His all is not on board that vessel! His chief inheritance lies in another soil! "His hand the good man fastens on the skies, It affords a great pleasure, 3. It will make vision the sweeter. when we make a venture of any kind, to find ourselves at last not disappointed. If a considerate man embark his all on board a vessel, and himself with it, he may have a thousand fears, before he reaches the end of his voyage; yet should he, after numberless dangers, safely arrive, and find it not only answer, but far exceed his expectations, his joy will then be greater than if he had run no hazard at all. What he has gained will seem much sweeter than if it had fallen to him in a way that had cost him nothing. Thus believers venture their all in the hands of Christ, persuaded that he is able to keep that which they have committed to him against that day. To find at last, that they have not confided in him in vain; yea, that their expectations are not only answered, but infinitely out-done, will surely enhance the bliss of heaven. The remembrance of our dangers, fears and sorrows, will enable us to enjoy the heavenly state with a degree of happiness impossible to have been felt, if those dangers, fears, and sorrows had never existed. My hearers! We all of us live either by faith or by sight; either upon things heavenly or things earthly. If on the former let us go on, upon the word of God; everlasting glory is before us! But, if on the latter, alas, our store will be soon exhausted! All these dear delights are but the brood of time, a brood that will soon take to themselves wings and, with her that cherished them, fly away. Oh, my hearers ! is it not common for many of you to suppose that those who live by faith in the enjoyments of a world to come, live upon mere imaginations? But are ye not mistaken? It is your enjoyments, and not theirs, that are imaginary. Pleasures, profits, honours, what are they? The whole form only a kind of ideal world, a sort of splendid show, like that in a dream, which, when you wake, all is gone! At most, it is but a fashion, and a fashion that passeth away. To grasp it, is to grasp a shadow; and to feed upon it, is to feed upon the wind. O that you may turn away your eyes from beholding these vanities, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the substantial realities beyond the grave, for your never-failing portion! But if not, if you still prefer this world, with its enjoyments, to those which are heavenly, how just will it be for the Lord Jesus to say to you, at the last great day,' Depart! Depart, you have had your reward! you have had your choice; what would you have? You never chose me for your portion: you, in effect, said of me and my interest, We will have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse; see to thyself, David.' Ah, now, see to thyself, sinner! Christians, ministers, brethren, all of us, let us realize the subject. Let us pray, and preach, and hear, and do every thing we do, with eternity in view! Let us deal much with Christ and invissible realities. Let us, whenever called, freely deny ourselves for his sake, and trust him to make up the loss. Let us not faint under present difficulties, but consider them as opportunities afforded us to glorify God. Let us be ashamed that we derive our happiness so much from things below, and so little from things above. In one word, let us fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life! THE QUALIFICATIONS AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF A FAITHFUL MINISTER, ILLUSTRATED BY THE CHARACTER AND SUCCESS OF BARNABAS. SERMON II. [To the Rev. Robert Fawkner, at his settlement in the Pastoral Office, over the Church at Thorn, in Bedfordshire, Oct. 31, 1787 ACTS XI. 24. He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith and much people was added to the Lord, My dear Brother, It is a very important work to which you are this day set apart. I feel the difficulty of your situation. You need both counsel and encouragement; I wish I were better able to administer both. In what I may offer, I am persuaded you will allow me to be free; and understand me, not as assuming any authority or superiority over you, but only as saying that to you which I wish to consider as equally addressed to myself. Out of a variety of topics that might afford a lesson for a Christian minister, my thoughts have turned, on this occasion, upon that of example. Example has a great influence upon the human mind: examples from scripture especially, wherein characters the most illustrious in their day, for gifts, grace, and usefulness, are drawn with the pencil of inspiration, have an assimilating tendency. Viewing these, under a divine blessing, we form some just conceptions of the nature and importance of our work, are led to reflect upon our own defects, and feel the fire of holy emulation kindling in our bosoms. The particular example, my brother, which I wish to recommend to your attention is that of Barnabas, that excellent servant of Christ, and companion of the apostle Paul. You will find his character particularly given in the words I have just read. Were we to examine the life of this great and good man, as related in other parts of scripture, we should find the character here given him abundantly confirmed. He seems to have been one of that great company, who, through the preaching of Peter and the other apostles, submitted to Christ soon after his ascension and he gave early proof of his love to him, by selling his possessions, and laying the price at the feet of the apostles, for the support of his infant cause. As he loved Christ, so he loved his people. He appears to have possessed much of the tender and affectionate, on account of which he was called Barnabas—a son of consolation. Assiduous in discovering and encouraging the first dawnings of God's work, he was the first person that introduced Saul into the company of the disciples. The next news that we hear of him is in the passage which I have selected. Tidings came to the ears of the church at Jerusalem, of the word of the Lord being prosperous at Antioch, in Syria. The church at Jerusalem was the mother church, and felt a concern for others, like that of a tender mother towards her infant offspring. The young converts at Antioch wanted a nursing father; and who so proper to be sent as Barnabas? He goes; and, far from envying the success of others, who had laboured before him, he was glad to see the grace of God so evidently apappear; and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. As a preacher, he does not seem to have been equal to the apostle Paul; yet so far was he from caring about being eclipsed by Paul's superior abilities, that he went in search of him, and brought him to Antioch, to assist him in the work of the Lord. It may well be said of such a character, that he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith. 0 that we had more such ministers in the Church at this day? O that we ourselves were like him! Might we not hope, if that were the case, that, according to God's usual manner of working, more people would be added to the Lord? There are three things, we see, which are said of Barnabas in a way of commendation: he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith. Thus far he is held up for our example: a fourth is added, concerning the effects which followed: and much people was added unto the Lord. This seems to be held up for our encouragement. Permit me, my dear brother, to request your candid attention, while I attempt to review these great qualities in Barnabas, and by every motive to enforce them upon you I. He was A GOOD MAN. It were easy to prove the necessity of. a person being a good man, in order to his properly engaging in the work of the ministry: Christ would not commit his sheep but to one that loved him. But on this remark I shall not enlarge, I have no reason to doubt, my brother, but that God has given you an understanding to know him that is true, and a heart to love him in sincerity; I trust, therefore, such an attempt, on this occasion, is needless. Nor does it appear, to me, to be the meaning of the Evangelist. It is not barely meant of Barnabas that he was a regenerate man, though that is implied; but it denotes that he was eminently good. We use the word so, in common conversation. If we would describe one that more than ordinarily shines in piety, meekness, and kindness we know not how to speak of him better than to say, with a degree of emphasis, He is a good man. Af. ter this eminency in goodness, brother, may it be your concern, and mine, daily to aspire! Perhaps, indeed, we may have sometimes heard this epithet used with a sneer. Persons who take pleasure in treating others with contempt, will frequently, with a kind of proud pity, speak in this manner: Aye, such a one is a good man; leaving it implied, that goodness is but an indifferent qualification, unless it be aocompanied with greatness. But these things ought not to be. The |