,,sermons ,,preached ,,at ,,brighton4 ,,by ,,the ,,late ,,rev4 ,,frederick ,w4 ,,robertson1 ,,the ,,incumbent ,,of ,,trinity ,,chapel4 ,,third ,,series4 ,,new ,,edition4 ,,london3 ,,kegan ,,paul1 ,,trench4 ,,co41 #a ,,paternoster ,,square4 #ahhd4 7,the rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved7 ,,to ,,the ,,congregation ,,worshipping ,,in ,,trinity ,,chapel1 ,,brighton1 ,,from ,,august #ae1 #ahdg1 ,,to ,,august #ae1 #ahec1 ,,these ,,recollections ,,of ,,sermons ,,preached ,,by ,,their ,,late ,,pastor1 ,,are ,,dedicated ,,contents4 ,,sermon ,i4 ,preached ,april #bh1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,tongue4 ,,st4 ,,james iii4 #e1 #f4--;,even so the tongue is a little member1 and boasteth great things4 ,behold1 how great a matter a little fire kindleth6 ,and the tongue is a fire1 a world of iniquity3 so is the tongue among our members1 that it defileth the whole body1 and setteth on fire the course of nature2 and it is set on fire of hell4 ,page #a ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,preached ,may #e1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,victory ,,of ,,faith4 #a ,,john v4 #d1 #e4--;,for whatsoever is born of ,god overcometh the world3 and this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 ,who is he that overcometh the world1 but he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god8 #ae ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,preached ,whitsunday1 ,may #ai1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,dispensation ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 #a ,,corinthians xii4 #d4--,now there are diversities of gifts1 but the same ,spirit4 #bi ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,preached ,may #bf1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,trinity4 #a ,,thess4 v4 #bc4--;,and the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly2 and ,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #dc ,,sermon ,v4 ,preached ,june #b1 #ahej4 ,,absolution4 ,,luke v4 #ba4--;,and the ,scribes and the ,pharisees began to reason saying1 ,who is this which speaketh blasphemies8 ,who can forgive sins1 but ,god alone8 #fa ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,preached ,june #i1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,illusiveness ,,of ,,life4 ,,hebrews xi4 #h-aj4--;,by faith ,abraham1 when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance1 obeyed2 and he went out1 not knowing whither he went4 ,by faith he sojourned in the land of promise1 as in a strange country1 dwelling in tabernacles with ,isaac and ,jacob1 the heirs with him of the same promise3 for he looked for a city which hath foundations1 whose builder and maker is ,god4 #gg ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,preached ,june #bc1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,of ,,christ4 #b ,,cor4 v4 #ad1 #ae4--;,for the love of ,christ constraineth us2 because we thus judge1 that if one died for all1 then were all dead3 and that he died for all1 that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves1 but unto him which died for them1 and rose again4 #ij ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,preached ,june #cj1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,sorrow4 #b ,,cor4 vii4 #i1 #aj4--,now ,i rejoice1 not that ye were made sorry1 but that ye sorrowed to repentance3 for ye were made sorry after a godly manner1 that ye might receive damage by us in nothing4 ,for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of3 but the sorrow of the world worketh death4 #ajd ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,preached ,august #d1 #ahej4 ,,sensual ,,and ,,spiritual ,,excitement4 ,,ephesians v4 #ag1 #ah4--,wherefore be ye not unwise1 but understanding what the will of the ,lord is4 ,and be not drunk with wine1 wherein is excess2 but be filled with the ,spirit4 #aab ,,sermon ,x4 ,preached ,august #aa1 #ahej4 ,,purity4 ,,titus i4 #ae4--,unto the pure all things are pure3 but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure2 but even their mind and conscience is defiled4 #abb ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,preached ,february #i1 #ahea4 ,,unity ,,and ,,peace4 ,,col4 iii4 #ae4--;,and let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts1 to the which also ye are called in one body2 and be ye thankful4 #acj ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,preached ,january #d1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,christian ,,aim ,,and ,,motive4 ,,matt4 v4 #dh4--;,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father which is in heaven is perfect4 #adc ,,sermon ,,xiii4 ,preached ,january #d1 #aheb4 ,,christian ,,casuistry4 #a ,,cor4 vii4 #ah-bd4--;,is any man called being circumcised8 let him not become uncircumcised4 ,is any called in uncircumcision8 let him not be circumcised4 ,circumcision is nothing1 and uncircumcision is nothing1 but the keeping of the commandments of ,god4 ,let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called4 ,art thou called being a servant8 care not for it3 but if thou mayest be made free use it rather4 ,for he that is called in the ,lord1 being a servant1 is the ,lord's freeman2 likewise also he that is called being free1 is ,christ's servant4 ,ye are bought with a price2 be not ye the servants of men4 ,brethren1 let every man wherein he is called therein abide with ,god4 #aef ,,sermon ,,xiv4 ,preached ,january #aa1 #aheb4 ,,marriage ,,and ,,celibacy4 #a ,,cor4 vii4 #bi-ca4--;,but this ,i say1 brethren1 the time is short3 it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none2 and they that weep as though they wept not2 and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not2 and they that buy1 as though they possessed not2 and they that use this world as not abusing it3 for the fashion of this world passeth away4 #afi ,,sermon ,,xv4 ,preached ,january #aa1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,christian ,,church ,a ,,family4 ,,eph4 iii4 #ad1 #ae4--,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 of whom the whole family in ,heaven and earth is named4 #aha ,,sermon ,,xvi4 ,preached ,january #be1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,christian ,,conscience4 #a ,,cor4 viii4 #g-ac4--;,howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge3 for some1 with conscience of the idol1 unto this hour1 eat it as a thing offered unto an idol2 and their conscience being weak is defiled4 ,but meat commendeth us not to ,god3 for neither if we eat are we the better2 neither if we eat not are we the worse4 ,but take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak4 ,for if any man see thee which hast knowledge1 sit at meat in the idol's temple1 shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols2 and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom ,christ died8 ,but when ye sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience ye sin against ,christ4 ,wherefore if meat make my brother to offend ,i will eat no flesh while the world standeth1 lest ,i make my brother to offend4 #aif ,,sermon ,,xvii4 ,preached ,may #af1 #aheb4 ,,victory ,,over ,,death4 #a ,,cor4 xv4 #ef1 #eg4--,the sting of death is sin1 and the strength of sin is the law4 ,but thanks be to ,god which giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #bab ,,sermon ,,xviii4 ,preached ,june #bj1 #aheb4 ,,man',s ,,greatness ,,and ,,god',s ,,greatness4 ,,isaiah lvii4 #ae4--;,for thus saith the ,high and ,lofty ,one that inhabiteth ,eternity1 whose ,name is ,holy4 ,i dwell in the high and holy place--with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit4 #bcj ,,sermon ,,xix4 ,preached ,june #bg1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,lawful ,,and ,,unlawful ,,use ,,of ,,law4 7,a ,,fragment47 #a ,,tim4 i4 #h4--;,but we know that the law is good1 if a man use it lawfully4 #bdf ,,sermon ,,xx4 ,preached ,february #ba1 #ahec4 ,,the ,,prodigal ,,and ,,his ,,brother4 ,,luke xv4 #ca1 #cb4--;,and he said unto him1 ,son1 thou art ever with me1 and all that ,i have is thine4 ,it was meet that we should make merry1 and be glad3 for this thy brother was dead1 and is alive again2 was lost1 and is found4 #bec ,,sermon ,,xxi4 ,preached ,may #ae1 #ahec4 ,,john',s ,,rebuke ,,of ,,herod4 ,,luke iii4 #ai1 #bj4--;,but ,herod the tetrarch1 being reproved by him for ,herodias1 his brother ,philip's wife1 and for all the evils which ,herod had done1 added yet this above all1 that he shut up ,john in prison4 #bgj ,,sermons4 ,i4 ,preached ,april #bh1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,tongue4 ,even so the tongue is a little member1 and boasteth great things4 ,behold1 how great a matter a little fire kindleth6 ,and the tongue is a fire1 a world of iniquity3 so is the tongue among our members1 that it defileth the whole body1 and setteth on fire the course of nature2 and it is set on fire of hell4--,st4 ,james iii4 #e-f4 ,in the development of ,christian ,truth a peculiar office was assigned to the ,apostle ,james4 ,it was given to ,st4 ,paul to proclaim ,christianity as the spiritual law of liberty1 and to exhibit ,faith as the most active principle within the breast of man4 ,it was ,st4 ,john's to say that the deepest quality in the bosom of ,deity is ,love2 and to assert that the life of ,god in ,man is ,love4 ,it was the office of ,st4 ,james to assert the necessity of ,moral ,rectitude2 his very name marked him out peculiarly for this office3 he was emphatically called1 the ,just3 integrity was his peculiar characteristic4 ,a man singularly honest1 earnest1 real4 ,accordingly1 if you read through his whole epistle1 you will find it is1 from first to last1 one continued vindication of the first principles of morality against the semblances of religion4 ,he protested against the censoriousness which was found connected with peculiar claims of religious feelings4 ,if any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue1 but deceiveth his own heart1 this man's religion is vain4 ,he protested against that spirit which had crept into the ,christian ,brotherhood1 truckling to the rich1 and despising the poor4 ,if ye have respect of persons ye commit sin1 and are convinced of the law as transgressors4 ,he protested against that sentimental fatalism which induced men to throw the blame of their own passions upon ,god4 ,let no man say1 when he is tempted1 ,i am tempted of ,god2 for ,god cannot tempt to evil2 neither tempteth ,he any man4 ,he protested against that unreal religion of excitement which diluted the earnestness of real religion in the enjoyment of listening4 ,be ye doers of the word1 and not hearers only2 deceiving your own souls4 ,he protested against that trust in the correctness of theological doctrine which neglected the cultivation of character4 ,what doth it profit1 if a man say that he hath faith1 and have not works8 ,can faith save him8 ,read ,st4 ,james's epistle through1 this is the mind breathing through it all3--all this talk about religion1 and spirituality--words1 words1 words--nay1 let us have realities4 ,it is well known that ,luther complained of this epistle1 that it did not contain the ,gospel2 for men who are hampered by a system will say--even of an inspired ,apostle--that he does not teach the ,gospel if their own favourite doctrine be not the central subject of his discourse2 but ,st4 ,james's reply seems spontaneously to suggest itself to us4 ,the ,gospel6 how can we speak of the ,gospel1 when the first principles of morality are forgotten8 when ,christians are excusing themselves1 and slandering one another8 ,how can the superstructure of ,love and ,faith be built1 when the very foundations of human character--,justice1 ,mercy1 ,truth--have not been laid8 #ast4 ,the license of the tongue4 #bnd4 ,the guilt of that license4 ,the first license given to the tongue is slander4 ,i am not of course1 speaking now of that species of slander against which the law of libel provides a remedy1 but of that of which the ,gospel alone takes cognisance2 for the worst injuries which man can do to man1 are precisely those which are too delicate for law to deal with4 ,we consider therefore not the calumny which is reckoned such by the moralities of an earthly court1 but that which is found guilty by the spiritualities of the courts of heaven--that is1 the mind of ,god4 ,now observe1 this slander is compared in the text to poison--the tongue is an unruly evil1 full of deadly poison4 ,the deadliest poisons are those for which no test is known3 there are poisons so destructive that a single drop insinuated into the veins produces death in three seconds1 and yet no chemical science can separate that virus from the contaminated blood1 and show the metallic particles of poison glittering palpably1 and say1 ,behold1 it is there6 ,in the drop of venom which distils from the sting of the smallest insect1 or the spikes of the nettle-leaf1 there is concentrated the quintessence of a poison so subtle that the microscope cannot distinguish it1 and yet so virulent that it can inflame the blood1 irritate the whole constitution1 and convert day and night into restless misery4 ,in ,st4 ,james's day1 as now1 it would appear that there were idle men and idle women1 who went about from house to house1 dropping slander as they went1 and yet you could not take up that slander and detect the falsehood there4 ,you could not evaporate the truth in the slow process of the crucible1 and then show the residuum of falsehood glittering and visible4 ,you could not fasten upon any word or sentence1 and say that it was calumny2 for in order to constitute slander it is not necessary that the word spoken should be false--half truths are often more calumnious than whole falsehoods4 ,it is not even necessary that a word should be distinctly uttered2 a dropped lip1 an arched eyebrow1 a shrugged shoulder1 a significant look1 an incredulous expression of countenance1 nay1 even an emphatic silence1 may do the work3 and when the light and trifling thing which has done the mischief has fluttered off1 the venom is left behind1 to work and rankle1 to inflame hearts1 to fever human existence1 and to poison human society at the fountain springs of life4 ,very emphatically was it said by one whose whole being had smarted under such affliction1 ,adder's poison is under their lips4 ,the second license given to the tongue is in the way of persecution3 therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of ,god4 ,we6--men who bear the name of ,christ--curse our brethren6 ,christians persecuted ,christians4 ,thus even in ,st4 ,james's age that spirit had begun1 the monstrous fact of ,christian persecution2 from that day it has continued1 through long centuries1 up to the present time4 ,the ,church of ,christ assumed the office of denunciation1 and except in the first council1 whose object was not to strain1 but to relax the bonds of brotherhood1 not a council has met for eighteen centuries which has not guarded each profession of belief by the too customary formula1 ,if any man maintain otherwise than this1 let him be accursed4 ,myriad1 countless curses have echoed through those long ages2 the ,church has forgotten her ,master's spirit and called down fire from heaven4 ,a fearful thought to consider this as the spectacle on which the eye of ,god has rested4 ,he looks down upon the creatures ,he has made1 and hears everywhere the language of religious imprecations3--and after all1 who is proved right by curses8 ,the ,church of ,rome hurls her thunders against ,protestants of every denomination3 the ,calvinist scarcely recognises the ,arminian as a ,christian3 he who considers himself as the true ,anglican1 excludes from the ,church of ,christ all but the adherents of his own orthodoxy2 every minister and congregation has its small circle1 beyond which all are heretics3 nay even among that sect which is most lax as to the dogmatic forms of truth1 we find the ,unitarian of the old school denouncing the spiritualism of the new and rising school4 ,this is the state of things to which we are arrived4 ,sisters of ,charity refuse to permit an act of charity to be done by a ,samaritan2 ministers of the ,gospel fling the thunderbolts of the ,lord2 ignorant hearers catch and exaggerate the spirit1--boys1 girls1 and women shudder as one goes by1 perhaps more holy than themselves1 who adores the same ,god1 believes in the same ,redeemer1 struggles in the same life-battle1 and all this because they have been taught to look upon him as an enemy of ,god4 ,there is a class of religious persons against whom this vehemence has been especially directed4 ,no one who can read the signs of the times can help perceiving that we are on the eve of great changes1 perhaps a disruption of the ,church of ,england4 ,unquestionably there has been a large secession to the ,church of ,rome4 ,now what has been the position of those who are about to take this step8 ,they have been taunted with dishonest reception of the wages of the ,church2 a watch has been set over them3 not a word they uttered in private1 or in public1 but was given to the world by some religious busy-body2 there was not a visit which they paid1 not a foolish dress which they adopted1 but became the subject of bitter scrutiny and malevolent gossip4 ,for years the religious press has denounced them with a vehemence as virulent1 but happily more impotent than that of the ,inquisition4 ,there has been an anguish and an inward struggle little suspected1 endured by men who felt themselves outcasts in their own society1 and naturally looked for a home elsewhere4 ,we congratulate ourselves that the days of persecution are gone by2 but persecution is that which affixes penalties upon views held1 instead of upon life led4 ,is persecution only fire and sword8 ,but suppose a man of sensitive feeling says1 ,the sword is less sharp to me than the slander3 fire is less intolerable than the refusal of sympathy6 ,now let us bring this home2 you rejoice that the faggot and the stake are given up2--you never persecuted--you leave that to the wicked ,church of ,rome4 ,yes1 you never burned a human being alive--you never clapped your hands as the death-shriek proclaimed that the lion's fang had gone home into the most vital part of the victim's frame2 but did you never rob him of his friends8--gravely shake your head and oracularly insinuate that he was leading souls to hell8--chill the affections of his family8--take from him his good name8 ,did you never with delight see his ,church placarded as the ,man of ,sin1 and hear the platform denunciations which branded it with the spiritual abominations of the ,apocalypse8 ,did you never find a malicious pleasure in repeating all the miserable gossip with which religious slander fastened upon his daily acts1 his words1 and even his uncommunicated thoughts8 ,did you never forget that for a man to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling is a matter difficult enough to be laid upon a human spirit1 without intruding into the most sacred department of another's life--that namely1 which lies between himself and ,god8 ,did you never say that it was to be wished he should go to ,rome1 until at last life became intolerable1--until he was thrown more and more in upon himself2 found himself1 like his ,redeemer1 in this world alone1 but unable like his ,redeemer1 calmly to repose upon the thought that his ,father was with him8 ,then a stern defiant spirit took possession of his soul1 and there burst from his lips1 or heart1 the wish for rest--rest at any cost1--peace anywhere1 if even it is to be found only in the bosom of the ,church of ,rome6 ,,ii4 ,the guilt of this license4 ,the first evil consequence is the harm that a man does himself3 so is the tongue among the members1 that it defiles the whole body4 ,it is not very obvious1 in what way a man does himself harm by calumny4 ,i will take the simplest form in which this injury is done2 it effects a dissipation of spiritual energy4 ,there are two ways in which the steam of machinery may find an outlet for its force3 it may work1 and if so it works silently2 or it may escape1 and that takes place loudly1 in air and noise4 ,there are two ways in which the spiritual energy of a man's soul may find its vent3 it may express itself in action1 silently2 or in words1 noisily3 but just so much of force as is thrown into the one mode of expression1 is taken from the other4 ,few men suspect how much mere talk fritters away spiritual energy1--that which should be spent in action1 spends itself in words4 ,the fluent boaster is not the man who is steadiest before the enemy2 it is well said to him that his courage is better kept till it is wanted4 ,loud utterance of virtuous indignation against evil from the platform1 or in the drawing-room1 do not characterize the spiritual giant3 so much indignation as is expressed1 has found vent1 is wasted1 is taken away from the work of coping with evil2 the man has so much less left4 ,and hence he who restrains that love of talk1 lays up a fund of spiritual strength4 ,with large significance1 ,st4 ,james declares1 ,if any man offend not in word1 the same is a perfect man1 able also to bridle the whole body4 ,he is entire1 powerful1 because he has not spent his strength4 ,in these days of loud profession1 and bitter1 fluent condemnation1 it is well for us to learn the divine force of silence4 ,remember ,christ in the ,judgment ,hall1 the very ,symbol and ,incarnation of spiritual strength2 and yet when revilings were loud around ,him and charges multiplied1 ,he held ,his peace4 #b4 ,the next feature in the guilt of calumny is its uncontrollable character3 the tongue can no man tame4 ,you cannot arrest a calumnious tongue1 you cannot arrest the calumny itself2 you may refute a slanderer1 you may trace home a slander to its source1 you may expose the author of it1 you may by that exposure give a lesson so severe as to make the repetition of the offence appear impossible2 but the fatal habit is incorrigible3 to-morrow the tongue is at work again4 ,neither can you stop the consequences of a slander2 you may publicly prove its falsehood1 you may sift every atom1 explain and annihilate it1 and yet1 years after you had thought that all had been disposed of for ever1 the mention of a name wakes up associations in the mind of some one who heard the calumny1 but never heard or never attended to the refutation1 or who has only a vague and confused recollection of the whole1 and he asks the question doubtfully1 ,but were there not some suspicious circumstances connected with him8 ,it is like the ,greek fire used in ancient warfare1 which burnt unquenched beneath the water1 or like the weeds which when you have extirpated them in one place are sprouting forth vigorously in another spot1 at the distance of many hundred yards2 or1 to use the metaphor of ,st4 ,james himself1 it is like the wheel which catches fire as it goes1 and burns with a fiercer conflagration as its own speed increases2 it sets on fire the whole course of nature 7literally1 the wheel of nature74 ,you may tame the wild beast1 the conflagration of the ,american forest will cease when all the timber and the dry underwood is consumed2 but you cannot arrest the progress of that cruel word which you uttered carelessly yesterday or this morning1--which you will utter perhaps1 before you have passed from this church one hundred yards3 that will go on slaying1 poisoning1 burning beyond your own control1 now and for ever4 #c4 ,the third element of guilt lies in the unnaturalness of calumny4 ,my brethren1 these things ought not so to be2 ought not--that is1 they are unnatural4 ,that this is ,st4 ,james's meaning is evident from the second illustration which follows3 ,doth a fountain send forth at the same place1 sweet water and bitter8 ,can the fig tree1 my brethren1 bear olive berries1 or a vine1 figs8 ,there is apparently in these metaphors little that affords an argument against slander2 the motive which they suggest would appear to many far-fetched and of small cogency2 but to one who looks on this world as a vast whole1 and who has recognised the moral law as only a part of the great law of the universe1 harmoniously blending with the whole1 illustrations such as these are the most powerful of all arguments4 ,the truest definition of evil is that which represents it as something contrary to nature3 evil is evil1 because it is unnatural2 a vine which should bear olive berries1 an eye to which blue seems yellow1 would be diseased3 an unnatural mother1 an unnatural son1 an unnatural act1 are the strongest terms of condemnation4 ,it is this view which ,christianity gives of moral evil3 the teaching of ,christ was the recall of man to nature1 not an infusion of something new into ,humanity4 ,christ came to call out all the principles and powers of human nature1 to restore the natural equilibrium of all our faculties2 not to call us back to our own individual selfish nature1 but to human nature as it is in ,god's ideal--the perfect type which is to be realised in us4 ,christianity is the regeneration of our whole nature1 not the destruction of one atom of it4 ,now the nature of man is to adore ,god and to love what is god-like in man4 ,the office of the tongue is to bless4 ,slander is guilty because it contradicts this2 yet even in slander itself1 perversion as it is1 the interest of man in man is still distinguishable4 ,what is it but perverted interest which makes the acts1 and words1 and thoughts of his brethren1 even in their evil1 a matter of such strange delight8 ,remember therefore1 this contradicts your nature and your destiny2 to speak ill of others makes you a monster in ,god's world3 get the habit of slander1 and then there is not a stream which bubbles fresh from the heart of nature1--there is not a tree that silently brings forth its genial fruit in its appointed season1--which does not rebuke and proclaim you to be a monstrous anomaly in ,god's world4 #d4 ,the fourth point of guilt is the diabolical character of slander2 the tongue is set on fire of hell4 ,now1 this is no mere strong expression--no mere indignant vituperation--it contains deep and emphatic meaning4 ,the apostle means literally what he says1 slander is diabolical4 ,the first illustration we give of this is contained in the very meaning of the word devil4 ,devil1 in the original1 means traducer or slanderer4 ,the first introduction of a demon spirit is found connected with a slanderous insinuation against the ,almighty1 implying that ,his command had been given in envy of ,his creature3 for ,god doth know that in the day ye eat thereof1 then your eyes shall be opened1 and ye shall be as gods1 knowing good and evil4 ,in the magnificent imagery of the book of ,job1 the accuser is introduced with a demoniacal and malignant sneer1 attributing the excellence of a good man to interested motives2 ,doth ,job serve ,god for naught8 ,there is another mode in which the fearful accuracy of ,st4 ,james's charge may be demonstrated4 ,there is one state only from which there is said to be no recovery--there is but one sin that is called unpardonable4 ,the ,pharisees beheld the works of ,jesus4 ,they could not deny that they were good works1 they could not deny that they were miracles of beneficence1 but rather than acknowledge that they were done by a good man through the co-operation of a ,divine spirit1 they preferred to account for them by the wildest and most incredible hypothesis2 they said they were done by the power of ,beelzebub1 the prince of the devils4 ,it was upon this occasion that our ,redeemer said with solemn meaning1 ,for every idle word that men shall speak1 they shall give account in the day of judgment4 ,it was then that ,he said1 for a word spoken against the ,holy ,ghost there is no forgiveness in this world1 or in the world to come4 ,our own hearts respond to the truth of this--to call evil1 good1 and good1 evil--to see the ,divinest good1 and call it ,satanic evil--below this lowest deep there is not a lower still4 ,there is no cure for mortification of the flesh--there is no remedy for ossification of the heart4 ,oh6 that miserable state1 when to the jaundiced eye all good transforms itself into evil1 and the very instruments of health become the poison of disease4 ,beware of every approach of this6--,beware of that spirit which controversy fosters1 of watching only for the evil in the character of an antagonist6--,beware of that habit which becomes the slanderer's life1 of magnifying every speck of evil and closing the eye to goodness6--till at last men arrive at the state in which generous1 universal love 7which is heaven7 becomes impossible1 and a suspicious1 universal hate takes possession of the heart1 and that is hell6 ,there is one peculiar manifestation of this spirit to which ,i desire specially to direct your attention4 ,the politics of the community are guided by the political press4 ,the religious views of a vast number are formed by that portion of the press which is called religious2 it becomes1 therefore1 a matter of deepest interest to inquire what is the spirit of that religious press4 ,i am not asking you what are the views maintained--whether ,evangelical1 ,anglican1 or ,romish--but what is the spirit of that fountain from which the religious life of so many is nourished8 ,let any man cast his eye over the pages of this portion of the press--it matters little to which party the newspaper or the journal may belong--he will be startled to find the characters of those whom he has most deeply reverenced1 whose hearts he knows1 whose integrity and life are above suspicion1 held up to scorn and hatred3 the organ of one party is established against the organ of another1 and it is the recognised office of each to point out with microscopic care the names of those whose views are to be shunned2 and in order that these may be the more shrunk from1 the characters of those who hold such opinions are traduced and vilified4 ,there is no personality too mean--there is no insinuation too audacious or too false for the recklessness of these daring slanderers4 ,i do not like to use the expression1 lest it should appear to be merely one of theatrical vehemence2 but ,i say it in all seriousness1 adopting the inspired language of the ,bible1 and using it advisedly and with accurate meaning1 the spirit which guides the religious press of this country1 which dictates those personalities1 which prevents controversialists from seeing what is good in their opponents1 which attributes low motives to account for excellent lives1 and teaches men whom to suspect1 and shun1 rather than point out where it is possible to admire and love--is a spirit set on fire of hell4 ,before we conclude1 let us get at the root of the matter4 ,man1 says the ,apostle ,james1 was made in the image of ,god3 to slander man is to slander ,god3 to love what is good in man is to love it in ,god4 ,love is the only remedy for slander3 no set of rules or restrictions can stop it2 we may denounce1 but we shall denounce in vain4 ,the radical cure of it is ,charity--out of a pure heart and faith unfeigned1 to feel what is great in the human character2 to recognise with delight all high1 and generous1 and beautiful actions2 to find a joy even in seeing the good qualities of your bitterest opponents1 and to admire those qualities even in those with whom you have least sympathy--be it either the ,romanist or the ,unitarian--this is the only spirit which can heal the love of slander and of calumny4 ,if we would bless ,god1 we must first learn to bless man1 who is made in the image of ,god4 ,,ii4 ,preached ,may #e1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,victory ,,of ,,faith4 ,for whatsoever is born of ,god overcometh the world3 and this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 ,who is he that overcometh the world1 but he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god8--#a ,john v4 #d-e4 ,there are two words in the system of ,christianity which have received a meaning so new1 and so emphatic1 as to be in a way peculiar to it1 and to distinguish it from all other systems of morality and religion2 these two words are--the ,world1 and ,faith4 ,we find it written in ,scripture that to have the friendship of the world is to be the enemy of ,god--- whereupon the question arises--,the world8--did not ,god make the world8 ,did ,he not place us in the world8 ,are we not to love what ,god has made8 ,and yet meeting this distinctly we have the inspired record1 ,love not the ,world4 ,the object of the ,statesman is1 or ought to be1 to produce as much worldly prosperity as possible--but ,christianity1 that is ,christ1 speaks little of this world's prosperity1 underrates it--nay1 speaks of it at times as infinitely dangerous4 ,the legislator prohibits crime--the moralist transgression--the religionist sin4 ,to these ,christianity superadds a new enemy--the world and the things of the world4 ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 ,the other word used in a peculiar sense is ,faith4 ,it is impossible for any one to have read his ,bible ever so negligently1 and not to be aware that the word ,faith1 or the grace of ,faith1 forms a large element in the ,christian system4 ,it is said to work miracles1 remove mountains1 justify the soul1 trample upon impossibilities4 ,every apostle1 in his way1 assigns to faith a primary importance4 ,jude tells us to build up ourselves in our most holy faith4 ,john tells us that--he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,christ1 is the born of ,god2 and ,paul tells us that1 not by merit nor by works1 but by trust or reliance only1 can be formed that state of soul by which man is reckoned just before ,god4 ,in these expressions1 the apostles only develope their ,master's meaning1 when ,he uses such words as these1 ,all things are possible to him that believeth3 ,o thou of little faith1 wherefore didst thou doubt8 ,these two words are brought into diametrical opposition in the text1 so that it branches into a two-fold line of thought ,i4 ,the ,christian's enemy1 the ,world4 ,,ii4 ,the victory of ,faith4 ,in endeavouring to understand first what is meant by the world1 we shall feel that the mass of evil which is comprehended under this expression1 cannot be told out in any one sermon2 it is an expression used in various ways1 sometimes meaning one thing1 sometimes meaning another2-but we will endeavour to explain its general principles--and these we will divide into three heads2 first1 the tyranny of the present2 secondly1 the tyranny of the sensual2 and lastly1 the spirit of society4 #a4 ,the tyranny of the present4 ,christ1 says the ,apostle ,paul1 hath redeemed us from this present evil world2 and again1 ,demas hath forsaken me1 having loved this1 present world4 ,let a stress be laid on the word present4 ,worldliness is the attractive power of something present1 in opposition to something to come4 ,it is this rule and tyranny of the present that constitutes ,demas a worldly man4 ,in this respect1 worldliness is the spirit of childhood carried on into manhood4 ,the child lives in the present hour--to-day to him is everything4 ,the holiday promised at a distant interval is no holiday at all--it must be either now or never4 ,natural in the child1 and therefore pardonable1 this spirit1 when carried on into manhood1 is coarse--is worldliness4 ,the most distinct illustration given us of this1 is the case of ,esau4 ,esau came from the hunting-field worn and hungry2 the only means of procuring the tempting mess of his brother's pottage was the sacrifice of his father's blessing1 which in those ages carried with it a substantial advantage2 but that birthright could be enjoyed only after years--the pottage was present1 near1 and certain2 therefore he sacrificed a future and higher blessing1 for a present and lower pleasure4 ,for this reason ,esau is the ,bible type of worldliness3 he is called in ,scripture a profane1 that is1 not a distinctly vicious1 but a secular or worldly person--an overgrown child2 impetuous1 inconsistent1 not without gleams of generosity and kindliness1 but ever accustomed to immediate gratification4 ,in this worldliness1 moreover1 is to be remarked the gamester's desperate play4 ,there is a gambling spirit in human nature4 ,esau distinctly expresses this3 ,behold ,i am at the point to die1 and what shall my birthright profit me8 ,he might never live to enjoy his birthright2 but the pottage was before him1 present1 certain1 there4 ,now1 observe the utter powerlessness of mere preaching to cope with this tyrannical power of the present4 ,forty thousand pulpits throughout the land this day1 will declaim against the vanity of riches1 the uncertainty of life1 the sin of worldliness--against the gambling spirit of human nature2 ,i ask what impression will be produced by those forty thousand harangues8 ,in every congregation it is reducible to a certainty that1 before a year has passed1 some will be numbered with the dead4 ,every man knows this1 but he thinks the chances are that it will not be himself2 he feels it a solemn thing for ,humanity generally--but for himself there is more than a chance4 ,upon this chance he plays away life4 ,it is so with the child3 you tell him of the consequences of to-day's idleness--but the sun is shining brightly1 and he cannot sacrifice to-day's pleasure1 although he knows the disgrace it will bring to-morrow4 ,so it is with the intemperate man3 he says--,sufficient unto the day is the evil1 and the good thereof2 let me have my portion now4 ,so that one great secret of the world's victory lies in the mighty power of saying ,now4 #b4 ,the tyranny of the sensual4 ,i call it tyranny1 because the evidences of the senses are all powerful1 in spite of the protestations of the reason4 ,in vain you try to persuade the child that he is moving1 and not the trees which seem to flit past the carriage--in vain we remind ourselves that this apparently solid earth on which we stand1 and which seems so immoveable1 is in reality flying through the regions of space with an inconceivable rapidity--in vain philosophers would persuade us that the colour which the eye beholds1 resides not in the object itself1 but in our own perception2 we are victims of the apparent1 and the verdict of the senses is taken instead of the verdict of the reason4 ,precisely so is it with the enjoyments of the world4 ,the man who died yesterday1 and whom the world called a successful man--for what did he live8--,he lived for this world--he gained this world4 ,houses1 lands1 name1 position in society--all that earth could give of enjoyments--he had3 he was the man of whom the ,redeemer said that his thoughts were occupied in planning how to pull down his barns and build greater4 ,we hear men complain of the sordid love of gold1 but gold is merely a medium of exchange for other things3 gold is land1 titles1 name1 comfort--all that the world can give4 ,if the world be all1 it is wise to live for gold4 ,there may be some little difference in the degree of degradation in different forms of worldliness2 it is possible that the ambitious man who lives for power is somewhat higher than he who merely lives for applause1 and he again may be a trifle higher than the mere seeker after gold--but after all1 looking closely at the matter1 you will find that1 in respect of the objects of their idolatry1 they agree in this1 that all belong to the present4 ,therefore1 says the ,apostle1 all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh1 the lust of the eye1 and the pride of life1 is not of the ,father1 but of the world1 and are only various forms of one great tyranny4 ,and then when such a man is at the brink of death1 the words said to the man in our ,lord's parable must be said to him4 ,thou fool1 the houses thou hast built1 the enjoyments thou hast prepared2 and all those things which have formed thy life for years--when thy soul is taken from them1 what shall they profit thee8 #c4 ,the spirit of society4 ,the ,world has various meanings in ,scripture2 it does not always mean the ,visible1 as opposed to the ,invisible2 nor the ,present1 as opposed to the ,future3 it sometimes stands for the secular spirit of the day--the ,voice of ,society4 ,our ,saviour says1 ,if ye were of the world1 the world would love his own4 ,the apostle says1 ,be not conformed to this world2 and to the ,gentiles he writes1 ,in time past ye walked according to the course of this world1 the spirit which now worketh in the children of disobedience4 ,in these verses1 a tone1 a temper1 a spirit is spoken of4 ,there are two things--the ,church and the ,world--two spirits pervading different bodies of men1 brought before us in these verses--those called the ,spirit-born1 and those called the ,world1 which is to be overcome by the ,spirit-born1 as in the text1 ,whatsoever is born of ,god overcometh the world4 ,let us understand what is meant by the ,church of ,god4 ,when we speak of the ,church we generally mean a society to aid men in their progress ,god-wards2 but the ,church of ,god is by no means co-extensive in any age with that organized institution which we call the ,church2 sometimes it is nearly co-extensive--that is1 nearly all on earth who are born of ,god are found within its pale1 nearly all who are of the world are extraneous to it--but sometimes the born of ,god have been found distinct from the ,institution called the ,church1 opposed to it--persecuted by it4 ,the ,institution of the ,church is a blessed ordinance of ,god1 organized on earth for the purpose of representing the ,eternal ,church and of extending its limits1 but still ever subordinate to it4 ,the ,eternal ,church is the general assembly and church of the first-born which are written in heaven2 the selected spirits of the most ,high1 who are struggling with the evil of their day2 sometimes alone1 like ,elijah1 and like him1 longing that their work was done2 sometimes conscious of their union with each other4 ,god is for ever raising up a succession of these--,his brave1 ,his true1 ,his good4 ,apostolical succession1 as taught sometimes1 means simply this--a succession of miraculous powers flowing in a certain line4 ,the true apostolic succession is--not a succession in an hereditary line1 or line marked by visible signs which men can always identify1 but a succession emphatically spiritual4 ,the ,jews looked for an hereditary succession2 they thought that because they were ,abraham's seed1 the spiritual succession was preserved2 the ,redeemer told them that ,god was able of those stones to raise up children unto ,abraham4 ,therefore is this ever a spiritual succession--in the hands of ,god alone2 and they are here called the ,god-born1 coming into the world variously qualified2 sometimes baptized with the spirit which makes them1 like ,james and ,john1 the ,sons of ,thunder1 sometimes with a milder spirit1 as ,barnabas1 which makes them ,sons of ,consolation1 sometimes having their souls indurated into an adamantine hardness1 which makes them living stones--rocks like ,peter1 against which the billows of this world dash themselves in vain1 and against which the gates of hell shall not prevail4 ,but whether as apostles1 or visitors of the poor1 or parents of a family1 born to do a work on earth1 to speak a word1 to discharge a mission which they themselves perhaps do not know till it is accomplished--these are the ,church of ,god--the children of the ,most ,high--the noble army of the ,spirit-born6 ,opposed to this stands the mighty confederacy called the ,world4 ,but beware of fixing on individual men in order to stigmatize them as the world4 ,you may not draw a line and say--,we are the sons of ,god1 ye are of the world4 ,the world is not so much individual as it is a certain spirit2 the course of this world is the spirit which now worketh in the children of disobedience4 ,the world and the ,church are annexed as inseparably as the elements which compose the atmosphere4 ,take the smallest portion of this that you will1 in a cubic inch the same proportions are found as in a temple4 ,in the ark there was a ,ham2 in the small band of the twelve apostles there was a ,judas4 ,the spirit of the world is for ever altering--impalpable2 for ever eluding1 in fresh forms1 your attempts to seize it4 ,in the days of ,noah1 the spirit of the world was violence4 ,in ,elijah's day it was idolatry4 ,in the day of ,christ it was power concentrated and condensed in the government of ,rome4 ,in ours1 perhaps1 it is the love of money4 ,it enters in different proportions into different bosoms2 it is found in a different form in contiguous towns2 in the fashionable watering place1 and in the commercial city3 it is this thing at ,athens1 and another in ,corinth4 ,this is the spirit of the world--a thing in my heart and yours3 to be struggled against1 not so much in the case of others1 as in the silent battle to be done within our own souls4 ,pass we on now to consider-- ,,ii4 ,the victory of faith4 ,faith is a theological expression2 we are apt to forget that it has any other than a theological import2 yet it is the commonest principle of man's daily life1 called in that region prudence1 enterprise1 or some such name4 ,it is in effect the principle on which alone any human superiority can be gained4 ,faith1 in religion1 is the same principle as faith in worldly matters1 differing only in its object3 it rises through successive stages4 ,when1 in reliance upon your promise1 your child gives up the half-hour's idleness of to-day for the holiday of to-morrow1 he lives by faith2 a future supersedes the present pleasure4 ,when he abstains from over-indulgence of the appetite1 in reliance upon your word that the result will be pain and sickness1 sacrificing the present pleasure for fear of future punishment1 he acts on faith3 ,i do not say that this is a high exercise of faith--it is a very low one--but it is faith4 ,once more3 the same motive of action may be carried on into manhood2 in our own times two religious principles have been exemplified in the subjugation of a vice4 ,the habit of intoxication has been broken by an appeal to the principle of combination1 and the principle of belief4 ,men were taught to feel that they were not solitary stragglers against the vice2 they were enrolled in a mighty army1 identified in principles and interests4 ,here was the principle of the ,church--association for reciprocated strength2 they were thus taught the inevitable result of the indulgence of the vice4 ,the missionaries of temperance went through the country contrasting the wretchedness and the degradation and the filth of drunkenness with the domestic comfort1 and the health1 and the regular employment of those who were masters of themselves4 ,so far as men believed this1 and gave up the tyranny of the present for the hope of the future--so far they lived by faith4 ,brethren1 ,i do not say that this was a high triumph for the principle of faith2 it was in fact1 little more than selfishness2 it was a high future balanced against a low present2 only the preference of a future and higher physical enjoyment to a mean and lower one4 ,yet still to be ruled by this influence raises a man in the scale of being3 it is a low virtue1 prudence1 a form of selfishness2 yet prudence is a virtue4 ,the merchant1 who forecasts1 saves1 denies himself systematically through years1 to amass a fortune1 is not a very lofty being1 yet he is higher1 as a man1 than he who is sunk in mere bodily gratifications4 ,you would not say that the intemperate man--who has become temperate in order1 merely to gain by that temperance honour and happiness--is a great man1 but you would say he was a higher and a better man than he who is enslaved by his passions1 or than the gambler who improvidently stakes all upon a moment's throw4 ,the worldly mother who plans for the advancement of a family1 and sacrifices solid enjoyments for a splendid alliance1 is only worldly wise1 yet in that manoeuvring and worldly prudence there is the exercise of a self-control which raises her above the mere giddy pleasure-hunter of the hour2 for want of self-control is the weakness of our nature--to restrain1 to wait1 to control present feeling with a large foresight1 is human strength4 ,once more1 instead of a faith like that of the child1 which over-leaps a few hours1 or that of the worldly man1 which over-passes years1 there may be a faith which transcends the whole span of life1 and1 instead of looking for temporal enjoyments1 looks for rewards in a future beyond the grave1 instead of a future limited to time4 ,this is again a step4 ,the child has sacrificed a day2 the man has sacrificed a little more4 ,faith has now reached a stage which deserves to be called religious2 not that this however1 is very grand2 it does but prefer a happiness hereafter to a happiness enjoyed here--an eternal well-being instead of a temporal well-being2 it is but prudence on a grand scale--another form of selfishness--an anticipation of infinite rewards instead of finite1 and not the more noble because of the infinitude of the gain3 and yet this is what is often taught as religion in books and sermons4 ,we are told that sin is wrong1 because it will make us miserable hereafter4 ,guilt is represented as the short-sightedness which barters for a home on earth--a home in heaven4 ,in the text-book of ethics studied in one of our universities1 virtue is defined as that which is done at the command of ,god for the sake of an eternal reward4 ,so then1 religion is nothing more than a calculation of infinite and finite quantities2 vice is nothing more than a grand imprudence2 and heaven is nothing more than selfishness rewarded with eternal well-being6 ,yet this you will observe1 is a necessary step in the development of faith4 ,faith is the conviction that ,god is a rewarder of them who diligently seek ,him2 and there is a moment in human progress when the anticipated rewards and punishments must be of a ,mahometan character--the happiness of the senses4 ,it was thus that the ,jews were disciplined2 out of a coarse1 rude1 infantine state1 they were educated by rewards and punishments to abstain from present sinful gratification3 at first1 the promise of the life which now is1 afterwards the promise of that which is to come2 but even then the rewards and punishments of a future state were spoken of1 by inspiration itself1 as of an arbitrary character2 and some of the best of the ,israelites1 in looking to the recompense of reward1 seemed to have anticipated1 coarsely1 recompense in exchange for duties performed4 ,the last step is that which alone deserves to be called ,christian ,faith--,who is he that overcometh but he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,christ8 ,the difference between the faith of the ,christian and that of the man of the world1 or the mere ordinary religionist1 is not a difference in mental operation1 but in the object of the faith--to believe that ,jesus is the ,christ is the peculiarity of ,christian faith4 ,the anticipated heaven of the ,christian differs from the anticipated heaven of any other man1 not in the distinctness with which its imagery is perceived1 but in the kind of objects which are hoped for4 ,the apostle has told us the character of heaven4 ,eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love ,him--which glorious words are sometimes strangely misinterpreted1 as if the apostle merely meant rhetorically to exalt the conception of the heavenly world1 as of something beyond all power to imagine or to paint4 ,the apostle meant something infinitely deeper3 the heaven of ,god is not only that which eye hath not seen1 but that which eye can never see2 its glories are not of that kind at all which can ever stream in forms of beauty on the eye1 or pour in melody upon the enraptured ear--not such joys as genius in its most gifted hour 7here called the heart of man7 can invent or imagine3 it is something which these sensuous organs of ours never can appreciate--bliss of another kind altogether1 revealed to the spirit of man by the ,spirit of ,god--joys such as spirit alone can receive4 ,do you ask what these are8 ,the fruits of the ,spirit are love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1 temperance4 ,that is heaven1 and therefore the ,apostle tells us that he alone who believeth that ,jesus is the ,christ1 and only he1 feels that4 ,what is it to believe that ,jesus is the ,christ8--,that ,he is the ,anointed ,one1 that ,his life is the anointed life1 the only blessed life1 the blessed life divine for thirty years8--,yes1 but if so1 the blessed ,life still1 continued throughout all eternity3 unless you believe that1 you do not believe that ,jesus is the ,christ4 ,what is the blessedness that you expect8--to have the joys of earth with the addition of the element of eternity8 ,men think that heaven is to be a compensation for earthly loss3 the saints are earthly-wretched here1 the children of this world are earthly-happy2 but that1 they think1 shall be all reversed--,lazarus1 beyond the grave1 shall have the purple and the fine linen1 and the splendour1 and the houses1 and the lands which ,dives had on earth3 the one had them for time1 the other shall have them for eternity4 ,that is the heaven that men expect--this earth sacrificed now1 in order that it may be re-granted for ever4 ,nor will this expectation be reversed except by a reversal of the nature4 ,none can anticipate such a heaven as ,god has revealed1 except they that are born of the ,spirit2 therefore to believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 a man must be born of ,god4 ,you will observe that no other victory overcomes the world3 for this is what ,st4 ,john means by saying1 ,who is he that overcometh the world1 but he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,christ8 ,for then it comes to pass that a man begins to feel1 that to do wrong is hell2 and that to love ,god1 to be like ,god1 to have the mind of ,christ1 is the only heaven4 ,until this victory is gained1 the world retains its stronghold in the heart4 ,do you think that the temperate man has overcome the world1 who1 instead of the short-lived rapture of intoxication1 chooses regular employment1 health1 and prosperity8 ,is it not the world in another form1 which has his homage8 ,or do you suppose that the so-called religious man is really the world's conqueror by being content to give up seventy years of enjoyment in order to win innumerable ages of the very same species of enjoyment8 ,has he not only made earth a hell1 in order that earthly things may be his heaven for ever8 ,thus the victory of ,faith proceeds from stage to stage3 the first victory is1 when the ,present is conquered by the ,future2 the last1 when the ,visible and ,sensual is despised in comparison of the ,invisible and ,eternal4 ,then earth has lost its power for ever2 for if all that it has to give be lost eternally1 the gain of faith is still infinite4 ,,iii4 ,preached ,whitsunday1 ,may #ai1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,dispensation ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,now there are diversities of gifts1 but the same ,spirit4--#a ,corinthians xii1 #d4 ,according to a view which contains in it a profound truth1 the ages of the world are divisible into three dispensations1 presided over by the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,spirit4 ,in the dispensation of the ,father1 ,god was known as a ,creator2 creation manifested ,his eternal power and ,godhead1 and the religion of mankind was the religion of ,nature4 ,in the dispensation of the ,son1 ,god manifested ,himself to ,humanity through man2 the ,eternal ,word spoke1 through the inspired and gifted of the human race1 to those that were uninspired and ungifted4 ,this was the dispensation of the prophets--its climax was the advent of the ,redeemer2 it was completed when perfect ,humanity manifested ,god to man4 ,the characteristic of this dispensation was1 that ,god revealed ,himself by an authoritative ,voice1 speaking from without1 and the highest manifestation of ,god whereof man was capable1 was a ,divine ,humanity4 ,the age in which we at present live is the dispensation of the ,spirit1 in which ,god has communicated ,himself by the highest revelation1 and in the most intimate communion1 of which man is capable2 no longer through ,creation1 no more as an authoritative ,voice from without1 but as a ,law within--as a ,spirit mingling with a spirit4 ,this is the dispensation of which the prophet said of old1 that the time should come when they should no longer teach every man his brother and every man his neighbour1 saying1 ,know the ,lord--that is1 by a will revealed by external authority from other human minds--for they shall all know him1 from the least of them to the greatest4 ,this is the dispensation1 too1 of whose close the ,apostle ,paul speaks thus3 ,then shall the ,son also be subject to ,him that hath put all things under ,him1 that ,god may be all in all4 ,the outward humanity is to disappear1 that the inward union may be complete4 ,to the same effect1 he speaks in another place1 ,yea1 though we have known ,christ after the flesh1 yet henceforth know we ,him no more4 ,for this reason1 the ,ascension was necessary before ,pentecost could come3 the ,spirit was not given1 we are told1 because ,jesus was not yet glorified4 ,it was necessary for the ,son to disappear as an outward authority1 in order that he might re-appear as an inward principle of life4 ,our salvation is no longer ,god manifested in a ,christ without us1 but as a ,christ within us1 the hope of glory4 ,to-day is the selected anniversary of that memorable day when the first proof was given to the senses1 in the gift of ,pentecost1 that that spiritual dispensation had begun4 ,there is a twofold way in which the operations of the ,spirit on mankind may be considered--,his influence on the ,church as a whole1 and ,his influence on individuals2 both of these are brought together in the text4 ,it branches1 therefore1 into a twofold division4 ,i4 ,spiritual gifts conferred on individuals4 ,,ii4 ,spiritual union of the ,church4 ,let us distinguish between the ,spirit and the gifts of the ,spirit3 by the ,spirit1 the apostle meant the vital principle of new life from ,god1 common to all believers--the animating ,spirit of the ,church of ,god2 by the gifts of the ,spirit1 he meant the diversities of form in which ,he operates on individuals2 its influence varied according to their respective peculiarities and characteristics4 ,in the twenty-eighth verse of this chapter a full catalogue of gifts is found2 looking at them generally1 we discover two classes into which they may be divided--the first are natural1 the second are supernatural3 the first are those capacities which are originally found in human nature--personal endowments of mind1 a character elevated and enlarged by the gift of the ,spirit2 the second are those which were created and called into existence by the sudden approach of the same influence4 ,just as if the temperature of this ,northern hemisphere were raised suddenly1 and a mighty tropical river were to pour its fertilizing inundation over the country1 the result would be the impartation of a vigorous and gigantic growth to the vegetation already in existence1 and at the same time the development of life in seeds and germs which had long lain latent in the soil1 incapable of vegetation in the unkindly climate of their birth4 ,exactly in the same way1 the flood of a ,divine life1 poured suddenly into the souls of men1 enlarged and ennobled qualities which had been used already1 and at the same time developed powers which never could have become apparent in the cold1 low temperature of natural life4 ,among the natural gifts1 we may instance these3 teaching--healing--the power of government4 ,teaching is a gift1 natural or acquired4 ,to know1 is one thing2 to have the capacity of imparting knowledge1 is another4 ,the physician's art again is no supernatural mystery2 long and careful study of physical laws capacitate him for his task4 ,to govern1 again1 is a natural faculty3 it may be acquired by habit1 but there are some who never could acquire it4 ,some men seem born to command3 place them in what sphere you will1 others acknowledge their secret influence1 and subordinate themselves to their will4 ,the faculty of organization1 the secret of rule1 need no supernatural power4 ,they exist among the uninspired4 ,now the doctrine of the apostle was1 that all these are transformed and renovated by the spirit of a new life in such a way as to become almost new powers1 or1 as he calls them1 gifts of the ,spirit4 ,a remarkable illustration of this is his view of the human body4 ,if there be anything common to us by nature1 it is the members of our corporeal frame2 yet the apostle taught that these1 guided by the ,spirit as its instruments and obeying a holy will1 became transfigured2 so that1 in his language1 the body becomes a temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 and the meanest faculties1 the lowest appetites1 the humblest organs1 are ennobled by the ,spirit mind which guides them4 ,thus he bids the ,romans yield themselves unto ,god as those that are alive from the dead1 and their members as instruments of righteousness unto ,god4 ,the second class of gifts are supernatural3 of these we find two pre-eminent--the gift of tongues1 and the gift of prophecy4 ,it does not appear that the gift of tongues was merely the imparted faculty of speaking foreign languages--it could not be that the highest gift of ,god to ,his ,church merely made them rivals of the linguist2 it would rather seem that the ,spirit of ,god1 mingling with the soul of man1 supernaturally elevated its aspirations and glorified its conceptions1 so that an entranced state of ecstasy was produced1 and feelings called into energy1 for the expression of which the ordinary forms of speech were found inadequate4 ,even in a far lower department1 when a man becomes possessed of ideas for which his ordinary vocabulary supplies no sufficient expression1 his language becomes broken1 incoherent1 struggling1 and almost unnaturally elevated2 much more was it to be expected that when divine and new feelings rushed like a flood upon the soul1 the language of men would have become strange and extraordinary2 but in that supposed case1 wild as the expressions might appear to one coldly looking on and not participating in the feelings of the speaker1 they would be quite sufficient to convey intelligible meaning to any one affected by the same emotions4 ,where perfect sympathy exists1 incoherent utterance--a word--a syllable--is quite as efficient as elaborate sentences4 ,now this is precisely the account given of the phenomenon which attended the gift of tongues4 ,on the day of ,pentecost1 all who were in the same state of spiritual emotion as those who spoke1 understood the speakers2 each was as intelligible to all as if he spoke in their several tongues3 to those who were coolly and sceptically watching1 the effects appeared like those of intoxication4 ,a similar account is given by the ,apostle ,paul3 the voice appeared to unsympathetic ears as that of a barbarian2 the uninitiated and unbelieving coming in1 heard nothing that was articulate to them1 but only what seemed to them the ravings of insanity4 ,the next was the gift of prophecy4 ,prophecy has several meanings in ,scripture2 sometimes it means the power of predicting future events1 sometimes an entranced state accompanied with ravings1 sometimes it appears to mean only exposition2 but prophecy1 as the miraculous spiritual gift granted to the early ,church1 seems to have been a state of communion with the mind of ,god lower than that which was called the gift of tongues1 at least less ecstatic1 less rapt into the world to come1 more under the guidance of the reason1 more within the control of calm consciousness--as we might say1 less supernatural4 ,upon these gifts we make two observations3 #a4 ,even the highest were not accompanied with spiritual faultlessness4 ,inspiration was one thing1 infallibility another4 ,the gifts of the ,spirit were1 like the gifts of ,nature1 subordinated to the will--capable of being used for good or evil1 sometimes pure1 sometimes mixed with human infirmity4 ,the supernaturally gifted man was no mere machine1 no automaton ruled in spite of himself by a superior spirit4 ,disorder1 vanity1 over-weening self-estimation1 might accompany these gifts1 and the prophetic utterance itself might be degraded to a mere brawling in the ,church2 therefore ,st4 ,paul established laws of control1 declared the need of subjection and rule over spiritual gifts3 the spirits of the prophets were to be subject to the prophets2 if those in the ecstatic state were tempted to break out into utterance and unable to interpret what it meant1 those so gifted were to hold their peace4 ,the prophet poured out the truths supernaturally imparted to his highest spirit1 in an inspired and impassioned eloquence which was intelligible even to the unspiritual1 and was one of the appointed means of convincing the unconverted4 ,the lesson derivable from this is not obsolete even in the present day4 ,there is nothing perhaps precisely identical in our own day with those gifts of the early ,church2 but genius and talent are uncommon gifts1 which stand in a somewhat analogous relation--in a closer one certainly--than more ordinary endowments4 ,the flights of genius1 we know1 appear like maniac ravings to minds not elevated to the same spiritual level4 ,now these are perfectly compatible with mis-use1 abuse1 and moral disorder4 ,the most gifted of our countrymen has left this behind him as his epitaph1 ,the greatest1 wisest1 meanest of mankind4 ,the most glorious gift of poetic insight--itself in a way divine--having something akin to ,deity--is too often associated with degraded life and vicious character4 ,those gifts which elevate us above the rest of our species1 whereby we stand aloof and separate from the crowd1 convey no moral--nor even mental--infallibility3 nay1 they have in themselves a peculiar danger1 whereas that gift which is common to us all as brethren1 the animating spirit of a divine life1 in whose soil the spiritual being of all is rooted1 cannot make us vain2 we cannot pride ourselves on that1 for it is common to us all4 #b4 ,again1 the gifts which were higher in one sense were lower in another2 as supernatural gifts they would rank thus--the gift of tongues before prophecy1 and prophecy before teaching2 but as blessings to be desired1 this order is reversed3 rather than the gift of tongues ,st4 ,paul bids the ,corinthians desire that they might prophecy4 ,inferior again to prophecy was the quite simple1 and as we should say1 lower faculty of explaining truth4 ,now the principle upon which that was tried was that of utility--not utility in the low sense of the utilitarian1 who measures the value of a thing by its susceptibility of application to the purpose of this present life1 but a utility whose measure was love1 charity4 ,the apostle considered that gift most desirable by which men might most edify one another4 ,and hence that noble declaration of one of the most gifted of mankind--,i had rather speak five words with my understanding1 that ,i might teach others also1 than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue4 ,our estimate is almost the reverse of this3 we value a gift in proportion to its rarity1 its distinctive character1 separating its possessor from the rest of his fellow-men2 whereas1 in truth1 those gifts which leave us in lonely majesty apart from our species1 useless to them1 benefiting ourselves alone1 are not the most godlike1 but the least so2 because they are dissevered from that beneficent charity which is the very being of ,god4 ,your lofty incommunicable thoughts1 your ecstasies1 and aspirations1 and contemplative raptures--in virtue of which you have estimated yourself as the porcelain of the earth1 of another nature altogether than the clay of common spirits--tried by the test of ,charity1 what is there grand in these if they cannot be applied as blessings to those that are beneath you8 ,one of our countrymen has achieved for himself extraordinary scientific renown2 he pierced the mysteries of nature1 he analysed her processes1 he gave new elements to the world4 ,the same man applied his rare intellect to the construction of a simple and very common instrument--that well-known lamp which has been the guardian of the miner's life from the explosion of fire4 ,his discoveries are his nobility in this world1 his trifling invention gives him rank in the world to come4 ,by the former he shines as one of the brightest luminaries in the firmament of science1 by the latter evincing a spirit animated and directed by ,christian love1 he takes his place as one of the ,church of ,god4 ,and such is ever the true order of rank which graces occupy in reference to gifts4 ,the most trifling act which is marked by usefulness to others is nobler in ,god's sight1 than the most brilliant accomplishment of genius4 ,to teach a few ,sunday-school children1 week after week1 commonplace simple truths--persevering in spite of dullness and mean capacities--is a more glorious occupation than the highest meditations or creations of genius which edify or instruct only our own solitary soul4 ,,ii4 ,the spiritual unity of the ,church--the same ,spirit4 ,men have formed to themselves two ideas of unity3 the first is a sameness of form--of expression2 the second an identity of spirit4 ,some of the best of mankind have fondly hoped to realize an unity for the ,church of ,christ which should be manifested by uniform expressions in everything3 their imaginations have loved to paint1 as the ideal of a ,christian ,church1 a state in which the same liturgy should be used throughout the world1 the same ecclesiastical government1 even the same vestments1 the same canonical hours1 the same form of architecture4 ,they could conceive nothing more entirely one than a ,church so constituted that the same prayers1 in the very same expressions1 at the very same moment1 should be ascending to the ,eternal ,ear4 ,there are others who have thrown aside entirely this idea as chimerical2 who have not only ceased to hope it1 but even to wish it2 who if it could be realized1 would consider it a matter of regret2 who feel that the minds of men are various--their modes and habits of thought1 their original capacities and acquired associations1 infinitely diverse2 and who1 perceiving that the law of the universal system is manifoldness in unity1 have ceased to expect any other oneness for the ,church of ,christ than that of a sameness of spirit1 showing itself through diversities of gifts4 ,among these last was the ,apostle ,paul3 his large and glorious mind rejoiced in the contemplation of the countless manifestations of spiritual nature beneath which he detected one and the same pervading ,mind4 ,now let us look at this matter somewhat more closely4 #a4 ,all real unity is manifold4 ,feelings in themselves identical find countless forms of expression3 for instance1 sorrow is the same feeling throughout the human race2 but the ,oriental prostrates himself upon the ground1 throws dust upon his head1 tears his garments1 is not ashamed to break out into the most violent lamentations4 ,in the north1 we rule our grief in public2 suffer not even a quiver to be seen upon the lip or brow1 and consider calmness as the appropriate expression of manly grief4 ,nay1 two sisters of different temperament will show their grief diversely2 one will love to dwell upon the theme of the qualities of the departed1 the other feels it a sacred sorrow1 on which the lips are sealed for ever2 yet would it not be idle to ask which of them has the truest affection8 ,are they not both in their own way true8 ,in the same ,east1 men take off their sandals in devotion2 we exactly reverse the procedure1 and uncover the head4 ,the ,oriental prostrates himself in the dust before his sovereign2 even before his ,god the ,briton only kneels2 yet would it not again be idle to ask which is the essential and proper form of reverence8 ,is not true reverence in all cases modified by the individualities of temperament and education8 ,should we not say1 in all these forms worketh one and the same spirit of reverence8 ,again in the world as ,god has made it1 one law shows itself under diverse1 even opposite manifestations2 lead sinks in water1 wood floats upon the surface4 ,in former times men assigned these different results to different forces1 laws1 and gods4 ,a knowledge of ,nature has demonstrated that they are expressions of one and the same law2 and the great difference between the educated and the uneducated man is this--the uneducated sees in this world nothing but an infinite collection of unconnected facts--a broken1 distorted1 and fragmentary system1 which his mind can by no means reduce to order4 ,the educated man1 in proportion to his education1 sees the number of laws diminished--beholds in the manifold appearances of ,nature the expression of a few laws1 by degrees fewer1 till at last it becomes possible to his conception that they are all reducible to one1 and that that which lies beneath the innumerable phenomena of ,nature is the ,one ,spirit--,god4 #b4 ,all living unity is spiritual1 not formal2 not sameness1 but manifoldness4 ,you may have a unity shown in identity of form2 but it is a lifeless unity4 ,there is a sameness on the sea-beach--that unity which the ocean waves have produced by curling and forcibly destroying the angularities of individual form1 so that every stone presents the same monotony of aspect1 and you must fracture each again in order to distinguish whether you hold in your hand a mass of flint or fragment of basalt4 ,there is no life in unity such as this4 ,but as soon as you arrive at a unity that is living1 the form becomes more complex1 and you search in vain for uniformity4 ,in the parts1 it must be found1 if found at all1 in the sameness of the pervading life4 ,the illustration given by the apostle is that of the human body--a higher unity1 he says1 by being composed of many members1 than if every member were but a repetition of a single type4 ,it is conceivable that ,god might have moulded such a form for human life2 it is conceivable that every cause1 instead of producing in different nerves a variety of sensations1 should have affected every one in a mode precisely similar2 that instead of producing a sensation of sound--a sensation of colour--a sensation of taste--the outward causes of nature1 be they what they may1 should have given but one unvaried feeling to every sense1 and that the whole universe should have been light or sound4 ,that would have been unity1 if sameness be unity2 but1 says the apostle1 if the whole body were seeing1 where were the hearing8 ,that uniformity would have been irreparable loss--the loss of every part that was merged into the one4 ,what is the body's unity8 ,is it not this8 ,the unity of a living consciousness which marvellously animates every separate atom of the frame1 and reduces each to the performance of a function fitted to the welfare of the whole--its own1 not another's3 so that the inner spirit can say of the remotest1 and in form most unlike1 member1 ,that too1 is myself4 #c4 ,none but a spiritual unity can preserve the rights both of the individual and the ,church4 ,all other systems of unity1 except the apostolic1 either sacrifice the ,church to the individual1 or the individual to the ,church4 ,some have claimed the right of private judgment in such a way that every individual opinion becomes truth1 and every utterance of private conscience right3 thus the ,church is sacrificed to the individual2 and the universal conscience1 the common faith1 becomes as nothing2 the spirits of the prophets are not subject to the prophets4 ,again1 there are others1 who1 like the ,church of ,rome1 would surrender the conscience of each man to the conscience of the ,church1 and coerce the particulars of faith into exact coincidence with a formal creed4 ,spiritual unity saves the right of both in ,god's system4 ,the ,church exists for the individual1 just as truly as the individual for the ,church4 ,the ,church is then most perfect when all its powers converge1 and are concentrated on the formation and protection of individual character2 and the individual is then most complete--that is1 most a ,christian--when he has practically learned that his life is not his own1 but owed to others--that no man liveth to himself1 and no man dieth to himself4 ,now1 spiritual unity respects the sanctity of the individual conscience4 ,how reverently the ,apostle ,paul considered its claims1 and how tenderly6 ,when once it became a matter of conscience1 this was his principle laid down in matters of dispute3 ,let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind4 ,the belief of the whole world cannot make that thing true to me which to me seems false4 ,the conscience of the whole world cannot make a thing right to me1 if ,i in my heart believe it wrong4 ,you may coerce the conscience1 you may control men's belief1 and you may produce a unity by so doing2 but it is the unity of pebbles on the sea-shore--a lifeless identity of outward form with no cohesion between the parts--a dead sea-beach on which nothing grows1 and where the very seaweed dies4 ,lastly1 it respected the sanctity of individual character4 ,out of eight hundred millions of the human race1 a few features diversify themselves into so many forms of countenance1 that scarcely two could be mistaken for each other4 ,there are no two leaves on the same tree alike2 nor two sides of the same leaf1 unless you cut and kill it ,there is a sacredness in individuality of character2 each one born into this world is a fresh new soul intended by his ,maker to develope himself in a new fresh way2 we are what we are2 we cannot be truly other than ourselves4 ,we reach perfection not by copying1 much less by aiming at originality2 but by consistently and steadily working out the life which is common to us all1 according to the character which ,god has given us4 ,and thus will the ,church of ,god be one at last--will present an unity like that of heaven4 ,there is one universe in which each separate star differs from another in glory2 one ,church in which a single ,spirit1 the ,life of ,god1 pervades each separate soul2 and just in proportion as that ,life becomes exalted does it enable every one to shine forth in the distinctness of his own separate individuality1 like the stars of heaven4 ,,iv4 ,preached ,may #bf1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,trinity4 ,and the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly2 and ,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--#a ,thess4 v4 #bc4 ,the knowledge of ,god is the blessedness of man4 ,to know ,god1 and to be known by ,him--to love ,god1 and to be loved by ,him--is the most precious treasure which this life has to give2 properly speaking the only treasure2 properly speaking the only knowledge2 for all knowledge is valuable only so far as it converges towards and ends in the knowledge of ,god1 and enables us to acquaint ourselves with ,god1 and be at peace with ,him4 ,the doctrine of the ,trinity is the sum of all that knowledge which has as yet been gained by man4 ,i say gained as yet4 ,for we presume not to maintain that in the ages which are to come hereafter1 our knowledge shall not be superseded by a higher knowledge2 we presume not to say that in a state of existence future--yea even here upon this earth1 at that period which is mysteriously referred to in ,scripture as the coming of the ,son of ,man--there shall not be given to the soul an intellectual conception of the ,almighty1 a vision of the ,eternal1 in comparison with whose brightness and clearness our present knowledge of the ,trinity shall be as rudimentary and as childlike as the knowledge of the ,jew was in comparison with the knowledge of the ,christian4 ,now the passage which ,i have undertaken to expound to-day1 is one in which the doctrine of the ,trinity is brought into connection practically with the doctrine of our ,humanity4 ,before entering into it brethren1 let us lay down these two observations and duties for ourselves4 ,in the first place1 let us examine the doctrine of the ,trinity ever in the spirit of charity4 ,a clear statement of the deepest doctrine that man can know1 and the intellectual conception of that doctrine1 are by no means easy4 ,we are puzzled and perplexed by words2 we fight respecting words4 ,quarrels are nearly always verbal quarrels4 ,words lose their meaning in the course of time2 nay1 the very words of the ,athanasian creed which we read to-day mean not in this age1 the same thing which they meant in ages past4 ,therefore it is possible that men1 externally ,trinitarians1 may differ from each other though using the same words1 as greatly as a ,unitarian differs from a ,trinitarian4 ,there may be found in the same ,church and in the same congregation1 men holding all possible shades of opinion1 though agreeing externally1 and in words4 ,i speak within the limit of my own experience when ,i say that persons have been known and heard to express the language of bitter condemnation respecting ,unitarianism1 who when examined and calmly required to draw out verbally the meaning of their own conceptions1 have been proved to be holding all the time--unconsciously--the very doctrine of ,sabellianism4 ,and this doctrine is condemned by the ,church as distinctly as that of ,unitarianism4 ,therefore let us learn from all this a large and catholic charity4 ,there are in almost every congregation1 themselves not knowing it1 ,trinitarians who are practically ,tri-theists1 worshipping three ,gods2 and ,sabellians1 or worshippers of one person under three different manifestations4 ,to know ,god so that we may be said intellectually1 to appreciate ,him1 is blessed3 to be unable to do so is a misfortune4 ,be content with your own blessedness1 in comparison with others' misfortunes4 ,do not give to that misfortune the additional sting of illiberal and unchristian vituperation4 ,the next observation we have to lay down for ourselves is1 that we should examine this doctrine in the spirit of modesty4 ,there are those who are inclined to sneer at the ,trinitarian2 those to whom the doctrine appears merely a contradiction--a puzzle--an entangled1 labyrinthine enigma1 in which there is no meaning whatever4 ,but let all such remember1 that though the doctrine may appear to them absurd1 because they have not the proper conception of it1 some of the profoundest thinkers1 and some of the holiest spirits among mankind1 have believed in this doctrine--have clung to it as a matter of life or death4 ,let them be assured of this1 that whether the doctrine be true or false1 it is not necessarily a doctrine self-contradictory4 ,let them be assured of this1 in all modesty1 that such men never could have held it unless there was latent in the doctrine a deep truth1--perchance the truth of ,god4 ,we pass on now to the consideration of this verse under the following divisions4 ,in the first place1 we shall view it as a triad in discord3 ,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless2 in the second place1 as a ,trinity in ,unity3 the ,god of peace sanctify you wholly4 ,we take then first of all for our consideration the triad in discord3 ,i pray ,god your whole body and soul and spirit be preserved blameless4 ,the apostle here divides human nature into a three-fold division2 and here we have to observe again the difficulty often experienced in understanding words4 ,thus words in the ,athanasian creed have become obsolete1 or lost their meaning3 so that in the present day the words person1 substance1 procession1 generation1 to an ordinary person1 mean almost nothing4 ,so this language of the apostle1 when rendered into ,english1 shows no difference whatever between soul and spirit4 ,we say1 for instance1 that the soul of a man has departed from him4 ,we also say that the spirit of a man has departed from him4 ,there is no distinct difference between the two2 but in the original two very different kinds of thoughts--two very different modes of conception--are represented by the two ,english words soul and spirit4 ,it is our business1 therefore1 in the first place1 to understand what is meant by this threefold division4 ,when the apostle speaks of the body1 what he means is the animal life--that which we share in common with beasts1 birds1 and reptiles2 for our life my ,christian brethren--our sensational existence--differs but little from that of the lower animals4 ,there is the same external form1 the same material in the blood-vessels1 in the nerves1 and in the muscular system4 ,nay1 more than that1 our appetites and instincts are alike1 our lower pleasures like their lower pleasures1 our lower pain like their lower pain1 our life is supported by the same means1 and our animal functions are almost indistinguishably the same4 ,but1 once more1 the apostle speaks of what he calls the soul4 ,what the apostle meant by what is translated soul1 is the immortal part of man--the immaterial as distinguished from the material3 those powers1 in fact1 which man has by nature--powers natural1 which are yet to survive the grave4 ,there is a distinction made in scripture by our ,lord between these two things4 ,fear not1 says ,he1 them who can kill the body2 but rather fear ,him who can destroy both body and soul in hell4 ,we have again1 to observe respecting this1 that what the apostle called the soul1 is not simply distinguishable from the body1 but also from the spirit2 and on that distinction ,i have already touched4 ,by the soul the apostle means our powers natural--the powers which we have by nature4 ,herein is the soul distinguishable from the spirit4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,corinthians we read--,but the natural man receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god2 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4 ,but he that is spiritual judgeth all things4 ,observe1 there is a distinction drawn between the natural man and the spiritual4 ,what is there translated natural is derived from precisely the same word as that which is here translated soul4 ,so that we may read just as correctly3 ,the man under the dominion of the soul receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god2 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned4 ,but he that is spiritual judgeth all things4 ,and again1 the apostle1 in the same ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 writes3 ,that is not first which is spiritual1 but that which is natural3 that is1 the endowments of the soul precede the endowments of the spirit4 ,you have the same truth in other places4 ,the powers that belong to the ,spirit were not the first developed2 but the powers which belong to the soul1 that is the powers of nature4 ,again in the same chapter1 reference is made to the natural and spiritual body4 ,there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body4 ,literally1 there is a body governed by the soul--that is1 powers natural3 and there is a body governed by the ,spirit--that is1 higher nature4 ,let then this be borne in mind1 that what the apostle calls soul is the same as that which he calls1 in another place1 the natural man4 ,these powers are divisible into two branches--the intellectual powers and the moral sense4 ,the intellectual powers man has by nature4 ,man need not be regenerated in order to possess the power of reasoning1 or in order to invent4 ,the intellectual powers belong to what the apostle calls the soul4 ,the moral sense distinguishes between right and wrong4 ,the apostle tells us1 in the ,epistle to the ,romans1 that the heathen--manifestly natural men--had the work of the law written in their hearts2 their conscience also bearing witness4 ,the third division of which the apostle speaks1 he calls the spirit2 and by the spirit he means that life in man which1 in his natural state1 is in such an embryo condition1 that it can scarcely be said to exist at all--that which is called out into power and vitality by regeneration--the perfection of the powers of human nature4 ,and you will observe1 that it is not merely the instinctive life1 nor the intellectual life1 nor the moral life1 but it is principally our nobler affections--that existence1 that state of being1 which we call love4 ,that is the department of human nature which the apostle calls the spirit2 and accordingly1 when the ,spirit of ,god was given on the day of ,pentecost1 you will1 remember that another power of man was called out1 differing from what he had before4 ,that ,spirit granted on the day of ,pentecost did subordinate to ,himself1 and was1 intended to subordinate to ,himself1 the will1 the understanding1 and the affection of man2 but you often find these spiritual powers were distinguished from the natural powers1 and existed without them4 ,so in the highest state of religious life1 we are told1 men prayed in the spirit4 ,till the spirit has subordinated the understanding1 the gift of ,god is not complete--has not done its work4 ,it is abundantly evident that a new life was called out4 ,it was not merely the sharpening of the intellectual powers2 it was calling out powers of aspiration and love to ,god2 those affections which have in them something boundless1 that are not limited to this earth1 but seek their completion in the mind of ,god ,himself4 ,now1 what we have to say respecting this threefold state of man is1 it is a state of discord4 ,let us take up a very simple1 popular1 every-day illustration4 ,we hear it remarked frequently in conversation of a man1 that if only his will were commensurate with his knowledge1 he would be a great man4 ,his knowledge is great--his powers are almost unbounded2 he has gained knowledge from nearly every department of science2 but somehow or other--you cannot tell why--there is such an indecision1 such a vacillation about the man1 that he scarcely knows what to do1 and1 perhaps does nothing in this world4 ,you find it remarked1 respecting another class of men1 that their will is strong1 almost unbounded in its strength--they have iron wills1 yet there is something so narrow in their conceptions1 something so bounded in their views1 so much of stagnation in their thoughts1 so much of prejudice in all their opinions1 that their will is prevented from being directed to anything in a proper manner4 ,here is the discord in human nature4 ,there is a distinction between the will and the understanding4 ,and sometimes a feeble will goes with a strong understanding1 or a powerful will is found in connection with great feebleness or ignorance of the understanding4 ,let us however1 go into this more specially4 ,the first cause of discord in this threefold state of man is the state in which the body is the ruler2 and this1 my ,christian brethren1 you find most visibly developed in the uneducated and irreligious poor4 ,i say uneducated and irreligious1 because it is by no means education alone which can subordinate the flesh to the higher man4 ,the religious uneducated poor man may be master of his lower passions2 but in the uneducated and irreligious poor man1 these show themselves in full force2 this discord--this want of unity--appears1 as it were1 in a magnified form4 ,there is a strong man--health bursting1 as it were1 at every pore1 with an athletic body2 but coarse1 and rude1 and intellectually weak--almost an animal4 ,when you are regarding the upper classes of society1 you see less distinctly the absence of the spirit1 unless1 you look with a spiritual eye4 ,the coarseness has passed away--the rudeness is no longer seen3 there is a refinement in the pleasures4 ,but if you take the life led by the young men of our country--strong1 athletic1 healthy men--it is still the life of the flesh3 the unthinking1 and the unprincipled life in which there is as yet no higher life developed4 ,it is a life which1 in spite of its refinement1 the ,bible condemns as the life of the sensualist4 ,we pass on now1 to another state of discord--a state in which the soul is ruined4 ,brethren1 this is a natural result--this is what might have been expected4 ,the natural man gradually subordinates the flesh1 the body1 to the soul4 ,it is natural in the development of individuals1 it is natural in the development of society3 in the development of individuals1 because that childlike1 infantine life which exists at first1 and is almost entirely a life of appetites1 gradually subsides4 ,higher wants1 higher desires1 loftier inclinations arise2 the passions of the young man gradually subside1 and by degrees the more rational life comes3 the life is changed--the pleasures of the senses are forsaken for those of the intellect4 ,it appears natural1 again1 in the development of society4 ,civilization will subordinate the flesh to the soul4 ,in the savage state1 you find the life of the animal4 ,civilization is teaching a man1 on the principle of this world1 to subordinate his appetites2 to rule himself2 and there comes a refinement1 and a gentleness1 and a polish1 and an enjoyment of intellectual pleasures2 so that the man is no longer what the apostle calls a sensual man1 but he becomes now what the apostle calls a natural man4 ,we can see this character delineated in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians4 ,then we were1 says the apostle1 in our ,gentile state1 fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind4 ,man naturally fulfils not merely the desires of the flesh1 but the desires of the mind4 ,and were1 says the apostle1 children of wrath4 ,one of the saddest spectacles is the decay of the natural man before the work of the ,spirit has been accomplished in him4 ,when the savage dies--when a mere infant dies--when an animal dies--there is nothing that is appalling or depressing there2 but when the high1 the developed intellect--when the cultivated man comes to the last hours of life1 and the memory becomes less powerful1 and the judgment fails1 and all that belongs to nature and to earth visibly perishes1 and the higher life has not been yet developed1 though it is destined to survive the grave for ever--even the life of ,god--there is here ample cause for grief2 and it is no wonder that the man of genius merely should shed tears at he idea of decaying life4 ,we pass on to consider the ,trinity in unity4 ,all this is contained in that simple expression1 ,the ,god of peace4 ,god is a ,god of unity4 ,he makes one where before there were two4 ,he is the ,god of peace1 and therefore can make peace4 ,now this peace1 according to the ,trinitarian doctrine1 consists in a threefold unity4 ,brethren1 as we remarked respecting this first of all1 the distinction in this ,trinity is not a physical distinction1 but a metaphysical one4 ,the illustrations which are often given are illustrations drawn from material sources3 if we take only those1 we get into contradiction3 for example1 when we talk of personality1 our idea is of a being bounded by space2 and then to say in this sense that three persons are one1 and one is three1 is simply contradictory and absurd4 ,remember that the doctrine of the ,trinity is a metaphysical doctrine4 ,it is a trinity--a division in the mind of ,god4 ,it is not three materials2 it is three persons in a sense we shall explain by and by4 ,in the next place ,i will endeavour to explain the doctrine--not to prove it1 but to show its rationality1 and to explain what it is4 ,the first illustration we endeavour to give in this is taken from the world of matter4 ,we will take any material substance3 we find in that substance qualities2 we will say three qualities--colour1 shape1 and size4 ,colour is not shape1 shape is not size1 size is not colour4 ,they are three distinct essences1 three distinct qualities1 and yet they all form one unity1 one single conception1 one idea--the idea for example1 of a tree4 ,now we will ascend from that into the immaterial world2 and here to be something more distinct still4 ,hitherto we have had but three qualities2 we now come to the mind of man1 where we find something more than qualities4 ,we will take three--the will1 the affections1 and the thoughts of man4 ,his will is not his affections1 neither are his affections his thoughts2 and it would be imperfect and incomplete to say that these are mere qualities in the man4 ,they are separate consciousnesses1 living consciousnesses--as distinct1 and as really sundered as it is possible for three things to be1 yet bound together by one unity of consciousness4 ,now we have distincter proof than even this that these things are three4 ,the anatomist can tell you that the localities of these powers are different4 ,he can point out the seat of the nerve of sensation2 he can localize the feeling of affection2 he can point to a nerve and say1 ,there resides the locality of thought4 ,there are three distinct localities for three distinct qualities1 personalities1 consciousnesses2 yet all these three are one4 ,once more1 we will give proof even beyond all that4 ,the act that a man does is done by one particular part of that man4 ,you may say it was a work of his genius1 or of his fancy2 it may have been a manifestation of his love1 or an exhibition of his courage2 yet that work was the work of the whole man3 his courage1 his intellect1 his habits of perseverance1 all helped towards the completion of that single work4 ,just in this way certain special works are attributed to certain personalities of the ,deity2 the work of ,redemption being attributed to one1 the work of ,sanctification to another4 ,and yet just as the whole man was engaged in doing that work1 so does the whole ,deity perform that work which is attributed to one essential4 ,once more1 let us remember that principle which we expounded last ,sunday1 that it is the law of ,being that in proportion as you rise from lower to higher life1 the parts are more distinctly developed1 while yet the unity becomes more entire4 ,you find for example1 in the lowest forms of animal life one organ performs several functions1 one organ being at the same time heart and brain and blood-vessels4 ,but when you come to man1 you find all these various functions existing in different organs1 and every organ more distinctly developed2 and yet the unity of a man is a higher unity than that of a limpet4 ,when you come from the material world to the world immaterial1 you find that the more society is cultivated--the more man is cultivated--the more marvellous is the power of developing distinct powers4 ,in the savage life it is almost all one feeling2 but in proportion as the higher education advances and the higher life appears1 every power and faculty developes and distinguishes itself1 and becomes distinct and separate4 ,and yet just in proportion as in a nation every part is distinct1 the unity is greater1 and just in proportion as in an individual every power is most complete1 and stands out most distinct1 just in that proportion has the man reached the entireness of his ,humanity4 ,now brethren1 we apply all this to the mind of ,god4 ,the ,trinitarian maintains against the ,unitarian and the ,sabellian1 that the higher you ascend in the scale of being1 the more distinct are the consciousnesses1 and that the law of unity implies and demands a manifold unity4 ,the doctrine of ,sabellianism1 for example1 is this1 that ,god is but one essence--but one person under different manifestations2 and that when ,he made the world ,he was called the ,father1 when ,he redeemed the world ,he was called the ,son1 and when ,he sanctified the world ,he was called the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the ,sabellian and the ,unitarian maintain that the unity of ,god consists simply in a unity of person1 and in opposition to this does the ,trinitarian maintain that grandness1 either in man or in ,god1 must be a unity of manifoldness4 ,but we will enter into this more deeply4 ,the first power or consciousness in which ,god is made known to us is as the ,father1 the ,author of our being4 ,it is written1 ,in ,him we live1 and move1 and have our being4 ,he is the ,author of all life4 ,in this sense ,he is not merely our ,father as ,christians1 but the ,father of mankind2 and not merely the ,father of mankind1 but the ,father of creation2 and in this way the sublime language of the prophets may be taken as true literally1 ,the morning stars sang together1 and all the sons of ,god shouted for joy2 and the language of the canticle which belongs to our morning service1 the deeps1 the fountains1 the wells1 all unite in one hymn of praise1 one everlasting hallelujah to ,god the ,father1 the ,author of their being4 ,in this respect1 simply as the ,author of life1 merely as the supreme ,being1 ,god has reference to us in relation to the body4 ,he is the ,lord of life3 in ,him we live1 and move1 and have our being4 ,in this respect ,god to us is as law--as the collected laws of the universe2 and therefore to offend against law1 and bring down the result of transgressing law1 is said in ,scripture language1 because applied to a person1 to be provoking the wrath of ,god the ,father4 ,in the next place1 the second way through which the personality and consciousness of ,god has been revealed to us is as the ,son4 ,brethren1 we see in all those writers who have treated of the ,trinity1 that much stress is laid upon this eternal generation of the ,son1 the everlasting sonship4 ,it is this which we have in the ,creed--the ,creed which was read to-day--,god1 of the substance of the ,father1 begotten before the worlds2 and1 again1 in the ,nicene ,creed1 that expression1 which is so often wrongly read1 ,god of ,god1 ,light of ,light1 very ,god of very ,god1 means absolutely nothing4 ,there are two statements made there4 ,the first is this1 ,the ,son was ,god3 the second is this1 ,the ,son was--of ,god1 showing his derivation4 ,and in that1 brethren1 we have one of the deepest and most blessed truths of revelation4 ,the ,unitarian maintains a divine ,humanity--a blessed1 blessed truth4 ,there is a truth more blessed still--the ,humanity of ,deity4 ,before the world was1 there was that in the mind of ,god which we may call the ,humanity of ,his ,divinity4 ,it is called in ,scripture the ,word3 the ,son3 the ,form of ,god4 ,it is in virtue of this that we have a right to attribute to ,him our own feelings2 it is in virtue of this that ,scripture speaks of ,his wisdom1 ,his justice1 ,his love4 ,love in ,god is what love is in man2 justice in ,god is what justice is in man2 creative power in ,god is what creative power is in man2 indignation in ,god is that which indignation is in man1 barring only this1 that the one is emotional1 but the other is calm1 and pure1 and everlastingly still4 ,it is through this ,humanity in the mind of ,god1 if ,i may dare so to speak of ,deity1 that a revelation became possible to man4 ,it was the ,word that was made flesh2 it was the ,word that manifested ,itself to man4 ,it is in virtue of the connection between ,god and man1 that ,god made man in ,his own image2 that through a long line of prophets the human truth of ,god could be made known to man1 till it came forth developed most entirely and at large in the incarnation of the ,redeemer4 ,now in this respect1 it will be observed that ,god stands connected with us in relation to the soul as the ,light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world4 ,once more2 there is a nearer1 a closer1 and a more enduring relation in which ,god stands to us--that is1 the relation of the ,spirit4 ,it is to the writings of ,st4 ,john that we have to turn especially1 if we desire to know the doctrines of the ,spirit4 ,you will remember the strange way in which he speaks of ,god4 ,it would almost seem as if the external ,god has disappeared to him2 nay1 as if an external ,christ were almost forgotten1 because the internal ,christ has been formed4 ,he speaks of ,god as kindred with us2 he speaks of ,christ as ,christ in us2 and if we love one another1 he says1 ,god dwelleth in us4 ,if a man keep the commandments1 ,god dwelleth in him1 and he in ,god4 ,so that the spiritual manifestation of ,god to us is that whereby ,he blends ,himself with the soul of man4 ,these then1 my ,christian brethren1 are the three consciousnesses by which ,he becomes known to us4 ,three1 we said1 known to us4 ,we do not dare to limit ,god2 we do not presume to say that there are in ,god only three personalities--only three consciousnesses3 all that we dare presume to say is this1 that there are three in reference to us1 and only three2 that a fourth there is not2 that perchance1 in the present state a fourth you cannot add to these--,creator1 ,redeemer1 ,sanctifier4 ,lastly1 let us turn to the relation which the ,trinity in unity bears to the triad in discord4 ,it is intended for the entireness of our sanctification3 the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly4 ,brethren1 we dwell upon that expression wholly4 ,there is this difference between ,christianity and every other system3 ,christianity proposes to ennoble the whole man2 every other system subordinates parts to parts4 ,christianity does not despise the intellect1 but it does not exalt the intellect in a one-sided way3 it only dwells with emphasis on the third and highest part of man--his spiritual affections2 and these it maintains are the chief and real seat of everlasting life1 intended to subordinate the other to themselves4 ,asceticism would crush the natural affections--destroy the appetites4 ,asceticism feels that there is a conflict between the flesh and the spirit1 and it would put an end to that conflict2 it would bring back unity by the excision of all our natural appetites1 and all the desires and feelings which we have by nature4 ,but when the apostle ,paul comes forward to proclaim the will of ,god1 he says it is not by the crushing of the body1 but by the sanctification of the body3 ,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,in this my ,christian brethren1 there is one of the deepest of all truths4 ,does a man feel himself the slave and the victim of his lower passions8 ,let not that man hope to subdue them merely by struggling against them4 ,let him not by fasting1 by austerity1 by any earthly rule that he can conceive1 expect to subdue the flesh4 ,the more he thinks of his vile and lower feelings1 the more will they be brought into distinctness1 and therefore into power2 the more hopelessly will he become their victim4 ,the only way in which a man can subdue the flesh1 is not by the extinction of those feelings1 but by the elevation of their character4 ,let there be added to that character1 sublimity of aim1 purity of affection2 let there be given grandeur1 spiritual nobleness2 and then1 just as the strengthening of the whole constitution of the body makes any particular and local affection disappear1 so by degrees1 by the raising of the character1 do these lower affections become1 not extinguished or destroyed by excision1 but ennobled by a new and loftier spirit breathed through them4 ,this is the account given by the apostle4 ,he speaks of the conflict between the flesh and the spirit4 ,and his remedy is to give vigour to the higher1 rather than to struggle with the lower4 ,this ,i say then1 ,walk in the spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh4 ,once more2 the apostle differs from the world in this1 that the world would restore this unity1 and sanctify man simply from the soul4 ,it is this which civilization pretends to effect4 ,we hear much in these modern days of the progress of ,humanity4 ,we hear of man's invention1 of man's increase of knowledge2 and it would seem in all this1 as if man were necessarily becoming better4 ,brethren1 it always must be the case in that state in which ,god is looked upon as the ,supreme ,being merely1 where the intellect of man is supposed to be the chief thing--that which makes him most kindred to his ,maker4 ,the doctrine of ,christianity is this--that unity of all this discord must be made4 ,man is to be made one with ,god1 not by soaring intellect1 but by lowly love4 ,it is the ,spirit which guides him to all truth2 not merely by rendering more acute the reasoning powers1 but by convincing of sin1 by humbling the man4 ,it is the graces of the ,spirit which harmonize the man1 and make him one2 and that is the end1 and aim1 and object of all the ,gospel3 the entireness of sanctification to produce a perfectly developed man4 ,most of us in this world are monsters1 with some part of our being bearing the development of a giant1 and others showing the proportions of a dwarf3 a feeble1 dwarfish will--mighty1 full-blown passions2 and therefore it is that there is to be visible through the ,trinity in us1 a noble manifold unity2 and when the triune power of ,god shall so have done its work on the entireness of our ,humanity1 that the body1 soul1 and spirit have been sanctified1 then shall there be exhibited1 and only then1 a perfect affection in man to his ,maker1 and body1 soul1 and spirit shall exhibit a ,trinity in unity4 ,v4 ,preached ,june #b1 #ahej4 ,,absolution4 ,and the ,scribes and the ,pharisees began to reason1 saying1 ,who is this which speaketh blasphemies8 ,who can forgive sins1 but ,god alone8--,luke v4 #ba4 ,there are questions which having been again and again settled1 still from time to time1 present themselves for re-solution2 errors which having been refuted1 and cut up by the roots1 re-appear in the next century as fresh and vigorous as ever4 ,like the fabled monsters of old1 from whose dissevered neck the blood sprung forth and formed fresh heads1 multiplied and indestructible2 or like the weeds1 which1 extirpated in one place1 sprout forth vigorously in another4 ,in every such case it may be taken for granted that the root of the matter has not been reached2 the error has been exposed1 but the truth which lay at the bottom of the error has not been disengaged4 ,every error is connected with a truth2 the truth being perennial1 springs up again as often as circumstances foster it1 or call for it1 and the seeds of error which lay about the roots spring up again in the form of weeds1 as before4 ,a popular illustration of this may be found in the belief in the appearance of the spirits of the departed4 ,you may examine the evidence for every such alleged apparition2 you may demonstrate the improbability2 you may reduce it to an impossibility2 still the popular feeling will remain2 and there is a lurking superstition even among the enlightened1 which in the midst of professions of incredulity1 shows itself in a readiness to believe the wildest new tale1 if it possess but the semblance of an authentication4 ,now two truths lie at the root of this superstition4 ,the first is the reality of the spirit-world1 and the instinctive belief in it4 ,the second is the fact that there are certain states of health in which the eye creates the objects which it perceives4 ,the death-blow to such superstition is only struck when we have not only proved that men have been deceived1 but shown besides how they came to be deceived2 when science has explained the optical delusion1 and shown the physiological state in which such apparitions become visible4 ,ridicule will not do it4 ,disproof will not do it4 ,so long as men feel that there is a spirit-world1 and so long as to some the impression is vivid that they have seen it1 you spend your rhetoric in vain4 ,you must show the truth that lies below the error4 ,the principle we gain from this is that you cannot overthrow falsehood by negation1 but by establishing the antagonistic truth4 ,the refutation which is to last must be positive1 not negative4 ,it is an endless work to be uprooting weeds3 plant the ground with wholesome vegetation1 and then the juices which would have otherwise fed rankness will pour themselves into a more vigorous growth2 the dwindled weeds will be easily raked out then4 ,it is an endless task to be refuting error4 ,plant truth1 and the error will pine away4 ,the instance to which all this is preliminary1 is the pertinacious hold which the belief in a human absolving power retains upon mankind4 ,there has perhaps never yet been known a religion without such a belief4 ,there is not a savage in the islands of the ,south ,pacific who does not believe that his priest can shield him from the consequences of sin4 ,there was not a people in antiquity who had not dispensers of ,divine favour4 ,that same belief passed from ,paganism into ,romanism4 ,it was exposed at the period of the ,reformation4 ,a mighty reaction was felt against it throughout ,europe4 ,apparently the whole idea of human priesthood was proved1 once and for ever1 to be baseless2 human mediation1 in every possible form1 was vehemently controverted2 men were referred back to ,god as the sole absolver4 ,yet now again1 three centuries after1 the belief is still as strong as ever4 ,that which we thought dead is alive again1 and not likely it seems1 to die4 ,recent revelations have shown that confession is daily made in the country whose natural manners are most against it2 private absolution asked by ,english men and given by ,english priests4 ,a fact so significant might lead us well to pause1 and ask ourselves whether we have found the true answer to the question4 ,the negation we have got--the vehement denial2 we are weary of its reiteration3 but the positive truth which lies at the bottom of this craving--where is that8 ,parliaments and pulpits1 senators and clergymen1 have vied with each other in the vehemence with which they declare absolution un-,christian1 un-,english4 ,all that is most abominable in the confessional has been with unsparing and irreverent indelicacy forced before the public mind4 ,still1 men and women1 whose holiness and purity are beyond slander's reach1 come and crave assurance of forgiveness4 ,how shall we reply to such men8 ,shall we say1 ,who is this that speaketh blasphemies8 who can forgive sins1 but ,god only8 ,shall we say it is all blasphemy2 an impious intrusion upon the prerogatives of the ,one ,absolver8 ,well1 we may2 it is popular to say we ought2 but you will observe1 if we speak so1 we do no more than the ,pharisees in this text3 we establish a negation2 but a negation is only one side of truth4 ,moreover1 we have been asserting that for #cjj years1 with small fruits4 ,we keep asserting1 ,man cannot give assurance that sin is pardoned2 in other words1 man cannot absolve3 but still the heart craves human assurance of forgiveness4 ,what truth have we got to supply that craving8 ,we shall therefore1 rather try to fathom the deeps of the positive truth which is the true reply to the error2 we shall try to see whether there is not a real answer to the craving contained in the ,redeemer's words1 ,the ,son of ,man hath power on earth to forgive sins4 ,what power is there in human forgiveness8 ,what does absolution mean in the lips of a son of man8 ,these are our questions for to-day4 ,we shall consider two points4 ,i4 ,the impotency of the negation4 ,,ii4 ,the power of the positive truth4 ,the ,pharisees denied the efficacy of human absolution3 they said1 ,none can forgive sins1 but ,god only3 that was a negation4 ,what did they effect by their system of negations8 ,they conferred no peace2 they produced no holiness4 ,it would be a great error to suppose that the ,pharisees were hypocrites in the ordinary sense of the term--that is1 pretending to be anxious about religion when they knew that they felt no anxiety4 ,they were anxious1 in their way4 ,they heard a startling free announcement of forgiveness by a man4 ,to them it appeared license given to sin4 ,if this new teacher1 this upstart--in their own language1 this fellow--of whom every man knew whence he was1 were to go about the length and breadth of the land1 telling sinners to be at peace2 telling them to forget the past1 and to work onwards2 bidding men's consciences be at rest2 and commanding them not to fear the ,god whom they had offended1 but to trust in ,him--what would become of morality and religion8 ,this presumptuous ,absolver would make men careless about both4 ,if the indispensable safeguards of penalty were removed1 what remained to restrain men from sin8 ,for the ,pharisees had no notion of any other goodness than that which is restrained2 they could conceive no goodness free1 but only that which is produced by rewards and punishments--law-goodness1 law-righteousness3 to dread ,god1 not to love and trust ,him1 was their conception of religion4 ,and this1 indeed1 is the ordinary conception of religion--the ordinary meaning implied to most minds by the word religion4 ,the word religion means1 by derivation1 restriction or obligation--obligation to do1 obligation to avoid4 ,and this is the negative system of the ,pharisees--scrupulous avoidance of evil1 rather than positive and free pursuit of excellence4 ,such a system never produced anything but barren denial4 ,this is wrong2 that is heresy2 that is dangerous4 ,there was another class of men who denied human power of absolution4 ,they were called ,scribes or writers--pedants1 men of ponderous learning and accurate definitions2 from being mere transcribers of the law1 they had risen to be its expounders4 ,they could define the exact number of yards that might be travelled on the ,sabbath-day without infringement of the law2 they could decide1 according to the most approved theology1 the respective importance of each duty2 they would tell you1 authoritatively1 which was the great commandment of the law4 ,the ,scribe is a man who turns religion into etiquette3 his idea of ,god is that of a monarch1 transgression against whom is an offence against statute law1 and he the ,scribe1 is there to explain the prescribed conditions upon which the offence may be expiated2 he has no idea of admission to the sovereign's presence1 except by compliance with certain formalities which the ,scribe is commissioned to declare4 ,there are therefore ,scribes in all ages--,romish ,scribes1 who distinguish between venial and mortal sin1 and apportion to each its appointed penance and absolution4 ,there are ,protestant ,scribes1 who have no idea of ,god but as an incensed judge1 and prescribe certain methods of appeasing him--a certain price--in consideration of which ,he is willing to sell forgiveness2 men who accurately draw the distinction between the different kinds of faith--faith historical and faith saving2 who bewilder and confuse all natural feeling2 who treat the natural love of relations as if it were an idolatry as great as bowing down to mammon2 who make intelligible distinction between the work that may and the work that may not be done on the ,sabbath-day2 who send you into a perilous consideration of the workings of your own feelings1 and the examination of your spiritual experiences1 to ascertain whether you have the feelings which give you a right to call ,god a ,father4 ,they hate the ,romish ,scribe as much as the ,jewish ,scribe hated the ,samaritan and called him heretic4 ,but in their way they are true to the spirit of the ,scribe4 ,now the result of this is fourfold4 ,among the tender-minded1 despondency2 among the vainer1 spiritual pride2 in the case of the slavish1 superstition2 with the hard-minded1 infidelity4 ,ponder it well1 and you will find these four things rife amongst us3 ,despondency1 ,spiritual ,pride1 ,superstition1 and ,infidelity4 ,in this way we have been going on for many years4 ,in the midst of all this1 at last we are informed that the confessional is at work again2 whereupon astonishment and indignation are loudly expressed4 ,it is not to be borne that the priests of the ,church of ,england should confess and absolve in private4 ,yet it is only what might have been expected4 ,with our ,evangelicalism1 ,tractarianism1 ,scribeism1 ,pharisaism1 we have ceased to front the living fact--we are as zealous as ,scribes and ,pharisees ever were for negatives2 but in the meantime ,human ,nature1 oppressed and overborne1 gasping for breath1 demands something real and living4 ,it cannot live on controversies4 ,it cannot be fed on protests against heresy1 however vehement4 ,we are trying who can protest loudest4 ,every book1 every journal1 rings with warnings4 ,beware6 is written upon everything4 ,beware of ,rome2 beware of ,geneva2 beware of ,germany2 some danger on every side2 ,satan everywhere--,god nowhere2 everywhere some man to be shunned or dreaded--nowhere one to be loved freely and without suspicion4 ,is it any wonder if men and women1 in the midst of negations1 cry1 ,ye warn me from the error1 but who will guide me into truth8 ,i want guidance4 ,i am sinful1 full of evil6 ,i want forgiveness6 ,absolve me2 tell me that ,i am pardoned2 help me to believe it4 ,your quarrels do not help me2 if you cannot do that1 it matters little what you can do4 ,you have restricted ,god's love1 and narrowed the path to heaven2 you have hampered religion with so many mysterious questions and quibbles that ,i cannot find the way to ,god2 you have terrified me with so many snares and pitfalls on every side1 that ,i dare not tread at all4 ,give me peace2 give me human guidance3 ,i want a human arm to lean on4 ,this is a cry1 ,i believe1 becoming daily more passionate1 and more common4 ,and no wonder that all our information1 public and private1 is to the same effect--that the recent converts have found peace in ,rome2 for the secret of the power of ,rome is this--that she grounds her teaching1 not on variable feelings and correct opinions1 but on facts4 ,god is not a highly probable ,god1 but a fact4 ,god's forgiveness is not a feeling1 but a fact2 and a material symbolic fact is the witness of the invisible one4 ,rome puts forward her absolution--her false1 priestly1 magical absolution--a visible fact1 as a witness of the invisible4 ,and her perversion prevails because founded on a truth4 ,,ii4 ,the power of the positive truth4 ,is it any wonder1 if taught on every side distrust of man1 the heart should by a violent reaction1 and by an extravagant confidence in a priest1 proclaim that its normal1 natural state is not distrust1 but trust8 ,what is forgiveness8--,it is ,god reconciled to us4 ,what is absolution8--,it is the authoritative declaration that ,god is reconciled4 ,authoritative3 that is a real power of conveying a sense and feeling of forgiveness4 ,it is the power of the ,son of ,man on earth to forgive sins4 ,it is man1 ,god's image1 representing1 by his forgiveness on earth1 ,god's forgiveness in heaven4 ,now distinguish ,god's forgiveness of sin from an arresting of the consequences of sin4 ,when ,god forgives a sin1 it does not follow that ,he stops its consequences3 for example1 when ,he forgives the intemperate man whose health is ruined1 forgiveness does not restore his health4 ,divine pardon does not interfere with the laws of the universe1 for it is itself one of those laws4 ,it is a law that penalty follows transgression4 ,forgiveness will not save from penalty2 but it alters the feelings with which the penalty is accepted4 ,pain inflicted with a surgeon's knife for a man's good1 is as keen as that which results from the knife of the torturer2 but in the one case it is calmly borne1 because remedial--in the other it exasperates1 because it is felt to be intended by malevolence4 ,so with the difference between suffering which comes from a sin which we hope ,god has forgiven1 and suffering which seems to fall hot from the hand of an angry ,god4 ,it is a fearful truth1 that so far as we know at least1 the consequences of an act are connected with it indissolubly4 ,forgiveness does not arrest them2 but by producing softness and grateful penitence1 it transforms them into blessings4 ,this is ,god's forgiveness2 and absolution is the conveyance to the conscience of the conviction of forgiveness3 to absolve is to free--to comfort by strengthening--to afford repose from fear4 ,now it was the way of the ,redeemer to emancipate from sin by the freeness of absolution4 ,the dying thief1 an hour before a blasphemer1 was unconditionally assured2 the moment the sinner's feelings changed towards ,god1 ,he proclaimed that ,god was reconciled to him3 ,this day thou shalt be with me in ,paradise4 ,and hence1 speaking humanly1 hence1 from this absolving tone and spirit1 came ,his wondrous and unparalleled power with sinful1 erring hearts2 hence the life and fresh impulse which ,he imparted to the being and experience to those with whom ,he dealt4 ,hence the maniac1 freed from the legion1 sat at ,his feet1 clothed1 and in his right mind4 ,hence the outcast woman1 whom human scorn would have hardened into brazen effrontery1 hearing an unwonted voice of human sympathy1 washed ,his feet with her tears1 and wiped them with the hairs of her head4 ,and this is what we have forgotten3 we have not yet learned to trust the power of redeeming love2 we do not believe in the omnipotence of grace1 and the might of an appeal to the better parts1 and not the slavish parts of human nature4 ,settle it in your minds1 the absolving power is the central secret of the ,gospel4 ,salvation is unconditional2 not an offer1 but a ,gift2 not clogged with conditions1 but free as the air we breathe4 ,god welcomes back the prodigal4 ,god loves without money and without price4 ,to this men reply gravely1 ,it is dangerous to speak thus2 it is perilous to dispense with the safeguards of restriction4 ,law6 law6 there is nothing like law--a salutary fear--for making men holy4 ,o blind ,pharisee6 had you ever known the spring1 the life which comes from feeling free1 the gush of gratitude with which the heart springs to duty when all chains are shattered1 and it stands fearless and free in the ,light1 and in the ,love of ,god--you would understand that a large trusting charity1 which can throw itself on the better and more generous impulses of a laden spirit1 is the safest as well as the most beautiful means of securing obedience4 ,so far however1 there will not be much objection to the doctrine3 it will be admitted that absolution is true in the lips of ,christ1 because of ,his ,divinity4 ,it will be said ,he was ,god1 and ,god speaking on earth is the same thing as ,god speaking in heaven4 ,no my brethren1 it is not the same thing4 ,christ forgiving on earth is a new truth added to that of ,god's forgiving in heaven4 ,it is not the same truth4 ,the one is forgiveness by ,deity2 the other is the declaration of forgiveness by ,humanity4 ,he bade the palsied man walk1 that they might know that the ,son of ,man hath power on earth to forgive sins4 ,therefore we proceed a step further4 ,the same power ,he delegated to ,his ,church which ,he had exercised ,himself4 ,whosesoever sins ye remit1 they are remitted4 ,now perhaps1 it will be replied to this1 that that promise belongs to the apostles2 that they were supernaturally gifted to distinguish genuine from feigned repentance2 to absolve therefore1 was their natural prerogative1 but that we have no right to say it extends beyond the apostles4 ,we therefore1 bring the question to a point by referring to an instance in which an apostle did absolve4 ,let us examine whether ,st4 ,paul confined the prerogative to himself4 ,to whom ye forgive anything1 ,i forgive also3 for to whom ,i forgave anything for your sakes1 forgave ,i it in the person of ,christ4 ,observe now3 it is quite true here that the apostle absolved a man whose excommunication he had formerly required2 but he absolved him because the congregation absolved him2 not as a plenipotentiary supernaturally gifted to convey a mysterious benefit1 but as himself an organ and representative of the ,church4 ,the power of absolution therefore1 belonged to the ,church1 and to the apostle through the ,church4 ,it was a power belonging to all ,christians3 to the apostle1 because he was a ,christian1 not because he was an apostle4 ,a priestly power no doubt1 because ,christ has made all ,christians kings and priests4 ,now let us turn again1 with this added light1 to examine the meaning of that expression1 ,the ,son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins4 ,mark that form of words--not ,christ as ,god1 but ,christ as ,son of man4 ,it was manifestly said by ,him1 not solely as divine1 but rather as human1 as the ,son of man2 that is1 as ,man4 ,for we may take it as a rule3 when ,christ calls himself ,son of man1 ,he is asserting ,his ,humanity4 ,it was said by the ,high ,priest of ,humanity in the name of the race4 ,it was said on the principle that human nature is the reflection of ,god's nature3 that human love is the image of ,god's love2 and that human forgiveness is the type and assurance of divine forgiveness4 ,in ,christ ,humanity was the perfect type of ,deity1 and therefore ,christ's absolution was always the exact measure and counterpart of ,god's forgiveness4 ,herein lies the deep truth of the doctrine of ,his eternal priesthood--the ,eternal ,son--the ,humanity of the ,being of ,god--the ever ,human mind of ,god4 ,the ,absolver ever lives4 ,the ,father judgeth no man1 but hath committed all judgment to the ,son--hath given ,him authority to execute judgment also1 because ,he is the ,son of man4 ,but further than this4 ,in a subordinate1 because less perfect degree1 the forgiveness of a man as man carries with it an absolving power4 ,who has not felt the load taken from his mind when the hidden guilt over which he had brooded long has been acknowledged1 and met by forgiving human sympathy1 especially at a time when he expected to be treated with coldness and reproof8 ,who has not felt how such a moment was to him the dawn of a better hope1 and how the merciful judgment of some wise and good human being seemed to be the type and the assurance of ,god's pardon1 making it credible8 ,unconsciously it may be1 but still in substance really1 ,i believe some such reasoning as this goes on in the whispers of the heart--,he loves me1 and has compassion on me--will not ,god forgive8 ,he1 this man1 made in ,god's image1 does not think my case hopeless4 ,well1 then1 in the larger love of ,god it is not hopeless4 ,thus1 and only thus1 can we understand the ecclesiastical act4 ,absolution1 the prerogative of our humanity1 is represented by a formal act of the ,church4 ,much controversy and angry bitterness has been spent on the absolution put by the ,church of ,england into the lips of her ministers--,i cannot think with justice--if we try to get at the root of these words of ,christ4 ,the priest proclaims forgiveness authoritatively as the organ of the congregation--as the voice of the ,church1 in the name of ,man and ,god4 ,for human nature represents ,god4 ,the ,church represents what human nature is and ought to be4 ,the minister represents the ,church4 ,he speaks therefore1 in the name of our godlike1 human nature4 ,he declares a divine fact1 he does not create it4 ,there is no magic in his absolution3 he can no more forgive whom ,god has not forgiven1 by the formula of absolution1 or reverse the pardon of him whom ,god has absolved by the formula of excommunication1 than he can transfer a demon into an angel by the formula of baptism4 ,he declares what every one has a right to declare1 and ought to declare by his lips and by his conduct3 but being a minister1 he declares it authoritatively in the name of every ,christian who by his ,christianity is a priest to ,god2 he specializes what is universal2 as in baptism1 he seals the universal ,sonship on the individual by name1 saying1 ,the ,sonship with which ,christ has redeemed all men1 ,i hereby proclaim for this child2 so by absolution he specializes the universal fact of the love of ,god to those who are listening then and there1 saying1 ,the ,love of ,god the ,absolver1 ,i authoritatively proclaim to be yours4 ,in the ,service for the ,visitation of the ,sick1 the ,church of ,england puts into the lips of her ministers words quite unconditional3 ,i absolve thee from all thy sins4 ,you know that passage is constantly objected to as ,romish and superstitious4 ,i would not give up that precious passage4 ,i love the ,church of ,england1 because she has dared to claim her inheritance--because she has courage to assert herself as what she ought to be--,god's representative on earth4 ,she says to her minister1 ,stand there before a darkened spirit1 on whom the shadows of death have begun to fall3 in human flesh and blood representing the ,invisible1--with words of human love making credible the ,love ,eternal4 ,say boldly1 ,i am here to declare not a perhaps1 but a fact4 ,i forgive thee in the name of ,humanity4 ,and so far as ,humanity represents ,deity1 that forgiveness is a type of ,god's4 ,she does not put into her ministers' lips words of incantation4 ,he cannot bless whom ,god has not blessed--he cannot curse whom ,god has not cursed4 ,if the ,son of absolution be there1 his absolution will rest4 ,if you have ever tried the slow and apparently hopeless task of ministering to a heart diseased1 and binding up the wound that will bleed afresh1 to which no assurances can give comfort1 because they are not authoritative1 it must have crossed your mind that such a power as that which the ,church of ,england claims1 if it were believed1 is exactly the remedy you want4 ,you must have felt that even the formula of the ,church of ,rome would be a blessed power to exercise1 could it but once be accepted as a pledge that all the past was obliterated1 and that from that moment a free untainted future lay before the soul--you must have felt that2 you must have wished you had dared to say it4 ,my whole spirit has absolved my erring brother4 ,is ,god less merciful than ,i8 ,can ,i--dare ,i--say or think it conditionally8 ,dare ,i say1 ,i hope8 ,may ,i not1 must ,i not1 say1 ,i know ,god has forgiven you8 ,every man whose heart has truly bled over another's sin1 and watched another's remorse with pangs as sharp as if the crime had been his own1 has said it4 ,every parent has said it who ever received back a repentant daughter1 and opened out for her a new hope for life4 ,every mother has said it who ever by her hope against hope for some profligate1 protested for a love deeper and wider than that of society4 ,every man has said it who forgave a deep wrong4 ,see then1 why and how the church absolves4 ,she only exercises that power which belongs to every son of man4 ,if society were ,christian--if society1 by its forgiveness and its exclusion1 truly represented the mind of ,god--there would be no necessity for a ,church to speak2 but the absolution of society and the world does not represent by any means ,god's forgiveness4 ,society absolves those whom ,god has not absolved--the proud1 the selfish1 the strong1 the seducer2 society refuses return and acceptance to the seduced1 the frail1 and the sad penitent whom ,god has accepted2 therefore it is necessary that a selected body1 through its appointed organs1 should do in the name of ,man what man1 as such1 does not4 ,the ,church is the ideal of ,humanity4 ,it represents what ,god intended man to be--what man is in ,god's sight as beheld in ,christ by ,him2 and the minister of the ,church speaks as the representative of that ideal ,humanity4 ,church absolution is an eternal protest1 in the name of ,god the ,absolver1 against the false judgments of society4 ,one thing more4 ,beware of making this a dead formula4 ,if absolution be not a living truth1 it becomes a monstrous falsehood2 if you take absolution as a mystical gift conveyed to an individual man called a priest1 and mysteriously efficacious in his lips1 and his alone1 you petrify a truth into death and unreality4 ,i have been striving to show that absolution is not a ,church figment1 invented by priestcraft1 but a living1 blessed1 human power4 ,it is a power delegated to you and to me1 and just so far as we exercise it lovingly and wisely1 in our lives1 and with our lips1 we help men away from sin3 just so far as we do not exercise it1 or exercise it falsely1 we drive men to ,rome4 ,for if the heart cannot have a truth it will take a counterfeit of truth4 ,by every magnanimous act1 by every free forgiveness with which a pure man forgives1 or pleads for mercy1 or assures the penitent1 he proclaims this truth1 that the ,son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins--he exhibits the priestly power of humanity--he does absolve2 let theology say what it will of absolution1 he gives peace to the conscience--he is a type and assurance of what ,god is--he breaks the chains and lets the captive go free4 ,,vi4 ,preached ,june #i1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,illusiveness ,,of ,,life4 ,by faith ,abraham1 when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance1 obeyed2 and he went out1 not knowing whither he went4 ,by faith he sojourned in the land of promise1 as in a strange country1 dwelling in tabernacles with ,isaac and ,jacob1 the heirs with him of the same promise3 for he looked for a city which hath foundations1 whose builder and maker is ,god4--,hebrews xi4 #h-aj4 ,last ,sunday we touched upon a thought which deserves further development4 ,god promised ,canaan to ,abraham1 and yet ,abraham never inherited ,canaan3 to the last he was a wanderer there2 he had no possession of his own in its territory3 if he wanted even a tomb to bury his dead1 he could only obtain it by purchase4 ,this difficulty is expressly admitted in the text1 ,in the land of promise he sojourned as in a strange country2 he dwelt there in tents--in changeful1 moveable tabernacles--not permanent habitations2 he had no home there4 ,it is stated in all its startling force1 in terms still more explicit1 in the #gth chapter of the ,acts1 #eth verse1 ,and ,he gave him none inheritance in it1 no1 not so much as to set his foot on3 yet ,he promised that ,he would give it to him for a possession1 and to his seed after him1 when as yet he had no child4 ,now the surprising point is that ,abraham1 deceived1 as you might almost say1 did not complain of it as a deception2 he was even grateful for the non-fulfilment of the promise3 he does not seem to have expected its fulfilment2 he did not look for ,canaan1 but for a city which had foundations2 his faith appears to have consisted in disbelieving the letter1 almost as much as in believing the spirit of the promise4 ,and herein lies a principle1 which1 rightly expounded1 can help us to interpret this life of ours4 ,god's promises never are fulfilled in the sense in which they seem to have been given4 ,life is a deception2 its anticipations1 which are ,god's promises to the imagination1 are never realized2 they who know life best1 and have trusted ,god most to fill it with blessings1 are ever the first to say that life is a series of disappointments4 ,and in the spirit of this text we have to say that it is a wise and merciful arrangement which ordains it thus4 ,the wise and holy do not expect to find it otherwise--would not wish it otherwise2 their wisdom consists in disbelieving its promises4 ,to develope this idea would be a glorious task2 for to justify ,god's ways to man1 to expound the mysteriousness of our present being1 to interpret ,god1--is not this the very essence of the ministerial office8 ,all that ,i can hope however to-day1 is not to exhaust the subject1 but to furnish hints for thought4 ,over-statements may be made1 illustrations may be inadequate1 the new ground of an almost untrodden subject may be torn up too rudely2 but remember1 we are here to live and die2 in a few years it will be all over2 meanwhile1 what we have to do is to try to understand1 and to help one another to understand1 what it all means--what this strange and contradictory thing1 which we call ,life1 contains within it4 ,do not stop to ask therefore1 whether the subject was satisfactorily worked out2 let each man be satisfied to have received a germ of thought which he may develope better for himself4 ,i4 ,the deception of life's promise4 ,,ii4 ,the meaning of that deception4 ,let it be clearly understood in the first place1 the promise never was fulfilled4 ,i do not say the fulfilment was delayed4 ,i say it never was fulfilled4 ,abraham had a few feet of earth1 obtained by purchase--beyond that nothing2 he died a stranger and a pilgrim in the land4 ,isaac had a little4 ,so small was ,jacob's hold upon his country that the last years of his life were spent in ,egypt1 and he died a foreigner in a strange land4 ,his descendants came into the land of ,canaan1 expecting to find it a land flowing with milk and honey2 they found hard work to do--war and unrest1 instead of rest and peace4 ,during one brief period1 in the history of ,israel1 the promise may seem to have been fulfilled4 ,it was during the later years of ,david and the earlier years of ,solomon2 but we have the warrant of ,scripture itself for affirming1 that even then the promise was not fulfilled4 ,in the ,book of ,psalms1 ,david speaks of a hope of entering into a future rest4 ,the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 quoting this passage1 infers from it that ,god's promise had not been exhausted nor fulfilled1 by the entrance into ,canaan2 for he says1 ,if ,joshua had given them rest then would he not have spoken of another day4 ,again in this very chapter1 after a long list of ,hebrew saints--,these all died in faith1 not having received the promises4 ,to none therefore1 had the promise been fulfilled4 ,accordingly writers on prophecy1 in order to get over this difficulty1 take for granted that there must be a future fulfilment1 because the first was inadequate4 ,they who believe that the ,jews will be restored to their native land1 expect it on the express ground that ,canaan has never been actually and permanently theirs4 ,a certain tract of country--#cjj miles in length1 by #bjj in breadth--must be given1 or else they think the promise has been broken4 ,to quote the expression of one of the most eloquent of their writers1 ,if there be nothing yet future for ,israel1 then the magnificence of the promise has been lost in the poverty of its accomplishment4 ,i do not quote this to prove the correctness of the interpretation of the prophecy1 but as an acknowledgment which may be taken so far as a proof1 that the promise made to ,abraham has never been accomplished4 ,and such is life's disappointment4 ,its promise is1 you shall have a ,canaan2 it turns out to be a baseless airy dream--toil and warfare--nothing that we can call our own2 not the land of rest1 by any means4 ,but we will examine this in particulars4 #a4 ,our senses deceive us2 we begin life with delusion4 ,our senses deceive us with respect to distance1 shape1 and colour4 ,that which afar off seems oval1 turns out to be circular1 modified by the perspective of distance2 that which appears a speck1 upon nearer approach becomes a vast body4 ,to the earlier ages the stars presented the delusion of small lamps hung in space4 ,the beautiful berry proves to be bitter and poisonous3 that which apparently moves is really at rest3 that which seems to be stationary is in perpetual motion3 the earth moves3 the sun is still4 ,all experience is a correction of life's delusions--a modification1 a reversal of the judgment of the senses3 and all life is a lesson on the falsehood of appearances4 #b4 ,our natural anticipations deceive us--,i say natural in contra-distinction to extravagant expectations4 ,every human life is a fresh one1 bright with hopes that will never be realized4 ,there may be differences of character in these hopes2 finer spirits may look on life as the arena of successful deeds1 the more selfish as a place of personal enjoyment4 ,with man the turning point of life may be a profession--with woman1 marriage2 the one gilding the future with the triumphs of intellect1 the other with the dreams of affection2 but in every case1 life is not what any of them expects1 but something else4 ,it would almost seem a satire on existence to compare the youth in the outset of his career1 flushed and sanguine1 with the aspect of the same being when it is nearly done--worn1 sobered1 covered with the dust of life1 and confessing that its days have been few and evil4 ,where is the land flowing with milk and honey8 ,with our affections it is still worse1 because they promise more4 ,man's affections are but the tabernacles of ,canaan--the tents of a night2 not permanent habitations even for this life4 ,where are the charms of character1 the perfection1 and the purity1 and the truthfulness1 which seemed so resplendent in our friend8 ,they were only the shape of our own conceptions--our creative shaping intellect projected its own fantasies on him3 and hence we outgrow our early friendships2 outgrow the intensity of all3 we dwell in tents2 we never find a home1 even in the land of promise4 ,life is an unenjoyable ,canaan1 with nothing real or substantial in it4 #c4 ,our expectations1 resting on revelation1 deceive us4 ,the world's history has turned round two points of hope2 one1 the first--the other1 the second coming of the ,messiah4 ,the magnificent imagery of ,hebrew prophecy had described the advent of the ,conqueror2 ,he came--a root out of a dry ground1 with no form or comeliness2 and when they saw ,him there was no beauty in ,him that they should desire ,him4 ,the victory1 predicted in such glowing terms1 turned out to be the victory of ,submission--the ,law of our ,humanity1 which wins by gentleness and love4 ,the promise in the letter was unfulfilled4 ,for ages the world's hope has been the second advent4 ,the early church expected it in their own day4 ,we1 which are alive1 and remain until the coming of our ,lord4 ,the ,saviour ,himself had said1 ,this generation shall not pass till all things be fulfilled4 ,yet the ,son of ,man has never come2 or rather1 ,he has been ever coming4 ,unnumbered times the judgment eagles have gathered together over corruption ripe for condemnation4 ,times innumerable the separation has been made between good and bad4 ,the promise has not been fulfilled1 or it has been fulfilled1 but in either case anticipation has been foiled and disappointed4 ,there are two ways of considering this aspect of life4 ,one is the way of sentiment2 the other is the way of faith4 ,the sentimental way is trite enough4 ,saint1 sage1 sophist1 moralist1 and preacher1 have repeated in every possible image1 till there is nothing new to say1 that life is a bubble1 a dream1 a delusion1 a phantasm4 ,the other is the way of faith3 the ancient saints felt as keenly as any moralist could feel the brokenness of its promises2 they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims here2 they said that they had here no continuing city2 but they did not mournfully moralize on this2 they said it cheerfully1 and rejoiced that it was so4 ,they felt that all was right2 they knew that the promise itself had a deeper meaning3 they looked undauntedly for a city which hath foundations4 ,,ii4 ,the second inquiry1 therefore1 is the meaning of this delusiveness4 #a4 ,it serves to allure us on4 ,suppose that a spiritual promise had been made at first to ,israel2 imagine that they had been informed at the outset that ,god's rest is inward2 that the promised land is only found in the ,jerusalem which is above--not material1 but immaterial4 ,that rude1 gross people1 yearning after the fleshpots of ,egypt--willing to go back into slavery1 so as only they might have enough to eat and drink--would they have quitted ,egypt on such terms8 ,would they have begun one single step of that pilgrimage1 which was to find its meaning in the discipline of ages8 ,we are led through life as we are allured upon a journey4 ,could a man see his route before him--a flat1 straight road1 unbroken by bush1 or tree1 or eminence1 with the sun's heat burning down upon it1 stretched out in dreary monotony--he could scarcely find energy to begin his task2 but the uncertainty of what may be seen beyond the next turn keeps expectation alive4 ,the view that may be seen from yonder summit--the glimpse that may be caught perhaps1 as the road winds round yonder knoll--hopes like these1 not far distant1 beguile the traveller on from mile to mile1 and from league to league4 ,in fact1 life is an education4 ,the object for which you educate your son is to give him strength of purpose1 self-command1 discipline of mental energies2 but you do not reveal to your son this aim of his education2 you tell him of his place in his class1 of the prizes at the end of the year1 of the honours to be given at college4 ,these are not the true incentives to knowledge1 such incentives are not the highest--they are even mean1 and partially injurious2 yet these mean incentives stimulate and lead on1 from day to day and from year to year1 by a process the principle of which the boy himself is not aware of4 ,so does ,god lead on1 through life's unsatisfying and false reward1 ever educating3 ,canaan first2 then the hope of a ,redeemer2 then the millennial glory4 ,now what is remarkable in this is1 that the delusion continued to the last2 they all died in faith1 not having received the promises2 all were hoping up to the very last1 and all died in faith--not in realization2 for thus ,god has constituted the human heart4 ,it never will be believed that this world is unreal4 ,god has mercifully so arranged it1 that the idea of delusion is incredible4 ,you may tell the boy or girl as you will that life is a disappointment2 yet however you may persuade them to adopt your tone1 and catch the language of your sentiment1 they are both looking forward to some bright distant hope--the rapture of the next vacation1 or the unknown joys of the next season--and throwing into it an energy of expectation which only a whole eternity is worth4 ,you may tell the man who has received the heart-shock which in this world1 he will not recover1 that life has nothing left2 yet the stubborn heart still hopes on1 ever near the prize--wealthiest when most undone3 he has reaped the whirlwind1 but he will go on still1 till life is over1 sowing the wind4 ,now observe the beautiful result which comes from this indestructible power of believing in spite of failure4 ,in the first centuries1 the early ,christians believed that the millennial advent was close2 they heard the warning of the apostle1 brief and sharp1 ,the time is short4 ,now suppose that1 instead of this1 they had seen all the dreary page of ,church history unrolled2 suppose that they had known that after two thousand years the world would have scarcely spelled out three letters of the meaning of ,christianity1 where would have been those gigantic efforts1--that life spent as on the very brink of eternity1 which characterize the days of the early ,church1--and which was after all1 only the true life of man in time8 ,it is thus that ,god has led on ,his world4 ,he has conducted it as a father leads his child1 when the path homeward lies over many a dreary league4 ,he suffers him to beguile the thought of time1 by turning aside to pluck now and then a flower1 to chase now a butterfly2 the butterfly is crushed1 the flower fades1 but the child is so much nearer home1 invigorated and full of health1 and scarcely wearied yet4 #b4 ,this non-fulfilment of promise fulfils it in a deeper way4 ,the account we have given already1 were it to end there1 would be insufficient to excuse the failure of life's promise2 by saying that it allures us would be really to charge ,god with deception4 ,now life is not deception1 but illusion4 ,we distinguish between illusion and delusion4 ,we may paint wood so as to be taken for stone1 iron1 or marble2 this is delusion3 but you may paint a picture1 in which rocks1 trees1 and sky are never mistaken for what they seem1 yet produce all the emotion which real rocks1 trees1 and sky would produce4 ,this is illusion1 and this is the painter's art3 never for one moment to deceive by attempted imitation1 but to produce a mental state in which the feelings are suggested which the natural objects themselves would create4 ,let us take an instance drawn from life4 ,to a child a rainbow is a real thing--substantial and palpable2 its limb rests on the side of yonder hill2 he believes that he can appropriate it to himself2 and when1 instead of gems and gold hid in its radiant bow1 he finds nothing but damp mist--cold1 dreary drops of disappointment--that disappointment tells that his belief has been delusion4 ,to the educated man that bow is a blessed illusion1 yet it never once deceives2 he does not take it for what it is not1 he does not expect to make it his own2 he feels its beauty as much as the child could feel it1 nay infinitely more--more even from the fact that he knows that it will be transient2 but besides and beyond this1 to him it presents a deeper loveliness2 he knows the laws of light1 and the laws of the human soul which gave it being4 ,he has linked it with the laws of the universe1 and with the invisible mind of ,god2 and it brings to him a thrill of awe1 and the sense of a mysterious1 nameless beauty1 of which the child did not conceive4 ,it is illusion still2 but it has fulfilled the promise4 ,in the realm of spirit1 in the temple of the soul1 it is the same4 ,all is illusion2 but we look for a city which hath foundations2 and in this the promise is fulfilled4 ,and such was ,canaan to the ,israelites4 ,to some doubtless it was delusion4 ,they expected to find their reward in a land of milk and honey4 ,they were bitterly disappointed1 and expressed their disappointment loudly enough in their murmurs against ,moses1 and their rebellion against his successors4 ,but to others1 as to ,abraham1 ,canaan was the bright illusion which never deceived1 but for ever shone before as the type of something more real4 ,and even taking the promise literally1 though they built in tents1 and could not call a foot of land their own1 was not its beauty theirs8 ,were not its trellised vines1 and glorious pastures1 and rich olive-fields1 ministers to the enjoyment of those who had all in ,god1 though its milk1 and oil1 and honey1 could not be enjoyed with exclusiveness of appropriation8 ,yet over and above and beyond this1 there was a more blessed fulfilment of the promise2 there was a city which had foundations--built and made by ,god--toward which the anticipation of this ,canaan was leading them4 ,the ,kingdom of ,god was forming in their souls1 for ever disappointing them by the unreal1 and teaching them that what is spiritual1 and belongs to mind and character alone can be eternal4 ,we will illustrate this principle from the common walks of life4 ,the principle is1 that the reward we get is not the reward for which we worked1 but a deeper one2 deeper and more permanent4 ,the merchant labours all his life1 and the hope which leads him on is perhaps wealth3 well1 at sixty years of age he attains wealth2 is that the reward of sixty years of toil8 ,ten years of enjoyment1 when the senses can enjoy no longer--a country seat1 splendid plate1 a noble establishment8 ,oh1 no6 a reward deeper than he dreamed of4 ,habits of perseverance3 a character trained by industry3 that is his reward4 ,he was carried on from year to year by1 if he were wise1 illusion2 if he were unwise1 delusion2 but he reaped a more enduring substance in himself4 ,take another instance3 the public man1 warrior1 or statesman1 who has served his country1 and complains at last in bitter disappointment1 that his country has not fulfilled his expectations in rewarding him--that is1 it has not given him titles1 honours1 wealth4 ,but titles1 honours1 wealth--are these the rewards of well-doing8 can they reward it8 would it be well-doing if they could8 ,to be such a man1 to have the power of doing such deeds1 what could be added to that reward by having8 ,this same apparent contradiction1 which was found in ,judaism1 subsists too in ,christianity2 we will state it in the words of an apostle3 ,godliness is profitable for all things2 having the promise of the life that now is1 as well as of that which is to come4 ,now for the fulfilment3 ,if in this life only we have hope in ,christ1 then are we of all men most miserable4 ,godliness is profitable2 but its profit it appears1 consists in finding that all is loss3 yet in this way you teach your son4 ,you will tell him that if he will be good all men will love him4 ,you say that ,honesty is the best policy4 yet in your heart of hearts you know that you are leading him on by a delusion4 ,christ was good4 ,was he loved by all8 ,in proportion as he--your son--is like ,christ1 he will be loved1 not by the many1 but by the few4 ,honesty is not the best policy2 the commonplace honesty of the market-place may be--the vulgar honesty which goes no further than paying debts accurately2 but that transparent ,christian honesty of a life which in every act is bearing witness to the truth1 that is not the way to get on in life--the reward of such a life is the ,cross4 ,yet you were right in teaching your son this3 you told him what was true2 truer than he could comprehend4 ,it is better to be honest and good2 better than he can know or dream3 better even in this life2 better by so much as being good is better than having good4 ,but1 in a rude coarse way1 you must express the blessedness on a level with his capacity2 you must state the truth in a way which he will inevitably interpret falsely4 ,the true interpretation nothing but experience can teach4 ,and this is what ,god does4 ,his promises are true1 though illusive2 far truer than we at first take them to be4 ,we work for a mean1 low1 sensual happiness1 all the while ,he is leading us on to a spiritual blessedness--unfathomably deep4 ,this is the life of faith4 ,we live by faith1 and not by sight4 ,we do not preach that all is disappointment--the dreary creed of sentimentalism2 but we preach that nothing here is disappointment1 if rightly understood4 ,we do not comfort the poor man1 by saying that the riches that he has not now he will have hereafter--the difference between himself and the man of wealth being only this1 that the one has for time what the other will have for eternity2 but what we say is1 that that which you have failed in reaping here1 you never will reap1 if you expected the harvest of ,canaan4 ,god has no ,canaan for ,his own2 no milk and honey for the luxury of the senses3 for the city which hath foundations is built in the soul of man4 ,he in whom ,godlike character dwells1 has all the universe for his own--,all things1 saith the apostle1 are yours2 whether life or death1 or things present1 or things to come2 if ye be ,christ's1 then are ye ,abraham's seed1 and heirs according to the promise4 ,,vii4 ,preached ,june #bc1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,of ,,christ4 ,for the love of ,christ constraineth us2 because we thus judge1 that if one died for all1 then were all dead2 and that ,he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves1 but unto ,him which died for them1 and rose again4--#b ,corinthians v4 #ad1 #ae4 ,it may be1 that in reading these verses some of us have understood them in a sense foreign to that of the apostle4 ,it may have seemed that the arguments ran thus--,because ,christ died upon the cross for all1 therefore all must have been in a state of spiritual death before2 and if they were asked what doctrines are to be elicited from this passage they would reply1 the doctrine of universal depravity1 and the constraining power of the gratitude due to ,him who died to redeem us from it4 ,there is1 however1 in the first place1 this fatal objection to such an interpretation1 that the death here spoken of is used in two diametrically opposite senses4 ,in reference to ,christ1 death literal--in reference to all1 death spiritual4 ,now1 in the thought of ,st4 ,paul1 the death of ,christ was always viewed as liberation from the power of evil3 in that he died1 he died unto sin once1 and again1 he that is dead is free from sin4 ,the literal death then in one clause1 means freedom from sin2 the spiritual death of the next is slavery to it4 ,wherein then1 lies the cogency of the apostle's reasoning8 ,how does it follow that because ,christ died to evil1 all before that must have died to ,god8 ,of course that doctrine is true in itself1 but it is not the doctrine of the text4 ,in the next place1 the ambiguity belongs only to the ,english word--it is impossible to make the mistake in the original3 the word which stands for were1 is a word which does not imply a continued state1 but must imply a single finished act4 ,it cannot by any possibility imply that before the death of ,christ men were in a state of death--it can only mean1 they became dead at the moment when ,christ died4 ,if you read it thus1 the meaning of the ,english will emerge--if one died for all1 then all died2 and the apostle's argument runs thus1 that if one acts as the representative of all1 then his act is the act of all4 ,if the ambassador of a nation makes reparation in a nation's name1 or does homage for a nation1 that reparation1 or that homage1 is the nation's act--if one did it for all1 then all did it4 ,so that instead of inferring that because ,christ died for all1 therefore before that all were dead to ,god1 his natural inference is that therefore all are now dead to sin4 ,once more1 the conclusion of the apostle is exactly the reverse of that which this interpretation attributes to him3 he does not say that ,christ died in order that men might not die1 but exactly for this very purpose1 that they might die2 and this death he represents in the next verse by an equivalent expression--the life of unselfishness3 that they which live might henceforth live not unto themselves4 ,the dead of the first verse are they that live of the second4 ,the form of thought finds its exact parallel in ,romans vi4 #aj1 #aa4 ,two points claim our attention3-- ,i4 ,the vicarious sacrifice of ,christ4 ,,ii4 ,the influence of that sacrifice on man4 ,i4 ,the vicariousness of the sacrifice is implied in the word for4 ,a vicarious act is an act done for another4 ,when the ,pope calls himself the vicar of ,christ1 he implies that he acts for ,christ4 ,the vicar or viceroy of a kingdom is one who acts for the king--a vicar's act therefore is virtually the act of the principal whom he represents2 so that if the ,papal doctrine were true1 when the vicar of ,christ pardons1 ,christ has pardoned4 ,when the viceroy of a kingdom has published a proclamation or signed a treaty1 the sovereign himself is bound by those acts4 ,the truth of the expression for all1 is contained in this fact1 that ,christ is the representative of ,humanity--properly speaking1 the representative of human nature4 ,this is the truth contained in the emphatic expression1 ,son of ,man4 ,what ,christ did for ,humanity was done by ,humanity1 because in the name of ,humanity4 ,for a truly vicarious act does not supersede the principal's duty of performance1 but rather implies and acknowledges it4 ,take the case from which this very word of vicar has received its origin4 ,in the old monastic times1 when the revenues of a cathedral or a cure fell to the lot of a monastery1 it became the duty of that monastery to perform the religious services of the cure4 ,but inasmuch as the monastery was a corporate body1 they appointed one of their number1 whom they denominated their vicar1 to discharge those offices for them4 ,his service did not supersede theirs1 but was a perpetual and standing acknowledgement that they1 as a whole and individually1 were under the obligation to perform it4 ,the act of ,christ is the act of ,humanity--that which all ,humanity is bound to do4 ,his righteousness does not supersede our righteousness1 nor does ,his sacrifice supersede our sacrifice4 ,it is the representation of human life and human sacrifice--vicarious for all1 yet binding upon all4 ,that ,he died for all is true-- #a4 ,because ,he was the victim of the sin of all4 ,in the peculiar phraseology of ,st4 ,paul1 he died unto sin4 ,he was the victim of ,sin--,he died by sin4 ,it is the appalling mystery of our redemption that the ,redeemer took the attitude of subjection to evil4 ,there was scarcely a form of evil with which ,christ did not come in contact1 and by which ,he did not suffer4 ,he was the victim of false friendship and ingratitude1 the victim of bad government and injustice4 ,he fell a sacrifice to the vices of all classes--to the selfishness of the rich and the fickleness of the poor3--intolerance1 formalism1 scepticism1 hatred of goodness1 were the foes which crushed ,him4 ,in the proper sense of the word ,he was a victim4 ,he did not adroitly wind through the dangerous forms of evil1 meeting it with expedient silence4 ,face to face1 and front to front1 ,he met it1 rebuked it1 and defied it2 and just as truly as he is a voluntary victim whose body opposing the progress of the car of ,juggernaut is crushed beneath its monstrous wheels1 was ,he a victim to the world's sin3 because pure1 ,he was crushed by impurity2 because just and real and true1 ,he waked up the rage of injustice1 hypocrisy1 and falsehood4 ,now this sin was the sin of all4 ,here arises at once a difficulty3 it seems to be most unnatural to assert that in any one sense ,he was the sacrifice of the sin of all4 ,we did not betray ,him--that was ,judas's act--,peter denied ,him--,thomas doubted--,pilate pronounced sentence--it must be a figment to say that these were our acts2 we did not watch ,him like the ,pharisees1 nor circumvent ,him like the ,scribes and lawyers2 by what possible sophistry can we be involved in the complicity of that guilt8 ,the savage of ,new ,zealand who never heard of ,him1 the learned ,egyptian and the voluptuous ,assyrian who died before ,he came2 how was it the sin of all8 ,the reply that is often given to this query is wonderfully unreal4 ,it is assumed that ,christ was conscious1 by ,his ,omniscience1 of the sins of all mankind2 that the duplicity of the child1 and the crime of the assassin1 and every unholy thought that has ever passed through a human bosom1 were present to ,his mind in that awful hour as if they were ,his own4 ,this is utterly unscriptural4 ,where is the single text from which it can be1 except by force1 extracted8 ,besides this1 it is fanciful and sentimental2 and again it is dangerous1 for it represents the whole ,atonement as a fictitious and shadowy transaction4 ,there is a mental state in which men have felt the burthen of sins which they did not commit4 ,there have been cases in which men have been mysteriously excruciated with the thought of having committed the unpardonable sin4 ,but to represent the mental phenomena of the ,redeemer's mind as in any way resembling this--to say that ,his conscience was oppressed with the responsibility of sins which ,he had not committed--is to confound a state of sanity with the delusions of a half lucid mind1 and the workings of a healthy conscience with those of one unnatural and morbid4 ,there is a way however1 much more appalling and much more true1 in which this may be true1 without resorting to any such fanciful hypothesis4 ,sin has a great power in this world3 it gives laws like those of a sovereign1 which bind us all1 and to which we are all submissive4 ,there are current maxims in church and state1 in society1 in trade1 in law1 to which we yield obedience4 ,for this obedience every one is responsible2 for instance in trade1 and in the profession of law1 every one is the servant of practices the rectitude of which his heart can only half approve--every one complains of them1 yet all are involved in them4 ,now1 when such sins reach their climax1 as in the case of national bankruptcy or an unjust acquittal1 there may be some who are in a special sense1 the actors in the guilt2 but evidently1 for the bankruptcy1 each member of the community is responsible in that degree and so far as he himself acquiesced in the duplicities of public dealing2 every careless juror1 every unrighteous judge1 every false witness1 has done his part in the reduction of society to that state in which the monster injustice has been perpetrated4 ,in the riot of a tumultuous assembly by night1 a house may be burnt1 or a murder committed2 in the eye of the law1 all who are aiding and abetting there are each in his degree responsible for that crime2 there may be difference in guilt1 from the degree in which he is guilty who with his own hand perpetrated the deed1 to that of him who merely joined the rabble from mischievous curiosity--degrees from that of wilful murder to that of more or less excusable homicide4 ,the ,pharisees were declared by the ,saviour to be guilty of the blood of ,zacharias1 the blood of righteous ,abel1 and of all the saints and prophets who fell before ,he came4 ,but how were the ,pharisees guilty8 ,they built the sepulchres of the prophets1 they honoured and admired them2 but they were guilty1 in that they were the children of those that slew the prophets2 children in this sense1 that they inherited their spirit1 they opposed the good in the form in which it showed itself in their day1 just as their fathers opposed the form displayed to theirs2 therefore ,he said that they belonged to the same confederacy of evil1 and that the guilt of the blood of all who had been slain should rest on that generation4 ,similarly we are guilty of the death of ,christ4 ,if you have been a false friend1 a sceptic1 a cowardly disciple1 a formalist1 selfish1 an opposer of goodness1 an oppressor1 whatever evil you have done1 in that degree and so far you participate in the evil to which the ,just ,one fell a victim--you are one of that mighty rabble which cry1 ,crucify ,him1 ,crucify ,him6 for your sin ,he died2 ,his blood lies at your threshold4 ,again1 ,he died for all1 in that ,his sacrifice represents the sacrifice of all4 ,we have heard of the doctrine of imputed righteousness2 it is a theological expression to which meanings foolish enough are sometimes attributed1 but it contains a very deep truth1 which it shall be our endeavour to elicit4 ,christ is the realized idea of our ,humanity4 ,he is ,god's idea of ,man completed4 ,there is every difference between the ideal and the actual--between what a man aims to be and what he is2 a difference between the race as it is1 and the race as it existed in ,god's creative idea when he pronounced it very good4 ,in ,christ1 therefore1 ,god beholds ,humanity2 in ,christ ,he sees perfected every one in whom ,christ's spirit exists in germ4 ,he to whom the possible is actual1 to whom what will be already is1 sees all things present1 gazes on the imperfect1 and sees it in its perfection4 ,let me venture an illustration4 ,he who has never seen the vegetable world except in ,arctic regions1 has but a poor idea of the majesty of vegetable life1--a microscopic red moss tinting the surface of the snow1 a few stunted pines1 and here and there perhaps a dwindled oak2 but to the botanist who has seen the luxuriance of vegetation in its tropical magnificence1 all that wretched scene presents another aspect2 to him those dwarfs are the representatives of what might be1 nay1 what has been in a kindlier soil and a more genial climate2 he fills up by his conception the miserable actuality presented by these shrubs1 and attributes to them--imputes1 that is1 to them--the majesty of which the undeveloped germ exists already4 ,now the difference between those trees seen in themselves1 and seen in the conception of their nature's perfectness which has been previously realized1 is the difference between man seen in himself and seen in ,christ4 ,we are feeble1 dwarfish1 stunted specimens of ,humanity4 ,our best resolves are but withered branches1 our holiest deeds unripe and blighted fruit2 but to the ,infinite ,eye1 who sees in the perfect ,one the type and assurance of that which shall be1 this dwindled ,humanity of ours is divine and glorious4 ,such are we in the sight of ,god the ,father as is the very ,son of ,god ,himself4 ,this is what theologians1 at least the wisest of them1 meant by imputed righteousness4 ,i do not mean that all who have written or spoken on the subject had this conception of it1 but ,i believe they who thought truly meant this2 they did not suppose that in imputing righteousness there was a kind of figment1 a self-deception in the mind of ,god2 they did not mean that by an act of will ,he chose to consider that every act which ,christ did was done by us2 that ,he imputed or reckoned to us the baptism in ,jordan and the victory in the wilderness1 and the agony in the garden1 or that ,he believed1 or acted as if ,he believed1 that when ,christ died1 each one of us died3 but ,he saw ,humanity submitted to the law of self-sacrifice2 in the light of that idea ,he beholds us as perfect1 and is satisfied4 ,in this sense the apostle speaks of those that are imperfect1 yet by one offering ,he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified4 ,it is true again1 that ,he died for us1 in that we present ,his sacrifice as ours4 ,the value of the death of ,christ consisted in the surrender of self-will4 ,in the fortieth ,psalm1 the value of every other kind of sacrifice being first denied1 the words follow1 then said ,i1 ,lo1 ,i come to do thy will1 ,o ,god4 ,the profound idea contained1 therefore1 in the death of ,christ is the duty of self-surrender4 ,but in us that surrender scarcely deserves the name2 even to use the word self-sacrifice covers us with a kind of shame4 ,then it is that there is an almost boundless joy in acquiescing in the life and death of ,christ1 recognizing it as ours1 and representing it to ourselves and ,god as what we aim at4 ,if we cannot understand how in this sense it can be a sacrifice for us1 we may partly realize it by remembering the joy of feeling how art and nature realize for us what we cannot realize for ourselves4 ,it is recorded of one of the world's gifted painters that he stood before the master-piece of the great genius of his age--one which he could never hope to equal1 nor even rival--and yet the infinite superiority1 so far from crushing him1 only elevated his feeling1 for he saw realized those conceptions which had floated before him1 dim and unsubstantial2 in every line and touch he felt a spirit immeasurably superior yet kindred1 and he is reported to have exclaimed1 with dignified humility1 ,and ,i too am a painter6 ,we must all have felt1 when certain effects in nature1 combinations of form and colour1 have been presented to us1 our own idea speaking in intelligible and yet celestial language2 when for instance1 the long bars of purple1 edged with intolerable radiance1 seemed to float in a sea of pale pure green1 when the whole sky seemed to reel with thunder1 when the night wind moaned4 ,it is wonderful how the most commonplace men and women1 beings who1 as you would have thought1 had no conception that rose beyond a commercial speculation1 or a fashionable entertainment1 are elevated by such scenes2 how the slumbering grandeur of their nature wakes and acknowledges kindred with the sky and storm4 ,i cannot speak1 they would say1 the feelings which are in me2 ,i have had emotions1 aspirations1 thoughts2 ,i cannot put them into words4 ,look there6 listen now to the storm6 ,that is what ,i meant1 only ,i never could say it out till now4 ,thus do art and nature speak for us1 and thus do we adopt them as our own4 ,this is the way in which ,his righteousness becomes righteousness for us4 ,this is the way in which the heart presents to ,god the sacrifice of ,christ2 gazing on that perfect ,life we1 as it were1 say1 ,there1 that is my religion--that is my righteousness--what ,i want to be1 which ,i am not--that is my offering1 my life as ,i would wish to give it1 freely and not checked1 entire and perfect4 ,so the old prophets1 their hearts big with unutterable thoughts1 searched what or what manner of time the spirit of ,christ which was in them did signify1 when it testified beforehand of the sufferings of ,christ1 and of the glory which should follow2 and so with us1 until it passes into prayer3 ,my ,saviour1 fill up the blurred and blotted sketch which my clumsy hand has drawn of a divine life1 with the fullness of ,thy perfect picture4 ,i feel the beauty which ,i cannot realize3--robe me in ,thine unutterable purity3-- ,rock of ages cleft for me1 ,let me hide myself in ,thee4 ,,ii4 ,the influence of that ,sacrifice on man is the introduction of the principle of self-sacrifice into his nature1--then were all dead4 ,observe again1 not ,he died that we might not die1 but that in ,his death we might be dead1 and that in ,his sacrifice we might become each a sacrifice to ,god4 ,moreover1 this death is identical with life4 ,they who in the first sentence1 are called dead1 are in the second denominated they who live4 ,so in another place1 ,i am crucified with ,christ1 nevertheless ,i live2 death1 therefore--that is the sacrifice of self--is equivalent to life4 ,now1 this rests upon a profound truth4 ,the death of ,christ was a representation of the life of ,god4 ,to me this is the profoundest of all truths1 that the whole of the life of ,god is the sacrifice of self4 ,god is ,love2 love is sacrifice--to give rather than to receive--the blessedness of self-giving4 ,if the life of ,god were not such it would be a falsehood1 to say that ,god is ,love2 for even in our human nature1 that which seeks to enjoy all instead of giving all1 is known by a very different name from that of love4 ,all the life of ,god is a flow of this divine self-giving charity4 ,creation itself is sacrifice--the self-impartation of the divine ,being4 ,redemption too1 is sacrifice1 else it could not be love2 for which reason we will not surrender one iota of the truth that the death of ,christ was the sacrifice of ,god--the manifestation once in time of that which is the eternal law of ,his life4 ,if man therefore1 is to rise into the life of ,god1 he must be absorbed into the spirit of that sacrifice--he must die with ,christ if he would enter into his proper life4 ,for sin is the withdrawing into self and egotism1 out of the vivifying life of ,god1 which alone is our true life4 ,the moment the man sins he dies4 ,know we not how awfully true that sentence is1 ,sin revived1 and ,i died8 ,the vivid life of sin is the death of the man4 ,have we never felt that our true existence has absolutely in that moment disappeared1 and that we are not8 ,i say therefore1 that real human life is a perpetual completion and repetition of the sacrifice of ,christ--all are dead2 the explanation of which follows1 to live not to themselves1 but to ,him who died for them and rose again4 ,this is the truth which lies at the bottom of the ,romish doctrine of the mass4 ,rome asserts that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is offered up for the sins of all--that the offering of ,christ is for ever repeated4 ,to this ,protestantism has objected vehemently1 that there is but one offering once offered--an objection in itself entirely true2 yet the ,romish doctrine contains a truth which it is of importance to disengage from the gross and material form with which it has been overlaid4 ,let us hear ,st4 ,paul1 ,i fill up that which is behindhand of the sufferings of ,christ1 in my flesh1 for ,his body's sake1 which is the ,church4 ,was there then1 something behindhand of ,christ's sufferings remaining uncompleted1 of which the sufferings of ,paul could be in any sense the complement8 ,he says there was4 ,could the sufferings of ,paul for the ,church in any form of correct expression be said to eke out the sufferings that were complete8 ,in one sense it is true to say that there is one offering once offered for all4 ,but it is equally true to say that that one offering is valueless1 except so far as it is completed and repeated in the life and self-offering of all4 ,this is the ,christian's sacrifice4 ,not mechanically completed in the miserable materialism of the mass1 but spiritually in the life of all in whom the ,crucified lives4 ,the sacrifice of ,christ is done over again in every life which is lived1 not to self but1 to ,god4 ,let one concluding observation be made--self-denial1 self-sacrifice1 self-surrender6 ,hard doctrines1 and impossible6 ,whereupon1 in silent hours1 we sceptically ask1 ,is this possible8 is it natural8 ,let preacher and moralist say what they will1 ,i am not here to sacrifice myself for others4 ,god sent me here for happiness1 not misery4 ,now introduce one sentence of this text of which we have as yet said nothing1 and the dark doctrine becomes illuminated--the love of ,christ constraineth us4 ,self-denial1 for the sake of self-denial1 does no good2 self-sacrifice for its own sake is no religious act at all4 ,if you give up a meal for the sake of showing power over self1 or for the sake of self-discipline1 it is the most miserable of all delusions4 ,you are not more religious in doing this than before4 ,this is mere self-culture1 and self-culture being occupied for ever about self1 leaves you only in that circle of self from which religion is to free you2 but to give up a meal that one you love may have it1 is properly a religious act--no hard and dismal duty1 because made easy by affection4 ,to bear pain for the sake of bearing it has in it no moral quality at all1 but to bear it rather than surrender truth1 or in order to save another1 is positive enjoyment as well as ennobling to the soul4 ,did you ever receive even a blow meant for another in order to shield that other8 ,do you not know that there was actual pleasure in the keen pain far beyond the most rapturous thrill of nerve which could be gained from pleasure in the midst of painlessness8 ,is not the mystic yearning of love expressed in words most purely thus1 ,let me suffer for him8 ,this element of love is that which makes this doctrine an intelligible and blessed truth4 ,so sacrifice alone1 bare and unrelieved1 is ghastly1 unnatural1 and dead2 but self-sacrifice1 illuminated by love1 is warmth and life2 it is the death of ,christ1 the life of ,god1 the blessedness1 and only proper life of man4 ,,viii4 ,preached ,june #cj1 #ahej4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,sorrow4 ,now ,i rejoice1 not that ye were made sorry1 but that ye sorrowed to repentance3 for ye were made sorry after a godly manner1 that ye might receive damage by us in nothing4 ,for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of3 but the sorrow of the world worketh death4--#b ,corinthians vii4 #i1 #aj4 ,that which is chiefly insisted on in this verse1 is the distinction between sorrow and repentance4 ,to grieve over sin is one thing1 to repent of it is another4 ,the apostle rejoiced1 not that the ,corinthians sorrowed1 but that they sorrowed unto repentance4 ,sorrow has two results2 it may end in spiritual life1 or in spiritual death2 and in themselves1 one of these is as natural as the other4 ,sorrow may produce two kinds of reformation--a transient1 or a permanent one--an alteration in habits1 which originating in emotion1 will last so long as that emotion continues1 and then after a few fruitless efforts1 be given up1--a repentance which will be repented of2 or again1 a permanent change1 which will be reversed by no after thought--a repentance not to be repented of4 ,sorrow is in itself1 therefore1 a thing neither good nor bad3 its value depends on the spirit of the person on whom it falls4 ,fire will inflame straw1 soften iron1 or harden clay2 its effects are determined by the object with which it comes in contact4 ,warmth developes the energies of life1 or helps the progress of decay4 ,it is a great power in the hot-house1 a great power also in the coffin2 it expands the leaf1 matures the fruit1 adds precocious vigour to vegetable life3 and warmth too developes1 with tenfold rapidity1 the weltering process of dissolution4 ,so too with sorrow4 ,there are spirits in which it developes the seminal principle of life2 there are others in which it prematurely hastens the consummation of irreparable decay4 ,our subject therefore is the twofold power of sorrow4 ,i4 ,the fatal power of the sorrow of the world4 ,,ii4 ,the life-giving power of the sorrow that is after ,god4 ,the simplest way in which the sorrow of the world works death1 is seen in the effect of mere regret for worldly loss4 ,there are certain advantages with which we come into the world4 ,youth1 health1 friends1 and sometimes property4 ,so long as these are continued we are happy2 and because happy1 fancy ourselves very grateful to ,god4 ,we bask in the sunshine of ,his gifts1 and this pleasant sensation of sunning ourselves in life we call religion2 that state in which we all are before sorrow comes1 to test the temper of the metal of which our souls are made1 when the spirits are unbroken and the heart buoyant1 when a fresh morning is to a young heart what it is to the skylark4 ,the exuberant burst of joy seems a spontaneous hymn to the ,father of all blessing1 like the matin carol of the bird2 but this is not religion3 it is the instinctive utterance of happy feeling1 having as little of moral character in it1 in the happy human being1 as in the happy bird4 ,nay more--the religion which is only sunned into being by happiness1 is a suspicious thing3 having been warmed by joy1 it will become cold when joy is over2 and then when these blessings are removed1 we count ourselves hardly treated1 as if we had been defrauded of a right2 rebellious hard feelings come2 then it is you see people become bitter1 spiteful1 discontented4 ,at every step in the solemn path of life1 something must be mourned which will come back no more2 the temper that was so smooth becomes rugged and uneven2 the benevolence that expanded upon all1 narrows into an ever dwindling selfishness--we are alone2 and then that death-like loneliness deepens as life goes on4 ,the course of man is downwards1 and he moves with slow and ever more solitary steps1 down to the dark silence--the silence of the grave4 ,this is the death of heart2 the sorrow of the world has worked death4 ,again there is a sorrow of the world1 when sin is grieved for in a worldly spirit4 ,there are two views of sin3 in one it is looked upon as wrong--in the other1 as producing loss--loss for example1 of character4 ,in such cases1 if character could be preserved before the world1 grief would not come2 but the paroxysms of misery fall upon our proud spirit when our guilt is made public4 ,the most distinct instance we have of this is in the life of ,saul4 ,in the midst of his apparent grief1 the thing still uppermost was that he had forfeited his kingly character3 almost the only longing was1 that ,samuel should honour him before his people4 ,and hence it comes to pass1 that often remorse and anguish only begin with exposure4 ,suicide takes place1 not when the act of wrong is done1 but when the guilt is known1 and hence too1 many a one becomes hardened who would otherwise have remained tolerably happy2 in consequence of which we blame the exposure1 not the guilt2 we say if it had hushed up1 all would have been well2 that the servant who robbed his master was ruined by taking away his character2 and that if the sin had been passed over1 repentance might have taken place1 and he might have remained a respectable member of society4 ,do not think so4 ,it is quite true that remorse was produced by exposure1 and that the remorse was fatal2 the sorrow which worked death arose from that exposure1 and so far exposure may be called the cause3 had it never taken place1 respectability1 and comparative peace1 might have continued2 but outward respectability is not change of heart4 ,it is well known that the corpse has been preserved for centuries in the iceberg1 or in antiseptic peat2 and that when atmospheric air was introduced to the exposed surface it crumbled into dust4 ,exposure worked dissolution1 but it only manifested the death which was already there2 so with sorrow1 it is not the living heart which drops to pieces1 or crumbles into dust1 when it is revealed4 ,exposure did not work death in the ,corinthian sinner1 but life4 ,there is another form of grief for sin1 which the apostle would not have rejoiced to see2 it is when the hot tears come from pride4 ,no two tones of feeling1 apparently similar1 are more unlike than that in which ,saul exclaimed1 ,i have played the fool exceedingly1 and that in which the ,publican cried out1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,the charge of folly brought against oneself only proves that we feel bitterly for having lost our own self-respect4 ,it is a humiliation to have forfeited the idea which a man had formed of his own character--to find that the very excellence on which he prided himself1 is the one in which he has failed4 ,if there were a virtue for which ,saul was conspicuous1 it was generosity2 yet it was exactly in this point of generosity in which he discovered himself to have failed1 when he was overtaken on the mountain1 and his life spared by the very man whom he was hunting to the death1 with feelings of the meanest jealousy4 ,yet there was no real repentance there2 there was none of that in which a man is sick of state and pomp4 ,saul could still rejoice in regal splendour1 go about complaining of himself to the ,ziphites1 as if he was the most ill-treated and friendless of mankind2 he was still jealous of his reputation1 and anxious to be well thought of4 ,quite different is the tone in which the ,publican1 who felt himself a sinner1 asked for mercy4 ,he heard the contumelious expression of the ,pharisee1 this ,publican4 ,with no resentment1 he meekly bore it as a matter naturally to be taken for granted--he did not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven2 he was as a worm which turns in agony1 but not revenge1 upon the foot which treads it into the dust4 ,now this sorrow of ,saul's too1 works death3 no merit can restore self-respect2 when once a man has found himself out1 he cannot be deceived again4 ,the heart is as a stone3 a speck of canker corrodes and spreads within4 ,what on this earth remains1 but endless sorrow1 for him who has ceased to respect himself1 and has no ,god to turn to8 ,,ii4 ,the divine power of sorrow4 #a4 ,it works repentance4 ,by repentance is meant1 in ,scripture1 change of life1 alteration of habits1 renewal of heart4 ,this is the aim and meaning of all sorrow4 ,the consequences of sin are meant to wean from sin4 ,the penalty annexed to it is in the first instance1 corrective1 not penal4 ,fire burns the child1 to teach it one of the truths of this universe--the property of fire to burn4 ,the first time it cuts its hand with a sharp knife1 it has gained a lesson which it never will forget4 ,now1 in the case of pain1 this experience is seldom1 if ever1 in vain4 ,there is little chance of a child forgetting that fire will burn1 and that sharp steel will cut2 but the moral lessons contained in the penalties annexed to wrong-doing are just as truly intended1 though they are by no means so unerring in enforcing their application4 ,the fever in the veins and the headache which succeed intoxication1 are meant to warn against excess4 ,on the first occasion they are simply corrective2 in every succeeding one they assume more and more a penal character in proportion as the conscience carries with them the sense of ill desert4 ,sorrow then1 has done its work when it deters from evil2 in other words when it works repentance4 ,in the sorrow of the world1 the obliquity of the heart towards evil is not cured2 it seems as if nothing cured it3 heartache and trials come in vain2 the history of life at last is what it was at first4 ,the man is found erring where he erred before4 ,the same course1 begun with the certainty of the same desperate end which has taken place so often before4 ,they have reaped the whirlwind1 but they will again sow the wind4 ,hence ,i believe1 that life-giving sorrow is less remorse for that which is irreparable1 than anxiety to save that which remains4 ,the sorrow that ends in death hangs in funeral weeds over the sepulchres of the past4 ,yet the present does not become more wise4 ,not one resolution is made more firm1 nor one habit more holy4 ,grief is all4 ,whereas sorrow avails only when the past is converted into experience1 and from failure lessons are learned which never are to be forgotten4 #b4 ,permanence of alteration2 for after all1 a steady reformation is a more decisive test of the value of mourning than depth of grief4 ,the susceptibility of emotion varies with individuals4 ,some men feel intensely1 others suffer less keenly2 but this is constitutional1 belonging to nervous temperament1 rather than to moral character4 ,this is the characteristic of the divine sorrow1 that it is a repentance not repented of2 no transient1 short-lived resolutions1 but sustained resolve4 ,and the beautiful law is1 that in proportion as the1 repentance increases the grief diminishes4 ,i rejoice1 says ,paul1 that ,i made you sorry1 though it were but for a time4 ,grief for a time1 repentance for ever4 ,and few things more signally prove the wisdom of this apostle than his way of dealing with this grief of the ,corinthian4 ,he tried no artificial means of intensifying it--did not urge the duty of dwelling upon it1 magnifying it1 nor even of gauging and examining it4 ,so soon as grief had done its work1 the apostle was anxious to dry useless tears--he even feared lest haply such an one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow4 ,a true penitent1 says ,mr4 ,newman1 never forgives himself4 ,o false estimate of the gospel of ,christ1 and of the heart of man6 ,a proud remorse does not forgive itself the forfeiture of its own dignity2 but it is the very beauty of the penitence which is according to ,god1 that at last the sinner1 realizing ,god's forgiveness1 does learn to forgive himself4 ,for what other purpose did ,st4 ,paul command the ,church of ,corinth to give ecclesiastical absolution1 but in order to afford a symbol and assurance of the ,divine pardon1 in which the guilty man's grief should not be overwhelming1 but that he should become reconciled to himself8 ,what is meant by the ,publican's going down to his house justified1 but that he felt at peace with himself and ,god8 #c4 ,it is sorrow with ,god--here called godly sorrow2 in the margin sorrowing according to ,god4 ,god sees sin not in its consequences but in itself3 a thing infinitely evil1 even if the consequences were happiness to the guilty instead of misery4 ,so sorrow according to ,god1 is to see sin as ,god sees it4 ,the grief of ,peter was as bitter as that of ,judas4 ,he went out and wept bitterly2 how bitterly none can tell but they who have learned to look on sin as ,god does4 ,but in ,peter's grief there was an element of hope2 and that sprung precisely from this--that he saw ,god in it all4 ,despair of self did not lead to despair of ,god4 ,this is the great1 peculiar feature of this sorrow3 ,god is there1 accordingly self is less prominent4 ,it is not a microscopic self-examination1 nor a mourning in which self is ever uppermost3 my character gone2 the greatness of my sin2 the forfeiture of my salvation4 ,the thought of ,god absorbs all that4 ,i believe the feeling of true penitence would express itself in such words as these3--,there is a righteousness1 though ,i have not attained it4 ,there is a purity1 and a love1 and a beauty1 though my life exhibits little of it4 ,in that ,i can rejoice4 ,of that ,i can feel the surpassing loveliness4 ,my doings8 ,they are worthless1 ,i cannot endure to think of them4 ,i am not thinking of them4 ,i have something else to think of4 ,there1 there2 in that ,life ,i see it4 ,and so the ,christian--gazing not on what he is1 but on what he desires to be--dares in penitence to say1 ,that righteousness is mine3 dares1 even when the recollection of his sin is most vivid and most poignant1 to say with ,peter1 thinking less of himself than of ,god1 and sorrowing as it were with ,god--,lord1 ,thou knowest all things1 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee4 ,,ix4 ,preached ,august #d1 #ahej4 ,,sensual ,,and ,,spiritual ,,excitement4 ,wherefore be ye not unwise1 but understanding what the will of the ,lord is4 ,and be not drunk with wine1 wherein is excess2 but be filled with the ,spirit4--,ephesians v4 #ag1 #ah4 ,there is evidently a connection between the different branches of this sentence--for ideas cannot be properly contrasted which have not some connection--but what that connection is1 is not at first sight clear4 ,it almost appears like a profane and irreverent juxtaposition to contrast fulness of the ,spirit with fulness of wine4 ,moreover1 the structure of the whole context is antithetical4 ,ideas are opposed to each other in pairs of contraries2 for instance1 fools is the exact opposite to wise2 unwise1 as opposed to understanding1 its proper opposite4 ,and here again1 there must be the same true antithesis between drunkenness and spiritual fulness4 ,the propriety of this opposition lies in the intensity of feeling produced in both1 cases4 ,there is one intensity of feeling produced by stimulating the senses1 another by vivifying the spiritual life within4 ,the one commences with impulses from without1 the other is guarded by forces from within4 ,here then is the similarity1 and here the dissimilarity1 which constitutes the propriety of the contrast4 ,one is ruin1 the other salvation4 ,one degrades1 the other exalts4 ,this contrast then is our subject for to-day4 ,i4 ,the effects are similar4 ,on the day of ,pentecost1 when the first influences of the ,spirit descended on the early ,church1 the effects resembled intoxication4 ,they were full of the ,spirit1 and mocking bystanders said1 ,these men are full of new wine2 for they found themselves elevated into the ecstasy of a life higher than their own1 possessed of powers which they could not control2 they spoke incoherently and irregularly2 to the most part of those assembled1 unintelligibly4 ,now compare with this the impression produced upon savage nations--suppose those early ages in which the spectacle of intoxication was presented for the first time4 ,they saw a man under the influence of a force different from and in some respects inferior to1 their own4 ,to them the bacchanal appeared a being half inspired2 his frenzy seemed a thing for reverence and awe1 rather than for horror and disgust2 the spirit which possessed him must be they thought1 divine2 they deified it1 worshipped it under different names as a god2 even to a clearer insight the effects are wonderfully similar4 ,it is almost proverbial among soldiers that the daring produced by wine is easily mistaken for the self-devotion of a brave heart4 ,the play of imagination in the brain of the opium-eater is as free as that of genius itself1 and the creations produced in that state by the pen or pencil are as wildly beautiful as those owed to the nobler influences4 ,in years gone by1 the oratory of the statesman in the senate has been kindled by semi-intoxication1 when his noble utterances were set down by his auditors to the inspiration of patriotism4 ,it is this very resemblance which deceives the drunkard3 he is led on by his feelings as well as by his imagination4 ,it is not the sensual pleasure of the glutton that fascinates him2 it is those fine thoughts and those quickened sensibilities which were excited in that state1 which he is powerless to produce out of his own being1 or by his own powers1 and which he expects to reproduce by the same means4 ,the experience of our first parent is repeated in him3 at the very moment when he expects to find himself as the gods1 knowing good and evil1 he discovers that he is unexpectedly degraded1 his health wrecked1 and his heart demoralized4 ,hence it is almost as often the finer as the baser spirits of our race which are found the victims of such indulgence4 ,many will remember while ,i speak1 the names of the gifted of their species1 the degraded men of genius who were the victims of these deceptive influences4 ,the half-inspired painter1 poet1 musician1 who began by soothing opiates to calm the over-excited nerves1 or stimulate the exhausted brain1 who mistook the sensation for somewhat half divine1 and became morally and physically wrecks of manhood1 degraded even in their mental conceptions4 ,it was therefore1 no mere play of words which induced the apostle to bring these two things together4 ,that which might else seem irreverent appears to have been a deep knowledge of human nature2 he contrasts1 because his rule was to distinguish two things which are easily mistaken for each other4 #b4 ,the second point of resemblance is the necessity of intense feeling4 ,we have fulness--fulness1 it may be1 produced by outward stimulus1 or else by an inpouring of the ,spirit4 ,what we want is life1 more life1 and fuller4 ,to escape from monotony1 to get away from the life of mere routine and habits1 to feel that we are alive--with more of surprise and wakefulness in our existence4 ,to have less of the gelid1 torpid1 tortoise-like existence4 ,to feel the years before us4 ,to be consciously existing4 ,now this desire lies at the bottom of many forms of life which are apparently as diverse as possible4 ,it constitutes the fascination of the gambler's life3 money is not what he wants--were he possessed of thousands to-day he would risk them all to-morrow--but it is that being perpetually on the brink of enormous wealth and utter ruin1 he is compelled to realize at every moment the possibility of the extremes of life4 ,every moment is one of feeling4 ,this too1 constitutes the charm of all those forms of life in which the gambling feeling is predominant--where a sense of skill is blended with a mixture of chance4 ,if you ask the statesman why it is1 that possessed as he is of wealth1 he quits his princely home for the dark metropolis1 he would reply1 ,that he loves the excitement of a political existence4 ,it is this too1 which gives to the warrior's and the traveller's existence such peculiar reality2 and it is this in a far lower form which stimulates the pleasure of a fashionable life--which sends the votaries of the world in a constant round from the capital to the watering place1 and from the watering place to the capital2 what they crave for is the power of feeling intensely4 ,now the proper and natural outlet for this feeling is the life of the ,spirit4 ,what is religion but fuller life8 ,to live in the ,spirit1 what is it but to have keener feelings and mightier powers--to rise into a higher consciousness of life8 ,what is religion's self but feeling8 ,the highest form of religion is charity4 ,love is of ,god1 and he that loveth is born of ,god1 and knoweth ,god4 ,this is an intense feeling1 too intense to be excited1 profound in its calmness1 yet it rises at times in its higher flights into that ecstatic life which glances in a moment intuitively through ages4 ,these are the pentecostal hours of our existence1 when the ,spirit comes as a mighty rushing wind1 in cloven tongues of fire1 filling the soul with ,god4 ,,ii4 ,the dissimilarity or contrast in ,st4 ,paul's idea4 ,the one fulness begins from without1 the other from within4 ,the one proceeds from the flesh and then influences the emotions4 ,the other reverses this order4 ,stimulants like wine1 inflame the senses1 and through them set the imaginations and feelings on fire2 and the law of our spiritual being is1 that that which begins with the flesh1 sensualizes the ,spirit--whereas that which commences in the region of the ,spirit1 spiritualizes the senses in which it subsequently stirs emotion4 ,but the misfortune is that men mistake this law of their emotions2 and the fatal error is1 when having found spiritual feelings existing in connection1 and associated with1 fleshly sensations1 men expect by the mere irritation of the emotions of the frame to reproduce those high and glorious feelings4 ,you might conceive the recipients of the ,spirit on the day of ,pentecost acting under this delusion2 it is conceiveable that having observed certain bodily phenomena--for instance1 incoherent utterances and thrilled sensibilities coexisting with those sublime spiritualities--they might have endeavoured1 by a repetition of those incoherencies1 to obtain a fresh descent of the ,spirit4 ,in fact1 this was exactly what was tried in after ages of the ,church4 ,in those events of church history which are denominated revivals1 in the camp of the ,methodist and the ,ranter1 a direct attempt was made to arouse the emotions by exciting addresses and vehement language4 ,convulsions1 shrieks1 and violent emotions1 were produced1 and the unfortunate victims of this mistaken attempt to produce the cause by the effect1 fancied themselves1 and were pronounced by others1 converted4 ,now the misfortune is1 that this delusion is the more easy from the fact that the results of the two kinds of causes resemble each other4 ,you may galvanize the nerve of a corpse till the action of a limb startles the spectator with the appearance of life4 ,it is not life1 it is only a spasmodic hideous mimicry of life4 ,men having seen that the spiritual is always associated with forms1 endeavour by reproducing the forms to recall spirituality2 you do produce thereby a something that looks like spirituality1 but it is a resemblance only4 ,the worst case of all occurs in the department of the affections4 ,that which begins in the heart ennobles the whole animal being1 but that which begins in the inferior departments of our being is the most entire degradation and sensualizing of the soul4 ,now it is from this point of thought that we learn to extend the apostle's principle4 ,wine is but a specimen of a class of stimulants4 ,all that begins from without belongs to the same class4 ,the stimulus may be afforded by almost any enjoyment of the senses4 ,drunkenness may come from anything wherein is excess3 from over-indulgence in society1 in pleasure1 in music1 and in the delight of listening to oratory1 nay1 even from the excitement of sermons and religious meetings4 ,the prophet tells us of those who are drunken1 and not with wine4 ,the other point of difference is one of effect4 ,fulness of the ,spirit calms2 fulness produced by excitement satiates and exhausts4 ,they who know the world of fashion tell us that the tone adopted there is1 either to be1 or to affect to be1 sated with enjoyment1 to be proof against surprise1 to have lost all keenness of enjoyment1 and to have all keenness of wonder gone4 ,that which ought to be men's shame becomes their boast--unsusceptibility of any fresh emotion4 ,whether this be real or affected matters not2 it is1 in truth1 the real result of the indulgence of the senses4 ,the law is this3 the crime of sense is avenged by sense which wears with time2 for it has been well remarked that the terrific punishment attached to the habitual indulgence of the senses is1 that the incitements to enjoyment increase in proportion as the power of enjoyment fades4 ,experience at last forbids even the hope of enjoyment2 the sin of the intoxicated soul is loathed1 detested1 abhorred2 yet it is done4 ,the irritated sense1 like an avenging fury1 goads on with a restlessness of craving1 and compels a reiteration of the guilt though it has ceased to charm4 ,to this danger our own age is peculiarly exposed4 ,in the earlier and simpler ages1 the need of keen feeling finds a natural and safe outlet in compulsory exertions4 ,for instance1 in the excitement of real warfare1 and in the necessity of providing the sustenance of life1 warlike habits and healthy labour stimulate1 without exhausting life4 ,but in proportion as civilization advances1 a large class of the community are exempted from the necessity of these1 and thrown upon a life of leisure4 ,then it is that artificial life begins1 and artificial expedients become necessary to sharpen the feelings amongst the monotony of existence2 every amusement and all literature become more pungent in their character2 life is no longer a thing proceeding from powers within1 but sustained by new impulses from without4 ,there is one peculiar form of this danger to which ,i would specially direct your attention4 ,there is one nation in ,europe which1 more than any other1 has been subjected to these influences4 ,in ages of revolution1 nations live fast2 centuries of life are passed in fifty years of time4 ,in such a state1 individuals become subjected more or less to the influences which are working around them4 ,scarcely an enjoyment or a book can be met with which does not bear the impress of this intensity4 ,now1 the particular danger to which ,i allude is ,french novels1 ,french romances1 and ,french plays4 ,the overflowings of that cup of excitement have reached our shores4 ,i do not say that these works contain anything coarse or gross--better if it were so3 evil which comes in a form of grossness is not nearly so dangerous as that which comes veiled in gracefulness and sentiment4 ,subjects which are better not touched upon at all are discussed1 examined1 and exhibited in all the most seductive forms of imagery4 ,you would be shocked at seeing your son in a fit of intoxication2 yet1 ,i say it solemnly1 better that your son should reel through the streets in a fit of drunkenness1 than that the delicacy of your daughter's mind should be injured1 and her imagination inflamed with false fire4 ,twenty-four hours will terminate the evil in the one case4 ,twenty-four hours will not exhaust the effects of the other2 you must seek the consequences at the end of many1 many years4 ,i speak that which ,i do know2 and if the earnest warning of one who has seen the dangers of which he speaks realized1 can reach the heart of one ,christian parent1 he will put a ban on all such works1 and not suffer his children's hearts to be excited by a drunkenness which is worse than that of wine4 ,for the worst of it is1 that the men of our time are not yet alive to this growing evil2 they are elsewhere--in their studies1 counting-houses1 professions--not knowing the food1 or rather poison1 on which their wives' and daughters' intellectual life is sustained4 ,it is precisely those who are most unfitted to sustain the danger1 whose feelings need restraint instead of spur1 and whose imaginations are most inflammable1 that are specially exposed to it4 ,on the other hand1 spiritual life calms while it fills4 ,true it is that there are pentecostal moments when such life reaches the stage of ecstasy4 ,but these were given to the ,church to prepare her for suffering1 to give her martyrs a glimpse of blessedness1 which might sustain them afterwards in the terrible struggles of death4 ,true it is that there are pentecostal hours when the soul is surrounded by a kind of glory1 and we are tempted to make tabernacles upon the ,mount1 as if life were meant for rest2 but out of that very cloud there comes a voice telling of the ,cross1 and bidding us descend into the common world again1 to simple duties and humble life4 ,this very principle seems to be contained in the text4 ,the apostle's remedy for this artificial feeling is--,speaking to one another in psalms and hymns1 and spiritual songs4 ,strange remedy6 ,occupation fit for children--too simple far for men3 as astonishing as the remedy prescribed by the prophet to ,naaman--to wash in simple water1 and be clean2 yet therein lies a very important truth4 ,in ancient medical phraseology1 herbs possessed of healing natures were called simples3 in ,god's laboratory1 all things that heal are simple--all natural enjoyments--all the deepest--are simple too4 ,at night1 man fills his banquet-hall with the glare of splendour which fevers as well as fires the heart2 and at the very same hour1 as if by intended contrast1 the quiet stars of ,god steal forth1 shedding1 together with the deepest feeling1 the profoundest sense of calm4 ,one from whose knowledge of the sources of natural feeling there lies almost no appeal1 has said that to him1 ,the meanest flower that blows can give ,thoughts that too often lie too deep for tears4 ,this is exceedingly remarkable in the life of ,christ4 ,no contrast is more striking than that presented by the thought1 that that deep and beautiful ,life was spent in the midst of mad ,jerusalem4 ,remember the ,son of man standing quietly in the porches of ,bethesda1 when the streets all around were filled with the revelry of innumerable multitudes1 who had come to be present at the annual feast4 ,remember ,him pausing to weep over his country's doomed metropolis1 unexcited1 while the giddy crowd around ,him were shouting ,hosanna to the ,son of ,david6 ,remember ,him in ,pilate's judgment-hall1 meek1 self-possessed1 standing in the serenity of ,truth1 while all around ,him was agitation--hesitation in the breast of ,pilate1 hatred in the bosom of the ,pharisees1 and consternation in the heart of the disciples4 ,and this in truth1 is what we want3 we want the vision of a calmer and simpler ,beauty1 to tranquillize us in the midst of artificial tastes--we want the draught of a purer spring to cool the flame of our excited life2--we want in other words1 the ,spirit of the ,life of ,christ1 simple1 natural1 with power to calm and soothe the feelings which it rouses3 the fulness of the ,spirit which can never intoxicate6 ,x4 ,preached ,august #aa1 #ahej4 ,,purity4 ,unto the pure all things are pure3 but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure2 but even their mind and conscience is defiled4--,titus i4 #ae4 ,for the evils of this world there are two classes of remedies--one is the world's1 the other is ,god's4 ,the world proposes to remedy evil by adjusting the circumstances of this life to man's desires4 ,the world says1 give us a perfect set of circumstances1 and then we shall have a set of perfect men4 ,this principle lies at the root of the system called ,socialism4 ,socialism proceeds on the principle that all moral and even physical evil arises from unjust laws4 ,if the cause be remedied1 the effect will be good4 ,but ,christianity throws aside all that as merely chimerical4 ,it proves that the fault is not in outward circumstances1 but in ourselves4 ,like the wise physician1 who1 instead of busying himself with transcendental theories to improve the climate1 and the outward circumstances of man1 endeavours to relieve and get rid of the tendencies of disease which are from within1 ,christianity1 leaving all outward circumstances to ameliorate themselves1 fastens its attention on the spirit which has to deal with them4 ,christ has declared that the kingdom of heaven is from within4 ,he said to the ,pharisee1 ,ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter1 but within ye are full of extortion and excess4 ,the remedy for all this is a large and liberal charity1 so overflowing that ,unto the pure all things are pure4 ,to internal purity all external things become pure4 ,the principle that ,st4 ,paul has here laid down is1 that each man is the creator of his own world2 he walks in a universe of his own creation4 ,as the free air is to one out of health the cause of cold and diseased lungs1 so to the healthy man it is a source of greater vigour4 ,the rotten fruit is sweet to the worm1 but nauseous to the palate of man4 ,it is the same air and the same fruit acting differently upon different beings4 ,to different men a different world--to one all pollution--to another all purity4 ,to the noble all things are noble1 to the mean all things are contemptible4 ,the subject divides itself into two parts4 ,i4 ,the apostle's principle4 ,,ii4 ,the application of the principle4 ,here we have the same principle again2 each man creates his own world4 ,take it in its simplest form4 ,the eye creates the outward world it sees4 ,we see not things as they are1 but as ,god has made the eye to receive them4 ,in its strictest sense1 the creation of a new man is the creation of a new universe4 ,conceive an eye so constructed as that the planets and all within them should be minutely seen1 and all that is near should be dim and invisible like things seen through a telescope1 or as we see through a magnifying glass the plumage of the butterfly1 and the bloom upon the peach2 then it is manifestly clear that we have called into existence actually a new creation1 and not new objects4 ,the mind's eye creates a world for itself4 ,again1 the visible world presents a different aspect to each individual man4 ,you will say that the same things you see are seen by all--that the forest1 the valley1 the flood1 and the sea1 are the same to all2 and yet all these things so seen1 to different minds are a myriad of different universes4 ,one man sees in that noble river an emblem of eternity2 he closes his lips and feels that ,,god is there4 ,another sees nothing in it but a very convenient road for transporting his spices1 silks1 and merchandise4 ,to one this world appears useful1 to another beautiful4 ,whence comes the difference8 ,from the soul within us4 ,it can make of this world a vast chaos--a mighty maze without a plan2 or a mere machine--a collection of lifeless forces2 or it can make it the ,living ,vesture of ,,god1 the tissue through which ,he can become visible to us4 ,in the spirit in which we look on it the world is an arena for mere self-advancement1 or a place for noble deeds1 in which self is forgotten1 and ,,god is all4 ,observe1 this effect is traceable even in that produced by our different and changeful moods4 ,we make and unmake a world more than once in the space of a single day4 ,in trifling moods all seems trivial4 ,in serious moods all seems solemn4 ,is the song of the nightingale merry or plaintive8 ,is it the voice of joy or the harbinger of gloom8 ,sometimes one1 and sometimes the other1 according to our different moods4 ,we hear the ocean furious or exulting4 ,the thunder-claps are grand1 or angry1 according to the different states of our mind4 ,nay1 the very church bells chime sadly or merrily1 as our associations determine4 ,they speak the language of our passing moods4 ,the young adventurer revolving sanguine plans upon the milestone1 hears them speak to him as ,god did to ,hagar in the wilderness1 bidding him back to perseverance and greatness4 ,the soul spreads its own hue over everything2 the shroud or wedding-garment of nature is woven in the loom of our own feelings4 ,this universe is the express image and direct counterpart of the souls that dwell in it4 ,be noble-minded1 and all ,nature replies--,i am divine1 the child of ,god--be thou too1 ,his child1 and noble4 ,be mean1 and all ,nature dwindles into a contemptible smallness4 ,in the second place1 there are two ways in which this principle is true4 ,to the pure1 all things and all persons are pure1 because their purity makes all seem pure4 ,there are some who go through life complaining of this world2 they say they have found nothing but treachery and deceit2 the poor are ungrateful1 and the rich are selfish1 ,yet we do not find such the best men4 ,experience tells us that each man most keenly and unerringly detects in others the vice with which he is most familiar himself4 ,persons seem to each man what he is himself4 ,one who suspects hypocrisy in the world is rarely transparent2 the man constantly on the watch for cheating is generally dishonest2 he who suspects impurity is prurient4 ,this is the principle to which ,christ alludes when he says1 ,give alms of such things as he have2 and behold all things are clean unto you4 ,have a large charity6 ,large charity hopeth all things4 ,look at that sublime apostle who saw the churches of ,ephesus and ,thessalonica pure1 because he saw them in his own large love1 and painted them1 not as they were1 but as his heart filled up the picture2 he viewed them in the light of his own nobleness1 as representations of his own purity4 ,once more1 to the pure all things are pure1 as well as all persons4 ,that which is natural lies not in things1 but in the minds of men4 ,there is a difference between prudery and modesty4 ,prudery detects wrong where no wrong is2 the wrong lies in the thoughts1 and not in the objects4 ,there is something of over-sensitiveness and over-delicacy which shows not innocence1 but an inflammable imagination4 ,and men of the world cannot understand that those subjects and thoughts which to them are full of torture1 can be harmless1 suggesting nothing evil to the pure in heart4 ,here however1 beware6 ,no sentence of ,scripture is more frequently in the lips of persons who permit themselves much license1 than the text1 ,to the pure1 all things are pure4 ,yes1 all things natural1 but not artificial--scenes which pamper the tastes1 which excite the senses4 ,innocence feels healthily4 ,to it all nature is pure4 ,but1 just as the dove trembles at the approach of the hawk1 and the young calf shudders at the lion never seen before1 so innocence shrinks instinctively from what is wrong by the same divine instinct4 ,if that which is wrong seems pure1 then the heart is not pure but vitiated4 ,to the right minded all that is right in the course of this world seems pure4 ,abraham1 looking forward to the destruction of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 entreated that it might be averted1 and afterwards acquiesced6 ,to the disordered mind all things are out of course4 ,this is the spirit which pervades the whole of the ,ecclesiastes4 ,there were two things which were perpetually suggesting themselves to the mind of ,solomon2 the intolerable sameness of this world1 and the constant desire for change4 ,and yet that same world1 spread before the serene eye of ,god1 was pronounced to be all very good4 ,this disordered universe is the picture of your own mind4 ,we make a wilderness by encouraging artificial wants1 by creating sensitive and selfish feelings2 then we project everything stamped with the impress of our own feelings1 and we gather the whole of creation into our own pained being--the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now4 ,the world you complain of as impure and wrong is not ,god's world1 but your world2 the blight1 the dullness1 the blank1 are all your own4 ,the light which is in you has become darkness1 and therefore the light itself is dark4 ,again1 to the pure1 all things not only seem pure1 but are really so because they are made such4 #a4 ,as regards persons4 ,it is a marvellous thing to see how a pure and innocent heart purifies all that it approaches4 ,the most ferocious natures are soothed and tamed by innocence4 ,and so with human beings1 there is a delicacy so pure1 that vicious men in its presence become almost pure2 all of purity which is in them is brought out2 like attaches itself to like4 ,the pure heart becomes a centre of attraction1 round which similar atoms gather1 and from which dissimilar ones are repelled4 ,a corrupt heart elicits in an hour all that is bad in us2 a spiritual one brings out and draws to itself all that is best and purest4 ,such was ,christ4 ,he stood in the world1 the ,light of the world1 to which all sparks of light gradually gathered4 ,he stood in the presence of impurity1 and men became pure4 ,note this in the history of ,zaccheus4 ,in answer to the invitation of the ,son of man1 he says1 ,behold1 ,lord1 the half of my goods ,i give to the poor1 and if ,i have done wrong to any man ,i restore him fourfold4 ,so also the ,scribe1 ,well1 ,master1 thou hast well said1 there is one ,god1 and there is none other than ,he4 ,to the pure ,saviour1 all was pure4 ,he was lifted up on high1 and drew all men unto ,him4 ,lastly1 all situations are pure to the pure4 ,according to the world1 some professions are reckoned honourable1 and some dishonourable4 ,men judge according to a standard merely conventional1 and not by that of moral rectitude4 ,yet it was in truth1 the men who were in these situations which made them such4 ,in the days of the ,redeemer1 the publican's occupation was a degraded one1 merely because low base men filled that place4 ,but since ,he was born into the world a poor1 labouring man1 poverty is noble and dignified1 and toil is honourable4 ,to the man who feels that the king's daughter is all glorious within1 no outward situation can seem inglorious or impure4 ,there are three words which express almost the same thing1 but whose meaning is entirely different4 ,these are1 the gibbet1 the scaffold1 and the cross4 ,so far as we know1 none die on the gibbet but men of dishonourable and base life4 ,the scaffold suggests to our minds the noble deaths of our greatest martyrs4 ,the cross was once a gibbet1 but it is now the highest name we have1 because ,he hung on it4 ,christ has purified and ennobled the cross4 ,this principle runs through life4 ,it is not the situation which makes the man1 but the man who makes the situation4 ,the slave may be a freeman4 ,the monarch may be a slave4 ,situations are noble or ignoble1 as we make them4 ,from all this subject we learn to understand two things4 ,hence we understand the ,fall4 ,when man fell1 the world fell with him4 ,all creation received a shock4 ,thorns1 briars1 and thistles1 sprang up4 ,they were there before1 but to the now restless and impatient hands of men they became obstacles and weeds4 ,death1 which must ever have existed as a form of dissolution1 a passing from one state to another1 became a curse2 the sting of death was sin--unchanged in itself1 it changed in man4 ,a dark1 heavy cloud1 rested on it--the shadow of his own guilty heart4 ,hence too1 we understand the ,millennium4 ,the ,bible says that these things are not to be for ever4 ,there are glorious things to come4 ,just as in my former illustration1 the alteration of the eye called new worlds into being1 so now nothing more is needed than to re-create the soul--the mirror on which all things are reflected4 ,then is realized the prophecy of ,isaiah1 ,behold1 ,i create all things new1 new heavens and a new earth4 ,the conclusion of this verse proves to us why all these new creations were called into being--wherein dwelleth righteousness4 ,to be righteous makes all things new4 ,we do not want a new world1 we want new hearts4 ,let the ,spirit of ,god purify society1 and to the pure all things will be pure4 ,the earth will put off the look of weariness and gloom which it has worn so long1 and then the glorious language of the prophets will be fulfilled--,the forests will break out with singing1 and the desert will blossom as the rose4 ,,xi4 ,preached ,february #i1 #ahea4 ,,unity ,,and ,,peace4 ,and let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts1 to the which also ye are called in one body2 and be ye thankful4--,colossians iii4 #ae4 ,there is something in these words that might surprise us4 ,it might surprise us to find that peace is urged on us as a duty4 ,there can be no duty except where there is a matter of obedience2 and it might seem to us that peace is a something over which we have no power4 ,it is a privilege to have peace1 but it would appear as if there were no power of control within the mind of a man able to ensure that peace for itself4 ,yet1 says the apostle1 let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts4 ,it would seem to us as if peace were as far beyond our own control as happiness4 ,unquestionably1 we are not masters on our own responsibility of our own happiness4 ,happiness is the gratification of every innocent desire2 but it is not given to us to ensure the gratification of every desire2 therefore1 happiness is not a duty1 and it is nowhere written in the ,scripture1 ,you must be happy4 ,but we find it written by the apostle ,paul1 ,be ye thankful1 implying therefore1 that peace is a duty4 ,the apostle says1 ,let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts2 from which we infer that peace is attainable1 and within the reach of our own wills2 that if there be not repose there is blame2 if there be not peace but discord in the heart1 there is something wrong4 ,this is the more surprising when we remember the circumstances under which these words were written4 ,they were written from ,rome1 where the apostle lay in prison1 daily and hourly expecting a violent death4 ,they were written in days of persecution1 when false doctrines were rife1 and religious animosities fierce2 they were written in an epistle abounding with the most earnest and eager controversy1 whereby it is therefore implied1 that according to the conception of the ,apostle ,paul1 it is possible for a ,christian to live at the very point of death1 and in the very midst of danger--that it is possible for him to be breathing the atmosphere of religious controversy--it is possible for him to be surrounded by bitterness1 and even take up the pen of controversy himself--and yet his soul shall not lose its own deep peace1 nor the power of the infinite repose and rest of ,god4 ,joined with the apostle's command to be at peace1 we find another doctrine1 the doctrine of the unity of the ,church of ,christ4 ,to the which ye are called in one body1 in order that ye may be at peace2 in other words1 the unity of the ,church of ,christ is the basis on which1 and on which alone1 can be built the possibility of the inward peace of individuals4 ,and thus1 my ,christian brethren1 our subject divides itself into these two simple branches3 in the first place1 the unity of the ,church of ,christ2 in the second place1 the inward peace of the members of that ,church4 ,the first subject then1 which we have to consider1 is the ,unity of the ,church of ,christ4 ,and the first thing we have to do is both clearly to define and understand the meaning of that word unity4 ,i distinguish the unity of comprehensiveness from the unity of mere singularity4 ,the word one1 as oneness1 is an ambiguous word4 ,there is a oneness belonging to the army as well as to every soldier in the army4 ,the army is one1 and that is the oneness of unity2 the soldier is one1 but that is the oneness of the unit4 ,there is a difference between the oneness of a body and the oneness of a member of that body4 ,the body is many1 and a unity of manifold comprehensiveness4 ,an arm or a member of a body is one1 but that is the unity of singularity4 ,without unity my ,christian brethren1 peace must be impossible4 ,there can be no peace in the one single soldier of an army4 ,you do not speak of the harmony of one member of a body4 ,there is peace in an army1 or in a kingdom joined with other kingdoms2 there is harmony in a member united with other members4 ,there is no peace in a unit1 there is no possibility of the harmony of that which is but one in itself4 ,in order to have peace you must have a higher unity1 and therein consists the unity of ,god's own ,being4 ,the unity of ,god is the basis of the peace of ,god--meaning by the unity of ,god the comprehensive manifoldness of ,god1 and not merely the singularity in the number of ,god's ,being4 ,when the ,unitarian speaks of ,god as one1 he means simply singularity of number4 ,we mean that ,he is of manifold comprehensiveness--that there is unity between ,his various powers4 ,amongst the personalities or powers of ,his ,being there is no discord1 but perfect harmony1 entire union2 and that brethren1 is repose1 the blessedness of infinite rest1 that belongs to the unity of ,god--,i and my ,father are one4 ,the second thing which we observe respecting this unity1 is that it subsists between things not similar or alike1 but things dissimilar or unlike4 ,there is no unity in the separate atoms of a sand-pit2 they are things similar2 there is an aggregate or collection of them4 ,even if they be hardened in a mass they are not one1 they do not form a unity3 they are simply a mass4 ,there is no unity in a flock of sheep3 it is simply a repetition of a number of things similar to each other4 ,if you strike off from a thousand five hundred1 or if you strike off nine hundred1 there is nothing lost of unity1 because there never was unity4 ,a flock of one thousand or a flock of five is just as much a flock as any other number4 ,on the other hand1 let us turn to the unity of peace which the apostle speaks of1 and we find it is something different2 it is made up of dissimilar members1 without which dissimilarity there could be no unity4 ,each is imperfect in itself1 each supplying what it has in itself to the deficiencies and wants of the other members4 ,so1 if you strike off from this body any one member1 if you cut off an arm1 or tear out an eye1 instantly the unity is destroyed2 you have no longer an entire and perfect body1 there is nothing but a remnant of the whole1 a part1 a portion2 no unity whatever4 ,this will help us to understand the unity of the ,church of ,christ4 ,if the ages and the centuries of the ,church of ,christ1 if the different ,churches whereof it was composed1 if the different members of each ,church1 were similar--one in this1 that they all held the same views1 all spoke the same words1 all viewed truth from the same side1 they would have no unity2 but would simply be an aggregate of atoms1 the sand-pit over again--units1 multiplied it may be to infinity1 but you would have no real unity1 and therefore1 no peace4 ,no unity1--for wherein consists the unity of the ,church of ,christ8 ,the unity of ages1 brethren1 consists it in this--that every age is merely the repetition of another age1 and that which is held in one is held in another8 ,precisely in the same way1 that is not the unity of the ages of the ,christian ,church4 ,every century and every age has held a different truth1 has put forth different fragments of the truth4 ,in early ages for example1 by martyrdom was proclaimed the eternal sanctity of truth1 rather than give up which a man must lose his life4444 ,in our own age it is quite plain those are not the themes which engage us1 or the truths which we put in force now4 ,this age1 by its revolutions1 its socialisms1 proclaims another truth--the brotherhood of the ,church of ,christ2 so that the unity of ages subsists on the same principle as that of the unity of the human body3 and just as every separate ray--the violet1 the blue1 and the orange--make up the white ray1 so these manifold fragments of truth blended together make up the one entire and perfect white ray of ,truth4 ,and with regard to individuals1 taking the case of the ,reformation1 it was given to one ,church to proclaim that salvation is a thing received1 and not local2 to another to proclaim justification by faith2 to another the sovereignty of ,god2 to another the supremacy of the ,scriptures2 to another the right of private judgment1 the duty of the individual conscience4 ,unite these all1 and then you have the ,reformation one--one in spite of manifoldness2 those very varieties by which they have approached this proving them to be one4 ,disjoint them and then you have some miserable sect--,calvinism1 or ,unitarianism2 the unity has dispersed4 ,and so again with the unity of the ,churches4 ,whereby would we produce unity8 ,would we force on other ,churches our ,anglicanism8 ,would we have our thirty-nine articles1 our creeds1 our prayers1 our rules and regulations1 accepted by every ,church throughout the world8 ,if that were unity1 then in consistency you are bound to demand that in ,god's world there shall be but one colour instead of the manifold harmony and accordance of which this universe is full2 that there should be but one chaunted note--the one which we conceive most beautiful4 ,this is not the unity of the ,church of ,god4 ,the various ,churches advance different doctrines and truths4 ,the ,church of ,germany something different from those of the ,church of ,england4 ,the ,church of ,rome1 even in its idolatry1 proclaims truths which we would be glad to seize4 ,by the worship of the ,virgin1 the purity of women2 by the rigour of ecclesiastical ordinances1 the sanctity and permanence of eternal order2 by the very priesthood itself1 the necessity of the guidance of man by man4 ,nay1 even the dissenting bodies themselves--mere atoms of aggregates as they are--stand forward and proclaim at least this truth1 the separateness of the individual conscience1 the right of independence4 ,peace subsists not between things exactly alike4 ,we do not speak of peace in a single country4 ,we say peace subsists between different countries where war might be4 ,there can be no peace between two men who agree in everything2 peace subsists between those who differ4 ,there is no peace between ,baptist and ,baptist2 so far as they are ,baptists1 there is perfect accordance and agreement4 ,there may be peace between you and the ,romanist1 the ,jew1 or the ,dissenter1 because there are angles of sharpness which might come into collision if they were not subdued and softened by the power of love4 ,it was given to the ,apostle ,paul to discern that this was the ground of unity4 ,in the ,church of ,christ he saw men with different views1 and he said ,so far from that variety destroying unity1 it was the only ground of unity4 ,there are many doctrines1 all of them different1 but let those varieties be blended together--in other words1 let there be the peace of love1 and then you will have unity4 ,once more this unity1 whereof the apostle speaks1 consists in submission to one single influence or spirit4 ,wherein consists the unity of the body8 ,consists it not in this1--that there is one life uniting1 making all the separate members one8 ,take away the life1 and the members fall to pieces3 they are no longer one2 decomposition begins1 and every element separates1 no longer having any principle of cohesion or union with the rest4 ,there is not one of us who1 at some time or other1 has not been struck with the power there is in a single living influence4 ,have we never for instance1 felt the power wherewith the orator unites and holds together a thousand men as if they were but one2 with flashing eyes and throbbing hearts1 all attentive to his words1 and by the difference of their attitudes1 by the variety of the expressions of their countenances testifying to the unity of that single living feeling with which he had inspired them8 ,whether it be indignation1 whether it be compassion1 or whether it be enthusiasm1 that one living influence made the thousand for the time1 one4 ,have we not heard how1 even in this century in which we live1 the various and conflicting feelings of the people of this country were concentrated into one1 when the threat of foreign invasion had fused down and broken the edges of conflict and variance1 and from shore to shore was heard one cry of terrible defiance1 and the different classes and orders of this manifold and mighty ,england were as one8 ,have we not heard how the mighty winds hold together1 as if one1 the various atoms of the desert1 so that they rush like a living thing1 across the wilderness8 ,and this1 brethren1 is the unity of the ,church of ,christ1 the subjection to the one uniting spirit of its ,god4 ,it will be said1 in reply to this1 ,why this is mere enthusiasm4 ,it may be very beautiful in theory1 but it is impossible in practice4 ,it is mere enthusiasm to believe1 that while all these varieties of conflicting opinion remain1 we can have unity2 it is mere enthusiasm to think that so long as men's minds reckon on a thing like unity1 there can be a thing like oneness4 ,and our reply is1 ,give us the ,spirit of ,god1 and we shall be one4 ,you cannot produce a unity by all the rigour of your ecclesiastical discipline4 ,you cannot produce a unity by consenting in some form of expression such as this1 ,let us agree to differ4 ,you cannot produce a unity by ,parliamentary regulations or enactments1 bidding back the waves of what is called aggression4 ,give us the living ,spirit of ,god1 and we shall be one4 ,once on this earth was exhibited1 as it were1 a specimen of perfect anticipation of such an unity1 when the rushing mighty wind of ,pentecost came down in the tongues of fire and sat on every man2 when the ,parthians1 and ,medes1 and ,elamites1 and the dwellers in ,mesopotamia1 the ,cretes and ,arabians1 the ,jew and the ,gentile1 each speaking one language1 yet blended and fused into one unity by enthusiastic love1 heard one another speak as it were1 in one language1 the manifold works of ,god2 when the spirit of giving was substituted for the spirit of mere rivalry and competition1 and no man said the things he had were his own1 but all shared in common4 ,let that spirit come again1 as come it will1 and come it must2 and then1 beneath the influences of a mightier love1 we shall have a nobler and a more real unity4 ,we pass on now1 in the second place1 to consider the individual peace resulting from this unity4 ,as we have endeavoured to explain what is meant by unity1 so now1 let us endeavour to understand what is meant by peace4 ,peace then1 is the opposite of passion1 and of labour1 toil1 and effort4 ,peace is that state in which there are no desires madly demanding an impossible gratification2 that state in which there is no misery1 no remorse1 no sting4 ,and there are but three things which can break that peace4 ,the first is discord between the mind of man and the lot which he is called on to inherit2 the second is discord between the affections and powers of the soul2 and the third is doubt of the rectitude1 and justice1 and love1 wherewith this world is ordered4 ,but where these things exist not1 where a man is contented with his lot1 where the flesh is subdued to the spirit1 and where he believes and feels with all his heart that all is right1 there is peace1 and to this says the apostle1 ye are called1--the grand1 peculiar call of ,christianity1--the call1 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,this was the dying bequest of ,christ3 ,peace ,i leave with you1 my peace ,i give unto you3 not as the world giveth give ,i unto you3 and therein lies one of the greatest truths of the blessed and eternal character of ,christianity1 that it applies to1 and satisfies the very deepest want and craving of our nature4 ,the deepest want of man is not a desire for happiness1 but a craving for peace2 not a wish for the gratification of every desire1 but a craving for the repose of acquiescence in the will of ,god2 and it is this which ,christianity promises4 ,christianity does not promise happiness1 but it does promise peace4 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation1 saith our ,master1 but be of good cheer2 ,i have overcome the world4 ,now1 let us look more closely1 into this peace4 ,the first thing we see respecting it is1 that it is called ,god's peace4 ,god is rest3 the infinite nature of ,god is infinite repose4 ,the ,i am of ,god is contrasted with the ,i am become of all other things4 ,everything else is in a state of becoming1 ,god is in a state of ,being4 ,the acorn has become the plant1 and the plant has become the oak4 ,the child has become the man1 and the man has become good1 or wise1 or whatever else it may be4 ,god ever is2 and ,i pray you once more to observe1 that this peace of ,god1 this eternal rest in the ,almighty ,being1 arises out of ,his unity4 ,not because ,he is an unit1 but because ,he is an unity4 ,there is no discord between the powers and attributes of the mind of ,god2 there is no discord between ,his justice and ,his love2 there is no discord demanding some miserable expedient to unite them together1 such as some theologians imagined when they described the sacrifice and atonement of our ,redeemer by saying1 it is the clever expedient whereby ,god reconciles ,his justice with ,his love4 ,god's justice and love are one4 ,infinite justice must be infinite love4 ,justice is but another sign of love4 ,the infinite rest of the ,i am of ,god arises out of the harmony of ,his attributes4 ,the next thing we observe respecting this divine peace which has come down to man on earth is1 that it is a living peace4 ,brethren1 let us distinguish4 ,there are several things called peace which are by no means divine or ,godlike peace4 ,there is peace1 for example1 in the man who lives for and enjoys self1 with no nobler aspiration goading him on to make him feel the rest of ,god2 that is peace1 but that is merely the peace of toil4 ,there is rest on the surface of the caverned lake1 which no wind can stir2 but that is the peace of stagnation4 ,there is peace amongst the stones which have fallen and rolled down the mountain's side1 and lie there quietly at rest2 but that is the peace of inanity4 ,there is peace in the hearts of enemies who lie together1 side by side1 in the same trench of the battle-field1 the animosities of their souls silenced at length1 and their hands no longer clenched in deadly enmity against each other2 but that is the peace of death4 ,if our peace be but the peace of the sensualist satisfying pleasure1 if it be but the peace of mental torpor and inaction1 the peace of apathy1 or the peace of the soul dead in trespasses and sins1 we may whisper to ourselves1 ,peace1 peace1 but there will be no peace2 there is not the peace of unity nor the peace of ,god1 for the peace of ,god is the living peace of love4 ,the next thing we observe respecting this peace is1 that it is the manifestation of power--it is the peace which comes from an inward power3 ,let the peace of ,god1 says the ,apostle1 rule within your hearts4 ,for it is a power1 the manifestation of strength4 ,there is no peace except there is the possibility of the opposite of peace although now restrained and controlled4 ,you do not speak of the peace of a grain of sand1 because it cannot be otherwise than merely insignificant1 and at rest4 ,you do not speak of the peace of a mere pond2 you speak of the peace of the sea1 because there is the opposite of peace implied1 there is power and strength4 ,and this brethren1 is the real character of the peace in the mind and soul of man4 ,oh6 we make a great mistake when we say there is strength in passion1 in the exhibition of emotion4 ,passion1 and emotion1 and all those outward manifestations1 prove1 not strength1 but weakness4 ,if the passions of a man are strong1 it proves the man himself is weak1 if he cannot restrain or control his passions4 ,the real strength and majesty of the soul of man is calmness1 the manifestation of strength2 the peace of ,god ruling2 the word of ,christ saying to the inward storms ,peace6 and there is a great calm4 ,lastly1 the peace of which the apostle speaks is the peace that is received--the peace of reception4 ,you will observe1 throughout this passage the apostle speaks of a something received1 and not done3 ,let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts4 ,it is throughout receptive1 but by no means inactive4 ,and according to this1 there are two kinds of peace2 the peace of obedience--,let the peace of ,god rule you--and there is the peace of gratefulness--,be ye thankful4 ,very great1 brethren1 is the peace of obedience3 when a man has his lot fixed1 and his mind made up1 and he sees his destiny before him1 and quietly acquiesces in it2 his spirit is at rest4 ,great and deep is the peace of the soldier to whom has been assigned even an untenable position1 with the command1 ,keep that1 even if you die1 and he obediently remains to die4 ,great was the peace of ,elisha--very1 very calm are those words by which he expressed his acquiescence in the divine will4 ,knowest thou1 said the troubled1 excited1 and restless men around him--,knowest thou that the ,lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day8 ,he answered1 ,yea1 ,i know it2 hold ye your peace4 ,then there is the other peace1 it is the peace of gratefulness3 ,be ye thankful4 ,it is that peace which the ,israelites had when these words were spoken to them on the shores of the ,red ,sea1 while the bodies of their enemies floated past them1 destroyed1 but not by them3 ,stand still and see the salvation of the ,lord4 ,and here brethren1 is another mistake of ours3 we look on salvation as a thing to be done1 and not received4 ,in ,god's salvation we can do but little1 but there is a great deal to be received4 ,we are here1 not merely to act1 but to be acted upon4 ,let the peace of ,god rule in your hearts2 there is a peace that will enter there1 if you do not thwart it2 there is a ,spirit that will take possession of your soul1 provided that you do not quench it4 ,in this world we are recipients1 not creators4 ,in obedience and in gratefulness1 and the infinite peace of ,god in the soul of man1 is alone to be found deep calm repose4 ,,xii4 ,preached ,january #d1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,christian ,,aim ,,and ,,motive4 ,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father which is in heaven is perfect4--,matthew v4 #dh4 ,there are two erroneous views held respecting the character of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,the first may be called an error of worldly-minded men1 the other an error of mistaken religionists4 ,worldly-minded men--men that is1 in whom the devotional feeling is but feeble--are accustomed to look upon morality as the whole of religion2 and they suppose that the ,sermon on the ,mount was designed only to explain and enforce correct principles of morality4 ,it tells of human duties and human proprieties1 and an attention to these1 they maintain1 is the only religion which is required by it4 ,strange my ,christian brethren1 that men1 whose lives are least remarkable for superhuman excellence1 should be the very men to refer most frequently to those sublime comments on ,christian principle1 and should so confidently conclude from thence1 that themselves are right and all others are wrong4 ,yet so it is4 ,the other is an error of mistaken religionists4 ,they sometimes regard the ,sermon on the ,mount as if it were a collection of moral precepts1 and consequently1 strictly speaking1 not ,christianity at all4 ,to them it seems as if the chief value1 the chief intention of the discourse1 was to show the breadth and spirituality of the requirements of the law of ,moses--its chief religious significance1 to show the utter impossibility of fulfilling the law1 and thus to lead to the necessary inference that justification must be by faith alone4 ,and so they would not scruple to assert that1 in the highest sense of that term1 it is not ,christianity at all1 but only preparatory to it--a kind of spiritual ,judaism2 and that the higher and more developed principles of ,christianity are to be found in the writings of the apostles4 ,before we proceed further1 we would remark here that it seems extremely startling to say that ,he who came to this world expressly to preach the ,gospel1 should1 in the most elaborate of all ,his discourses1 omit to do so3 it is indeed something more than startling1 it is absolutely revolting to suppose that the letters of those who spoke of ,christ1 should contain a more perfectly-developed1 a freer and fuller ,christianity than is to be found in ,christ's own words4 ,now you will observe that these two parties1 so opposed to each other in their general religious views1 are agreed in this--that the ,sermon on the ,mount is nothing but morality4 ,the man of the world says--,it is morality only1 and that is the whole of religion4 ,the mistaken religionist says--,it is morality only1 not the entire essence of ,christianity4 ,in opposition to both these views1 we maintain that the ,sermon on the ,mount contains the sum and substance of ,christianity--the very chief matter of the gospel of our ,redeemer4 ,it is not1 you will observe1 a pure and spiritualized ,judaism2 it is contrasted with ,judaism again and again by ,him who spoke it4 ,quoting the words of ,moses1 he affirmed1 ,so was it spoken by them of old time1 but ,i say unto you-- ,for example1 ,thou shalt not forswear thyself1 but shalt perform unto the ,lord thine oaths4 ,that is ,judaism4 ,but ,i say unto you swear not at all1 but let your yea be yea1 and your nay nay4 ,that is ,christianity4 ,and that which is the essential peculiarity of this ,christianity lies in these two things4 ,first of all1 that the morality which it teaches is disinterested goodness--goodness not for the sake of the blessing that follows it1 but for its own sake1 and because it is right4 ,love your enemies1 is the ,gospel precept4 ,why8--,because if you love them you shall be blessed2 and if you do not cursed8 ,no2 but ,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you1 and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you1 that ye may be the children of--that is1 may be like--your ,father which is in ,heaven4 ,the second essential peculiarity of ,christianity--and this1 too1 is an essential peculiarity of this ,sermon--is1 that it teaches and enforces the law of self-sacrifice4 ,if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out2 if thy right hand offend thee cut it off4 ,this1 brethren1 is the law of self-sacrifice--the very law and spirit of the blessed cross of ,christ4 ,how deeply and essentially ,christian1 then1 this ,sermon on the ,mount is1 we shall understand if we are enabled in any measure to reach the meaning and spirit of the single passage which ,i have taken as my text4 ,it tells two things--the ,christian aim and the ,christian motive4 #ast4 ,the ,christian aim--perfection4 #bnd4 ,the ,christian motive--because it is right and ,godlike to be perfect4 ,i4 ,the ,christian aim is this--to be perfect4 ,be ye therefore perfect4 ,now distinguish this1 ,i pray you1 from mere worldly morality4 ,it is not conformity to a creed that is here required1 but aspiration after a state4 ,it is not demanded of us to perform a number of duties1 but to yield obedience to a certain spiritual law4 ,but let us endeavour to explain this more fully4 ,what is the meaning of this expression1 ,be ye perfect8 ,why is it that in this discourse1 instead of being commanded to perform religious duties1 we are commanded to think of being like ,god8 ,will not that inflame our pride1 and increase our natural vainglory8 ,now the nature and possibility of human perfection1 what it is and how it is possible1 are both contained in one single expression in the text4 ,even as your ,father which is in ,heaven is perfect4 ,the relationship between father and son implies consanguinity1 likeness1 similarity of character and nature4 ,god made the insect1 the stone1 the lily2 but ,god is not the ,father of the caterpillar1 the lily1 or the stone4 ,when therefore1 ,god is said to be our ,father1 something more is implied in this than that ,god created man4 ,and so when the ,son of ,man came proclaiming the fact that we are the children of ,god1 it was in the truest sense a revelation4 ,he told us that the nature of ,god resembles the nature of man1 that love in ,god is not a mere figure of speech1 but means the same thing as love in us1 and that divine anger is the same thing as human anger divested of its emotions and imperfections4 ,when we are commanded to be like ,god1 it implies that ,god has that nature of which we have already the germs4 ,and this has been taught by the incarnation of the ,redeemer4 ,things absolutely dissimilar in their nature cannot mingle4 ,water cannot coalesce with fire--water cannot mix with oil4 ,if1 then1 ,humanity and ,divinity were united in the person of the ,redeemer1 it follows that there must be something kindred between the two1 or else the incarnation had been impossible4 ,so that the incarnation is the realization of man's perfection4 ,but let us examine more deeply this assertion1 that our nature is kindred with that of ,god--for if man has not a nature kindred to ,god's1 then a demand such as that1 ,be ye the children of--that is1 like--,god1 is but a mockery of man4 ,we say then1 in the first place1 that in the truest sense of the word man can be a creator4 ,the beaver makes its hole1 the bee makes its cell2 man alone has the power of creating4 ,the mason makes1 the architect creates4 ,in the same sense that we say ,god created the universe1 we say that man is also a creator4 ,the creation of the universe was the ,eternal ,thought taking reality4 ,and thought taking expression is also a creation4 ,whenever therefore1 there is a living thought shaping itself in word or in stone1 there is there a creation4 ,and therefore it is1 that the simplest effort of what we call genius is prized infinitely more than the most elaborate performances which are done by mere workmanship1 and for this reason3 that the one is produced by an effort of power which we share with the beaver and the bee1 that of making1 and the other by a faculty and power which man alone shares with ,god4 ,here however1 you will observe another difficulty4 ,it will be said at once--there is something in this comparison of man with ,god which looks like blasphemy1 because one is finite and the other infinite--man is bounded1 ,god boundless2 and to speak of resemblance and kindred between these two1 is to speak of resemblance and kindred between two natures essentially different4 ,but this is precisely the argument which is brought by the ,socinians against the doctrine of the incarnation2 and we are bound to add that the ,socinian argument is right1 unless there be the similarity of which we have been speaking4 ,unless there be something in man's nature which truly and properly partakes of the divine nature1 there could be no incarnation1 and the demand for perfection would be a mockery and an impossibility4 ,let us then endeavour to find out the evidences of this infinitude in the nature of man4 ,first of all we find it in this--that the desires of man are for something boundless and unattainable4 ,thus speaks our ,lord--,what shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul8 ,every schoolboy has heard the story of the youthful prince who enumerated one by one the countries he meant to conquer year after year2 and when the enumeration was completed1 was asked what he meant to do when all those victories were achieved1 and he replied--to sit down1 to be happy1 to take his rest4 ,but then came the ready rejoinder--,why not do so now8 ,but it is not every schoolboy who has paused to consider the folly of the question4 ,he who asked his son why he did not at once take the rest which it was his ultimate purpose to enjoy1 knew not the immensity and nobility of the human soul4 ,he could not then take his rest and be happy4 ,as long as one realm remained unconquered1 so long rest was impossible2 he would weep for fresh worlds to conquer4 ,and thus1 that which was spoken by our ,lord of one earthly gratification1 is true of all--,whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again4 ,the boundless1 endless1 infinite void in the soul of man can be satisfied with nothing but ,god4 ,satisfaction lies not in having1 but in being4 ,there is no satisfaction even in doing4 ,man cannot be satisfied with his own performances4 ,when the righteous young ruler came to ,christ1 and declared that in reference to the life gone by1 he had kept all the commandments and fulfilled all the duties required by the ,law1 still came the question--,what lack ,i yet8 ,the ,scribes and ,pharisees were the strictest observers of the ceremonies of the ,jewish religion1 touching the righteousness which is by the ,law they were blameless1 but yet they wanted something more than that1 and they were found on the brink of ,jordan imploring the baptism of ,john1 seeking after a new and higher state than they had yet attained to1--a significant proof that man cannot be satisfied with his own works4 ,and again1 there is not one of us who has ever been satisfied with his own performances4 ,there is no man whose doings are worth anything1 who has not felt that he has not yet done that which he feels himself able to do4 ,while he was doing it1 he was kept up by the spirit of hope2 but when done the thing seemed to him worthless4 ,and therefore it is that the author cannot read his own book again1 nor the sculptor look with pleasure upon his finished work4 ,with respect to one of the greatest of all modern sculptors1 we are told that he longed for the termination of his earthly career1 for this reason--that he had been satisfied with his own performance3 satisfied for the first time in his life4 ,and this expression of his satisfaction was but equivalent to saying that he had reached the goal1 beyond which there could be no progress4 ,this impossibility of being satisfied with his own performances is one of the strongest proofs of our immortality--a proof of that perfection towards which we shall for ever tend1 but which we can never attain4 ,a second trace of this infinitude in man's nature we find in the infinite capacities of the soul4 ,this is true intellectually and morally4 ,with reference to our intellectual capacities1 it would perhaps be more strictly correct to say that they are indefinite1 rather than infinite2 that is we can affix to them no limit4 ,for there is no man1 however low his intellectual powers may be1 who has not at one time or another felt a rush of thought1 a glow of inspiration1 which seemed to make all things possible1 as if it were merely the effect of some imperfect organization which stood in the way of his doing whatever he desired to do4 ,with respect to our moral and spiritual capacities1 we remark that they are not only indefinite1 but absolutely infinite4 ,let that man answer who has ever truly and heartily loved another4 ,that man knows what it is to partake of the infinitude of ,god4 ,literally1 in the emphatic language of the ,apostle ,john1 he has felt his immortality--,god in him and he in ,god4 ,for that moment1 infinitude was to him not a name1 but a reality4 ,he entered into the infinite of time and space1 which is not measured by days1 or months1 or years1 but is alike boundless and eternal4 ,again1 we perceive a third trace of this infinitude in man1 in the power which he possesses of giving up self4 ,in this1 perhaps more than in anything else1 man may claim kindred with ,god4 ,nor is this power confined to the best of mankind1 but is possessed1 to some extent at least1 by all4 ,there is no man1 how low soever he may be1 who has not one or two causes or secrets1 which no earthly consideration would induce him to betray4 ,there is no man who does not feel towards one or two at least1 in this world1 a devotion which all the bribes of the universe would not be able to shake4 ,we have heard the story of that degraded criminal who1 when sentence of death was passed upon him1 turned to his accomplice in guilt1 in whose favour a verdict of acquittal was brought in1 and in glorious self-forgetfulness exclaimed--,thank ,god1 you are saved6 ,the savage and barbarous ,indian whose life has been one unbroken series of cruelty and crime1 will submit to a slow1 lingering1 torturing death1 rather than betray his country4 ,now1 what shall we say to these things8 ,do they not tell of an indestructible something in the nature of man1 of which the origin is divine8--the remains of a majesty which1 though it may be sullied1 can never be entirely lost8 ,before passing on let us observe1 that were it not for this conviction of the divine origin1 and consequent perfectibility of our nature1 the very thought of ,god would be painful to us4 ,god is so great1 so glorious1 that the mind is overwhelmed by1 and shrinks from1 the contemplation of ,his excellence1 unless there comes the tender1 ennobling thought that we are the children of ,god1 who are to become like our ,father in ,heaven1 whose blessed career it is to go on in an advance of love and duty towards ,him1 until we love ,him as we are loved1 and know ,him almost as we are known4 ,,ii4 ,we pass on1 in the second place1 to consider the ,christian motive--,even as your ,father which is in ,heaven is perfect4 ,brethren1 worldly prudence1 miscalled morality1 says--,be honest2 you will find your gain in being so4 ,do right2 you will be the better for it--even in this world you will not lose by it4 ,the mistaken religionist only magnifies this on a large scale4 ,your duty1 he says1 is to save your soul4 ,give up this world to have the next4 ,lose here1 that you may gain hereafter4 ,now this is but prudence after all--it is but magnified selfishness1 carried on into eternity1--none the more noble for being eternal selfishness4 ,in opposition to all such sentiments as these1 thus speaks the ,gospel--,be ye perfect4 ,why8 ,because your ,father which is in ,heaven is perfect4 ,do right1 because it is ,godlike and right so to do4 ,here however1 let us be understood4 ,we do not mean to say that the ,gospel ignores altogether the personal results of doing right4 ,this would be unnatural--because ,god has linked together well-doing and blessedness4 ,but we do say that this blessedness is not the motive which the ,gospel gives us4 ,it is true the ,gospel says--,blessed are the meek1 for they shall inherit the earth2 blessed are the merciful1 for they shall obtain mercy2 blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness1 for they shall be filled4 ,but when these are made our motives--when we become meek in order that we may inherit here--then the promised enjoyment will not come4 ,if we are merciful merely that we may ourselves obtain mercy1 we shall not have that in-dwelling love of ,god which is the result and token of ,his forgiveness4 ,such was the law and such the example of our ,lord and ,master4 ,true it is that in the prosecution of the great work of redemption ,he had respect to the recompense of reward4 ,true it is ,he was conscious--how could ,he but be conscious--that when ,his work was completed ,he should be glorified with that glory which ,he had with the ,father before the world began2 but we deny that this was the motive which induced ,him to undertake that work2 and that man has a very mistaken idea of the character of the ,redeemer1 and understands but little of ,his spirit1 who has so mean an opinion of ,him as to suppose that it was any consideration of personal happiness and blessedness which led the ,son of ,god to die4 ,for this end was ,he born1 and for this end came ,he into the world to bear witness unto the ,truth1 and to finish the work which was given ,him to do4 ,if we were asked1 ,can you select one text in which more than in any other this unselfish1 disinterested feature comes forth1 it should be this1 ,love ye your enemies1 do good and lend1 hoping for nothing again4 ,this is the true spirit of ,christianity--doing right disinterestedly1 not from the hope of any personal advantage or reward1 either temporal or spiritual1 but entirely forgetting self1 hoping for nothing again4 ,when that glorious philanthropist1 whose whole life had been spent in procuring the abolition of the slave-trade1 was demanded of by some systematic theologian1 whether in his ardour in this great cause he had not been neglecting his personal prospects1 and endangering his own soul1 this was his magnanimous reply--one of those which show the light of truth breaking through like an inspiration4 ,he said1 ,i did not think about my own soul1 ,i had no time to think about myself1 ,i had forgotten all about my soul4 ,the ,christian is not concerned about his own happiness2 he has not time to consider himself2 he has not time to put that selfish question which the disciples put to their ,lord1 when they were but half baptized with ,his spirit1 ,lo1 we have left all and followed ,thee1 what shall we have therefore8 ,in conclusion we observe1 there are two things which are to be learned from this passage4 ,the first is this1 that happiness is not our end and aim4 ,it has been said1 and has since been repeated as frequently as if it were an indisputable axiom1 that ,happiness is our being's end and aim4 ,brethren1 happiness is not our being's end and aim4 ,the ,christian's aim is perfection1 not happiness1 and every one of the sons of ,god must have something of that spirit which marked their ,master2 that holy sadness1 that peculiar unrest1 that high and lofty melancholy which belongs to a spirit which strives after heights to which it can never attain4 ,the second thing we have to learn is this1 that on this earth there can be no rest for man4 ,by rest we mean the attainment of a state beyond which there can be no change4 ,politically1 morally1 spiritually1 there can be no rest for man here4 ,in one country alone has that system been fully carried out which1 conservative of the past1 excludes all desire of progress and improvement for the future3 but it is not to ,china that we should look for the perfection of human society4 ,there is one ecclesiastical system which carries out the same spirit1 looking rather to the ,church of the past than to the ,church of the future2 but it is not in the ,romish that we shall find the model of a ,christian ,church4 ,in ,paradise it may have been right to be at rest1 to desire no change1 but ever since the ,fall every system that tends to check the onward progress of mankind is fatally1 radically1 curelessly wrong4 ,the motto on every ,christian banner is ,forwards4 ,there is no resting in the present1 no satisfaction in the past4 ,the last thing we learn from this is the impossibility of obtaining that of which some men speak--the satisfaction of a good conscience4 ,some men write and speak as if the difference between the ,christian and the worldly man was this1 that in the one conscience is a self-reproaching hell1 and in the other a self-congratulating heaven4 ,oh1 brethren1 is this the fact8 ,think you that the ,christian goes home at night counting up the noble deeds done during the day1 saying to himself1 ,well done1 good and faithful servant8 ,brethren1 that habit of looking forwards to the future prevents all pride and self-righteousness1 and makes our best and only rest and satisfaction to consist in contemplating the future which is bringing us nearer and nearer home4 ,our motto1 therefore1 must be that striking one of the ,apostle ,paul1 ,forgetting those things which are behind1 and reaching forth to those things which are before1 ,i press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,,xiii4 ,preached ,january #d1 #aheb4 ,,christian ,,casuistry4 ,is any man called being circumcised8 let him not become uncircumcised4 ,is any called in uncircumcision8 let him not be circumcised4 ,circumcision is nothing1 and uncircumcision is nothing1 but the keeping of the commandments of ,god4 ,let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called4 ,art thou called being a servant8 care not for it3 but if thou mayest be made free use it rather4 ,for he that is called in the ,lord1 being a servant1 is the ,lord's freeman2 likewise also he that is called being free1 is ,christ's servant4 ,ye are bought with a price2 be not ye the servants of men4 ,brethren1 let every man wherein he is called therein abide with ,god4--#a ,corinthians1 vii4 #ah-bd4 ,the whole of these seven chapters of the ,first ,epistle of the ,apostle ,paul to the ,corinthians1 is occupied with questions of ,christian casuistry4 ,in the application of the principles of ,christianity to the varying circumstances of life1 innumerable difficulties had arisen1 and the ,corinthians upon these difficulties had put certain questions to the ,apostle ,paul4 ,this seventh chapter contains the apostle's answer to many of these questions4 ,there are however1 two great divisions into which these answers generally fall4 ,st4 ,paul makes a distinction between those things which he speaks by commandment and those which he speaks only by permission2 there is a distinction between what he says as from the ,lord1 and what only from himself2 between that which he speaks to them as being taught of ,god1 and that which he speaks only as a servant1 called of the ,lord and faithful4 ,it is manifestly plain that there are many questions in which right and wrong are not variable1 but indissoluble and fixed2 while there are questions1 on the other hand1 where these terms are not fixed1 but variable1 fluctuating1 altering1 dependent upon circumstances4 ,as1 for instance1 those in which the apostle teaches in the present chapter the several duties and advantages of marriage and celibacy4 ,there may be circumstances in which it is the duty of a ,christian man to be married1 there are others in which it may be his duty to remain unmarried4 ,for instance1 in the case of a missionary it may be right to be married rather than unmarried2 on the other hand1 in the case of a pauper1 not having the wherewithal to bring up and maintain a family1 it may be proper to remain unmarried4 ,you will observe however1 that no fixed law can be laid down upon this subject4 ,we cannot say marriage is a ,christian duty1 nor celibacy is a ,christian duty2 nor that it is in every case the duty of a missionary to be married1 or of a pauper to be unmarried4 ,all these things must vary according to circumstances1 and the duty must be stated not universally1 but with reference to those circumstances4 ,these therefore1 are questions of casuistry1 which depend upon the particular case3 from which word the term casuistry is derived4 ,on these points the apostle speaks not by commandment1 but by permission2 not as speaking by ,god's command1 but as having the ,spirit of ,god4 ,a distinction has sometimes been drawn with reference to this chapter between that which the apostle speaks by inspiration1 and what he speaks as a man uninspired4 ,the distinction1 however1 is an altogether false one1 and beside the question4 ,for the real distinction is not between inspired and uninspired1 but between a decision in matters of ,christian duty1 and advice in matters of ,christian prudence4 ,it is abundantly evident that ,god cannot give advice2 ,he can only issue a command4 ,god cannot say1 ,it is better to do this2 ,his perfections demand something absolute3 ,thou shalt do this2 thou shalt not do this4 ,whensoever therefore1 we come to advice there is introduced the human element rather than the divine4 ,in all such cases therefore1 as are dependent upon circumstances the apostle speaks not as inspired1 but as uninspired2 as one whose judgment we have no right to find fault with or to cavil at1 who lays down what is a matter of ,christian prudence1 and not a bounden and universal duty4 ,the matter of the present discourse will take in various verses in this chapter--from the tenth to the twenty-fourth verse--leaving part of the commencement and the conclusion for our consideration1 if ,god permit1 next ,sunday4 ,there are three main questions on which the apostle here gives his inspired decision4 ,the first decision is concerning the sanctity of the marriage-bond between two ,christians4 ,his verdict is given in the tenth verse3 ,unto the married ,i command1 yet not ,i1 but the ,lord1 ,let not the wife depart from her husband4 ,he lays down this principle1 that the union is an indissoluble one4 ,upon such a subject1 ,christian brethren1 before a mixed congregation1 it is manifestly evident that we can only speak in general terms4 ,it will be sufficient to say that marriage is of all earthly unions almost the only one permitting of no change but that of death4 ,it is that engagement in which man exerts his most awful and solemn power1--the power of responsibility which belongs to him as one that shall give account1--the power of abnegating the right to change1--the power of parting with his freedom1--the power of doing that which in this world can never be reversed4 ,and yet it is perhaps that relationship which is spoken of most frivolously1 and entered into most carelessly and most wantonly4 ,it is not an union merely between two creatures1 it is an union between two spirits2 and the intention of that bond is to perfect the nature of both1 by supplementing their deficiencies with the force of contrast1 giving to each sex those excellencies in which it is naturally deficient2 to the one strength of character and firmness of moral will1 to the other sympathy1 meekness1 tenderness4 ,and just so solemn1 and just so glorious as these ends are for which the union was contemplated and intended1 just so terrible are the consequences if it be perverted and abused4 ,for there is no earthly relationship which has so much power to ennoble and to exalt4 ,very strong language does the apostle use in this chapter respecting it3 ,what knoweth thou1 ,o wife1 whether thou shalt save thy husband8 or how knowest thou1 ,o man1 whether thou shalt save thy wife8 ,the very power of saving belongs to this relationship4 ,and on the other hand1 there is no earthly relationship which has so much power to wreck and ruin the soul4 ,for there are two rocks in this world of ours on which the soul must either anchor or be wrecked4 ,the one is ,god2 the other is the sex opposite to itself4 ,the one is the ,rock of ,ages1 on which if the human soul anchors it lives the blessed life of faith2 against which if the soul be dashed and broken1 there ensues the wreck of ,atheism--the worst ruin of the soul4 ,the other rock is of another character4 ,blessed is the man1 blessed is the woman whose life-experience has taught a confiding belief in the excellencies of the sex opposite to their own--a blessedness second only to the blessedness of salvation4 ,and the ruin in the other case is second only to the ruin of everlasting perdition--the same wreck and ruin of the soul4 ,these then1 are the two tremendous alternatives3 on the one hand the possibility of securing1 in all sympathy and tenderness1 the laying of that step on which man rises towards his perfection2 on the other hand the blight of all sympathy1 to be dragged down to earth1 and forced to become frivolous and common-place2 to lose all zest and earnestness in life1 to have heart and life degraded by mean and perpetually-recurring sources of disagreement2 these are the two alternatives1 and it is the worst of these alternatives which the young risk when they form an inconsiderate union1 excusably indeed--because through inexperience2 and it is the worst of these alternatives which parents risk--not excusably but inexcusably--when they bring up their children with no higher view of what that tie is1 than the merely prudential one of a rich and honourable marriage4 ,the second decision which the apostle makes respecting another of the questions proposed to him by the ,corinthians1 is as to the sanctity of the marriage bond between a ,christian and one who is a heathen4 ,when ,christianity first entered into our world1 and was little understood1 it seemed to threaten the dislocation and alteration of all existing relationships4 ,many difficulties arose2 such for instance1 as the one here started4 ,when of two heathen parties only one was converted to ,christianity1 the question arose1 ,what in this case is the duty of the ,christian8 ,is not the duty separation8 ,is not the marriage in itself null and void8 as if it were an union between one dead and one living8 ,and that perpetual contact with a heathen1 and therefore an enemy of ,god1 is not that in a relation so close and intimate1 perpetual defilement8 ,the apostle decides this with his usual inspired wisdom4 ,he decides that the marriage-bond is sacred still4 ,diversities of religious opinion1 even the farthest and widest diversity1 cannot sanction separation4 ,and so he decides in the #acth verse1 ,the woman which hath an husband that believeth not1 if he be pleased to dwell with her1 let her not leave him4 ,and1 if any brother hath a wife that believeth not1 and she be pleased to dwell with him1 let him not put her away1 v4 #ab4 ,now for us in the present day1 the decision on this point is not of so much importance as the reason which is adduced in support of it4 ,the proof which the ,apostle gives of the sanctity of the marriage is exceedingly remarkable4 ,practically it amounts to this2--,if this were no marriage1 but an unhallowed alliance1 it would follow as a necessary consequence that the offspring could not be reckoned in any sense as the children of ,god2 but1 on the other hand1 it is the instinctive1 unwavering conviction of every ,christian parent1 united though he or she may be to a heathen1 ,my child is a child of ,god1 or1 in the ,jewish form of expression1 ,my child is clean4 ,so the apostle says1 the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife1 and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband3 else were your children unclean2 but now they are holy1 for it follows if the children are holy in this sense of dedicated to ,god1 and are capable of ,christian relationship1 then the marriage relation was not unhallowed1 but sacred and indissoluble4 ,the value of this argument in the present day depends on its relation to baptism4 ,the great question we are deciding in the present day may be reduced to a very few words4 ,this question--the ,baptismal question--is this3--whether we are baptized because we are the children of ,god1 or1 whether we are the children of ,god because we are baptized2 whether in other words1 when the ,catechism of the ,church of ,england says that by baptism we are made the children of ,god1 we are to understand thereby that we are made something which we were not before--magically and mysteriously changed2 or1 whether we are to understand that we are made the children of ,god by baptism in the same sense that a sovereign is made a sovereign by coronation4 ,here the apostle's argument is full1 decisive1 and unanswerable4 ,he does not say that these children were ,christian1 or clean1 because they were baptized1 but they were the children of ,god because they were the children of one ,christian parent2 nay more than that1 such children could scarcely ever have been baptized1 because1 if the rite met with opposition from one of the parents1 it would be an entire and perfect veto to the possibility of baptism4 ,you will observe that the very fundamental idea out of which infant-baptism arises is1 that the impression produced upon the mind and character of the child by the ,christian parent1 makes the child one of a ,christian community2 and1 therefore1 as ,peter argued that ,cornelius had received the ,holy ,ghost1 and so was to be baptized1 just in the same way1 as they are adopted into the ,christian family and receive a ,christian impression1 the children of ,christian parents are also to be baptized4 ,observe also the important truth which comes out collaterally from this argument--namely1 the sacredness of the impression1 which arises from the close connection between parent and child4 ,stronger far than education--going on before education can commence1 possibly from the very first moments of consciousness1 we begin to impress ourselves on our children4 ,our character1 voice1 features1 qualities--modified1 no doubt1 by entering into a new human being1 and into a different organization--are impressed upon our children4 ,not the inculcation of opinions1 but much rather the formation of principles1 and of the tone of character1 the derivation of qualities4 ,physiologists tell us of the derivation of the mental qualities from the father1 and of the moral from the mother4 ,but be this as it may1 there is scarcely one here who cannot trace back his present religious character to some impression1 in early life1 from one or other of his parents--a tone1 a look1 a word1 a habit1 or even1 it may be1 a bitter1 miserable exclamation of remorse4 ,the third decision which the apostle gives1 the third principle which he lays down1 is but the development of the last4 ,christianity he says1 does not interfere with existing relationships4 ,first he lays down the principle1 and then unfolds the principle in two ways1 ecclesiastically and civilly4 ,the principle he lays down in almost every variety of form4 ,in the #agth verse1 ,as ,god hath distributed to every man1 as the ,lord hath called every one1 so let him walk4 ,in the #bjth verse1 ,let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called4 ,in the #bdth verse1 ,brethren1 let every man wherein he is called therein abide with ,god4 ,this is the principle4 ,christianity was not to interfere with existing relationships2 ,christian men were to remain in those relationships in which they were1 and in them to develope the inward spirituality of the ,christian life4 ,then he applies this principle in two ways4 ,first of all1 ecclesiastically4 ,with respect to their church1 or ecclesiastical affairs1 he says--,is any man called being circumcised8 ,let him not become uncircumcised4 ,is any man in uncircumcision8 ,let him not be circumcised4 ,in other words1 the ,jews1 after their conversion1 were to continue ,jews1 if they would4 ,christianity required no change in these outward things1 for it was not in these that the depth and reality of the kingdom of ,christ consisted4 ,so the ,apostle ,paul took ,timothy and circumcised him2 so1 also1 he used all the ,jewish customs with which he was familiar1 and performed a vow1 as related in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 having shorn his head in ,cenchrea2 for he had a vow4 ,it was not his opinion that it was the duty of a ,christian to overthrow the ,jewish system4 ,he knew that the ,jewish system could not last1 but what he wanted was to vitalize the system--to throw into it not a ,jewish1 but a ,christian feeling2 and so doing1 he might continue in it so long as it would hold together4 ,and so it was no doubt1 with all the other apostles4 ,we have no evidence that before the destruction of the ,jewish polity1 there was any attempt made by them to overthrow the ,jewish external religion4 ,they kept the ,jewish ,sabbath1 and observed the ,jewish ritual4 ,one of them1 ,james1 the ,christian ,bishop of ,jerusalem1 though a ,christian1 was even among the ,jews remarkable and honourable for the regularity with which he observed all his ,jewish duties4 ,now let us apply this to modern duties4 ,the great desire among men now1 appears to be to alter institutions1 to have perfect institutions1 as if they would make perfect men4 ,mark the difference between this feeling and that of the apostle1 ,let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called4 ,we are called to be members of the ,church of ,england--what is our duty now8 ,what would ,paul have done8 ,is this our duty--to put such questions to ourselves as these8 ,is there any single1 particular sentence in the service of my ,church with which ,i do not entirely agree8 ,is there any single ceremony with which my whole soul does not go along8 ,if so1 then is it my duty to leave it at once8 ,no1 my brethren1 all that we have to do is to say1 ,all our existing institutions are those under which ,god has placed us1 under which we are to mould our lives according to ,his will4 ,it is our duty to vitalize our forms1 to throw into them a holier1 deeper meaning4 ,my ,christian brethren1 surely no man will get true rest1 true repose for his soul in these days of controversy1 until he has learned the wise significance of these wise words--,let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called4 ,he will but gain unrest1 he will but disquiet himself1 if he says1 ,i am sinning by continuing in this imperfect system1 if he considers it his duty to change his calling if his opinions do not agree in every particular and special point with the system under which ,god has placed him4 ,lastly1 the apostle applies this principle civilly4 ,and you will observe he applies it to that civil relationship which of all others1 was the most difficult to harmonize with ,christianity--slavery4 ,art thou called1 he says1 being a servant8 ,care not for it4 ,now1 in considering this part of the subject we should carry along with us these two recollections4 ,first1 we should recollect that ,christianity had made much way among this particular class1 the class of slaves4 ,no wonder that men cursed with slavery embraced with joy a religion which was perpetually teaching the worth and dignity of the human soul1 and declaring that rich and poor1 peer and peasant1 master and slave1 were equal in the sight of ,god4 ,and yet1 great as this growth was1 it contained within it elements of danger4 ,it was to be feared1 lest men1 hearing for ever of brotherhood and ,christian equality1 should be tempted and excited to throw off the yoke by force1 and compel their masters and oppressors to do them right4 ,the other fact we are to keep in remembrance is this--that all this occurred in an age in which slavery had reached its worst and most fearful form1 an age in which the emperors were accustomed1 not unfrequently1 to feed their fish with living slaves2 when captives were led to fight in the amphitheatre with wild beasts or with each other1 to glut the ,roman appetite for blood upon a ,roman holiday4 ,and yet fearful as it was1 the apostle says1 ,care not for it4 ,and fearful as war was in those days1 when the soldiers came to ,john to be baptized1 he did not recommend them to join some ,peace ,association1 to use the modern term2 he simply exhorted them to be content with their wages4 ,and hence we understand the way in which ,christianity was to work4 ,it interferes indirectly and not directly with existing institutions4 ,no doubt it will at length abolish war and slavery1 but there is not one case where we find ,christianity interfering with institutions1 as such4 ,even when ,onesimus ran away and came to ,paul1 the apostle sent him back to his master ,philemon1 not dissolving the connection between them4 ,and then1 as a consolation to the servant1 he told him of a higher feeling--a feeling that would make him free1 with the chain and shackle upon his arm4 ,and so it was possible for the ,christian then1 as it is now1 to be possessed of the highest liberty even under tyranny4 ,it many times occurred that ,christian men found themselves placed under an unjust and tyrannical government1 and compelled to pay unjust taxes4 ,the ,son of ,man showed his freedom not by refusing1 but by paying them4 ,his glorious liberty could do so without any feeling of degradation2 obeying the laws1 not because they were right1 but because institutions are to be upheld with cordiality4 ,one thing in conclusion we have to observe4 ,it is possible from all this to draw a most inaccurate conclusion4 ,some men have spoken of ,christianity as if it was entirely indifferent about liberty and all public questions--as if with such things as these ,christianity did not concern itself at all4 ,this indifference is not to be found in the ,apostle ,paul4 ,while he asserts that inward liberty is the only true liberty1 he still goes on to say1 ,if thou mayst be free use it rather4 ,for he well knew that although it was possible for a man to be a high and lofty ,christian even though he were a slave1 yet it was not probable that he would be so4 ,outward institutions are necessary partly to make a perfect ,christian character2 and thus ,christianity works from what is internal to what is external4 ,it gave to the slave the feeling of his dignity as a man1 at the same time it gave to the ,christian master a new view of his relation to his slave1 and taught him to regard him not now as a servant1 but above a servant1 a brother beloved4 ,and so by degrees slavery passed into freed servitude1 and freed servitude1 under ,god's blessing1 may pass into something else4 ,there are two mistakes which are often made upon this subject2 one is1 the error of supposing that outward institutions are unnecessary for the formation of character1 and the other1 that of supposing that they are all that is required to form the human soul4 ,if we understand rightly the duty of a ,christian man1 it is this3 to make his brethren free inwardly and outwardly2 first inwardly1 so that they may become masters of themselves1 rulers of their passions1 having the power of self-rule and self-control2 and then outwardly1 so that there may be every power and opportunity of developing the inward life2 in the language of the prophet1 ,to break the rod of the oppressor and let the oppressed go free4 ,,xiv4 ,preached ,january ,,ii1 #aheb4 ,,marriage ,,and ,,celibacy4 ,but this ,i say1 brethren1 the time is short3 it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none2 and they that weep as though they wept not2 and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not2 and they that buy1 as though they possessed not2 and they that use this world as not abusing it3 for the fashion of this world passeth away4--#a ,corinthians vii4 #bi-ca4 ,the subject of our exposition last ,sunday was an essential portion of this chapter4 ,it is our duty to examine now the former and the latter portions of it4 ,these portions are occupied entirely with the inspired apostolic decision upon this one question--the comparative advantages and merits of celibacy and marriage4 ,one preliminary question1 however1 is to be discussed4 ,how came it that such a question should be put at all to the apostle8 ,in the church at ,corinth there were two different sections of society2 first there were those who had been introduced into the church through ,judaism1 and afterwards those who had been converted from different forms of heathenism4 ,now it is well known1 that it was the tendency of ,judaism highly to venerate the marriage state1 and just in the same proportion to disparage that of celibacy1 and to place those who led a single life under a stigma and disgrace4 ,those converts therefore1 entered into the ,church of ,christ carrying with them their old ,jewish prejudices4 ,on the other hand1 many who had entered into the ,christian ,church had been converted to ,christianity from different forms of heathenism4 ,among these prevailed a tendency to the belief 7which originated primarily in the oriental schools of philosophy7 that the highest virtue consisted in the denial of all natural inclinations1 and the suppression of all natural desires2 and looking upon marriage on one side only1 and that the lowest1 they were tempted to consider it as low1 earthly1 carnal1 and sensual4 ,it was at this time that ,christianity entered into the world1 and while it added fresh dignity and significance to the marriage relationship1 it at the same time shed a splendour and a glory upon the other state4 ,the virginity of the mother of ,our ,lord--the solitary life of ,john the ,baptist--the pure and solitary youth of ,christ ,himself--had thrown upon celibacy a meaning and dignity which it did not possess before4 ,no marvel therefore1 that to men so educated1 and but half prepared for ,christianity1 practices like these should have become exaggerations2 for it rarely happens that any right ideas can be given to the world without suffering exaggeration4 ,human nature progresses1 the human mind goes on2 but it is rarely in a straight line1 almost always through the medium of re-action1 rebounding from extremes which produce contrary extremes4 ,so it was in the ,church of ,corinth4 ,there were two opposite parties holding views diametrically opposed to one another--one honouring the married and depreciating the unmarried life--the other attributing peculiar dignity and sanctity to celibacy1 and looking down with contempt upon the married ,christian state4 ,it is scarcely necessary to remind ourselves that this diversity of sentiment has existed in the ,church of ,christ in almost all ages4 ,for example in the early ages1 in almost all the writings of the ,fathers we have exaggerated descriptions of the dignity and glory of the state of celibacy4 ,they speak as if the marriage state was low1 carnal1 and worldly2 and the other the only one in which it is possible to attain to the higher spiritual life--the one the natural state1 fit for man1 the other the angelic1 fit for angels4 ,but ordinarily among men in general1 in every age1 the state of single life has been looked down upon and contemned4 ,and then there comes to the parties who are so circumstanced a certain sense of shame1 and along with this a disposition towards calumny and slander4 ,let us endeavour to understand the wise1 inspired decision which the ,apostle ,paul pronounced upon this subject4 ,he does not decide1 as we might have been led to suppose he would1 from his own peculiarity of disposition1 upon one side only2 but raises into relief the advantages and excellencies of both4 ,he say that neither state has in itself any intrinsic merit--neither is in itself superior to the other4 ,i suppose1 then1 he says1 that this is good for the present distress4 ,art thou bound unto a wife8 ,seek not to be loosed4 ,art thou loosed from a wife8 ,seek not a wife4 ,but and if thou marry1 thou hast not sinned3 and if a virgin marry1 she hath not sinned4 ,nevertheless1 such shall have trouble in the flesh3 but ,i spare you4 ,that is1 ,i will spare you this trouble1 in recommending a single1 solitary life4 ,you will observe that in these words he attributes no intrinsic merit or dignity to either celibacy or marriage4 ,the comparative advantages of these two states he decides with reference to two considerations2 first of all with respect to their comparative power in raising the character of the individual1 and afterwards with reference to the opportunities which each respectively gives for the service of ,god4 ,i4 ,with respect to the single life1 he tells us that he had his own proper gift from ,god2 in other words1 he was one of those rare characters who have the power of living without personal sympathy4 ,the feelings and affections of the ,apostle ,paul were of a strange and rare character--tending to expansiveness rather than concentration4 ,those sympathies which ordinary men expend upon a few1 he extended to many4 ,the members of the churches which he had founded at ,corinth1 and ,ephesus1 and ,colosse1 and ,philippi1 were to him as children2 and he threw upon them all that sympathy and affection which other men throw upon their own domestic circle4 ,to a man so trained and educated1 the single life gave opportunities of serving ,god which the marriage state could not give4 ,st4 ,paul had risen at once to that philanthropy--that expansive benevolence1 which most other men only attain by slow degrees1 and this was made1 by ,god's blessing1 a means of serving his cause4 ,however we may sneer at the monastic system of the ,church of ,rome1 it is unquestionable that many great works have been done by the monks which could not have been performed by men who had entered into the marriage relationship4 ,such examples of heroic ,christian effort as are seen in the lives of ,st4 ,bernard1 of ,francis ,xavier1 and many others1 are scarcely ever to be found except in the single state4 ,the forlorn hope in battle1 as well as in the cause of ,christianity1 must consist of men who have no domestic relationships to divide their devotion1 who will leave no wife nor children to mourn over their loss4 ,let this great truth bring its improvement to those who1 either of their own choice1 or by the force of circumstances1 are destined hereafter to live a single life on earth2 and1 instead of yielding to that feeling so common among mankind--the feeling of envy at another's happiness--instead of becoming gloomy1 and bitter and censorious1 let them remember what the ,bible has to tell of the deep significance of the ,virgin ,mary's life--let them reflect upon the snares and difficulties from which they are saved--let them consider how much more time and money they can give to ,god--that they are called to the great work of serving ,causes1 of entering into public questions1 while others spend their time and talents only upon themselves4 ,the state of single life1 however we may be tempted to think lightly of it1 is a state that has peculiar opportunities of deep blessedness4 #b4 ,on the other hand1 the ,apostle ,paul brings forward1 into strong relief1 the blessedness and advantages of the marriage state4 ,he tells us that it is a type of the union between the ,redeemer and the ,church4 ,but as this belongs to another part of the subject1 we shall not enter into it now4 ,but we observe1 that men in general1 must have their sympathies drawn out step by step1 little by little4 ,we do not rise to philanthropy all at once4 ,we begin with personal1 domestic1 particular affections4 ,and not only is it true that rarely can any man have the whole of his love drawn out except through this domestic state1 but1 also1 it is to be borne in mind that those who have entered into this relationship have also their own peculiar advantages4 ,it is true that in the marriage-life1 interrupted as it is by daily cares and small trifles1 those works of ,christian usefulness cannot be so continuously carried on as in the other4 ,but is there not a deep meaning to be learned from the old expression--that celibacy is an angelic state8 that it is preternatural1 and not natural8 that the goodness which is induced by it is not1 so to speak1 the natural goodness of ,humanity1 but such a goodness as ,god scarcely intended8 ,who of us cannot recollect a period of his history when all his time was devoted to the cause of ,christ2 when all his money was given to the service of ,god2 and when we were tempted to look down upon those who were less ardent than ourselves1 as if they were not ,christians8 ,but now the difficulties of life have come upon us2 we have become involved in the trifles and the smallness of social domestic existence2 and these have made us less devoted perhaps1 less preternatural1 less angelic--but more human1 better fitted to enter into the daily cares and small difficulties of our ordinary humanity4 ,and this has been represented to us by two great lives--one human1 the other divine--one1 the life of ,john the ,baptist1 and the other1 of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in both these cases is verified the saying1 that ,wisdom is justified of all her children4 ,those who are wisdom's children--the truly wise--will recognise an even wisdom in both these lives2 they will see that there are cases in which a solitary life is to be chosen for the sake of ,god2 while there are other cases in which a social life becomes our bounden duty4 ,but it should be specially observed here that that ,life which has been given to us as a specimen of life for all1 was a social1 a human ,life4 ,christ did not refuse to mix with the common joys and common sorrows of ,humanity4 ,he was present at the marriage-feast1 and by the bier of the widow's son4 ,this of the two lives was the one which1 because it was the most human1 was the most divine2 the most rare1 the most difficult1 the most natural--therefore1 the most ,christ-like4 ,,ii4 ,let us notice1 in the second place1 the principle upon which the apostle founds this decision4 ,it is given in the text--,this ,i say1 brethren1 the time is short3 it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none1 for the fashion of this world passeth away4 ,now observe here1 ,i pray you1 the deep wisdom of this apostolic decision4 ,in point of fact it comes to this3 ,christianity is a spirit1 not a law2 it is a set of principles1 not a set of rules2 it is not a saying to us--,you shall do this1 you shall not do that--you shall use this particular dress1 you shall not use that--you shall lead1 you shall not lead a married life--,christianity consists of principles1 but the application of those principles is left to every man's individual conscience4 ,with respect not only to this particular case1 but to all the questions which had been brought before him1 the apostle applies the same principle2 the cases upon which he decided were many and various1 but the large1 broad principle of his decision remains the same in all4 ,you may marry1 and you have not sinned2 you may remain unmarried1 and you do not sin2 if you are invited to a heathen feast1 you may go1 or you may abstain from going2 you may remain a slave1 or you may become free2 in these things ,christianity does not consist4 ,but what it does demand is this3 that whether married or unmarried1 whether a slave or free1 in sorrow or in joy1 you are to live in a spirit higher and loftier than that of the world4 ,the apostle gives us in the text two motives for this ,christian unworldliness4 ,the first motive which he lays down is this--,the time is short4 ,you will observe how frequently1 in the course of his remarks upon the questions proposed to him1 the apostle turns1 as it were entirely away from the subject1 as if worn-out and wearied by the comparatively trivial character of the questions--as if this balancing of one earthly condition or advantage with another1 were but a solemn trifling compared with eternal things4 ,and so here1 he seems to turn away from the question before him1 and speaks of the shortness of time4 ,the time is short6 ,time is short in reference to two things4 ,first1 it is short in reference to the person who regards it4 ,that mysterious thing ,time is a matter of sensation1 and not a reality2 a modification merely of our own consciousness1 and not actual existence2 depending upon the flight of ideas--long to one1 short to another4 ,the span granted to the butterfly1 the child of a single summer1 may be long2 that which is given to the cedar of ,lebanon may be short4 ,the shortness of time1 therefore is entirely relative--belonging to us not to ,god4 ,time is short in reference to existence1 whether you look at it before or after4 ,time past seems nothing2 time to come always seems long4 ,we say this chiefly for the sake of the young4 ,to them fifty or sixty years seem a treasure inexhaustible4 ,but1 my young brethren1 ask the old man1 trembling on the verge of the grave1 what he thinks of ,time and ,life4 ,he will tell you that the three-score years and ten1 or even the hundred-and-twenty years of ,jacob1 are but few and evil4 ,and1 therefore1 if you are tempted to unbelief in respect to this question1 we appeal to experience--experience alone can judge of its truth4 ,once more1 time is short with reference to its opportunities4 ,for this is the emphatic meaning in the original--literally1 the opportunity is compressed1 or shut in4 ,brethren1 time may be long1 and yet the opportunity may be very short4 ,the sun in autumn may be bright and clear1 but the seed which has not been sown until then will not vegetate4 ,a man may have vigour and energy in manhood and maturity1 but the work which ought to have been done in childhood and youth cannot be done in old age4 ,a chance once gone in this world can never be recovered4 ,brother men--have you learned the meaning of yesterday8 ,do you rightly estimate the importance of to-day8 ,that there are duties to be done to-day which cannot be done to-morrow8 ,this it is that throws so solemn a significance into your work4 ,the time for working is short1 therefore begin to-day2 for the night is coming when no man can work4 ,time is short in reference to eternity4 ,it was especially with this reference that the text was written4 ,in those days1 and even by the apostles themselves1 the day of the ,lord's appearance and second advent seemed much nearer than it was4 ,they believed that it would occur during their own lives4 ,and with this belief came the feeling which comes sometimes to all4 ,oh1 in comparison with that vast ,hereafter1 this little life shrivels into nothing6 ,what is to-day worth1 or its duties or its cares8 ,all deep minds have thought that4 ,the thought of ,time is solemn and awful to all minds in proportion to their depth--and in proportion as the mind is superficial1 the thought has appeared little1 and has been treated with levity4 ,brethren1 let but a man possess himself of that thought--the deep thought of the brevity of time2 this thought--that time is short1 and that eternity is long--and he has learned the first great secret of unworldliness4 #b4 ,the second motive which the apostle gives us is the changing character of the external world4 ,the fashion of this world passeth away--literally the scenery of this world1 a dramatic expression1 drawn from the ,grecian stage4 ,one of the deepest of modern thinkers has told us in words often quoted1 ,all the world's a stage4 ,and a deeper thinker than he1 because inspired1 had said long before in the similar words of the text1 the scenery of this world passeth away4 ,there are two ways in which this is true4 ,first1 it is true with respect to all the things by which we are surrounded4 ,it is only in poetry--the poetry of the ,psalms for example--that the hills are called everlasting4 ,go to the side of the ocean which bounds our country1 and watch the tide going out1 bearing with it the sand which it has worn from the cliffs2 the very boundaries of our land are changing2 they are not the same as they were when these words were written4 ,every day new relationships are forming around us2 new circumstances are calling upon us to act--to act manfully1 firmly1 decisively1 and up to the occasion1 remembering that an opportunity once gone is gone for ever4 ,indulge not in vain regrets for the past1 in vainer resolves for the future--act1 act in the present4 ,again1 this is true with respect to ourselves4 ,the fashion of this world passeth away in us4 ,the feelings we have now are not those which we had in childhood4 ,there has passed away a glory from the earth--the stars1 the sun1 the moon1 the green fields have lost their beauty and significance--nothing remains as it was1 except their repeated impressions on the mind1 the impressions of time1 space1 eternity1 colour1 form2 these cannot alter1 but all besides has changed4 ,our very minds alter4 ,there is no bereavement so painful1 no shock so terrible1 but time will remove or alleviate4 ,the keenest feeling in this world time wears out at last1 and our minds become like old monumental tablets which have lost the inscription once graven deeply upon them4 ,in conclusion1 we have to examine the nature of this ,christian unworldliness which is taught us in the text4 ,the principle of unworldliness is stated in the latter portion of the text2 in the former part the apostle makes an application of the principle to four cases of life4 ,first1 to cases of domestic relationship--it remaineth that they that have wives be as though they had none4 ,secondly1 to cases of sorrow--and they that weep as though they wept not4 ,thirdly1 to cases of joy--and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not4 ,and1 finally to cases of the acquisition of worldly property1 and they that buy as though they possessed not4 ,time will not allow us to go into these applications2 we must confine ourselves to a brief consideration of the principle4 ,the principle of ,christian unworldliness1 then is this1 to use this world as not abusing it4 ,here ,christianity takes its stand1 in opposition to two contrary principles4 ,the spirit of the world says1 ,time is short1 therefore use it while you have it2 take your fill of pleasure while you may4 ,a narrow religion says1 ,time is short1 therefore temporal things should receive no attention3 do not weep1 do not rejoice2 it is beneath a ,christian4 ,in opposition to the narrow spirit of religion1 ,christianity says1 ,use this world2--in opposition to the spirit of the world ,christianity says1 ,do not abuse it4 ,a distinct duty arises from this principle to use the world4 ,while in the world we are citizens of the world3 it is our duty to share its joys1 to take our part in its sorrows1 not to shrink from its difficulties1 but to mix ourselves with its infinite opportunities4 ,so that if time be short1 so far from that fact lessening their dignity or importance1 it infinitely increases them2 since upon these depend the destinies of our eternal being4 ,unworldliness is this--to hold things from ,god in the perpetual conviction that they will not last2 to have the world1 and not to let the world have us2 to be the world's masters1 and not the world's slaves4 ,,xv4 ,preached ,january #aa1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,christian ,,church ,a ,,family4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named4--,ephesians iii4 #ad1 #ae4 ,in the verses immediately before the text the ,apostle ,paul has been speaking of what he calls a mystery--that is1 a revealed secret4 ,and the secret was this1 that the ,gentiles would be fellow-heirs and of the same body1 and partakers of the promise in ,christ by the gospel4 ,it had been kept secret from the former ages and generations2 it was a secret which the ,jew had not suspected1 had not even dreamt of4 ,it appeared to him to be his duty to keep as far as possible from the ,gentile4 ,circumcision1 which taught him the duty of separation from the ,gentile spirit1 and ,gentile practices1 seemed to him to teach hatred towards ,gentile persons1 until at length1 in the good pleasure and providence of ,god1 in the fulness of time1 through the instrumentality of men whose hearts rather than whose intellects were inspired by ,god1 the truth came out distinct and clear1 that ,god was the ,father of the ,gentiles as well as of the ,jews1 for the same ,lord over all is rich unto all that call upon ,him4 ,in the progress of the months1 my ,christian brethren1 we have arrived again at that period of the year in which our ,church calls upon us to commemorate the ,epiphany1 or manifestation of ,jesus ,christ to the ,gentiles1 and we know not that in the whole range of ,scripture we could find a passage which more distinctly and definitely than this1 brings before us the spirit in which it is incumbent upon us to enter upon this duty4 ,in considering this passage we shall divide it into these two branches3--#ast1 the definition which the ,apostle ,paul here gives of the ,church of ,christ2 and1 #bndly1 the ,name by which this ,church is named4 ,i4 ,in the first place1 let us consider the definition given by the ,apostle ,paul of the ,christian ,church1 taken in its entirety4 ,it is this1 the whole family in heaven and earth4 ,but in order to understand this fully1 it will be necessary for us to break it up into its different terms4 #a4 ,first of all it is taught by this definition that the ,church of ,christ is a society founded upon natural affinities--a family4 ,a family is built on affinities which are natural1 not artificial2 it is not a combination1 but a society4 ,in ancient times an association of interest combined men in one guild or corporation for protecting the common persons in that corporation from oppression4 ,in modern times identity of political creed or opinion has bound men together in one league1 in order to establish those political principles which appeared to them of importance4 ,similarity of taste has united men together in what is called an association1 or a society1 in order by this means to attain more completely the ends of that science to which they had devoted themselves4 ,but as these have been raised artificially1 so their end is inevitably1 dissolution4 ,society passes on1 and guilds and corporations die2 principles are established1 and leagues become dissolved2 tastes change1 and then the association or society breaks up and comes to nothing4 ,it is upon another principle altogether that that which we call a family1 or true society1 is formed4 ,it is not built upon similarity of taste1 nor identity of opinion1 but upon affinities of nature4 ,you do not choose who shall be your brother2 you cannot exclude your mother or your sister2 it does not depend upon choice or arbitrary opinion at all1 but is founded upon the eternal nature of things4 ,and precisely in the same way is the ,christian ,church formed--upon natural affinity1 and not upon artificial combination4 ,the family1 the whole family in heaven and earth2 not made up of those who call themselves brethren1 but of those who are brethren2 not founded merely upon the principles of combination1 but upon the principles of affinity4 ,that is not a church1 or a family1 or a society which is made up by men's choice1 as when in the upper classes of life1 men of fashion unite together1 selecting their associates from their own class1 and form what is technically called a society2 it is a combination if you will1 but a society it is not--a family it is not--a ,church of ,christ it cannot be4 ,and1 again1 when the ,baptists or the ,independents1 or any other sectarians1 unite themselves with men holding the same faith and entertaining the same opinions1 there may be a sect1 a combination1 a persuasion1 but a ,church there cannot be4 ,and so again1 when the ,jew in time past linked himself with the ,jew1 with those of the same nation1 there you have what in ancient times was called ,judaism1 and in modern times is called ,hebraicism--a system1 a combination1 but not a ,church4 ,the ,church rises ever out of the family4 ,first of all in the good providence of ,god1 there is the family1 then the tribe1 then the nation2 and then the nation merges itself into ,humanity4 ,and the nation which refuses to merge its nationality in ,humanity1 to lose itself in the general interests of mankind1 is left behind1 and loses almost its religious nationality--like the ,jewish people4 ,such is the first principle4 ,a man is born of the same family1 and is not made such by an appointment1 or by arbitrary choice4 #b4 ,another thing which is taught by this definition is this1 that the ,church of ,christ is a whole made up of manifold diversities4 ,we are told here it is the whole family1 taking into it the great and good of ages past1 now in heaven2 and also the struggling1 the humble1 and the weak now existing upon earth4 ,here again1 the analogy holds good between the ,church and the family4 ,never more than in the family is the true entirety of our nature seen4 ,observe how all the diversities of human condition and character manifest themselves in the family4 ,first of all1 there are the two opposite poles of masculine and feminine1 which contain within them the entire of our ,humanity--which together1 not separately1 make up the whole of man4 ,then there are the diversities in the degrees and kinds of affection4 ,for when we speak of family affection1 we must remember that it is made up of many diversities4 ,there is nothing more different than the love which the sister bears towards the brother1 compared with that which the brother bears towards the sister4 ,the affection which a man bears towards his father is quite distinct from that which he feels towards his mother2 it is something quite different towards his sister2 totally diverse again1 towards his brother4 ,and then there are diversities of character4 ,first the mature wisdom and stern integrity of the father2 then the exuberant tenderness of the mother4 ,and then one is brave and enthusiastic1 another thoughtful1 and another tender4 ,one is remarkable for being full of rich humour1 another is sad1 mournful1 even melancholy4 ,again1 besides these1 there are diversities of condition in life4 ,first1 there is the heir1 sustaining the name and honour of the family2 then perchance the soldier1 in whose career all the anxiety and solicitude of the family is centred2 then the man of business1 to whom they look up1 trusting his advice1 expecting his counsel2 lastly perhaps1 there is the invalid1 from the very cradle trembling between life and death1 drawing out all the sympathies and anxieties of each member of the family1 and so uniting them all more closely1 from their having one common point of sympathy and solicitude4 ,now1 you will observe that these are not accidental1 but absolutely essential to the idea of a family2 for so far as any one of them is lost1 so far the family is incomplete4 ,a family made up of one sex alone1 all brothers and no sisters2 or in which all are devoted to one pursuit2 or in which there is no diversity of temper and dispositions--the same monotonous repeated identity--a sameness in the type of character--this is not a family1 it is only the fragment of a family4 ,and precisely in the same way all these diversities of character and condition are necessary to constitute and complete the idea of a ,christian ,church4 ,for as in ages past it was the delight of the ,church to canonize one particular class of virtues--as for instance1 purity or martyrdom--so now1 in every age1 and in every individual bosom1 there is a tendency to canonize1 or honour1 or reckon as ,christian1 only one or two classes of ,christian qualities4 ,for example1 if you were to ask in the present day where you should find a type of the ,christian character1 many in all probability would point you to the man who keeps the ,sabbath-day1 is regular in his attendance upon the services of the ,church1 who loves to hear the ,christian sermon4 ,this is a phase of ,christian character--that which is essentially and peculiarly the feminine type of religion4 ,but is there in ,god's ,church to be found no place for that type which is rather masculine than feminine8--which1 not in litanies or in psalm-singing does the will of ,god1 but by struggling for principles1 and contending for the truth--that life1 whose prayer is action1 whose aspiration is continual effort8 ,or again1 in every age1 amongst all men1 in the history of almost every individual1 at one time or another1 there has been a tendency towards that which has been emphatically named in modern times hero-worship--leading us to an admiration of the more singular1 powerful1 noble qualities of humanity4 ,and wherever this tendency to hero-worship exists there will be found side by side with it a tendency to undervalue and depreciate excellences of an opposite character--the humble1 meek1 retiring qualities4 ,but it is precisely for these that the ,church of ,christ finds place4 ,blessed are the meek1 blessed are the merciful1 blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness1 blessed are the poor in spirit4 ,in ,god's world there is a place for the wren and the violet1 just as truly as there is for the eagle and the rose4 ,in the ,church of ,god there is a place--and that the noblest--for ,dorcas making garments for the poor1 and for ,mary sitting at the feet of ,jesus1 just as truly as there is for ,elijah confounding a false religion by his noble opposition2 for ,john the ,baptist making a king tremble on his throne2 or for the ,apostle ,paul compassing sea and land by his wisdom and his heroic deeds4 ,once more1 there are ages1 as well as times in our own individual experience1 when we set up charity as if it were the one only ,christian character4 ,and wherever this tendency is found there will be found at the same time1 and side by side with it1 a tendency to admire the spurious form of charity1 which is a sentiment and not a virtue2 which can sympathize with crime1 but not with law2 which can be tender to savages1 but has no respect1 no care for national honour4 ,and therefore1 does this principle of the ,apostle ,paul call upon us to esteem also another form or type of character1 and the opposite one2 that which is remarkable for--in which predominates--not so much charity as justice2 that which was seen in the warriors and prophets of old2 who perchance1 had a more strong recoil from vice than sympathy with virtue2 whose indignation towards that which is wrong and hypocritical was more intense than their love for that which is good3 the material1 the character1 out of which the reformer and the prophet1 those who are called to do great works on earth1 are made4 ,the ,church of ,christ takes not in one individual form of goodness merely1 but every form of excellence that can adorn ,humanity4 ,nor is this wonderful when we remember ,who ,he was from whom this ,church was named4 ,it was ,he in whom centred all excellence--a righteousness which was entire and perfect4 ,but when we speak of the perfection of righteousness1 let us remember that it is made not of one exaggerated character1 but of a true harmony1 a due proportion of all virtues united4 ,in ,him were found therefore1 that tenderness towards sinners which had no sympathy with sin2 that humility which could be dignified1 and was yet united with self-respect2 that simplicity which is ever to be met with1 side by side with true majesty2 that love which could weep over ,jerusalem at the very moment when ,he was pronouncing its doom1 that truth and justice which appeared to stand as a protection to those who had been oppressed1 at the same time that ,he scathed with indignant invective the ,pharisees of the then existing ,jews4 ,there are two1 only two1 perfect ,humanities4 ,one has existed already in the person of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the other is to be found only in the collective ,church4 ,once1 only once1 has ,god given a perfect representation of ,himself1 the brightness of the ,father's glory1 and the express image of ,his person4 ,and if we ask again for a perfect ,humanity1 the answer is1 it is not in this ,church or in that ,church1 or in this man or in that man1 in this age or in that age1 but in the collective blended graces and beauties1 and humanities1 which are found in every age1 in all churches1 but not in every separate man4 ,so1 at least1 ,paul has taught us1 ,till we all come--collectively not separately--in the unity of the faith1 and of the knowledge of the ,son of ,god1 unto a perfect man--in other words1 to a perfect ,humanity--unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of ,christ4 #c4 ,the last thing which is taught us by this definition is1 that the ,church of ,christ is a society which is for ever shifting its locality1 and altering its forms4 ,it is the whole church1 the whole family in heaven and earth4 ,so then1 those who were on earth1 and are now in heaven1 are yet members of the same family still4 ,those who had their home here1 now have it there4 ,let us see what it is that we should learn from this doctrine4 ,it is this1 that the dead are not lost to us4 ,there is a sense in which the departed are ours more than they were before4 ,there is a sense in which the ,apostles ,paul1 or ,john1 the good and great of ages past1 belong to this age more than to that in which they lived1 but in which they were not understood2 in which the common-place and every-day part of their lives hindered the brightness and glory and beauty of their character from shining forth4 ,so it is in the family4 ,it is possible for men to live in the same house1 and partake of the same meal from day to day1 and from year to year1 and yet remain strangers to each other1 mistaking each other's feelings1 not comprehending each other's character2 and it is only when the ,atlantic rolls between1 and half a hemisphere is interposed1 that we learn how dear they are to us1 how all our life is bound up in deep anxiety with their existence4 ,therefore it is the ,christian feels that the family is not broken4 ,think you that family can break or end8--that because the chair is empty1 therefore he1 your child1 is no more8 ,it may be so with the coarse1 the selfish1 the unbelieving1 the superstitious2 but the eye of faith sees there only a transformation4 ,he is not there1 he is risen4 ,you see the place where he was1 but he has passed to heaven4 ,so at least the parental heart of ,david felt of old1 by faith and not by sight1 when speaking of his infant child4 ,i shall go to him1 but he shall not return to me4 ,once more1 the ,church of ,christ is a society ever altering and changing its external forms4 ,the whole family--the ,church of the ,patriarchs1 and of ages before them2 and yet the same family4 ,remember1 ,i pray you1 the diversities of form through which1 in so many ages and generations1 this ,church has passed4 ,consider the difference there was between the patriarchal ,church of the time of ,abraham and ,isaac1 and its condition under ,david2 or the difference between the ,church so existing and its state in the days of the apostles2 and the marvellous difference between that and the same ,church four or five centuries later2 or1 once again1 the difference between that1 externally one1 and the ,church as it exists in the present day1 broken into so many fragments4 ,yet diversified as these states may be1 they are not more so than the various stages of a family4 ,there is a time when the children are all in one room1 around their mother's knee4 ,then comes a time1 still further on1 when the first separation takes place1 and some are leaving their home to prepare for after life4 ,afterwards1 when all in their different professions1 trades1 or occupations1 are separate4 ,at last comes the time when some are gone4 ,and1 perchance1 the two survivors meet at last--an old1 gray-haired man1 and a weak1 worn-out woman--to mourn over the last graves of a household4 ,christian brethren1 which of these is the right form--the true1 external pattern of a family8 ,say we not truly1 it remains the same under all outward mutations8 ,we must think of this1 or else we may lose heart in our work4 ,conceive for instance1 the feelings of a pious ,jew1 when ,christianity entered this world2 when all his religious system was broken up--the ,temple service brought to a violent end2 when that polity which he thought was to redeem and ennoble the world was cast aside as a broken and useless thing4 ,must they not have been as gloomy and as dreary as those of the disciples1 when ,he was dead who they trusted should have redeemed ,israel8 ,in both cases the body was gone or was altered--the spirit had arisen4 ,and precisely so it is with our fears and unbelieving apprehensions now4 ,institutions pass--churches alter--old forms change--and high-minded and good men cling to these as if they were the only things by which ,god could regenerate the world4 ,christianity appears to some men to be effete and worn out4 ,men who can look back upon the times of ,venn1 and ,newton1 and ,scott--comparing the degeneracy of their descendants with the men of those days--lose heart1 as if all things were going wrong4 ,things are not1 they say1 as they were in our younger days4 ,no my ,christian brethren1 things are not as they then were2 but the ,christian cause lives on--not in the successors of such men as those2 the outward form is altered1 but the spirit is elsewhere1 is risen--risen just as truly as the spirit of the highest ,judaism rose again in ,christianity4 ,and to mourn over old superstitions and effete creeds1 is just as unwise as is the grief of the mother mourning over the form which was once her child4 ,she cannot separate her affection from that form--those hands1 those limbs1 those features--are they not her child8 ,the true answer is1 her child is not there4 ,it is only the form of her child4 ,and it is as unwise to mourn over the decay of those institutions--the change of human forms--as it was unwise in ,jonah to mourn with that passionate sorrow over the decay of the gourd which had sheltered him from the heat of the noontide sun4 ,a worm had eaten the root of the gourd1 and it was gone4 ,but he who made the gourd the shelter to the weary--the shadow of those who are oppressed by the noontide heat of life--lived on3 ,jonah's ,god4 ,and so brethren1 all things change--all things outward change and alter2 but the ,god of the ,church lives on4 ,the ,church of ,god remains under fresh forms--the one1 holy1 entire family in heaven and earth4 ,,ii4 ,pass we on now1 in the second place1 to consider the name by which this ,church is named4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,apostle says1 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named4 ,now1 every one familiar with the ,jewish modes of thought and expression1 will allow here1 that name is but another word to express being1 actuality1 and existence4 ,so when ,jacob desired to know the character and nature of ,jehovah1 he said--,tell me now1 ,i beseech thee1 thy name4 ,when the ,apostle here says1 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named1 it is but another way of saying that it is ,he on ,whom the ,church depends--,who has given it substantive existence--without ,whom it could not be at all4 ,it is but another way of saying what he has expressed elsewhere--that there is none other name under heaven given among men1 whereby we may be saved4 ,let us not lose ourselves in vague generalities4 ,separate from ,christ1 there is no salvation2 there can be no ,christianity4 ,let us understand what we mean by this4 ,let us clearly define and enter into the meaning of the words we use4 ,when we say that our ,lord ,jesus ,christ is ,he of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named1 we mean that the very being of the ,church depends on ,christ--that it could not be without ,him4 ,now1 the ,church of ,christ depends upon these three things--first1 the recognition of a common ,father2 secondly1 of a common ,humanity2 and thirdly1 of a common ,sacrifice4 #a4 ,first1 the recognition of a common ,father4 ,that is the sacred truth proclaimed by the ,epiphany4 ,god revealed in ,christ--not the ,father of the ,jew only1 but also of the ,gentile4 ,the ,father of a whole family4 ,not the partial ,father1 loving one alone--the elder--but the younger son besides3 the outcast prodigal who had spent his living with harlots and sinners1 but the child still1 and the child of a ,father's love4 ,our ,lord taught this in ,his own blessed prayer--,our ,father2 and as we lose the meaning of that single word our1 as we say my ,father--the ,father of me and of my faction--of me and my fellow believers--my ,anglicanism or my ,judaism--be it what it may--instead of our ,father--the ,father of the outcast1 the profligate1 of all who choose to claim a ,father's love2 so we lose the meaning of the lesson which the ,epiphany was designed to teach1 and the possibility of building up a family to ,god4 #b4 ,the recognition of a common ,humanity4 ,he from whom the ,church is named1 took upon ,him not the nature merely of the noble1 of kings1 or of the intellectual philosopher--but of the beggar1 the slave1 the outcast1 the infidel1 the sinner1 and the nature of every one struggling in various ways4 ,let us learn then brother men1 that we shall have no family in ,god1 unless we learn the deep truth of our common ,humanity1 shared in by the servant and the sinner1 as well as the sovereign4 ,without this we shall have no ,church--no family in ,god4 #c4 ,lastly1 the ,church of ,christ proceeds out of1 and rests upon1 the belief in a common ,sacrifice4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there are three ways in which the human race hitherto has endeavoured to construct itself into a family2 first1 by the sword2 secondly1 by an ecclesiastical system2 and thirdly1 by trade or commerce4 ,first1 by the sword4 ,the ,assyrian1 the ,persian1 the ,greek1 and the ,roman1 have done their work--in itself a most valuable and important one2 but so far as the formation of mankind into a family was the object aimed at1 the work of the sword has done almost nothing4 ,then there was the ecclesiastical system--the grand attempt of the ,church of ,rome to organize all men into one family1 with one ecclesiastical1 visible1 earthly head4 ,being ,protestants1 it is not necessary for us to state our conviction that this attempt has been a signal and complete failure4 ,we now come to the system of commerce and trade4 ,we are told that that which chivalry and honour could not do--which an ecclesiastical system could not do--personal interest will do4 ,trade is to bind men together into one family4 ,when they feel it their interest to be one1 they will be brothers4 ,brethren1 that which is built on selfishness cannot stand4 ,the system of personal interest must be shivered into atoms4 ,therefore1 we1 who have observed the ways of ,god in the past1 are waiting in quiet but awful expectation until he shall confound this system as he has confounded those which have gone before4 ,and it may be effected by convulsions more terrible and more bloody than the world has yet seen4 ,while men are talking of peace1 and of the great progress of civilization1 there is heard in the distance the noise of armies gathering rank on rank3 east and west1 north and south1 are rolling towards us the crushing thunders of universal war4 ,therefore there is but one other system to be tried1 and that is the ,cross of ,christ--a system that is not to be built upon selfishness1 nor upon blood1 nor upon personal interest1 but upon ,love4 ,love1 not self--the ,cross of ,christ1 and not the mere working-out of the ideas of individual humanity4 ,one word only in conclusion4 ,upon this1 the great truth of the ,epiphany1 the ,apostle founds a prayer4 ,he prays1 ,for this cause ,i bow my knees unto the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named1 that he would grant you1 according to the riches of ,his glory1 to be strengthened with might by ,his ,spirit in the inner man1 that ,christ may dwell in your hearts by faith4 ,this manifestation of joy and good to the ,gentiles was1 according to him1 the great mystery of ,love4 ,a ,love1 brighter1 deeper1 wider1 higher than the largest human heart had ever yet dreamed of4 ,but the ,apostle tells us it is after all1 but a glimpse of the love of ,god4 ,how should we learn it more8 ,how should we comprehend the whole meaning of the ,epiphany8 ,by sitting down to read works of theology8 ,the ,apostle ,paul tells us--,no4 ,you must love1 in order to understand love4 ,that ye1 being rooted and grounded in love1 may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length1 and depth and height2 and to know the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge4 ,brother men1 one act of charity will teach us more of the love of ,god than a thousand sermons--one act of unselfishness1 of real self-denial1 the putting forth of one loving feeling to the outcast and those who are out of the way1 will tell us more of the meaning of the ,epiphany than whole volumes of the wisest writers on theology4 ,,xvi4 ,preached ,january #be1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,christian ,,conscience4 ,howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge3 for some1 with conscience of the idol1 unto this hour1 eat it as a thing offered unto an idol2 and their conscience being weak is denied4 ,but meat commendeth us not to ,god3 for neither if we eat are we the better2 neither if we eat not are we the worse4 ,but take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak4 ,for if any man see thee which hast knowledge1 sit at meat in the idol's temple1 shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols2 and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom ,christ died8 ,but when ye sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience ye sin against ,christ4 ,wherefore if meat make my brother to offend ,i will eat no flesh while the world standeth1 lest ,i make my brother to offend4--#a ,corinthians viii4 #g-ac4 ,we have already divided this chapter into two branches--the former portion of it containing the difference between ,christian knowledge and secular knowledge1 and the second portion containing the apostolic exposition of the law of ,christian conscience4 ,the first of these we endeavoured to expound last ,sunday1 but it may be well briefly to recapitulate the principles of that discourse in a somewhat different form4 ,corinth as we all know and remember1 was a city built on the sea coast1 having a large and free communication with all foreign nations2 and there was also within it1 and going on amongst its inhabitants1 a free interchange of thought1 and a vivid power of communicating the philosophy and truths of those days to each other4 ,now it is plain1 that to a society in such a state1 and to minds so educated1 the gospel of ,christ must have presented a peculiar attraction1 presenting itself to them as it did1 as a law of ,christian liberty4 ,and so1 in ,corinth the gospel had free course and was glorified1 and was received with great joy by almost all men1 and by minds of all classes and all sects2 and a large number of these attached themselves to the teaching of the ,apostle ,paul as the most accredited expounder of ,christianity--the royal law of liberty4 ,but it seems1 from what we read in this epistle1 that a large number of these men received ,christianity as a thing intellectual1 and that alone--and not as a thing which touched the conscience1 and swayed and purified the affections4 ,thus this liberty became to them almost all--they ran into sin or went to extravagance--they rejoiced in their freedom from the superstitions1 the ignorances1 and the scruples which bound their weaker brethren2 but had no charity--none of that intense charity which characterized the ,apostle ,paul1 for those still struggling in the delusions and darkness from which they themselves were free4 ,more than that1 they demanded their right1 their ,christian liberty of expressing their opinions in the church1 merely for the sake of exhibiting the ,christian graces and spiritual gifts which had been showered upon them so largely2 until by degrees those very assemblies became a lamentable exhibition of their own depravity1 and led to numerous irregularities which we find severely rebuked by the ,apostle ,paul4 ,their women1 rejoicing in the emancipation which had been given to the ,christian community1 laid aside the old habits of attire which had been consecrated so long by ,grecian and ,jewish custom1 and appeared with their heads uncovered in the ,christian community4 ,still further than that1 the ,lord's ,supper exhibited an absence of all solemnity1 and seemed more a meeting for licentious gratification1 where one was hungry1 and another was drunken--a place in which earthly drunkenness1 the mere enjoyment of the appetites1 had taken the place of ,christian charity towards each other4 ,and the same feeling--this love of mere liberty--liberty in itself--manifested itself in many other directions4 ,holding by this freedom1 their philosophy taught that the body1 that is the flesh1 was the only cause of sin2 that the soul was holy and pure2 and that therefore1 to be free from the body would be entire1 perfect1 ,christian emancipation4 ,and so came in that strange1 wrong doctrine1 exhibited in ,corinth1 where immortality was taught separate from1 and in opposition to1 the doctrine of the resurrection4 ,and afterwards they went on with their conclusions about liberty1 to maintain that the body1 justified by the sacrifice of ,christ1 was no longer capable of sin2 and that in the evil which was done by the body1 the soul had taken no part4 ,and therefore sin was to them but as a name1 from which a ,christian conscience was to be freed altogether4 ,so that when one of their number had fallen into grievous sin1 and had committed fornication1 such as was not so much as named among the ,gentiles1 so far from being humbled by it1 they were puffed up1 as if they were exhibiting to the world an enlightened1 true1 perfect ,christianity--separate from all prejudices4 ,to such a society and to such a state of mind1 the ,apostle ,paul preached in all its length1 breadth1 and fulness1 the humbling doctrines of the ,cross of ,christ4 ,he taught that knowledge was one thing--that charity was another thing2 that knowledge puffeth up1 but charity buildeth up4 ,he reminded them that love was the perfection of knowledge4 ,in other words1 his teaching came to this3 there are two kinds of knowledge2 the one the knowledge of the intellect1 the other the knowledge of the heart4 ,intellectually1 ,god never can be known4 ,he must be known by ,love--for1 if any man love ,god1 the same is known of ,him4 ,here then1 we have arrived in another way1 at precisely the same conclusion at which we arrived last ,sunday4 ,here are two kinds of knowledge1 secular knowledge and ,christian knowledge2 and ,christian knowledge is this--to know by ,love4 ,let us now consider the remainder of the chapter1 which treats of the law of ,christian conscience4 ,you will observe that it divides itself into two branches--the first containing an exposition of the law itself1 and the second the ,christian applications which flow out of this exposition4 ,i4 ,the way in which the apostle expounds the law of ,christian conscience is this3--,guilt is contracted by the soul1 in so far as it sins against and transgresses the law of ,god by doing that which it believes to be wrong3 not so much what is wrong as what appears to it to be wrong4 ,this is the doctrine distinctly laid down in the #gth and #hth verses4 ,the apostle tells the ,corinthians--these strong-minded ,corinthians--that the superstitions of their weaker brethren were unquestionably wrong4 ,meat1 he says1 commendeth us not to ,god2 for neither if we eat are we the better1 neither if we eat not are we the worse4 ,he then tells them further1 that there is not in every man that knowledge2 for some with conscience of the idol1 eat it as a thing offered unto an idol4 ,here then1 is an ignorant1 mistaken1 ill-informed conscience2 and yet he goes on to tell them that this conscience1 so ill-informed1 yet binds the possessor of it3 and their conscience being weak1 is defiled4 ,for example1--there could be no harm in eating the flesh of an animal that had been offered to an idol or false god2 for a false god is nothing1 and it is impossible for it to have contracted positive defilement by being offered to that which is a positive and absolute negation4 ,and yet if any man thought it wrong to eat such flesh1 to him it was wrong2 for in that act there would be a deliberate act of transgression--a deliberate preference of that which was mere enjoyment1 to that which was apparently1 though it may be only apparently1 sanctioned by the law of ,god4 ,and so it would carry with it all the disobedience1 all the guilt1 and all the misery which belongs to the doing of an act altogether wrong2 or as ,st4 ,paul expresses it1 the conscience would become denied4 ,here then1 we arrive at the first distinction--the distinction between absolute and relative right and wrong4 ,absolute right and absolute wrong1 like absolute truth1 can each be but one and unalterable in the sight of ,god4 ,the one absolute right--the charity of ,god and the sacrifice of ,christ--this1 from eternity to eternity must be the sole measure of eternal right4 ,but human right or human wrong1 that is the merit or demerit1 of any action done by any particular man1 must be measured1 not by that absolute standard1 but as a matter relative to his particular circumstances1 the state of the age in which he lives1 and his own knowledge of right and wrong4 ,for we come into this world with a moral sense2 or to speak more ,christianly1 with a conscience4 ,and yet that will tell us but very little distinctly4 ,it tells us broadly that which is right and that which is wrong1 so that every child can understand this4 ,that charity and self-denial are right--this we see recognised in almost every nation4 ,but the boundaries of these two--when and how far self-denial is right--what are the bounds of charity--this it is for different circumstances yet to bring out and determine4 ,and so1 it will be found that there is a different standard among different nations and in different ages4 ,that for example1 which was the standard among the ,israelites in the earlier ages1 and before their settlement in ,canaan1 was very different from the higher and truer standard of right and wrong recognised by the later prophets4 ,and the standard in the third and fourth centuries after ,christ1 was truly and unquestionably an entirely different one from that recognised in the nineteenth century among ourselves4 ,let me not be mistaken4 ,i do not say that right and wrong are merely conventional1 or merely chronological or geographical1 or that they vary with latitude and longitude4 ,i do not say that there ever was or ever can be a nation so utterly blinded and perverted in its moral sense as to acknowledge that which is wrong--seen and known to be wrong--as right2 or on the other hand1 to profess that which is seen and understood as right1 to be wrong4 ,but what ,i do say is this3 that the form and aspect in which different deeds appear1 so vary1 that there will be for ever a change and alteration in men's opinions1 and that which is really most generous may seem most base1 and that which is really most base may appear most generous4 ,so for example1 as ,i have already said1 there are two things universally recognised--recognised as right by every man whose conscience is not absolutely perverted--charity and self-denial4 ,the charity of ,god1 the sacrifice of ,christ--these are the two grand1 leading principles of the ,gospel2 and in some form or other you will find these lying at the roots of every profession and state of feeling in almost every age4 ,but the form in which these appear1 will vary with all the gradations which are to be found between the lowest savage state and the highest and most enlightened ,christianity4 ,for example1 in ancient ,israel the law of love was expounded thus3--,thou shalt love thy neighbour1 and hate thine enemy4 ,among the ,american ,indians and at the ,cape1 the only homage perchance given to self-denial1 was the strange admiration given to that prisoner of war who bore with unflinching fortitude the torture of his country's enemies4 ,in ancient ,india the same principle was exhibited1 but in a more strange and perverted manner4 ,the homage there given to self-denial1 self-sacrifice1 was this--that the highest form of religion was considered to be that exhibited by the devotee who sat in a tree until the birds had built their nests in his hair--until his nails1 like those of the ,king of ,babylon1 had grown like birds' talons--until they had grown into his hands--and he became absorbed into the ,divinity4 ,we will take another instance1 and one better known4 ,in ancient ,sparta it was the custom to teach children to steal4 ,and here there would seem to be a contradiction to our proposition--here it would seem as if right and wrong were matters merely conventional2 for surely stealing can never be anything but wrong4 ,but if we look deeper we shall see that there is no contradiction here4 ,it was not stealing which was admired2 the child was punished if the theft was discovered2 but it was the dexterity which was admired1 and that because it was a warlike virtue1 necessary it may be to a people in continual rivalry with their neighbours4 ,it was not that honesty was despised and dishonesty esteemed1 but that honesty and dishonesty were made subordinate to that which appeared to them of higher importance1 namely1 the duty of concealment4 ,and so we come back to the principle which we laid down at first4 ,in every age1 among all nations1 the same broad principle remains2 but the application of it varies4 ,the conscience may be ill-informed1 and in this sense only are right and wrong conventional--varying with latitude and longitude1 depending upon chronology and geography4 ,the principle laid down by the ,apostle ,paul is this3--,a man will be judged1 not by the abstract law of ,god1 not by the rule of absolute right1 but much rather by the relative law of conscience4 ,this he states most distinctly--looking at the question on both sides4 ,that which seems to a man to be right is1 in a certain sense1 right to him2 and that which seems to a man to be wrong1 in a certain sense is wrong to him4 ,for example3 he says in his ,epistle to the ,romans 7v4 #ad47 that1 sin is not imputed when there is no law1 in other words1 if a man does not really know a thing to be wrong there is a sense in which1 if not right to him1 it ceases to be so wrong as it would otherwise be4 ,with respect to the other of these sides however1 the case is still more distinct and plain4 ,here1 in the judgment which the apostle delivers in the parallel chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans 7the #adth71 he says1 ,i know1 and am persuaded of the ,lord ,jesus1 that there is nothing unclean of itself3 but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean1 to him it is unclean4 ,in other words1 whatever may be the abstract merits of the question--however in ,god's jurisprudence any particular act may stand--to you1 thinking it to be wrong1 it manifestly is wrong1 and your conscience will gather round it a stain of guilt if you do it4 ,in order to understand this more fully1 let us take a few instances4 ,there is a difference between truth and veracity4 ,veracity--mere veracity--is a small1 poor thing4 ,truth is something greater and higher4 ,veracity is merely the correspondence between some particular statement and facts--truth is the correspondence between a man's whole soul and reality4 ,it is possible for a man to say that which1 unknown to him is false2 and yet he may be true3 because if deprived of truth he is deprived of it unwillingly4 ,it is possible1 on the other hand1 for a man to utter veracities1 and yet at the very time that he is uttering those veracities to be false to himself1 to his brother1 and to his ,god4 ,one of the most signal instances of this is to be seen in the ,book of ,job4 ,most of what ,job's friends said to him were veracious statements4 ,much of what ,job said for himself was unveracious and mistaken4 ,and yet those veracities of theirs were so torn from all connection with fact and truth1 that they became falsehoods2 and they were1 as has been said1 nothing more than orthodox liars in the sight of ,god4 ,on the other hand1 ,job1 blundering perpetually1 and falling into false doctrine1 was yet a true man--searching for and striving after the truth2 and if deprived of it for a time1 deprived of it with all his heart and soul unwillingly4 ,and therefore it was that at last the ,lord appeared out of the whirlwind1 to confound the men of mere veracity1 and to stand by and support the honour of the heartily true4 ,let us apply the principle further4 ,it is a matter of less importance that a man should state true views1 than that he should state views truly4 ,we will put this in its strongest form4 ,unitarianism is false--,trinitarianism is true4 ,but yet in the sight of ,god1 and with respect to a man's eternal destinies hereafter1 it would surely be better for him earnestly1 honestly1 truly1 to hold the doctrines of ,unitarianism1 than in a cowardly or indifferent spirit1 or influenced by authority1 or from considerations of interest1 or for the sake of lucre1 to hold the doctrines of ,trinitarianism4 ,for instance3--,not many years ago the ,church of ,scotland was severed into two great divisions1 and gave to this age a marvellous proof that there is still amongst us the power of living faith--when five hundred ministers gave up all that earth holds dear--position in the church they had loved2 friendships and affections formed1 and consecrated by long fellowship1 in its communion2 and almost their hopes of gaining a livelihood--rather than assert a principle which seemed to them to be a false one4 ,now my brethren1 surely the question in such a case for us to consider is not this1 merely--whether of the two sections held the abstract right--held the principle in its integrity--but surely far rather1 this3 who on either side was true to the light within1 true to ,god1 true to the truth as ,god had revealed it to his soul4 ,now it is precisely upon this principle that we are enabled to indulge a ,christian hope that many of those who in ancient times were persecutors1 for example1 may yet be justified at the bar of ,christ4 ,nothing can make persecution right--it is wrong1 essentially1 eternally wrong in the sight of ,god4 ,and yet1 if a man sincerely and assuredly thinks that ,christ has laid upon him a command to persecute with fire and sword1 it is surely better that he should1 in spite of all feelings of tenderness and compassion1 cast aside the dearest affections at the command of his ,redeemer1 than that he should1 in mere laxity and tenderness1 turn aside from what seemed to him to be his duty4 ,at least1 this appears to be the opinion of the ,apostle ,paul4 ,he tells us that he was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious1 that he did many things contrary to the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 that being exceedingly mad against the disciples1 he persecuted them even unto strange cities4 ,but he tells us further that1 for this cause he obtained mercy1 because he did it ignorantly in unbelief4 ,now take a case precisely opposite4 ,in ancient times the ,jews did that by which it appeared to them that they would contract defilement and guilt--they spared the lives of the enemies which they had taken in battle4 ,brethren the eternal law is1 that charity is right3 and that law is eternally right which says1 ,thou shalt love thine enemy4 ,and had the ,jews acted upon this principle they would have done well to spare their enemies3 but they did it thinking it to be wrong1 transgressing that law which commanded them to slay their idolatrous enemies--not from generosity1 but in cupidity--not from charity1 but from lax zeal4 ,and so doing1 the act was altogether wrong4 ,,ii4 ,such is the apostle's exposition of the law of ,christian conscience4 ,let us now1 in the second place1 consider the applications both of a personal and of a public nature1 which arise out of it4 #a4 ,the first application is a personal one4 ,it is this3--,do what seems to you to be right3 it is only so that you will at last learn by the grace of ,god to see clearly what is right4 ,a man thinks within himself that it is ,god's law and ,god's will that he should act thus and thus4 ,there is nothing possible for us to say--there is no advice for us to give1 but this--,you must so act4 ,he is responsible for the opinions he holds1 and still more for the way in which he arrived at them--whether in a slothful and selfish1 or in an honest and truth-seeking manner2 but being now his soul's convictions1 you can give no other law than this--,you must obey your conscience4 ,for no man's conscience gets so seared by doing what is wrong unknowingly1 as by doing that which appears to be wrong to his conscience4 ,the ,jews' consciences did not get seared by their slaying the ,canaanites1 but they did become seared by their failing to do what appeared to them to be right4 ,therefore1 woe to you if you do what others think right1 instead of obeying the dictates of your own conscience2 woe to you if you allow authority1 or prescription1 or fashion1 or influence1 or any other human thing1 to interfere with that awful and sacred thing--responsibility4 ,every man1 said the apostle1 must give an account of himself to ,god4 #b4 ,the second application of this principle has reference to others4 ,no doubt to the large1 free1 enlightened mind of the ,apostle ,paul1 all these scruples and superstitions must have seemed mean1 trivial1 and small indeed4 ,it was a matter to him of far less importance that truth should be established than that it should be arrived at truly--a matter of far less importance even1 that right should be done1 than that right should be done rightly4 ,conscience was far more sacred to him than even liberty--it was to him a prerogative far more precious to assert the rights of ,christian conscience1 than to magnify the privileges of ,christian liberty4 ,the scruple may be small and foolish1 but it may be impossible to uproot the scruple without tearing up the feeling of the sanctity of conscience1 and of reverence to the law of ,god1 associated with this scruple4 ,and therefore the ,apostle ,paul counsels these men to abridge their ,christian liberty1 and not to eat of those things which had been sacrificed to idols1 but to have compassion upon the scruples of their weaker brethren4 ,and this1 for two reasons4 ,the first of these is a mere reason of ,christian feeling4 ,it might cause exquisite pain to sensitive minds to see those things which appeared to them to be wrong1 done by ,christian brethren4 ,now you may take a parallel case4 ,it may be1 if you will1 mere superstition to bow at the name of ,jesus4 ,it may be1 and no doubt is1 founded upon a mistaken interpretation of that passage in the ,epistle to the ,philippians 7ii4 #aj71 which says that at the name of ,jesus every knee shall bow4 ,but there are many congregations in which this has been the long-established rule1 and there are many ,christians who would feel pained to see such a practice discontinued--as if it implied a declension from the reverence due to that name which is above every name4 ,now what in this case is the ,christian duty8 ,is it this--to stand upon our ,christian liberty8 ,or is it not rather this--to comply with a prejudice which is manifestly a harmless one1 rather than give pain to a ,christian brother8 ,take another case4 ,it may be a mistaken scruple2 but there is no doubt that it causes much pain to many ,christians to see a carriage used on the ,lord's day4 ,but you1 with higher views of the spirit of ,christianity1 who know that the ,sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath--who can enter more deeply into the truth taught by our blessed ,lord1 that every day is to be dedicated to ,him and consecrated to ,his service--upon the high principle of ,christian liberty you can use your carriage--you can exercise your liberty4 ,but if there are ,christian brethren to whom this would give pain--then ,i humbly ask you1 but most earnestly--,what is the duty here8 ,is it not this--to abridge your ,christian liberty--and to go through rain1 and mud1 and snow1 rather than give pain to one ,christian conscience8 ,to give one more instance4 ,the words1 and garb1 and customs of that sect of ,christians called ,quakers may be formal enough2 founded1 no doubt1 as in the former case1 upon a mistaken interpretation of a passage in the ,bible4 ,but they are at least harmless2 and have long been associated with the simplicity1 and benevolence1 and ,christian humbleness of this body of ,christians--the followers of one who1 three hundred years ago1 set out upon the glorious enterprise of making all men friends4 ,now would it be ,christian1 or would it not rather be something more than unchristian--would it not be gross rudeness and coarse unfeelingness to treat such words1 and habits1 and customs1 with anything but respect and reverence8 ,further3 the apostle enjoined this duty upon the ,corinthian converts1 of abridging their ,christian liberty1 not merely because it might give pain to indulge it1 but also because it might even lead their brethren into sin4 ,for1 if any man should eat of the flesh offered to an idol1 feeling himself justified by his conscience1 it were well3 but if any man1 overborne by authority or interest1 were to do this1 not according to conscience1 but against it1 there would be a distinct and direct act of disobedience--a conflict between his sense of right and the gratification of his appetites1 or the power of influence2 and then his compliance would as much damage his conscience and moral sense as if the act had been wrong in itself4 ,in the personal application of these remarks1 there are three things which we have to say4 ,the first is this3--,distinguish ,i pray you1 between this tenderness for a brother's conscience and mere time-serving4 ,this same apostle whom we here see so gracefully giving way upon the ground of expediency when ,christian principles were left entire1 was the same who stood firm and strong as a rock when any thing was demanded which trenched upon ,christian principle4 ,when some required as a matter of necessity for salvation1 that these converts should be circumcised1 the apostle says--,to whom we gave place by subjection1 no1 not for an hour6 ,it was not indifference--it was not cowardice--it was not the mere love of peace1 purchased by the sacrifice of principle1 that prompted this counsel--but it was ,christian love--that delicate and ,christian love which dreads to tamper with the sanctities of a brother's conscience4 #b4 ,the second thing we have to say is this--that this abridgement of their liberty is a duty more especially incumbent upon all who are possessed of influence4 ,there are some men1 happily for themselves we may say1 who are so insignificant that they can take their course quietly in the valleys of life1 and who can exercise the fullest ,christian liberty without giving pain to others4 ,but it is the price which all who are possessed of influence must pay--that their acts must be measured1 not in themselves1 but according to their influence on others4 ,so1 my ,christian brethren1 to bring this matter home to every-day experience and common life1 if the landlord uses his authority and influence to induce his tenant to vote against his conscience1 it may be he has secured one voice to the principle which is right1 or at all events1 to that which seemed to him to be right3 but he has gained that single voice at the sacrifice and expense of a brother's soul4 ,or again--if for the sake of ensuring personal politeness and attention1 the rich man puts a gratuity into the hand of a servant of some company which has forbidden him to receive it1 he gains the attention1 he ensures the politeness1 but he gains it at the sacrifice and expense of a man and a ,christian brother4 #c4 ,the last remark which we have to make is this3--,how possible it is to mix together the vigour of a masculine and manly intellect with the tenderness and charity which is taught by the gospel of ,christ6 ,no man ever breathed so freely when on earth the air and atmosphere of heaven as the ,apostle ,paul--no man ever soared so high above all prejudices1 narrowness1 littlenesses1 scruples1 as he3 and yet no man ever bound himself as ,paul bound himself to the ignorance1 the scruples1 the prejudices of his brethren4 ,so that what in other cases was infirmity1 imbecility1 and superstition1 gathered round it in his case the pure high spirit of ,christian charity and ,christian delicacy4 ,and now1 out of the writings1 and sayings1 and deeds of those who loudly proclaim the rights of man and the rights of liberty1 match us if you can with one sentence so sublime1 so noble1 one that will so stand at the bar of ,god hereafter1 as this single1 glorious sentence of his1 in which he asserts the rights of ,christian conscience above the claims of ,christian liberty--,wherefore if meat make my brother to offend1 ,i will eat no flesh while the world standeth1 lest ,i make my brother to offend4 ,,xvii4 ,preached ,may #af1 #aheb4 ,,victory ,,over ,,death4 ,the sting of death is sin1 and the strength of sin is the law4 ,but thanks be to ,god which giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--#a ,cor4 xv4 #ef1 #eg4 ,on ,sunday last ,i endeavoured to bring before you the subject of that which ,scripture calls the glorious liberty of the ,sons of ,god4 ,the two points on which we were trying to get clear notions were these3 what is meant by being under the law1 and what is meant by being free from the law8 ,when the ,bible says that a man led by the ,spirit is not under the law1 it does not mean that he is free because he may sin without being punished for it1 but it means that he is free because being taught by ,god's ,spirit to love what ,his law commands he is no longer conscious of acting from restraint4 ,the law does not drive him1 because the ,spirit leads him4 ,there is a state brethren1 when we recognize ,god1 but do not love ,god in ,christ4 ,it is that state when we admire what is excellent1 but are not able to perform it4 ,it is a state when the love of good comes to nothing1 dying away in a mere desire4 ,that is the state of nature1 when we are under the law1 and not converted to the love of ,christ4 ,and then there is another state1 when ,god writes ,his law upon our hearts by love instead of fear4 ,the one state is this1 ,i cannot do the things that ,i would--the other state is this1 ,i will walk at liberty2 for ,i seek ,thy commandments4 ,just so far therefore1 as a ,christian is led by the ,spirit1 he is a conqueror4 ,a ,christian in full possession of his privileges is a man whose very step ought to have in it all the elasticity of triumph1 and whose very look ought to have in it all the brightness of victory4 ,and just so far as a ,christian suffers sin to struggle in him and overcome his resolutions1 just so far he is under the law4 ,and that is the key to the whole doctrine of the ,new ,testament4 ,from first to last the great truth put forward is--,the law can neither save you nor sanctify you4 ,the gospel can do both2 for it is rightly and emphatically called the perfect law of liberty4 ,we proceed to-day to a further illustration of this subject--of ,christian victory4 ,in the verses which ,i have read out1 the ,apostle has evidently the same subject in his mind3 slavery through the law3 victory through the gospel4 ,the strength of sin1 he says1 is the law4 ,god giveth us the victory through ,christ4 ,and when we are familiar with ,st4 ,paul's trains of thinking1 we find this idea coming in perpetually4 ,it runs like a coloured thread through embroidery1 appearing on the upper surface every now and then in a different shape--a leaf1 it may be1 or a flower2 but the same thread still1 if you only trace it back with your finger4 ,and this was the golden recurring thread in the mind of ,paul4 ,restraint and law cannot check sin2 they only gall it and make it struggle and rebel4 ,the love of ,god in ,christ1 that1 and only that can give man the victory4 ,but in this passage the idea of victory is brought to bear upon the most terrible of all a ,christian's enemies4 ,it is faith here conquering in death4 ,and the apostle brings together all the believer's antagonists--the law's power1 sin1 and death the chief antagonist of all2 and then1 as it were on a conqueror's battle field1 shouts over them the hymn of triumph--,thanks be to ,god1 which giveth us the victory1 through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,we shall take up these two points to dwell upon4 ,i4 ,the awfulness which hangs round the dying hour4 ,,ii4 ,faith conquering in death4 ,that which makes it peculiarly terrible to die is asserted in this passage to be1 guilt4 ,we lay a stress upon this expression--the sting4 ,it is not said that sin is the only bitterness1 but it is the sting which contains in it the venom of a most exquisite torture4 ,and in truth brethren1 it is no mark of courage to speak lightly of human dying4 ,we may do it in bravado1 or in wantonness2 but no man who thinks can call it a trifling thing to die4 ,true thoughtfulness must shrink from death without ,christ4 ,there is a world of untold sensations crowded into that moment1 when a man puts his hand to his forehead and feels the damp upon it which tells him his hour is come4 ,he has been waiting for death all his life1 and now it is come4 ,it is all over--his chance is past1 and his eternity is settled4 ,none of us know1 except by guess1 what that sensation is4 ,myriads of human beings have felt it to whom life was dear2 but they never spoke out their feelings1 for such things are untold4 ,and to every individual man throughout all eternity that sensation in its fulness can come but once4 ,it is mockery brethren1 for a man to speak lightly of that which he cannot know till it comes4 ,now the first cause which makes it a solemn thing to die1 is the instinctive cleaving of every thing that lives to its own existence4 ,that unutterable thing which we call our being--the idea of parting with it is agony4 ,it is the first and the intensest desire of living things1 to be4 ,enjoyment1 blessedness1 everything we long for1 is wrapped up in being4 ,darkness and all that the spirit recoils from1 is contained in this idea1 not to be4 ,it is in virtue of this unquenchable impulse that the world1 in spite of all the misery that is in it1 continues to struggle on4 ,what are war1 and trade1 and labour1 and professions8 ,are they all the result of struggling to be great8 ,no1 my brethren1 they are the result of struggling to be4 ,the first thing that men and nations labour for is existence4 ,reduce the nation or the man to their last resources1 and only see what marvellous energy of contrivance the love of being arms them with4 ,read back the pauper's history at the end of seventy years--his strange sad history1 in which scarcely a single day could ensure subsistence for the morrow--and yet learn what he has done these long years in the stern struggle with impossibility to hold his being where everything is against him1 and to keep an existence1 whose only conceivable charm is this1 that it is existence4 ,now it is with this intense passion for being1 that the idea of death clashes4 ,let us search why it is we shrink from death4 ,this reason brethren1 we shall find1 that it presents to us the idea of not being4 ,talk as we will of immortality1 there is an obstinate feeling that we cannot master1 that we end in death2 and that may be felt together with the firmest belief of a resurrection4 ,brethren1 our faith tells us one thing1 and our sensations tell us another4 ,when we die1 we are surrendering in truth all that with which we have associated existence4 ,all that we know of life is connected with a shape1 a form1 a body of materialism2 and now that that is palpably melting away into nothingness1 the boldest heart may be excused a shudder1 when there is forced upon it1 in spite of itself1 the idea of ceasing for ever4 ,the second reason is not one of imagination at all1 but most sober reality4 ,it is a solemn thing to die1 because it is the parting with all round which the heart's best affections have twined themselves4 ,there are some men who have not the capacity for keen enjoyment4 ,their affections have nothing in them of intensity1 and so they pass through life without ever so uniting themselves with what they meet1 that there would be anything of pain in the severance4 ,of course1 with them the bitterness of death does not attach so much to the idea of parting4 ,but my brethren1 how is it with human nature generally8 ,our feelings do not weaken as we go on in life2 emotions are less shown1 and we get a command over our features and our expressions2 but the man's feelings are deeper than the boy's4 ,it is length of time that makes attachment4 ,we become wedded to the sights and sounds of this lovely world more closely as years go on4 ,young men1 with nothing rooted deep1 are prodigal of life4 ,it is an adventure to them1 rather than a misfortune1 to leave their country for ever4 ,with the old man it is like tearing his own heart from him4 ,and so it was that when ,lot quitted ,sodom1 the younger members of his family went on gladly4 ,it is a touching truth2 it was the aged one who looked behind to the home which had so many recollections connected with it4 ,and therefore it is1 that when men approach that period of existence when they must go1 there is an instinctive lingering over things which they shall never see again4 ,every time the sun sets1 every time the old man sees his children gathering round him1 there is a filling of the eye with an emotion that we can understand4 ,there is upon his soul the thought of parting1 that strange wrench from all we love which makes death 7say what moralists will of it7 a bitter thing4 ,another pang which belongs to death1 we find in the sensation of loneliness which attaches to it4 ,have we ever seen a ship preparing to sail with its load of pauper emigrants to a distant colony8 ,if we have we know what that desolation is which comes from feeling unfriended on a new and untried excursion4 ,all beyond the seas1 to the ignorant poor man1 is a strange land4 ,they are going away from the helps and the friendships and the companionships of life1 scarcely knowing what is before them4 ,and it is in such a moment1 when a man stands upon a deck1 taking his last look of his fatherland1 that there comes upon him a sensation new1 strange1 and inexpressibly miserable--the feeling of being alone in the world4 ,brethren1 with all the bitterness of such a moment1 it is but a feeble image when placed by the side of the loneliness of death4 ,we die alone4 ,we go on our dark mysterious journey for the first time in all our existence1 without one to accompany us4 ,friends are beside our bed1 they must stay behind4 ,grant that a ,christian has something like familiarity with the ,most ,high1 that breaks this solitary feeling2 but what is it with the mass of men8 ,it is a question full of loneliness to them4 ,what is it they are to see8 ,what are they to meet8 ,is it not true1 that1 to the larger number of this congregation1 there is no one point in all eternity on which the eye can fix distinctly and rest gladly--nothing beyond the grave1 except a dark space into which they must plunge alone8 ,and yet my brethren1 with all these ideas no doubt vividly before his mind1 it was none of them that the apostle selected as the crowning bitterness of dying4 ,it was not the thought of surrendering existence4 ,it was not the parting from all bright and lovely things4 ,it was not the shudder of sinking into the sepulchre alone4 ,the sting of death is sin4 ,now there are two ways in which this deep truth applies itself4 ,there is something that appals in death when there are distinct separate acts of guilt resting on the memory2 and there is something too in the possession of a guilty heart1 which is quite another thing from acts of sin1 that makes it an awful thing to die4 ,there are some who carry about with them the dreadful secret of sin that has been done2 guilt that has a name4 ,a man has injured some one2 he has made money1 or got on by unfair means2 he has been unchaste2 he has done some of those thousand things of life which leave upon the heart the dark spot that will not come out4 ,all these are sins which you can count up and number4 ,and the recollection of things like these is that agony which we call remorse4 ,many of us have remembrances of this kind which are fatal to serenity4 ,we shut them out1 but it will not do4 ,they bide their time1 and then suddenly present themselves1 together with the thought of a judgment-seat4 ,when a guilty man begins to think of dying1 it is like a vision of the ,son of ,man presenting itself and calling out the voices of all the unclean spirits in the man--,art thou come to torment us before the time8 ,but my brethren1 it is a mistake if we suppose that is the common way in which sin stings at the thought of death4 ,men who have lived the career of passionate life have distinct and accumulated acts of guilt before their eyes4 ,but with most men it is not guilty acts1 but guiltiness of heart that weighs the heaviest4 ,only take yesterday as a specimen of life4 ,what was it with most of us8 ,a day of sin4 ,was it sin palpable and dark1 such as we shall remember painfully this day year8 ,nay my brethren1 unkindness1 petulance1 wasted time1 opportunities lost1 frivolous conversation1 that was our chief guilt4 ,and yet with all that trifling as it may be1 when it comes to be the history of life1 does it not leave behind a restless undefinable sense of fault1 a vague idea of debt1 but to what extent we know not1 perhaps the more wretched just because it is uncertain8 ,my ,christian brethren1 this is the sting of sinfulness1 the wretched consciousness of an unclean heart4 ,it is just this feeling1 ,god is not my friend2 ,i am going on to the grave1 and no man can say aught against me1 but my heart is not right2 ,i want a river like that which the ancients fabled--the river of forgetfulness--that ,i might go down into it and bathe1 and come up a new man4 ,it is not so much what ,i have done2 it is what ,i am4 ,who shall save me from myself8 ,oh1 it is a desolate thing to think of the coffin when that thought is in all its misery before the soul4 ,it is the sting of death4 ,and now let us bear one thing in mind1 the sting of sin is not a constant pressure4 ,it may be that we live many years in the world before a death in our own family forces the thought personally home4 ,many years before all those sensations which are so often the precursors of the tomb--the quick short cough1 lassitude1 emaciation1 pain--come in startling suddenness upon us in our young vigour1 and make us feel what it is to be here with death inevitable to ourselves4 ,and when those things become habitual1 habit makes delicacy the same forgetful thing as health1 so that neither in sickness1 nor in health1 is the thought of death a constant pressure4 ,it is only now and then2 but so often as death is a reality1 the sting of death is sin4 ,once more we remark1 that all this power of sin to agonize1 is traced by the ,apostle to the law--the strength of sin is the law2 by which he means to say that sin would not be so violent if it were not for the attempt of ,god's law to restrain it4 ,it is the law which makes sin strong4 ,and he does not mean particularly the law of ,moses4 ,he means any law1 and all law4 ,law is what forbids and threatens2 law bears gallingly on those who want to break it4 ,and ,st4 ,paul declares this1 that no law1 not even ,god's law1 can make men righteous in heart1 unless the ,spirit has taught men's hearts to acquiesce in the law4 ,it can only force out into rebellion the sin that is in them4 ,it is so1 brethren1 with a nation's law4 ,the voice of the nation must go along with it4 ,it must be the expression of their own feeling1 and then they will have it obeyed4 ,but if it is only the law of a government1 a law which is against the whole spirit of the people1 there is first the murmur of a nation's disapprobation1 and then there is transgression1 and then1 if the law be vindicated with a high hand1 the next step is the bursting that law asunder in national revolution4 ,and so it is with ,god's law4 ,it will never control a man long who does not from his heart love it4 ,first comes a sensation of restraint1 and then comes a murmuring of the heart2 and last1 there comes the rising of passion in its giant might1 made desperate by restraint4 ,that is the law giving strength to sin4 ,and therefore brethren1 if all we know of ,god be this1 that ,he has made laws1 and that it is terrible to break them2 if all our idea of religion be this1 that it is a thing of commands and hindrances--,thou shalt1 and thou shalt not2 we are under the law1 and there is no help for it4 ,we must shrink from the encounter with death4 ,we pass to our second subject--,faith conquering in death4 ,and1 before we enter upon this topic1 there are two general remarks that we have to make4 ,the first is1 ,the elevating power of faith4 ,there is nothing in all this world that ever led man on to real victory but faith4 ,faith is that looking forward to a future with something like certainty1 that raises man above the narrow feelings of the present4 ,even in this life he is a greater man1 a man of more elevated character1 who is steadily pursuing a plan that requires some years to accomplish1 than he who is living by the day4 ,look forward but ten years1 and plan for it1 live for it2 there is something of manhood1 something of courage required to conquer the thousand things that stand in your way4 ,and therefore it is1 that faith1 and nothing but faith1 gives victory in death4 ,it is that elevation of character which we get from looking steadily and for ever forward1 till eternity becomes a real home to us1 that enables us to look down upon the last struggle1 and the funeral1 and the grave1 not as the great end of all1 but only as something that stands between us and the end4 ,we are conquerors of death when we are able to look beyond it4 ,our second remark is for the purpose of fixing special attention upon this1 that ours is not merely to be victory1 it is to be victory through ,christ ,thanks be to ,god which giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,victory brethren1 mere victory over death is no unearthly thing4 ,you may get it by infidelity4 ,only let a man sin long enough1 and desperately enough to shut judgment altogether out of his creed1 and then you have a man who can bid defiance to the grave4 ,it was so that our country's greatest infidel historian met death4 ,he quitted the world without parade and without display4 ,if we want a specimen of victory apart from ,christ1 we have it on his death-bed4 ,he left all this strange world of restlessness1 calmly1 like an unreal show that must go to pieces1 and he himself an unreality departing from it4 ,a sceptic can be a conqueror in death4 ,or again1 mere manhood may give us a victory4 ,he who has only learned not to be afraid to die1 has not learned much4 ,we have steel and nerve enough in our hearts to dare anything4 ,and after all1 it is a triumph so common as scarcely to deserve the name4 ,felons die on the scaffold like men2 soldiers can be hired by tens of thousands1 for a few pence a day1 to front death in its worst form4 ,every minute that we live sixty of the human race are passing away1 and the greater part with courage--the weak1 and the timid1 as well as the resolute4 ,courage is a very different thing from the ,christian's victory4 ,once more brethren1 necessity can make man conqueror over death4 ,we can make up our minds to anything when it once becomes inevitable4 ,it is the agony of suspense that makes danger dreadful4 ,history can tell us that men can look with desperate calmness upon hell itself when once it has become a certainty4 ,and it is this after all1 that commonly makes the dying hour so quiet a thing4 ,it is more dreadful in the distance than in the reality4 ,when a man feels that there is no help1 and he must go1 he lays him down to die1 as quietly as a tired traveller wraps himself in his cloak to sleep4 ,it is quite another thing from all this that ,paul meant by victory4 ,in the first place1 it is the prerogative of a ,christian to be conqueror over ,doubt4 ,brethren1 do we all know what doubt means8 ,perchance not4 ,there are some men who have never believed enough to doubt4 ,there are some who have never thrown their hopes with such earnestness on the world to come1 as to feel anxiety for fear it should not all be true4 ,but every one who knows what ,faith is1 knows too1 what is the desolation of ,doubt4 ,we pray till we begin to ask1 ,is there one who hears1 or am ,i whispering to myself8--,we hear the consolation administered to the bereaved1 and we see the coffin lowered into the grave1 and the thought comes1 ,what if all this doctrine of a life to come be but the dream of man's imaginative mind1 carried on from age to age1 and so believed1 because it is a venerable superstition8 ,mow ,christ gives us victory over that terrible suspicion in two ways--first1 ,he does it by ,his own resurrection4 ,we have got a fact there that all the metaphysics about impossibility cannot rob us of4 ,in moments of perplexity we look back to this4 ,the grave has once1 and more than once1 at the ,redeemer's bidding1 given up its dead4 ,it is a world fact4 ,it tells us what the ,bible means by our resurrection--not a spiritual rising into new holiness merely--that1 but also something more4 ,it means that in our own proper identity1 we shall live again4 ,make that thought real1 and ,god has given you1 so far1 victory over the grave through ,christ4 ,there is another way in which we get the victory over doubt1 and that is by living in ,christ4 ,all doubt comes from living out of habits of affectionate obedience to ,god4 ,by idleness1 by neglected prayer1 we lose our power of realizing things not seen4 ,let a man be religious and irreligious at intervals--irregular1 inconsistent1 without some distinct thing to live for--it is a matter of impossibility that he can be free from doubts4 ,he must make up his mind for a dark life4 ,doubts can only be dispelled by that kind of active life that realizes ,christ4 ,and there is no faith that gives a victory so steadily triumphant as that4 ,when such a man comes near the opening of the vault1 it is no world of sorrows he is entering upon4 ,he is only going to see things that he has felt1 for he has been living in heaven4 ,he has his grasp on things that other men are only groping after and touching now and then4 ,live above this world1 ,brethren1 and then the powers of the world to come are so upon you that there is no room for doubt4 ,besides all this1 it is a ,christian's privilege to have victory over the fear of death4 ,and here it is exceedingly easy to paint what after all is only the image-picture of a dying hour4 ,it is the easiest thing to represent the dying ,christian as a man who always sinks into the grave full of hope1 full of triumph1 in the certain hope of a blessed resurrection4 ,brethren1 we must paint things in the sober colours of truth2 not as they might be supposed to be1 but as they are4 ,often that is only a picture4 ,either very few death-beds are ,christian ones1 or else triumph is a very different thing from what the word generally implies4 ,solemn1 subdued1 full of awe and full of solemnity1 is the dying hour generally of the holiest men3 sometimes almost darkness4--,rapture is a rare thing1 except in books and scenes4 ,let us understand what really is the victory over fear4 ,it may be rapture or it may not4 ,all that depends very much on temperament2 and after all1 the broken words of a dying man are a very poor index of his real state before ,god4 ,rapturous hope has been granted to martyrs in peculiar moments4 ,it is on record of a minister of our own ,church1 that his expectation of seeing ,god in ,christ became so intense as his last hour drew near1 that his physician was compelled to bid him calm his transports1 because in so excited a state he could not die4 ,a strange unnatural energy was imparted to his muscular frame by his nerves overstrung with triumph4 ,but brethren1 it fosters a dangerous feeling to take cases like those as precedents4 ,it leads to that most terrible of all unrealities--the acting of a death-bed scene4 ,a ,christian conqueror dies calmly4 ,brave men in battle do not boast that they are not afraid4 ,courage is so natural to them that they are not conscious they are doing anything out of the common way--,christian bravery is a deep1 calm thing1 unconscious of itself4 ,there are more triumphant death-beds than we count1 if we only remember this--true fearlessness makes no parade4 ,oh1 it is not only in those passionate effusions in which the ancient martyrs spoke sometimes of panting for the crushing of their limbs by the lions in the amphitheatre1 or of holding out their arms to embrace the flames that were to curl round them--it is not then only that ,christ has stood by ,his servants1 and made them more than conquerors3--there may be something of earthly excitement in all that4 ,every day ,his servants are dying modestly and peacefully--not a word of victory on their lips2 but ,christ's deep triumph in their hearts--watching the slow progress of their own decay1 and yet so far emancipated from personal anxiety that they are still able to think and to plan for others1 not knowing that they are doing any great thing4 ,they die1 and the world hears nothing of them2 and yet theirs was the completest victory4 ,they came to the battle field1 the field to which they had been looking forward all their lives1 and the enemy was not to be found4 ,there was no ,foe to fight with4 ,the last form in which a ,christian gets the victory over death is by means of his resurrection4 ,it seems to have been this which was chiefly alluded to by the ,apostle here2 for he says1 when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption 444 then shall come to pass the saying which is written1 ,death is swallowed up in victory4 ,and to say the truth1 brethren1 it is a rhetorical expression rather than a sober truth when we call anything1 except the resurrection1 victory over death4 ,we may conquer doubt and fear when we are dying1 but that is not conquering death4 ,it is like a warrior crushed to death by a superior antagonist refusing to yield a groan1 and bearing the glance of defiance to the last4 ,you feel that he is an unconquerable spirit1 but he is not the conqueror4 ,and when you see flesh melting away1 and mental power becoming infantine in its feebleness1 and lips scarcely able to articulate1 is there left one moment a doubt upon the mind1 as to who is the conqueror in spite of all the unshaken fortitude there may be8 ,the victory is on the side of ,death1 not on the side of the dying4 ,and my brethren1 if we would enter into the full feeling of triumph contained in this verse1 we must just try to bear in mind what this world would be without the thought of a resurrection4 ,if we could conceive an unselfish man looking upon this world of desolation with that infinite compassion which all the brave and good feel1 what conception could he have but that of defeat1 and failure1 and sadness--the sons of man mounting into a bright existence1 and one after another falling back into darkness and nothingness1 like soldiers trying to mount an impracticable breach1 and falling back crushed and mangled into the ditch before the bayonets and the rattling fire of their conquerors4 ,misery and guilt1 look which way you will1 till the heart gets sick with looking at it4 ,brethren1 until a man looks on evil till it seems to him almost like a real personal enemy rejoicing over the destruction that it has made1 he can scarcely conceive the deep rapture which rushed into the mind of the ,apostle ,paul when he remembered that a day was coming when all this was to be reversed4 ,a day was coming1 and it was the day of reality for which he lived1 ever present and ever certain1 when this sad world was to put off for ever its changefulness and its misery1 and the grave was to be robbed of its victory1 and the bodies were to come forth purified by their long sleep4 ,he called all this a victory1 because he felt that it was a real battle that has to be fought and won before that can be secured4 ,one battle has been fought by ,christ1 and another battle1 most real and difficult1 but yet a conquering one1 is to be fought by us4 ,he hath imparted to us the virtue of ,his wrestlings1 and the strength of ,his victory4 ,so that1 when the body shall rise again1 the power of the law to condemn is gone1 because we have learned to love the law4 ,and now to conclude all this1 there are but two things which remain to say4 ,in the first place1 brethren1 if we would be conquerors1 we must realize ,god's love in ,christ4 ,take care not to be under the law4 ,constraint never yet made a conqueror3 the utmost it can do is to make either a rebel or a slave4 ,believe that ,god loves you4 ,he gave a triumphant demonstration of it in the ,cross4 ,never shall we conquer self till we have learned to love4 ,my ,christian brethren1 let us remember our high privilege4 ,christian life1 so far as it deserves the name1 is victory4 ,we are not going forth to mere battle--we are going forth to conquer4 ,to gain mastery over self1 and sin1 and doubt1 and fear3 till the last coldness1 coming across the brow1 tells us that all is over1 and our warfare accomplished--that we are safe1 the everlasting arms beneath us--that is our calling4 ,brethren beloved1 do not be content with a slothful1 dreamy1 uncertain struggle4 ,you are to conquer1 and the banner under which we are to win is not ,fear1 but ,love4 ,the strength of sin is the law2 the victory is by keeping before us ,god in ,christ4 ,lastly1 there is need of encouragement for those of us whose faith is not of the conquering1 but the timid kind4 ,there are some whose hearts will reply to all this1 ,surely victory is not always a ,christian's portion4 ,is there no cold dark watching in ,christian life--no struggle when victory seems a mockery to speak of--no times when light and life seem feeble1 and ,christ is to us but a name1 and death a reality8 ,perfect love casteth out fear1 but who has it8 ,victory is by faith1 but1 oh ,god1 who will tell us what this faith is that men speak of as a thing so easy2 and how we are to get it6 ,you tell us to pray for faith1 but how shall we pray in earnest unless we first have the very faith we pray for8 ,my ,christian brethren1 it is just to this deepest cry of the human heart that it is impossible to return a full answer4 ,all that is true4 ,to feel ,faith is the grand difficulty of life4 ,faith is a deep impression of ,god and ,god's love1 and personal trust in it4 ,it is easy to say ,believe and thou shalt be saved1 but well we know it is easier said than done4 ,we cannot say how men are to get faith4 ,it is ,god's gift1 almost in the same way that genius is4 ,you cannot work for faith2 you must have it first1 and then work from it4 ,but brethren beloved1 we can say1 ,look up1 though we know not how the mechanism of the will which directs the eye is to be put in motion2 we can say1 ,look to ,god in ,christ1 though we know not how men are to obtain faith to do it4 ,let us be in earnest4 ,our polar star is the love of the ,cross4 ,take the eye off that1 and you are in darkness and bewilderment at once4 ,let us not mind what is past4 ,perhaps it is all failure1 and useless struggle1 and broken resolves4 ,what then8 ,settle this first1 brethren1 ,are you in earnest8 ,if so1 though your faith be weak and your struggles unsatisfactory1 you may begin the hymn of triumph now1 for victory is pledged4 ,thanks be to ,god1 which not shall give1 but giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,,xviii4 ,preached ,june #bj1 #aheb4 ,,man',s ,,greatness ,,and ,,god',s ,,greatness4 ,for thus saith the ,high and ,lofty ,one that inhabiteth ,eternity1 whose ,name is ,holy4 ,i dwell in the high and holy place--with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit4--,isaiah lvii4 #ae4 ,the origin of this announcement seems to have been the state of contempt in which religion found itself in the days of ,isaiah4 ,one of the most profligate monarchs that ever disgraced the page of sacred history1 sat upon the throne of ,judah4 ,his court was filled with men who recommended themselves chiefly by their licentiousness4 ,the altar was forsaken4 ,sacrilegious hands had placed the abominations of heathenism in the ,holy ,place2 and ,piety1 banished from the ,state1 the ,church1 and the ,royal court1 was once more as she had been before1 and will be again1 a wanderer on the face of the earth4 ,now1 however easy it may be to contemplate such a state of things at a distance1 it never takes place in a man's own day and time1 without suggesting painful perplexities of a twofold nature4 ,in the first place suspicions respecting ,god's character2 and1 in the second place1 misgivings as to his own duty4 ,for a faithless heart whispers1 ,is it worth while to suffer for a sinking cause8 ,honour1 preferment1 grandeur1 follow in the train of unscrupulous conduct4 ,to be strict in goodness1 is to be pointed at and shunned4 ,to be no better than one's neighbours is the only way of being at peace4 ,it seems to have been to such a state as this that ,isaiah was commissioned to bring light4 ,he vindicated ,god's character by saying that ,he is the ,high and ,lofty ,one that inhabiteth ,eternity4 ,he encouraged those who were trodden down1 to perseverance1 by reminding them that real dignity is something very different from present success4 ,god dwells with him1 that is of a contrite and humble spirit ,we consider ,i4 ,that in which the greatness of ,god consists4 ,,ii4 ,that in which man's greatness consists4 ,the first measurement1 so to speak1 which is given us of ,god's greatness1 is in respect of ,time4 ,he inhabiteth ,eternity4 ,there are some subjects on which it would be good to dwell1 if it were only for the sake of that enlargement of mind which is produced by their contemplation4 ,and eternity is one of these1 so that you cannot steadily fix the thoughts upon it without being sensible of a peculiar kind of elevation1 at the same time that you are humbled by a personal feeling of utter insignificance4 ,you have come in contact with something so immeasurable--beyond the narrow range of our common speculations--that you are exalted by the very conception of it4 ,now the only way we have of forming any idea of eternity is by going1 step by step1 up to the largest measures of time we know of1 and so ascending1 on and on1 till we are lost in wonder4 ,we cannot grasp eternity1 but we can learn something of it by perceiving1 that1 rise to what portion of time we will1 eternity is vaster than the vastest4 ,we take up for instance1 the history of our own country1 and then1 when we have spent months in mastering the mere outline of those great events which1 in the slow course of revolving centuries1 have made ,england what she is1 her earlier ages seem so far removed from our own times that they appear to belong to a hoary and most remote antiquity4 ,but then1 when you compare those times with even the existing works of man1 and when you remember that1 when ,england was yet young in civilization1 the pyramids of ,egypt were already grey with #aejj years1 you have got another step which impresses you with a doubled amount of vastness4 ,double that period1 and you come to the far distant moment when the present aspect of this world was called1 by creation1 out of the formless void in which it was before4 ,modern science has raised us to a pinnacle of thought beyond even this4 ,it has commanded us to think of countless ages in which that formless void existed before it put on the aspect of its present creation4 ,millions of years before ,god called the light day1 and the darkness night1 there was1 if science speaks true1 creation after creation called into existence1 and buried in its own ruins upon the surface of this earth4 ,and then1 there was a time beyond even this--there was a moment when this earth itself1 with all its countless creations and innumerable ages1 did not exist4 ,and1 again1 in that far back distance it is more than conceivable1 it seems by the analogy of ,god's dealings next to certain1 that ten thousand worlds may have been called into existence1 and lasted their unnumbered ages1 and then perished in succession4 ,compared with these stupendous figures1 #f1jjj years of our planet sink into nothingness4 ,the mind is lost in dwelling on such thoughts as these4 ,when you have penetrated far1 far back1 by successive approximations1 and still see the illimitable distance receding before you as distant as before1 imagination absolutely gives way1 and you feel dizzy and bewildered with new strange thoughts1 that have not a name4 ,but this is only one aspect of the case4 ,it looks only to time past4 ,the same overpowering calculations wait us when we bend our eyes on that which is to come4 ,time stretches back immeasurably1 but it also stretches on and on for ever4 ,now it is by such a conception as this that the inspired prophet attempts to measure the immeasurable of ,god4 ,all that eternity1 magnificent as it is1 never was without an ,inhabitant4 ,eternity means nothing by itself4 ,it merely expresses the existence of the ,high and ,lofty ,one that inhabiteth it4 ,we make a fanciful distinction between eternity and time--there is no real distinction4 ,we are in eternity at this moment4 ,that has begun to be with us which never began with ,god4 ,our only measure of time is by the succession of ideas4 ,if ideas flow fast1 and many sights and many thoughts pass by us1 time seems lengthened4 ,if we have the simple routine of a few engagements1 the same every day1 with little variety1 the years roll by us so fast that we cannot mark them4 ,it is not so with ,god4 ,there is no succession of ideas with ,him4 ,every possible idea is present with ,him now4 ,it was present with ,him ten thousand years ago4 ,god's dwelling-place is that eternity which has neither past nor future1 but one vast1 immeasurable present4 ,there is a second measure given us of ,god in this verse4 ,it is in respect of ,space4 ,he dwelleth in the ,high and ,lofty place4 ,he dwelleth moreover1 in the most insignificant place--even the heart of man4 ,and the idea by which the prophet would here exhibit to us the greatness of ,god is that of ,his eternal ,omnipresence4 ,it is difficult to say which conception carries with it the greatest exaltation--that of boundless space or that of unbounded time4 ,when we pass from the tame and narrow scenery of our own country1 and stand on those spots of earth in which nature puts on her wilder and more awful forms1 we are conscious of something of the grandeur which belongs to the thought of space4 ,go where the strong foundations of the earth lie around you in their massive majesty1 and mountain after mountain rears its snow to heaven in a giant chain1 and then1 when this bursts upon you for the first time in life1 there is that peculiar feeling which we call1 in common language1 an enlargement of ideas4 ,but when we are told that the sublimity of those dizzy heights is but a nameless speck in comparison with the globe of which they form the girdle2 and when we pass on to think of that globe itself as a minute spot in the mighty system to which it belongs1 so that our world might be annihilated1 and its loss would not be felt2 and when we are told that eighty millions of such systems roll in the world of space1 to which our own system again is as nothing2 and when we are again pressed with the recollection that beyond those furthest limits creative power is exerted immeasurably further than eye can reach1 or thought can penetrate2 then1 brethren1 the awe which comes upon the heart is only1 after all1 a tribute to a portion of ,god's greatness4 ,yet we need not science to teach us this4 ,it is the thought which oppresses very childhood--the overpowering thought of space4 ,a child can put his head upon his hands1 and think and think till it reaches in imagination some far distant barrier of the universe1 and still the difficulty presents itself to his young mind1 ,and what is beyond that barrier8 and the only answer is ,the high and lofty place4 ,and this brethren1 is the inward seal with which ,god has stamped ,himself upon man's heart4 ,if every other trace of ,deity has been expunged by the fall1 these two at least defy destruction--the thought of ,eternal ,time1 and the thought of ,immeasurable ,space4 ,the third measure which is given us of ,god respects ,his character4 ,his name is ,holy4 ,the chief idea which this would convey to us is separation from evil4 ,brethren1 there is perhaps a time drawing near when those of us who shall stand at ,his right hand1 purified from all evil taint1 shall be able to comprehend absolutely what is meant by the ,holiness of ,god4 ,at present1 with hearts cleaving down to earth1 and tossed by a thousand gusts of unholy passion1 we can only form a dim conception relatively of that which it implies4 ,none but the pure can understand purity4 ,the chief knowledge which we have of ,god's holiness comes from our acquaintance with unholiness4 ,we know what impurity is--,god is not that4 ,we know what injustice is--,god is not that4 ,we know what restlessness1 and guilt1 and passion are1 and deceitfulness1 and pride1 and waywardness--all these we know4 ,god is none of these4 ,and this is our chief acquaintance with ,his character4 ,we know what ,god is not4 ,we scarcely can be rightly said to know1 that is to feel1 what ,god is4 ,and therefore1 this is implied in the very name of holiness4 ,holiness in the ,jewish sense means simply separateness4 ,from all that is wrong1 and mean1 and base1 our ,god is for ever separate4 ,there is another way in which ,god gives to us a conception of what this holiness implies4 ,tell us of ,his justice1 ,his truth1 ,his loving-kindness4 ,all these are cold abstractions4 ,they convey no distinct idea of themselves to our hearts4 ,what we wanted was1 that these should be exhibited to us in tangible reality4 ,and it is just this which ,god has done4 ,he has exhibited all these attributes1 not in the light of speculation1 but in the light of facts4 ,he has given us ,his own character in all its delicacy of colouring in the history of ,christ4 ,love1 ,mercy1 ,tenderness1 ,purity--these are no mere names when we see them brought out in the human actions of our ,master4 ,holiness is only a shadow to our minds1 till it receives shape and substance in the life of ,christ4 ,all this character of holiness is intelligible to us in ,christ4 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time1 the only begotten of the ,father ,he hath declared ,him4 ,there is a third light in which ,god's holiness is shown to us1 and that is in the sternness with which ,he recoils from guilt4 ,when ,christ died for man1 ,i know what ,god's love means2 and when ,jesus wept human tears over ,jerusalem1 ,i know what ,god's compassion means2 and when the stern denunciations of ,jesus rung in the ,pharisees' ears1 ,i can comprehend what ,god's indignation is2 and when ,jesus stood calm before ,his murderers1 ,i have a conception of what serenity is4 ,brethren1 revelation opens to us a scene beyond the grave1 when this shall be exhibited in full operation4 ,there will be an everlasting banishment from ,god's presence of that impurity on which the last efforts have been tried in vain4 ,it will be a carrying out of this sentence by a law that cannot be reversed--,depart from me1 ye cursed4 ,but it is quite a mistake to suppose that this is only a matter of revelation4 ,traces of it we have now on this side the sepulchre4 ,human life is full of ,god's recoil from sin4 ,in the writhings of a heart which has been made to possess its own iniquities--in the dark spot which guilt leaves upon the conscience1 rising up at times in a man's gayest moments1 as if it will not come out--in the restlessness and the feverishness which follow the efforts of the man who has indulged habits of sin too long1--in all these there is a law repelling wickedness from the presence of the ,most ,high1--which proclaims that ,god is holy4 ,brethren1 it is in these that the greatness of ,god consists--,eternal in ,time--,unlimited in ,space--,unchangeable--,pure in character--,his serenity and ,his vastness arise from ,his own perfections4 ,we are to consider1 in the second place1 the greatness of man4 #a4 ,the nature of that greatness4 #b4 ,the persons who are great4 ,now1 this is brought before us in the text in this one fact1 that man has been made a habitation of the ,deity--,i dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit4 ,there is in the very outset this distinction between what is great in ,god and what is great in man4 ,to be independent of everything in the universe is ,god's glory1 and to be independent is man's shame4 ,all that ,god has1 ,he has from ,himself--all that man has1 ,he has from ,god4 ,and the moment man cuts himself off from ,god1 that moment he cuts himself off from all true grandeur4 ,there are two things implied in ,scripture1 when it is said that ,god dwells with man4 ,the first is that peculiar presence which ,he has conferred upon the members of ,his church4 ,brethren1 we presume not to define what that ,presence is1 and how it dwells within us--we are content to leave it as a mystery4 ,but this we know1 that something of a very peculiar and supernatural character takes place in the heart of every man upon whom the gospel has been brought to bear with power4 ,know ye not1 says the ,apostle1 that your bodies are the temples of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and again in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians--,in ,christ ye are builded for an habitation of ,god through the ,spirit4 ,there is something in these expressions which refuses to be explained away4 ,they leave us but one conclusion1 and that is--that in all those who have become ,christ's by faith1 ,god personally and locally has taken up ,his dwelling-place4 ,there is a second meaning attached in ,scripture to the expression ,god dwells in man4 ,according to the first meaning1 we understand it in the most plain and literal sense the words are capable of conveying4 ,according to the second1 we understand ,his dwelling in a figurative sense1 implying this--that ,he gives an acquaintance with ,himself to man4 ,so1 for instance1 when ,judas asked1 ,lord1 how is it1 that ,thou wilt manifest ,thyself to us and not to the world8 ,our ,redeemer's reply was this--,if a man love me1 he will keep my words1 and my ,father will love him1 and ,we will come unto him and make ,our abode with him4 ,in the question it was asked how ,god would manifest ,himself to ,his servants4 ,in the answer it was shown how ,he would make ,his abode with them4 ,and if the answer be any reply to the question at all1 what follows is this--that ,god making ,his abode or dwelling in the heart is the same thing exactly as ,god's manifesting himself to the heart4 ,brethren1 in these two things the greatness of man consists4 ,one is to have ,god so dwelling in us as to impart ,his character to us2 and the other is to have ,god so dwelling in us that we recognise ,his presence1 and know that we are ,his and ,he is ours4 ,they are two things perfectly distinct ,to have ,god in us1 this is salvation2 to know that ,god is in us1 this is assurance4 ,lastly1 we inquire as to the persons who are truly great4 ,and these the ,holy ,scripture has divided into two classes--those who are humble and those who are contrite in heart4 ,or rather1 it will be observed that it is the same class of character under different circumstances4 ,humbleness is the frame of mind of those who are in a state of innocence1 contrition of those who are in a state of repentant guilt4 ,brethren1 let not the expression innocence be misunderstood4 ,innocence in its true and highest sense never existed but once upon this earth4 ,innocence cannot be the religion of man now4 ,but yet there are those who have walked with ,god from youth1 not quenching the spirit which ,he gave them1 and who are therefore comparatively innocent beings4 ,all they have to do is to go on1 whereas the guilty man has to stop and turn back before he can go on4 ,repentance with them is the gentle work of every day1 not the work of one distinct and miserable part of life4 ,they are those whom the ,lord calls just men which need no repentance1 and of whom ,he says1 ,he that is clean needeth not save to wash his feet4 ,now they are described here as the humble in heart4 ,two things are required for this state of mind4 ,one is that a man should have a true estimate of ,god1 and the other is that he should have a true estimate of himself4 ,vain1 blind man1 places himself on a little corner of this planet1 a speck upon a speck of the universe1 and begins to form conclusions from the small fraction of ,god's government which he can see from thence4 ,the astronomer looks at the laws of motion and forgets that there must have been a ,first ,cause to commence that motion4 ,the surgeon looks at the materialism of his own frame and forgets that matter cannot organise itself into exquisite beauty4 ,the metaphysician buries himself in the laws of mind and forgets that there may be spiritual influences producing all those laws4 ,and this brethren1 is the unhumbled spirit of philosophy--intellectual pride4 ,men look at ,nature1 but they do not look through it up to ,nature's ,god4 ,there is awful ignorance of ,god1 arising from indulged sin1 which produces an unhumbled heart4 ,god may be shut out from the soul by pride of intellect1 or by pride of heart4 ,pharaoh is placed before us in ,scripture almost as a type of pride4 ,his pride arose from ignorance of ,god4 ,who is the ,lord that ,i should obey ,his voice8 ,i know not the ,lord1 neither will ,i let ,israel go4 ,and this was not intellectual pride2 it was pride in a matter of duty4 ,pharaoh had been immersing his whole heart in the narrow politics of ,egypt4 ,the great problem of his day was to aggrandise his own people and prevent an insurrection of the ,israelites2 and that small kingdom of ,egypt had been his universe4 ,he shut his heart to the voice of justice and the voice of humanity2 in other words1 great in the pride of human majesty1 small in the sight of the ,high and ,lofty ,one1 he shut himself out from the knowledge of ,god4 ,the next ingredient of humbleness is1 that a man must have a right estimate of himself4 ,there is a vast amount of self-deception on this point4 ,we say of ourselves that which we could not bear others to say of us4 ,a man truly humbled would take it only as his due when others treated him in the way that he says that he deserves4 ,but my brethren1 we kneel in our closets in shame for what we are1 and we tell our ,god that the lowest place is too good for us2 and then we go into the world1 and if we meet with slight or disrespect1 or if our opinion be not attended to1 or if another be preferred before us1 there is all the anguish of a galled and jealous spirit1 and half the bitterness of our lives comes from this1 that we are smarting from what we call the wrongs and the neglect of men4 ,my beloved brethren1 if we saw ourselves as ,god sees us1 we should be willing to be anywhere1 to be silent when others speak1 to be passed by in the world's crowd1 and thrust aside to make way for others4 ,we should be willing to put others in the way of doing that which we might have got reputation for by doing ourselves4 ,this was the temper of our ,master--this is the meek and the quiet spirit1 and this is the temper of the humble with whom the ,high and ,lofty ,one dwells4 ,the other class of those who are truly great are the contrite in spirit4 ,at first sight it might be supposed that there must ever be a vast distinction between the innocent and the penitent4 ,it was so that the elder son in the parable thought when he saw his brother restored to his father's favour4 ,he was surprised and hurt4 ,he had served his father these many years--his brother had wasted his substance in riotous living4 ,but in this passage ,god makes no distinction4 ,he places the humble consistent follower and the broken-hearted sinner on a level4 ,he dwells with both1 with ,him that is contrite1 and with him that is humble4 ,he sheds around them both the grandeur of ,his own presence1 and the annals of ,church history are full of exemplifications of this marvel of ,god's grace4 ,by the transforming grace of ,christ men1 who have done the very work of ,satan1 have become as conspicuous in the service of heaven1 as they were once conspicuous in the career of guilt4 ,so indisputably has this been so1 that men have drawn from such instances the perverted conclusion1 that if a man is ever to be a great saint1 he must first be a great sinner4 ,god forbid brethren1 that we should ever make such an inference4 ,but this we infer for our own encouragement1 that past sin does not necessarily preclude from high attainments4 ,we must forget the things that are behind4 ,we must not mourn over past years of folly as if they made saintliness impossible4 ,deep as we may have been once in earthliness1 so deep we may also be in penitence1 and so high we may become in spirituality4 ,we have so many years the fewer to do our work in4 ,well brethren1 let us try to do it so much the faster4 ,christ can crowd the work of years into hours4 ,he did it with the dying thief4 ,if the man who has set out early may take his time1 it certainly cannot be so with us who have lost our time4 ,if we have lost ,god's bright and happy presence by our wilfulness1 what then8 ,unrelieved sadness8 ,nay1 brethren1 calmness1 purity1 may have gone from our heart2 but all is not gone yet4 ,just as sweetness comes from the bark of the cinnamon when it is bruised1 so can the spirit of the ,cross of ,christ bring beauty and holiness and peace out of the bruised and broken heart4 ,god dwells with the contrite as much as with the humble4 ,and now brethren1 to conclude1 the first inference we collect from this subject1 is the danger of coming into collision with such a ,god as our ,god4 ,day by day we commit sins of thought and word of which the dull eye of man takes no cognisance4 ,he whose name is ,holy cannot pass them by4 ,we may elude the vigilance of a human enemy and place ourselves beyond his reach4 ,god fills all space--there is not a spot in which ,his piercing eye is not on us1 and ,his uplifted hand cannot find us out4 ,man must strike soon if he would strike at all2 for opportunities pass away from him1 and his victim may escape his vengeance by death4 ,there is no passing of opportunity with ,god1 and it is this which makes ,his long suffering a solemn thing4 ,god can wait1 for ,he has a whole eternity before ,him in which ,he may strike4 ,all things are open1 and naked to ,him with whom we have to do4 ,in the next place we are taught the heavenly character of condescension4 ,it is not from the insignificance of man that ,god's dwelling with him is so strange4 ,it is as much the glory of ,god to bend ,his attention on an atom as to uphold the universe4 ,but the marvel is that the habitation which ,he has chosen for ,himself is an impure one4 ,and when ,he came down from ,his magnificence to make this world ,his home1 still the same character of condescension was shown through all the life of ,christ4 ,our ,god selected the society of the outcasts of earth1 those whom none else would speak to4 ,brethren1 if we would be ,godlike1 we must follow in the same steps4 ,our temptation is to do exactly the reverse4 ,we are for ever wishing to obtain the friendship and the intimacy of those above us in the world4 ,to win over men of influence to truth--to associate with men of talent and station1 and title4 ,this is the world-chase1 and this1 brethren1 is too much the religious man's chase4 ,but if you look simply to the question of resemblance to ,god1 then the man who makes it a habit to select that one in life to do good to1 and that one in a room to speak with1 whom others pass by because there is nothing either of intellect1 or power1 or name1 to recommend him1 but only humbleness1 that man has stamped upon his heart more of heavenly similitude by condescension1 than the man who has made it his business to win this world's great ones1 even for the sake of truth4 ,lastly1 we learn the guilt of two things of which this world is full--vanity and pride4 ,there is a distinction between these two4 ,but the distinction consists in this1 that the vain man looks for the admiration of others--the proud man requires nothing but his own4 ,now1 it is this distinction which makes vanity despicable to us all4 ,we can easily find out the vain man--we soon discover what it is he wants to be observed1 whether it be a gift of person1 or a gift of mind1 or a gift of character4 ,if he be vain of his person1 his attitudes will tell the tale4 ,if he be vain of his judgment1 or his memory1 or his honesty1 he cannot help an unnecessary parade4 ,the world finds him out1 and this is why vanity is ever looked on with contempt4 ,so soon as we let men see that we are suppliants for their admiration1 we are at their mercy4 ,we have given them the privilege of feeling that they are above us4 ,we have invited them to spurn us4 ,and therefore vanity is but a thing for scorn4 ,but it is very different with pride4 ,no man can look down on him that is proud1 for he has asked no man for anything4 ,they are forced to feel respect for pride1 because it is thoroughly independent of them4 ,it wraps itself up in the consequence of its own excellences1 and scorns to care whether others take note of them or not4 ,it is just here that the danger lies4 ,we have exalted a sin into a virtue4 ,no man will acknowledge that he is vain1 but almost any man will acknowledge that he is proud4 ,but tried by the balance of the sanctuary1 there is little to choose between the two4 ,if a man look for greatness out of ,god1 it matters little whether he seek it in his own applause1 or in the applause of others4 ,the proud ,pharisee1 who trusted in himself that he was righteous1 was condemned by ,christ as severely1 and even more1 than the vain ,jews who could not believe because they sought honour from one another1 and not that honour which cometh from ,god only4 ,it may be a more dazzling1 and a more splendid sin to be proud4 ,it is not less hateful in ,god's sight4 ,let us speak ,god's word to our own unquiet1 swelling1 burning hearts4 ,pride may disguise itself as it will in its own majesty1 but in the presence of the ,high and ,lofty ,one1 it is but littleness after all4 ,,xix4 ,preached ,june #bg1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,lawful ,,and ,,unlawful ,,use ,,of ,,law4 7,a ,,fragment47 ,but we know that the law is good1 if a man use it lawfully4--#a ,tim4 i4 #h4 ,it is scarcely ever possible to understand a passage without some acquaintance with the history of the circumstances under which it was written4 ,at ,ephesus1 over which ,timothy was bishop1 people had been bewildered by the teaching of converted ,jews1 who mixed the old leaven of ,judaism with the new spirituality of ,christianity4 ,they maintained the perpetual obligation of the ,jewish law4--v4 #g4 ,they desired to be teachers of the law4 ,they required strict performance of a number of severe observances4 ,they talked mysteriously of angels and powers intermediate between ,god and the human soul4--v4 #d4 ,the result was an interminable discussion at ,ephesus4 ,the ,church was filled with disputations and controversies4 ,now there is something always refreshing to see the ,apostle ,paul descending upon an arena of controversy1 where minds have been bewildered2 and so much is to be said on both sides1 that people are uncertain which to take4 ,you know at once that he will pour light upon the question1 and illuminate all the dark corners4 ,you know that he will not trim1 and balance1 and hang doubtful1 or become a partisan2 but that he will seize some great principle which lies at the root of the whole controversy1 and make its true bearings clear at once4 ,this he always does1 and this he does on the present occasion4--v4 #e and #f4 ,he does not1 like a vehement polemic1 say ,jewish ceremonies and rules are all worthless1 nor some ceremonies are worthless1 and others essential2 but he says1 the root of the whole matter is charity4 ,if you turn aside from this1 all is lost2 here at once the controversy closes4 ,so far as any rule fosters the spirit of love1 that is1 is used lawfully1 it is wise1 and has a use4 ,so far as it does not1 it is chaff4 ,so far as it hinders it1 it is poison4 ,now observe how different this method is from that which is called the sober1 moderate way--the via media4 ,some would have said1 the great thing is to avoid extremes4 ,if the question respects fasting--fast--only in moderation4 ,if the observance of the ,sabbath day1 observe it on the ,jewish principle1 only not so strictly4 ,st4 ,paul1 on the contrary1 went down to the root2 he said1 the true question is not whether the law is good or bad1 but on what principle2 he said1 you are both wrong--you1 in saying that the observance of the law is essential1 for the end of it is charity1 and if that be got what matter how--you1 in saying rules may be dispensed with entirely and always1 for we know that the law is good4 ,i4 ,the unlawful use1 and ,,ii4 ,the lawful use of law4 ,i4 ,the unlawful use4 ,define law4--,by law1 ,paul almost always means not the ,mosaic law1 but law in its essence and principle1 that is1 constraint4 ,this chiefly in two forms expresses itself--#ast1 a custom2 #bnd1 a maxim4 ,as examples of custom1 we might give ,circumcision1 or the ,sabbath1 or ,sacrifice1 or ,fasting4 ,law said1 thou shalt do these things2 and law1 as mere law1 constrained them4 ,or again1 law may express itself in maxims and rules4 ,in rules1 as when law said1 ,thou shalt not steal--not saying a word about secret dishonesty of heart1 but simply taking cognizance of acts4 ,in maxims1 as when it admonished that man ought to give a tenth to ,god1 leaving the principle of the matter untouched4 ,principle is one thing1 and maxim is another4 ,a principle requires liberality1 a maxim says one-tenth4 ,a principle says1 ,a merciful man is merciful to his beast1 leaves mercy to the heart1 and does not define how2 a maxim says1 thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn4 ,a principle says1 ,forgive2 a maxim defines seven times2 and thus the whole law falls into two divisions4 ,the ceremonial law1 which constrains life by customs4 ,the moral law1 which guides life by rules and maxims4 ,now it is an illegitimate use of law4 ,first4 ,to expect by obedience to it to make out a title to salvation4 ,by the deeds of the law1 shall no man living be justified4 ,salvation is by faith3 a state of heart right with ,god2 faith is the spring of holiness--a well of life4 ,salvation is not the having committed a certain number of good acts4 ,destruction is not the having committed a certain number of crimes4 ,salvation is ,god's ,spirit in us1 leading to good4 ,destruction is the selfish spirit in us1 leading to wrong4 ,for a plain reason then1 obedience to law cannot save1 because it is merely the performance of a certain number of acts which may be done by habit1 from fear1 from compulsion4 ,obedience remains still imperfect4 ,a man may have obeyed the rule1 and kept the maxim1 and yet not be perfect4 ,all these commandments have ,i kept from my youth up4 ,yet lackest thou one thing4 ,the law he had kept4 ,the spirit of obedience in its high form of sacrifice he had not4 ,secondly4 ,to use it superstitiously4 ,it is plain that this was the use made of it by the ,ephesian teachers4--v4 #d4 ,it seemed to them that law was pleasing to ,god as restraint4 ,then unnatural restraints came to be imposed--on the appetites1 fasting2 on the affections1 celibacy4 ,this is what ,paul condemns4--ch4 iv41 v4 #h4 ,bodily exercise profiteth little4 ,and again1 this superstition showed itself in a false reverence--wondrous stories respecting angels--respecting the eternal genealogy of ,christ--awful thoughts about spirits4 ,the ,apostle calls all these1 very unceremoniously1 endless genealogies1 v4 #d1 and old wives' fables4--ch4 iv41 v4 #g4 ,the question at issue is1 wherein true reverence consists3 according to them1 in the multiplicity of the objects of reverence2 according to ,st4 ,paul1 in the character of the object revered 444 ,god and ,right the true object4 ,but you are not a whit the better for solemn and reverential feelings about a mysterious1 invisible world4 ,to tremble before a consecrated wafer is spurious reverence4 ,to bend before the ,majesty of ,right is ,christian reverence4 ,thirdly4 ,to use it as if the letter of it were sacred4 ,the law commanded none to eat the shewbread except the priests4 ,david ate it in hunger4 ,if ,abimelech had scrupled to give it1 he would have used the law unlawfully4 ,the law commanded no manner of work4 ,the apostles in hunger rubbed the ears of corn4 ,the ,pharisees used the law unlawfully1 in forbidding that4 ,,ii4 ,the lawful use of law4 #a4 ,as a restraint to keep outward evil in check 444 ,the law was made for sinners and profane4 444 ,illustrate this by reference to capital punishment4 ,no sane man believes that punishment by death will make a nation's heart right1 or that the sight of an execution can soften or ameliorate4 ,punishment does not work in that way4 ,it is not meant for that purpose4 ,it is meant to guard society4 ,the law commanding a blasphemer to be stoned1 could not teach one ,israelite love to ,god1 but it could save the streets of ,israel from scandalous ribaldry4 ,and therefore clearly understand1 law is a mere check to bad men3 it does not improve them2 it often makes them worse2 it cannot sanctify them4 ,god never intended that it should4 ,it saves society from the open transgression2 it does not contemplate the amelioration of the offender4 ,hence we see for what reason the apostle insisted on the use of the law for ,christians4 ,law never can be abrogated4 ,strict rules are needed exactly in proportion as we want the power or the will to rule ourselves4 ,it is not because the ,gospel has come that we are free from the law1 but because1 and only so far1 as we are in a ,gospel state4 ,it is for a righteous man that the law is not made1 and thus we see the true nature of ,christian liberty4 ,the liberty to which we are called in ,christ1 is not the liberty of devils1 the liberty of doing what we will1 but the blessed liberty of being on the side of the law1 and therefore unrestrained by it in doing right4 ,illustrate from laws of coining1 housebreaking1 c4 ,we are not under them4--,because we may break them as we like8 ,nay--the moment we desire1 the law is alive again to us4 #b4 ,as a primer is used by a child to acquire by degrees1 principles and a spirit4 ,this is the use attributed to it in verse #e4 ,the end of the commandment is charity4 ,compare with this1 two other passages--,christ is the end of the law for righteousness1 and love is the fulfilling of the law4 ,perfect love casteth out fear4 ,in every law there is a spirit2 in every maxim a principle2 and the law and the maxim are laid down for the sake of conserving the spirit and the principle which they enshrine4 ,st4 ,paul compares ,god's dealing with man to a wise parent's instruction of his child4--,see the ,epistle to the ,galatians4 ,boyhood is under law2 you appeal not to the boy's reason1 but his will1 by rewards and punishments3 ,do this1 and ,i will reward you2 do it not1 and you will be punished4 ,so long as a man is under law1 this is salutary and necessary1 but only while under law4 ,he is free when he discerns principles1 and at the same time has got1 by habit1 the will to obey4 ,so that rules have done for him a double work1 taught him the principle and facilitated obedience to it4 ,distinguish however4--,in point of time1 law is first--in point of importance1 the ,spirit4 ,in point of time1 ,charity is the end of the commandment--in point of importance1 first and foremost4 ,the first thing a boy has to do1 is to learn implicit obedience to rules4 ,the first thing in importance for a man to learn is1 to sever himself from maxims1 rules1 laws4 ,why8 ,that he may become an ,antinomian1 or a ,latitudinarian8 ,no4 ,he is severed from submission to the maxim because he has got allegiance to the principle4 ,he is free from the rule and the law because he has got the ,spirit written in his heart4 ,this is the ,gospel4 ,a man is redeemed by ,christ so far as he is not under the law2 he is free from the law so far as he is free from the evil which the law restrains2 he progresses so far as there is no evil in him which it is an effort to keep down2 and perfect salvation and liberty are--when we1--who though having the first fruits of the ,spirit1 yet groan within ourselves1 waiting for the adoption1 to wit1 the redemption of our body--shall have been freed in body1 soul1 and spirit1 from the last traces of the evil which can only be kept down by force4 ,in other words1 so far as ,christ's statement is true of us1 ,the ,prince of this world cometh1 and hath nothing in me4 ,,xx4 ,preached ,february #ba1 #ahec4 ,,the ,,prodigal ,,and ,,his ,,brother4 ,and he said unto him1 ,son1 thou art ever with me1 and all that ,i have is thine4 ,it was meet that we should make merry1 and be glad3 for this thy brother was dead1 and is alive again2 was lost1 and is found4--,luke xv4 #ca1 #cb4 ,there are two classes of sins4 ,there are some sins by which man crushes1 wounds1 malevolently injures his brother man3 those sins which speak of a bad1 tyrannical1 and selfish heart4 ,christ met those with denunciation4 ,there are other sins by which a man injures himself4 ,there is a life of reckless indulgence2 there is a career of yielding to ungovernable propensities1 which most surely conducts to wretchedness and ruin1 but makes a man an object of compassion rather than of condemnation4 ,the reception which sinners of this class met from ,christ was marked by strange and pitying mercy4 ,there was no maudlin sentiment on his lips4 ,he called sin sin1 and guilt guilt4 ,but yet there were sins which ,his lips scourged1 and others over which1 containing in themselves their own scourge1 ,his heart bled4 ,that which was melancholy1 and marred1 and miserable in this world1 was more congenial to the heart of ,christ than that which was proudly happy4 ,it was in the midst of a triumph1 and all the pride of a procession1 that ,he paused to weep over ruined ,jerusalem4 ,and if we ask the reason why the character of ,christ was marked by this melancholy condescension it is that he was in the midst of a world of ruins1 and there was nothing there to gladden1 but very much to touch with grief4 ,he was here to restore that which was broken down and crumbling into decay4 ,an enthusiastic antiquarian1 standing amidst the fragments of an ancient temple surrounded by dust and moss1 broken pillar1 and defaced architrave1 with magnificent projects in his mind of restoring all this to former majesty1 to draw out to light from mere rubbish the ruined glories1 and therefore stooping down amongst the dank ivy and the rank nettles2 such was ,christ amidst the wreck of human nature4 ,he was striving to lift it out of its degradation4 ,he was searching out in revolting places that which had fallen down1 that ,he might build it up again in fair proportions a holy temple to the ,lord4 ,therefore ,he laboured among the guilty2 therefore ,he was the companion of outcasts2 therefore ,he spoke tenderly and lovingly to those whom society counted undone2 therefore ,he loved to bind up the bruised and the broken-hearted2 therefore ,his breath fanned the spark which seemed dying out in the wick of the expiring taper1 when men thought that it was too late1 and that the hour of hopeless profligacy was come4 ,it was that feature in ,his character1 that tender1 hoping1 encouraging spirit of ,his which the prophet ,isaiah fixed upon as characteristic4 ,a bruised reed will ,he not break4 ,it was an illustration of this spirit which ,he gave in the parable which forms the subject of our consideration to-day4 ,we find the occasion which drew it from ,him in the commencement of this chapter1 ,then drew near unto ,him all the publicans and sinners for to hear ,him4 ,and the ,pharisees and ,scribes murmured1 saying1 ,this man receiveth sinners1 and eateth with them4 ,it was then that ,christ condescended to offer an excuse or an explanation of ,his conduct4 ,and ,his excuse was this3 ,it is natural1 humanly natural1 to rejoice more over that which has been recovered than over that which has been never lost4 ,he proved that by three illustrations taken from human life4 ,the first illustration intended to show the feelings of ,christ in winning back a sinner1 was the joy which the shepherd feels in the recovery of a sheep from the mountain wilderness4 ,the second was the satisfaction which a person feels for a recovered coin4 ,the last was the gladness which attends the restoration of an erring son4 ,now the three parables are alike in this1 that they all describe more or less vividly the feelings of the ,redeemer on the recovery of the lost4 ,but the third parable differs from the other two in this1 that besides the feelings of the ,saviour1 it gives us a multitude of particulars respecting the feelings1 the steps1 and the motives of the penitent who is reclaimed back to goodness4 ,in the two first the thing lost is a coin or a sheep4 ,it would not be possible to find any picture of remorse or gladness there4 ,but in the third parable the thing lost is not a lifeless thing1 nor a mute thing1 but a being1 the workings of whose human heart are all described4 ,so that the subject opened out to us is a more extensive one--not merely the feelings of the finder1 ,god in ,christ1 but besides that1 the sensations of the wanderer himself4 ,in dealing with this parable1 this is the line which we shall adopt4 ,we shall look at the picture which it draws of--#a4 ,god's treatment of the penitent4 #b4 ,god's expostulation with the saint4 ,god's treatment of the penitent divides itself in this parable into three distinct epochs4 ,the period of alienation1 the period of repentance1 and the circumstances of a penitent reception4 ,we shall consider all these in turn4 ,the first truth exhibited in this parable is the alienation of man's heart from ,god4 ,homelessness1 distance from our ,father--that is man's state by nature in this world4 ,the youngest son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country4 ,brethren1 this is the history of worldliness4 ,it is a state far from ,god2 in other words1 it is a state of homelessness4 ,and now let us ask what that means4 ,to ,english hearts it is not necessary to expound elaborately the infinite meanings which cluster round that blessed expression home4 ,home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other4 ,it is the place of confidence4 ,it is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defence1 and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts4 ,it is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule4 ,let a man travel where he will1 home is the place to which his heart untravelled fondly turns4 ,he is to double all pleasure there4 ,he is there to divide all pain4 ,a happy home is the single spot of rest which a man has upon this earth for the cultivation of his noblest sensibilities4 ,and now my brethren1 if that be the description of home1 is ,god's place of rest your home8 ,walk abroad and alone by night4 ,that awful other world in the stillness and the solemn deep of the eternities above1 is it your home8 ,those graves that lie beneath you1 holding in them the infinite secret1 and stamping upon all earthly loveliness the mark of frailty and change and fleetingness--are those graves the prospect to which in bright days and dark days you can turn without dismay8 ,god in his splendours1--dare we feel with ,him affectionate and familiar1 so that trial comes softened by this feeling--it is my ,father1 and enjoyment can be taken with a frank feeling2 my ,father has given it me1 without grudging1 to make me happy8 ,all that is having a home in ,god4 ,are we at home there8 ,why there is demonstration in our very childhood that we are not at home with that other world of ,god's4 ,an infant fears to be alone1 because he feels he is not alone4 ,he trembles in the dark1 because he is conscious of the presence of the world of spirits4 ,long before he has been told tales of terror1 there is an instinctive dread of the supernatural in the infant mind4 ,it is the instinct which we have from childhood that gives us the feeling of another world4 ,and mark1 brethren1 if the child is not at home in the thought of that world of ,god's1 the deep of darkness and eternity is1 around him--,god's home1 but not his home1 for his flesh creeps4 ,and that feeling grows through life2 not the fear--when the child becomes a man he gets over fear--but the dislike4 ,the man feels as much aversion as the child for the world of spirits4 ,sunday comes4 ,it breaks across the current of his worldliness4 ,it suggests thoughts of death and judgment and everlasting existence4 ,is that home8 ,can the worldly man feel ,sunday like a foretaste of his ,father's mansion8 ,if we could but know how many have come here to-day1 not to have their souls lifted up heavenwards1 but from curiosity1 or idleness1 or criticism1 it would give us an appalling estimate of the number who are living in a far country1 having no hope and without ,god in the world4 ,the second truth conveyed to us in this parable is the unsatisfying nature of worldly happiness4 ,the outcast son tried to satiate his appetite with husks4 ,a husk is an empty thing2 it is a thing which looks extremely like food1 and promises as much as food2 but it is not food4 ,it is a thing which when chewed will stay the appetite1 but leaves the emaciated body without nourishment4 ,earthly happiness is a husk4 ,we say not that there is no satisfaction in the pleasures of a worldly life4 ,that would be an overstatement of the truth4 ,something there is1 or else why should men persist in living for them8 ,the cravings of man's appetite may be stayed by things which cannot satisfy him4 ,every new pursuit contains in it a new hope2 and it is long before hope is bankrupt4 ,but my brethren1 it is strange if a man has not found out long before he has reached the age of thirty1 that everything here is empty and disappointing4 ,the nobler his heart and the more unquenchable his hunger for the high and the good1 the sooner will he find that out4 ,bubble after bubble bursts1 each bubble tinted with the celestial colours of the rainbow1 and each leaving in the hand which crushes it a cold damp drop of disappointment4 ,all that is described in ,scripture by the emphatic metaphor of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind1 the whirlwind of blighted hopes and unreturned feelings and crushed expectations--that is the harvest which the world gives you to reap4 ,and now is the question asked1 ,why is this world unsatisfying8 ,brethren1 it is the grandeur of the soul which ,god has given us1 which makes it insatiable in its desires--with an infinite void which cannot be filled up4 ,a soul which was made for ,god1 how can the world fill it8 ,if the ocean can be still with miles of unstable waters beneath it1 then the soul of man1 rocking itself upon its own deep longings1 with the ,infinite beneath it1 may rest4 ,we were created once in majesty1 to find enjoyment in ,god1 and if our hearts are empty now1 there is nothing for it but to fill up the hollowness of the soul with ,god4 ,let not that expression--filling the soul with ,god--pass away without a distinct meaning4 ,god is ,love and ,goodness4 ,fill the soul with goodness1 and fill the soul with love1 that is the filling it with ,god4 ,if we love one another1 ,god dwelleth in us4 ,there is nothing else that can satisfy4 ,so that when we hear men of this world acknowledge1 as they sometimes will do1 when they are wearied with this phantom chase of life1 sick of gaieties and tired of toil1 that it is not in their pursuits that they can drink the fount of blessedness2 and when we see them1 instead of turning aside either broken-hearted or else made wise1 still persisting to trust to expectations--at fifty1 sixty1 or seventy years still feverish about some new plan of ambition--what we see is this3 we see a soul formed with a capacity for high and noble things1 fit for the banquet table of ,god ,himself1 trying to fill its infinite hollowness with husks4 ,once more1 there is degradation in the life of irreligion4 ,the things which the wanderer tried to live on were not husks only4 ,they were husks which the swine did eat4 ,degradation means the application of a thing to purposes lower than that for which it was intended4 ,it is degradation to a man to live on husks1 because these are not his true food4 ,we call it degradation when we see the members of an ancient family1 decayed by extravagance1 working for their bread4 ,it is not degradation for a born labourer to work for an honest livelihood4 ,it is degradation for them1 for they are not what they might have been4 ,and therefore1 for a man to be degraded1 it is not necessary that he should have given himself up to low and mean practices4 ,it is quite enough that he is living for purposes lower than those for which ,god intended him4 ,he may be a man of unblemished reputation1 and yet debased in the truest meaning of the word4 ,we were sent into this world to love ,god and to love man2 to do good--to fill up life with deeds of generosity and usefulness4 ,and he that refuses to work out that high destiny is a degraded man4 ,he may turn away revolted from everything that is gross4 ,his sensuous indulgences may be all marked by refinement and taste4 ,his house may be filled with elegance4 ,his library may be adorned with books4 ,there may be the sounds in his mansion which can regale the ear1 the delicacies which can stimulate the palate1 and the forms of beauty which can please the eye4 ,there may be nothing in his whole life to offend the most chastened and fastidious delicacy2 and yet1 if the history of all this be1 powers which were meant for eternity frittered upon time1 the man is degraded--if the spirit which was created to find its enjoyment in the love of ,god has settled down satisfied with the love of the world1 then1 just as surely as the sensualist of this parable1 that man has turned aside from a celestial feast to prey on garbage4 ,we pass on to the second period of the history of ,god's treatment of a sinner4 ,it is the period of his coming to himself1 or what we call repentance4 ,the first fact of religious experience which this parable suggests to us is that common truth--men desert the world when the world deserts them4 ,the renegade came to himself when there were no more husks to eat4 ,he would have remained away if he could have got them1 but it is written1 no man gave unto him4 ,and this1 brethren1 is the record of our shame4 ,invitation is not enough2 we must be driven to ,god4 ,and the famine comes not by chance4 ,god sends the famine into the soul--the hunger1 and thirst1 and the disappointment--to bring back his erring child again4 ,now the world fastens upon that truth1 and gets out of it a triumphant sarcasm against religion4 ,they tell us that just as the caterpillar passes into the chrysalis1 and the chrysalis into the butterfly1 so profligacy passes into disgust1 and disgust passes into religion4 ,to use their own phraseology1 when people become disappointed with the world1 it is the last resource they say1 to turn saint4 ,so the men of the world speak1 and they think they are profoundly philosophical and concise in the account they give4 ,the world is welcome to its very small sneer4 ,it is the glory of our ,master's gospel that it is the refuge of the broken-hearted4 ,it is the strange mercy of our ,god that he does not reject the writhings of a jaded heart4 ,let the world curl its lip if it will1 when it sees through the causes of the prodigal's return4 ,and if the sinner does not come to ,god taught by this disappointment1 what then8 ,if affections crushed in early life have driven one man to ,god2 if wrecked and ruined hopes have made another man religious2 if want of success in a profession has broken the spirit2 if the human life lived out too passionately1 has left a surfeit and a craving behind which end in seriousness2 if one is brought by the sadness of widowed life1 and another by the forced desolation of involuntary single life2 if when the mighty famine comes into the heart1 and not a husk is left1 not a pleasure untried1 then1 and not till then1 the remorseful resolve is made1 ,i will arise and go to my ,father3--,well1 brethren1 what then8 ,why this1 that the history of penitence1 produced as it so often is by mere disappointment1 sheds only a brighter lustre round the ,love of ,christ1 who rejoices to receive such wanderers1 worthless as they are1 back into ,his bosom4 ,thank ,god the world's sneer is true4 ,it is the last resource to turn saint4 ,thanks to our ,god that when this gaudy world has ceased to charm1 when the heart begins to feel its hollowness1 and the world has lost its satisfying power1 still all is not yet lost if penitence and ,christ remain1 to still1 to humble1 and to soothe a heart which sin has fevered4 ,there is another truth contained in this section of the parable4 ,after a life of wild sinfulness religion is servitude at first1 not freedom4 ,observe1 he went back to duty with the feelings of a slave3 ,i am no more worthy to be called thy son1 make me as one of thy hired servants4 ,any one who has lived in the excitement of the world1 and then tried to settle down at once to quiet duty1 knows how true that is4 ,to borrow a metaphor from ,israel's desert life1 it is a tasteless thing to live on manna after you have been feasting upon quails4 ,it is a dull cold drudgery to find pleasure in simple occupation when life has been a succession of strong emotions4 ,sonship it is not2 it is slavery4 ,a son obeys in love1 entering heartily into his father's meaning4 ,a servant obeys mechanically1 rising early because he must2 doing it may be1 his duty well1 but feeling in all its force the irksomeness of the service4 ,sonship does not come all at once4 ,the yoke of ,christ is easy1 the burden of ,christ is light2 but it is not light to everybody4 ,it is light when you love it1 and no man who has sinned much can love it all at once4 ,therefore1 if ,i speak to any one who is trying to be religious1 and heavy in heart because his duty is done too formally1--my ,christian brother1 fear not4 ,you are returning1 like the prodigal1 with the feelings of a servant4 ,still it is a real return4 ,the spirit of adoption will come afterwards4 ,you will often have to do duties which you cannot relish1 and in which you see no meaning4 ,so it was with ,naaman at the prophet's command4 ,he bathed1 not knowing why he was bidden to bathe in ,jordan4 ,when you bend to prayer1 often and often you will have to kneel with wandering thoughts1 and constraining lips to repeat words into which your heart scarcely enters4 ,you will have to perform duties when the heart is cold1 and without a spark of enthusiasm to warm you4 ,but my ,christian brother1 onwards still4 ,struggle to the ,cross1 even though it be struggling as in chains4 ,just as on a day of clouds1 when you have watched the distant hills1 dark and gray with mist1 suddenly a gleam of sunshine passing over reveals to you1 in that flat surface1 valleys and dells and spots of sunny happiness1 which slept before unsuspected in the fog1 so in the gloom of penitential life there will be times when ,god's deep peace and love will be felt shining into the soul with supernatural refreshment4 ,let the penitent be content with the servant's lot at first4 ,liberty and peace1 and the bounding sensations of a ,father's arms around you1 come afterwards4 ,the last circumstance in this division of our subject is the reception which a sinner meets with on his return to ,god4 ,bring forth the best robe and put it on him1 and put a ring on his hand1 and shoes on his feet1 and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it1 and let us eat and be merry4 ,this banquet represents to us two things4 ,it tells of the father's gladness on his son's return4 ,that represents ,god's joy on the reformation of a sinner4 ,it tells of a banquet and a dance given to the long lost son4 ,that represents the sinner's gladness when he first understood that ,god was reconciled to him in ,christ4 ,there is a strange1 almost wild1 rapture1 a strong gush of love and happiness in those days which are called the days of first conversion4 ,when a man who has sinned much--a profligate--turns to ,god1 and it becomes first clear to his apprehension that there is love instead of spurning for him1 there is a luxury of emotion--a banquet of tumultuous blessedness in the moment of first love to ,god1 which stands alone in life1 nothing before and nothing after like it4 ,and brethren1 let us observe3--,this forgiveness is a thing granted while a man is yet afar off4 ,we are not to wait for the right of being happy till we are good3 we might wait for ever4 ,joy is not delayed till we deserve it4 ,just so soon as a sinful man trusts that the mercy of ,god in ,christ has done away with his transgression1 the ring1 and the robe1 and the shoes are his1 the banquet and the light of a ,father's countenance4 ,lastly1 we have to consider very briefly ,god's expostulation with a saint4 ,there is another brother mentioned in this parable1 who expressed something like indignation at the treatment which his brother met with4 ,there are commentators who have imagined that this personage represents the ,pharisees who complained that ,jesus was receiving sinners4 ,but this is manifestly impossible1 because his father expostulates with him in this language1 ,son1 thou1 art ever with me2 not for one moment could that be true of the ,pharisees4 ,the true interpretation seems to be that this elder brother represents a real ,christian perplexed with ,god's mysterious dealings4 ,we have before us the description of one of those happy persons who have been filled with the ,holy ,ghost from their mother's womb1 and on the whole 7with imperfections of course7 remained ,god's servant all his life4 ,for this is his own account of himself1 which the father does not contradict4 ,lo6 these many years do ,i serve thee4 ,we observe then3 ,the objection made to the reception of a notorious sinner3 ,thou never gavest me a kid4 ,now1 in this we have a fact true to ,christian experience4 ,joy seems to be felt more vividly and more exuberantly by men who have sinned much1 than by men who have grown up consistently from childhood with religious education4 ,rapture belongs to him whose sins1 which are forgiven1 are many4 ,in the perplexity which this fact occasions1 there is a feeling which is partly right and partly wrong4 ,there is a surprise which is natural4 ,there is a resentful jealousy which is to be rebuked4 ,there is first of all a natural surprise4 ,it was natural that the elder brother should feel perplexed and hurt4 ,when a sinner seems to be rewarded with more happiness than a saint1 it appears as if good and evil were alike undistinguished in ,god's dealings4 ,it seems like putting a reconciled enemy over the head of a tried servant4 ,it looks as if it were a kind of encouragement held out to sin1 and a man begins to feel1 ,well if this is to be the caprice of my father's dealing2 if this rich feast of gladness be the reward of a licentious life1 ,verily ,i have cleansed my heart in vain1 and washed my hands in innocency4 ,this is natural surprise4 ,but besides this there is a jealousy in these sensations of ours which ,god sees fit to rebuke4 ,you have been trying to serve ,god all your life1 and find it struggle1 and heaviness1 and dulness still4 ,you see another who has outraged every obligation of life1 and he is not tried by the deep prostration you think he ought to have1 but bright with happiness at once4 ,you have been making sacrifices all your life1 and your worst trials come out of your most generous sacrifices4 ,your errors in judgment have been followed by sufferings sharper than those which crime itself could have brought4 ,and you see men who never made a sacrifice unexposed to trial--men whose life has been rapture purchased by the ruin of others' innocence--tasting first the pleasures of sin1 and then the banquet of religion4 ,you have been a moral man from childhood1 and yet with all your efforts you feel the crushing conviction that it has never once been granted you to win a soul to ,god4 ,and you see another man marked by inconsistency and impetuosity1 banqueting every day upon the blest success of impressing and saving souls4 ,all that is startling4 ,and then comes sadness and despondency2 then come all those feelings which are so graphically depicted here3 irritation--he was angry2 swelling pride--he would not go in2 jealousy1 which required soothing--his father went out and entreated him4 ,and now brethren1 mark the father's answer4 ,it does not account for this strange dealing by ,god's sovereignty4 ,it does not cut the knot of the difficulty1 instead of untying it1 by saying1 ,god has a right to do what ,he will4 ,he does not urge1 ,god has a right to act on favouritism if ,he please4 ,but it assigns two reasons4 ,the first reason is1 ,it was meet1 right that we should make merry4 ,it is meet that ,god should be glad on the reclamation of a sinner4 ,it is meet that that sinner1 looking down into the dreadful chasm over which he had been tottering1 should feel a shudder of delight through all his frame on thinking of his escape4 ,and it is meet that religious men should not feel jealous of one another1 but freely and generously join in thanking ,god that others have got happiness1 even if they have not4 ,the spirit of religious exclusiveness1 which looks down contemptuously instead of tenderly on worldly men1 and banishes a man for ever from the circle of its joys because he has sinned notoriously1 is a bad spirit4 ,lastly the reason given for this dealing is1 ,son1 thou art always with ,me1 and all that ,i have is thine4 ,by which ,christ seems to tell us that the disproportion between man and man is much less than we suppose4 ,the profligate had had one hour of ecstasy--the other had had a whole life of peace4 ,a consistent ,christian may not have rapture2 but he has that which is much better than rapture3 calmness--,god's serene and perpetual presence4 ,and after all brethren1 that is the best4 ,one to whom much is forgiven1 has much joy4 ,he must have it1 if it were only to support him through those fearful trials which are to come--those haunting reminiscences of a polluted heart--those frailties--those inconsistencies to which the habit of past indulgence have made him liable4 ,a terrible struggle is in store for him yet4 ,grudge him not one hour of unclouded exultation4 ,but religion's best gift--rest1 serenity--the quiet daily love of one who lives perpetually with his ,father's family--uninterrupted usefulness--that belongs to him who has lived steadily1 and walked with duty1 neither grieving nor insulting the ,holy ,spirit of his ,god4 ,the man who serves ,god early has the best of it2 joy is well in its way1 but a few flashes of joy are trifles in comparison with a life of peace4 ,which is best3 the flash of joy lighting up the whole heart1 and then darkness till the next flash comes--or the steady calm sunlight of day in which men work8 ,and now1 one word to those who are living this young man's life--thinking to become religious as he did1 when they have got tired of the world4 ,i speak to those who are leading what1 in the world's softened language of concealment1 is called a gay life4 ,young brethren1 let two motives be urged earnestly upon your attention4 ,the first is the motive of mere honourable feeling4 ,we will say nothing about the uncertainty of life4 ,we will not dwell upon this fact1 that impressions resisted now1 may never come back again4 ,we will not appeal to terror4 ,that is not the weapon which a ,christian minister loves to use4 ,if our lips were clothed with thunder1 it is not denunciation which makes men ,christians2 let the appeal be made to every high and generous feeling in a young man's bosom4 ,deliberately and calmly you are going to do this3 to spend the best and most vigorous portion of your days in idleness--in uselessness--in the gratification of self--in the contamination of others4 ,and then weakness1 the relics1 and the miserable dregs of life2--you are going to give that sorry offering to ,god1 because ,his mercy endureth for ever6 ,shame--shame upon the heart which can let such a plan rest in it one moment4 ,if it be there1 crush it like a man4 ,it is a degrading thing to enjoy husks till there is no man to give them4 ,it is a base thing to resolve to give to ,god as little as possible1 and not to serve ,him till you must4 ,young brethren1 ,i speak principally to you4 ,you have health for ,god now4 ,you have strength of mind and body4 ,you have powers which may fit you for real usefulness4 ,you have appetites for enjoyment which can be consecrated to ,god4 ,you acknowledge the law of honour4 ,well then1 by every feeling of manliness and generosity remember this3 now1 and not later1 is your time to learn what religion means4 ,there is another motive1 and a very solemn one1 to be urged upon those who are delaying4 ,every moment of delay adds bitterness to after struggles4 ,the moment of a feeling of hired servitude must come4 ,if a man will not obey ,god with a warm heart1 he may hereafter have to do it with a cold one4 ,to be holy is the work of a long life4 ,the experience of ten thousand lessons teaches only a little of it2 and all this1 the work of becoming like ,god1 the man who delays is crowding into the space of a few years1 or a few months4 ,when we have lived long a life of sin1 do we think that repentance and forgiveness will obliterate all the traces of sin upon the character8 ,be sure that every sin pays its price3 ,whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he also reap4 ,oh6 there are recollections of past sin which come crowding up to the brain1 with temptation in them4 ,there are old habits which refuse to be mastered by a few enthusiastic sensations4 ,there is so much of the old man clinging to the penitent who has waited long--he is so much as a religious man1 like what he was when he was a worldly man--that it is doubtful whether he ever reaches in this world the full stature of ,christian manhood4 ,much warm earnestness1 but strange inconsistencies1 that is the character of one who is an old man and a young ,christian4 ,brethren1 do we wish to risk all this8 ,do we want to learn holiness with terrible struggles1 and sore affliction1 and the plague of much remaining evil8 ,then wait before you turn to ,god4 ,,xxi4 ,preached ,may #ae1 #ahec4 ,,john',s ,,rebuke ,,of ,,herod4 ,but ,herod the tetrarch1 being reproved by him for ,herodias1 his brother ,philip's wife1 and for all the evils which ,herod had done1 added yet this above all1 that he shut up ,john in prison1--,luke iii4 #ai1 #bj4 ,the life of ,john the ,baptist divides itself into three distinct periods4 ,of the first we are told almost nothing1 but we may conjecture much4 ,we are told that he was in the deserts till his showing unto ,israel4 ,it was a period probably1 in which1 saddened by the hollowness of all life in ,israel1 and perplexed with the controversies of ,jerusalem1 the controversies of ,sadducee with ,pharisee1 of formalist with mystic1 of the disciples of one infallible ,rabbi with the disciples of another infallible ,rabbi1 he fled for refuge to the wilderness1 to see whether ,god could not be found there by the heart that sought ,him1 without the aid of churches1 rituals1 creeds1 and forms4 ,this period lasted thirty years4 ,the second period is a shorter one4 ,it comprises the few months of his public ministry4 ,his difficulties were over2 he had reached conviction enough to live and die on4 ,he knew not all1 but he knew something4 ,he could not baptize with the ,spirit1 but he could at least baptize with water4 ,it was not given to him to build up1 but it was given to him to pull down all false foundations4 ,he knew that the highest truth of spiritual life was to be given by ,one that should come after4 ,what he had learned in the desert was contained in a few words--,reality lies at the root of religious life4 ,ye must be real1 said ,john4 ,bring forth fruits meet for repentance4 ,let each man do his own duty2 let the rich impart to those who are not rich2 let the publican accuse no man falsely2 let the soldier be content with his wages4 ,the coming kingdom is not a mere piece of machinery which will make you all good and happy without effort of your own4 ,change yourselves1 or you will have no kingdom at all4 ,personal reformation1 personal reality1 that was ,john's message to the world4 ,it was an incomplete one2 but he delivered it as his all1 manfully2 and his success was signal1 astonishing even to himself4 ,successful it was1 because it appealed to all the deepest wants of the human heart4 ,it told of peace to those who had been agitated by tempestuous passion4 ,it promised forgetfulness of past transgression to those whose consciences smarted with self-accusing recollections4 ,it spoke of refuge from the wrath to come to those who had felt it a fearful expectation to fall into the hands of an angry ,god4 ,and the result of that message1 conveyed by the symbol of baptism1 was that the desert swarmed with crowds who owned the attractive spell of the power of a new life made possible4 ,warriors1 paupers1 profligates--some admiring the nobleness of religious life1 others needing it to fill up the empty hollow of an unsatisfied heart2 the penitent1 the heart-broken1 the worldly1 and the disappointed1 all came4 ,and with them there came two other classes of men1 whose approach roused the ,baptist to astonishment4 ,the formalist1 not satisfied with his formality1 and the infidel1 unable to rest on his infidelity--they came too--startled1 for one hour at least1 to the real significance of life1 and shaken out of unreality4 ,the ,baptist's message wrung the confession from their souls4 ,yes1 our system will not do4 ,we are not happy after all2 we are miserable4 ,prophet1 whose solitary life1 far away there in the desert1 has been making to itself a home in the mysterious and the invisible1 what hast thou got to tell us from that awful other world8 ,what are we to do8 ,these things belong to a period of ,john's life anterior to the text4 ,the prophet has been hitherto in a self-selected solitude1 the free wild desert1 opening his heart to the strange sights and sounds through which the grand voice of oriental nature speaks of ,god to the soul1 in a way that books cannot speak4 ,we have arrived at the third period of his history4 ,we are now to consider him as the tenant of a compelled solitude1 in the dungeon of a capricious tyrant4 ,hitherto1 by that rugged energy with which he battled with the temptations of this world1 he has been shedding a glory round human life4 ,we are now to look at him equally alone2 equally majestic1 shedding by martyrdom1 almost a brighter glory round human death4 ,he has hitherto been receiving the homage of almost unequalled popularity4 ,we are now to observe him reft of every admirer1 every soother1 every friend4 ,he has been hitherto overcoming the temptations of existence by entire seclusion from them all4 ,we are now to ask how he will stem those seductions when he is brought into the very midst of them1 and the whole outward aspect of his life has laid aside its distinctive and peculiar character2 when he has ceased to be the anchorite1 and has become the idol of a court4 ,much instruction1 brethren1 there ought to be in all this1 if we only knew rightly how to bring it out1 or even to paint in anything like intelligible colours the picture which our own minds have formed4 ,instructive1 because human life must ever be instructive4 ,how a human spirit contrived to get its life accomplished in this confused world3 what a man like us1 and yet no common man1 felt1 did1 suffered2 how he fought1 and how he conquered2 if we could only get a clear possession and firm grasp of that1 we should have got almost all that is worth having in truth1 with the technicalities stripped off1 for what is the use of truth except to teach man how to live8 ,there is a vast value in genuine biography4 ,it is good to have real views of what ,life is1 and what ,christian ,life may be4 ,it is good to familiarize ourselves with the history of those whom ,god has pronounced the salt of the earth4 ,we cannot help contracting good from such association4 ,and just one thing respecting this man whom we are to follow for some time to-day4 ,let us not be afraid of seeming to rise into a mere enthusiastic panegyric of a man4 ,it is a rare man we have to deal with1 one of ,god's heroic ones1 a true conqueror2 one whose life and motives it is hard to understand without feeling warmly and enthusiastically about them4 ,one of the very highest characters1 rightly understood1 of all the ,bible4 ,panegyric such as we can give1 what is it after he has been stamped by his ,master's eulogy1 ,a prophet8 ,yea1 ,i say unto you1 and more than a prophet4 ,among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than ,john the ,baptist4 ,in the verse which is to serve us for our guidance on this subject there are two branches which will afford us fruit of contemplation4 ,it is written1 ,herod being reproved by ,john for ,herodias4 ,here is our first subject of thought4 ,the truthfulness of ,christian character4 ,and then next1 he shut up ,john in prison4 ,here is our second topic4 ,the apparent failure of religious life4 ,the point which we have to look at in this section of the ,baptist's life is the truthfulness of religious character4 ,for the prophet was now in a sphere of life altogether new4 ,he had got to the third act of his history4 ,the first was performed right manfully in the desert--that is past4 ,he has now become a known man1 celebrated through the country1 brought into the world1 great men listening to him1 and in the way1 if he chooses it1 to become familiar with the polished life of ,herod's court4 ,for this we read3 ,herod observed ,john1 that is1 cultivated his acquaintance1 paid him marked attention1 heard him1 did many things at his bidding1 and heard him gladly4 ,for thirty long years ,john had lived in that far-off desert1 filling his soul with the grandeur of solitude1 content to be unknown1 not conscious1 most likely1 that there was anything supernatural in him--living with the mysterious ,god in silence4 ,and then came the day when the qualities1 so secretly nursed1 became known in the great world3 men felt that there was a greater than themselves before them1 and then came the trial of admiration1 when the crowds congregated round to listen4 ,and all that trial ,john bore uninjured1 for when those vast crowds dispersed at night1 he was left alone with ,god and the universe once more4 ,that prevented his being spoilt by flattery4 ,but now comes the great trial4 ,john is transplanted from the desert to the town3 he has quitted simple life3 he has come to artificial life4 ,john has won a king's attention1 and now the question is1 ,will the diamond of the mine bear polishing without breaking into shivers8 ,is the iron prophet melting into voluptuous softness8 ,is he getting the world's manners and the world's courtly insincerity8 ,is he becoming artificial through his change of life8 ,my ,christian brethren1 we find nothing of the kind4 ,there he stands in ,herod's voluptuous court the prophet of the desert still1 unseduced by blandishment from his high loyalty1 and fronting his patron and his prince with the stern unpalatable truth of ,god4 ,it is refreshing to look on such a scene as this--the highest1 the very highest moment1 ,i think1 in all ,john's history2 higher than his ascetic life4 ,for after all1 ascetic life such as he had led before1 when he fed on locusts and wild honey1 is hard only in the first resolve4 ,when you have once made up your mind to that1 it becomes a habit to live alone4 ,to lecture the poor about religion is not hard4 ,to speak of unworldliness to men with whom we do not associate1 and who do not see our daily inconsistencies1 that is not hard4 ,to speak contemptuously of the world when we have no power of commanding its admiration1 that is not difficult4 ,but when ,god has given a man accomplishments1 or powers1 which would enable him to shine in society1 and he can still be firm1 and steady1 and uncompromisingly true2 when he can be as undaunted before the rich as before the poor2 when rank and fashion cannot subdue him into silence3 when he hates moral evil as sternly in a great man as he would in a peasant1 there is truth in that man4 ,this was the test to which the ,baptist was submitted4 ,and now contemplate him for a moment2 forget that he is an historical personage1 and remember that he was a man like us4 ,then comes the trial4 ,all the habits and rules of polite life would be whispering such advice as this3 ,only keep your remarks within the limits of politeness4 ,if you cannot approve1 be silent2 you can do no good by finding fault with the great4 ,we know how the whole spirit of a man like ,john would have revolted at that4 ,imprisonment8 ,yes4 ,death8 ,well1 a man can die but once1--anything but not cowardice1--not meanness1--not pretending what ,i do not feel1 and disguising what ,i do feel4 ,brethren1 death is not the worst thing in this life2 it is not difficult to die--five minutes and the sharpest agony is past4 ,the worst thing in this life is cowardly untruthfulness4 ,let men be rough if they will1 let them be unpolished1 but let ,christian men in all they say be sincere4 ,no flattery1 no speaking smoothly to a man before his face1 while all the time there is a disapproval of his conduct in the heart4 ,the thing we want in ,christianity is not politeness1 it is sincerity4 ,there are three things which we remark in this truthfulness of ,john4 ,the first is its straightforwardness1 the second is its unconsciousness1 and the last its unselfishness4 ,the straightforwardness is remarkable in this circumstance1 that there is no indirect coming to the point4 ,at once1 without circumlocution1 the true man speaks4 ,it is not lawful for thee to have her4 ,there are some men whom ,god has gifted with a rare simplicity of heart1 which make them utterly incapable of pursuing the subtle excuses which can be made for evil4 ,there is in ,john no morbid sympathy for the offender3 ,it is not lawful4 ,he does not say1 ,it is best to do otherwise2 it is unprofitable for your own happiness to live in this way4 ,he says plainly1 ,it is wrong for you to do this evil4 ,earnest men in this world have no time for subtleties and casuistry4 ,sin is detestable1 horrible1 in ,god's sight1 and when once it has been made clear that it is not lawful1 a ,christian has nothing to do with toleration of it4 ,if we dare not tell our patron of his sin we must give up his patronage4 ,in the next place there was unconsciousness in ,john's rebuke4 ,we remark1 brethren1 that he was utterly ignorant that he was doing a fine thing4 ,there was no sidelong glance1 as in a mirror1 of admiration for himself4 ,he was not feeling1 ,this is brave4 ,he never stopped to feel that after-ages would stand by1 and look at that deed of his1 and say1 ,well done4 ,his reproof comes out as the natural impulse of an earnest heart4 ,john was the last of all men to feel that he had done anything extraordinary4 ,and this we hold to be an inseparable mark of truth4 ,no true man is conscious that he is true2 he is rather conscious of insincerity4 ,no brave man is conscious of his courage2 bravery is natural to him4 ,the skin of ,moses' face shone after he had been with ,god1 but ,moses wist not of it4 ,there are many of us who would have prefaced that rebuke with a long speech4 ,we should have begun by observing how difficult it was to speak to a monarch1 how delicate the subject1 how much proof we were giving of our friendship4 ,we should have asked the great man to accept it as a proof of our devotion4 ,john does nothing of this4 ,prefaces betray anxiety about self2 ,john was not thinking of himself4 ,he was thinking of ,god's offended law1 and the guilty king's soul4 ,brethren1 it is a lovely and a graceful thing to see men natural4 ,it is beautiful to see men sincere without being haunted with the consciousness of their sincerity4 ,there is a sickly habit that men get of looking into themselves1 and thinking how they are appearing4 ,we are always unnatural when we do that4 ,the very tread of one who is thinking how he appears to others1 becomes dizzy with affectation4 ,he is too conscious of what he is doing1 and self-consciousness is affectation4 ,let us aim at being natural4 ,and we can only become natural by thinking of ,god and duty1 instead of the way in which we are serving ,god and duty4 ,there was lastly1 something exceedingly unselfish in ,john's truthfulness4 ,we do not build much on a man's being merely true4 ,it costs some men nothing to be true1 for they have none of those sensibilities which shrink from inflicting pain4 ,there is a surly bitter way of speaking truth which says little for a man's heart4 ,some men have not delicacy enough to feel that it is an awkward and a painful thing to rebuke a brother3 they are in their element when they can become censors of the great4 ,john's truthfulness was not like that4 ,it was the earnest loving nature of the man which made him say sharp things4 ,was it to gratify spleen that he reproved ,herod for all the evils he had done8 ,was it to minister to a diseased and disappointed misanthropy8 ,little do we understand the depth of tenderness which there is in a rugged1 true nature1 if we think that4 ,john's whole life was an iron determination to crush self in everything4 ,take a single instance4 ,john's ministry was gradually superseded by the ministry of ,christ4 ,it was the moon waning before the ,sun4 ,they came and told him that1 ,rabbi1 ,he to whom thou barest witness beyond ,jordan baptizeth1 and all men come unto ,him4 ,two of his own personal friends1 apparently some of the last he had left1 deserted him1 and went to the new teacher4 ,and now let us estimate the keenness of that trial4 ,remember ,john was a man3 he had tasted the sweets of influence2 that influence was dying away1 and just in the prime of life he was to become nothing4 ,who cannot conceive the keenness of that trial8 ,bearing that in mind--what is the prophet's answer8 ,one of the most touching sentences in all ,scripture--calmly1 meekly1 the hero recognises his destiny--,he must increase1 but ,i must decrease4 ,he does more than recognise it--he rejoices in it1 rejoices to be nothing1 to be forgotten1 despised1 so as only ,christ can be everything4 ,the friend of the bridegroom rejoiceth because he heareth the bridegroom's voice1 this my joy is fulfilled4 ,and it is this man1 with self so thoroughly crushed--the outward self by bodily austerities1 the inward self by ,christian humbleness--it is this man who speaks so sternly to his sovereign4 ,it is not lawful4 ,was there any gratification of human feeling there8 ,or was not the rebuke unselfish8 ,meant for ,god's honour1 dictated by the uncontrollable hatred of all evil1 careless altogether of personal consequences8 ,now it is this1 my brethren1 that we want4 ,the world-spirit can rebuke as sharply as the ,spirit which was in ,john2 the world-spirit can be severe upon the great when it is jealous4 ,the worldly man cannot bear to hear of another's success1 he cannot endure to hear another praised for accomplishments1 or another succeeding in a profession1 and the world can fasten very bitterly upon a neighbour's faults1 and say1 ,it is not lawful4 ,we expect that in the world4 ,but that this should creep among religious men1 that we should be bitter--that we1 ,christians1 should suffer jealousy to enthrone itself in our hearts--that we should find fault from spleen1 and not from love--that we should not be able to be calm and gentle1 and sweet-tempered1 when we decrease1 when our powers fail--that is the shame4 ,the love of ,christ is intended to make such men as ,john1 such high and heavenly characters4 ,what is our ,christianity worth if it cannot teach us a truthfulness1 an unselfishness1 and a generosity beyond the world's8 ,we are to say something in the second place of the apparent failure of ,christian life4 ,the concluding sentence of this verse informs us that ,john was shut up in prison4 ,and the first thought which suggests itself is1 that a magnificent career is cut short too soon4 ,at the very outset of ripe and experienced manhood the whole thing ends in failure4 ,john's day of active usefulness is over2 at thirty years of age his work is done2 and what permanent effect have all his labours left8 ,the crowds that listened to his voice1 awed into silence by ,jordan's side1 we hear of them no more4 ,herod heard ,john gladly1 did much good by reason of his influence4 ,what was all that worth8 ,the prophet comes to himself in a dungeon1 and wakes to the bitter conviction1 that his influence had told much in the way of commanding attention1 and even winning reverence1 but very little in the way of gaining souls2 the bitterest1 the most crushing discovery in the whole circle of ministerial experience4 ,all this was seeming failure4 ,and this1 brethren1 is the picture of almost all human life4 ,to some moods1 and under some aspects1 it seems1 as it seemed to the psalmist1 ,man walketh in a vain shadow and disquieteth himself in vain4 ,go to any churchyard1 and stand ten minutes among the grave-stones2 read inscription after inscription recording the date of birth1 and the date of death1 of him who lies below1 all the trace which myriads have left behind1 of their having done their day's work on ,god's earth1--that is failure or--seems so4 ,cast the eye down the columns of any commander's despatch after a general action4 ,the men fell by thousands2 the officers by hundreds4 ,courage1 high hope1 self-devotion1 ended in smoke--forgotten by the time of the next list of slain3 that is the failure of life once more4 ,cast your eye over the shelves of a public library--there is the hard toil of years1 the product of a life of thought2 all that remains of it is there in a worm-eaten folio1 taken down once in a century4 ,failure of human life again4 ,stand by the most enduring of all human labours1 the pyramids of ,egypt4 ,one hundred thousand men1 year by year1 raised those enormous piles to protect the corpses of the buried from rude inspection4 ,the spoiler's hand has been there1 and the bodies have been rifled from their mausoleum1 and three thousand years have written failure upon that4 ,in all that1 my ,christian brethren1 if we look no deeper than the surface1 we read the grave of human hope1 the apparent nothingness of human labour4 ,and then look at this history once more4 ,in the isolation of ,john's dying hour1 there appears failure again4 ,when a great man dies we listen to hear what he has to say1 we turn to the last page of his biography first1 to see what he had to bequeath to the world as his experience of life4 ,we expect that the wisdom1 which he has been hiving up for years1 will distil in honeyed sweetness then4 ,it is generally not so4 ,there is stupor and silence at the last4 ,how dieth the wise man8 asks ,solomon3 and he answers bitterly1 ,as the fool4 ,the martyr of truth dies privately in ,herod's dungeon4 ,we have no record of his last words4 ,there were no crowds to look on4 ,we cannot describe how he received his sentence4 ,was he calm8 ,was he agitated8 ,did he bless his murderer8 ,did he give utterance to any deep reflections on human life8 ,all that is shrouded in silence4 ,he bowed his head1 and the sharp stroke fell flashing down4 ,we know that1 we know no more--apparently a noble life abortive4 ,and now let us ask the question distinctly1 ,was all this indeed failure8 ,no1 my ,christian brethren1 it was sublimest victory4 ,john's work was no failure2 he left behind him no sect to which he had given his name1 but his disciples passed into the service of ,christ1 and were absorbed in the ,christian church4 ,words from ,john had made impressions1 and men forgot in after years where the impressions first came from1 but the day of judgment will not forget4 ,john laid the foundations of a temple1 and others built upon it ,he laid it in struggle1 in martyrdom4 ,it was covered up like the rough masonry below ground1 but when we look round on the vast ,christian ,church1 we are looking at the superstructure of ,john's toil4 ,there is a lesson for us in all that1 if we will learn it4 ,work1 true work1 done honestly and manfully for ,christ1 never can be a failure4 ,your own work1 my brethren1 which ,god has given you to do1 whatever that is1 let it be done truly4 ,leave eternity to show that it has not been in vain in the ,lord4 ,let it but be work1 it will tell4 ,true ,christian life is like the march of a conquering army into a fortress which has been breached2 men fall by hundreds in the ditch4 ,was their fall a failure8 ,nay1 for their bodies bridge over the hollow1 and over them the rest pass on to victory4 ,the quiet religious worship that we have this day--how comes it to be ours8 ,it was purchased for us by the constancy of such men as ,john1 who freely gave their lives4 ,we are treading upon a bridge of martyrs4 ,the suffering was theirs--the victory is ours4 ,john's career was no failure4 ,yet we have one more circumstance which seems to tell of failure4 ,in ,john's prison1 solitude1 misgiving1 black doubt1 seem for a time to have taken possession of the prophet's soul4 ,all that we know of those feelings is this3--,john while in confinement sent two of his disciples to ,christ1 to say to ,him1 ,art thou ,he that should come1 or do we look for another8 ,here is the language of painful uncertainty4 ,we shall not marvel at this1 if we look steadily at the circumstances4 ,let us conceive ,john's feelings4 ,the enthusiastic child of ,nature1 who had roved in the desert1 free as the air he breathed1 is now suddenly arrested1 and his strong restless heart limited to the four walls of a narrow dungeon4 ,and there he lay startled4 ,an eagle cleaving the air with motionless wing1 and in the midst of his career brought from the black cloud by an arrow to the ground1 and looking round with his wild1 large eye1 stunned1 and startled there2 just such was the free prophet of the wilderness1 when ,herod's guards had curbed his noble flight1 and left him alone in his dungeon4 ,now there is apparent failure here1 brethren2 it is not the thing which we should have expected4 ,we should have expected that a man who had lived so close to ,god all his life1 would have no misgivings in his last hours4 ,but1 my brethren1 it is not so4 ,it is the strange truth that some of the highest of ,god's servants are tried with darkness on the dying bed4 ,theory would say1 when a religious man is laid up for his last struggles1 now he is alone for deep communion with his ,god4 ,fact very often says1 ,no--now he is alone1 as his ,master was before him1 in the wilderness to be tempted of the devil4 ,look at ,john in imagination1 and you would say1 ,now his rough pilgrimage is done4 ,he is quiet1 out of the world1 with the rapt foretaste of heaven in his soul4 ,look at ,john in fact4 ,he is agitated1 sending to ,christ1 not able to rest1 grim doubt wrestling with his soul1 misgiving for one last black hour whether all his hope has not been delusion4 ,there is one thing we remark here by the way4 ,doubt often comes from inactivity4 ,we cannot give the philosophy of it1 but this is the fact1 ,christians who have nothing to do but to sit thinking of themselves1 meditating1 sentimentalising1 are almost sure to become the prey of dark1 black misgivings4 ,john struggling in the desert needs no proof that ,jesus is the ,christ4 ,john shut up became morbid and doubtful immediately4 ,brethren all this is very marvellous4 ,the history of a human soul is marvellous4 ,we are mysteries1 but here is the practical lesson of it all4 ,for sadness1 for suffering1 for misgiving1 there is no remedy but stirring and doing4 ,now look once more at these doubts of ,john's4 ,all his life long ,john had been wishing and expecting that the kingdom of ,god would come4 ,the kingdom of ,god is ,right triumphant over ,wrong1 moral evil crushed1 goodness set up in its place1 the true man recognised1 the false man put down and forgotten4 ,all his life long ,john had panted for that2 his hope was to make men better4 ,he tried to make the soldiers merciful1 and the publicans honest1 and the ,pharisees sincere4 ,his complaint was1 ,why is the world the thing it is8 ,all his life long he had been appealing to the invisible justice of ,heaven against the visible brute force which he saw around him4 ,christ had appeared1 and his hopes were straining to the utmost4 ,here is the ,man6 ,and now behold1 here is no ,kingdom of ,heaven at all1 but one of darkness still1 oppression and cruelty triumphant1 ,herod putting ,god's prophet in prison1 and the ,messiah quietly letting things take their course4 ,can that be indeed ,messiah8 ,all this was exceedingly startling4 ,and it seems that then ,john began to feel the horrible doubt whether the whole thing were not a mistake1 and whether all that which he had taken for inspiration were not1 after all1 only the excited hopes of an enthusiastic temperament4 ,brethren1 the prophet was well nigh on the brink of failure4 ,but let us mark--that a man has doubts--that is not the evil2 all earnest men must expect to be tried with doubts4 ,all men who feel1 with their whole souls1 the value of the truth which is at stake1 cannot be satisfied with a perhaps4 ,why1 when all that is true and excellent in this world1 all that is worth living for1 is in that question of questions1 it is no marvel if we sometimes wish1 like ,thomas1 to see the prints of the nails1 to know whether ,christ be indeed our ,lord or not4 ,cold hearts are not anxious enough to doubt4 ,men who love will have their misgivings at times2 that is not the evil4 ,but the evil is1 when men go on in that languid1 doubting way1 content to doubt1 proud of their doubts1 morbidly glad to talk about them1 liking the romantic gloom of twilight1 without the manliness to say--,i must and will know the truth4 ,that did not ,john4 ,brethren1 ,john appealed to ,christ4 ,he did exactly what we do when we pray--and he got his answer4 ,our ,master said to his disciples1 ,go to my suffering servant1 and give him proof4 ,tell ,john the things ye see and hear--,the blind see1 the deaf hear1 the dead are raised1 to the poor the ,gospel is preached4 ,there is a deep lesson wrapped up in this4 ,we get a firm grasp of truth by prayer4 ,communion with ,christ is the best proof of ,christ's existence and ,christ's love4 ,it is so even in human life4 ,misgivings gather darkly round our heart about our friend in his absence2 but we seek his frank smile1 we feel his affectionate grasp3 our suspicions go to sleep again4 ,it is just so in religion4 ,no man is in the habit of praying to ,god in ,christ1 and then doubts whether ,christ is ,he that should come4 ,it is in the power of prayer to realize ,christ1 to bring him near1 to make you feel ,his life stirring like a pulse within you4 ,jacob could not doubt whether he had been with ,god when his sinew shrunk4 ,john could not doubt whether ,jesus was the ,christ when the things ,he had done were pictured out so vividly in answer to his prayer4 ,let but a man live with ,christ anxious to have his own life destroyed1 and ,christ's life established in its place1 losing himself in ,christ1 that man will have all his misgivings silenced4 ,these are the two remedies for doubt--,activity and ,prayer4 ,he who works1 and feels he works--he who prays1 and knows he prays1 has got the secret of transforming life-failure into life-victory4 ,in conclusion brethren1 we make three remarks which could not be introduced into the body of this subject4 ,the first is--,let young and ardent minds1 under the first impressions of religion1 beware how they pledge themselves by any open profession to more than they can perform4 ,herod warmly took up religion at first1 courted the prophet of religion1 and then when the hot fit of enthusiasm had passed away1 he found that he had a clog round his life from which he could only disengage himself by a rough1 rude effort4 ,brethren whom ,god has touched1 it is good to count the cost before you begin4 ,if you give up present pursuits impetuously1 are you sure that present impulses will last8 ,are you quite certain that a day will not come when you will curse the hour in which you broke altogether with the world8 ,are you quite sure that the revulsion back again1 will not be as impetuous as ,herod's1 and your hatred of the religion which has become a clog1 as intense as it is now ardent8 ,many things doubtless there are to be given up--amusements that are dangerous1 society that is questionable4 ,what we give up1 let us give up1 not from quick feeling1 but from principle4 ,enthusiasm is a lovely thing1 but let us be calm in what we do4 ,in that solemn1 grand thing--,christian life--one step backward is religious death4 ,once more we get from this subject the doctrine of a resurrection4 ,john's life was hardness1 his end was agony4 ,that is frequently ,christian life4 ,therefore1 says the apostle1 if there be no resurrection the ,christian's choice is wrong2 ,if in this life only we have hope in ,christ1 then are we of all men most miserable4 ,christian life is not visible success--very often it is the apparent opposite of success4 ,it is the resurrection of ,christ working itself out in us2 but it is very often the ,cross of ,christ imprinting itself on us very sharply4 ,the highest prize which ,god has to give here is martyrdom4 ,the highest style of life is the ,baptist's--heroic1 enduring1 manly love4 ,the noblest coronet which any son of man can wear is a crown of thorns4 ,christian1 this is not your rest4 ,be content to feel that this world is not your home4 ,homeless upon earth1 try more and more to make your home in heaven1 above with ,christ4 ,lastly we have to learn from this1 that devotedness to ,christ is our only blessedness4 ,it is surely a strange thing to see the way in which men crowded round the austere prophet1 all saying1 ,guide us1 we cannot guide ourselves4 ,publicans1 ,pharisees1 ,sadducees1 ,herod1 whenever ,john appears1 all bend before him1 offering him homage and leadership4 ,how do we account for this8 ,the truth is1 the spirit of man groans beneath the weight of its own freedom4 ,when a man has no guide1 no master but himself1 he is miserable2 we want guidance1 and if we find a man nobler1 wiser than ourselves1 it is almost our instinct to prostrate our affections before that man1 as the crowds did by ,jordan1 and say1 ,be my example1 my guide1 my soul's sovereign4 ,that passionate need of worship--hero-worship it has been called--is a primal1 universal instinct of the heart4 ,christ is the answer to it4 ,men will not do2 we try to find men to reverence thoroughly1 and we cannot do it4 ,we go through life1 finding guides1 rejecting them one after another1 expecting nobleness and finding meanness2 and we turn away with a recoil of disappointment4 ,there is no disappointment in ,christ4 ,christ can be our souls' sovereign4 ,christ can be our guide4 ,christ can absorb all the admiration which our hearts long to give4 ,we want to worship men4 ,these ,jews wanted to worship man4 ,they were right--man is the rightful object of our worship2 but in the roll of ages there has been but one man whom we can adore without idolatry1--the ,man ,christ ,jesus4 ,,the ,,end4 ,spottiswoode ,co41 ,printers1 ,new-street ,square1 ,london ,a ,,selection ,,from ,,the ,,notices ,,of ,,mr4 ,,robertson',s ,,sermons1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,letters ,,of ,f4,w4 ,,robertson4 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,stopford ,a4 ,,brooke1 ,m4,a4 ,,blackwood',s ,,magazine1 ,august1 #ahfb4 ,for while hapless ,englishmen complain in the papers1 and in private1 in many a varied wail1 over the sermons they have to listen to1 it is very apparent that the work of the preacher has not fallen in any respect out of estimation4 ,here is a book which has gone through as great a number of editions as the most popular novel4 ,it bears ,mudie's stamp upon its dingy boards1 and has all those marks of arduous service which are only to be seen in books which belong to great public libraries4 ,it is thumbed1 dog's-eared1 pencil-marked1 worn by much perusal4 ,is it then a novel8 ,on the contrary1 it is a volume of sermons4 ,a fine1 tender1 and lofty mind1 full of thoughtfulness1 full of devotion1 has herein left his legacy to his country4 ,it is not rhetoric or any vulgar excitement of eloquence that charms so many readers to the book1 so many hearers to this preacher's feet4 ,it is not with the action of a ,demosthenes1 with outstretched arms and countenance of flame1 that he presses his gospel upon his audience4 ,on the contrary1 when we read those calm and lofty utterances1 this preacher seems seated1 like his ,master1 with the multitude palpitating round1 but no agitation or passion in his own thoughtful1 contemplative breast4 ,the ,sermons of ,robertson1 of ,brighton1 have few of the exciting qualities of oratory4 ,save for the charm of a singularly pure and lucid style1 their almost sole attraction consists in their power of instruction1 in their faculty of opening up the mysteries of life and truth4 ,it is pure teaching1 so far as that ever can be administered to a popular audience1 which is offered to us in these volumes4 ,,edinburgh ,,christian ,,magazine4 ,they are ,sermons of a bold1 uncompromising thinker--of a man resolute for the truth of ,god1 and determined in the strength of ,god's grace to make that truth clear1 to brush away all the fine-spun sophistries and half-truths by which the cunning sins of men have hidden it4444 ,there must be a great and true heart1 where there is a great and true preacher4 ,and in that1 beyond everything else1 lay the secret of ,mr4 ,robertson's influence4 ,his ,sermons show evidence enough of acute logical power4 ,his analysis is exquisite in its subtleness and delicacy4444 ,with ,mr4 ,robertson style is but the vehicle1 not the substitute for thought4 ,eloquence1 poetry1 scholarship1 originality--his ,sermons show proof enough of these to put him on a level with the foremost men of his time4 ,but1 after all1 their charm lies in the warm1 loving1 sympathetic heart1 in the well-disciplined mind of the true ,christian1 in his noble scorn of all lies1 of all things mean and crooked1 in his brave battling for right1 even when wrong seems crowned with success1 in his honest simplicity and singleness of purpose1 in the high and holy tone--as if1 amid the discord of earth1 he heard clear1 though far off1 the perfect harmony of heaven2 in the fiery earnestness of his love for ,christ1 the devotion of his whole being to the goodness and truth revealed in him4 ,,church ,,of ,,england ,,monthly ,,review4 ,it is hardly too much to say1 that had the ,church of ,england produced no other fruit in the present century1 this work alone would be amply sufficient to acquit her of the charge of barrenness4444 ,the reputation of ,mr4 ,robertson's ,sermons is now so wide-spread1 that any commendation of ours may seem superfluous4 ,we will therefore simply1 in conclusion1 recommend such of our readers as have not yet made their acquaintance1 to read them carefully and thoughtfully1 and they will find in them more deeply suggestive matter than in almost any book published in the present century4 ,,morning ,,post4 ,they are distinguished by masterly exposition of ,scriptural truths and the true spirit of ,christian charity4 ,,british ,,quarterly4 ,these ,sermons are full of thought and beauty1 and admirable illustrations of the ease with which a gifted and disciplined mind can make the obscure transparent1 the difficult plain4 ,there is not a ,sermon that does not furnish evidence of originality without extravagance1 of discrimination without tediousness1 and of piety without cant or conventionalism4 ,,eclectic ,,review4 ,we hail with unaffected delight the appearance of these volumes4 ,the ,sermons are altogether out of the common style4 ,they are strong1 free1 and beautiful utterances of a gifted and cultivated mind4 ,occasionally1 the expression of theological sentiment fails fully to represent our own thought1 and we sometimes detect tendencies with which we cannot sympathize3 but1 taken as a whole1 the discourses are fine specimens of a high order of preaching4 ,,guardian4 ,very beautiful in feeling1 and occasionally striking and forcible in conception to a remarkable degree4444 ,even in the imperfect shape in which their deceased author left them1 they are very remarkable compositions4 ,,christian ,,remembrancer4 ,we should be glad if all preachers more united with ourselves1 preached such ,sermons as these4 ,,westminster ,,review4 ,to those who affectionately remember the author1 they will recall1 though imperfectly1 his living eloquence and his living truthfulness4 ,,globe4 ,mr4 ,robertson1 of ,brighton1 is a name familiar to most of us1 and honoured by all to whom it is familiar4 ,a true servant of ,christ1 a bold and heart-stirring preacher of the ,gospel1 his teaching was unlike the teaching of most clergymen1 for it was beautified and intensified by genius4 ,new truth1 new light1 streamed from each well-worn text when he handled it4 ,,blackwood',s ,,magazine4 ,when teaching of this description keeps the popular ear and secures the general attention1 it is unquestionable proof that the office of the preacher has1 in no way1 lost its hold on the mind of the people4 ,the acceptance of a voice so unimpassioned and thoughtful1 so independent of all vulgar auxiliaries1 so intent upon bringing every theme it touches to the illustration and sanctifying of the living life of the hour1 that which alone can be mended1 and purified1 and sanctified1 is a better tribute to the undying office of the preacher than the success of a hundred ,spurgeons4 ,attention and interest are as eager as ever where there is in reality any instruction to bestow4 ,,literary ,,gazette4 ,in earnestness of practical appeal1 and in eloquent and graceful diction1 ,mr4 ,robertson has few rivals1 and these characteristics are sufficient to account for his unusual popularity4 ,,national ,,review4 ,a volume of very fine ,sermons1 quite equal to the previous series4 ,,brighton ,,examiner4 ,there is in the ,sermons in this volume the same freshness1 vigour of thought and felicity of expression1 as characterised whatever ,mr4 ,robertson said4 ,,economist4 ,mr4 ,robertson's ,sermons have the great and rare merit of neutralising by a more charitable and affectionate spirit1 and by a wider intelligence1 all that may appear rigid and doctrinaire in the ,church of ,england4 ,the result seems to have been his special mission3 it most fully explains the mind of the man4444 ,we recommend the ,sermons to the perusal of our readers4 ,they will find in them thought of so rare and beautiful a description1 an earnestness of mind so steadfast in the search of truth1 and a charity so pure and all-embracing1 that we cannot venture to offer praise1 which would be1 in this case1 almost as presumptuous as criticism4 ,,saturday ,,review4 ,when ,mr4 ,robertson died1 his name was scarcely known beyond the circle of his own private friends1 and of those among whom he had laboured in his calling4 ,now1 every word he wrote is eagerly sought for and affectionately treasured up1 and meets with the most reverent and admiring welcome from men of all parties and all shades of opinion4444 ,to those that find in his writings what they themselves want1 he is a teacher quite beyond comparison--his words having a meaning1 his thoughts a truth and depth1 which they cannot find elsewhere4 ,and they never look to him in vain4444 ,he fixes himself upon the recollection as a most original and profound thinker1 and as a man in whom excellence puts on a new form4444 ,there are many persons1 and the number increases every year1 to whom ,robertson's writings are the most stable1 satisfactory1 and exhaustless form of religious teaching which the nineteenth century has given--the most wise1 suggestive1 and practical4 ,,brighton ,,herald4 ,to our thinking1 no compositions of the same class1 at least since the days of ,jeremy ,taylor1 can be compared with these ,sermons delivered to the congregation of ,trinity ,chapel1 ,brighton1 by their late minister4 ,they have that power over the mind which belongs only to the highest works of genius3 they stir the soul to its inmost depths3 they move the affections1 raise the imagination1 bring out the higher and spiritual part of our nature by the continual appeal that is made to it1 and tend to make us1 at the same time1 humble and aspiring--merciful to others and doubtful of ourselves4 ,from a ,,sermon preached at the ,,consecration of the ,,bishop of ,,norwich1 by the ,,rev4 ,j4,h4 ,,gurney1 late of ,,marylebone4 ,i do not commit myself to all his theology2 ,i may differ from the preacher in some things1 and listen doubtfully to others4 ,but ,i know of no modern sermons at once so suggestive and so inspiriting1 with reference to the whole range of ,christian duty4 ,he is fresh and original without being recondite3 plain-spoken without severity2 and discusses some of the exciting topics of the day without provoking strife or lowering his tone as a ,christian teacher4 ,he delivers his message1 in fact1 like one who is commissioned to call men off from trifles and squabbles1 and conventional sins and follies1 to something higher and nobler than their common life3 like a man in earnest1 too1 avoiding technicalities1 speaking his honest mind in phrases that are his own1 and with a directness from which there is no escape4 ,o that a hundred like him were given us by ,god1 and placed in prominent stations throughout our land6 ,,guardian4 ,without anything of that artificial symmetry which the traditional division into heads was apt to display1 they present each reflection in a distinct method of statement1 clearly and briefly worked out2 the sentences are short and terse1 as in all popular addresses they should be2 the thoughts are often very striking1 and entirely out of the track of ordinary sermonising4 ,in matters of doctrine such novelty is sometimes unsafe2 but the language is that of one who tries earnestly to penetrate into the very centre of the truth he has to expound1 and differs as widely as possible from the sceptic's doubt or the controversialist's mistake4 ,more frequently ,mr4 ,robertson deals with questions of practical life1 of public opinion1 and of what we may call social casuistry--turning the light of ,christian ethics upon this unnoticed though familiar ground4 ,the use of a carriage on ,sunday1 the morality of feeing a railway porter against his employers' rules1 are topics not too small for illustration or application of his lessons in divine truth4 ,,brighton ,,gazette4 ,as an author1 ,mr4 ,robertson was1 in his lifetime1 unknown2 for with the exception of one or two addresses1 he never published1 having a singular disinclination to bring his thoughts before the public in the form of published sermons4 ,as a minister1 he was beloved and esteemed for his unswerving fidelity to his principles and his fearless propagation of his religious views4 ,as a townsman1 he was held in the highest estimation2 his hand and voice being ever ready to do all in his power to advance the moral and social position of the working man4 ,it was not till after his decease1 which event created a sensation and demonstration such as ,brighton never before or since witnessed1 that his works were subjected to public criticism4 ,it was then found that in the comparatively retired minister of ,trinity ,chapel there had existed a man possessed of consummate ability and intellect of the highest order2 that the sermons laid before his congregation were replete with the subtleties of intellect1 and bore evidence of the keenest perception and most exalted catholicity4 ,his teaching was of an extremely liberal character1 and if fair to assign a man possessed of such a universality of sympathy to any party1 we should say that he belonged to what is denominated the ',broad ,church4' ,we1 with many others1 cannot agree in the fullest extent of his teaching1 but1 at the same time1 feel bound to accord the tribute due to his genius4 ,,morning ,,chronicle4 ,a volume of very excellent ,sermons1 by the late lamented ,incumbent of ,trinity ,chapel1 ,brighton4 ,,titan4 ,but the ,sermons now under notice are1 we venture to say1 taking all the circumstances into consideration1 the most remarkable discourses of the age4444 ,they are throughout vital with the rarest force1 burning with an earnestness perhaps never surpassed1 and luminous with the light of genius4444 ,we suspect that even ,brighton little knew what a man ,providence had placed in its midst4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the ,analysis of ,mr4 ,tennyson's ,in ,memoriam3-- ,,guardian4 ,an endeavour to give1 in a few weighty words1 the key-note 7so to speak7 of each poem in the series4 ,those will best appreciate the amount of success attained by ,mr4 ,robertson who try to do the same work better4 99 99 99 99 99 ,from a few of the ,notices on ,mr4 ,robertson's ,lecture on the ,epistles to the ,corinthians3-- ,,morning ,,post4 ,it was ,mr4 ,robertson's custom every ,sunday afternoon1 instead of preaching from one text1 to expound an entire chapter of some book in the ,scriptures4 ,the present volume is made up from notes of fifty-six discourses of this kind4 ',some people were startled by the introduction of what they called secular subjects into the pulpit4 ,but the lecturer in all his ministrations refused to recognize the distinction so drawn4 ,he said that the whole life of a ,christian was sacred--that common every-day doings1 whether of a trade1 or of a profession1 or the minuter details of a woman's household life1 were the arenas in which trial and temptation arose2 and that therefore it became the ,christian minister's duty to enter into this family working life with his people1 and help them to understand its meaning1 its trials1 and its compensations4' ,it is enough to add that the lectures now given to the public are written in this spirit4 ,,critic4 ,such discourses as these before us1 so different from the shallow rhapsodies or tedious hair-splitting which are now so much in vogue1 may well make us regret that ,mr4 ,robertson can never be heard again in the pulpit4 ,this single volume would in itself establish a reputation for its writer4 ,,brighton ,,herald4 444 ,were there no name on the title-page1 the spirit which1 shines forth in these lectures could but be recognized as that of the earnest1 true-hearted man1 the deep thinker1 the sympathizer with all kinds of human trouble1 the aspirant for all things holy1 and one who joined to these rare gifts1 the faculty of speaking to his fellow-men in such a manner as to fix their attention and win their love4444 ,in whatever spirit the volume is read--of doubt1 of criticism1 or of full belief in the truths it teaches--it can but do good2 it can but leave behind the conviction that here was a genuine1 true-hearted man1 gifted with the highest intellect1 inspired by the most disinterested motives and the purest love for his fellow-men1 and that the fountain at which he warmed his heart and kindled his eloquence was that which flows from ,christ4 ,,british ,,quarterly ,,review4 ,this volume will be a welcome gift to many an intelligent and devout mind4 ,there are few of our modern questions1 theological or ecclesiastical1 that do not come up for discussion in the course of these ,epistles to the ,christians at ,corinth4 ,,morning ,,herald4 ,no one can read these lectures without being charmed by their singular freshness and originality of thought1 their earnest1 simple eloquence1 and their manly piety4 ,there is no mawkish sentiment1 no lukewarm1 semi-religious twaddle1 smacking of the ,record2 no proclamation of party views or party opinions1 but a broad1 healthy1 living1 and fervent exposition of one of the most difficult books in the ,bible4 ,every page is full of personal earnestness and depth of feeling2 but every page is also free from the slightest trace of vanity and egotism4 ,the words come home to the reader's heart as the utterance of a sincere man who felt every sentence which flowed from his lips4 ,,press4 ,one of the most marked features of these lectures is the deep feeling which the preacher had of the emptiness and hollowness of the conventional religionism of the day4 ,the clap-trap of popular ministers1 the pride and uncharitableness of exclusive ,evangelicalism1 the pomp and pretension of ritualism and priestly affectation--the miserable ,pharisaism which is lurking underneath them all--form the subject of many strikingly true and often cutting remarks4 ,he has no patience with the unrealities of sectarian purism and pedantic orthodoxy4 ,his constant cry1 the constant struggle of his soul is for reality4 ,hence while his views of objective truth are at times deficient1 or1 at least1 very imperfectly stated1 he leaves a deep impress of subjective religion upon the mind1 by a style of teaching which1 far from uninstructive1 is yet more eminently suggestive4 ,,the ,,spectator4 ,the ,notes on ,genesis--sketches more or less full of lectures on ,genesis1 delivered by ,mr4 ,robertson--will be welcomed by the many who have read1 with a profound interest1 those writings of his which have already been given to the world4444 ,few will be able to read this volume without having brought before them certain passages out of their own lives1 which they will be compelled to reconsider from a fresh point of view4 ,as an interpreter of ,scripture also1 ,mr4 ,robertson nowhere appears to greater advantage4 ,while not ignoring difficult points1 he is always looking for1 and never fails to find1 that which is profitable and edifying4 ,from a few of the ,notices on ,mr4 ,robertson's ,the ,human ,race and other ,sermons4 ,,the ,,academy4 ,it need not be said that there is here much that is beautiful and happily expressed4 ,,the ,,british ,,quarterly ,,review4 ,the volume is as fresh and striking and suggestive as any of its predecessors4 ,for unconventional and spiritual conceptions of ,bible teachings2 for unexpected1 penetrating1 and practical applications of them1 and for general spiritual truth and force1 these ,sermons and ,notes of ,sermons are as noble as their predecessors4 ,,the ,,english ,,churchman4 ,we are glad to see the publication of the eloquent ,sermons now before us1 especially those of a devout and practical character1 such as those on the human race and education4 ,,the ,,christian ,,world4 ,these ,sermons exhibit many of those features of unsurpassable excellence which have gained for the preacher a reputation which has had no equal in our time4 ,they are full of thought and suggestiveness1 and are marked by that rare beauty of style which ,mr4 ,robertson's readers have learned to associate with all his ,sermons4 ,his devoted admirers--and how numerous they are--will be sure to place this new volume upon their shelves4 ,a ,,selection ,,from ,,the ,,notices ,,by ,,the ,,press ,,of ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,letters ,,of ,,the ,,late ,,rev4 ,f4,w4 ,,robertson4 ,,the ,,spectator4 ,no book published since the ',life of ,dr4 ,arnold' has produced so strong an impression on the moral imagination and spiritual theology of ,england as we may expect from these volumes4 ,even for those who knew ,mr4 ,robertson well1 and for many who knew him1 as they thought1 better than his ,sermons1 the free and full discussion of the highest subjects in the familiar letters so admirably selected by the ,editor of ,mr4 ,robertson's ,life1 will give a far clearer insight into his remarkable character and inspire a deeper respect for his clear and manly intellect4 ,mr4 ,brooke has done his work as ,dr4 ,stanley did his in writing the ',life of ,arnold1' and it is not possible to give higher praise4444 ,everyone will talk of ,mr4 ,robertson1 and no one of ,mr4 ,brooke1 because ,mr4 ,brooke has thought much of his subject1 nothing of himself1 and hence the figure which he wished to present comes out quite clear and keen1 without any interposing haze of literary vapour4 ,,the ,,christian ,,world4 ,the ,life of ,robertson of ,brighton supplies a very unique illustration of the way in which a man may attain his highest fame after he has passed away from earth4 ,there are few who make any pretension to an acquaintance with modern literature who do not know something of ,mr4 ,robertson's works4 ,his sermons are indisputably ranked with the highest sacred classics4444 ,the publication of his ',life and ,letters' helps us to some information which is very precious1 and explains much mystery that hangs around the name of the great ,brighton preacher4 ,it will be generally admitted that these two volumes will furnish means for estimating the character of ,mr4 ,robertson which are not supplied in any or all of his published works4444 ,there was no artificiality or show about the pulpit production1 no half-utterances or whispers of solemn belief2 but there was the natural restraint which would be imposed by a true gentleman upon his words when speaking to mixed congregations4 ,many of us wanted to know how he talked and wrote when the restraint was removed4 ,this privilege is granted to us in these volumes4444 ,there was no romance of scene and circumstance in the life of ,frederick ,robertson2 but there was more than romance about the real life of the man4 ,in some respects it was like the life of a new ,elijah4444 ,a more thoughtful1 suggestive1 and beautiful preacher never entered a pulpit2 a simpler and braver man never lived2 a truer ,christian never adorned any religious community4 ,his life and death were vicarious1 as he himself might have put it4 ,he lived and died for others1 for us all4 ,the sorrows and agonies of his heart pressed rare music out of it1 and the experience of a terribly bitter life leaves a wealth of thought and reflection never more than equalled in the history of men4 ,,the ,,guardian4 ,with all drawbacks of what seem to us imperfect taste1 an imperfect standard of character1 and an imperfect appreciation of what there is in the world beyond a given circle of interest1 the book does what a biography ought to do--it shows us a remarkable man1 and it gives us the means of forming our own judgment about him4 ,it is not a tame panegyric or a fancy picture4 ,the main portion of the book consists of ,mr4 ,robertson's own letters1 and his own account of himself1 and we are allowed to see him1 in a great degree at least1 as he really was4444 ,it is the record of a genuine spontaneous character1 seeking its way1 its duty1 its perfection1 with much sincerity and elevation of purpose1 many anxieties and sorrows1 and not1 we doubt not1 without much of the fruits that come with real self-devotion2 a record disclosing a man with great faults and conspicuous blanks in his nature4 ,,the ,,morning ,,post4 ,mr4 ,brooke has done good service in giving to the world so faithful a sketch of so worthy a man4 ,it would have been a reproach to the ,church if this enduring and appropriate memorial had not been erected to one who was so entirely devoted to its service2 and the labour of love1 for such it evidently was1 was committed to no unskilful hands4444 ,mr4 ,robertson's epistolary writings--gathered in these valuable volumes--often unstudied1 always necessarily from their nature free and unrestrained1 but evidencing depth and vigour of thought1 clear perception1 varied knowledge1 sound judgment1 earnest piety1 are doubtless destined to become as widely known and as largely beneficial as his published ,sermons4 ,it is impossible to peruse them without receiving impressions for good1 and being persuaded that they are the offspring of no ordinary mind4 ,,the ,,morning ,,herald4 ,mr4 ,brooke has done his own work as a biographer with good sense1 feeling1 and taste4444 ,these volumes are of real value to all thoughtful readers4 ,for many a year we have had no such picture of a pure and noble and well spent life4 ,,the ,,athen,,um4 ,there is something here for all kinds of readers1 but the higher a man's mind and the more general his sympathies1 the keener will be his interest in the ',life of ,robertson4' ,,the ,,nonconformist4 ,as no ,english sermons of the century have been so widely read1 and as few leaders of religious thought have exerted 7especially by works in so much of an unperfected and fragmentary character7 so penetrating and powerful an influence on the spiritual tendencies of the times1 we can well believe that no biography since ,arnold's will presently be possible to be compared with this1 for the interest excited by it in the minds of readers who consciously live in the presence of the invisible and eternal1 who feel the pressure of difficult questions and painful experiences1 and who seek reality and depth1 and freedom in the life and activity of the ,church of ,christ4444 ,mr4 ,brooke has produced a ',life of ,robertson' which will not unworthily compare with ,dean ,stanley's ',life of ,arnold1' and which1 with that1 and ,ryland's ',life of ,foster1' and the ',life of ,channing1' is likely to be prized as one of the most precious records of genuine manly and godly excellence4 ,,the ,,morning ,,star4 ,the beautiful work which ,mr4 ,brooke has written contains few1 if any1 romantic episodes4 ,it is the life of a man who worked hard and died early4444 ,mr4 ,brooke has acted wisely in allowing ,mr4 ,robertson to speak so fully for himself1 and in blending his letters with his narrative1 and arranging them in chronological order4 ,these letters are in themselves a mine of intellectual wealth4 ,they contain little of table-talk or parlour gossip3 but they abound with many of his best and most ripened thoughts on multitudes of subjects1 political1 literary1 and scientific1 as well as theological4 ,we wish we could present our readers with extracts from them2 but even if we had space1 it would be unfair to the writer to quote disjointed fragments from a correspondence which now belongs to the literature of the country4444 ,mr4 ,brooke has performed his responsible task as a biographer and an editor in a spirit of just and discriminating appreciation1 and with admirable ability4 ,,london3 ,,printed ,,by ,,spottiswoode ,,and ,,co41 ,,new-,,street ,,square ,,and ,,parliament ,,street