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and did but put forth the energies which God has given them, and which grace might supply, oh, how many hundreds of souls might they be the happy instruments of recovering to Christ, and happiness, and heaven.

Ob, brethren, when we leave this scene of things and go to our eternal reward, for I trust an eternal reward is, notwithstanding all our infirmities and sins, preparing for many, GOD grant that we may meet in heaven not a few of those, whom the consideration of our Saviour's joy over

a recovered sinner, has led us to bring to him that they may be saved. And then when we stand before him at the last judgment, may we say of some, nay of many of you, they have done what they could, with reference to this work so beneficent to others, and which brings so large a reward to themselves: by which the wandering sheep of Christ is brought back to his shepherd, and to the security which those have who enjoy his care.

A Sermon,

DELIVERED BY THE REV. J. E. TYLER,
AT ST. GILES, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 3, 1833.

Romans, viii. 38.—“ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, now powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall to able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

THE religion of the Gospel is the religion of love. Unless the best feelings of our heart are engaged towards Christ we have not the one thing needful. If we love any one thing on earth better than Him, we are not his in truth. The union of Christ with his church and with every individual member of it is spoken of by the Scriptures in language the most powerful and clear, implying the nature of the bond which unites them. St. Paul describes it as corresponding with the closest and most endearing of human ties-the marriage bond. Our blessed Lord gives us a still more exalted idea of its character when he prays that his true believers might be made one with GoD as the Father is with the Son, "I pray that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one

in us." He had just before represented the union of every Christian soul with himself equally essential to its existence as the union of the branches with the vine.

This union, then, brethren, is indispensable, and the subject assumes a most awful character, the most awful which can occupy our thoughts, Are we individually united to Christ? Does, in the words of the most solemn part of our church service, does Christ dwell in us and we in him? Are we one with Christ and Christ with us? The alternative is momentously important. If we are thus united with Christ we shall be blessed and happy through eternity; if we are not, we are not the redeemed, the chosen, the saved, our end is destruction, our last home is hell, we must perish for ever.

cere true piety, exalts the soul and lifts it heaven-ward towards GOD. Fantastic flights of overheated feelings may suit the votaries of superstition; they are degrading to the calm and sober affection of the Gospel of Jesus the Saviour. The union then of our souls with GOD in Christ, is undoubtedly divine love felt reciprocally; GOD first loving us, we in consequence love God. This point is satisfactorily established by our Lord's own words, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you"-" As the Father

The first question previously to be | devotion. Sure Christian love, sindecided before we can ascertain the state of our own souls in this respect, is in what does this union consistin what does this union between Christ and the soul of a Christian consist? And, here, brethren, let all fanciful ideas of an enthusiastic imagination be laid aside. We have nothing to do with the raptures of an heated fancy. The Bible speaks the words of truth and soberness, and if our interpretation of the holy Word cannot stand the test of calm inquiry and unimpassioned contemplation, we may be assured our views have more of human alloy than of the pure spirit of divine truth. Let no one, how-hath loved me, so, have I loved you: ever, think we wish to stifle the strong continue ye in my love." This union, feelings of our heart when they would then, is love. But what is that love? be kindled in fervent piety to GOD. How can we bring it home to our Think not, brethren, we would re-understanding and comprehension. duce the religion of Jesus to a cold calculating assent of the understanding as to the divine origin of the Gospel. We know that unless every affection of our nature be engaged on the side of faith the Christian character must be imperfect; and we are equally aware that this union of Christ and the faithful, is the bond of love; but we are most anxious-I confess it-to preserve ourselves and our brethren from all wild fanciful deceiving fanatical notions of this principle of divine religious love. I am not afraid, my brethren, lest this congregation should fall from the soberness of our own church into the wild excesses of deluded DEVOTEES; but we must guard against any approximation however distant towards enthusiasm and fanaticism, aware of the tendency of human nature to move by imperceptible degrees from a small to a greater error, and that nothing is more calculated to make room for true piety among a people than a uniform and steady and watchful exclusion of false and irrational

In what does it consist; and how are we to obtain and cherish it? Our Saviour's next words supply us with the answer-"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." Just as when the law was given from Mount Sinai, the Almighty declaring that he would show mercy unto thousands, joins these two qualifications as necessary to be united in those who should be the blessed objects of his love and mercy-affeetion towards himself and obedience to his law, "showing mercy unto thousands"-in them, in whom?—“ in them that love me and keep my commandments." And if we wish for any comment on that text of our Lord, the beloved Apostle provides one full, clear and forcible, applying at the same time most beautifully to the ideas we have already entertained of the union between God and our souls-" GoD is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and Gon in him.". But lest his dis

ciples should for a moment indulge in any fanciful notions of enthusiasm or place the love of GoD in some heated feelings of extacy, the beloved Apostle recalls us to a plain, sober, intelligible view of divine love "This is the love of GOD, that we keep his commandments." He identifies these two things-the love of GOD and the observance of his commandments, the same idea expressed in different words. If we love God we shall keep his commandments; if we do not keep his commandments we do not love GOD, nor can we abide in him. And, as the same Apostle declares, who knew well if ever mortal man did know well, of what value was the blessings of divine love and what it cost the Saviour, that "GOD's commandments are not grievous;" they bid us worship him in spirit and in truth, they bid us purify our own hearts and make our life holy, and virtuous; they bid us love, and do good to our fellow creatures for Christ's sake. This is that love of GOD without which we cannot be Christians. And, brethren, it is that self same principle from which St. Paul in our text expresses his assurance and persuasion, that nothing on earth, in heaven, or in hell, shall be able to separate us from.

Having now endeavoured to obtain correct ideas of the union between God and our souls, and of the nature of that love from which we cannot be separated without losing all title to our inheritance in heaven, purchased for us by our great Redeemer, we may engage our attention, brethren, profitably by reflecting on each of those causes of separation which St. Paul enumerates, declaring them to be unable to sever the soul of a true believer from his GOD. "I am persuaded" are his words-he had followed no cunningly devised fable, he knew and felt that his faith was

founded on the rock of truth; he was a believer on conviction, and he be lieved in the promise," I will never leave thee nor forsake thee;" he knew well, for it is from his inspired pen we know it, that GOD will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear but will always make a way for us to escape if we will seek and follow it. He therefore felt assured that a humble confidence for himself and for his brother believers, that no temptation would be strong enough to separate them from their duty and God's love. But far, very far indeed was this persuasion from the presuming confidence which makes men depend on their own security from sin and bid defiance to the danger of falling from their own steadfastness. It is indeed very painful to hear the language of frail erring mortals, speaking peace to their souls when God hath not spoken peace; and raising the song of victory as though their spiritual warfare was accomplished, as though they had already passed the grave and the gate of death; as though they had already entered on the possession of their heavenly inheritance. Not so St. Paul, not so be it with us; the advice he gave to others he followed, as his own words prove-"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." Still, brethren, it was no weak, uncertain, faint persuasion by which St. Paul was enabled to look forward to the same grace of GoD which he had already experienced for preserving him from falling. His language bids us look with faith, and sure, and certain hope, to the same spiritual support in the hour of our trial. We can say with the great Apostle, “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able

to separate us from the love of GoD | GOD, to depart and to be with Christ. which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

1

Such death bed scenes are very com-
forting and refreshing to a Christian
minister, in this life, and, thank God,
we not unfrequently witness them.
Still the hour of our departure is
sometimes brought on, and accom
panied by so much pain and distress,
that our church most wisely teaches
to pray in one of her most solemn
offices Suffer us not in our last
hour, for any pains of death to fall-
from thee." But death, brethren,
has often presented to believers in
Christ, a far more severe and fiery
trial of their steadfastness, than what-
ever we may expect. Time has been,
even in our own country, when Chris-
tians must either renounce their faith,
or meet death for the testimony of
Jesus. The days of persecution for
the present have passed away, blessed

Let us, then, with thankful hearts
for such gracious promises, and with
a full and humble sense of our own
weakness and frailty, and the all suffi-
ciency of God's grace suggesting and
assisting our labours in his work-let
us now proceed to examine each of
these TEMPTATIONS distinctly. Some
we are all exposed to, and to others,
the peculiar circumstances of our own
condition may expose one Christian
with greater peril than another. By
meditating upon them now, by learning
before the hour of the Tempter's as-
saults how he shapes his attack, by
GoD's blessing we shall be better
able to conquer or escape his de-
vices, and save our souls in their
duty and their union by love with
GOD.
The first of the catalogue of temp-be GOD, and our temptations, at pre-
tations enumerated by the Apostle is
death" I am persuaded that death
shall not separate me from the love
of GOD." There is something very
awful in death; the stoutest human
heart cannot but feel its terror: but
to the true Christian, death, itself,
presents nothing of an alarming over-
powering terror, or of desponding
awe; and, as our faith strengthens,
our fear of death must grow weaker,
and weaker, we gradually cease to
regard it as the end of our present
existence, we begin to look to it as
the commencement of another and a
better life, we look forward to it with
out fear and amazement, because we
have a well grounded hope of GOD's
mercy. It is indeed delightful to
witness in advanced Christians this
fear of death gradually dwindling
away till at last we can scarcely find
a trace of fear; fear has flown, and
hope, and joy, have taken its place,
till at last the soul is ready to say,
waiting, however still patiently for
GOD's good time, I long to be with

sent, are rather offered by life.
Death will only separate us from the
love of God if life has brought us to
die unprepared for death. But St.
Paul had been taught in the school
of divine philosophy, and had learned
a lesson which no earthly wisdom
could convey, he knew and felt, Goo
grant that we may know and feel,
that every hour of the present life
was only so far valuable as it pre-
pared his soul for the change, which
awaited him ready to depart when-
ever his Saviour should call, willing
to stay so long as God's glory and-
his own salvation required it, whether
he lived, he lived unto the Lord,
or whether he died, he died unto the
Lord, assured that whether he lived
or died, he was equally the Lord's.
And my brethren, we are only so far
sincere Christians as we follow this
man's example. Life has so many
temptations to withdraw us from the
love of God, the principle of which
we are presented with by St. Paul
in the remaining words of our text.

i

"Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world," is the hardest lesson we have either to preach to others, or to practise ourselves. Now, the longer I live, the more I am astonished at finding my fellow creatures so very generally putting off their preparation for death, neither thinking seriously of it nor acting as though its value was inestimable, and its time uncertain. Life has so many attractions, so many cares, and occupations to engross the thoughts, that there is no room in their hearts for Jesus or his Gospel. Business is pleaded in excuse by some, as if any business were a thousandth part so urgent; pleasures stand in the way with others, as though the pleasures of the life were to be compared with the joys of heaven; whilst others plead their youth as an excuse for putting off the work of grace to another day--that day never comes, they die as they have lived, without GOD, without that heavenly form of soul, which we must have, brethren, on earth during this mortal life, or we never shall enter heaven. Oh, brethren, life by the natural course of years is far spent, death is at hand with many whose years as yet the number have been few, the messenger is already on his road to strike the blow, generally called an untimely blow death is at hand. Some may be ready to exclaim, is it I. GOD only knows, but whether your appointed time is the next among this congregation or no, of this you may be assured, apply it all to your own case individually, brethren, and think not of your neighbour; of this you may be assured, that unless your life -a life of holiness and righteousness, a life of faith, a life of true religion shall have prepared you for death, your life and your death will have separated you from the love of

GoD and the salvation which is in Christ Jesus.

The next source of danger mentioned by the Apostle, presents somewhat of difficulty in the interpretation— "I am persuaded that angels shall not separate us from the love of God." What, angels, those ministering spirits! How could such an idea enter into the mind of the Apostlethose who are appointed of GOD, him→ self, to minister to them that are heirs of salvation? Some are of opinion that evil angels are meant here, and doubtless, let all the angels of darkness combine, they will not conquer: the true Christian's spiritual friends are more and more mighty than them, but I am induced to think that St. Paul is here putting the strongest possible case-even should an angel of light tempt us to desert our duty, we must remain, and we shall remain steadfast. His own language on another occasion corresponds with this view-“ though we or an angel from heaven were to preach any other gospel let him be accursed;" and all he means is that the high station and rank of the tempter must be no weight with the Christian. Brethren, no angel from heaven will tempt us, they will rather rejoice over a sinner that repenteth. But men, whom our flattery, like the servants of David, makes us regard almost as angels, may tempt us, and their high rank and station may pave the way for our defeat-" my Lord the King is as an angel of God, do therefore what is good in thine eyes." Many, especially among the young, whose characters are not fully formed and established many have sunk under this temptation to forget GoD and their duty, through a desire of the favour, or fear of the displeasure of those above them. Oh, it is sad, indeed, and downright madness to

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