,,parochial ,,and ,,plain ,,sermons by ,,john ,,henry ,,newman1 ,b4,d4 ,formerly ,vicar of ,st4 ,mary's1 ,oxford ,in ,eight ,volumes ,,vol4 ,,vii4 ,new ,edition ,london ,longmans1 ,green1 and ,co4 and ,new ,york3 #ae ,east #afth ,street #ahia ,,contents4 ,,sermon ,i4 ,the ,lapse of ,time4 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with thy might2 for there is no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor wisdom1 in the grave1 whither thou goest4--,eccles4 ix4 #aj ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,religion a ,weariness to the ,natural ,man4 ,he hath no form nor comeliness2 and when we shall see ,him1 there is no beauty that we should desire ,him4--,isaiah liii4 #b ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,the ,world our ,enemy4 ,we know that we are of ,god1 and the whole world lieth in wickedness4--#a ,john v4 #ai ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,the ,praise of ,men ,they loved the praise of men more than the praise of ,god4--,john xii4 #dc ,,sermon ,v4 ,temporal ,advantages4 ,we brought nothing into this world1 and it is certain we can carry nothing out4 ,and having food and raiment let us be therewith content4--#a ,tim4 vi4 #g1 #h ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,the ,season of ,epiphany4 ,this beginning of miracles did ,jesus in ,cana of ,galilee1 and manifested forth ,his glory2 and ,his disciples believed on ,him4--,john ii4 #aa ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,the ,duty of ,self-,denial4 ,surely ,i have behaved and quieted myself1 as a child that is weaned of his mother3 my soul is even as a weaned child4--,psalm cxxxi4 #b ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,the ,yoke of ,christ4 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart1 and ye shall find rest unto your souls2 for ,my yoke is easy1 and ,my burden is light4--,matt4 xi4 #bi1 #cj ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,moses the ,type of ,christ4 ,the ,lord thy ,god will raise up unto thee a ,prophet from the midst of thee1 of thy brethren1 like unto me2 unto ,him ye shall hearken4--,deut4 xviii4 #ae ,,sermon ,x4 ,the ,crucifixion4 ,he was oppressed1 and ,he was afflicted1 yet ,he opened not ,his mouth2 ,he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter1 and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb1 so ,he openeth not ,his mouth4--,isaiah liii4 #g ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,attendance on ,holy ,communion4 ,ye will not come to ,me1 that ye might have life4--,john v4 #dj ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,the ,gospel ,feast4 ,when ,jesus then lifted up ,his eyes1 and saw a great company come unto ,him1 ,he saith unto ,philip1 ,whence shall we buy bread1 that these may eat8--,john vi4 #e ,,sermon ,,xiii4 ,love of ,religion1 a ,new ,nature4 ,if we lie dead with ,christ1 we believe that we shall also live with ,him4--,romans vi4 #h ,,sermon ,,xiv4 ,religion ,pleasant to the ,religious4 ,o taste and see how gracious the ,lord is3 blessed is the man that trusteth in ,him4--,psalm xxxiv4 #h ,,sermon ,,xv ,mental ,prayer4 ,pray without ceasing4--#a ,thess4 v4 #ag ,,sermon ,,xvi4 ,infant ,baptism4 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4--,john iii4 #e ,,sermon ,,xvii4 ,the ,unity of the ,church4 ,and ,i say also unto thee1 ,that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build ,my ,church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4--,matt4 xvi4 #ah ,,sermon ,,xviii4 ,stedfastness in the ,old ,paths4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,stand ye in the ways1 and see1 and ask for the old paths1 where is the good way1 and walk therein1 and ye shall find rest for your souls4--,jer4 vi4 #af ,,sermon ,i4 ,the ,lapse of ,time4 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with thy might2 for there is no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor wisdom1 in the grave1 whither thou goest4--,eccles4 ix4 #aj4 ,solomon's advice that we should do whatever our hand findeth to do with our might1 naturally directs our thoughts to that great work in which all others are included1 which will outlive all other works1 and for which alone we really are placed here below--the salvation of our souls4 ,and the consideration of this great work1 which must be done with all our might1 and completed before the grave1 whither we go1 presents itself to our minds with especial force at the commencement of a new year4 ,we are now entering on a fresh stage of our life's journey2 we know well how it will end1 and we see where we shall stop in the evening1 though we do not see the road4 ,and we know in what our business lies while we travel1 and that it is important for us to do it with our might2 for there is no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor wisdom1 in the grave4 ,this is so plain1 that nothing need be said in order to convince us that it is true4 ,we know it well2 the very complaint which numbers commonly make when told of it1 is that they know it already1 that it is nothing new1 that they have no need to be told1 and that it is tiresome to hear the same thing said over and over again1 and impertinent in the person who repeats it4 ,yes2 thus it is that sinners silence their conscience1 by quarrelling with those who appeal to it2 they defend themselves1 if it may be called a defence1 by pleading that they already know what they should do and do not1 that they know perfectly well that they are living at a distance from ,god1 and are in peril of eternal ruin2 that they know they are making themselves children of ,satan1 and denying the ,lord that bought them1 and want no one to tell them so4 ,thus they witness against themselves4 ,however1 though we already know well enough that we have much to do before we die1 yet 7if we will but attend7 it may be of use to hear the fact dwelt upon2 because by thinking over it steadily and seriously1 we may possibly1 through ,god's grace1 gain some deep conviction of it2 whereas while we keep to general terms1 and confess that this life is important and is short1 in the mere summary way in which men commonly confess it1 we have1 properly speaking1 no knowledge of that great truth at all4 ,consider1 then1 what it is to die2 there is no work1 device1 knowledge1 or wisdom1 in the grave4 ,death puts an end absolutely and irrevocably to all our plans and works1 and it is inevitable4 ,the ,psalmist speaks to high and low1 rich and poor1 one with another4 ,no man can deliver his brother1 nor make agreement unto ,god for him4 ,even wise men die1 as well as the ignorant and foolish1 and leave their riches for other#a4 ,difficult as we may find it to bring it home to ourselves1 to realize it1 yet as surely as we are here assembled together1 so surely will every one of us1 sooner or later1 one by one1 be stretched on the bed of death4 ,we naturally shrink from the thought of death1 and of its attendant circumstances2 but all that is hateful and fearful about it will be fulfilled in our case1 one by one4 ,but all this is nothing compared with the consequences implied in it4 ,death stops us2 it stops our race4 ,men are engaged about their work1 or about their pleasure2 they are in the city1 or the field2 any how they are stopped2 their deeds are suddenly gathered in--a reckoning is made--all is sealed up till the great day4 ,what a change is this6 ,in the words used familiarly in speaking of the dead1 they are no more4 ,they were full of schemes and projects2 whether in a greater or humbler rank1 they had their hopes and fears1 their prospects1 their pursuits1 their rivalries2 all these are now come to an end4 ,one builds a house1 and its roof is not finished2 another buys merchandise1 and it is not yet sold4 ,and all their virtues and pleasing qualities which endeared them to their friends are1 as far as this world is concerned1 vanished4 ,where are they who were so active1 so sanguine1 so generous8 the amiable1 the modest1 and the kind8 ,we were told that they were dead2 they suddenly disappeared2 that is all we know about it4 ,they were silently taken from us2 they are not met in the seat of the elders1 nor in the assemblies of the people1 in the mixed concourse of men1 nor in the domestic retirement which they prized4 ,as ,scripture describes it1 the wind has passed over them1 and they are gone1 and their place shall know them no more4 ,and they have burst the many ties which held them2 they were parents1 brothers1 sisters1 children1 and friends2 but the bond of kindred is broken1 and the silver cord of love is loosed4 ,they have been followed by the vehement grief of tears1 and the long sorrow of aching hearts2 but they make no return1 they answer not2 they do not even satisfy our wish to know that they sorrow for us as we for them4 ,we talk about them thenceforth as if they were persons we do not know2 we talk about them as third persons2 whereas they used to be always with us1 and every other thought which was within us was shared by them4 ,or perhaps1 if our grief is too deep1 we do not mention their names at all4 ,and their possessions1 too1 all fall to others4 ,the world goes on without them2 it forgets them4 ,yes1 so it is2 the world contrives to forget that men have souls1 it looks upon them all as mere parts of some great visible system4 ,this continues to move on2 to this the world ascribes a sort of life and personality4 ,when one or other of its members die1 it considers them only as falling out of the system1 and as come to nought4 ,for a minute1 perhaps1 it thinks of them in sorrow1 then leaves them--leaves them for ever4 ,it keeps its eye on things seen and temporal4 ,truly whenever a man dies1 rich or poor1 an immortal soul passes to judgment2 but somehow we read of the deaths of persons we have seen or heard of1 and this reflection never comes across us4 ,thus does the world really cast off men's souls1 and recognizing only their bodies1 it makes it appear as if that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts1 even one thing befalleth them1 as the one dieth so dieth the other2 yea1 they have all one breath1 so that a man hath no pre-eminence over a beast1 for all is vanity#b4 ,but let us follow the course of a soul thus casting off the world1 and cast off by it4 ,it goes forth as a stranger on a journey4 ,man seems to die and to be no more1 when he is but quitting us1 and is really beginning to live4 ,then he sees sights which before it did not even enter into his mind to conceive1 and the world is even less to him than he to the world4 ,just now he was lying on the bed of sickness1 but in that moment of death what an awful change has come over him6 ,what a crisis for him6 ,there is stillness in the room that lately held him2 nothing is doing there1 for he is gone1 he now belongs to others2 he now belongs entirely to the ,lord who bought him2 to ,him he returns2 but whether to be lodged safely in ,his place of hope1 or to be imprisoned against the great ,day1 that is another matter1 that depends on the deeds done in the body1 whether good or evil4 ,and now what are his thoughts8 ,how infinitely important now appears the value of time1 now when it is nothing to him6 ,nothing2 for though he spend centuries waiting for ,christ1 he cannot now alter his state from bad to good1 or from good to bad4 ,what he dieth that he must be for ever2 as the tree falleth so must it lie4 ,this is the comfort of the true servant of ,god1 and the misery of the transgressor4 ,his lot is cast once and for all1 and he can but wait in hope or in dread4 ,men on their death-beds have declared1 that no one could form a right idea of the value of time till he came to die2 but if this has truth in it1 how much more truly can it be said after death6 ,what an estimate shall we form of time while we are waiting for judgment6 ,yes1 it is we--all this1 ,i repeat1 belongs to us most intimately4 ,it is not to be looked at as a picture1 as a man might read a light book in a leisure hour4 ,we must die1 the youngest1 the healthiest1 the most thoughtless2 we must be thus unnaturally torn in two1 soul from body2 and only united again to be made more thoroughly happy or to be miserable for ever4 ,such is death considered in its inevitable necessity1 and its unspeakable importance--nor can we ensure to ourselves any certain interval before its coming4 ,the time may be long2 but it may also be short4 ,it is plain1 a man may die any day2 all we can say is1 that it is unlikely that he will die4 ,but of this1 at least1 we are certain1 that1 come it sooner or later1 death is continually on the move towards us4 ,we are ever nearer and nearer to it4 ,every morning we rise we are nearer that grave in which there is no work1 nor device1 than we were4 ,we are now nearer the grave1 than when we entered this ,church4 ,thus life is ever crumbling away under us4 ,what should we say to a man1 who was placed on some precipitous ground1 which was ever crumbling under his feet1 and affording less and less secure footing1 yet was careless about it8 ,or what should we say to one who suffered some precious liquor to run from its receptacle into the thoroughfare of men1 without a thought to stop it8 who carelessly looked on and saw the waste of it1 becoming greater and greater every minute8 ,but what treasure can equal time8 ,it is the seed of eternity3 yet we suffer ourselves to go on1 year after year1 hardly using it at all in ,god's service1 or thinking it enough to give ,him at most a tithe or a seventh of it1 while we strenuously and heartily sow to the flesh1 that from the flesh we may reap corruption4 ,we try how little we can safely give to religion1 instead of having the grace to give abundantly4 ,rivers of water run down mine eyes1 because men keep not ,thy law1 so says the holy ,psalmist4 ,doubtless an inspired prophet saw far more clearly than we can see1 the madness of men in squandering that treasure upon sin1 which is meant to buy their chief good2--but if so1 what must this madness appear in ,god's sight6 ,what an inveterate malignant evil is it in the hearts of the sons of men1 that thus leads them to sit down to eat1 and drink1 and rise up to play1 when time is hurrying on and judgment coming8 ,we have been told what ,he thinks of man's unbelief1 though we cannot enter into the depths of ,his thoughts4 ,he showed it to us in act and deed1 as far as we could receive it1 when ,he even sent ,his ,only-begotten ,son into the world as at this time1 to redeem us from the world1--which1 most surely1 was not lightly done2 and we also learn ,his thoughts about it from the words of that most merciful ,son1--which most surely were not lightly spoken1 ,the wicked1 ,he says1 shall go into everlasting punishment4 ,oh that there were such a heart in us that we would fear ,god and keep ,his commandments always6 ,but it is of no use to speak2 men know their duty--they will not do it4 ,they say they do not need or wish to be told it1 that it is an intrusion1 and a rudeness1 to tell them of death and judgment4 ,so must it be1--and we1 who have to speak to them1 must submit to this4 ,speak we must1 as an act of duty to ,god1 whether they will hear1 or not1 and then must leave our words as a witness4 ,other means for rousing them we have none4 ,we speak from ,christ our gracious ,lord1 their ,redeemer1 who has already pardoned them freely1 yet they will not follow ,him with a true heart2 and what can be done more8 ,another year is now opening upon us2 it speaks to the thoughtful1 and is heard by those1 who have expectant ears1 and watch for ,christ's coming4 ,the former year is gone1 it is dead1 there it lies in the grave of past time1 not to decay however1 and be forgotten1 but kept in the view of ,god's omniscience1 with all its sins and errors irrevocably written1 till1 at length1 it will be raised again to testify about us at the last day2 and who among us can bear the thought of his own doings1 in the course of it8--all that he has said and done1 all that has been conceived within his mind1 or been acted on1 and all that he has not said and done1 which it was a duty to say or do4 ,what a dreary prospect seems to be before us1 when we reflect that we have the solemn word of truth pledged to us1 in the last and most awful revelation1 which ,god has made to us about the future1 that in that day1 the books will be opened1 and another book opened1 which is the book of life1 and the dead judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works#c6 ,what would a man give1 any one of us1 who has any real insight into his polluted and miserable state1 what would he give to tear away some of the leaves there preserved6 ,for how heinous are the sins therein written6 ,think of the multitude of sins done by us since we first knew the difference between right and wrong4 ,we have forgotten them1 but there we might read them clearly recorded4 ,well may holy ,david exclaim1 ,remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions1 according to ,thy mercy remember ,thou me4 ,conceive1 too1 the multitude of sins which have so grown into us as to become part of us1 and in which we now live1 not knowing1 or but partially knowing1 that they are sins1 habits of pride1 self-reliance1 self-conceit1 sullenness1 impurity1 sloth1 selfishness1 worldliness4 ,the history of all these1 their beginnings1 and their growth1 is recorded in those dreadful books2 and when we look forward to the future1 how many sins shall we have committed by this time next year1--though we try ever so much to know our duty1 and overcome ourselves6 ,nay1 or rather shall we have the opportunity of obeying or disobeying ,god for a year longer8 ,who knows whether by that time our account may not be closed for ever8 ,remember me1 ,o ,lord1 when ,thou comest into ,thy kingdom#d4 ,such was the prayer of the penitent thief on the cross1 such must be our prayer4 ,who can do us any good1 but ,he1 who shall also be our ,judge8 ,when shocking thoughts about ourselves come across us and afflict us1 ,remember me1 this is all we have to say4 ,we have no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor wisdom of our own1 to better ourselves withal4 ,we can say nothing to ,god in defence of ourselves1--we can but acknowledge that we are grievous sinners1 and addressing ,him as suppliants1 merely beg ,him to bear us in mind in mercy1 for ,his ,son's sake to do us some favour1 not according to our deserts1 but for the love of ,christ4 ,the more we try to serve ,him here1 the better2 but after all1 so far do we fall short of what we should be1 that if we had but what we are in ourselves to rely upon1 wretched are we1--and we are forced out of ourselves by the very necessity of our condition4 ,to whom should we go8 ,who can do us any good1 but ,he who was born into this world for our regeneration1 was bruised for our iniquities1 and rose again for our justification8 ,even though we have served ,him from our youth up1 though after ,his pattern we have grown1 as far as mere man can grow1 in wisdom as we grew in stature1 though we ever have had tender hearts1 and a mortified will1 and a conscientious temper1 and an obedient spirit2 yet1 at the very best1 how much have we left undone1 how much done1 which ought to be otherwise6 ,what ,he can do for our nature1 in the way of sanctifying it1 we know indeed in a measure2 we know1 in the case of ,his saints2 and we certainly do not know the limit of ,his carrying forward in those objects of ,his special favour the work of purification1 and renewal through ,his ,spirit4 ,but for ourselves1 we know full well that much as we may have attempted1 we have done very little1 that our very best service is nothing worth1--and the more we attempt1 the more clearly we shall see how little we have hitherto attempted4 ,those whom ,christ saves are they who at once attempt to save themselves1 yet despair of saving themselves2 who aim to do all1 and confess they do nought2 who are all love1 and all fear1 who are the most holy1 and yet confess themselves the most sinful2 who ever seek to please ,him1 yet feel they never can2 who are full of good works1 yet of works of penance4 ,all this seems a contradiction to the natural man1 but it is not so to those whom ,christ enlightens4 ,they understand in proportion to their illumination1 that it is possible to work out their salvation1 yet to have it wrought out for them1 to fear and tremble at the thought of judgment1 yet to rejoice always in the ,lord1 and hope and pray for ,his coming4 #a ,ps4 xlix4 #b-aj4 #b ,eccles4 iii4 #ai4 #c ,rev4 xx4 #ab4 #d ,luke xxiii4 #db4 ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,religion a ,weariness to the ,natural ,man4 ,he hath no form nor comeliness2 and when we shall see ,him1 there is no beauty that we should desire ,him4--,isaiah liii4 #b4 ,religion is a weariness2 such is the judgment commonly passed1 often avowed1 concerning the greatest of blessings which ,almighty ,god has bestowed upon us4 ,and when ,god gave the blessing1 ,he at the same time foretold that such would be the judgment of the world upon it1 even as manifested in the gracious ,person of ,him whom ,he sent to give it to us4 ,he hath no form nor comeliness1 says the ,prophet1 speaking of our ,lord and ,saviour1 and when we shall see ,him1 there is no beauty that we should desire ,him4 ,he declared beforehand1 that to man ,his religion would be uninteresting and distasteful4 ,not that this prediction excuses our deadness to it2 this dislike of the religion given us by ,god ,himself1 seen as it is on all sides of us1--of religion in all its parts1 whether its doctrines1 its precepts1 its polity1 its worship1 its social influence1--this distaste for its very name1 must obviously be an insult to the ,giver4 ,but the text speaks of it as a fact1 without commenting on the guilt involved in it2 and as such ,i wish you to consider it1 as far as this may be done in reverence and seriousness4 ,putting aside for an instant the thought of the ingratitude and the sin which indifference to ,christianity implies1 let us1 as far as we dare1 view it merely as a matter of fact1 after the manner of the text1 and form a judgment on the probable consequences of it4 ,let us take the state of the case as it is found1 and survey it dispassionately1 as even an unbeliever might survey it1 without at the moment considering whether it is sinful or not2 as a misfortune1 if we will1 or a strange accident1 or a necessary condition of our nature1--one of the phenomena1 as it may be called1 of the present world4 ,let me then review human life in some of its stages and conditions1 in order to impress upon you the fact of this contrariety between ourselves and our ,maker3 ,he having one will1 we another2 ,he declaring one thing to be good for us1 and we fancying other objects to be our good4 #a4 ,religion is a weariness1 alas6 so feel even children before they can well express their meaning4 ,exceptions of course now and then occur2 and of course children are always more open to religious impressions and visitations than grown persons4 ,they have many good thoughts and good desires1 of which1 in after life1 the multitude of men seem incapable4 ,yet who1 after all1 can have a doubt that1 in spite of the more intimate presence of ,god's grace with those who have not yet learned to resist it1 still1 on the whole1 religion is a weariness to children8 ,consider their amusements1 their enjoyments1--what they hope1 what they devise1 what they scheme1 and what they dream about themselves in time future1 when they grow up2 and say what place religion holds in their hearts4 ,watch the reluctance with which they turn to religious duties1 to saying their prayers1 or reading the ,bible2 and then judge4 ,observe1 as they get older1 the influence which the fear of the ridicule of their companions has in deterring them even from speaking of religion1 or seeming to be religious4 ,now the dread of ridicule1 indeed1 is natural enough2 but why should religion inspire ridicule8 ,what is there absurd in thinking of ,god8 ,why should we be ashamed of worshipping ,him8 ,it is unaccountable1 but it is natural4 ,we may call it an accident1 or what we will2 still it is an undeniable fact1 and that is what ,i insist upon4 ,i am not forgetful of the peculiar character of children's minds3 sensible objects first meet their observation2 it is not wonderful that they should at first be inclined to limit their thoughts to things of sense4 ,a distinct profession of faith1 and a conscious maintenance of principle1 may imply a strength and consistency of thought to which they are as yet unequal4 ,again1 childhood is capricious1 ardent1 light-hearted2 it cannot think deeply or long on any subject4 ,yet all this is not enough to account for the fact in question--why they should feel this distaste for the very subject of religion4 ,why should they be ashamed of paying reverence to an unseen1 all-powerful ,god1 whose existence they do not disbelieve8 ,yet they do feel ashamed of it4 ,is it that they are ashamed of themselves1 not of their religion2 feeling the inconsistency of professing what they cannot fully practise8 ,this refinement does not materially alter the view of the case2 for it is merely their own acknowledgment that they do not love religion as much as they ought4 ,no2 we seem compelled to the conclusion1 that there is by nature some strange discordance between what we love and what ,god loves4 ,so much1 then1 on the state of boyhood4 #b4 ,religion is a weariness4 ,i will next take the case of young persons when they first enter into life4 ,here ,i may appeal to some perhaps who now hear me4 ,alas6 my brethren1 is it not so8 ,is not religion associated in your minds with gloom1 melancholy1 and weariness8 ,i am not at present going so far as to reprove you for it1 though ,i might well do so1 if ,i did1 perhaps you might at once turn away1 and ,i wish you calmly to think the matter over1 and bear me witness that ,i state the fact correctly4 ,it is so2 you cannot deny it4 ,the very terms religion1 devotion1 piety1 conscientiousness1 mortification1 and the like1 you find to be inexpressibly dull and cheerless3 you cannot find fault with them1 indeed1 you would if you could2 and whenever the words are explained in particulars and realized1 then you do find occasion for exception and objection4 ,but though you cannot deny the claims of religion used as a vague and general term1 yet how irksome1 cold1 uninteresting1 uninviting1 does it at best appear to you6 how severe its voice6 how forbidding its aspect6 ,with what animation1 on the contrary1 do you enter into the mere pursuits of time and the world6 ,what bright anticipations of joy and happiness flit before your eyes6 ,how you are struck and dazzled at the view of the prizes of this life1 as they are called6 ,how you admire the elegancies of art1 the brilliance of wealth1 or the force of intellect6 ,according to your opportunities you mix in the world1 you meet and converse with persons of various conditions and pursuits1 and are engaged in the numberless occurrences of daily life4 ,you are full of news2 yon know what this or that person is doing1 and what has befallen him2 what has not happened1 which was near happening1 what may happen4 ,you are full of ideas and feelings upon all that goes on around you4 ,but1 from some cause or other1 religion has no part1 no sensible influence1 in your judgment of men and things4 ,it is out of your way4 ,perhaps you have your pleasure parties2 you readily take your share in them time after time2 you pass continuous hours in society where you know that it is quite impossible even to mention the name of religion4 ,your heart is in scenes and places when conversation on serious subjects is strictly forbidden by the rules of the world's propriety4 ,i do not say we should discourse on religious subjects1 wherever we go2 ,i do not say we should make an effort to discourse on them at any time1 nor that we are to refrain from social meetings in which religion does not lie on the surface of the conversation3 but ,i do say1 that when men find their pleasure and satisfaction to lie in society which proscribes religion1 and when they deliberately and habitually prefer those amusements which have necessarily nothing to do with religion1 such persons cannot view religion as ,god views it4 ,and this is the point3 that the feelings of our hearts on the subject of religion are different from the declared judgment of ,god2 that we have a natural distaste for that which ,he has said is our chief good4 #c4 ,now let us pass to the more active occupations of life4 ,here1 too1 religion is confessedly felt to be wearisome1 it is out of place4 ,the transactions of worldly business1 speculations in trade1 ambitious hopes1 the pursuit of knowledge1 the public occurrences of the day1 these find a way directly to the heart1 they rouse1 they influence4 ,it is superfluous to go about to prove this innate power over us of things of time and sense1 to make us think and act4 ,the name of religion1 on the other hand1 is weak and impotent2 it contains no spell to kindle the feelings of man1 to make the heart beat with anxiety1 and to produce activity and perseverance4 ,the reason is not merely that men are in want of leisure1 and are sustained in a distressing continuance of exertion1 by their duties towards those dependent on them4 ,they have their seasons of relaxation1 they turn for a time from their ordinary pursuits2 still religion does not attract them1 they find nothing of comfort or satisfaction in it4 ,for a time they allow themselves to be idle4 ,they want an object to employ their minds upon2 they pace to and fro in very want of an object2 yet their duties to ,god1 their future hopes in another state of being1 the revelation of ,god's mercy and will1 as contained in ,scripture1 the news of redemption1 the gift of regeneration1 the sanctities1 the devotional heights1 the nobleness and perfection which ,christ works in ,his elect1 do not suggest themselves as fit subjects to dispel their weariness4 ,why8 ,because religion makes them melancholy1 say they1 and they wish to relax4 ,religion is a labour1 it is a weariness1 a greater weariness than the doing nothing at all4 ,wherefore1 says ,solomon1 is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom1 seeing he hath no heart to it#a8 #d4 ,but this natural contrariety between man and his ,maker is still more strikingly shown by the confessions of men of the world who have given some thought to the subject1 and have viewed society with somewhat of a philosophical spirit4 ,such men treat the demands of religion with disrespect and negligence1 on the ground of their being unnatural4 ,they say1 ,it is natural for men to love the world for its own sake2 to be engrossed in its pursuits1 and to set their hearts on the rewards of industry1 on the comforts1 luxuries1 and pleasures of this life4 ,man would not be man if he could be made otherwise2 he would not be what he was evidently intended for by his ,maker4 ,let us pass by the obvious answer that might be given to this objection2 it is enough for my purpose that it is commonly urged1 recognizing as it does the fact of the disagreement existing between the claims of ,god's word1 and the inclinations and natural capacities of man4 ,many1 indeed1 of those unhappy men who have denied the ,christian faith1 treat the religious principle altogether as a mere unnatural1 eccentric state of mind1 a peculiar untoward condition of the affections to which weakness will reduce a man1 whether it has been brought on by anxiety1 oppressive sorrow1 bodily disease1 excess of imagination or the like1 and temporary or permanent1 according to the circumstances of the disposing cause2 a state to which we all are liable1 as we are liable to any other mental injury1 but unmanly and unworthy of our dignity as rational beings4 ,here again it is enough for our purpose1 that it is allowed by these persons that the love of religion is unnatural and inconsistent with the original condition of our minds4 ,the same remark may be made upon the notions which secretly prevail in certain quarters at the present day1 concerning the unsuitableness of ,christianity to an enlightened age4 ,men there are who look upon the inspired word of ,god with a sort of indulgence1 as if it had its use1 and had done service in its day2 that in times of ignorance it awed and controlled fierce barbarians1 whom nothing else could have subdued2 but that from its very claim to be divine and infallible1 and its consequent unalterableness1 it is an obstacle to the improvement of the human race beyond a certain point1 and must ultimately fall before the gradual advancement of mankind in knowledge and virtue4 ,in other words1 the literature of the day is weary of ,revealed ,religion4 #e4 ,once more2 that religion is in itself a weariness is seen even in the conduct of the better sort of persons1 who really on the whole are under the influence of its spirit4 ,so dull and uninviting is calm and practical religion1 that religious persons are ever exposed to the temptation of looking out for excitements of one sort or other1 to make it pleasurable to them4 ,the spirit of the ,gospel is a meek1 humble1 gentle1 unobtrusive spirit4 ,it doth not cry nor lift up its voice in the streets1 unless called upon by duty so to do1 and then it does it with pain4 ,display1 pretension1 conflict1 are unpleasant to it4 ,what then is to be thought of persons who are ever on the search after novelties to make religion interesting to them2 who seem to find that ,christian activity cannot be kept up without unchristian party-spirit1 or ,christian conversation without unchristian censoriousness8 ,why1 this2 that religion is to them as to others1 taken by itself1 a weariness1 and requires something foreign to its own nature to make it palatable4 ,truly it is a weariness to the natural man to serve ,god humbly and in obscurity2 it is very wearisome1 and very monotonous1 to go on day after day watching all we do and think1 detecting our secret failings1 denying ourselves1 creating within us1 under ,god's grace1 those parts of the ,christian character in which we are deficient2 wearisome to learn modesty1 love of insignificance1 willingness to be thought little of1 backwardness to clear ourselves when slandered1 and readiness to confess when we are wrong2 to learn to have no cares for this world1 neither to hope nor to fear1 but to be resigned and contented6 ,i may close these remarks1 by appealing to the consciences of all who have ever set about the work of religion in good earnest1 whoever they may be1 whether they have made less1 or greater progress in their noble toil1 whether they are matured saints1 or feeble strugglers against the world and the flesh4 ,they have ever confessed how great efforts were necessary to keep close to the commandments of ,god2 in spite of their knowledge of the truth1 and their faith1 in spite of the aids and consolations they receive from above1 still how often do their corrupt hearts betray them6 ,even their privileges are often burdensome to them1 even to pray for the grace which in ,christ is pledged to them is an irksome task4 ,they know that ,god's service is perfect freedom1 and they are convinced1 both in their reason and from their own experience of it1 that it is true happiness2 still they confess withal the strange reluctance of their nature to love their ,maker and ,his ,service4 ,and this is the point in question2 not only the mass of mankind1 but even the confirmed servants of ,christ1 witness to the opposition which exists between their own nature and the demands of religion4 ,this then is the remarkable fact which ,i proposed to show4 ,can we doubt that man's will runs contrary to ,god's will--that the view which the inspired word takes of our present life1 and of our destiny1 does not satisfy us1 as it rightly ought to do8 that ,christ hath no form nor comeliness in our eyes2 and though we see ,him1 we see no desirable beauty in ,him8 ,that holy1 merciful1 and meek ,saviour1 the ,eternal1 the ,only-begotten ,son of ,god1 our friend and infinite benefactor--,he who left the glory of ,his ,father and died for us1 who has promised us the overflowing riches of ,his grace both here and hereafter4 ,he is a light shining in a dark place1 and the darkness comprehendeth it not4 ,light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light4 ,the nature of man is flesh1 and that which is born of the flesh is flesh1 and ever must so remain2 it never can discern1 love1 accept1 the holy doctrines of the ,gospel4 ,it will occupy itself in various ways1 it will take interest in things of sense and time1 but it can never be religious4 ,it is at enmity with ,god4 ,and now we see what must at once follow from what has been said4 ,if our hearts are by nature set on the world for its own sake1 and the world is one day to pass away1 what are they to be set on1 what to delight in1 then8 ,say1 how will the soul feel when1 stripped of its present attire1 which the world bestows1 it stands naked and shuddering before the pure1 tranquil1 and severe majesty of the ,lord its ,god1 its most merciful1 yet dishonoured ,maker and ,saviour8 ,what are to be the pleasures of the soul in another life8 ,can they be the same as they are here8 ,they cannot2 ,scripture tells us they cannot2 the world passeth away--now what is there left to love and enjoy through a long eternity8 ,what a dark1 forlorn1 miserable eternity that will be6 ,it is then plain enough1 though ,scripture said not a word on the subject1 that if we would be happy in the world to come1 we must make us new hearts1 and begin to love the things we naturally do not love4 ,viewing it as a practical point1 the end of the whole matter is this1 we must be changed2 for we cannot1 we cannot expect the system of the universe to come over to us2 the inhabitants of heaven1 the numberless creations of ,angels1 the glorious company of the ,apostles1 the goodly fellowship of the ,prophets1 the noble army of ,martyrs1 the holy ,church universal1 the ,will and ,attributes of ,god1 these are fixed4 ,we must go over to them4 ,in our ,saviour's own authoritative words3 ,verily1 verily1 except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god#b4 ,it is a plain matter of self-interest1 to turn our thoughts to the means of changing our hearts1 putting out of the question our duty towards ,god and ,christ1 our ,saviour and ,redeemer4 ,he hath no form nor comeliness1 and when we see ,him1 there is no beauty that we should desire ,him4 ,it is not ,his loss that we love ,him not1 it is our loss4 ,he is ,all-blessed1 whatever becomes of us4 ,he is not less blessed because we are far from ,him4 ,it is we who are not blessed1 except as we approach ,him1 except as we are like ,him1 except as we love ,him4 ,woe unto us1 if in the day in which ,he comes from ,heaven we see nothing desirable or gracious in ,his wounds2 but instead1 have made for ourselves an ideal blessedness1 different from that which will be manifested to us in ,him4 ,woe unto us1 if we have made pride1 or selfishness1 or the carnal mind1 our standard of perfection and truth2 if our eyes have grown dim1 and our hearts gross1 as regards the true light of men1 and the glory of the ,eternal ,father4 ,may ,he ,himself save us from our self-delusions1 whatever they are1 and enable us to give up this world1 that we may gain the next2--and to rejoice in ,him1 who had no home of ,his own1 no place to lay ,his head1 who was poor and lowly1 and despised and rejected1 and tormented and slain6 #a ,prov4 xvii4 #af4 #b ,john iii4 #c4 ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,the ,world our ,enemy4 ,we know that we are of ,god1 and the whole world lieth in wickedness4--#a ,john v4 #ai4 ,few words are of more frequent occurrence in the language of religion than the world2 ,holy ,scripture makes continual mention of it1 in the way of censure and caution2 in the ,service for ,baptism it is described as one of three great enemies of our souls1 and in the ordinary writings and conversation of ,christians1 ,i need hardly say1 mention is made of it continually4 ,yet most of us1 it would appear1 have very indistinct notions what the world means4 ,we know that the world is a something dangerous to our spiritual interests1 and that it is in some way connected with human society--with men as a mixed multitude1 contrasted with men one by one1 in private and domestic life2 but what it is1 how it is our enemy1 how it attacks1 and how it is to be avoided1 is not so clear4 ,or if we conceive some distinct notion concerning it1 still probably it is a wrong notion1--which leads us1 in consequence1 to misapply the ,scripture precepts relating to the world2 and this is even worse than overlooking them4 ,i shall now1 then1 attempt to show what is meant by the world1 and how1 in consequence1 we are to understand the information and warnings of the sacred writers concerning it4 #a4 ,now1 first1 by the world is very commonly meant the present visible system of things1 without taking into consideration whether it is good or bad4 ,thus ,st4 ,john contrasts the world with the things that are in it1 which are evil1 ,love not the world1 neither the things that are in the world#a4 ,again1 he presently says1 ,the world passeth away1 and the lust thereof4 ,here1 as in many other parts of ,scripture1 the world is not spoken of as actually sinful in itself 7though its lusts are so1 of course71 but merely as some present visible system which is likely to attract us1 and is not to be trusted1 because it cannot last4 ,let us first consider it in this point of view4 ,there is1 as a matter of necessity1 a great variety of stations and fortunes among mankind2 hardly two persons are in the same outward circumstances1 and possessed of the same mental resources4 ,men differ from each other1 and are bound together into one body or system by the very points in which they differ2 they depend on each other2 such is the will of ,god4 ,this system is the world1 to which it is plain belong our various modes of supporting ourselves and families by exertion of mind and body1 our intercourse with others1 our duty towards others1 the social virtues1--industry1 honesty1 prudence1 justice1 benevolence1 and the like4 ,these spring all from our present lot in life1 and tend to our present happiness4 ,this life holds out prizes to merit and exertion4 ,men rise above their fellows1 they gain fame and honours1 wealth and power1 which we therefore call worldly goods4 ,the affairs of nations1 the dealings of people with people1 the interchange of productions between country and country1 are of this world4 ,we are educated in boyhood for this world2 we play our part on a stage more or less conspicuous1 as the case may be2 we die1 we are no more1 we are forgotten1 as far as the present state of things is concerned2 all this is of the world4 ,by the world1 then1 is meant this course of things which we see carried on by means of human agency1 with all its duties and pursuits4 ,it is not necessarily a sinful system2 rather it is framed1 as ,i have said1 by ,god ,himself1 and therefore cannot be otherwise than good4 ,and yet even thus considering it1 we are bid not to love the world3 even in this sense the world is an enemy of our souls2 and for this reason1 because the love of it is dangerous to beings circumstanced as we are1--things in themselves good being not good to us sinners4 ,and this state of things which we see1 fair and excellent in itself1 is very likely 7for the very reason that it is seen1 and because the spiritual and future world is not seen7 to seduce our wayward hearts from our true and eternal good4 ,as the traveller on serious business may be tempted to linger1 while he gazes on the beauty of the prospect which opens on his way1 so this well-ordered and divinely-governed world1 with all its blessings of sense and knowledge1 may lead us to neglect those interests which will endure when itself has passed away4 ,in truth1 it promises more than it can fulfil4 ,the goods of life and the applause of men have their excellence1 and1 as far as they so1 are really good2 but they are short-lived4 ,and hence it is that many pursuits in themselves honest and right1 are nevertheless to be engaged in with caution1 lest they seduce us2 and those perhaps with especial caution1 which tend to the well-being of men in this life4 ,the sciences1 for instance1 of good government1 of acquiring wealth1 of preventing and relieving want1 and the like1 are for this reason especially dangerous2 for fixing1 as they do1 our exertions on this world as an end1 they go far to persuade us that they have no other end2 they accustom us to think too much of success in life and temporal prosperity2 nay1 they may even teach us to be jealous of religion and its institutions1 as if these stood in our way1 preventing us from doing so much for the worldly interests of mankind as we might wish4 ,in this sense it is that ,st4 ,paul contrasts sight and faith4 ,we see this world2 we only believe that there is a world of spirits1 we do not see it3 and inasmuch as sight has more power over us than belief1 and the present than the future1 so are the occupations and pleasures of this life injurious to our faith4 ,yet not1 ,i say1 in themselves sinful2 as the ,jewish system was a temporal system1 yet divine1 so is the system of nature--this world--divine1 though temporal4 ,and as the ,jews became carnal-minded even by the influence of their divinely-appointed system1 and thereby rejected the ,saviour of their souls2 in like manner1 men of the world are hardened by ,god's own good world1 into a rejection of ,christ4 ,in neither case through the fault of the things which are seen1 whether miraculous or providential1 but accidentally1 through the fault of the human heart4 #b4 ,but now1 secondly1 let us proceed to consider the world1 not only as dangerous1 but as positively sinful1 according to the text--the whole world lieth in wickedness4 ,it was created well in all respects1 but even before it as yet had fully grown out into its parts1 while as yet the elements of human society did but lie hid in the nature and condition of the first man1 ,adam fell2 and thus the world1 with all its social ranks1 and aims1 and pursuits1 and pleasures1 and prizes1 has ever from its birth been sinful4 ,the infection of sin spread through the whole system1 so that although the frame-work is good and divine1 the spirit and life within it are evil4 ,thus1 for instance1 to be in a high station is the gift of ,god2 but the pride and injustice to which it has given scope is from the ,devil4 ,to be poor and obscure is also the ordinance of ,god2 but the dishonesty and discontent which are often seen in the poor is from ,satan4 ,to cherish and protect wife and family is ,god's appointment2 but the love of gain1 and the low ambition1 which lead many a man to exert himself1 are sinful4 ,accordingly1 it is said in the text1 ,the world lieth in wickedness1--it is plunged and steeped1 as it were1 in a flood of sin1 not a part of it remaining as ,god originally created it1 not a part pure from the corruptions with which ,satan has disfigured it4 ,look into the history of the world1 and what do you read there8 ,revolutions and changes without number1 kingdoms rising and falling2 and when without crime8 ,states are established by ,god's ordinance1 they have their existence in the necessity of man's nature1 but when was one ever established1 nay1 or maintained1 without war and bloodshed8 ,of all natural instincts1 what is more powerful than that which forbids us to shed our fellows' blood8 ,we shrink with natural horror from the thought of a murderer2 yet not a government has ever been settled1 or a state acknowledged by its neighbours1 without war and the loss of life2 nay1 more than this1 not content with unjustifiable bloodshed1 the guilt of which must lie somewhere1 instead of lamenting it as a grievous and humiliating evil1 the world has chosen to honour the conqueror with its amplest share of admiration4 ,to become a hero1 in the eyes of the world1 it is almost necessary to break the laws of ,god and man4 ,thus the deeds of the world are matched by the opinions and principles of the world3 it adopts bad doctrine to defend bad practice2 it loves darkness because its deeds are evil4 ,and as the affairs of nations are thus depraved by our corrupt nature1 so are all the appointments and gifts of ,providence perverted in like manner4 ,what can be more excellent than the vigorous and patient employment of the intellect2 yet in the hands of ,satan it gives birth to a proud philosophy4 ,when ,st4 ,paul preached1 the wise men of the world1 in ,god's eyes1 were but fools1 for they had used their powers of mind in the cause of error1 their reasonings even led them to be irreligious and immoral2 and they despised the doctrine of a resurrection which they neither loved nor believed4 ,and again1 all the more refined arts of life have been disgraced by the vicious tastes of those who excelled in them2 often they have been consecrated to the service of idolatry2 often they have been made the instruments of sensuality and riot4 ,but it would be endless to recount the manifold and complex corruption which man has introduced into the world which ,god made good1 evil has preoccupied the whole of it1 and holds fast its conquest4 ,we know1 indeed1 that the gracious ,god revealed ,himself to ,his sinful creatures very soon after ,adam's fall4 ,he showed ,his will to mankind again and again1 and pleaded with them through many ages2 till at length ,his ,son was born into this sinful world in the form of man1 and taught us how to please ,him4 ,still1 hitherto the good work has proceeded slowly3 such is ,his pleasure4 ,evil had the start of good by many days2 it filled the world1 it holds it3 it has the strength of possession1 and if has its strength in the human heart2 for though we cannot keep from approving what is right in our conscience1 yet we love and encourage what is wrong2 so that when evil was once set up in the world1 it was secured in its seat by the unwillingness with which our hearts relinquish it4 ,and now ,i have described what is meant by the sinful world2 that is1 the world as corrupted by man1 the course of human affairs viewed in its connexion with the principles1 opinions1 and practices which actually direct it4 ,there is no mistaking these2 they are evil2 and of these it is that ,st4 ,john says1 ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 ,for all that is in the world1 the lust of the flesh1 and the lust of the eyes1 and the pride of life1 is not of the ,father1 but is of the world#b4 ,the world then is the enemy of our souls2 first1 because1 however innocent its pleasures1 and praiseworthy its pursuits may be1 they are likely to engross us1 unless we are on our guard3 and secondly1 because in all its best pleasures1 and noblest pursuits1 the seeds of sin have been sown2 an enemy hath done this2 so that it is most difficult to enjoy the good without partaking of the evil also4 ,as an orderly system of various ranks1 with various pursuits and their several rewards1 it is to be considered not sinful indeed1 but dangerous to us4 ,on the other hand1 considered in reference to its principles and actual practices1 it is really a sinful world4 ,accordingly1 when we are bid in ,scripture to shun the world1 it is meant that we must be cautious1 lest we love what is good in it too well1 and lest we love the bad at all4--,however1 there is a mistaken notion sometimes entertained1 that the world is some particular set of persons1 and that to shun the world is to shun them2 as if we could point out1 as it were1 with the finger1 what is the world1 and thus could easily rid ourselves of one of our three great enemies4 ,men1 who are beset with this notion1 are often great lovers of the world notwithstanding1 while they think themselves at a distance from it altogether4 ,they love its pleasures1 and they yield to its principles1 yet they speak strongly against men of the world1 and avoid them4 ,they act the part of superstitious people1 who are afraid of seeing evil spirits in what are considered haunted places1 while these spirits are busy at their hearts instead1 and they do not suspect it4 #c4 ,here then is a question1 which it will be well to consider1 viz4 how far the world is a separate body from the ,church of ,god4 ,the two are certainly contrasted in the text1 as elsewhere in ,scripture4 ,we know that we are of ,god1 and the whole world lieth in wickedness4 ,now the true account of this is1 that the ,church so far from being literally1 and in fact1 separate from the wicked world1 is within it4 ,the ,church is a body1 gathered together in the world1 and in a process of separation from it4 ,the world's power1 alas6 is over the ,church1 because the ,church has gone forth into the world to save the world4 ,all ,christians are in the world1 and of the world1 so far as sin still has dominion over them2 and not even the best of us is clean every whit from sin4 ,though then1 in our idea of the two1 and in their principles1 and in their future prospects1 the ,church is one thing1 and the world is another1 yet in present matter of fact1 the ,church is of the world1 not separate from it2 for the grace of ,god has but partial possession even of religious men1 and the best that can be said of us is1 that we have two sides1 a light side and a dark1 and that the dark happens to be the outermost4 ,thus we form part of the world to each other1 though we be not of the world4 ,even supposing there were a society of men influenced individually by ,christian motives1 still this society1 viewed as a whole1 would be a worldly one1 ,i mean a society holding and maintaining many errors1 and countenancing many bad practices4 ,evil ever floats at the top4 ,and if we inquire why it is that the good in ,christians is seen less than the bad8 ,i answer1 first1 because there is less of it2 and secondly1 because evil forces itself upon general notice1 and good does not4 ,so that in a large body of men1 each contributing his portion1 evil displays itself on the whole conspicuously1 and in all its diversified shapes4 ,and thirdly1 from the nature of things1 the soul cannot be understood by any but ,god1 and a religious spirit is in ,st4 ,peter's words1 the hidden man of the heart4 ,it is only the actions of others which we see for the most part1 and since there are numberless ways of doing wrong1 and but one of doing right1 and numberless ways too of regarding and judging the conduct of others1 no wonder that even the better sort of men1 much more the generality1 are1 and seem to be1 so sinful4 ,god only sees the circumstances under which a man acts1 and why he acts in this way and not in that4 ,god only sees perfectly the train of thought which preceded his action1 the motive1 and the reasons4 ,and ,god alone 7if aught is ill done1 or sinfully7 sees the deep contrition afterwards1--the habitual lowliness1 then bursting forth into special self-reproach1--and the meek faith casting itself wholly upon ,god's mercy4 ,think for a moment1 how many hours in the day every man is left wholly to himself and his ,god1 or rather how few minutes he is in intercourse with others--consider this1 and you will perceive how it is that the life of the ,church is hid with ,god1 and how it is that the outward conduct of the ,church must necessarily look like the world1 even far more than it really is like it1 and how vain1 in consequence1 the attempt is 7which1 some make7 of separating the world distinctly from the ,church4 ,consider1 moreover1 how much there is1 while we are in the body1 to stand in the way of one mind communicating with another4 ,we are imprisoned in the body1 and our intercourse is by means of words1 which feebly represent our real feelings4 ,hence the best motives and truest opinions are misunderstood1 and the most sound rules of conduct misapplied by others4 ,and ,christians are necessarily more or less strange to each other2 nay1 and as far as the appearance of things is concerned1 almost mislead each other1 and are1 as ,i have said1 the world one to another4 ,it is long1 indeed1 before we become at all acquainted with each other1 and we appear the one to the other cold1 or harsh1 or capricious1 or self-willed1 when we are not so4 ,so that it unhappily comes to pass1 that even good men retire from each other into themselves1 and to their ,god1 as if retreating from the rude world4 ,and if all this takes place in the case of the better sort of men1 how much more will it happen in the case of those multitudes who are still unstable in faith and obedience1 half ,christians1 not having yet wrought themselves into any consistent shape of opinion and practice6 ,these1 so far from showing the better part of themselves1 often affect to be worse even than they are4 ,though they have secret fears and misgivings1 and ,god's grace pleads with their conscience1 and seasons of seriousness follow1 yet they are ashamed to confess to each other their own seriousness1 and they ridicule religious men lest they should be themselves ridiculed4 ,and thus1 on the whole1 the state of the case is as follows3 that if we look through mankind in order to find out who make up the world1 and who do not1 we shall find none who are not of the world2 inasmuch as there are none who are not exposed to infirmity4 ,so that if to shun the world is to shun some body of men so called1 we must shun all men1 nay1 ourselves too--which is a conclusion which means nothing at all4 ,but let us1 avoiding all refinements which lead to a display of words only1 not to the improvement of our hearts and conduct1 let us set to work practically2 and instead of attempting to judge of mankind on a large scale1 and to settle deep questions1 let us take what is close at hand and concerns ourselves1 and make use of such knowledge as we can obtain4 ,are we tempted to neglect the worship of ,god for some temporal object8 this is of the world1 and not to be admitted4 ,are we ridiculed for our conscientious conduct8 this again is a trial of the world1 and to be withstood4 ,are we tempted to give too much time to our recreations2 to be idling when we should be working2 reading or talking when we should be busy in our temporal calling2 hoping for impossibilities1 or fancying ourselves in some different state of life from our own2 over anxious of the good opinion of others2 bent upon getting the credit of industry1 honesty1 and prudence8 all these are temptations of this world4 ,are we discontented with our lot1 or are we over attached to it1 and fretful and desponding when ,god recalls the good ,he has given8 this is to be worldly-minded4 ,look not about for the world as some vast and gigantic evil far off--its temptations are close to you1 apt and ready1 suddenly offered and subtle in their address4 ,try to bring down the words of ,scripture to common life1 and to recognize the evil in which this world lies1 in your own hearts4 ,when our ,saviour comes1 ,he will destroy this world1 even ,his own work1 and much more the lusts of the world1 which are of the evil one2 then at length we must lose the world1 even if we cannot bring ourselves to part with it now4 ,and we shall perish with the world1 if on that day its lusts are found within us4 ,the world passeth away1 and the lust thereof1 but he that doeth the will of ,god abideth for ever4 #a #a ,john ii4 #ae4 #b ,john ii4 #ae1 #af4 ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,the ,praise of ,men4 ,they loved the praise of men more than the praise of ,god4--,john xii4 #dc4 ,this is spoken of the chief rulers of the ,jews1 who1 though they believed in ,christ's ,divine mission1 were afraid to confess ,him1 lest they should incur temporal loss and shame from the ,pharisees4 ,the censure passed by ,st4 ,john on these persons is too often applicable to ,christians at the present day2 perhaps1 indeed1 there is no one among us who has not at some time or other fallen under it4 ,we love the good opinion of the world more than the approbation of ,him who created us1 redeemed us1 has regenerated us1 and who still preserves to us the opportunity of preparing ourselves for ,his future presence4 ,such is too often the case with us4 ,it is well we should be aware that it is so2 it is well we should dwell upon it1 and that we should understand and feel that it is wrong1 which many men do not4 ,now it is an obvious question1 ,why is it wrong to love the praise of men8 ,for it may be objected1 that we are accustomed to educate the young by means of praise and blame2 that we encourage them by kind words from us1 that is1 from man2 and punish them for disobedience4 ,if1 then1 it may be argued1 it is right to regard the opinions of others concerning us in our youth1 it cannot be in itself wrong to pay attention to it at any other period of life4 ,this is true2 but ,i do not say that the mere love of praise and fear of shame are evil3 regard to the corrupt world's praise or blame1 this is what is sinful and dangerous4 ,st4 ,john1 in the text1 implies that the praise of men was1 at the time spoken of1 in opposition to the praise of ,god4 ,it must be wrong to prefer any thing to the will of ,god4 ,to seek praise is in itself as little wrong1 as it is wrong to hope1 and to fear1 and to love1 and to trust2 all depends upon the object hoped1 or feared1 or loved1 or trusted2 to seek the praise of good men is not wrong1 any more than to love or to reverence good men2 only wrong when it is in excess1 when it interferes with the exercise of love and reverence towards ,god4 ,not wrong while we look on good men singly as instruments and servants of ,god2 or1 in the words of ,scripture1 while we glorify ,god in them#a4 ,but to seek the praise of bad men1 is in itself as wrong as to love the company of bad men1 or to admire them4 ,it is not1 ,i say1 merely the love of praise that is a sin1 but love of the corrupt world's praise4 ,this is the case with all our natural feelings and affections2 they are all in themselves good1 and implanted by ,god2 they are sinful1 because we have in us by nature a something more than them1 viz4 an evil principle which perverts them to a bad end4 ,adam1 before his fall1 felt1 we may suppose1 love1 fear1 hope1 joy1 dislike1 as we do now2 but then he felt them only when he ought1 and as he ought2 all was harmoniously attempered and rightly adjusted in his soul1 which was at unity with itself4 ,but1 at the fall1 this beautiful order and peace was broken up2 the same passions remained1 but their use and action were changed2 they rushed into extremes1 sometimes excessive1 sometimes the reverse4 ,indignation was corrupted into wrath1 self-love became selfishness1 self-respect became pride1 and emulation envy and jealousy4 ,they were at variance with each other2 pride struggled with self-interest1 fear with desire4 ,thus his soul became a chaos1 and needed a new creation4 ,moreover1 as ,i have said1 his affections were set upon unsuitable objects4 ,the natural man looks to this world1 the world is his god2 faith1 love1 hope1 joy1 are not excited in his mind by things spiritual and divine1 but by things seen and temporal4 ,considering1 then1 that love of praise is not a bad principle in itself1 it is plain that a parent may very properly teach his child to love his praise1 and fear his blame1 when that praise and blame are given in accordance with ,god's praise and blame1 and made subservient to them4 ,and1 in like manner1 if the world at large took a correct and religious view of things1 then its praise and blame would in its place be valuable too4 ,did the world admire what ,god admires2 did it account humility1 for instance1 a great virtue1 and pride a great sin2 did it condemn that spirit of self-importance and sensitiveness of disgrace1 which calls itself a love of honour2 did it think little of temporal prosperity1 wealth1 rank1 grandeur1 and power1 did it condemn arrogant and irreverent disputing1 the noisy1 turbulent spirit of ambition1 the love of war and conquest1 and the perverse temper which leads to jealousy and hatred2 did it prefer goodness and truth to gifts of the intellect2 did it think little of quickness1 wit1 shrewdness1 power of speech and general acquirements1 and much of patience1 meekness1 gentleness1 firmness1 faith1 conscientiousness1 purity1 forgiveness of injuries1--then there would be no sin in our seeking the world's praise2 and though we still ought to love ,god's praise above all1 yet we might love the praise of the world in its degree1 for it would be nothing more nor less than the praise of good men4 ,but since1 alas6 the contrary is the case1 since the world 7as ,scripture tells us7 lieth in wickedness1 and the principles and practices which prevail on all sides of us are not those which the ,all-holy ,god sanctions1 we cannot lawfully seek the world's praise4 ,we cannot serve two masters who are enemies the one to the other4 ,we are forbidden to love the world or any thing that is of the world1 for it is not of the ,father1 but passeth away4 ,this is the reason why it is wrong to pursue the world's praise2 viz4 because we cannot have it and ,god's praise too4 ,and yet1 as the pursuit of it is wrong1 so is it common1--for this reason3 because ,god is unseen1 and the world is seen2 because ,god's praise and blame are future1 the world's are present2 because ,god's praise and blame are inward1 and come quietly and without keenness1 whereas the world's are very plain and intelligible1 and make themselves felt4 ,take1 for instance1 the case of the young1 on 7what is called7 entering into life4 ,very many1 indeed1 there are1 whether in a higher or lower station1 who enter into the mixed society of others early2 so early1 that it might be thought they had hardly had time to acquire any previous knowledge of right and wrong1 any standard of right and wrong1 other than the world gives1 any principles by which to fight against the world4 ,and yet it cannot quite be so4 ,whatever is the first time persons hear evil1 it is quite certain that good has been beforehand with them1 and they have a something within them which tells them it is evil4 ,and much more1 if they have been blessed1 as most men are1 with the protection of parents1 or the kind offices of teachers or of ,god's ministers1 they generally have principles of duty more or less strongly imprinted on their minds2 and on their first intercourse with strangers they are shocked or frighted at seeing the improprieties and sins1 which are openly countenanced4 ,alas6 there are persons1 doubtless 7though ,god forbid it should be the case with any here present671 whose consciences have been so early trained into forgetfulness of religious duties1 that they can hardly1 or cannot at all1 recollect the time ,i speak of2 the time when they acted with the secret feeling that ,god saw them1 saw all they did and thought4 ,i will not fancy this to be the case with any who hear me4 ,rather1 there are many of you1 in different ranks and circumstances1 who have1 and ever have had1 general impressions on your minds of the claims which religion has on you1 but1 at the same time1 have been afraid of acting upon them1 afraid of the opinion of the world1 of what others would say if you set about obeying your conscience4 ,ridicule is a most powerful instrument in the hands of ,satan1 and it is most vividly felt by the young4 ,if any one wishes to do his duty1 it is most easy for the cold1 the heartless1 and the thoughtless1 to find out harsh1 or provoking1 or ridiculous names to fix upon him4 ,my brethren1 so many of you as are sensitive of the laughter or contempt of the world1 this is your cross2 you must wear it1 you must endure it patiently2 it is the mark of your conformity to ,christ2 ,he despised the shame3 you must learn to endure it1 from the example and by the aid of your ,saviour4 ,you must love the praise of ,god more than the praise of men4 ,it is the very trial suited to you1 appointed for you1 to establish you in the faith4 ,you are not tempted with gain or ambition1 but with ridicule4 ,and be sure1 that unless you withstand it1 you cannot endure hardships as good soldiers of ,jesus ,christ1 you will not endure other temptations which are to follow4 ,how can you advance a step in your after and more extended course till the first difficulty is overcome8 ,you need faith1 and a double-minded man1 says ,st4 ,james1 is unstable in all his ways4 ,moreover1 be not too sure that all who show an inclination to ridicule you1 feel exactly as they say4 ,they speak with the loudest speaker2 speak you boldly1 and they will speak with you4 ,they have very little of definite opinion themselves1 or probably they even feel with you1 though they speak against you4 ,very likely they have uneasy1 unsatisfied consciences1 though they seem to sin so boldly2 and are as afraid of the world as you can be1 nay1 more so2 they join in ridiculing you1 lest others should ridicule them2 or they do so in a sort of self-defence against the reproaches of their own consciences4 ,numbers in this bad world talk loudly against religion in order to encourage each other in sin1 because they need encouragement4 ,they are cowards1 and rely on each other for support against their fears4 ,they know they ought to be other than they are1 but are glad to avail themselves of any thing that looks like argument1 to overcome their consciences withal4 ,and ridicule is a kind of argument--such as it is2 and numbers ridiculing together are a still stronger one--of the same kind4 ,any how1 there are few indeed who will not feel afterwards1 in times of depression or alarm1 that you are right1 and they themselves are wrong4 ,those who serve ,god faithfully have a friend of their own1 in each man's bosom1 witnessing for them2 even in those who treat them ill4 ,and ,i suppose no young person has been able1 through ,god's mercy1 to withstand the world's displeasure1 but has felt at this time or that1 that this is so1 and in a little time will1 with all humility1 have the comfort of feeling it while he is withstanding the world4 ,but now supposing he has not had strength of mind to withstand the world2 but has gone the way of the world4 ,suppose he has joined the multitude in saying and doing what he should not4 ,we know the careless1 thoughtless1 profane habits which most men live in1 making light of serious subjects1 and being ashamed of godliness and virtue2 ashamed of going to church regularly1 ashamed of faith1 ashamed of chastity1 ashamed of innocence1 ashamed of obedience to persons in authority4 ,supposing a person has been one of these1 and then through ,god's grace repents4 ,it often pleases ,god1 in the course of ,his ,providence1 to rouse men to reflection by the occurrences of life4 ,in such circumstances they certainly will have a severe trial to stand against the world4 ,nothing is more painful in the case of such persons1 than the necessity often imposed upon them of acting contrary to the opinion and wishes of those with whom they have till now been intimate1--whom they have admired and followed4 ,intimacies have already been formed1 and ties drawn tight1 which it is difficult to sever4 ,what is the person in question to do8 rudely to break them at once8 no4 ,but is he to share in sins in which he formerly took part8 no2 whatever censure1 contempt1 or ridicule attaches to him in consequence4 ,but what1 then1 is he to do8 ,his task1 ,i say1 is painful and difficult1 but he must not complain1 for it is his own making2 it is the natural consequence of his past neglect of ,god4 ,so much is plain1--he must abstain from all sinful actions2 not converse lightly or irreverently where formerly he was not unwilling so to do2 not spend his time1 as heretofore1 in idleness or riot2 avoid places whither he is not called by actual duty1 which offer temptation to sin2 observe diligently attendance on church2 not idle away the ,lord's ,day in vanity1 or worse2 not add to the number of his acquaintance any thoughtless persons4 ,all this is quite plain1 and in doing this ,i know he will incur the ridicule of his companions4 ,he will have much to bear4 ,he must bear to be called names1 to be thought a hypocrite1 to be thought to be affecting something out of the way1 to be thought desirous of recommending himself to this or that person4 ,he must be prepared for malicious and untrue reports about himself2 many other trials must he look for4 ,they are his portion4 ,he must pray ,god to enable him to bear them meekly4 ,he must pray for himself1 he must pray for those who ridicule him4 ,he has deserved ridicule4 ,he has nothing to boast of1 if he bears it well4 ,he has nothing to boast of that he incurs it4 ,he has nothing to boast of1 as if he were so much better than those who ridicule him2 he was once as they are now4 ,he is now just a little better than they are4 ,he has just begun a new life4 ,he has got a very little way in it1 or rather no way1 nothing beyond professing it2 and he has the reproach of the world in consequence of his profession4 ,well1 let him see to it that this reproach is not in vain1 that he has a right to the reproach4 ,let him see to it that he acts as well as professes4 ,it will be miserable indeed if he incurs the reproach1 and yet does not gain the reward4 ,let him pray ,god to perfect in him what ,he has begun in him1 and to begin and perfect it also in all those that reproach him4 ,let him pray for ,christ's grace to bear hardships in ,christ's spirit2 to be able to look calmly in the world's face1 and bear its frown2 to trust in the ,lord1 and be doing good2 to obey ,god1 and so to be reproached1 not for professing only1 but for performing1 not for doing nothing1 but for doing something1 and in ,god's cause4 ,if we are under reproach1 let us have something to show for it4 ,at present1 such a one is but a child in the ,gospel2 but in time1 ,st4 ,peter's words will belong to him1 and he may appropriate them4 ,this is thankworthy1 if a man for conscience towards ,god endure grief1 suffering wrongfully4 ,for what glory is it1 if when ye be buffeted for your faults ye shall take it patiently8 but if1 when ye do well and suffer for it1 ye take it patiently1 this is acceptable with ,god4 ,what happens to the young in one way1 and to penitent sinners in another1 happens in one way or other to all of us4 ,in the case of all of us occasions arise1 when practices countenanced by others do not approve themselves to our consciences4 ,if after serious thought we find we cannot acquiesce in them1 we must follow our consciences1 and stand prepared for the censure of others4 ,we must submit 7should it be unavoidable7 to appear to those who have no means of understanding us1 self-willed1 or self-conceited1 or obstinate1 or eccentric1 or headstrong1 praying the while that ,god's mercy may vouchsafe to us1 that we be not really what we seem to the world4 ,some are exposed to a temptation of a different kind1 that of making themselves seem more religious than they really are4 ,it may happen1 that to advocate right opinions may be profitable to our worldly interests1 and be attended by the praise of men4 ,you may ask1 since in such cases ,god and man approve the same thing1 why should the applause of the world be accounted dangerous then8 ,i answer1 it is dangerous because ,god requires of us a modest silence in our religion2 but we cannot be religious in the eyes of men without displaying religion4 ,i am now speaking of display4 ,god sees our thoughts without our help1 and praises them2 but we cannot be praised by men without being seen by men3 whereas often the very excellence of a religious action1 according to our ,saviour's precept1 consists in the not being seen by others4 ,this is a frequent cause of hypocrisy in religion4 ,men begin by feeling as they should feel1 then they think it a very hard thing that men should not know how well they feel1 and in course of time they learn to speak without feeling4 ,thus they have learned to love the praise of men more than the praise of ,god4--,we have to guard against another danger1 against the mistake of supposing that the world's despising us is a proof that we are particularly religious2 for this1 too1 is often supposed4 ,frequently it happens that we encumber our religion with extravagances1 perversions1 or mistakes1 with which religion itself has no necessary connexion1 and these1 and not religion1 excite the contempt of the world4 ,so much is this the case1 that the censure of numbers1 or of the sober-minded1 or of various and distinct classes of men1 or censure consistently urged1 or continued consistently1 ought always to lead a man to be very watchful as to what he considers right to say or do in the line of duty1 to lead him to examine his principles2 to lead him1 however thoroughly he adheres to these after all1 to be unaffectedly humble about himself1 and to convince him in matter of fact 7what he might be quite sure of beforehand1 from the nature of the case71 that1 however good his principles are in themselves1 he is mixing up with them the alloy of his own frail and corrupt nature4 ,in conclusion1 ,i would say to those who fear the world's censure1 this3-- #a4 ,recollect you cannot please all parties1 you must disagree with some or other3 you have only to choose 7if you are determined to look to man7 with which you will disagree4 ,and1 further1 you may be sure that those who attempt to please all parties1 please fewest2 and that the best way to gain the world's good opinion 7even if you were set upon this1 which you must not be7 is to show that you prefer the praise of ,god4 ,make up your mind to be occasionally misunderstood1 and undeservedly condemned4 ,you must1 in the ,apostle's words1 go through evil report1 and good report1 whether on a contracted or a wider field of action4 ,and you must not be anxious even for the praise of good men4 ,to have1 indeed1 the approbation of those whose hearts are guided by ,god's ,holy ,spirit1 is indeed much to be coveted4 ,still this is a world of discipline1 not of enjoyment2 and just as we are sometimes bound in duty to abstain from indulgences of sense in themselves innocent1 so are we sometimes bound to deny ourselves the satisfaction derived from the praise even of the religious and conscientious4 ,only let us beware in all this1 lest we act from pride and self-conceit4 #b4 ,in the next place1 think of the multitude of beings1 who1 unseen themselves1 may yet be surveying our conduct4 ,st4 ,paul charges ,timothy by the elect ,angels#b2 and elsewhere he declares that the ,apostles were made a spectacle unto the world1 and to ,angels1 and to men#c4 ,are we then afraid to follow what is right1 lest the world should scoff8 rather let us be afraid not to follow it1 because ,god sees us1 and ,christ1 and the holy ,angels4 ,they rejoice over one sinner that repenteth2 how must they mourn over those who fall away6 ,what interest1 surely1 is excited among them1 by the sight of the ,christian's trial1 when faith and the desire of the world's esteem are struggling in his heart for victory6 what rejoicing if1 through the grace of ,god1 he overcomes6 what sorrow and pity if he is overcome by the world6 ,accustom yourselves1 then1 to feel that you are on a public stage1 whatever your station of life may be1 that there are other witnesses to your conduct besides the world around you2 and1 if you feel shame of men1 you should much more feel shame in the presence of ,god1 and those servants of ,his that do ,his pleasure4 #c4 ,still further3 you fear the judgment of men upon you4 ,what will you think of it on your death-bed8 ,the hour must come1 sooner or later1 when your soul is to return to ,him who gave it4 ,perhaps you will be sensible of your awful state4 ,what will you then think of the esteem of the world8 will not all below seem to pass away1 and be rolled up as a scroll1 and the extended regions of the future solemnly set themselves before you8 ,then how vain will appear the applause or blame of creatures1 such as we are1 all sinners and blind judges1 and feeble aids1 and themselves destined to be judged for their deeds4 ,when1 then1 you are tempted to dread the ridicule of man1 throw your mind forward to the hour of death4 ,you know what you will then think of it1 if you are then able to think at all4 #d4 ,the subject is not exhausted4 ,you fear shame2 well1 and will you not shrink from shame at the judgment-seat of ,christ8 ,there will be assembled all the myriads of men who ever lived1 a vast multitude6 ,there will be ,apostles1 prophets1 martyrs1 and all saints from the beginning of time4 ,there will be all the good men you ever heard of or knew4 ,there will be your own kindest and best friends1 your pious parents1 or brothers1 or children4 ,now what think you of being put to shame before all these8 ,you fear the contempt of one small circle of men2 what think you of the ,saints of ,god1 of ,st4 ,mary1 of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul1 of the ten thousand generations of mankind1 being witnesses of your disgrace8 ,you dread the opinion of those whom you do not love2 but what if a father then shrink from a dear son1 or the wife1 or husband1 your earthly companion1 then tremble at the sight of you1 and feel ashamed of you8 ,nay1 there is ,one greater than parents1 husbands1 or brothers2 ,one of whom you have been ashamed on earth2 and what will ,he1 that merciful1 but neglected ,saviour1 think of you then8 ,hear ,his own words3--,whosoever shall be ashamed of ,me and of ,my words1 of him shall the ,son of ,man be ashamed1 when ,he shall come in ,his own glory1 and in ,his ,fathers1 and of the holy ,angels4 ,then such unhappy men1 how will they feel shame at themselves6 they will despise and loathe themselves2 they will hate and abominate their own folly2 they will account themselves brutish and mad1 so to have been beguiled by the devil1 and to have trifled with the season of mercy4 ,many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth1 says ,daniel1 shall awake1 some to everlasting life1 and some to shame and everlasting contempt4 ,let us1 then1 rouse ourselves1 and turn from man to ,god2 what have we to do with the world1 who from our infancy have been put on our journey heavenward8 ,take up your cross and follow ,christ4 ,he went through shame far greater than can be yours4 ,do you think ,he felt nothing when ,he was lifted up on the ,cross to public gaze1 amid the contempt and barbarous triumphings of ,his enemies1 the ,pharisees1 ,pilate and his ,roman guard1 ,herod and his men of war1 and the vast multitude collected from all parts of the world8 ,they all looked on ,him with hatred and insult1 yet ,he endured 7we are told71 despising the shame#d4 ,it is a high privilege to be allowed to be conformed to ,christ2 ,st4 ,paul thought it so1 so have all good men4 ,the whole ,church of ,god1 from the days of ,christ to the present1 has been ever held in shame and contempt by men of this world4 ,proud men have reasoned against its ,divine origin2 crafty men have attempted to degrade it to political purposes3 still it has lasted for many centuries2 it will last still1 through the promised help of ,god the ,holy ,ghost2 and that same promise which is made to it first as a body1 is assuredly made also to every one of us who seeks grace from ,god through it4 ,the grace of our ,lord and ,saviour is pledged to every one of us without measure1 to give us all necessary strength and holiness when we pray for it2 and ,almighty ,god tells us ,himself1 ,fear ye not the reproach of men1 neither be ye afraid of their revilings4 ,for the moth shall eat them up like a garment1 and the worm shall eat them like wool2 but ,my righteousness shall be for ever1 and ,my salvation from generation to generation4 #a ,gal4 i4 #bd4 #b #a ,tim4 v4 #ba4 #c #a ,cor4 iv4 #i4 #d ,heb4 xii4 #b4 ,,sermon ,v4 ,temporal ,advantages4 ,we brought nothing into this world1 and it is certain we can carry nothing out4 ,and having food and raiment let us be therewith content4--#a ,tim4 vi4 #g1 #h4 ,every age has its own special sins and temptations4 ,impatience with their lot1 murmuring1 grudging1 unthankfulness1 discontent1 are sins common to men at all times1 but ,i suppose one of those sins which belongs to our age more than to another1 is desire of a greater portion of worldly goods than ,god has given us1--ambition and covetousness in one shape or another4 ,this is an age and country in which1 more than in any other1 men have the opportunity of what is called rising in life1--of changing from a lower to a higher class of society1 of gaining wealth2 and upon wealth all things follow1--consideration1 credit1 influence1 power1 enjoyment1 the lust of the flesh1 and the lust of the eyes1 and the pride of life4 ,since1 then1 men now-a-days have so often the opportunity of gaining worldly goods which formerly they had not1 it is not wonderful they should be tempted to gain them2 nor wonderful that when they have gained them1 they should set their heart upon them4 ,and it will often happen1 that from coveting them before they are gained1 and from making much of them when they are gained1 men will be led to take unlawful means1 whether to increase them1 or not to lose them4 ,but ,i am not going so far as to suppose the case of dishonesty1 fraud1 double-dealing1 injustice1 or the like3 to these ,st4 ,paul seems to allude when he goes on to say1 ,they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare2 again1 ,the love of money is the root of all evil4 ,but let us confine ourselves to the consideration of the nature itself1 and the natural effects1 of these worldly things1 without extending our view to those further evils to which they may give occasion4 ,st4 ,paul says in the text1 that we ought to be content with food and raiment2 and the wise man says1 ,give me neither poverty nor riches2 feed me with food convenient for me#a4 ,and our ,lord would have us take no thought for the morrow1 which surely is a dissuasion from aggrandizing ourselves1 accumulating wealth1 or aiming at distinction4 ,and ,he has taught us when we pray to say1 ,give us this day our daily bread4 ,yet a great number of persons1 ,i may say1 nearly all men1 are not content with enough1 they are not satisfied with sufficiency2 they wish for something more than simplicity1 and plainness1 and gravity1 and modesty1 in their mode of living2 they like show and splendour1 and admiration from the many1 and obsequiousness on the part of those who have to do with them1 and the ability to do as they will2 they like to attract the eye1 to be received with consideration and respect1 to be heard with deference1 to be obeyed with promptitude2 they love greetings in the markets1 and the highest seats2 they like to be well dressed1 and to have titles of honour4 ,now1 then1 ,i will attempt to show that these gifts of the world which men seek are not to be reckoned good things2 that they are ill suited to our nature and our present state1 and are dangerous to us2 that it is on the whole best for our prospects of happiness even here1 not to say hereafter1 that we should be without them4 ,now1 first1 that these worldly advantages1 as they are called1 are not productive of any great enjoyment even now to the persons possessing them1 it does not require many words to prove4 ,i might indeed maintain1 with no slight show of reason1 that these things1 so far from increasing happiness1 are generally the source of much disquietude2 that as a person has more wealth1 or more power1 or more distinction1 his cares generally increase1 and his time is less his own3 thus1 in the words of the preacher1 the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep1 and1 in much wisdom is much grief1 and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow#b4 ,but however this may be1 at least these outward advantages do not increase our happiness4 ,let me ask any one who has succeeded in any object of his desire1 has he experienced in his success that full1 that lasting satisfaction which he anticipated8 ,did not some feeling of disappointment1 of weariness1 of satiety1 of disquietude1 after a short time1 steal over his mind8 ,i think it did2 and if so2 what reason has he to suppose that that greater share of reputation1 opulence1 and influence which he has not1 and which he desires1 would1 if granted him1 suffice to make him happy8 ,no2 the fact is certain1 however slow and unwilling we may be to believe it1 none of these things bring the pleasure which we beforehand suppose they will bring4 ,watch narrowly the persons who possess them1 and you will at length discover the same uneasiness and occasional restlessness which others have2 you will find that there is just a something beyond1 which they are striving after1 or just some one thing which annoys and distresses them4 ,the good things you admire please for the most part only while they are new2 now those who have them are accustomed to them1 so they care little for them1 and find no alleviation in them of the anxieties and cares which still remain4 ,it is fine1 in prospect and imagination1 to be looked up to1 admired1 applauded1 courted1 feared1 to have a name among men1 to rule their opinions or their actions by our word1 to create a stir by our movements1 while men cry1 ,bow the knee1 before us2 but none knows so well how vain is the world's praise1 as he who has it4 ,and why is this8 ,it is1 in a word1 because the soul was made for religious employments and pleasures2 and hence1 that no temporal blessings1 however exalted or refined1 can satisfy it4 ,as well might we attempt to sustain the body on chaff1 as to feed and nourish the immortal soul with the pleasures and occupations of the world4 ,only thus much1 then1 shall ,i say on the point of worldly advantages not bringing present happiness4 ,but next1 let us consider that1 on the other hand1 they are positively dangerous to our eternal interests4 ,many of these things1 if they did no other harm1 at least are injurious to our souls1 by taking up the time which might else be given to religion4 ,much intercourse with the world1 which eminence and station render a duty1 has a tendency to draw off the mind from ,god1 and deaden it to the force of religious motives and considerations4 ,there is a want of sympathy between much business and calm devotion1 great splendour and a simple faith1 which will be to no one more painful than to the ,christian1 to whom ,god has assigned some post of especial responsibility or distinction4 ,to maintain a religious spirit in the midst of engagements and excitements of this world is possible only to a saint2 nay1 the case is the same though our business be one of a charitable and religious nature1 and though our chief intercourse is with those whom we believe to have their minds set upon religion1 and whose principles and conduct are not likely to withdraw our feet from the narrow way of life4 ,for here we are likely to be deceived from the very circumstance that our employments are religious2 and our end1 as being a right one1 will engross us1 and continually tempt us to be inattentive to the means1 and to the spirit in which we pursue it4 ,our ,lord alludes to the danger of multiplied occupations in the ,parable of the ,sower3 ,he that received seed among thorns1 is he that heareth the word1 and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word1 and he becometh unfruitful4 ,again1 these worldly advantages1 as they are called1 will seduce us into an excessive love of them4 ,we are too well inclined by nature to live by sight1 rather than by faith2 and besides the immediate enjoyment1 there is something so agreeable to our natural tastes in the honours and emoluments of the world1 that it requires an especially strong mind1 and a large measure of grace1 not to be gradually corrupted by them4 ,we are led to set our hearts upon them1 and in the same degree to withdraw them from ,god4 ,we become unwilling to leave this visible state of things1 and to be reduced to a level with those multitudes who are at present inferior to ourselves4 ,prosperity is sufficient to seduce1 although not to satisfy4 ,hence death and judgment are unwelcome subjects of reflection to the rich and powerful2 for death takes from them those comforts which habit has made necessary to them1 and throws them adrift on a new order of things1 of which they know nothing1 save that in it there is no respect of persons4 ,and as these goods lead us to love the world1 so again do they lead us to trust in the world3 we not only become worldly-minded1 but unbelieving2 our wills becoming corrupt1 our understandings also become dark1 and disliking the truth1 we gradually learn to maintain and defend error4 ,st4 ,paul speaks of those who having put away a good conscience1 concerning faith made shipwreck#c4 ,familiarity with this world makes men discontented with the doctrine of the narrow way2 they fall into heresies1 and attempt to attain salvation on easier terms than those which ,christ holds out to us4 ,in a variety of ways this love of the world operates4 ,men's opinions are imperceptibly formed by their wishes4 ,if1 for instance1 we see our worldly prospects depend1 humanly speaking1 upon a certain person1 we are led to court him1 to honour him1 and adopt his views1 and trust in an arm of flesh1 till we forget the overruling power of ,god's providence1 and the necessity of ,his blessing1 for the building of the house and the keeping of the city4 ,and moreover1 these temporal advantages1 as they are considered1 have a strong tendency to render us self-confident4 ,when a man has been advanced in the world by means of his own industry and skill1 when he began poor and ends rich1 how apt will he be to pride himself1 and confide1 in his own contrivances and his own resources6 ,or when a man feels himself possessed of good abilities2 of quickness in entering into a subject1 or of powers of argument to discourse readily upon it1 or of acuteness to detect fallacies in dispute with little effort1 or of a delicate and cultivated taste1 so as to separate with precision the correct and beautiful in thought and feeling from the faulty and irregular1 how will such an one be tempted to self-complacency and self-approbation6 how apt will he be to rely upon himself1 to rest contented with himself1 to be harsh and impetuous2 or supercilious2 or to be fastidious1 indolent1 unpractical2 and to despise the pure1 self-denying1 humble temper of religion1 as something irrational1 dull1 enthusiastic1 or needlessly rigorous6 ,these considerations on the extreme danger of possessing temporal advantages1 will be greatly strengthened by considering the conduct of holy men when gifted with them4 ,take1 for instance1 ,hezekiah1 one of the best of the ,jewish kings4 ,he1 too1 had been schooled by occurrences which one might have thought would have beaten down all pride and self-esteem4 ,the king of ,assyria had come against him1 and seemed prepared to overwhelm him with his hosts2 and he had found his ,god a mighty ,deliverer1 cutting off in one night of the enemy an hundred fourscore and five thousand men4 ,and again1 he had been miraculously recovered from sickness1 when the sun's shadow turned ten degrees back1 to convince him of the certainty of the promised recovery4 ,yet when the king of ,babylon sent ambassadors to congratulate him on this recovery1 we find this holy man ostentatiously displaying to them his silver1 and gold1 and armour4 ,truly the heart is deceitful above all things2 and it was1 indeed1 to manifest this more fully that ,god permitted him thus to act4 ,god left him1 says the inspired writer1 to try him1 that he might know all that was in his heart#d4 ,let us take ,david as another instance of the great danger of prosperity2 he1 too1 will exemplify the unsatisfactory nature of temporal goods2 for which1 think you1 was the happier1 the lowly shepherd or the king of ,israel8 ,observe his simple reliance on ,god and his composure1 when advancing against ,goliath3 ,the ,lord1 he says1 that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear1 ,he will deliver me out of the hand of this ,philistine#e4 ,and compare this with his grievous sins1 his continual errors1 his weaknesses1 inconsistencies1 and then his troubles and mortifications after coming to the throne of ,israel2 and who will not say that his advancement was the occasion of both sorrow and sin1 which1 humanly speaking1 he would have escaped1 had he died amid the sheepfolds of ,jesse8 ,he was indeed most wonderfully sustained by ,divine grace1 and died in the fear of ,god2 yet what rightminded and consistent ,christian but must shrink from the bare notion of possessing a worldly greatness so corrupting and seducing as ,david's kingly power was shown to be in the instance of so great a ,saint8 ,the case of ,solomon is still more striking2 his falling away even surpasses our anticipation of what our ,saviour calls the deceitfulness of riches4 ,he may indeed1 for what we know1 have repented2 but at least the history tells us nothing of it4 ,all we are told is1 that ,king ,solomon loved many strange women 4 4 4 and it came to pass when ,solomon was old1 that his wives turned away his heart after other gods2 and his heart was not perfect with the ,lord his ,god1 as was the heart of ,david his father4 ,for ,solomon went after ,ashtaroth1 the goddess of the ,sidonians1 and after ,milcom1 the abomination of the ,ammonites#f4 ,yet this was he who had offered up that most sublime and affecting prayer at the ,dedication of the ,temple1 and who1 on a former occasion1 when the ,almighty gave him the choice of any blessing he should ask1 had preferred an understanding heart to long life1 and honour1 and riches4 ,so dangerous1 indeed1 is the possession of the goods of this world1 that1 to judge from the ,scripture history1 seldom has ,god given unmixed prosperity to any one whom ,he loves4 ,blessed is the man1 says the ,psalmist1 whom ,thou chastenest1 and teachest him out of ,thy law#g4 ,even the best men require some pain or grief to sober them and keep their hearts right4 ,thus1 to take the example of ,st4 ,paul himself1 even his labours1 sufferings1 and anxieties1 he tells us1 would not have been sufficient to keep him from being exalted above measure1 through the abundance of the revelations1 unless there had been added some further cross1 some thorn in the flesh#h1 as he terms it1 some secret affliction1 of which we are not particularly informed1 to humble him1 and to keep him in a sense of his weak and dependent condition4 ,the history of the ,church after him affords us an additional lesson of the same serious truth4 ,for three centuries it was exposed to heathen persecution2 during that long period ,god's ,hand was upon ,his people3 what did they do when that ,hand was taken off8 ,how did they act when the world was thrown open to them1 and the saints possessed the high places of the earth8 did they enjoy it8 far from it1 they shrank from that which they might1 had they chosen1 have made much of2 they denied themselves what was set before them2 when ,god's ,hand was removed1 their own hand was heavy upon them4 ,wealth1 honour1 and power1 they put away from them4 ,they recollected our ,lord's words1 ,how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of ,god#i6 ,and ,st4 ,james's1 ,hath not ,god chosen the poor of this world1 rich in faith1 and heirs of the kingdom#aj8 ,for three centuries they had no need to think of those words1 for ,christ remembered them1 and kept them humble2 but when ,he left them to themselves1 then they did voluntarily what they had hitherto suffered patiently4 ,they were resolved that the ,gospel character of a ,christian should be theirs4 ,still1 as before1 ,christ spoke of ,his followers as poor and weak1 and lowly and simple-minded2 men of plain lives1 men of prayer1 not faring sumptuously1 or clad in soft raiment1 or taking thought for the morrow4 ,they recollected what ,he said to the young ,ruler1 ,if thou wilt be perfect1 go and sell that thou hast1 and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven1 and come and follow ,me4 ,and so they put off their gay clothing1 their gold1 and pearls1 and costly array2 they sold that they had1 and gave alms2 they washed one another's feet2 they had all things common4 ,they formed themselves into communities for prayer and praise1 for labour and study1 for the care of the poor1 for mutual edification1 and preparation for ,christ2 and thus1 as soon as the world professed to be ,christian1 ,christians at once set up among them a witness against the world1 and kings and monks came into the ,church together4 ,and from that time to this1 never has the union of the ,church with the ,state prospered1 but when the ,church was in union also with the hermitage and the cell4 ,moreover1 in those religious ages1 ,christians avoided greatness in the ,church as well as in the world4 ,they would not accept rank and station on account of their spiritual peril1 when they were no longer encompassed by temporal trials4 ,when they were elected to the episcopate1 when they were appointed to the priesthood1 they fled away and hid themselves4 ,they recollected our ,lord's words1 ,whosoever will be chief among you1 let him be your servant2 and again1 ,be not ye called ,rabbi1 for one is your ,master1 even ,christ1 and all ye are brethren#aa4 ,and when discovered and forced to the eminence which they shunned1 they made much lament1 and were in many tears4 ,and they felt that their higher consideration in the world demanded of them some greater strictness and self-denial in their course of life1 lest it should turn to a curse1 lest the penance of which it would defraud them here1 should be visited on them in manifold measure hereafter4 ,they feared to have their good things and their consolation on earth1 lest they should not have ,lazarus' portion in heaven4 ,that state of things indeed is now long passed away1 but let us not miss the doctrinal lesson which it conveys1 if we will not take it for our pattern4 ,before ,i conclude1 however1 ,i must take notice of an objection which may be made to what ,i have been saying4 ,it may be asked1 ,are not these dangerous things the gifts of ,god8 ,are they not even called blessings8 ,did not ,god bestow riches and honour upon ,solomon as a reward8 ,and did ,he not praise him for praying for wisdom8 ,and does not ,st4 ,paul say1 ',covet earnestly the best gifts#ab8' ,it is true2 nor did ,i ever mean to say that these things were bad in themselves1 but bad1 for us1 if we seek them as ends1 and dangerous to us from their fascination4 ,every creature of ,god is good1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 and nothing to be refused#ac2 but circumstances may make good gifts injurious in our particular case4 ,wine is good in itself1 but not for a man in a fever4 ,if our souls were in perfect health1 riches and authority1 and strong powers of mind1 would be very suitable to us3 but they are weak and diseased1 and require so great a grace of ,god to bear these advantages well1 that we may be well content to be without them4 ,still it may be urged1 ,are we then absolutely to give them up if we have them1 and not accept them when offered8 ,it may be a duty to keep them1 it is sometimes a duty to accept them2 for in certain cases ,god calls upon us not so much to put them away1 as to put away our old natures1 and make us new hearts and new spirits1 wherewith to receive them4 ,at the same time1 it is merely for our safety to know their perilous nature1 and to beware of them1 and in no case to take them simply for their own sake1 but with a view to ,god's glory4 ,they must be instruments in our hands to promote the cause of ,gospel truth4 ,and1 in this light1 they have their value1 and impart their real pleasure2 but be it remembered1 that value and that happiness are imparted by the end to which they are dedicated2 ,it is the altar that sanctifieth the gift#ad3 but1 compared with the end to which they must be directed1 their real and intrinsic excellence is little indeed4 ,in this point of view it is that we are to covet earnestly the best gifts3 for it is a great privilege to be allowed to serve the ,church4 ,have we wealth8 let it be the means of extending the knowledge of the truth--abilities8 of recommending it--power8 of defending it4 ,from what ,i have said concerning the danger of possessing the things which the world admires1 we may draw the following rule3 use them1 as far as given1 with gratitude for what is really good in them1 and with a desire to promote ,god's glory by means of them1 but do not go out of the way to seek them4 ,they will not on the whole make you happier1 and they may make you less religious4 ,for us1 indeed1 who are all the adopted children of ,god our ,saviour1 what addition is wanting to complete our happiness8 ,what can increase their peace who believe and trust in the ,son of ,god8 ,shall we add a drop to the ocean1 or grains to the sand of the sea8 ,shall we ask for an earthly inheritance1 who have the fulness of an heavenly one2 power1 when in prayer we can use the power of ,christ1 or wisdom1 guided as we may be by the true ,wisdom and ,light of men8 ,it is in this sense that the ,gospel of ,christ is a leveller of ranks3 we pay1 indeed1 our superiors full reverence1 and with cheerfulness as unto the ,lord2 and we honour eminent talents as deserving admiration and reward1 and the more readily act we thus1 because these are little things to pay4 ,the time is short1 year follows year1 and the world is passing away4 ,it is of small consequence to those who are beloved of ,god1 and walk in the ,spirit of truth1 whether they pay or receive honour1 which is but transitory and profitless4 ,to the true ,christian the world assumes another and more interesting appearance2 it is no longer a stage for the great and noble1 for the ambitious to fret in1 and the wealthy to revel in2 but it is a scene of probation4 ,every soul is a candidate for immortality4 ,and the more we realize this view of things1 the more will the accidental distinctions of nature or fortune die away from our view1 and we shall be led habitually to pray1 that upon every ,christian may descend1 in rich abundance1 not merely worldly goods1 but that heavenly grace which alone can turn this world to good account for us1 and make it the path of peace and of life everlasting4 #a ,prov4 xxx4 #h4 #b ,eccles4 i4 #ah4 #c #a ,tim4 i4 #ai4 #d #b ,chron4 xxxii4 #ca4 #e #a ,sam4 xvii4 #cg4 #f #a ,kings xi4 #a1 #d1 #e4 #g ,ps4 xciv4 #ab4 #h #b ,cor4 xii4 #g4 #i ,mark x4 #bc4 #aj ,james ii4 #e4 #aa ,matt4 xx4 #bg1 xxiii4 #h4 #ab #a ,cor4 xii4 #ca4 #ac #a ,tim4 iv4 #d4 #ad #a ,matt4 xxiii4 #ai4 ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,the ,season of ,epiphany4 ,this beginning of miracles did ,jesus in ,cana of ,galilee1 and manifested forth ,his glory2 and ,his disciples believed on ,him4--,john ii4 #aa4 ,the ,epiphany is a season especially set apart for adoring the glory of ,christ4 ,the word may be taken to mean the manifestation of ,his glory1 and leads us to the contemplation of ,him as a ,king upon ,his throne in the midst of ,his court1 with ,his servants around ,him1 and ,his guards in attendance4 ,at ,christmas we commemorate ,his grace2 and in ,lent ,his temptation2 and on ,good ,friday ,his sufferings and death2 and on ,easter ,day ,his victory2 and on ,holy ,thursday ,his return to the ,father2 and in ,advent we anticipate ,his second coming4 ,and in all of these seasons ,he does something1 or suffers something3 but in the ,epiphany and the weeks after it1 we celebrate ,him1 not as on ,his field of battle1 or in ,his solitary retreat1 but as an august and glorious ,king2 we view ,him as the ,object of our worship4 ,then only1 during ,his whole earthly history1 did ,he fulfil the type of ,solomon1 and held 7as ,i may say7 a court1 and received the homage of ,his subjects2 viz4 when ,he was an infant4 ,his throne was ,his undefiled ,mother's arms2 ,his chamber of state was a cottage or a cave2 the worshippers were the wise men of the ,east1 and they brought presents1 gold1 frankincense1 and myrrh4 ,all around and about ,him seemed of earth1 except to the eye of faith2 one note alone had ,he of ,divinity4 ,as great men of this world are often plainly dressed1 and look like other men1 all but as having some one costly ornament on their breast or on their brow2 so the ,son of ,mary in ,his lowly dwelling1 and in an infant's form1 was declared to be the ,son of ,god ,most ,high1 the ,father of ,ages1 and the ,prince of ,peace1 by ,his star2 a wonderful appearance which had guided the wise men all the way from the ,east1 even unto ,bethlehem4 ,this being the character of this ,sacred ,season1 our services throughout it1 as far as they are proper to it1 are full of the image of a king in his royal court1 of a sovereign surrounded by subjects1 of a glorious prince upon a throne4 ,there is no thought of war1 or of strife1 or of suffering1 or of triumph1 or of vengeance connected with the ,epiphany1 but of august majesty1 of power1 of prosperity1 of splendour1 of serenity1 of benignity4 ,now1 if at any time1 it is fit to say1 ,the ,lord is in ,his holy temple1 let all the earth keep silence before ,him#a4 ,the ,lord sitteth above the waterflood1 and the ,lord remaineth a king for ever4 ,the ,lord of ,hosts is with us2 the ,god of ,jacob is our refuge4 ,o come1 let us worship1 and fall down1 and kneel before the ,lord our ,maker4 ,o magnify the ,lord our ,god1 and fall down before ,his footstool1 for ,he is ,holy4 ,o worship the ,lord in the beauty of holiness2 bring presents1 and come into ,his courts4 ,i said that at this time of year the portions of our services which are proper to the season are of a character to remind us of a king on his throne1 receiving the devotion of his subjects4 ,such is the narrative itself1 already referred to1 of the coming of the wise men1 who sought ,him with their gifts from a place afar off1 and fell down and worshipped ,him4 ,such too1 is the account of ,his baptism1 which forms the ,second ,lesson of the feast of the ,epiphany1 when the ,holy ,ghost descended on ,him1 and a ,voice from heaven acknowledged ,him to be the ,son of ,god4 ,and if we look at the ,gospels read throughout the season1 we shall find them all containing some kingly action of ,christ1 the ,mediator between ,god and man4 ,thus in the ,gospel for the ,first ,sunday1 ,he manifests ,his glory in the temple at the age of twelve years1 sitting among the doctors1 and astonishing them with ,his wisdom4 ,in the ,gospel for the ,second ,sunday ,he manifests ,his glory at the wedding feast1 when ,he turned the water into wine1 a miracle not of necessity or urgency1 but especially an august and bountiful act--the act of a ,king1 who out of ,his abundance gave a gift to ,his own1 therewith to make merry with their friends4 ,in the ,third ,sunday1 the leper worships ,christ1 who thereupon heals him2 the centurion1 again1 reminds ,him of ,his ,angels and ministers1 and ,he speaks the word1 and his servant is restored forthwith4 ,in the ,fourth1 a storm arises on the lake1 while ,he is peacefully sleeping1 without care or sorrow1 on a pillow2 then ,he rises and rebukes the winds and the sea1 and a calm follows1 deep as that of ,his own soul1 and the beholders worship ,him4 ,and next ,he casts out ,legion1 after the man possessed with it had also run and worshipped ,him#b4 ,in the ,fifth1 we hear of ,his kingdom on earth1 and of the enemy sowing tares amid the good seed4 ,and in the ,sixth1 of ,his second ,epiphany from heaven1 with power and great glory4 ,such is the series of manifestations which the ,sundays after the ,epiphany bring before us4 ,when ,he is with the doctors in the temple4 ,he is manifested as a prophet--in turning the water into wine1 as a priest--in ,his miracles of healing1 as a bounteous ,lord1 giving out of ,his abundance--in ,his rebuking the sea1 as a ,sovereign1 whose word is law--in the parable of the wheat and tares1 as a guardian and ruler--in ,his second coming1 as a lawgiver and judge4 ,and as in these ,gospels we hear of our ,saviour's greatness1 so in the ,epistles and ,first ,lessons we hear of the privileges and the duties of the new people1 whom ,he has formed to show forth ,his praise4 ,christians are at once the temple of ,christ1 and ,his worshippers and ministers in the temple2 they are the ,bride of the ,lamb taken collectively1 and taken individually1 they are the friends of the ,bridegroom and the guests at the marriage feast4 ,in these various points of view are they presented to us in the ,services during these weeks4 ,in the ,lessons from the prophet ,isaiah we read of the gifts and privileges1 the characteristics1 the power1 the fortunes of the ,church--how widely spreading1 even throughout all the ,gentiles2 how awful and high1 how miraculously endowed1 how revered1 how powerful upon earth1 how rich in temporal goods1 how holy1 how pure in doctrine1 how full of the ,spirit4 ,and in the ,epistles for the successive ,sundays1 we hear of the duties and distinguishing marks of her true members1 principally as laid down in the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of ,st4 ,paul to the ,romans2 then as the same ,apostle enjoins them upon the ,colossians2 and then in ,st4 ,john's exhortations in his ,general ,epistle4 ,the ,collects are of the same character1 as befit the supplications of subjects coming before their ,king4 ,the first is for knowledge and power1 the second is for peace1 the third is for strength in our infirmities1 the fourth is for help in temptation1 the fifth is for protection1 and the sixth is for preparation and purification against ,christ's second coming4 ,there is none which would suit a season of trial1 or of repentance1 or of waiting1 or of exultation--they befit a season of peace1 thanksgiving1 and adoration1 when ,christ is not manifested in pain1 conflict1 or victory1 but in the tranquil possession of ,his kingdom4 ,it will be sufficient to make one reflection1 which suggests itself from what ,i have been saying4 ,you will observe1 then1 that the only display of royal greatness1 the only season of majesty1 homage1 and glory1 which our ,lord had on earth1 was in ,his infancy and youth4 ,gabriel's message to ,mary was in its style and manner such as befitted an ,angel speaking to ,christ's ,mother4 ,elisabeth1 too1 saluted ,mary1 and the future ,baptist his hidden ,lord1 in the same honourable way4 ,angels announced ,his birth1 and the shepherds worshipped4 ,a star appeared1 and the wise men rose from the ,east and made ,him offerings4 ,he was brought to the temple1 and ,simeon took ,him in ,his arms1 and returned thanks for ,him4 ,he grew to twelve years old1 and again ,he appeared in the temple1 and took ,his seat in the midst of the doctors4 ,but here ,his earthly majesty had its end1 or if seen afterwards1 it was but now and then1 by glimpses and by sudden gleams1 but with no steady sustained light1 and no diffused radiance4 ,we are told at the close of the last-mentioned narrative1 ,and ,he went down with ,his parents1 and came to ,nazareth1 and was subjected1 unto them#c4 ,his subjection and servitude now began in fact4 ,he had come in the form of a servant1 and now ,he took on ,him a servant's office4 ,how much is contained in the idea of ,his subjection6 and it began1 and ,his time of glory ended1 when ,he was twelve years old4 ,solomon1 the great type of the ,prince of ,peace1 reigned forty years1 and his name and greatness was known far and wide through the ,east4 ,joseph1 the much-loved son of ,jacob1 who in an earlier age of the ,church1 was a type of ,christ in ,his kingdom1 was in power and favour eighty years1 twice as long as ,solomon4 ,but ,christ1 the true ,revealer of secrets1 and the ,dispenser of the bread of life1 the true wisdom and majesty of the ,father1 manifested ,his glory but in ,his early years1 and then the ,sun of ,righteousness was clouded4 ,for ,he was not to reign really1 till ,he left the world4 ,he has reigned ever since2 nay1 reigned in the world1 though ,he is not in sensible presence in it--the invisible ,king of a visible kingdom--for ,he came on earth but to show what ,his reign would be1 after ,he had left it1 and to submit to suffering and dishonour1 that ,he might reign4 ,it often happens1 that when persons are in serious illnesses1 and in delirium in consequence1 or other disturbance of mind1 they have some few minutes of respite in the midst of it1 when they are even more than themselves1 as if to show us what they really are1 and to interpret for us what else would be dreary4 ,and again1 some have thought that the minds of children have on them traces of something more than earthly1 which fade away as life goes on1 but are the promise of what is intended for them hereafter4 ,and somewhat in this way1 if we may dare compare ourselves with our gracious ,lord1 in a parallel though higher way1 ,christ descends to the shadows of this world1 with the transitory tokens on ,him of that future glory into which ,he could not enter till ,he had suffered4 ,the star burned brightly over ,him for awhile1 though it then faded away4 ,we see the same law1 as it may be called1 of ,divine ,providence in other cases also4 ,consider1 for instance1 how the prospect of our ,lord's passion opens upon the ,apostles in the sacred history4 ,where did they hear of it8 ,moses and ,elias on the mountain appeared with ,him in glory1 and spake of ,his decease1 which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem#d4 ,that is1 the season of ,his bitter trial was preceded by a short gleam of the glory which was to be1 when ,he was suddenly transfigured1 and the fashion of ,his countenance was altered1 and ,his raiment was white and glistering#e4 ,and with this glory in prospect1 our ,lord abhorred not to die3 as it is written1 ,who for the joy that was set before ,him1 endured the ,cross1 despising the shame4 ,again1 ,he forewarned ,his ,apostles that they in like manner should be persecuted1 for righteousness' sake1 and be afflicted and delivered up1 and hated and killed4 ,such was to be their life in this world1 that if in this world only they had had hope in ,christ1 they had been of all men most miserable#f4 ,well then1 observe1 their trial too was preceded by a season of peace and pleasantness1 in anticipation of their future reward2 for before the day of ,pentecost1 for forty days ,christ was with them1 soothing1 comforting1 confirming them1 and speaking of the things pertaining unto the kingdom of ,god#g4 ,as ,moses stood on the mount and saw the promised land and all its riches1 and yet ,joshua had to fight many battles before he got possession1 so did the ,apostles1 before descending into the valley of the shadow of death1 whence nought of heaven was to be seen1 stand upon the heights1 and look over that valley1 which they had to cross1 to the city of the living ,god beyond it4 ,and so again1 ,st4 ,paul1 after many years of toil1 refers back to a time when he had a celestial vision1 anticipatory of what was to be his blessedness in the end4 ,i knew a man in ,christ1 he says1 meaning himself1 about fourteen years ago1 caught up to the third heaven4 4 4 4 ,and ,i knew such a man 4 4 4 how that he was caught up into ,paradise1 and heard unspeakable words1 which it is not lawful for a man to utter#h4 ,st4 ,paul then1 as the twelve ,apostles1 and as our ,lord before him1 had his brief season of repose and consolation before the battle4 ,and lastly3 the whole ,church also may be said to have had a similar mercy vouchsafed to it at first1 in anticipation of what is to be in the end4 ,we know1 alas1 too well1 that1 according to our ,lord's account of it1 tares are to be with the wheat1 fish of every kind in the net1 all through its sojourning on earth4 ,but in the end1 the saints shall stand before the throne of ,god1 and serve ,him day and night in ,his temple3 and the ,lamb shall feed them1 and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters1 and there shall be no more sorrow nor pain1 nor any thing that defileth or worketh abomination1 for without are dogs1 and sorcerers1 and whoremongers1 and murderers1 and idolaters1 and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie4 ,now was not this future glory shadowed forth in that infancy of the ,church1 when before the seal of the new dispensation was opened and trial began1 there was silence in heaven for half an hour2 and the disciples continued daily with one accord in the temple1 and in prayers1 breaking bread from house to house1 being of one heart1 and of one soul1 eating their meat with gladness and singleness of heart1 praising ,god1 and having favour with all the people#i2 while hypocrites and liars1 like ,ananias and ,sapphira1 were struck dead1 and sorcerers1 like ,simon1 were detected and denounced8 ,to conclude2 let us thankfully cherish all seasons of peace and joy which are vouchsafed us here below4 ,let us beware of abusing them1 and of resting in them1 of forgetting that they are special privileges1 of neglecting to look out for trouble and trial1 as our due and our portion4 ,trial is our portion here--we must not think it strange when trial comes after peace4 ,still ,god mercifully does grant a respite now and then2 and perhaps ,he grants it to us the more1 the more careful we are not to abuse it4 ,for all seasons we must thank ,him1 for time of sorrow and time of joy1 time of warfare and time of peace4 ,and the more we thank ,him for the one1 the more we shall be drawn to thank ,him for the other4 ,each has its own proper fruit1 and its own peculiar blessedness4 ,yet our mortal flesh shrinks from the one1 and of itself prefers the other2--it prefers rest to toil1 peace to war1 joy to sorrow1 health to pain and sickness4 ,when then ,christ gives us what is pleasant1 let us take it as a refreshment by the way1 that we may1 when ,god calls1 go in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto ,horeb1 the mount of ,god4 ,let us rejoice in ,epiphany with trembling1 that at ,septuagesima we may go into the vineyard with the labourers with cheerfulness1 and may sorrow in ,lent with thankfulness2 let us rejoice now1 not as if we have attained1 but in hope of attaining4 ,let us take our present happiness1 not as our true rest1 but1 as what the land of ,canaan was to the ,israelites1--a type and shadow of it4 ,if we now enjoy ,god's ordinances1 let us not cease to pray that they may prepare us for ,his presence hereafter4 ,if we enjoy the presence of friends1 let them remind us of the communion of saints before ,his throne4 ,let us trust in nothing here1 yet draw hope from every thing--that at length the ,lord may be our everlasting light1 and the days of our mourning may be ended4 #a ,hab4 ii4 #bj4 #b ,mark v4 #f4 #c ,luke ii4 #ea4 #d ,luke ix4 #cj1 #ca4 #e ,luke ix4 #bi4 #f #a ,cor4 xv4 #ai4 #g ,acts i4 #c4 #h #b ,cor4 xii4 #c1 #d4 #i ,acts ii4 #df1 #dg4 ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,the ,duty of ,self-,denial4 ,surely ,i have behaved and quieted myself1 as a child that is weaned of his mother3 my soul is even as a weaned child4--,psalm cxxxi4 #b4 ,self-denial of some kind or other is involved1 as is evident1 in the very notion of renewal and holy obedience4 ,to change our hearts is to learn to love things which we do not naturally love--to unlearn the love of this world2 but this involves1 of course1 a thwarting of our natural wishes and tastes4 ,to be righteous and obedient implies self-command2 but to possess power we must have gained it2 nor can we gain it without a vigorous struggle1 a persevering warfare against ourselves4 ,the very notion of being religious implies self-denial1 because by nature we do not love religion4 ,self-denial1 then1 is a subject never out of place in ,christian teaching2 still more appropriate is it at a time like this1 when we have entered upon the forty days of ,lent1 the season of the year set apart for fasting and humiliation4 ,this indeed is not all that is meant by self-denial2 but before proceeding with the subject1 ,i would ask whether the generality of mankind go as far as this3 it is plain that they do not4 ,they do not go so far as to realize to themselves that religious obedience involves a thwarting of those wishes and inclinations which are natural to them4 ,they do not like to be convinced1 much less will they act upon the notion1 that religion is difficult4 ,you may hear men of the world say plainly1 and as if in the way of argument1 that ,god will not punish us for indulging the passions with which we are born2 that it is no praise to be unnatural2 and no crime to be a man4 ,this1 however1 may seem an extreme case2 yet are there not a great many decent and respectable men1 as far as outward character goes1 who at least fix their thoughts on worldly comfort1 as the greatest of goods1 and who labour to place themselves in easy circumstances1 under the notion that1 when they can retire from the business of their temporal calling1 then they may 7in a quiet1 unexceptionable way of course7 consult their own tastes and likings1 take their pleasure1 and indulge themselves in self-importance and self-satisfaction1 in the enjoyment of wealth1 power1 distinction1 popularity1 and credit8 ,i am not at this moment asking whether such indulgences are in themselves allowable or not1 but whether the life which centres in them does not imply the absence of any very deep views of sanctification as a process1 a change1 a painful toil1 of working out our own salvation with fear and trembling1 of preparing to meet our ,god1 and waiting for the judgment8 ,you may go into mixed society2 you will hear men conversing on their friend's prospects1 openings in trade1 or realized wealth1 on his advantageous situation1 the pleasant connexions he has formed1 the land he has purchased1 the house he has built2 then they amuse themselves with conjecturing what this or that man's property may be1 where he lost1 where he gained1 his shrewdness1 or his rashness1 or his good fortune in this or that speculation4 ,observe1 ,i do not say that such conversation is wrong1 ,i do not say that we must always have on our lips the very thoughts which are deepest in our hearts1 or that it is safe to judge of individuals by such speeches2 but when this sort of conversation is the customary standard conversation of the world1 and when a line of conduct answering to it is the prevalent conduct of the world 7and this is the case71 is it not a grave question for each of us1 as living in the world1 to ask himself what abiding notion we have of the necessity of self-denial1 and how far we are clear of the danger of resembling that evil generation which ate and drank1 which married wives1 and were given in marriage1 which bought and sold1 planted1 and builded1 till it rained fire and brimstone from heaven1 and destroyed them all#a8 ,it is strange1 indeed1 how far this same forgetfulness and transgression of the duty of self-denial at present spreads4 ,take another class of persons1 very different from those just mentioned1 men who profess much love for religion--,i mean such as maintain1 that if a man has faith he will have works without his trouble1 so that he need be at no pains about performing them4 ,such persons at best seem to say1 that religious obedience is to follow as a matter of course1 an easy work1 or rather a necessary consequence1 from having some strong urgent motive1 or from some bright vision of the ,truth acting on the mind2 and thus they dismiss from their religion the notion of self-denial1 or the effort and warfare of faith against our corrupt natural will1 whether they actually own that they dismiss it or not4 ,i say that they do this at best1 for it often happens1 as ,i just now intimated1 that they actually avow their belief that faith is all-sufficient1 and do not let their minds dwell at all on the necessity of works of righteousness4 ,all this being considered1 surely ,i am not wrong in saying that the notion of self-denial as a distinct religious duty1 and1 much more 7as it may well be called71 the essence of religious obedience1 is not admitted into the minds of the generality of men4 ,but let it be observed1 ,i have hitherto spoken of self-denial not as a distinct duty actually commanded in ,scripture1 but merely as it is involved in the very notion of sanctification1 as necessarily attendant on that change of nature which ,god the ,holy ,spirit vouchsafes to work within us4 ,but now let us consider it in the light of the ,scripture precepts concerning it1 and we shall come to a still more serious view of it1 serious 7,i mean7 to those who are living to the world2 it is this1--that it is our duty1 not only to deny ourselves in what is sinful1 but even1 in a certain measure1 in lawful things1 to keep a restraint over ourselves even in innocent pleasures and enjoyments4 ,now the first proof ,i shall give of this will at the same time explain what ,i mean4 ,fasting is clearly a ,christian duty1 as our ,saviour implies in ,his ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,now what is fasting but a refraining from what is lawful2 not merely from what is sinful1 but what is innocent8--from that bread which we might lawfully take and eat with thanksgiving1 but which at certain times we do not take1 in order to deny ourselves4 ,such is ,christian self-denial1--not merely a mortification of what is sinful1 but an abstinence even from ,god's blessings4 ,again3 consider the following declaration of our ,saviour3 ,he first tells us1 ,strait is the gate1 and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life1 and few there be that find it4 ,and again3 ,strive to enter in1 for many1 ,i say unto you1 will seek 7only seek7 to enter in1 and shall not be able4 ,then ,he explains to us what this peculiar difficulty of a ,christian's life consists in3 ,if any man come to ,me1 and hate not his father1 and mother1 and wife1 and children1 and brethren1 and sisters1 yea1 and his own life also1 he cannot be ,my disciple#b4 ,now whatever is precisely meant by this 7which ,i will not here stop to inquire71 so far is evident1 that our ,lord enjoins a certain refraining1 not merely from sin1 but from innocent comforts and enjoyments of this life1 or a self-denial in things lawful4 ,again1 ,he says1 ,if any man will come after ,me1 let him deny himself1 and take up his cross daily1 and follow ,me#c4 ,here ,he shows us from ,his own example what ,christian self-denial is4 ,it is taking on us a cross after ,his pattern1 not a mere refraining from sin1 for ,he had no sin1 but a giving up what we might lawfully use4 ,this was the peculiar character in which ,christ came on earth4 ,it was this spontaneous and exuberant self-denial which brought ,him down4 ,he who was one with ,god1 took upon ,him our nature1 and suffered death--and why8 to save us whom ,he needed not save4 ,thus ,he denied ,himself1 and took up ,his cross4 ,this is the very aspect1 in which ,god1 as revealed in ,scripture1 is distinguished from that exhibition of ,his glory1 which nature gives us3 power1 wisdom1 love1 mercy1 long-suffering--these attributes1 though far more fully and clearly displayed in ,scripture than in nature1 still are in their degree seen on the face of the visible creation2 but self-denial1 if it may be said1 this incomprehensible attribute of ,divine ,providence1 is disclosed to us only in ,scripture4 ,god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his ,son#d4 ,here is self-denial4 ,and the ,son of ,god so loved us1 that though ,he was rich yet for our sakes ,he became poor#e4 ,here is our ,saviour's self-denial4 ,he pleased not ,himself4 ,and what ,christ did when ,he came on earth1 that have all ,his saints done both before and since ,his coming4 ,even the saints of the ,old ,testament so conducted themselves1 to whom a temporal promise was made1 and who1 if any1 might have surrendered themselves to the enjoyment of it4 ,they had a temporal promise1 they had a present reward2 yet1 with a noble faith1 and a largeness of soul 7how they put us to shame who have so much higher privileges67 the ,jewish believers grudged themselves the milk and honey of ,canaan1 as seeking a better country1 that is a heavenly4 ,elijah1 how unlike is he to one who had a temporal promise6 ,or take again the instance of ,daniel1 which is still more striking1--,they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses4 ,daniel was first in power in the palace of the greatest monarchs of his time4 ,yet what do we read of him8 ,first of his living upon pulse and water1 afterwards of his fasting in sackcloth and ashes1 at another time of his mourning three full weeks1 eating no pleasant bread1 neither flesh nor wine coming in his mouth1 nor anointing himself at all1 till those three weeks were fulfilled4 ,can any thing more clearly show the duty of self-denial1 even in lawful things1 in the case of ,christians1 when even ,god's servants1 before ,christ came and commanded it1 in proportion as they had evangelical gifts1 observed it8 ,or again1 consider the words of the text spoken by ,david1 who1 if any1 had riches and power poured upon him by the hand of ,god4 ,he says1 he has behaved and quieted himself lest he should be proud1 and made himself as a weaned child4 ,what an impressive word is weaned6 ,david had put away the unreserved love and the use of this world4 ,we naturally love the world1 and innocently2 it is before us1 and meets our eyes and hands first2 its pleasures are dear to us1 and many of them not in themselves sinful1 only in their excess1 and some of them not sinful at all2--those1 for instance1 which we derive from our home1 our friends1 and our prospects1 are the first and natural food of our mind4 ,but as children are weaned from their first nourishment1 so must our souls put away childish things1 and be turned from the pleasures of earth to those of heaven2 we must learn to compose and quiet ourselves as a weaned child1 to put up with the loss of what is dear to us1 nay1 voluntarily to give it up for ,christ's sake4 ,much more after ,christ came does ,st4 ,paul give us this same lesson in the ninth chapter of his first ,epistle to the ,corinthians3 ,every one that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things1 i4 e4 has power over himself1 and keeps himself in subjection1 as he presently says4 ,again1 in the seventh chapter1 ,the time is short2 it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none1 and they that weep as though they wept not1 and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not1 and they that buy as though they possessed not1 and they that use this world as not abusing it4 ,here the same doctrine of moderation or temperance in lawful indulgences is strongly enforced2 to weep1 to rejoice1 to buy1 to possess1 to marry1 to use this world1 are not unlawful1 yet we must not use ,god's earthly gifts to the full1 but in all things we must be self-denying4 ,such is ,christian self-denial1 and it is incumbent upon us for many reasons4 ,the ,christian denies himself in things lawful because he is aware of his own weakness and liability to sin2 he dares not walk on the edge of a precipice2 instead of going to the extreme of what is allowable1 he keeps at a distance from evil1 that he may be safe4 ,he abstains lest he should not be temperate2 he fasts lest he should eat and drink with the drunken4 ,as is evident1 many things are in themselves right and unexceptionable which are inexpedient in the case of a weak and sinful creature3 his case is like that of a sick person2 many kinds of food1 good for a man in health1 are hurtful when he is ill--wine is poison to a man in a fierce fever4 ,and just so1 many acts1 thoughts1 and feelings1 which would have been allowable in ,adam before his fall1 are prejudicial or dangerous in man fallen4 ,for instance1 anger is not sinful in itself4 ,st4 ,paul implies this1 when he says1 ,be ye angry and sin not#f4 ,and our ,saviour on one occasion is said to have been angry1 and ,he was sinless4 ,almighty ,god1 too1 is angry with the wicked4 ,anger1 then1 is not in itself a sinful feeling2 but in man1 constituted as he is1 it is so highly dangerous to indulge it1 that self-denial here is a duty from mere prudence4 ,it is almost impossible for a man to be angry only so far as he ought to be2 he will exceed the right limit1 his anger will degenerate into pride1 sullenness1 malice1 cruelty1 revenge1 and hatred4 ,it will inflame his diseased soul1 and poison it4 ,therefore1 he must abstain from it1 as if it were in itself a sin 7though it is not71 for it is practically such to him4 ,again1 the love of praise is in itself an innocent passion1 and might be indulged1 were the world's opinion right and our hearts sound2 but1 as things are1 human applause1 if listened to1 will soon make us forget how weak and sinful we are2 so we must deny ourselves1 and accept the praise even of good men1 and those we love1 cautiously and with reserve4 ,so1 again1 love of power is commonly attendant on a great mind2 but he is the greatest of a sinful race who refrains himself1 and turns from the temptation of it2 for it is at once unbecoming and dangerous in a son of ,adam4 ,whosoever will be great among you1 let him be your minister1 says our ,lord2 and whosoever will be chief among you1 let him be your servant#g4 ,his reward will be hereafter2 to reign with ,christ1 to sit down with ,him on ,his throne1 to judge angels1--yet without pride4 ,again1 even in affection towards our relations and friends1 we must be watchful over ourselves1 lest it seduce us from the path of duty4 ,many a father1 from a kind wish to provide well for his family1 neglects his own soul4 ,here1 then1 is a fault2 not that we can love our relations too well1 but that that strong and most praiseworthy affection for them may1 accidentally1 ensnare and corrupt our weak nature4 ,these considerations will show us the meaning of our ,saviour's words already cited1 about the duty of hating our friends4 ,to hate is to feel that perfect distaste for an object1 that you wish it put away and got rid of2 it is to turn away from it1 and to blot out the thought of it from your mind4 ,now this is just the feeling we must cherish towards all earthly blessings1 so far as ,christ does not cast ,his light upon them4 ,he 7blessed be ,his name7 has sanctioned and enjoined love and care for our relations and friends3 ,such love is a great duty2 but should at any time ,his guidance lead us by a strange way1 and the light of ,his providence pass on1 and cast these objects of our earthly affection into the shade1 then they must be at once in the shade to us1--they must1 for the time1 disappear from our hearts4 ,he that loveth father or mother more than ,me1 is not worthy of ,me4 ,so ,he says2 and at such times1 though still loving them1 we shall seem to hate them2 for we shall put aside the thought of them1 and act as if they did not exist4 ,and in this sense an ancient and harsh proverb is true3 we must always so love our friends as feeling that one day or other we may perchance be called upon to hate them1--that is1 forget them in the pursuit of higher duties4 ,here1 again1 then1 is an instance of self-denial in lawful things2 and if a person says it is painful thus to feel1 and that it checks the spontaneous and continual flow of love towards our friends to have this memento sounding in our ears1 we must boldly acknowledge that it is painful4 ,it is a sad thought1 not that we can ever be called upon actually to put away the love of them1 but to have to act as if we did not love them1--as ,abraham when called on to slay his son4 ,and this thought of the uncertainty of the future1 doubtless1 does tinge all our brightest affections 7as far as this world is concerned7 with a grave and melancholy hue4 ,we need not shrink from this confession1 remembering that this life is not our rest or happiness2--that remaineth to come4 ,this sober chastised feeling is the very temper of ,david1 when he speaks of having composed and quieted his soul1 and weaned it from the babe's nourishment which this world supplies4 ,i hope ,i have made it clear1 by these instances1 what is meant by ,christian self-denial4 ,if we have good health1 and are in easy circumstances1 let us beware of high-mindedness1 self-sufficiency1 self-conceit1 arrogance2 of delicacy of living1 indulgences1 luxuries1 comforts4 ,nothing is so likely to corrupt our hearts1 and to seduce us from ,god1 as to surround ourselves with comforts1--to have things our own way1--to be the centre of a sort of world1 whether of things animate or inanimate1 which minister to us4 ,for then1 in turn1 we shall depend on them2 they will become necessary to us2 their very service and adulation will lead us to trust ourselves to them1 and to idolize them4 ,what examples are there in ,scripture of soft luxurious men6 ,was it ,abraham before the ,law1 who wandered through his days1 without a home8 or ,moses1 who gave the ,law1 and died in the wilderness8 or ,david under the ,law1 who had no proud looks1 and was as a weaned child8 or the ,prophets1 in the latter days of the ,law1 who wandered in sheep-skins and goat-skins8 or the ,baptist1 when the ,gospel was superseding it1 who was clad in raiment of camel's hair1 and ate the food of the wilderness8 or the ,apostles1 who were the offscouring of all things8 or our blessed ,saviour1 who had not a place to lay ,his head8 ,who are the soft luxurious men in ,scripture8 ,there was the rich man1 who fared sumptuously every day1 and then lifted up his eyes in hell1 being in torments4 ,there was that other1 whose ground brought forth plentifully1 and who said1 ,soul1 thou hast much goods laid up for many years2 and his soul was required of him that night4 ,there was ,demas1 who forsook ,st4 ,paul1 having loved this present world4 ,and1 alas6 there was that highly-favoured1 that divinely-inspired king1 rich and wise ,solomon1 whom it availed nothing to have measured the earth1 and numbered its inhabitants1 when in his old age he loved many strange women1 and worshipped their gods4 ,far be it from us1 soldiers of ,christ1 thus to perplex ourselves with this world1 who are making our way towards the world to come4 ,no man that warreth1 entangleth himself with the affairs of this life1 that he may please ,him who hath chosen him to be a soldier4 ,if a man also strive for masteries1 yet is he not crowned1 except he strive lawfully4 ,this is ,st4 ,paul's rule1 as has already been referred to3 accordingly1 in another place1 he bears witness of himself that he died daily4 ,day by day he got more and more dead to this world2 he had fewer ties to earth1 a larger treasure in heaven4 ,nor let us think that it is over-difficult to imitate him1 though we be not ,apostles1 nor are called to any extraordinary work1 nor are enriched with any miraculous gifts3 he would have all men like himself1 and all may be like him1 according to their place and measure of grace4 ,if we would be followers of the great ,apostle1 first let us with him fix our eyes upon ,christ our ,saviour2 consider the splendour and glory of ,his holiness1 and try to love it4 ,let us strive and pray that the love of holiness may be created within our hearts2 and then acts will follow1 such as befit us and our circumstances1 in due time1 without our distressing ourselves to find what they should be4 ,you need not attempt to draw any precise line between what is sinful and what is only allowable3 look up to ,christ1 and deny yourselves every thing1 whatever its character1 which you think ,he would have you relinquish4 ,you need not calculate and measure1 if you love much3 you need not perplex yourselves with points of curiosity1 if you have a heart to venture after ,him4 ,true1 difficulties will sometimes arise1 but they will be seldom4 ,he bids you take up your cross2 therefore accept the daily opportunities which occur of yielding to others1 when you need not yield1 and of doing unpleasant services1 which you might avoid4 ,he bids those who would be highest1 live as the lowest3 therefore1 turn from ambitious thoughts1 and 7as far as you religiously may7 make resolves against taking on you authority and rule4 ,he bids you sell and give alms2 therefore1 hate to spend money on yourself4 ,shut your ears to praise1 when it grows loud3 set your face like a flint1 when the world ridicules1 and smile at its threats4 ,learn to master your heart1 when it would burst forth into vehemence1 or prolong a barren sorrow1 or dissolve into unseasonable tenderness4 ,curb your tongue1 and turn away your eye1 lest you fall into temptation4 ,avoid the dangerous air which relaxes you1 and brace yourself upon the heights4 ,be up at prayer a great while before day1 and seek the true1 your only ,bridegroom1 by night on your bed4 ,so shall self-denial become natural to you1 and a change come over you1 gently and imperceptibly2 and1 like ,jacob1 you will lie down in the waste1 and will soon see ,angels1 and a way opened for you into heaven4 #a ,luke xvii4 #bg-bi4 #b ,matt4 vii4 #ad4 ,luke xiii4 #bd2 xiv4 #bf4 #c ,luke ix4 #bc4 #d ,john iii4 #af4 #e #b ,cor4 viii4 #i4 #f ,eph4 iv4 #bf4 #g ,matt4 xx4 #bf1 #bg4 ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,the ,yoke of ,christ4 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart1 and ye shall find rest unto your souls2 for ,my yoke is easy1 and ,my burden is light4--,matt4 xi4 #bi1 #cj4 ,these words1 which are brought before us in the ,gospel of to-day's festival#a1 are also found in the address made to us upon ,ash ,wednesday1 in which we are told that if we return unto ,him who is the merciful ,receiver of all true penitent sinners1 if we will take ,his easy yoke and light burden upon us1 to follow ,him in lowliness1 patience1 and charity2 this1 if we do1 ,christ will deliver us from the curse of the law1 and from the extreme malediction which shall light upon them that shall be set on the left hand4 ,a few days since we were upon a ,fast-day called to take on us ,christ's yoke1 and now on a ,festival of an ,apostle the call is repeated4 ,and with a particular fitness it occurs1 now as often1 that we celebrate the feast of ,st4 ,matthias1 during ,lent2 for if there be an ,apostle who above the rest may be taken to remind us of the duty of mortification1 it is he4 ,our ,lord1 when asked why ,his disciples did not fast1 said1 they could not fast while ,he was with them1 but that the time would come1 when the ,bridegroom should be taken away from them1 and then should they fast in those days4 ,that time was now come1 when ,st4 ,matthias was chosen to be an ,apostle4 ,christ had gone away4 ,peace and joy the ,apostles had abundantly1 more so than when ,he was with them2 but for that very reason1 it was not such a joy as the world giveth4 ,it was ,his own joy which arose out of pain and chastisement4 ,this was the joy which ,st4 ,matthias received when he was made an ,apostle4 ,he never had been an ,apostle under age4 ,he had indeed been with our ,lord1 but not as an ,apostle4 ,the rest had been chosen 7as it were7 as children2 they had been heirs of the kingdom1 while under tutors and governors1 and1 though ,apostles1 had not understood their calling1 had had ambitious thoughts or desires after riches1 and were indulged for a while1 ere new made1 with the old wine1 lest the bottles should burst4 ,but ,st4 ,matthias came into his inheritance at once4 ,he took upon him at once1 upon his election1 the power and the penalty of the ,apostolate4 ,no dreams of earthly prosperity could flit around that throne1 which was reared over the grave of one who had been tried and had fallen1 and under the immediate shadow of the cross of ,him whom he had betrayed4 ,well1 then1 does ,st4 ,matthias repeat to us on this day our ,lord's words1 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me1 for he had taken it on him from the first4 ,his ,pastoral ,staff had ever been a crosier4 ,he had had no youth4 ,he had borne the yoke in his youth4 ,he entered at once upon his long ,lent1 and he rejoiced in it4 ,the exhortation1 then1 which our ,saviour gives in today's ,gospel1 and of which ,st4 ,matthiases history reminds us1 is at the present season most suitable4 ,our ,saviour says1 ,come unto ,me1 and then ,he adds1 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me4 ,thus ,he first calls us to ,him1 and next shows us the way4 ,come unto ,me1 ,he says1 and ,i will give you rest1 and then adds1 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and ye shall find rest for your souls4 ,he told the ,apostles that they must come to ,him1 but did not at once tell them the way2 ,he told them they must bear a yoke1 but did not at once tell them what it was4 ,st4 ,peter1 in consequence1 inquired about it on one occasion1 and was bid to wait awhile1 and he should know of it more plainly4 ,our ,lord had said1 ,whither ,i go1 thou canst not follow ,me now1 but thou shalt follow ,me afterwards4 ,ye shall seek ,me1 ,he said1 and whither ,i go ye cannot come#b4 ,he spoke of ,his yoke1 the way of ,his cross1 as ,st4 ,peter found when at length1 after ,his resurrection1 he was told plainly what should befall him4 ,when thou wast young1 said our ,lord to him1 by the lake of ,tiberias1 when thou wast a child in the faith1 and hadst thine own way1 thou girdedst thyself1 and walkedst whither thou wouldest1 as just before ,st4 ,peter had girt his fisher's coat unto him1 and cast himself into the sea2 but when thou shalt be old1 thou shalt stretch forth thy hands1 and another shall gird thee1 and carry thee whither thou wouldest not#c4 ,and then ,he added1 ,follow ,me4 ,st4 ,peter1 indeed1 was called upon literally to take ,christ's yoke upon him1 to learn of ,him and walk in ,his ways2 but what he underwent in fulness1 all ,christ's disciples must share in their measure1 in some way or other4 ,again1 in another place1 our ,lord speaks more expressly2 ,if any man will come after ,me1 let him deny himself1 and take up his cross1 and follow ,me#d4 ,here we have the words of the text emphatically repeated4 ,to come to ,christ1 is to come after ,him2 to take up our cross1 is to take upon us ,his yoke2 and though ,he calls this an easy yoke1 yet it is easy because it is ,his yoke1 and ,he makes it easy2 still it does not cease to be a yoke1 and it is troublesome and distressing1 because it is a yoke4 ,let us set it down then1 as a first principle in religion1 that all of us must come to ,christ1 in some sense or other1 through things naturally unpleasant to us2 it may be even through bodily suffering1 such as the ,apostles endured1 or it may be nothing more than the subduing of our natural infirmities and the sacrifice of our natural wishes2 it may be pain greater or pain less1 on a public stage or a private one2 but1 till the words yoke and cross can stand for something pleasant1 the bearing of our yoke and cross is something not pleasant1 and though rest is promised as our reward1 yet the way to rest must lie through discomfort and distress of heart4 ,this ,i say must be taken as a first principle in religion2 it concerns us all1 it concerns young and old1 rich and poor1 all of whom are apt to consider it a valid reason for disregarding and speaking against a religious life1 that it is so strict and distasteful4 ,they shrink from religion as something gloomy1 or frightful1 or dull1 or intrusive1 or exorbitant4 ,and1 alas1 sometimes it is attempted to lead them to religion by making it appear not difficult and severe4 ,severe truths are put aside1 religion is made to consist in a worldly security1 or again in a heated enthusiastic state of mind4 ,but this is a deceit4 ,i do not of course mean1 far from it1 that religion is not full of joy and peace also2 ,my yoke1 says ,christ1 is easy1 and ,my burden is light3 but grace makes it so2 in itself it is severe1 and any form of doctrine which teaches otherwise forgets that ,christ calls us to ,his yoke1 and that that yoke is a cross4 ,if you call to mind some of the traits of that special religious character to which we are called1 you will readily understand how both it1 and the discipline by which it is formed in us1 are not naturally pleasant to us4 ,that character is described in the text as meekness and lowliness2 for we are told to learn of ,him who was meek and lowly in heart4 ,the same character is presented to us at greater length in our ,saviour's sermon on the ,mount1 in which seven notes of a ,christian are given to us1 in themselves of a painful and humbling character1 but joyful1 because they are blessed by ,him4 ,he mentions1 first1 the poor in spirit1 this is denoted in the text1 under the word lowly in heart1--secondly1 those that mourn2 and this surely is their peculiarity who are bearing on their shoulders the yoke of ,christ2--thirdly1 the meek1 and these too are spoken of in the text1 when ,he bids us to be like ,himself who is meek2--fourthly1 those which do hunger and thirst after righteousness2 and what righteousness1 but that which ,christ's ,cross wrought out1 and which becomes our righteousness when we take on us the yoke of the ,cross8 ,fifthly1 the merciful1 and as the ,cross is in itself the work of infinite mercy1 so when we bear it1 it makes us merciful4 ,sixthly1 the pure in heart1 and this is the very benefit which the ,cross first does to us when marked on our forehead when infants1 to sever us from the world1 the flesh1 and the devil1 to circumcise us from the first ,adam1 and to make us pure as ,he is pure4 ,seventhly1 the peace-makers1 and as ,he made peace by the blood of ,his ,cross1 so do we become peace-makers after ,his pattern4 ,and1 lastly1 after all seven1 ,he adds1 those which are persecuted for righteousness' sake1 which is nothing but the ,cross itself1 and the truest form of ,his yoke1 spoken of last of all1 after mention has been made of its fruits4 ,such is the character of which the text speaks4 ,a man who is poor in spirit1 meek1 pure in heart1 merciful1 peace-making1 penitent1 and eager after righteousness1 is truly 7according to a term in current use7 a mortified man4 ,he is of a character which does not please us by nature even to see1 and much less to imitate4 ,we do not even approve or love the character itself1 till we have some portion of the grace of ,god4 ,we do not like the look of mortification till we are used to it1 and associate pleasant thoughts with it4 ,and when we shall see ,him1 there is no beauty1 that we should desire ,him1 says the ,prophet4 ,to whom has some picture of saint or doctor of the ,church any charm at first sight8 ,who does not prefer the ruddy glow of health and brightness of the eyes8 ,he hath no form nor comeliness1 as his ,lord and ,master before him4 ,and as we do not like the look of saintliness1 neither do we like the life4 ,when ,christ first announced ,his destined sufferings1 ,peter took ,him and began to rebuke ,him1 saying1 ,be it far from ,thee1 ,lord1 this shall not be unto ,thee4 ,here was the feeling of one who was as yet a mere child in grace2 ,when he was a child1 he spake as a child1 he understood as a child1 he thought as a child1 before he had become a man and had put away childish things4 ,this is ,st4 ,paul's language1 writing to the ,corinthians1 and he there furnishes us with another description1 under the name of charity1 of that same heavenly temper of mind in which ,christian manhood consists1 and which our ,lord had already described in the sermon on the ,mount2 ,he says1 ,though ,i speak with the tongues of men and of angels1 and have not charity1 ,i am become as sounding brass1 or a tinkling cymbal4 ,and then ,he describes it as suffering long1 kind1 envying not1 vaunting not1 behaving seemly1 unselfish1 rejoicing in the truth1 slow to be provoked1 bearing all things and hoping all4 ,and with this agrees ,st4 ,james's account of wisdom1 that it is pure1 peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy and good fruits1 without partiality and without hypocrisy#e4 ,in all these passages1 one and the same character is described acceptable to ,god1 unacceptable to man2 unacceptable to man both in itself1 and because it involves a change1 and that a painful one1 in one shape or other4 ,nothing short of suffering1 except in rare cases1 makes us what we should be2 gentle instead of harsh1 meek instead of violent1 conceding instead of arrogant1 lowly instead of proud1 pure-hearted instead of sensual1 sensitive of sin instead of carnal4 ,this is the especial object which is set before us1 to become holy as ,he who has called us is holy1 and to discipline and chasten ourselves in order that we may become so2 and we may be quite sure1 that unless we chasten ourselves4 ,god will chasten us4 ,if we judge ourselves1 through ,his mercy we shall not be judged of ,him2 if we do not afflict ourselves in light things4 ,he will afflict us in heavy things2 if we do not set about changing ourselves by gentle measures1 ,he will change us by severe remedies4 ,i refrain my soul1 says ,david1 and keep it low1 like as a child that is weaned from his mother4 ,i keep under my body1 and bring it into subjection1 says ,st4 ,paul4 ,of course ,satan will try to turn all our attempts to his own purposes4 ,he will try to make us think too much of ourselves for what we do2 he would fain make us despise others2 he will try to ensnare us in other ways4 ,of course he turns all things to evil1 as far as he can2 all our crosses may become temptations3 illness1 affliction1 bereavement1 pain1 loss of worldly prospects1 anxiety1 all may be instruments of evil2 so likewise may all methods of self-chastisement1 but they ought not to be1 and need not4 ,and their legitimate effect1 through the grace of the ,holy ,spirit1 is to make us like ,him who suffered all pain1 physical and moral1 sin excepted1 in its fulness4 ,we know what ,his character was2 how grave and subdued ,his speech1 ,his manner1 ,his acts2 what calmness1 self-possession1 tenderness1 and endurance2 how ,he resisted evil2 how ,he turned ,his cheek to the smiter2 how ,he blessed when persecuted2 how ,he resigned ,himself to ,his ,god and ,father1 how ,he suffered silently1 and opened not ,his mouth1 when accused maliciously4 ,alas6 so it is2 not only does the world not imitate such a temper of mind as this2 but1 if the truth must be spoken1 it despises it4 ,as regards1 indeed1 our ,lord's instance itself1 the force of education1 habit1 custom1 fear of each other1 and some remaining awe1 keep the world from reflecting upon the notes of character which the ,gospels ascribe to ,him1 but in ,his followers1 it does discern them1 it understands and it condemns them4 ,we are bidden lend and give1 asking for nothing again2 revenge not ourselves2 give our cloak when our coat is taken2 offer the left cheek when the right is smitten2 suffer without complaint2 account persons better than they are2 keep from bitter words2 pray only when others would be impatient to act2 deny ourselves for the sake of others2 live contented with what we are2 preserve an ignorance of sin and of the world3 what is all this1 but a character of mind which the world scorns and ridicules even more than it hates8 a character which seems to court insult1 because it endures it8 ,is not this what men of the world would say of such a one8 ,such a man is unfit for life2 he has no eye for any thing2 he does not know the difference between good and evil2 he is tame and spiritless1 he is simple and dull1 and a fit prey for the spoiler or defrauder2 he is cowardly and narrow-minded1 unmanly1 feeble1 superstitious1 and a dreamer1 with many other words more contemptuous and more familiar than would be becoming to use in ,church4 ,yet such is the character of which ,christ gave us the pattern2 such was the character of ,apostles2 such the character which has ever conquered the world4 ,in much patience1 in afflictions1 in necessities1 in distresses1 in stripes1 in imprisonments1 in watchings1 in fastings1 by pureness1 by knowledge1 by long-suffering1 by kindness1 by the ,holy ,ghost1 by love unfeigned1 by the word of truth1 by the power of ,god1 by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left1 by honour and dishonour1 by evil report and good report1 as deceivers and yet true1 as chastened and not killed1 as sorrowful yet alway rejoicing2--these are the weapons of our warfare1 which are not carnal1 but mighty through ,god to the pulling down of strong holds#f4 ,these are despised by the world1 but they have subdued the world4 ,nay1 though they seem most unmanly1 they in the event have proved most heroic4 ,for the heroical character springs out of them4 ,he who has thrown himself out of this world1 alone can overcome it2 he who has cut himself loose of it1 alone cannot be touched by it2 he alone can be courageous1 who does not fear it2 he alone firm1 who is not moved by it2 he alone severe with it1 who does not love it4 ,despair makes men bold1 and so it is that he who has nothing to hope from the world1 has nothing to fear from it4 ,he who has really tasted of the true ,cross1 can taste no bitterer pain1 no keener joy4 ,i have been trying to urge on you1 my brethren1 that the taking of ,christ's yoke1 and learning of ,him1 is something very distinct and special1 and very unlike any other service and character4 ,it is the result of a change from a state of nature1 a change so great as to be called a death or even a crucifixion of our natural state4 ,never allow yourselves1 my brethren1 to fancy that the true ,christian character can coalesce with this world's character1 or is the world's character improved--merely a superior kind of worldly character4 ,no1 it is a new character2 or1 as ,st4 ,paul words it1 a new creation4 ,speaking of the ,cross of ,christ1 he says1 ,god forbid that ,i should glory1 save in the ,cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by whom the world is crucified unto me1 and ,i unto the world4 ,for in ,christ ,jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing1 nor uncircumcision1 but a new creature#g4 ,it is a new character1 and it is one2 it is ever one and the same4 ,it is not one in ,apostles1 and another in the ,christian of this day2 not one in the high1 another in the low2 one in rich1 another in poor2 one in ,englishman1 another in foreigner2 one in man1 another in woman4 ,where ,christ is put on1 ,st4 ,paul tells us1 there is neither ,jew nor ,greek1 bond nor free1 male nor female1 but all are one in ,christ ,jesus#h4 ,what ,lazarus is1 that must ,dives become2 what ,apostles were1 that must each of us be4 ,the high in this world think it suitable in them to show a certain pride and self-confidence2 the wealthy claim deference on account of their wealth2 kings and princes think themselves above instruction from any2 men in the middle ranks consider it enough to be decent and respectable1 and deem sanctity superfluous in them2 the poor think to be saved by their poverty2--but to one and all ,christ speaks1 ,come unto ,me1 ,learn of ,me4 ,there is but one ,cross and one character of mind formed by it2 and nothing can be further from it than those tempers and dispositions in which the greater part of men called ,christians live4 ,to have one's own way1 to follow one's own tastes1 to please one's self1 to have things to one's mind1 not to be thwarted1 to indulge in the comforts of life1 to do little for ,god1 to think of ,him now and then indeed1 but to live to this world2 to aim at things of this world2 to judge of things by our own accidental judgment1 be it better or worse2 to measure religious men1 to decide upon right or wrong in religion1 by our favourite fancy2 to take a pride in forming and maintaining our own opinion2 to stand upon our rights2 to fear the hard words and cold looks of men1 to be afraid of being too religious1 to dread singularity2 to leave our hearts and minds1 our thoughts1 words1 and actions1 to take care of themselves3--this1 on one side or the other1 in this measure or that1 is the sort of character which the multitude1 even of what are called respectable men1 exemplify2 and no wonder1 this being the case1 that they speak against those who have1 or strive to have1 a more serious view of religion1 and whose mode of living condemns them4 ,if there be but one character of heart that can please ,god1 both of these contrary characters cannot please ,him1 one or the other does not2 if the easy religion is right1 the strict religion is wrong2 if strict religion is right1 easy religion is wrong4 ,let us not deceive ourselves2 there are not two ways of salvation--a broad and a narrow4 ,the world1 which chooses the broad way1 in consequence hates and spurns the narrow way2 and in turn our ,blessed ,lord1 who has chosen for us the narrow way1 hates1 scorns1 spurns1 denounces1 the broad way4 ,surely ,he does so2 ,he hates the broad way as entirely as the world hates the narrow way2 and if we are persuaded to take part with the world1 we take part against ,him4 ,when ,st4 ,peter said1 ,be it far from ,thee1 ,lord1 being shocked at the notice that his ,lord should suffer1 what was ,his answer8 ,did ,he thank him for his zeal8 ,did ,he1 at least1 let it pass in silence8 ,he answered1 ,get thee behind ,me1 ,satan1 for thou art an offence unto ,me2 for thou savourest not the things that be of ,god1 but those that be of men#i4 ,and in like manner to the corrupt church of ,laodicea ,he says1 ,because thou art lukewarm1 and neither cold nor hot1 ,i will cast thee out of ,my mouth4 ,because thou sayest1 ,i am rich1 and increased with goods1 and have need of nothing2 and knowest not1 that thou art wretched and miserable1 and poor1 and blind1 and naked2 ,i counsel thee to buy of ,me gold tried in the fire1 that thou mayest be rich1 and white raiment1 that thou mayest be clothed2 and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve1 that thou mayest see4 ,and then ,he adds3 ,as many as ,i love1 ,i rebuke and chasten2 that is1 ,he puts on them ,his yoke2 ,be zealous therefore and repent#aj4 ,to conclude4 ,if ,almighty ,god moves any of us1 so that we have high thoughts2 if from reading ,scripture or holy books we find that we can embrace views above the world2 if it is given us to recognize the glory of ,christ's kingdom1 to discern its spiritual nature1 to admire the life of saints1 and to desire to imitate it2 if we feel and understand that it is good to bear the yoke in our youth1 good to be in trouble1 good to be poor1 good to be in low estate1 good to be despised2 if in imagination we put ourselves at the feet of those mortified men of old time1 who1 after ,st4 ,paul's pattern1 died daily1 and knew no one after the flesh2 if we feel all this1 and are conscious we feel it2 let us not boast--why8 because of a surety such feelings are a pledge to us that ,god will in some way or other give them exercise4 ,he gives them to us that ,he may use them4 ,he gives us the opportunity of using them4 ,dare not to indulge in high thoughts2 be cautious of them1 and refrain2 they are the shadows of coming trials2 they are not given for nothing2 they are given for an end2 that end is coming4 ,my brethren1 count the cost2 never does ,god give faith but ,he tries-it2 never does ,he implant the wish to sit on ,his right hand and on ,his left1 but ,he fulfils it by making us wash our brethren's feet4 ,o fearful imaginations1 which are sure to be realized6 ,o dangerous wishes1 which are heard and forthwith answered6 ,only may ,god temper things to us1 that nothing may be beyond our strength6 #a ,preached on ,st4 ,matthias's day during ,lent4 #b ,john xiii4 #cf1 #cc4 #c ,john xxi4 #ah4 #d ,matt4 xvi4 #bd4 #e ,james iii4 #ag4 #f #b ,cor4 vi4 #d-aj2 x4 #d4 #g ,gal4 vi4 #ad1 #ae4 #h ,gal4 iii4 #bh4 #i ,matt4 xvi4 #bc4 #aj ,rev4 iii4 #af-ai4 ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,moses the ,type of ,christ4 ,the ,lord thy ,god will raise up unto thee a ,prophet from the midst of thee1 of thy brethren1 like unto me2 unto ,him ye shall hearken4--,deut4 xviii4 #ae4 ,the history of ,moses is valuable to ,christians1 not only as giving us a pattern of fidelity towards ,god1 of great firmness1 and great meekness1 but also as affording us a type or figure of our ,saviour ,christ4 ,no prophet arose in ,israel like ,moses1 till ,christ came1 when the promise in the text was fulfilled--,the ,lord thy ,god1 says ,moses1 shall raise up unto thee a ,prophet like unto me3 that was ,christ4 ,now let us consider in what respects ,moses resembled ,christ1 we shall find that this inquiry is very suitable at this time of year#a4 #a4 ,first1 if we survey the general history of the ,israelites1 we shall find that it is a picture of man's history1 as the dispensation of the ,gospel displays it to us1 and that in it ,moses takes the place of ,christ4 ,the ,israelites were in the land of strangers1 viz4 the ,egyptians2 they were slaves1 hardly tasked1 and wretched1 and ,god broke their bonds1 led them out of ,egypt1 after many perils1 to the promised land1 ,canaan1 a land flowing with milk and honey4 ,how clearly this prefigures to us the condition of the ,christian ,church6 ,we are by nature in a strange country1 ,god was our first ,father1 and ,his ,presence our dwelling-place3 but we were cast out of paradise for sinning1 and are in a dreary land1 a valley of darkness and the shadow of death4 ,we are born in this spiritual ,egypt1 the land of strangers4 ,still we have old recollections about us1 and broken traditions1 of our original happiness and dignity as freemen4 ,thoughts come across us from time to time which show that we were born for better things than to be slaves2 yet by nature slaves we are1 slaves to the ,devil4 ,he is our hard task-master1 as ,pharaoh oppressed the ,israelites2 so much the worse than he1 in that his chains1 though we do not see them1 become more and more heavy every year4 ,they cling about us and grow2 they multiply themselves1 they shoot out and spread forth1 and encircle us1 those chains of sin1 with many links1 minute but heavy1 weighing us down to the earth1 till at last we are mere slaves of the soil1 with an evil husbandry1 slaves of that fearful harvest which is eternal death4 ,satan is a tyrant over us1 and it seems to us useless to rebel4 ,if we attempt it1 we are but overpowered by his huge might1 and his oppressive rule1 and are made twice the children of hell that we were before3 we may groan and look about1 but we cannot fly from his country4 ,such is our state by nature4 ,but ,moses conducted the ,israelites from the house of bondage to their own land1 from which their fathers had descended into ,egypt4 ,he came to them from ,god1 and1 armed with ,god's power1 he smote their cruel enemies1 led them out of ,pharaoh's territory1 divided the ,red ,sea1 carried them through it1 and at length brought them to the borders of ,canaan4 ,and who is it that has done this for us ,christians8 ,who but the ,eternal ,son of ,god1 our ,lord and ,saviour1 whose name in consequence we bear8 ,he has rescued us from the arm of him who was stronger than we2 and therefore ,i say in this respect first of all1 ,christ is a second ,moses1 and a greater4 ,christ has broken the power of the ,devil4 ,he leads us forth on our way1 and makes a path through all difficulties1 that we may go forward towards heaven4 ,most men1 who have deliberately turned their hearts to seek ,god1 must recollect times when the view of the difficulties which lay before them1 and of their own weakness1 nearly made them sink through fear4 ,then they were like the children of ,israel on the shore of the ,red ,sea4 ,how boisterous did the waves look6 and they could not see beyond them2 they seemed taken by their enemies as in a net4 ,pharaoh with his horsemen hurried on to reclaim his runaway slaves2 the ,israelites sank down in terror on the sand of the sea-shore2 every moment brought death or captivity nearer to them4 ,then it was that ,moses said1 ,stand still1 and see the salvation of ,god4 ,and in like manner has ,christ spoken to us4 ,when our hearts fainted within us1 when we said to ourselves1 ,how is it possible that we should attain heaven8 ,when we felt how desirable it was to serve ,god1 but felt keenly the power of temptation2 when we acknowledged in our hearts that ,god was holy and most adorable1 and obedience to ,his will most lovely and admirable1 and yet recollected instances of our past disobedience1 and feared lest all our renewed resolutions to serve ,him would be broken and swept away by the old ,adam as mercilessly as heretofore1 and that ,satan would regain us1 and yet prayed earnestly to ,god for ,his saving help2 then ,he saved us against our fear1 surprising us by the strangeness of our salvation4 ,this1 ,i say1 many a one must recollect in his own case4 ,it happens to ,christians not once1 but again and again through life4 ,troubles are lightened1 trials are surmounted1 fears disappear4 ,we are enabled to do things above our strength by trusting to ,christ2 we overcome our most urgent sins1 we surrender our most innocent wishes2 we conquer ourselves2 we make a way through the powers of the world1 the flesh1 and the devil2 the waves divide1 and our ,lord1 the great ,captain of our salvation1 leads us over4 ,christ1 then1 is a second ,moses1 and greater than he1 inasmuch as ,christ leads from hell to heaven1 as ,moses led the ,israelites from ,egypt to ,canaan4 #b4 ,next1 ,christ reveals to us the will of ,god1 as ,moses to the ,israelites4 ,he is our ,prophet1 as well as our ,redeemer4 ,none was so favoured as ,moses in this respect3 before ,christ came1 ,moses alone saw ,god face to face2 all prophets after him but heard ,his voice or saw ,him in vision4 ,samuel was called by name1 but he knew not who called him in the dark night till ,eli told him4 ,isaiah saw the vision of the ,seraphim1 and heard them cry ,holy before the ,lord2 but it was not heaven that he saw1 but the mere semblance of the earthly temple in which ,god dwelt among the ,jews1 and clouds filled it4 ,but ,moses in some sense saw ,god and lived2 thus ,god honoured him4 ,if there be a prophet among you1 said ,almighty ,god1 ,i the ,lord will make ,myself known unto him in a vision1 and will speak unto him in a dream4 ,my servant ,moses is not so1 who is faithful in all ,mine house4 ,with him will ,i speak mouth to mouth1 even apparently1 and not in dark speeches1 and the similitude of the ,lord shall he behold#b3 and on his death we are told1 there arose not a prophet since in ,israel like unto ,moses1 whom the ,lord knew face to face#c4 ,when he was in the ,mount ,sinai it is said of him still more expressly1 ,the ,lord spake unto ,moses face to face1 as a man speaketh unto his friend#d4 ,in the ,mount he received from ,god the revelation of the ,law1 and the patterns of the holy services which the ,jews were to offer to ,god2 and so1 being favoured with the intimate knowledge of ,god's counsels1 when he came down1 his face shone with glory4 ,the ,divine majesty was reflected from it1 and the people dared not look upon him4 ,the skin of his face shone while he talked with ,him4 ,and when ,aaron and the children of ,israel saw ,moses1 they were afraid to come nigh him4 ,and till he had done speaking with them1 he put a veil on his face#e4 ,yet1 after all1 favoured as he was1 ,moses saw not the true presence of ,god4 ,flesh and blood cannot see it4 ,even when ,moses was in the ,mount1 he was aware that the very fulness of ,god's glory then revealed to him1 was after all but the surface of ,his infinitude4 ,the more he saw1 the deeper and wider did he know that to be which he saw not4 ,he prayed1 ,if ,i have found grace in ,thy sight1 show me now ,thy way1 that ,i may know ,thee1 that ,i may find grace in ,thy sight2 and ,god said1 ,my ,presence shall go with thee1 and ,i will give thee rest#f4 ,moses was encouraged to ask for further blessings1 he said1 ,i beseech ,thee1 show me ,thy glory4 ,this could not be granted1 ,thou canst not see ,my face2 for there shall no man see ,me1 and live4 ,so1 as the greatest privilege which he might attain1 ,moses was permitted to see the skirts of ,god's greatness--,the ,lord passed by in a cloud1 and proclaimed the ,name of the ,lord2 and ,moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth1 and worshipped#g4 ,and it was this sight of the mere apparel in which ,god ,almighty was arrayed1 which made his face to shine4 ,but ,christ really saw1 and ever saw1 the face of ,god1 for ,he was no creature of ,god1 but the ,only-begotten ,son1 who is in the bosom of the ,father4 ,from eternity ,he was with ,him in glory1 as ,he says ,himself1 dwelling in the abyss of the infinite greatness of the ,most ,high4 ,not for forty days1 as ,moses on the mount in figure1 but for ever and ever was ,he present as the ,counsellor of ,god1 as ,his ,word1 in whom ,he delighted4 ,such was ,he of old1 but at the time appointed ,he came forth from the ,father1 and showed ,himself in this external world1 first as its ,creator1 then as its ,teacher1 the ,revealer of secrets1 the ,mediator1 the ,off-streaming of ,god's glory1 and the ,express ,image of ,his ,person4 ,cloud nor image1 emblem nor words1 are interposed between the ,son and ,his ,eternal ,father4 ,no language is needed between the ,father and ,him1 who is the very ,word of the ,father2 no knowledge is imparted to ,him1 who by ,his very ,nature and from eternity knows the ,father1 and all that the ,father knows4 ,such are ,his own words1 ,no man knoweth the ,son but the ,father1 neither knoweth any man the ,father save the ,son1 and he to whomsoever the ,son will reveal ,him#h4 ,again ,he says1 ,he that hath seen ,me hath seen the ,father#i2 and ,he accounts for this when ,he tells us1 that ,he and the ,father are one#aj2 and that ,he is in the bosom of the ,father1 and so can disclose ,him to mankind1 being still in heaven1 even while ,he was on earth4 ,accordingly1 the ,blessed ,apostle draws a contrast between ,moses and ,christ to our comfort2 the ,law1 he says1 was given by ,moses1 but grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ#aa4 ,in ,him ,god is fully and truly seen1 so that ,he is absolutely the ,way1 and the ,truth1 and the ,life4 ,all our duties are summed up for us in the message ,he brings us4 ,those who look towards ,him for teaching1 who worship and obey ,him1 will by degrees see the light of the knowledge of the glory of ,god in ,his face1 and will be changed into the same image from glory to glory4 ,and thus it happens that men of the lowest class and the humblest education may know fully the ways and works of ,god2 fully1 that is1 as man can know them2 far better and more truly than the most sagacious man of this world1 to whom the ,gospel is hid4 ,religion has a store of wonderful secrets which no one can communicate to another1 and which are most pleasant and delightful to know4 ,call on ,me1 says ,god by the prophet1 and ,i will answer thee1 and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not of4 ,this is no mere idle boast1 but a fact which all who seek ,god will find to be true1 though they cannot perhaps clearly express their meaning4 ,strange truths about ourselves1 about ,god1 about our duty1 about the world1 about heaven and hell1 new modes of viewing things1 discoveries which cannot be put into words1 marvellous prospects and thoughts half understood1 deep convictions inspiring joy and peace1 these are a part of the revelation which ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 brings to those who obey ,him4 ,moses had much toil to gain from the great ,god some scattered rays of the truth1 and that for his personal comfort1 not for all ,israel2 but ,christ has brought from ,his ,father for all of us the full and perfect way of life4 ,thus ,he brings grace as well as truth1 a most surprising miracle of mercy from the freeness of the gift1 as well as a true wisdom from its fulness4 ,and yet1 alas6 in spite of all this bounty1 men called ,christians1 and how many6 live heartlessly1 not caring for the gracious benefit4 ,look at the world4 ,men begin life with sinning2 they quench the early promise of grace1 and defile their souls2 they block up the entrances of the spiritual senses by acts of sin1 lying and deceit1 intemperance1 profaneness1 or uncleanness1--by a foolish and trifling turn of mind1--by neglect of prayer when there is no actual vice1--or by an obstinate selfishness4 ,how many are the ways in which men begin to lose sight of ,god6--how many are the fallings away of those who once began well6 ,and then they soon forget that they have really left ,god2 they still think they see ,his face1 though their sins have begun to blind them4 ,like men who fall asleep1 the real prospect still flits before them in their dreams1 but out of shape and proportion1 discoloured1 crowded with all manner of fancies and untruths2 and so they proceed in that dream of sin1 more or less profound1--sometimes rousing1 then turning back again for a little more slumber1 till death awakens them4 ,death alone gives lively perceptions to the generality of men1 who then see the very truth1 such as they saw it before they began to sin1 but more clear and more fearful3 but they who are the pure in heart1 like ,joseph2 or the meek among men1 like ,moses2 or faithful found among the faithless1 as ,daniel2 these men see ,god all through life in the face of ,his ,eternal ,son2 and1 while the world mocks them1 or tries to reason them out of their own real knowledge1 they are like ,moses on the mount1 blessed and hidden1--hid with ,christ in ,god1 beyond the tumult and idols of the world1 and interceding for it4 #c4 ,this leads me to mention a third point of resemblance between ,moses and ,christ4 ,moses was the great intercessor when the ,israelites sinned3 while he was in the mount1 his people corrupted themselves2 they set up an idol1 and honoured it with feasting and dancing4 ,then ,god would have cut them off from the land of promise1 had not ,moses interposed4 ,he said1 ,lord1 why doth ,thy wrath wax hot against ,thy people8 ,turn from ,thy fierce wrath1 and repent of this evil against ,thy people#ab4 ,in this way he gained a respite1 and then he renewed his supplications4 ,he said to the people1 ,ye have sinned a great sin2 but now ,i will go up unto the ,lord3 peradventure ,i shall make an atonement for your sin4 ,then he said to their offended ,creator1 ,oh1 this people have sinned a great sin1 and have made them gods of gold4 ,yet now1 if ,thou wilt1 forgive their sin4 ,here ,moses1 as is obvious1 shadows out the true ,mediator between ,god and man1 who is ever at the right hand of ,god making intercession1 for us2 but the parallel is closer still than appears at first sight4 ,after ,moses had said1 ,if ,thou wilt1 forgive their sin1 he added1 and if not1 blot me1 ,i pray ,thee1 out of ,thy book1 which ,thou hast written4 ,he was taken at his word4 ,observe1 rather than ,israel should forfeit the promised land1 he here offered to give up his own portion in it1 and the exchange was accepted4 ,he was excluded1 dying in sight1 not in enjoyment of ,canaan1 while the people went in under ,joshua4 ,this was a figure of ,him that was to come4 ,our ,saviour ,christ died1 that we might live3 ,he consented to lose the light of ,god's countenance1 that we might gain it4 ,by ,his cross and passion1 ,he made atonement for our sins1 and bought for us the forgiveness of ,god4 ,yet1 on the other hand1 observe how this history instructs us1 at the same time1 in the unspeakable distance between ,christ and ,moses4 ,when ,moses said1 ,blot me1 ,i pray ,thee1 out of ,thy book1 ,god did not promise to accept the exchange1 but ,he answered1 ,whosover hath sinned against ,me1 him will ,i blot out of ,my book4 ,moses was not taken instead of ,israel1 except in figure4 ,in spite of ,moses1 the sinful people were plagued and died#ac1 though their children entered the promised land4 ,and again1 ,moses1 after all1 suffered for his own sin4 ,true1 he was shut out from ,canaan4 ,but why8 ,not in spite of his having done nothing amiss1 as the ,divine ,sufferer on the cross1 but because he spake unadvisedly with his lips1 when the people provoked him with their murmurings4 ,the meek ,moses was provoked to call them rebels1 and seemed to arrogate to himself the power and authority which he received from ,god2 and therefore he was punished by dying in the wilderness4 ,but ,christ was the spotless ,lamb of ,god1 who1 when ,he was reviled1 reviled not again2 when ,he suffered1 ,he threatened not1 but committed ,himself to ,him that judgeth righteously4 ,and ,his death is meritorious2 it has really gained our pardon4 ,moreover1 it is well to observe now apparently slight a fault it was for which ,moses suffered2 for this shows us the infinite difference between the best of a sinful race and ,him who was sinless1--the least taint of human corruption having in it an unspeakable evil4 ,moses was the meekest of men1 yet it was for one sudden transgression of the rule of meekness that he suffered1 all his former gentleness1 all his habitual humbleness of mind1 availed him nothing4 ,it was unprofitable1 and without merit1 because it was merely his duty4 ,it could not make up for a single sin1 however slight4 ,thus we see how it would be with us if ,god were extreme to mark what is done amiss3 and thus1 on the other hand1 we see how supremely holy and pure that ,saviour must be whose intercession is meritorious1 who has removed from us ,god's anger4 ,none can bring us to ,him but ,he who came from ,him4 ,he reveals ,god1 and ,he cleanses man4 ,the same is our ,prophet and our ,priest4 ,we are now approaching the season when we commemorate ,his death upon the cross3 we are entering upon the most holy season of the whole year4 ,may we approach it with holy hearts6 ,may we renew our resolutions of leading a life of obedience to ,his commandments1 and may we have the grace to seal our good resolutions at ,his most sacred ,supper1 in which ,jesus ,christ is evidently set forth crucified among us4 ,it is useless to make resolves without coming to ,him for aid to keep them2 and it is useless coming to ,his table without earnest and hearty resolves2 it is provoking ,god to plague us with divers diseases1 and sundry kinds of death4 ,but what shall be said of those who do neither the one nor the other1--who neither vow obedience1 nor come to ,him for grace8--who sin deliberately after they have known the truth--who review their sins in time past in a reckless hard-hearted way1 or put them aside out of their thoughts--who can bear to jest about them1 to speak of them to others unblushingly1 or even to boast of them1 and to determine on sinning again1--who think of repenting at some future day1 and resolve on going their own way now1 trusting to chance for reconciliation with ,god1 as if it were not a matter to be very anxious about8 ,this state of mind brings upon man a judgment heavier than all the plagues of ,egypt1--a judgment compared with which that darkness which could be felt is as the sun's brightness1 and the thunders and hail are as the serene sky1--the wrath to come4 ,awake1 then1 my brethren1 with this season1 to meet your ,god1 who now summons you from ,his cross and tomb4 ,put aside the sin that doth so easily beset you1 and be ye holy even as ,he is holy4 ,stand ready to suffer with ,him1 should it be needful1 that you may rise together with ,him4 ,he can make bitter things sweet to you1 and hard ways easy1 if you have but the heart to desire ,him to do so4 ,he can change the ,law into the ,gospel4 ,he can1 for ,moses1 give you ,himself4 ,he can write the ,law on your hearts1 and thereby take away the hand-writing that is against you1 even the old curse which by nature you inherit4 ,he has done this for many in time past4 ,he does it for many at all times4 ,why should ,he not do it for you8 ,why should you be left out8 ,why should you not enter into ,his rest8 ,why should you not see ,his glory8 ,o1 why should you be blotted out from ,his book8 #a ,lent4 #b ,numb4 xii4 #f-h4 #c ,deut4 xxxiv4 #aj4 #d ,exod4 xxxiii4 #aa4 #e ,exod4 xxxiv4 #bi1 #cj1 #cc4 #f ,exod4 xxxiii4 #ac1 #ad4 #g ,exod4 xxxiv4 #f1 #h4 #h ,matt4 xi4 #bg4 #i ,john xiv4 #i4 #aj ,john x4 #cj4 #aa ,john i4 #ag4 #ab ,exod4 xxxii4 #aa4 #ac ,vide ,exod4 xxxii4 #cd4 ,,sermon ,x4 ,the ,crucifixion4 ,he was oppressed1 and ,he was afflicted1 yet ,he opened not ,his mouth2 ,he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter1 and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb1 so ,he openeth not ,his mouth4--,isaiah liii4 #g4 ,st4 ,peter makes it almost a description of a ,christian1 that he loves ,him whom he has not seen2 speaking of ,christ1 he says1 whom having not seen1 ye love2 in whom1 though now ye see ,him not1 yet believing1 ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory4 ,again he speaks of tasting that the ,lord is gracious#a4 ,unless we have a true love of ,christ1 we are not ,his true disciples2 and we cannot love ,him unless we have heartfelt gratitude to ,him2 and we cannot duly feel gratitude1 unless we feel keenly what ,he suffered for us4 ,i say it seems to us impossible1 under the circumstances of the case1 that any one can have attained to the love of ,christ1 who feels no distress1 no misery1 at the thought of ,his bitter pains1 find no self-reproach at having through his own sins had a share in causing them4 ,i know quite well1 and wish you1 my brethren1 never to forget1 that feeling is not enough2 that it is not enough merely to feel and nothing more2 that to feel grief for ,christ's sufferings1 and yet not to go on to obey ,him1 is not true love1 but a mockery4 ,true love both feels right1 and acts right2 but at the same time as warm feelings without religious conduct are a kind of hypocrisy1 so1 on the other hand1 right conduct1 when unattended with deep feelings1 is at best a very imperfect sort of religion4 ,and at this time of year#b especially are we called upon to raise our hearts to ,christ1 and to have keen feelings and piercing thoughts of sorrow and shame1 of compunction and of gratitude1 of love and tender affection and horror and anguish1 at the review of those awful sufferings whereby our salvation has been purchased4 ,let us pray ,god to give us all graces2 and while1 in the first place1 we pray that ,he would make us holy1 really holy1 let us also pray ,him to give us the beauty of holiness1 which consists in tender and eager affection towards our ,lord and ,saviour3 which is1 in the case of the ,christian1 what beauty of person is to the outward man1 so that through ,god's mercy our souls may have1 not strength and health only1 but a sort of bloom and comeliness2 and that as we grow older in body1 we may1 year by year1 grow more youthful in spirit4 ,you will ask1 how are we to learn to feel pain and anguish at the thought of ,christ's sufferings8 ,i answer1 by thinking of them1 that is1 by dwelling on the thought4 ,this1 through ,god's mercy1 is in the power of every one4 ,no one who will but solemnly think over the history of those sufferings1 as drawn out for us in the ,gospels1 but will gradually gain1 through ,god's grace1 a sense of them1 will in a measure realize them1 will in a measure be as if he saw them1 will feel towards them as being not merely a tale written in a book1 but as a true history1 as a series of events which took place4 ,it is indeed a great mercy that this duty which ,i speak of1 though so high1 is notwithstanding so level with the powers of all classes of persons1 learned and unlearned1 if they wish to perform it4 ,any one can think of ,christ's sufferings1 if he will2 and knows well what to think about4 ,it is not in heaven that thou shouldst say1 ,who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it to us1 that we may hear it and do it8 ,neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldst say1 ,who shall go over the sea for us8 4 4 4 but the word is very nigh unto thee2 very nigh1 for it is in the four ,gospels1 which1 at this day at least1 are open to all men4 ,all men may read or hear the ,gospels1 and in knowing them1 they will know all that is necessary to be known in order to feel aright2 they will know all that any one knows1 all that has been told us1 all that the greatest saints have ever had to make them full of love and sacred fear4 ,now1 then1 let me make one or two reflections by way of stirring up your hearts and making you mourn over ,christ's sufferings1 as you are called to do at this season4 #a4 ,first1 as to these sufferings you will observe that our ,lord is called a lamb in the text2 that is1 ,he was as defenceless1 and as innocent1 as a lamb is4 ,since then ,scripture compares ,him to this inoffensive and unprotected animal1 we may without presumption or irreverence take the image as a means of conveying to our minds those feelings which our ,lord's sufferings should excite in us4 ,i mean1 consider how very horrible it is to read the accounts which sometimes meet us of cruelties exercised on brute animals4 ,does it not sometimes make us shudder to hear tell of them1 or to read them in some chance publication which we take up8 ,at one time it is the wanton deed of barbarous and angry owners who ill-treat their cattle1 or beasts of burden2 and at another1 it is the cold-blooded and calculating act of men of science1 who make experiments on brute animals1 perhaps merely from a sort of curiosity4 ,i do not like to go into particulars1 for many reasons2 but one of those instances which we read of as happening in this day1 and which seems more shocking than the rest1 is1 when the poor dumb victim is fastened against a wall1 pierced1 gashed1 and so left to linger out its life4 ,now do you not see that ,i have a reason for saying this1 and am not using these distressing words for nothing8 ,for what was this but the very cruelty inflicted upon our ,lord8 ,he was gashed with the scourge1 pierced through hands and feet1 and so fastened to the ,cross1 and there left1 and that as a spectacle4 ,now what is it moves our very hearts1 and sickens us so much at cruelty shown to poor brutes8 ,i suppose this first1 that they have done no harm2 next1 that they have no power whatever of resistance2 it is the cowardice and tyranny of which they are the victims which makes their sufferings so especially touching4 ,for instance1 if they were dangerous animals1 take the case of wild beasts at large1 able not only to defend themselves1 but even to attack us2 much as we might dislike to hear of their wounds and agony1 yet our feelings would be of a very different kind2 but there is something so very dreadful1 so satanic in tormenting those who never have harmed us1 and who cannot defend themselves1 who are utterly in our power1 who have weapons neither of offence nor defence1 that none but very hardened persons can endure the thought of it4 ,now this was just our ,saviour's case3 ,he had laid aside ,his glory1 ,he had 7as it were7 disbanded ,his legions of ,angels1 ,he came on earth without arms1 except the arms of truth1 meekness1 and righteousness1 and committed ,himself to the world in perfect innocence and sinlessness1 and in utter helplessness1 as the ,lamb of ,god4 ,in the words of ,st4 ,peter1 ,who did no sin1 neither was guile found in ,his mouth2 who1 when ,he was reviled1 reviled not again2 when ,he suffered1 ,he threatened not2 but committed ,himself to ,him that judgeth righteously#c4 ,think then1 my brethren1 of your feelings at cruelty practised upon brute animals1 and you will gain one sort of feeling which the history of ,christ's ,cross and ,passion ought to excite within you4 ,and let me add1 this is in all cases one good use to which you may turn any accounts you read of wanton and unfeeling acts shown towards the inferior animals1 let them remind you1 as a picture1 of ,christ's sufferings4 ,he who is higher than the ,angels1 deigned to humble ,himself even to the state of the brute creation1 as the ,psalm says1 ,i am a worm1 and no man2 a very scorn of men1 and the outcast of the people#d4 #b4 ,take another example1 and you will see the same thing still more strikingly4 ,how overpowered should we be1 nay not at the sight only1 but at the very hearing of cruelties shown to a little child1 and why so8 for the same two reasons1 because it was so innocent1 and because it was so unable to defend itself4 ,i do not like to go into the details of such cruelty1 they would be so heart-rending4 ,what if wicked men took and crucified a young child8 ,what if they deliberately seized its poor little frame1 and stretched out its arms1 nailed them to a cross bar of wood1 drove a stake through its two feet1 and fastened them to a beam1 and so left it to die8 ,it is almost too shocking to say2 perhaps1 you will actually say it is too shocking1 and ought not to be said4 ,o1 my brethren1 you feel the horror of this1 and yet you can bear to read of ,christ's sufferings without horror2 for what is that little child's agony to ,his8 and which deserved it more8 which is the more innocent8 which the holier8 was ,he not gentler1 sweeter1 meeker1 more tender1 more loving1 than any little child8 ,why are you shocked at the one1 why are you not shocked at the other8 ,or take another instance1 not so shocking in its circumstances1 yet introducing us to another distinction1 in which ,christ's passion exceeds that of any innocent sufferers1 such as ,i have supposed4 ,when ,joseph was sent by his father to his brethren on a message of love1 they1 when they saw him1 said1 ,behold1 this dreamer cometh2 come now1 therefore1 and let us slay him#e4 ,they did not kill him1 however1 but they put him in a pit in spite of the anguish of his soul1 and sold him as a slave to the ,ishmaelites1 and he was taken down into a foreign country1 where he had no friends4 ,now this was most cruel and most cowardly in the sons of ,jacob2 and what is so especially shocking in it is1 that ,joseph was not only innocent and defenceless1 their younger brother whom they ought to have protected1 but besides that1 he was so confiding and loving1 that he need not have come to them1 that he would not at all have been in their power1 except for his desire to do them service4 ,now1 whom does this history remind us of but of ,him concerning whom the ,master of the vineyard said1 on sending ,him to the husbandmen1 ,they will reverence ,my ,son#f8 ,but when the husbandmen saw the ,son1 they said among themselves1 ,this is the ,heir1 come1 let us kill ,him1 and let us seize on ,his inheritance4 ,and they caught ,him1 and cast ,him out of the vineyard1 and slew ,him4 ,here1 then1 is an additional circumstance of cruelty to affect us in ,christ's history1 such as is suggested in ,joseph's1 but which no instance of a brute animal's or of a child's sufferings can have2 our ,lord was not only guiltless and defenceless1 but ,he had come among ,his persecutors in love4 #c4 ,and now1 instead of taking the case of the young1 innocent1 and confiding1 let us take another instance which will present to us our ,lord's passion under another aspect4 ,let us suppose that some aged and venerable person whom we have known as long as we could recollect any thing1 and loved and reverenced1 suppose such a one1 who had often done us kindnesses1 who had taught us1 who had given us good advice1 who had encouraged us1 smiled on us1 comforted us in trouble1 whom we knew to be very good and religious1 very holy1 full of wisdom1 full of heaven1 with grey hairs and awful countenance1 waiting for ,almighty ,god's summons to leave this world for a better place2 suppose1 ,i say1 such a one whom we have ourselves known1 and whose memory is dear to us1 rudely seized by fierce men1 stripped naked in public1 insulted1 driven about here and there1 made a laughing-stock1 struck1 spit on1 dressed up in other clothes in ridicule1 then severely scourged on the back1 then laden with some heavy load till he could carry it no longer1 pulled and dragged about1 and at last exposed with all his wounds to the gaze of a rude multitude who came and jeered him1 what would be our feelings8 ,let us in our mind think of this person or that1 and consider how we should be overwhelmed and pierced through and through by such a hideous occurrence4 ,but what is all this to the suffering of the holy ,jesus1 which we bear to read of as a matter of course6 ,only think of ,him1 when in ,his wounded state1 and without garment on4 ,he had to creep up the ladder1 as ,he could1 which led ,him up the cross high enough for ,his murderers to nail ,him to it1 and consider who it was that was in that misery4 ,or again1 view ,him dying1 hour after hour bleeding to death2 and how8 in peace8 no2 with ,his arms stretched out1 and ,his face exposed to view1 and any one who pleased coming and staring at ,him1 mocking ,him1 and watching the gradual ebbing of ,his strength1 and the approach of death4 ,these are some of the appalling details which the ,gospels contain1 and surely they were not recorded for nothing1 but that we might dwell on them4 ,do you think that those who saw these things had much heart for eating or drinking or enjoying themselves8 ,on the contrary1 we are told that even the people who came together to that sight1 smote their breasts and returned#g4 ,if these were the feelings of the people1 what were ,st4 ,john's feelings1 or ,st4 ,mary ,magdalene's1 or ,st4 ,mary's1 our ,lord's blessed mother8 ,do we desire to be of this company8 do we desire1 according to ,his own promise1 to be rather blessed than the womb that bare ,him1 and the paps that ,he sucked8 do we desire to be as ,his brother1 and sister1 and mother#h8 ,then1 surely1 ought we to have some portion of that mother's sorrow6 ,when ,he was on the cross and she stood by1 then1 according to ,simeon's prophecy1 a sword pierced through her soul#i4 ,what is the use of our keeping the memory of ,his cross and passion1 unless we lament and are in sorrow with her8 ,i can understand people who do not keep ,good ,friday at all2 they are indeed very ungrateful1 but ,i know what they mean2 ,i understand them4 ,but ,i do not understand at all1 ,i do not at all see what men mean who do profess to keep it1 yet do not sorrow1 or at least try to sorrow4 ,such a spirit of grief and lamentation is expressly mentioned in ,scripture as a characteristic of those who turn to ,christ4 ,if then we do not sorrow1 have we turned to ,him8 ,i will pour upon the house of ,david1 says the merciful ,saviour ,himself1 before ,he came on earth1 speaking of what was to come1 upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and of supplications2 and they shall look upon ,me whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn1 for ,him1 as one mourneth for his only son1 and shall be in bitterness for ,him1 as one that is in bitterness for his first-born#aj4 ,one thing ,i will add3--if there be persons here present who are conscious to themselves that they do not feel the grief which this season should cause them1 who feel now as they do at other times1 let them consider with themselves whether perhaps this defect does not arise from their having neglected to come to church1 whether during this season or at other times1 as often as they might4 ,our feelings are not in our own power2 ,god alone can rule our feelings2 ,god alone can make us sorrow1 when we would but cannot sorrow2 but will ,he1 if we have not diligently sought ,him according to our opportunities in this house of grace8 ,i speak of those who might come to prayers more frequently1 and do not4 ,i know well that many cannot come4 ,i speak of those who can1 if they will4 ,even if they come as often as they are able1 ,i know well they will not be satisfied with their own feelings2 they will be conscious even then that they ought to grieve more than they do2 of course none of us feels the great event of this day as he ought1 and therefore we all ought to be dissatisfied with ourselves4 ,however1 if this is not our own fault1 we need not be out of heart1 for ,god will mercifully lead us forward in ,his own time2 but if it arises from our not coming to prayers here as often as we might1 then our coldness and deadness are our own fault1 and ,i beg you all to consider that that fault is not a slight one4 ,it is said in the ,book of ,revelation1 ,behold ,he cometh with clouds2 and every eye shall see ,him1 and they also which pierced ,him3 and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of ,him#aa4 ,we1 my brethren1 every one of us1 shall one day rise from our graves1 and see ,jesus ,christ2 we shall see ,him who hung on the cross1 we shall see ,his wounds1 we shall see the marks in ,his hands1 and in ,his feet1 and in ,his side4 ,do we wish to be of those1 then1 who wail and lament1 or of those who rejoice8 ,if we would not lament at the sight of ,him then1 we must lament at the thought of ,him now4 ,let us prepare to meet our ,god2 let us come into ,his ,presence whenever we can2 let us try to fancy as if we saw the ,cross and ,him upon it2 let us draw near to it2 let us beg ,him to look on us as ,he did on the penitent thief1 and let us say to ,him1 ,lord remember me when ,thou comest in ,thy kingdom#ab4 ,let this be added to the prayer1 my brethren1 with which you are about to leave this church4 ,after ,i have given the blessing1 you will say to yourselves a short prayer4 ,well2 fancy you see ,jesus ,christ on the cross1 and say to ,him with the penitent thief1 ,lord1 remember me when ,thou comest in ,thy kingdom2 that is1 ,remember me1 ,lord1 in mercy1 remember not my sins1 but ,thine own cross2 remember ,thine own sufferings1 remember that ,thou sufferedst for me1 a sinner2 remember in the last day that ,i1 during my lifetime1 felt ,thy sufferings1 that ,i suffered on my cross by ,thy side4 ,remember me then1 and make me remember ,thee now4 #a #a ,pet4 i4 #h2 ii4 #c4 #b ,passion-tide4 #c #a ,pet4 ii4 #bb1 #bc4 #d ,ps4 xxii4 #f4 #e ,gen4 xxxvii4 #ai1 #bj4 #f ,matt4 xxi4 #cg-ci4 #g ,luke xxiii4 #dh4 #h ,matt4 xii4 #df1 c4 #i ,luke ii4 #he4 #aj ,zech4 xii4 #aj4 #aa ,rev4 i4 #g4 #ab ,luke xxiii4 #db4 ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,attendance on ,holy ,communion4 ,ye will not come to ,me1 that ye might have life4--,john v4 #dj4 ,st4 ,john tells us in to-day's ,epistle#a that ,god hath given unto us eternal life1 and this life is in ,his ,son4 ,he that hath the ,son hath life1 and he that hath not the ,son hath not life4 ,yet in the text the ,son ,himself1 our ,saviour1 sorrowfully and solemnly expostulates with ,his own brethren1 ,ye will not come to ,me1 that ye might have life4 ,he came unto ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not4 ,we know from history1 as a matter of fact1 that they did not receive ,him1 that they did not come to ,him when ,he came to them2 but ,he says in the text that they would not come1 that they did not wish to come1 implying that they1 and none else but they1 were the cause of their not coming4 ,does it not seem a plain natural instinct that every one should seek his own good8 ,what then is meant by this unwillingness to come for the greatest of goods1 life1 an unwillingness1 which1 guided by the light of ,scripture and by experience1 we can confidently affirm to prevail at this day as widely and as fully as in the age in which ,christ said it8 ,here is no question of a comparison of good with good4 ,we cannot account for this unconcern about ,christ's gift1 by alleging that we have a sufficient treasure in our hands already1 and therefore are not interested by the news of a greater4 ,far from it2 for is not the world continually taking away its own gifts1 whatever they are8 and does it not thereby bring home to us1 does it not importunately press upon us1 and weary us with the lesson of its own nothingness8 ,do we not confess that eternal life is the best of all conceivable gifts1 before which none other deserve to be mentioned8 yet we live to the world4 ,nay1 and sin also warns us not to trust to its allurements2 like the old prophet of ,bethel1 sin is forced to bear witness against itself1 and in the name of the ,lord to denounce the ,lord's judgments upon us4 ,while it seduces us1 it stings us with remorse2 and even when the sense of guilt is overcome1 still the misery of sinning is inflicted on us in the inward disappointments and the temporal punishments which commonly follow upon transgression4 ,yet we will not come unto ,christ that we may have life4 ,further1 it is not that ,god treats us as servants or slaves2 ,he does not put a burden on us above our strength3 ,he does not repel us from ,his ,presence till we have prepared some offering to bring before ,him1 or have made some good progress in the way of life4 ,no1 ,he has begun ,his dealings with us with special1 spontaneous acts of mercy4 ,he has1 by an inconceivable goodness1 sent ,his ,son to be our life4 ,far from asking any gift at our hands in the first instance1 ,he has from our infancy taken us in charge1 and freely given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness4 ,he has been urgent with us in the very morning of our days1 and by the fulness of ,his grace has anticipated the first stirrings of pride and lust1 while as yet sin slept within us4 ,is it not so8 ,what more could have been done for us8 ,yet1 in spite of all this1 men will not come unto ,him that they may have life4 ,so strange is this1 that thoughtful persons are sometimes tempted to suppose that the mass of mankind do not sufficiently know what their duty is2 that they need teaching1 else they would be obedient4 ,and others fancy that if the doctrines of the ,gospel were set before them in a forcible or persuasive manner1 this would serve as a means of rousing them to an habitual sense of their true state4 ,but ignorance is not the true cause why men will not come to ,christ4 ,who are these willing outcasts from ,christ's favour1 of whom ,i speak8 ,do not think ,i say a strong thing1 my brethren1 when ,i tell you that ,i am speaking of some of those who now hear me4 ,not that ,i dare draw the line any where1 or imagine that ,i can give any rule for knowing for certain1 just who come to ,him in heart and spirit1 and who do not2 but ,i am quite sure that many1 who would shrink from giving up their interest in the ,gospel1 and who profess to cast their lot with ,christ1 and to trust in ,his death for their salvation1 nevertheless do not really seek ,him that they may have life1 in spite of their fair speeches4 ,this ,i say ,i am too well enabled to know1 because in fact so it is1 that ,he has shown us how to come to ,him1 and ,i see that men do not come to ,him in that way which ,he has pointed out4 ,he has shown us1 that to come to ,him for life is a literal bodily action2 not a mere figure1 not a mere movement of the heart towards ,him1 but an action of the visible limbs2 not a mere secret faith1 but a coming to church1 a passing on along the aisle to ,his holy table1 a kneeling down there before ,him1 and a receiving of the gift of eternal life in the form of bread and wine4 ,there can be no mistaking ,his own appointment4 ,he said indeed1 ,he that cometh to ,me shall never hunger2 but then ,he explained what this coming was1 by adding1 ,he that eateth ,me1 even he shall live by ,me4 ,if then a man does not seek ,him where ,he is1 there is no profit in seeking ,him where ,he is not4 ,what is the good of sitting at home seeking ,him1 when ,his ,presence is in the holy ,eucharist8 ,such perverseness is like the sin of the ,israelites who went to seek for the manna at a time when it was not given4 ,may not ,he who gives the gift1 prescribe the place and mode of giving it8 ,observe how plain and cogent is the proof of what ,i have been saying4 ,our ,lord declares1 ,except ye eat the flesh of the ,son of ,man1 and drink ,his blood1 ye have no life in you3 no life1 life being the gift ,he offers in the text2 also ,he says of the bread which ,he had broken1 ,this is ,my ,body2 and of the cup1 ,this is ,my ,blood1 is it not very plain1 then1 that if we refuse to eat that ,bread1 and drink that ,cup1 we are refusing to come unto ,him that we may have life8 ,the true reason why people will not come to this ,holy ,communion is this1--they do not wish to lead religious lives2 they do not like to promise to lead religious lives2 and they think that that blessed ,sacrament does bind them to do so1 bind them to live very much more strictly and thoughtfully than they do at present4 ,allow as much as we will for proper distrust of themselves1 reasonable awe1 the burden of past sin1 imperfect knowledge1 and other causes1 still after all there is in most cases a reluctance to bear1 or at least to pledge themselves to bear1 ,christ's yoke2 a reluctance to give up the service of sin once for all2 a lingering love of their own ease1 of their own will1 of indolence1 of carnal habits1 of the good opinion of men whom they do not respect2 a distrust of their perseverance in holy resolves1 grounded on a misgiving about their present sincerity4 ,this is why men will not come to ,christ for life2 they know that ,he will not impart ,himself to them1 unless they consent to devote themselves to ,him4 ,in what way does ,he offer ,himself to them in ,holy ,communion8 through the commands and sanctions of the ,law4 ,first1 we are warned against secret sin1 and called to self-examination2 a week's preparation follows1 then1 when the time of celebration is come1 we hear the ,commandments read1 we are solemnly exhorted to put off every thing which may offend ,god2 we confess our sins and our deep sorrow for them2 lastly1 after being admitted to the ,sacrament1 we expressly bind ourselves to the service of our ,lord and ,saviour4 ,doubtless this it is which the unrenewed heart cannot bear1 the very notion of giving up sin altogether and once for all4 ,and thus1 though a gracious voice cry ever so distinctly from the altar1 ,come unto ,me1 and ,i will refresh you2 and though it be ever so true that this refreshment is nothing short of life1 eternal life1 yet we recollect the words which follow1 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me1 and we forthwith murmur and complain1 as if the gift were most ungracious1 laden with conditions1 and hardly purchased1 merely because it is offered in that way in which alone a righteous ,lord could offer it1--the way of righteousness4 ,men had rather give up the promise than implicate themselves in the threats which surround it4 ,bright and attractive as is the treasure presented to us in the ,gospel1 still the pearl of great price lies in its native depths1 at the bottom of the ocean4 ,we see it indeed1 and know its worth2 but not many dare plunge in to bring it thence4 ,what reward offered to the diver shall overcome the imminent peril of a frightful death8 and those who love sin1 and whose very life consists in habits and practices short of religious1 what promised prize can reconcile them to the certain destruction of what they delight in1 the necessary annihilation of all their most favourite indulgences and enjoyments which are contrary to the rule of the ,gospel8 ,let us not suppose that any exhortations will induce such men to change their conduct2 they confess the worth of the soul1 their obligation to obey1 and their peril if they do not2 yet1 for all this1 the present sacrifice required of them is too much for them4 ,they may be told of their ,lord's love for them1 ,his self-denying mercy when on earth1 ,his free gifts1 and ,his long-suffering since2 they will not be influenced2 and why8 because the fault is in their heart2 they do not like ,god's service4 ,they know full well what they would have1 if they might choose4 ,christ is said to have done all things for us2 ,far from it1 say they1 ,he is not a ,mediator suited to our case4 ,give life1 give holiness1 give truth1 give a ,saviour to deliver from sin2 this is not enough3 no1 we want a ,saviour to deliver in sin4 ,this is our need4 ,it is a small thing to offer us life1 if it be in the way of ,god's commandments2 it is a mockery of our hopes to call that a free gift1 which is1 in fact1 a heavy yoke4 ,we want to do nothing at all1 and then the gift will be free indeed4 ,if our hearts must be changed to fit us for heaven1 let them be changed1 only let us have no trouble in the work ourselves4 ,let the change be part of the work done for us2 let us literally be clay in the hands of the potter2 let us sleep1 and dream1 and wake in the morning new men2 let us have no fear and trembling1 no working out salvation1 no self-denial4 ,let ,christ suffer1 but be it ours to rejoice only4 ,what we wish is1 to be at ease2 we wish to have every thing our own way2 we wish to enjoy both this world and the next2 we wish to be happy all at once4 ,if the ,gospel promises this1 we accept it2 but if not1 it is but a bondage1 it has no persuasiveness1 it will receive no acceptance from us4 ,such is the language of men's hearts1 though their tongues do not utter it2 language most unthankful1 most profane1 most sinful4 ,these reflections ,i recommend to the serious attention of those who live in neglect of ,holy ,communion2 but1 alas6 ,i must not quit the subject without addressing some cautions to those who are in the observance of it4 ,i would that none of us had need of cautions2 but the best of us is in warfare1 and on his trial1 and none of us can be the worse for them4 ,i need not remind you1 my brethren1 that there is a peril attached to the unworthy reception2 for this is the very excuse which many plead for not receiving2 but it often happens1 as in other matters also1 that men have fears when they should not fear1 and do not fear when they should fear4 ,a slight consideration will show this2 for what is the danger in communicating8 that of coming to it1 as ,st4 ,paul implies1 without fear4 ,it is evident then1 that1 in spite of what was just now said1 when persons are in danger of receiving it unworthily1 they commonly do not really feel their danger2 for their very danger consists in their not fearing4 ,if they did truly and religiously fear the blessed ,sacrament1 so far they would not be in danger of an unworthy reception4 ,now it is plain when it is that persons are in danger of receiving it fearlessly and thoughtlessly2 not when they receive it for the first time1 but when they have often received it1 when they are in the habit of receiving it4 ,this is the dangerous time4 ,when a ,christian first comes to ,holy ,communion1 he comes with awe and anxiety4 ,at least1 ,i will not suppose the case of a person so little in earnest about his soul1 and so profane1 as to despise the ordinance when he first attends it4 ,perhaps he has no clear doctrinal notion of the sacred rite1 but the very title of it1 as the ,sacrament of his ,lord's ,body and ,blood1 suffices to make him serious4 ,let us believe that he examines himself1 and prays for grace to receive the gift worthily2 and he feels at the time of celebration and afterwards1 that1 having bound himself more strictly to a religious life1 and received ,divine influences1 he has more to answer for4 ,but after he has repeated his attendance several times1 this fear and reverence wear away with the novelty4 ,as he begins to be familiar with the words of the prayers1 and the order of the ,service1 so does he both hear and receive with less emotion and solemnity4 ,it is not that he is a worse man than he was at first1 but he is exposed to a greater temptation to be profane4 ,he had no deeper religious principle when he first communicated than he has now 7probably not so deep71 but his want of acquaintance with the ,service kept him from irreverence1 indifference1 and wandering thoughts3 but now this accidental safeguard is removed1 and as he has not succeeded in acquiring any habitual reverence from former seasons of communicating1 and has no clear knowledge of the nature of the ,sacrament to warn and check him1 he is exposed to his own ordinary hardness of heart and unbelief1 in circumstances much more perilous than those in which they are ordinarily displayed4 ,if it is a sin to neglect ,god in the world1 it is a greater sin to neglect ,him in church4 ,now is the time when he is in danger of not discerning the ,lord's ,body1 of receiving the gift of life as a thing of course1 without awe1 gratitude1 and self-abasement4 ,and the more constant he is in his attendance at the sacred rite1 the greater will be his risk2 his risk1 ,i say2 that is1 if he neglects to be jealous over himself1 to watch himself narrowly1 and to condemn and hate in himself the faintest risings of coldness and irreverence2 for1 of course1 if he so acts1 the less will be his risk1 and the greater will be his security that his heart will not betray him4 ,but ,i speak of those who are not sufficiently aware of their danger1 and these are many4 ,here1 too1 let me mention another sin of a similar character into which communicants are apt to fall2 viz4 a forgetfulness1 after communicating1 that they have communicated4 ,even when we resist the coldness which frequent communion may occasion1 and strive to possess our minds in as profound a seriousness as we felt when the rite was new to us1 even then there is often a painful difference between our feelings before we have attended it1 and after4 ,we are diligent in preparation1 we are careless in retrospect2 we dismiss from our memory what we cherished in our expectations2 we forget that we ever hoped and feared4 ,but consider2 when we have solemn thoughts about ,holy ,communion only till we have come to it1 what does this imply1 but that we imagine that we have received the benefit of it once for all1 as a thing done and over1 and that there is nothing more to seek8 ,this is but a formal way of worshipping2 as if we had wiped off a writing which was against us1 and there was an end of the matter4 ,but blessed are those servants who are ever expecting ,him1 who is ever coming to them2 whether ,he come at even1 or at midnight1 or at cock-crowing1 or in the morning2 whereas those who first come to ,him for the gift of grace1 and then neglect to wait for its progressive accomplishment in their hearts1 how profanely they act6 it is as if to receive the blessing in mockery1 and then to cast it away4 ,surely1 after so great a privilege1 we ought to behave ourselves as if we had partaken some ,divine food and medicine 7if great things may be compared to ordinary71 which1 in its own inscrutable way1 and in its own good time1 will prosper in the thing whereunto ,god sends it--the fruit of the tree of life which ,adam forfeited1 which had that virtue in it1 that it was put out of his reach in haste1 lest he should take and eat1 and live for ever4 ,how earnest1 then1 should be our care lest this gracious treasure which we carry within us should be lost by our own fault1 by the unhealthy excitements1 or the listless indolence1 to which our nature invites us6 ,quench not the ,spirit1 says the ,apostle2 surely our privilege is a burden heavy to bear1 before it turn to a principle of life and strength1 till ,christ be formed in us perfectly2 and we the while1 what cause have we to watch1 and pray1 and fulfil all righteousness1 till the day dawn1 and the day-star arise in our hearts6 ,nor let us suppose that by once or twice seeking ,god in this gracious ordinance1 we can secure the gift for ever2 ,seek the ,lord and ,his strength1 seek ,his face evermore4 ,the bread which comes down from heaven is like the manna1 daily bread1 and that till ,he come1 till ,his kingdom come4 ,in ,his coming at the end of the world1 all our wishes and prayers rest and are accomplished2 and in ,his present communion we have a stay and consolation meanwhile1 joining together the past and future1 reminding us that ,he has come once1 and promising us that ,he will come again4 ,who can live any time in the world1 pleasant as it may seem on first entering it1 without discovering that it is a weariness1 and that if this life is worth any thing1 it is because it is the passage to another8 ,it needs no great religion to feel this2 it is a self-evident truth to those who have much experience of the world4 ,the only reason why all do not feel it is1 that they have not lived long enough to feel it2 and those who feel it more than others1 have but been thrown into circumstances to feel it more4 ,but while the times wax old1 and the colours of earth fade1 and the voice of song is brought low1 and all kindreds of the earth can but wail and lament1 the sons of ,god lift up their heads1 for their salvation draweth nigh4 ,nature fails1 the sun shines not1 and the moon is dim1 the stars fall from heaven1 and the foundations of the round world shake2 but the ,altar's light burns ever brighter2 there are sights there which the many cannot see1 and all above the tumults of earth the command is heard to show forth the ,lord's death1 and the promise that the ,lord is coming4 ,happy are the people that are in such a case6 who1 when wearied of the things seen1 can turn with good hope to the things unseen2 yea1 blessed are the people who have the ,lord for their ,god6 ,come unto ,me1 ,he says1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,rest is better than toil2 peace satisfies1 and quietness disappoints not4 ,these are sure goods4 ,such is the calm of the heavenly ,jerusalem1 which is the mother of us all2 and such is their calm worship1 the foretaste1 of heaven1 who for a season shut themselves out from the world1 and seek ,him in invisible ,presence1 whom they shall hereafter see face to face4 #a ,first ,sunday after ,easter4 ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,the ,gospel ,feast ,when ,jesus then lifted up ,his eyes1 and saw a great company come unto ,him1 ,he saith unto ,philip1 ,whence shall we buy bread that these may eat8--,john vi4 #e4 ,after these words the ,evangelist adds1 ,and this ,he said to prove him1 for ,he ,himself knew what ,he would do4 ,thus1 you see1 our ,lord had secret meanings when ,he spoke1 and did not bring forth openly all ,his divine sense at once4 ,he knew what ,he was about to do from the first1 but ,he wished to lead forward ,his disciples1 and to arrest and open their minds1 before ,he instructed them3 for all cannot receive ,his words1 and on the blind and deaf the most sacred truths fall without profit4 ,and thus1 throughout the course of ,his gracious dispensations from the beginning1 it may be said that the ,author and ,finisher of our faith has hid things from us in mercy1 and listened to our questionings1 while ,he ,himself knew what ,he was about to do4 ,he has hid1 in order afterwards to reveal1 that then1 on looking back on what ,he said and did before1 we may see in it what at the time we did not see1 and thereby see it to more profit4 ,thus ,he hid ,himself from the disciples as ,he walked with them to ,emmaus2 thus ,joseph1 too1 under different and yet similar circumstances1 hid himself from his brethren4 ,with this thought in our minds1 surely we seem to see a new and further meaning still1 in the narrative before us4 ,christ spoke of buying bread1 when ,he intended to create or make bread2 but did ,he not1 in that bread which ,he made1 intend further that ,heavenly bread which is the salvation of our souls8--for ,he goes on to say1 ,labour not for the meat or food which perisheth1 but for that food which endureth unto everlasting life1 which the ,son of man shall give unto you4 ,yes1 surely the wilderness is the world1 and the ,apostles are ,his priests1 and the multitudes are ,his people2 and that feast1 so suddenly1 so unexpectedly provided1 is the ,holy ,communion4 ,he alone is the same4 ,he the provider of the loaves then1 of the heavenly manna now4 ,all other things change1 but ,he remaineth4 ,and what is that ,heavenly ,feast which we now are vouchsafed1 but in its own turn the earnest and pledge of that future feast in ,his ,father's kingdom1 when the marriage of the ,lamb shall come1 and ,his wife hath made herself ready1 and holy ,jerusalem cometh down from ,god out of heaven1 and blessed shall they be who shall eat bread in the kingdom of ,god8 ,and further1 since to that ,feast above we do lift up our eyes1 though it will not come till the end2 and as we do not make remembrance of it once only1 but continually1 in the sacred rite which foreshadows it2 therefore1 in like manner1 not in the miracle of the loaves only1 though in that especially1 but in all parts of ,scripture1 in history1 and in precept1 and in promise1 and in prophecy1 is it given us to see the ,gospel ,feast typified and prefigured1 and that immortal and never-failing ,supper in the visible presence of the ,lamb which will follow upon it at the end4 ,and if they are blessed who shall eat and drink of that table in the kingdom1 so too blessed are they who meditate upon it1 and hope for it now1--who read ,scripture with it in their thoughts1 and endeavour to look beneath the veil of the literal text1 and to catch a sight of the gleams of heavenly light which are behind it4 ,blessed are your eyes1 for they see2 and your ears1 for they hear2 for verily ,i say unto you1 that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see1 but have not seen them2 and to hear those things which ye hear1 and have not heard them4 ,blessed are they which have not seen1 and yet have believed4 ,blessed they who see in and by believing1 and who have1 because they doubt not4 ,let us1 then1 at this time of year#a1 as is fitting1 follow the train of thought thus opened upon us1 and1 looking back into the ,sacred ,volume1 trace the intimations and promises there given of that sacred and blessed ,feast of ,christ's ,body and ,blood which it is our privilege now to enjoy till the end come4 ,now the ,old ,testament1 as we know1 is full of figures and types of the ,gospel2 types various1 and1 in their literal wording1 contrary to each other1 but all meeting and harmoniously fulfilled in ,christ and ,his ,church4 ,thus the histories of the ,israelites in the wilderness1 and of the ,israelites when settled in ,canaan1 alike are ours1 representing our present state as ,christians4 ,our ,christian life is a state of faith and trial2 it is also a state of enjoyment4 ,it has the richness of the promised land2 it has the marvellousness of the desert4 ,it is a good land1 a land of brooks of water1 of fountains and depths that spring out of vallies and hills2 a land of wheat and barley1 and vines1 and fig-trees1 and pomegranates2 a land of oil1 olive1 and honey2 a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness2 thou shalt not lack any thing in it2 a land whose stones are iron1 and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass4 ,and1 on the other hand1 it is still a land which to the natural man seems a wilderness1 a great and terrible wilderness1 wherein are fiery serpents1 and scorpions1 and drought1 where there is no water2 where faith is still necessary1 and where1 still more forcibly than in the case of ,israel1 the maxim holds1 that man doth not live by bread only1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the ,lord doth man live4 ,this is the state in which we are1--a state of faith and of possession4 ,in the desert the ,israelites lived by the signs of things1 without the realities3 manna was to stand for the corn1 oil1 and honey1 of the good land promised2 water1 for the wine and milk4 ,it was a time for faith to exercise itself2 and when they came into the promised land1 then was the time of possession4 ,that was the land of milk and honey2 they needed not any divinely provided compensations or expedients4 ,manna was not needed1 nor the pillar of the cloud1 nor the water from the rock4 ,but we ,christians1 on the contrary1 are at once in the wilderness and in the promised land4 ,in the wilderness1 because we live amid wonders2 in the promised land1 because we are in a state of enjoyment4 ,that we are in the state of enjoyment is surely certain1 unless all the prophecies have failed2 and that we are in a state in which faith alone has that enjoyment1 is plain from the fact that ,god's great blessings are not seen1 and in that the ,apostle says1 ,we walk by faith1 not by sight4 ,in a word1 we are in a super-natural state1--a word which implies both its greatness and its secretness3 for what is above nature1 is at once not seen1 and is more precious than what is seen2 the things which are seen are temporal1 the things which are not seen are eternal4 ,and if our state altogether is parallel to that of the ,israelites1 as an antitype to its type1 it is natural to think that so great a gift as ,holy ,communion would not be without its appropriate figures and symbols in the ,old ,testament4 ,all that our ,saviour has done is again and again shadowed out in the ,old ,testament2 and this1 therefore1 it is natural to think1 as well as other things3 ,his miraculous birth1 ,his life1 ,his teaching1 ,his death1 ,his priesthood1 ,his sacrifice1 ,his resurrection1 ,his glorification1 ,his kingdom1 are again and again prefigured3 it is not reasonable to suppose that if this so great gift is really given us1 it should be omitted4 ,he who died for us1 is ,he who feeds us2 and as ,his death is mentioned1 so we may beforehand expect will be mentioned the feast ,he gives us4 ,not openly indeed1 for neither is ,his death nor ,his priesthood taught openly1 but covertly1 under the types of ,david or ,aaron1 or other favoured servants of ,god2 and in like manner we might expect1 and we shall find1 the like reverent allusions to ,his most gracious ,feast1--allusions which we should not know to be allusions but for the event2 just as we should not know that ,solomon1 ,aaron1 or ,samuel1 stood for ,christ at all1 except that the event explains the figure4 ,when ,abraham said to ,isaac1 ,god will provide ,himself a lamb for a burnt offering1 who can doubt this is a prophecy concerning ,christ8--yet we are nowhere told it in ,scripture4 ,the case is the same as regards the ,sacrament of ,baptism4 ,now that it is given1 we cannot doubt that the purifications of the ,jews1 ,naaman's bathing1 and the prophecy of a fountain being opened for sin and all uncleanness1 have reference to it1 as being the visible fulfilment of the great spiritual cleansing3 and ,st4 ,peter expressly affirms this of the ,deluge1 and ,st4 ,paul of the passage of the ,red ,sea4 ,and in like manner passages in the ,bible1 which speak prophetically of the ,gospel ,feast1 cannot but refer 7if ,i may so speak7 to the ,holy ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 as being1 in fact1 the ,feast given us under the ,gospel4 ,and let it be observed1 directly we know that we have this great gift1 and that the ,old ,testament history prefigures it1 we have a light thrown upon what otherwise is a difficulty2 for1 it may be asked with some speciousness1 whether the ,jews were not in a higher state of privilege than we ,christians1 until we take this gift into account4 ,it may be objected that our blessings are all future or distant1--the hope of eternal life1 which is to be fulfilled hereafter1 ,god's forgiveness1 who is in heaven3 what do we gain now and here above the ,jews8 ,god loved the ,jews1 and ,he gave them something2 ,he gave them present gifts2 the ,old ,testament is full of the description of them2 ,he gave them the precious things of heaven1 and the dew1 and the deep that coucheth beneath1 and precious things brought forth by the sun1 and by the moon1 and the chief things of the ancient mountains1 and the precious things of the lasting hills1 and the precious things of the earth1 and the fulness thereof1 honey out of the rock1 and oil out of the flinty rock1 butter of kine1 and milk of sheep1 with fat of lambs1 and rams of the breed of ,bashan1 and goats1 with the fat of kidneys of wheat1 and the pure blood of the grape#b4 ,these were present real blessings4 ,what has ,he given us8--nothing in possession8 all in promise8 ,this1 ,i say1 is in itself not likely1 it is not likely that ,he should so reverse ,his system1 and make the ,gospel inferior to the ,law4 ,but the knowledge of the great gift under consideration clears up this perplexity2 for every passage in the ,old ,testament which speaks of the temporal blessings given by ,god to ,his ancient people1 instead of conveying to us a painful sense of destitution1 and exciting our jealousy1 reminds us of our greater blessedness2 for every passage which belongs to them is fulfilled now in a higher sense to us4 ,we have no need to envy them4 ,god did not take away their blessings1 without giving us greater4 ,the ,law was not so much taken away1 as the ,gospel given4 ,the ,gospel supplanted the ,law4 ,the ,law went out by the ,gospel's coming in4 ,only our blessings are not seen2 therefore they are higher1 because they are unseen4 ,higher blessings could not be visible4 ,how could spiritual blessings be visible ones8 ,if ,christ now feeds us1 not with milk and honey1 but with the spiritual food of ,his most precious ,body and ,blood2 if our sinful bodies are made clean by ,his ,body1 and our souls washed through ,his most precious ,blood1 truly we are not without our precious things1 any more than ,israel was3 but they are unseen1 because so much greater1 so spiritual2 they are given only under the veil of what is seen3 and thus we ,christians are both with the ,church in the wilderness as regards faith1 and in the ,church in ,canaan as regards enjoyment2 having the fulfilment of the words spoken by ,moses1 repeated by our ,lord1 to which ,i just now referred1 ,man shall not live by bread only1 but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4 ,now1 then1 ,i will refer to some passages of both the ,old ,testament and the ,new1 which both illustrate and are illustrated by this great doctrine of the ,gospel4 #a4 ,and1 first1 let it be observed1 from the beginning1 the greatest rite of religion has been a feast2 the partaking of ,god's bounties1 in the way of nature1 has been consecrated to a more immediate communion with ,god ,himself4 ,for instance1 when ,isaac was weaned1 ,abraham made a great feast#c1 and then it was that ,sarah prophesied2 ,cast out this bondwoman and her son1 she said1 prophesying the introduction of the spirit1 grace1 and truth1 which the ,gospel contains1 instead of the bondage of the outward forms of the ,law4 ,again1 it was at a feast of savoury meat that the spirit of prophecy came upon ,isaac1 and he blessed ,jacob4 ,in like manner the first beginning of our ,lord's miracles was at a marriage feast1 when ,he changed water into wine2 and when ,st4 ,matthew was converted he entertained our ,lord at a feast4 ,at a feast1 too1 our ,lord allowed the penitent woman to wash with tears and anoint ,his feet1 and pronounced her forgiveness2 and at a feast1 before ,his passion1 ,he allowed ,mary to anoint them with costly ointment1 and to wipe them with her hair4 ,thus with our ,lord1 and with the ,patriarchs1 a feast was a time of grace2 so much so1 that ,he was said by the ,pharisees to come eating and drinking1 to be a winebibber and gluttonous1 a friend of publicans and sinners#d4 #b4 ,and next1 in order to make this feasting still more solemn1 it had been usual at all times to precede it by a direct act of religion1--by a prayer1 or blessing1 or sacrifice1 or by the presence of a priest1 which implied it4 ,thus1 when ,melchizedek came out to meet ,abraham1 and bless him1 he brought forth bread and wine#e1 to which it is added1 and he was the priest of the ,most ,high ,god4 ,such1 too1 was the lamb of the ,passover1 which was eaten roast with fire1 and with unleavened bread1 and bitter herbs1 with girded loins and shoes on1 and staff in hand2 as the ,lord's ,passover1 being a solemn religious feast1 even if not a sacrifice4 ,and such seems to have been the common notion of communion with ,god all the world over1 however it was gained2 viz4 that we arrived at the possession of ,his invisible gifts by participation in ,his visible1 that there was some mysterious connexion between the seen and the unseen2 and that1 by setting aside the choicest of ,his earthly bounties1 as a specimen and representative of the whole1 presenting it to ,him for ,his blessing1 and then taking1 eating1 and appropriating it1 we had the best hope of gaining those unknown and indefinite gifts which human nature needs4 ,this the heathen practised towards their idols also2 and ,st4 ,paul seems to acknowledge that in that way they did communicate1 though most miserably and fearfully1 with those idols1 and with the evil spirits which they represented4 ,the things which the ,gentiles sacrifice1 they sacrifice to devils1 and not to ,god2 and ,i would not that ye should hold communion with devils#f4 ,here1 as before1 a feast is spoken of as the means of communicating with the unseen world1 though1 when the feast was idolatrous1 it was the fellowship of evil spirits4 #c4 ,and next let this be observed1 that the descriptions in the ,old ,testament of the perfect state of religious privilege1 viz4 that under the ,gospel which was then to come1 are continually made under the image of a feast1 a feast of some special and choice goods of this world1 corn1 wine1 and the like2 goods of this world chosen from the mass as a specimen of all1 as types and means of seeking1 and means of obtaining1 the unknown spiritual blessings1 which eye hath not seen nor ear heard4 ,and these special goods of nature1 so set apart1 are more frequently than any thing else1 corn or bread1 and wine1 as the figures of what was greater1 though others are mentioned also4 ,now the first of these of which we read is the fruit of the tree of life1 the leaves of which are also mentioned in the prophets4 ,the tree of life was that tree in the garden of ,eden1 the eating of which would have made ,adam immortal2 a divine gift lay hid in an outward form4 ,the prophet ,ezekiel speaks of it afterwards in the following words1 showing that a similar blessing was in store for the redeemed2--,by the river1 upon the bank thereof1 on this side1 and on that side1 shall grow all trees for meat1 whose leaf shall not fade1 neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed4 ,it shall bring forth new fruits according to his months1 because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary2 and the fruit thereof shall be for meat1 and the leaf thereof for medicine#g4 ,like to which is ,st4 ,john's account of the tree of life1 which bare twelve manner of fruits1 and yielded her fruit every month2 and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations#h4 ,and hence we read in the ,canticles of the apple-tree1 and of sitting down under its shadow1 and its fruit being sweet to the taste4 ,here then in type is signified the sacred gift of which ,i am speaking2 and yet it has not seemed good to the gracious ,giver literally to select fruit or leaves as the means of ,his invisible blessings4 ,he might have spiritually fed us with such1 had ,he pleased--for man liveth not by bread only1 but by the word of ,his mouth4 ,his ,word might have made the fruit of the tree ,his ,sacrament1 but ,he has willed otherwise4 ,the next selection of gifts of the earth which we find in ,scripture1 is the very one which ,he at length fixed on1 bread and wine1 as in the history of ,melchizedek2 and there the record stands as a prophecy of what was to be3 for who is ,melchizedek but our ,lord and ,saviour1 and what is the ,bread and ,wine but the very feast which ,he has ordained8 ,next the great gift was shadowed out in the description of the promised land1 which was said to flow with milk and honey1 and in all those other precious things of nature which ,i have already recounted as belonging to the promised land1 oil1 butter1 corn1 wine1 and the like4 ,these all may be considered to refer to the ,gospel feast typically1 because they were the rarest and most exquisite of the blessings given to the ,jews1 as the ,gospel ,feast is the most choice and most sacred of all the blessings given to us ,christians2 and what is most precious under the one ,dispensation is signified by what is most precious under the other4 ,now let us proceed to the ,prophets1 and we shall find the like anticipation of the ,gospel ,feast4 ,for instance1 you recollect1 the prophet ,hosea says3 ,it shall come to pass in that day1 ,i will hear1 saith the ,lord1 ,i will hear the heavens1 and they shall hear the earth1 and the earth shall hear the corn1 and the wine1 and the oil1 and they shall hear ,jezreel4 ,and ,i will sow her unto ,me in the earth#i4 ,by ,jezreel is meant the ,christian ,church2 and the ,prophet declares in ,god's name1 that the time was to come when the ,church would call upon the corn1 wine1 and oil1 and they would call on the earth1 and the earth on the heavens1 and the heavens on ,god2 and ,god should answer the heavens1 and the heavens should answer the earth1 and the earth should answer the corn1 wine1 and oil1 and they should answer to the wants of the ,church4 ,now1 doubtless1 this may be fulfilled only in a general way2 but considering ,almighty ,god has appointed corn or bread1 and wine1 to be the special instruments of ,his ineffable grace1--,he1 who sees the end from the beginning1 and who views all things in all their relations at once1--,he1 when ,he spoke of corn and wine1 knew that the word would be fulfilled1 not generally only1 but even literally in the ,gospel4 ,again3 the prophet ,joel says1 ,it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down new wine1 and the hills shall flow with milk1 and all the rivers of ,judah shall flow with waters1 and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the ,lord1 and shall water the valley of ,shittim#aj4 ,how strikingly is this fulfilled1 if we take it to apply to what ,god has given us in the ,gospel1 in the feast of the ,holy ,communion6 ,again3 the prophet ,amos says3 ,behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord1 when the plowman shall overtake the reaper1 and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed2 and the mountains shall drop sweet wine1 and all the hills shall melt#aa2 that is1 with ,god's marvellous grace1 whereby ,he gives us gifts new and wonderful4 ,and the prophet ,isaiah3 ,in this mountain shall the ,lord of ,hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things1 a feast of wines on the lees2 of fat things full of marrow1 of wines on the lees well refined4 ,and again3 ,surely ,i will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies1 and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine1 for the which thou hast laboured2 but they that have gathered it shall eat it1 and praise the ,lord1 and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of ,my holiness4 ,and again3 ,behold ,my servants shall eat1 but ye shall be hungry2 behold ,my servants shall drink1 but ye shall be thirsty#ab4 ,again3 the prophet ,jeremiah says3 ,they shall come and sing in the height of ,zion1 and shall flow together to the goodness of the ,lord1 for wheat1 and for wine1 and for oil1 and for the young of the flock and of the herd2 and their soul shall be as a watered garden1 and they shall not sorrow any more at all4 4 4 ,and ,i will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness1 and ,my people shall be satisfied with ,my goodness1 saith the ,lord#ac4 ,and the prophet ,zechariah3 ,how great is ,his goodness1 and how great is ,his beauty6 corn shall make the young men cheerful1 and new wine the maids#ad4 ,and under a different image1 but with the same general sense1 the prophet ,malachi3 ,from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same1 ,my ,name shall be great among the ,gentiles2 and in every place incense shall be offered unto ,my ,name1 and a pure offering1 for ,my ,name shall be great among the heathen1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts#ae4 ,further1 if the ,psalms are intended for ,christian worship1 as surely they are1 the ,prophetic ,spirit1 who inspired them1 saw that they too would in various places describe that sacred ,christian feast1 which we feel they do describe2 and surely we may rightly call this coincidence between the ordinance in the ,christian ,church and the form of words in the ,psalms1 a mark of design4 ,for instance3 ,thou shalt prepare a ,table before me against them that trouble me4 ,thou hast anointed my head with oil1 and my ,cup shall be full4 ,i will wash my hands in innocency1 ,o ,lord1 and so will ,i go to ,thine ,altar4 ,o send out ,thy light and ,thy truth1 that they may lead me1 and bring me unto ,thy holy hill1 and to ,thy dwelling2 and that ,i may go unto the ,altar of ,god1 even unto the ,god of my joy and gladness4 ,the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of ,thy wings4 ,they shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of ,thy house1 and ,thou shalt give them drink of ,thy pleasures as out of the river4 ,for with ,thee is the well of life1 and in ,thy light shall we see light4 ,blessed is the man whom ,thou choosest and receivest unto ,thee2 he shall dwell in ,thy court1 and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of ,thy house1 even of ,thy ,holy ,temple4 ,my soul shall be satisfied1 even as it were with marrow and fatness1 when my mouth praiseth ,thee with joyful lips 4 4 4 because ,thou hast been my helper1 therefore under the shadow of ,thy wings will ,i rejoice#af4 ,the same wonderful feast is put before us in the book of ,proverbs1 where ,wisdom stands for ,christ4 ,wisdom hath builded her house1 that is1 ,christ has built ,his ,church1 she hath hewn out her seven pillars1 she hath killed her beasts1 she hath mingled her wine 7that is1 ,christ has prepared ,his ,supper71 she hath also furnished her table 7that is1 the ,lord's ,table71 she hath sent forth her maidens 7that is1 the priests of the ,lord71 she crieth upon the highest places of the city4 ,whoso is simple1 let him turn in hither2 as for him that wanteth understanding1 she saith to him4 ,come1 eat of ,my ,bread and drink of the ,wine which ,i have mingled#ag1--which is like saying1 ,come unto ,me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and ,i will refresh you4 ,like which are the prophet ,isaiah's words2 ,ho1 every one that thirsteth1 come ye to the waters1 and he that hath no money1 come ye buy and eat1 yea1 come1 buy wine and milk without money and without price#ah4 ,and such too is the description in the book of ,canticles3 ,the fig tree putteth forth her green figs1 and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell 4 4 4 4 ,until the day break and the shadows flee away1 ,i will get me to the mountain of myrrh1 and to the hill of frankincense 4 4 4 ,i have gathered ,my myrrh with ,my spice1 ,i have eaten ,my honeycomb with ,my honey1 ,i have drunk ,my wine with ,my milk2 eat1 ,o friends1 drink1 yea drink abundantly1 ,o beloved#ai6 ,in connexion with such passages as these should be observed ,st4 ,paul's words1 which seem from the antithesis to be an allusion to the same most sacred ,ordinance3 ,be not drunk with wine1 wherein is excess1 but be filled with the ,spirit1 with that new wine which ,god the ,holy ,spirit ministers in the ,supper of the ,great ,king4 ,god grant that we may be able ever to come to this ,blessed ,sacrament with feelings suitable to the passages which ,i have read concerning it6 ,may we not regard it in a cold1 heartless way1 and keep at a distance from fear1 when we should rejoice6 ,may the spirit of the unprofitable servant never be ours1 who looked at his lord as a hard master instead of a gracious benefactor6 ,may we not be in the number of those who go on year after year1 and never approach ,him at all6 ,may we not be of those who went1 one to his farm1 another to his merchandise1 when they were called to the wedding6 ,nor let us be of those1 who come in a formal1 mechanical way1 as a mere matter of obligation1 without reverence1 without awe1 without wonder1 without love4 ,nor let us fall into the sin of those who complained that they have nothing to gather but the manna1 wearying of ,god's gifts4 ,but let us come in faith and hope1 and let us say to ourselves1 ,may this be the beginning to us of everlasting bliss6 ,may these be the first-fruits of that banquet which is to last for ever and ever2 ever new1 ever transporting1 inexhaustible1 in the city of our ,god6 #a ,easter4 #b ,deut4 xxxii4 #ac2 xxxiii4 #ac-ae4 #c ,gen4 xxi4 #aj4 #d ,matt4 xi4 #ai4 ,luke vii4 #cd4 #e ,gen4 xiv4 #ah4 #f #a ,cor4 x4 #bj4 #g ,ezek4 xlvii4 #ab4 #h ,rev4 xxii4 #b4 #i ,hos4 ii4 #ba-bc4 #aj ,joel iii4 #ah4 #aa ,amos ix4 #ac4 #ab ,isa4 xxv4 #f2 lxii4 #h1 #i1 lxv4 #ac4 #ac ,jer4 xxxi4 #ab-ad4 #ad ,zech4 ix4 #ag4 #ae ,mal4 i4 #aa4 #af ,ps4 xxiii4 #e2 xxvi4 #f2 xxxvi4 #g-i2 xliii4 #c1 #d1 lxv4 #d2 lxiii4 #f-h4 #ag ,prov4 ix4 #a-e4 #ah ,isa4 lv4 #a4 #ai ,cant4 ii4 #ac2 iv4 #f2 v4 #a ,,sermon ,,xiii4 ,love of ,religion1 a ,new ,nature4 ,if we be dead with ,christ1 we believe that we shall also live with ,him4--,romans vi4 #h4 ,to be dead with ,christ1 is to hate and turn from sin2 and to live with ,him1 is to have our hearts and minds turned towards ,god and ,heaven4 ,to be dead to sin1 is to feel a disgust at it4 ,we know what is meant by disgust4 ,take1 for instance1 the case of a sick man1 when food of a certain kind is presented to him1--and there is no doubt what is meant by disgust4 ,consider how certain scents1 which are too sweet or too strong1 or certain tastes1 affect certain persons under certain circumstances1 or always1--and you will be at no loss to determine what is meant by disgust at sin1 or deadness to sin4 ,on the other hand1 consider how pleasant a meal is to the hungry1 or some enlivening odour to the faint1 how refreshing the air is to the languid1 or the brook to the weary and thirsty1--and you will understand the sort of feeling which is implied in being alive with ,christ1 alive to religion1 alive to the thought of heaven4 ,our animal powers cannot exist in all atmospheres2 certain airs are poisonous1 others life-giving4 ,so is it with spirits and souls3 an unrenewed spirit could not live in heaven1 he would die2 an ,angel could not live in hell4 ,the natural man cannot live in heavenly company1 and the angelic soul would pine and waste away in the company of sinners1 unless ,god's sacred presence were continued to it4 ,to be dead to sin1 is to be so minded1 that the atmosphere of sin 7if ,i may so speak7 oppresses1 distresses1 and stifles us1--that it is painful and unnatural to us to remain in it4 ,to be alive with ,christ1 is to be so minded1 that the atmosphere of heaven refreshes1 enlivens1 stimulates1 invigorates us4 ,to be alive1 is not merely to bear the thought of religion1 to assent to the truth of religion1 to wish to be religious2 but to be drawn towards it1 to love it1 to delight in it1 to obey it4 ,now ,i suppose most persons called ,christians do not go farther than this1--to wish to be religious1 and to think it right to be religious1 and to feel a respect for religious men2 they do not get so far as to have any sort of love for religion4 ,so far1 however1 they do go2 not1 indeed1 to do their duty and to love it1 but to have a sort of wish that they did4 ,i suppose there are few persons but1 at the very least1 now and then feel the wish to be holy and religious4 ,they bear witness to the excellence of virtuous and holy living1 they consent to all that their teachers tell them1 what they hear in church1 and read in religious books2 but all this is a very different thing from acting according to their knowledge4 ,they confess one thing1 they do another4 ,nay1 they confess one thing while they do another4 ,even sinners1--wilful1 abandoned sinners1--if they would be honest enough to speak as they really in their hearts feel1 would own1 while they are indulging in the pleasures of sin1 while they idle away the ,lord's ,day1 or while they keep bad company1 or while they lie or cheat1 or while they drink to excess1 or do any other bad thing1--they would confess1 ,i say1 did they speak their minds1 that it is a far happier thing1 even at present1 to live in obedience to ,god1 than in obedience to ,satan4 ,not that sin has not its pleasures1 such as they are2 ,i do not mean1 of course1 to deny that1--,i do not deny that ,satan is able to give us something in exchange for future and eternal happiness2 ,i do not say that irreligious men do not gain pleasures1 which religious men are obliged to lose4 ,i know they do2 if they did not1 there would be nothing to tempt and try us4 ,but1 after all1 the pleasures which the servants of ,satan enjoy1 though pleasant1 are always attended with pain too2 with a bitterness1 which1 though it does not destroy the pleasure1 yet is by itself sufficient to make it far less pleasant1 even while it lasts1 than such pleasures as are without such bitterness1 viz4 the pleasures of religion4 ,this1 then1 alas6 is the state of multitudes2 not to be dead to sin and alive to ,god1 but1 while they are alive to sin and the world1 to have just so much sense of heaven1 as not to be able to enjoy either4 ,i say1 when any one1 man or woman1 young or old1 is conscious that he or she is going wrong1 whether in greater matter or less1 whether in not coming to church when there is no good excuse1 neglecting private prayer1 living carelessly1 or indulging in known sin1--this bad conscience is from time to time a torment to such persons4 ,for a little while1 perhaps1 they do not feel it but then the pain comes on again4 ,it is a keen1 harassing1 disquieting1 hateful pain1 which hinders sinners from being happy4 ,they may have pleasures1 but they cannot be happy4 ,they know that ,god is angry with them2 and they know that1 at some time or other1 ,he will visit1 ,he will judge1 ,he will punish4 ,they try to get this out of their minds1 but the arrow sticks fast there2 it keeps its hold4 ,they try to laugh it off1 or to be bold and daring1 or to be angry and violent4 ,they are loud or unkind in their answers to those1 who remind them of it either in set words1 or by their example4 ,but it keeps its hold4 ,and so it is1 that all men who are not very abandoned1 bad men as well as good1 wish that they were holy as ,god is holy1 pure as ,christ was pure1 even though they do not try to be1 or pray to ,god to make them1 holy and pure2 not that they like religion1 but that they know1 they are convinced in their reason1 they feel sure1 that religion alone is happiness4 ,oh1 what a dreadful state1 to have our desires one way1 and our knowledge and conscience another2 to have our life1 our breath and food1 upon the earth1 and our eyes upon ,him who died once and now liveth2 to look upon ,him who once was pierced1 yet not to rise with ,him and live with ,him2 to feel that a holy life is our only happiness1 yet to have no heart to pursue it2 to be certain that the wages of sin is death1 yet to practise sin2 to confess that the ,angels alone are perfectly happy1 for they do ,god's will perfectly1 yet to prepare ourselves for nothing else but the company of devils2 to acknowledge that ,christ is our only hope1 yet deliberately to let that hope go6 ,o miserable state6 miserable they1 if any there are who now hear me1 who are thus circumstanced6 ,at first sight1 it might seem impossible that any such persons could be found in church4 ,at first sight1 one might be tempted to say1 ,all who come to church1 at least1 are in earnest1 and have given up sin2 they are imperfect indeed1 as all ,christians are at best1 but they do not fall into wilful sin4 ,i should be very glad1 my ,brethren1 to believe this were the case1 but ,i cannot indulge so pleasant a hope4 ,no2 ,i think it quite certain that some persons at least1 ,i do not say how many1 to whom ,i am speaking1 have not made up their minds fully to lead a religious life4 ,they come to church because they think it right1 or from other cause4 ,it is very right that they should come2 ,i am glad they do4 ,this is good1 as far as it goes2 but it is not all4 ,they are not so far advanced in the kingdom of ,god1 as to resist the devil1 or to flee from him4 ,they cannot command themselves4 ,they act rightly one day1 and wrongly the next4 ,they are afraid of being laughed at4 ,they are attracted by bad company4 ,they put off religion to a future day4 ,they think a religious life dull and unpleasant4 ,yet they have a certain sense of religion2 and they come to church in order to satisfy this sense4 ,now1 ,i say it is right to come to church2 but1 ,o that they could be persuaded of the simple truth of ,st4 ,paul's words1 ,he is not a ,jew which is one outwardly1 but he is a ,jew which is one inwardly2 and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit1 and not in the letter1 whose praise is not of men1 but of ,god#a2 which may be taken to mean3--,he is not a ,christian who is one outwardly1 who merely comes to church1 and professes to desire to be saved by ,christ4 ,it is very right that he should do so1 but it is not enough4 ,he is not a ,christian who merely has not cast off religion1 but he is the true ,christian1 who1 while he is a ,christian outwardly1 is one inwardly also2 who lives to ,god2 whose secret life is hid with ,christ in ,god2 whose heart is religious2 who not only knows and feels that a religious life is true happiness1 but loves religion1 wishes1 tries1 prays to be religious1 begs ,god ,almighty to give him the will and the power to be religious2 and1 as time goes on1 grows more and more religious1 more fit for heaven4 ,we can do nothing right1 unless ,god gives us the will and the power2 we cannot please ,him without the aid of ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,if any one does not deeply feel this as a first truth in religion1 he is preparing for himself a dreadful fall4 ,he will attempt1 and he will fail signally1 utterly4 ,his own miserable experience will make him sure of it1 if he will not believe it1 as ,scripture declares it4 ,but it is not unlikely that some persons1 perhaps some who now hear me1 may fall into an opposite mistake4 ,they may attempt to excuse their lukewarmness and sinfulness1 on the plea that ,god does not inwardly move them2 and they may argue that those holy men whom they so much admire1 those saints who are to sit on ,christ's right and left1 are of different nature from themselves1 sanctified from their mother's womb1 visited1 guarded1 renewed1 strengthened1 enlightened in a peculiar way1 so as to make it no wonder that they are saints1 and no fault that they themselves are not4 ,but this is not so2 let us not thus miserably deceive ourselves4 ,st4 ,paul says expressly of himself and the other ,apostles1 that they were men of like passions with the poor ignorant heathen to whom they preached4 ,and does not his history show this8 ,do you not recollect what he was before his conversion8 ,did he not rage like a beast of prey against the disciples of ,christ8 and how was he converted8 by the vision of our ,lord8 ,yes1 in one sense1 but not by it alone2 hear his own words1 ,whereupon1 ,o ,king ,agrippa1 ,i was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision4 ,his obedience was necessary for his conversion2 he could not obey without grace2 but he would have received grace in vain1 had he not obeyed4 ,and1 afterwards1 was he at once perfect8 ,no2 for he says expressly1 not as though ,i had already attained1 either were already perfect2 and elsewhere he tells us that he had a thorn in the flesh1 the messenger of ,satan to buffet him1 and he was obliged to bruise his body and bring it into subjection1 lest1 after he had preached to others1 he should be himself a castaway4 ,st4 ,paul conquered1 as any one of us must conquer1 by striving1 struggling1 to enter in at the strait gate2 he wrought out his salvation with fear and trembling1 as we must do4 ,this is a point which must be insisted on for the encouragement of the fearful1 the confutation of the hypocritical1 and the abasement of the holy4 ,in this world1 even the best of men1 though they are dead to sin1 and have put sin to death1 yet have that dead and corrupt thing within them1 though they live to ,god2 they have still an enemy of ,god remaining in their hearts1 though they keep it in subjection4 ,this1 indeed1 is what all men now have in common1 a root of evil in them1 a principle of sin1 or what may become such2--what they differ in is this1 not that one man has it1 another not2 but that one lives in and to it1 another not2 one subdues it1 another not4 ,a holy man is by nature subject to sin equally with others2 but he is holy because he subdues1 tramples on1 chains up1 imprisons1 puts out of the way this law of sin1 and is ruled by religious and spiritual motives4 ,of ,christ alone can it be said that ,he did no sin1 neither was guile found in ,his mouth4 ,the prince of this world came and found nothing in ,him4 ,he had no root of sin in ,his heart2 ,he was not born in ,adam's sin4 ,far different are we4 ,he was thus pure1 because ,he was the ,son of ,god1 and born of a ,virgin4 ,but we are conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity4 ,and since that which is born of the flesh1 is flesh1 we are sinful and corrupt because we are sinfully begotten of sinners4 ,even those then who in the end turn out to be saints and attain to life eternal1 yet are not born saints1 but have with ,god's regenerating and renewing grace to make themselves saints4 ,it is nothing but the ,cross of ,christ1 without us and within us1 which changes any one of us from being 7as ,i may say7 a devil1 into an ,angel4 ,we are all by birth children of wrath4 ,we are at best like good olive trees1 which have become good by being grafted on a good tree4 ,by nature we are like wild trees1 bearing sour and bitter fruit1 and so we should remain1 were we not grafted upon ,christ1 the good olive tree1 made members of ,christ1 the righteous and holy and well-beloved ,son of ,god4 ,hence it is that there is such a change in a saint of ,god from what he was at the first4 ,consider what a different man ,st4 ,paul was after his conversion and before1--raging1 as ,i just now said1 like some wild beast1 with persecuting fury against the ,church1 before ,christ appeared to him1 and meekly suffering persecution and glorying in it afterwards4 ,think of ,st4 ,peter denying ,christ before the resurrection1 and confessing1 suffering1 and dying for ,him afterwards4 ,and so now many an aged saint1 who has good hope of heaven1 may recollect things of himself when young1 which fill him with dismay4 ,i do not speak as if ,god's saints led vicious and immoral lives when young2 but ,i mean that their lower and evil nature was not subdued1 and perhaps from time to time broke out and betrayed them into deeds and words so very different from what is seen in them at present1 that did their friends know of them what they themselves know1 they would not think them the same persons1 and would be quite overpowered with astonishment4 ,we never can guess what a man is by nature1 by seeing what self-discipline has made him4 ,yet if we do become thereby changed and prepared for heaven1 it is no praise or merit to us4 ,it is ,god's doing--glory be to ,him1 who has wrought so wonderfully with us6 ,yet in this life1 even to the end1 there will be enough evil in us to humble us2 even to the end1 the holiest men have remains and stains of sin which they would fain get rid of1 if they could1 and which keep this life from being to them1 for all ,god's grace1 a heaven upon earth4 ,no1 the ,christian life is but a shadow of heaven4 ,its festal and holy days are but shadows of eternity4 ,but hereafter it will be otherwise4 ,in heaven1 sin will be utterly destroyed in every elect soul4 ,we shall have no earthly wishes1 no tendencies to disobedience or irreligion1 no love of the world or the flesh1 to draw us off from supreme devotion to ,god4 ,we shall have our ,saviour's holiness fulfilled in us1 and be able to love ,god without drawback or infirmity4 ,that indeed will be a full reward of all our longings here1 to praise and serve ,god eternally with a single and perfect heart in the midst of ,his ,temple4 ,what a time will that be1 when all will be perfected in us which at present is but feebly begun6 ,then we shall see how the ,angels worship ,god4 ,we shall see the calmness1 the intenseness1 the purity1 of their worship4 ,we shall see that awful sight1 the ,throne of ,god1 and the ,seraphim before and around it1 crying1 ,holy6 ,we attempt now to imitate in church what there is performed1 as in the beginning1 and ever shall be4 ,in the ,te ,deum1 day by day we say1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god of ,sabaoth4 ,in the ,creed1 we recount ,god's mercies to us sinners4 ,and we say and sing ,psalms and ,hymns1 to come as near heaven as we can4 ,may these attempts of ours be blest by ,almighty ,god1 to prepare us for ,him6 may they be1 not dead forms1 but living services1 living with life from ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 in those who are dead to sin and who live with ,christ6 ,i dare say some of you have heard persons1 who dissent from the ,church1 say 7at any rate1 they do say71 that our ,prayers and ,services1 and ,holy days1 are only forms1 dead forms1 which can do us no good4 ,yes1 they are dead forms to those who are dead1 but they are living forms to those who are living4 ,if you come here in a dead way1 not in faith1 not coming for a blessing1 without your hearts being in the service1 you will get no benefit from it4 ,but if you come in a living way1 in faith1 and hope1 and reverence1 and with holy expectant hearts1 then all that takes place will be a living service and full of heaven4 ,make use1 then1 of this ,holy ,easter ,season1 which lasts forty to fifty days1 to become more like ,him who died for you1 and who now liveth for evermore4 ,he promises us1 ,because ,i live1 ye shall live also4 ,he1 by dying on the ,cross1 opened the ,kingdom of ,heaven to all believers4 ,he first died1 and then ,he opened heaven4 ,we1 therefore1 first commemorate ,his death1 and then1 for some weeks in succession1 we commemorate and show forth the joys of heaven4 ,they who do not rejoice in the weeks after ,easter1 would not rejoice in heaven itself4 ,these weeks are a sort of beginning of heaven4 ,pray ,god to enable you to rejoice2 to enable you to keep the ,feast duly4 ,pray ,god to make you better ,christians4 ,this world is a dream1--you will get no good from it4 ,perhaps you find this difficult to believe2 but be sure so it is4 ,depend upon it1 at the last1 you will confess it4 ,young people expect good from the world1 and people of middle age devote themselves to it1 and even old people do not like to give it up4 ,but the world is your enemy1 and the flesh is your enemy4 ,come to ,god1 and beg of ,him grace to devote yourselves to ,him4 ,beg of ,him the will to follow ,him2 beg of ,him the power to obey ,him4 ,o how comfortable1 pleasant1 sweet1 soothing1 and satisfying is it to lead a holy life1--the life of ,angels6 ,it is difficult at first2 but with ,god's grace1 all things are possible4 ,o how pleasant to have done with sin6 how good and joyful to flee temptation and to resist evil6 how meet1 and worthy1 and fitting1 and right1 to die unto sin1 and to live unto righteousness6 #a ,rom4 ii4 #bh1 #bi4 ,,sermon ,,xiv4 ,religion pleasant to the ,religious4 ,o taste and see how gracious the ,lord is2 blessed is the man that trusteth in ,him4--,psalm xxxiv4 #h4 ,you see by these words what love ,almighty ,god has towards us1 and what claims ,he has upon our love4 ,he is the ,most ,high1 and ,all-,holy4 ,he inhabiteth eternity3 we are but worms compared with ,him4 ,he would not be less happy though ,he had never created us2 ,he would not be less happy though we were all blotted out again from creation4 ,but ,he is the ,god of love2 ,he brought us all into existence1 because ,he found satisfaction in surrounding ,himself with happy creatures3 ,he made us innocent1 holy1 upright1 and happy4 ,and when ,adam fell into sin and his descendants after him1 then ever since ,he has been imploring us to return to ,him1 the ,source of all good1 by true repentance4 ,turn ye1 turn ye1 ,he says1 why will ye die8 ,as ,i live ,i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked4 ,what could have been done more to ,my vineyard that ,i have not done to it#a8 ,and in the text ,he condescends to invite us to ,him3 ,o taste and see how gracious the ,lord is3 blessed is the man that trusteth in ,him4 ,as if ,he said1 ,if you would but make trial1 one trial1 if you would but be persuaded to taste and judge for yourself1 so excellent is ,his graciousness1 that you would never cease to desire1 never cease to approach ,him3 according to the saying of the wise man1 ,they that eat ,me shall yet be hungry1 and they that drink ,me shall yet be thirsty#b4 ,this excellence and desirableness of ,god's gifts is a subject again and again set before us in ,holy ,scripture4 ,thus the ,prophet ,isaiah speaks of the feast of fat things1 a feast of wines on the lees2 of fat things full of marrow1 of wines on the lees well refined#c4 ,and again1 under images of another kind3 ,he hath sent ,me 4 4 4 to give 4 4 4 beauty for ashes1 the oil of joy for mourning1 the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness1 that they may be called ,trees of ,righteousness#d4 ,or again1 the ,prophet ,hosea3 ,i will be as the dew unto ,israel3 he shall grow as the lily1 and cast forth his roots as ,lebanon4 ,his branches shall spread1 and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree1 and his smell as ,lebanon4 ,they that dwell under his shadow shall return2 they shall revive as the corn1 and grow as the vine3 the scent thereof shall be as the wine of ,lebanon#e4 ,and the ,psalmist3 ,o that ,my people would have hearkened unto ,me 4 4 4 the haters of the ,lord should have been found liars1 but their time should have endured for ever4 ,he should have fed them also with the finest wheat flour1 and with honey out of the stony rock should ,i have satisfied thee#f4 ,you see all images of what is pleasant and sweet in nature are brought together to describe the pleasantness and sweetness of the gifts which ,god gives us in grace4 ,as wine enlivens1 and bread strengthens1 and oil is rich1 and honey is sweet1 and flowers are fragrant1 and dew is refreshing1 and foliage is beautiful2 so1 and much more1 are ,god's gifts in the ,gospel enlivening1 and strengthening1 and rich1 and sweet1 and fragrant1 and refreshing1 and excellent4 ,and as it is natural to feel satisfaction and comfort in these gifts of the visible world1 so it is but natural and necessary to be delighted and transported with the gifts of the world invisible2 and as the visible gifts are objects of desire and search1 so much more is it1 ,i do not merely say a duty1 but a privilege and blessedness to taste and see how gracious the ,lord is4 ,other passages in the ,psalms speak of this blessedness1 besides the text4 ,thou hast put gladness in my heart1 says the ,psalmist1 since the time that their corn and wine and oil increased#g4 ,the lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground1 yea1 ,i have a goodly heritage#h4 ,again1 ,the statutes of the ,lord are right1 and rejoice the heart1 4 4 4 more to be desired are they than gold1 yea1 than much fine gold1 sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb#i4 ,my heart trusted in ,him1 and ,i am helped2 therefore my heart danceth for joy1 and in my song will ,i praise ,him#aj4 ,once more3 ,blessed is the man whom ,thou choosest and receivest unto ,thee3 he shall dwell in ,thy courts1 and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of ,thy house1 even of ,thy holy temple#aa4 ,i wish it were possible1 my brethren1 to lead men to greater holiness and more faithful obedience by setting before them the high and abundant joys which they have who serve ,god3 ,in ,his presence is fulness of joy1 the well of life1 and they are satisfied with the plenteousness of ,his house1 and drink of ,his pleasures as out of a river1 but this is1 ,i know1 just what most persons will not believe4 ,they think that it is very right and proper to be religious1 they think that it would be better for themselves in the world to come if they were religious now4 ,they do not at all deny either the duty or the expedience of leading a new and holy life1 but they cannot understand how it can be pleasant3 they cannot believe or admit that it is more pleasant than a life of liberty1 laxity1 and enjoyment4 ,they1 as it were1 say1 ,keep within bounds1 speak within probability1 and we will believe you2 but do not shock our reason4 ,we will admit that we ought to be religious1 and that1 when we come to die1 we shall be very glad to have led religious lives3 but to tell us that it is a pleasant thing to be religious1 this is too much3 it is not true2 we feel that it is not true1 all the world knows and feels it is not true2 religion is something unpleasant1 gloomy1 sad1 and troublesome4 ,it imposes a number of restraints on us2 it keeps us from doing what we would2 it will not let us have our own way2 it abridges our liberty2 it interferes with our enjoyments2 it has fewer1 far fewer1 joys at present than a worldly life1 though it gains for us more joys hereafter4 ,this is what men say1 or would say1 if they understood what they feel1 and spoke their minds freely4 ,alas6 ,i cannot deny that this is true in the case of most men4 ,most men do not like the service of ,god1 though it be perfect freedom2 they like to follow their own ways1 and they are only religious so far as their conscience obliges them2 they are like ,balaam1 desirous of the death of the righteous1 not of his life4 ,indeed1 this is the very thing ,i am lamenting and deploring4 ,i lament1 my brethren1 that so many men1 nay1 ,i may say1 that so many of you1 do not like religious service4 ,i do not deny it2 but ,i lament it4 ,i do not deny it3 far from it4 ,i know quite well how many there are who do not like coming to ,church1 and who make excuses for keeping away at times when they might come4 ,i know how many there are who do not come to the ,most ,holy ,sacrament4 ,i know that there are numbers who do not say their prayers in private morning and evening4 ,i know how many there are who are ashamed to be thought religious1 who take ,god's name in vain1 and live like the world4 ,alas6 this is the very thing ,i lament1--that ,god's service is not pleasant to you4 ,it is not pleasant to those who do not like it3 true2 but it is pleasant to those who do4 ,observe1 this is what ,i say2 not that it is pleasant to those who like it not1 but that it is pleasant to those who like it4 ,nay1 what ,i say is1 that it is much more pleasant to those who like it1 than any thing of this world is pleasant to those who do not like it4 ,this is the point4 ,i do not say that it is pleasant to most men2 but ,i say that it is in itself the most pleasant thing in the world4 ,nothing is so pleasant as ,god's service to those to whom it is pleasant4 ,the pleasures of sin are not to be compared in fulness and intensity to the pleasures of holy living4 ,the pleasures of holiness are far more pleasant to the holy1 than the pleasures of sin to the sinner4 ,o that ,i could get you to believe this6 ,o that you had a heart to feel it and know it6 ,o that you had a heart to taste ,god's pleasures and to make proof of them2 to taste and see how gracious the ,lord is6 ,none can know1 however1 the joys of being holy and pure but the holy4 ,if an ,angel were to come down from heaven1 even he could not explain them to you1 nor could he in turn understand what the pleasures of sin are4 ,do you think that an ,angel could be made to understand what are the pleasures of sin8 ,i trow not4 ,you might as well attempt to persuade him that there was pleasure in feasting on dust and ashes4 ,there are brute animals who wallow in the mire and eat corruption4 ,this seems strange to us3 much stranger to an ,angel is it how any one can take pleasure in any thing so filthy1 so odious1 so loathsome as sin4 ,many men1 as ,i have been saying1 wonder what possible pleasure there can be in any thing so melancholy as religion4 ,well3 be sure of this1--it is more wonderful to an ,angel1 what possible pleasure there can be in sinning4 ,it is more wonderful1 ,i say4 ,he would turn away with horror and disgust1 both because sin is so base a thing in itself1 and because it is so hateful in ,god's sight4 ,let no persons then be surprised that religious obedience should really be so pleasant in itself1 when it seems to them so distasteful4 ,let them not be surprised that what the pleasure is cannot be explained to them4 ,it is a secret till they try to be religious4 ,men know what sin is1 by experience4 ,they do not know what holiness is2 and they cannot obtain the knowledge of its secret pleasure1 till they join themselves truly and heartily to ,christ1 and devote themselves to ,his service1--till they taste1 and thereby try4 ,this pleasure is as hidden from them1 as the pleasures of sin are hidden from the ,angels4 ,the ,angels have never eaten the forbidden fruit1 and their eyes are not open to know good and evil4 ,and we have eaten the forbidden fruit1--at least ,adam did1 and we are his descendants1--and our eyes are open to know evil4 ,and1 alas6 on the other hand1 they have become blinded to good2 they require opening to see1 to know1 to understand good4 ,and till our eyes are opened spiritually1 we shall ever think religion distasteful and unpleasant1 and shall wonder how any one can like it4 ,such is our miserable state1--we are blind to the highest and truest glories1 and dead to the most lively and wonderful of all pleasures2--and no one can describe them to us4 ,none other than ,god the ,holy ,spirit can help us in this matter1 by enlightening and changing our hearts4 ,so it is2 and yet ,i will say one thing1 by way of suggesting to you how great and piercing the joys of religion are4 ,think of this4 ,is there any one who does not know how very painful the feeling of a bad conscience is8 ,do not you recollect1 my ,brethren1 some time or other1 having done something you knew to be wrong8 and do you not remember afterwards what a piercing bitter feeling came on you8 ,is not the feeling of a bad conscience different from any other feeling1 and more distressing than any other1 till we have accustomed ourselves to it8 ,persons do accustom themselves and lose this feeling2 but till we blunt our conscience1 it is very painful4 ,and why8 ,it is the feeling of ,god's displeasure1 and therefore it is so painful4 ,consider then3 if ,god's displeasure is so distressing to us1 must not ,god's approval and favour be just the reverse2 like life from the dead1 most exceedingly joyful and transporting8 ,and this is what it is to be holy and religious4 ,it is to have ,god's favour4 ,and1 as it is a great misery to be under ,god's wrath1 so it is a great and wonderful joy to be in ,god's favour1 and those who know what a misery the former is1 may fancy1 though they do not know1 how high a blessing the latter is4 ,from what you know1 then1 judge of what you do not know4 ,from the miseries of guilt1 which1 alas6 you have experienced1 conjecture the blessedness of holiness and purity which you have not experienced4 ,from the pain of a bad conscience1 believe in the unspeakable joy and gladness of a good conscience4 ,i have been addressing those who do not know what religious peace and ,divine pleasures are1 but there are those present1 ,i hope1 who in a measure are not strangers to them4 ,i know that none of us gain all the pleasure from ,god's service which it might afford us2 still some of us1 ,i hope1 gain some pleasure4 ,i hope there are some of those who hear me1 who take a pleasure in coming to ,church1 in saying their prayers1 in thinking of ,god1 in singing ,psalms1 in blessing ,him for the mercies of the ,gospel1 and in celebrating ,christ's death and resurrection1 as at this season of the year#ab4 ,these persons have tasted and tried4 ,i trust they find the taste so heavenly1 that they will not need any proof that religion is a pleasant thing2 nay1 more pleasant than any thing else1 worth the following above all other things1 and unpleasant only to those who are not religious4 ,let such persons then think of this1 that if a religious life is pleasant here1 in spite of the old ,adam interrupting the pleasure and defiling them1 what a glorious day it will be1 if it is granted to us hereafter to enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven6 ,none of us1 even the holiest1 can guess how happy we shall be2 for ,st4 ,john says1 ,we know not what we shall be#ac2 and ,st4 ,paul1 ,now we see in a glass darkly1 but then face to face4 ,yet in proportion to our present holiness and virtue1 we have some faint ideas of what will then be our blessedness4 ,and in ,scripture various descriptions of heaven are given us1 in order to arrest1 encourage1 and humble us4 ,we are told that the ,angels of ,god are very bright1 and clad in white robes4 ,the ,saints and ,martyrs too are clad in white robes1 with palms in their hands2 and they sing praises unto ,him that sitteth upon the ,throne1 and to the ,lamb4 ,when our ,lord was transfigured1 ,he showed us what ,heaven is4 ,his raiment became white as snow1 white and glistening4 ,again1 at one time ,he appeared to ,st4 ,john1 and then1 ,his head and ,his hairs were white like wool1 as white as snow2 and ,his eyes were as a flame of fire2 and ,his feet like unto fine brass1 as if they burned in a furnace2 and ,his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength#ad4 ,and what ,christ is1 such do ,his ,saints become hereafter4 ,here below they are clad in a garment of sinful flesh2 but when the end comes1 and they rise from the grave1 they shall inherit glory1 and shall be ever young and ever shining4 ,in that day1 all men will see and be convinced1 even bad men1 that ,god's servants are really happy1 and only they4 ,in that day1 even lost souls1 though they will not be able to understand the blessedness of religion1 will have no doubt at all of what they now doubt1 or pretend to doubt1 that religion is blessed4 ,they laugh at religion1 think strictness to be narrowness of mind1 and regularity to be dulness2 and give bad names to religious men4 ,they will not be able to do so then4 ,they think themselves the great men of the earth now1 and look down upon the religious2 but then1 who would not have been a religious man1 to have so great a reward8 who will then have any heart to speak against religion1 even though he has not a heart to fear ,god and keep all ,his commandments always8 ,in that day1 they will look upon the righteous man1 and be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation1 so far beyond all that they looked for4 ,and they1 repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit1 shall say within themselves1 ,this was he1 whom we had sometimes in derision1 and a proverb of reproach4 ,we fools accounted his life madness1 and his end to be without honour2 how is he numbered among the children of ,god1 and his lot is among the saints#ae6 ,think of all this1 my ,brethren1 and rouse yourselves1 and run forward with a good courage on your way towards heaven4 ,be not weary in well-doing1 for in due season we shall reap1 if we faint not4 ,strive to enter in at the strait gate4 ,strive to get holier and holier every day1 that you may be worthy to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,pray ,god to teach you ,his will1 and to lead you forth in the right way1 because of your enemies4 ,submit yourselves to ,his guidance1 and you will have comfort given you1 according to your day1 and peace at the last4 #a ,ezek4 xxxiii4 #aa4 ,isa4 v4 #d4 #b ,eccles4 xxiv4 #ba4 #c ,isa4 xxv4 #f4 #d ,isa4 lxi4 #a-c4 #e ,hos4 xiv4 #e-g4 #f ,ps4 lxxxi4 #ac-af4 #g ,ps4 iv4 #g4 #h ,ps4 xvi4 #f4 #i ,ps4 xix4 #aj4 #aj ,ps4 xxviii4 #g4 #aa ,ps4 lxv4 #d4 #ab ,easter4 #ac #a ,john iii4 #b4 #ad ,rev4 i4 #ad-af4 #ae ,wisd4 v4 #b-e4 ,,sermon ,,xv4 ,mental ,prayer4 ,pray without ceasing4--#a ,thess4 v4 #ag4 ,there are two modes of praying mentioned in ,scripture2 the one is prayer at set times and places1 and in set forms2 the other is what the text speaks of1--continual or habitual prayer4 ,the former of these is what is commonly called prayer1 whether it be public or private4 ,the other kind of praying may also be called holding communion with ,god1 or living in ,god's sight1 and this may be done all through the day1 wherever we are1 and is commanded us as the duty1 or rather the characteristic1 of those who are really servants and friends of ,jesus ,christ4 ,these two kinds of praying are also natural duties4 ,i mean1 we should in a way be bound to attend to them1 even if we were born in a heathen country and had never heard of the ,bible4 ,for our conscience and reason would lead us to practise them1 if we did but attend to these divinely-given informants4 ,i shall here confine myself to the consideration of the latter of the two1 habitual or inward prayer1 which is enjoined in the text1 with the view of showing what it is1 and how we are to practise it2 and ,i shall speak of it1 first1 as a natural duty1 and then as the characteristic of a ,christian4 #a4 ,at first sight1 it may be difficult to some persons to understand what is meant by praying always4 ,now consider it as a natural duty1 that is1 a duty taught us by natural reason and religious feeling1 and you will soon see what it consists in4 ,what does nature teach us about ourselves1 even before opening the ,bible8--that we are creatures of the ,great ,god1 the ,maker of heaven and earth2 and that1 as ,his creatures1 we are bound to serve ,him and give ,him our hearts2 in a word1 to be religious beings4 ,and next1 what is religion but a habit8 and what is a habit but a state of mind which is always upon us1 as a sort of ordinary dress or inseparable garment of the soul8 ,a man cannot really be religious one hour1 and not religious the next4 ,we might as well say he could be in a state of good health one hour1 and in bad health the next4 ,a man who is religious1 is religious morning1 noon1 and night2 his religion is a certain character1 a mould in which his thoughts1 words1 and actions are cast1 all forming parts of one and the same whole4 ,he sees ,god in all things2 every course of action he directs towards those spiritual objects which ,god has revealed to him2 every occurrence of the day1 every event1 every person met with1 all news which he hears1 he measures by the standard of ,god's will4 ,and a person who does this may be said almost literally to pray without ceasing2 for1 knowing himself to be in ,god's presence1 he is continually led to address ,him reverently1 whom he sets always before him1 in the inward language of prayer and praise1 of humble confession and joyful trust4 ,all this1 ,i say1 any thoughtful man acknowledges from mere natural reason4 ,to be religious is1 in other words1 to have the habit of prayer1 or to pray always4 ,this is what ,scripture means by doing all things to ,god's glory2 that is1 so placing ,god's presence and will before us1 and so consistently acting with a reference to ,him1 that all we do becomes one body and course of obedience1 witnessing without ceasing to ,him who made us1 and whose servants we are2 and in its separate parts promoting more or less directly ,his glory1 according as each particular thing we happen to be doing admits more or less of a religious character4 ,thus religious obedience is1 as it were1 a spirit dwelling in us1 extending its influence to every motion of the soul2 and just as healthy men and strong men show their health and strength in all they do 7not indeed equally in all things1 but in some things more than in others1 because all actions do not require or betoken the presence of that health and strength1 and yet even in their step1 and their voice1 and their gestures1 and their countenance1 showing in due measure their vigour of body71 so they who have the true health and strength of the soul1 a clear1 sober1 and deep faith in ,him in whom they have their being1 will in all they do1 nay 7as ,st4 ,paul says71 even whether they eat or drink#a1 be living in ,god's sight1 or1 in the words of the same ,apostle in the text1 live in ceaseless prayer4 ,if it be said that no man on earth does thus continually and perfectly glorify and worship ,god1 this we all know too well2 this is only saying that none of us has reached perfection4 ,we know1 alas6 that in many things all of us offend4 ,but ,i am speaking not of what we do1 but of what we ought to do1 and must aim at doing1--of our duty2 and1 for the sake of impressing our duty on our hearts1 it is of use to draw the picture of a man perfectly obedient1 as a pattern for us to aim at4 ,in proportion as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our ,saviour1 so shall we approximate to ,him in obedience1 who is our great example1 and who alone of all the sons of ,adam lived in the perfection of unceasing prayer4 ,thus the meaning and reasonableness of the command in the text is shown by considering it as a natural duty1 religion being no accident which comes and goes by fits and starts1 but a certain spirit or life4 #b4 ,now1 secondly1 ,i will state all this in the language of ,scripture2 that is1 ,i will confirm this view of our duty1 which natural reason might suggest1 by that other and far clearer voice of ,god1 ,his inspired word4 ,how is religious obedience described in ,scripture8 ,surely as a certain kind of life4 ,we know what life of the body is2 it is a state of the body3 the pulse beats2 all things are in motion4 ,the hidden principle of life1 though we know not how or what it is1 is seen in these outward signs of it4 ,and so of the life of the soul4 ,the soul1 indeed1 was not possessed of this life of ,god when first born into the world4 ,we are born with dead souls2 that is1 dead as regards religious obedience4 ,if left to ourselves we should grow up haters of ,god1 and tend nearer and nearer1 the longer we had existence1 to utter spiritual death1 that inward fire of hell torments1 maturing in evil through a long eternity4 ,such is the course we are beginning to run when born into the world2 and were it not for the gospel promise1 what a miserable event would the birth of children be6 ,who could take pleasure at the sight of such poor beings1 unconscious as yet of their wretchedness1 but containing in their hearts that fearful root of sin which is sure in the event of reigning and triumphing unto everlasting woe8 ,but ,god has given us all1 even the little children1 a good promise through ,christ2 and our prospects are changed4 ,and ,he has given not only a promise of future happiness1 but through ,his ,holy ,spirit ,he implants here and at once a new principle within us1 a new spiritual life1 a life of the soul1 as it is called4 ,st4 ,paul tells us1 that ,god hath quickened us1 made us live1 together with ,christ1 4 4 4 and hath raised us up together from the death of sin1 and made us sit together in heavenly places in ,christ ,jesus#b4 ,now how ,god quickens our souls we do not know1 as little as how ,he quickens our bodies4 ,our spiritual life 7as ,st4 ,paul says7 is hid with ,christ in ,god#c4 ,but as our bodily life discovers itself by its activity1 so is the presence of the ,holy ,spirit in us discovered by a spiritual activity2 and this activity is the spirit of continual prayer4 ,prayer is to spiritual life what the beating of the pulse and the drawing of the breath are to the life of the body4 ,it would be as absurd to suppose that life could last when the body was cold and motionless and senseless1 as to call a soul alive which does not pray4 ,the state or habit of spiritual life exerts itself1 consists1 in the continual activity of prayer4 ,do you ask1 where does ,scripture say this8 ,where8 ,in all it tells us of the connexion between the new birth and faith2 for what is prayer but the expression1 the voice1 of faith8 ,for instance1 ,st4 ,paul says to the ,galatians1 ,the life which ,i now live in the flesh 7i4e4 the new and spiritual life71 ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me#d4 ,for what1 ,i say1 is faith1 but the looking to ,god and thinking of ,him continually1 holding habitual fellowship with ,him1 that is1 speaking to ,him in our hearts all through the day1 praying without ceasing8 ,afterwards1 in the same ,epistle1 he tells us first that nothing avails but faith working by love2 but soon after1 he calls this same availing principle a new creature3 so that the new birth and a living faith are inseparable4 ,never1 indeed1 must it be supposed1 as we are indolently apt to suppose1 that the gift of grace which we receive at baptism is a mere outward privilege1 a mere outward pardon1 in which the heart is not concerned2 or as if it were some mere mark put on the soul1 distinguishing it indeed from souls unregenerate1 as if by a colour or seal1 but not connected with the thoughts1 mind1 and heart of a ,christian4 ,this would be a gross and false view of the nature of ,god's mercy given us in ,christ4 ,for the new birth of the ,holy ,spirit sets the soul in motion in a heavenly way3 it gives us good thoughts and desires1 enlightens and purifies us1 and prompts us to seek ,god4 ,in a word 7as ,i have said71 it gives a spiritual life2 it opens the eyes of our mind1 so that we begin to see ,god in all things by faith1 and hold continual intercourse with ,him by prayer1 and if we cherish these gracious influences1 we shall become holier and wiser and more heavenly1 year by year1 our hearts being ever in a course of change from darkness to light1 from the ways and works of ,satan to the perfection of ,divine obedience4 ,these considerations may serve to impress upon our minds the meaning of the precept in the text1 and others like it which are found in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles4 ,for instance1 he enjoins the ,ephesians to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the ,spirit4 ,to the ,philippians he says1 ,be careful for nothing2 but in every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto ,god#e4 ,to the ,colossians1 ,continue in prayer1 and watch in the same with thanksgiving4 ,to the ,romans1 ,continue instant in prayer#f4 ,thus the true ,christian pierces through the veil of this world and sees the next4 ,he holds intercourse with it2 he addresses ,god1 as a child might address his parent1 with as clear a view of ,him1 and with as unmixed a confidence in ,him2 with deep reverence indeed1 and godly fear and awe1 but still with certainty and exactness3 as ,st4 ,paul says1 ,i know whom ,i have believed#g1 with the prospect of judgment to come to sober him1 and the assurance of present grace to cheer him4 ,if what ,i have said is true1 surely it is well worth thinking about4 ,most men indeed1 ,i fear1 neither pray at fixed times1 nor do they cultivate an habitual communion with ,almighty ,god4 ,indeed1 it is too plain how most men pray4 ,they pray now and then1 when they feel particular need of ,god's assistance2 when they are in trouble or in apprehension of danger2 or when their feelings are unusually excited4 ,they do not know what it is either to be habitually religious1 or to devote a certain number of minutes at fixed times to the thought of ,god4 ,nay1 the very best ,christian1 how lamentably deficient is he in the spirit of prayer6 ,let any man compare in his mind how many times he has prayed when in trouble1 with how seldom he has returned thanks when his prayers have been granted2 or the earnestness with which he prays against expected suffering1 with the languor and unconcern of his thanksgivings afterwards1 and he will soon see how little he has of the real habit of prayer1 and how much his religion depends on accidental excitement1 which is no test of a religious heart4 ,or supposing he has to repeat the same prayer for a month or two1 the cause of using it continuing1 let him compare the earnestness with which he first said it1 and tried to enter into it1 with the coldness with which he at length uses it4 ,why is this1 except that his perception of the unseen world is not the true view which faith gives 7else it would last as that world itself lasts71 but a mere dream1 which endures for a night1 and is succeeded by a hard worldly joy in the morning8 ,is ,god habitually in our thoughts8 ,do we think of ,him1 and of ,his ,son our ,saviour1 through the day8 ,when we eat and drink1 do we thank ,him1 not as a mere matter of form1 but in spirit8 ,when we do things in themselves right1 do we lift up our minds to ,him1 and desire to promote ,his glory8 ,when we are in the exercise of our callings1 do we still think of ,him1 acting ever conscientiously1 desiring to know ,his will more exactly than we do at present1 and aiming at fulfilling it more completely and abundantly8 ,do we wait on ,his grace to enlighten1 renew1 strengthen us8 ,i do not ask whether we use many words about religion4 ,there is no need to do this3 nay1 we should avoid a boastful display of our better feelings and practices1 silently serving ,god without human praise1 and hiding our conscientiousness except when it would dishonour ,god to do so4 ,there are times1 indeed1 when1 in the presence of a holy man1 to confess is a benefit1 and there are times when1 in the presence of worldly men1 to confess becomes a duty2 but these seasons1 whether of privilege or of duty1 are comparatively rare4 ,but we are always with ourselves and our ,god2 and that silent inward confession in ,his presence may be sustained and continual1 and will end in durable fruit4 ,but if those persons come short of their duty who make religion a matter of impulse and mere feeling1 what shall be said to those who have no feeling or thought of religion at all8 ,what shall be said of the multitude of young people who ridicule seriousness1 and deliberately give themselves up to vain thoughts8 ,alas6 my brethren1 you do not even observe or recognize the foolish empty thoughts which pass through your minds2 you are not distressed1 even at those of them you recollect2 but what will you say at the last day1 when1 instead of the true and holy visions in which consists ,divine communion1 you find recorded against you in ,god's book an innumerable multitude of the idlest1 silliest imaginings1 nay1 of the wickedest1 which ever disgraced an immortal being8 ,what will you say1 when heaven and hell are before you1 and the books are opened1 and therein you find the sum total of your youthful desires and dreams1 your passionate wishes for things of this world1 your low-minded1 grovelling tastes1 your secret contempt and aversion for serious subjects and persons1 your efforts to attract the looks of sinners and to please those who displease ,god2 your hankerings after worldly gaieties and luxuries1 your admiration of the rich or titled1 your indulgence of impure thoughts1 your self-conceit and pitiful vanity8 ,ah1 ,i may seem to you to use harsh words2 but be sure ,i do not use terms near so severe as you will use against yourselves in that day4 ,then those men1 whom you now think gloomy and over-strict1 will seem to you truly wise2 and the advice to pray without ceasing1 which once you laughed at as fit only for the dull1 the formal1 the sour1 the poor-spirited1 or the aged1 will be approved by your own experience1 as it is even now by your reason and conscience4 ,oh1 that you could be brought to give one serious hour to religion1 in anticipation of that long eternity where you must be serious6 ,true1 you may laugh now1 but there is no vain merriment on the other side of the grave4 ,the devils1 though they repent not1 tremble4 ,you will be among those unwilling serious ones then1 if you are mad enough to be gay and careless now2 if you are mad enough to laugh1 jest1 and scoff your poor moment now on earth1 which1 is short enough to prepare for eternity in1 without your making it shorter by wasting your youth in sin4 ,could you but see who it is that suggests to you all your lighter thoughts1 which you put instead of ,divine communion1 the shock would make you serious1 even if it did not make you religious4 ,could you see1 what ,god sees1 those snares and pitfalls which the devil is placing about your path2 could you see that all your idle thoughts which you cherish1 which seem so bright and pleasant1 so much pleasanter than religious thoughts1 are inspired by that ,ancient ,seducer of ,mankind1 the ,author of ,evil1 who stands at your side while you deride religion1 serious indeed himself while he makes you laugh1 not able to laugh at his own jests1 while he carries you dancing forward to perdition1--doubtless you would tremble1 even as he does while he tempts you4 ,but this you cannot possibly see1 you cannot break your delusion1 except by first taking ,god's word in this matter on trust4 ,you cannot see the unseen world at once4 ,they who ever speak with ,god in their hearts1 are in turn taught by ,him in all knowledge2 but they who refuse to act upon the light1 which ,god gave them by nature1 at length come to lose it altogether1 and are given up to a reprobate mind4 ,may ,god save us all from such wilful sin1 old as well as young1 and enlighten us one and all in ,his saving knowledge1 and give us the will and the power to serve ,him6 #a #a ,cor4 x4 #ca4 #b ,eph4 ii4 #e1 #f4 #c ,col4 iii4 #c4 #d ,gal4 ii4 #bj4 #e ,eph4 vi4 #ah4 ,phil4 iv4 #f4 #f ,col4 iv4 #b4 ,rom4 xii4 #ab4 #g #b ,tim4 i4 #ab4 ,,sermon ,,xvi4 ,infant ,baptism4 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4--,john iii4 #e4 ,none can be saved1 unless the blood of ,christ1 the ,immaculate ,lamb of ,god1 be imputed to him2 and it is ,his gracious will that it should be imputed to as1 one by one1 by means of outward and visible signs1 or what are called ,sacraments4 ,these visible rites represent to us the heavenly truth1 and convey what they represent4 ,the baptismal washing betokens the cleansing of the soul from sin2 the elements of bread and wine are figures of what is present but not seen1 the body and blood of ,christ1 which are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the ,lord's ,supper4 ,so far the two ,sacraments agree2 yet there is this important difference in their use1--that ,baptism is but once administered1 but the ,lord's ,supper is to be received continually4 ,our ,lord ,christ told the ,apostles to baptize at the time that they made men ,his disciples4 ,baptism admitted them to ,his favour once for all2 but the ,lord's ,supper keeps us and secures us in ,his favour day by day4 ,he said1 ,this do1 as often as ye drink it1 in remembrance of ,me4 ,here1 then1 a ,question at once arises1 which it is important to consider3--,at what time in our life are we to be baptized1 or made disciples of ,christ8 ,the first ,christians of course were baptized when they were come to a full age1 because then the ,gospel was for the first time preached to them2 they had no means of being baptized when young4 ,but the case is different with those who are born of ,christian parents2 so the question now is1 at what age are the sons of ,christians to be baptized8 ,now1 for fifteen hundred years there was no dispute or difficulty in answering this question all over the ,christian world2 none who acknowledged the duty of baptizing at all1 but administered the rite to infants1 as we do at present4 ,but about three hundred years ago strange opinions were set afloat1 and sects arose1 doing every thing which had not been done before1 and undoing every thing that had been done before1 and all this 7as they professed7 on the principle that it was every one's duty to judge and act for himself2 and among these new sects there was one which maintained that ,infant ,baptism was a mistake1 and that1 mainly upon this short argument1--that it was nowhere commanded in ,scripture4 ,let us1 then1 consider this subject3 and first1 it is but fair and right to acknowledge at once that ,scripture does not bid us baptize children4 ,this1 however1 is no very serious admission2 for ,scripture does not name any time at all for ,baptism2 yet it orders us to be baptized at some age or other4 ,it is plain1 then1 whatever age we fix upon1 we shall be going beyond the letter of ,scripture4 ,this may or may not be a difficulty1 but it cannot be avoided3 it is not a difficulty of our making4 ,god has so willed it4 ,he has kept silence1 and doubtless with good reason2 and surely we must try to do our part and to find out what ,he would have us do1 according to the light1 be it greater or less1 which ,he has vouchsafed to us4 ,is it any new thing that it should take time and thought to find out accurately what our duty is8 ,is it a new thing that the full and perfect truth should not lie on the very surface of things1 in the bare letter of ,scripture8 ,far from it4 ,those who strive to enter into life1 these alone find the strait gate which leads thereto4 ,it is no proof even that it is a matter of indifference what age is proper for ,baptism1 that ,scripture is not clear about it1 but hides its real meaning2 not commanding but hinting what we should do4 ,for consider how many things in this life are difficult to attain1 yet1 far from being matters of indifference1 are necessary for our comfort or even well-being4 ,nay1 it often happens that the more valuable any gift is1 the more difficult it is to gain it4 ,take1 for instance1 the art of medicine4 ,is there an art more important for our life and comfort8 ,yet how difficult and uncertain is the science of it6 what time it takes to be well versed and practised in it6 ,what would be thought of a person who considered that it mattered little whether a sick man took this course or that1 on the ground that men were not physicians by nature1 and that if the ,creator had meant medicine to be for our good4 ,he would have told us at once1 and every one of us1 the science and the practice of it8 ,in the same way it does not at all follow1 even if it were difficult to find out at what age ,baptism should be administered1 that therefore one time is as good as another4 ,difficulty is the very attendant upon great blessings1 not on things indifferent4 ,but a man may say that ,scripture is given us for the very purpose of making the knowledge of our duty easy to us2--what is meant by a revelation1 if it does not reveal8--and that we have no revelation to tell us what medicines are good or bad for the body1 but that a revelation has been made in order to tell us what is good or bad for the soul3--if1 then1 a thing were important for our soul's benefit1 ,scripture would have plainly declared it4 ,i answer1 who told us all this8 ,doubtless1 ,scripture was given to make our duty easier than before2 but how do we know that it was intended to take away all difficulty of every kind8 ,so says not ,christ1 when ,he bids us seek and strive and so find2 to knock1 to watch1 and to pray4 ,no2 ,scripture has not undertaken to tell us every thing1 but merely to give us the means of finding every thing2 and thus much we can conclude on the subject before us1 that if it is important1 there are means of determining it2 but we cannot infer1 either that it must actually be commanded in the letter of ,scripture1 or that it can be found out by every individual for and by himself4 ,but it may be said1 ,scripture says that the times of the ,gospel shall be times of great light3 ,all thy children shall be taught of the ,lord1 and great shall be the peace of thy children#a4 ,this is true3 but whose children8 ,the ,church's4 ,surely it is a time of light1 if we come to the ,church for information2 for she has ever spoken most clearly on the subject4 ,she has ever baptized infants and enjoined the practice2 she has ever answered to the prophecy as being a word behind us1 saying1 ,this is the way2 walk ye in it4 ,her teachers surely 7according to the prophecy7 have never been removed into a corner4 ,but if we will not accept this supernatural mercy1 then ,i say it is not unnatural that we should find ourselves in the same kind of doubt in which we commonly are involved in matters of this world4 ,god has promised us light and knowledge in the ,gospel1 but in ,his way1 not in our way4 ,but after all1 in the present instance1 surely there is no great difficulty in finding out what ,god would have us to do1 though ,he has not told us in ,scripture in the plainest way4 ,i say it is not difficult to see1 as the ,church has ever been led to see1 that ,god would have us baptize young children1 and that to delay ,baptism is to delay a great benefit1 and is hazarding a child's salvation4 ,there is no difficulty1 if men are not resolved to make one4 #a4 ,let us consider1 first1 what is ,baptism8 ,it is a means and pledge of ,god's mercy1 pardon1 acceptance of us for ,christ's sake2 it gives us grace to change our natures4 ,now1 surely infants1 as being born in sin1 have most abundant need of ,god's mercy and grace3 this cannot be doubted4 ,even at first sight1 then1 it appears desirable 7to say the least7 that they should be baptized4 ,baptism is just suited to their need3 it contains a promise of the very blessings which they want1 and which without ,god's free bounty they cannot have4 ,if1 indeed1 ,baptism were merely or principally our act1 then perhaps the case would be altered4 ,but it is not an act of ours so much as of ,god's2 a pledge from ,him4 ,and1 ,i repeat1 infants1 as being by nature under ,god's wrath1 having no elements of spiritual life in them1 being corrupt and sinful1 are surely1 in a singular manner1 objects of ,baptism as far as the question of desirableness is concerned4 ,let us refer to our ,saviour's words to ,nicodemus in the text4 ,our ,lord tells him none can enter into the kingdom of ,god who is not born of water and the ,spirit4 ,and why8 ,because 7,he goes on to say7 that which is born of the flesh is flesh#b4 ,we need a new birth1 because our first birth is a birth unto sin4 ,who does not see that this reason is equally cogent for infant ,baptism as for ,baptism at all8 ,baptism by water and the ,spirit is necessary for salvation 7,he says71 because man's nature is corrupt2 therefore infants must need this regeneration too4 ,if1 indeed1 sin were not planted deep in man's very heart1--if it were merely an accidental evil into which some fell while others escaped it4--nay1 even if1 though 7as a fact7 all men actually fall into sin1 yet this general depravity arose merely from bad example1 not from natural bias1 then indeed ,baptism of water and the ,spirit would not be necessary except for those who1 having come to years of understanding1 had actual sin to answer for3 but if1 as our ,saviour implies1 even a child's heart1 before he begins to think and act1 is under ,divine wrath1 and contains the sure and miserable promise of future sin as the child grows up1 can we do otherwise than thankfully accept the pledge and means which ,he has given us of a new birth unto holiness2 and since1 by not telling us the time for ,baptism1 ,he has in a way left it to ourselves to decide upon it1 shall we not apply the medicine given us when we are sure of the disease8 ,can any man forbid water1 to use ,st4 ,peter's words under different circumstances1 that children should not be baptized8 ,the burden of proof1 as it is called1 is with those who withhold the ,sacrament4 ,will it be said that infants are not properly qualified for ,baptism8 ,how is this an objection8 ,consider the text4--,except one be born of water and the ,spirit1 says our ,lord1 he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,there is nothing said about qualifications or conditions here which might exclude infants from ,baptism1--nothing about the necessity of previous faith1 or previous good works1 in order to fit us for the mercy of ,god4 ,nor indeed could any thing be said4 ,christ knew that1 without ,his grace1 man's nature could not bear any good fruit1 for from above is every good gift4 ,far from it4 ,any such notion of man's unassisted strength is wholly detestable1 contrary to the very first principles of all true religion1 whether ,jewish1 ,christian1 or even ,pagan4 ,we are miserably fallen creatures1 we are by nature corrupt1--we dare not talk even of children being naturally pleasing in ,god's sight4 ,and if we wait till children are in a condition to bring something to ,god1 in payment 7so to say7 of ,his mercy to them1 till they have faith and repentance1 they never will be baptized2 for they will never attain to that condition4 ,to defer ,baptism till persons actually have repentance and faith1 is refusing to give medicine till a patient begins to get well4 ,it would be hard indeed1 if ,satan be allowed to have access to the soul from infancy1 as soon as it begins to think1 and we refuse to do what we can1 or what promises well1 towards gaining for it the protection of ,god against the ,tempter4 ,on this first view of the case then1 from the original corruption of our nature1 from the need which all men are under from their birth of pardon and help from ,god1 from ,baptism being a promise of mercy just suited to our need1 and from the impossibility of any one 7let him be allowed to live unbaptized ever so long7 bringing any self-provided recommendation of himself to ,god's favour2 on all these accounts1 ,i say1 since ,god has given us no particular directions in the matter1 but has left it to ourselves1 it seems1 on the first view of the case1 most fitting and right to give children the privilege of ,baptism4 #b4 ,but1 in fact1 we are not1 strictly speaking1 left without positive encouragement to bring infants near to ,him4 ,we are not merely left to infer generally the propriety of ,infant ,baptism2 ,christ has shown us ,his willingness to receive children4 ,some men have said 7indeed most of us perhaps in seasons of unbelief have been tempted in our hearts to ask71 ,what good can ,baptism do senseless children8 you might as well baptize things without life2 they sleep or even struggle during the ceremony1 and interrupt it2 it is a mere superstition4 ,this1 my brethren1 is the language of the world1 whoever uses it4 ,it is putting sight against faith4 ,if we are assured that ,baptism has been blessed by ,christ1 as the rite of admittance into ,his ,church1 we have nothing to do with those outward appearances1 which1 though they might prove something perhaps1 had ,he not spoken1 now that ,he has spoken lose all force4 ,to such objections1 ,i would reply by citing our ,saviour's own word and deed4 ,we find that infants were brought to ,christ2 and ,his disciples seem to have doubted1 in the same spirit of unbelief1 what could be the good of bringing helpless and senseless children to the ,saviour of men4 ,they doubtless thought that ,his time would be better employed in teaching them1 than in attending to children2 that it was interfering with ,his usefulness4 ,but when ,jesus saw it1 ,he was much displeased#c4 ,these are remarkable words3 much displeased1--that is1 ,he was uneasy1 indignant1 angry 7as the ,greek word may be more literally translated72 and we are told1 ,he took them up in ,his arms1 put ,his hands upon them1 and blessed them4 ,christ1 then1 can bless infants1 in spite of their being to all appearance as yet incapable of thought or feeling4 ,he can1 and did1 bless them2 and1 in the very sense in which they then were blessed1 we believe they are capable of a blessing in ,baptism4 #c4 ,and we may add this consideration4 ,it is certain that children ought to be instructed in religious truth1 as they can bear it1 from the very first dawn of reason2 clearly1 they are not to be left without a ,christian training till they arrive at years of maturity4 ,now1 let it be observed1 ,christ seems distinctly to connect teaching with ,baptism1 as if ,he intended to convey through it a blessing upon teaching1--,go ye and teach all the nations1 baptizing them4 ,if children1 then1 are to be considered as under teaching1 as learners in the school of ,christ1 surely they should be admitted into that school by ,baptism4 ,these are the reasons for ,infant ,baptism which strike the mind1 even on the first consideration of the subject2 and in the absence of express information from ,scripture1 they are 7as far as they go7 satisfactory4 ,at what age should we be baptized8 ,i answer1 in childhood2 because all children require ,divine pardon and grace 7as our ,saviour ,himself implies71 all are capable of ,his blessing 7as ,his action shows71 all are invited to ,his blessing1 and ,baptism is a pledge from ,him of ,his favour1 as ,his ,apostles frequently declare4 ,since infants are to be brought to ,christ1 we must have invented a rite1 if ,baptism did not answer the purpose of a dedication4 ,again1 ,i say1 in childhood2 because all children need ,christian instruction1 and ,baptism is a badge and mark of a scholar in ,christ's school4 ,and moreover1 ,i will add1 because ,st4 ,paul speaks of the children of ,christian parents as being holy1 in a favoured state1 a state of unmerited blessing2 and because he seems to have baptized at once whole families1 where the head of the family was converted to the faith of the ,gospel#d4 ,to conclude4 ,let me beg of all who hear me1 and who wish to serve ,god1 to remember1 in their ordinary prayers1 their habitual thoughts1 the daily business of life1 that they were once baptized4 ,if ,baptism be merely a ceremony1 to be observed indeed1 but then at once forgotten1--a decent form1 which it would neither be creditable1 nor for temporal reasons expedient to neglect1--it is most surely no subject for a ,christian minister to speak of2 ,christ's religion has no fellowship with bare forms1 and nowhere encourages mere outward observances4 ,if1 indeed1 there be any who degrade ,baptism into a mere ceremony1 which has in it no spiritual promise1 let such men look to it for themselves1 and defend their practice of baptizing infants as they can4 ,but for me1 my brethren1 ,i would put it before you as a true and plain pledge1 without reserve1 of ,god's grace given to the souls of those who receive it2 not a mere form1 but a real means and instrument of blessing verily and indeed received2 and1 as being such1 ,i warn you to remember what a talent has been committed to you4 ,there are very many persons who do not think of ,baptism in this religious point of view2 who are in no sense in the habit of blessing ,god for it1 and praying ,him for ,his further grace to profit by the privileges given them in it2 who1 when even they pray for grace1 do not ground their hope of being heard and answered1 on the promise of blessing in ,baptism made to them2 above all1 who do not fear to sin after ,baptism4 ,this is of course an omission2 in many cases it is a sin4 ,let us set ourselves right in this respect4 ,nothing will remind us more forcibly both of our advantages and of our duties2 for from the very nature of our minds outward signs are especially calculated 7if rightly used7 to strike1 to affect1 to subdue1 to change them4 ,blessed is he who makes the most of the privileges given him1 who takes them for a light to his feet and a lanthorn to his path4 ,we have had the ,sign of the ,cross set on us in infancy1--shall we ever forget it8 ,it is our profession4 ,we had the water poured on us1--it was like the blood on the door-posts1 when the destroying ,angel passed over4 ,let us fear to sin after grace given1 lest a worse thing come upon us4 ,let us aim at learning these two great truths3--that we can do nothing good without ,god's grace1 yet that we can sin against that grace2 and thus that the great gift may be made the cause1 on the one hand1 of our gaining eternal life1 and the occasion to us1 on the other1 of eternal misery4 #a ,isa4 liv4 #ac4 #b ,john iii4 #f4 #c ,mark x4 #ad4 #d #a ,cor4 vii4 #ad4 ,acts xvi4 #ae1 #cc4 ,,sermon ,,xvii4 ,the ,unity of the ,church4 ,and ,i say also unto thee1 ,that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build ,my ,church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4--,matt4 xvi4 #ah4 ,too many persons at this day1--in spite of what they see before them1 in spite of what they read in history1--too many persons forget1 or deny1 or do not know1 that ,christ has set up a kingdom in the world4 ,in spite of the prophecies1 in spite of the ,gospels and ,epistles1 in spite of their eyes and their ears1--whether it be their sin or their misfortune1 so it is1--they do not obey ,him in that way in which it is ,his will that ,he should be obeyed4 ,they do not obey ,him in ,his ,kingdom2 they think to be ,his people1 without being ,his subjects4 ,they determine to serve ,him in their own way1 and though ,he has formed ,his chosen into one body1 they think to separate from that body1 yet to remain in the number of the chosen4 ,far different is the doctrine suggested to us by the text4 ,in ,st4 ,peter1 who is there made the rock on which the ,church is founded1 we see1 as in a type1 its unity1 stability1 and permanence4 ,it is set up in one name1 not in many1 to show that it is one2 and that name is ,peter1 to show that it will last1 or1 as the ,divine ,speaker proceeds1 that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,in like manner1 ,st4 ,paul calls it the pillar and ground of the truth#a4 ,this is a subject especially brought before us at this time of year#b1 and it may be well now to enlarge upon it4 ,now that all ,christians are1 in some sense or other1 one1 in our ,lord's eyes1 is plain1 from various parts of the ,new ,testament4 ,in ,his mediatorial prayer for them to the ,almighty ,father1 before ,his passion1 ,he expressed ,his purpose that they should be one4 ,st4 ,paul1 in like manner1 writing to the ,corinthians1 says1 ,as the body is one1 and hath many members1 and all the members of that one body1 being many1 are one body1 so also is ,christ4 4 4 4 4 ,now ye are the ,body of ,christ1 and members in particular4 ,to the ,ephesians1 he says1 ,there is one ,body1 and one ,spirit1 even as ye are called in one hope of your calling3 one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism1 one ,god and ,father of all#c4 ,and1 further1 it is to this one ,body1 regarded as one1 that the special privileges of the ,gospel are given4 ,it is not that this man receives the blessing1 and that man1 but one and all1 the whole body1 as one man1 one new spiritual man1 with one accord1 seeks and gains it4 ,the ,holy ,church throughout the world1 the ,bride1 the ,lamb's wife1 is one1 not many1 and the elect souls are all elected in her1 not in isolation4 ,for instance2 ,he is our peace who hath made both ,jews and ,gentiles one1 4 4 4 to make in ,himself of twain one new man4 ,in the same ,epistle1 it is said1 that all nations are fellow-heirs1 and of the same body1 and fellow-partakers of ,his promise in ,christ2 and that we must one and all come1 or converge1 in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the ,son of ,god1 unto a perfect man1 unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of ,christ2 that as the husband is the head of the wife1 so ,christ is the ,head of the ,church1 having loved it and given ,himself for it1 that ,he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the ,word#d4 ,these are a few out of many passages which connect ,gospel privileges with the circumstance or condition of unity in those who receive them2 the image of ,christ and token of their acceptance being stamped upon them then1 at that moment1 when they are considered as one2 so that henceforth the whole multitude1 no longer viewed as mere individual men1 become portions or members of the indivisible ,body of ,christ ,mystical1 so knit together in ,him by ,divine ,grace1 that all have what ,he has1 and each has what all have4 ,the same great truth is taught us in such texts as speak of all ,christians forming one spiritual building1 of which the ,jewish ,temple was the type4 ,they are temples one by one1 simply as being portions of that one ,temple which is the ,church4 ,ye are built up1 says ,st4 ,peter1 a spiritual house1 a holy priesthood1 to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to ,god by ,jesus ,christ4 ,hence the word edification1 which properly means this building up of all ,christians in one1 has come to stand for individual improvement2 for it is by being incorporated into the one ,body1 that we have the promise of life2 by becoming members of ,christ1 we have the gift of ,his ,spirit4 ,further1 that unity is the condition of our receiving the privileges of the ,gospel is confirmed by the mode in which the ,prophets describe the ,christian ,church2 that is1 instead of addressing individuals as independent and separate from each other1 they view the whole as of one body2 viz4 that one elect1 holy1 and highly-favoured ,mother1 of which individuals are but the children favoured through her as a channel4 ,lift up thine eyes1 and behold1 says the inspired announcement2 all these gather themselves together1 and come to thee4 ,o thou afflicted1 tossed with tempest1 and not comforted1 behold1 ,i will lay thy stones with fair colours1 and lay thy foundations with sapphires4 4 4 4 4 ,all thy children shall be taught of the ,lord1 and great shall be the peace of thy children4 ,but here it may be asked1 ,how is this a doctrine to affect our practice8 ,that ,christians may be considered in our minds as one1 is evident2 it is evident1 too1 that they must be one in spirit2 and that hereafter they will be one blessed company in heaven2 but what follows now from believing that all saints are one in ,christ8 ,this will be found to follow3 that1 as far as may be1 ,christians should live together in a visible society here on earth1 not as a confused unconnected multitude1 but united and organized one with another1 by an established order1 so as evidently to appear and to act as one4 ,and this1 you will at once see1 is a doctrine nearly affecting our practice1 yet neglected far and wide at this day4 ,any complete and accurate proof indeed of this doctrine shall not here be attempted2 nay1 ,i shall not even bring together1 as is often done#e1 the more obvious texts on which it rests2 let it suffice1 on this occasion1 to make one or two general remarks bearing upon it1 and strongly recommending it to us4 #a4 ,when1 then1 ,i am asked1 why we ,christians must unite into a visible body or society1 ,i answer1 first1 that the very earnestness with which ,scripture insists upon a spiritual unseen unity at present1 and a future unity in heaven1 of itself directs a pious mind to the imitation of that unity visible on earth2 for why should it be so continually mentioned in ,scripture1 unless the thought of it were intended to sink deep into our minds1 and direct our conduct here8 #b4 ,but again1 our ,saviour prays that we may be one in affection and in action2 yet what possible way is there of many men acting together1 except that of forming themselves into a visible body or society1 regulated by certain laws and officers8 and how can they act on a large scale1 and consistently1 unless it be a permanent body8 #c4 ,but1 again1 ,i might rest the necessity of ,christian unity upon one single institution of our ,lord's1 the ,sacrament of ,baptism4 ,baptism is a visible rite confessedly1 and ,st4 ,paul tells us that1 by it1 individuals are incorporated into an already existing body4 ,he is speaking of the visible body of ,christians1 when he says1 ,by one ,spirit are we all baptized into one body#f4 ,but if every one who wishes to become a ,christian must come to an existing visible body for the gift1 as these words imply1 it is plain that no number of men can ever1 consistently with ,christ's intention1 set up a ,church for themselves4 ,all must receive their ,baptism from ,christians already baptized1 and they in their turn must have received the ,sacrament from former ,christians1 themselves already incorporated in a body then previously existing4 ,and thus we trace back a visible body or society even to the very time of the ,apostles themselves2 and it becomes plain that there can be no ,christian in the whole world who has not received his title to the ,christian privileges from the original apostolical society4 ,so that the very ,sacrament of ,baptism1 as prescribed by our ,lord and ,his ,apostles1 implies the existence of one visible association of ,christians1 and only one2 and that permanent1 carried on by the succession of ,christians from the time of the ,apostles to the very end of the world4 ,this is the design1 of ,christ1 ,i say1 implied in the institution of the baptismal rite4 ,whether ,he will be merciful1 over and above ,his promise1 to those who through ignorance do not comply with this design1 or are in other respects irregular in their obedience1 is a further question1 foreign to our purpose4 ,still it remains the revealed design of ,christ to connect all ,his followers in one by a visible ordinance of incorporation4 ,the ,gospel faith has not been left to the world at large1 recorded indeed in the ,bible1 but there left1 like other important truths1 to be taken up by men or rejected1 as it may happen4 ,truths1 indeed1 in science and the arts have been thus left to the chance adoption or neglect of mankind2 they are no one's property2 cast at random upon the waves of human opinion4 ,in any country soever1 men may appropriate them at once1 and form themselves at their will into a society for their extension4 ,but for the more momentous truths of revealed religion1 the ,god1 who wrought by human means in their first introduction1 still preserves them by the same4 ,christ formed a body4 ,he secured that body from dissolution by the bond of a ,sacrament4 ,he committed the privileges of ,his spiritual kingdom and the maintenance of ,his faith as a legacy to this baptized society2 and into it1 as a matter of historical fact1 all the nations have flowed4 ,christianity has not been spread1 as other systems1 in an isolated manner1 or by books2 but from a centre1 by regularly formed bodies1 descendants of the three thousand1 who1 after ,st4 ,peter's preaching on the day of ,pentecost1 joined themselves to the ,apostles' doctrine and fellowship4 ,and to this apostolical body we must still look for the elementary gift of grace4 ,grace will not baptize us while we sit at home1 slighting the means which ,god has appointed2 but we must come unto ,mount ,sion1 and unto the city of the living ,god1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and to an innumerable company of angels1 to the general assembly and ,church of the first-born which are written in heaven1 and to ,god the ,judge of all1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus the mediator of the new covenant1 and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of ,abel4 #d4 ,and now ,i will mention one other guarantee1 which is especially suggested by our ,lord's words in the text1 for the visible unity and permanence of ,his ,church2 and that is the appointment of rulers and ministers1 entrusted with the gifts of grace1 and these in succession4 ,the ministerial orders are the ties which bind together the whole body of ,christians in one2 they are its organs1 and they are moreover its moving principle4 ,such an institution necessarily implies a succession1 unless the appointment was always to be miraculous2 for if men cannot administer to themselves the rite of regeneration1 it is surely as little or much less reasonable to suppose that they could become ,bishops or ,priests on their own ordination4 ,and ,st4 ,paul expressly shows his solicitude to secure such a continuity of clergy for his brethren3 ,i left thee in ,crete1 he says to ,titus1 that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting1 and ordain elders in every city1 as ,i had appointed thee#g4 ,and to ,timothy3 ,the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses1 the same commit thou to faithful men1 who shall be able to teach others also#h4 ,now1 we know that in civil matters nothing tends more powerfully to strengthen and perpetuate the body politic than hereditary rulers and nobles4 ,the father's life1 his principles and interests1 are continued in the son1 or rather1 one life1 one character1 one idea1 is carried on from age to age4 ,thus a dynasty or a nation is consolidated and secured2 whereas where there is no regular succession and inheritance of this kind1 there is no safeguard of stability and tranquillity2 or rather1 there is every risk of revolution4 ,for what is to make a succeeding age think and act in the spirit of the foregoing1 but that tradition of opinion and usage from mind to mind which a succession involves8 ,in like manner the ,christian ministry affects the unity1 inward and without1 of the ,church to which it is attached4 ,it is a continuous office1 a standing ordinance2 not1 indeed1 transmitted from father to son1 as under the ,mosaic covenant1 for the vessels of the ,christian election need to be more special1 as the treasure committed to them is more heavenly3 but still the ,apostles have not left it to the mere good pleasure and piety of the ,christian body whether they will have a ministry or not4 ,each preceding generation of clergy have it in charge to ordain the next following to their sacred office4 ,consider what would be sure to happen1 were there no such regular transmission of the ,divine gift1 but each congregation were left to choose and create for itself its own minister4 ,this would follow1 among other evil consequences1 that what is every one's duty would prove1 as the proverb runs1 to be no one's4 ,when their minister or teacher died or left them1 there would be first a delay in choosing a fresh one1 then a reluctance1 then a forgetfulness4 ,at last congregations would be left without teachers2 and the bond of union being gone1 the ,church would be broken up4 ,if a ministry be a necessary part of the ,gospel ,dispensation1 so must also a ministerial succession be4 ,but the gift of grace has not thus dropped out of the hands of its ,all-merciful ,giver4 ,he has committed to certain of ,his servants to provide for the continuance of its presence and its administration after their own time4 ,each generation provides for the next2 the parents lay up for the children4 ,and we know as a fact1 that to this day the ministers of the ,church universal are descended from the very ,apostles4 ,amid all the changes of this world1 the ,church built upon ,st4 ,peter and the rest has continued until now in the unbroken line of the ministry4 ,and to put other considerations out of sight1 the mere fact in itself1 that there has been this perpetual succession1 this unforfeited inheritance1 is sufficiently remarkable to attract our attention and excite our reverence4 ,it approves itself to us as providential1 and enlivens our hope and trust1 that an ordinance1 thus graciously protected for so many hundred years1 will continue unto the end1 and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,i shall now bring these remarks to an end4 ,and in ending1 let me remind you1 my brethren1 how nearly the whole doctrine of ecclesiastical order is connected with personal obedience to ,god's will4 ,obedience to the rule of order is every where enjoined in ,scripture2 obedience to it is an act of faith4 ,were there ten thousand objections to it1 yet1 supposing unity were clearly and expressly enjoined by ,christ1 faith would obey in spite of them4 ,but in matter of fact there are no such objections1 nor any difficulty of any moment in the way of observing it4 ,what1 then1 is to be said to the very serious circumstance1 that1 in spite of the absence of such impediments1 vast numbers of men conceive that they may dispense with it at their good pleasure4 ,in all the controversies of fifteen hundred years1 the duty of continuing in order and in quietness was professed on all sides1 as one of the first principles of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,but now multitudes1 both in and without the ,church1 have set it up on high as a great discovery1 and glory in it as a great principle1 that forms are worth nothing4 ,they allow themselves to wander about from one communion to another1 or from church to meeting-house1 and make it a boast that they belong to no party and are above all parties1 and argue1 that provided men agree in some principal doctrines of the ,gospel1 it matters little whether they agree in any thing besides4 ,but those who boast of belonging to no party1 and think themselves enlightened in this same confident boasting1 ,i would1 in all charity1 remind that our ,saviour ,himself constituted what they must1 on their principles1 admit to be a party2 that the ,christian ,church is simply and literally a party or society instituted by ,christ4 ,he bade us keep together4 ,fellowship with each other1 mutual sympathy1 and what spectators from without call party-spirit1 all this is a prescribed duty2 and the sin and the mischief arise1 not from having a party1 but in having many parties1 in separating from that one body or party which ,he has appointed2 for when men split the one ,church of ,christ into fragments1 they are doing their part to destroy it altogether4 ,but while the ,church of ,christ is literally what the world calls a party1 it is something far higher also4 ,it is not an institution of man1 not a mere political establishment1 not a creature of the state1 depending on the state's breath1 made and unmade at its will1 but it is a ,divine society1 a great work of ,god1 a true relic of ,christ and ,his ,apostles1 as ,elijah's mantle upon ,elisha1 a bequest which ,he has left us1 and which we must keep for ,his sake2 a holy treasure which1 like the ark of ,israel1 looks like a thing of earth1 and is exposed to the ill-usage and contempt of the world1 but which in its own time1 and according to the decree of ,him who gave it1 displays to-day1 and to-morrow1 and the third day1 its miracles1 as of mercy so of judgment1 lightnings1 and voices1 and thunderings1 and an earthquake1 and great hail4 #a #a ,tim4 iii4 #ae4 #b ,easter and ,whitsuntide4 #c ,john xvii4 #bc4 #a ,cor4 xii4 #ab4 ,eph4 iv4 #d-f4 #d ,eph4 ii4 #ad2 iii4 #f2 iv4 #ac2 v4 #bc-bf4 #e ,vide ,tracts for the ,times1 ,no4 #aa4 #f #a ,cor4 xii4 #ac4 #g ,titus i4 #e4 #h #b ,tim4 ii4 #b4 ,vide also #a ,tim4 v4 #bb4 ,,sermon ,,xviii4 ,stedfastness in the ,old ,paths4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,stand ye in the ways1 and see1 and ask for the old paths1 where is the good way1 and walk therein1 and ye shall find rest for your souls4--,jer4 vi4 #af4 ,reverence for the old paths is a chief ,christian duty4 ,we look to the future indeed with hope2 yet this need not stand in the way of our dwelling on the past days of the ,church with affection and deference4 ,this is the feeling of our own ,church1 as continually expressed in the ,prayer ,book2--not to slight what has gone before1 not to seek after some new thing1 not to attempt discoveries in religion1 but to keep what has once for all been committed to her keeping1 and to be at rest4 ,now it may be asked1 ,why should we for ever be looking back at past times8 were men perfect then8 is it not possible to improve on the knowledge then possessed8 ,let us examine this question4 ,in what respect should we follow old times8 ,now here there is this obvious maxim--what ,god has given us from heaven cannot be improved1 what man discovers for himself does admit of improvement2 we follow old times then so far as ,god has spoken in them1 but in those respects in which ,god has not spoken in them1 we are not bound to follow them4 ,now what is the knowledge which ,god has not thought fit to reveal to us8 knowledge connected merely with this present world4 ,all this we have been left to acquire for ourselves4 ,whatever may have been told to ,adam in paradise1 or to ,noah1 about which we know nothing1 still at least since that time no divinely authenticated directions 7it would appear7 have been given to the world at large1 on subjects relating merely to this our temporal state of being4 ,how we may till our lands and increase our crops2 how we may build our houses1 and buy and sell and get gain2 how we may cross the sea in ships2 how we may make fine linen for the merchant1 or1 like ,tubal-,cain1 be artificers in brass and iron3 as to these objects of this world1 necessary indeed for the time1 not everlastingly important1 ,god has given us no clear instruction4 ,he has not set ,his sanction here upon any rules of art1 and told us what is best4 ,they have been found out by man 7as far as we know71 and improved by man1 and the first essays1 as might be expected1 were the rudest and least successful4 ,here then we have no need to follow the old ways4 ,besides1 in many of these arts and pursuits1 there is really neither right nor wrong at all2 but the good varies with times and places4 ,each country has its own way1 which is best for itself1 and bad for others4 ,again1 ,god has given us no authority in questions of science4 ,the heavens above1 and the earth under our feet1 are full of wonders1 and have within them their own vast history4 ,but the knowledge of the secrets they contain1 the tale of their past revolutions1 is not given us from ,divine revelation2 but left to man to attain by himself4 ,and here again1 since discovery is difficult1 the old knowledge is generally less sure and complete than the modern knowledge4 ,if we wish to boast about little matters1 we know more about the motions of the heavenly bodies than ,abraham1 whose seed was in number as the stars2 we can measure the earth1 and fathom the sea1 and weigh the air1 more accurately than ,moses1 the inspired historian of the creation2 and we can discuss the varied inhabitants of this globe better than ,solomon1 though he spake of trees1 from the cedar that is in ,lebanon1 even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall 4 4 4 4 and of beasts1 and of fowl1 and of creeping things1 and of fishes#a4 ,the world is more learned in these things than of old1 probably will learn more still2 a vast prospect is open to it1 and an intoxicating one4 ,like the children of ,cain1 before the flood came and destroyed them all1 men may increase and abound in such curious or merely useful knowledge2 nay1 there is no limit to the progress of the human mind here2 we may build us a city and a tower1 whose top may reach almost to the very heavens4 ,such is the knowledge which time has perfected1 and in which the old paths are commonly the least direct and safe4 ,but let us turn to that knowledge which ,god has given1 and which therefore does not admit of improvement by lapse of time1 this is religious knowledge4 ,here1 whether a man might or might not have found out the truth for himself1 or how far he was able without ,divine assistance1 waiving this question1 which is nothing to the purpose1 as a fact it has been from the beginning given him by revelation4 ,god taught ,adam how to please ,him1 and ,noah1 and ,abraham1 and ,job4 ,he has taught every nation all over the earth sufficiently for the moral training of every individual4 ,in all these cases1 the world's part of the work has been to pervert the truth1 not to disengage it from obscurity4 ,the new ways are the crooked ones4 ,the nearer we mount up to the time of ,adam1 or ,noah1 or ,abraham1 or ,job1 the purer light of truth we gain2 as we recede from it we meet with superstitions1 fanatical excesses1 idolatries1 and immoralities4 ,so again in the case of the ,jewish ,church1 since ,god expressly gave the ,jews a precise law1 it is clear man could not improve upon it1 he could but add the traditions of men4 ,nothing was to be looked for from the cultivation of the human mind4 ,to the law and to the testimony was the appeal1 and any deviation from it was1 not a sign of increasing illumination1 but because there was no light in the authors of innovation4 ,lastly1 in the ,christian ,church1 we cannot add or take away1 as regards the doctrines that are contained in the inspired volume1 as regards the faith once delivered to the saints4 ,other foundation can no man lay than that is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ#b4 ,but it may be said that1 though the word of ,god is an infallible rule of faith1 yet it requires interpreting1 and why1 as time goes on1 should we not discover in it more than we at present know on the subject of religion and morals8 ,but this is hardly a question of practical importance to us as individuals2 for in truth a very little knowledge is enough for teaching a man his duty3 and1 since ,scripture is intended to teach us our duty1 surely it was never intended as a storehouse of mere knowledge4 ,discoveries then in the details of morals and religion1 by means of the inspired volume1 whether possible or not1 must not be looked out for1 as the expectation may unsettle the mind1 and take it off from matters of duty4 ,certainly all curious questions at least are forbidden us by ,scripture1 even though ,scripture may be found adequate to answer them4 ,this should be insisted on4 ,do we think to become better men by knowing more8 ,little knowledge is required for religious obedience4 ,the poor and rich1 the learned and unlearned1 are here on a level4 ,we have all of us the means of doing our duty2 we have not the will1 and this no knowledge can give4 ,we have need to subdue our own minds1 and this no other person can do for us4 ,the case is different in matters of learning and science4 ,there others can and do labour for us2 we can make use of their labours2 we begin where they ended2 thus things progress1 and each successive age knows more than the preceding4 ,but in religion each must begin1 go on1 and end1 for himself4 ,the religious history of each individual is as solitary and complete as the history of the world4 ,each man will1 of course1 gain more knowledge as he studies ,scripture more1 and prays and meditates more2 but he cannot make another man wise or holy by his own advance in wisdom or holiness4 ,when children cease to be born children1 because they are born late in the world's history1 when we can reckon the world's past centuries for the age of this generation1 then only can the world increase in real excellence and truth as it grows older4 ,the character will always require forming1 evil will ever need rooting out of each heart2 the grace to go before and to aid us in our moral discipline must ever come fresh and immediate from the ,holy ,spirit4 ,so the world ever remains in its infancy1 as regards the cultivation of moral truth2 for the knowledge required for practice is little1 and admits of little increase1 except in the case of individuals1 and then to them alone2 and it cannot be handed on to another4 ,as it was in the beginning1 is now1 and ever shall be1 such is the general history of man's moral discipline1 running parallel to the unchanging glory of that ,all-,perfect ,god1 who is its ,author and ,finisher4 ,practical religious knowledge1 then1 is a personal gift1 and1 further1 a gift from ,god2 and1 therefore1 as experience has hitherto shown1 more likely to be obscured than advanced by the lapse of time4 ,but further1 we know of the existence of an evil principle in the world1 corrupting and resisting the truth in its measure1 according to the truth's clearness and purity4 ,whether it be from the sinfulness of our nature1 or from the malignity of ,satan1 striving with peculiar enmity against ,divine truth1 certain it is that the best gifts of ,god have been the most woefully corrupted4 ,it was prophesied from the beginning1 that the serpent should bruise the heel of ,him who was ultimately to triumph over him2 and so it has ever been4 ,our ,saviour1 who was the ,truth itself1 was the most spitefully entreated of all by the world4 ,it has been the case with ,his followers too4 ,he was crucified with thieves2 they have been united and blended against their will with the worst and basest of mankind4 ,the purer and more precious the gift which ,god bestows on us1 far from this being a security for its abiding and increasing1 rather the more grievously has that gift been abused4 ,st4 ,john even seems to make the greater wickedness in the world the clear consequence and evidence of our ,lord's having made ,his appearing4 ,little children1 it is the last time 7i4 e4 the time of the ,christian ,dispensation73 and as ye have heard that ,antichrist shall come1 even now are there many ,antichrists1 whereby we know that it is the last time#c4 ,st4 ,paul drew the same picture4 ,so far from anticipating brighter times in store for the ,church before the end1 he portends evil only4 ,this know 7he says to ,timothy71 that in the last days perilous times will come4 4 4 4 4 ,evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse1 deceiving and being deceived#d4 ,in these and other passages surely there is no encouragement to look out for a more enlightened1 peaceful1 and pure state of the ,church than it enjoys at present3 rather1 there is a call on us to consider the old and original way as the best1 and all deviations from it1 though they seem to promise an easier1 safer1 and shorter road1 yet as really either tending another way1 or leading to the right object with much hazard and many obstacles4 ,such is the case as regards the knowledge of our duty1--that kind of knowledge which alone is really worth earnest seeking4 ,and there is an important reason why we should acquiesce in it2--because the conviction that things are so has no slight influence in forming our minds into that perfection of the religious character1 at which it is our duty ever to be aiming4 ,while we think it possible to make some great and important improvements in the subject of religion1 we shall be unsettled1 restless1 impatient2 we shall be drawn from the consideration of improving ourselves1 and from using the day while it is given us1 by the visions of a deceitful hope1 which promises to make rich but tendeth to penury4 ,on the other hand1 if we feel that the way is altogether closed against discoveries in religion1 as being neither practicable nor desirable1 it is likely we shall be drawn more entirely and seriously to our own personal advancement in holiness2 our eyes1 being withdrawn from external prospects1 will look more at home4 ,we shall think less of circumstances1 and more of our duties under them1 whatever they are4 ,in proportion as we cease to be theorists we shall become practical men2 we shall have less of self-confidence and arrogance1 more of inward humility and diffidence2 we shall be less likely to despise others1 and shall think of our own intellectual powers with less complacency4 ,it is one great peculiarity of the ,christian character to be dependent4 ,men of the world1 indeed1 in proportion as they are active and enterprising1 boast of their independence1 and are proud of having obligations to no one4 ,but it is the ,christian's excellence to be diligent and watchful1 to work and persevere1 and yet to be in spirit dependent2 to be willing to serve1 and to rejoice in the permission to do so2 to be content to view himself in a subordinate place2 to love to sit in the dust4 ,though in the ,church a son of ,god1 he takes pleasure in considering himself ,christ's servant and slave2 he feels glad whenever he can put himself to shame4 ,so it is the natural bent of his mind freely and affectionately to visit and trace the footsteps of the saints1 to sound the praises of the great men of old who have wrought wonders in the ,church and whose words still live1 being jealous of their honour1 and feeling it to be even too great a privilege for such as he is to be put in trust with the faith once delivered to them1 and following them strictly in the narrow way1 even as they have followed ,christ4 ,to the ears of such persons the words of the text are as sweet music3 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,stand ye in the ways1 and see1 and ask for the old paths1 where is the good way1 and walk therein1 and ye shall find rest for your souls4 ,the history of the ,old ,dispensation affords us a remarkable confirmation of what ,i have been arguing from these words2 for in the time of the ,law there was an increase of religious knowledge by fresh revelations4 ,from the time of ,samuel especially to the time of ,malachi1 the ,church was bid look forward for a growing illumination1 which1 though not necessary for religious obedience1 subserved the establishment of religious comfort4 ,now1 ,i wish you to observe how careful the inspired prophets of ,israel are to prevent any kind of disrespect being shown to the memory of former times1 on account of that increase of religious knowledge with which the later ages were favoured2 and if such reverence for the past were a duty among the ,jews when the ,saviour was still to come1 much more is it the duty of ,christians1 who expect no new revelation1 and who1 though they look forward in hope1 yet see the future only in the mirror of times and persons past1 who 7in the ,angel's words7 wait for that same ,jesus3 4 4 4 4 so to come in like manner as they saw ,him go into heaven4 ,now1 as to the reverence enjoined and taught the ,jews towards persons and times past1 we may notice first the commandment given them to honour and obey their parents and elders4 ,this1 indeed1 is a natural law4 ,but that very circumstance surely gives force to the express and repeated injunctions given them to observe it1 sanctioned too 7as it was7 with a special promise4 ,natural affection might have taught it2 but it was rested by the ,law on a higher sanction4 ,next1 this duty of reverently regarding past times was taught by such general injunctions 7more or less express7 as the text4 ,it is remarkable1 too1 when ,micah would tell the ,jews that the legal sacrifices appointed in time past were inferior to the moral duties1 he states it not as a new truth1 but refers to its announcement by a prophet in ,moses' age1--to the answer of ,balaam to ,balak1 king of ,moab4 ,but1 further1 to bind them to the observance of this duty1 the past was made the pledge of the future1 hope was grounded upon memory2 all prayer for favour sent them back to the old mercies of ,god4 ,the ,lord hath been mindful of us1 ,he will bless us#e2 this was the form of their humble expectation4 ,the favour vouchsafed to ,abraham and ,israel1 and the deliverance from ,egypt1 were the objects on which hope dwelt1 and were made the types of blessings in prospect4 ,for instance1 out of the many passages which might be cited1 ,isaiah says1 ,awake 4 4 4 ,o arm of the ,lord1 as in the ancient days1 in the generations of old#f4 ,micah1 ,feed thy people with thy rod1 the flock of thine heritage1 which dwell solitary in the wood1 in the midst of ,carmel2 let them feed in ,bashan and ,gilead1 as in the days of old2 according to the days of thy coming out of ,egypt will ,i show unto him marvellous things#g4 ,the ,psalms abound with like references to past mercies1 as pledges and types of future4 ,prophesying of the reign of ,christ1 ,david says1 ,the ,lord said1 ,i will bring again from ,bashan1 ,i will bring ,my people again from the depths of the sea1 and ,moses too1 speaking to the ,israelites--,remember the days of old1 consider the years of many generations2 ask thy father and he will show thee1 thy elders1 and they will tell thee#h4 ,accordingly1 while a coming ,saviour was predicted1 still the claims of past times on ,jewish piety were maintained1 by ,his being represented by the prophets under the name and character of ,david1 or in the dress and office of ,aaron2 so that1 the clearer the revelation of the glory in prospect1 in the same degree greater honour was put upon the former ,jewish saints who typified it4 ,in like manner the blessings promised to the ,christian ,church are granted to it in the character of ,israel1 or of ,jerusalem1 or of ,sion4 ,lastly1 as ,moses directed the eyes of his people towards the line of prophets which the ,lord their ,god was to raise up from among them1 ending in the ,messiah1 they in turn dutifully exalt ,moses1 whose system they were superseding4 ,samuel1 ,david1 ,isaiah1 ,micah1 ,jeremiah1 ,daniel1 ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 each in succession1 bear testimony to ,moses4 ,malachi1 the last of the prophets1 while predicting the coming of ,john the ,baptist1 still gives this charge1 ,remember ye the law of ,moses1 ,my servant1 which ,i commanded unto him in ,horeb for all ,israel1 with the statutes and judgments#i4 ,in like manner in the ,new ,testament the last of the prophets and apostles describes the saints as singing the song of ,moses1 the servant of ,god 7this is his honourable title1 as elsewhere71 and the song of the ,lamb#aj4 ,above all1 our blessed ,lord ,himself sums up the whole subject we have been reviewing1 both the doctrine and ,jewish illustration of it1 in ,his own authoritative words1--,if they hear not ,moses and the prophets1 neither will they be persuaded1 though one rose from the dead#aa4 ,after this sanction1 it is needless to refer to the reverence with which ,st4 ,paul regards the law of ,moses1 and to the commemoration he has made of the ,old ,testament saints in the eleventh chapter of his ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,oh that we had duly drunk into this spirit of reverence and godly fear6 ,doubtless we are far above the ,jews in our privileges2 we are favoured with the news of redemption2 we know doctrines1 which righteous men of old time earnestly desired to be told1 and were not4 ,to us is revealed the ,eternal ,son1 the ,only-begotten of the ,father1 full of grace and truth4 ,we are branches of the ,true ,vine1 which is sprung out of the earth and spread abroad4 ,we have been granted ,apostles1 ,prophets1 ,evangelists1 pastors1 and teachers4 ,we celebrate those true ,festivals which the ,jews possessed only in shadow4 ,for us ,christ has died1 on us the ,spirit has descended4 ,in these respects we are honoured and privileged1 oh how far above all ages before ,he came6 ,yet our honours are our shame1 when we contrast the glory given us with our love of the world1 our fear of men1 our lightness of mind1 our sensuality1 our gloomy tempers4 ,what need have we to look with wonder and reverence at those saints of the ,old ,covenant1 who with less advantages yet so far surpassed us2 and still more at those of the ,christian ,church1 who both had higher gifts of grace and profited by them6 ,what need have we to humble ourselves2 to pray ,god not to leave us1 though we have left ,him2 to pray ,him to give us back what we have lost1 to receive a repentant people1 to renew in us a right heart and give us a religious will1 and to enable us to follow ,him perseveringly in ,his narrow and humbling way4 #a #a ,kings iv4 #cc4 #b #a ,cor4 iii4 #aa4 #c #a ,john ii4 #ah4 #d #b ,tim4 iii4 #ac4 #e ,ps4 cxv4 #ab4 #f ,isa4 li4 #i4 #g ,micah vii4 #ad1 #ae4 #h ,deut4 xxxii4 #g4 #i ,mal4 iv4 #d4 #aj ,rev4 xv4 #c4 #aa ,luke xvi4 #ca4 ,,end ,,of ,,vol4 ,,vii4