Puslapio vaizdai
PDF
„ePub“

equalled in degree, comfort and duration, by the possession of the last fruit of Christ's death, viz.

The possession of eternal life. Now God the Father hath so willed, that all his chosen shall repossess his blessed image for ever and ever, in those mansions which Christ hath prepared for them: "And this (says Christ) is the will of him that sent "me, that every one which seeth the Son, and be“lieveth on him, may have everlasting life; and I "will raise him up at the last day," John vi. 40. Mark the expression: eternal life is the will of the Father, but the gift of the Son. It is Christ who by his divine power raiseth up his people at the last day. He willingly laid down his life for them. He took it up again when the salvation of his people was sealed and secured through his blood. And he set forth his own resurrection, as a ground that they should rise to glory also. Now as the eternal life which Christ hath to give to his people, consisteth in the most blessed enjoyment of, delight in, and communion with God for ever; so Adam had forfeited this for himself and all his descendants by his one fatal transgression. If given then to him or any of his descendants, it is by an act of free grace; in a way consistent with all God's most adorable attributes, and more particularly with his justice. But justice requires the punishment of sin in a way suited to its dreadful nature and consequences. Now sin is an infinite evil against infinite good; and can only be expiated by an infinite atonement. But all

created beings not excepting angels, are finite; hence a person in the Godhead, could alone offer infinite satisfaction for an infinite offence, and this hath Christ offered. Behold then, the beauty, and Godhonoring, yea sinner-saving tendency of justification by the righteousness of Christ. By his righteousness he confessed, the honor of the Godhead was injured through the sin of man; by his righteousness he confessed that man deserved eternal death; by his righteousness he divulged to his divine fellows, (to speak in the very language of scripture, see Zech. xiii. 7.) a plan of his own glorious contrivance, in which God might be just, and the justifier of those who should believe on himself in all ages; by his righteousness, he submitted without a murmur to the stroke of death, and finished what the bowels of his tender mercy intended; by his righteousness he will sit at the last, decreeing a righteous sentence on all mankind, condemning his enemies to the flames of hell for ever, but giving life eternal and all its attendant blessings to all the chosen of God, "who are the called according to his purpose," Rom. viii. 28.

16th. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent, is greater than he that sent him. John xiii. 16.

Humility is the ground work of religion, not the foundation; for Christ is the foundation. Humility is the place of contest in which a christian fights the battles of the Lord. Here to speak in the

allegorical language of a pious divine, Christian met the foul fiend Apollyon, and fought with him a most dreadful battle in which he gained the victory, through the strength of him who is with his people in every time of need. See Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Scot's edit. page 65.

Humility is that state of heart, in which alone we are fitted either to acknowledge our sins, sue for mercy, or to receive mercy in the appointed way. It is a virtue possessed not at all by the men of the world, in a scripture sense, (and in no other sense is it desirable, seeing the word of God condemns a voluntary humility, as a proof we are beguiled by the servants of the devil. See Coloss. ii. 18.) and it is too little possessed (as God's people daily lament) by themselves.

What do the men of the world know of it? Do they see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, as committed against a holy and just God? Do they consider themselves the subjects, by nature, of God's righteous indignation on account of it? It is true, natural conscience hath sometimes so galled the men of the world, that they have carried as it were a hell within themselves: the pangs of remorse and sorrow have seized them; but these feelings have but produced the horrid din of blasphemy against God, and not the meltings of godly sorrow on account of transgression. And here I freely confess these horrors were once known by myself. Ensnared, willingly and wilfully ensnared, by those odious women, whose

"House is the way to hell, going down to the "chambers of death," Prov. vii. 27. I sought the beastly gratification of my animal passions. I wandered in a fever of body and mind, which nothing allayed but the gratification of my burning lust, and which that allayed only for a short season, and only to rekindle with a hotter fire. It pleased God that "a dart," (the bitter attendant and disease of illicit amours) should ❝ strike through my liver," and lay me the victim of severe pain. I cursed the filthy object who contaminated my blood, I cursed my lust that rushed through known and dreaded consequences, to a momentary gratification, I cursed that accusing angel and foe of man who, fallen hinself from the bright glory of a morning star in the kingdom of Heaven, Isaiah xiv. 12, is ever busy to plunge man in sin; and then in the terrors of the law, to bury and smother within them the rising hope of mercy. I cursed my God himself as the author of my sin, considering inost blasphemously, that because he had given me passions, he only could be blamed for my base use and sinful indulgence of them.

I wandered in the day time far from the haunts of men, I retired from the eye of man to the silent couch, to vent more deliberate and studied imprecations in the dark and silent hour. Trusting in my strength, I promised reformation, without expressing to God, the smallest contrition and repentance of heart, and I thus remained till he was pleased to

restore me to bodily health, when I was pleased wickedly to restore myself again to the commission of sins.

But my race in fornication was short, though heartily wicked. God be praised for the riches of his grace, who hath by faith led me to Christ, to wash away so foul a stain. May this speak awfully and plainly to my youthful readers, that they may stop if not totally overborn by sin before they commit it, and reflect how they may be hurried to the like awful fall with myself. To return, doth natural conscience alarmed, bring men to evangelical repentance? On the contrary, many rage like devils on this earth, under a sense of sin, yet like devils, make their hearts as stout as they can against the Lord, and call in unbelief, rebellion and the most refined obduracy to their aid, to fight against the Lord. But who must prevail in this battle? If they prevail, and prosper as they wickedly desire in this world, death and ruin seize them in the next. If God prevail, the scene must be changed, their plan must be altered, his grace must and will conquer till it reign down all their sins. And thenwhat? this enemy must be subdued; this blasphemy must be ended. Sorrow must begin-a godly sorrow for horrid transgressions-faith must come, a lively faith on Jesus-regeneration and its fruits must be matured, a new birth of the Spirit, begett-, ing an heir of the kingdom of Heaven.

« AnkstesnisTęsti »