whoever would obtain peace to his soul, must approach God in a similar way. And it is no easy thing to throw ourselves at the footstool of mercy, and acknowledge our guilt and unworthiness. The proud heart of the sinner does not like such humiliation, and many, we have reason to believe, shut themselves out from eternal life, rather than thus humble themselves before God. 66 7. Again, some are exceedingly revengeful. When they receive an insult or an injury, they cannot rest until they have returned it. Or if they do not return an injury, they cherish unkind feelings towards the person who injured them, and shut them out from all share in their affections and good-will. This is in direct opposition to the Gospel. The Gospel requires us 'to forgive those who injure us; to love our enemies; to do good to those who hate us; to bless those who curse us, and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us." It will not allow us to cherish a revengeful feeling towards any one; it will not allow us to avenge ourselves in any case. It makes the forgiveness of our enemies by us, a condition of our forgiveness by God. "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you your trespasses; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses." This is a very terrible doctrine to the revengeful, and yet numbers, we fear, rather than forgive and love their enemies, choose madly to shut themselves out from the mercy of God. I have heard or read of two individuals, both of which were convinced of the truth of religion, and were become exceedingly anxious for the salvation of their souls; but there was a quarrel between them, and neither seemed disposed to forgive the other, or to propose a reconciliation. They prayed, but their prayers were not answered; they went among God's people, hoping to find comfort there, but still their souls remained cheerless, and dark, and troubled their efforts to find peace were all in vain. And how could it be otherwise, so long as they refused to obey the command of the Lord? At length their proud revengeful hearts gave way; they acknowledged their faults to each other, and wept over each other in love; and while they made peace with each other, they found peace with God, and were enabled to rejoice in his salvation. 8. The Gospel requires men, if they would be forgiven, to ask for forgiveness. The Redeemer taught us, when we pray, to say, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." "Ask," says he, "and it shall be given; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." When the publican went into the temple, afflicted with the remembrance of his sins, and anxious for relief, he exclaimed, 66 God be merciful to me a sinner." And God heard his prayer, and sent him down to his house justified.And whoever would obtain pardon, must imitate the publican's example. Some stop short of salvation here: they will not pray. They believe the Gospel, and they are troubled at the recollection of their sins, and at the thoughts of God and eternity; but they will not bend their knees, or bow their souls before God in prayer. It is strange, that that which should be man's element, should prove a task; yet so it is so great, so unaccountable is' the proud rebelliousness of man's heart. There are multitudes who "have not, because they ask not." 9. The Gospel requires men to do to others as they would that others should do unto them. This commandment is exceeding broad, and would require them to forego many opportunities of earthly gain; and this, to such as are lovers of wealth, creates another difficulty. The Gospel requires us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to do good to all men as we have opportunity. It teaches us that wealth is a trust from God, and neither to be wasted in extravagance, nor laid up for ourselves as a security against future calamities; but to be employed in doing good. And some are startled at this. To be required to employ all for God, and to leave ourselves entirely at his disposal, without any security from futuro want but his promise, appears too much. They wish to care a little for themselves; they are unwilling to risk all in works of beneficence, and to withdraw themselves from case in ages past, and it is so still, that a man cannot act upon the principles of the Gospel, without incurring reproach. Some seem to think that the religion of Christ is now fashionable, and that to be a Christian is the way to general favour; but they are greatly mistaken. If a man will carry out the principles of the Gospel thoroughly, he is sure to be reproached and derided. Whatever may be the case with some portions of the religion of Christ, they are not all fashionable yet. And though honour may await the faithful and thorough-going Christian farther on in his journey, he will have to make his way for a length of time through much abuse and calumny. All manner of evil, however false, will be spoken of him, and he will be counted by some as a general plague, as the filth and offscouring of all things. One will tell him that he makes too much of little things; another will tell him that he was born too soon, and that his views and plans are only adapted to an entirely new state of society, and that they are altogether wild and chimerical as things are now. One man will charge him with unkindness to his wife, for not providing differently for her support in case of his removal from her; and another will charge him with a want of natural affection, for not laying up fortunes for his children. If he be valiant for the truth, and determined against error and sin, he will be called a heretic, a fanatic, a madman; and if after repeated efforts from his friends and kindred to restrain him, he should still go forward, regarding nothing but the will of God and the welfare of the world, abuse will be poured forth against him like a flood. And it is no light matter to flesh and blood to be thus abused. It is no light matter to be laughed at and mocked by those who once loved and commended us. And when men foresee that such reproach and dishonour are likely to come upon them if they embrace the religion of Christ, they are seized at times with fear and trembling, and some are driven by the fear of reproach to reject the salvation of the Gospel altogether. every earthly security; and their "love of money," their "trust in uncertain riches," proves their ruin. This was the case with the young man mentioned in Matt. xix, v. 16. He came to Christ and "asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He saith unto him, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." When the commandments were mentioned, the young man said, "All these have I kept from my youth up; what lack I yet? Jesus saith unto him, If thou wilt be perfect,"--if thou wilt do everything necessary to eternal life,-"go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." He was not fully subjected to the will of God. He wished to be left free to retain or to employ his wealth for selfish purposes. He was unwilling to leave it to God to choose his inheritance for him, and to appoint what should be his lot. He was not willing to give up all for Christ, and this was his undoing. And it is the undoing of millions. Christ still requires those who would inherit eternal life to give up all. Though he may not require them to give away at once the whole of their property in alms, he requires them to relinquish all their fancied right to it, to hold it simply as a trust from him, and to employ it in subservience to his will. He requires them to waste nothing; he requires them to lay up nothing for themselves on earth; he requires them not to love their wealth or to trust in it, but to regard it and to use it simply as a means of doing good, and to be willing to part with it all rather than in any instance violate their consciences by sinning against God. And this is more than many are willing to do. They are resolved to hold or use their property for themselves. They are determined, if they can help it, not to run the risk of being poor. They have interests of their own, apart from the interests of Christ, and they are determined to maintain those interests. And this their selfishness is their 11. It frequently happens that men ruin. are influenced in reference to religion 10. Again, it always has been the by a mere foolish shame. They have been so long without going to a place of worship, that they are ashamed to go. They are afraid that people will look at them, and talk of them; and the idea of being noticed is unpleasant to them. They have never been accustomed to read the sacred Scriptures to their family, or to bow down with their wife and children in prayer, and they are ashamed to begin to their duty in this also. Others feel ashamed to acknowledge their respect for religion, and their desire to be Christians, before their fellow-workmen or their neighbours. They could like to be religious, and no one know it. To confess Christ before men,-to acknowledge that they have been all their past life in error, and that they are now convinced that the religion of Christ is the only way to safety and happiness, and that therefore they are resolved to be henceforth governed by its influence and authority, appears too much for them to do. And some allow themselves to be kept from salvation in this way. 12. In some cases severe persecution stands in men's way. They work for men that are enemies to religion, and that will not keep a professor of religion in their employ. Or their fellow-workmen are opposed to religion, and take every opportunity of annoying any one who may show any desire to live to God. They not only deride and reproach him, but they try to hinder him in his work, and to render it impossible for him to earn his bread. To bear up under such annoyances, and by kindness and meekness to weary out our persecutors, is an arduous and painful undertaking; and an undertaking for which few, alas, appear to be prepared. : And thus it is that men are ruined. They are not left without light the Gospel shines around them with all its brightness: they are not unbelievers; they have not single serious doubt of the truth of the Gos pel but they are not prepared to deny themselves and take up their cross: they are not prepared to give up their interests and their lives into the hands of God, and receive their portion and felicity entirely from him. It is self-will that is the ruin of men. They will not acknowledge the supreme, the sole, the absolute autho rity of God. The Gospel requires them to be converted, and to become as little children,-it seeks to bring them back to a state of complete oneness with God, so that they shall have no will but his, and seek no happiness but his smile, and desire no protection but his gracious providence, and to submit to so great and absolute a change is a serious thing. Man's carnal selfish nature revolts at it, and longs to be a ruler and a God to itself; and it is by yielding to their carnal, selfish inclinations, in opposition to the manifested will of God, that men destroy themselves. And now, my unconverted readers, I leave these observations with you. I have shown you what it is that God requires of you in order to your salvation. I have explained to you the nature of that faith to which pardon and salvation are promised; and shown you what is meant by receiving Christ, by coming to Christ, and by being born again. I have shown you that the whole of what God requires of you is, that you should believe his truth, that you should submit to his authority, and that you should rely upon his promises. I have also endeavoured to show you what are the great_hindrances to your salvation. There is no great difficulty in the way of believing the religion of Christ to be true; nor is there, when men become truly and thoroughly obedient to the Divine Will, any difficulty in relying upon the mercy of God, or trusting in the crucified Redeemer. The believing obedient soul rests on redeeming love as a matter of course, and delights itself in the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel without fear. As we have shown, the great difficulty in the way of salvation is your own will. If you are not saved, it is because you will not submit to God's terms, and resign yourselves to God's will. The Redeemer may address to you the words he addressed to the Jews of old, "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life." And shall it be thus with you for ever? Will you, with your duty plain before you, still urge on your way to ruin? Have you deliberately resolved that you will shut yourselves out of hea ven and happiness for ever? Or do you think that by your delays you can induce God to alter his terms, or that in process of time you will be able to renounce your sins and surrender yourselves to God with less pain and trouble? It cannot be. I beseech you to cast such foolish hopes away at once. If you should put off your salvation for forty years, the terms of salvation would remain the same, and the difficulty of complying with those terms, instead of being lessened, would be increased. I beseech you yield to the will of God at once. Hearken to the voice of the flesh and of the devil no longer. Your condition is one of great danger. The last warning you may ever have, may have been already given. If you despise the present invitation, you may never be invited again. I beseech you, for the sake of your immortal souls, and for the sake of your God and Saviour who has shown you such abundant mercy, give yourselves to God this hour. You will then have a peace that passeth understanding, and a joy unspeakable and full of glory. If you remain faithful, your bliss shall continue as long as you live; it shall remain with you even when you come to die; and after death it shall grow into a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. THE SCRIPTURES. THE greatest and best of men have ever been the most diligent students of the Sacred Scriptures. Wesley, from an early period, resolved to be homo unius libri, a man of one book; and that one book the Bible. The Bible was the principal book that Richard Baxter studied, and it was, if I mistake not, the only book which he had in his dungeon, while he wrote his Saints' Rest. I believe it was Bunyan's only book when in gaol, while he wrote his Pilgrim's Progress. Luther, too, was a devoted admirer and lover of the Scriptures: it was the Scriptures that made him a reformer; and it was by the power of the Scriptures that he was instrumental in shaking to pieces the Popedom, and giving a new measure of light and liberty to the world. Richard Hooker was one of the best and ablest men that ever adorned the Established Church of England, and, on looking at his life, I found that he, too, was a great lover of the Scriptures, and that he made them his principal study. While he sought to enrich his capacious soul with the learning of philosophers, casuists, and schoolmen, and with such other learning as lay remote from the track of common studies, "He seemed restless," says his biographer, "in searching the scope and intention of God's spirit revealed to mankind in the Sacred Scriptures. And for the understanding of the Scriptures, he seemed to be assisted by the same spirit with which they were written. He that regardeth truth in the inward parts, made him to understand wisdom secretly. And the good man would often say, the Scriptures were not written to beget pride and disputations, and opposition to government; but moderation, and charity, and humility, and obedience, and peace, a piety in mankind; of which no man did ever repent himself upon his death-bed.” I was conversing with a very pious and understanding man lately, who is now not much less than seventy or eighty years of age, and he told me that at one period of his life he had, for a length of time, some years I believe, been almost if not altogether confined, in his reading, to the Sacred Scriptures, and that he did not recollect that he had ever got on so well in religion in any part of his youthful years, as during that period. I have no doubt but numbers have had a similar experience. It would be wrong to confine our reading to the Scriptures, when we have other useful books at command; but there is a danger lest, in a multiplicity of human writings, the Book of God should be comparatively forgotten or neglected. And this, whenever it takes place, cannot fail to prove a great evil. It would be far better, if we must either cease to converse with God or cease to converse with men, that we should cease to converse with men. The utmost that men and the writings of men can contain, is but a few drops from the boundless ocean: but the Book of God is the ocean itself, and with God is the eternal and inexhaustible fountain from which that ocean was supplied. The greatest service that human writings can render us is to lead us to the oracles of God, and prepare us to receive their instructions. We would not have any means of information neglected or undervalued which God has supplied; but we would, at the same time, have you to regard the Scriptures as the first and best of books, and we would have you to make them the principal subject of your studies. You will never be truly learned or wise,--you will never be well grounded in the faith, -you will never be " mighty in word and in deed before God," unless you be "mighty in the Scriptures." It is to lead you to the Scriptures, it is to assist you to read the Scriptures with profit,-it is to lead you to revere and love the Scriptures next to God, and so to make you men of God, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, that we have commenced the publication of this work. If we may be so favoured by God, as to be rendered instrumental in accomplishing this object, and so in leading you to become a multitude of simple, decided, zealous, New Testamental Christians, we shall be satisfied. THE INFLUENCE WHICH CHRIS TIAN FAITH SHOULD HAVE ON OUR AFFECTIONS. We recommend to our readers the following passage from Baxter's Life of Faith, on the influence that Christian faith ought to have upon our affections: “Desire and use the creature as believers. Interpret all things as they receive their meaning from the things unseen: understand them in no other sense. It is only God and the life to come that can tell you what is good or bad for you in the world. Take heed what you love. God is very jealous of our love. He sheds abroad his own love in our hearts, that our hearts may be fruitful in love to him. By love he commandeth love; that we may suitably move towards him, and centre in him. He communicateth so much for the procuring from us a little, that we should endeavour to give him all that little, and shed none of it inordinately upon the creature by the way. Nothing is great, or greatly to be admired, while the great God is in sight. And it is unsuitable for little things, to be the objects of great affections, and for low matters to have high esteem. It is the corruption and folly of the mind, and the delusion of the affections, to exalt a shrub above a cedar, and magnify a molehill above a mountain; to embrace a shadow or a phantom of felicity, which vanisheth into nothing the moment you bring it into the light. The creature, in itself, is nothing, and of no power. God is All and Almighty: and he that is All, should have all, and command all. I deny not but we may love a friend. One soul in two bodies, will have one mind, and will, and love. But as it is not the body of my friend that I love or converse with principally, but the soul; so it is not the person, but Christ in him, or that of God which appeareth in him, that must be the principal object of our love. The man is mutable, therefore must be loved with a reserve. But God is unchangeable, and must be absolutely and unchangeably loved. That life is best that is likest heaven. There God will be All; and yet even there it will be no dishonour or displeasure to the Deity, that the glorified humanity of Christ, and the New Jerusalem, and our holy society, are loved more dearly than we can love any creature here on earth. So here, God taketh not that affection as stolen from him, that is given to his servants for his sake, but accepts it as sent to him by them. Let the creature have it; so God have it finally in and by the creature; and then it is not so properly the creaure that hath it, as God. If you choose, and love your friends for God, you will use them for God: not flattering them, or desiring to be flattered by them; but labouring to kindle in each other the holy flame which will aspire and mount, and know no bounds, till it reach the boundless element of love. You will not value them as friends who praise all you say and do, but those who kindly reprehend your errors and your faults. Not them that call you good, but them that would make you better. And you will let them know, that they can never be both friends and flatterers. |