SERMON VIII.

THE LESSONS.

PSALM CXIX. 103.

"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

WHAT a difference does divine grace make in a man, when it comes to his soul in reality and in power! He who was dead is made alive again: he who was lost is found. A complete change comes over the scene when the knowledge and love of the Saviour occupy the heart. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

The

sinner was blind; now, the darkness is passed, and the true light shineth. He was well satisfied with himself, buoyed up with delusive hopes founded on his own fancied goodness, or purity of heart; now his cry is, 'None but Christ! None but Christ! God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." His cry once

was, "Who will shew us any good?" It is now exchanged for, "Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us!" If he offered any service to God, it was only outward-mere formality, the result of custom or fashion: now his heart is engaged: yea, his heart and his tongue are in unison to magnify the riches of his Saviour's grace, and to glorify the God of his salvation. And in nothing is this change more conspicuous than in our estimate of the word of Godthe Scriptures of truth. The Bible is a common book amongst us: it is in the hands of most people, but not in their hearts: and why not in their hearts? Whence comes it that so very few of those who read it, either understand it, or love it, or attempt to shape their lives according to its precepts? The reason lies here; the veil is upon their hearts: they are filled with prejudices against it; its doctrines are too mysterious, or its precepts too strict. Light is come into the world; but they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." They feel not their own sinful and lost condition by nature and practice; therefore they believe not in the Lord Jesus Christ, nor appreciate his wonderful love in giving himself a ransom for many, that "He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." But has the Holy Spirit converted the sinner? is Christ known and believed on, and valued as "chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely?" our estimate of the Bible is quite altered: it is our hope, our comfort, our food, our light; our counsellor, our heritage, and the rejoicing of our heart. Our experience accords with that of the Psalmist in the text, "How sweet are

66

thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

This beautiful text will also illustrate both the wisdom and the piety of our Reformers in introducing into the Services of our Church such copious portions of the Holy Scriptures. Our Liturgy is based on the Bible. The Bible is its life and soul: it breathes the spirit of the Bible: it teaches the precepts of the Bible: it sets forth the riches of Messiah's grace, and the glories of Messiah's kingdom: it glorifies the God of the Bible: it would have all those who join in it to be Bible Christians, worshipping God in the spirit, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh.” Hence we find the Lessons (with exceptions to be afterwards noticed) the Hymns, the Psalms, the Epistles, and Gospels, extracted from the Bible. And it is to this subject I desire to confine your attention on the present occasion.

66

I. What a mercy that we have the Bible! it is the revelation of the mind and will of God to his creature man: it is the charter of our spiritual liberties-the title-deeds to the heavenly inheritance. It is that Book of Books, "able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ." From generation to generation earth and hell have united their efforts to rob the Church of this sacred deposit, or to substitute human superstitions and traditions in its place. Every thing human changes and decays. Kingdom after kingdom has arisen and flourished and passed away: but the word of God admits of no decay, it is divine: "it liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Pet. i. 23.) During thirty centuries the Bible has been copied as no

other book ever was, or ever will be copied: it was borne with Israel in all their vicissitudes and captivities: it was transported for seventy years to Babylon: from the Philistines to the days of the Seleucidæ, it has oftentimes been persecuted, forgotten, forbidden and burnt. From the time of our blessed Saviour, it endured the first three centuries of imperial persecutions, when those who were convicted of having it in their possession were sentenced to be torn by wild beasts: then followed the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, in which false books, legends and decretals were everywhere multiplied. In the tenth century very few persons knew how to read, not excepting even princes. In the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries the use of the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue was punished again with death, whilst the fables and traditions of men were palmed on the Church. Who must not trace and adore the hand of God in thus preserving and defending his word? The compilers of our Liturgy felt and owned the mercy of God in allowing the true light again to burst upon the Church at the Reformation. What man,' says Archbishop Cranmer, of knowledge and zeal for God's honour can with dry eyes see this injury to Christ, and look upon the state of religion brought in by the Papists, perceiving the true sense of God's words subverted by false glosses of man's devising, the true Christian religion turned into certain hypocritical and superstitious sects, the people praying with their mouths, and hearing with their ears, they wist not what, and so ignorant in God's Word, that they could not discern the hypocrisy and superstition from true and sincere religion? This was of late years the face of religion in this realm of England, and yet

G

6

remaineth in divers realms: but thanks be to Almighty God, the superstitious sects of monks and friars, that were in this realm be clean taken away: the Scripture is restored to the proper and true understanding: the people may daily read and hear God's heavenly word, and pray in their own language which they understand, so that their hearts and mouths may go together, and be none of those people whom Christ complained of, saying, "These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Thanks be to God! many corrupt weeds be plucked up, which were wont to rot the flock of Christ, and to hinder the growing of the Lord's harvest.'-O, that we all, my beloved brethren, could say from personal and heartfelt experience, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes!" If we knew more of the preciousness of the Bible, we should be more alive to our mercies in possessing the treasure, and should value more highly the civil and religious privileges and liberties we enjoy through it, and which were restored to us with it at the glorious Reformation.

Before I say more on the propriety of introducing so much of the Word of God into the public services of our Church, I must proceed,

II. TO NOTICE A FEW DIFFICULTIES AND

OBJECTIONS.

Now it is obvious that some plan must be adopted 1 Works of Archbishop Cranmer-Parker Society Edition, p. 6.