VI. By venturing off general and acknowledged | PENTANCE. toward God and FAITH toward our Lord ground in spirituals. Jesus Christ. By giving strong meat instead of milk, to those who are yet but babes-by giving heed to fables, which minister questions rather than godly edifying; amusing the mind, but not affecting the heart: often disturbing and bewildering, seldom convincing; frequently raising a smile, never drawing a tear. VII. By maintaining acknowledged truth in your own spirit. Both food and medicines are injurious, if administered scalding hot. The spirit of a teacher often effects more than his matter. Benevolence is a universal language: and it will apologize for a multitude of defects, in the man who speaks it; while neither talents nor truth will apologize for pride, illiberality, or bitterness. Avoid, therefore irritating occasions and persons, particularly disputes and disputants, by which a minister often loses his temper and his character. VIII. By being too sharp-sighted, too quickeared, or too ready-tongued. Some evils are irremediable: they are best neither seen nor heard: by SEEING and HEARING things which you cannot remove, you will create implacable adversaries; who, being guilty aggressors, never forgive. Avoid SPEAKING meanly or harshly of any one: not only because this is forbidden to Christians, but because it is to declare war as by a thousand heralds. IX. By the temptations arising from the female sex. I need not mention what havoc Satan has made in the church, by this means, from the fall to this day. Your safety when in danger from this quarter, lies in flight-to parley is to fall. Take the first hint from conscience, or from friends. In fine, Watch thou in all things; endure afflictions: do the work of an evangelist: make full proof of thy ministry: and then, whether those around you acknowledge your real character or not now, they shall one day know that there hath been a prophet among them! FRAGMENT. A Dying Minister's Farewell. WHEN a Christian minister feels the springs of life giving way :-his faculties decaying-his voice failing his spirit sinking-though he may not have it in his power to say, as the apostle did to his friends, I know that ye all, among whom I have preached the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more-yet he should stand ready to part with his flock, and every sermon should be felt by him as if it were his last. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men: for I have not shunned to declare unto you ALL THE COUNSEL OF GOD. And what have I declared that counsel of God to be?-All the curious distinctions of the schools?-All the peculiarities insisted on so strongly by different sects?-No such thing! I have followed the great apostle in testifying RE There has been a slander brought against religion-that we are NOT AGREED, as to the truths we set before men. I say, it is false ! We are agreed. All, who know any thing of real religion, are agreed, that the SUBSTANCE of the matter is contained in REPENTANCE toward God, and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ. If a man, like the prodigal, feels that he has left his father's house-turned his back on God-and is become a fool and a madman for so doing-and that there is no hope but in his returning again: if such a change of mind is wrought in him by the Holy Spirit, as he wrought in David, when he cried, Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin: if, like Peter, he goes forth weeping bitterly-feeling that he has acted foolishly and wickedly, and that his only hope is in the mercy of God through the Saviour-then the man enters so far into the spirit of religion-REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD. But does he rest in this? Nay, he knows that if he could offer thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil, he could make no satisfaction for the sin of his soul. He looks to the atonement!-to Him, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. Repentance toward God must be accompanied by faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. These men are enabled to say with St. Paul," I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. I have no refuge but in him-no other hope-no other plea. All my confidence before God is grounded on this-that He suffered, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." If a minister testifies these things-if he speaks plainly and simply these grand essential truths of God's word-though he die before another Sabbath return, HE MAY REST IN PEACE-leaving the issue in God's hand. The ground of a minister's own solid satisfaction cannot be POPULARITY: for even to Simon Magus all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God!neither can he ground his satisfaction on the exercise of strong and enlarged TALENTS: for even Balaam was a man of extraordinary endowments --nor can it be on his SUCCESS :--for many, saith our Lord, shall come to me, and say, Have we not done many wonderful works in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils? Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you! As though he had said, "I deny not the works, but ye are evil men!" But a minister's satisfaction must be grounded on the faithful discharge of his office in THE DELIVERY OF HIS MESSAGE. A Prince sends a special messenger to his rebellious subjects, with offers of pardon: in examining his conduct, he will not inquire whether they received and approved him or not: the question will be-"Did you deliver my message? did you deliver it as one that believed it yourself? as one IN EARNEST?" If a man should come and tell you, with a cheerful countenance and careless air, that your house was on fire, and that you and your children would be burnt in the flames if you did not make haste to escape, you would not believe him. You would say, "He does not believe it himself, or he would not be so unfeeling as to speak of it in such a manner." If a minister delivers his message, then no scorn, no reproach that may be cast upon him, can take away his rest-he has done his duty. When the king sent out his servants to invite men to his feast, they excused themselves on various pretences: but the servant might say, "No matter! -I have declared the message-I may rest in having done my part, though no success seems to attend my pressing invitations." I would lodge, therefore, my appeal in your consciences-I take you to record-I appeal to conscience for there is a conscience in man; and, in serious moments, it will speak out. It wrung from Joseph's brethren that confession, We are verily guilty concerning our brother! It forced Balaam himself to cry out, Let me die the death of the righteous! and let my last end be like his! It tormented the traitor Judas into that self-accusation, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood! you pronounce truly! The way of heaven is a nar. row way! But what says the judge-Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which | leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Oh how distressing is it to observe many, to whom we cannot but fear, the gospel which they hear preached from Sunday to Sunday, is but the savor of death! If God has made a difference in any of us, let us not forget to whom we are indebted. Brethren! You are my witnesses. I take you to record, that you have had the whole counsel of God declared unto you-that all curious and metaphysical inquiries, all critical and conjectural points have been carefully avoided for your sake. I have attempted to clear my ministry of all disputable subjects, in order to set before you the plain fact of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of salvation through him. But consider! You also must give an account! I must give an account, whether I plainly and simply declared the truth, as one who felt its importance, and was in earnest. You must give an account, whether you have gone away from this place, as if you had heard nothing to the purpose, and immediately dissipated your thoughts with When a young person has been talked to by his some trifling subject-some mere secular concern: parents-when they have represented to him the-or-whether what you heard brought you to misery and ruin of a wicked course, and of bad habits he might affect to brave it out at the time; but he has gone afterward weeping through the streets-because CONSCIENCE WOULD SPEAK. your knees before God, beseeching him to seal and impress his truth upon your hearts. Oh consider the satisfaction you will find, in really embracing all the counsel of God. Consider how soon the time will come, in which it must be your only SATISFACTION, that you have embraced it! Let it be your prayer, as you go hence—“O God, give me grace to repent with that repentance which is unto life! Make me serious! Teach me what I must do to be saved! Help me to believe the record which thou hast given of thy Son. Give me faith to receive the atonement-to set to my seal that there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ." But when the Spirit of God softens a man's heart-when he is made to FEEL what an evil and bitter thing it is to sin against God—then a faithful minister's appeal to that man is like that of St. Paul to the Thessalonians: Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily, and justly, and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe. As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you (as a father doth his children) that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, (as it is in truth) the word of God which effectually worked, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, eth also in you that believe. 1 Thess. ii. 10-13. It is most affecting to see to what miserable shifts men will have recourse, in order to evade the truth. "It is IRRATIONAL," says one, "to insist so much on certain peculiarities of doctrine !"-But whose reason shall be the judge?-For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness: but It is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. "It is UNNECESSARY," says another-But has God commanded-and do we pronounce his commands unnecessary? "It is DISREPUTABLE"-Did Christ regard reputation?-Nay, he made himself of no reputatum. "It is a NARROW way"-Ah! there, indeed, Come to your Saviour, with HUMILITY as a sinner: come with GRATITUDE and LOVE. "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touch and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of å trumpet, and the voice of words:" when, “so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. But ye are come unto mount Sion; and unto the city of the living God-the heavenly Jerusalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; and to the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven; and to God, the Judge of all: and to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant; and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel See, then, that ye refuse not him that speaketh! -bat-receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us hold fast grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." Heb. xii. 18-28. THE END |