Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate, in 1796 and 1805. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart; For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and per- verse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1797. Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and REJOICING IN THE DAY OF CHRIST. Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1803 and 1813. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming? Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1808. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the re- newing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and ac- ON THE PARENTAL CHARACTER OF GOD. Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1809. Be ye, therefore, followers of God, as dear children.—EPHES. v. 1. Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1810. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and rai- ment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall Jehovah be my God; And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.-GEN. xxviii. 20-22. Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1814. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.- Preached to the Candidates for the Baccalaureate in 1815. Be strong, and of a good courage; for unto this people shalt thou di- vide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong, and very courageous, that thou mayst observe to do according to all the law, which Moses, my servant, commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand SERMONS. SERMON I. SECRET THINGS BELONG TO GOD. DEUTERONOMY XXIX. 29. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." In this chapter, Moses solemnly reminds the Israelites of the wonderful works which they had seen accomplished by the hand of God, and urges them, as powerful motives to faithful obedience. In the succeeding paragraph, he foretels the miserable destruction which would follow their disobedience, in the most affecting language, and thus warns them not to disobey. Both subjects, he knew, would naturally excite in their minds, and in those of their posterity, many curious inquiries, and many dangerous speculations, concerning the designs and providence of God. In the text, therefore, he prohibits all these useless and pernicious wanderings of an unsatisfied and too inquisitive mind, and the doubts, the unbelief, the murmuring, and the revolt, to which they regularly give birth in sinful men. Secret things, he informs them, universally belong to God; but things revealed, to men This singular and important declaration of Moses is not less necessary to us than it was to the Israelites; nor are we less prone than they were to the vain and mischievous investigations which it forbids. We may, therefore, well employ our time in considering its import, and in endeavouring to bring it home to our hearts. To aid those who hear me in the performance of this duty, is the design of the following discourse. In the accomplishment of this design, I shall attempt to show, I. In what sense secret things belong to God. II. In what sense things revealed belong to men. III. The end, for which God has made this prescription known to mankind. I. I shall attempt to show the import of the declaration, that secret things belong to God. The phrase "secret things" naturally includes and denotes whatever is concealed from the eye of man. In the text, however, it is by being opposed to things revealed, limited to a narrower sense, and denotes only those things, which might be expected in a revelation from God, but which were yet withheld by design. They are, therefore, such things as respect the great subjects of revelation; the character and pleasure of God, and the faith, duty, and salvation of man. It is to be observed, that all things which God withholds, he withholds of design, neither negligence nor accident being applicable to him. Of these things, it is said, that they belong to God. By this is intended, that, having retained them in his own possession, and not communicated them to mankind, they are his property only. Whoever, therefore, attempts to intermeddle with them, either by making them objects of his faith, rules of his duty, or means or sources of his salvation, plainly intrudes into his possessions; occupies that which God has purposely withheld from him; and acts, of course, not in conformity, but in opposition to the divine will. |