DISCOURSE VI.

THE GOOD MAN.

But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word,-ISAIAH lxvi, 2.

I KNOW of no other passage of scripture, which, in so few words, presents to our view the most important and distinguishing features of the Christian character. The history of the visible church affords abundant proofs of the fact, that the professed friends of God may have correct views of the leading doctrines of revelation, may be exact in the performance of religious duties, may sustain an unblemished moral character, and yet may lack that which is no less essential to their salvation. One capital defect in the character of any individual, will as certainly exclude him from heaven, as if it were in every particular defective. The mariner having performed a long voyage, may perish as well when within a few leagues of his own country, as when a thousand miles from it. The hope of the almost christian will be found in the day of trial to be of no more value, than that of the avowed infidel. In his sermon on the mount, Christ thus spake to his desciples. For I say unto you, that except your

righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. On another occasion he thus addressed them. Woe unto you Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith; these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. They doubtless thought, if so exact in little things, they would be esteemed persons of uncommon piety. The same address of our Lord seems to be applicable to all at the present day, who appear to think more of forms, and things least important than of things essential to the christian character. In the days of the apostles there were some whose hope of justification rested on their orthodoxy of sentiment. What doth it profit my brethren, said the apostle James, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well, the devils also believe and tremble. It is right and a duty to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints; but the most correct views of the doctrines of evelation, if not attended with corresponding feelings of heart, will not secure our salvation.

The passage from which the text has been taken is descriptive of the state and character of the Jewish

church, when our Savior was upon the earth. They thought much of their temple, which Herod the Great, to manifest his zeal for their religion, had made one of the wonders of the world. That every thing pertaining to the worship of Jehovah might be splendid no expense was spared. Our Savior, whose kingdom is not of this world, and who was ready to give his life for his people, deemed it of vast importance to show his people what true religion is and what God can accept. The temple, which they so much regarded, God did not need as a place of rest. His all piercing, eye was upon the hearts of those, who met in it for his worship. Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. How sublime is this language! How vast the scene passing before Jehovah! Heaven, even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. What then is the most magnificent temple built by men that he should value it except as an expression of respect for his name? Where is the house, saith Jehovah, that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all these things hath my hands made, and all these things have been, saith the Lord.

It is no less necessary now than when Isaiah was executing the office of a prophet, and when Christ was instructing and reproving the Jews, to describe the distinguishing features of true piety. As God is unchangeable in his nature and perfections, so true religion is essentially the same in every age and in every country. The human heart, likewise, in its dispositions is the same in every generation, and in all the posterity of Adam. It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. True piety may be declining

in a church, while there is an increasing attention to the external duties of religion. The liberality and zeal of the primitive church in promoting missions and in erecting superb buildings for the worship of God, continued when they lost their spirituality. The more Christianity was extended the less of its true spirit was exhibited.

As the present age is distinguished for its spirit of enterprise, and as many important objects are constantly passing before the church, Christians are in danger of losing their sense of dependence on God and that spirituality, which results from the cultivation of piety in their own hearts. Their attention is so constantly directed to things without them as to make them neglect to observe the operations of their own mind. Fidelity, therefore, requires the preacher to direct the thoughts of the professed friends of God to the state of their own hearts that they may grow in grace, and be no less distinguished for piety than for liberality and zeal in the promotion of every object of Christian benevolence.

The three things, which are essential to true godliness, and which distinguish it from all false religions are brought to view in the text. These are the things, which God approves, and which will in the following discourse be separately considered.

1. Even to him that is poor. The word poor has doubtless the same signification in the text that it has in the following passage. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It is not then to be understood in a literal sense, as relating to those, who are destitute of worldly substance; but it must be understood in a higher sense. Those, who

are in a literal sense poor may be as proud and as wicked as the rich. Give me neither poverty nor riches, was the prayer of Agur; feed me with food convenient for me; lest I be full and deny thee, and say, who is the Lord! or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. As many, perhaps, are the temptations to sin of the poor as of the rich. And the former as often yield to them as the latter. The great proportion of Christians are of the class, who are neither rich nor poor.

Those, who are poor in spirit, are poor in the most important sense. They are willing to confess it, and to acknowledge that they are dependent on God for all needed good.

There is a sense, in which all intelligent beings, angels as well as men are poor. Angels as well as men are every moment dependent on God for the continuance of their existence and happiness. There is nothing which they can call their own, or to which they have a higher claim than God, their Creator and rightful sovereign. It is the delight of holy angels to acknowledge their dependence on God for all things. To them God is every thing, and themselves nothing. Such is their deep humility, though perfectly holy, and though great in knowledge, wisdom, and power, when compared with any of the human race, that when God makes some new revelation of his glory to them, they cast their crowns down at his feet, feeling unworthy of the favors God is pleased to confer on them. Though faithful in the discharge of their duty they never feel that they have rendered to God more than he has a right to demand.

But the poverty of man in his fallen state is greater