from possible doubt1 or is everything8 ,or is it here1 as in the former case1 that there are truths so tried and so sacred that it were blasphemy to question them2 while there are others1 often closely intermixed with these1 which are not so sacred1 because they are not eternal2 which may and ought to be examined when occasion requires2 and which may be laid aside1 or exchanged rather1 for some higher truth1 if it shall reasonably appear that their work is done1 and that if we retain them longer they will change their character1 and become no longer true but false4 ,david having served his own generation by the will of ,god1 fell asleep1 and was gathered unto his fathers1 and saw corruption2 but ,he whom ,god raised again saw no corruption4 ,this is the difference between positive ordinances and moral3 the first serve their appointed number of generations by the will of ,god1 and then are gathered to their fathers1 and perish2 the latter are by the right hand of ,god exalted1 the same yesterday1 to-day1 and forever4 ,we know1 said the ,jews1 that ,god spake to ,moses2 but for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is4 ,there was a time when their fathers had held almost the very same language to ,moses3 they refused him1 saying ,who made thee a ruler and a judge over us8 ,but now they knew that ,god had spoken to ,moses1 but were refusing ,him who was sent unto them after ,moses4 ,god had spoken unto ,moses1 it was most true3 he had spoken to him and given him commandments which were to last for ever2 and which ,christ1 so far from undoing1 was sent to confirm and to perfect2 he had spoken to him other things1 which were not to last for ever1 but yet which were not to be cast away with dishonour2 but having1 in the fulness of time1 done their work1 were then1 like ,david1 to fall asleep4 ,all that was required of the ,jews1 was not to reject as blasphemy a doctrine which should distinguish between these two sorts of truths3 which in no way requires to believe that ,god had not spoken to ,moses1--which1 on the contrary1 maintained that he had so spoken1--but only contended that he has also1 in these last days1 spoken unto us by his ,son2 and that his ,son1 bearing the full image of ,divine authority1 might well be believed if he spoke of some parts of ,moses's law as having now fulfilled their work1 seeing that they were such parts only as1 by their very nature1 were not eternal3 they had not been from the beginning1 and therefore they would not live on to the end4 ,the practical conclusion is1 that1 whilst we hold fast1 with an undoubting and unwavering faith1 all truths which1 by their very nature1 are eternal1 and to deny which is no other than to speak against the ,holy ,ghost1 we should listen patiently to1 and pass no harsh judgment on1 those who question other truths not necessarily eternal1 while they declare that they are1 to the best of their consciences1 seeking to obey ,god and ,christ4 ,when ,i say1 that we should listen patiently1 and not pass harsh judgments upon those who question such points1 ,i say it without at all meaning that we should agree with them4 ,it would be monstrous indeed1 to suppose that old opinions are never combated wrongly2 that old institutions are never pronounced to have lived out their appointed time1 when1 in fact1 they are still in their full vigour4 ,but the language of those who defend the doctrines and the ordinances of the ,church may1 and often does1 partake of the sin of that of the ,pharisees1 even when those against whom they are contending1 are not1 like ,christ1 bringing in a new and higher truth1 but an actual error4 ,to point out that it is an error1 to defend ourselves and the ,church from it1 is most right1 and most highly our duty2 but it is neither right1 nor our duty1 but the very sin of the ,pharisees1 to put it down merely by saying1 ,as for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is2 to treat the whole question as an impiety1 and to deny the virtues and the holiness of those who maintain it1 because they are1 as we call it1 speaking blasphemous things against the holy place and against the law4 ,the mischief of this to ourselves is infinite2 nay1 in its extreme1 it leads to language which is fearfully resembling the very blasphemy against the ,holy ,ghost2 for1 when we say1 as has been said1 that where men's lives are apparently good and holy1 and their doctrines are against those of the ,church1 the holiness is an unreal holiness1 and that we cannot see into their hearts1 this is1 in fact1 denying the ,holy ,spirit's most infallible sign--the fruits of righteousness2 and being positive rather of the truth of the ,church1 than of the truth of ,god4 ,there is nothing so certain as that goodness is from ,god2 nothing so certain as that sin is not from ,god2 nothing so certain as that sin is not from him4 ,to deny1 or doubt this1 is to dispute the greatest assurance of truth that ,god has ever been pleased to give to us4 ,it does not1 by any means1 follow1 that all good men are free from error1 nor that error is less error because good men hold it2 but to make the error which is less certain1 a reason for disputing the goodness which is more certain1 is the spirit1 not of ,god1 nor of the ,church of ,god1 but of those false zealots who put an idol in ,god's place2 of such as rejected ,christ and murdered ,stephen4 ,,lecture ,,xxxiv4 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,corinthians xiv1 #bj4 ,brethren1 be not children in understanding3 howbeit1 in malice be ye children1 but in understanding be men4 ,it would be going a great deal too far to say1 that they who fulfilled the latter part of this command1 were sure also to fulfil the former2 that they who were men in understanding1 were1 therefore1 likely to be children in malice4 ,but the converse holds good1 with remarkable certainty1 that they who are children in understanding1 are proportionally apt to be men in malice3 that is1 in proportion as men neglect that which should be the guide of their lives1 so are they left to the mastery of their passions2 and as nature and outward circumstances do not allow these passions to remain as quiet and as little grown as they are in childhood1--for they are sure to ripen without any trouble of ours1--so men are left with nothing but the evils of both ages1 the vices of the man1 and the unripeness and ignorance of the child4 ,it is indeed a strange and almost incredible thing1 that any should ever have united in their minds the notions of innocence and ignorance as applied to any but literal children3 nor is it less strange1 that any should ever have been afraid of their understanding1 and should have sought goodness through prejudice1 and blindness1 and folly4 ,compared with this1 their conduct was infinitely reasonable who weakened and tormented their bodies in order to strengthen1 as they thought1 their spiritual nature4 ,such conduct was1 by comparison1 reasonable because there is a great deal of bodily weakness and discomfort1 which really does not interfere with the strength and purity of our character in itself1 although1 by abridging our activity1 it may lessen our means of usefulness4 ,but what should we say of a man who directed his ill usage of his body to that part of our system which is most closely connected with the brain2 who were purposely to impair his nervous system1 and subject himself to those delusions and diseased views of things which are the well-known result of any disorder there8 ,yet this is precisely what they do who seek to mortify and lower their understanding4 ,it is as impossible that they should become better men by such a process1 as if they were literally to take medicines to affect their nerves or their brain1 in the hope of becoming idiotic or delirious4 ,it is1 in fact1 the worst kind of self-murder2 for it is a presumptuous destroying of that which is our best life1 because we dread to undergo those trials which ,god has appointed for the perfecting both of it and of us4 ,but from the wilful blindness of these men1 let us turn to the ,christian wisdom of the ,apostle3 ,in malice be ye children1 but in understanding be men4 ,let us turn to what is recorded of our ,lord in his early life1 at that age when1 as man1 the cultivation of his understanding was his particular duty--that he was found in the temple1 sitting in the midst of the doctors1 both hearing them and asking them questions3 not asking questions only1 as one too impatient or too vain to wait for an answer1 or to consider it when he had received it2 not hearing only1 as one careless and passive1 who thinks that the words of wisdom can improve his mind by being indolently admitted through the ears1 with no more effort than his body uses when it is refreshed by a cooling air1 or when it is laid down in running water2 but both hearing and asking questions2 docile and patient1 yet active and intelligent2 knowing that the wisdom was to be communicated from without1 but that it belongs to the vigorous exercise of the power within1 to apprehend it1 and to convert it to nourishment4 ,now1 what is recorded of our ,lord for our example1 as to the manner in which he received instruction when delivered by word of mouth1 this same thing should we do with that instruction1 which1 as is the ease with most of ours1 we derive from reading4 ,put the ,scriptures in the place of those living teachers whom ,christ was so eager to hear2 the words of ,christ1 and of his ,spirit1 instead of those far inferior guides from whom1 notwithstanding1 he1 for our sakes1 once submitted to learn2 and what can be more exact than the application of the example8 ,let us be found in ,god's true temple1 in the communion of his faithful people1--his universal ,church1 sitting down as it were1 surrounded by the voices of the oracles of ,god--prophets1 apostles1 and ,jesus ,christ himself3 let us be found with the record of these oracles in our hands1 both reading them and asking them questions4 ,it is quite clear that what hinders a true understanding of anything is vagueness2 and it is by this process of asking questions that vagueness is to be dispelled3 for1 in the first place1 it removes one great vagueness1 or indistinctness1 which is very apt to beset the minds of many2 namely1 the not clearly seeing whether they understand a thing or no2 and much more1 the not seeing what it is that they do understand1 and what it is which they do not4 ,take any one of our ,lord's parables1 and read it even to a young child3 there will be something of an impression conveyed1 and some feelings awakened2 but all will be indistinct2 the child will not know whether he understands or no1 but will soon gain the habit of supposing that he does1 as that is at once the least troublesome1 and the least unpleasant to our vanity4 ,and this same vague impression is often received by uneducated persons from reading or bearing either the ,scriptures or sermons2 it is by no means the same as if they had read or heard something in an unknown language2 but yet they can give no distinct account of what they have heard or read2 they do not know how far they understand it1 and how far they do not4 ,here1 then1 is the use of asking questions1--asking questions of ourselves or of our book1 ,i mean1 for ,i am supposing the case of our reading1 when it can rarely happen that we have any living person at hand to give us an answer4 ,now1 taking the earliest and simplest state of knowledge1 it is plain that the first question to put to ourselves will be1 ,do ,i understand the meaning of all the words and expressions in what ,i have been reading8 ,i know that this is taking things at their very beginning1 but it is my wish to do so4 ,now1 so plain and forcible is the ,english of our ,bible1 generally speaking1 that the words difficult to be understood will probably not be many3 yet some such do occur1 owing1 in some instances1 to a change of the language2 as in the words let1 and prevent1 which now signify1 the one1 to allow1 or suffer to be done1 and the other to stop1 or hinder1 but which signified1 when our translation was made1 the first1 to stop or hinder1 and the second1 to be beforehand with us2 as in the prayer1 ,prevent us1 ,o ,lord1 in all our doings1 with thy most gracious favour2 the meaning is1 ,let thy favour be with us beforehand1 ,o ,lord1 in whatever we are going to do4 ,in other instances the words are difficult because they are used in a particular sense1 such as we do not learn from our common language2 of which kind are the words elect1 saints1 justification1 righteousness1 and many others4 ,now1 if we ask ourselves whether we understand these words or no1 our common sense1 when thus questioned1 will readily tell us1 whether we do or not2 although if we had not directly asked the question1 it might never have thought about it4 ,of course1 our common sense cannot tell us what the true meaning is2 that is a matter of information1 and our means of gaining information may be more or less2 but still1 a great step is gained1 the mist is partly cleared away2 we can say to ourselves1 ,here is something which ,i do understand1 and here is something which ,i do not2 ,i must keep the two distinct1 for the first ,i may use1 the second ,i cannot2 ,i will mark it down as a thing about which ,i may get explanation at another time2 but at present it is a blank in the picture1 it is the same as if it were not there4 ,this1 then1 is the first process of self-questioning1 adapted1 as ,i have already said1 to those whose knowledge is most elementary4 ,suppose1 however1 that we are got beyond difficulties of this sort--that the words and particular expressions of the ,scriptures are mostly clear to us4 ,now1 take again one of our ,lord's parables2 say1 for instance1 that of the labourers in the vineyard3 we read it1 and find that he who went to work at the eleventh hour received as much as he who had been working all the day4 ,this seems to say1 that he who begins to serve ,god in his old age shall receive his crown of glory no less than he who has served him all his life4 ,but now try the process of self-questioning3 what do ,i think that ,christ means me to learn from this8 what is the lesson to me8 what is it to make me feel1 or think1 or do8 ,if it makes me think that ,i shall receive an equal crown of glory if ,i begin to serve ,god in my old age1 and therefore if it leads me to live carelessly1 this is clearly making ,christ encourage wickedness2 and such a thought is blasphemy4 ,he cannot mean me to learn this from it3 let me look at the parable again4 ,who is it who is reproved in those words which seem to contain its real object8 ,it is one who complains of ,god for having rewarded others equally with himself4 ,now this ,i can see is not a good feeling3 it is pride and jealousy4 ,in order1 then to learn what the parable means me to learn1 let me put myself in the position of those reproved in it4 ,if ,i complain that others are rewarded by ,god as much as ,i am1 it is altogether a bad feeling1 and one which ,i ought to check2 for ,i have nothing to do with ,god's dealings to others1 let me think of what concerns myself4 ,here ,i have the lesson of the parable complete3 and here ,i find it is useful for me4 ,but if ,i take it for a different object1 and suppose that it means to encourage waiting till the eleventh hour--waiting till we are old before we repent--we find that we make it only actually to be mischievous to us4 ,and thus we gain a great piece of knowledge3 namely1 that the parables of our ,lord are mostly designed to teach1 some one particular lesson1 with respect to some one particular fault3 and that if we take them generally1 as if all in them was applicable to all persons1 whether exposed to that particular fault or not1 we shall absolutely be in danger of deriving mischief from them instead of good4 ,it is true1 that in this particular parable1 the gross wickedness of such an interpretation as ,i have mentioned is guarded against even in the story itself2 because those who worked only at the eleventh hour are expressly said to have stood idle so long only because no man had hired them2 their delay1 therefore1 was no fault of their own4 ,but even if this circumstance had been left out1 it would have been just the same2 because the general rule is1 that we apply to a parable only for its particular lesson1 and do not strain it to any thing else4 ,had this been well understood1 no one would have ever found so much difficulty in understanding the parable of the unjust steward4 ,this is another great step towards the dispelling vagueness1 to apply the particular lesson of each part of ,scripture to that state of knowledge1 or feeling1 or practice in ourselves1 which it was intended to benefit2 to apply it as a lesson to ourselves1 not as a general truth for our neighbours4 ,and the very desire to do this1 makes us naturally look with care to the object of every passage--to see to whom it was addressed1 and on what occasion2 for this will often surely guide us to the point that we want4 ,but in order to do this1 we must strive to clothe the whole in our own common language2 to get rid of those expressions which to us convey the meaning faintly2 and to put it into such others as shall come most strongly home to us4 ,this ,i have spoken of on other occasions2 and ,i have so often witnessed the bad effects of not doing so1 that ,i am sure it may well bear to be noticed again2 ,i mean the putting such words as persecution1 the cares and riches of the world1 the kingdom of ,god1 confessing ,christ1 denying ,christ1 and many others1 into a language which to us has more lively reality1 which makes us manifestly see that it is of us1 and of our common life1 and of our dangers1 that the scripture is speaking1 and not only of things in a remote time and country1 and under circumstances quite unlike our own4 ,therefore ,i have a strong objection to the use of what is called peculiarly religious language1 because ,i am sure that it hinders us from bringing the matter of that language thoroughly home to us2 our minds do not entirely assimilate with1 it2 or if they fancy that they do1 it is only by their becoming themselves affected1 and losing their sense of the reality of things around them4 ,for our language is fixed for us1 and we cannot alter it2 and into that common language in which we think and feel1 all truth must be translated1 if we would think and feel respecting it at once rightly1 clearly1 and vividly4 ,happy is he1 who1 by practising this early1 has imbued his own natural language with the spirit of ,god's wisdom and holiness2 and who can see1 and understand1 and feel them the better1 because they are so put into a form with which he is perfectly familiar4 ,more might be said1 very much more1 but here ,i will now pause4 ,in this world1 wherein heavenly things are1 after all1 hard to seize and fix upon1 we have great need that no mists of imperfect understanding darken them1 over and above those of the corrupt will4 ,to see them clearly1 to understand them distinctly and vividly1 may1 indeed1 after all be vain3 a thicker veil may yet remain behind1 and we may see and understand1 and yet perish4 ,only the clear sight of ,god in ,christ can be no light blessing2 and there may be a hope1 that understanding and approving with all our minds his excellent wisdom1 the light may warm us as well as assist our sight2 that we may see1 and not in our vague and empty sense1 but in the force of the scriptural meaning of the word1--may see1 and so believe4 ,,lecture ,,xxxv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,matthew xxvi4 #de1 #df4 ,sleep on now and take your rest2 behold1 the hour is at hand1 and the ,son of ,man is betrayed into the hands of sinners4 ,rise1 let us be4 going2 behold1 he is at hand that doth betray me4 ,i take these verses for my text1 in the first place1 because some have fancied a difficulty in them1 and have even proposed to alter the translation1 and read the first words as a question1 ,do ye still sleep and take your rest8 and because they are really a very good illustration of our ,lord's manner of speaking1 a manner which it is of the highest importance to us fully to understand4 ,and1 secondly1 ,i take them as a text for the general lesson which they convey to us2 their mixture of condemnation and mercy2 their view1 at once looking backwards and forwards1 not losing sight of irreparable evils of a neglected past1 nor yet making those evils worse by so dwelling upon them as to forget the still available future2 not concealing from us the solemn truth1 that what is done cannot be undone1 yet warning us also not to undo by a vain despair that future which may yet be done to our soul's health4 ,first1 a difficulty has been fancied to exist in the words1 as if our ,lord had bade his disciples to do two contradictory things3 telling them1 first1 to sleep on and take their rust1 and then saying1 ,rise1 let us be going4 ,and because in ,st4 ,luke's account1 when our ,lord comes to his disciples the last time1 his words are given thus1 ,why sleep ye8 rise and pray1 that ye enter not into temptation3 therefore1 as ,i have said1 his words in the text have been translated1 ,are ye sleeping and resting for the remainder of the time8 ,now1 ,i should not take up your time with things of this sort1 where ,i believe our common translation to be most certainly right1 were it not for the sake of one or two general remarks1 which ,i think may not be out of place4 ,it is a general rule1 that in passages not obscure1 but appearing to contain some moral difficulty1 if ,i may so speak2 that is1 something which seems inconsistent with our notions of ,god's holiness1 or wisdom1 or justice2 something1 in short1 of a stumbling-block1 which we fear may occasion a triumph to unbelievers2 it is a rule1 ,i say1 that in passages of this kind the difficulty is not to be met by departing from the common-received translation4 ,and the reason of this is plain2 that had not the commonly received translation in such cases been clearly the right one1 it would never have come to be commonly received4 ,amongst the thousands of interpreters of ,scripture1 all1 from the earliest time1 anxious to remove grounds of cavil from the adversaries of their faith1 a passage would never have been translated so as to afford such a ground1 if the right translation of it could have been different4 ,such places are especially those in which the common translation needs not to be suspected3 and it is merely leading us astray from the true explanation of the apparent difficulty1 when we thus attempt to evade it by tampering with the translation4 ,a notable instance of this was afforded some few years since in a new translation of some of the books of the ,old ,testament2 in which it was pretended that most of those points which had been most attacked by unbelievers were1 in fact1 mere mistranslations1 and that the real meaning of the original was something totally different2 and1 in order to show the necessity of his alterations1 the writer entirely allowed the objections of unbelievers to the common reading2 and said that no sufficient answer had been or could be made to them4 ,this was an extreme case1 and probably imposed only on a very few3 but less instances of the same thing are common3 ,st4 ,paul's words about being baptized for the dead1 have been twisted to all sorts of senses1 from their natural and only possible meaning1 because men could not bear to believe that the superstition of being baptized as proxies for another could have existed at a period which they were resolved to consider so pure3 and so in the text1 a force has been put upon the words which they cannot bear1 in order to remove a supposed contradiction3 and all that would have been gained by the change would be1 to have one instructive illustration the less of our ,lord's peculiar manner of discourse1 and one instance the less of the inimitable way in which his language1 addressed directly to the circumstances before him1 contains1 at the same time1 a general lesson1 for the use of all his disciples in all ages4 ,our ,lord's habitual language was parabolical2 ,i use the word in a wide sense1 to include all language which is not meant to be taken according to the letter4 ,observe his conversation with the ,samaritan woman2 it begins at once with parable1 ,if thou hadst known who it was that asked of thee1 saying1 ,give me to drink1 thou wouldst have asked of him1 and he would have given thee living water4 ,and again1 ,whoso drinketh of the water that ,i shall give him shall never thirst1 but it shall be in him a well of water1 springing up unto life eternal4 ,this seems to have been1 if ,i may venture to say so1 the favourite language in which he preferred to speak2 but when he found that he was not understood1 then1 according to the nature of the case1 he went on in two or three different manners4 ,when he1 to whom all hearts were open1 saw that the misunderstanding was wilful1 that it arose out of a disposition glad to find an excuse1 in his pretended obscurity1 for not listening to him and obeying him1 then1 instead of explaining his language1 he made it more and more figurative2 more likely to be misunderstood1 or to offend those whom he knew to be disposed beforehand to misunderstand and to be offended4 ,a famous example of this may be seen in the sixth chapter of ,st4 ,john2 there he first calls himself the ,bread of ,life1 and says1 that whosoever should eat of that bread should live for ever3 but when he found that the ,jews cavilled at this language1 instead of explaining it1 he only added expressions yet more strongly parabolical2 ,except ye eat the flesh of the ,son of man1 and drink his blood1 ye have no life in you3 and he dwells on this image so long1 that we find that many of his disciples1 bent on interpreting it literally1 and1 in this sense1 finding it utterly shocking1 went back and walked no more with him4 ,again1 when he found not a disposition to cavil1 but yet a profound ignorance of his meaning1 arising from a state of mind wholly unused to think of spiritual good and evil1 he neither used1 as to those who wilfully misunderstood him1 language that would offend them still more1 nor yet did he offer a direct explanation2 but he broke off the conversation1 and adopted another method of instruction4 ,thus1 when the ,samaritan woman1 thinking only of bodily wants1 answered him by saying1 ,sir1 give me this water1 that ,i thirst not1 neither come hither to draw1 he neither goes on to speak to her in the same language1 nor yet does he explain it2 but at once addresses her in a different manner1 saying1 ,go1 call thy husband1 and come hither4 ,thirdly1 when he was speaking to his own disciples1 to whom it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of ,god1 he generally explained his meaning1--at least so far as to prevent practical error1--when he found that they had not understood him4 ,thus1 when he had said to them1 ,beware of the leaven of the ,pharisees1 and of the leaven of ,herod1 and they thought only of leaven and of bread in the literal sense1 he upbraids them1 indeed1 for their slowness1 saying1 ,are ye also yet without understanding8 but he goes on to tell them in express terms that he did not mean to speak to them of the leaven of bread4 ,and the words of the text are an exactly similar instance3 his first address is parabolical2 that is1 it is not meant to be taken to the letter2 ,sleep on now1 and take your rest1 meaning1 ,ye can now do me no good by watching1 for the time is past1 and he who betrayed me is at hand2 ye might as well sleep on now and take your rest1 for ,i need not try you any longer4 ,but1 as the time was really pressing1 and there was a possibility that they might have misunderstood his words1 and have really continued to sleep1 he immediately added in different language1 ,rise1 let us be going2 behold1 he is at hand that doth betray me4 ,we must be prepared1 then1 to find that our ,lord's language1 not only to the ,jews at large1 but even to his own disciples1 is commonly parabolical2 the worst interpretation which we can give to it is commonly the literal one4 ,his conversation with his disciples1 just before he went out to the garden of ,gethsemane1 as recorded in the thirteenth1 and following chapters of ,st4 ,john1 is a most striking proof of this4 ,if any one looks through them1 he will find how many are the comparisons1 and figurative manners of speaking1 which abound in them1 and how often his disciples were at a loss to understand his meaning1 ,and he himself declares this1 for1 at the end of the sixteenth chapter1 he says expressly1 ,these things ,i have spoken unto you in proverbs2--that is1 language not to be taken according to the letter2--the time is coming when ,i will no more speak unto you in proverbs1 but will show you plainly of the ,father4 ,and then1 when he goes on to declare1 what he never1 it seems1 had before told them in such express and literal language1 ,i came forth from the ,father1 and am come into the world3 again ,i leave the world1 and go to my ,father1 his disciples seem to have welcomed with joy this departure from his usual manner of speaking1 and said immediately1 ,lo6 now speakest thou plainly1 and speakest no proverb3 now we know that thou knowest all things1 and needest not that any man should ask thee3 by this we believe that thou earnest forth from ,god4 ,but let us observe what it is that he said3 ,a time is coming when ,i shall no more speak unto you in proverbs1 but shall show you plainly of the ,father4 ,that time came immediately4 ,he spoke to them after his resurrection1 opening their understandings to understand the ,scriptures3 he spoke yet more fully1 by his ,spirit1 after the day of ,pentecost1 leading them into all truth4 ,and what they thus heard in the ear1 they proclaimed1 according to his bidding1 upon the house-tops4 ,when the ,holy ,spirit brought to their remembrance all that he had said to them1 and gave their minds a spiritual judgment1 to compare what they thus had brought before them1 to see his words in their true light and their true bearings1 comparing spiritual things with spiritual1 they were no niggards of this heavenly treasure2 nor did they1 according to the vain heresy of the worst corrupters of ,christ's gospel1 imitate and surpass that sin which they had so heavily judged in ,ananias4 ,they kept back no part-of that which they professed and were commanded to lay wholly and entirely at the feet of ,god's church4 ,they did not so lie to the ,holy ,ghost1 as to erect a wicked system of priestcraft in the place of that holy gospel of which they were ministers4 ,they had no reserve of a secret doctrine for themselves and a chosen few1 keeping in their own hands the key of knowledge1 and opening only half of the door2 but as they had freely received1 so they freely gave2 all that they knew1 they taught to all3 and so1 through their blessed teaching1 we too can understand our ,lord's words as they were taught to understand them3 and what is parabolical1 is no longer on that account obscure1 but full of light and of beauty1 fulfilling the end for which it was chosen1 the most effective of all ways of teaching1 because the liveliest4 ,i have left myself but little space to touch upon the second part of the subject--the general lesson conveyed in our ,lord's-words to his disciples3 ,sleep on now1 and take your rest4--,rise2 let us be going4 ,how truly do we deserve the reproof2 how thankfully may we accept the call4 ,we have forfeited many opportunities which we would in vain recover2 we have been careless when we should have been watchful2 and that for which we should have watched1 is now lost by our neglect2 and it is no good to watch for it any more4 ,let us remember this1 while it is called to-day2 for how often is it particularly applicable to us here1 from the passing nature of your stay amongst us6 ,to both you and us too often belongs our ,lord's remonstrance1 ,what1 could ye not watch with me one hour8 ,so short a time as you stay here1 could we not be watching with ,christ that little period3 from which1 if well improved1 there might spring forth a fruit so lasting8 ,but1 alas6 we too often sleep it away3 we do not all that we might do1 nor do you2 evil grows instead of good1 till the time is past1 and you leave us2 and we may as well sleep on1 and take our rest1 so far as all that particular good was concerned--the improvement1 namely1 of your time at this place1 for which we are alike set to watch4 ,but are we to take the words of reproach literally8 ,may we really sleep on1 and take our rest8 ,oh vain and wilful folly1 so to misunderstand6 ,but1 lest we should misunderstand1 let us hear our ,lord's next words3 ,rise2 let us be going1 and that instantly3 the time and opportunity already lost for ever is far more than enough4--,rise2 let us be going3 so ,christ calls us2 for he has still other work for us to do1 for him1 and with him4 ,the future is yet our own1 though the past be lost4 ,we have sinned greatly and irreparably2 but let us not do so yet again3 other opportunities are afforded us2 the disciples would not watch with him in the garden1 but he calls them to go with him to his trial and his judgment2 and one1 we know1 watched by him even on his cross3--so he calls to us2 so he calls now2 but he will not so call for ever4 ,there will be a time when we might strike out the words1 ,rise2 let us be going2 they will concern us then no more4 ,it is only said1 ,sleep on now1 and take your rest3 all your watching time has been wasted1 and you can now watch no more2 there remains only to sleep--to sleep that last sleep1 from which we shall then never wake to ,god and happiness1 but in which we shall be awake for ever to sin and to misery4 ,,lecture ,,xxxvi4 99 99 99 99 99 #b ,,corinthians v4 #ag1 #ah4 ,old things are passed away2 behold1 all things are become new3 and all things are of ,god1 who hath reconciled us to himself by ,jesus ,christ4 ,i have1 from time to time1 spoken of that foolish misuse of the ,scriptures1 by which any one opening the volume of the ,bible at random1 and taking the first words which he finds1 straightway applies them either to himself or to his neighbour2 and then boasts that he has the word of ,god on his side1 and that whosoever differs from him1 is disputing and despising the word of ,god4 ,the most extreme instances of this way of proceeding are so absurd1 that they could not be noticed in this place becomingly2 and these1 of course1 stand palpable to all1 except to those who have allowed themselves to fall into them4 ,but far short of these manifest follies1 great errors have been maintained on general points1 and great mistakes1 whether of over presumption or of over fear1 have been committed as to men's particular state1 by quoting ,scripture unadvisedly2 by taking hold of its words to the neglect or actual violation of its spirit and real meaning4 ,this is a great and a very common mischief1 but yet there is a truth at the bottom of the error2 it is true1 that the greatest questions relating to ,god and to ourselves1 may find their answer in the ,scriptures2 it is true1 that if we search for this answer wisely we may surely find it4 ,consider the words of the text1 and see how easily they may be perverted1 if with no more ado we take them1 as said of ourselves1 each individually1 and as containing to each of us a statement positive of truth4 ,old things are passed away2 behold1 all things are become new4 ,if we believe that this is ,god's word respecting each of us1 what violence must we do to our memory of the past1 and our consciousness of the present1 if we do try to persuade ourselves that so total a change has taken place in each of us1 that what we once were1 we are no longer2 that what we are1 we once were not2 and this not in some few particular points1 but in the main character of our minds4 ,again1 ,all things are of ,god1 who hath reconciled us to himself by ,jesus ,christ4 ,if we apply these words to each of us1 what exceeding presumption would they breed6 ,if all things in us and about us are now of ,god1 what room can there be for sin8 ,if ,god hath reconciled us to himself by ,jesus ,christ1 what room can there be for fear or for danger8 ,and thus1 while we say we are quoting and believing the word of ,god1 we do in fact turn it into a lie2 we make it assert a falsehood as to our past state1 and a falsehood as to our future state2 we make it say1 that our old nature is passed away1 when it is not2 that we have got a new nature when we have not2 that we are reconciled to ,god1 and therefore in safety1 when we are1 in fact1 in the extremest danger4 ,but it is easy to see that we have no right to apply to ourselves words written by ,st4 ,paul eighteen hundred years ago1 and applied by him to other persons4 ,i go1 then1 farther2 and ,i say1 that if every member of the church of ,corinth1 to which they were written1 had applied them to himself in the manner which ,i have shown above1 the words would in many instances have been perverted no less1 and would have been made to state what was false1 and not what was true4 ,and the same may be said of many other passages of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 which1 having been similarly misinterpreted1 have furnished matter for endless controversies1 and on which opposite theories of doctrine have been fondly raised1 each of them alike unchristian and untrue4 ,thus our present position is this3--that oftentimes by taking the representations of ,scripture as true in fact1 whether of ourselves or of others1 we come to conclusions at once false and mischievous2 being1 as the case may be1 either presumptuous1 or fearful1 or uncharitable1 and claiming for each of these faults the sanction of the word of ,god4 ,a similar mistake in interpreting human compositions1 has led to faults of another kind4 ,assuming as before1 in interpreting ,st4 ,paul's words1 that the language of our ,liturgy is meant to describe1 as a matter of fact1 the actual feelings and condition of those who use it1 or for whom it is used2 and seeing manifestly that these feelings and condition do not agree with the words2 we do not here1 as with the ,scripture1 do violence to our common sense and conscience1 by insisting upon it that we agree with the words1 but we find fault with the words as being at variance with the matter of fact4 ,some say that the language of the ,general ,confession is too strong a statement of sin2 that the language of the ,communion ,service1 of the ,baptismal ,service1 and above all1 of the ,burial ,service1 is too full of encouragement and of assurance2 that men are not all so bad as to require the one1 'nor so good as to deserve the other2 that in both cases it should be lowered1 to agree with the actual condition of those who use it4 ,now it is worthy of notice1 at any rate1 that the self-same rule of interpretation applied to the ,scripture and the ,liturgy is found to suit with neither4 ,we adhere positively to our rule3 and thus1 as we hold the words of ,scripture sacred1 we force common sense and conscience to make the facts agree with them2 but not having the same respect for the words of the ,liturgy1 we complain of them as faulty and requiring alteration1 because they do not agree with the facts4 ,i will not enter into the question whether the ,liturgy has done wisely or not in thus imitating the ,scripture2 but ,i do contend that1 in point of fact1 there is this resemblance between them4 ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 in particular1 although it is true of other parts of the ,scripture also1 contain1 as does the ,liturgy of our ,church1 a great many passages which1 if taken either universally or even generally as containing a matter of fact1 will lead us into certain error4 ,is it1 therefore1 so very certain that we do wisely in so interpreting them8 ,with regard to our ,liturgy ,i need not follow up the question now2 but with regard to ,st4 ,paul1 it is certain that he1 in many parts of his ,epistles1 chooses to represent that which ought to be as that which actually was3 he chooses to regard those to whom he is writing as being in all respects true ,christians1 as being worthy of their privileges1 as answering to what ,god had done to them1 as forming a church really inhabited by the ,holy ,spirit1 and therefore being a true and living body of due proportions to ,christ its ,divine head4 ,nor does he trust exclusively to the common sense and conscience of those to whom he was writing to interpret his language correctly4 ,he might ,lave thought indeed that if he wrote to them as redeemed1 justified1 sanctified1 as having all things new1 as being the children of ,god1 and the heirs of ,god1 and the temples of the ,holy ,ghost1 any individual who felt that he was none of these things1 that sin was still mighty within him1 and that he was sin's slave1 would neither deny his own conscience1 nor yet call ,st4 ,paul a deceiver2 but would read in the difference between ,st4 ,paul's description of him and the reality1 the exact measure of his own sin1 and need of repentance and watchfulness4 ,but he does not rely on this only3 he notices sins as actually existing2 he mingles the language of reproof and of anxiety1 so as to make it quite clear that he did not mean his descriptions of their holiness and blessedness to apply to them all necessarily2 he knew full well that they did not3 but yet he knew also that1 considering what ,god had done for them1 it was monstrous that they should not be truly applicable4 ,but why then1 you will say1 did he use such language8 why did he call men forgiven1 redeemed1 saved1 justified1 sanctified8--he uses all these terms often as applicable generally to those to whom he was writing2--why did he call them so1 when in fact they were not so8 ,he called them so for the same reason which1 made prophecy foretell blessings upon ,israel of old1 and on the ,christian church afterwards1 which were fulfilled on neither3--in order to declare1 and keep ever before us1 what ,god has done and is willing to do for us3 what he fain would do for us1 if we would but suffer him2 what divine powers are offered to us1 and we will not use them2 what divine happiness is designed for us1 and we will not enter into it4 ,let us ponder all the magnificence of the scriptural language1--the words of the text for example1 not as describing what we are when we are full of sin2 nor yet as mere exaggerated language1 which must be brought down to the level of our present reality4 ,let us consider it as containing the words of truth and soberness2 not one jot or one tittle needs to be abated2 it must not be lowered to us1 but we rather raised to it4 ,it is a truth1 it is the word of ,god1 it is the seal of our assurance3 it is that which good men of old would have welcomed with the deepest joy2 which1 to good men now is a source of comfort unspeakable4 ,for it tells us that ,god has done for us1 is doing1 will do1 all that we need2 it tells us that the price of our redemption has been paid1 the kingdom of heaven has been set open1 the power to walk as ,god's children has been given3 that so far as ,god is concerned we are redeemed1 we are saved1 we are sanctified2 it is but our own fault merely that we are not all of these actually and surely4 ,this is not a little matter to be persuaded of2 if it be true1 as ,i fear it is1 that too many of us do not love ,god1 is it not quite as true that we cannot believe that ,god loves us8 ,have we any thing like a distinct sense of the words of ,st4 ,john1 ,we love ,god because he first loved us8 ,we believe in the love of our earthly friends2 those who have so lately left their homes have no manner of doubt that their parents are interested in their welfare1 though absent2 that they will often think of them2 and that1 as far as it is possible at a distance from them1 they are watching over their good1 and anxious to promote it4 ,the very name home implies all this2 it implies that it is a place where those live who love us2 and ,i do not question that the consciousness of possessing this love does1 amidst all your faults and forgetfulnesses1 rise not unfrequently within your minds1 and restrain you from making yourselves altogether unworthy of it4 ,now1 ,i say1 that the words of the text1 and hundreds of similar passages1 are our assurance1 if we would but believe them1 that we have another home and another parent1 by whom we are loved constantly and earnestly1 who has done far more for us than our earthly parents can do4 ,i grant that it is hard to believe this really2 so infinite is the distance between ,god and us1 that we cannot fancy that he cares for us2 he may make laws for a world1 or for a system1 but what can he think or feel for us8 ,it is1 indeed1 a thought absolutely overpowering to the mind2 it may well seem incredible to us1 judging either from our own littleness or our own forgetfulness2 so hard as we find it to think enough of those to whom we are most nearly bound1 how can the ,most ,high4 ,god think of us8 ,but if there be any one particle of truth in ,christianity1 we are warranted in saying that ,god does love us2 strange as it may seem1 ,he1 whom neither word nor thought of created being can compass2 ,he1 who made us and ten thousand worlds1 loves each one of us individually2 the very hairs of our heads are all numbered4 ,he so loved us1 that he gave his only-begotten ,son to die for us2 and ,st4 ,paul well asks1 ,he that spared not his own ,son1 but delivered him up for us all1 will he not also with him freely give us all things8 ,believe me1 you could have no better charm to keep you safe through1 the temptations of the coming half year1 than this most true persuasion that ,god loves you4 ,the oldest and the youngest of us may alike repeat to himself the blessed words1 ,god loves me2 ,god loves me2 ,god has redeemed me3 ,god would dwell in my heart1 that ,i might dwell in him3 ,god has placed me in his church1 has made me a member of ,christ his own ,son1 has made me an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven4 ,i might multiply words1 but that one little sentence is1 perhaps1 more than all1 ,god loves me4 ,oh that you would believe him when he assures you of it1 for then surely you would not fail to love him4 ,but whether you believe it or not1 still it is so3 ,god loves every one of us2 he loves each one of us as belonging to ,christ his ,son4 ,he does love each1 of us2 let us not cast his love away from us1 and refuse to love him in return2 he does love each of us now1 but there may be a time to each of us1--there will be1 assuredly1 if we will not believe that he loves us1 when he will love us no more for ever4 ,,lecture ,,xxxvii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ezekiel xx4 #di4 ,then said ,i1 ,ah1 ,lord ,god ,i they say of me1 ,doth he not speak parables8 ,nothing is more disheartening1 if we must believe it to be true1 than the language in which some persons talk of the difficulty of the ,scriptures1 and the absolute certainty that different men will ever continue to understand them differently4 ,it is not1 we are told1 with the knowledge of ,scripture as with that of outward nature3 in the knowledge of nature1 discoveries are from time to time made which set error on the one side1 and truth on the other1 absolutely beyond dispute2 there the ground when gained is clearly seen to be so2 and as fresh sources of knowledge are continually opening to us1 it is not beyond hope that we may in time arrive infinitely near to the enjoyment of truth1--truth certain in itself1 and acknowledged by all unanimously4 ,but with ,scripture1 it is said1 the case is far otherwise2 discoveries are not to be expected here1 nor does a later generation derive from1 its additional experience any greater insight into the things of ,god than was enjoyed by the generations before it4 ,and when we see that actually the complete ,scriptures have been in the world not much less than eighteen hundred years2 that within that period no other book has been so much studied2 and yet that differences of opinion as to the matters spoken of in it have ever existed1 and exist now as much as ever1 what reasonable prospect is there1 it is asked1 of future harmony or of clearer demonstrations of divine truth2 and will not the good on these points ever continue to differ from the good1 and the wise to differ from the wise8 ,this language1 so discouraging as it is1 may be heard from two very opposite parties1 so that their agreement may appear to give it the more weight3 it is used by men who are indifferent to religious truth1 as an excuse for their taking no pains to discover what the truth really is2 it is echoed back quite as strongly by another set of persons who wish to magnify the uncertainties of the ,scripture in order to recommend more plausibly the guidance of some supposed authoritative interpreter of it4 ,but yet it ought to be at any rate a painful work to any serious mind to be obliged to dwell not only on the obscurities of ,god's word1 but on its perpetual and invincible obscurities2 and1 though an interpreter may be necessary if we know not the language of those with whom we are conversing1 yet how much better would it be that we should ourselves know it3 nay1 and if we are told that we cannot know it1 that our best endeavours will be unable to master it1 the suspicion inevitably arises in our minds1 that our pretended interpreter may be ignorant of it also2 that he is not in truth better acquainted with it than we1 but only more presumptuous or more dishonest4 ,still a statement may be painful1 but at the same time true4 ,there is undoubtedly something in such language as ,i have been alluding to1 which appears to be confirmed by experience4 ,there is no denying the fact1 that the ,scriptures have been a long time in the world2 that they have been very generally and carefully read2 and yet that men do differ exceedingly as to religious truth1 and these differences do not seem to be tending towards agreement4 ,it seems to me1 there fore1 desirable that every student of the ,scriptures should know1 as well as may be1 what the exact state of the question is2 for if the subject of his studies is really so hopelessly uncertain1 it is scarcely possible that his zeal in studying it should not be abated2 nay1 could we wisely encourage him to bestow his pains on a hopeless labour8 ,now1 in the very outset1 there is this consideration which many of us here are well able to appreciate4 ,we read many books written in dead languages1 most of them more ancient than any part of the ,new ,testament1 some of them older than several of the books of the ,old4 ,we know well enough that these ancient books are not without their difficulties2 that time1 and thought1 and knowledge are required to master them2 but still we do not doubt that1 with the exception of particular-passages here and there1 the true meaning of these books may be discovered with undoubted certainty4 ,we know1 too1 that this certainty has increased2 that interpretations1 which1 were maintained some years ago1 have been set aside by our improved knowledge of the languages and condition of the ancient world1 quite as certainly as old errors in physical science have been laid to rest by later discoveries4 ,farther1 our improved knowledge has taught us to distinguish what may be known from what may be probably concluded1 and what is probable from what can merely be guessed at4 ,when we come to points of this last sort1 to passages which cannot be interpreted or understood1 we leave them at once as a blank2 but we enjoy no less1 and understand with no less certainty1 the greatest portions of the book which1 contain them4 ,and this experience1 with regard to the works of heathen antiquity1 makes it a startling proposition at the very outset1 when we are told that with the works of ,christian antiquity the case is otherwise4 ,we thus approach the statement as to the hopless difficulty of ,scripture1 confirmed1 as we are told it is1 by the actual fact of the great disagreements among ,christians1 with a well-grounded mistrust of its soundness2 we feel sure that there is something in it which is confused or sophistical4 ,and considering the fact which appears to confirm it1 ,i mean the actual differences between ,christians and ,christians1 it soon appears by no means to bear out its supposed conclusion4 ,for the differences between ,christians and ,christians by no means arise generally from the difficulty of understanding the ,scripture aright1 but from disagreement as to some other point1 quite independent of the interpretation of the ,scriptures4 ,for example1 the great questions at issue between us and the ,roman ,catholics turn upon two points1--,whether there is not another authority1 in matters of ,christianity1 distinct from and equal to the ,scriptures1--and whether certain interpretations of ,scripture are not to be received as true1 for the sake of the authority of the interpreter4 ,now1 suppose for a moment1 that the works of ,plato or ,aristotle were to us in the place of the ,scriptures2 and that the question was1 whether these works of theirs could be understood with certainty2 it would prove nothing against our being able to understand them1 if1 whilst we look to them alone1 another man were to say1 that1 to his judgment1 the works of other philosophers were no less authoritative2 or1 if he were to insist upon it1 that the interpretations given by the scholiasts were always sure to be correct1 because the scholiasts were the authorized interpreters of the text4 ,no doubt our philosophical opinions and our practice might differ widely from such a man's2 but the difference would prove nothing as to the obscurity of ,plato's or ,aristotle's text1 because another standard had been brought in1 distinct from their works1 and from the acknowledged principles of interpretation1 and thus led unavoidably to a different result4 ,the same also is the case as to the questions at issue between the ,church of ,england and many of the ,dissenters4 ,in these disputes it is notorious that the practice and authority of the church are continually appealed to1 or1 it may be1 considerations of another kind1 as to the inherent reasonableness of a doctrine2 all which are1 again1 a distinct matter from the interpretation of ,scripture4 ,one of the greatest men of our time has declared1 that1 in the early part of his life1 he did not believe in the divinity of our ,lord2 but he has stated expressly1 that he never for a moment persuaded himself that ,st4 ,paul or ,st4 ,john did not believe it2 their language he thought was clear enough1 upon the point2 but the notion appeared to him so unreasonable in itself1 that he disbelieved it in spite of their authority4 ,it is manifest1 that1 in this case1 great as the difference was between this great man's early belief and his later1 yet it in no way arose from the obscurity of the ,scripture4 ,the language of the ,scripture was as clear to him at first as it was afterwards2 but in his early life he disbelieved it1 while1 in his latter life1 he embraced it with all his heart and soul4 ,it must not be denied1 however1 that we are here arrived at one of the causes which are likely1 for a long time1 to keep alive a false interpretation of ,scripture1 and which do not affect our interpretation of heathen writings4 ,for most men1 in such a case as ,i have referred to1 when they do not believe the language of the ,scripture1 but wish to alter it1 whether by omission or addition1 do not deal so fairly with it as that great man did to whom ,i have alluded4 ,they have neither his knowledge nor his honesty2 a false interpretation is more easily disguised from them1 owing to their ignorance1 and they let their wishes more readily warp their judgment4 ,thus1 they will not say as he did1 ,the ,scripture clearly says so and so1 but ,i cannot believe it2 they rather say1 ,this is very unreasonable and shocking1 the ,scripture cannot mean to say this2 or1 ,this is very pious and very ancient1 the ,scripture cannot but sanction this4 ,and certainly1 if men will so deal with it1 there remains no certainty of interpretation then4 ,but this is not the way that we deal with other ancient writings2 and its unfairness and foolishness1 if ever attempted to be practised there1 are so palpable as to be ridiculous4 ,no doubt it is difficult to convince men against their will2 nevertheless1 there is a good hope1 that1 as sound principles of interpretation are more generally known1 they will put to shame a flagrant departure from them2 and that those who try to make the ,scripture say more or less than it has said1 will be gradually driven to confess that ,scripture is not their real authority2 that their own notions in the one case1 and the authority of the ,church in the other case1 have been the real grounds of their belief1 to which they strove to make the ,scriptures conform4 ,nothing that ,i have said is1 in any degree1 meant to countenance the opinions of those who talk of the ,bible1--or rather1 our translation of it1--being its own interpreter2 meaning1 that if you give a ,bible to any one who can read1 he will be able to understand it rightly4 ,even in this extravagance1 there is indeed something of a truth4 ,if a man were so to read the ,bible1 much he would1 unquestionably1 be able to understand2 enough1 ,i well believe1 if honestly and devoutly used1 to give him1 if living in a desert island by himself1 the knowledge of salvation4 ,but when we talk of understanding the ,bible1 so as to be guided by it amidst the infinite varieties of opinion and practice which beset us on every side1 it is the wildest folly to talk of it as being1 in this sense1 its own interpreter4 ,our comfort is1 not that it can be understood without study1 but with it2 that the same pains which1 enable us to understand heathen writings1 whose meaning is of infinitely less value to us1 will enable us1 with ,god's blessing1 to understand the ,scriptures also4 ,neither do ,i mean1 that mere intellectual study would make them clear to the careless or the undevout2 but1 supposing us to seek honestly to know ,god's will1 and to pray devoutly for his help to guide us to it1 then our study is not vain nor uncertain2 the mind of the ,scriptures may be discovered2 we may distinguish plainly between what is clear1 and what is not clear2 and what is not clear will be found far less in amount1 and infinitely less in importance1 than what is clear4 ,i do not say1 that a true understanding of the ,scriptures will settle at once all religious differences2--manifestly1 it cannot2 for1 although ,i may understand them well1 yet if a man maintains an opinion1 or a practice1 upon some other authority than theirs1 we cannot agree together4 ,nevertheless1 we may be allowed to hope and believe1 that in time1 if men could be hindered from misinterpreting the ,scripture in behalf of their own opinions1 their opinions themselves would find fewer supporters2 for1 as ,christianity must come1 after all1 from our blessed ,lord and his apostles1 men will shrink from saying that that is no truth of ,christianity which ,christ and his apostles have clearly taught1 or that that is a truth of ,christianity1 however ancient1 and by whatever long line of venerable names supported1 which they have as clearly1 in our sole authentic records of them1 not taught4 ,it is not1 therefore1 without great and reasonable hope1 that we may devote ourselves to the study of the ,scriptures2 and those habits of study which are cultivated here1 and in other places of the same kind1 are the best ordinary means of arriving at the truth4 ,we are constantly engaged in extracting the meaning of those who have written in times past1 and in a dead language4 ,we do this according to certain rules1 acknowledged as universally as the laws of physical science3 these rules are developed gradually1--from the simple grammar which forms our earliest lessons1 to the rules of higher criticism1 still no less acknowledged1 which are understood by those of a more advanced age4 ,and we do this for heathen writings2 but the process is exactly the same--and we continually apply it1 also1 for that very purpose--with what is required to interpret the ,word of ,god4 ,after all is done1 we shall still1 no doubt1 find that the ,scripture has its parables1 its passages which cannot now be understood2 but we shall find1 also1 that by much the larger portion of it may be clearly and certainly known2 enough to be1 in all points which really concern our faith and practice1 a lantern to our feet1 and an enlightener to our souls4 ,,lecture ,,xxxviii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,isaiah v4#a4 ,now will ,i sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard4 ,whatever difficulties we may find in understanding and applying many parts of the prophetical ,scriptures1 yet every thinking person could follow readily enough1 ,i suppose1 the chapter from which these words are taken1 as it was read in the course of this morning's service2 and he would feel1 while understanding it as said1 immediately and in the first instance1 of the ,jewish ,church or nation1 seven centuries and a half before the birth of our ,lord1 that it was no less applicable to this ,christian church and nation at the present period4 ,we cannot1 indeed1 expect to find a minute agreement in particular points between ourselves and the ,jews of old2 the difference of times and circumstances renders this impossible2 both they and we stand1 on the one hand1 in so nearly the same relation to ,god1 and we both so share1 on the other hand1 in the same sinful human nature1 that the complaints1 and remonstrances of the prophets of old may often1 be repeated1 even in the very same words1 by the ,christian preacher now4 ,if this be so1 then the language of various parts of the service of the ,church in this season of ,advent ought to excite in us no small apprehension2 for whilst the lessons from the ,old ,testament describe the evil state of the ,jewish people in the eighth century before ,christ1 and threaten it with destruction1 so the gospels for this day1 and for last ,sunday1 speak of the evil state of the same people when our ,lord was upon earth2 and the chapter from which the gospel of this day is taken1 contains1 as we know1 a full prophecy of the destruction that was1 for the second time1 going to overwhelm the earthly ,jerusalem4 ,we cannot but fear1 therefore1 that if our state now be like that of ,god's people of old1 eight centuries before our ,lord's coming1 and again like their state at his coming3 and if1 after the first period1 their city and temple were burnt1 and they were carried captive to ,babylon1--and again1 after the second period1 the city and temple were burnt again1 and the people were dispersed1 even to this day1--that1 as the punishment has twice surely followed the sin1 so it will not fail to find it out in this third case also4 ,and be it remembered that the people1 or church of ,god1 as such1 can receive their punishment only in this world3 for1 taken as a body1 it is an institution for this world only4 ,we each of us1 no doubt1 shall have our own separate individual judgment after death2 and1 in the mean time1 our fortunes and our character often bear no just correspondence with each other4 ,but nations and churches have their judgments here3 and although ,god's long-suffering so suspends it for many generations that it may seem as if it would never fall1 yet does it come surely at the last2 and almost always we can ourselves trace the connexion between the sin and the punishment1 and can see that the one was clearly the consequence of the other4 ,and thus our church and nation may feel their national judgments in this world quite independently of the several personal judgments which will be passed upon us each hereafter individually1 when we stand before ,christ's judgment seat4 ,i have thus ventured to bring the condition of the church as a body before our minds1 although well knowing how much more we are concerned with the state of our own souls individually4 ,yet still the more general view is not without great use2 and indeed it bears directly upon our individual state3 our actions and our feelings having often a close connexion with1 general church matters2 and these actions and feelings being necessarily good or bad1 according to the soundness of our judgment on the matter which occasions them4 ,besides which1 it seems to me that general views1 rather than what relates to particular faults1 may be with most propriety dwelt on by those who have no direct connexion with the congregation which they are addressing4 ,in the first place1 then1 whenever we think of the state and prospects of ,christ's church1 whether for good or for evil1 it is most desirable that we should rightly understand our own relations to it4 ,the vineyard of the ,lord of hosts is the house of ,israel2 or1 in the language of the ,new ,testament1 ,christ is the vine1 and we are the branches4 ,men continually seem to forget that they are members of the church2 citizens1 to use ,st4 ,paul's expression1 of ,christ's kingdom1 as much as ever they are citizens of their earthly country4 ,but they speak of the church as they might speak of any useful institution or society in their neighbourhood1 whose object they approved of1 and which they were glad to encourage1 but without becoming members of it1 or identifying themselves with its success or failure4 ,for example1 they speak of the church as they might speak of the universities1 which indeed are institutions of great importance to the whole country1 but yet they are manifestly distinct from the mass of the community3 they have their own members1 their own laws1 and their own government1 with which1 people in general have nothing to do4 ,and so many persons speak and feel of the church1 regarding it evidently as consisting only of the clergy3 our common language1 no doubt1 helping this confusion1 because we often speak of a man's going into the church when he enters into holy orders1 just as if ordination were the admission into the church1 and not baptism4 ,now1 if the clergy did indeed constitute the church1 then it would very much resemble the condition of the universities3 for it would then be indeed a society very important to the welfare of the whole country1 but yet one that was completely distinct1 and which had its members1 laws1 and government quite apart3 for men in general do not belong to the clergy1 nor are they concerned directly in such canons as relate to the peculiar business of the clergy1 nor does the bishop's superintendence1 as commonly exercised1 extend at all to them4 ,but ,god designed for his church far more than that it should contain one order of men only1 or that it should comprise commonly but one single individual in a parish1 preaching to and teaching the rest of the inhabitants1 like a missionary amongst a population of heathens4 ,look at ,st4 ,paul's account of the church of ,corinth1 in the #abth chapter of his #ast epistle to the ,corinthians1 and see if any two things can be more different than his notion of a church1 and that which many people seem to entertain amongst us4 ,compare the living body there described1 made up of so many various members1 each having its separate office1 yet each useful to and needed by the others and by the body1--and our notion of a parish committed to the charge of a single individual3 as if all the manifold gifts which the church requires could by possibility be comprised in the person of any one ,christian2 as if the whole burden were to rest upon his shoulders1 and the other inhabitants might regard the welfare of the church as his concern only1 and not theirs4 ,but not only is the church too often confined in men's notions to the single class or profession of the clergy1 but it has been narrowed still farther by the practical extinction of one of the orders of the clergy itself4 ,where the laity have come to regard their own share in the concerns of the church as next to nothing1 the order of deacons1 forming1 as it were1 a link between the clergy and the laity1 becomes proportionably of still greater importance4 ,the business of the deacons1 as we well know1 was in an especial manner to look after the relief of the poor2 and by combining this charge with the power of baptizing1 of reading the ,scriptures1 and of preaching also1 when authorized by the bishop1 they exhibited the peculiar character of ,christianity1 that of sanctifying the business of this world by doing everything in the name of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,no church1 so far as we know1 certainly no church in any town1 existed without its deacons3 they were as essential to its completeness as its bishop and its presbyters4 ,take any one of our large towns now1 and what do we find8 ,a bishop1 not of that single town only1 but of fifty others besides3 one presbyter in each1 church1 and no deacons6 ,practically1 and according to its proper character1 the order of deacons is extinct2 and those who now bear the name are most commonly found exercising the functions of presbyters2 that is1 instead of acting as the assistants of a presbyter1 they are often the sole ministers of their respective parishes2 they alone baptize2 alone offer up the prayers of the church1 alone preach the word3 nothing marks their original character1 except their inability to administer the communion2 and thus1 by a strange anomaly1 the church in such parishes is actually left without any power of celebrating its highest act1 that of commemorating the death1 of ,christ in the ,lord's supper2 and if it were not for another great evil1 the unfrequent celebration of the ,communion1 the system could not go on3 because the deacon would be so often obliged to apply to other ministers to perform that duty for him1 that the inconvenience1 as well as the unfitness1 of the actual practice1 would be manifest to every one4 ,again1 what has become of church discipline8 ,that it has perished1 we all well know3 but its loss is the consequence of that fatal error which makes the clergy alone constitute the church4 ,it is quite certain that men will not allow the members of a single profession to exercise the authority of society2 to create and define offences2 to determine their punishment1 and to be the judges of each particular offender4 ,as long as the clergy are supposed to constitute the whole church1 church discipline would be nothing but priestly tyranny4 ,and yet the absence of discipline is a most grievous evil2 and there is no doubt that1 although it must be vain when opposed to public opinion1 yet1 when it is the expression of that opinion1 there is nothing which it cannot achieve4 ,but public opinion cannot enforce church discipline now1 because that discipline would not be now the expression of the voice of the church1 but simply of a small part of the church1 of the clergy only4 ,so deeply has this fatal error of regarding the clergy as the church extended itself1 that at this moment a man's having been baptized is no security for his being so much as a believer in the truth of ,christianity3 no matter that he was made in his baptism a member of ,christ1 a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven2 no matter that at a more advanced period of his life he was confirmed1 and entered into the church by his own act and deed2 still the church belongs to the clergy2 they may hold such and such1 language1 and teach such and such doctrine2 it would be very improper in them to do otherwise2 and he has a great respect for the church1 and would strenuously resist all its enemies1 but truly1 as for his own belief and his own conduct1 these he will guide according to other principles1 as imperative upon him as the rules of the church upon churchmen4 ,well indeed1 do such men bear witness that they are not of the church1 indeed2 that their portion is not with ,god's people2 that ,christ is not their ,saviour1 nor the ,holy ,spirit their ,comforter and ,guide3 but what blasphemy is it to call themselves friends of the church6 as if ,christ's church could have any friends except ,god and his holy angels3 the church has its living and redeemed members2 it may have those who are craving to be admitted within its shelter1 being convinced that ,god is in it of a truth2 but beyond these he who is not with it is against it2 he who is not ,christ's servant1 serves his enemy4 ,farther1 it is this same deadly error which is the root and substance of popery4 ,there is no one abuse of the ,romish system which may not be traced to the original and very early error of drawing a wide distinction between the clergy and the laity2 of investing the former in such a peculiar degree with the attributes of the church that at last they retained them almost exclusively4 ,in other words1 the great evil of popery is1 that it has destroyed the ,christian church1 and has substituted a priesthood in its room4 ,this is the fault of the ,greek church1 almost as much as of the ,roman2 and the peculiar tenet of the ,romish church1 that the supreme government is vested in one single member of this priesthood1 the ,bishop of ,rome1 is in some respects rather an improvement of the system1 than an aggravation of it4 ,for even an absolute monarchy is a less evil than an absolute aristocracy2 and an infallible ,pope is no greater corruption of ,christ's truth1 than an infallible general council4 ,the real evils of the system are of a far older date than the supremacy of the ,bishop of ,rome1 and exist in places where that supremacy is resolutely denied4 ,and if we attend to them carefully1 we shall see that these evils have especially affected the ,christian church as distinguished from the ,christian religion4 ,it is worth our while to attend to this distinction2 for the ,christian religion and the ,christian church together1 and neither without the other1 form the perfect idea of ,christianity4 ,,now1 by the ,christian religion1 ,i mean the revelation of what ,god has done or will do for us in ,christ2 the great doctrines of the ,trinity1 the incarnation1 the atonement1 the resurrection1 the presence of the ,holy ,spirit amongst us1 and our own resurrection hereafter1 to an existence of eternal happiness or misery4 ,and these truths1 if revealed to any single person living in an uninhabited island1 might be abundantly sufficient for his salvation2 if ,god disposed his heart to receive them1 and to believe them earnestly1 they would be the means of his overcoming his corrupt nature1 and of passing from death unto life4 ,but because men do not generally live alone1 but with one another2 and because they cannot but greatly hinder1 or help each other by their mutual influence1 therefore the ,christian church was instituted for the purpose of spreading and furthering the growth of the ,christian religion in men's hearts2 and its various ministeries1 its sacraments1 its services and festivals1 and its discipline were all designed with that object4 ,and it is all these which popery has perverted2 popery1 whether in the ,roman church or in the ,greek church1 or even in the ,protestant church1 for it has existed more or less in all4 ,but even in the ,roman church1 where the perversion has been most complete1 it has comparatively affected but little the truths of the ,christian religion2 all the great doctrines1 which ,i mentioned1 are held as by ourselves2 the three creeds1 the ,apostles' creed1 the ,nicene1 and the ,athanasian1 are used by the ,roman church no less than by our own4 ,thus it often happens that we can read with great edification the devotional works of ,roman ,catholic writers1 because in such works the individual stands apart from the ,christian church1 and is concerned only with the ,christian religion3 they show how one single soul1 having learnt the tidings of redemption with faith1 and thankfulness1 improves them to its own salvation4 ,but the moment that he goes out of his closet1 and begins to speak and act amongst other men1 then the corruption of popery shows itself4 ,the ,christian church was designed to help each individual towards a more perfect knowledge and love of ,god1 by the counsel and example of his brethren1 and by the practices which1 he was to observe in their society4 ,but the corrupt church exercises its influence for evil2 it omits all the benefits to be derived from a living society1 and puts forward1 in their place1 the observance of rites and ceremonies2 knowledge and love are no longer looked to as the perfections of a ,christian1 but ignorance and blind obedience2 not the mortifying all our evil passions universally1 but the keeping them chained up1 as it were under priestly control1 to be let loose at the priest's bidding1 against those whom he calls the church's enemies2 that glorious church which he has destroyed and converted it into an idol temple1 in that he1 as ,god sitteth in the temple of ,god1 showing himself that he is ,god4 ,to resist this great and monstrous evil1 we must not exclaim against it under one of its forms only1 even although that form exhibit it1 indeed1 in its most complete deformity2 but we must strive against it under all its forms1 remembering that its essence consists in putting the clergy in the place of the church2 and taking from the great mass of the church their proper share in its government1 in its offices1 and therefore in its benefits1 and in the sense of its solemn responsibilities4 ,we speak often of church extension1 meaning by this term the building new places of public worship1 and the appointing additional ministers to preach the word and administer the sacraments4 ,and no doubt such church extension is a good and blessed work1 for it brings the knowledge of the truths of ,christ's religion1 and the benefit of his ordinances1 the sacraments1 within the reach of many who might otherwise have been without them4 ,but it were a yet truer and more blessed church extension which should add to the building and the single minister1 the real living church itself1 with all its manifold offices and ministries1 with its pure discipline1 with its holy and loving sense of brotherhood4 ,without this1 ,christ will still1 indeed1 as heretofore1 lay his hands on some few sick folk and heal them2 his grace will convey the truths of his gospel to individual souls1 and they will believe and be saved4 ,but the fulfilment of prophecy2 the triumph of ,christ's kingdom2 the changing an evil world into a world redeemed2 this can only be done by a revival of the ,christian church in its power1 the living temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 which1 visibly to all mankind1 in the wisdom and holiness of its members1 showed that ,god was in the midst of it4 ,it may be that this is a fond hope1 which we may not expect to see realized2 but looking on the one hand to the strong and triumphant language of prophecy1 ,i know not how any hope of the advancement of ,christ's kingdom can be more bold than ,god's word will warrant3 and on the other1 tracing the past history of the church1 its gradual corruption may be deduced distinctly from one early and deadly mischief1 which has destroyed its efficacy2 so that1 if this mischief can be removed1 and the church become such as ,christ designed it to be1 it does not seem presumptuous to hope that his appointed instrument1 working according to his will1 should be enabled to obtain the full blessings of his promise4 ,and now1 in conclusion1 if we ask1 what should follow from all that has been said8 what it should lead us all1 if it be true1 to feel or to do8--the answer is1 that considerations of this sort are not such as lead at once to some distinct change in our conduct2 to the laying aside some favourite sin1 or the practising some long neglected duty4 ,and yet the thoughts which ,i have endeavoured to suggest to your minds may1 if dwelt upon1 lead1 in the end1 to a very considerable alteration1 both in our feelings and in our practice4 ,first of all1 it is not a little matter to be convinced practically1 that it is baptism1 and not ordination1 which makes us members of the church2 that it is by sharing in the communion of ,christ's body and blood1 not by being admitted into the ministry1 that the privileges and graces of ,christ's church are conferred upon us4 ,and most wisely1 and most truly1 does our ,church separate ordination from the two ,christian sacraments1 as an institution far less solemn1 and conferring graces far less important3 for the difference between a ,christian and a ,christian minister is but one of office1 not of moral or spiritual advancement1 not of greater or less nearness to ,god4 ,one is our master1 even ,christ2 and all we are brethren4 ,words which certainly do not imply that all members of the church are to have the same office1 or that all offices are of equal importance and dignity2 but which do imply1 most certainly1 that any attempt to convert the ministry into a priesthoood1 that is1 to represent them as standing1 in any matter1 as mediators between ,christ and his people1 or as being essentially the channel through which his grace must pass to his church1 is directly in opposition to him2 and is no better than idolatry4 ,it was by baptism that we have all been engrafted into ,christ's body2 it is by the communion of his body and blood that we continue to abide in him2 it is in his whole body1 in his church1 and not in its ministers1 as distinct from his church1 that his ,holy ,spirit abides4 ,thus feeling that we each are members of the church1 that it is our highest country1 to which we are bound with a far deeper love than to our earthly country1 is not its welfare our welfare2 its triumph our triumph2 its failures our shame8 ,we shall see1 then1 that church questions are not such merely1 or principally1 as concern the payment of the clergy1 or their discipline1 but all questions in which ,god's glory and man's sins or duties are concerned2 all questions in the decision of which1 there is a moral good and evil2 a grieving of ,christ's ,spirit1 or a conformity to him4 ,and in such questions as concern the church1 in the more narrow and common sense of the word1 seeing that we are all members of the church1 we should not neglect them1 as the concern of others1 but take an interest in them1 and act in them1 so far as we have opportunity1 as in a matter which most nearly concerns ourselves4 ,we feel that we have an interest in our country's affairs1 although we are not members of the government or of the legislature2 we have our part to perform1 without at all overstepping the modesty of private life3 and it is the constant influence of public opinion1 and the active interest taken by the country at large in its own concerns1 which1 in spite of occasional delusion or violence1 is mainly instrumental in preserving to us the combined vigour and order of our political constitution4 ,and so1 if we took an equal interest in the affairs of our divine commonwealth1 our ,christian church1 and endeavoured as eagerly to promote every thing which tended to its welfare1 and to put down and prevent every thing which might work it mischief1 then the efforts of the clergy to advance ,christ's kingdom would be incalculably aided1 while there would then be no danger of our investing them with the duties and responsibilities which belong properly to the whole church2 they could not then have dominion over our faith1 nor by possibility become lords over ,god's heritage1 but would be truly ensamples to the flock1 the helpers of our joy1 the glory of ,christ4 ,,lecture ,,xxxix4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,colossians iii4 #ag4 ,whatsoever ye do in word or deed1 do all in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 giving thanks to ,god and the ,father by ,him4 ,this1 like the other general rules of the gospel1 is familiar enough to us all in its own words2 but we are very apt to forbear making the application of it4 ,in fact1 he who were to apply it perfectly would be a perfect ,christian3 for a life of which every word and deed were said and done in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 would be a life indeed worthy of the children of ,god1 and such as they lead in heaven2 it would leave no room for sin to enter4 ,the art of our enemy has been therefore to make us leave this command of the apostle's in its general sense1 and avoid exploring1 so to speak1 all the wisdom contained within it4 ,certain actions of our lives1 our religious services1 the more solemn transactions in which we are engaged1 we are willing to do in ,christ's name2 but that multitude of common words and ordinary actions by which more than sixty-nine out of our seventy years are filled1 we take away from our ,lord's dominion1 under the foolish1 and hypocritical pretence that they are too trifling and too familiar to be mixed up with the thought of things so solemn4 ,this is one fault1 and by far the most common4 ,we make ,christ's service the business only of a very small portion of our lives2 we hallow only a very small part of our words and actions by doing them in his name4 ,unlike our ,lord's own parable1 where he compares ,christianity to leaven hidden in the three measures of meal till the whole was leavened1 the practice rather has been to keep the leaven confined to one little corner of the mass of meal2 to take care that it should not spread so as to leaven the whole mass2 to keep our hearts still in the state of the world when ,christ visited it--the light shineth in darkness1 and the darkness comprehended it not2 that is1 it did not take the light into itself so as to be wholly enlightened3 the light shone1 and there was a bright space immediately around it2 but beyond there was a blackness of darkness into which it vainly strove to penetrate4 ,on the other hand there has been1 though1 more rarely1 a fault of the opposite sort4 ,men have said that they were in all their actions of ordinary life doing ,christ's will1 that they endeavoured always to be promoting some good object2 and that the peculiar services of religion1 as they are called1 were useless1 inasmuch as in spirit they are worshipping ,god always4 ,this is a great error2 because1 as a matter of fact1 it is false4 ,we may safely say that no man ever did keep his heart right with ,god in his ordinary life1 that no one ever became one with ,christ1 and ,christ with him1 without seeking ,christ where he reveals himself1 it may not be more really1 but to our weakness far more sensibly1 than in the common business of daily life4 ,we may be happy if we can find ,christ there1 after we have long sought him and found him in the way of his own ordinances1 in prayer1 and in his holy communion4 ,even ,christ himself1 when on earth1 though his whole day was undeniably spent in doing the will of his heavenly father1--although to him doubtless ,god was ever present in the commonest acts no less than in the most solemn1--yet even he1 after a day spent in all good works1 desired a yet more direct intercourse with ,god1 and was accustomed to spend a large portion of the night in retirement and prayer4 ,without this1 indeed1 we shall most certainly not say and do all in the name of the ,lord ,jesus2 much more shall we be in danger of forgetting him altogether4 ,but supposing that we are not neglectful of our religious duties1 in the common sense of the term1 that we do pray and read the ,scriptures1 and partake of ,christ's communion1 yet it will often happen that we do not connect our prayers1 nor our reading1 nor our communion1 with many of the common portions of our lives2 that there are certain things in which we take great interest1 which1 notwithstanding1 we leave1 as it were1 wholly without the range of the light of ,christ's ,spirit4 ,there is a story told that1 in times and countries where there prevailed the deepest ignorance1 some who came to be baptized into the faith of ,christ1 converted from their heathen state1 not in reality but only in name1 were accustomed to leave their right arm unbaptized1 with the notion that this arm1 not being pledged to ,christ's service1 might wreak upon their enemies those works of hatred and revenge which in baptism they had promised to renounce4 ,it is too much to say that something like this unbaptized right arm is still to be met with amongst us--that men too often leave some of their very most important concerns1 what they call by way of eminence their business--their management of their own money affairs1 and their conduct in public matters--wholly out of the control of ,christ's law8 ,now at this very time public matters are engaging the thoughts of a great many persons all over the kingdom3 and are not only engaging their thoughts1 but are also become a practical matter1 in which they are acting with great earnestness4 ,is it nothing that there should be so much1 interest felt1 so much pains taken1 and yet that neither should be done in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 nor to the glory of ,god8 ,it cannot be unsuited to the present season to dwell a little on this subject1 which has nothing whatever to do with men's differences of opinion1 but relates only to their acting1 whatever be their political opinions1 on ,christian principles1 and in a ,christian spirit4 ,first1 consider what we pray for in the prayer which we have been using every week for the high court of parliament3 we pray to ,god1 that all things may be so ordered and settled by the endeavours of parliament1 upon the best and surest foundations1 that peace and happiness1 truth1 and justice1 religion and piety1 may be established among us for all generations4 ,these great blessings we beg of ,god to secure to us and to our children through the endeavours of parliament2 if1 therefore1 we are any ways concerned in fixing who the persons are to be who are to compose this parliament1 it is plain that there is put into our bands a high privilege1 if you will2 but along with it1 as with all other privileges1 a most solemn responsibility4 ,but1 if it be a solemn responsibility in the sight of ,god and of ,christ1 surely the act of voting1 which many think so lightly of1 and which many more consider a thing wholly political and worldly1 becomes1 indeed1 a very important ,christian duty1 not to be discharged hastily or selfishly1 in blind prejudice or passion1 from self-interest1 or in mere careless good nature and respect of persons2 but deliberately1 seriously1 calmly1 and1 so far as we can judge our deceitful hearts1 purely2 not without prayer to ,him who giveth wisdom liberally to those that ask it1 that he will be pleased to guide them aright1 to his own glory1 and to the good of his people4 ,do ,i say that if we were to approach this duty in this spirit1 and with such prayers1 we should all agree in the same opinion1 and all think the same of the same men8 ,no1 by no means2 we might still greatly differ2 but we should1 at least1 have reason to respect one another1 and to be in charity with one another2 and if we all earnestly desired and prayed to be directed to ,god's glory1 and the public good1 ,god1 ,i doubt not1 would give us all those ends which we so purely desired1 although in our estimate of the earthly means and instruments by which they were to be gained1 we had honestly differed from one another4 ,now1 supposing that we had this conviction1 that what we were going to do concerned the glory of ,god and the good of his people1 and that we approached it therefore seriously as a ,christian duty1 yet it may be well that many men might feel themselves deficient in knowledge2 they might not understand the great questions at issue2 they might honestly doubt how they could best fulfil the trust committed to them4 ,i know that the most ignorant man will feel no such hesitation if he is going to give his vote from fancy1 or from prejudice1 or from interest2 these are motives which determine our conduct quickly and decisively4 ,but if we regard our vote as a talent for which we must answer before ,god that we may well be embarrassed by a consciousness of ignorance2 we may well be anxious to get some guidance from others1 if we cannot find it in ourselves4 ,here1 then1 is the place for authority1--for relying1 that is1 on the judgment of others1 when we feel that we cannot judge for ourselves4 ,but is their no room for the exercise of much good sense and fairness in ourselves as to the choice of the person by whose judgment we mean to be guided8 ,are we so little accustomed to estimate our neighbours' characters rightly1 as to be unable to determine whom we may consult with advantage8 ,surely if their be any one whom we have proved1 in the affairs of common life1 to be at once honest and sensible1 to such an one we should apply when we are at a loss as to public matters4 ,if there is such an one amongst our own relations or personal friends1 we should go to him in preference3 if not1 we can surely find one such amongst our neighbours3 and here the authority of such of our neighbours as have a direct connexion with us1 if we have had reason to respect their judgment and their principles1 may be properly preferred to that of indifferent persons2 the authority of a master1 or an employer1 or of our minister1 or of our landlord1 may and ought1 under such circumstances1 to have a great and decisive influence over us4 ,on the other hand1 supposing again that we have this strong sense of the great responsibility in the sight of ,god of every man who has the privilege of a vote1 we shall be exceedingly careful not to tempt him to sin by fulfilling this duty ill4 ,nothing can be more natural or more proper than that those who have strong impressions themselves as to the line to be followed in public matters1 should be desirous of persuading others to think as they do2 every man who loves truth and righteousness must wish that what he himself earnestly believes to be true and righteous1 should be loved by others also2 but the highest truth1 if professed by one who believes it not in his heart1 is to him a lie1 and he sins greatly by professing it4 ,let us try as much as we will to convince our neighbours2 but let us beware of influencing their conduct1 when we fail in influencing their convictions3 he who bribes or frightens his neighbour into doing an act which no good man would do for reward or from fear1 is tempting his neighbour to sin2 he is assisting to lower and to harden his conscience1--to make him act for the favour or from the fear of man1 instead of for the favour or from the fear of ,god2 and if this be a sin in him1 it is a double sin in us to tempt him to it4 ,nor let us deceive ourselves by talking of the greatness of the stake at issue2 that ,god's glory and the public good are involved in the result of the contest1 and that therefore we must do all in our power to win it4 ,let us by all means do all that we can do without sin2 but let us not dare to do evil that good may come1 for that is the part of unbelief2 it becomes those who will not trust ,god with the government of the world1 but would fain guide its course themselves4 ,here1 indeed1 our ,lord's command does apply to us1 that we be not anxious2 ,which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit8 ,how little can we see of the course of ,providence6 how little can we be sure that what we judged for the best in public affairs may not lead to mischief6 ,but these things are in ,god's hand2 our business is to keep ourselves and our neighbours from sin1 and not to do or encourage in others any thing that is evil1 however great the advantages which we may fancy likely to flow from that evil to the cause even of the highest good4 ,there is no immediate prospect1 indeed1 that we in this particular congregation shall be called upon to practise the duty of which ,i have been now speaking2 and1 indeed1 it is for that very reason that ,i could dwell on the subject more freely4 ,but what is going on all around us1 what we hear of1 read of1 and talk of so much as we are many of us likely to do in the next week or two about political matters1 that we should be accustomed to look upon as ,christians3 we should by that standard try our common views and language about it1 and1 if it may be1 correct them3 that so hereafter1 if we be called upon to act1 we may act1 according to the ,apostle's teaching1 in the name of our ,lord ,jesus4 ,and ,i am quite sure if we do so think and so act1 although our differences of opinion might remain just the same1 yet the change in ourselves1 and ,i verily believe in the blessings which ,god would give us1 would be more than we can well believe2 and a general election1 instead of calling forth1 as it now does1 a host of unchristian passions and practices1 would be rather an exercise of ,christian judgment1 and forbearance1 and faith1 and charity2 promoting1 whatever was the mere political result1 the glory of ,god1 advancing ,christ's kingdom1 and the good of this1 as it would be then truly called1 ,christian nation4 ,,notes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,a4 ,p4 #e4 ,but our path is not backwards but onwards--,this thought is expressed very beautifully in lines as wise and true as they are poetical3 ,grieve not for these3 nor dare lament ,that thus from childhood's thoughts we roam3 ,not backward are our glances bent1 ,but forward to our ,father's home4 ,eternal growth has no such fears1 ,but freshening still with seasons past1 ,the old man clogs its earlier years1 ,and simple childhood comes the last4 ,burbridge's ,poems1 p4 #cji4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,b4 ,p4 #ajb4 ,some may know the story of that ,german nobleman1 c4--,the ,baron von ,canitz4 ,he lived in the latter half of the seventeenth century1 and was engaged in the service of the electors of ,brandenburg1 both of the great elector and his successor4 ,he was the author of several hymns1 one of which is of remarkable beauty1 as may be seen in the following translation1 for the greatest part of which ,i am indebted to the kindness of a friend3 but the language of the original1 in several places1 cannot be adequately translated in ,english4 ,come1 my soul1 thou must be waking-- ,now is breaking ,o'er the earth another day4 ,come to ,him who made this splendour ,see thou render ,all thy feeble powers can pay4 ,from the stars thy course be learning3 ,dimly burning ',neath the sun their light grows pale3 ,so let all that sense delighted ,while benighted ,from ,god's presence fade and fail4 ,lo6 how all of breath partaking1 ,gladly waking1 ,hail the sun's enlivening light6 ,plants1 whose life mere sap doth nourish1 ,rise and flourish1 ,when he breaks the shades of night4 ,thou too hail the light returning1-- ,ready burning ,be the incense of thy powers2-- ,for the night is safely ended3 ,god hath tended ,with ,his care thy helpless hours4 ,pray that ,he may prosper ever ,each endeavour ,when thine aim is good and true2 ,but that ,he may ever thwart thee1 ,and convert thee1 ,when thou evil wouldst pursue4 ,think that ,he thy ways beholdeth-- ,he unfoldeth ,every fault that lurks within2 ,every stain of shame gloss'd over ,can discover1 ,and discern each deed of sin4 ,fetter'd to the fleeting hours1 ,all our powers1 ,vain and brief1 are borne away2 ,time1 my soul1 thy ship is steering1 ,onward veering1 ,to the gulph of death a prey4 ,may'st thou then on life's last morrow1 ,free from sorrow1 ,pass away in slumber sweet2 ,and released from death's dark sadness1 ,rise in gladness1 ,that far brighter ,sun to greet4 ,only ,god's free gifts abuse not1 ,his light refuse not1 ,but still ,his ,spirit's voice obey2 ,soon shall joy thy brow be wreathing1 ,splendour breathing ,fairer than the fairest day4 ,if aught of care this morn oppress thee1 ,to ,him address thee1 ,who1 like the sun1 is good to all3 ,he gilds the mountain tops1 the while ,his gracious smile ,will on the humblest valley fall4 ,round the gifts ,his bounty show'rs1 ,walls and tow'rs ,girt with flames thy ,god shall rear3 ,angel legions to defend thee ,shall attend thee1 ,hosts whom ,satan's self shall fear4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,c4 ,p4 #abb4 ,but1 once admit a single exception1 and the infallible virtue of the rule ceases4--,thus the famous ,canon of ,vincentius ,lirinensis is like tradition itself1 always either superfluous or insufficient4 ,taken literally1 it is true and worthless2--because what all have asserted1 always1 and in all places1 supposing of course that the means of judging were in their power1 may be assumed to be some indisputable axiom1 such as never will be disputed any more than it has been disputed hitherto4 ,but take it with any allowance1 and then it is of no use in settling a question3 for what most men have asserted1 most commonly1 and in most places1 has a certain priori probability1 it is true1 but by no means such as may not be outweighed by probabilities on the other side2 for the extreme improbability consists not in the prevalence of error amongst millions1 or for centuries1 or over whole continents1--but in its being absolutely universal1 so universal1 that truth could not find a single witness at any time or in any country4 ,but the single witness is enough to justify the ways of ,god1 and reduces what otherwise would have been a monstrous triumph of evil to the character of a severe trial of our faith1 severe indeed as the trials of an evil world will be1 but no more than a trial such as1 with ,god's grace1 may be overcome4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,d4 ,p4 #ahi4 ,it was an admirable definition of that which excites laughter1 c4--,greek3 ,to geloion apurtaepa ti chai aiochos auodnnoy chai on phthartichon oion enthus to geloion prosopon aischron ti chai dieotruppenon anen odunaes--,aristotle1 ,poetic1 ii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,e4 ,p4 #bde4 ,i would endeavour just to touch upon some of the purposes for which the ,scripture tells us that ,christ died4--,the ,collects for ,easter ,sunday and the ,sundays just before it and after it1 illustrate the enumeration here given4 ,the ,collect for the ,sunday next before ,easter speaks of ,christ's death only as an example of his great humility4 ,the ,collect for ,easter-day speaks of the resurrection1 and connects it with our spiritual resurrection1 as does also the ,collect for the first ,sunday after ,easter4 ,but the collect for the ,second ,sunday after ,easter speaks of ,christ as being at once our sacrifice for sin and our example of godly life1--a sacrifice to be regarded with entire thankfulness1 and an example to be daily followed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,f4 ,p4 #bhb4 ,such also was to be the state of the ,christian ,church after our ,lord's ascension4--,and therefore1 as ,i think1 ,st4 ,peter applies to the ,christians of ,asia ,minor the very terms applied to the ,jews living in ,assyria or in ,egypt2 he addresses them as ,greek3 parepidaemois diasporas1 7#a ,peter i4 #a17 that is1 as strangers and sojourners1 scattered up and down in a country that was not properly their own1 and living in a sort of banishment from their true home4 ,that the words are not addressed to ,jewish ,christians1 and therefore are not to be understood in their simple historical sense1 seems evident from the second chapter of the ,epistle1 verses #i1 #aj1 and iv4 #b1c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,g4 ,p4 #cae4 ,not only an outward miracle1 but the changed circumstances of the times may speak ,god's will no less clearly than a miracle1 c4--,what ,i have here said does not at all go beyond what has been said on the same subject by ,hooker3 ,laws1 though both ordained of ,god himself1 and the end for which they were ordained continuing1 may1 notwithstanding1 cease1 if by alteration of persons or times they be found insufficient to attain unto that end4 ,in which respect why may we not presume that ,god doth even call for such change or alteration as the very condition of things themselves doth make necessary8444 ,in this case1 therefore1 men do not presume to change ,god's ordinance1 but they yield thereunto1 requiring itself to be changed4--,ecclesiastical ,polity1 b4 iii4 #aj4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,h4 ,p4 #cbj4 ,nor is it less strange that any should ever have been afraid of their understandings1 and should have sought goodness through prejudice1 and blindness1 and folly4--,for some time past the words ,rationalism and ,rationalistic have been freely used as terms of reproach by writers on religious subjects2 the #gc;d ,no4 of the ,tracts for the ,times is entitled1 ,on the introduction of ,rationalistic ,principles into ,religion1 and a whole chapter in ,mr4 ,gladstone's late work on ,church ,principles is headed ,rationalism4 ,yet we still want a clear definition of the thing signified by this name4 ,the ,tract for the ,times says1 ,to rationalize1 is to ask for reasons out of place2 to ask improperly how we are to account for certain things2 to be unwilling to believe them unless they can be accounted for1 i4e4 referred to something else as a cause1 to some existing system1 as harmonizing with them1 or taking them up into itself4444 ,it is characterised by two peculiarities2--its love of systematizing1 and its basing its system upon personal experience1 on the evidence of sense4--,p4 #b4 ,mr4 ,gladstone says more generally1 ,rationalism is commonly1 at least in this country1 taken to be the reduction of ,christian doctrine to the standard and measure of the human understanding4--,p4 #cg4 ,but neither of these definitions will include all the arguments and statements which have been called by various writers rationalistic2 and while the terms used are thus vague1 they are often applied very indiscriminately1 and the tendency of this use of them is to depreciate the exercise of the intellectual faculties generally4 ,the subject seems to deserve fuller consideration than it has yet received2 there is a real evil which the term ,rationalism is meant to denounce2 but it has not been clearly apprehended1 and what is good has sometimes been confounded with it1 and denounced under the same name4 ,i cannot pretend to discuss the subject fully in a mere note1 even if ,i were otherwise competent to do it4 ,but one or two points may be noticed1 as likely to assist the inquiry1 wherever it is worthily entered on4 #ast4 ,it is important to bear in mind the distinction which ,coleridge enforces so earnestly between the understanding and the reason4 ,i do not know whether ,mr4 ,gladstone1 in the passage quoted above1 uses the word understanding as synonymous with reason1 or in that stricter sense in which ,coleridge employs it4 ,but the writer of the ,tract seems to allude to the stricter sense1 when he calls it a characteristic of rationalism to base its system upon personal experience1 on the evidence of sense4 ,if this be the case1 then it would seem that rationalism is the appealing to the decision of the understanding in points where the decision properly belongs not to the understanding1 but to the reason4 ,this is a great fault1 and one to which all persons who belong to the sensualist school in philosophy1 as opposed to the idealist school1 would be more or less addicted4 ,but then1 this fault consists not in an over-estimating of man's intellectual nature generally1 but in the exalting one part of it unduly1 to the injury of another part2 in deferring to the understanding1 rather than to the reason4 #b;d4 ,faith and reason are often invidiously contrasted with each other1 as if they were commonly described in ,scripture as antagonists2 whereas faith is more properly opposed to sight1 or to lust1 being1 in fact1 a very high exercise of the pure reason2 inasmuch as we believe truths which our senses do not teach us1 and which our passions would have us1 therefore1 reject1 because those truths are taught by ,him in whom reason recognises its own author1 and the infallible source of all truth4 #c;d4 ,it were better to oppose reason to passion than to faith2 for it may be safely said1 that he who neglects his reason1 so far as he does neglect it1 does not lead a life of faith afterwards1 but a life of passion4 ,he does not draw nearer to ,god1 but to the brutes1 or rather to the devils2 for his passions cannot be the mere instinctive appetites of the brute1 but derive from the wreck of his intellectual powers1 which he cannot utterly destroy1 just so much of a higher nature that they are sins1 and not instincts1 belonging to the malignity of diabolic nature1 rather than to the mere negative evil of the nature of brutes4 #dth4 ,faith may be described as reason leaning upon ,god4 ,without ,god1 reason is either overpowered by sense and understanding1 and1 in a manner1 overgrown1 so that it cannot comprehend its proper truths2 or1 being infinite1 it cannot discover all the truths which concern it1 and therefore needs a farther revelation to enlighten it4 ,but with ,god's grace strengthening it to assert its supremacy over sense and understanding1 and communicating to it what of itself it could not have discovered1 it then having gained strength and light not its own1 and doing and seeing consciously by ,god's help1 becomes properly faith4 #eth4 ,faith without reason1 is not properly faith1 but mere power worship2 and power worship may be devil worship2 for it is reason which entertains the idea of ,god--an idea essentially made up of truth and goodness1 no less than of power4 ,a sign of power exhibited to the senses might1 through them1 dispose the whole man to acknowledge it as divine2 yet power in itself is not divine1 it may be devilish4 ,but when reason recognises that1 along with this power1 there exist also wisdom and goodness1 then it perceives that here is ,god2 and the worship which1 without reason1 might have been idolatry1 being now according to reason is faith4 #fth4 ,if this were considered1 men would be more careful of speaking disparagingly of reason1 seeing that it is the necessary condition of the existence of faith4 ,it is quite true1 that when we have attained to faith1 it supersedes reason2 we walk by sunlight1 rather than by moonlight2 following the guidance of infinite reason1 instead of finite4 ,but how are we to attain to faith8 in other words1 how can we distinguish ,god's voice from the voice of evil8 for we must distinguish it to be ,god's voice before we can have faith in it4 ,we distinguish it1 and can distinguish it no otherwise1 by comparing it with that idea of ,god which reason intuitively enjoins1 the gift of reason being ,god's original revelation of himself to man4 ,now1 if the voice which comes to us from the unseen world agree not with this idea1 we have no choice but to pronounce it not to be ,god's voice2 for no signs of power1 in confirmation of it1 can alone prove it to be ,god4 ,god is not power only1 but power1 and truth1 and holiness2 and the existence of even infinite power1 does not necessarily involve in it truth and holiness also2 else the notion of the world being governed by an evil being would be no more than a contradiction in terms2 and the horrible strife of the two principles of ,manicheism would be a mere matter of indifference2 for if power alone constitutes ,god1 whichever principle triumphed over the other1 would become ,god by the very fact of its victory2 and thus triumphant evil would be good4 #gth4 ,reason1 then1 is the mean whereby we attain to faith1 and escape the devil worship of idolatry2 but the understanding is not a necessary condition of faith1 and very often impedes it2 for the understanding having for its basis the reports of sense and experience1 has no direct way of arriving at things invisible1 and rather shrinks back from that world with which it is in no way familiar4 ,it has a work to do in regard to revelation1 and an important work2 but divine things not being its proper matter1 its work concerning them must be subordinate1 and its tendency is always to fall back from the invisible to the visible1--from matters of faith to matters of experience4 ,its work1 with respect to revelation1 is this--that it should inquire into the truth of the outward signs of it2 which outward signs being necessarily things visible and sensible1 fall within its province of judgment4 ,thus understanding judges the external witnesses of a revelation3 if miracles be alleged1 it is the business of understanding to ascertain the fact of their occurrence2 if a book claim to be the record of a revelation1 it belongs to the understanding to make out the origin of this book1 the time when it was written1 who were its authors1 and what is the first and grammatical meaning of its language4 ,or1 again1 if any men profess to be the depositaries of divine truth1 by an extraordinary commission from ,god1 the understanding1 being familiar with man's nature and motives1 can judge of their credibility--can see whether there are any marks of folly in them1 or of dishonesty1 or whether they are at once sensible and honest4 ,and in all such matters1 the prerogative of the understanding to judge is not to be questioned2 for all such points are strictly within its dominion2 and our ,lord's words are of universal application1 that we should render to ,csar the things which are ,csar's1 no less than we should render to ,god the things that are ,god's4 ,faith may exist1 as ,i said1 without the action of the understanding1 but never without that of the reason4 ,it may exist independent of the understanding1 because faith in ,god is the natural result of the idea of ,god3 and that idea belongs to the reason1 and the understanding is not concerned with it4 ,but when a special revelation has been given us1 through human instruments2 when the understanding is called in to certify the particular fact1 that in such and such particular persons1 writings1 or events1 ,god has made himself manifest in an extraordinary manner2 it is the human instrumentality which requires the judgment of the understanding2 the bringing in of human characters1 and sensible facts1 which are matters of sense and experience2 and1 therefore1 it is mere ignorance when ,christians speak slightingly of the outward and historical evidences of ,christianity1 and indulge in very misplaced contempt for ,paley and others who have worked out the historical proof of it4 ,such persons may observe1 if they will1 that where the historical evidence has not been listened to1 there a belief in ,christianity1 properly so called1 is wanting4 ,living examples might1 ,i think1 be named of men whose reason entirely acknowledges the internal proofs of a divine origin which are contained in the ,christian doctrines1 but whose understandings are not satisfied as to the facts of the ,christian history1 and particularly as to the fact of our ,lord's resurrection4 ,such men are a remarkable contrast to those whose understandings are fully satisfied of the historical truth of our ,lord's resurrection1 but who are indifferent to1 or actually deny1 those doctrinal truths of which another power than the understanding must be the warrant4 ,it is important to observe1 therefore1 that in a revelation involving1 as an essential part of it1 certain historical facts1 there is necessarily a call for the judgment of the understanding1 although in religious faith simply the understanding may have no place4 #hth4 ,now1 then1 the clearest notion which can be given of rationalism would1 ,i think1 be this3 that it is the abuse of the understanding in subjects where the divine and the human1 so to speak1 are intermingled4 ,of human things the understanding can judge1 of divine things it cannot2--and thus1 where the two are mixed together1 its inability to judge of the one part makes it derange the proportions of both1 and the judgment of the whole is vitiated4 ,for example1 the understanding examines a miraculous history2 it judges truly of what ,i may call the human part of the case2 that is to say1 of the rarity of miracles1--of the fallibility of human testimony1--of the proneness of most minds to exaggeration1--and of the critical arguments affecting the genuineness or the date of the narrative itself4 ,but it forgets the divine part1 namely1 the power and providence of ,god1 that ,he is really ever present amongst us1 and that the spiritual world1 which exists invisibly all around us1 may conceivably1 and by no means impossibly1 exist1 at some times and to some persons1 even visibly4 ,these considerations1 which the understanding is ignorant of1 would often modify our judgment as to the human parts of the case4 ,things not impossible in themselves are believed upon sufficient testimony2 and with all the carelessness and exaggeration of historians1 the mass of history is notwithstanding generally credible4 ,again1 with regard to the history of the ,old ,testament1 our judgment of the human part in it requires to be constantly modified by our consciousness of the divine part1 or otherwise it cannot fail to be rationalistic2 that is1 it will be the judgment of the understanding only1 unchecked by the reason4 ,gesenius' ,commentary on ,isaiah is rationalistic1 for it regards ,isaiah merely as a ,jewish writer1 zealously attached to the religion of his country1 and lamenting the decay of his nation1 and anxiously looking for its future restoration4 ,no doubt ,isaiah was all this1 and therefore ,gesenius' ,commentary is critically and historically very valuable2 the human part of ,isaiah is nowhere better illustrated2 but the divine part of the prophecy of ,isaiah is no less real1 and the consciousness of its existence should actually qualify our feelings and language even with reference to the human part4 #ith4 ,the fault1 then1 of rationalism appears to me to consist not so much in what it has as in what it has not4 ,the understanding has its proper work to do with respect to the ,bible1 because the ,bible consists of human writings and contains a human history4 ,critical and historical inquiries respecting it are1 therefore1 perfectly legitimate2 it contains matter which is within the province of the understanding1 and the understanding has ,god's warrant for doing that work which he appointed it to do2 only1 let us remember1 that the understanding cannot ascend to things divine2 that for these another faculty is necessary1--reason or faith4 ,if this faculty be living in us1 then there can be no rationalism2 and what is called so is then no other than the voice of ,christian truth4 ,where a man's writings show that he is keenly alive to the divine part of ,scripture1 that he sees ,god ever in it1 and regards it truly as his word1 his judgments of the human part in it are not likely to be rationalistic2 and if his understanding decides according to its own laws1 upon points within its own province1 while his faith duly tempers it1 and restrains it from venturing upon another's dominion1 the result will1 in all probability1 be such as commonly attends the use of ,god's manifold gifts in their just proportions1--it will image1 after our imperfect measure1 the holiness of ,god and the truth of ,god4 ,it is very true1 and should be acknowledged in the fullest manner1 that for the study of the highest moral and spiritual questions another faculty than the understanding is wanting2 and that without this faculty the understanding alone cannot arrive at truth4 ,but it is no less true1 that while there is1 on the one side1 a faculty higher than the understanding1 which is entitled to pronounce upon its defects2 for he that is spiritual judgeth all things1 7,greek3 auachriuei27 so there is a clamour often raised against it1 not from above1 but from below1--the clamour of mere shallowness and ignorance1 and passion4 ,of this sort is some of the outcry which is raised against rationalism4 ,men do not leap1 per saltum mortalem1 from ordinary folly to divine wisdom3 and the foolish have no right to think that they are angels1 because they are not humanly wise4 ,there is a deep and universal truth in ,st4 ,paul's words1 where he says1 that ,christians wish not to be unclothed but clothed upon1 that mortality may be swallowed up of life4 ,wisdom is gained1 not by renouncing or despising the understanding1 but by adding to its perfect work the perfect work of reason1 and of reason's perfection1 faith4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,i4 ,p4 #cca4 ,a famous example of this may be seen in the sixth chapter of ,st4 ,john1 c4--,the interpretation of this chapter1 and particularly of the part alluded to in the text1 is of no small importance2 for it is remarkable1 that the highest notions with respect to the presence of our ,lord in the ,holy ,communion are often grounded upon this passage in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 which yet1 in the judgment of others1 most decisively repels them4 ,the whole question resolves itself into this--,are our ,lord's words in this place co-ordinate with the ,holy ,communion1 or subordinate to it8 ,that is1 do they and the communion alike point to some great truth superior to them both3 or do our ,lord's words1 in ,st4 ,john1 point to the communion itself as their highest meaning8 ,the communion itself expresses a truth above itself by a symbolical action2 the words of our ,lord1 in ,st4 ,john1 are exactly the same with that symbolic action2 it is natural1 therefore1 to understand them not as referring to it1 but to the same#ad higher truth to which it refers also3 and the more so as the communion is not once mentioned by ,st4 ,john either in his ,gospel or in his ,epistles2 but the idea which the communion expresses appears to have been familiar to his mind2 at least1 if we suppose that his mention of the blood and water flowing from our ,lord's side in his ,gospel1 and his allusion again to the same fact in his ,epistle1 have reference in any degree to it1 which seems to me most probable4 ,footnote #ad3 ,the common tendency to make the ,christian sacraments an ultimate end rather than a mean1 is exhibited in the heading of the tenth chapter of the #ast ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 in our authorized version1 where we find the first verses described as stating1 that the ,jews' sacraments were types of ours4 ,whereas1 so far is it from the apostle's argument to represent our sacraments as the reality of which the ,jews' sacraments were the type1 that he is describing theirs and ours as co-ordinate with each other1 and both alike subordinate to the same truth2 and he argues1 that if the ,jews1 with their sacraments1 did notwithstanding lose the reality which those sacraments typified1 so we should take heed lest we1 with our sacraments1 should lose it also4 ,the erroneous heading is not given in the ,geneva ,bible1 where we have1 on the contrary1 the true observation2 the sacraments of the old fathers were all one with ours1 for they respected ,christ only4 ,it is true that if no more were meant than that the ,jews' sacraments were like ours1 there would be no reason to object to the expression2 but apparently more is meant1 as the word type seems to imply that what it is compared with is the reality1 of which it is itself only the image2 and one thing cannot properly be called the type of another1 when both are but types of the same third thing4 ,but the divines of ,james the ,first's reign and of his son's1 were to the reformers exactly what the so-called fathers were to the apostles3 the very same tendencies1 growing up even in ,elizabeth's reign1 becoming strengthened under the ,stuart kings1 and fully developed in the nonjurors1 which distinguish the divines of the seventeenth century from those of the sixteenth1 distinguish also the church system from the gospel4 ,there are many who readily acknowledge this difference in the ,english church1 while they would deny it in the case of the ancient church4 ,indeed1 it is not yet deemed prudent to avow openly that they prefer the so-called fathers to the apostles1 and therefore they try to persuade themselves that both speak the same language4 ,and doubtless1 if the ,scriptures are to be interpreted according to the rule of the writers of the third1 and fourth1 and fifth centuries1 the thing can easily be effected2 as1 by a similar process1 the ,articles of the ,church of ,england1 if interpreted according to the rule of the nonjurors and their successors1 might be made to speak the very sentiments which their authors designed to condemn4 ,our ,lord repels the notion of a literal acceptation of his words1 where he says1--,it is the ,spirit which profiteth1 the flesh profiteth nothing2 the words which ,i speak unto you1 they are ,spirit and they are life4 ,it seems impossible1 therefore1 to refer these words1 which he tells us expressly are ,spirit and life1 to any outward act of eating and drinking as their highest truth and object4 ,but the words in the sixth chapter of ,st4 ,john do highly illustrate the institution and purpose of the communion1 and especially the remarkable words which our ,lord used in instituting it4 ,they show what infinite importance he attached to that truth which he expressed both in symbolical words and action under the same figure1 of eating ,his body and drinking ,his blood4 ,but to suppose that that truth can only be realized by one particular ritual action1 so that the one great work of a ,christian is to receive the ,lord's supper1--which it must be1 if our ,lord's words in the sixth chapter of ,st4 ,john refer to the communion1--is so contrary to the whole character of our ,lord's teaching1 and not least so in the very words so misinterpreted1 that to maintain such a doctrine1 leading1 as it does1 to such manifold superstitions1 is actually to preach another ,gospel than ,christ's--to bring in a mystical religion instead of a spiritual one1--to do worse than to ,judaize4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,k4 ,p4 #cde4 ,a set of persons1 who wish to magnify the uncertainties of the ,scripture in order to recommend more plausibly the guidance of some supposed authoritative interpreter of it4--,the high church party1 we have been lately told1 take ,holy ,scripture for their guide1 and1 in the interpretation of it1 defer to the authority of primitive antiquity3 the low church party contend for the sufficiency of private judgment4 ,it is become of the greatest importance to see clearly1 not what one party1 or another1 may contend for1 but what is the real truth1 and what1 accordingly1 is the duty of every ,christian man to do in this matter4 ,the sermon to which this note refers1 is an attempt to show that ,scripture is not hopelessly obscure or ambiguous2 but it may not be inexpedient here to consider a little1 what are the objections to the principle of the high church party2 to clear away certain difficulties which are supposed to beset the opposite principle2 and to state1 if possible1 what the truth of the whole question is4 ,i4 ,the objections to the principle of the high church party are these3 #ast4 ,its extreme vagueness4 ,what is primitive antiquity8 and where is its authority to be found8 ,does primitive antiquity mean the first three centuries8 or the first two8 or the first five8 or the first seven8 ,does it include any of the general councils8 or one of them8 or four8 or six8 ,are ,irenus and ,tertullian the latest writers of primitive antiquity8 or does it end with ,augustine8 or does it comprehend the venerable ,bede8 ,one writer has lately told us1 that our ,reformers wished the people to be taught1 that1 for almost seven hundred years1 the church was most pure4 ,are we1 then1 to hold that primitive antiquity embraces a period of nearly seven centuries8 ,seven centuries are considerably more than a third part of the whole duration of the church1 from its foundation to this hour3 can the third part of a nation's history be called its primitive antiquity8 ,is a tenet1 or a practice taught when ,christianity had been more than six hundred years in the world1 to be called primitive8 ,we know not1 then1 in the first place1 what length of time is signified by primitive antiquity4 ,but let it signify any length of time we choose1 ,i ask1 next1 where is its authority to be found8 ,in the decisions of the general councils8 ,but if we call the first four centuries primitive antiquity1 we find in this period only two general councils2 if we include the fifth century1 we get four2 if we take in the sixth and seventh centuries1 we have then1 in all1 six general councils4 ,will the decisions of any1 or all1 of these six councils furnish us with an authoritative interpretation of ,scripture8 ,they give us the ,nicene and the ,constantinopolitan creeds2 they condemn various notions with respect to the person of our ,lord1 and to some other points of belief2 and they contain a variety of regulations for the discipline and order of the church2 but1 with the exception of some particular passages1 there is no authority in the creeds1 or canons1 or anathemas of those councils1 for the interpretation of ,scripture2 they leave its difficulties just where they were before4 ,it is but little then1 which the first six general councils will do towards providing the student of ,scripture with an infallible standard of interpretation4 ,where1 however1 except in the councils1 can we find any thing claiming to be the voice of the church8 ,neither individual writers1 nor yet all the writers of the first seven centuries together1 can properly be called the church4 ,they form1 even altogether1 but a limited number of individuals1 who1 in different countries1 and at different periods1 expressed1 in writing1 their own sentiments1 but without any public authority4 ,origen1 one of the ablest and most learned of them all1 was anathematized by the second council of ,constantinople2 ,tertullian was heretical during a part of his life2 ,lactantius was taxed with heterodoxy4 ,how are we to know who were sound8 ,and if sound generally1 that is to say1 if they stand charged with no heretical error1 yet it does not follow that a man is infallible because he is not heretical2 and none of these writers have been distinguished like the five great ,roman lawyers whom the edict of ,theodosius#ae selected from the mass1 and gave to their decisions a legal authority4 ,or again1 if it be said that the agreement of the great majority of them is to be regarded as decisive1 we answer1 that as no individual amongst them is in himself an authority legally1 so neither can any number of them be so2 and if a moral authority only be meant1 such as we naturally ascribe to the concurring judgment of many eminent men1 then this is a totally different question1 and is open to inquiry in every separate case2 for as1 on the one hand1 no one denies that such a concurring judgment is an authority1 yet1 on the other hand1 it may be outweighed1 either by the worth of the few who differ from the judgment1 or by the reason of the case itself2 and the concurring judgment of the majority may show no more than the force of a general prejudice1 which only a very few individuals were sensible enough to resist4 ,footnote #ae3 ,cod4 ,theodos4 lib4 i4 tit4 iv4 ,the edict is issued in the name of the emperors ,theodosius 7the younger7 and ,valentinian 7the younger71 in the year ,a4,d4 #dbf4 ,in fact1 it would greatly help to clear this question if we understand what we mean by allowing1 or denying1 the authority of the so-called fathers4 ,the term authority is ambiguous1 and according to the sense in which ,i use it1 ,i should either acknowledge it or deny it4--,the writers of the first four1 or of the first seven centuries1 have an authority1 just as the scholiasts and ancient commentators have3 some of them1 and in some points1 are of weight singly2 the agreement of many of thorn has much weight2 the agreement of almost all of them would have great weight4 ,in this sense1 ,i acknowledge their authority2 and it would be against all sound principles of criticism to deny it4 ,but if1 by authority1 is meant a decisive authority1 a judgment which may not be questioned1 then the claim of authority in such a case1 for any man1 or set of men1 is either a folly or a revelation4 ,such an authority is not human1 but divine3 if any man pretends to possess it1 let him show ,god's clear warrant for his pretension1 or he must be regarded as a deceiver or a madman4 ,but it may be said1 that an authority not to be questioned was conferred1 by the ,roman law1 on the opinions of a certain number of great lawyers3 if a judge believed that their interpretation of the law was erroneous1 he yet was not at liberty to follow his own private judgment in departing from it4 ,why may not the same thing be allowed in the church8 and why may not the interpretations of ,cyprian1 or ,athanasius1 or ,augustine1 or ,chrysostom1 be as decisive1 with respect to the true sense of the ,scripture1 as those of ,gaius1 ,paulus1 ,modestinus1 ,ulpian1 and ,papinian1 were acknowledged to be with respect to the sense of the ,roman law8 ,the answer is1 that the emperor's edict could absolve the judge from following his own convictions about the sense of the law1 because it gave to the authorized interpretation the force of law4 ,the text1 as the judge interpreted it1 was a law repealed2 the comment of the great lawyers was now the law in its room4 ,as a mere literary composition1 he might interpret it rightly1 and ,gaius1 or ,papinian1 might be wrong2 but if his interpretation was ever so right grammatically or critically1 yet1 legally it was nothing to the purpose2--,gaius's interpretation had superseded it1 and was not the law which he was bound to obey4 ,but1 in the church1 the only point to be aimed at is the discovery of the true meaning of the text of the divine law3 no human power can invest the comment with equal authority4 ,the emperor said1 and might say to his judges1 ,you need not consider what was the meaning of the decemvirs1 when they wrote the twelve tables1 or1 of ,aquillius1 when he drew up the ,aquillian law4 ,the law for you is not what the decemvirs may have meant1 but what their interpreters may have meant3 the decemvirs' meaning1 if it was their meaning1 is no longer the law of ,rome4 ,but who can dare to say to a ,christian1 ,you need not consider what was the meaning of our ,lord and his apostles2 the law for you now is the meaning of ,cyprian1 or ,ambrose1 or ,chrysostom2--that meaning has superseded the meaning of ,christ4 ,a ,christian must find out ,christ's meaning1 and believe that he has found it1 or else he must still seek for it4 ,it is a matter1 not of outward submission1 but of inward faith2 and if in our inward mind we are persuaded that the interpreter has mistaken our ,lord's meaning1 how can we by possibility adopt that interpretation in faith8 ,here we come to a grave consideration--that this doctrine of an infallible rule of interpretation may suit ignorance or scepticism3 it is death to a sincere and reasonable and earnest faith4 ,it is not hard for a sceptical mind to deceive itself by saying1 that it receives whatever the church declares to be true3 it may receive any number of doctrines1 but it will not really believe them4 ,we may restrain our tongues from disputing them1 we may watch every restless thought that would question them1 and instantly1 by main force1 as it were1 put it down2 but all this time our minds do not assimilate to them2 they do not take them up into their own nature1 so as to make them a part of themselves1 freshening and supplying the life-blood of their very being4 ,truth must be believed by the mind's own act2 our souls must be drawn towards it with a reasonable love2 some affinity there must be between it and them1 or else they can never really comprehend it4 ,the sceptic may desperately become a fanatic also1 but he is not become1 therefore1 a believer4 ,authority cannot compel belief2 the sceptic who knows not what it is to grasp anything with the firm grasp of faith1 may mistake his acquiescence in a doctrine for belief in it2 the ignorant and careless1 who believe only what their senses tell them1 may lay up the words of divine truth in their memory1 may repeat them loudly1 and be vehement against all who question them4 ,but minds to which faith is a necessity1 which cannot be contented to stand by the side of truth1 but must become altogether one with it1--minds which know full well the difference between opinion and conviction1 between not questioning and believing1--they1 when their own action is superseded by an authority foreign to themselves1 are in a condition which they find intolerable4 ,told to believe what they cannot believe2 told that they ought not to believe what they feel most disposed to believe2 they retire altogether from the region of divine truth1 as from a spot tainted with moral death1 and devote themselves to other subjects3 to physical science1 it may be1 or to political2 where the inherent craving of their nature may yet be gratified1 where1 however insignificant the truth may be1 they may yet find some truth to believe4 ,this has been the condition of too many great men in the church of ,rome2 and it accounts for that bitterness of feeling with which ,machiavelli1 and others like him1 appear to have regarded the whole subject of ,christianity4 ,the system1 then1 of deferring to the authority of what is called the ancient church in the interpretation of ,scripture1 is impracticable1 inasmuch as1 with regard to the greatest part of the ,scripture1 the church1 properly speaking1 has said nothing at all2 and if it were practicable1 it would be untenable1 because neither the old councils1 nor individual writers1 could give any sign that they had a divine gift of interpretation2 and if such a gift had been given to them1 it would have been equivalent to a new revelation1 the sense of the comment being thus preferred to what we could not but believe to be the sense of the text4 ,above all1 the system is destructive of faith1 having a tendency to substitute passive acquiescence for real conviction2 and therefore ,i should not say that the excess of it was popery1 but that it had once and actually those characters of evil which we sometimes express by the term popery1 but which may be better signified by the term idolatry2 a reverence for that which ought not to be reverenced1 leading to a want of faith in that which is really deserving of all adoration and love4 ,,ii4 ,but it is said that the system of relying on private judgment is beset by no less evils3 that it is itself inconsistent1 and leads to ,socinianism and ,rationalism1 and1 in the end1 to utter unbelief2 so that1 the choice being only between two evils1 men may choose the system of church authority as being the less evil of the two4 ,if this were so1 ,i see not how faith could be attained at all1 or what place would be left for ,christian truth4 ,but the system of the ,church of ,england#af is1 ,i am persuaded1 fully consistent1 and has no tendency either to ,socinianism or ,rationalism4 ,let us see first what that system is4 ,footnote #af3 ,much has been lately written to show that the ,church of ,england allows the authority of the ancient councils and writers1 and does not allow the right of private judgment4 ,but it is perfectly clear1 from the #bast ,article1 that it does not allow the authority of councils2 that is to say1 it holds that a council's exposition of doctrine may be false1 and that such an exposition is of no force unless it may be declared that it be taken out of ,holy ,scripture4 ,who1 then1 is to declare this8 for to suppose that the declaration of the council itself is meant is absurd3 the answer1 ,i imagine1 would be1 according to the mind of the ,reformers1 ,every particular or national church1 and especially the ,king as the head of the church4 ,they would not have allowed private judgment1 because they conceived that a private person had nothing to do but to obey the government2 and it was for the government to determine what the truth of ,scripture was4 ,the ,church of ,england1 then1 expressly disclaims the authority of councils1 and1 in its official instruments1 it neither allows nor condemns private judgment2 but the opinions of the ,reformers1 and the constitution of the church in the #afth century1 were certainly against private judgment3 their authority for the interpretation of ,scripture was undoubtedly the supreme government of the church1 i4e4 not the bishops1 but the ,king and parliament4 ,but then this had respect not to the power of discerning truth1 but to the right of publishing it1 which is an wholly different question4 ,that an individual was not bound in foro conscienti to admit the truth of any interpretation of ,scripture which did not approve itself to his own mind1 was no less the judgment of the ,church of ,england than that if he publicly disputed the interpretation of the church1 he might be punished as unruly and a despiser of government4 ,but then it should ever be remembered that the church1 with the ,reformers1 was not the clergy4 ,and now that the right of publication is conceded by the church1 it is quite just to say that the ,church of ,england allows private judgment2 and if that judgment differ from her own1 she condemns not the act of judging at all1 but the having come to a false conclusion4 ,it is urged that the act of ,i ,elizabeth1 c4 #a1 allows that to be heresy which the first four councils determined to be so4 ,this is true2 but it also adjudges to be heresy whatever shall be hereafter declared to be so by the high court of parliament1 with the assent of the clergy in their convocation4 ,the ,church of ,england undoubtedly allowed the decisions of the first four councils1 in matters of doctrine1 to be valid1 as it allowed the three creeds1 because it decided that they were agreeable to ,scripture2 but the binding authority was that of the ,english ,parliament1 not of the councils of ,nica or ,constantinople4 ,as to the canon of #aega1 which allows preachers to teach nothing as religious truth but what is agreeable to the ,scriptures1 and which the catholic fathers and ancient bishops have collected from that very doctrine of ,scripture1 it will be observed that it is merely negative1 and does not sanction the teaching of the catholic fathers and ancient bishops1 generally1 or say that men shall teach what they taught2 but that they shall not teach as matter of religious faith1 a new deduction from ,scripture of their own making1 but such truths as had been actually deduced from ,scripture before1 namely1 the great articles of the ,christian faith4 ,farther1 the canons of #aega are of no authority1 not having received the royal assent4--,see ,strype's ,life of ,parker1 p4 #cbb1 ed4 #agaa4 ,it is invidiously described as maintaining the sufficiency of private judgment4 ,now we maintain the sufficiency of private judgment in interpreting the ,scriptures in no other sense than that in which every sane man maintains its sufficiency1 in interpreting ,thucydides or ,aristotle2 we mean1 that1 instead of deferring always to some one interpreter1 as an idle boy follows implicitly the ,latin version of his ,greek lesson1 the true method is to consult all#ag accessible authorities1 and to avail ourselves of the assistance of all4 ,and we contend1 that1 by this process1 as we discover1 for the most part1 the true meaning of ,thucydides and ,aristotle with undoubted certainty1 so we may also discover1 not1 indeed1 in every particular part or passage1 but generally1 the true meaning of the ,holy ,scriptures with no less certainty4 ,footnote #ag3 ,of course no reasonable man can doubt the importance of studying the early ,christian writers1 as illustrating not only the history of their own times1 but the ,new ,testament also4 ,for the ,old ,testament1 indeed1 they do little or nothing1 and for the ,new they are of much less assistance than might have been expected2 but still there is no doubt that they are often useful4 ,but if another man maintains that a different meaning is the true one1 how are we to silence him1 and how are we justified in calling him a heretic8 ,if by the term heretic we are to imply moral guilt1 ,i am not justified in applying it to any ,christian1 unless his doctrines are positively sinful1 or there is something wicked1 either in the way of dishonesty or bitterness1 in his manner of maintaining them4 ,the guilt of any given religious error1 in any particular case1 belongs only to the judgment of ,him who reads the heart4 ,but if we mean by heresy a grave error in matters of the ,christian faith1 overthrowing or corrupting some fundamental article of it1 then we are as fully justified in calling a gross misinterpretation of ,scripture heresy1 as we should be justified in calling a gross misinterpretation of a profane ,greek or ,latin author1 ignorance1 or want of scholarship4 ,there is no infallible authority in points of grammar and criticism1 yet men do speak confidently1 notwithstanding1 as to learning and ignorance2 ,porson and ,herman are known to have understood their business1 and a writer who were to set their decisions at defiance1 and to indulge in mere extravagances of interpretation1 would be set down as one who knew nothing about the matter4 ,so we judge daily in all points of literature and science2 nay1 we in the same manner venture to call some persons mad1 and on the strength of our conviction we deprive them of their property1 and shut them up in a madhouse3 yet if madmen wore to insist that they were sane1 and that we were mad1 ,i know not to what infallible authority we could appeal2 and1 after all1 what are we to do with those who deny that authority to be infallible8 we must then go to another infallible authority to guarantee the infallibility of the first1 and this process will run on for ever4 ,but1 in truth1 there is more in the matter than the being justified or not justified in calling our neighbour a heretic4 ,the real point of anxiety1 ,i imagine1 with many good and thinking men is this3 whether a reasonable belief can be fairly carried through2 whether the notion of the all-sufficiency of ,scripture is not liable to objections no less than the system of church-authority2 whether1 in short1 our ,christian faith can be consistently maintained without a mortal leap at some part or other of the process2 nay1 whether1 in fact1 if it were otherwise1 our faith would not seem to stand rather on the wisdom of man than on the power of ,god4 ,i use these words1 because these and other such passages of the ,scripture are often quoted as ,i have now quoted them1 and produce a great effect on those who do not observe that they are quoted inapplicably2 for the question is not between man's wisdom and ,god's power1 but simply whether we have reason to believe that ,god's power has been here manifested2 or1 rather1 to see whether we cannot give a reason for the faith which is in us1 such faith resting upon ,god's power and wisdom as manifested in ,christ ,jesus2 for if no reason can be rendered for our faith1 then our minds1 so far as they are concerned1 are believing a lie2 they are believing in spite of those laws by which ,god has determined their nature and condition4 ,yet1 however we believe1 blindly or reasonably1 7for some men1 by ,god's mercy1 are accidentally1 as it were1 in possession of the truth1 the falsehood of their own minds in holding it not being1 it is to be hoped1 imputed to them as a sin27 however we believe1 ,i never mean to say that our faith is not ,god's gift1 to be sought for and retained by constant prayer and watchfulness1 and to be forfeited by carelessness or sin4 ,that is no true faith in which reason does not accord2 yet neither can reason alone and without ,god ever become perfected into faith4 ,for although intellectually1 the grounds of belief may be made out satisfactorily1 yet we are not able to follow our pure reason by ourselves2 and no work on the evidences of ,christianity can by itself give us faith2 and much less can amid the manifold conflicts of life maintain it4 ,that faith is thus the gift of ,god1 and not our own work1 ,i would desire to feel as keenly and continually1 as with the fullest conviction ,i acknowledge it4 ,now1 to resume the consideration of that which1 as ,i said1 is the real point of anxiety with many4 ,they doubt whether the course of a reasonable belief can be held to the end without interruptions3 they say that the received notions of the inspiration1 and consequently of the complete truth of the ,scriptures cannot reasonably be maintained2 that he who does maintain them does so by a happy inconsistency2--he is to be congratulated for not following up his own principles2 but why should he then find fault with others who do that avowedly and consistently to which he is driven against his professions by the clear necessity of the case8 ,this argument was pressed by ,mr4 ,newman1 some time since1 in one of the ,tracts for the ,times2 and it was conducted1 as may be supposed1 with great ingenuity1 but with a recklessness of consequences1 or an ignorance of mankind1 truly astonishing2 for he brought forward all the difficulties and differences which can be found in the ,scripture narratives1 displayed them in their most glaring form1 and merely observed1 that as those with whom he was arguing could not solve these difficulties1 but yet believed the ,scriptures no less in spite of them1 so the apparent unreasonableness of his doctrine about the priesthood was no ground why it should be rejected--a method of argument most blameable in any ,christian to adopt towards his brethren2 for what if their faith1 being thus vehemently strained1 were to give way under the experiment8 and if1 being convinced that the ,scriptures were not more reasonable than ,mr4 ,newman's system1 they were to end with believing1 not both1 but neither8 ,therefore the question is one of no small anxiety and interest2 and it is not idly nor wantonly that we must speak the truth upon it1 even if that truth may to some seem startling2 for by ,god's blessing1 if we do go boldly forward wherever truth shall lead us1 our course needs not be interrupted1 neither shall a single hair of our faith perish4 ,the same laws of criticism which teach us to distinguish between various degrees of testimony1 authorize us to assign the very highest rank to the evidences of the writings of ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,paul4 ,if belief is to be given to any human compositions1 it is due to these2 yet if we believe these merely as human compositions1 and without assuming anything as to their divine inspiration1 our ,christian faith1 as it seems to me1 is reasonable2--not merely the facts of our ,lord's miracles and resurrection2 but ,christian faith1 in all its fulness--the whole dispensation of the ,spirit1 the revelation of the redemption of man and of the ,divine ,persons who are its authors--of all that ,christian faith1 and hope1 and love can need4 ,and this is so true1 that even without reckoning the ,epistle to the ,hebrews amongst ,st4 ,paul's writings1--nay1 even if we choose to reject the three pastoral epistles#ah--yet taking only what neither has been nor can be doubted--the epistles to the ,romans1 ,corinthians1 ,galatians1 ,ephesians1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 and ,thessalonians1 we have in these1 together with ,st4 ,john's ,gospel and ,first ,epistle1--giving up1 if we choose1 the other two1--a ground on which our faith may stand for ever1 according to the strictest rules of the understanding1 according to the clearest intuitions of reason4 ,footnote #ah3 ,i say this1 not as having the slightest doubt myself of the genuineness of any one of the three1 but merely to show how much is left that has not been questioned at all1 even unreasonably4 ,i take the works of ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,paul as our foundation1 because1 in the first place1 we find in them the historical basis of ,christianity2 that is to say1 we find the facts of our ,lord's miracles1 and especially of his resurrection1 and the miraculous powers afterwards continued to the church1 established by the highest possible evidence4 ,however pure and truly divine the principles taught in the gospel may be1 yet we crave to know not only that we were in need of redemption1 but that a ,redeemer has actually appeared2 not only that a resurrection to eternal life is probable1 but that such a resurrection has actually taken place4 ,this basis of historical fact1 which is one of the great peculiarities of ,christianity1 is strictly within the cognizance of the understanding2 and in the writings of ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,paul we have that full and perfect evidence of it which the strictest laws of the understanding require4 ,but the historical truth being once warranted by the understanding1 other faculties of our nature now come in to enjoy it1 and develop it2 the highest reason and the moral and spiritual affections find respectively their proper field and objects1 which1 whenever presented to them in vision or in theory1 they must instinctively cling to1 but to which they now abandon themselves without fear of disappointment1 because the understanding has assured them of their reality4 ,we must suppose1 on any system1 the existence of reason and spiritual affections as indispensable to the understanding of the ,scriptures2 external authority can do nothing for us without these1 any more than the mere faculties of the common understanding4 ,but with these we apprehend the view which ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,paul afford to us3 it opens before us one truth after another1 one glory after another4 ,st4 ,john evidently supposes that his readers were familiar with another account of our ,lord's life and teaching2 and we find accordingly1 another account existing in the writings of the three other evangelists4 ,one and the same account is manifestly the substance of their three narratives1 to which they thus bear a triple testimony1 because none of the three has merely transcribed the others1 and none of them apparently was the original author of it4 ,thus having now the full record of our ,lord's teaching1 we find that he everywhere refers to the ,old ,testament as to the word of ,god1 and the record of ,god's earlier manifestations of himself to man4 ,he has cleared up those especial points in it which might have most perplexed us1 as ,i shall notice more fully hereafter1 and he represents himself as the perpetual subject of its prophecies4 ,we thus receive the ,old ,testament1 as it were1 from his hand1 and learn while sitting at his feet to understand the lessons of the law and the prophets4 ,thus we make ,christ the centre of both ,testaments1 and by so doing1 we cannot be blind to the divinity pervading both4 ,for the amazing fact that ,god should come into the world and be in the world cannot by possibility stand alone2 it hallows1 as it were1 the whole period of the world's existence1 from the beginning to the end1 placing all time and every place in relation to ,god2 it disposes us at once to receive the fact of the special call of the people of ,israel2--it gives1 ,i had almost said1 an priori reason why there must have been in earlier times some shadows1 at least1 or images1 to represent dimly to former generations that great thing which they were not actually to witness2 it leads us to believe that there must have been some prophetic voices to announce the future coming of the ,lord1 or else ,the very stones must have cried out4 ,but those writings of ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,paul which were our first lessons in ,christianity1 and those other accounts of our ,lord's life and teaching to which they introduced us1--can we conceive it possible1 that the real meaning of all these shall be hopelessly obscure and uncertain2 that if we seek it ever so diligently1 we shall not find it8 ,with an humble mind ready to learn1 with a heart fully impressed with the sense of ,god's presence1 so as to be morally and spiritually in a condition to receive ,god's truth1 can we believe1 then1 that the use of those intellectual means1 which open to us certainly the sense of human writers1 shall be applied in vain to those writers who were commissioned to be the very heralds of a divine message1 whose especial business it was to make known what they had themselves heard8 ,surely if a sufficient certainty of interpretation be attainable in common literature1 the revelation of ,god cannot be the solitary exception4 ,but we may be mistaken3 we may believe that we interpret truly1 but we cannot be infallibly sure of it2 we want an authority which shall give us this assurance4 ,this is no doubt the natural craving of our weakness2 but it is no wiser a craving than if we were to long for the heaven to be opened1 and for a daily sight of our ,lord standing at the right hand of ,god4 ,to live by faith is our appointed condition1 and faith excludes an infallible assurance4 ,we must earnestly believe that we have the truth1 and die for our belief1 if necessary1 but we cannot know it4 ,no device which the human mind can practise1 can exclude the possibility of doubt4 ,if we would find an armour which should cover us at every point from this subtle enemy1 it would be an armour that would close up the pores of the skin1 and stop our breath2 our fancied security would kill us4 ,is it really possible that1 with our knowledge of man's nature1 our belief in any human authority can really be more free from doubt than our belief in the conclusions of our own reason8 ,there must ever be the liability to uncertainty2 we can put no moral truth so surely as that our minds shall always feel it to be absolutely certain4 ,where is the infallible authority that can assure us even of the existence of ,god8 ,and will the scepticism that can believe its own conclusions in nothing else rest satisfied with one conclusion only--that the writers of the first four centuries cannot err8 ,surely to regard this as the most certain proposition that can be submitted to the human mind1 is no better than insanity4 ,but we will consent to trust1 it may be said1 with ,god's help1 to our own deliberate convictions that we have interpreted ,scripture truly2 but you tell us that the ,scripture itself is not inspired in every part2 you tell us that there are in it chronological and historical difficulties1 if not errors2 that there are possibly some interpolations2 that even the apostles may have been in some things mistaken1 as in their belief that the end of the world was at hand4 ,where shall we find a rest for our feet1 if you first take away from us our infallible interpreter1 and now tell us1 that even if we can ourselves interpret it aright1 yet that we cannot be sure that the very ,scripture itself is infallibly true8 ,it is very true that our position with respect to the ,scriptures is not in all points the same as our fathers'4 ,for sixteen hundred years nearly1 while physical science1 and history1 and chronology1 and criticism1 were all in a state of torpor1 the questions which now present themselves to our minds could not from the nature of the case arise4 ,when they did arise1 they came forward into notice gradually3 first the discoveries in astronomy excited uneasiness3 then as men began to read more critically1 differences in the several ,scripture narratives of the same thing awakened attention2 more lately1 the greater knowledge which has been gained of history1 and of language1 and in all respects the more careful inquiry to which all ancient records have been submitted1 have brought other difficulties to light1 and some sort of answer must be given to them4 ,mr4 ,newman1 as we have seen1 has made use of those difficulties much as the ,romanists have used the doctrine of the ,trinity when arguing with ,trinitarians#ai in defence of transubstantiation4 ,the ,romanists said1--,here are all these inexplicable difficulties in the doctrine of the ,trinity1 and yet you believe it4 ,so ,mr4 ,newman argues with those who hold the plenary inspiration of ,scripture1 that if they believe that1 in spite of all the difficulties which beset it1 they may as well believe his doctrine of the priesthood2 and many1 if ,i mistake not1 alarmed by this representation1 have actually embraced his opinions4 ,footnote #ai3 ,on this proceeding of the ,romanists1 ,stillingfleet observes1 ,methinks for the sake of our common ,christianity you should no more venture upon such bold and unreasonable comparisons4 ,do you in earnest think it is all one whether men do believe a ,god1 or providence1 or heaven1 or hell1 or the ,trinity1 and incarnation of ,christ1 if they do not believe transubstantiation8 ,we have heard much of late about old and new popery3 but if this be the way of representing new popery1 by exposing the common articles of faith1 it will set the minds of all good ,christians farther from it than ever4 ,for upon the very same grounds we may expect another parallel between the belief of a ,god and transubstantiation1 the effect of which will be the exposing of all religion4 ,this is a very destructive and mischievous method of proceeding2 but our comfort is that it is very unreasonable1 as ,i hope hath fully appeared by this discourse4--,doctrine of the ,trinity and ,transubstantiation compared1 at the end4 ,it has unfortunately happened that the difficulties of the ,scripture have been generally treated as objections to the truth of ,christianity2 as such they have been pressed by adversaries1 and as such ,christian writers have replied to them4 ,but then they become of such tremendous interest1 that it is scarcely possible to examine them fairly4 ,if my faith in ,god and my hope of eternal life is to depend on the accuracy of a date or of some minute historical particular1 who can wonder that ,i should listen to any sophistry that may be used in defence of them1 or that ,i should force my mind to do any sort of violence to itself1 when life and death seem to hang on the issue of its decision8 ,yet what conceivable connexion is there between the date of ,cyrenius's government1 or the question whether our ,lord healed a blind man as he was going into ,jericho or as he was leaving it2 or whether ,judas bought himself the field of blood1 or it was bought by the high priests3 what connexion can there be between such questions1 and the truth of ,god's love to man in the redemption1 and of the resurrection of our ,lord8 ,do we give to any narrative in the world1 to any statement1 verbal or written1 no other alternative than that it must be either infallible or unworthy of belief8 ,is not such an alternative so extravagant as to be a complete reductio ad absurdum8 ,and yet such is the alternative which men seem generally to have admitted in considering the ,scripture narratives3 if a single error can be discovered1 it is supposed to be fatal to the credibility of the whole4 ,this has arisen from an unwarranted interpretation of the word inspiration1 and by a still more unwarranted inference4 ,an inspired work is supposed to mean a work to which ,god has communicated his own perfections2 so that the slightest error or defect of any kind in it is inconceivable1 and that which is other than perfect in all points cannot be inspired4 ,this is the unwarranted interpretation of the word inspiration4 ,but then follows the still more unwarranted inference1--,if all the ,scripture is not inspired1 ,christianity cannot be true1 an inference which is absolutely entitled to no other consideration than what it may seem to derive from the number of those who have either openly or tacitly maintained it4 ,most truly do ,i believe the ,scriptures to be inspired2 the proofs of their inspiration rise continually with the study of them4 ,the scriptural narratives are not only about divine things1 but are themselves divinely framed and superintended4 ,i cannot conceive my conviction of this truth being otherwise than sure4 ,yet ,i must acknowledge that the scriptural narratives do not claim this inspiration for themselves2 so that if ,i should be obliged to resign my belief in it1 which seems to me impossible1 ,i yet should have no right to tax the ,scriptures with having advanced a pretension proved to be unfounded2 their whole credibility as a most authentic history of the most important facts would remain untouched2 the gospel of ,st4 ,john would still be a narrative as unimpeachable as that of ,thucydides1 which no sane man has ever disbelieved4 ,so much for the unwarranted inference1 that if the ,scripture histories are not inspired1 the great facts of the ,christian revelation cannot be maintained4 ,but it is no less an unwarranted interpretation of the term inspiration1 to suppose that it is equivalent to a communication of the ,divine perfections4 ,surely1 many of our words and many of our actions are spoken and done by the inspiration of ,god's ,spirit1 without whom we can do nothing acceptable to ,god4 ,yet does the ,holy ,spirit so inspire us as to communicate to us ,his own perfections8 ,are our best words or works utterly free from error or from sin8 ,all inspiration does not then destroy the human and fallible part in the nature which it inspires2 it does not change man into ,god4 ,in one man1 indeed1 it was otherwise2 but ,he was both ,god and man4 ,to ,him the ,spirit was given without measure2 and as his life was without sin1 so his words were without error4 ,but to all others the ,spirit has been given by measure2 in almost infinitely different measure it is true3 the difference between the inspiration of the common and perhaps unworthy ,christian who merely said that ,jesus was the ,lord1 and that of ,moses1 or ,st4 ,paul1 and ,st4 ,john1 is almost to our eyes beyond measuring4 ,still the position remains1 that the highest degree of inspiration given to man has still suffered to exist along with it a portion of human fallibility and corruption4 ,now1 then1 consider the epistles of the blessed ,apostle ,st4 ,paul1 who had the ,spirit of ,god so abundantly1 that never we may suppose did any merely human being enjoy a larger share of it4 ,endowed with the ,spirit as a ,christian1 and daily receiving grace more largely1 as he became more and more ripe for glory2 endowed with the ,spirit's extraordinary gifts most eminently2 favoured also with an abundance of revelations1 disclosing to him things ineffable and inconceivable1--are not his writings to be most truly called inspired8 ,can we doubt that1 in what he has told us of things not seen1 or not seen as yet1--of ,him who pre-existed in the form of ,god before he was manifested in the form of man1--of that great day1 when we shall arise incorruptible1 and meet our ,lord in the air1 and be joined to him for ever1--can any reasonable mind doubt1 that in speaking of these things he spoke what he had heard from ,god2 that to refuse to believe his testimony is really to disbelieve ,god8 ,yet this great ,apostle expected that the world would come to an end in the generation then existing4 ,when he wrote to the ,thessalonians some years before his first imprisonment at ,rome1 he warned them1 no doubt1 against expecting the end immediately3 but he appears still to have supposed that it would come in the lifetime of men then living4 ,at a later period1 when writing to the ,corinthians1 his dissuasion of marriage seems to rest mainly upon this impression2 it is good not to marry1 on account of the distress which is close at hand2 7,greek3 dia taen enestosan anankaen2 compare #b ,thess4 ii4 #b1 ,greek3 hos hoti enestaeken hae haemera tou ,kyriou47 ,the time is short1 he adds2 the fashion of this world is passing away4 ,and again1 when speaking of the resurrection1 he says emphatically1 the dead shall rise incorruptible1 and we shall be changed2 where the pronoun being expressed in the original1 ,greek3 chai haemeis allagaesometha1 shows that by the term we1 he does not mean the dead1 but those who were to be alive at ,christ's coming4 ,so again1 still later1 when writing from ,rome to the ,philippians1 he tells them the ,lord is at hand2 and later still1 even in his first epistle to ,timothy1 he charges ,timothy to keep his commandment without spot1 unrebukable1 until the appearing of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,these and other passages cannot without violence be interpreted even singly in any other sense2 but taking them together1 their meaning seems absolutely certain4 ,shall we say1 then1 that ,st4 ,paul entertained and expressed a belief which the event did not verify8 ,we may say so1 safely and reverently1 in this instance2 for here he was most certainly speaking as a man1 and not by revelation2 as it has been providentially ordered that our ,lord's express words on this point have been recorded--,of that day and hour knoweth no man2 no1 not the angels in heaven4 ,or again1 shall we say1 that ,st4 ,paul advised the ,corinthians not to marry1 chiefly on this ground2 and that this throws a suspicion over his directions in other points8 ,but again it has been ordered1 that in this very place1 and no where else in all his writing1 ,st4 ,paul has expressly said that he was only giving his judgment as a ,christian1 and not speaking with divine authority2--the concluding words of the chapter1 ,greek3 doko de kago pneuma theou echein do not signify1 as our ,version renders them1 ,and ,i think also that ,i have the ,spirit of ,god1 as if he were confirming his own judgment by an assertion of his inspiration in a sense beyond that of common ,christians2 but the words say1 ,and ,i think that ,i too have the ,spirit of ,god1 ,i too as well as others whom you might consult1 so that my judgment is no less worthy of attention than theirs4 ,but it is his ,christian judgment only that he is giving1 as he expressly declares1 and not his apostolical command or revelation2 a distinction which he never makes elsewhere1 and which is in itself so striking1 that we seem to recognise in it ,god's especial mercy to us1 that our faith in ,st4 ,paul's general declarations of divine truth might not be shaken1 because in one particular point he was permitted to speak as a man1 giving express notice at the same time that he was doing so4 ,now it is at least remarkable1 that in the only two instances in which the existence of any absence of divine authority is to be discerned in ,st4 ,paul's epistles1 provision is actually made by ,god's fondness to prevent them from prejudicing our faith in ,st4 ,paul's divine authority generally4 ,and so in whatever points any error may be discoverable in ,scripture1 we shall find either that the errors are of a kind wholly unconnected with the revelation of what ,god has done to us1 and of what we are to do towards ,him2 and therefore are perfectly consistent with the inspiration of the writer1 unless we take that unwarranted notion of inspiration which considers it as equivalent to a communication of ,god's attributes perfectly2 7and of this kind are any errors that may exist either in points of physical science1 or of chronology1 or of history27 or if there be any thing else which appears inconsistent with inspiration1 in the sense in which we really may and do apply it to the ,scriptures1 namely1 that they are a perfect guide and rule in all matters concerning our relations with ,god1 then we shall find that ,god has made some special provision for the case1 to remove what it otherwise might have had of real difficulty4 ,this merciful care is above all to be recognised with regard to one point1 which otherwise would1 ,i think1 have been a difficulty actually insuperable3 ,i mean the manifestly imperfect moral standard1 which in some cases is displayed in the characters of good men in the ,old ,testament4 ,put the gospel by the side of the law and history of the ,israelites2 observe what the law permitted1 and public opinion under the law did not condemn2 observe the actions recorded of persons who are declared to have been eminently good1 and to have received ,god's especial blessing2 and it is manifest that had not our ,lord himself vouchsafed his help1 one of two things must have happened--either that we must have followed the old heresy of rejecting the ,old ,testament altogether1 or else that our respect for the ,old ,testament must have impeded the growth of the more perfect law of ,christ4 ,the true solution ,i do not think that we could have discovered1 or ventured to admit on less authority than our ,lord's4 ,but his express declaration1 that some things in the law itself were permitted1 because nothing higher could then have been borne1 and his stating in detail that in several points what was accounted good or allowable in the former dispensation was not so really1 while at the same time he constantly refers to the ,old ,testament as divine1 and confirms its language of blessing with respect to its most eminent characters1 has completely cleared to us the whole question1 and enables us to recognize the divinity of the ,old ,testament and the holiness of its characters1 without lying against our consciences and our more perfect revelation1 by justifying the actions of those characters as right1 essentially and abstractedly1 although they were excusable1 or in some cases actually virtuous1 according to the standard of right and wrong which prevailed under the law4 ,after observing ,god's gracious care for us in this instance1 as well as in those which ,i have noticed before1 ,i cannot but feel that we may safely trust ,him for every other similar case1 if any such there be1 and that he will not permit our faith either in him or in his holy word to be shaken1 because we do not attempt to close our eyes against truth1 nor seek to support our faith by sophistry and falsehood4 ,feeling what the ,scriptures are1 ,i would not give unnecessary pain to any one by an enumeration of those points in which the literal historical statement of an inspired writer has been vainly defended4 ,some instances will probably occur to most readers2 others are perhaps not known1 and never will be known to many1 nor is it at all needful or desirable that they should know them4 ,but if ever they are brought before them1 let them not try to put them aside unfairly1 from a fear that they will injure our faith4 ,let us not do evil that evil may be escaped from2 and it is an evil1 and the fruitful parent of evils innumerable1 to do violence to our understanding or to our reason in their own appointed fields2 to maintain falsehood in their despite1 and reject the truth which they sanction4 ,if writers of ,mr4 ,newman's school will persist in displaying the difficulties of the ,scripture before the eyes of those who had not been before aware of them1 let those who are so cruelly tempted be conjured not to be dismayed2 to refuse utterly to surrender up their sense of truth1--to persist in rejecting the unchristian falsehoods which they are called upon to worship2 sure that after all that can be said1 that system will remain false to the end2 and their ,christian faith1 if they do not faithlessly attempt to strengthen it by unlawful means1 will stand no less unshaken4 ,in conclusion1 ,christian faith rests upon ,scripture2 and as it is in itself agreeable to the highest reason1 so the authenticity of the ,scriptures on which it rests is assured to us by the deliberate conclusions of the understanding2 nor is any mortal leap necessary at any part of the process3 nor any rejection of one truth1 in order to retain our hold on another4 ,and if it should happen1 as in all probability it will1 that we shall be called upon to correct in some respects our notions as to the ,scriptures1 and so far to hold views different from those of our fathers1 we should consider that our fathers did not1 and could not stand in our circumstances2 that the knowledge which may call upon us to relinquish some of their opinions1 was a knowledge which they had not4 ,till this knowledge comes to us1 let us hold our fathers' opinions as they held them2 but when it does come1 it will come by ,god's will1 and to do his work3 and that work will1 assuredly1 not be our separation from our father's faith2 but if we follow ,god's guidance humbly and cheerfully1 clinging to ,god the while in personal devotion and obedience1 we may be made aware of what to them would have been an inexplicable difficulty1 and which was1 therefore1 hidden from their knowledge2 and yet1 through the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 we believe that we shall be saved even as they4 ,,the ,,end4