Page. We then, as workers together with him, beseech you Jesus answered, are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world; but if a man walk II. SOME BRIEF LITERARY PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY IN THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY 174 III. ON THE DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINA- TION; OR MODERATE CALVINISM CON- SERMON I. THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. ISAIAH xliv. 3. (Middle clause.) ONE of the finest notions, Christians, you can form, and at the same time one of the most just concerning religion, is that of an intercourse or communion between God and man. Vast as is the distance between heaven, the habitation of God, (if it be proper to speak of God as having a habitation peculiar to himself,) and earth, the dwelling place of man; wonderful as is the difference between the highest and the lowest nature; and amazing as is that contrast which sin has made between God and us; yet it is a certain fact, that God speaks in Scripture to us, and allows us the honour and the pleasure of addressing him again. God so speaks in scripture to us as to convince us that he does speak as our Saviour. Christ. said, My sheep know my voice. It has certain characters that distinguish it from all other speeches in the world. Now one of these characters is this:-God speaks of things to come; it is peculiar to him to do so. The prudence of man may indeed go a little way into futurity and conjecture; but where is the man in this world that can stand up and conjecture, and upon that principle describe the condition of this country a thousand years hence? hence? Yet this is what God by his prophet has done, and we have instances of prophecies given out four thousand years ago, which are now fulfilling in the world. Now this is a character of the voice of God;-he speaks of things to come. It is not to be supposed that I should enter largely into this subject; our time will not admit of it. I have chosen one simple clause, or, if you will allow the metaphor, one star out of a large constellation, a great cluster; for you see by reading the chapter, that this is only one clause in the midst of several, all which form a brightness and beauty worthy the attention of an angel. What is it this God says? Does he say he will give the Jews successors? He says more. Does he say their children shall have sense, reason? He says more: I will pour my Spirit upon them. But have we any share in this promise, is the important question? This question is expressly answered in the New Testament. We are told, The blessing of Abraham is come upon the gentiles; that God is the God of the gentiles as well as the Jews; and that at the fall of the Jewish church, the treasures of that church were transferred to the gentiles, and their fall is the riches of the world. Entered then upon all the exceeding great and precious promises of God, and unable to range |