Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

chofen thee to be a special people to himself, above all people that are on the face of the earth. And they fhall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord." This is the reafon why they are enominated faints, or hely. The term implies, that hey are cleansed by the blood and fpirit of the Saiour, to be an holy people both in heart and life.

Infinite wifdom and goodnefs have devifed means Eufficiently efficacious to renew and fanctify the most impure. Come, now, and let us reafon together, faith the Lord: Though your fins be as fcarlet,

they fhall be white as fnow; though they be red "like crimfon, they shall be as wool." How deplorable the condition of thofe to whom this is addreffed! They are characterised as a finful nation, a people laden with iniquity;" a feed of evil-doers, "children that are corrupters, who have forfaken "the Lord, and provoked the Holy One of Ifrael."

Sin is the great cause which excludes creatures from the favour of their Creator, and draws upon them innumerable evils. It renders the life of the finner miferable, and his death awful. Before mem can either enjoy God's favour here, or be fitted for the immediate vifions of his glory hereafter, their fouls must be purified by the wafhing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost: they must be wafhed in the blood of the Lamb. Hence, David, the man according to God's own heart, was wont to pray, Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, "and cleanse me from my fin. Create in me a clean "heart, O God, and renew a right fpirit within "me." He remembered what God faid to Ifrael; "Ye fhall fanctify yourselves, and ye fhall be holy; "for I am Holy.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

When John was favoured with a vifion of the redeemed, who ftood before the Throne, and before the Lamb; he beheld them arrayed in white robes, with palms in their hands; and was informed, that

2 K 3

they

they were washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. All, therefore, who fincerely hope for im mortal life, will purify themfelves, as God is pure.

But, not only are the faints purified from the defilement of fin and vice; holy principles are implanted in their fouls, and that affemblage of Chriftian graces, which conftitutes their likeness to their hea venly Father. They are not only counted of the family of God, by adoption; but they are indeed his children, being formed after his image, and made partakers of the Divine nature, having God dwelling in them, and they in God.

As rays unite to form a bright luminous fplendour; fo, juftice, truth, mercy, love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodness, faith, meeknefs and temperance, unite in perfect harmony, and eonftitute that holinefs, which is the delight of the faints and faithful in Chrift Jefus. A holy life, correfponding to those fruits of the Spirit, completes the character of those who are faints.

This truth is confirmed by the pfalm before us. It begins with a display of that love, which glows in the heart of all the faints, and which powerfully conftrains them to that obedience which is fincere, cheerful, and uniform. Hence the refolution to walk before the Lord in the land of the living. It was the Almighty's command to Abraham; "Walk before "me, and be thou perfect :" and it is the fixed determination of every true faint, to walk before the Lord unto all pleafing; to walk as in his presence, and under his omnifcient eye; and that not on a few particular occafions, and at ftated times only, but regularly and uniformly through their whole lives. Thus, thofe virtues and internal graces, not only beautify and adorn the foul, but ferve to produce obedience in thofe whom the Lord hath fet apart for himfelf, and redeemed to be a peculiar people, zealous . good works

La

In this manner, their faintfhip world, and holiness to the Lord eft character. This holiness is not foun fraint, nor does it depend on the feeble apoftate heart; but is established by the an Almighty Redeemer, in whose fight, as well as their life, is precious.

[merged small][ocr errors]

This leads me to the fecond general head of courfe, which was to fhew in what refpects their death is precious in his fight.

II. It was fin that brought death into the world; and which, though eventually a bleffing to the faints, is a formidable foe, from which human nature shrinks with averfion. This pfalm, therefore, celebrates the goodness of God in delivering from death; and contains a prayer, that the life which he had fo gracioufly preferved, might for the future be spent in his fervice. This remarkable preservation of the pfalmift's life, was the reafon of the obfervation in the text; that "precious in the fight of the Lord is the death "of his faints."

Their death is precious in his fight, in that he is pleafed often to bless them with length of days, and to bring them to the grave in a good old age, as a fhock of corn comes in his feafon. The fons of violence and ftrife frequently rise up against the faints of God. But, their life and all that is dear to them, are deposited in his hands as a facred truft; he forfaketh them not in any case, and in his fight their life as well as their death is precious. He redeems their fouls. from deceit and violence, and will not permit their blood wantonly to be fhed: nor will he bring them to the grave, till death, to them, become great gain.

Old age is in a peculiar manner promifed to the faints. "They fhall inherit the earth, while the "wicked, who are in great power, and spread them"felves like a green bay tree, fhall be cut down like "the grafs, and pafs away."-" The Lord knoweth

"the

378

"the days of the upright: they fhall dwell in the "land, and the perfect fhall remain in it: but the "wicked fhall be cut off from the earth, and the "tranfgreffors fhall be rooted out of it.”

The death of the faints is precious in the fight of the Lord; becaufe, by it, he oftentimes delivers them from the evil to come. "The righteous perifheth," faith the prophet, "and no man layeth it to heart; " and merciful men are taken away, none confider"ing that the righteous are taken away from the evit "to come." The faints are the pillars of the world, and their death portends evil to the place and nation in which they have lived. There were not ten righteous perfons in Sodom, and dreadful ruin came. The earth itself is preferved for their fakes; and "when the "Lord cometh out of his place, to punifh the in"habitants of it for their iniquity," the faints are removed by death, that they may not be the fad spectators of fuch direful calamities. Thus, Hezekiah comforts himfelf, that he fhould not live to fee the Babylonish captivity, which was foretold by the prot phet Ifaiah: "Good is the word of the Lord, faith he, which thou haft fpoken."

I would not prefage ill to the country, nor to the Church of God. But, when we confider the many heinous and prefumptuous fins of this nation, the efforts of profanity to defeat, of infidelity to reject, and of diffipation to elude the force of religion upon the mind; the ftrange inconfiftency between the belief and practice of many; and the prefent daring licentioufnefs, and violation of all order among a certain clafs of men, whofe profperity feems to destroy them: When we confider thofe things, thofe figns of the times, the ftouteft-hearted of us all muft tremble at the confequences. Have we not just reason to dread the judgments of offended Heaven, and that the faint departed, whofe death we this day lament, is taken away from the evil to come, which perhaps we may

4

live

[ocr errors]

live to fee?" Help, Lord, for the godly man ceafeth; "for the faithful fail from among the children of

[ocr errors]

men."

Again, precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faints: becaufe, he deprives death of its fting, and encourages them in the moment of departure to commit their spirits to his care, and rely with confidence on his ability to fave to the uttermost all those who fincerely believe in his mediation. They are at all times his peculiar care: but, then, his almighty arm is ftretched out in a particular manner to fupport them: and with that voice which called all nature into exiftence, he bids them not fear, for He is with them; even He, who has the keys of death and of the unfeen state in his hand, who himfelf has encountered the King of terrors, and who knows what fupport they need in the dying hour. It was on this account that David fung with triumphant joy, "Though I walk through the valley of the

[ocr errors]

fhadow of death, yet will I fear no evil; for thou art "with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Many tender fcenes indeed are prefented to the mind of a dying faint! The very idea of death must affect more or lefs even the gayeft heart: It cannot be dreffed out in any form that will reconcile the reflecting mind to pafs it by without the sensations of folemnity and awe. The pallid dejection, pining grief, and anxious care of tender connections, with whom it is painful to part, cannot prevent the gradual approach of the last inevitable hour.

In his laft moments the faint experiences that his death is precious in the fight of God. This gracious promife, replete with every comfort, fortifies him against defponding fears, and brightens his foul with a ray of hope, when this world darkens on his view. Sympathifing angels hover round his departing fpirit, ready to conduct it to the realms of glory. That benevolent Saviour, who himfelf trod the thorny

paths

« AnteriorContinuar »