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THE

ENTIRE WORKS

REV. CHAliLES SIMEON, M.A

COPIOUS INDEXES,

I REl AUEI) liY THE RLV.

THOMAS HARTWELL HORNE, B. I).

L N D O N :

PRINTED BY RICHARD CLAY, BREAD-STREET-H1LL.

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NOW FIRST DIGESTED INTO ONE CONTINUED SERIES
AND FORMING A COMMENTARY

UPON EVERY BOOK OF

THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT;

TO \vincii is

AN IMPROVED EDITION OF A TRANSLATION OF

CLAUDE S ESSAY ON THE COMPOSITION OF A SERMON,

IN TWENTY-ONE VOLUMES.

BY THE REV. CHARLES SIMEON, M.A,

SENIOR FELLOW OF KING S COLLEGE, CAM KIM DUE.

VOL. XXI.

REVELATION. CLAUDE S ESSAY. INDEXES.

LONDON:

J F /--. f \ r , y, .-

HOLDSWORTH AND BALL, i

AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW.
MDCCC XXXIII.

CONTENTS TO VOL. XXI.

Discourse.

Int.

Subject.

Page.

2475.

2476.
2477.

2478.

REVELATION.

i. 4, 5.

i. 5, 6.
i. 7.
i. 10.

Each Person in the Holy Trinity to be
addressed in Prayer ....
The Grounds of Praise to Christ .
Christ coming to Judgment
Being in the Spirit

7
10
13

2479.

i. 1217.

2480.

i. 17, 18.

Christ s Power over the invisible
World

2481.

ii. 1, 2.

Epistle to Ephesus

2482.

ii. 26.

Epistle to Ephesus

2483.

ii. 7.

2484

ii. 8, 9.

Epistle to Smyrna,

2485

ii. 9, 10.

2486

ii. 11.

Epistle to Smyrna

2487

ii. 12, 13.

Epistle to Perqamos

2488

ii. 13 16.

2489

ii. 17.

Epistle to Perqamos ....

2490

ii. 18, 19.

Epistle to Thyatira

2491.

ii. 19 23.

Epistle to Thyatira .....

2492.
2493.

ii. 24, 25.
ii. 2629.

The Church at Thyatira ....

2494.

iii. 1.

Epistle to Sardis

2495.

iii. 2.

2496.

iii. 3.

Epistle to Sardis

2497.

iii. 4_6.

2498.
2499.
2500.
2501

iii. 7, 8.
iii. 811.
iii. 12, 13.
iij 14 i(j.

Epistle to Philadelphia ....
Epistle to Philadelphia ....
Epistle to Philadelphia ....

101
106
112
117

2502.

iii. 17, 18.

121

2503

iii 19

Epistle to Lctodicea ......

197

CONTENTS.

Discourse.

Text.

Subject.

REVELATION.

2504.

iii. 20.

2505.

iii. 21.

The Victor s Reward

2506.

iii. 22.

The Voice of God to his Church and

People

2507.

v. 610.

The Book with seven Seals opened by

Jesus Christ

2508.

v. 1113.

The Doxology of the Redeemed .

2509.

vii. 912.

The Worship of Heaven ....

2510.

vii. 1417.

The Felicity of the glorified Saints .

2511.

x. 5, 6.

The Nearness of Eternity ....

2512.

xi. 1517.

The Reign of Christ on Earth

2513.

xii. 11.

How Satan is to be vanquished . .

2514.

xiii. 8.

The Lamb slain from the Foundation

of the World

2515.

xiv. 15.

The Felicity of Heaven ....

2516.

xiv. 6, 7.

The Gospel preached to all Nations .

2517.

xiv. 911.

The Punishment of the Ungodly .

2518.

xiv. 13.

The Blessedness of departed Saints .

2519.

xv. 3, 4.

The Song of Moses and the Lamb .

2520.

xvi. 9.

2521.

xvii. 14.

Friends and Enemies of Christ . .

2522.

xix. 6.

God s Government a Ground of Joy .

2523.

xix. 7, 8.

The Church s Union with Christ . .

2524.

xix. 9.

The Marriage- Supper of the Lamb .

2525.

xix. 10.

The Testimony of Jesus ....

2526.

xix. 16.

Christ the King of Kings, and Lord

of Lords .... |

2527.

xx. 6.

The first Resurrection

2528.

xx. 1115.

The Day of Judament .

2529.

xxi. 16.

The heavenly Glory

2530.

xxi. 22, 23.

God the Light and Temple of the

New Jerusalem

2531.

xxii. 2.

The Tree of Life

2532.

xxii. 14.

Obedience the Way to Life . . .

2533.

xxii. 16.

Christ the Morning Star ....

2534.

xxii. 17.

Invitation to come to Christ

2535.

xxii. 18, 19.

The Perfection and Sanctity of the

Holy Scriptures

2536.

xxii. 20.

The Coming of Christ desired . .

Page.

130
134

138

143

150
153
157
161
165
170

175
180
187
192
198
203
210
213
216
221
224
228

233
237
245

248

254
260

263
268
272

277
283

CONTENTS.

CLAUDE S ESSAY on the Composition of a /Sermon . . . .

FOUR SERMONS on the Gospel Message, illustrating the four
different Methods of treating Texts, viz. by Explication,
by Observation, by Proposition, and by Perpetual Appli
cation

INDEXES.

I. Analytical Index to Claude s Essay

II. Index of Passages in the Old Testament, discussed where

they are cited in the New

III. General Index of Matters

IV. Liturgical Index

V. Index of Subjects adapted to Occasional Sermons

287

411

431

43G
437

538
550

REVELATION.

MMCCCCLXXV.

EACH PERSON IN THE HOLY TRINITY TO BE ADDRESSED
IN PRAYER.

Rev. i. 4, 5. John to the seven churches which are in Asia :
Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and ivhich
was, and which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits which
are before his throne ; and from Jesus Christ, who is the
faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth.

THE revelations of St. John are doubtless ex
tremely difficult to be understood : but yet a
particular blessing is promised to the study of them :
and certainly, in proportion as they are understood,
they enlarge the heart towards God, who foresees
every thing from the beginning, and ordains every
thing for the accomplishment of his own eternal pur
poses. It is not however my design, at this time, to
enter into any of those events which are predicted in
this book ; but only to draw your attention to this
introductory passage, which will be found replete
with the most important instruction.

It may be viewed,
I. As a benedictory salutation-
It is customary with the inspired writers to begin
almost all their epistles with a salutation similar to
that before us. " Grace and peace " comprehend all
those blessings which a sinner needs, and which every

VOL. XXI. B

2 REVELATION, I. 4, 5. [2475.

Christian supremely desires. These are invoked in
behalf of the seven churches of the Lesser Asia ; and
are implored, with remarkable distinctness, from each
Person in the ever-blessed Trinity.

1. From God the Father

[He is described in terms declarative of his essential per
fections ; and with a peculiarity of language which will perhaps
be found in no other writer, nor in the writings of St. John
himself, except in this place a . It should seem that the Apostle
had in his mind a special reference to the name of the Deity
as revealed to Moses, when he was commissioned to declare to
his brethren, " I AM hath sent me unto you b ." And intending
to convey an idea of Jehovah s self-existence from eternity to
eternity, and the absolute unchangeableness of his nature, he
expressed himself in the most significant terms that language
could afford, yea, and in terms which even violated the pro
prieties of language, that so he might communicate his idea in
a more determined form.

To Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, even the
Father, as to the fountain and source of all good, he looked in
the first instance, desiring that grace and mercy might descend
from him.]

2. From the Holy Spirit

[It is not to be conceived that the Apostle should unite
angels with Jehovah as a source of " grace and peace ;" and
address himself, as it were, in prayer to them. Nor is there,
as far as we know, any more reason for his addressing " seven"
of them, than seventy times seven. It must be remembered,
that the whole book of Revelation is emblematical and figura
tive ; and therefore the Apostle addresses the Holy Spirit in
language suited to the whole character of the book which he
was about to write. The number seven, amongst the Hebrews,
was considered as expressing perfection : and when the Apostle
uses the expression, " the seven Spirits," he is not to be
understood as speaking of seven different persons, but of the
Holy Spirit, in all his diversified gifts and operations. And
he represents him as " before the throne ;" because, in the
economy of redemption, both he and the Lord Jesus Christ act
in subordination to the Father : the Father sends the Son ;
and both the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit ; who
is therefore represented as " before the throne," ready to
execute any commission that shall be assigned him. He, as

a The nominative case is put instead of the genitive ; 6 &v, for rov

OVTOQ, K. T. \.

b Exod. iii. 14.

2475.] EACH PERSON IN THE TRINITY TO BE INVOKED. 3

the great Agent to convey all that the Father has ordained,
and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has purchased for sinful
man ; he, I say, together with the Father, is also supplicated
in behalf of the seven Churches, to impart unto them the
blessings which are here implored.]

3. From the Lord Jesus Christ

[He, too, is here described by the various offices which he
performs in behalf of our ruined race. As the great Prophet,
he is " the faithful Witness," who came on purpose " that he
might bear witness to the truth," and who has declared to men
all that he was commissioned to reveal. He has made known
the Father to us, and has plainly shewn how we are to obtain
acceptance with him. " Verily it is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners:" nor is it less true, that, as he is " the
way, the truth, and the life," so " no man cometh unto the
Father but by Him c ."

As our great High-Priest, he has offered himself a sacrifice
for our sins ; and, having risen from the dead, he has entered
into the holy of holies, there to present his blood before the
throne, and there to make continual intercession for us. He
rose, not as others, to die again, but to an immortal life : and
in this respect he was " The first begotten from the dead," and
" The first-fruits of them that slept d ." In this, as in every
thing else, " He has the pre-eminence e ."

As our King, also, is he here addressed. For he is exalted
above all the principalities and powers both of heaven and
earth : he is " the Prince of the kings of the earth," even
" King of kings, and Lord of lords." And in all these offices
he is empowered to act for us, and to communicate to us
according to our necessities. He is indeed the living Head,
" in whom is all fulness treasured up for us ;" and " out of
whose fulness we all receive grace for grace."

I dwell not upon the particular description of the Sacred
Three ; it being my intention only to shew that we are autho
rized to look to our Triune God, who is ever ready to hear
our supplications, whether for ourselves or for each other, and
to grant unto us all that our necessities require. " In the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, were we
baptized ;" and for " the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost," we
are taught to pray : and if the passage before us be not so
obvious in its import at the first sight, I think that, when
viewed aright, it teaches us very strongly the same instructive
lesson.]

c John xiv. 6. d 1 Cor. xv. 20. e Col. i. 18.

4 REVELATION, I. 4, 5. [2475.

I proceed, therefore, to consider the words before
us,
II. As an instructive admonition

We see in it,

1. What should be the supreme object of our
desire

[" Grace and peace," as we have already observed, include
all that a sinner needs, or that a saint can desire. In truth,
we do need them, no less for our present comfort than for our
eternal welfare. That we have all greatly offended God by
our innumerable transgressions, can admit of no doubt ; and
unless his " grace" and favour be extended to us, we must
perish. Nor can we turn to him of ourselves : we must receive
from him that "grace" and strength, which alone can qualify
us for that arduous task. But, till this is effected, we can have
no peace, either with God or in our own conscience. God has
said, that " there is no peace to the wicked : and I will venture
to ask, of all who are here present, whether they know any
thing of solid peace in their minds, except as they have sought
it in earnest prayer, through the mediation and intercession
of the Lord Jesus Christ ? Insensibility, indeed, is common
enough : but even that can only be maintained in a neglect of
all serious thoughts of the eternal world. At the prospect
of death and judgment the stoutest stand appalled, unless they
have come to God through Christ, and obtained from him that
peace which Christ alone can give.

Now then, I say, These are the blessings which we should
desire infinitely beyond all earthly good. The godly should
affect them as the only means of true happiness. They were
necessary for all the seven Churches of Asia, and for the most
advanced Christian amongst them. And are they not necessary
for the ungodly ? They may possibly amuse themselves during
this short life, though destitute of grace and peace : but what
will they do in a dying hour, and when they shall be summoned
to the bar of judgment? How " will they call on the rocks to
fall upon them, and the hills to cover them from the wrath of
the Lamb," whom they have so long neglected and despised !
I would that the lovers of this present world would bethink
themselves what their present vanities will avail them in that
awful day ; and that now, whilst an opportunity is afforded
them, they would flee from the wrath to come, and lay hold
on eternal life.]

2. Whence alone they are to be obtained
[Persons have some general idea of the mercy of God,

without ever considering in what way that mercy shall be

2475.] EACH PERSON IN THE TRINITY TO BE INVOKED. 5

exercised. But, indeed, my brethren, God must be approached
in the way that he himself has pointed out. Did any offender,
under the law, come to God without a sacrifice ? So neither
can ye, without that great Sacrifice which has been offered for
the sins of the whole world. Nor did any come but through
the mediation of the priest, who was appointed to present his
sacrifice to God : so neither can ye, but through the mediation
and intercession of the Lord Jesus. Were lustrations and
sprinklings appointed by the law ? So must ye also have the
Holy Spirit poured out upon you, to sanctify you throughout.
Do not imagine that these are mere notions, which may be
disregarded, without any loss to your souls. Indeed it is not
so. To what purpose has God revealed these truths, if they
are not to be received and acted upon by us? Know ye, then,
that if ye would have " grace and peace" vouchsafed unto
your souls, you must come to God through Christ, and by his
Spirit; (for there is no other way of " access to him;") and
then will each person of the ever-blessed Trinity impart unto
you these blessings, in the way that God has ordained, and in
the measure that he shall see fit.]

Two REFLECTIONS, almost of necessity, obtrude them
selves upon us, as arising from this subject

1. How ignorant are the generality of the Christian
world !

[It is surprising how little the peculiar doctrines of our
holy religion are considered. The generality of Christians have
scarcely any other views of God than such as a Mahometan
entertains. Many actually discard all idea of a Trinity of
Persons in the Godhead. But, where the doctrine of the
Trinity is professedly received, it is, for the most part, regarded
as a merely speculative and unimportant tenet. But, indeed,
it is a practical and most important doctrine : practical, because
the whole life of faith is affected by it ; and important, because
it is only by maintaining a due regard to it, in our approaches
to God, that we can obtain from God any spiritual benefit.
And here I will ask of those who have not realized these
truths in their minds, What have been your prayers? and,
What blessings have they brought down into your souls?
True indeed it is, that a poor contrite sinner shall be heard,
even though he may not yet have been fully instructed in this
mystery : but let those answer, who, whilst they have professed
to acknowledge this great mystery, have been regardless of it
in their approaches to God : What have been your prayers ?
Have they not been cold, formal, and altogether destitute of
any divine energy? And what have you gained by them?
Are you not at this hour as far from God as ever, and as

6 REVELATION, I. 4, 5. [2475.

destitute of grace and peace as ever ? Look at the great mass
of Christians, even of those who would be thought religious :
How many are there who, in the course of ten or twenty years,
have never advanced a single step in vital godliness ! I will
not say, indeed, that this is owing to their neglect of this
particular doctrine ; because, doubtless, there are many other
causes to which it may be traced, and the same want of pro
ficiency may be found amongst some of its warmest advocates :
but this I will say, that, amongst those who disregard this
mystery, the want of proficiency and of spirituality is universal :
and it is no wonder that they never make any advance in the
divine life ; because, if they go not to God in the way in which
alone he will be found, they can never hope to receive from
him the blessings which they stand in need of. On the other
hand, only contemplate the Deity as he is here set forth:
think of each Person in the ever-blessed Trinity sustaining
distinct offices for you ; and possessing each, as it were, a
treasure of blessings to pour out on you, the very instant you
go to God in his appointed way : what a pledge does this give
you of an attention to your supplications, and of success in
your endeavours! To all I say, Study with all diligence the
character of Jehovah; and improve, for your benefit, the
offices which, in your behalf, he is ready to discharge.]

2. How low and grovelling is the taste of the
Christian world !

[What do men affect, either for themselves or for those
connected with them? They desire nothing beyond this pre
sent world. Whatever will advance the welfare of the body,
they are anxious to obtain ; but for spiritual blessings they
have no wish. Indeed, the very idea of " grace and peace,"
as derived from the different Persons of the Godhead, and as
enjoyed in a man s own soul, they regard, for the most part, as
no better than a fanatical conceit. But such was not David s
sentiment. When the inquiry occurred to him, " Who will
shew us any good?" his answer was, " Lord, lift thou up the
light of thy countenance upon us." Yes, to that he looked for
happiness, more than to the greatest possible increase of corn
or wine or oil. Worldly prosperity was to him no better than
dross or dung, in comparison of the welfare of his soul. O !
let it be so with you, my brethren. Let the continual lan
guage of your soul be, " Whom have I in heaven but thee,
O Lord? and there is none upon earth that I desire in compa
rison of thee." Remember, I pray you, what is the distinctive
character of a true Christian : it is not by any peculiar notions
that he is to be known ; no, nor by any outward acts. No :
it is by his predominant taste : he desires, above all things, an
increase of grace and peace : in comparison of these, all other

2476.] THE GROUNDS OF PRAISE TO CHRIST. 7

things are but as the small dust upon the balance. O brethren !
raise your minds to these things: " set your affections on
them, and not on things on the earth." Then shall these
blessings abound in your souls, and earth become to you the
very porch of heaven.]

MMCCCCLXXVI.

THE GROUNDS OF PRAISE TO CHRIST.

Rev. i. 5, 6. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests
unto God and his Father ; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.

WHILE men continue in a natural and unrenewed
state, they feel very little gratitude for the mercies of
Providence, and are altogether unmindful of the
blessings of redemption. But when the grace of God
has wrought effectually on their hearts, they begin to
view his hand in all the comforts they enjoy, and to
bless him more especially for the wonders of redeem
ing love. Whenever they are in a frame of mind at
all suited to their character, they are ready to burst
forth, like the beloved disciple, into expressions of
rapture and adoration.

In the words before us we are led to consider,
I. The grounds of our love to Christ

Doubtless he is worthy of our love for his own
sake, seeing that " he is fairer than ten thousand,
and altogether lovely a :" but he is also to be loved on
account of what he has done for us :

" He has loved us "

[This he has done from all eternity : he has done it, not
withstanding there was nothing lovely in us, neither had we
any love for him ; yea, notwithstanding there was every thing
in us that was hateful, and we were full of enmity against him b .
Though he never manifested any love to the angels who fell,
yet has he loved us : and love has been the one principle that
actuated him in all that he has done for us c .]

a Cant. v. 10, 16. b Tit. iii. 3. Rom. viii. 7.

Eph. v. 2, 25. Gal. ii. 20.

8 REVELATION, I. 5, 6. [2476.

"He has washed us from our sins in his own
blood"

[Rivers of tears were insufficient to wash away one sin :
nor was there any fountain in the whole creation that could
cleanse a guilty soul. He therefore, rather than we should
perish, provided one for us ; and suffered his own sacred body
to be broken up, in order that we might be washed in his pre
cious blood. This is sufficient, as thousands have experienced,
to purge from sins of deepest die ; and every believer, however
aggravated his past iniquities may have been, may glory, in
that he has been made whiter than wool or snow d .

O what love was this ! If he had washed us in the blood of
slain beasts, or sent an angel to die for us, it were a wonderful
act of mercy : but to wash us in his own blood ! O the heights
and depths of this incomprehensible love !]

" He has made us kings and priests unto God and
his Father"

[Astonishing is the exultation which the believer now
enjoys : even Lazarus was greater than the highest monarchs
upon earth, and exercised a government to which their power
could not extend. The Christian s spiritual enemies are under
his controul : his lusts are subjected to his dominion 6 ; and
Satan himself flees from him with trepidation, as from a vic
torious prince f .

With this dignity, he bears also that of priesthood. Time
was, when God himself would avenge the insult, if even a king
had dared to invade the office of the priesthood e : but now all
Christ s ransomed people are admitted to it h ; they are anointed
to it with an holy unction ; they have access at all times within
the vail ; and they offer unto God continually the sacrifices of
prayer and praise.]

If, on considering these things, we feel love and
gratitude rising in our hearts, let us learn from the
Apostle,

II. The manner in which we should express it

We should not rest in the gift, but raise up our
minds unto the Donor

1. We should contemplate him in our minds

[The abrupt manner in which the Apostle introduces this
song of praise, and the energetic way in which he directs our

d Isai. i. 18. e Gal. v. 24. f Jam. iv. 7.

8 2 Chron. xxvi. 16 21. h 1 Pet ii. 9.

2476.] THE GROUNDS OF PRAISE TO CHRIST. 9

eyes to Christ 1 , sufficiently shew, that his mind was filled with
his subject; and that he had a lively sense, not only of the
benefits conferred on him, but also of the excellency of that
Saviour, from whom they were derived. Now thus it should
be with us : " Our hearts should muse, till the fire kindles,
and we speak with our tongue." And is there any other
subject in the world so interesting, so noble, so profound? Is
there any other being to whom we are so indebted, or in the
contemplation of whose glory we can rest with such delight ?
Let us then keep our eyes fixed on HIM, till we exclaim with
the prophet, " How great is his goodness ! how great is his
beauty k !"]

2. We should adore him with our lips
[Higher strains of adoration cannot be paid to God the

Father, than are here offered to Jesus Christ 1 . We therefore
may worship him as the supreme God, even as all the hosts
of saints and angels are doing around his throne. He has
all those perfections that deserve glory, and all that power
that is entitled to dominion. To him therefore let glory and
dominion be ascribed. Let us never be afraid of honouring
him too much ; for we never more truly exalt the Father than
when we honour the Son as the Father n .]

3. We should glorify him by our lives

[When the Apostle ascribed glory and dominion to Christ,
he did not mean to except himself from the number of those
who should honour his perfections, and submit to his govern
ment : but rather by the addition of " Amen," he purposely
expressed his acquiescence in that which he required from
others. Thus, without claiming any exemption for ourselves,
we should cordially devote to him the souls which he has
purchased with his blood : we should yield to his authority in
all that he commands ; and seek his glory in all that we
perform.]

ADDRESS

1. To those who are unmindful of what Christ has
done for them

[It scarcely seems credible that such persons should be
found in a Christian land : but, alas ! they abound in every
place. But let them blush for their ingratitude. Let them
know too, that the very blood which was shed to cleanse them
from their sins, will aggravate, instead of removing, their
eternal condemnation.]

1 " To him, to him" k Zech. ix. 17.

1 Compare 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. and 1 Pet. v. 11.
m Rev. v. 12, 13. n John v. 23.

10 REVELATION, I. 7. [2477.

2. To those who are doubting whether they be
interested in what Christ has done

[We are not to ascertain our interest in Christ first, and
then to go to him for salvation ; but first to go to him for
salvation, and then, from the exercises and fruits of our faith,
to conclude that we do indeed belong to him. If the time that
is lost in doubting and questioning, were improved in fervent
applications to him for mercy, we should soon be enabled to
say, " He has loved me, and given himself for me ? Instead
of asking, Am I washed in his blood? go, and wash in it,
and be clean.]

3. To those who are glorying in Christ as their
Saviour

[What a heaven upon earth do you enjoy! for, what is
the state, what is the employment, of those above ? They are
kings seated on their thrones : they are priests offering their
sacrifices before the mercy-seat : they are singing, in one uni
versal chorus, Salvation to God and to the Lamb. Such is
your state, such is your employment, at this very hour. It is
not said, that you shall be washed, or shall be made kings and
priests unto God, but that you already possess these inestimable
privileges. Go on then, ever mindful of these mercies, and of
him who procured them for you by his blood : and give him
glory and dominion for ever and ever, as well in the rectitude
of your lives, as in the devotion of your hearts.]

Gal. ii. 20.

MMCCCCLXXVII.

CHRIST COMING TO JUDGMENT.

Rev. i. 7. Behold, he cometh with clouds ; and every eye shall
see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds
of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

THE great subject of the book of Revelation seems
to be, to predict the trials and deliverances of God s
Church to the end of time. To a superficial observer,
it would appear strange that God should permit his
enemies to triumph for so long a period, and in so
awful a degree. But there is a time coming when
all these inequalities in the Divine government will
be rectified, and a righteous retribution be given to
those who suffered, and to those also who inflicted

2477.] CHRIST COMING TO JUDGMENT. 11

the sufferings upon them. To this period our at
tention is directed in the very commencement of
this prophecy ; that persecutors may know what tri
bulation awaits them, and the persecuted may be
comforted in the prospect of their eternal rest.

Let us then contemplate,

I. The future judgment of our Lord

Behold, he is surely coming to judge the world

[Our blessed Lord is " ordained of the Father to be the

Judge both of quick and dead " The time for his future

advent, though not known either to men or angels, is fixed in
the counsels of the Father: and at the appointed instant it
shall arrive. The world will be sleeping in security and care
lessness, as much as ever they were in the days of Noah : but
it will not on that account be delayed : " it will come as a thief

in the night, and as travail upon a woman with child"

With inconceivable glory will the Lord Jesus then appear, sur
rounded with myriads of the heavenly host, and " coming in

the clouds of heaven " His judgment-seat will be

erected, the books wherein all the actions, words, and thoughts
of men are recorded, will be opened, and all the universe be
summoned to give an account of themselves to him ]

Then " shall every eye see him "

[All who have ever lived, from the very commencement
to the end of time, shall be raised from the dead, each in his
own proper body. The sea as well as the land will give up
the dead that are in it, and not an individual, however great

or however obscure, be wanting All will surround his

throne, and behold him in full view : not as unconcerned spec
tators, but as criminals, whose cause he is about to try, and
whose state he will fix in happiness or misery for ever and
ever ]

Thus certain, and thus awful, will be " our gather
ing unto Jesus at the last day." But let us more
distinctly consider,

II. Its aspect on the different classes of mankind

The text more especially refers to the ungodly :
but, as all will be equally interested in that event,
we shall extend our views to the world at large ; and
consider the aspect of our Lord s advent,

1. On the ungodly

12 REVELATION, I. 7. [2477.

[" Those who pierced our Lord " in the days of his flesh,
thought not that they should ever behold his face again : but
every one of them shall be summoned to his presence in that
day. Pilate with the chief priests, and Herod with his men
of war, and all the populace who demanded his crucifixion, and
the soldiers who mocked him in gorgeous apparel, and drove
the crown of thorns into his temples, and those who ploughed
long furrows on his back by scourging, and those who nailed
him to the cross, and the soldier that pierced his sacred body
after he was dead, and all who approved of those proceedings,
shall in that day see him yet once more, with all the marks of
their cruelty yet upon him : yes, they shall all recognize in
his glorious person the Man whom once they treated with such
indignity. But how widely changed the condition both of
themselves and him ! Themselves, no longer in a capacity to
oppress ; and him, no longer capable of suffering from oppres
sion : themselves, as malefactors and murderers ; and him, as
the Judge about to take cognizance of their offences : them
selves, as children of the devil ; and him, as " the Lord of
glory !" O, with what horror will they be struck ! with what
dread will they be overwhelmed !

But are there not many who " pierce the Lord " at this time
also, and " crucify him afresh," by continuing in their sins ?
Yes verily, there are many amongst us not a whit less criminal
than his very murderers; I should rather say, far more cri
minal; inasmuch as they who reject him now, sin against
incomparably greater light than was enjoyed by any previous
to his crucifixion. It is this that makes the sin against the
Holy Ghost so heinous, in comparison of the sins committed
against the Son of man. The Holy Ghost has borne such
testimony to the truth, as nothing but wilful infidelity can
resist. And they who at this day hear the Gospel preached
to them, and make no account of all the wonders of love and
mercy that are set before them, have a measure of guilt which
will make their last state worse than that of Sodom and Go-
morrha. Think then, ye, who, having heard the truth, reject
it, and, more especially, ye, who, having embraced the truth,
dishonour it, or depart from it, think, I say, what will be your
views and feelings, when you shall behold that Saviour face
to face ! Will ye not be ready to call upon the rocks apd
mountains to fall upon you, and to cover you from his wrath ?
Yes, indeed will ye ; and if even the whole earth will wail
because of him, much more will ye, who have received all his
grace in vain.

The Apostle adds, " Even so ; Amen :" by which I under
stand him, not merely as confirming the truths which he has
before asserted, but as acquiescing in them as every way wor
thy of their Divine Author. It is right that those who once

2478.] BEING IN THE SPIRIT. 13

pierced him when on earth should wail because of him ; and it
is right that they also who reject him now should feel the full
weight of his displeasure. St. Paul himself puts that matter
beyond all doubt, when he says, " If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha."]

2. On the godly-

[Blessed be God, though all the unregenerate shall wail,
there are some to whom the Saviour s advent will be a ground
of joy ! We are told, that the saints " wait for his appearing,"
and " love it," and " look forward and haste unto it," and in
the spirit of their minds are saying, " Come, Lord Jesus, come
quickly." However terrible his advent will be to others, it
will not be so to them ; for the prospect of being called to
f( meet the Lord in the air," is that which St. Paul teaches us
to regard as a source of the richest consolation, under whatever
trials or losses we may be called to sustain. " Comfort ye one
another," says he, " with these words."

But here you will naturally ask, Whence arises this differ
ence between the two? Why do the one behold him with
such anguish of heart, and the others with such unutterable
joy? I answer, The godly have beheld him here, and " mourned
before him as for an only Son a ." They have seen how griev
ously they have themselves pierced him by their iniquities;
and they have bewailed their guilt and folly with the deepest
contrition. They have even looked to his wounds as endured
for their transgressions ; and have sought for * healing to their
souls by the stripes inflicted on him :" and having done this
by faith, they are accepted before God, and shall " be pre
sented before him faultless with exceeding joy."

Seek ye then, beloved, " the Spirit of grace and of suppli
cations," whom God has promised to pour out upon you. Then
shall you have such views of the Saviour as shall bring peace
to your souls, and such views as will give you confidence before
him at his future coming.]

a Zech. xii. 10.

MMCCCCLXXVIII.

BEING IN THE SPIRIT.

Rev. i. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord s day.

WE are told by our blessed Lord, " Not to fear
those who can only kill the body, and after that have
no more that they can do." The truth is, that whilst
men are wreaking their vengeance upon the body,

14 REVELATION, I. 10. [2478.

they cannot obstruct God s communications to the
soul, or destroy the happiness of those whom they
desire to torment. Paul and Silas have borne testi
mony to this : for, with their feet fastened in the
stocks, and their backs torn with scourges, they
" sang praises to God aloud at midnight." St. John,
too, when he was "banished to the Isle of Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ :" and was there " a companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,"
participating, in his advanced age, the afflictions with
which all the seven Churches of Asia had been
visited ; he, I say, received more abundant manifesta
tions of God s love to his soul, and was honoured
there with revelations more full and complete, than
were ever vouchsafed to any other child of man.
And we also, if suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ,
may expect that, " as our afflictions abound, so also
shall our consolations abound by Christ 3 ."

In confirmation of this, I will shew,

I. How far this experience of St. John may be realized
in us

When it is said, that "He was in the Spirit" on
the Lord s day, I conceive that we are to understand,
he was in a trance or ecstacy, somewhat similar to
that of the Apostle Paul, who was " caught up into
the third heavens, and knew not whether he was in
the body, or out of the bodyV Yet, as it was the
Lord s day, a day kept sacred by the Christian
Church, in commemoration of the resurrection of
our blessed Lord c , we may be sure that he was in
a frame of mind becoming the Sabbath of the Lord.
Now, I readily acknowledge, that, as far as relates to
any thing miraculous, Christians of the present day

a 2 Cor. i. 5. b 2 Cor. xii. 24. with Rev. iv. 2.

c On the first day of the week our Lord appeared to his Disciples :
on that day, in the following week, he appeared to them again, John
xx. 19, 26. From that time the Church assembled on that day for
holy exercises, Acts xx. 7 ; and it was ever afterwards kept holy,
1 Cor. xvi. 2.

2478.] BEING IN THE SPIRIT. 15

have no warrant to expect any communications simi
lar to those which were vouchsafed to John : but of
spiritual blessings it is the privilege of every Chris
tian to participate ; and on the Sabbath-day he
ought to experience a more abundant effusion of
them on his soul.

1. The Lord s day is set apart for that end

[It is a day on which all worldly business should be sus
pended, and the soul be wholly given up to divine and spiritual
employments. The ceremonial part of the Sabbath may be
considered as abrogated, together with the rest of the Mosaic
ritual : but the moral observance of it is as much in force as
ever. Even in Paradise that was enjoined, and therefore we
are assured it is of perpetual obligation : and the kind of ob
servance which it demands, is well described by the prophet :
" Thou shalt turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from
doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; and shalt call the Sabbath
a delight ; the holy of the Lord, honourable ; and shalt honour
him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure,
nor speaking thine own words 11 ." Here we see how the Sab
bath should be sanctified : every thing that is earthly and
carnal should be banished from our minds ; and our whole
conversation and employment should have a direct reference
to God, and to the concerns either of our own souls, or of the
Redeemer s kingdom in the world.]

2. Our frame of mind should be suited to it

[If we regard the Lord s day as we ought, " then," as the
prophet says, " shall we delight ourselves in the Lord ; and he
will cause us to ride upon the high places of the earth, and will
feed us with the heritage of Jacob our father 6 ." Six days God
has given us for earthly labour: the seventh should be wholly
his ; our thoughts and desires going out after him ; our souls
rising to him in sweet meditation, and in holy intercourse ; our
praises ascending from the altar of our hearts, and all our
sacrifices doubled. In a word, we should then " dwell in God,
and have God dwelling in us ;" so near should be our access to
him, so intimate our communion with him, so entirely our souls
surrendered up to him. On every day we should be " a people
near unto God ;" but on the Sabbath more especially we
should be able to say, " Truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus ChristV In this sense we should " be
in the Spirit on the Lord s day." To " be filled with the
Spirit," is as much our privilege, as it was of the Apostles g

d Isai. Iviii. 13. e Isai. Iviii. 14.

f 1 John i. 3. B Eph, v. 18.

16 REVELATION, I. 10. [2478.

To " pray in the Holy Ghost," to " walk in the Spirit," and
" live in the Spirit," are not peculiar to any order of men, or
any age of the Church : they are duties enjoined on all h : and
if we serve our God with the fidelity that becomes us, these
things will characterize our whole lives, whilst they will pre
eminently appear on the Sabbath-day.]

That we may not think lightly of this privilege, let
me proceed to state,

II. The special call we have to seek it
To illustrate this, I would observe,

1. Our necessities require it

[By our intercourse with the world, we are, to a certain
degree, clogged and fettered, so that we cannot run our race
with the steadiness that we could wish. But, on the Sabbath-
day, all " these weights are laid aside," and our garments being
girt about us, we make our way with augmented rapidity 1 . If
I may be permitted to use so familiar an expression, we are
going down, like a clock, throughout the week ; and need to
be wound up on the Sabbath-day, for further exertions in the
service of our God. And who has ever truly sanctified his
Sabbaths, without being able to attest, that they have been
made effectual for this blessed end ? Like Elijah, we have a
long journey before us ; and we eat richly of the provision
which God has made for us. But God sets a second feast be
fore us : and we rise and eat again ; and are thus strengthened
for exertions, which would have far surpassed our natural
strength k . Yes, a second ordinance has been the means of
completing that, which the first had only begun. Indeed, God
often so peculiarly adapts the provisions of his house to our
peculiar necessities, that it seems as if the minister had been
informed of our particular case, and had been addressing him
self to us alone. And here I may put it to the conscience of
every individual amongst us, and ask him, Whether he has not
actually found that he has suffered loss in his soul, when he has
neglected to improve a Sabbath, and spent it in vain pursuits?
Nay, I may further ask, Whether a very great portion of the
enormities committed, amongst those who call themselves
Christians, may not, in a great measure, be traced to a neglect
of the Sabbath-day? I may justly say then, that "the Sab
bath was made for man 1 ," even for the supplying of our spiri
tual necessities ; and that those necessities loudly call upon us
to sanctify that day unto the Lord.]

h Jude, ver. 20. Gal. v. 25. J Heb. xii. 1.

k 1 Kings xix. 58. 1 Mark ii. 27.

2478.] BEING IN THE SPIRIT. 17

2. The ordinances are unprofitable to us without
it

[Whence is it that so many attend upon divine ordinances
from year to year, and never derive any saving benefit from
them ? It is because they do not ever seek to be in the Spirit
on the Lord s-day. When they wake in the morning, they
have no distinct consciousness, that it is a day to be conse
crated wholly to the Lord. When they rise, they do not
earnestly implore help from God, to enable them to improve
their time aright, and to sanctify to them the ordinances of his
grace. When they come up to the house of God, they do not
endeavour to get their minds duly impressed with a sense of
the importance of the work in which they are engaged. W r hen
hearing the blessed word of God, they do not receive it as the
word of God himself to their souls : nor, when his seed has
been sown in their hearts, do they go and harrow it in by
prayer. They attend on the duties of the Sabbath as a form ;
and never call themselves to an account at the close of the
day, how they have improved it, or what blessing they have
obtained, or whether they are one jot nearer to heaven. Is it
to be wondered at that these persons never make any advance
in religion? What kind of a crop would the husbandman
have, if he were equally careless about his agricultural pur
suits ? Here, then, is the true reason why the most faithful
ministers labour, as it respects the greater part of their
hearers, in vain. A person who has attained to the age of
forty-two has had no less than six entire years of Sabbaths.
What might not such an one have attained, if he had improved
them for the end for which they were given ? what knowledge
of divine truth, what enjoyment of the Divine presence, and
what meetness for the heavenly inheritance ? Yet are there
many who have made no more advance in any of these things,
than if no such opportunities had ever been afforded them. I
charge you, brethren, that, whatever guilt you may have con
tracted by your abuse of past Sabbaths, you begin this day to
improve them for your eternal good, that they may not rise up
in judgment against you, to your everlasting confusion.]

3. The Sabbath thus improved, will be a foretaste
of the eternal Sabbath to our souls

[There is a rest remaining for the people of God. And,
O ! what a rest will that be ! an entire rest of the soul in
God ! a total absence of every disquieting thought ! a complete
enjoyment of the Divine presence, and a perfect exercise of all
our faculties in His service ! In proportion as we spend the
Lord s day aright, this is our frame in this life : and our
Sabbaths on earth are a preparation for, and a prelude to, our
VOL. xxi. c

18 REVELATION, I. 10. [2478.

eternal rest. Say, brethren, is it not desirable to enjoy, thus,
what I may call a heaven upon earth? Do not grudge the
labour or the self-denial that are necessary for the attainment
of this state. Richly will the fruit repay the culture, and the
recompence reward the toil experienced in the pursuit of it.
See on a dying bed those who have employed their Sabbaths
according to the will of God: will you find no difference
between them and the careless votaries of pleasure? And,
follow the two to the bar of judgment ; and will you find no
great distinction between them there? I say then, to every
one amongst you, Fulfil your duties to the world, with zeal
and diligence, on the six days that are allotted you, though
not without a careful waiting upon God ; for you may be
" not slothful in business, and yet fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord :" but, on the Sabbath, live exclusively for God, and seek
to be wholly " in the Spirit on the Lord s-day."]

And now suffer, I pray you, a word of EXHORTA
TION

[Consider, brethren, how many Sabbaths you have lost;
and not one of them can ever be recalled. Consider, too,
how few may yet remain to you. It is possible that, to some
one here present, this very Sabbath may be the last. O!
what bitter regret will arise in your minds, if you are called
into eternity before the interests of your immortal souls have
been secured ! Do not delay this necessary work : do not arm
death with terrors so appalling, as those must be which you
will have to encounter in a dying hour, on a retrospect of your
past advantages, and in the prospect of your future doom.
Reflect, rather, how glorious your prospects will be on the
borders of eternity, if now you give yourselves up wholly to
your God ; and how " abundant an entrance will then be
ministered unto you into the everlasting kingdom of your
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." I would that you would all
set that day before you ; and then I should have but little
occasion to press upon you a due improvement of the Lord s
day. But, I readily acknowledge, you cannot do this of
yourselves. Yet you are not thereby justified: for the Spirit
of God should assuredly be poured out upon you, if you
would seek his influences ; and through his mighty agency you
should be raised to holy contemplations and to heavenly
delights. May a Pentecostal effusion of that blessed Spirit be
now experienced amongst you, and your present delight in
God be a pledge and foretaste of your eternal blessedness !]

2479. J ST. JOHN S VISION.

MMCCCCLXXIX.

ST. JOHN S VISION.

Rev. i. 12 17. And I turned to see the voice that spake with
me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks ;
and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the
Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his
hairs were white like wool, as white as snow ; and his eyes
were as a flame of fire ; and his feet like unto fine brass, as
if they burned in a furnace ; and his voice as the sound of
many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars :
and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword : and his
countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And
when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.

IN order to obtain the Divine blessing, it is ne
cessary that we should wait upon God in all the
ordinances of his appointment. Yet God has not so
restricted his favours, but that we may expect the
communication of them to our souls wherever we
be, provided our neglect of his instituted means pro
ceed from imperious necessity, and not from an indif
ference to his commands. St. John was banished to
the Isle of Patmos, where he had no opportunity of
assembling with the Church of Christ, and of sanc
tifying the Sabbath in the way to which he had been
accustomed. But he sought the Lord in secret, and
" was in the Spirit/ that is, in a holy heavenly frame,
" on the Lord s day :" and what was wanting to him
in respect of external advantages, was abundantly
compensated by an extraordinary vision of his Lord
and Saviour.

We will,
I. Illustrate this vision

In doing this, it will be proper to notice,
1. The person who appeared to him

[This, though said to be " like unto the Son of man,"
was not a created angel, but the Son of man himself, even that
Jesus, " who had been dead, but was living again, and was

c 2

20 REVELATION, I. 1217. [2479.

alive for evermore a ." This glorious person appeared to John
in a manner suited to the characters and circumstances of
the different Churches ; and in the epistles, written to them,
reference is continually made to this description of him. He
is here described in his situation, habit, appearance, voice, and
attitude.

1. In his situation. There was in the temple a golden
candlestick with seven lamps, to which it was the priest s
office to attend b . This candlestick, which on account of the
number of the lamps is considered as seven, represented the
seven Churches of Proconsular Asia : and " the Son of man
standing in the midst of them," denoted, that he inspected the
state of Churches and individuals, to observe how their light
shone, to replenish them occasionally with fresh supplies of his
Spirit, and, by seasonable trials in a way of providence or of
grace, to trim them, as it were, whensoever their dimness
called for his special interposition.

2. In his habit. The garments which he wore were such as
were appointed for the high-priest c : and by this clothing he
intimated, that, though he was in glory, he still executed the
priestly office, presenting his blood before the mercy-seat, and
" ever living to make intercession for his people." He would
have it known to the Church that he is " a Priest upon his
throne d ."

3. In his appearance. This was august beyond all ex
pression or conception. His hoary " head," denoting both his
majesty and wisdom, marked him out as " the Ancient of
days 6 ." His fiery " eyes" evinced, that he searched the heart
and tried the reins, and penetrated the inmost recesses of the
soul. His "feet" of fine and burning brass intimated, that,
as all his steps were holy, so was his procedure firm and irre
sistible. His " countenance," shining as the meridian sun,
displayed his excellency and glory, and his worthiness of uni
versal love.

4. In his voice. This, which was terrible, like the roaring
of the tempestuous ocean, shewed, that, however his words had
formerly been disregarded, it became all to attend to them
with the deepest humility.

5. In his attitude. He " held in his hand seven stars,"
(which represented the ministers of the seven Churches f ,) and
thereby intimated, that all ministers were under his direction
and controul, and that they ought to shine for the good of
men without regarding their menaces or assaults, since under
his protection they could not but be safe. At the same
time, emitting " from his mouth a sharp two-edged sword," he

a ver. 18. b Exod. xxv. 31, 32. c Exod. xxviii. 4.

d Zech. vi. 13. e Dan. vii. 9. f ver. 20.

2479.] ST. JOHN S VISION. 21

declared his power and determination to subdue his enemies,
and either to subject them to himself as vessels of mercy, or
to cut them asunder as monuments of his indignation 8 .]

2. The effect of the vision

[On almost all occasions the appearance even of an angel
has produced much fear and terror in the minds of those to
whom he came : no wonder therefore that such an effect should
flow from the appearance of God himself. Manoah concluded
that he must die, because he had seen God face to face 11 .
Ezekiel 1 , Daniel k , and Paul 1 fell down before him, unable to
sustain the brightness of his glory. Once indeed man could
converse with his Maker face to face : but, since the introduc
tion of sin into the world, he has been intimidated by a sense
of guilt, and incapacitated for so high an honour; insomuch
that the most beloved of all Christ s Disciples was overwhelmed
at the sight of him, and " fell at his feet as dead."]

Not to insist any longer on the circumstances of
the vision, we shall,

II. Deduce from it some pertinent observations

1. They who suffer much for their Lord may ex
pect peculiar manifestations of his power and love

[John was now in banishment : yet, though suffering
much by reason of hardships and privations, he was infinitely
happier than Domitian on his throne. St. Paul also found,
that, " as his afflictions abounded, so also did his consolations."
Thus it shall be with all who suffer for righteousness sake.
What then have they to fear? Need they regard the reproaches
of men, when they are so highly honoured by their God ? Need
they be concerned about losses, when they are enriched with
such invaluable communications? Need they fear stripes, or
imprisonment, when their trials may lead to such manifesta
tions as these ? ]

2. We have reason to be thankful that our Lord
reveals himself to us now through the medium of
men, and of the written word

[We see from the example before us how much we should
be disconcerted by visions ; and how unfit they would be, as
stated means, of edifying the Church. But when God speaks
to us by the instrumentality of men, we can attend with ease,
and weigh with care whatever is brought to our ears. It is
true, indeed, that many take occasion from this circumstance

8 Rev. ii. 16. h Judg. xiii. 22. * Ezek. i. 28.

k Dan. x. 8, 9. ] Acts ix. 4.

22 REVELATION, I. 1217. [2479.

to despise the word, when otherwise they would tremble at it :
but, on the other hand, myriads are " drawn to God by the
cords of a man," who otherwise would only have brought upon
themselves, like Pharaoh, an aggravated condemnation. Let
us then improve this privilege ; and, however weak God s in
struments may be, let us attend to them with reverence, that
his agency may be rendered visible in our experience 1 " ]

3. The brighter discoveries we have of Christ, the
more shall we be humbled in the dust before him

[The appearances of God to man have at all times tended
to the humbling of their souls. Abraham and Moses no
sooner caught a sight of him, than they hid their faces, from a
consciousness of their own extreme unworthiness : and Job,
though one of the most perfect of men, confessed himself
" vile," and " abhorred himself in dust and ashes n ." Even
the seraphim before the throne make use of their wings to
veil their faces and their feet, and confess thereby that they
are unworthy either to serve or to behold their God . And
would not a view of the Lord in his glory make us also to cry
out, "Woe is me, I am unclean? !" Yes: a discovery of
created things may puff us up : but a sight of God himself
cannot but abase us in the dust ]

4. There is a day coming when the most stout
hearted sinner will tremble before him

[If John, who had lain in the bosom of his Lord, and
had seen him transfigured on the holy mount, and was in
himself so eminently holy, so highly beloved ; if he fell at the
Redeemer s feet as dead, what will the ungodly do in the day
of judgment? If, when God spake from Mount Sinai, the
Israelites were so terrified as to desire that he would speak to
them no more in such a way ; and " Moses himself exceedingly
quaked and feared ;" how shall not the wicked tremble in that
day, when Jesus shall appear in all his glory to judge the
world ? Let them laugh now if they will : but they will soon
" call upon the rocks to fall upon them, and the hills to cover
them from the wrath of the Lamb." O that to-day, while it is
called to-day, they would hear his voice, and no more harden
their hearts against him !]

m 2 Cor. iv. 7. n Job xlii. 5, 6.

Isai. vi. 2. i 1 Isai. vi. 5.

2480.] CHRIST S POWER OVER THE INVISIBLE WORLD. 23

MMCCCCLXXX.

CHRIST S POWER OVER THE INVISIBLE WORLD.

Rev. i. 17, 18. Fear not ; I am the first and the last : I am he
that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for ever
more, Amen ; and have the keys of hell and of death.

MAN, while he continued in a state of innocence,
communed freely with his Maker face to face : but
from the time that sin entered into the world, he has
dreaded the presence of the Most High, and fled
from it with fear and trembling. Whenever God
has been pleased to appear to any of his people, the
sight has uniformly filled them with terror ; and, in
some instances, almost deprived them even of life.
This was the effect produced by a vision vouchsafed
to John. Our blessed Lord, in a habit somewhat
resembling that of the high-priest, revealed himself to
his beloved Disciple : and so august was his appear
ance, that John, unable to endure the sight, fell at
his feet as dead. But our Lord, in condescension to
his weakness, dispelled his fears by making known to
him the perfections of his nature, and the offices
which in his mediatorial capacity he sustained.

In discoursing on his words we shall consider,
I. Our Lord s record concerning himself

A more glorious description of Jesus is not to be
found in all the sacred writings : he declares himself
to be,

1. The eternal God

[The terms, " the first and the last," are intended to
express eternity a : and, in this view, it is an incommunicable
attribute of Jehovah. It is often used to describe God in
places where he contrasts himself with the gods of the hea
then 1 : and it always characterizes him as infinitely superior to
all creatures. But Jesus here arrogates it to himself. Eternity
had been ascribed to him both by Prophets and Apostles :
but he here claims it himself as his own prerogative ; for, not
withstanding he was in the form of a servant, he thought it

a ver. 8, 11. and Rev. xxii. 13. b Isai. xliv. 6.

c Prov. viii. 22 30. Mic. v. 2. John i. 1. Heb. xiii. 8.

24 REVELATION, I. 17, 18. [2480.

not robbery to be equal with God d . Hence then it is evident
that Jesus is one with the Father, " in glory equal, in majesty
co-eternal," God over all, blessed for evermore 6 .]

2. The living Saviour

[He, whose brightness now exceeded that of the meridian
sun, once hung upon the cross. But, says he, " though* I was
dead, yet I am the living One g , possessed of life in myself 11 ,
and the source of life to others; and immutably living, to
carry on the work which I began on earth." " Behold" this
with wonder, yet with a full assurance of its truth ; for I, the
"Amen," " the true and faithful Witness, declare it unto thee."
Now as the former assertion shews us what he was in his
divine nature, this informs us what he is in his mediatorial
office. " He died for our offences, and rose again for our
justification;" and is, not only our advocate with the Father 1 ,
but the head of vital influence to all that believe k .]

The universal Sovereign

[By "hell" we are to understand, not the habitation of
the damned only, but the whole invisible world : and " death"
is the door of introduction to it. Now to " have the keys"
of these, is to have the power over them, together with the
entire appointment of men s states in reference to them 1 .
And this power does Jesus exercise. Whomsoever he will,
and in whatever time or manner he sees fit, he consigns to
death, and fixes instantly in heaven or hell : " He openeth
and no man shutteth ; he shutteth, and no man openeth" 1 ."
Hence it appears that every event in this world also must be
under his controul ; and consequently, that he is the universal
Sovereign.]

From the encouraging address which accompanied
this record, we are led to consider,
II. Its tendency to comfort and support the soul

When a similar vision was vouchsafed to Daniel,
its effects, which were also similar, were counteracted
in the same manner 11 . Now this record of our Lord
was well calculated to dissipate the fears of John ;
and may well also be a comfort to us,

1. Under apprehensions of temporal calamities

[Impending dangers and distresses will often excite terror,
and overwhelm the soul with anxious dread. But what ground

d Phil. ii. 6. c Rom. ix. 5. f Km.

s O wi&gt;. h John v. 26. i Rom. viii. 34.

k Eph. i. 22, 23. * Isai. xxii. 22. m Rev. iii. 7.

n Dan. x. 512.

2480.] CHRIST S POWER OVER THE INVISIBLE WORLD. 25

of fear can he have, who has the eternal God for his refuge ?
What injury can arise to him, whose soul is in the Redeemer s
hands, and for whose benefit all things are ordered both in
heaven and earth? " Not a hair of his head can perish" but
by special commission from his best Friend. " Thousands may
fall beside him, and ten thousand at his right hand ;" but " no
weapon that is formed against him can prosper." If his eyes
were opened to behold his real situation, he might see himself
encompassed with horses of fire, and chariots of fire : and,
standing as in an impregnable fortress, he might defy the as
saults of men or devils. If his God and Saviour be for him,
none can be against him p .]

2. Under fears of eternal condemnation

[No man can reflect upon his own character without feeling
that he deserves the wrath of God : and every one that is sensible
of his own demerits, must tremble lest the judgments he has
deserved should be inflicted on him. Yet a just view of the
Saviour may dispel his fears, and cause him to " rejoice with
joy unspeakable." Does his guilt appear too great to be for
given ? He that offered an atonement for it, is the eternal
God q . Do doubts arise respecting his acceptance with the
Father? Behold, that very Jesus who made atonement for
him, ever liveth to plead it as his advocate, and to present it
before the mercy-seat r . Do death and hell appal him with
their terrors ? they are altogether subject to the controul of
Jesus, whose power and faithfulness are pledged for the salva
tion of all his ransomed people 8 . To the weakest then we say
in the name of this adorable Saviour, " Fear not :" though
thou art "a worm, thou shalt thresh the mountains*;" and
though thou art the smallest grain that has been gathered
from the field, thou shalt be treasured safely in the granary of
thy heavenly Father 11 .]

APPLICATION

[We cannot conclude the subject without applying it to
those who are ignorant of Christ. Surely we must not say
to you " Fear not ;" but rather, " Fear and tremble," for he
whom ye have despised is the eternal God ; and ever liveth to
put down his enemies, and to make them his footstool. He
has only, as it were, to turn the key of the invisible world,
and your souls will be locked up in the prison from whence
there is no redemption. O consider this, ye that live unmind
ful of this adorable Saviour; and prostrate yourselves at his
feet, while his offers of mercy are yet extended to you.]

2 Kings vi. 17. P Rom, viii. 31. 1 Acts xx. 28.

r 1 John i. 1, 2. s John x. 28, 29.

* Isai. xli. 10, 14, 15. u Amos. ix. 9.

M REVELATION, II. 1,2. [2481.

MMCCCCLXXXI.

EPISTLE TO EPHESUS.

Rev. ii. 1, 2. Unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus write;
These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right
hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candle
stick ; I know thy works.

IN the foregoing chapter, the description given of
our blessed Lord has been considered in one con
nected and comprehensive view. But, in the diffe
rent epistles, a portion of that character is selected,
as appropriate to the subject-matter of each : and it
is of great importance, therefore, that we consider
every portion by itself, in order that we may obtain
a more accurate knowledge of him, and have our
minds more deeply impressed with a sense of his
transcendent excellency and glory. It is with this
view that I now confine myself to the words which
I have just read : and, if they appear at first sight
uninteresting, as not having any practical bearing
upon our conduct, we shall soon find that they are
indeed most instructive to our minds, and are well
calculated to be influential also on our hearts and
lives.

The city of Ephesus being the capital of the pro
vince of the Lesser Asia, and the nearest also to the
Isle of Patmos, where John was now a prisoner for
the Lord s sake, the first epistle was written to the
Church in that place. The substance of the epistle
will be considered in our next discourse. At pre
sent, we notice only the character of our blessed
Lord, as stated in the introduction to it. In this is
set forth his interest in all the Churches, and his
constant care,

I. For the protection of his ministers

In the close of the last chapter, the mystery con
tained in the seven stars which John saw in the right
hand of Jesus, and of the seven golden candlesticks
amidst which he walked, is explained. The seven
stars represented the angels or ministers of the seven

2481.] EPISTLE TO EPHESUS. 27

Churches ; and the seven candlesticks represented
the seven Churches themselves 21 .

Now, ministers are not unfitly compared to
" stars "-

[They are fixed in their respective orbits by God himself:
yet have they no proper lustre of their own : they shine by a
borrowed light ; and reflect the glory of the Sun of Righteous
ness, from whom alone all light proceeds : " Christ is that
true light, which lighteneth every man that cometh into the
world b . They are, however, of the greatest service to mankind,
in that they shine in the midst of darkness, and are useful to
conduct the mariner over the tempestuous and trackless deep,
to his desired haven ]

But the very light which they reflect exposes them
to many and great dangers

[Those whose light is the brightest, and whose efficiency
is most amply displayed, have been always most opposed, both
by men and devils. Against whom did men ever combine with
such unanimity and malignity as against our Lord Jesus Christ?
or whom did all the powers of darkness ever so labour to
destroy? After him, his Apostles were the great objects of
their combined hostility : nor was there any effort which these
enemies did not make for their destruction. Thus also it has
been in every age : those who have most resembled Christ and
his Apostles have, on account of their superior light, been most
exposed to the assaults of those who have " loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil" ]

Our blessed Saviour, however, " holds them all in
his right hand"

[He protects them against the assault of every enemy.
Numberless as were the efforts made to destroy both Peter
and Paul, none could prevail against them, till they had com
pleted and fulfilled the work assigned them. " Satan would
have sifted Peter as wheat ;" and would have winnowed him
away as chaff, if " our blessed Lord had not prayed for him,
that his faith might not ultimately fail." And Paul would
have sunk under the pressure of " the thorn in his flesh,
the messenger of Satan that was sent to buffet him," if our
blessed Lord had not supplied him with " grace sufficient for
him." And who amongst the servants of the Lord would ever
have been able to stand, if " He who holdeth the seven stars
in his right hand" (the hand of power) had not upheld them?
But, as strengthened by him, the very weakest of men is
strong, and may set at defiance all his enemies ; not all of

a Rev. i. 20. b John i. 9.

28 REVELATION, II. 1,2. [2481.

whom combined " can ever pluck them out of his hand c ."
Our blessed Lord, whilst holding them in his hand, bids
them shine : and every one of them is immortal, till his work
is done d .]

The same incessant care also does our Lord
exercise,
II. For the edification of his people

The Churches are compared to " candlesticks "-

[There was in the tabernacle a candlestick of pure gold,
having seven lamps, which burned continually, to give light
in that holy place 6 . And fitly did this represent the saints,
into whom our great High-priest has poured the oil of his
grace f , and whose souls he has kindled by that sacred fire that
came down from heaven. " They shine as lights in the dark
world, hold forth to all around them the word of life &."]

Amidst these our great High-priest walks, to keep
them from extinction or decay-
fit was the office of Aaron and his sons to keep these
lamps ever burning 11 ; furnishing them from time to time with
fresh oil; and trimming them, as occasion required, with
" the golden snuffers." And thus does our great High-priest
inspect his Church and people ; supplying their every want,
and administering to them such correction as their necessities
require. Without his care, where is there in the universe a
lamp that would not have been extinguished long ago ? Per-
adventure we may have sometimes been ready to complain of
the afflictions which we have been called to sustain. But the
truth is, that these have been as the priming-knife in the hand
of the husbandman, or rather as the snuffers in the hand of
him who superintends the lamps. Nor is it written in vain,
that " the snuffers were of gold 1 :" for every visitation, whether
in providence or in grace, which subserves our spiritual and
eternal interests, is invaluable; and should be so regarded,
even whilst we are writhing under its immediate pressure.
We should always bear in mind the end for which our pains
are inflicted. God is not like an earthly parent, who may
chastise us for his own pleasure and caprice : no, he always
" chastens us for our profit, that we may, in a more enlarged
measure, be partakers of his holiness V]

Do we not then here SEE,
1 . Our indispensable duty ?

c John x. 28. a John vii. 30. and viii. 20.

Exod. xxv. 31, 37. f Tit. iii. 5, 6.

e Phil. ii. 15, 16. h Exod. xxvii. 20, 21.

* Exod. xxv. 38. k Heb. xii. 10.

2481. ] EPISTLE TO EPHESUS. 29

[Yes ; whether ministers or people, our duty is to shine ;
to shine for the benefit of others, and for the honour of our
God. Of the former I forbear to speak, any further than to
bear my testimony to this, that the Lord Jesus Christ alone
has enabled me to set the true light before you, and has pre
served me in my station to this hour. What St. Paul said
before Agrippa, I hope I may say before you, that " having
obtained help of God, I continue unto this day 1 , witnessing
both to small and great, saying none other things than those
which the prophets and Moses did say should come m ." But to
ou I say, Remember the end for which the Lord Jesus Christ
as imparted his Holy Spirit to your souls, and has watched
over you with such incessant care : it is, that you should shine,
and that " your light should shine brighter and brighter to
the perfect day." The lamps of the candlestick were seen only
by those who were within the tabernacle : but your light must
shine before the whole world. The command is, " Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven"." Deprecate,
therefore, nothing that may increase your splendour : but put
yourselves unreservedly into the hands of your Great High-
priest, that he may administer to your necessities as his wisdom
shall direct, and advance his own glory by whatever means he
shall judge most conducive to that end.]

2. Our most exalted privilege

[Whether it be protection or advancement that we need,
we are in the best hands, and under the care of unerring wis
dom. Christ has said, " He will be with us even to the end
of the world ," and we are living witnesses to the truth of his
word : for it is owing to his presence with us that " neither
the power nor the policy of hell have ever yet been able to
prevail against us." Remember, " He has within himself all
fulness treasured up for us :" yes, " He has the residue of the
Spirit," which he will pour out in richer abundance upon you,
in proportion as you confide in him, and desire to promote his
glory. And for your satisfaction know, that " he neither
slumbers nor sleeps," as did the high-priests of old, but is
ever watchful over you for good. Lay aside, then, all care ;
and leave to him " the perfecting of that which concerns you."
Only be concerned to be " burning and shining lights " in your
day and generation?; and look forward to the time when,
through his tender care, your office shall be fulfilled, and, your
place of service being changed, you shall " shine above the
stars in the firmament for ever and ever q ."]

1 Nearly forty-four years. m Acts xxvi. 22.

n Matt. v. 16. Matt, xviii. 20. and xxviii. 20.

P John v. 35. &lt;i Dan. xii. 3.

30 REVELATION, II. 26. [2482.

MMCCCCLXXXII.

EPISTLE TO EPHESUS.

Rev. ii. 2 6, I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy
patience, and hoiv thou canst not bear them which are evil :
and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars : and hast borne, and hast
patience, and for my name s sake hast laboured, and hast
not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works ; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolai-
tanes, which I also hate.

THE epistles to the seven Churches of Asia are
not only instructive in a general view, like other por
tions of Holy Writ ; but have this excellence peculiar
to themselves, that they set before us a vast diversity
of experience in all its modifications of good and evil,
and teach us what judgment our blessed Lord will
pass on the complex character at the last day. If we
wanted to know how much of good we may possess,
and yet be on the whole evil in the sight of God;
and how far we may go towards heaven, and yet fall
short of it at last ; I know not that we could select
any portion of the sacred oracles that would give
us such definite information as that which I have
now read to you. In it our blessed Lord enters into
a complete view of the Ephesian Church ; to whom
he here sends,
I. His commendation

Three things he notices with approbation ; their
unwearied labour, their invincible patience, and their
discriminating zeal

[Much had the members of the Ephesian Church laboured
to fulfil the will of God. In truth, it cannot be fulfilled with
out great and continued labour. The metaphors by which
religion is set forth in Holy Writ clearly declare, that we can
not advance one step towards heaven without great labour.
To " enter in at the strait gate " for the beginning of our

2482.1 EPISTLE TO EPIIESUS. 31

course, we must " not only seek, but strive." " Seeking alone
will not suffice : we must put forth all our powers, as we
should in a race, a wrestling, or a warfare : and then only can
we hope to succeed in religion, when we engage in it with all
our might."

Moreover, " if we set ourselves to seek the Lord, we must
prepare our souls for temptation." Both men and devils will
exert themselves to defeat our efforts : and we shall need all
imaginable patience to sustain their diversified assaults. Now
the Church at Ephesus had approved themselves well in these
respects, and had " borne without fainting" all the afflictions
which had been laid upon them.

In these respects, too, they had been animated by the only
motive that could make their service acceptable : they had done
all, and suffered all, from a regard to the Lord Jesus Christ,
" whose name" they had endeavoured to exalt and glorify.

Our blessed Lord further mentions, with approbation, the
care which the Ephesian Church had taken to examine the
pretensions of those who assumed to themselves an apostolic
authority, and the firmness with which they had withstood
every effort that had been made to introduce amongst them
either error in principle or corruption in practice.]

In all this we see what the Christian world at large
should be, if they would approve themselves to their
Lord and Saviour

[They must, even under the most trying circumstances,
persist in obeying his commands ; and must resolutely with
stand all who would divert them from their purpose, or in any

way shake their fidelity to Christ

But here let me call your attention to somewhat which may
have escaped your notice, and which deserves particular re
mark. In mentioning with approbation the things which the
Ephesian Church had done for his name, he recurs again and
again to the same point ; as if he felt peculiar pleasure and
delight in recording any thing which was done for him ; even
though, on the whole, the demerit of the person so preponde
rated, as to render him unworthy of his final acceptance.
This observation extends to what was spoken of their labour
and patience, and also in a peculiar manner to what was spe
cified respecting their jealous and discriminating zeal a . And
from hence we learn the marvellous condescension of our
blessed Lord ; as also the duty incumbent on all his followers,
not to dwell more than is absolutely necessary on the faults of
others, but to expatiate with delight on their virtues, even
though we cannot but condemn them on the whole.]

a Examine the text carefully in this view, especially ver. 2, and 6.

32 REVELATION, II. 26. [2482.

This commendation had a powerful tendency to
prepare them for,
II. His reproof b

One would have thought that persons so eminent
in their outward conduct could not merit any severe
reproof: but,

" They had left their first love"

[Once they were full of love to Christ ; and that had for
a season been the spring and source of all their obedience.
But now " their love was waxed cold ;" and their obedience
was become rather a dictate of their understanding than the
fruit of genuine love. As far as was visible to man, their lives
were nearly the same as in their better days: but He who
searches the heart saw an immense difference ; there being now
almost a total want, of that principle which once animated and
inspired their whole conduct.]

Now this, in whomsoever it is found, is a tremen
dous evil

[Some there are who regard a relaxation of their first
love as a matter necessarily to be expected, and as a mark of
growth rather than decay. But this idea is far from being
sanctioned in our text: on the contrary, it is adduced as a
ground of deep complaint, and as an evil that outweighed all
that had been commended. In truth, so offensive is it to the
Lord, that nothing that can either be done or suffered for
him, can be accepted of him, whilst he sees a decline in our
affections towards him. Even amongst men, this judgment
would be passed upon it. If a man found his wife s regards
alienated from him, he would make no account of all her ser
vices, however diligent she might be in her attention to her
outward duties. And certainly God, when he says, " Give me
thine heart," will be satisfied with nothing less : and to with
draw our affections from him, after having once placed them
upon him, will be accounted by him a greater indignity, than
if we had never made any profession of love to him at all.

It is true, indeed, that persons may appear to have declined
in love towards him, when there has been no real diminution
of their regards. A wife may not continue through her
whole life to feel precisely towards her husband as she
did on the day of her espousals, and yet have grown, rather
than declined, in love towards him : what arose from novelty
and the animal spirits, may have worn off; and yet there may

b Every one, in administering reproof, will do well to attend to
this.

2482.] EFISTLE TO EPHESUS. 33

be in her such an accession of higher and deeper feelings, as
infinitely to overbalance any apparent loss : her esteem for
him altogether, her oneness of heart with him, and her entire
devotion to him, may have greatly increased : in a word, " her
love may have increased in knowledge and in all judgment,"
whilst to a superficial observer, who judged of it only by some
sensible emotions, it might be thought to have decayed. So it

may be with a believer towards his God But, if there

be real cause to say of him, that " he has left his first love," I
hesitate not to affirm, that, if he repent not, " it were better
for him never to have loved his God at all, than, after having
loved him, to decline from him," and to transfer to the creature
the regards that are due to him alone .]

To this reproof, our Lord mercifully vouchsafed to
add,

III. His counsel-
All such decay as this must be repented of

[Not only must it not be justified, but it must be mourned
over with deeply penitential sorrow. In order to see the evil
and bitterness of such a state, it is well to call to mind the love
of our espousals, and to compare with it the formal services
which we now render to our God. Once, how precious were
the public ordinances, in which the soul finds now but little
profit ! In secret, too, how sweet was the word of God ; how
deep the penitential sorrow which was stirred by it ; and how
unspeakably blessed were the promises on which his soul
rested, and on which he founded all his hope before God !
With what strong crying and tears, also, did he frequently
draw nigh to God ; whereas, now, his prayers are become little
better than a lifeless form ! Now this melancholy change
should be brought distinctly to our view : we should " re
member from whence we are fallen," and, by a comparison of
our former with our fallen state, endeavour to produce in our
souls the humiliation which the occasion calls for. In a word,
we must, in the review of our past lives, be filled with shame,
and sorrow, and contrition.]

Yet will not repentance suffice, if it be not ac
companied with a cordial return to all our former
habits

[This is of extreme importance to all who have departed
from their God. They are ready to imagine, that, if they be
humbled under a sense of their declensions, they shall be ac
cepted of God. And doubtless, if they have no time to shew,

c 2 Pet. ii. 21.
VOL. xxi, p

34- REVELATION, II. 26. [2482.

by newness of life, the sincerity of their repentance, we may-
hope that God s mercy shall be extended to them. But, if
we would approve ourselves to God, we must go back to our
former habits, and " do our first works," and " bring forth
fruits meet for repentance." If reformation without contri
tion will be of no avail, so neither will contrition without an
entire change both of heart and life. To every backslidden
soul, then, is this counsel given : and if there be one who
does not duly follow it, God says to him, " I will come to thee
quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of its place, except
thou repent." From an entire Church will our Lord withdraw
the light, if the members of it generally become remiss: and
from an individual, even whilst his blessing is continued to the
Church at large, he will withhold that supply of oil which
he has neglected to implore. My brethren, see to w r hat the
Seven Churches of Asia have long since been reduced ! or see
what is the state of many individuals in the Christian Church,
who once professed much love, and appeared to have attained
considerable eminence in the divine life ! Many a Demas may
be found at this day ; and many, who, if with the stony-ground
hearers they have not renounced all profession of religion, yet
with those of the thorny-ground, they " bring forth no fruit to

rrfection." To all, then, who have thus declined from God,
would say, " Repent, and do your first works:" for you
know not how " quickly" you may be left in utter and ever
lasting darkness. Repent then, I say ; and, whereinsoever
you at any time have served your God aright, endeavour to
" abound more and more."]

I cannot CONCLUDE without calling the attention of
those who have never yet experienced what is here
characterized by the expressive designation of " a
first love"

[How many of you, my brethren, have never known " a
day of espousals" to the Lord Jesus Christ d ! Say, my dear
brethren, whether you have ever seen in Christ an excellency
that far eclipsed all created good, and made you desire him
for your friend and your everlasting portion ? Say, whether
you have ever given up yourselves to him, as his bride, and
found all your happiness in him alone ? Say, whether fellow
ship with him has been your chief joy ? If not, what must be
your state before him ? If the Church at Ephesus, who had
done so much and suffered so much for him, and felt such a
jealousy for his honour, yet needed to repent because they
had left their first love, have not you cause for repentance,
who have never yet loved and served him at all, but have

d Jer. ii. 2.

2483.] EPISTLE TO EPHESUS. 35

even chosen for your friends the very persons whose prin
ciples and whose practice he utterly abhors? Yes, indeed,
you must " repent, and be altogether converted," arid " be
come new creatures in Christ Jesus ;" or you can never hope
to be acknowledged by him, as his bride, in the eternal world.
If " the light of the righteous rejoiceth, the lamp of the wicked
shall assuredly be put out 6 .]

MMCCCCLXXXIII.

EPISTLE TO EPHESUS.

Rev. ii. 7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the Churches ; To him that overcometh will I give
to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God.

THOUGH all the seven Churches of Asia Minor
are separately addressed in a way suited to their
respective states, yet what is spoken to them may
fitly be applied to all other Churches, so far as their
states agree with those which are here portrayed.
And we the rather say this, because at the close of
every epistle the same admonition is repeated ; " He
that hath ears to hear, let him hear" not what the
Spirit saith unto this or that particular Church, but
" what the Spirit saith unto the Churches." And here
you cannot but perceive, that, though the Lord Jesus
is represented as dictating all the epistles, it is by his
Holy Spirit that he dictates them : for, in every one
of them you are called to receive " what the Holy
Spirit saith unto the Churches." Nor can you fail
to notice, that, in every one of the epistles, the pro
mises are made to those only who overcome. It will
be proper, therefore, especially in this first epistle,
that we distinctly consider,
I. The character to whom the promise is made

The whole of the Christian life is a state of
conflict

[This appears most strongly marked in this address to the
Church of Ephesus. The very terms " labour and patience "
clearly shew that they had had much to do, and much to suffer,

36 REVELATION, II. 7. [2483.

and much to maintain in continued exercise. And who needs
be told how great a labour it is to " mortify the flesh with the
affections and lusts," and to " run with patience the race that
is set before us?" or, who needs to be informed, that persecu
tion is hard to bear, even though we be not " called to resist
unto blood ?" The hatred and contempt of the world, and,
above all, of our own friends and relatives, are far from pleasing
to flesh and blood : and yet there is no child of God that can
escape this minor sacrifice, even though he be not exposed to
suffer loss in respect of his life or liberty. A person floating
down the stream is unconscious of the rapidity of a current ;
but if he have to swim against the stream, he finds it no easy
matter to proceed. So the persons who are content to move
with the world, find little difficulty in their way; but those
who will resist the world, and the flesh, and the devil, shall find
that they have a continual conflict to maintain ; and more espe
cially when they attempt to " keep themselves in the love of
God a ." One would think, that, considering what mercies we
experience every day and hour at the Lord s hands, it would
be no difficult matter to preserve upon our souls a becoming
sense of his love. But the heart is sadly prone to backslide
from God. To avoid any thing grossly evil, arid to persevere
in the observance of outward duties, is comparatively easy :
but to walk with God, to set ourselves as in his immediate
presence, to preserve throughout the day habitual fellowship
with him, to have our souls so filled with love to him as to
regard nothing but his approbation, and to do nothing but for
his glory, this is a state of mind which it is extremely difficult
to maintain. But]

To those only who overcome in this conflict are
the promises made

[To " run well for a season" only, will avail us nothing:
on the contrary, if at any time we cease to press forward,
" our latter end will be worse than our beginning." The
same occasion for conflict will exist as long as we continue in
the body ; and every victory should encourage our efforts for
still further conquests. We must " never be weary in well
doing : for then only shall we reap, if," during the season
appointed for our labour, " we faint not." " We must endure
unto the end," if ever we would be saved.]

Nor will this appear a hard condition, if we duly
consider,
II. The promise itself

From the tree of life in Paradise were our first
parents, and all their posterity, shut out

a Jude, ver. 21.

2483.] EPISTLE TO EPHESUS. 37

[Our first parents were permitted to eat of the tree of
life : and it was to them a pledge of eternal life, as long as
they should retain their innocence, and live obedient to their
God. But, when they had sinned, this was no longer a pledge
of life to them : and they, in going to it any longer under that
character, would only have deceived their own souls. Hence
God drove them out of Paradise ; and set cherubims, with a
flaming sword, at the entrance of the garden, to prevent their
return to it, and to keep them especially from the tree of life b .
Not that God intended wholly and eternally to cut them off
from all hopes of life. On the contrary, he revealed to them,
that One should in due time spring from the woman, and effect,
both for them and their posterity, a deliverance from the evils
in which they were involved. He told them, that " the Seed
of the woman should enter the lists with their great adversary,
and bruise the serpent s head." True, indeed, he should him
self die in the conflict ; but " through death he should destroy
him who had the power of death, and deliver those " whom
that powerful adversary had enslaved.]

Through that adorable Saviour is there a way of
access once more opened to the tree of life

[The tree of life now grows in the paradise that is above.
It is " a tree that bears twelve manner of fruits ," suited to
every appetite, and sufficient for us under every state and
condition of life. Even " the very leaves of it are effectual
for the healing of all the nations of the world d ." To that,
even in this world, may every valiant soldier have access ; and
from it shall he derive all that support to his soul which it
afforded to our first parents in their state of innocence : and
every fruit that he gathers from it shall be to him a pledge
that he shall eternally enjoy all the blessings of salvation : yes,
even here shall it be to him " an earnest of his everlasting
inheritance." My dear brethren, this privilege is ours, if we
fight a good fight ; and when we have finally vanquished our
spiritual enemies, we shall go and sit under the shadow of this
tree to all eternity. O ! who can conceive the exquisiteness
of the flavour of its fruits, when we shall gather them in the
immediate presence of our God ? Who shall say what it is to
see our God face to face ; what, to hear and taste the expressions
of his love ; what, to behold and participate his glory ? And
who can conceive what a zest it will give to all our joys, to
know that they are secured to us for ever; and that, when
once we are in that paradise, we shall go no more out ? Well :
this, believer, is held forth to thee as the reward of victory :
and it shall surely be accorded to thee, if thou hold out unto

b Gen. Hi. 22 24. c Rev. xxii. 2. d Rev. xxii 2.

38 REVELATION, II. 7. [2483.

the end. Only " be faithful unto death, and God will give
thee the crown of life."]

APPLICATION

Let me, however, offer to thee a salutary caution :

1. Learn to have just views of your reward

[The reward is held forth to those who overcome. But
you must not overlook the terms in which the promise is
made : " To him that overcometh will I give." Eternal life
is the gift of God, from first to last. " Death is the wages of
sin ; but eternal life is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ
our Lord." Our being called to maintain a conflict does not
render it at all the less a free gift: our conflicts can never
merit it ; they can only prepare us for it, even as a medicinal
process may prepare the body for the enjoyment of perfect
health. When our Lord said, " Labour for the meat which
endureth unto everlasting life," he added, " which the Son of
man shall give unto you." The gift will not be the less free
because we labour for it ; but, by the imposing of that condi
tion, a distinction is made which to all eternity will justify
God in the bestowment of his gifts. Never, then, imagine
that your conflicts, however arduous, will deserve life : they
will only " render you meet for" the enjoyment of heaven ;
and evince, that, in the communication of his blessings, God
does put a difference between the evil and the good. If it be
said, that " they who do God s commandments are said to
have a right to the tree of life 6 ," I grant it : but it is a right
founded only on the promise of your God. Your merit, in
your best estate, is found only in hell : it is the grace of God
alone that exalts any soul of man to heaven.]

2. Never relax your efforts for the obtaining of
it

[Unhappily, many are but little aware what enemies they
have to contend with. Men are extremely blind to their be
setting sins. All of us discover this in others : but few are
conscious of it in themselves. This, then, I would say to you :
Learn, from the very weaknesses of others, to distrust your
selves : and beg of God to shew you what are those peculiar
lusts which you are most concerned to discover and withstand
in your own hearts. It is very painful to see how grievously
persons, on the whole pious, often fail in some particular dis
position or habit. We all take too partial a view of our duty:
and not a few remain so much under the power of some un
subdued corruption, that we are constrained to doubt what

e Rev. xxii. 14.

2484.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 39

their state will be in the eternal world. I must, therefore,
entreat you all to search out your besetting sin ; and to " fight,
as it were, neither with small nor great, but with the king of
Israel." If you overcome your enemy on that point, there will
be little doubt of your vanquishing him on every other. But
remember, the conflict must be maintained even to the end ;
and then only must you put off your armour, when God calls
you from this field of battle, to the full enjoyment of your
reward.]

MMCCCCLXXXIV.

EPISTLE TO SMYRNA.

Rev. ii. 8, 9. Unto the angel of the Church in Smyrna write ;
These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and
is alive ; / know thy works.

SMYRNA was at that time, next to Ephesus, the
largest city in the Proconsular Asia. As in the for
mer epistle we made the description of our blessed
Lord a distinct subject for our consideration, so we
shall do also in this epistle to Smyrna ; deferring to
another opportunity the subject matter of the epistle
itself, except so far as the mention of it is necessary
to the elucidation of our Lord s character. The
points which we propose to notice are,

I. The description given of our blessed Lord-
There are two things spoken of him ; the one
denoting his Godhead, the other his manhood.

He is "the first and the last"

[Now, I would ask, Whom can these words designate,
but the eternal and immutable Jehovah? In the Scriptures
of the Old Testament he frequently describes himself by these
very terms: " Who raised up the righteous man from the
east, gave nations before him, and made him rule over kings ?
I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am He a ." Again he
says of himself, " Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my
called ; I am He : I am the first, I also am the lastV If it
could be supposed that any but Jehovah should be the first
source, and the last end of all, let another Scripture determine
that point: " Thus saith the Lord- (Jehovah), the King of

a Isai, xli. 2, 4. b Isai. xlviii. 12.

40 REVELATION, II. 8,9. [2484.

Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord (Jehovah) of hosts ; I am
the first, and I am the last ; and besides me there is no God.
Is there a God besides me ? Yea, there is no God ; I know
not any c ."]

He " was dead, and is alive"

[This can refer to none but the Lord Jesus Christ, " who
died for our sins, and rose again for our justification."

But it may be asked, How can these two agree? I answer,
the former title is again and again given him in this book of
Revelation d : and it is also repeatedly given in conjunction
with the latter title. In the former chapter, where a full and
large description is given of the person who appeared to John,
He said of himself to John, " Fear not : I am the first, and
the last : I am He that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I
am alive for evermore." And, in my text, this is the very part
of that description expressly selected to be addressed to the
Church at Smyrna: " These things saith the first and the last,
who was dead and is alive." Here the parts cannot possibly
be separated: you may as well say, that " he who was dead"
is a different person from him " who is alive," as disjoin, and
apply to different persons, what is here said of him as God
and as man. He is God and man in one person, " Emmanuel,
God with us e ." He is the same person of whom the Prophet
Isaiah spake, saying, " To us a Child is born, to us a Son is
given: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace f ."]

Now, to have a just view of him in this complex
character, is of infinite importance. And, to bring
the subject before you, I will shew,
II. The particular bearing which this description
of our Lord has upon the main subject of the
epistle

In this epistle the Church of Smyrna is warned
to expect bitter persecution ; but the Saviour says
to her, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt
suffer And in that precise part of his character
which he brings before them, he says, in fact, To
dispel all fear of your persecutors, bear in mind,

1. My all-controlling power

[ " I am the first and the last :" your persecutors would
have had no existence but for me ; nor can they do any thing

c Isai. xliv. 6, 8. d Rev. i. 8, 11. and xxii. 11.

e Matt. i. 23. f Isai. ix. 6.

2484.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 41

which shall not be over-ruled for my glory. The devil will
stir up against you all his vassals ; and they will lend them
selves to him, as willing instruments to destroy you. But I
will limit all their efforts ; so that they shall not be able to
effect any thing beyond what I will enable you to bear, and
over-rule for your good. To this precise effect he speaks to
all his Church by the Prophet Isaiah: " Behold, they shall
gather together, but not by me : whosoever shall gather
together against thee shall fall for thy sake. (Thou art afraid
of the weapons which they are now forming for thy destruc
tion : but) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the
coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his
work ; and I have created the waster to destroy. (The very
strength he is exerting, he derives from me : and I tell thee,
that) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper^."]

2. The interest I take in thy welfare

[&lt; " For thee I died ; and for thee I live." It was alto
gether for the purpose of expiating thy guilt, that I assumed
thy nature, and expired upon the cross : and it was in order
to carry on and perfect thy salvation, that I rose from the dead,
and ascended to heaven ; where now I live, as thine advocate
and intercessor ; yea, and live too as the head over all things,
that I may accomplish, both in thee and for thee, all that thy
necessities require. Reflect on this ; and then say, whether,
" having myself suffered, being temped, I am not disposed to
succour my tempted people h ;" and whether, having " all power
committed to me in heaven and in earth," " I will suffer any
to pluck thee out of my hand 1 ?" Are not my death and
resurrection a sufficient pledge to you, that " none shall ever
separate you from my love k ? " Place, then, your confidence in
me ; and know, that, however your enemies may look upon you
as " sheep appointed for the slaughter," you shall, through me,
be " more than conquerors over all 1 ."]

3. ( The honour and happiness that await thee
[ Thou art " predestinated by my Father to be conformed

to my image m ." Behold me, then, " as dying, and as yet
alive ;" yea, as living for ever at the right hand of God. This
is the process that is prepared for thee. Whether thou be
carried to death, or only to prison, it shall be equally a step to
thine advancement to the very throne which I now occupy.
Only " suffer with me, and thou shalt surely reign with me n ,"
and " be glorified together ." And, when thou seest how " I
have endured the cross and despised the shame, and am set

g Isai. liv. 1517. h Heb. ii. 18. i John x. 28.

k Rom. viii. 34, 35. l Rom. viii. 36, 37. m Rom. viii. 29.
n 2 Tim. ii. 12. Rom. viii. 17.

42 REVELATION, II. 8, 9. [2484.

down at the right hand of God?," wilt thou be afraid or
ashamed to follow me ? Look at the noble army of martyrs,
who " loved not their lives unto death :" see them before the
throne of God, and inquire how they came there. And my
angel shall inform thee, " These all came out of great tribula
tion, and washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb : therefore are they before the throne of
God q ." Be thou, then, a follower of them, even of those who
through faith and patience now inherit the promises. Thou
seest how / have recompensed their fidelity; and to thee I
say, " Be thou faithful unto death ; and I will give thee a crown
of life V"]

As a fit IMPROVEMENT of this subject, learn, my

brethren

1. To contemplate and to estimate the character
of Christ-
fin circumstances of trial, we are too apt to contemplate
only the power of our adversaries, or our own weakness ;
whereas we should look chiefly, if not exclusively, to Him who
reigns on high, and orders every thing according to his own
sovereign will and pleasure. For thus saith the Lord : * Say
ye not, A confederacy/ to all those to whom this people
shall say, A confederacy ; neither fear ye their fear, nor be
afraid: but sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him
be your fear, and let him be your dread ; and he shall be to you
for a sanctuary 8 ." To act otherwise, is folly in the extreme.
" Who art thou, that art afraid of a man that shall die, and of
the son of man that shall be as grass ; and forgettest the Lord
thy Maker 1 ?" Only have worthy thoughts of thy Lord and
Saviour, and thou rnayest defy all the efforts that either men
or devils can make against thee u .]

2. To avail yourselves of his promised aid and
support

[He tells you, " I will keep him in perfect peace whose
mind is stayed on me, because he trusteth in me x ." See how
David was kept y ; and how Paul 2 , and thousands of others who
have trusted in him a : and will not his grace be alike sufficient
for you ? Be it so, " You are weak. Then his strength shall
be the more glorified in your weaknessV But you are a mere
" worm." Still fear not ; for " though a worm, thou shalt
thresh the mountains ." But thou canst do nothing. Then

P Heh. xii. 2. q Rev. vii. 14, 15. r ver. 10.

8 Isai. viii. 1214. * Isai. li. 12, 13. u Isai. 1. 79.

x Isai. xxvi. 3. y Ps. xi. 14. Cite this.

z Rom. viii. 38, 39. Cite this also. a Heb. xiii. 5, 6.

b 2 Cor. xii. 9. c Isai. xli. 14 16. Cite the whole of this.

2485.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 43

trust in Him ; and he will do all things. For this is his word
to every believing soul; "Fear not, for I am with thee; be
not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee ; yea,
I will help thee-; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness d ."]

d Isai. xli. 10.

MMCCCCLXXXV.

EPISTLE TO SMYRNA.

Rev. ii. 9, 10. / know thy works and tribulation, and poverty,
(but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which
say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of
Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer :
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye
may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be
thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life.

THIS Church stands highly honoured amongst
those to which the epistles were written : for no
fault was found in them, nor any ground of com
plaint so much as intimated to them. Our Lord s
address to them is altogether laudatory and encou
raging. That we may enter into it more fully, let
us consider,

I. His testimony respecting them

In common with all the other Churches, he says
to them, " I know thy works :" and then, in reference
to their conduct, he gives his testimony,

1. In a way of direct affirmation

[" I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty : but thou art
rich." Doubtless their sufferings had been great; for they
had been reduced to the most abject " poverty," and were
utterly destitute of all the comforts of life. (To interpret this
" poverty " as relating in any respect to poverty of spirit, is
quite contrary to the whole scope of the passage : for poverty
of spirit, so far from standing in opposition to true riches, is
itself the truest riches.) But, in the midst of all their distress,
our Lord, whose judgment is altogether according to truth,
declared them to be "rich." For, first, they possessed faith,
as the principle of all their obedience, and as the root of all

44 REVELATION, II. 9, 10. [2485.

their other graces. And could they, when possessing so ines
timable a gift, be called poor? No; they possessed that
which was of more worth than the whole world. It was truly
a " precious faith," " more precious than gold," yea, than
much fine gold a . Next, they enjoyed the favour of their God.
" As believers in Christ, they could not but have peace with
GodV Granting, then, that they had not a place where to
lay their head, as far as it respected this world, could they be
poor who were privileged to repose their souls in the bosom of
their God? They poor, with all their sins forgiven, and their
names recorded in the book of life ! Abhorred be the thought !
If they were even dying with hunger and thirst, they were
truly rich. Further, they enjoyed peace in their own souls.
Who can estimate to its full amount, the blessedness of having
the testimony of our own conscience, that we are serving God
aright ? St. Paul himself reports it to have been to him a
source of the sublimest joy c : and to call a man poor when
possessed of that, would be to betray an utter ignorance of
" the true riches d ." Moreover, in addition to all their present
happiness, they were authorized to expect, in the eternal world,
" a weight of glory " proportioned to their sufferings. How
could their present "afflictions appear any other than light
and momentary," when they were the means of opening to
their view such a prospect as this e ? What! poor with such
" an inheritance an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,
and never-fading, reserved for them in heaven ; and they them
selves reserved by God for it f !" No: they were "rich,"
truly rich, unspeakably rich ; rich in possession, and in rever
sion too.

2. In a way of most striking contrast

[There were among them " some who said they were
Jews, but were not ; but rather were the synagogue of Satan."
Whether these were Jews zealous for the law of Moses, or
Christians who confounded Judaism with Christianity, we do
not certainly know. The unbelieving Jews were bitter perse
cutors; and were ever ready to accuse even our Lord himself
of blasphemy, because he called himself the Son of God, and
arrogated to himself a power to forgive sins g . St. Paul, pre
vious to his conversion, may be taken as a sample of Jewish
bigotry, and of the envenomed malice with which they perse
cuted the Church of God h . He thought indeed, at the time,
that he was " doing God service 1 :" but when he came to have

a 2 Pet. i. 1. and 1 Pet. i. 7. b Rom. v. 1.

c 2 Cor. i. 12. d Luke xvi. 11. e 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18.

f 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. e Matt. ix. 3. John x. 36. Matt, xxvi. 65.

h Acts ix. 1, 2. and xxvi. 10, 11.

1 Acts xxvi. 9. with John xvi. 2.

2485.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 45

an insight into his true character, he saw that " He was the
blasphemer ; and not they, whom he so injuriously persecuted k ."
But it is more probable that the persons here spoken of were
by profession Christians: for the terms "Jew" and "Israel"
are often used as designating the people of God, even under
the New-Testament dispensation 1 . If there were lewd idola
trous Balaamites and Nicolaitanes among the churches, we
may well suppose that there were also Judaizing Christians,
who blended the Law with the Gospel, and utterly subverted
the Gospel of Christ. Such persons, even " if they had been
angels from heaven, were to be held accursed," as being, under
a pretence of zeal for Moses, the most specious and successful
agents of the devil m . Now these persons " said they were
Jews," and valued themselves highly on their zeal ; and were
quite " rich " in their own estimation ; whilst they held in
utter contempt their poor suffering fellow-Christians, who
endured so much tribulation for their adherence to Christ.
But, however different was the outward aspect of these two
parties, their real state was the very reverse of that which it
appeared to be : these latter, in the midst of all their outward
prosperity were poor; but the former, in the midst of all their
poverty, were rich.

Thus did our Lord s testimony exactly accord with what
had been before declared by the Apostle Paul ; who, " though
poor, made many rich ; and having nothing, yet possessed all
things n ."]

Suited to this state was,
II. The encouragement he gave them

They had already suffered much ; and were about
to suffer more for their Saviour s sake. And, as we
observed in our last discourse, our blessed Lord
sought, in this epistle, to arm them against their
impending trials, and to strengthen them for their
future conflicts. For this end, he assures them,

1. That their trials were all limited

[Satan is the great adversary of Christ and his Church.
Men are his instruments and agents (willing agents, no doubt) :
and in all they do, they do it as instigated by him : for it is
" he who worketh in all the children of disobedience." But
in all that he attempts, he is restrained by our adorable Lord,
who suffers him to proceed only to such an extent as shall
eventually subserve the welfare of those whom he is seeking

k 1 Tim. i. 13. l Rom. ii. 29. and ix. 6&gt;

m Gal. i. 79. 2 Cor. xi. 1315. n 2 Cor. vi. 10.

46 REVELATION, II. 9, 10. [2485.

to destroy. Satan would have cast, not some of that Church,
but all; not into prison only, but into hell; not for ten days
only, but for ever ; not that they might be tried, but that they
might perish. But, as in the case of Job, whom he could not
touch, either in his person or his property, till he had obtained
leave from God ; so in their case he was under the controul
of an almighty power ; and, in fact, " could have no power at
all against the Church, except it were given him from above."
Now this was most encouraging : for, whether we suppose
the " ten days" to be of a longer or shorter duration, it was
most consolatory to know, that the objects, the measure, the
duration, and effect of Satan s malice were all limited by the
Saviour himself, who would " not suffer one of his little ones
to perish P," or the weakest of his people to be ever " plucked
out of his hands q ." Being assured that they should " have no
temptation without a way to escape 1 "," and that " all which
they might suffer should work together for their good 8 ," they
had no occasion for fear, but might confidently " commit them
selves to the hands of an all-powerful and faithful GodV]

2. That their sufferings should be rewarded

[All he required of them was, " to be faithful unto death."
They must be " ready to meet either imprisonment or death u ,"
as the occasion might require ; desirous only " that the Lord
Jesus should be magnified in them, whether by life or death x ."
Nor should they think much of this sacrifice ; since he pledged
himself to them that " he would give them a crown of life,"
a reward far beyond their services ; for their bliss should
infinitely exceed all that they could suffer, and their honour
infinitely surpass all the dishonour which they could by any
means be called to endure. Could they survey such a prize
as this, and not contend for it? Would they ever repent
of their labours, when they should possess this recompence ?
Would they not even lothe themselves, that they should ever
have contemplated, for a moment, the pains of martyrdom
with any other thought than that of gratitude to God, who
counts them worthy of so high an honour as that of laying
down their lives for him y ? Such, then, was the encourage
ment given to the Church at that time : and such may every
believing soul now take to himself; assured that, " if he suffer
with Christ, he shall, to all eternity, reign with him 2 ."]

To bring this whole subject home to your own
bosoms, I ENTREAT you, brethren

Job i. 12. and ii. 6. P Matt, xviii. 14. &lt;i John x. 28.

r 1 Cor. x. 13. s Rom. viii, 28. * 1 Pet. iv. 19.

u Acts xx. 24. andxxi. 13. x Phil. i. 20.
y Phil. i. 29. 7 2 Tim. ii. 12.

2485.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 47

1. To form a correct estimate of earthly things
[A carnal man, who should have seen the condition of the

Rich Man in all his splendour, and of Lazarus in all his penury,
would have formed a very different estimate of their respective
states from that which our Lord has taught us to form in a
view of the Church at Smyrna. But I must say, that Lazarus
was the rich man, whilst the man rolling in his wealth was
poor. But suppose, from being as wealthy as Dives, you are
reduced, by persecutors, to the state of Lazarus ; shall I then
call you " rich ? " Yes, in all your poverty, I will say, " Thou
art rich." Let me state a case that shall illustrate this. Sup
pose that all you possessed in the world was a bag of copper
coin ; and that an enemy should come and rob you of it by
handfuls ; but that for every handful of copper that your enemy
should take from you, a friend should put into your pocket a
handful of gold : would you, when not a single piece of copper
money was left you, account yourself much impoverished ? or
would you wonder at your friend, if he should say, * I know
thy poverty; but thou art rich? Know then, that if, in
proportion as you are injured by man, the blessings both of
grace and glory are multiplied to you by God, you are not
impoverished, but enriched. And therefore I say with con
fidence, " Fear nothing that can come unto you." Let Satan
do his worst : he is under restraint, as Laban and Esau were,
when they meditated the destruction of Jacob a . You well
know how a miller acts, when a flood menaces the destruction
of his mill. He suffers to come upon his mill only so much
of the water as shall subserve his purposes, and he turns off the
rest by another sluice. So will God act towards you : " The
wrath of man shall praise him ; and the remainder of wrath
shall he restrain 1 *."]

2. To have your minds altogether set on things
above

[To be " rich towards God c ," " rich in faith d ," and " rich
in good works 6 ," and to be daily "laying up treasure in hea
ven f ," this is the proper object of a Christian. In this way
you will obtain durable riches*, and "a sure reward 11 ." In
this pursuit no human being shall ever fail. Mark, I pray
you, the change of person in the promise which our Lord
makes to the Church of Smyrna. In announcing their im
pending trials, he says to them, " YE shall have tribulation ten
days :" but in the promise he makes, he speaks individually to

a Gen. xxxi. 24, 29. and xxxii. 11, 12. and xxxiii. 1,4.

b Ps. Ixxvi. 10. c Luke xii. 21. d Jam. ii. 5.

e 1 Tim. vi. 18. f Luke xii. 33. e Prov. viii. 18.

h Prov. xi. 18.

48 REVELATION, IT. 11. [2486.

every soul among them : " Be THOU faithful unto death ; and
I will give THEE a crown of life." Every one may take to
himself this encouraging declaration ; and assure himself, that
"no weapon formed against him shall ever prosper 1 ." Only
let a man continue sowing to the Spirit, and he shall assuredly,
in due season, "reap everlasting lifeV]

1 Isai. liv. 17. k Gal. vi. 8.

MMCCCCLXXXVI.

EPISTLE TO SMYRNA.

Rev. ii. 1 1 . He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the Churches ; He that overcometh shall not be
hurt of the second death.

THIS passage, as an appendix to the epistle to
the Church of Smyrna, appears at first sight to be an
extraordinary anti-climax : for, in the very words
preceding the text, it is said, " Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Now,
by "a crown of life" is meant all the glory and
blessedness of heaven : it is a small thing, therefore,
to a person who has obtained this promise, to tell
him that he shall never be cast into hell. But the
Scriptures often speak in a way of meiosis, as it is
called ; that is, under terms which, whilst they
express little, convey the most stupendous truths.
A remarkable instance of this kind I will mention.
Jehovah, speaking to his ancient people, says, " Turn
ye now every one from his evil way, and I will do
you no hurt*" What ! is this all the encouragement
that God gives to his people to turn unto him ? May
we not, at least, hope that he will do us some good ?
But far more was implied in this promise than met
either the eye or the ear : and so it is in the pro
mise which our Lord and Saviour gives in the words
before us. In truth, if considered in their connexion
with the foregoing context, and according to the
true import of the words themselves, they will be
found to be replete with the richest instruction, and
with the most consoling encouragement.

a Jer. xxv. 5, 6.

2486.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 49

Let us, then, consider,
I. The promise here given to the victorious saint

In order to see the promise in its true light, we
must view it,

1. In connexion with the trials that awaited them

[They had been told, that " Satan would cast some of
them into prison ; and that they should have tribulation ten
days," some of them suffering even unto death. Now these
were painful tidings to flesh and blood: yet, when it was con
sidered that they would be exempt from " the second death,"
to which they might have been justly doomed, the prospect
was greatly cheered : for the sufferings from which they were
freed were penal, intolerable, everlasting ; whereas those to
which they were to be subjected were light and momentary,
and as beneficial to themselves as they were honourable to
God. To a soul contemplating its just desert, these thoughts
must have been inconceivably precious. The very contrast
between what man would inflict on earth, and what, but for
his sovereign love and mercy, God would have inflicted on
them in hell, must have made the deliverance appear so much
the more wonderful, and the mercy vouchsafed to them so
much the more endearing.]

2. In connexion with the sufferings that await the
whole world besides

[It is to the victor only that this promise is made. Who
he is, we have before described : and all other persons, of what
age or character soever they may be, must be condemned in
the day of judgment, and " take their portion in the lake that
burneth with fire and brimstone." Not only notorious sinners,
who have rushed into all manner of iniquity, but the more
decent moralists also, who have glided down the stream of this
corrupt world, must perish. It is he only who stems the
torrent of corruption which carries the whole world before it,
and who urges with incessant labour his course heavenward ;
it is he alone, I say, that shall escape the wrath to come.
Now, then, consider the great mass of mankind, with com
paratively few exceptions, " cast into hell, where the worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched ;" consider them, I say,
left to " weep and wail, and gnash their teeth," in that place
of torment, and " the smoke of their torment ascending up for
ever and ever ;" and then say, whether an exemption from this
lot be a small matter. What would a soul that had been only
a few hundred years in that place of torment think of such a
deliverance, if it were possible for him now to be rescued from
his misery? Methinks his transports would be such as a mere

VOL. XXI. E

50 REVELATION, II. 11. [2486.

mortal nature would be unable to sustain. Doubtless, then,
the assurance here given to the Christian who overcomes his
spiritual enemies must be an occasion of unutterable joy.
And, inasmuch as this promise is given by the Holy Spirit to
every soldier of Christ, and " all who have ears to hear are
especially invited to attend to it," we cannot but commend
it to the most attentive consideration of all who are here
present.]

Let me now set before you

II. The pledge given us for the performance of it-
There is somewhat very remarkable in the term
which is translated " hurt." It does not import what
we commonly mean by the word " hurt/ which we
should use in reference to any accidental injury we
had sustained : it expresses an injury inflicted by a
voluntary agent, who might well have forborne to
inflict it b . The sense of the passage then is, that the
victorious saint shall not be " injured" by the second
death ; since the subjecting of him to it would be an
injustice done to him. In fact,

1. It would be an injury done to the person
suffering

[Every saint of God has fled to Christ for refuge, in a
full dependence on that promise, " There is no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus." And in the strength of
Christ he has " fought the good fight, and finished his course,
and kept the faith, in an assured expectation that there is
laid up for him, according to God s blessed word, a crown of
righteousness, that fadeth not away." Now, suppose one such
person subjected to the second death ; would he not say, I am
injured ? Doubtless if I am to be dealt with according to my
deserts, my mouth must be shut, whatever I may suffer : but
I laid hold on the Gospel, and, according to the grace given to
me, complied with the terms there prescribed : I relied solely
on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation ; and yet endeavoured,
according to my ability, to fulfil his will : and I certainly do
think that I have a claim to mercy ; not indeed as deserving
it at God s hands, but as washed in the blood of Christ, and
clothed in his righteousness, and interested in all that he has
done and suffered for me. Yes, brethren, God himself au
thorizes this very idea. In the Scriptures it is said, " God is
not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which

2486.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 51

ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered
to the saints, and do minister ." Now, if God would account
himself unjust if he neglected to recompense the good works
of his people, how much more would he subject himself to that
imputation if he were to cast one believing and obedient soul
into hell ! Then this is a pledge to the victorious Christian,
that he " shall never be hurt of the second death." If a man
who had fled to a city of refuge could not, consistently with
the rights of justice and equity, be delivered up into the
hands of the pursuer of blood ; so neither can a believing and
obedient soul be ever given up to the wrath of an avenging
God.]

2. It would be an injury done to the Lord Jesus
Christ himself

[God the Father, when he entered into covenant with his
Son, engaged, that " if he would make his soul an offering for
sin, he should see a seed who should prolong their days, and
the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands d ." In
dependence on this word, the Son of God became incarnate,
and fulfilled the whole work assigned him, till he could say,
" It is finished :" and he expected, of course, that, in the sal
vation of all who trusted in him, he should " see of the travail
of his soul, and be satisfied." But if he should behold one
of his believing and obedient followers cast out, would he not
have reason to complain, that the stipulations of the covenant
were not fulfilled ? When an offer was made to him, that, in
the event of his undertaking to die for man, there should be a
people given to him from amongst the tribes of Israel, he
replied, " Then I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength
for nought and in vain :" and then the promise was enlarged
to him, " It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved
of Israel : I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that
thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth e ." How
much more, then, might he complain, " I have laboured in
vain, and spent my strength for nought," if one of his faithful
followers should be cast into hell ! If one should be saved by
a righteousness not derived from him, he would complain that
he had died in vain f : and how much more, if one whom he had
washed in his blood, and sanctified by his grace, should perish !
Here then is another pledge, that no victorious saint shall ever
taste of the second death.]

3. It would be an injury done to the whole
universe

c Heb. vi. 10. d Isai. liii. 10.

Isai. xlix. 46. f Gal. ii. 21.

52 REVELATION, II. 11. [2486.

[All are taught to look forward to the day of judgment,
as " the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of
God g ," that is, the day in which his perfect equity will be
displayed. All, therefore, will expect that the rule of God s
procedure, as declared in his word, shall be adhered to. Of
course, they will expect that those who have believed in Christ,
and by the grace of Christ have subdued all their spiritual
enemies, shall be saved. But what if they should see one of
these consigned over to the second death, and left to take his
portion with hypocrites and unbelievers? will they not say,
* This greatly disappoints our expectations : we certainly hoped
to see " a difference put between the righteous and the wicked,
between those who served God and those who served him
not." Methinks, if one such instance were about to occur,
one general sentiment would pervade the whole universe ; and
all the saints would prostrate themselves before Jehovah, as
Abraham did in behalf of Sodom : saying, " Lord, wilt thou
destroy the righteous with the wicked? That be far from
thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the
wicked : and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that
be far from thee : Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right h ?" But we need not fear: there shall never be occasion
for a remonstrance like this : and in this we have a further
pledge, that no such injury shall ever be done to one believing
and obedient soul.]

But, whilst 1 maintain this blessed truth,

1. Must I not take up a lamentation over those
who are overcome in this warfare ?

[I ask not what you have done in times past : I ask only,
Have you engaged in warfare with all your spiritual enemies ?
and are you proceeding daily in a victorious career? If not,
nothing awaits you but " the second death." If you have not
been so wicked as others, you will not have so heavy a con
demnation as they ; there will be fewer or heavier stripes
appointed, according to the degree of your guilt : but hell will
be terrible to those who sustain its slightest torments ; and the
duration of their torments will be for ever and ever. Look, I
pray you, through the whole Scriptures, and see whether you
can find one single word that promises an exemption from
those torments to any soul that has not fought and overcome ?
In every one of these epistles, you will find the promises limited
to them that overcome. Think then, I pray you, what an
awful prospect is before you. Think how soon your day of
grace may be closed, and your day of retribution commence.

g Rom. ii. 5. h Gen. xviii. 23 25.

2486.] EPISTLE TO SMYRNA. 53

O dreadful thought ! Perhaps before another day you may
be, like the Rich Man in the Gospel, " lifting up your eyes
in torments, and crying in vain for a drop of water to cool
your tongue." Will ye then delay to enlist under the banners
of Christ, or refuse to fight manfully under the Captain of your
salvation? Will you be deterred from this by the menaces of
men ? Will you fear them who can only kill the body, and
after that have no more that they can do? Will you not
rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell?

1 I say to you, " Fear HIM." If there were a storm of
thunder and lightning, you would be filled with awe : and
will you not tremble when God says, " The wicked shall be
turned into hell, and all the people that forget God?-" and
when he tells you, that " on the wicked he will rain snares,
fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest : this shall be the
portion of their cup 1 ?" O! what vivid flashes are here!
what peals of thunder are here! Will ye tremble at that
which can only separate your soul from your body, and not at
that which will separate both body and soul from God for
ever? May God, in his mercy, awaken you ere it be too
late ! and may all of you make it henceforth the one object of
your lives to " flee from the wrath to come, and to lay hold on
eternal life!"]

2. But to the victorious saint I must add a word
of cordial congratulation

[What may intervene between this and your final victory,

1 am not anxious to inquire. If you are fighting manfully under
the banners of Christ, of this I am assured, that there shall " no
temptation take you but what is common to men ; and that
your faithful God will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make for you a
way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it k ." You need
not then be anxious about the future. Your enemies are all
in God s hands, and can do nothing which he will not overrule
for your eternal good. And how blessed will be the termina
tion of your warfare ! What shouts of victory will you give,
and what plaudits will you receive from the Captain of your
salvation ! You have nothing to fear from the second death :
on the contrary, the very stroke that separates your soul from
your body shall transmit your soul to the very bosom of your
God ; who, in due season, will raise your body also from the
grave, to partake with your soul in all the glory and felicity of
heaven. Yes ; it is no fading and corruptible crown that you
fight for, but an incorruptible one, which shall be accorded to
you in the presence of the whole assembled universe. " Go

1 Ps. ix. 17. and xi. 6. k 1 Cor. x. 13.

54 REVELATION, II. 12, 13. [2487.

on then, from conquering to conquer," till all enemies be put
under your feet : and the recollection of your conflicts shall
serve only to enhance your joys to all eternity.]

MMCCCCLXXXVII.

EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS.

Rev. ii. 12, 13. To the angel of the Church in Pergamos write ;
These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two
edges ; I know thy works.

IN a former epistle we have noticed, that the par
ticular parts of our Saviour s character, with which
the different epistles are introduced, are suited to
the subject matter of each. In this address to the
Church in Pergamos, our Lord has occasion both for
reproof and menace : and therefore he describes him
self as " holding the sharp sword with two edges."
Now, according to the plan we have proposed, of
investigating more minutely every distinct description
of his person, I will now call your attention to,

I. The character with which our Lord is here
invested

The description here given of our blessed Lord
frequently occurs in the Holy Scriptures ; and, by
comparing the different passages, we shall see that
it holds him forth,

1. As a Sovereign

[The word of a king, especially in despotic governments,
goes forth with great authority : as Solomon has said, " Where
the word of a king is, there is power : and who may say unto
him, What doest thou a ?" Now, by comparing our text with
the larger description given of our Lord in the preceding
chapter, from whence this smaller portion is taken, we shall
see that this sword is his word, which proceedeth out of his
mouth: "Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword b ."
And " this word is indeed both quick and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword c ." It is a law to every
child of man : the greatest kings and princes, no less than the
poorest of mankind, are bound by it, and must obey it at their

a Eccles. viii. 4. b Rev. i. 16. c Heb. iv. 12.

2487.] EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS. 55

peril. In reference to it there must be no demur, no hesita
tion, no delay. To question its authority, or to doubt its
wisdom, is treason. As, in heaven, " the angels do his com
mandments, hearkening to the voice of his word d ," so must it
be with men on earth. There must be no resistance to him,
even in thought : his word must be " mighty, to pull down
every strong-hold, and to cast down every high imagination
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 6 ."]

2. As a Conqueror

[In this view the holy Psalmist addresses him : " Gird thy
sword upon thy thigh, O most Mighty, with thy glory and thy
majesty : and in thy majesty ride prosperously, because (or in
the cause) of truth and meekness and righteousness : and thy
right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are
sharp in the heart of the king s enemies ; whereby the people
fall under thee f ." Armed with this sword, he goes forth in the
chariot of the everlasting Gospel, conquering and to conquer g .
Hear the description given of him by St. John, towards the
close of this prophetic book : " I saw heaven opened, and be
hold, a white horse ; and he that sat upon it was called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war
.... And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it
he should smite the nations : and he shall rule them with a rod
of iron : and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on
his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords
.... And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that
sat upon the horse ; which sword proceedeth out of his mouth h ."
Yes, verily, with this sword shall " he get himself the victory 1 ;"
insomuch that " all kings shall fall down before him, and all
nations shall serve him k ," and "all the kingdoms of the earth
become his" undivided empire 1 .]

3. As a Judge

[" The word that he hath spoken, the same shall judge us
in the last day m ." Amongst the books that shall be opened
in that day, doubtless the sacred volume shall be one, and
" according to what is written therein shall every soul of man
be judged 11 ." And so the Prophet Isaiah distinctly declares :
He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove
after the hearing of his ears ; but with righteousness shall he
judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the

d Ps. ciii. 20. e 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. f Ps. xlv. 3 5.

g Rev. vi. 2. and xiv. 6. h Rev. xix. 11, 15, 16, 21.

1 Ps. xcviii. 1. k Ps. Ixxii. 11. 1 Rev. xi. 15.

m John xii. 48. n Rev. xx. 12.

56 REVELATION, II. 12, 13. [2487.

earth : and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked : and
righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins ." Then those who have resisted his
authority as King, and withstood his power as a Conqueror,
shall be constrained to submit themselves to him as their Judge :
for " he will then appear in flames of fire, to take vengeance
on them p ," and " will consume them with the spirit of his mouth,
and destroy them with the brightness of his coining q ."]

Having marked the character of our Lord, I will
endeavour to shew,

II. The deep interest we have in it

It is obvious, that to the Church in Pergamos it
was a consideration of vast importance ; for the Lord
himself said to them, " Repent ; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with
the sword of my mouth*." And is it of less importance
to us ? Methinks every Church under heaven, and
every individual in the Church, should take occasion
to inquire,

1. What effect has the ministry of the Gospel
produced upon us ?

[The Gospel, by whomsoever ministered, is " the word of
Christ" which should dwell in us richly in all wisdom 8 . And
by all who hear it, it should be regarded, not as " the word
of man, but really and truly as the word of God*." Our Lord
said to his Disciples, " He that receiveth you, receiveth me ;
and he that receiveth me, receiveth Him that sent me u ." On
the contrary, " he who despiseth, despiseth not man, but
God x ." Let me then ask, What reception has the Gospel
found amongst you ? If it have produced its proper effect
amongst you, it has pierced your inmost souls : as it is written,
" The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword; piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow ; and is a dis-
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart y ." O brethren,
inquire, I pray you, whether it have thus penetrated the in
most recesses of your souls, so as to discover to you the hidden
abominations of your hearts, and to make you cry mightily to
God for the pardon of them ! See the three thousand on the

Isai. xi. 4, 5. P 2 Thess. i. 79. * 2 Thess. ii. 8.

r ver. 16. Col. iii. 16. * 1 Thess. ii. 13.

u Matt. x. 40. x 1 Thess. iv. 8. y Heb. iv. 12.

2487. J EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS. 57

day of Pentecost, when smitten with this two-edged sword :
what cries there were for mercy ! " Men and brethren, what
shall we do ? " Believe me, brethren, this is the very first
effect which it will produce on you ; and it must have already
produced it, if you have not " received the grace of God in
vain." " This is the fruit which it brings forth in all the world,
wherever the grace of God is known in truth 2 ." But is there
not, in too many instances, reason for God to complain, " I
have hewed them by the prophets ; I have slain them by the
words of my mouth a ;" I have spoken to them the great things
of my law ; but they have counted them as a strange thing b :"
yea, " though I called them unto the Most High, none at all
would exalt Him c ?" And shall this be accounted a light
matter? It was not deemed so in the case of Zedekiah, of
whom God complains, " He did evil in the sight of the Lord,
and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet, speak
ing from the mouth of the Lord 6 -" Beloved brethren, though
no prophet, I also have " spoken to you from the mouth of the
Lord ;" and ye must answer unto God for every word that has
been delivered to you in his name. Now, our blessed Lord
says to you, " I know thy works." And he does know them,
and record them in the book of his remembrance ; and will
bring them forth into judgment at the last day. Let not any of
you imagine, that it is sufficient to yield an outward conformity,
whether in sentiment or action, to the word of God. No,
indeed; if you would really profit by it as you ought, you
must be as sacrifices offered up to God upon his altar. The
sacrifices, you know, were slain, and were so cut down as to
expose to view their inward parts; and then were consumed
on the altar, together with the meat-offerings and the drink-
offerings that were presented on them. So must " you, to
whom I minister the Gospel of God, be offered up as an
acceptable sacrifice to God ; being sanctified by the Holy
God e ." Judge, I pray you, whether this has ever been truly
wrought in you : for if the word be not thus " a savour of life
to your souls, it will be unto you a savour of death," unto your
heavier and more aggravated condemnation f .]

2. What do we expect from it in the time to
come ?

[The word, my brethren, is " the sword of the Spirit * ;"
and is raised, not to slay you, but to defeat and destroy your
enemies. And it is a two-edged sword : every truth in it has
a double aspect ; speaking consolation to the obedient, as well

z Col.i. 6. a Hos. vi. 5. *&gt; Hos. viii. 12.

c Hos. xi. 7. d 2 Chron. xxxvi. 12. e Rom. xv. 16.

f 2 Cor. ii. 16. 2 Eph. vi. 17.

58 REVELATION, II. 1316. [2488.

as terror to the disobedient. By means of it, the Lord Jesus
Christ carries on his work of grace in the souls of men ; sub
duing all their enemies before them, and making them tri
umphant over all the powers of darkness. It was by the
word that Christ himself repelled all the assaults of Satan in
the wilderness 11 ; and by it he will " sanctify us throughout,
in body, soul, and spirit 1 ." We must therefore make use of
it for this end ; as it is said, " Having these promises, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, per
fecting holiness in the fear of God k ." Regard not then our
blessed Lord as an object of terror ; but as " the Captain of
the Lord s host," armed for your deliverance 1 . In the epistle
before us, you will find a promise, as well as a threatening ;
and he will shew himself as mighty to fulfil the one, as to
execute the other. Whilst, therefore, you fear him as an
avenger, learn to confide in him as " able to save to the utter
most all who come unto God by him."]

h Matt. iv. 4, 7, 10. i Johnxvii. 17. k 2 Cor. vii. 1.

1 Josh. v. 14.

MMCCCCLXXXVIII.

EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS.

Rev. ii. 13 16. / know thy works, and where thou dwellest,
even where Satan s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name,
and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you,
where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against
thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling-block before
the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and
to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the
doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent ;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against
them with the sword of my mouth.

IN this epistle we have a mixture of commendation
and reproof; and, corresponding with each, a mix
ture of menace and encouragement. The promise,
as before, we shall leave for a distinct and separate
discourse. At present, the two points for our consi
deration are,

I. The fidelity commended

This was doubtless eminent and praiseworthy

2488.] EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS. 59

[Great were the snares with which the godly were en
compassed in that city : on the one hand were licentious pro
fessors, who indulged in and vindicated the vilest excesses;
and on the other hand were cruel persecutors, who were ready
to drag to prison and to death all who should approve them
selves faithful to their God. In truth, to such a degree did
both these characters prevail, that Satan might well be said to
have placed his throne there. Yet, in the midst of all these
temptations, they would not either deny or dishonour their
Divine Master. They had even seen Antipas, probably their
pastor, sacrificed before their eyes ; and knew not but that the
same fate awaited them : yet would they not renounce their
holy profession, or in any respect prove themselves dissemblers
with God. This was a conduct highly pleasing to God ; and
the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew not their works only, but all
the circumstances under which those works were performed,
notes them in this epistle with special approbation.]

The same fidelity God expects from us

[We, through mercy, live in less trying times, and are in
no danger of suffering martyrdom for our adherence to Christ.
But we have temptations enough to prove us, whether we will
serve our God in sincerity and truth. If Satan s " throne " be
not here, his habitation is: for, in truth, where is the place in
which " he dwells " not ? And to those who are exempt from
greater evils, the smaller evils are great. If we be not in
danger of imprisonment and death for the faith of Christ, there
are lighter kinds . of martyrdom to which we are exposed :
hatred, and contempt, and persecution in a variety of ways, are
the sure portion of those who will live godly in Christ Jesus :
and these are not easy for flesh and blood to bear. But we
must be willing to bear whatever cross may be laid upon us.
We must even learn to " glory in tribulation," for the Lord s
sake ; and, like St. Paul, to account the most cruel death a
matter of congratulation rather than condolence, if endured
for righteousness sake 3 . Our " faithfulness must extend even
unto death, if ever we would enjoy a crown of life."]

But our admiration of this Church is sadly lowered

by,

II. The unfaithfulness reproved

However they might palliate their conduct, they
deserved reproof

[There were amongst them those who held the doctrine
of the Balaamites, and of the Nicolaitanes ; both of whom

a Rom. v. 3. Phil. ii. 17, 18.

60 REVELATION, II. 1316. [2488.

considered it lawful to conform to idolatrous practices, and to
indulge themselves in licentious habits. The Balaamites, it
should seem, were libertines ; (for Balaam knew that his
practices were evil, and would bring the wrath of God on
those who followed them b :) and the Nicolaitanes probably
were Antinomlans t who persuaded themselves that idolatrous
concessions, and lewd indulgences, would consist with an ad
herence to the Gospel. But such persons should not have
been tolerated : they should have been checked in their career :
and, if they had persisted in their sentiments and habits, they
should have been excommunicated. If such " leaven were
not purged out," what could be expected, but that the whole
Church would in time be penetrated with its malignant in
fluence ? They should have felt a zeal for the honour of their
God : they should have exercised more holy love towards the
different members of their Church, and have laboured to screen
them from the temptations to which they were thus exposed.
And of this supineness it became them to " repent." They
well knew how Eli had been punished for not expelling his
own sons from the priesthood ; and they should have exercised
the authority that was vested in them by Christ himself : and,
if they did not repent of this their wickedness, the Lord de
clared " he would come quickly, and fight against them with
the sword of his mouth;" denouncing against them the judg
ments inflicted on the Israelites whom Balac had ensnared, of
whom no less than twenty-four thousand fell in one day d .]

Nor will it suffice for us to avoid sin ourselves, if
we labour not also to prevent it in others

[Persons will extol charity : but what has charity to do
with the allowance of known and open sin ? It is not charity
to " call evil good, or good evil," or to account sin to be no sin.
Men will commend toleration also : but what has toleration to
do with sin ? Persons are to be tolerated ; but not sins ; and
especially such sins, and more especially in the Church of God.
St. Paul, in reference to heresies, as well as to open lusts,
gives us the most explicit direction : " An heretic, after the
first and second admonition, reject ; knowing that he that is
such, is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself 6 ."
Doubtless we must be careful not to brand for heresy that
which is not manifestly declared to be so in the word of God :
and we must " receive in the spirit of meekness a brother
that has been overtaken with a fault f ," even as the incestuous

b Numb. xxv. 1 3. and xxxi. 16. c Matt, xviii. 17.
d Numb. xxv. 9.

e Tit. iii. 10, 11. See also Rom, xvi. 17. 2 Thess. iii. 6, 14.

and 2 John, ver. 10. f Gal. vi. 1.

2488.] EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS. 61

Corinthian was received after his penitence had been duly
manifested to the satisfaction of the Church*. But still our
duty is clear : we must not only " have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness, but must rather reprove
them h ;" " looking diligently lest any root of bitterness spring
up to trouble us, and thereby many be defiled 1 . Nor are we
to beguile ourselves with the specious name of candour. Can
dour has respect to motives, rather than to acts. In relation
to open sin, we must act towards the body of Christ as we
would towards a diseased member of our own body : we should
suffer the amputation of one member, for the purpose of pre
serving the whole body from disease and death : and on the
same principle must the Church inflict its censures, even to
excommunication, on any member, which will not be healed,
and cannot be retained without danger to the whole body.
And if we, through indifference, will sanction such persons,
by forbearing to put them out of the Church, we must expect
that Christ will manifest his displeasure against us, and inflict
on us the judgments threatened in his word. If we will thus
" be partakers of other men s sins, we must expect that God
will also make us partakers of their plagues V]

Two things, then, from this subject, I would earnestly

RECOMMEND :

1. Be firm

[Decision of character well becomes every child of God.
In matters of smaller moment we can scarcely be too comply
ing: but when " either sins or errors solicit our indulgence,
we cannot be too firm:" we must " hate even the garment
spotted by the flesh 1 ." Perhaps in the Church you have little
power to testify your abhorrence of sin : but you have in your
families, and amongst your friends : and whatever influence
you have, you should exert it for God. We are expressly
told, " Thou shalt in any wise reprove thy brother, and shalt
not suffer sin upon him m ." And if you be threatened by any,
on account of your adherence to Christ, your path is plain :
" Fear not those who can only kill the body, and after that
have no more that they can do : but fear Him who can destroy
both body and soul in hell : yea, I say unto you, Fear Him n ."
Tell me, I pray you, Does Antipas at this moment regret the
sufferings he endured, and the sacrifice he made, even of life
itself, for Christ s sake ? The very name here given him,
" My faithful martyr," is a pledge, that neither you, nor any
who shall follow his steps, will ever regret their fidelity to such

e 2 Cor. ii. 68. h Eph. v. 11. j Heb. xii. 15.

k Rev. xviii. 4. 1 Jude, ver. 23. m Lev. xix. 17.

n Luke xii. 4, 5.

62 REVELATION, II. 17. [2489.

a Master. " Save your life by unfaithfulness, and you will
lose it : but lose it for your Lord s sake, and you shall save it
for ever ."]

2. Be consistent

[You would surely have thought, that they who had
braved death itself for Christ s sake could not have any thing
to deplore. But here are the saints at Pergamos called to
" repent" of their inconsistency, lest the heaviest judgments
should be inflicted on them. Know, then, your whole heart
and your whole soul must be under the regulation of a divine
principle, and an entire consistency pervade your whole life.
Religion must be carried into every thing. Religion must be
in the soul what the soul is in the body. The souls sees in
the eye, hears in the ear, speaks in the tongue, and actuates
every member of the body: there is not a single motion which
is not under its influence. Thus must every action of your life
be regulated by a religious principle, and " every thought of
your heart be brought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ." Then will you have nothing to fear from the two-
edged sword of Christ; but be approved by him, in the day
that he shall judge the world in righteousness and truth.
" He knows your works;" and will be as glad to testify of
them to your honour, as ever you can be to receive from him
this token of his approbation.]

Matt. x. 39.

MMCCCCLXXXIX.

EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS.

Rev. ii. 17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the Churches,- To him that overcometh will I give
to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone,
and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoiveth
saving he that receiveth it.

IN every one of the epistles, it is the promise that
comes last : for our blessed Lord would have a free
and willing service, and not a service constrained by
fear. Not but that threatenings are good in their
place, because they produce a holy fear and caution :
but it is by the promises chiefly that God accom
plishes the work of his grace within us: and when we
truly apprehend them, we shall invariably experience

2489.] EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS. 63

their renewing efficacy ; and be led by them to
" cleanse ourselves from all fUthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God a ."

In discoursing on the words before us, I shall
endeavour to set before you,

I. The blessedness that awaits the victorious Chris
tian

The terms used in my text require much explana
tion. But, when duly considered, they will be found
to intimate, that, in the eternal world, the victorious
Christian will have accorded to him,

1. A more intimate connexion with the Lord
Jesus

[" To him will I give to eat of the hidden manna." On
manna the Israelites subsisted forty years in the Wilderness.
But from the day that they ate corn in the land of Canaan,
the supply of manna was withheld b . There was, however,
a vessel full of manna deposited with the ark, as a memorial
of God s goodness to them in the Wilderness . Any which
the Israelites themselves attempted to hoard, even for a day,
excepting for their use on the Sabbath-day, " bred worms,
and stank ;" but that which was laid up by God s command,
continued good for many hundreds of years, even to the time
when all the vessels of the sanctuary were seized by Nebu
chadnezzar, and carried into Baby Ion d .

Now, it must be remembered, that the manna was a type of
Christ 6 . Even to the Jews it was " spiritual meat f :" and all
who had a spiritual discernment partook of Christ in it g . To
us, of course, there is no such food vouchsafed, so far as relates
to the body : but in our souls we may feed upon it, even as
they : for by faith our souls subsist on Christ, and live by him,
even as their bodies did by a daily participation of the manna
itself. Yet it is by faith only that we partake of this benefit.
Not so when we reach the heavenly Canaan : the life of faith
shall then cease, and the life of sense commence. The manna
is laid up for us within the sanctuary, by the ark of God.
There is the Lord Jesus Christ himself; and there shall we be
admitted to the closest possible communion with him. Even
here our souls lived by means of him ; but there he will be,

a 2 Cor. vii. 1. b Josh. v. 10 12. c Exod. xvi. 3234.
d Heb. ix. 4. * John vi. 3135. f 1 Cor. x. 3.

s John vi. 4851.

64- REVELATION, II. 17. [2489.

in a far more intimate manner than he could be in this world,
our very life h . Here we had the foretaste of heavenly things:
but there we shall have the full enjoyment 1 .]

2. A more assured sense of his favour

[" He will give us a white stone." Amongst the Greeks
and Romans, when any man was tried for an offence against
the State, those who sat in judgment upon him gave their ver
dict by means of a white stone, if they acquitted him ; or by a
black stone, if they condemned him : and, on some occasions,
the vote they gave was confirmed by an inscription on the stone
itself. Thus, when we arrive in the heavenly land, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is the Judge of quick and dead, will put
into our hands a white stone, in token that we are fully and
for ever justified in the sight of God. This blessing, also, was
vouchsafed to us, in a measure, in this life : for there are many
who are enabled to say, " We know that we have passed from
death unto life k ;" yes, there are many who are privileged to
possess a "full assurance of hope 1 ." But still we are in the
body : and no man can tell what a day may bring forth : nor
does it become any man, who is " yet girt with his armour, to
boast as one that putteth it off m ." Here our faith must be
mixed with fear": but in that day there shall be no occasion
either for faith or fear ; for faith shall be lost in sight, and
hope be consummated in fruition. Yes, the very stone that
declares our acquittal shall be put into our own hands ; and be,
to all eternity, an evidence of our acquittal, and a pledge that
it shall never be reversed.]

3. A more exquisite enjoyment of his love

[On the stone shall be a name written, which no man
knoweth, " saving he that receiveth it." God gave new names
to many of his beloved people ; to Abram, and Sarai, and
Jacob, and Solomon : and a new name will God give to his
victorious servants, " a name better than of sons and of
daughters ." Even now are we called by that august title,
" The Sons of God : and the world knows us not, because it
knows not him p ." Even now have we " a joy with which a
stranger intermeddleth not q ," and which language would fail
us adequately to express 1 ". A Spirit of adoption, and the wit
ness of the Spirit, who can comprehend, except the person that
has received them 8 ? "This secret of the Lord is with those

h Compare John vi. 37. and Coi. iii. 3. with Rev. xxi. 23. and
xxii. 1.

j 1 Cor. xiii. 12. k 1 John iii. 14. J Heb. vi. 11.

m 1 Kings xx. 11. n Rom. xi. 20. Isai. Ivi. 4, 5.

P 1 John iii. 1, 2. &lt;i Prov. xiv. 10. r 1 Pet. i. 8.

s Rom. viii. 15, 16.

2489.] EPISTLE TO PERGAMOS. 65

only who fear him : to whom, also, he shews his covenant*,"
with all its unsearchable and inestimable benefits. But " the
love of Christ, in all its heights and depths, infinitely surpasses
all human knowledge 11 :" nor, indeed, shall we be fully able to
comprehend it, even in heaven. But there, on the white stone
that shall be given us, will be engraven such characters as
none but the possessor of that stone can comprehend. Con
ceive of a soul before whom all the glory of the Godhead is
displayed, and to whom all the wonders of redeeming love are
revealed, and into whose bosom all the fulness of God s love is
poured : and who shall estimate his joy ? The sublimest con
ceptions that any finite being can form of such bliss would fall
as far below it, as the glimmering of the glow-worm below the
lustre of the noon-day sun. It must be felt, in order to be
known.]

Does all this blessedness await the victorious soul?
Think, then, what are,

II. The measures which sound wisdom will prescribe,
in relation to it

Surely you have anticipated all that I can have
to say under this head. Yet it will be proper, at all
events, that I add my testimony to what I am per
suaded must be the dictates of all your minds. I
say, then,

1. Enlist, without delay, under the banners of your
Lord and Saviour

[You are all, of necessity, called to be soldiers of Jesus
Christ. In your very baptism you engaged to " fight against
the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to be Christ s faithful
soldiers and servants to your lives end. I call upon you, then,
to execute the office which has thus devolved upon you.
Mark, I pray you, the restrictive clause in my text : " To him
that overcometh will I give" all this blessedness. It is not to
him that never fights at all, nor to him that " fights only as
one that beats the air :" no ; it is to him who " wars a good
warfare," and overcomes all his enemies ; to him, I say, and to
him alone, will all these blessings be vouchsafed. Grieved I
am to say, that, according to this view of God s promises, there
are but few that will ever taste the sweetness of them : but I
entreat you, my brethren, to engage without delay in this
warfare ; and so to fight, that you may obtain the crown that
fadeth not away - ]

t Ps. xxv. 14. u Kph. iii. 18, 19.

VOL. XXI. F

Of&gt; REVELATION, II. 18, 19. [2490.

2. Whatever conflicts you may have to sustain,
never cease to fight,, until you have obtained the
victory

[You must expect conflicts, and severe ones too, ere you
are liberated from your engagements. A man who fights
only against his fellow-man shall have much to endure before
he gains the victory: and do you think that the world and
the flesh and the devil will yield without much resistance?
Look at the saints, that have gone before you, and you will
find that " they all came out of great tribulation." Your
Saviour himself overcame not, but by the sacrifice of his own
life. Be ye then ready to sacrifice your lives in this glorious
contest x : and as " He, for the joy that was set before him,
endured the cross and despised the shame, and is now set
down at the right hand of God y ;" so shall ye also, if only
ye faint not, in due season " reign with him in glory for
evermore 2 " ]

x Heb. ii. 14. y Heb. xii. 2. z Gal. vi. 9.

MMCCCCXC.

EPISTLE TO THYATIRA.

Rev. ii. 18, 19. Unto the angel of the Church in Thyatira
write , These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes
like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass ; I
know thy works.

THE similarity of method which is observed in all
the epistles to the seven Churches of Asia Minor
renders it difficult to diversify, in any great degree,
our mode of treating the subjects contained in them.
But, indeed, we need not be anxious about this
matter; for the subjects themselves are greatly
diversified ; so that, though our mode of treating
them may have an appearance of sameness, the
sameness will be in appearance only, and not real.
We have now to consider the character of our
blessed Lord in a different point of view from any in
which we have seen it before : and in our investiga
tion of this we cannot be too particular. Let us then
notice,

I, The description here given of our blessed Lord

2490.] EPISTLE TO THYATIRA. 67

It is, as all the other descriptions are, suited to
the subject of the epistle itself; in which is declared
our Lord s perfect knowledge of the state of every
individual in that Church, and his fixed determi
nation to give to every one of them according to his
works. In the words which have been read, are set
forth,

1. His greatness

[In the description contained in the first chapter, from
whence all the detached parts of our Lord s character are
taken, he is said to be " like unto the Son of Man a :" but
here he is called expressly " The Son of God." In the former
description, his humanity is more particularly referred to ; in
the latter, his divinity. Not that these are always kept distinct
in the inspired volume : for the name, " Son of Man," was
used as equivalent with " the Son of God ;" and was actually
so understood by the Jews themselves, who took occasion,
from his calling himself " the Son of Man," to accuse him of
blasphemy, for representing himself as the Son of God b , and
of thereby professing himself to be " equal with God c ." St.
Paul combines the two, and shews us clearly in what sense we
are to understand the title here given to our blessed Lord: it
declares him to be God, equal with the Father : for " being
from all eternity in the form of God, he thought it not robbery
to be equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in
the likeness of men : and being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross d ." By this name, " The Son of God," his
advent had been predicted e : by tbis name he had been re
peatedly saluted by a voice from heaven f : by this name had
he been acknowledged by his most favoured servants g : and,
even in the very article of death, by the man who superintended
his execution 11 . And, when his Gospel was preached by his
Apostles, this acknowledgment of his divinity was demanded
of all who embraced his religion, and was deemed by them a
satisfactory proof of a man s conversion to God 1 . Let us then
understand, by the title here given him, that, though " he
was a child born, and a son given, he was indeed the Mighty
God k ," even " God over all, blessed for evermore 1 ."]

a Rev. i. 13. b Matt. xxvi. 6365.

c John v. 17, 18. and x. 33. d Phil. ii. 68.

e Ps. ii. 7. f Matt. iii. 17. and xvii. 5.

e John i. 49. h Matt, xxvii. 54. * John viii. 37, 38.

k Isai. ix. 6. i Rom. ix. 5.

F 2

68 REVELATION, II. 18, 19. [2490.

2. His penetration

[" He has eyes like unto a flame of fire." The power of
fire, to penetrate the hardest substances, and to identify itself,
as it were, with metals, so that not an atom of brass or iron,
when subjected to its action, shall escape its all-pervading
power, is well-known. The power of flame also, when em
ployed in scientific experiments, is well known, insomuch that
it will reduce even diamonds to a cinder. This image, there
fore, well illustrates the all-penetrating, all-discerning eye of
Jesus, whom not a thought that comes into our hearts 111 , nor
" an imagination of a thought," can ever escape 11 . Very strik
ing is the representation which St. Paul gives us of this, in the
Epistle to the Hebrews : " There is not any creature which
is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and
opened before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do ."
The sacrifices, previously to their being offered upon the altar,
were riot only examined outwardly, but were flayed, and then
cut down the back-bone, so that all the inwards might be ex
posed to view, and every part be inspected with the greatest
care, to see that they were perfectly free from blemish of any
kind : and such is the view which the Lord Jesus Christ has
of every soul. " The darkness is no darkness with him ; but
the night is as clear as the day." We may conceal matters
from our fellow-creatures : yea, and much may be hid also from
ourselves: but from him is nothing hidden, either as to its
existence, or to its real character : the sun itself, at noon-day,
is not more clearly visible to us, than are the inmost recesses
of our souls to him.]

3. His power

[" His feet are like fine brass." By this I understand his
unchanging firmness, in every thing that he has decreed ; and
his irresistible power to execute his designs, whether it be for
the salvation of his people, or for the destruction of his ene
mies. All his determinations, as revealed in his word, shall
assuredly be carried into effect. The whole universe shall
never move him from his purpose. Let a believer trust in
him ; and all the powers of darkness " shall never be able to
pluck him out of his hands." Let an enemy persist in his
rebellion against him, he shall soon find what " a fearful thing
it is to fall into the hands of the living God." In the first
chapter it is said, " His feet are like unto fine brass, as if they
burned in a furnace? " yes, they will not only tread down his
enemies, but utterly consume all who dare to contend with
him. He tells us, in this epistle, that he will give to his

m Ezek. xi. 5. n Gen. vi. 5.

Heb. iv. 13. See the Greek. P Rev. i. 14, 15.

2490.] EPISTLE TO THYATIRA. 69

victorious people " power over the nations, to rule them with
a rod of iron, and to break them in pieces as a potter s vessel &lt;* :"
and he shews us, in the description here given of him, that he
is fully able to confer on them the promised benefit, and to
make every one of them as victorious as he himself has been.]

But the character of our Lord is not a subject for
speculation only : no ; in every particular we should
consider,
II. The improvement to be made of it

1. Let us admire his condescension

[This epistle, though addressed to Thyatira, is designed
for every Church under heaven, and for every individual in
the Church, so far as the particular expressions of it are ap
plicable to him. And amazing is that condescension, which has
induced Almighty God so to remember us, and so to consult
our welfare ! If the Psalmist says, " Lord, what is man, that
thou art mindful of him ; or the son of man, that thou visitest
him r ?" how justly may we exclaim, * Lord, what are we, that
thou shouldest dictate to thy servant John a letter unto us, a
letter for our instruction, a letter for our benefit ? If but an
earthly monarch had honoured us in this way, we should have
accounted it a marvellous condescension : but, O ! what is it
to be so honoured and so regarded by the God of heaven and
earth ! How should we value these epistles ! how should we
study them ! how should we treasure up in our hearts the
inestimable truths contained in them ! Remember, I pray
you, brethren, that it is " the Son of God" himself who has
sent you this epistle ; and prepare to receive every suggestion
contained in it, as bearing the impress of his authority, and
an expression of his love : and treasure up every word of it,
not in your cabinet, as a curiosity to be admired, but in your
inmost souls, as a record to be obeyed.]

2. Let us maintain integrity before him

[He tells us, that " he requireth truth in our inward
parts 8 :" and we may be well assured that the smallest measure
of " partiality or hypocrisy" will be discovered by him*. In
this epistle he tells us, that " all the Churches shall know
that it is He who searcheth the reins and trieth the hearts"."
At the last day, especially, " he will bring to light the hidden
things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the
hearts*." Yes, " every secret thing shall he bring forth into
judgment, whether it be good or evil y ." See, then, that there

Q ver. 26, 27. r Ps. viii. 4. Ps. li. 6.

1 Jam. iii. 17. u ver. 23. x 1 Cor. iv. 5.

v Rom. ii. 10. Eccles. xii. 14.

70 REVELATION, II. 1923. [2491.

be in you no undue bias, no secret lust : but let him be able
to testify of you, that you are " Israelites indeed, and without
guile 2 ." And if you are not conscious of any allowed evil, be
not too confident that you are really blameless in his sight ;
but say with the holy Apostle, " I know nothing by myself;
yet am I not hereby justified : but He that judgeth me is the
Lord a ."]

3. Let us confide in him for all needful support

[Whom did he ever deliver up into the hands of their
enemies ? Are we not told, that " his name is a strong tower ;
and that the righteous runneth to it, and is safe ?" The same
idea that is contained in our text, is conveyed also in those
words, " He is a wall of fire round about us, and the glory in
the midst of us b ." " A wall of fire" will not only protect those
who are enclosed by it, but will destroy also their assailants.
So will Christ do, with his feet like fine brass just taken out
of the furnace. Fear not, then, the assaults either of men or
devils; but confide in him, expecting assuredly, that " his
strength shall be perfected in your weakness ." " If he have
begun the good work in you, you may be confident that he
will carry it on, and perfect it to the end d ." " To whomso
ever he has been the Author of their faith, he will also be the
Finisher 6 ." " Of those whom the Father has given him, he
never did, nor ever will, lose so much as one f ."]

z John i. 47. a 1 Cor. iv. 3. b Zech. ii. 5.

c 2 Cor. xii. 9. &lt;* Phil. i. 6. e Heb. xii. 2.

f John xvii. 12.

MMCCCCXCI.

EPISTLE TO THYATIRA.

Rev. ii. 19 23. I know thy works, and charity, and service,
and faith, and thy patience, and thy works ; and the last to
be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things
against thee, because thou suffer est that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my ser
vants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto
idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication ;
and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed,
and them that commit adultery with her into great tribula
tion, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her
children with death; and all the Churches shall know that I
am he which searcheth the reins and hearts : and I will give
unto every one of you according to your works.

2491.] EPISTLE TO THYATIRA. 71

IN reading these different epistles, we cannot but
tremble, lest, after all our endeavours to serve the
Lord, we come short at last, and, when weighed in
the balance of the sanctuary, we be found wanting.
Truly, to be Christians indeed, is no easy task. But
" the grace of Christ is sufficient for us ;" and will
prove itself sufficient, if only we seek it in spirit and
in truth. In dependence on that grace, let us
proceed to consider,

I. The characteristic excellence of the Church at
Thyatira

Great were the virtues for which they were
commended

[Our blessed Lord, who with infallible certainty " knew
all their works," said to them, " I know thy charity, and
service, and faith, and thy patience." Under these expres
sions, I conceive, were contained their principal duties both
to God and man. Their " love" both to God and man
abounded: and it was operative in every kind of " service"
both to the one and to the other, according as opportunity
was afforded for the exercise of love. It sprang also from the
only true source of all acceptable obedience ; that is, from faith
in God, as their reconciled God and Saviour. It continued
also to operate under all circumstances, however difficult or
distressing. No fires of persecution could quench it; no suf
ferings could abate its ardour : they took up their cross with
cheerfulness, and bare it with constancy, and brought forth
fruit with " patience;" so that " patience," as well as love,
" had in them its perfect work." What St. Paul said, in
reference to the Thessalonian Church, St. John might well
have applied to those at Thyatira: " We give thanks to God
always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; re
membering, without ceasing, your works of faith, and labour
of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ a ."]

But their chief excellence was, that their piety had
been progressive

[Our blessed Lord yet further testified respecting them,
that their last works had been more than their first. They
had not " left their first love," as those of the Church at
Ephesus had done ; but had " grown in grace," and had made
a proficiency in every part of their duty. Now, to this pro
gress in the divine life God has especial regard ; insomuch

a 1 Thess. i. 2, 3.

72 REVELATION, II. 1923. [2491.

that, however righteous we may have been in times past,
" our righteousness, if we turn away from it, shall no more be
remembered; but for the sin that we have committed we shall
die b ." " It is the character of the truly righteous man, that
" he holds on his way, and his hands wax stronger and
stronger ." His path must be like the shining light, which
shineth more and more unto the perfect day d ." "The man
who, after having put his hand to the plough, looks back, is
not fit for the kingdom of God e ." To be " weary in well
doing," however arduous our labour may be, will deprive us of
that recompence f , which a persevering " continuance in it
would have assured g ." Whatever we may have attained, we
must " abound more and more h :" our " love" must be more
fervent, our " service" more abundant, our " faith" more
steadfast, our " patience" more invincible, and our " works"
altogether more consonant with our obligations, and more
consistent with our professions. Like St. Paul, we should
" forget what is behind, and reach forward to what is before ;
and press on, with ever-increasing ardour, for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus 1 ." When this is our state,
we may assuredly expect the approbation of our God k .]

Nevertheless, this was not the character of all in
that Church : on which account our Lord proceeded
to state,

II. The guilt and danger in which some of their
members were involved

A most fatal imposture was tolerated among
them

[Who it was that is here designated by the name of
" Jezebel," or whether there were more than one, we cannot
say : it is not improbable that several were engaged in sedu
cing others : at all events, whether one or many, they were
justly called Jezebel, because of their resemblance to that
abandoned woman. She, though married to Ahab, retained
her zeal for idolatry, and used every device to support and
propagate it. Thus, at Thyatira, some who professed them
selves Christians were idolaters in heart, and exerted themselves,
in the most subtle methods, to disseminate their principles;
yea, they even pretended to a divine commission, to draw
others to a compliance with their idolatrous practices, which
in Scripture language is " fornication" and " adultery." These

b Ezek. xxxiii. 12, 13, 18. c Job xvii. 9. d Prov. iv. 18.
e Luke ix. 62. f Gal. vi. 9. s Rom. ii. 7.

&gt; 1 Thess. iv. I. i Phil. iii. 13, 14. k 2Thess.i. 3,4.

2491.] EPISTLE TO THYATIHA. 73

persons " had space given them to repent ; but they repented
not :" and their obstinacy in sin greatly heightened both their
own guilt and the guilt of those also who tolerated them in
the Church. It is true, the members of the Church were not
invested with any civil authority, and therefore could not punish
the offenders with the sword : but they should have united in
condemning the sentiments and conduct of those impostors,
and, by a sentence of excommunication, have purged out this
leaven from among them.]

Against those who had thus sanctioned the impos
ture, our Lord denounced the heaviest judgments
[In these threatenings there is a striking reference to
what had been accomplished towards Jezebel and her family.
She had shed the blood of Naboth in Jezreel ; and both her
husband s blood and her son s blood were licked by dogs, in
the very same place where dogs had before licked the blood of
Naboth ; yea, she herself also was devoured by dogs, almost on
the same spot 1 : and soon afterwards, the whole family of Ahab,
even seventy sons, were put to death. Thus God threatened,
that, for their spiritual fornication, " he would cast them into
a bed, and those who committed adultery with them, into great
tribulation, and that he would kill the teachers and their fol
lowers with death." He further declared, that, as in the case
of Jezebel, their sin should be so visibly marked in their punish
ment, as to manifest to the whole Church, that the Saviour,
whom they thus despised, was indeed the omniscient Jehovah m ,
and the righteous Judge of all. He did indeed still offer to
pardon them on their repentance : but if that offer, like those
which had preceded it, should be slighted, his vengeance would
come upon them to the uttermost.

And is there not, in every age, a remarkable correspondence
between the judgments inflicted on false teachers and the sins
which they commit ? The contemners of vital godliness, whe
ther of the Infidel or Antinomian class, are filled with pride
and presumption : and God " gives them over to delusion, till
they believe their own lie," and " perish in their own corrup
tions." O that both the deceivers and deceived might " repent
them of their deeds !" and that all who have hitherto main
tained their steadfastness might so zealously oppose the incur
sions of sin and error, as to " preserve " themselves, and all
with whom they are connected, " blameless unto the day
of Christ!" If, however, this warning be slighted, let it be

1 1 Kings xxi. 9, 10, 19, 23. xxii. 38. and 2 Kings ix. 25, 26,
36, 37.

m Mark the force of the words, " I am He that searcheth ;" i. e.
that I possess that which is the prerogative of God alone.

74 REVELATION, II. 1923. [2491.

remembered, that " the end of all shall be according to their
works."]

In CONCLUSION, I would say to every one amongst
you

1. Imitate their virtues

[It is to little purpose to call yourselves Christians, if ye
be not " Christians indeed, and without guile." If the Lord
were to testify respecting the great mass of the Christian world,
he must say, * I know thy works to be the very reverse of all
that distinguished the Thyatiran Church : thou hast no love
to me ; nor dost thou render me the services I require : nor
hast thou any of that faith which worketh by love ; nor dost
thou bear any cross for righteousness sake. Thy works, from
year to year, are still the same, except so far as age or outward
circumstances may cause them to vary : thou art still the same
unhumbled, unbelieving, and disobedient sinner as ever thou
wast. But let it not be so with you, my brethren: let God s
testimony rather be, I know thy works, and thine, and thine,
that they are altogether such as I approve ; and that thou art
advancing so manifestly in holiness, that " thy profiting appears
unto all " ]

2. Tremble, lest thou be exposed to their judg
ments

[You are continually under the eye of the heart-searching
God, who sees every defect in your obedience, and will judge
you at the last day according to your works. He requires of
you, not a personal obedience only, but a constant exertion,
according to your power, to promote the same in others.
You are responsible to God for your influence ; whether it
extend to the Church at large, or be limited to the narrower
sphere of your more immediate neighbours. You should feel
a holy zeal for God ; and should labour, according to your
ability, to uphold his honour in the world. God, I say, expects
this at your hands ; and he will call you to an account for the
improvement of every talent committed to your charge. May
you all approve yourselves faithful to him, that when he shall
come to judgment, you may receive that plaudit at his hands,
" Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy
of thy Lord!"]

2492. J THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA. 75

MMCCCCXCII.

THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA.

Rev. ii. 24, 25. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in
Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have
not known the depths of Satan, as they speak ; I will put
upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already
hold fast till I come.

IN these words we have an injunction addressed
to the more consistent members of the Church at
Thyatira. If there were some who had been drawn
aside from the path of duty by the seductions of
Satan, the great mass of that Church had held fast
their integrity, and approved themselves faithful to
their God. They had been assaulted, and were yet
in danger of being still assaulted, by persons profess
ing a deeper insight into divine truth than others :
(in fact, all innovators, whether infidels or heretics,
arrogate to themselves superior wisdom, and propose
their sentiments under the idea of " depths," which
the poor simple-minded believers have not been able
to fathom:) but " the depths" of which these deceivers
spake, were " depths of Satan" rather than of God ;
and the faithful members of that Church rejected
with abhorrence the impious sentiments contained in
them : and for this they were commended of their
God ; who says, " I will put upon you none other
burden but this ;" " What ye have already, hold fast
till I come a :" that is, Ye have been faithful in your
adherence to me ; and all that I require of you is,
that you steadfastly persevere in the same course, till
I come, at the last day, to attest, and to recompense,
your fidelity.

Now, the same injunction is given to the Church
in all ages : so that, taking it to ourselves, we may
notice,
I. The duty inculcated

a Compare Acts xv. 28. The "burden" relates to that which
follows : and so we understand it here.

76 REVELATION, II. 24, 55. [2492.

It is here taken for granted, that we have made
some progress in the divine life. Now, whatever it
be that we have attained, we should " hold it fast."
We should " hold fast,"

1. The truth itself

[Many at this day, as well as in the apostolic age, exert
all their ingenuity to invalidate and subvert the truth. Some
will call in question even the divine authority of the Bible :
others will deny the divinity of our blessed Lord, and the
atonement which he has made for sin. Others again, like the
Pharisees of old, will blend the law with the Gospel, as a
joint ground of hope before God : whilst others, under an
idea of magnifying the grace of God, will deny that the law is
to be regarded by us as a rule of life. But we must be on our
guard against error of every kind, and " hold fast the form
of sound words" which the holy Apostles have delivered unto
us b . The Gospel in itself is extremely simple : We are
fallen creatures, deserving of God s wrath and indignation.
The Lord Jesus Christ has come to restore us to the favour
and the image of God ; to his favour, by making satisfaction
for our sins : and to his image, by the influences of his Holy
Spirit upon our souls. This, I say, is the sum and substance
of the Gospel : and though, doubtless, there are depths in it
which no finite intelligence can fathom, yet is it so plain, that
a very child may comprehend it. Hold this fast then ; and,
" for the knowledge of it, let all other things be accounted by
you as dung and dross."]

2 The open profession of it

[We may retain in our minds a regard for the truth,
without exciting any uneasy feelings in those who are opposed
to it. But, if we profess it openly, and stand forth as avowed
servants of Christ, we shall be sure to make ourselves, even
as Christ himself was, " a butt of contradiction ." No means
will be left untried to repress our ardour : menaces, entreaties,
promises, expostulations, will all be used in their turn, to
withdraw us from our purpose of confessing Christ before men,
and of becoming his stated followers. But nothing should
induce us to deny Christ, or to put our light under a bushel.
Not even life itself should be dear to us, in comparison of the
approbation of God and of our own conscience. We must
" follow Christ without the camp, bearing his reproach," and
" rejoicing that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for his
sake." In a word, we must be steadfast in the faith, and " hold
fast the profession of our faith without wavering d ."]

b 2 Tim. i. 13. c Luke ii. 34. the Greek. d Heb. x. 23.

2492.] THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA. 77

3. The sweet experience of it in the soul

[This is soon lost, and Satan will exert himself in all
possible ways to rob us of it. Any sin indulged in the heart
will " grieve the Spirit" of God, and provoke our God to
" hide his face from us." Nor is it open sin only that will
bring darkness upon the soul : habitual negligence will soon
produce the very same effects. If we cultivate not our garden
with unwearied assiduity, I need not say that weeds will grow
up, and choke the seed that has been sown in it. If we would
enjoy the light of God s countenance, we must " walk with
God," as Enoch did; and " keep ourselves in the love of God,"
" holding fast our confidence, and the rejoicing of our hope
firm unto the end 6 ."]

This being our acknowledged duty, let me call
your attention to,

II. The consideration with which it is enforced

Much is spoken in Scripture respecting the future
advent of our Lord. He will come at the last day,
to judge the world in righteousness : and the prospect
of that event may well operate on our minds, to keep
us steadfast in every part of our duty. For when that
shall take place,

1. All opportunity of recovering the ground we
have lost will be at an end

[With respect to ourselves, it matters not whether we be
alive at the coming of our Lord or not ; for to every individual
of mankind, the day of his death will be, in fact, the day of
judgment: " there will be no repentance to him in the grave:"
on the contrary, " as the tree falls, so it will lie :" " he that
is holy, will be holy still ; and he that is filthy, will be filthy
still." We may be slumbering, like the foolish virgins ; and
dreaming of some future period, when we will arise to trim our
lamps : but " when the Bridegroom comes, they only who are
watching will enter in with him to the wedding; and the door
will then be shut ;" and all will be excluded for ever who
waited not aright for the coming of their Lord. You all know
how vain were the efforts of the foolish virgins to procure oil,
when once the proper period for obtaining it was past : and so
shall we find it, in the day that our Lord shall come, if we be
unprepared to meet him. Let this thought stimulate us to
watchfulness and zeal, that, " at whatever hour our Lord shall
come, we may be found ready."]

e Heb. hi. 6.

78 REVELATION, II. 24, 25. [2492.

2. Our real state, whatever it may be, will be made
known

[We may appear, both to ourselves and others, to be in
a far more favourable state than we really are. In truth, those
very delusions which men embrace are often esteemed by them
as evidences of superior piety. But the various books which
will then be opened the book of Scripture, the book of con
science, the book of God s remembrance, and the book of life,
will all bear testimony to our real state, and make us to appear
in our true colours. If we have declined from the ways of
God, whatever those declensions were, or from whatever cause
they arose, they will all be noted, and " the Lord s judgment
respecting us be in all things according to truth." Should we
not, then, be on our guard against every device, whether of
men or devils, to draw us from our God? Yes, verily, we
should "prove all things" with incessant care; and "hold
fast," with invincible firmness, " the thing which is good f ."]

3. Our final sentence will then be irreversibly
declared

[The sheep and the goats will then be separated, each
for their proper fold. The hypocrite will then have his portion
assigned him, and the apostate his, according to the degree in
which they have erred from the faith, and to the light against
which they have sinned. Hence St. John not only exhorts
the steadfast to " look to themselves, that they lose not the
things that they have wrought, but that they receive a full re-
ward g ;" but further gives to the wavering this solemn warning,
" Hold fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crown V]

Methinks this subject speaks powerfully,

1. To those in early life

[Who, that reflects on the temptations to which the young
are exposed, must not tremble for their state ? The world with
all its snares, the flesh with all its lusts, the devil with all his
devices ; who is able to withstand them all ? Truly, if it were
not that we have an Almighty Friend to uphold us, not one
would ever endure to the end. O, cry mightily to God to
" bear you up in his arms," and to " preserve you blameless
unto his heavenly kingdom !"]

2. To the more advanced Christian

[Even you have need to fear, lest, after all you have ex
perienced, like David and like Solomon, you fall. But, me-
thinks, it is no little comfort to you to reflect, that " the coming

f 1 Thess. v. 21. g 2 John, ver. 8. h Rev. iii. 11.

2493.] EPISTLE TO THYATIRA. 79

of your Lord draweth nigh." Look for him then daily, having
your loins girt and your lamp trimmed : so shall you behold
his face with joy; and " your labour shall not be in vain in the
Lord."]

MMCCCCXCIII.

EPISTLE TO THYATIRA.

Rev. ii. 26 29. He that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations : and
he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; as the vessels of a
potter shall they be broken to shivers : even as I received
of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
Churches.

NOW we come to the encouragement which our
Lord gives his faithful people to maintain their inte
grity. To the steadfast and victorious he promises
" the glory and honour and immortality which they
seek for." The terms indeed, in which these pro
mises are conveyed, are not easy to be understood ;
but, when understood, they are very cheering to the
soul : I will, therefore,

I. Explain the promises here given

The saints at Thyatira had been, as in truth they
are in all times and places, subjected to persecution
from their enemies : and here our Lord promises
them,

1. Honour, when all others shall be abased

[Now the enemies of Christ reign ; and " his people are
trodden under foot 3 :" but, ere long, the state of things shall
be reversed. Even in this world the time is coming when
" the saints shall possess the kingdom b ," and when those who
seek to oppress them shall be destroyed with a terrible de
struction. Till that period shall arrive, the saints are to bear
and suffer all things : but, at the time of the Millennium, when
there will be a formidable and almost universal combination
against them, God has ordained, that they shall be his instru
ments to punish his enemies, just as they were when he sent
them to extirpate the seven nations of Canaan c . Foreign as

a Jer. xii. 10. b Dan. vii. 22. c Rev. xix. 1121.

SO REVELATION, II. 2629. [2493.

war and bloodshed are to the wishes and feelings of a Christian
mind, there will be no more reluctance in the saints then to
execute the commission given them, than there was in the
angel to slay in one night all the Egyptian first-born, or one
hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army. Of
that period the Psalmist speaks : " Let the saints be joyful in
glory : let them sing aloud upon their beds : let the high
praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in
their hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and
punishment upon the people ; to bind their kings with chains,
and their nobles with fetters of iron ; to execute upon them
the judgment written. This honour have all his saints d ."

But this honour will they possess in a far higher degree in
the day of judgment. For then will the Lord Jesus Christ
" put all enemies under his feet 6 ," and execute vengeance on
them ; as God has said : " Thou shalt break them with a rod
of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter s vessel f ."
In the whole of that transaction the saints will bear their part.
They will sit with Christ, as his assessors in judgment; and
will concur with him in all that he shall do ; saying, " True
and righteous are his judgments ;" and to every one of them
we say, " Amen, Amen, Hallelujah, Amen g ." This is so un
questionable a truth, that St. Paul takes for granted that
every saint must be well acquainted with it : " Do ye not know
that the saints shall judge the world? yea, know ye not that
we shall judge even angels h ?" Yes, brethren, then will be
fulfilled that saying of the Psalmist, " Man, being in honour,
abideth not : he is like the beasts that perish. Like sheep
they are laid in the grave ; and the upright shall have dominion
over them in the morning*."]

2. Glory, when all others shall be put to shame

[Now, the ungodly shine forth with splendour; whilst
the godly, if not immured in prisons, are put altogether in the
back-ground, in a state of darkness and obscurity. But the
time is coming when God will " give to his saints the morning
star." The morning star rises with peculiar brilliancy a little
before the sun, when all the other stars of heaven fade away,
and vanish from our sight. And so will it be with the saints
in the day of judgment. When the fashion of this world shall
have passed away as a passing scene or vision, then shall the
saints " shine forth as the stars of the firmament for ever and
ever k :" then shall be seen upon them the bright radiance of
the Saviour s beams ; and they shall, as it were, be his har
bingers to proclaim his advent: yes, thus shall " they be

d Ps. cxlix. 59. e 1 Cor. xv. 25. f Ps. ii. 9.

& Rev. xix. 14. h 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. * Ps. xlix. 12, 14.

k Dan. xii. 3.

2493. 3 EPISTLE TO THYATIRA. 81

exalted in glory 1 ;" whilst " the wicked," who once treated
them with scorn and contempt, shall themselves " be silent in
darkness."]

Having explained the promises, I will now,

II. Commend them to your most attentive conside
ration

Let your minds, my brethren, rise to the occasion.
See, in these promises,

1 . What encouragement they afford to the followers
of Christ

[The Lord s people have, in this world, their cross to bear,
and are destined to follow their Divine Master through much
tribulation : but they are assured, that, " if they suffer with
him, they shall also reign with him n ," and that not the meanest
of their services shall be unrewarded ." And here I would
particularly call your attention to the parallel which our Lord
himself has drawn in our text : " To him will I give .... even
as I have received of my Father." Yes, every thing which
God the Father has given to his Son, as the reward of his
services, he will give to us, so far as we are capable of re
ceiving and enjoying it. Has the Father given to him a throne
and a kingdom? such will Christ confer on us also. He him
self says, " I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath
appointed unto me p :" and again; " To him that overcometh,
will I grant to set with me on my throne, even as I also over
came, and am set down with my Father upon his throne V
There is no part of " the glory which his Father has given
him, which he will not, according to our capacity, give to us r ."
And shall not the prospect of it all operate on us, as it wrought
on Christ himself, when, for the " joy that was set before him,
he endured the cross, and despised the shame, till he sat down
at last at the right hand of the throne of God s ?" I say,
then, " consider Him that endured such contradiction of
sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds* ]

2. What a recompence they hold forth for our
poor services

[Methinks, if nothing more had been said, than that his
faithful people should have all their guilt cancelled, and be
delivered from the judgments which they have so richly

1 Ps. cxii. 810. m 1 Sam. ii. 8, 9. "2 Tim. ii. 12.

Matt. x. 42. P Luke xxii. 29. i Rev. iii. 21.

r John xvii. 22. s Heb. xii. 2. t Heb. xii. 3.

VOL. XXI. G

82 REVELATION, II. 2629. [2493.

merited, it would have been an ample recompence for all that
we could either do or suffer for him in this life. Suppose that
such a proposal were now made to one of the fallen angels, or
to the rich man that is now lifting up his eyes in hell torments ;
would he not gladly embrace the offer, and account all his
future labours well repaid, even though nothing but annihi
lation awaited him when he had performed his task ? Let us
look at our works, and see what they are : tell me if there be
one for which you do not blush, on account of its defects?
and whether, if they had been a thousand times more perfect,
you would not still have accounted yourselves " unprofitable
servants"?" But it is not in this way that God magnifies his
grace. No : he giveth not in such scanty measure to his
beloved children ; nor does he so estimate their poor imperfect
services. He accounts not all the glory and felicity of heaven
too great for them. He makes them his very heirs, " heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ; that, having suffered with
him, they may also be glorified together x ." In truth, at the
last day the saints shall all resemble Christ. It is said of HIM,
that " HE shall smite the nations, and rule them with a rod of
iron ; and tread the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God y ." HE, too, says of himself, " I am the root
and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star 2 ."
And this is the honour, and this is the glory, which he has
promised to confer on us. As Joshua commanded the captains
of his army to come and put their feet upon the necks of the
vanquished kings a , so will the Great Captain of our salvation
make those who have fought under his banners to participate
the glory and felicity of his triumphs. Tell me, then, whether
it does not become us to " keep his works" with all diligence;
accounting " no commandment grievous;" nor hesitating, if
called to it, to lay down our life for his sake ? Let us keep
them then, my brethren, yea, and keep them all, and " even
to the end." Let us " never be weary in well-doing; for in
due season we shall reap, if we faint not b ." I may further add,
that " every man shall receive his own reward according to his
own labour ." No doubt there will be a difference in the
rewards, as well as the punishments, of men in a future life :
for " one star will differ from another star in glory d ." And
this may well stimulate us to the utmost possible exertion in
the service of our God. But to the least and meanest of the
saints shall the recompence be inconceivably great: for the
very lowest in glory " shall shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father, for ever and ever 6 ,"]

u Luke xvii. 10. x Rom. viii. 17. y Rev. xix. 15.

z Rev. xxii. 16. a Josh. x. 24. b Gal. vi. 9.

c 1 Cor. iii. 8. d 1 Cor. xv. 41. e Matt. xiii. 43.

2494.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 83

MMCCCCXCIV.

EPISTLE TO SARDIS.

Rev. iii. 1. And unto the angel of the Church in Sardis write ;
These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and
the seven stars ; I know thy works, that thou hast a name
that thou livest, and art dead.

IF we thought, as some do, that the epistles to the
different Churches in Asia were descriptive of the
state of the Church, in successive periods of time, to
the end of the world, we should be ready to fix on
this epistle, above all others, as characterizing the
present time. There is much profession of religion
in the world, and somewhat of the reality ; but very
many, who " have the form of godliness, are either
wholly destitute of its power," or so inanimate as to
excite suspicions that they are " dead." Without
intending to say that any such parallel was designed
of God (for I conceive that all the epistles were merely
descriptive of the several Churches at the time they
were written), I yet feel no doubt, but that, so far as
the circumstances of any particular Church at this
day accord with those of any Asiatic Church, what is
spoken to that Asiatic Church may well be applied to
us at this time. I therefore avail myself of this to
point out to you,

I. The reproof given to the Church of Sardis

Our blessed Lord, in this, as in all the other
epistles, assumes to himself such titles and attributes
as are peculiarly suited to the subject-matter of the
epistle itself. He was about to declare the real state
of the Church at Sardis to be very different from
that which was generally supposed : we therefore
here find,

1. His qualifications for exercising judgment

[He has in himself all the fulness of the Spirit. This is
intimated in that expression, " He hath the seven Spirits of
God." The number, seven, denotes both variety and perfec
tion : and he has, both for his own personal endowment and

G 2

84 REVELATION, III. 1. [2494.

for the benefit of his people, the Holy Spirit in all his diversi
fied powers and operations. As Messiah, it was foretold of
him, that " he should be anointed with the oil of joy and glad
ness above his fellows a ;" that is, above all, whether in earth
or heaven, who should partake of this divine unction. It was
said, " The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of
might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord,
and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the
LordV So endowed, he was able to discern every motion of
men s hearts : not the slightest " imagination of a thought"
could escape his notice : " every spirit could be weighed by
him " in a perfect balance ; and his " judgment could not but
be according to truth." Hence it is expressly said of him,
that " all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him
with whom we have to do c ." At the same time, " he holdeth
the seven stars in his hand ;" and observes whether they move
with perfect regularity in their respective orbits, and reflect
with unclouded splendour, for the benefit of the world, the
light which they derive from him. He has formed them for
his own glory ; and he expects that they exist and move for
no other end.

But, from the closest inspection of them, he gives this as,]

2. His testimony respecting that degenerate
Church

[" Thou hast a name that thou livest, and (but) art dead."
The Church of Sardis was held in repute by the other neigh
bouring Churches to which the different epistles were written:
but they were really in a very degenerate state ; many of them
being yet altogether " dead in trespasses and sins ;" and those
who had a spark of life within them, being so cold, as to be to
all appearance " dead." What were the precise points in
which they failed, we are not informed. It does not appear
that there was any flagrant violation of God s law among them,
or any toleration of principles that were fundamentally erro
neous ; for then they would have been condemned on these
accounts, as the other Churches had been : but, while they
were externally blameless, he " found," and testified, that
their inward state was lamentably defective. Of this he com
plained; and,]

From his complaint, I will take occasion to shew,

II. How far it is applicable to the Christian Church
at this day

a Ps. xlv. 7. b Isai. xi. 2, 3. c Heb. iv, 13.

2494.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 85

There is doubtless a great profession of religion at
the present day

[Religion, in some respects, has of late become, I had
almost said, the fashion of the day. The leading doctrines
of Christianity, such as our fall in Adam and our recovery by
Christ, are so generally acknowledged now, that, if they were
kept out of sight in the degree in which they were withheld
from public notice through the seventeenth and the greater
part of the eighteenth century, there would be a general com
plaint against those ministers who so treacherously withheld
from men the bread of life. Mere morality would not satisfy
men now, as it did through that unhappy period, when the
extravagances of those who had professed a more than ordinary
zeal for the Gospel had driven men to a contrary extreme,
and led them almost to expel the Gospel from their public
ministrations. A concern to propagate the Gospel has arisen
of late, and pervaded all ranks and orders of men. Even kings
upon their thrones have used their influence to send the light
of divine truth to the remotest nations of the earth, where not
a ray of it had ever shone before. Nobles have also lent their
influence, and even personally stood forth to advocate the cause
of Christ before men : and vast assemblies of persons, who
could find no other common ground to stand upon, have met,
to advance the diffusion of divine knowledge, and to help
forward, in every possible way, the salvation of the world.
Societies have been formed, by every class of Christians, for
the furtherance of this good work ; and even the poorest in
the land have gladly contributed their aid, that, through the
collective efforts of the Christian world, ignorance might be
banished from the earth, and that the light of the Gospel
might shine into the hearts of the most benighted heathen.
In this view, it may well be said of the great mass of the
Christian community, that " they have a name to live."]

But, though a profession of religion is general, the
actual possession of it is rare

[The greater part of these very persons, it is to be feared,
whilst " they have a name to live, are dead." Many have
patronized the spread of the Bible, and promoted the reading
of it by others, who yet have never had it written in their
own hearts ; and many have advocated its leading truths, who
have never experienced them in their own souls. Many have
spoken well about repentance, and faith, and obedience, as to
be inculcated on others, who have never wept for their own
sins ; never fled to Christ for refuge from the wrath of God ;
never yielded up themselves as living sacrifices to God, to be
employed, and, if need be, to be consumed for him. And

86 REVELATION, III. 1. [2494.

thousands have given liberally to God the pittance they could
ill afford, who yet have never given to him their hearts, which
alone is the gift that is acceptable to him. Yes, indeed, it is
to be feared that the great mass of those who applaud them
selves, and are applauded by others, as zealous for the truth,
have never so much as had the first principles of the Gospel
formed within them. They are still, in all other respects, the
very same men that they were before they became thus active,
and the same as other persons are who have never once con
curred in any one of their benevolent pursuits.

Respecting some we may " hope better things." But even
where there is some spiritual life, it is but a spark, which
is scarcely seen under the embers by which it is obscured.
The frame of the generality is by no means such as the Chris
tian life requires. How little is there of real spirituality of
mind, real delight in God, real devotedness of heart to his
service ! Where the souls of men are in a right state, a divine
savour diffuses itself all around them, and they shine as lights
in a dark world. But, if you look at those who appear so
zealous for the diffusion of the Gospel amongst others, how
few do you find of this character! Truly the state of the
Sardian Church is realized to an awful extent amongst us :
insomuch, that it may well be said of us, as it was of them,
" Ye have a name that ye live, but are dead."]

Let me then, in CONCLUSION, urge upon you two
important duties,

1. Examine into the real state of your souls before
God

[Be not satisfied with good appearances, or with the good
opinion which others have formed respecting you. To what
purpose will it be to " have a name to live, when the heart-
searching God attests that ye are dead?" It is by his judg
ment, and not by that of men, that ye will stand or fall : and
therefore you must rest in no state which does not approve
itself to the heart-searching God. " Examine, then, whether
ye be in the faith, and prove your own selves :" for, " not he
that commendeth himself will be approved, but he whom the
Lord commendeth."]

2. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ for the effectual
aid of his Spirit

[The Lord Jesus has received the Holy Spirit, in order
that he may give it d ; and in him is a sufficiency for all your
necessities. You cannot conceive of any want that there is in

d Compare Ps. Ixviii. 18. with Eph. iv. 8.

2495.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 87

you, but there is a corresponding fulness in him. Look, then,
to Christ for the sevenfold gifts of his Spirit: so shall your
future course be bright and regular, and God himself shall be
glorified in your deportment.]

MMCCCCXCV.

EPISTLE TO SARDIS.

Rev. iii. 2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,
that are ready to die : for I have not found thy works perfect
before God.

THESE words reflect the true light upon those
which precede them. Our Lord did not intend to
say that the Christians at Sardis were wholly desti
tute of life, but that they were in a state bordering
upon it ; none of their works approving them as per
fect, either as to their number or their " intrinsic
worth a ;" on the contrary, every thing which they
did was sadly defective, and the " things which
remained in them were ready to die."

In the foregoing discourse, we traced somewhat of
the resemblance which there is between the Church
at Sardis and that which exists amongst us at
this day. And in the counsel which our Lord gave
to them we may undoubtedly find much that is
applicable to ourselves. Let us, then, proceed to
consider,

I. The state here described-
It is here acknowledged, that they did some works,
though not in a perfect way ; and that there were
some good things remaining in them, though they
were in so feeble a state that they were ready to die.
Now, that we may be able to form a correct estimate
of our own state, I will endeavour to shew, when the
same kind of declension has taken place in us. We
may discover it as having already taken place,
1. When our graces languish

[The exercise of our graces is a sure test of the reality
and degree of our spiritual life. We may form a judgment by
examining them.

a ov

88 REVELATION, III. 2. [2495.

Let us examine our faith. The office of faith is, to realize
invisible things : and when it is in vigorous exercise, " it is the
substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not
seen 5 ." Then earth and heaven appear in their true colours ;
and the things of time and sense are lighter in our estimation
than vanity itself, in comparison of those things which are
invisible and eternal. Under the influence of this grace, both
the promises and threatenings of God are regarded as no less
certain than if they were already accomplished before our
eyes ; and the soul is stimulated by them to an active pursuit
of its chief good. But let a man decline in his apprehension
of invisible things, how clearly will the effect be seen in his
whole deportment! The truths of God s word, which were
once so powerful, will lose their efficacy : the diligence which
was once so constant and exemplary will be relaxed : and the
man who was once so lively will become almost as one dead.

Let us examine also our hope. As faith sees the reality,
hope anticipates the enjoyment, of heavenly things : and when
it is lively, it is an anchor of the soul, which keeps us steadfast,
in the midst of all the storms and tempests with which we can
be assailed. But oftentimes this is suffered to decline : and
then the future prospects are less valued : and earthly things
rise proportionably in importance. Then we are discouraged
by any difficulties which we are called to contend with ; and
we lose our enjoyment of those things which formerly consti
tuted our supreme felicity.

Let us further examine also our love. Love is as wings to
a believing soul : it carries us forward with ardour and delight.
So greatly does it expand our views of duty, that it makes us
dissatisfied with all we do, and urges us to the utmost exer
tions of which we are capable. But when love decays, we
lose all our fervour in holy exercises : duties become a task
and a burthen ; and they are performed with less frequency
and spirituality of mind. Then the hidings of God s face,
which once would have filled us with the deepest distress, are
endured without much concern ; and, whilst we feel indifferent
about his return to our souls, we lose all our solicitude to
please and honour him.

Now, I ask, what can indicate the dying state of a soul, if
such a decay of our graces do not? Can any one doubt, but
that a person who has so degenerated from a life of real godli
ness is fallen into the very state of those at Sardis ?]

2. When our corruptions increase

[Graces and corruptions are as the scales of a balance :
whichever preponderate, the other kicks the beam. If, then,

* Heb. xi. 1.

2495.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 89

the decay of our graces manifest a decline in the divine life, so
does the growth of our corruptions. Let us examine, there
fore, respecting these.

The growth of these, and the consequent decay of the di
vine life, is manifest, when our besetting sin resumes its former
ascendency. The effect of grace is to mortify our besetting
sin. But that sin is rarely, if ever, so extinguished, but it
continues, more or less, to harass and defile the soul: and it
is sure to return when once we begin to decline from the ways
of God ; and by that, as much as by any thing, will our
declension be discovered. It matters not what that besetting
sin is, whether pride, or covetousness, or lust, or anger, or
whatever else ; if it regain its power over us, we may be sure
that it goes ill with our souls.

The same decay is manifest, if the natural hardness and ob
duracy of our heart return. Divine grace brings a tenderness
of spirit, which shews itself very especially in a way of humi
liation and contrition. On the other hand, the effect of sin
is to blind the eyes and harden the heart. Now, if we find
less sensibility in reference to sin, less aversion to commit it,
or less compunction after the commission of it if, I say,
conscience be less active and powerful in the discharge of its
office in relation to these things there can be no doubt that
at least a great torpor is come upon us, if we be not actually
dead.

I add once more, that this decay is peculiarly manifest, if we
are unwilling to be reclaimed. A heart duly impressed with
heavenly things desires the light : it longs for every instruc
tion, whereby it may correct what is amiss, and prosecute with
more success its way heavenward. But if a person be so
fallen as to feel averse to instruction ; if he hate to be told of
his faults, and take offence at his monitor for his fidelity ; if he
palliate and excuse his errors ; if he turn from the light, and
go to company and worldly occupation in order to stifle his
convictions and shake off his uneasiness ; truly he is in a Sar-
dian state indeed : for this is the worst symptom that a living
soul can possibly experience.]

Now then, brethren, if you have obtained any
insight into the condition of your own souls, listen,
I pray you, to

II. Our Lord s counsel to persons in such a state

None can need advice for their bodies more than
such persons do for their souls. In the Lord s name,
therefore, I say to you,

1. Be watchful

90 REVELATION, III. 2. [2495.

[Be watchful against self-deception. There are many
things which may hide our condition from us. We may easily
mistake our gifts for graces ; and may ascribe to the special
operation of the Spirit of God what is the result only of na
tural principles. There have been many amiable traits in the
characters of heathens, which yet were widely different from
the graces of the Spirit, and which consequently were no
proofs that the persons exercising those virtues were children
of God. We must therefore be peculiarly on our guard
againt this source of self-delusion. We may also be less
sensible of decay, because it has come gradually upon us.
And the heart itself will suggest many plausible excuses, in
order to hide from us our real state : but we must remember
that, though we may impose on ourselves and others, we can
not impose on God. And to this effect St. Paul cautions us ;
" Be not deceived : God is not mocked."

I must say, too, Guard against the occasions of sin. A man
of God must, as far as will consist with his duties in social life,
flee from contagion, lest he be infected by the evils which pre
vail around him. Worldly business, worldly pleasure, worldly
company, will, if not very carefully watched, draw the soul
from God. Too unrestrained an use, even of lawful things,
will damp our ardour in our heavenly course. There is not
any thing of which we have not occasion to be jealous, lest
it draw our souls from God, or interfere with our progress in
the divine life. Especially must we be on our guard against
a neglect of secret duties, or formality in the performance of
them. No wonder our spirituality decays, if we be inattentive
to the frame of our souls, or unwatchful against the very first
symptoms of declension.]

2. " Strengthen the things that remain"

[Doubtless it is the Lord Jesus Christ alone who can
impart to you the strength you need : for " He has the seven
Spirits of God ;" and from him must you derive such " sup
plies of his Spirit" as your daily necessities require. All
human endeavours without him will be in vain. Yet must
you exert yourselves to the uttermost, and " work out your
salvation with fear and trembling." As bodily strength im
proves by exercise, so does the strength of the soul : and in
proportion as you " stir up the gift of God that is in you,"
your graces of faith and hope and love will be increased. If
with all diligence you labour to add grace to grace, you are
assured that " you shall never fall, but so an entrance shall
be ministered unto you abundantly into the kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ." in order to stimulate your

c 2 Pet. i. 10, 11.

2495.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 91

soul to such exertions, lay home upon your minds all the
most forcible considerations which either your knowledge or
experience can suggest. Think how painful it is to lose our
spirituality of mind, and our sense of the Divine presence :
consider how dishonourable it is to God, and how dangerous
to our own souls. Supposing we be recovered from such a
state, who can tell by what fearful chastisements the recovery
may be effected ? And who can tell, whether, instead of ever
restoring us to his favour, God may not come, in righteous
indignation, to execute upon us his threatened vengeance, and
exclude us for ever, like the foolish and unwatchful virgins,
from his presence? Supposing then, that, notwithstanding
our declensions, there be some good thing remaining in us, let
us " strengthen it " by every possible means, if peradventure
our backslidings may ultimately be healed, and we may attain
at last a preparation of heart to meet our God.]

ADDRESS

1. Those who have no marks of life in them

[If they who are in a declining state be in great danger
because of their declensions, what, think you, must be your
danger, in whom not even " the root of the matter " can be
found ? You may say, perhaps, I make no pretensions to
religion, and therefore cannot be chargeable with a departure
from it. But I answer, This very acknowledgment involves
in it a greater measure of guilt, than one would suppose any
human being capable of contracting. We may suppose a
creature to rebel against his Creator : we may even suppose a
redeemed sinner to trample under foot the blood of his Re
deemer, and to live altogether as " without God in the world."
But that any man should glory in such a state, and make the
acknowledgment of it a ground of self-vindication) THIS does
really surpass any thing which we should imagine even Satan
himself to be capable of committing. But to every one who
so proclaims his own impiety, I must say, " Out of thine own
mouth God will judge thee, thou wicked servant." Thou hast
said to God, " Depart from me, I desire not the knowledge of
thy ways :" and He will say to thee, " Depart from me, I
never knew thee, thou worker of iniquity ;" " depart, accursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Keep on then, if ye will, and dream that no evil shall come
upon you: but know, of a surety, that " your judgment lin-
gereth not, and your damnation slumbereth not d ."]

2. Those who are " walking with God, as dear
children"

d 2 Pet. ii. 3.

92 REVELATION, III. 3. [2496.

[We are told of " some at Sardis that had not defiled
their garments :" and, I trust, there are some of that happy
character amongst you. But, when I consider how awfully
the great mass of the Sardian Church declined from God, I
cannot but be " jealous over you with a godly jealousy, lest
Satan by any means prevail " to impede your progress in the
divine life 6 . I would have you, even to your latest hour, to
guard against pride and self-confidence, and to " work out
your salvation with fear and trembling." When you are weak,
then it is that you are really strong." If you would be perfect,
you must look to the Saviour to " perfect that which concern-
eth you." You must go on in a simple dependence on his
power and grace ; and commit yourselves to Him f , of whom it
is said, " He is able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy : to whom be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both
now and ever. Amen g ."]

e 2 Cor. xi. 2, 3. f 1 Pet. iv. 19. s Jude, ver. 24, 25.

MMCCCCXCVI.

EPISTLE TO SARDIS.

Rev. iii. 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and
heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shall
not watch) I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not
know what hour I will come upon thee.

IN the Church of God, there must, of necessity,
be a great diversity of characters : and the office of a
minister is, to make a just discrimination between
them, and, like a steward in a great family, to give
to every one of them his portion in due season. But
to divide rightly the word of truth is no easy matter :
it requires much knowledge, much discernment, and
much fidelity. The pattern to be followed, is that
which is set before us in the epistles to the seven
Churches of Asia. In this epistle to the Church of
Sardis, one-half is occupied with reproof. In the
two preceding verses we have been led to assume
the same tone as is there adopted : and we are con
strained to continue it in the present discourse ;
wherein I shall have occasion to notice,
I. The state of a soul that is backslidden from
God

2496.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 93

We shall confine our observations to the point
especially referred to in our text ; namely, the state
of the soul in reference to divine ordinances.

A soul truly alive to God finds great delight in
divine ordinances

[They are regarded as God s appointed means of con
ferring his benefits upon the soul. The word is heard, not
as the word of man, but as the word of God himself, speaking
individually to the person s own soul. "It is received with
meekness as an engrafted word, able to save the soul." The
person, before he goes up to the house of God, implores the
presence of God there ; and begs that the word may not only
be suited to his necessities, but may " come to him in demon
stration of the Spirit and of power." Whilst he is hearing the
word, he begs of God so to apply it to him, that it may prove
" the power of God to his everlasting salvation." After he has
heard the word, he endeavours to harrow it in, and water it,
with meditation and prayer ; and implores help from God, that
he may be enabled to carry into effect every lesson he has
received.]

But to one who is in a backslidden state, the
ordinances have lost a great measure of their
interest

[They are still attended, lest his declension should be
made evident to common observation : but there is not that
delight in them which was once experienced, nor that earnest
expectation of good from them. The truths that are deli
vered fall upon a hard and rocky heart, from which Satan
easily removes them, even as birds catch up the seed that falls
by the way-side. The word is heard either with critical fas
tidiousness or with cold indifference ; and produces neither
self-abasement on account of sin, nor elevation of soul on ac
count of the mercy that is there revealed. It is possible that
such persons may yet take some pleasure in the ministration
of the word, on account of the eloquence of him by whom it is
dispensed : but whilst, with Ezekiel s hearers, " they listen as
to one who plays well upon an instrument," like them they are
proof against every admonition which is delivered. Even the
strongest declarations of divine truth fail to make any lasting
impression on their minds, or to effect any abiding change
within them.]

Attend then, I pray you, whilst I declare to you,
II. The duty of one who is in such a state
1. " Remember" whence you are fallen

94 REVELATION, III. 3. [2496.

[Look back, and see how great a change has taken place
upon you. Call to mind the delight you once felt in divine
ordinances, and the benefit you derived from them ; and com
pare with those seasons your present coldness and insensibility.
What reason can you assign for this melancholy change ? Are
not the truths as important as ever ? and ought they not to be
equally influential on your souls ? ]

2. " Hold fast" whatever there is of good impres
sion on your minds

[The truths ye received are yet abiding with you : let
them, then, be retained with care and steadfastness : for, if ye
let them go, ye have no other anchor for your souls, no other
refuge from the wrath of God. I would fondly hope, too,
that there are yet within you some good desires, some holy
purposes and resolutions : I charge you then, " Hold them
also fast :" and beg of God, that, through the influence of his
Holy Spirit, you may be enabled to carry them into full
effect ]

" Repent" also of these shameful, these dangerous
declensions

[Think not that gross outward transgressions alone call
for penitence : the inward frame of a man s soul is as hateful
to God in those who profess godliness, as the more flagrant
acts of wickedness are in one who makes no profession. Think
of the ingratitude which such a declension betrays : Is it for
this that God has quickened you from the dead, and revealed
his Son in you, and given you such an experience of his power
and grace ? Is this the return which he has a right to expect ?
Think, too, of the folly of such a conduct. Do you hope for
the pardon of your sins, and peace with God, and glory in a
better world ? and are you wise in casting it all away, or in
endangering the loss of it by departing from God? I tell
you, that the deepest penitence becomes you. Yes, " be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep : let your laughter be turned
into mourning, and your joy into heaviness ; and humble your
selves under the mighty hand of God, if peradventure, in the
multitude of his tender mercies, he may lift you up."]

And, that you may comply with these exhortations,
consider,
III. The extreme urgency of this duty

Your Lord threatens to " come upon you as a thief
in the night," to visit upon you your inexcusable
neglect.

This you have but too great reason to expect

2496.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 95

[Many in your state comfort themselves with the hope
that God will not proceed against them ; but that in consi
deration of what he has already done for their souls, he will,
by some special act of his grace, restore them to his favour.
They will say, " Where God has begun a good work, he will
carry it on, and perfect it till the day of Christ:" and " whom
soever he loves, he will love unto the end." But will any
man take occasion, from such passages as these, to comfort
himself while at a distance from God, and to delay his return
to God ? Will any man " continue thus in sin that grace may
abound ? " A more damning sin than this it is scarcely possible
for him to commit. Brethren, if there be one amongst you
disposed to abuse in this manner the grace of the Gospel, let
him know that he is as nigh to hell as a man can well be, and
that it will be a miracle of mercy if he be not in hell before
the light of another day : for our Lord s express declaration is,
that " He will come upon him as a thief in the night, and not
let him know what hour he will come upon him," And this
is agreeable to what all the inspired writers have taught.
Hear the Prophet Hosea : " Woe unto them ! for they have
fled from me : destruction unto them ! because they have
transgressed against me a ." " Israel hath cast off the thing
that is good : the enemy shall pursue him b ." Hear our blessed
Lord : " Watch ; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had
known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken
up. Therefore be ye also ready ; for in such an hour as ye
think not, the Son of man cometh. And if he find any servant
unwatchful, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when
he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth c ."
To the same effect speaks St. Paul also d . And in the epistles
before us the same menace is used again and again 6 . Know,
therefore, and be assured, that in perverting the truths of
Scripture you do but aggravate and ensure your eternal
condemnation.]

Awake then, brethren, to your duty, ere it be too
late

[To have " a form of godliness, whilst you are destitute
of its power," is only to deceive your own souls. Look back,
and see how you received the word at first ; and get back to

a Hos. vii. 13, 14. b Hos. viii. 3.

c Matt. xxiv. 4244, 50, 51. d 1 Thess. v. 2, 3, G.

e Rev. ii. 5. and iii. 11.

96 REVELATION, III. 3. [2496.

that childlike spirit which ye then manifested. Your broken-
ness of heart should be increased rather than diminished ; and
your tenderness of conscience should be found in full activity.
To turn back from these holy ways is to " turn back unto per
dition." May God Almighty spare you yet a little longer, till
you have recovered from your declension, and are returned to
Christ as the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls ! Let this be
well settled in your minds, that the only way to ensure the not
being taken unprepared, is to watch for the coming of your
Lord, with loins ever girt, and your lamp ever trimmed.]

ADDRESS

1. Those who are so far backslidden as to be
insensible to their state

[This, alas ! is no uncommon state : for the necessary effect
of sin is, to grieve the Spirit of God, and to harden the heart
of man. But if God should not cut you off suddenly, though
it is greatly to be feared that he will, tell me what you will
think of your present state, when you shall be lying on your
bed, in the near approach of death and judgment ? Let me
tell you, that every hour you neglect to turn unto your God,
you are filling your dying pillow with thorns, and, alas ! are
" treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath." God has
indeed said, that " the backslider in heart shall be filled with
his own ways f :" and this may be your unhappy state, in a
dying hour : you may be then cherishing the same delusions
which you harbour now, and be even more hardened than you
are at the present moment. But at the bar of judgment, if
not before, you will surely know, " that it is an evil and bitter
thing to depart from God."]

2. Those who are ashamed and confounded on
account of their declensions

[To you I would speak in a way of encouragement. God
himself, as it were, feels for you, and is averse to execute
upon you the judgments you deserve. Hear how he speaks
concerning you : " My people are bent to backsliding from
me. Though they called them unto the Most High, none
at all would exalt him. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ?
how shall I deliver thee up, Israel ? how shall I make thee
as Admah ? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is
turned within me ; my repentings are kindled together : I will
not execute the fierceness of mine anger g ." Nor is Jehovah
merely thus tenderly concerned for you : he bids you return
to him ; and puts into your mouth words for that very purpose,
even words to which he will return an answer of peace: " Take

f Prov. xiv. 14. s Hos. xi. 7 9.

2497.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 97

with you words, and turn unto the Lord : say unto him, Take
away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so will we render
the calves of our lips." Then he adds, " I will heal their
backslidings, and love them freely: for mine anger is turned
away from him h ." The same gracious overtures he makes
through the Prophet Jeremiah 1 ; and the whole of his dealings
with his people fully attest his readiness to fulfil these promises
in their utmost extent. Then continue not at a distance from
him ; but avail yourselves of his gracious invitations ; so, at
whatever hour he shall come, you shall be found ready, and
" enter for ever into the joy of your Lord."]

i&gt; Hos. xiv. 1, 2, 4. Jer. iii. 12, 22.

MMCCCCXCVII.

EPISTLE TO SARDIS.

Rev. iii. 4 6. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which
have not defiled their garments ; and they shall walk with
me in white : for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the
same shall be clothed in white raiment ; and I will not blot
out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his
name before my Father, and before his angels. He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
Churches.

IN all the preceding part of this epistle, we have
been necessitated to dwell almost exclusively on
matters calling for reproof. It is with pleasure that
we now turn to a subject of commendation. There
were, even in the degenerate Church at Sardis, some
who walked worthy of their heavenly calling, and
were therefore honoured with peculiar marks of the
Divine favour : and we shall find it profitable to
consider,

I. Their conduct

Under two distinct images this is set forth. We
notice,

1. Their walk

[" They kept their garments undefiled," in the midst of
an ensnaring and polluted world. It was no little honour to
them, to receive from the heart-searching God such a testi
mony as this. The world, in all its parts, has a tendency to

VOL. XXI. . H

98 REVELATION, III. 46. [2497.

defile the soul. Its maxims and habits are all contrary to the
mind of God : and all its votaries carry with them a contagion
which spreads itself with fatal effect wherever they come.
Now, to walk in the midst of such a world is dangerous in the
extreme ; and few can do it without contracting much defile
ment to their souls. But there were " a few in Sardis" who
did so. Though in the world, they were not of the world ;
but, notwithstanding the intercourse which from time to time
they had maintained with the world, they had been " delivered
from the evil of it." They had not been drawn aside by " the
lust of the flesh, or the lust of the eye, or the pride of life a ;"
but had " walked holily, and justly, and unblameably, in the
whole tenour of their conversation V We are not to suppose
that they were so perfect, that never a spot of sin was con
tracted by them; for " in many things we all offend ;" and
" there is not a just man on earth that liveth and sinneth
not d :" but in the habit, both of their minds and lives, they
were " blameless and harmless, as sons of God, without re
buke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, shining
among them as lights in the world 6 ."]

2. Their victory

[In process of time " they overcame ;" as indeed all shall
eventually do, if only they " walk with God," and " keep
themselves unspotted from the world." They cannot hope to
differ so widely from all the maxims and habits of the world,
and yet experience no opposition from those whom they so
condemn. " If they will live godly in Christ Jesus, they must
suffer persecution f ." But they were alike superior to the
terrors and the allurements of the world ; being neither de
terred from duty by the one, nor allured to any evil by the
other. They fought manfully against all the enemies of their
salvation ; and never ceased to fight, till all their enemies, and
" Satan himself at their head, were bruised under their feet."

True, they were but few in number; but they were not
discouraged by this : they would " not follow a multitude to
do evil." It was no question with them, whether others acted
agreeably to God s commands: the question was, What has
God required ? and, having once ascertained that, they could
not be prevailed upon, by any consideration whatever, to
decline the path of duty, or to violate any obligation that lay
upon them. They knew it to be their duty to " shine as lights
in the world;" and they endeavoured "so to make their light
shine, that all who beheld them should be constrained to
glorify their Father who was in heaven."]

a 1 John ii. 15, 16. b 1 Thess. ii. 10. c Jam. iii. 2.
d 1 Kings viii. 46. e Phil. ii. 15. f 2 Tim. iii. 12.

2497.] EPISTLE TO SARDIS. 99

In exact accordance with their conduct is,
II. Their reward

The coincidence between their conduct and the
reward assigned them is remarkable : they had so
walked as to " keep their garments clean," and to
honour their Lord before men ; and they shall
henceforth "walk with their Lord in white," and "be
honoured by him in the presence of his Father and
his holy angels."

Here, you will observe, are promised to them,

1. The full fruition of all the objects they sought

[They were, as indeed all true believers are, " a holy
priesthood" to the Lord. To him they offered the sacrifices
of prayer and praise continually ; yea, they yielded up them
selves as living sacrifices to the Lord. For God also they
maintained a contest against the world and the flesh and the
devil ; and they approved themselves in all things as " good
soldiers of Jesus Christ." Now, the priests were clad in
white ; as was even the high-priest himself, when he went
within the vail. And conquerors, too, when they went in
triumphant procession, were also robed in white. Now, says
our blessed Lord, ye, in both capacities, shall have your wishes
fully accomplished ; for in every respect ye are worthy of the
honour which I am about to confer upon you. In both the
foregoing respects I have preceded you : I offered myself a
sacrifice to God ; and am now within the vail, enjoying the
nearest possible access to him. I also fought and overcame,
and am enjoying all the fruits of victory at the right hand of
God. To me therefore shall ye, who have followed me in
these respects, be for ever assimilated, and with me shall be
partakers of all my blessedness. With me ye walked in this
world : with me shall ye walk in the world above. With me
ye walked so warily as to keep your garments undefiled : and
with me shall ye walk in white for ever, beyond the possibility
of ever contracting defilement ; having a far nearer access to
God than ever ye could attain on earth; and crowned with
glory, far beyond all that in your earthly state it was possible
for you to enjoy. I regard you as " worthy" of this honour ;
not indeed on account of any merit that there was even in
your best services, but as possessing a meetness for it. Your
whole life was a state of preparation for this honour ; and I
proclaim you both meet for it, and worthy of it.]

2. The public approbation of the Lord whom they
served

H 2

100 REVELATION, III. 46. [2497.

[For the Lord s sake they had given up their names to
reproach, so that their enemies, and even their friends and
relatives, had been ready to blot out their names from any
book where they might be had in remembrance. To such a
degree had they been despised, that " they were counted as
the very filth of the world, and the off-scouring of all things g ."
To these things had they meekly submitted, even to their
dying hour, " rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame for their Lord s sakeV In return for these services,
the Lord promises them, " I will not blot out your names from
the book of life : on the contrary, I will confess your names
before my Father and his holy angels;" I will proclaim you as
faithful servants ; I will acknowledge you as beloved friends ;
I will honour you in the presence of the whole assembled
universe, as partakers of my throne, and as heirs of my glory.
Your work shall be seen in your reward ; and your reward
shall bear proportion to your work.]

And now "let him that hath an ear, hear what the
Spirit saith unto the Churches." Hear,

1. Ye who complain of piety as needless precise-
ness

[Suppose you saw a man clothed in white garments, and
walking in the midst of dirty and crowded streets ; and were
told, that the man s life depended on his keeping his garments
clean from the morning even unto night : would you wonder
that he was circumspect, and on his guard against coming in
contact with that which would defile him ? Would you wonder
that he endeavoured so to take every step, that he might ulti
mately attain his end, and approve himself to the person that
should inspect his garments at the close of the day ? What
mean ye then by condemning the Christian for his holy walk,
and by deriding it as needless preciseness? That it differs
from those around him, I grant : and I think ye will clearly
see, how much the walk of these favoured " few at Sardis"
must have differed from that of those, who " had a name to
live, but were dead." I tell you, brethren, it must be so : and
every one of you, who will be approved of the Lord in the last
day, must " have the mind which was in Christ Jesus," and
" walk even as he walked" ]

2. Ye who dare to be singular in an ungodly
world

[Amidst the Church of Sardis there were " a few," and
only a few, who walked acceptably to God. But was this their
fault ? All the others should have resembled them : and if

& 1 Cor. iv. 13. h Acts v.41.

2498. ] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 101

they would not, it was to the honour of that little band that
they dared to be singular. But let me not be misunderstood.
I am not recommending singularity in matters of indifference :
no : such affectation I greatly disapprove : but, in things which
are of importance to the welfare of the soul, we should know
no example but that of Christ and his Apostles, nor any rule
but the written word of God : and if others will not walk with
us in this way, and agreeably to this rule, we must say, with
Joshua, " Whatever the whole world may do, as for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord 1 ." Go on, brethren, even
though ye be like Noah in the antediluvian world, or like Lot
in Sodom. If others be careless of their walk, " keep ye your
garments clean." And if others be offended at your singu
larity, and " cast out your name as evil on account of it," let
it suffice to know, that " your names are written in heaven ;"
and that, when your adversaries shall be disclaimed by God as
unworthy of the least mercy, ye shall be approved, as worthy
of all the honour and blessedness that your God and Saviour
can confer upon you.]

* Josh. xxiv. 15.

MMCCCCXCVIII.

EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA.

Rev. iii. 7, 8. To the angel of the Church in Philadelphia
write ; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he
that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man
shutteth ; and shutteth, and no man openeth ; I know thy
works.

THOSE who imagine that the letters to the seven
Churches refer, in a prophetic way, to different pe
riods of the Church, consider this as descriptive of
the Millennial age. It is true, there is in this epistle
nothing brought forward as matter of reprehension ;
nor is there any threatening contained in it ; but it
is very far from answering to that elevation of piety
which the whole Scriptures teach us to expect in
that day. The particulars addressed to this Church
will be considered in our next discourse : at present,
we confine our attention to the introductory part of
it ; in which, as in all the other epistles, we notice
the description which our blessed Lord gives of his
own character. The attributes ascribed to him are,

102 REVELATION, III. 7, 8. [2498.

I. Essential, and personal

He is here spoken of as " He that is holy, and He
that is true." Now, as man, he answered to this
character : for he gave to his bitterest enemies this
challenge, "Which of you convinceth me of sin a ."
And when they had sought by all possible means to
find a flaw in him, they were constrained to acknow
ledge that " they could find in him no fault at all b ?"
And, so far as truth is concerned, no person was able
to controvert or contradict one word he ever spake :
he was in all things, and on all occasions, " the True
and Faithful Witness ." But He is not merely holy
and true, as all his servants are : no ; he is the Holy
One, who is truth itself, even " God over all," essen
tially and immutably possessing these attributes in
all their fulness. He may, in a sense inapplicable
to any created being, be designated,

"He that is holy"

[Holiness is an essential attribute of the Deity. The
angels around his throne celebrate this perfection, saying,
" Holy, Holy Holy, is the Lord of Hosts ; the whole earth is
full of his glory d ." Indeed, in a more especial manner is this
attribute acknowledged ; since, in a peculiar and pre-eminent
degree, he is distinguished by it : " Who is like unto thee, O
Lord, amongst the gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious in
holiness 6 ?" The very name, " The Holy One," and, " The
Holy One of Israel," is that by which Jehovah is most com
monly designated. And it is so identified with Deity, as to
be incommunicable to any creature whatever : " Thus saith the
Lord thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel ; I am the Lord
thy God f ." Yet is this the name by which Christ, the great
Bridegroom of the Church is called : " Thy Maker is thine
Husband ; the Lord of Hosts is his name ; and thy Redeemer
the Holy One of Israel ; the God of the whole earth shall he
be called g ." To him is this name expressly applied, both in
citations from the Old Testament, and in direct affirmations by
the inspired Apostles. St. Peter, on the day of Pentecost,
declares, that in the resurrection of Jesus that Scripture was
fulfilled, " Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt
thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption 11 ." And in his

a John viii. 46. b John xviii. 38. and xix. 4 6.

c ver. 14. d Isai. vi. 3. e Exod. xv. 11.

f Isai. xlviii. 17. & Isai. liv. 5.

h Acts ii. 27. with Ps. xvi. 10.

2498.] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 103

very next address to the Jews, he charges home upon them
their sin in these words : " Ye denied the Holy One and
the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and
killed the Prince of LifeV It is remarkable, that even the
devils were constrained to acknowledge Jesus under this cha
racter: "Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee, who
thou art, the Holy One of God k ."

To him, in like manner, may be applied the name,]

" He that is true "

[Truth is also an attribute of the Deity. Moses says of
him, " A God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is
He." He is a " God that cannot lie 1 ." So of Jesus is this
same perfection predicated, as constituting an essential and
immutable part of his character : " God has given us an under
standing, that we may know Him that is true ; and we are in
Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ: this is the
True God, and Eternal Life m ."

It must be remembered, that in several parts of the descrip
tion given of Jesus, in these different epistles, his Divine cha
racter is particularly marked. " He who was dead, and is
alive again," is expressly called, " The First and the Last 11 ;"
which cannot possibly be applied to any but the one true God.
We therefore recognize in the characters assigned to Him in
my text, not only his pre-eminence as man, but his essential
character as God.~\

We now proceed to notice the Lord Jesus in that
part of his character which is,

II. Ministerial and official

What is said of his " having the key of David" will
be best understood by referring to that passage in
the prophecies of Isaiah from whence the words are
taken. Shebna had been " treasurer over the king s
house," under Ahaz and Hezekiah : but, for his pride
and carnal security, God determined to cast him out,
even as a ball is cast out from a sling ; and to sub
stitute, in his place, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah , to
whom should henceforth be given the key of the
house of David, so that he should manage every
thing with uncontrolled authority, opening where no
man should shut, and shutting where no man should

i Acts iii. 14, 15. k Luke iv. 33, 34. ! Tit. i. 2.
m 1 John v. 20. n Rev. ii. 8. Isai, xxii. 1520.

104 REVELATION, III. 7, 8. [2498.

open p ." The key that was put upon his shoulder
was an emblem of his authority : and in the whole of
this office he was a type of Jesus Christ, who, in his
mediatorial capacity, was elevated to the throne of
David q , and invested with all power to govern his
people agreeably to his sovereign will. This power
he exercises,

1. Over the world

[Seated at the right hand of God, " he doth according to
his will, in the armies of heaven and amongst the inhabitants
of the earth ; nor can any stay his hand, or say unto him,
What doest thou r ?" So unlimited is his government, that
" not so much as a sparrow falls to the ground" without his
special permission.]

2. Over the Church

[This is his more special charge. He is constituted
" Head over all things to the Church," that he may order
every thing for its edification and advancement 8 . To his
servants, who go forth to preach his Gospel, he " opens a
great and effectual door" which none can shut, or interposes
his prohibition, as seems good in his sight*. To his provi
dential care it must be ascribed, that the Church has stood its
ground amidst the most inveterate enemies, and been kept
alive as a spark in the midst of a tempestuous ocean. He
said that " the gates of hell should never prevail against his
Church ;" and he has fulfilled his word, even to the present
hour. The most powerful nations have been brought to
nought: but of his Church and kingdom there shall be
no end.]

3. Over every individual in the Church

[It is particularly said of Eliakim, that " he should be a
father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of
JudahV and this office does Jesus execute towards every one
of his people. It is not possible adequately to express either
his affection for them, or his care over them. Suffice it to say,
that " not so much as a hair is suffered to fall from the head
of any one of them," except as He is pleased to permit. Con
ceive of a steward, at the head of a large family ; how anxious
will he be to provide for every member of that family his
portion in due season ! So shall every the least arid meanest
of the saints be supplied out of the fulness that is in Christ

P Isai. xxii. 21, 22. q Luke i. 32, 33. r Dan. iv. 35.

s Eph. i. 22, 23. l 1 Cor. xvi. 9. with Acts xvi. 69.

11 Isai. xxii. 21.

2498.] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 105

Jesus, and be furnished with every thing that he stands in
need of, for body and for soul, for time and for eternity.
With uncontrollable sovereignty will he appoint to all, as he
sees fit ; at the same time that every thing is ordered by him
with unerring wisdom and incessant care : nor against any one
of his appointments shall all the powers of darkness prevail.
His power is irresistible ; and in every case, without exception,
" his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his will*."

This is the power committed to him from above; and, as
long as there shall continue any scope for the exercise of his
mediatorial office, he will exercise it for the good of his Church
and people. But, when the end shall be fully come, then will
he deliver up this kingdom to the Father s hands, and " God
shall be all in ally."]

SEE then,

1. To whom we are to approve ourselves

[It is not man s judgment that we should regard; but
the judgment of Him whose holiness will try our most secret
thoughts, and whose truth will assign to every one his portion
in perfect conformity with the written word. As for man, he,
be his judgment what it may, can neither open heaven, nor
shut it: but Jesus has " the keys of hell and of death 2 :" and,
if he open heaven to those who are waiting for him, none shall
shut it against them: nor, if he shut heaven against the
unwatchful, shall all the entreaties that can ever be urged
prevail to gain them admission. I charge you then, brethren,
to remember that admonition which he gives to all his Churches
without exception ; " I know thy works :" for, most assuredly,
according to what he sees and knows, respecting every one of
us, will his sentence of admission or exclusion be. Then, at
all events, whatever his present forbearance may lead us to
imagine, " will he judge with righteousness, and reprove with
equity ; and righteousness will be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins a ."]

2. On whom, in all things, we are to depend

[To Christ alone are we to look, both as uur Advocate
and our Head. He has all fulness committed to him on
purpose for us ; and we are to receive out of that fulness,
according to our wants. Of Eliakim it is said, " They shall
hang upon him all the glory of his father s house, the offspring
and the issue, all the vessels of small quantity, from the vessels
of cups even to all the vessels of flagons V And this shews
on whom we are to rely, even every one of us, from the least

x Isai. xlvi. 10. y 1 Cor. xv. 28. z Rev. i. 18.

a Isai. xi. 4, 5. b Isai. xxii. 24.

106 REVELATION, III. 811. [2499.

to the greatest. All of us must "live" by faith on him, even
" by faith in the Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself
for us c ." Let us but look to him, and we have nothing to
fear : for he is able to supply our every want, " that we, having
always ^//-sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every
good work d ," and " have an abundant entrance ministered
unto us into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ 6 ."]

c Gal. ii. 20. d 2 Cor. ix. 8. e 2 Pet. i. 10, 11.

MMCCCCXCIX.

EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA.

Rev. iii. 8 11. / know thy ivorks : behold, I have set before
thee an open door, and no man can shut it : for thou hast a
little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied
my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of
Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie ;
behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet,
and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept
the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour
of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly :
hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

IN this Church, as in that at Smyrna, the Lord
saw nothing to condemn : and therefore, in the
epistle written to them, there is not a word either of
reproof or threatening. It is true, that the commen
dations bestowed on them are not so copious and ener
getic as those in which some others of the Churches
were addressed : but it is no little praise to them,
that nothing was found among them deserving of
reproof. Such a mediocrity of character is by no
means displeasing in the sight of God. For, granting
that a man s piety is not so exalted in some respects
as that of others, yet, if it is without that unhappy
alloy which in many cases debases and degrades the
profession of more distinguished Christians, it is more
acceptable to God on the whole. We read of some
who were " as a cake not turned a ;" burnt up, as it

, a Hos. vii. 8.

2499. ] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 107

were, on one side, while they are altogether doughy
on the other. In contradistinction to such charac
ters, they more approve themselves as " sons of God,
who are blameless and harmless, and without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation V

The words which I have read contain the entire
address of our Lord to the Church of Philadelphia ;
with the exception of the concluding promise to those
who shall finally overcome in the Christian warfare ;
which promise forms the close of every epistle.
That I may bring it before you. in one entire view,
and render it as useful as I can to ourselves, I will
consider,

I. The peculiar subjects here addressed to them

The subjects will all appear in their order, if we
mark,

1. The testimony borne

[Our blessed Lord had " set before that Church an open
door" for the ministration of the Gospel and the enjoyment of
its blessings ; and, by his special providence, had taken care
that " no man should shut it." Great opposition, indeed,
had been made to them, and the most violent persecution had
raged against them : but they " had kept the word of Christ,"
even " the word of his patience ;" which is so called, because
no man ever embraces it aright without having abundant
occasion for patience, whilst he holds it fast, and endeavours
to adorn it by a suitable conversation. The trials they had
endured in consequence of adhering to that word had been
exceeding heavy. Yet, notwithstanding " they possessed but
little strength, they had approved themselves faithful to their
Lord, and could in no instance be prevailed upon to " deny
his name."

Now, this was an honourable testimony ; and the more so,
because " their strength was small." If their talents were few,
they endeavoured to employ them to the honour of their Lord :
and they thereby performed towards him a good and acceptable
service.]

2. The promise given

[This was suited to the occasion. There were coining
upon the Church trials far more severe than any they had
yet endured. The persecution under the Emperor Trajan

b Phil. ii. 15.

108 REVELATION, III. 811. [2499.

seems to be that which is here more particularly referred to :
for that was of fourteen years duration, and destroyed many
thousands of Christians throughout all the Roman Empire.
God permitted these persecutions to arise, " for the trying of
his people," and the making of a visible distinction between
those who were upright and those who were dissemblers with
God. Now, to these persecutions the Church of Philadelphia
would have been exposed in as great a degree as others, if
God had not, in part, averted the storm : but He, in mercy to
his faithful people, and as a recompence of their fidelity,
screened them in some measure from the violence of the tem
pest, and, by the mighty working of his power, enabled them
to sustain whatever portion of it was permitted to fall upon
them : thus fulfilling to them that precious promise, " God is
faithful ; who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it c ."

But he further assured them, for their comfort, that those
Judaizing teachers who boasted of their eminence as Chris
tians, while they were in fact no Christians at all, but " of the
synagogue of Satan ;" that they, I say, who were their most
inveterate enemies, " should come and worship at their feet,"
and " confess that these very persons whom they had perse
cuted were indeed the favourites of their God." Such cases
had often occurred, in the history of the Lord s people d ; and
such should occur to them. In what way, and to what ex
tent, this was fulfilled to them, we are not informed : but
there can be no doubt, but that, in many instances, their piety
was instrumental to the conviction of their enemies, and, in
many instances too, to their conversion : so that what had
been fulfilled in the Centurion at our Lord s death 6 , and in
the Jailor at Philippi f , was, to a very great extent, realized in
them ; agreeably to that prophetic declaration, " The sons of
them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee, and all
they that despised thee shall bow down themselves at the soles
of thy feet: and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The
Zion of the Holy One of IsraeK"]

3. The caution administered

[Blameless as they were, and hitherto victorious, yea, and
protected by the special providence of their God, yet did they
need to be stirred up to holy vigilance, and to persevering
exertion in the divine life. Thus far they were entitled to a
crown of life : but still they were on the field of battle, and

c 1 Cor. x. 13. d Gen. 1. 1517. Esth. viii. 17.

e Matt, xxvii. 54. f Acts xvi. 33, 34.

s Isai. Ix. 14.

2499.] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 109

must not indulge security or remissness, " lest their crown
should, after all, be lost." True, the time for their sufferings
and their labours was but short, because their " Lord was
coming quickly," to terminate the one, and to reward the other.
But still, till he should come, and dismiss them from their
warfare, they must " hold fast" every principle they had re
ceived, and every practice they had maintained : for on their
steadfastness, in fact, depended the final possession of their
crown. If they " turned back, it would be unto perdition 11 ;"
and " if they were again overcome by the world which they
had vanquished, their last end would be worse than their be
ginning 1 ." It was only " by being faithful unto death, that
they could finally secure the crown of lifeV]

Having thus brought into view the substance of
our Lord s address to this highly-favoured Church,
and opened the subjects contained in it, I proceed to
point out,

II. The improvement which we should make of them,
for our benefit at this time

Truly, in these subjects, we may find much,

1. To encourage the weak

[Many are discouraged because " they have but little
strength." But what a mercy is it to possess any strength at
all ! The great mass of mankind are led captive by their
spiritual enemies, yea, " are led captive by the devil at his
will." Surely, then, to have strength for the combat, even
though it be but little, is a blessing for which we never can
be sufficiently thankful. Be it so, " our enemies live and are
mighty :" but still, " He that dwelleth on high is mightier ;"
and His strength, if only we trust in him, " shall be made
perfect in our weakness 1 ." It should seem that our God and
Saviour takes peculiar care to impress on our minds a sense
of our weakness, on purpose that we may be led the more
simply and implicitly to trust in him. What is weaker than a
sheep in the midst of devouring wolves and lions ? yet, says our
blessed Lord, " Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father s
good pleasure to give you the kingdom" 1 ." We cannot con
ceive of any thing more disproportionate than the power of a
worm to effect any extensive change upon a mountain : yet
says God to his people, " Fear not, thou worm Jacob : for
thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and
shalt make the hills as chaff, fanning them with irresistible

fc Heb. x. 39. * 2 Pet. ii. 20. k R ev . ft. IQ.

1 2 Cor. xii. 19. m Luke xii. 32.

110 REVELATION, III. 811. [2499.

power, and scattering them as a whirlwind n ." Who, then has
any reason to despond or be discouraged on account of either
the power of his enemies, or the smallness of his own strength ?
Only see what God enabled the Philadelphian Christians,
notwithstanding their weakness, to effect ; and the very least
amongst you may find reason to " glory rather in your in
firmities, because, when you are weak, then are you really
strong ." Not but that we should desire to grow " from
babes to young men, and from young men to fathers ;" but in
a sense of our extreme weakness we never can exceed. To
our latest hour we must be " strong only in the Lord, and in
the power of his might :" and, if we be " strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus," then shall " we be able to do all things
through the strength that we derive from Him p ," and shall " be
more than conquerors through Him that loveth us q ."]

2. To establish the wavering

[Who is there that has not been tempted, on some occa
sions, to a dereliction of his duty? If the Christians of the
Philadelphian Church, blameless as they were, and steadfast
as they had been in such violent persecutions, yet needed that
solemn admonition, " Hold fast that thou hast, that no man
take thy crown," surely we, who have been so often drawn
aside by the allurements of the world, and the corruptions of
our hearts, and the devices of our great enemy, need to have
it impressed deeply on our minds. Now, let me suppose one
of you to be going into worldly company and worldly pleasures,
or to be plunging yourselves unnecessarily into worldly cares ;
and to be at the same time, as must necessarily be the case,
declining in spirituality of mind, and in heavenly zeal ; what
shall I say to you ? What ? O think what you have at stake,
and are likely to lose a " crown ! " a kingdom ! Again, if
there be one of you that is yielding to the fear of man, or
" putting his light under a bushel" for fear of its offending
some friend, some patron, or some enemy ; What shall I say
to you also, but this ? Think what you have at stake a
" crown ! " a kingdom ! Who, in his senses, would risk the loss
of this, for any thing that this world could give or take away ?
I pray you, contemplate the glory and felicity of heaven : yea,
and take into the account, also, the sad alternative the shame
and misery of hell. Will you expose yourselves to the loss of
the one, and the consequent endurance of the other, for any
transient pleasure, or to avoid any momentary pain ? O beg
of God, I pray you, that you may not " fall from your own
steadfastness 1 ," and "make shipwreck of your faith." What

n Isai. xli. 1416. 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. P Phil. iv. 13.
&lt;i Rom. viii. 37. r 2 Pet. iii. 17.

2499.] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. Ill

does Demas now think of his apostasy ? And what will you
think, in a little time, of all which appears now so fascinating
to your minds? I charge you, brethren, before God, yield not
to the tempter; but " be steadfast, immoveable, and always
abounding in the work of the Lord ; forasmuch as ye know
that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 8 ."]

3. To humble the self-confident

[What would those, of whom our Lord speaks in my text,
who " said they were Jews, the real people of the Lord, whilst
they were not, but did lie, and were in reality of the synagogue
of Satan ;" what, I say, would they have replied to the accusa
tion in my text ? Methinks, there would have been no bounds
to their indignation. But it was true, notwithstanding. And
it is true, also, of many at this day. A proud sceptic or infidel
will call himself a Christian : but " he lies." A conceited and
contentious heretic, who has no zeal but for some notions of
his own, with which he labours to divide the Church of Christ,
may call himself a Christian : but " he also lies." To come
nearer home, the man who, like the Judaizing Christians, hates
the simple doctrine of salvation by faith, and, from a pretended
zeal for good works, blends the law with the Gospel as a joint
ground of his hope, he, I say, will account himself a Christian
of the highest caste and character: but " he lies;" for " he is
a perverter of the Gospel," and is, in reality, " of the synagogue
of Satan:" and, if he were an angel from heaven, I must say
of him, as St. Paul does, " Let him be accursed 1 ." Now, I am
aware that this seems harsh : but what is to be done ? It is
not I who speak these things, but the Lord : and I dare not
keep back his word. I must, at the peril of my own soul,
" declare his whole counsel." Whoever then thou art, that
professest thyself a Christian, whilst thou art essentially de
fective either in the principles or tempers of Christianity, I
must warn thee against thy delusions, and tell thee that thou
deceivest thine own soul. O that God would humble thee, ere
it be too late ; and make thee to see, that none but the broken
and contrite in heart can ever find favour in his sight ! The
poor believer, who trembles at his word, and looks to Christ
alone for salvation, is " the only person that is beloved of his
God." Come then, and seek salvation in His way : seek it
simply and entirely by faith in Christ : then shall you also find
acceptance with God, and be made " partakers of the felicity
of his chosen." But, if ye will persist in your enmity to God,
and his Christ, and his people, know, that ye shall have your
portion with him " of whose synagogue ye are :" for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it. To the impenitent and unbelieving

8 1 Cor. xv. 58. t Gal. i. 79.

112 REVELATION, III. 12, 13. [2500.

" there remains nothing but a certain fearful looking-for of
judgment, and fiery indignation to consume them u ." The
Lord avert from you that fate, for Christ s sake !]

Heb. x. 26, 27.

HMD.

EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA.

Rev. iii. 12, 13. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in
the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out : and I
will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of
the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh
down out of heaven from my God : and I ivill write upon
him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto the Churches.

HEAR hear what the Spirit saith unto the
Churches, and to every individual soul that hath an
ear to hear it. We have already heard " exceeding
great and precious promises" made unto the Church :
but in the passage before us there is a grandeur
which overpowers the mind, and a depth which it is
scarcely possible to fathom. What a thought ! that
you, who are here assembled, are soon to be made
pillars in the temple of God above, provided you now
" fight the good fight of faith," and obtain the victory
over the enemies of your souls ! Attend then, I pray
you, and lift up your hearts to God for his blessing,
whilst I endeavour to set before you,

I. The reward prepared for God s victorious ser
vants
They shall be pillars in the temple of the Lord

[The precise import of this promise it is not easy to de
clare ; because the allusion which is here made to pillars
erected in heathen temples had not any thing to correspond
with it in the temple of Solomon. As for the two pillars
named Jachin and Boaz, they were in the porch of the temple,
and not in the temple itself; nor had they any inscription
whatever upon them 3 . For the elucidation of our subject, we
must look, not to them, but to a practice which obtained

a 1 Kings vii. 21.

2500. J EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 113

amongst the Greeks and Romans, of erecting monuments to
their generals, who had obtained great success against their
enemies. These were often pillars, with inscriptions on them ;
and they were placed, sometimes near the temples of their
gods, and sometimes within them. Now, says our blessed
Lord, such pillars my victorious saints shall be in heaven :
" I will make them pillars in the temple of my God." And
whereas the pillars constructed in earthly temples must in
time fall to decay, the saints should retain their honour through
eternal ages ; " They shall go no more out :" the temple in
which they are placed shall stand : and they also shall en
dure as long as heaven itself shall endure, even through all
eternity.]

On them, also, shall there be a suitable inscrip
tion

[On the pillars in the heathen temples were inscribed the
name of the god to whose power they ascribed the victories,
and whom they sought to honour as the author of them. There
was also written the name of the city that had given birth to
this great general, or been the peculiar place of his residence :
and further, there was inscribed also the name of the sovereign
whose servant he was, or of the commander under whose
direction he fought.

Now, in conformity with these customs, our Lord says, that
on his people, who shall themselves be the pillars, he will
" write " the name of " his God ;" (for Jesus, as Man and as
Mediator, calls Jehovah " his Father and our Father, and his
God and our God :") yes, the name of Jehovah, who enabled
them to gain the victory, and to whom alone the glory of it is
due, shall be written upon them.

On them also shall be written " the name of the city of his
God, the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven
from his God." The New Jerusalem is the Church of God b .
And it " comes down from God out of heaven," precisely as
the tabernacle and temple did; a model of the one being
shewn to Moses for a pattern , and to David for the other d .
This descent of the city from heaven is repeatedly mentioned
in the Holy Scriptures 6 : and it is deserving of particular
notice in this place, because there is not a stone in the whole
building which was not taken out from the quarry by God himself,
and formed and fashioned for its station. The strokes that are
given to each stone with the hammer and the chisel, are given
in this world, at a distance from the temple above. When the
stones are carried thither, the sound of any tool is not once

b Gal. iv. 25, 26. c Exod. xxv. 40.

d 1 Chron. xxviii. 12, 19. e Rev. xxi. 2, 10.

VOL. XXI. I

114 REVELATION, III. 12, 13. [2500.

heard f ; every stone being already fitted for the place, which,
in His sovereign will, he has ordained it to occupy.

Further, on them also will our blessed Lord " write his new
name, JESUS," which was given him at his birth : for He it is
who called them to be soldiers, and directed all their efforts,
and strengthened them for the combat, and beat down their
enemies before their face ; and, consequently, to Him also, as
the Captain of their salvation, must all honour be ascribed.

Now then I say, " Hear," brethren, if indeed " ye have
ears to hear," what inconceivable honour is reserved for God s
faithful servants : and attend yet further, whilst I endeavour to
point out to you,]

II. The excellency of this reward

Methinks, nothing can add to the terms that are
here used, or enhance the grandeur of the description
here given. Yet it may be well to consider this
reward in the light in which it will then appear :

1. As the consummation of God s eternal pur
poses

[From all eternity did God determine to take unto him
self a people from our fallen race, and to exalt them to thrones
of glory in his kingdom. From all eternity, also, did he "pre
destinate persons to be his adopted children g ," and " choose
them unto salvation 11 ," even to that very salvation which they
will in due time enjoy. In their appointed season he " called
them by his grace, and justified " them from their sins, and
sanctified them by his Spirit : and when they shall be " glori
fied V then shall all his counsels be fulfilled, and all the won
ders of his love be unravelled, from beginning to end. Then
will the reason of all his dispensations appear ; just as does the
reason of the builder s conduct towards every individual stone
of a pillar, when it shall be found in a place ordained for it. O !
how will this enhance the value of the reward, when the con
ferring of it shall be found to have occupied the Divine mind
from all eternity; and all the wisdom, and power, and love,
and faithfulness of God shall be seen to have been employed in
preparing the soul for the enjoyment of it.]

2. As the completion of all Christ s glorious en
gagements

[What he undertook was, to redeem our souls by his own
most precious blood, and to search us out, and bring us home,
and keep us in his fold, and introduce us finally to his fold

f 1 Kings vi. 7. g Eph. i. 5.

h 2 Thess. ii. 13. * Rom. viii. 30.

2500.] EPISTLE TO PHILADELPHIA. 115

above k . The effecting of this was " the joy that was set before
him ;" in the prospect of which " he endured the cross and
despised the shame, till he sat down triumphant at the right
hand of God V And when he shall behold the exaltation of
his redeemed people, then will he " see the travail of his soul,
and be fully satisfied " with all that he ever did or suffered for
the attainment of this great object" 1 . Contemplate, then, the
satisfaction which Christ will feel, in " making us such pillars"
and in " inscribing all these characters upon us /" (for in my
text, you see it is his entire work ;) and then tell me, whether
the reward bestowed upon us be not, beyond all expression,
great. If viewed only as a benefit conferred, it is beyond
measure glorious : but if viewed as the perfection of the Re
deemer s work, it absolutely far exceeds all the powers of
language to express, or of any finite comprehension to con
ceive.]

3. As the crown of all our labours

[This is that reward to which all the patriarchs looked n :
and for which Moses forsook all the pleasures and honours of
the first nation upon earth . And it is by that, that all the
saints, at this day, are sustained in their conflicts with sin and
Satan. Whilst here on the field of battle, they have some
foretastes of that glory ; for now " have they the Spirit of
adoption, to cry Abba, Father p ;" now do they feel themselves
to have come unto Mount Zion q , and to be " fellow-citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God r ;" and now is
"Jesus truly precious" to their souls 8 . These names, I say,
are already written upon their hearts by the Spirit of God ;
yea, and " their own names, too, are written in heaven*." But
still they have many conflicts, as long as they continue in this
world : it is not till they get to heaven that they " rest from
their labours" :" but there they have their happiness unmixed
with any alloy of pain or sorrow ; " all tears having been
wiped from their eyes by God himself; and "every thing that
can occasion pain having passed away for ever x ." Was it, think
you, a joy to the whole nation of Israel to see all their enemies
dead upon the sea-shore ? Be assured, that this is the happi
ness that awaits you : for as, on the one hand, " you shall
never more go out" to meet your enemies, so " into that
world shall nothing ever enter^" to disturb your peace.]

k Ezek. xxxiv. 11,23,24. ! Heb. xii. 2. m Isai. liii. 11.

n Heb. xi. 1316. Heb. xi. 25, 26. P Rom. viii. 15.

9 Heb. xii. 22. r Eph. ii. 19. s 1 Pet. ii. 7.

* Luke x. 20. Rev. xiv. 13. x Rev. xxi. 4.
y Rev. xxi. 27.

116 REVELATION, III. 12, 13. [2500.

4. As a monument erected to the honour of God
him self-
fin monuments raised to our own naval and military
commanders, even in those which are erected in the temples
of our God, the creature is too much lauded, and God too
much forgotten : but in heaven, on every pillar is inscribed
the name of God, and of Christ, and of that blessed city, the
New Jerusalem, to which we belong : but in no instance is there
any record of SELF. No ; self is altogether forgotten there ;
and no praise is offered but to Him who redeemed us to God by
his blood. Even the angels, who never sinned, utter not a
word in commendation of themselves ; but all unite in one
harmonious song of praise, " to God, and to the Lamb, for
ever and ever."

Now, then, conceive of the millions, more numerous than
the sands upon the sea-shore, established in heaven as living
and imperishable monuments of God s power and grace : how
will this very circumstance enhance the blessedness of the
redeemed ! To honour God below, and be witnesses for Him
on earth, was no little joy : but to be such monuments in
heaven, and to exhibit to all eternity the glory of that God
who ordered all, and of that Saviour who accomplished all, this
will be indeed the perfection of bliss, and may well determine
every soul of man to live only for the attainment of it.]

And now, I ASK,

[Who amongst you will not enlist in this army ? or who,
having once enlisted, will not fight manfully against all his

enemies ? Come, gird yourselves, brethren, for the

combat : put on the whole armour of God : and never cease
to fight in your Saviour s strength, till he shall have crowned
your efforts with victory. You well know what efforts men
will make, what labours they will sustain, what privations they
will submit to, and what dangers they will encounter, for a
corruptible crown, some title of honour, some earthly estate,
or some monumental record, that shall transmit their names
to posterity ; which yet they may never attain, and which, if
attained, must soon perish ; and shall there be any thing for
you to do or suffer in the prospect of this sure reward, which
will be perpetuated through eternal ages ? Fight ye then, I
say, and " war a good warfare ;" and rest assured, that, at the
close of your contest, your triumph shall be complete, and this
reward be accorded to you by that adorable Saviour under
whom you have fought.]

2501.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 117

MMDI.

EPISTLE TO LAODICEA.

Rev. iii. 14 16. Unto the angel of the Church of the Laodi-
ceans write ; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and
true witness, the beginning of the creation of God ; I know
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot : I would thou
wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

WHEREVER the leading truths of Christianity
are maintained and professed, there may be said to
be a Church of Christ. But it is too often found,
that the angels or ministers of such Churches go on
in the external exercise of their functions, without
ever feeling the influence of the truth upon their
own souls, or stimulating their people to high and
heavenly attainments. Thus it was with the Church
at Laodicea : the pastor and the flock had shame
fully degenerated from their former experience ; and
were resting in a state worse than any other of the
Churches in Asia ; a state wherein their Lord could
see nothing to approve, but every thing to condemn.
Having occasion to testify against them in so severe
a manner, our Lord described himself precisely in
such terms as the occasion required. Being about
to declare what their inward experience was, as
opposed to their outward appearance and profession,
he spake of himself as " the Amen, the Faithful and
True Witness," whose testimony could not be con
troverted or questioned : he spake of himself, also,
as " the Beginning," that is, the Efficient Cause, or
Ruler and Governor a , " of the creation of God ;"
who, having all things at his disposal, would with
irresistible power execute all that his wisdom had
decreed, and his lips had spoken. Such being his
perfections, " he could not be deceived, and would
not be mocked."

In all of this we are interested, even as they;
being alike bound to submit to his reproofs, and to

118 REVELATION, III. 1416. [2501.

dread his displeasure. Bearing in mind, then, what
a glorious Being we have for our Judge, let us, with
becoming reverence, consider,

I. His reproof of that lukewarm Church

Hear his testimony respecting them

[" I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot."
Doubtless there was amongst them " a form of godliness :"
but they were altogether " destitute of its powerV They
would so far maintain religion, as to keep up a fair character
before men ; but not so regard it, as to approve themselves to
God. If only they " had a name to live," it was all that they
felt any concern about . In all the sublimer exercises of piety
they were habitually and wilfully deficient. As for delight in
God, and zeal for his glory, they sought not any such attain
ments. They had fixed for themselves a far lower, standard,
which required little, if any, exertion on their part ; and be
yond that they had no desire to advance.]

In just accordance with this was the judgment he
denounced against them

[" Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,
I will spue thee out of my mouth." The terms here used to
express the Saviour s indignation against them are doubtless
strong, and, to our refined notions, offensive. But they declare
precisely the lothing and abhorrence which such professors
excite in the bosom of a holy God. In truth, if we justly
viewed the sinfulness of sin, and estimated with any degree of
accuracy its utter malignity, we should feel, that no terms
whatever can be too strong to express its odiousness, and the
abhorrence in which it must of necessity be held by God, not
only when it is manifested in a way of gross excesses, but
when it appears even in a way of secret defect.]

From this address to the Church of Laodicea, we
shall do well to consider,

II. The instruction which it conveys to us

We must remember, that in every epistle we are
called upon to " hear," with self-application, " what
the Spirit saith unto the Churches."

In this reproof, then, we are distinctly taught,

1. That the religion of the world is hateful to
God

b 2 Tim, iii. 5. c vcr. 1.

2501. J EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 119

[The world, especially the more sober and thoughtful
part of it, approves and applauds religion, when carried to a
certain extent. But it is the external part of religion alone
that commends itself to the unregenerate man. That which
is really spiritual and heavenly, is rather to him an object of
disgust?. A carnal man will say, * Cast not off all religion : be
not " cold," and regardless of all sense of duty to your God :
but, on the other hand, lay not religion too much to heart,
neither be " hot" after it, as is the manner of some, who can
scarcely speak or think of any thing else. Take a proper
medium between these extremes, being " neither overmuch
righteous," nor " overmuch wicked d ." Avoid equally what has
the character of profaneness, and that excessive attention to
divine things which borders on enthusiasm. Moderation is
that which you must aim at ; even such a moderation, as, whilst
it satisfies God, will give no offence to man. But what says
God to this? O brethren! far different from this is the
standard which God approves ; or, rather I should say, it is
the very reverse of this. Lukewarmness is that which God
abhors, yea, so abhors it, that nothing can be so offensive to
the stomach of a man, as that is to him. He even declares,]

2. That, in some respects, it is worse than a total
want of all religion

[Beyond all doubt, morality is in itself better than immo
rality, and an outward respect for religion better than down
right impiety and profaneness. But still, when our Lord says,
" I would thou wert. cold or hot," he must be understood to
say, that, on the whole, either extreme would have been pre
ferable to the medium they had chosen. And this is true : for,

A mere formal religion is more dishonourable to God than
open irreligion ; because it is understood by all the world as
intimating, that such a measure of service is, in our opinion,
all that God deserves, and all that he requires ; and that not
even the love of God, in redeeming our souls by the blood of
his dear Son, merits at our hands any better return than this.
The ungodly man s life never has any such construction put
upon it.

A mere formal religion, also, is more injurious to our fellow-
creatures: for it says to every one who beholds us, This is the
way to heaven : this is the precise path, in which, if you walk,
you will attain salvation. An ungodly man s life conveys no
such sentiment to those around him. Nobody looks to him
for a pattern ; and therefore nobody is deceived by him : but
by the formal or hypocritical professor the world are stumbled,
when they see how little good is effected by religion : and

d Eccl. vii. 16, 17.

120 REVELATION, III. 1416. [2501.

weak Christians are kept back from aspiring after higher
attainments.

A mere formal religion is yet further more fatal to our own
souls. A man without any religion is open to conviction ; and,
if convinced of sin, will gladly accept the remedy provided for
him in the Gospel : whereas a lukewarm professor is satisfied
with what he has attained, and will not be persuaded that he
needs any further progress.

Thus you perceive that the world and God are at issue upon
this point : the world approving of no religion but that which
God hates ; and God approving of none but that which the
world abhors. God says, " It is good to be zealously affected
always in a good thing 6 ." The world, on the contrary, says,
* Be as zealously affected in worldly pursuits as you will; but
never carry your zeal into religion : in every thing that relates
to God and to your souls, moderation and not zeal must direct
you. In confirmation of this, the world says, " Seek to enter
in at the strait gate," and all will be well : but God warns us
to the contrary, saying, " Strive to enter in ; for many shall
seek, and not be able f ." In a word, the world think it better
to have no religion at all, than to be wholly under its power ;
and God accounts it better to have none, than such as does not
engage and call into activity all the powers of the soul.]

Let me then ENTREAT you, brethren,

1. To examine the state of your souls before God

[You find that these persons, who were so reproved,
thought themselves " rich and increased with goods, and in
need of nothing 5 ," Beware lest ye also be led away by a
similar delusion. Try yourselves, not by the world s standard,
but God s. To what purpose will it be to be applauded by
man, if God condemn? or what need you regard the judgment
of man, if God approve ? Look into the Scriptures, and see,
Which amongst the prophets did the world approve ? or which
amongst the Apostles ? or when did they approve even Christ
himself? The zeal and piety of these were objects of offence
to the world, and to none more than to the self-righteous
Pharisees: and, if your religion be such as the world approves,
you need no other evidence that you are yet in a state offensive
to God, and fatal to your souls. God " requires the heart h -"
and will be satisfied with nothing less. " A divided heart" he
abhors 1 . See to it, then, that you give up yourselves to him
without reserve ; and let nothing under heaven interfere with
your duty to your God.

Yet let me not be mistaken, as recommending enthusiasm.

e Gal. iv. 18. * Luke xiii. 24. s ver. 17.

h Prov. xxiii. 2(;. { Hos. x. 2.

2502.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 121

No; brethren, I would be as averse to enthusiasm as any;
and would cry out against it as loudly as any. Enthusiasm
consists in following some conceits of our own, without duly
attending to the word of God. Against that I would guard
you, with all my might. But the world condemns all vital and
experimental religion as enthusiasm : and by this device they
seek to justify their own supineness. Be not ye, however,
kept back by them ; but, in obedience to the written word, and
in dependence upon divine grace, endeavour to serve your God,
as God himself is serving you, " with your whole hearts, and
with your whole souls V]

2. To consider what your feelings will be when
"The True and Faithful Witness," the Judge of
quick and dead, shall call you to his tribunal

[Will you not then wish that you had " followed the Lord
fully ? " Will you not then have far different sentiments about
religion, from those which the Christian world at large ap
prove ? And will it not be a matter of deep regret to you, that
you feared man more than God, and obeyed man rather than
God ? Do but conceive what your feelings will be, when the
great " Author and Governor of the universe" shall execute
upon you the judgment threatened, and cast you out, with
the abhorrence which his word has so emphatically declared.
Remember, I pray you, it is not gross sin alone that will
bring this judgment upon you: no; it is lukeivarmness : yes,
though ye have been ever so observant of outward duties, if
your heart have not been in them, ye are not accepted of your
God. To what purpose will any man run, or strive, or fight,
if he do not put forth all his strength, and exert himself
to the uttermost to gain the prize ? So, then, must ye " be
fervent in spirit, while serving the Lord 1 , if ever ye would
" receive from him the crown of righteousness which fadeth
not away."]

k Jer. xxxii. 41. l Rom. xii. 11. " 2 Tim. iv. 8.

MMDII.

EPISTLE TO LAODICEA.

Rev. iii. 17, 18. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and in
creased ivith goods, and have need of nothing ; and knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked : I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in
the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear ; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see.

REVELATION, III. 17, 18. [2502.

ONE would imagine that a person lukewarm in
the concerns of religion must, of necessity, be rilled
with some good measure of diffidence and fear. But
the very reverse of this is found true : for experience
proves that self-sufficiency and self-conceit are the
invariable attendants of lukewarmness : in fact, they
spring out of it naturally, as fruit from the root : for
lukewarmness prevents self-examination ; and a want
of self-examination begets security. The lukewarm
person, feeling that he has within himself a sufficiency
for all that he is inclined to do, easily persuades him
self that he has also a sufficiency for all that he is
bound to do : and under this delusion he rests satis
fied with himself, without looking out for any foreign
aid. Now, this is a most fatal error; and if not
removed, it will deprive us of all that Christ himself
has purchased for us. That I may remove it from
your minds, I will shew,

I. What mistaken views this people had of their state
before God

" They thought that they were rich, and increased
with goods, and in need of nothing "

[This is the state of the Christian Church generally : I
mean of that more respectable part of it which values itself
on the avoiding of all extremes. Moral persons, who have a
respect for religion, will readily enough acknowledge that
they are not so good as they ought to be ; but they have no
conception of the vast extent of their depravity. Like persons
possessed of earthly property, they feel a certain degree of
self-congratulation, that they are " rich, and increased with
goods, and in need of nothing." Their wisdom is sufficient to
guide them in the way to heaven. Their righteousness is
sufficient to recommend them to the Divine favour. Their
strength is sufficient to fulfil their duties, whenever they shall
address themselves to the performance of them. This was the
state of man in Paradise ; and they suppose it to be so still.
They are unconscious that their locks are cut ; and therefore,
in encountering their enemies, are under no apprehension of a
defeat. It is possible, indeed, that they may riot express these
things in words, (though the Laodiceans scrupled not to affirm
it;) but it is invariably the language of their hearts: and in
proof that these are the sentiments of their hearts, we may
appeal to their daily experience. See whether, under a

2502.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 123

consciousness of their great wants, they are crying to God for
the relief of them : if they be not, then is it clear that they feel
not the urgency of their wants, or the extent of their necessities.
And if any man in the universe were to manifest the same
insensibility to his earthly wants, and the same indifference
about obtaining a supply of them, we should all conclude,
either that he was not so poor as he professed himself to be,
or that he had means of supplying his wants which were hid
from us.]

But, in the midst of all this self-sufficiency, they
were indeed in the most destitute condition

[The force of the original is peculiarly strong : it marks
these persons as pre-eminently to be pitied. Respecting every
such deluded sinner it may be said, Here is the man most truly
"wretched," most eminently " miserable a ." And, in truth,
there is perhaps no other person in the universe so miserable
as he. The man who lives in all manner of iniquity is doubt
less a " a wretched and miserable" being: but the man who
fancies himself rich in all good, whilst he is altogether desti
tute, is in a worse condition than he ; because he holds fast
his delusions, from which the other is free ; and despises the
remedy, which the other may, in due season, be prevailed
upon to apply.

But the grounds of this assertion are here detailed : whilst
he, in his own conceit, is " in need of nothing," he is in reality
" poor, and blind, and naked." He is "poor:" for, whatever
he may possess of intellectual or moral good, he has no more
of spiritual good than Satan himself. He has no real love to
God ; no real delight in him ; no real desire after him : no
real wish to please and honour him. Whatever he may have
which may resemble these, it is but a shadow : it has no
substance ; it has no root ; it has no real existence : and in

iving himself credit for it, he only deceives his own soul.

~e is also " blind." Whatever capacity he may have in re
ference to earthly things, he has no " spiritual discernment :"
he has no just sense of the evil of sin, of the beauty of holi
ness, of the blessedness of serving God. He has no idea of
the loveliness of Christ, who is said to be " altogether lovely."
In a word, he sees nothing as God sees it : and because " he
says that he sees," his guilt is the deeper, and his misery the
more intense b . He is " naked" too, having nothing to hide
his deformity from the eyes of a holy God : for " all his right
eousnesses are as filthy rags c ." He may, like our first parents,

a See the article prefixed to these two words : " That wretched
one," " That miserable one."

b Johnix. 40, 41. c Isai. Ixiv. 6.

124 REVELATION, III. 17, 18. [2502.

attempt to cover his nakedness with fig-leaves ; but they will
not suffice : for " the bed is shorter than he can stretch himself
on, and the covering narrower than he can wrap himself in d ."
This is, indeed, the state of unregenerate men, especially of
those who " have the form of godliness without the power."]

But let us now fix our attention on,
II. The counsel given them by our blessed Lord-
In our blessed Lord there is a fulness treasured up
for sinful man ; and he invites all to come, and re
ceive out of it according to their necessities.

Are we poor ? He offers us " gold, to enrich us"

[What is this " gold," but the grace of Christ ; and espe
cially the grace of faith, which unites us to him, and puts us
into possession of all " his unsearchable riches ?" This is gold
indeed ; and has, in cases without number, evinced its sterling
worth, having endured the trial of the hottest furnaces which
it has been in the power of man to kindle 6 . See the long
catalogue of saints recorded in the eleventh chapter to the
Hebrews ; see what they thought of it; and how it enriched
them. Moses found it amply to compensate for the loss of " all
the treasures of Egypt f :" and multitudes of others found it
more effectual for their advancement than all powers in the
universe could have been g . By this the poorest man is elevated
to a state of honour and happiness inconceivable ; even to
peace with God on earth, and to all the glory and blessedness
of heaven.]

Are we naked ? He offers us " white raiment to
cover us "

[This raiment is the unspotted robe of " Christ s right
eousness, which shall be unto all and upon all them that
believe in him h ." This the Lord Jesus Christ wrought out on
purpose for us, by his own obedience unto death : and every
soul that is clothed with that robe is so covered, that " not a
spot or blemish 1 " can be found in him ; no, not by the all-seeing
eye of God himself k . It was for this very end that the Lord
Jesus Christ became incarnate and died upon the cross : " He
was the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that
believeth 1 :" and every sinner in the universe, who trusts in
Him, may claim him under that endearing name, " The Lord
our righteousness m ."]

d Isai. xxviii. 20. e 1 Pet. i. 7. f Heb. xi. 24 26.

g Heb. xi. 3335. h Rom. iii. 22. * Eph. v. 27.

k Numb, xxiii. 21. ] Rom. x. 4. m Jer. xxiii. 6.

2502.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 125

Are we blind ? He offers us " eye-salve, to anoint
our eyes, that we may see "-

[This "eye-salve" is no other than the Holy Ghost him
self, whom the Lord Jesus Christ will give to all who call
upon him 11 . It is the office of the blessed Spirit of God " to
open our eyes, and to turn us from darkness unto light, and
from the power of Satan unto God." And whoever has
received " the unction of that Holy One, is enabled to discern
the things of the Spirit, which before he could not see ; yea,
he is enabled, as the Scripture expresses it, to " know and
understand all things p ."]

These things, indeed, he tells us to " buy of
him"

[But what have we to pay? If, indeed, we are "poor,
and blind, and naked," what can we give him in return for
such invaluable blessings as are here offered us? Were it
required that we should present to him any thing to merit
these blessings, we might well sit down in despair. But the
terms prescribed by him are exactly suited to our state : we
are to " buy of him without money and without price q ." Not
but that we are called to make some sacrifices, if we will
indeed enjoy his blessings. We must give up our pride, and
self-sufficiency, and self-conceit, yea, and all other " lusts,
whether of the flesh or spirit," that are hateful in his sight.
In other words, we must put off the filthy rags of our own
righteousness, if we would possess the unspotted robe of his
righteousness ; and put far from us all conceit of our own
wealth and wisdom, in order to receive the full benefit of his
gold and eye-salve. And who will not gladly pay this price ?
It is the price which the beggar pays for the alms tendered to
him : he opens his mouth to ask for it, and stretches out his
hands to receive it.]

And now, my brethren, I entreat you,

1. Be sensible of your wants

[Whether ye be sensible of your need of these things or
not, ye do really need them ; and your misery is so much the
greater, if ye think ye need them not. What would you
yourselves think of a poor maniac who should fancy himself a
king ? Would you envy him his self-delusion ? Just such
deluded creatures are ye, whilst you are insensible to your
real condition, as poor, and blind, and naked. Moreover,
whilst ye continue under this delusion, there is no hope

n Luke xi. 13. 1 Cor. ii. 9 12

P 1 John ii. 20, 27. 1 Isai. Iv. 1 .

126 REVELATION, III. 17, 18. [2502.

whatever of your ever receiving the blessings which Christ has
so freely offered you. It was not the proud self-applauding
Pharisee, but the poor self-condemning Publican, that obtained
mercy of the Lord : and it is written for the admonition of all
future ages, that, in like manner, " he who exalteth himself
shall be abased ; and he only who humbleth himself shall be
exalted.""

2. Comply, in all things, with the counsel given
you

[Go to Christ to obtain them. Think not to find them in
any other : but say, " Lord, to whom should we go ? Thou
alone hast the words of eternal life." And be willing to re
ceive them upon his terms. Dream not of bringing to him
any thing as a compensation for them, or as a warrant for your
application to him. All your warrant is poverty ; and your
price is your sins, which you are to cast on him, to be forgiven ;
and to cast from you, to be mortified and subdued. And re
member whose counsel this is : it is the counsel of " the Faith
ful and True Witness," who knows all your necessities, and
who alone can relieve them. It is the counsel of him who
is called, " The Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God r ."
" Listen not then to flesh and blood," nor suffer any one to
make you hesitate one moment : but go to him with all your
wants, and receive at his hands all the blessings of grace and
glory.]

3. Enlarge your expectations to the full extent of
God s promises

[Say not in your hearts, that this is too great, or that is
too small to expect at his hands. There is no greater sin
than " limiting the Holy One of Israel." He bids you " open
your mouth wide, that he may fill it :" and the more enlarged
your expectations are, the more abundant will be his gifts.
The fact is, that as there is not a want in you, for which there
is not a suitable supply in him, so neither is there any thing
in him which shall not be made over to you, if only ye will
believe in him. Only come to receive out of his fulness, and
he will give to you his grace, his peace, his righteousness, his
glory. All shall be yours, the very instant that ye are Christ s."
Only come to him empty, and ye shall be filled : and the more
empty ye come, the more shall ye be filled, and the more will
he be glorified.]

r Isai. ix. 6.

2503. J EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 127

MMDIII.

EPISTLE TO LAODICEA.

Rev. iii. 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten : be
zealous therefore, and repent.

IN the epistles to the seven Churches of Asia,
there is an exceedingly rich variety of instruction,
that is quite as applicable to us at this day as ever
it was to the Church to whom it was first delivered.
It is probable that some in Laodicea would regard
the menace which was sent them in this epistle as
a prelude to their utter destruction. They could
not conceive that the Lord Jesus, who had threatened
to " spue them out of his mouth" with the utmost
indignation and abhorrence, could entertain, in refe
rence to them, any other sentiment than that of
irreversible displeasure : and thus they were tempted
to sit down in utter despair. But our blessed Lord
assured them, that these very menaces were expres
sions of his love and pledges of his favourable accept
ance, if only they would comply with the directions
which he here gave them. But the words I have
read contain, not only a particular instruction to them
but a truth of universal and unalterable importance
to the Church in all ages. We here see,

I. How the Lord Jesus Christ acts towards the
objects of his love

God not unfrequently gives to his enemies all that
their hearts can desire. Are they anxious for wealth,
and honour, and power, or for an increase of their
families ? and do they further desire a freedom from
trouble, both in life and death ? All this is bestowed
upon them with so bountiful a hand, that they bless
themselves as the happiest and most favoured of
mankind a . Yea, to such a degree does this often
obtain, that the most eminent saints are stumbled at
it b . But towards those whom he loves, he, for the

a Ps. Ixxiii. 35, 7, 12. b Job xxi. 713. Jer. xii. 1, 2.

128 REVELATION, III. 19. [2503.

most part, acts very differently : them " he rebukes
and chastens."

1. By the declarations of his word

[" The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword c :" " yea, it is as a fire, and like
a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces d :" and when it
comes with power to the soul, not the proudest sinner in the
universe can withstand it. When but four words were written
upon the wall of the room where Belshazzar was feasting,
" the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one
against another 6 !" And how it wrought upon the murderers
of our Lord on the day of Pentecost, you well know : for three
thousand of them cried out with one voice, " Men and brethren,
what shall we do?" Doubtless, the terror inspired by this
is often exceedingly appalling: but yet it is sent in love,
" to convince men of their sin," and to bring them to repent
ance : and the deeper the wound that is inflicted by it, the
greater evidence there is that God has sent it in love to the
soul ]

2. By the dispensations of his providence-
fit often happens, that men withstand the word of God,

till they are visited with some afflictive providence : and not
unfrequently repeated strokes of the rod are necessary, before
they will hear and receive instruction from it f . And these
dispensations are thought by many to be tokens of God s
wrath. But, indeed, they are rather indications of his love :
they are paternal chastisements, sent for our profit, that we
may be humbled by them, and quickened, and " made par
takers of his holiness." It was for this end that many of the
Corinthian Church were& visited with pains and sickness :
" they were chastened of the Lord, that they might not be
condemned with the world h ." And how beneficially these
afflictions operate, may be seen in Ephraim of old : " Surely
I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus : Thou hast
chastised me ; and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed
to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned : for thou
art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I re
pented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my
thigh : I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did
bear the reproach of my youth 1 ." God then adds, " Is not
Ephraim my dear son k ?" Had God felt no regard for
Ephraim, he would have said, " Why should ye be stricken

c Heb. iv. 12. d Jer. xxiii. 29. e Dan. v. 5, 6.

f Mic. vi. 9. s Heb. xii. 511. h 1 Cor. xi. 3032,

1 Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. k Jer. xxxi. 20.

2503.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 129

any more? Ye will revolt more and more 1 :" but, feeling to
wards him the affections of a Father, he says rather, " I will
correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether
unpunished" 1 ."]

This truth established, we may see,

II. How they in return should demean themselves
towards him

Two things in particular were blamed in the
Laodicean Church, namely, lukewarmness and self-
sufficiency : and against these especially he directs
them to strive, by the daily exercise of zeal and peni
tence. The same direction is proper for all whom
he has chosen in Christ Jesus to be the objects of his
love :

1. Be zealous

[It is not sufficient to perform a mere round of duties,
and to abstain from gross sins. Religion is every thing, or it
is nothing : it requires all the powers of the soul : and, if any
of our faculties be alienated from God, or exercised only in a
lukewarm way, the service, whatever it may be, will not be
accepted. " In every good thing we should be zealously af
fected 11 ;" and " be fervent in spirit, when we serve the Lord ."
It was thus that Phinehas p , and Elijah 4, and Paul r , and all
the saints, served God in the days of old. As for our blessed
Lord " the zeal of God s house even consumed him 8 ." And
we also ought to be " a peculiar people, zealous of good
works*." Nor must it be in one thing only that we are to
display our zeal. It is possible enough that in one particular
line we may exert ourselves with the greatest ardour ; and
yet be far from having our hearts right with God. We must
" have respect to all God s commandments," and serve him
" without partiality, and without hypocrisy." In public and
in private we must be alike earnest in all our duties : and
under " the constraining influence of the love of Christ, we
must live altogether unto Him who died for us, and rose
again"."]

2. Repent

[This is necessary for every child of man. There is no
one so pure, but that he may increase in purity ; nor so holy,

1 Isai. i. 5. m Jer. xxx. 11. with Ps. Ixxxix. 30 33.

n Gal. iv. 18. Rom. xii. 11. P Numb. xxv. 13.

( i 1 Kings xix. 10. r Acts xx. 24. s John ii. 17.

f Tit. ii. 14. u 2 Cor. v. 14, 15,

VOL. XXI. K

130 REVELATION, III. 20. [2504.

but that he may grow in holiness ; nor so heavenly, but that
he may be more entirely devoted to his God. Of lukewarm-
ness especially, and of the entire habit of mind connected with
it, it becomes us to repent. Indeed, whatever be the sin that
more easily besets us, that we should search out with peculiar
care, and for that should we in an especial manner humble
ourselves before God. Every day of our lives we should
" be sowing in tears, if we would reap in joy." It is not the
person who occasionally feels some remorse, but " he who
goes on his way weeping, bearing a precious seed-basket, and
scattering this seed from it every step he takes ; he it is that
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him*."]

This subject clearly teaches us,

1. What to do under the prevailing influence of
corruption

Pray to God that he would chastise you with scourges or
scorpions, rather than suffer you to continue under the power
of sin : and if God see fit to put you into the furnace, be more
anxious to obtain the sanctifying benefits of the affliction, than
to have it removed ]

2. What to do under the Divine rebukes

[Receive them as the chastisements of a father, " neither
despising them, nor fainting under them y :" and take occasion
from them to " humble yourselves under His mighty hand."
Whatever be your sufferings, remember that they are far
" less than your iniquities deserve." By these God designs
to " purge away your iniquities 2 :" and, if they are attended
with this effect, you will have reason to adore him for them,
more than for any exemption from trouble that could possibly
be vouchsafed unto you : for so, at least, speaks an inspired
Apostle : " Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for,
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him a ."]

x Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6. See the margin. v Prov. iii. 11, 12.
z Isai. xxvii. 9. 8 Jam. i. 12.

MMDIV.

EPISTLE TO LAODICEA.

Rev. iii. 20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : if any
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,
and zvill sup with him, and he with me.

2504.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 131

OUR blessed Lord, in his sermon on the mount,
says, " Ask, and ye shall have ; seek, and ye shall
find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Now
this is exactly what we might expect of a gracious
God, and more especially of an all-merciful Redeemer.
But who would ever imagine that this process should
be inverted ; and that, instead of a sinner knocking
at the door of heaven in fervent supplications, the
Son of God himself should come and knock at the
door of his heart, soliciting admittance there ? Yet
this is the representation given us in my text : so
infinitely are " God s ways higher than our ways, and
his thoughts than our thoughts." Let us contemplate
this mystery : let us consider,

I. The marvellous condescension of the Lord Jesus
Christ towards our sinful race

The hearts of men are shut anc( barred against
him

[" The strong man armed," even Satan, occupies the souls
of men as his palace, and fills them with all manner of evil;
and by his great power " he keeps them in peace," unconscious
of their subjection to him, and altogether satisfied with their
bondage*. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to seek admis
sion there, every possible resistance is made to him. The
lusts, which have taken possession of them, bar the door against
him. Prejudice and unbelief determine them to obstruct his
entrance ; whilst the world, and all its lusts, maintain their
post, with a steadfastness that bids defiance to every effort,
save that which is omnipotent

But he " stands at the door, and knocks "-
[He comes to men in his word, and demands that they

yield themselves up to him He comes also by the

secret energy of his Spirit ; and warns men of their danger, if

they persist in their rebellion against him He comes

also by his providence, to awaken them by terrors, or soften
them by afflictions, if by any means he may prevail upon them
to open to him - Year after year does he " stand,"

" waiting to be gracious to them," and importuning them by
every kind of argument to admit him. Of Israel it is said,
that " forty years he suffered their manners in the Wilder
ness 5 ." And many are the years that he has borne with us.

a Luke xi. 21. b Acts xiii. 18.

132 REVELATION, III. 20. [2504.

The generality be finds so fast asleep, that not all the thunders
of his law can waken them. Some are just roused from their
slumbers : but, averse to receive him, they begin to put him
off with frivolous excuses. Their language is like that of the
Church of old ; " I sleep, but my heart waketh : it is the voice
of my Beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister,
my love, my dove, my undefiled : for my head is filled with
dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. But I have
put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my
feet; how shall I defile them c ?" Still, however, does he con
tinue knocking with invincible patience : so true is that saying
of the prophet, " All the day long I have stretched forth my
hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people d ."]

What marvellous condescension is this !

[If we were to stand for any length of time imploring
mercy from God, and were left without any answer of peace,
it were nothing but what our sins have justly merited; nor
could we have the smallest reason to complain. But that the
Lord Jesus Christ should sue in vain for admission into our
hearts, appears incredible ; or, at all events, we might expect
him, after the first refusal of his overtures, to say, " They are
joined to idols; let them alone:" " My Spirit shall strive with
them no more ;" from henceforth I " give them over to their
own heart s lusts, to follow their own imaginations, till they
have " filled up the measure of their iniquities," and " wrath
shall come upon them to the uttermost." But, " behold !" yes,
well may it be said " Behold ;" for His condescension exceeds
belief. Do but reflect, who it is that thus waits upon us : it
is the Creator, importuning his guilty and rebellious crea
tures : it is the Judge, following the criminal with entreaties to
accept of pardon, and to let his sentence of condemnation be
reversed : it is the self-sufficient God, who would be equally
happy and glorious if every child of man were left to perish
like the fallen angels, that labours thus to ingratiate himself
with the vilest of mankind, if by any means he may prevail on
some of them to accept at his hands all the blessings both of
grace and glory. Say, I pray you, Is not this a condescension,
that surpasses all the powers of language to express, or of
imagination adequately to conceive ?]

But this subject will appear more fully in its true
light, if we consider,

II. The mercies which he desires to impart unto
them

c Cant. v. 2, 3. d Isai. Ixv. 2. and Rom. x. 21.

2504.] EPISTLE TO LAODICEA. 133

These are expressed under a familiar and most
significant metaphor

[The metaphor of a guest is not uncommon in the Holy
Scriptures. Our Lord said to his Disciples, " If a man love
me, he will keep my words: arid my Father will love him;
and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him 6 ."
And this shall be realized, in the most endearing manner, to
all who open to him : " He will come in to them, and sup with
them, and they with him." We cannot conceive of any act of
friendship that is not comprehended under this term. But how
shall I convey any adequate idea of its import ? What sweet
manifestations of his love will he impart to the soul, and what
rich communications of his grace ! Who can fully explain
that declaration of the Apostle, " Truly our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ f ?" We may think
of all the familiarities and endearments that ever were enjoyed,
even among the most attached friends or relatives, and they
will fall infinitely short of that blessedness which he will
impart to the believing soul. When he comes in to sup with
us, he will, if I may so say, bring his own provision along with
him. What " exceeding great and precious promises" will
he set before us, for our support ! What tastes of his love
will he give us, when he shall " shed it abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost ?" And what foretastes also of his glory
will he communicate, when he bids us to drink of the cup of
his salvation !]

Nor is there a person under heaven excluded from
this benefit

[His own word is, " If any man hear." It matters not
how unworthy any man may be : if he had all the sins of Ma-
nasseh himself upon his soul, the mercy here proffered should
be imparted to him. We are told of Manasseh, that he filled
Jerusalem itself with the blood of innocents, and made the
people worse than the heathen whom the Lord had destroyed
before them : yet, when he humbled himself, God heard his
supplication, and made himself known to him under the
endearing character of Israel s God g . We may be sure, there
fore, that no person under heaven shall be excluded from a
participation of the grace that is here so freely offered. All
that is required of any man is, to " hear the .Saviour s voice,
and open to him." O that this were duly considered by us all !
Brethren, you are not called upon to merit any thing at the
Saviour s hands, but only to receive thankfully what he so
freely offers. Only be sensible that you have hitherto excluded

e John xiv. 23. f 1 John i. 3.

e Jer. xix. 4. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9, 12, 13.

134 REVELATION, III. 21. [2505.

him from your hearts, whilst you have given a ready reception
to the basest lusts ; be sensible, I say, of this, and now open
your hearts to him, and all the blessings of salvation shall be
yours, for your present comfort, and for your everlasting pos
session.]

ADDRESS

1. Those who are yet strangers to the Saviour s
love

[The generality of men who call themselves Christians
would quite revolt at the expression in my text, and at all the
wonders of love contained in it. But, brethren, wherefore is
it thus with you? Is it because there is no truth in these re
presentations ? or because ye have never yet sought to expe
rience them in your souls Would ye but now open

your hearts to him, verily, there is not one amongst you of
whom it should not be said, that " Christ is gone to be a guest
with a man that is a sinner h ." But if ye refuse his entreaties
now, the time will come, when ye shall cry to him, but not be
heard 1 .]

2. Those who have had some experience of it in
their souls

[Be not satisfied with any measure of intercourse that you
have yet enjoyed with your Lord and Saviour. Ye cannot
expect, with Paul, to be caught up into the third heavens :
but ye may expect from the Saviour such an abundance of
grace and mercy and peace as shall be a foretaste of heaven
itself. Only cast out, with increasing zeal and diligence, the
lusts that have occupied your heart, sweeping from every corner
of it " the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump," and your
feasts with the Saviour here shall be only a prelude to that
richer feast which you shall enjoy above : for all with whom he
has supped on earth shall " sit down with him at the marriage-
supper of the Lamb in heaven" for evermore k .]

h Luke xix. 7. [ Prov. i. 2431. Isai. Iv. 6. * Rev. xix. 9.

MMDV.

THE VICTOR S REWARD.

Rev. iii. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with
me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father in his throne.

WE have seen at the close of every epistle a pro
mise to him that overcometh. In truth, we all need

2505. ] THE VICTOR S REWARD. 135

encouragement in our warfare. It is the hope of
profit or of honour that produces industry among all
classes of the community: it prompts the philosopher
to consume the midnight oil in study ; the merchant
to risk his property on the tempestuous ocean ; and
the soldier to brave the dangers and fatigues of war.
The same principle may well be extended also to
spiritual concerns, and animate the Christian in the
pursuits of religion. His reward indeed is infinitely
greater than any which this world can afford, and
may therefore justly stimulate him to the most inde
fatigable exertions. The utmost that the labours of
man can attain on earth, is, a royal title, and a tem
poral kingdom ; but the Christian victor has a crown
of glory, laid up for him, and a participation of that
very kingdom, which is possessed by Christ himself.
The Judge of quick and dead pledges himself to
bestow this reward on all his faithful followers. His
words lead us to consider,
I. The Christian s character

Every Christian is by profession a soldier ; he has
enlisted under the banners of Christ ; and fights till
he has vanquished all the enemies of his soul

The world is not able to detain him in bondage

[As for the pleasures of the world, they have no charms
for any person who knows the value of his own soul. It
requires scarcely any more self-denial to renounce them, than
for a philosopher to put away the toys of childhood. A regard
for its honours is not so easily overcome. The Christian would
gladly at first retain his reputation among his former acquaint
ance; and sometimes perhaps makes undue sacrifices rather
than forfeit his good name : but when he finds how impossible
it is to be faithful unto God without incurring the censure of
the ungodly, he learns at last to bear " the reproach of Christ,"
and to " rejoice that he is counted worthy to suffer shame for
his sake." The interests of the world still subject him to many
and strong temptations, even after that he has both done and
suffered much for Christ ; but when he has weighed both the
world and his own soul in the balance of the sanctuary, he
determines to forego every interest rather than endanger his
eternal salvation. Thus he evinces that " he is born of God
by overcoming the world a ."]

a 1 John iv. 4.

136 REVELATION, III. 21. [2505.

The flesh also gradually loses its ascendency over
him

[Our inbred corruption is a more powerful enemy than
the world, inasmuch as it is nearer to us, and ever with us.
But the Christian maintains a conflict with it. He never is so
perfect in this world but that he still carries about with him
" a body of sin and death." " The flesh lusts against the
Spirit" to the latest hour of his life; but if any unhallowed
appetite arise, he resists it to the uttermost, and will in no
wise yield to its solicitations : or if it betray him into any
unworthy conduct, he will mourn over it, and cry to God for
grace and strength to resist it ; and will never be at peace, till
it is utterly mortified and subdued. A man s besetting sin is
that which will, for the most part, give him most trouble to
the end of his days. Thus " through the Spirit he mortifies
the deeds of the body," and " crucifies the flesh with its
affections and lusts b ." True, crucifixion is a lingering death:
but still he has nailed his besetting sin to the cross : and it
shall never regain its power, though it will still continue to
pour forth its venom against Christ to the latest hour of our
lives.]

Nor can the devil with all his hosts prevail against
him

[Satan is yet a greater adversary to the Christian than
even flesh and blood c ; but the good soldier will not turn his
back. He " girds on the whole armour of God," and " goes
forth in the strength of the Lord God." Satan, like Pharaoh,
(of whom he was the perfect archetype) casts every impediment
in his way, and multiplies his thoughts of this world, to divert
his attention from a better d . "When he cannot prevail to keep
the Christian from the path of duty, he will endeavour, like
that hardened monarch, to limit him in the prosecution of it e .
When that fails, he will contrive, if possible, to lead him astray,
and to fix his attention on controversy, or politics, or some
thing of inferior concern. When that will not succeed, he will
labour either to " puff him up with pride, and thus bring him
into the condemnation of the devil ;" or to cast him down with
despondency, and thus cause him to desist from his purpose.
But the Christian repels all his fiery darts, " resists him man
fully till he makes him flee," and finally " bruises him under
his feet" as a vanquished enemy. This accords with the
description given by St. John, * Young men, ye have overcome
the wicked one f ."]

t&gt; Rom. viii. 13. Gal. v. 24. c Eph. vi. 12.

a Exod. v. 69. e Exod. viii. 25, 28. and x. 11, 2-1.

f 1 Johnii. 13.

2505.] THE VICTOR S REWARD. 137

After having successfully maintained his conflicts,
the Christian receives,

II. His reward-
As a view of the recompence that awaits us cannot
fail of animating us in our warfare, it will be proper
to contemplate it with care

Our Lord declares it in terms the most glorious
that can be conceived : " The Christian shall reign
with him"

[Christ is seated in heaven on a throne of glory : but he
does not occupy that throne alone ; he admits his victorious
followers to a participation of it. Nothing less than this is
deemed a sufficient reward for them. It were an unspeakably
great reward, if we were only permitted to behold him upon
his throne ; but he assures us that we shall be exalted to sit
thereon together with him, and thus to share both his honour
and felicity. Such honour have all his saints; and he, as the
arbiter of life and death, pledges his word, that he himself will
bestow this reward upon them. How blessed then must they
be ! how poor a recompence would earthly kingdoms be in
comparison of this !]

But the comparison which he here institutes, alone
can put the promise in its true light

[Christ was once conflicting with his enemies, just as we
are ; but he overcame them upon the cross, triumphed over
them in his resurrection, and led them captive in his ascension ;
and is now set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Let us view him then on his Fathers throne, and we shall see
what glory is reserved for us. Like him, we shall rest from
our labours : never harassed either by sin or sorrow any more.
We shall dwell in the immediate presence of him whom we love ;
no longer viewing him at a distance, by the eye of faith,
through the medium of the word; but beholding him face to
face, seeing him as we are seen, and " knowing him as we are
known." We shall moreover receive all the happiness of which
our natures are capable. He who was once a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief as his constant companion, now
enjoys both in body and soul all the blessedness of the God
head. In this we shall resemble him as far as any thing finite
can resemble what is infinite. Our capacities of happiness
will be enlarged beyond our highest conceptions, and every
one will be as blessed as his capacity will admit of. Nor is
Christ s exaltation merely a pattern of ours. He is our fore
runner; and the exaltation of the Head is a pledge and earnest

138 REVELATION, III. 22. [2506.

that all the members shall in due time be glorified together
with him.]

APPLICATION

[If such be the felicity of all Christian soldiers, who will
not enlist under the banners of Jesus ? Who will not join
himself to the Captain of our salvation, and give up his name
to be enrolled among " the worthies of our David ?" Let all
of you, my brethren, flock to his standard, " like doves to their
windows." Gird on your spiritual armour, and go forth to the
fight. You have a Commander who can not only lead you and
direct you in the battle, but can shield your heads, and heal
your wounds, and strengthen your arms, and ensure you the
victory. Soldiers, " quit yourselves like men ; be strong."
" Fight the good fight of faith," and trust in him for a success
ful issue of your conflicts. It is but a little time that you shall
have to engage ; and though you go forth only with a sling and
a stone, Goliath shall fall before you. Only go forth in depen
dence upon your God, and you have nothing to fear. But
O what have you not to hope for ? What blessed triumphs !
What glorious spoils ! What everlasting shouts of victory !
Look at those who have gone before you in the combat ; see
them on their thrones, crowned with crowns of righteousness,
and shouting with shouts of triumph. Soon, very soon, shall
you be numbered amongst them. Let none of you then turn
your backs. " If any man turn back," says God, " my soul
shall have no pleasure in him g ." Fight on a little longer, and
you shall not only be conquerors, but " more than conquerors."
The completest victories that an earthly hero can gain, will
afford him matter for weeping as well as for joy. But your
victories shall be unalloyed with sorrow, and crowned with
everlasting gladness. " War then a good warfare," and fight
till you overcome. So shall you receive your promised recom-
pence, and reign with your God for ever and ever.]

g Heb. x. 38.

MMDVI.

THE VOICE OF GOD TO HIS CHURCH AND PEOPLE.

"Rev. iii. 22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the Churches.

PERHAPS there is not another expression in the
whole Scriptures which occurs so frequently as this.
Our blessed Lord, in the days of his flesh, used it

2506.] VOICE OF GOD TO HIS CHURCH AND PEOPLE. 139

very often at the close of his parables : and here, at
the close of every one of the epistles to the seven
Churches of Asia, did he repeat it. Surely this marks
its peculiar importance : and, to impress it upon all
your minds, I will,

I. Make some general observations arising out of it

The first thing which strikes us, on reading these
words, is, that there must be many who have no ear to
hear the word of God

[This is an awful truth. Whilst there are some who
" will not endure sound doctrine," there are multitudes who
hear it without being at all aifected with it. They even ap
prove of it ; but still never receive it truly into their hearts.
On subjects connected with their temporal welfare they would
feel an interest ; but on these, which relate to eternity, they
are unmoved : they are satisfied with hearing them ; and when
they have given them a respectful hearing, they think they
have done their duty in relation to them : " they have ears,
and hear not ; they have eyes, and see not ; they have hearts,
but understand not:" and, during the course of a long life,
they either gain but very little insight into the great mystery
of the Gospel, or acknowledge it as a mere theory, without any
practical effect upon their souls.]

Th.e next thing which forces itself upon our notice
is, that the things spoken to the primitive Churches,
so far as we are in similar circumstances with them,
demand precisely the same attention from us that they
did from them

[I will grant, that, so far as the Scriptures applied solely
to the particular circumstances of this or that particular
Church, so far they are applicable to us only in their general
tendency, or under circumstances similar to theirs. But the
great mass of the inspired volume related to men as sinners,
who needed mercy from God, and were bound to devote them
selves altogether to God : and, consequently, it is applicable to
mankind in all places, and in all ages. Many, if a passage of
Scripture be urged on their attention, will say, that it was
proper for the apostolic age, but inapplicable to us at this time.
But men s duty to God is the same now as ever it was ; and
the way of acceptance with God is the same as ever : and
therefore this objection is altogether futile, and unworthy of
any serious notice. We are not to expect a new Revelation,
suited to our circumstances : on the contrary, we are enjoined,
at the peril of our souls, neither to add to, nor to take from, the

140 REVELATION, III. 22. [2506.

Revelation already given : and the command given, that every
one who has an ear should hear what the Spirit has said to
the Churches, shews, that not only were Christians then living
to pay attention to what was spoken to their own individual
Church, but that Christians, at every period of the world,
should hear and obey what was spoken to the Churches
generally.]

The last thing which I shall mention, as offering
itself to our notice from the words before us, is, that
we can never hope to be benefited by the word we hear,
unless we receive it as from God, and as dictated by
inspiration from the Holy Spirit-
fit is " the Spirit of the living God that speaketh to the
Churches :" and his authority must be regarded in every part
of the written word, and in all that is delivered agreeably to
it by those who minister in the name of God. The hearers
of the Gospel are too apt to look at man; and to exalt Paul,
or Apollos, or Cephas, in their estimation, one above another,
on account of some peculiarity in their ministrations ; forget
ting, that, " whoever plants or waters, it is God alone who
gives the increase." Provided it be really agreeable to the
standard of truth, the word, by whomsoever delivered, should
" be received, not as the word of man, but, as it is indeed, the
word of God." And if, in attending on the ordinances, this
were habitually kept in view, there can be no doubt but that
the lighting down of God s arm would be more visible amongst
us, and that the Holy Ghost would accompany it with far
greater power to the souls of men.]

After these brief remarks, arising out of the words
of my text, I will,

II. Draw your attention to one or two things in
particular, that are contained in the foregoing
epistles

The epistles to the seven Churches contain a great
variety of matter, applicable to the existing state of
each. In that to Laodicea, there is unqualified
reprehension ; in those to Smyrna and Philadelphia,
unqualified applause ; in the others, a mixture both
of praise and blame. To enter into the peculiarities
of those epistles would be altogether foreign to my
present purpose. It is my intention to notice only
the things which are spoken indiscriminately to all :
and these are two :

2506.] VOICE OF GOD TO HIS CHURCH AND PEOPLE. 141

1. " I know thy works"

[This " the Spirit spake" to every one of them, without
exception : and therefore we may consider it as spoken to the
Church of God in all ages. And a most solemn truth it is.
Almighty God inspects the ways of every child of man. He
knows what we do in our unregenerate state : he knows also
what we do after we become followers of the Lord Jesus. He
discerns infallibly the precise quality of all our actions ; how
far they accord with the written word ; from what principles
they flow ; for what ends they are performed. He discerns
also the measure of them, how far they correspond with the
professions we make, the obligations we acknowledge, the ad
vantages we enjoy. He sees every thing which enters into
the composition of them ; how much of what is pure, and how
much of what is selfish and impure. In a word, he " weigheth,"
not our actions only, but " our spirits ;" and according to his
estimate of them will he judge us in the last day. He will not
form his judgment, in any respect, from the esteem in which
we are held by our fellow-men, or from the opinion which we
have formed of ourselves : he will weigh us in the unerring
balance of his sanctuary, and will " judge righteous judgment"
respecting every individual of mankind.]

2. " To him that overcometh will I give"-

[This also is repeated to every Church. And it is of
infinite importance to every child of man. Every saint has a
conflict to maintain, against the world, the flesh, and the devil :
and he must not only fight a good fight against them, but
must continue to do so, even to the end. As, in a race, it is
not he who " runs well for a season," but he who finishes his
course well, that wins the prize ; so it is not he who wars a
good warfare for a time, but he who endures to the end, that
will be crowned with victory. There is to be no enemy to
which we are to yield ; nor any period when we are at liberty
to take our ease. We are never to be weary of well-doing,
never to sink under any discouragement, never to turn our
back even for a moment. We must act as good soldiers
of Jesus Christ, and fight under his banner to the latest hour
of our lives : and then may we be assured that victory, yea,
and the rewards of victory too, shall be ours. " To him that
overcometh," saith our Lord, " will I give to sit down with me
upon my throne ; even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father upon his throne."]

That these hints may produce their proper effect,
I will,

III. Point out the special ends to be answered by
bringing them to your remembrance

REVELATION, III. 22. [2506.

Certainly I would wish them to be improved,

1. For your humiliation

[I will suppose, that, like the members of all the different
Churches, you profess to be faithful followers of Christ. I
will also suppose that, in a good measure, you adorn your holy
profession. Yet, when you remember what the heart-searching
God has said, " I know thy works ;" which of you has not
reason to hang down his head with shame and confusion of
face ? If it were but a man, who had been privy to all the
workings of our hearts since first we professed to serve God,
we should not feel altogether easy in his presence : for though,
by reason of his own imperfections, we might expect some
allowances to be made in our behalf, yet the consciousness
of what we were in his eyes would humble us even in our
own, and would tend greatly to stop our mouths before him.
Should we not, then, put our hands on our mouths, and our
mouths in the dust, before God, under the consciousness of
our extreme unworthiness in his sight ? Let us individually
apply to ourselves that solemn admonition, " I know THY
works." It is addressed to us individually, as much as if we
were the only individual upon earth : and God has noticed us
as particularly as if there had been no other person in the
universe for him to notice. I pray you, brethren, bear this
in mind ; and learn to walk softly before God, all the days
of your life.]

2. For your warning

[When it is said, " To him that overcometh, will I give,"
it is evidently implied, that on this description of persons ex
clusively will any reward be conferred. Should not this, then,
operate as a solemn warning to us ? When any temptation
presents itself to our minds, should we not consider, what will
be the effect, the ultimate and everlasting effect, of our com
pliance with it ? Should we not balance against each other,
the gratifications of sense against the joys of heaven, the suf
ferings of sense against the pains of hell, the transitoriness of
time against the duration of eternity? When persons, calling
themselves our friends, would dissuade us from an entire sur
render of ourselves to God, should we not bethink ourselves
what they can do for us hereafter, or what recompence they
can make us for the loss of heaven ? Let this, then, operate
on our minds, with all the weight that it deserves ; and let us
never forget the admonition given here to every child of man,
" To him that overcometh, and to him exclusively, will I give
any portion in the realms of bliss."]

3. For your encouragement

2507.] THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS OPENED. 143

[See the rewards held forth to all the different Churches ;
and then say, whether you want encouragement to persevere ?
And remember who it is that says, " / will give." It is no
other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge of quick and
dead. The world, it is true, makes promises also : but what
can it give ? If it could give you kingdoms, they were but a
poor possession, which you must relinquish in a little time.
And as for the mere gratifications of sense, your past expe
rience will tell you how empty and vanishing they are. But,
when Almighty God promises to you the glory and blessedness
of heaven, that may well allure you ; for that shall live for ever;
and you shall live for ever to enjoy it. " Have respect then,
my brethren, even as Moses had, to the recompence of the
reward," and " hold fast the rejoicing of your hope steadfast
unto the end :" and doubt not but that, in due season, there
shall be given you " a crown of righteousness and glory that
fadeth not away."]

MMDVII.

THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS OPENED BY JESUS CHRIST.

Rev. v. 6 10. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a
Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth. And he come and took the book out of the right hand
of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the
book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden
vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof : for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us unto
our God kings and priests : and we shall reign on the earth.

THE doctrine of the Divinity of our Lord Jesus
Christ is that which sheds the brightest lustre over
our most holy religion. It is his Deity which alone
gives virtue to his sacrifice, and renders it a sufficient
propitiation for the sins of the whole world. There
are indeed many, who, whilst they profess a regard
for Christianity, would rob it of its chief stay and
support ; and, to effect their object, will mutilate
the very Scriptures themselves, and cut out of the

144 REVELATION, V. 610. [2507.

sacred volume what they find themselves unable to
controvert or distort. But, methinks, if we were to
grant for a moment that the saints on earth may have
erred in giving to Jesus the same glory as they give
unto the Father, (though their obligation to do so is,
in my apprehension, as clear as the sun at noon-day,)
have they also erred in heaven? Are the glorified
saints around the throne of God under a mistake ?
It is undeniable that they are worshipping the Lord
Jesus precisely as they worship the Father. Consult
the chapter which precedes my text. There we are
informed, that " the four beasts (the four living crea
tures) rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy,
holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to
come. And when those beasts give glory and honour
and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth
for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall
down before him that sat on the throne, and worship
him that liveth for ever and ever ; and cast their
crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy,
O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power ; for
thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are, and were created*." No one, I suppose, will
doubt, but that in that passage worship is given to
Jehovah the Creator of all things, and as the one
supreme God. Now compare the words of our text,
and there you will find the same persons (the four
beasts and four and twenty elders) with the very same
posture (that of utter prostration) in precisely similar
language adoring the Lord Jesus Christ as their
Redeemer ; and all the angels in heaven confirming
this act of theirs in terms the most exalted that
could possibly be used, and uniting both the Father
and the Son in one song of praise, saying, " Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing : therefore, Blessing, and honour,
and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

a Rev. iv. 8 11.

2507. J THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS OPENED. 145

In opening to you this song of the redeemed, I
shall bring before you,
I. The occasion of it

This is particularly adverted to in our text

[There was " in the hand of Him who sat upon the throne
a book written both within and without, and sealed with seven
seals." To conceive of this book aright, we must bear in mind,
that it was a volume, rolled up, and consisting of seven parts,
each rolled within another, and having a distinct seal affixed
to it, so that the contents of one only could be known at a
time, the opening of the first making a way for the second, and
the second for the third, and so on in succession throughout
the whole b . But to open the book, and loose the seals thereof,
was beyond the power of any created being : there was " not
one found worthy of this honour in heaven, or in earth, or
under the earth ." On this account, the Apostle tells us, " he
wept much." He had no doubt but the contents of that book
were of infinite importance to the Church and to the world,
because it contained a record of God s secret purposes respect
ing both the one and the other to the end of time ; and it was
not from the disappointment of an idle curiosity that he wept,
but from an apprehension that God would be less glorified by
the concealment of his purposes than by a revelation of them
to his Church.

To his great joy, however, One was found, who was " worthy
to open this book," even the Lord Jesus Christ, who was here
characterized as " The Lion of the tribe of Judah, and as the
Root of David." Under the former character, the Messiah had
been revealed to Jacob d ; and under the latter, to David, as
David s Lord 6 . But it was under a new character that he
prevailed to open the book, even as " a Lamb that had been
slain," even as that Lamb of God, that having offered himself
a sacrifice for the sins of men, yet bears upon his person the
marks of all the cruelties and indignities that he suffered upon
the cross. Yet, though bearing these marks of his humiliation,
he is represented as " having seven horns, and seven eyes,"
even all perfection of power and of wisdom also, of which
there is none in the whole universe, that does not emanate
from him : for from him proceeds the Holy Spirit, in all his
diversified influences and operations, to the utmost ends of the
earth f .

This glorious Person " went to him that sat upon the throne;
and took the book out of his hand," in order to loose the seals

b ver. 1. with Rev. vi. 1 12. and viii. 1.

c ver. 2, 3. d Gen. xlix. 9, 10.

e See Isai. xi. 10. and Ps. ex. 1. f The text.

VOL. XXI. L

146 REVELATION, V. G 10. [2507

thereof, and to open its contents : and immediately the living
creatures and the elders burst forth into the song of praise.
What occasion this circumstance afforded them for their song,
will be more profitably noticed under a distinct head, after we
have considered, as we now proceed to do,]

II. The song itself

Of the living creatures and the elders, we are told,
that " every one of them had harps, and golden vials
full of odours, which are the prayers of saints."
There is here, beyond a doubt, a reference to the
temple service. In the temple-worship harps were
used in blessing and praising God g : and, " when the
priests went into the sanctuary to burn incense, all
the people continued praying without 11 ." Thus these
worshippers, being all, as we shall see presently,
made priests unto God, they had in their hands
censers full of incense, through the odours of which
" the prayers of the saints" ascended up with ac
ceptance before God. Not that the glorified spirits
are mediators between God and us : no, " there is
but one Mediator between God and man, the Man
Christ Jesus ;" but, as the efficacy of his intercession
was typified by the incense offered by the priests,
so was it further intimated in this vision, where all
were executing, as it were, the priestly office, which
in this very song they claimed as pertaining to them.

In the song which they sang, and which was " a
new song," they celebrated the praises of that adorable
Lamb, and gave him thanks for,

1. The work of redemption as wrought out by
him

[Here all, without exception, to whatever nation, or kin
dred, or tongue, or people they belonged, traced their recon
ciliation with God to one common source, the atoning blood of
Christ. Not one of them all presumed to claim a share in
that glorious work, or to ascribe any part of it to his own
strength or goodness : there was but one song amongst them
all ; all acknowledged equally, that they had once been slaves
of sin and Satan ; all confessed their obligations to Christ, for
interposing for them; all referred to his blood as the price paid

g 2 Sam. vi. 5. Ps. cxxxvii. 2. h Luke i. 9, 10.

2507. J THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS OPENED. 147

for their redemption ; and all with one consent joined in
saying, " Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."

Greatly were it to be wished that all self-justifying Pharisees
would learn of them ; and that those who look for acceptance,
either in whole or in part, through any works of their own,
would fix in their minds what song they will sing, if ever they
shall be admitted to the realms of bliss. That they will not
be able to join with those who are already before the throne,
is evident ; for not any share of the glory do they arrogate to
themselves ; they ascribe it all to Him who bought them with
his blood : and be it known to you, that not one soul shall ever
be joined to that blessed assembly, who is not like-minded with
them, and has not learned already to give the entire and undi
vided honour of his salvation to " the Lamb that was slain."]

2. The benefits of redemption as experienced by
themselves

[Wonderful was the honour to which they were exalted,
all being " kings and priests unto God ;" " kings " to exercise
dominion over all the enemies of their salvation : and " priests,"
to offer spiritual sacrifices before him for ever and ever.

To a yet further extension of their privileges also they ex
press themselves as looking forward, when they add, " And
we shall reign on the earth." Some have thought, that, in the
Millennium, the saints will come down from heaven, and reign
on earth a thousand years. But I rather understand the ex
pressions which refer to that period, as importing, not that the
departed saints will actually rise from the dead, and reign on
earth, but that, so universal will be the reign of piety at that
period, that it will appear as if all the departed saints had
risen to dwell on earth. This is certain, that the day is
coming, when " the saints shall take the kingdom," and piety
shall reign as triumphantly on the face of the globe, as hitherto
impiety has reigned : and, in the prospect of this, the saints in
glory may well rejoice, and consider themselves as participating
in the blest event !

And all these benefits, both to themselves and to the world
at large, they trace to the death of Christ as the one procuring
cause : " Thou wast slain," and hast brought us thereby into
this happy state. To the same blessed source also must we
trace all our privileges, and all our hopes ; tasting redeeming
love in all, and giving the glory of them all to " the Lamb that
was slain."]

But, as it does not at first sight appear how this
song could arise from the occasion that called it
forth, I shall proceed to mark,

III. The connexion between the two

L 2

148 REVELATION, V. 610. [2507,

Recall to mind what the occasion was. The book
which was sealed with seven seals contained all the
purposes of God towards his Church and people for
ever and ever. And none but the Redeemer himself
was found worthy to open it. But, when he took it
into his hand with a view to open it, then all the
redeemed burst forth into this song of praise ;
expressly founding their acknowledgments on this as
their proper ground. Now this they might well do ;
because,

1. The events themselves recorded in that book,
all arise out of his work of redemption

[Had not the Lord Jesus Christ given himself a sacrifice
for the sins of men, there would have been no difference be
tween our fallen race and the fallen angels : all having alike
transgressed, they would all have paid the penalty of trans
gression, and been consigned over, the one as well as the
other, to irremediable and everlasting misery. But the Lord
Jesus Christ having purchased to himself a peculiar people,
the purposes of God respecting them are infinitely diversified,
every one of them being destined to experience trials and
deliverances peculiar to himself, in order to fit him for that
precise measure of glory ordained for him from all eternity.
Who then should open this book but He from whom it has
derived its existence, and to whom all the blessings contained
in it must be traced as their proper source ?]

2. They will all issue in the felicity of his
redeemed

[Much indeed is spoken in that book respecting the per
secutions of the saints, all of whom are said to come out of
great tribulation : and can it be said that such dispensations
minister to their happiness ? I answer, yes ; even in this
present life, the trials to which they are subjected by their
enemies, work for their good, inasmuch as they tend to the
perfecting of their graces, and lead to a more abundant supply
of heavenly consolations. And, in the world to come, the
weight of glory assigned to each, is proportioned to what every
individual sustained for his Lord, and to the fidelity with which
he executed his Lord s commands. The book, like the cloud
at the Red Sea, was dark on the one side, even darkness itself;
whilst on the other side it was luminous as the noon-day sun :
and in both respects it subserved the interests of Israel : so,
whether the dispensations contained in that book be dark or
light, they shall all tend to the security of the saints, and the
completion of the deliverance ordained for them.]

2507.] TIIE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS OPENED. MO

3. They will all reflect glory on him as the
Redeemer

[We may easily conceive of this as far as the mercies are
concerned: but is it true also of the judgments? Can we
imagine, that the calamities inflicted on his enemies on earth,
and the infinitely heavier judgments executed on them in hell,
shall bring glory to the Redeemer ? Look into the book of
the Revelations, and you will find, that the condemnation of
the wicked, no less than the salvation of the righteous, is an
occasion of triumph to the hosts of heaven, and calls forth
the devoutest acknowledgments and hallelujahs to Almighty

God 1

Here then the acknowledged right of " the Lamb" to open
the book, and the acclamations of his redeemed on seeing him
undertake to open it, stand in the closest connexion with each
other, and form one great subject, worthy of our devoutest
attention.]

This book of the Church s destinies, though opened
as to the seals, is yet but very indistinctly seen by
any : nor will it be fully known, till the events con
tained in it are fulfilled.

But,

1. Are there not some amongst us to whom the
whole of revelation is yet " a sealed book ?"

[It is to be feared that, notwithstanding all our advan
tages for knowing the great truths of revelation, they are yet
but very imperfectly understood by the generality. Take
the work of redemption, and interrogate the great mass of
Christians respecting it, and you will find, that the grossest
errors obtain in relation to it. The freeness, the fulness, the
excellency of the Gospel salvation are but very imperfectly
seen, and very unworthily appreciated. Dear brethren, if
John " wept much," because he could not gain an insight into
the book of God s decrees, what reason have many of you to
weep, yea, to weep even floods of tears, on account of your
ignorance of the Gospel of Christ, of that which " he that runs
may read," and of that on which your everlasting salvation
depends. O, look to the Lamb of God to open it to you ;
and cease not to weep and pray, till he has revealed to you the
glorious mysteries contained in it ]

2. Are there not, however, others to whom its

blessed truths have been made known ?

J Rev. xix. 1 4. Recite the whole of this.

150 REVELATION, V. 1113. [2508.

[Yes, surely, there are not a few, " the eyes of whose
understanding have been opened," and who have been enabled
to behold " the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ." Who then amongst you are of
that happy number, who can say, " Whereas I was once blind,
I now see?" To you I say, Imitate the hosts above: give
glory to your Lord and Saviour: shout forth his praises : sing
without ceasing " to Him who has redeemed you to God by
his blood, and made you kings and priests unto God and the
Father." To you also I say, Look to it that you " reign on
the earth." You are no longer "the servants either of men"
or devils : " being bought with a price, you are His " who
bought you, and must do his will, and seek his glory, even his
only. None are you to fear, but Him : none to love, in com
parison of him : none to serve, but in subordination to him.
You are to be training now for heaven, and learning the song
of the redeemed whilst yet on earth; that when the harps
shall be put into your hands in the realms above, you may
not strike the chords as novices, but as those who are well in
structed in the heavenly science, and fully prepared to bear
your part amongst the celestial choir.]

MMDVIII.

THE DOXOLOGY OF THE REDEEMED.

Rev. v. 11 13. / beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne and the beasts and the elders : and
the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands ; saying with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are
in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory,
and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

WE know at present but very little of the blessed
ness of heaven : yet the word of God enables us to
form some faint conception of it. St. John draws
aside the vail, and reveals to us,

I. The assembly which he saw

The inhabitants of heaven are composed of angels,,
and glorified saints

2508.] THE DOXOLOGY OF THE REDEEMED. 151

[The angels are those who " kept their first estate," from
which others fell. The saints are spoken of under two cha
racters, " the beasts, or living creatures," and " the elders."
The former are supposed to represent the ministers of Christ a ,
and the latter, the members of the Church b : they altogether
compose one body in and under Christ .]

Their number exceeds all computation

[The way to heaven has always been a " strait and narrow
way ;" yet from the death of Abel their number has been con
tinually increasing : their collective number is inconceivably
great d .]

The saints take the lead in the worship

[They are represented as standing nearest to the throne 6 :
they begin the song f , and the angels join in chorus g .]

There is perfect harmony throughout the whole
assembly.
II. The Object they adored

Many deny that Christ is a proper object of worship.
But he has ever been worshipped in the Church

[Paul prayed to him, and received an answer from him h :
Stephen addressed him, as Christ himself had before addressed
the Father 1 : the offering of prayer to him characterizes every
true Christian 11 .]

And He is the object of universal adoration in
heaven

[He is the person described in the text and context 1 .
The description given is applicable to him alone m .]

He is expressly joined with the Father as an equal
object of worship

[The terms used are the same, and they are addressed
alike to both.]

a In the peculiar qualities of the four living creatures an allusion
is probably made to the talents requisite for the ministerial function.
The preacher of the Gospel ought to be bold, patient, compassionate,
and discerning. Rev. iv. 7.

b They are twenty-four ; probably in allusion to the twelve
Patriarchs and twelve Apostles, who were the heads of the Jewish and
Christian, i. e. of the universal Church.

c Eph. i. 10. d Dan. vii. 10. Rev, vii. 9.

e Rev. vii. 11. f ver. v. 9, 10. g ver. 11 13.

h 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. Acts vii. 59. k 1 Cor. i. 2.

1 ver. C, 8, 9, 12. ra John i. 29.

152 REVELATION, V. 1113. [2508.

The worship they offer him is such as is proper to
God only

III. The adoration they offered Him

The heavenly hosts do not offer blind and ignorant
devotions : they proclaim the Redeemer s worthiness
of divine honour

[Stronger expressions of adoration are no where offered to
the Father : the accumulation of words expresses the fervour
of their hearts n : their view of his essential glory must convince
them of his worthiness ; but they most admire him in his me
diatorial character: the angels, though not interested as we,
gladly unite their praises.]

They all join in this unitedly, and with a loud
voice

[Those from earth, and sea, &c. are the spirits of departed
saints : all seem to vie with each other without one discordant
voice.]

INFER

1. How great is the privilege of the saints !

[The saints are even now joined to this blessed assembly :
they have the same views of Christ s worthiness and glory :
they are engaged in offering the same praises and adorations :
they are daily growing in a meetness to join the saints above.
How glorious, how desirable is this privilege ! Let all seek it
by faith in the Lamb that was slain.]

2. How astonishing is the folly of the unrege-
nerate !

[This blessedness is offered to all who will believe in
Christ; yet the unregenerate " make light of it." But would
they think it so contemptible if they had such a vision of it as
St. John had? Would they despise it if they could see the
state of the damned as contrasted with it ? May God convince
them of their guilt and folly !]

3. How inconceivably glorious must heaven be !

[Here the felicity of the saints is often great P; but
hereafter it will transcend our utmost conceptions q . Let

n To explain each word would destroy the energy of the whole.

Heb. xii. 22, 23. P Gen. xxviii. 17.

&lt;i Here, our views are dim ("by faith") our company few, our
associates polluted, our capacity small, our difficulties great, our alloy
inseparable, our intermissions frequent, our declensions lamentable :

2509.] THE WORSHIP OF HEAVEN. 153

us frequently rehearse here, that we may be more fit to perform
our part on the theatre of heaven.]

but there, we shall see Christ as he is, together with innumerable
hosts, each of them shining as the sun ; our powers will be wonder
fully enlarged ; we shall serve him with perfect ease and readiness ;
and our bliss will be pure and unmixed, without intermission or end,
yea, continually, eternally progressive.

MMDIX.

THE WORSHIP OF HEAVEN.

Rev. vii. 9 12. After this, I beheld, and, lo, a great multi
tude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands ; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And
all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the
elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their
faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen : Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power,
and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

IN the book of the Revelations of St. John there
is more spoken of heaven than in all the inspired
volume besides. But so greatly are the circum
stances diversified, that, though the subject be ever
so often brought under our review, it will always be
found to wear a different aspect, and to afford fresh
matter for profitable consideration. Indeed so im
portant are those different circumstances, that we
should suffer a great loss, if we did not successively
fix our attention upon them as they arise. The
passage before us might afford us a just occasion for
entering into the subject at large ; because we behold
here the worship both of the saints and angels : but
we prefer noticing some particulars which distinguish
this individual passage ; and for that purpose shall
set before you under one head the worship of heaven,
and then the instruction to be derived from it.

Let us notice, then,
I. The worship of heaven
We behold it here,

154 REVELATION, VII. 912. [2509.

1. As commenced by the glorified saints
[There was of them " a multitude which no man could

number, out of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues." Previous to this period the Gospel had spread
throughout all the Roman empire, and more especially if we
consider the time spoken of as being after the accession of
Constantine to the imperial throne, and to the Christian faith.
The sealing of the hundred and forty-four thousand is supposed
to refer to the peaceful state of the Church at that period.
Doubtless, during the three first centuries of the Christian era,
incalculable numbers of souls had embraced the faith, and
been exalted to glory : and those added to all that had been
found faithful to their God under the Mosaic dispensation, and
to all the Lord s " hidden ones," whether infant or adult, in
every nation under heaven from the beginning of the world,
must have gradually swelled the number to a multitude count
less as the sands upon the sea-shore.

These all " stood before the throne, clothed with white robes,
and palms in their hands." Perhaps the robes, as well as the
palms, were emblems of triumph : or they might denote their
perfect purity, being cleansed from all their guilt in the foun
tain of Christ s blood, and washed also from all defilement by
the sanctifying efficacy of his Spirit. We are told this indeed
in the verses immediately following our text: " Who are
these that are arrayed in white robes ? These are they who
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb a ." The palms in their hands proclaim them victors
in the spiritual warfare. Whilst on earth, they sustained many
and arduous conflicts : but they overcame their enemies, and
" were more than conquerors through him who loved them."

But do they trace in any respect their salvation either to
their own strength or goodness? No, not in any degree : they
all without exception ascribe their " salvation to God," as the
great Original, from whose wisdom, and goodness, and power
it has proceeded ; and " to the Lamb," who purchased it for
them through his own most precious blood. This is their one
unvaried song : and they sing it " with a loud voice," as glorying
in a salvation so dearly bought, and so freely given.]

2. As continued by the angelic hosts

[The situation of the angelic hosts is worthy of particular
attention : they are lound about the throne indeed, as well as
the redeemed; but in an exterior circle, and more remote from
the common centre ; for they are " round about the elders and
the four beasts." They, though spotless, have but a creature-
righteousness, whilst the redeemed, though guilty, possessed

a ver. 13, 14.

2509.] THE WORSHIP OF HEAVEN. 155

the righteousness of the Creator himself; and therefore are
counted worthy of a nearer access to him than the angels are
able to attain.

Nor is their attitude less worthy of remark ; for they, though
sinless, " fell upon their faces before the throne," accounting
no posture too humiliating for creatures however exalted,
whilst occupied in the worship of their God.

Unable to join in the song of the redeemed as applicable to
themselves who have never fallen, they yet add their hearty
" Amen" to all that the redeemed have uttered, acknowledging
that all possible praise is due to God and to the Lamb for such
marvellous displays of their power and grace. At the same
time they vie with the saints in all suitable expressions of
adoration and love to their beneficent Creator ; viewing with
exquisite delight all the Divine perfections as visible in the
works of creation, and as exhibited with yet brighter splendour
in the stupendous mysteries of redemption. Every term
whereby they can evince their gratitude, they accumulate,
with an ardour which no words can adequately express ; and
then add again their " Amen," as concentrating in itself all
that with the utmost efforts of their nature they are able to
convey.]

Slight as is this view of the heavenly worship, it
will suffice for the present occasion, if we duly at
tend to,

II. The instruction to be derived from it-
It will be found well calculated to teach us,

1. Our obligations

[If we call to mind the faculties with which we are en
dowed, so far superior to all other creatures, and inferior to
the angels alone, we shall see that we also have reason to
adore our God for the blessings of our creation, as well as the
angels themselves. And for the wonders of redemption, we
are altogether on a par with those who are already before the
throne. The same stupendous efforts have been made for us,
as for them. For us was God s co-equal and co-eternal Son
sent into the world, as well as for them. For us He lived,
and died, and rose again, as well as for them. To us is sal
vation offered, as freely as ever it was for them; and for us it
shall be alike effectual too, if only we embrace it as they did.
The only difference between them and us is, that they are put
into possession of that which is kept in reserve for us, against
the time ordained of the Father for us to possess it. We have
the same aid afforded to us that was effectual for them ; and
the very instant the work of grace is perfected in us, we shall

156 REVELATION, VII. 912. [2509.

be summoned to the very place that is now occupied by them,
and to all eternity shall unite with them in the same blessed
employment of singing praises to God and to the Lamb.

We can conceive somewhat of their obligations : let us then
in theirs view and acknowledge our own also.]

2. Our duties

[The robes of the redeemed are emblematic of their
purity, as the palms in their hands are of the victories which
they gained. But how did they attain their purity? By con
tinued applications of the blood and Spirit of Christ to their
souls. And how did they gain their victories, but by fighting
manfully in the strength of Christ? Behold then how we
must be occupied whilst sojourning here below. We must
day and night wash in the fountain that was once opened for
sin and for uncleanness : our very holiest services, no less than
our grossest abominations, must be purged from guilt by the
blood of Christ. At the same time we must mortify the whole
body of sin by the influence of the Spirit of Christ: the one
labour of our life must be to grow up into the Saviour s image,
and to " purify ourselves, even as he is pure." But whilst
striving after these things we shall have many conflicts to
maintain : we have enemies to encounter both without and
within ; and we must fight manfully against them all ; nor ever
for a moment relax our efforts, till Satan and all his hosts are
for ever " bruised under our feet." It was not by mere in
active wishes that any of the saints in glory triumphed, but by
warring a good warfare. And in like manner must we also
" fight a good fight, and finish our course, and keep the faith"
even to the end, if ever we would attain " the crown of right
eousness that fadeth not away."]

3. Our encouragements

[Which among the heavenly hosts did not once feel the
same discouragements that we experience? But God in his
tender mercy carried on and perfected his work in their souls :
and he is equally willing to accomplish in us also all the good
pleasure of his goodness, if we will look to him, and commit
our cause into his gracious hands. He will not leave us or
forsake us, any more than he forsook and abandoned them :
and " in our weakness is he willing to perfect his own strength,"
as much as he ever did in theirs. There is no trial to which
we can be subjected, that was not experienced by them in
their day ; nor was there any succour afforded to them, that
shall not be dispensed to us also in the hour of need. They
in their day envied those who had gone before them, as you
do them : and in a little time will others arise to envy you,
when your warfare shall be finished, and your blessedness be

2510.] THE FELICITY OF THE GLORIFIED SAINTS. 157

complete. Remember that " He who sitteth on the throne"
is as much interested for you as ever he was for them; and
that " the Lamb" is as tender over you as ever he was over
them. Only rest on a promise-keeping God, and he will never
fail you. He has promised that " none shall pluck you out of
his hands;" but that he will preserve you unto his " heavenly
kingdom :" and " faithful is He who hath called you ; who
also will do it."]

MMDX.

THE FELICITY OF THE GLORIFIED SAINTS.

Rev. vii. 14 17. These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them
ivhite in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before
the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his tem
ple : and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ;
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them., and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters : and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes.

THE more light and knowledge God has commu
nicated to us, the more ready shall we be to confess
our ignorance, and to receive instruction from those
who are qualified and appointed to teach us. Un-
sanctified knowledge indeed will puff us up with
conceit; but that which comes from God, will lead
us to God with deeper humility. The Apostle John
was distinguished above all the Apostles by special
tokens of his Master s favour ; insomuch that he was
called "the Disciple whom Jesus loved." Nor was
he less distinguished by the multitude of revelations
that were given to him. In the chapter before us he
records a vision which he had of the heavenly world,
wherein he saw all the hosts of heaven, and heard
the anthems which they sang before the throne of
God. Being interrogated by one of the celestial choir
respecting the persons whom he had seen, Who they
were ? and, Whence they had come ? he modestly
declined offering any opinion of his own ; and, in
hopes of obtaining information from him, confessed

158 REVELATION, VII. 1417. [2510.

the superior intelligence of this divine messenger.
The desired information was immediately imparted :
he was told, in the words we have just read, Whence
they came ; How they came thither ; and The nature
and extent of their felicity. Taking this therefore as the
distribution of our subject, we shall shew, respecting
the glorified saints,

I. Whence they came

[Perhaps the persons whom the Apostle saw, were those
who had suffered martyrdom for the sake of Christ a . But
" it is through much tribulation that every one must enter
into the kingdom of heaven." Persecution indeed does not
rage equally at all times, or affect all in an equal degree : but
" all who will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer it." It is
necessary that they should endure it, not only to prove the sin
cerity of their faith, but to accomplish, in many other respects,
the gracious purposes of God towards them. Besides, there
are numberless other troubles, which are peculiar to the true
Christian, and are more afflictive than the most cruel persecu
tion. The temptations of Satan are often like fiery darts that
pierce the soul, and inflame it with a deadly venom. The
body of sin and death, which even the most exalted saints
carry about with them to the latest hour of their lives, often
drew from the Apostle tears and groans, which his bitterest
enemies never could extort. He could rejoice and glory in
the sufferings which they inflicted ; but a sense of his in
dwelling corruptions broke his spirit, and humbled him in the
dust. There is yet another source of tribulation, which, when
opened, overwhelms the soul with inexpressible anguish. The
hidings of God s face were the chief ingredient of that bitter
cup, which so distressed our adorable Saviour, that his " soul
was sorrowful, even unto death." Nor are any of his followers
so highly privileged, but they at times cry out by reason of
dereliction, and feel a grief too big for utterance. Hence then
may it be said of all that are in heaven, That they came thither
through much tribulation ; or, as it is spoken by the prophet,
That " the third part, the chosen remnant, are brought through
the fire 1 ."

But as they are a remnant only who partake of that glory,
while by far the greater part are left to perish in their sins, it
will be proper to inquire,]

II. How they came thither

[Though tribulation is the way to heaven, and, when suf
fered for the sake of Christ, is the means of advancing us to

a Rev. vi. 911. b Zech. xiii. 9.

2510.J THE FELICITY OF THE GLORIFIED SAINTS. 159

higher degrees of glory, or, as the Apostle says, " worketh out
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," yet is
it by no means meritorious in the sight of God : if our trials
were ever so great, ever so long continued, and ever so pa
tiently endured, they would not expiate our guilt, or purchase
the remission of one single sin. Nor is repentance, however
deep, at all more available for the removal of our guilt. As
well might the Ethiopian hope to change his complexion, or
the leopard to wash away his spots in water, as we to cleanse
our souls from the stains they have contracted, even though we
could bathe them in rivers of tears. But though neither the
tears of penitence, nor the blood of martyrdom, can avail for
the washing of our robes, " there is a fountain opened for sin
and for uncleanness," a fountain in which "sins of a crimson dye
may be made white as snow." The blood of the Lamb of God
was shed for this very purpose, and is ever effectual for this end.
And if we could ask of every saint that is in heaven, How
came you hither? Whence had you this white robe? there
would be but one answer from them all ; all without exception
would acknowledge that " their own righteousnesses were as
filthy rags ;" and that they " washed them white in the blood
of the Lamb." This is noticed in the text as the express reason
of their being exalted to glory ; they washed their robes in the
blood of the Lamb ; therefore are they before the throne of
God. And, if ever we would go thither, we must go in the
same way, and " be found in Christ, not having our own
righteousness, but his."

That we may be stirred up to seek a participation of their
privileges, let us consider,]

III. The nature and extent of their felicity-
While we are in this world we can form but very
inadequate conceptions of what is passing in heaven.
But respecting the glorified saints the text informs
us, that,

1. They serve God

[Heaven is not a scene of inactivity, but of constant dili
gence in the service of God. As God dwelt visibly in the
temple, and the chambers of the priests surrounded him on
every side ; and as the priests ministered before him in white
garments, all in their courses attending upon him by day and
by night, so he is represented as seated on his throne in heaven ;
and all his saints being made priests unto him, they surround
his throne clothed in white robes, and minister unto him, not
in rotation, but all together, with incessant watchfulness. They
once were prevented by their infirmities, and by the very

160 REVELATION, VII. 1417, [2510.

necessities of nature, from glorifying him so continually as they
would have wished; but now their powers are enlarged, and
they can serve him without weariness and without distraction.
Now also they have a freedom from every thing that could at
all abate their happiness in his service. When they were in
the flesh they had many wants yet unsupplied, and many trials
that were grievous to flesh and blood. If they had lost their
desire after earthly things, yet they hungered and thirsted after
God, and felt many painful sensations by reason of their dis
tance from him. But now every trial is removed : the sun of
persecution no longer lights on them ; nor do the fiery darts of
Satan any longer wound their souls c . Hence their services are
unintermitted, and their happiness is unalloyed.]

2. God serves them

[Both the Father and Christ delight to minister to their
happiness. The Father has long " pitied them, as a parent
pities" his dear afflicted infant; and, rejoicing with them in
the termination of their trials, now " wipes the tears from their
eyes," and receives them to his everlasting embraces. The
Lord Jesus too, who, though on his throne, is yet " as a Lamb
that has been slain," delights to minister unto them d . Once,
as the great Shepherd of the sheep, he sought them out, and
brought them home on his shoulders rejoicing, and fed them
in green pastures, and made them to lie down beside the still
waters. The same office does he still execute in heaven, where
his widely scattered flock are collected, as " one fold under
one Shepherd 6 ." There he feeds them in far richer pastures
than they ever saw below, and " leads them from the streams,
to the living fountains" of consolation and bliss. Incessantly
does he give them brighter discoveries of all the Divine per
fections as harmonizing, and as glorified, in their salvation ;
and incessantly does he refresh them with the sweetest tokens
of his love, and the most abundant communications of his

jy]

INFER

1. How patient should we be in all our tribula
tions !

[Tribulation is but the way to our Father s house : and
can we repine at the difficulties of the way, if we only con
sider whither it is leading us ? Besides, while every trial
brings us nearer to our journey s end, it leaves one trial less to
be endured. " Be patient, then, and hope to the end."

2. How earnest should we be to obtain an interest
in Christ !

c Rev. xxi. 3, 4. d Luke xii. 37. e John x. 16

2511.] THE NEARNESS OF ETERNITY. 161

[Nothing but his blood can cleanse us from sin ; nor can
we ever be admitted to the marriage-supper without a wedding
garment. Let us go then to the fountain ; let us wash and be
clean.]

3. How diligent should we be in seeking heaven !

[Will not the blessedness of heaven repay us ? Will it not
be time enough to rest when we get thither ? Let us then
press forward with all our might.]

MMDXI.

THE NEARNESS OF ETERNITY.

Rev. x. 5, 6. The angel which I saw stand upon the sea and
upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by

him that liveth for ever and ever that there should be

time no longer.

NEVER was there a more beautiful instance of
descriptive imagery than that before us. In ver. 1, a
mighty angel (probably the Angel of the covenant,
the Lord Jesus Christ) is represented as coming from
heaven to make known to the beloved Disciple the
purposes and decrees of God. His vesture was a
cloud, which intimated that " clouds and darkness
being round about him," neither his person nor his
message could be fully known. His face shone as
the brightness of the meridian sun, which denoted his
transcendent excellency and glory ; while a rainbow,
intimating his faithfulness to all his covenant-engage
ments, encircled his head as a royal diadem. His feet
were as pillars of fire, marking at once his immove-
able firmness, and irresistible power. His posture was
such as became his august appearance, and the
solemn embassy on which he was come : he set his
feet, the one on the earth, and the other on the sea,
expressing thereby his sovereign dominion over the
whole universe. In this situation he cried with a
loud voice, like the roaring of a lion : upon which
seven thunders, like a responsive echo, uttered their
voices. The attention of the whole creation being
thus deeply fixed, this glorious personage, in the
manner of those who appeal to God, lifted up his

VOL. XXI. M

162 REVELATION, X. 5, 6. [2511.

hand, and sware by him who liveth for ever and ever,
even by the Creator of heaven and earth ; and that
which he thus solemnly affirmed with an oath, was,
that there should be time no longer.

Commentators understand this oath in different
ways. Some think it relates to the introduction of
the millennium ; others to the commencement of
the eternal state. The whole period fixed for the
reign of antichrist was twelve hundred and sixty
years, or, in the language of prophecy, " a time, and
times, and half a time :" and the oath declares, that
the power of antichrist shall continue no longer than
to that precise period ; and that then the end of the
world (as some think) or the happy state of the
Church (which is the more probable opinion) shall
succeed. But without entering into this question,
the words, in whichever way they be understood,
will furnish us with this important observation, that,

OUR TIMES ARE IN GOD S HANDS.

That God has fixed the duration of the world
itself, and the limits of every man s existence in it, is
a truth so evident, that it is needless to dwell long
upon the proof of it a . But to get it suitably im
pressed upon our minds, is a work of great difficulty,
and worthy of our united attention. To promote
this end, let the following considerations be laid to
heart :

I. If God has fixed the period for our existence here,
it is impossible for us to prolong it

[No strength of constitution can withstand the stroke of
death 5 No physicians skill can administer either an
tidote or cure c No friends or relatives can procure

one moment s respite d Nor shall any want of prepa-

a See Job xiv. 14. and vii. 1. and xiv. 5.
b Job xxi. 18, 2326.

c They are extremely useful as God s instruments to effect his will :
but they cannot in any instance counteract it. The monarch as well
as the beggar must obey the summons of his God.

d They may cry till their throats are dry, their eyes are bloated,
and their very hearts break with sorrow ; but death, that relentless
messenger, will be deaf to their intreaties, and inflict the stroke on
the devoted victim.

2511.] THE NEARNESS OF ETERNITY. 163

ration in us avail for the lengthening out of our appointed

time 6 If God has said, " This night shall thy soul be

required of thee," even though we retired to our bed in perfect
health, we should never behold the morning light f .]

II. When the period fixed for our existence here shall

arrive, there will be an end of all present things

[All our earthly connexions will be dissolved s All

our plans and purposes will be broken h All our oppor
tunities of spiritual improvement will for ever cease 1 ]

III. When the appointed moment shall come, our
eternal state will be irrevocably fixed

[There will be no change whatever in the grave k

They who die without an interest in Christ will be for ever
miserable 1 They who have improved their time for the

e We may be living securely and without thought ; or be intending
soon to reform our lives ; or be professors of religion in a backslidden
state, and hoping for a season of revival ; but no regard will be paid
to our unfitness for death : yea rather, that very circumstance may be
God s reason for removing us without a moment s warning. Matt,
xxiv. 4851. 1 Thess. v. 2, 3.

f Luke xii. 20.

g We shall no more rejoice in the wife of our youth, or fondle in
our arms our infant offspring, or enjoy the friend that is as our own
soul : every social tie will be cut asunder, and every gratification of
sense be taken from us.

h If we were forming vast and comprehensive plans for our own
personal benefit, or the good of the state, and had almost brought
them to maturity ; if we were just on the eve of renouncing our
earthly arsd carnal lusts in order to turn more fully unto God ; if we
were in the very act of determining to read our Bible, to attend ordi
nances, and to devote ourselves to God ; all would be frustrated the
very instant that our time was come. Ps. cxlvi. 4.

1 All tilings are ready for us now : the Holy Spirit is ready to
teach us, Christ to cleanse us, and the Father to accept us : ministers
are ready to lead us, angels to welcome us, the oxen and fatlings to
feast us, and all the promises to own us as their lawful heir. But, as
soon as the last sand of our glass is fallen, all will be past and gone.
There will be no more ordinances to instruct, or promises to encourage,
or pastors to guide, or drawings of God s Spirit to incline us : the
fountain of Christ s blood will be for ever closed ; the bowels of divine
mercy will yearn over us no more ; nor will the angels any more ten
der us their friendly services. The day once ended, we can work no
more for ever.

k Eccles. ix. 10. Whatever our real character was in death, such
it will remain, Rev. xxii. 1 1 . just as Babel remained, from the instant
that God confounded the languages of the builders.

1 There was an impassable gulf fixed between the rich man and
Lazarus : nor was there so much as the smallest mitigation of pain

M 2

164 REVELATION, X. 5, 6. [2511.

great ends and purposes of life, will be for ever happy in the
presence of their God m ]

REFLECTIONS

1. This very day or night may be our last

[Yes ; if the term of our continuance on earth be now
to expire, we cannot resist the Divine will ; we must go : but
whither? Can it be to the regions of the damned? O how
shall we dwell with everlasting burnings"? Is there reason to
hope that we should go to heaven ? then welcome sickness !
welcome death ! But let us not rest one moment while this
awful matter is in suspense.]

2. Our last day must come soon, at all events
[What if we live fifty or sixty years ! the time will soon

be gone, as a weaver s shuttle passing through the loom ; and
then the thread of life will be cut. They who are now ad
vanced in years look back upon their past life as a dream.
So will it appear to us also, when it is spent. Let us then
work while it is day ; and before the night comes, in which no
man can work p .]

3. The present moment is of infinite importance to
us all

[It is all that we can call our own : and on this eternity
depends. Let us therefore live as those who live for eternity q .
If ever we should be with Christ in Paradise, shall we regret
that we took so much pains to get thither ? If, on the con
trary, we should ever lift up our eyes in hell, shall we not
bewail the supineness that brought us thither ? Let us then
awake from our slumbers ; and labour, that, at whatever time
our Lord may come, he may find us watching 1 .]

allowed to him that was in hell. Luke xvi. 26. Rev. xiv. 10, 11.
As on Noah s entrance into the ark the door was shut ; so there will
remain no possibility of admission into heaven, if once we die with
out an interest in Christ.

m They shall be as pillars in the temple of their God, and shall go
no more out. Rev. iii. 12. and iv. 8. and vii. 15.

n Isai. xxxiii. 14. Job vii. 6.

P John ix. 4. * 1 Cor. vii. 2931.

r Much of the foregoing matter would serve to illustrate ANOTHER
TEXT, Jer. xxviii. 16. This year thou shall die. It might be treated
thus : 1. What prospect there is that the text will be fulfilled in us
(Many will die this year No one has any security that he himself
shall not be among the number We all feel in ourselves the seeds of
death Many who in all respects were as likely to live as we, are
dead already There is a year coming wherein every one of us must
die.) 2. What effect that prospect should have upon us (It should
make us, dead to the world serious in self-examination diligent in
working out our salvation.)

2512.] THE REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH. 165

MMDXII.

THE REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH.

Rev. xi. 15 17. And the seventh angel sounded; and there
were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four
and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell
upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee
thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art
to come ; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power,
and hast reigned.

WE read of our blessed Lord weeping over Jeru
salem, in the contemplation of the guilt they had
contracted by their misimprovement of his mercies,
and the heavy judgments which were about to be
inflicted on them. And, in truth, wherever we turn
our eyes, whether towards the heathen or the Chris
tian world, we see but too just occasion to weep over
their unhappy state. It is almost impossible to behold
the universal reign of sin and Satan, and not to par
ticipate the feelings of David, when he said, " Rivers
of waters run down mine eyes, because men keep not
thy law a ." But it will not be always thus. There
is a time coming, and, we hope, now near at hand,
when the whole world shall be converted to the faith
of Christ, and " the knowledge of the Lord shall
cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea." Of
this period the Apostle speaks in my text. Respect
ing the sounding of the seven angels I forbear to
speak, because of the obscurity in which the subject
is involved. But of the universal establishment of
the Redeemer s empire, and of the joy expressed
amongst the heavenly hosts at the prospect of it, I
may speak with certainty ; because it is a subject so
fully opened in the sacred writings, that we can
entertain no doubt respecting it.

Let me then call your attention to,
I. The approaching reign of Christ on earth

a Ps. cxix. 136.

166 REVELATION, XL 1517. [2512.

The kingdoms of this world have hitherto been
almost entirely under the dominion of the prince of
darkness

[Satan is called tf the god of this world," because he has
reduced the world to a state of entire subjection to himself.
That wicked fiend beguiled our first parents in Paradise, and
brought under his own tyrannic sway the whole of the human
race. The effect produced by him on his vassals may be seen
in the first-born child of man ; who was a murderer, and slew
his own brother solely from an envious hatred of his superior
piety. Some few, a little remnant, God has in every age de
livered from his dominion ; but, from the fall of Adam to the
present hour, he has kept in bondage the great mass of man
kind, and is therefore justly called " the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit that now worketh in all the children of
disobedience." Not that he has power to make men act con
trary to their will. They are possessed of a corrupt nature ;
and he knows how to take advantage of their evil propensities,
and to ensnare them with temptations suited to their corrupt
appetites. His wiles and devices are inconceivably subtle : the
spirits also that are confederate with him are innumerable :
and men are but too willing to comply with his solicitations :
so that he takes them in his snares, and " leads them captive
at his will." He does not indeed impel every one to the same
crimes. Some he instigates to fulfil the desires of the flesh ;
others to tread more nearly in his own steps, by gratifying the
desires of the mind in the indulgence of pride, envy, malice,
and other hateful passions ; which are no less odious in the
sight of God, than those lusts which assimilate us rather to
the beasts. But, whatever diversity there may be in the out
ward conduct of mankind, all agree in this, they cast off the
yoke of God, and walk after the imagination of their own evil
hearts

Such is the state of all the kingdoms of this world, as well
of those which enjoy the light of revelation as those that are
yet immersed in Pagan darkness.]

But they will in due season " become the king
doms of our Lord, and of his Christ "-

[The prophets have fully declared this : " The God of
heaven will set up a kingdom," which shall not, like the king
doms of this world, be destroyed, but shall be universal in its
extent, and everlasting in its duration b . To " the Son of
man," the Lord Jesus Christ, shall this be committed ; and
" all people, nations, and languages shall serve him c ;" " all

l) Dan. ii. 44. c Dan. vii. 13, 14.

2512. J THE REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH. 167

kings shall fall down before him," and " his enemies shall lick
the dust." Not that he will interfere with the exercise of
kingly power amongst the different potentates of the earth: for
" his kingdom is not of this world :" the seat of his empire is
the heart : and there will he establish his throne ; not by the
sword of man, but by " the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God." Of what kind his dominion will be, we may
form some judgment from what took place on the day of
Pentecost. His word on that day was " quick and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword," and thousands in
stantly fell before it. So, when the time shall have come for
the full establishment of his kingdom, all opposition, whether
of men or devils, shall fall, as Dagon before the ark, and " all
nations shall be subdued to the obedience of faith." Then
where sin and Satan have hitherto maintained an undisputed
sway, the grace of God shall reign, and iniquity from thence
forth shall hide its face ]

No sooner was this glorious event announced,
than all the hosts of heaven were moved to welcome
it. Their thanksgivings will lead me to set before
you,

II. The joy expressed in heaven at the prospect
of it

Verily, the reign of Christ is a ground of joy, and
may well be made so by all on earth, and by all in
heaven. Consider the effect of it,

1. As it respects the honour of God

[God is banished, if I may so say, from the very world
which he has made ; and the whole of the human race are up
in arms against him. His authority is altogether despised.
Let any one attempt to impress on men the obedience which
they owe to God, how will he be regarded? What will he meet
with from every quarter but ridicule and contempt? I speak
not of the liberty which by courtesy is allowed to ministers in
the discharge of their public duty, but of expostulations or
entreaties in social life : and who is there that knows not how
such a liberty would be resented ? Nor would it give offence
only amongst the profligate and abandoned, but amongst the
more moral and decent part of the community : nothing more
need be done than to exalt God s law as the rule of our
conduct, and his authority as paramount to every other con
sideration, and it will soon be seen how entirely all subjection
to him is cast off, and man is become a god unto himself. The
same effect will be produced if we speak of the love and mercy

168 REVELATION, XL 1517. [2512.

of our God. Let us declare to those around us what God has
done for the redemption of a ruined world ; let us invite them
to believe in Christ, to apply to him for the gift of his Holy
Spirit, to live in the continual exercise of prayer and praise ;
shall we be a whit more acceptable to carnal men, than when
calling them to submit to the commands of God ? No : the
language of their hearts is, There is " no God" to controul
us d ; or, if there be, we will not submit to him: " We know
not the Lord, neither will we obey his voice e ." And as for his
Son, whom you represent as sent to gather in the fruits of his
inheritance, " let us cast him out," and live in the undisturbed
enjoyment of our own hearts lusts.

Now who that considers this must not blush, and be con
founded for the indignities which are cast upon his God?
How can we reflect upon it a moment, and not wonder, that
the whole earth is not swallowed up again with an universal
deluge, or burnt up with fire as Sodom and Gomorrha ?

But it is delightful to know, that a period is coming, when
" God will take to him his great power and reign," from one
end of the earth even to the other. In this contemplation our
minds find some relief. Our God shall not always be thus
dishonoured : his authority shall one day be universally
acknowledged, and his will be universally obeyed. The mys
teries of his love also shall be duly appreciated, and all the
wonders of his grace be extolled on earth even as they are in
heaven. Well might the four and twenty elders, the repre
sentatives of the whole body of the redeemed, " fall down and
worship God" in the prospect of this time, " saying, We give
thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, because thou hast taken
to thee thy great power, and hast reigned."]

2. As it respects the happiness of man

[Were we to look only to the temporal happiness of man,
we shall find it greatly enhanced by the diffusion of true
religion in the world. For partly through the calamities to
which we are unavoidably exposed, and partly through the
evils which men, through the influence of their evil passions,
inflict upon each other, this world is, more or less, to every
man, a vale of tears. But religion induces such habits of
mind as to dispose us to an universal exercise of love ; whilst
it affords such consolations as turn afflictions themselves into
occasions of joy. In reference to individuals, it may be said,
that " instead of the thorn grows up the fir-tree, and instead
of the brier grows up the myrtle-tree f ;" and, in reference to
communities, that the wolf is made to dwell with the lamb, and

d Ps. xiv. 1. e Exod. v. 2. Job xxL 14, 15.

&lt;" Isai. Ivi. 13.

2512.] THE REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH. 169

the leopard to lie down with the kid ; nor will there be any to
hurt or to destroy in all God s holy mountain g .

Great as the change is in this respect, it is far more glorious
in a spiritual view. Where is the man who knows any thing
of solid peace ? He does not exist upon the face of the
whole earth, except among the little remnant of God s pecu
liar people. Many possess what they call peace, that is, a
mere thoughtlessness and indifference about the eternal world:
but who derives joy from the contemplation of death and judg
ment ? Who is " looking for, and hasting unto, the coming of
the day of Christ," as the period for the completion and con
summation of his bliss ? Or who finds a real delight in God
as his reconciled God and Father ? This is the portion of
those only who have believed in Christ. They do possess it:
they walk with God as dear children : they maintain sweet
fellowship with the Father and the Son: they live as on the
borders of eternity, and enjoy already a foretaste of their
heavenly inheritance. Of this indeed none can judge, but
those who experience it in their souls : there is " a stone
given to them with a new name upon it which they alone can
read h :" but though the stranger intermeddleth not with their
joy, it is real, " unspeakable, and glorified."

For the full effect of the reign of Christ we must wait till
we come into the eternal world. We must be added to the
heavenly hosts before we can at all conceive of their bliss :
but when exalted to a participation of their lot, we shall feel
precisely as they do ; and " fall on our faces before the throne
of God," to adore him with all the blended emotions of humi
lity and love. Where Christ is not known, the very supersti
tions of men impose on them such a yoke as makes life itself
a burthen : but, wherever he reigns, " the wilderness blossoms
as the rose," and earth becomes a nursery for heaven.]

Let me now, in conclusion, ADDRESS myself,

1. To those in whose hearts the kingdom of Christ
has been established

[Mark, I pray you, the conduct of those in heaven. In
the prospect of this glorious period, they, not on their own
account, but on account of those who should hereafter partici
pate their bliss, rose from their thrones whereon they were
seated, and all with one accord fell upon their faces before
God, the very instant that the glad tidings were proclaimed,
and burst forth into the devoutest praises and thanksgivings
to him on account of the blessings which were about to flow
down on man, and the honour which would thereby accrue to
God. And will not you prostrate yourselves before him ;

s Isai, xi, 6 9. h Rev. ii. 17.

170 REVELATION, XII. 11. [2513.

you who are so deeply interested in this event, and who have
through the sovereign grace of God been already made par
takers of the benefit ? I charge you, brethren, to cultivate
this very spirit. This is what I wish to see in all the religious
world : this is the true and proper effect of redeeming love
upon the soul : and I call upon you all to make this improve
ment of it, and to grow downward in humility, whilst you
bring forth fruit upward to the praise and glory of your God.]

2. To those who have never yet bowed to the
sceptre of his grace

[Do you not know that this revolution which is to take
place in the world at large, must take place in the heart of
every individual ; and that, till it is experienced by you, you
are subjects and vassals of the prince of darkness ? Know of
a surety, that, if ever you would be acknowledged by Christ
as his redeemed people, you must be " turned from darkness
unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Yes
indeed ; you must submit to Christ ; you must bow to the
sceptre of his grace, or be " broken in pieces as a potter s
vessel." Remember what he has said respecting those who
reject " his light and easy yoke ;" " Bring hither those that
were mine enemies, who would not that I should reign over
them, and slay them before me." My dear brethren, cast
away the weapons of your rebellion ere it be too late ; and
yield a willing obedience to your Saviour now, that you may
reign with him in glory for ever and ever.]

MMDXIII.

HOW SATAN IS TO BE VANQUISHED.

Rev. xii. 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.

THE establishment of Christianity, whether in the
world at large, or in the souls of individuals, is, by
means of a warfare, carried on between " the god of
this world," and the God of heaven and earth. Such
is the representation given of it in our text. " There
was war in heaven : Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon ; and the dragon fought and his
angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place
found any more in heaven. And the great dragon
was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world : he was cast

2513.] HOW SATAN IS TO BE VANQUISHED. 171

out into the earth : and his angels were cast out
with him a ." By this I understand, that whilst our
blessed Lord sought, by means of faithful ministers
and active saints, to establish his kingdom upon
earth, the devil, through the agency of persecuting
emperors, and idolatrous priests, and heathen philo
sophers, laboured to the uttermost to counteract this
gracious design. During the three first centuries
the conflict was severe : but at last the Lord Jesus
prevailed, so that Christianity, under Constantine,
became established through the Roman empire, and
idolatry was in a great measure destroyed. " Then
was heard in heaven a loud voice, saying, Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ : for the
accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night : and they over
came him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony ; and they loved not their
lives unto the death ;" that is, this victory was
gained, not by the sword, but by the faith of be
lievers, the fidelity of ministers, and the constancy
of all.

The words which we have taken for our conside
ration at this time belong more particularly to
believers, who maintained their steadfastness, and
were useful in the diffusion of the truth, by the
simple exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were accused before magistrates continually,
through the influence of Satan; but "they over
came their great adversary by the blood of the
Lamb."

Let us consider

I. The character of the adversary with whom we
have to contend

He is called " the accuser of the brethren :" and
this name justly belongs to him at the present day :
for he accuses all the Lord s people,

1. To God himself

a ver. 79.

172 REVELATION, XII. 11. [2513.

[We are told how repeatedly and how confidently he
accused Job b : and that, "when Joshua the high-priest stood
before the angel of the Lord, Satan stood at his right hand to
resist him c ." To the same effect, in the words immediately
before our text, it is said, " He accused the saints before God
day and night." How far that wicked fiend may be permitted
to prosecute his impious course in the presence of the Most
High, we will not undertake to say : but whatever efforts he
made in former days, he uses still : and by whatever means he
sought to injure the saints of old, he still has recourse to them
for the purpose of effecting his murderous designs.]

2. To their fellow-men

[Here we can speak without hesitation. We see how
this deceiver accused God s people of old, to Artaxerxes, to
prevent the re-building of the temple d ; and to Ahasuerus, in
order to effect their utter destruction 6 . In like manner he
accused the Apostles as ring-leaders of sedition ; and even our
Lord himself as a blasphemer and a demoniac. And what is
there that he does not lay to the charge of the saints at this
day ? Through him they are still, exactly as they were in the
apostolic age, "a sect that is every where spoken against f ."
Our blessed Lord taught us to expect that men would " speak
all manner of evil against his followers falsely for his sake g :"
and so it is, and so it will be, as long as " the accuser of the
brethren" retains his influence in the world.]

3. To themselves

[Few, if any, of the Lord s people are altogether strangers
to the wiles of Satan. Exceeding powerful are the sugges
tions, whereby he tempts and harasses the souls of men.
They are justly compared to " fiery darts," which penetrate
the inmost soul, and which nothing but " the shield of faith
can quench h ." Sometimes he insinuates that we have com
mitted the unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Ghost ;
and that we can therefore never be forgiven. At other times
he suggests, that we are not of the number of God s elect ; and
that, consequently, it is in vain to seek his face. At other
times, he would make us believe, that we have sinned away our
day of grace ; and that therefore our state is remediless and
hopeless. Now though the world at large are " ignorant of
these devices," the Lord s people know them by bitter expe
rience 1 ; and find, that, whilst this subtle enemy, by accusing
them to others, creates to them many " fightings without," so

b Job i. 9 11. and ii. 4, 5. c ZQC\\. iii. 1, 2.

d Ezra iv. 12 16. e Esther iii. 8, 9. f Acts xxviii. 22.

s Matt. v. 11. h Eph. vi. 16. i 2 Cor. ii. 11.

2513.] HOW SATAN IS TO BE VANQUISHED. 173

by accusing them to themselves he generates many " fears
within k ."]

But, formidable as this enemy is, my text informs
us,

II. By what means we may be sure to overcome
him

Of the saints in glory we are told, that " they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb :" and we in
like manner shall overcome him also, if we regard
the blood of the Lamb,

1. As the ground of our hopes-
fit is " the blood of the Lamb " which has procured our

reconciliation with God : and if we be sprinkled with it, as the
houses of the Israelites were sprinkled with the blood of the
Paschal Lamb, no enemy whatever can prevail to hurt us.
Thousands may fall beside us, and ten thousands at our right
hand, but destruction can never come nigh us. There is in
that precious blood a sufficient atonement for the sins of the
whole world ; so that, if we had the sins of the whole world
upon our own souls alone, we need not despair : we need only
to plunge into " the fountain opened for sin and for unclean-
ness," and we shall be pure, even as an angel is pure: " our
sins of scarlet or of crimson dye shall instantly become as wool,
yea, and as white as snow itself." In vain will Satan then
attempt to accuse us: for God, who seeth our secret reliance
on the blood of Christ, will " behold no iniquity in us :" and
in vain will he attempt to distress our minds ; for, " being
justified by faith in that blood, we shall have peace with God,"
and peace in our own conscience. That plea, the death of
Christ for us, will be sufficient to silence every accusation, and
to defeat every assault of our great adversary.]

2. As the source of our strength

[That precious blood has purchased for us all the blessings
both of grace and glory ; and relying on it, we may be assured
that " our strength shall be according to our day." What is
there that God will not do for those who are reconciled to him
through the sacrifice of his dear Son ? Will he not come
down to them, and dwell in them, and be a Father unto them ;
and deal with them as sons? But there is one promise which
comprehends within it every thing that our hearts can wish :
" I will be a God unto them 1 ." Consider what is implied in
this. If it had been said only, I will be a friend, or a father
unto them, it would have been most encouraging ; because it

k 2 Cor. vii. 5. l Heb. viii. 10.

174 REVELATION, XII. 11. [2513.

would have secured to us all that might reasonably be expected
from persons standing in such relations to us. But, when it is
said, " I will be a God unto them," it secures to us the exer
cise of infinite wisdom, and almighty power, and goodness, and
love : and with these on our side, we may defy all the assaults
whether of men or devils.]

3. As a stimulus to our exertions

[Sweetly encouraging was the testimony given to Abel,
when he offered a firstling of his flock to God ; insomuch
that Cain, who understood its import, was filled with rage at
the distinguishing grace shewn to his pious and believing
brother" 1 . But the blood of Christ sprinkled on our souls
" speaks infinitely better things to us n ." And shall not his
love in shedding it for us influence our minds ? Shall it not
" constrain us to live unto him who died for us and rose
again ?" What will be able to stop us when impelled by
gratitude to him ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? No : in all those
things we shall be more than conquerors through him that
loved us p ." None of these things will move us: we shall "be
ready not only to be bound, but also to die," for our adorable
Benefactor ; and shall never cease to fight against our adversary
till he is overcome, and " bruised under our feet."]

APPLICATION

Seeing then that our victory over this great adver
sary is to be gained by the blood of the Lamb, let us
exercise faith in that blood,

1. With simplicity

[This is the precise idea contained in our text. The
redeemed overcame by a simple reliance on the blood of
Christ as the only ground of their hopes. And in this we
must resemble them. We must not blend any thing else with
this. We must not endure the thought of uniting any work
of ours in any degree whatever with Christ s meritorious death
and passion. We must make Him our only foundation, and
glory in him alone ]

2. With boldness

[It is added, that they overcame Satan by the word of
their testimony. No doubt they all testified of Christ where-
ever they went : and by their testimony they prevailed on
thousands to embrace the faith, and to burst the bonds in which

m Gen. iv. 4, 5. " Heb. xii. 24.

2 Cor. v. 14. P Rom. viii. 35, 36.

2514.] THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. 175

they had been held. You are not all, it is true, called to be
ministers of Christ, but you are all to be witnesses for him in the
midst of a dark benighted world. With the heart you may
believe unto righteousness ; but with the mouth you must make
confession unto salvation. By this you will give the death-
wound to Satan : for let light only shine, and the kingdom of
darkness will be utterly destroyed ]

3. With constancy

[To the honour of the saints in glory it is recorded, that
" they loved not their lives unto the death." This is the sure
way to conquer. Jesus himself, " by death overcame him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil:" and in the same
way must we triumph also. If we would vanquish Satan in
the world, or in our own hearts, it must be by shewing that
death has no sting for us ; and that we can welcome it for
Christ s sake. " Be ye then faithful unto death, and Christ
will give you the crown of life " ]

MMDXIV.

THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.

Rev. xiii. 8. Whose names are not written in the book of life
of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

THE persons here spoken of are the saints, who
have withstood, and are still withstanding, the cor
ruptions of Popery, even unto martyrdom itself.
There can be no doubt but that the Papal power is
that which is here portrayed as exercising the most
relentless tyranny over the Christian world, during
the space of twelve hundred and sixty years. The
multitudes that have been slain by that blaspheming
and persecuting power are innumerable. For hun
dreds of years, that idolatrous Church, aided by the
secular arm of its advocates and dependants, com
pelled all to " worship her ;" those only excepted,
" whose names had been written in the Lamb s book
of life from the foundation of the world." Over these
she could not prevail, because " they loved not their
lives unto the death :" but over all others she exer
cised the most despotic sway ; and reduced them to
a state of vassalage, more cruel and debasing than
could ever have been contemplated, or even credited,

176 REVELATION, XIII. 8. [2514.

if the voice of inspiration had not declared it, and
the history of ages borne witness to it.

It is not however of Popery that I am about to
speak, nor of those who are delivered from it ; but
rather of that electing and redeeming love by which
they have been delivered, " their names having been
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world."

Let us consider these remarkable expressions :
and let us mark,

I. The designation here given to our blessed Lord-
He is called " a Lamb," because he was destined
to be a sacrifice for sin, like the lambs that were
offered under the Mosaic law. And though he did
not come into the world till the world had existed
four thousand years, yet is he said to have been
" slain from the foundation of the world." And justly
may he be spoken of under these terms : because,
though not slain, in fact, till about thirty-four years
after his incarnation, he was offered in sacrifice to
God from the very beginning,

1. In purpose

[From all eternity was he devoted to God ; and set apart
for an offering, just as the Paschal Lamb was four days before
it was actually slain. In all the prophecies, this was clearly
shewn. The very first promise that was given to man declared,
that, in his conflicts with the powers of darkness, he himself
should suffer, having " his heel bruised, whilst he bruised the
serpent s head ;" and " dying himself, whilst he overcame him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil." In the Psalms
of David, all the circumstances of his death were predicted with
a minuteness that bore the resemblance of historic record,
rather than of a prophecy of what was afterwards to be accom
plished. The Prophet Isaiah also, eight hundred years before
the Saviour s advent, was equally particular in his predictions
respecting him ; so that it is not possible to read his prophecies
with candour, and retain a doubt of whom he spake, or whose
sufferings he foretold. At last the forerunner of our Lord
pointed him out, as the very person so characterized and so
predicted ; saying, " Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh
away the sins of the world !"

The types, also, bear the same testimony to Him from the
beginning. There can be no doubt but that sacrifices were of

2514.] THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. 177

divine appointment : for when Abel took of the firstlings of
his flock to offer to the Lord, he did it " by faith." " Now
faith must, of necessity, have respect to a divine ordinance. If
God had not previously ordained the offering of sacrifices, it
would have been an act of presumption, and not of faith, in
Abel so to approach the Deity. We are not, indeed, told
when God instituted the use of sacrifices ; but we conceive it
to have been immediately after the fall, when he clothed our
first parents with the skins of beasts, which, I think there can
be no doubt, had been offered in sacrifice to him, by his own
express appointment. In every successive age, the same sacri
fices were offered by Noah and the Patriarchs, till the time of
Moses, when they were made the constant means of shadow
ing forth the Saviour, and of making known unto men the
only way in which a sinner could find acceptance with God.
They all shadowed forth the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Sacrifice
that was in due time to be offered for the sins of the whole
world.]

2. In effect-

[As God had ordained from all eternity the sacrifice of
his dear Son, so he regarded it as if it had been actually
offered ; and imputed the merit of it to all who approached
him in humility and faith. Doubtless our first parents, and
Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and the Patriarchs, and all the
saints that were saved during the first four thousand years,
were " accepted in the Beloved," just as we are since his
advent and crucifixion. " They all died in the faith " of Him
who was to come, as we die in the faith of Him who is already
come*. There has been but one way of salvation from the
beginning. The Lord Jesus Christ ever was, and ever will be,
" the way unto the Father ; and no man ever did, or ever will,
come unto the Father but by HimV It is in consequence of
the reflex efficacy of his sacrifice, so to speak, that God s right
eousness appears in the remission of sins before his advent,
no less than in the forgiveness of them since his advent. " God
having from the beginning set forth his Son to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, his righteousness in the remission
of sins was, as St. Paul tells us, fully declared from the begin
ning, precisely as it is at this very hour c ."]

Whilst we look thus to the death of Christ as the
meritorious ground of our acceptance with God, we
must trace altogether to the electing love of God,
II. The security of .those who believe in him

There is " a book," in which the names of all

a Heb. xi. 13. b John xiv, 6. c Rom. iii. 25, 26.

VOL. XXI. N

178 REVELATION, XIII. 8. [2514.

God s people are registered, and have been registered
" from the foundation of the world d ." This book is
called "The Lamb s book of life 6 "

[" There is, and ever has been, a remnant according to the
election of grace f ." These were given by the Father to the
Lord Jesus Christ g , that they might be a peculiar people to
him, and that in them "he might see of the travail of his
soul, and be satisfied." They were " chosen by the Father,"
and " predestinated " unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, that they might be to the praise of the glory
of his grace, who has made them accepted in the Beloved V
In due time " they are called by God with an holy calling ;
but still, not according to their works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given them in Christ Jesus
before the world began 1 ."]

All who are inscribed in this book shall surely
attain eternal life

[This is clearly intimated in my text, as the source of
steadfastness to those who had not worshipped the beast : but
in many other places it is directly affirmed ; yea, and the vera
city of God is pledged for the performance of the promise
which such an inscription implies. Remarkable is that expres
sion of St. Paul to Titus, when, speaking of himself, he says,
" In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised
before the world began k ." Here he not only traces up the
promise of life altogether to the sovereign grace of God, but
represents the veracity of God as pledged for the accomplish
ment of it. In another place he sets forth the promise of God
as " confirmed by an oath, in order to shew to the heirs of pro
mise the immutability of his counsel, and to give the stronger
consolation to those who have fled for refuge to the hope set
before them 1 . In fact, there is a golden chain of Divine pur
poses, reaching from eternity to eternity : " for whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son : and whom he did predestinate, them he
also called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ; and
whom he justified, them he also glorified" 1 ." In fact, God
upholds all his people in his arms, and " suffers none to pluck
them out of his hands, " and " keeps them, by his own power,

d The last clause of the text may, with equal propriety, be con
nected with " The Book Written," or " The Lamb Slain."

e Rev. xxi. 27. f Rom. xi. 5.

g This is again, and again, and again mentioned in Christ s inter
cessory prayer : John xvii.

h Eph. i. 46. * 2 Tim. i. 9. * Tit. i. 2.

1 Heb. vi. 17, 18. m Rom. viii. 29, 30. n John x. 28,29.

2514.] THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. 179

through faith unto salvation ." " The same hand that has laid
the foundation of grace in their souls, will also finish the struc
ture P;" and " He who has been the author of good to them,
will also be the finisher V]

LEARN then, from hence,

How greatly we are indebted to our God

[If we are saints indeed, " our names are written in the
book of life r ," and have been " written in it from the founda
tion of the world 8 ." What ground, then, is there to any one
for self-applause ? We acknowledge that there is a difference
between you and others ; and you are not serving the world,
and the flesh, and the devil, as millions of your fellow-creatures
are. But who made you to differ ? What had you done, to
deserve the distinction of having your names written in the
book of life? The change that has taken place in you was
not the source, but the fruit and consequence of that mercy
which God, of his own sovereign grace, conferred upon you.
Rejoice, then, in that inestimable benefit, and in that God
who so freely bestowed it on you. There is nothing under
heaven that calls for so much gratitude at your hands *: and
therefore I call upon you to bless and magnify your God with
your whole hearts.]

2. What reason we all have for humiliation and
contrition

[I will not speak of any gross sin as committed by us :
I will notice only our ingratitude to God for his electing and
redeeming love. Think of the Saviour setting himself apart
from all eternity to be slain for you. Think of God the Father
setting his love upon you from all eternity, and writing your
unworthy name in the book of life. And then think what
provocation you have given him " to blot it out again":" and
yet he has borne with you to the present moment, in order
that you might not come short of the glory reserved for you.
Say, whether, in the review of these things, you ought not to
stand amazed ; yea, and to blush and be confounded in the
presence of your God ? Verily, it is not possible for us ever
to lie too low before our God : and to all eternity must we
fall on our faces before the throne, whilst, with all the glorified
saints and angels, we unite in singing praises to God and to
the Lamb.]

1 Pet. i. 5. P Zech. iv. 9. Q Heb. xii. 2.

r Phil. iv. 3. 8 Rev. xvii. 8. * Luke x. 20.

u Rev. iii. 5.

N 2

180

REVELATION, XIV. 15. [2515.

MMDXV.

THE FELICITY OF HEAVEN.

Rev. xiv. 1 5. And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the
Mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thou
sand, having his fathers name written in their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of a great thunder : and I heard
the voice of harpers harping with their harps : and they sung
as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four
beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but
the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were re
deemed from the earth. These are they which were not
defiled with women ; for they are virgins. These are they
which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God
and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile :
for they are without fault before the throne of God.

A CONSIDERABLE part of the Book of Reve
lation is yet involved in impenetrable obscurity ;
though we doubt not but that, when the predictions
contained in it shall have been fulfilled, the whole
will appear as lucid and intelligible as any other
prophecies which have been already accomplished.
There are parts however which may be understood
by every reader; and which are particularly inte
resting, on account of the sublime views which they
unfold to us of the heavenly state. Indeed in the
whole of the inspired volume there will not be found
such bright displays of heaven as in this closing part
of the sacred canon. The vail seems on many occa
sions to be drawn aside, as it were, and we are
admitted to see and hear all that is taking place in
the regions of bliss. The passage before us is of this
kind. The Apostle himself was, as it were, caught
up into the third heavens, where he saw his adorable
Lord and Saviour in the midst of all his redeemed
people, and heard the songs with which they pro
claimed his praise. His record concerning it will
lead me to set before you,

I. The blessedness of heaven

2515.] THE FELICITY OF HEAVEN. 181

There the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in the midst of
his redeemed people

[Heaven doubtless was the place now opened in vision to
the Apostle s view : it was " Mount Sion, the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem a ."

There the Lord Jesus Christ dwells, still retaining in his
person all those marks which his murderous enemies inflicted
on his sacred body, when he offered himself a sacrifice for the
sins of a ruined world. He was the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world ; and in that sublime character does
he yet appear, though seated on his heavenly throne : for in
that character he is most glorified in himself, and most en
deared to his redeemed people.

Around him stand the myriads of his redeemed. They are
called " an hundred and forty and four thousand," every tribe
of Israel having twelve thousand of its members " sealed in
their foreheads" as God s peculiar property b , and " having the
Father s name engraven there" as an evidence of their relation
to him. But we are not to suppose that there are no more in
heaven than the number specified : for they are in reality a
multitude that no man can number, out of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues ."]

There are they adoring him with unceasing songs
of praise

[The song in which they join, though not specified here,
is made known to us in a former chapter. It is " a new song;"
because it was unknown to the bright morning stars which
were first created, nor could possibly be sung by those who
never fell. Hence it is said to be " a song which no man could
learn, except those who had been redeemed from the earth."
Hear the song itself, as reported to us by him who heard it :
" They sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us unto
our God kings and priests : and we shall reign on earth." He
then adds, " And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many
angels, round about the throne and the beasts and the elders ;
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing d ."
Here are two things to be noticed ; one is, that the song was
new ; for it could not be sung till the Lamb was slain ; and

a Heb. xii. 22. b Rev. vii. 4.

c Rev. vii. 9. d Rev. v. 912.

182 REVELATION, XIV. 15. [2515.

the other is, that the angels are unable to join in the song of
the redeemed: for whilst the redeemed celebrate his praises
as having been " slain for them, and having redeemed them to
God by his blood," the angels can only join so far as to acknow
ledge, that He is " worthy to receive " the praises that are so
offered to him.

This chorus of the redeemed, swelled as it is by the accla
mations and amens of all the angelic hosts 6 , is " as the sound
of many waters, and loud as thunder itself:" yet is the song
so melodious, that every one of the redeemed accompanies it
with his harp ; for it is " the voice of harpers harping with
their harps." The music of the temple-service in the days of
Solomon must have been grand beyond all that men of this
age can conceive : but not Solomon in all his glory could form
a conception of that melody which John heard, and which, I
pray God, we may be admitted to hear, and join in, to all
eternity.

It is said of all this band, that " they follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth." Whilst they were in this world,
they endeavoured to walk in his steps, and to follow him in
all his ways; and now they attend upon him through the
boundless expanse of heaven, all vying, as it were, with each
other in testifying their love and gratitude to their adorable
Redeemer. As in the days of old, at the time of Jesus
triumphant entry into Jerusalem, " the whole multitude
followed him, crying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed
be he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in
the highest f ;" so now in heaven they follow him with similar
acclamations, and rest not day nor night from this glorious
employment^

Such are the circumstances related by the Apostle: but, to
form any idea of the bliss enjoyed by the heavenly hosts, we
must ourselves be partakers of it : the language of mortality
cannot paint it ; nor, if an angel were to come from heaven to
describe it, could our feeble apprehensions grasp the mighty
theme.]

In relation to this blessedness, the point which
more particularly demands our attention is,

II. The character of those that are admitted to it

This is minutely marked,

1. In its source

[" They have been redeemed from among men." Once
they were in bondage even as other men : but God in his
mercy delivered them " by a mighty hand and with an out-

e Rev. v. 13, 14. f Matt. xxi. 9. & R v. iv. 8.

2515.] THE FELICITY OF HEAVEN. 183

stretched arm." Israel when in Egypt were an exact picture
of them in their unregenerate state. Their subjection to sin
and Satan was entire : nor could they by any means cast off
the yoke with which they were bound. But God, in his tender
mercy, pitied them ; and sent his only dear Son to redeem
them ; to redeem them, by offering his own soul a ransom for
them, and by enabling every one of them for himself to burst
his bonds. Thus to God s sovereign love and mercy must
their emancipation be traced in the first instance, and then to
the efficacy of the Redeemer s blood, and the almighty power
of his grace. As Israel were " a nation taken out from the
midst of another nation for the praise of the glory of his grace,"
so are all that either are, or shall be, transferred to the heavenly
Canaan, " a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people, that they may shew forth the praises
of him that hath called them out of darkness into his mar
vellous light V]

2. In its progress

[" They are a willing people, though made so in the day
of God s power j :" and the very instant that they begin to
taste redeeming love, and to experience the mighty working
of God s power on their souls, they offer themselves up to
God " as first-fruits to God and to the Lamb." The first-
fruits of every thing were God s peculiar portion : nor could
any man appropriate them to his own use without being guilty
of sacrilege. And such are all who are truly converted unto
God k . Under this character then they present themselves to
him : they know that " they are not their own, but his : and
therefore they desire to glorify him with their bodies and their
spirits, which are his 1 ." They account this " a reasonable
service;" and they engage in it with their whole hearts.

Having consecrated themselves to God, they endeavour to
be faithful to their engagements. This is what is meant, when
it is said in my text, " They were not defiled with women ;
for they are virgins." It is of spiritual fornication that the
Apostle speaks. This is a common figure in the Holy Scrip
tures. Men are often said to "go a whoring after their idols."
But the saints in glory have kept themselves from spiritual, as
well as from open and outward, idolatry. They have given up
themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, as a virgin betroths her
self to her husband": and they have "kept themselves pure;"
not transferring to any rival the regards which are due to God
alone.

Nor is it from overt acts only that they have abstained, but

h 1 Pet. ii. 9. * Ps. ex. 3. k Jam. i. 18.

1 1 Cor. vi. 20. ra Rom. xii. 1. 2 Cor. xi. 2.

184 REVELATION, XIV. 15. [2515.

from unfaithfulness even of thought or desire. They know
that God requires the heart : and that the smallest alienation
of the affections from him would excite his just resentment.
They have therefore laboured to be sincere and without offence
before him : and through the grace and mercy of their God
"they have been preserved blameless :" so that "in their
mouth there was no guile ; and they are found without fault
before the throne of God."

Here you see the whole Christian life depicted; and the
process by which every saint in glory is fitted for his place.
The whole work of grace originates with God, and is carried
on by God to its final issue. But man is neither an unwilling
nor inactive servant in the house of his God. He is aware
that he must be meet for the inheritance of heaven before he
can possibly enjoy it. This meetness therefore he aspires
after, and labours for with all his might : and, through the
operation of God s grace upon his soul, he is fully prepared for
glory, being perfected after the Divine image, an Israelite
indeed, in whom there is no guile.]

Permit me now to ADDRESS you all,

1. As candidates for heaven

[Men who are candidates for earthly honours find that
much labour is necessary for the attainment of their object.
Be assured then, brethren, that notwithstanding heaven is a
free gift of God for Christ s sake, yet must it be laboured for
as much as if it were altogether the fruit of our own exertions:
as it is said, " Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for
that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of
man will give unto you." And permit me to ask, Is it not
worth a whole life of most strenuous exertion ? Consider only
the representation that has been given of it : is it not desirable
to be of that happy number, who are following the Lamb
through all the courts of heaven, and with voice and harp
ascribing to him all possible glory and praise ?

But think of the alternative : think, if you are not admitted
there, where will you be, and be to all eternity ! There is no
middle place between heaven and hell. The idea of purgatory
is a mere Popish delusion. As, if you have not the mark of
Jehovah s name upon your forehead, you must bear the stamp
of Satan s children ; so if you are not made partakers of the
glories of heaven, you must for ever participate in the miseries
of hell. See what is spoken but a few verses after my text.
" If any man worship the beast, and his image, and receive
his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink
of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without

Jude, ver. 24.

2515.] THE FELICITY OF HEAVEN. 185

mixture into the cup of his indignation : and he shall be tor
mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb : and the smoke of
their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever : and they have no
rest day nor night." Now though this is spoken primarily of
those who enter into the abominations of popery, and bear on
their forehead or on their hand the mark of that idolatrous
Church, it is true also of all who die in their sins : the per
sons that are not admitted to the marriage-supper of the
Lamb, are " cast out into outer darkness, where is weeping,
and wailing, and gnashing of teeth for ever." Compare now
these states : both those in heaven and those in hell are " in
the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb ;" but the
one, as the monuments of mercy, and joint-heirs of glory ; the
other, as monuments of vengeance, and heirs of wrath and
fiery indignation. Need I then say to you, be diligent to
make your calling and election sure? I pray you, consider
how many there are who fall short of this inheritance. Of all
that came out of Egypt, two only entered the promised land :
and the perishing of all the rest in the Wilderness is set forth
as an admonition to you, lest you also come short of the pro
mised rest P. I cannot then be too urgent with you on this
important subject. I would have you all to succeed in this
great enterprise, and so to approve yourselves to your Saviour
now, that you may be counted worthy to dwell with him in a
better world.]

2. As expectants of it-
Strange it is that every one conceives heaven to be his
portion, though he never in the whole course of his life made
one effort to obtain it. But, beloved brethren, you have
already heard the character of those who are in heaven ; and
that to those only will heaven be assigned. Inquire then
whether you have attained this character? What have you
experienced of that great work, the work of redemption?
Have you been delivered from the yoke of sin and Satan ?
Have you been brought out from an ungodly world, as the
Israelites were from Egypt; and are you living like them
under the guidance and government of Jehovah ? Does your
conscience bear witness for you, that you have presented
yourselves to him as the first-fruits, desiring to be wholly and
altogether his? When have you so surrendered up yourselves
to him ? Do not imagine that your dedication to him in bap
tism, or in any other public ordinance, is any evidence of your
having personally fulfilled this duty, unless you are yet in the
habit of renewing that dedication of yourselves to him in secret

P 1 Cor. x. 16. with Heb. iii. 1719. to iv. 1.

186 REVELATION, XIV. 15. [2515.

from day to day. And, supposing that you have given your
selves to him, have you been faithful to your engagements, so
that in the last day, when the time for your everlasting union
with the heavenly Bridegroom shall come, we may " present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ ?" Have the world and the
flesh so far lost their ascendant over you, that you no longer
comply with their solicitations, or yield to their temptations ?
Finally, Can the heart-searching God attest, that, as far as
respects any wilful sin, you are blameless and harmless, and
shining as lights in the midst of a dark world ? These things
are indispensably necessary to any well-grounded expectation
of the heavenly glory : and if, whilst destitute of these essential
marks, you buoy up yourselves with the hopes of heaven, you
do but deceive your own souls to your eternal ruin. I even
appeal to yourselves: would you who have never touched a
harp be able at a moment to accompany with it a band of
music, and to join harmoniously in the sublimest strains? How
then shall you, if undisciplined and unprepared, accompany
the heavenly hosts in all their songs of praise ? Their song,
as you have before heard, is one which none but the sealed
can learn: and were you admitted there in an unconverted
state, your harp would yield nothing but discordant sounds,
nor would a single note of your voice be in unison with the
heavenly choir.

But I would hope and trust, that there are many here who
on good grounds are expecting a portion among the saints in
light. To such then I would say, " Press forward, forgetting
the things which are behind, and reaching forward to that
which is before." And, if at any time the thought occur to
your mind, Can such a sinner as I be saved ? then look into
heaven, and see who there are already around the throne : do
you not see there a Manasseh, a Mary Magdalen, a dying thief,
and a whole host from the Church at Corinth q ? Then there
can be no reason for you, or any other person, to despond.
Only seek to be interested in the redemption that Christ has
wrought out for you, and every thing else will follow.
Through him you shall be justified ; through him you shall be
sanctified ; " through him you shall be presented unto God
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, yea, as holy and
without blemish :" for to all who seek acceptance through
him, " he is made of God, wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption."]

&lt;i 1 Cor. vi. 10, 11.

2516.] THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO ALL NATIONS. 187

MMDXVI.

THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO ALL NATIONS.

Rev. xiv. 6, 7. / saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them
that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred,
and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God,
and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.

ON many occasions we find angels employed by
God to execute his purposes respecting men. Some
times they have been sent as executioners of his
judgments ; but most generally as dispensers of some
special mercy ; for their more appropriate office is,
as " ministering spirits, to minister unto the heirs of
salvation."

In the passage before us an angel is sent, not to
an individual, or a family, or a single nation, but
to the whole world ; having received a commission to
" preach the everlasting Gospel to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people upon the face of the
whole earth." His mode of executing this commis
sion also is made known to us ; and the whole ac
count will afford us very valuable instruction, whilst
we consider,
I. His commission-
It is here manifestly intimated,
1. That the whole world need to have the Gospel
preached to them

[We are apt to imagine that every man may be saved by
the religion which he professes : and to intimate the contrary
is deemed a libel even upon the Deity himself. But on this
subject we can know nothing except as we are informed by
God himself: and we must not set up our opinions in opposi
tion to his revealed will. We must receive with implicit faith
the declarations of his word; and whether they accord with
our preconceived views or not, we must rest satisfied, that the
Judge of all the earth will do right. I am far from saying
that God may not save some from amongst all nations, even
though they have not a distinct knowledge of the Gospel : for
God may^ do whatsoever seemeth him good ; and we are no
more at liberty to limit the exercise of his mercy, than we are

188 REVELATION, XIV. 6, 7. [2516.

the rights of his justice. But " secret things belong to him ;
and the things which are revealed belong to us and to our
children :" and the uniform testimony of revelation is, that men
are all in a lost and perishing condition ; that they all need a
Saviour; and that " there is no other name given under heaven
whereby any man can be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ."
This then is the testimony which we must bear, without pre
suming to be " wise above that which is written." Indeed the
very circumstance of an angel being employed to preach the
Gospel to the whole world, is itself a proof that the whole
world needs to be instructed in it in order to their final salva
tion ; for we cannot suppose that God would use such means
for the information of the world, if the information itself were
not greatly needed. We shall do well therefore to fix this as
a settled principle in our minds, that as Christ has offered
himself " a propitiation for the sins of the whole world," the
whole world needs to be directed to him as the only ground of
a sinner s hope.]

2. That the office of a preacher is one which even
an angel from heaven may well affect

[Think you that this angel counted his office an indignity?
or that he regretted even his absence from the throne of God,
whilst he was occupied in the discharge of it? No surely: a
regard for God s honour and for the welfare of mankind would
carry him forward with exquisite delight, whilst flying through
the vast expanse of heaven. And let me say, that the office,
by whomsoever discharged, if executed with fidelity and zeal,
is as honourable as any that can be sustained on earth. We
justly account it a great honour to be an ambassador from an
earthly monarch, and especially if for the purpose of effecting
peace between contending nations. But how infinitely more
honourable is it to be an ambassador from the court of heaven,
and a representative of the King of kings, to proclaim to a
rebellious world the terms on which they shall be restored to
his favour, and receive all the benefits which Omnipotence
itself can confer upon them ! Let none then think lightly of
this office ; let none imagine that talents of the most distin
guished kind can be employed in any service more worthy
of them, or that in any line whatever the most strenuous
exertions can be more richly recompensed : for if a preacher
be made an instrument of saving only one single soul, he has
already gained that which is of more value than the whole
world.]

Let us now turn our attention to,
II. His execution of it

2516.] THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO ALL NATIONS. 189

There are many who imagine that the Gospel con
sists merely in an exhibition of Christ as crucified for
the sins of men. That this is the point to which all
must lead, I readily acknowledge : but it is necessary
that men should be awakened to a sense of their
guilt and danger, in order to prepare their minds for
a due reception of the Gospel salvation : " The whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick:" and,
unless people feel their malady, it is in vain to speak
to them of a remedy suited to it. The true mode of
preaching the Gospel may be learned from the angel,
in our text, who first calls men to a state of humilia
tion on account of sin ; then exhorts them to embrace
the salvation offered them in the Gospel ; and then
enforces his exhortation with a consideration calcu
lated to stimulate them to the utmost care and dili
gence.

1. He calls men to a state of humiliation, on
account of sin

[The whole world are asleep, or rather " dead, in tres
passes and sins." All fear of God, yea, all thought of God, is
cast off; and men are as unmindful of their accountableness
to him as if there were no God in heaven. To awaken them
from their slumber, he opens his commission, by saying, and
" saying with a loud voice" " Fear God." And in like man
ner would I " lift up my voice like a trumpet," yea, if I could
speak, as the angel himself, like thunder, it would be no more
than the occasion calls for, if peradventure I might awaken one
single soul to a consideration of his lost estate. I say to you
all then, " FEAR GOD;" whatever be your age, whatever
your condition, whether ye be old or young, or rich or poor,
I say to every one of you individually as well as collectively,
" FEAR GOD :" for he is " a great God, and of terrible ma
jesty ;" and ye have all greatly offended him, and are obnoxious
to his everlasting displeasure. In the view of this, even a
heathen monarch issued " a decree that every man in his
wide-extended dominions should tremble and fear before the
God of heaven V And well may this be inculcated on every
human being: for " it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God." The inculcating of this too is a very
essential part of the Gospel : for so was the Gospel ministered
by the forerunner of our Lord, and by our Lord himself, and

a Dan. vi. 25, 26.

190 REVELATION, XIV. 6, 7. [2516.

by all his holy Apostles : they all preached " repentance
towards God" as preparatory to " faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ b :" and he neglects a very essential part of his duty who
does not make repentance a preliminary requisite to a due
reception of the Gospel salvation.]

2. He exhorts them to embrace the salvation
offered them in the Gospel

[God has in his tender mercy sent his only dear Son to
die for our redemption ; and has told us, that through him he
will be reconciled unto us, and that all who believe in him
shall be justified from all things. This Gospel then we should
receive with the profoundest reverence, and the most lively
gratitude. In so doing we " give glory" to all his glorious
perfections. We glorify his wisdom and goodness, which have
devised such a plan for the salvation of a ruined world : we
glorify his love and mercy, in accepting it : we glorify his truth
and faithfulness, in expecting the accomplishment of his pro
mises in the appointed way. It is said of Abraham, that when
a child was promised to him in his old age, he " staggered not
at the promises of God through unbelief, but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God." Believe ye then, brethren, that
this way of salvation through a crucified Redeemer is both
suited to your wants, and sufficient for your necessities. Be
lieve that, if you " look unto Jesus, you shall be saved ;" and
that " those who come unto him he will in no wise cast out."
Do not dishonour him by any doubts either of his ability or
willingness to save you. Do not for a moment assign limits
to the mercy of your God, or to the power of Christ, who is
" able to save you to the uttermost." If I may use such an
expression, take God at his word ; embrace his promises ; rely
upon them; plead them in prayer; expect the accomplishment
of them to your souls : and know that sooner shall " heaven
and earth pass away, than one jot or one tittle of his word
shall fail."]

3. He enforces his exhortation with a consideration
calculated to stimulate them to the utmost care and
diligence

[It is probable that there is some reference here to the
judgments which will be inflicted on the anti-Christian powers,
to make way for the more rapid diffusion of the Gospel. But
that will be only a prelude, as it were, to the general judg
ment, when all the enemies of the Lord and of his Christ shall
be finally destroyed. Of that period the Apostles often speak,
with a view to detach our minds from present things, and to

*&gt; Mark i. 4, 14, 15. Luke xxiv. 47. Acts xx. 21.

2516.] THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO ALL NATIONS. 191

quicken us in our spiritual course : and so strongly did the
Apostle insist upon this thought, that he judged it necessary
afterwards to remove from his Thessalonian converts the
erroneous impression, which, by the strength of his own
representations, he had made upon their minds. Eighteen
centuries have elapsed since that time ; and consequently the
destined period must be so much nearer its arrival. But, whe
ther it be in itself near at hand or not, it is as it respects us ;
because at the instant of our dissolution all opportunity for
repentance or faith is for ever closed. Can you think of this
then, brethren, and delay this necessary work ? What would
not millions, who are gone into the eternal world, give for one
single day to work out their salvation, if by any means it might
be obtained? I pray you, lose not the present hour; but
" to-day, whilst it is called to-day," humble yourselves before
God in dust and ashes, and embrace with all earnestness the
salvation he has given you in the Gospel of his Son.]

Let me now yet further IMPROVE the subject,

1. In reference to yourselves

[You generally acknowledge that the Gospel should be
carried to heathen nations. But do not you yourselves need
it as much as they ? True, you are in some measure ac
quainted with the scheme of salvation : but to what purpose
is it that you have a speculative knowledge of the Gospel, if
you have not an experimental acquaintance with it in your
souls ? Let me then follow in the train of that divine mes
senger, and repeat to you his authoritative admonitions :

" Fear God" " Give glory to him" Reflect

how soon the hour of his judgment will have come, when all
possibility of securing this salvation will be for ever terminated

Despise not his message, because it is delivered by a

worm like unto yourselves ; for the word, however weakly
delivered, is God s, and not mine: and therefore I beseech
you to " receive it with meekness as an engrafted word, able
to save your souls."]

2. In reference to the general subject of missions
[What can we need to recommend the office of a mis
sionary, when we see it executed by an angel from heaven ?
Suppose he had been commissioned to inquire for an assistant,
who amongst us would not have volunteered his services ? Or,
if he had felt the need of pecuniary aid, who would not gladly
have contributed to the utmost of his power ? Methinks, the
society now established in our Church, in concurrence with
other societies of a similar nature, is that angel from heaven :
and the voice of that society, like that of Jehovah himself, is,
" Who will go for us ?" Are there not then many amongst

192 REVELATION, XIV. 911. [2517.

you ready to say, " Here am I ; send me ?" Would to God
I could see such a zeal in the midst of you ! Would to God
that you were all, like that blessed angel, ready to deny your
selves, and make every sacrifice for the honour of your God !
In the early ages of Christianity such a zeal was common ;
insomuch that the knowledge of Christ was in the space of
thirty or forty years diffused through all the Roman empire :
but now for these seventeen hundred years how little has been
done towards the evangelizing of the world ! Alas ! not one
sixth of the world knows so much as even the name of Christ ;
and of them, a very, very small portion, it is to be feared,
knows him to any good effect. I call upon you then to awake
from the supineness in which you have lain, and, by redoubled
exertions, to redeem the time that has been lost, and the cha
racter of the Church to which you belong. The time for us
to work is surely come ; and if we enter into the sacred cause
with suitable affection, we shall at least have the happiness of
sowing what, at a future period, we may expect to produce an
abundant harvest.]

MMDXVII.

THE PUNISHMENT OF THE UNGODLY.

Rev. xiv. 9 11. And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the pre
sence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb :
and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
ever : and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name.

MINISTERS, who wish to discharge their duty
conscientiously both to God and man, are placed in
a very painful dilemma : if they declare faithfully the
whole counsel of God, they are considered as harsh
and severe : if, on the contrary, they keep back the
more offensive truths, they contract an awful respon
sibility before God, to whom they must give an ac
count of every soul that has perished through their
unfaithfulness. What then are we to do ? If the
forbearing to alarm the consciences of our auditors

2517.] PUNISHMENT OF THE UNGODLY. 193

would be attended with no evil consequences to them,
we might perhaps run the risk of displeasing God
ourselves, rather than excite in them any unnecessary
disquietude ; but when the loss of their souls, and
of our own, must infallibly result from such timidity,
we feel a necessity laid upon us, and can no longer
forbear. Yet, why need we apologize for delivering
to men the message which God has sent them ? Did
not an angel deliver it, when first it was announced ?
and did he not deliver it with a loud voice, as feeling
its importance, and determined, if possible, to arrest
the attention of all the world ? Let us then be par
doned for treading in the footsteps of an angel, and
for seeking, in the way that he adopted, the welfare
of your souls.

In the words before us there are two things which
we shall endeavour to point out :

I. Who they are against whom God here denounces
his judgments

All Protestant writers are agreed, that "the beast"
here mentioned, and more fully treated of in the pre
ceding chapter, is the Papal Hierarchy. The Romish
Church, from the time that it attained a sovereignty
over other Churches, has been an idolatrous, supersti
tious, persecuting power. It has been idolatrous, in
that it worships saints and images, and the conse
crated wafer; and blasphemously ascribes to its su
preme head the titles and prerogatives of God himself.
It is superstitious, in that it substitutes penances, and
pilgrimages, and other ordinances of man s device, in
the place of Christ, our only Advocate and Pro
pitiation. And it is persecuting, insomuch that the
cruelties exercised by Pagans themselves against the
primitive Christians, do not exceed those which she
has committed against those who have asserted their
Christian liberty, and refused to comply with her
abominations. But as, on the one hand, we cannot
suppose that all the members of that Church shall
perish ; (for God will discriminate between those who
serve him to the best of their knowledge, and those

VOL. xxr. o

15)4 REVELATION, XIV. 911. [2517.

who, with high pretences to piety, are enemies to all
that is good ;) so, on the other hand, all who drink
into the spirit of that Church, or, in the language of
our text, " receive the mark of the beast in their
forehead or their hand," will certainly be found
amongst those who shall endure the judgments here
denounced against them. Amongst these therefore
we must specify,

1. The adherents of idolatry

[We do not worship saints or images: true; but are there
none who arrogate to themselves an authority in opposition to
that of God, or who yield to such authority in points directly
contrary to God s commands ? What is this, but to usurp, or
acknowledge, a power superior to God ; or, in the language of
the Apostle, " to worship and serve the creature more than
the Creator, who is blessed for evermore a ?" We do not mean
to magnify every instance of wilfulness into an act of idolatry :
but, where it is habitually exercised, or submitted to, in oppo
sition to God s will, there is, in fact, a power elevated above
that of God himself: and whether God will resent such usur
pation, you yourselves may judge.]

2. The advocates for superstition
[Superstition is not confined to penances and pilgrimages :

it exists wherever there is a substitution made of any human
observances in the place of our Redeemer s sacrifice. Some
things may be more palpably absurd than others ; but whether
we seek to establish a righteousness of our own, by counting
beads and repeating the Lord s prayer, or by a certain round
of religious duties, we equally invalidate the Gospel, and make
void the death of Christ b . In fact, this, more than any thing
else, was the ground of separation from the Church of Rome.
Much as transubstantiation and the infallibility of the Pope
were objected to, it was the doctrine of human merit that most
of all kindled the zeal of the Reformers, and stimulated them
to protest against such fatal errors : and in proportion as we
entertain hopes of meriting salvation by any works of our own,
we return to Popery, and cherish the most damning corruption
of " the beast."]

3. The abettors of persecution

[It is a strange idea entertained by some, that persecution
for the Gospel s sake has ceased. But if fires be not now
kindled for the extirpation of pretended heretics, is therefore

A Rom. i. 25. b Gal. v. 2, 4.

2517.1 PUNISHMENT OF THE UNGODLY. 195

persecution ceased? Are there no such things as "cruel
mockings " yet in existence ? Yea, where is the person who
is at all active in the cause of Christ, that is not despised and
hated on that very account ? Let him possess every qualifica
tion that can entitle him to respect, that one fault of loving
and serving the Lord Jesus Christ, is sufficient to despoil him
of all, and to render him an object of derision. Nor is it to any
abhorrence of persecution that we are indebted for the measure
of peace that we enjoy, but to the laws, and the knowledge
which men possess on the subject of religious toleration. The
same spirit that has " made war with the saints " in the Romish
Church, still exists in ours : and inasmuch as it does so, we
" bear the image of the beast in our forehead, and are in danger
of the judgments which are treasured up for it.]

Having ascertained the characters here spoken of,
let us inquire into,

II. Their doom

Whether the metaphors that are used to describe
the punishment of the ungodly are to be understood
in any thing like a literal sense, we will not pretend
to determine : nor is it of any importance to us to
know : for, though there should be no lake of fire
and brimstone to torment our bodies, yet will there
be torment of some kind or other both to our bodies
and souls ; and that torment cannot be more fitly
represented to us in our present state, than by the
images used in our text. We can form some little
idea of the internal agony arising from the drinking
of a cup composed of burning ingredients ; and of
the outward agony which we should experience in
being burnt alive : and therefore God is pleased to
represent his judgments by these images. And, O !
what a terrible idea is that of a cup filled with the
wrath and indignation of an incensed God ; and that
of a lake of fire and brimstone, " kindled to the
highest degree of fury by the breath of the Al
mighty !" But not to dwell on these metaphors, let
us descend to those plainer matters which charac
terize the misery of the damned. It will be,

1. Unalleviated

c Isai, xxx. 33.
o2

196 REVELATION, XIV. 911. [2517.

[Here, in our deepest troubles, we find something to
mitigate our grief, some mixture of sweet in our cup of bitter
ness. There is some occupation to amuse us, some thought
to sooth us, some friend to console us. But in that world of
misery, our cup is " without the smallest mixture" of any
thing to assuage our anguish ; no engagement to draw away
our attention ; nothing in the retrospect or prospect to afford
us the smallest consolation. Here we have " mercy and judg
ment ;" there we shall have "judgment without mercy." Small
as a drop of water would be to one burning in a lake of fire, it
cannot there be granted to us d .]

2. Incessant

[Whatever our afflictions be, whether of mind, or body,
or of both together, the very weakness of our frame procures
us some respite ; and the overwhelming nature of our troubles
leads to an occasional suspension of them. But in the
future state of our existence, our bodies and souls will be
strengthened on purpose that they may be capable of suffering
incessant torture. The unhappy sufferers never close their
eyes to sleep ; they " rest not day nor night ;" they are always
" weeping, always wailing, always gnashing their teeth" with
inexpressible anguish.]

3. Unpitied

[The sons and daughters of affliction find in this world
some benevolent person ready to compassionate their state at
least, if they be not able to relieve their misery. But those
who are suffering the wrath of God, though tormented in the
" presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb," find no pity whatsoever. Those benevolent spirits,
who once would gladly have ministered to them with the
tenderest solicitude, now hear their cries, and behold their
writhings, without any other emotion than that of acquiescence
and perfect approbation. Yea, they themselves are willing
instruments of their torture ; " gathering them together as
tares, and binding them up in bundles, and casting them into
the fire e ." The Lord Jesus too, who once left the bosom of
his Father for them, and assumed their nature, and groaned,
and wept, and bled for them, and would have accounted all
the travail of his soul richly recompensed, if they had but
availed themselves of his proffered mercy, even He now
beholds them, and, so far from pitying their misery, " laughs
at their calamity, and mocks now that his judgments are come
upon them f :" he even finds " rest and comfort to his own soul
from the vengeance that he inflicts upon themC And there

d Luke xvi. 24. e Matt. xiii. 30, 39, 41.

f Prov. i. 2426. e Ezek. v. 13.

2517.1 PUNISHMENT OF THE UNGODLY. 197

is reason to believe that every created being, not excepting
the dearest relatives of those who perish, will be like-minded
with Christ and the holy angels, and will applaud, and even
rejoice in, the sentence that shall be executed, whether it
be on the ungodly at large, or on their own relations in
particular 11 .]

4. Everlasting

[Whilst here, the troubled look forward to death as the
termination of their woes : and men often find satisfaction in
the decease of their dearest relatives, from the consideration
that they now " rest from their labours." But in that place
of torment, they " cry to the rocks and hills to fall upon them,
and to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb ;" but they
cannot obtain this desired end : they wish for death, but it
flees from them. Could they but hope that their misery would
end at the expiration of millions of years, they would instantly
congratulate themselves on their prospects: but the thought
of eternity, O this fearful thought adds such a poignancy
to their anguish, as no finite imagination can at all conceive.
Could the fire ever be burnt out, or their powers be consumed
by it, they would rejoice : but their punishment is everlasting 1 ;
" their worm dieth not, and their fire cannot be quenched k ;"
on the contrary, " the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for
ever and ever."]

Most of you will anticipate me in the following

REFLECTIONS

1. How astonishing is the supineness of the un
godly !

[Were the cry of fire to be made in a crowded assembly,
what pressing would be made to escape the devouring element,
and how backward would people be to believe that they were
not in danger ! But let God, and his ministers, warn them of
eternal fire, and none will pay the smallest regard to their
voice. O sad infatuation! For, "who can stand before his
indignation? who can abide in the fierceness of his anger 1 ?"
" Who amongst us can dwell with the devouring fire ? who
amongst us can dwell with everlasting burnings" 1 ?" May God
awaken all of us from our security ; and so lead us to examine
our real character, that we may humble ourselves before him,
and " flee from the wrath to come ! "]

2. How happy are they who have the mark of
God s image upon them !

h Rev. xix. 1 G. j Matt. xxv. 46. k Mark ix. 4348.
1 Nahum i. 6. m Isai. xxxiii. 14.

198 REVELATION, XIV. 13. [2518.

[Blessed be God ! there are many whose dispositions and
habits are altogether changed ; who were once idolatrous, and
superstitious, yea, perhaps contemners and persecutors of real
godliness, but are now enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and
" renewed after the image of God in righteousness and true
holiness." You also are "marked in your foreheads";" but
" your spot is the spot of God s children ." Blessed indeed
are ye ; for " ye shall be counted worthy to escape all those
things which are coming on the ungodly, and to stand before
the Son of man" in his glory. For you is prepared a very
different cup, a cup " wherein is fulness of joy, and pleasures
at God s right hand for evermore p ." Yes, whilst " fornicators,
liars, hypocrites," and sinners of every description " shall have
their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone V
you shall dwell in the presence of your God, and enjoy an in
conceivable happiness without mixture, intermission, or end.]

n Ezek. ix. 4. Deut. xxxii. 5. P Ps. xvi. 11.

9 Rev. xxi. 8. with Ps. ix. 17.

MMDXVIII.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF DEPARTED SAINTS. 3

Rev. xiv. 13. I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours ; and their works do follow them.

AS connected with the context, these words were
intended to comfort and encourage those who should
suffer martyrdom for the cause of Christ. The de
struction of Antichrist is declared in the preceding
verses. But as, in the meantime, the saints would be
harassed with grievous persecutions, they are here
taught to endure their trials with patience, in an as
sured expectation of a glorious recompence at the
instant of their departure from the body. This will
account for the very extraordinary way in which the
most simple of all truths is here both announced
and attested. The blessedness of departed saints, one
would have thought, should not have needed to be
promulgated in so solemn a way ; especially when
Christianity had been for a long period propagated,

a Intended for a Funeral Sermon.

2518.] BLESSEDNESS OF DEPARTED SAINTS. 199

and, if I may so say, established throughout all the
Roman Empire. But the circumstance of its being
thus solemnly declared may well lead us to contem
plate it with peculiar attention.

Let us, then, consider the blessedness of departed
saints,

I. As announced from heaven to the Apostle John

But who are they who are here pronounced
blessed ?

[Some imagine that martyrs alone were referred to : and
it is certain that they were primarily in the mind of him who
spake; because they are the persons to whom, more parti
cularly, the preceding context belongs. But yet it cannot
be said of all martyrs, that they are " blessed :" for we are
assured, on infallible authority, that persons may go, and pro
bably have gone, from the flames of martyrdom to those more
tremendous flames that never can be quenched. St. Paul says,
we may even " give our bodies to be burned, and yet want that
chanty" which- is indispensable to our final admission into
heaven b . We must extend our views to believers : yet even of
believers it is not necessarily and universally true, that they
are blessed: for we know, that there are some who " for awhile
believe, but in time of temptation fall away c ." In truth, it
cannot be certainly said of any, whilst they are yet alive, that
they shall be happy in the eternal world ; because there is no
human being of whom it can be infallibly declared, that he
shall persevere unto the end. After the fall of David, and
Solomon, and Peter, and Demas, who shall venture to say,
that he may not, after all his profession, " make shipwreck of
the faith?" It is of " the dead" only that it can be affirmed,
that they shall certainly be saved : and of those only who " die
in the Lord." They must first be in Christ by a living faith ;
they must then " abide in him," bringing forth fruit to his
glory ; and, lastly, they must " die in him," humbly " hoping
in him even to the end," and being " faithful unto death."
Persons so living, and so dying, are truly blessed.]

And why is their blessedness so peculiarly pro
claimed ?

[It is announced, by an audible voice from heaven : and
the Apostle is commanded to record it, for the benefit of all
future generations. Whence was the necessity for such a
manifestation of so plain a truth ? Had it not been known in

b 1 Cor. i. 3. c Matt. viii. 13.

200 REVELATION, XIV. 13. [2518.

the Church as long as any written record of God s mind and
will had existed ? True ; it was known : but yet it was fore
seen that it would be obscured by that corrupt Church that
would in due time arise ; and a special revelation of it there
fore was given, in this extraordinary manner, for the comfort
of God s saints whom that Church would persecute ; and for a
warning to those who should give way to fear, and turn from
the holy commandment committed to them. That persecuting
Church would inculcate the doctrine of purgatory, in order
to enrich her ministers : but those who should die in defence
of the Gospel might rest assured that their felicity would be
immediate and complete, as soon as ever they should have
sealed their testimony with their blood ; as would also be the
misery of those who either inflicted those sufferings, or, through
fear of suffering, renounced their holy profession. The faithful
should " from henceforth," from the very moment of their
death, be happy ; but the others, from the instant of their
departure from the body, should " drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which should be poured out, without mixture,
into the cup of his indignation." The faithful universally, and
the faithful exclusively, might apply to themselves this glorious
truth. They should be " blessed ;" but they alone : " the
fearful and the unbelieving should altogether be cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where they should immediately and
to all eternity endure the second death d ."]

Lest, after all, this declaration should not have
its due weight on our minds, we are led to contem
plate it,

II. As attested by the Spirit, to every child of man
Were the Spirit s testimony conveyed only in a
way of simple asseveration, it would be amply suffi
cient to engage our fullest confidence : but it is given
in such a way as to approve itself to the judgment of
every considerate man : for, with the testimony, he
makes known the grounds and sources of that very
blessedness, to the certainty of which his testimony
is borne.

1. They (the departed saints) " rest from their
labours"

[The trials of those who are called to suffer martyrdom
are greater than we, who enjoy the protection of the civil
magistrate, can imagine. I say again, We, of this happy land,

d Rev. xxi. 8.

2518.] BLESSEDNESS OP DEPARTED SAINTS. 201

have no idea of the horrors of the inquisition, or of the cruelties
exercised by the Papal Church. Even in our own land, in
former days, multitudes of the most holy men have been burnt
alive for their fidelity to Christ. O ! what a transition must
those holy saints have experienced, from the flames of mar
tyrdom to the bosom of their Lord ! But, in truth, the labours
of every saint are very great : it is an arduous course that they
have to run ; a distressing warfare to maintain. Hear the holy
Apostle himself groaning under the burthen of his in-dwelling
corruptions, and crying, " O wretched man that I am ! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death 6 ?" Those, in
deed, who think but little of eternity, may pass through life
without much care or conflict : but they who know the value
of the soul, and consider that, by every act, word, and thought,
they are treasuring up for themselves an ever-increasing weight,
either of misery or of glory, to all eternity; they, I say, feel
a burthen upon the mind, a fear of falling into sin, a desire to
approve themselves to God, a longing to be dissolved, that
they may be with Christ: and to them rest will be sweet,
as to a weary traveller, or as the haven after a tempestuous
voyage.]

2. " Their works do follow them"

[Their works, however excellent, do not go before them to
receive a recompence on the ground of merit ; but they follow
them as evidences of their integrity, and as proofs of their union
with the Lord Jesus Christ. In this view, the very least work
they ever performed for Christ, and by virtue derived from
him, even " the giving of a cup of cold water to a disciple for
his sake, shall in no wise lose its reward." Every prayer that
they ever offered, yea, the very groans by which their feelings
found an indistinct utterance ; and their tears, which from
time to time were treasured up in God s vial ; shall then be
brought forth by him as witnesses for them, and as demonstra
tions, that, in his final decisions, God conducts every thing
with perfect equity. Indeed, if God were not to bring forward
their works with a view to future retribution, he would account
himself unjust : as St. Paul has said ; " God is not unrighteous,
that he should forget your works and labour of love which ye
have shewed towards his name." Though, as I have already
said, our works can challenge nothing at his hand on the
ground of merit, they may, and shall, challenge a reward of
grace, and actually be the measure of our recompence at that
day : for God will deal with every man according to his own
works ; and " every man shall receive according to his own
labour." How truly blessed then will be the man who " died

e Rom. vii. 24.

202 REVELATION, XIV. 13. [2518.

in the Lord!" Perhaps, at times, he was ready to doubt
whether he should find acceptance with God at all, or not: but
now, to his unutterable joy, he hears his Saviour say to him,
"Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord." Now, then, his utmost desires are all satis
fied; and he is completely happy in the bosom of his God.]

Let me now CONCLUDE, with briefly adverting to the
text

1. In reference to the deceased

f Here may be stated the character of the deceased.

The character of the person, on occasion of whose death this Ser
mon was preached, was as near to perfection as could well be expected
in the present state of the Church. The Author, in the space of forty
years, has seen few that he considers as equal to her, and never one
that was superior. She was indeed "a Mother in Israel." Her name
was Jane Chapman. She was one of the first-fruits of the Author s
ministry : and during nearly forty years she maintained so undeviat-
ing a course of piety, as to be the admiration of all who knew her.
Till about the age of fifty-three, she lived ignorant of God and of his
Christ. Her mind was first awakened to a sense of her lost condi
tion by reading Vivian s Dialogues between a Minister and his Pa
rishioners : and, from the moment that she sought for acceptance
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, her soul was filled with
peace and joy in believing. Doubtless there were variations in her
frames, as well as in those of others : but the general tenour of her
life was remarkably peaceful ; and she closed a most honourable
career of piety, at the age of ninety-one. What the particular cha
racter of her religion was, shall now be stated in few words ; but
not so much for the purpose of doing honour to her, (though she is
worthy to be held in the highest honour,) as for the benefit of those
into whose hands this brief memorial may fall.

Her religion, then, was modest and unassuming : there was nothing
of that obtrusive forwardness which is so common amongst the pro
fessors of our days, and so justly odious both to God and man. It
was also fraught with humility and contrition. A deep sense of her
utter unworthiness abode at all times upon her mind : yet there was
nothing of gloom about her, nothing of melancholy ; for her contri
tion was tempered with a lively faith, a faith that was remarkably
simple. There was no leaning to any thing of her own ; nor any
doubting of the sufficiency that was in Christ. Her whole life was
one act of faith : she " lived entirely by faith in the Son of God, as
having loved her, and given himself for her." At the same time it
did not shew itself in a bold unhallowed confidence, but in a meek
and humble affiance : and it was operative upon all her tempers, her
spirit, her conduct, insomuch that it was really her " meat and her
drink to do the will of God :" and so uniform was her deportment)

2519.] THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB. 203

2. In reference to those who are yet living

[Inquire, I pray you, whether ye be " in Christ :" for, if
ye be not in him, and abide not in him, it is in vain to hope

that ye can " die in him " It is in vain also to dream of

blessedness in the eternal world. This is the privilege of those

only who " live and die in the Lord" O ye who are

strangers to a life of faith in the Son of God, think what your
feelings will be, when your works shall follow you to the bar of
judgment ! In what light will they then appear ? What judg
ment will you then form of a life devoted to the concerns of
time and sense ? Will a neglect of God and of your eternal
interests be thought so venial then, as you account it now ?
Will such a witness benefit you at the bar of judgment ? Or
will the prize that shall be accorded to the successful racer and
the victorious warrior, be held forth to you ? No ; the " rest"
which is here spoken of, is reserved only for the weary traveller,
who has walked with God, and " held on his way even to the
end." Let this record then, which was written for your in
struction, sink deep into your ears : and cease not to cry
mightily to God for his converting grace, that you yourselves
may be that character, for whose consolation it was so an
nounced, and for whose encouragement it was so attested.]

that she seemed to have been cast into the very mould of the Gospel,
and to possess, as far as the frailty of our fallen nature Would admit,
" the very mind that was in Christ Jesus." She was truly a light,
not only in the world, but in the Church to which she belonged :
and, whilst her graces were extremely diversified, and capable, like
the rays of light, of bearing a distinct scrutiny, they were so blended
(the sombre with the brilliant), and kept in such proportioned mea
sure and simultaneous motion, as to display a brilliancy which it was
impossible to behold and not admire. Her death was such as might
be expected : truly it might be said of her, " Mark the perfect man,
and behold the upright ; for the end of that man is peace." Her last
words were, " Come, Lord Jesus ! I long for thee. Come, Lord
Jesus, come quickly ! " May the latter end, both of him who writes
this Memorial, and him who reads it, be like hers ! Amen, and
Amen !

MMDXIX.

THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB.

Rev. xv. 3, 4. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of
God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvel
lous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are
thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O
Lord, and glorify thy name ?

204 REVELATION, XV. 3, 4. [2519.

THE reign of Antichrist, and his ultimate destruc
tion, occupy a large portion of the Revelation of
St. John. His destruction has been foretold in the
chapter which precedes my text ; and is more cir
cumstantially declared in that which follows it. In
the chapter before us we have an introductory vision,
representing the joy and triumph which the glorified
saints would express on that occasion. But respect
ing the particular circumstances of the vision, com
mentators are by no means agreed. Where this is
the case, I would not presume to speak with con
fidence, especially where I am under the necessity
of differing from those which are most generally, and
most justly, approved. But it appears to me, that
too little attention has been paid to the context ;
and that if the parallel, which is evidently drawn
between the deliverance at the Red Sea and our
redemption by Christ, be taken as a clue, the whole
will be unravelled, and simplicity itself will pervade
that, which, with any other interpretation, will pre
sent nothing to our view but inexplicable obscurity.

"A sea of glass" is mentioned before, in the fourth
chapter 21 ; where it is supposed to refer to the brazen
sea which was in the temple, and which was filled
with water for the service of the priests b . But we
are not on that account limited to that view of it in
this place. It is well known, that the same images
are used in reference to different things, especially
in this highly figurative book : and the reference
must always be determined by the context. Now
consider, What is the subject that is here spoken of?
It is the destruction of all the enemies of God and of
his Christ. And what is the illustration given of it ?
It is taken from the destruction of Pharaoh and the
Egyptian hosts in the Red Sea. And what are the
terms in which this deliverance is celebrated? They
precisely accord with those which were used by
Moses and the Israelites on that occasion ; as we
shall more distinctly point out in our further view
of the subject. Now take this clue, and the whole
a Rev. iv. 6. b 1 Kin^s vii. 23 26.

2519.] THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB. 205

vision will be extremely clear,, and perfectly har
monious in all its parts, without any occasion for
fanciful conjectures. We will paraphrase the whole
in conformity with this idea.

" I saw, as it were, a sea," where " the saints had
got the victory" over their persecuting and blood
thirsty enemies : and it was, " as it were, a sea of
glass mingled with fire :" the waters, having over
whelmed all God s enemies, were now calm, and
clear as crystal itself, whilst the coruscations of light
emanating from the pillar of fire, and shining with
the brightest possible effulgence, made the whole sea
appear as if it were mingled with fire c . And I saw
the victorious saints " standing (close) upon it d ."
And I heard them "sing a song to the Lamb" of
God, precisely similar to that which was sung by
Moses and the Israelites at the Red Sea, adoring
" their God and King" as the sole author of their
deliverance, and prophetically declaring, that he shall
in due time " reign over all nations for ever and
ever 6 ."

This song we now proceed to consider. The for
mer part of it consists of retrospective adoration ;
and the latter part, of prospective exultation and
triumph.

Let us notice what is spoken by them in a way
I. Of retrospective adoration

Filled with the profoundest gratitude, they cele
brate,

1. The deliverance they have experienced

[Great was the deliverance vouchsafed to Israel ; as
Moses said, " In the greatness of thine excellency thou hast
overthrown them that rose up against thee : thou sentest forth
thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble f ." But beyond

c This is a common appearance of water reflecting the rays of the
rising or setting sun.

* The not adverting to this sense of the word enl (apud, prope,
juxta : see Sclileusner,) seems to have been the occasion of most of
the strange explanations given of the whole passage.

e Compare ver. 2 4. with Exod. xv. 1, G, 18.

f Exod. xv. 7.

206 REVELATION, XV. 3, 4. [2519.

all comparison greater is that deliverance which the saints ex
perience from the enemies of their salvation : and, when their
triumphs are complete, they will have proportionally greater
reason to sing, " Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord
God Almighty!" Dreadful have been the sufferings which
multitudes have endured from the antichristian powers. But
it is not from a mere human foe that they have been rescued,
but from the great dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, and
from all his hosts. Nor is it from a mere temporal death that
they have escaped, but from everlasting death in the lake that
burneth with fire and brimstone. Nor is it by a mere exercise
of power that this deliverance has been effected for them, but
by the incarnation and death of God s co-equal, co-eternal
Son ; from whence it is that they sing, " Great and marvellous
are thy works, Lord God Almighty ;" "just and true are thy
ways, Thou King of Saints :" for, as Jehovah, the Redeemer of
Israel, was their King, and took them under his own immediate
government, so is " the Lord God Almighty our King," even
" the King of all the saints" that ever have been or ever shall
be saved. It is " the Mighty God," who, by the wonders he
has wrought for us, is become the " the Prince of Peace g ."]

2. The perfections of God displayed in it

[Most cruel had been the conduct of Pharaoh towards the
children of Israel: and God had repeatedly declared, both to
him and to Israel themselves, that he would deliver them out
of his hands. When therefore Pharaoh, with all his host, was
destroyed in the Red Sea, Moses particularly noticed the cor
respondence between his impiety and the judgments inflicted
on him : " The enemy said, I will pursue ; I will overtake ; I
will divide the spoil; my soul shall be satisfied upon them:
I will draw my sword : my hand shall destroy. Thou didst
blow with thy wind, the sea covered them : they sank as lead
in the mighty waters 11 ." But view the perfections of God in
the work of redemption. Verily, " God knoweth how to
deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust
unto the day of judgment to be punished 1 ." Or, take a more
comprehensive view of it: see Justice, not merely as honoured
by the atonement made for sin, but as demanding salvation, if
I may so speak, for those for whom it was offered ; demanding
it, as due to him who made that atonement, and as due to
those who trust in it for their acceptance before God. See
Truth also fulfilling all the promises of God to his believing
people, and making the very rage of their enemies the occasion
of displaying more abundantly in their behalf his power and
grace. Not even Mercy itself will appear more glorious to

s Isai. ix. 6. h Exod. xv. 9, 10. 2 Pet. ii. 9.

2519. J THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB. 207

the redeemed soul in heaven, than will these once hostile per
fections of justice and truth : for whilst the saint was in his
unconverted state, these were the perfections which most
loudly called for the judgments of God upon him ; but, on his
believing in Christ, they instantly became his advocates, and
from thenceforth will remain through eternal ages his greatest
security. As the Lord Jesus is " faithful and just to forgive
him his sins," so will he be in confirming to him that forgive
ness for ever and ever.

Here I must particularly call your attention to the corre
spondence between the song of Moses and the song of the
Lamb. Moses sang, " Who is like unto thee, O God, among
the gods ? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in
praises, doing wonders k ?" So, in the words following my
text, God s holiness is acknowledged ; " Thou only art holy ;"
whilst, in my text itself, all the other perfections of the Deity
are magnified and adored.]

The song of the redeemed proceeds yet farther in

strains,

II. Of prospective exultation and triumph

How forcible is the appeal which they make to the
whole universe !

[It is particularly said of the Israelites on that occasion,
that " when they saw that great work which the Lord did upon
the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and believed the
Lord and his servant Moses 1 ." And certainly we cannot sup
pose, that there was so much as one among them that was not
deeply impressed with the mercy vouchsafed unto him. And
shall there be found one amongst those who profess to have
been redeemed by Christ, " who will not fear him, and glorify
his name ?" It is said of the converts in the millennial age,
that " they shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter
days" 1 ." And indeed it is impossible to contemplate this
goodness, and not desire to give up ourselves entirely to him.
Such a surrender of ourselves to him must appear to all " a
reasonable service"." Having been " bought with such a
price," even " with the precious blood of that spotless Lamb ,"
what can we think of for a moment, but to " glorify him with
our bodies and our spirits which are his p ?"

k Exod. xv. 11.

1 Exod. xiv. 31. N. B. This is the chapter appointed to be read
on Easter-even, which marks the suitableness of the subject to that
day.

m Hos. iii. 5. n Rom. xii. 1.

1 Pet. i. 18, 19. P 2 Cor. vi. 20.

208 REVELATION, XV. 3, 4. [2519.

And have we not abundant encouragement to do so ? Look
at the Israelites at the Red Sea. How many of them perished
in the sea ? Not one. And how many of their enemies escaped
destruction ? Not one ; " The waters covered them ; there was
not one of them left V And shall it not be so with those who
commit themselves to the guidance of the Lamb? Will not
He also " make the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed
to pass over 1 ?" Yes, " they shall go over dry-shod. s " As the
Hebrew Youths in the furnace " had not so much as the smell
of fire pass upon them," so shall the whole body of the redeemed
escape from their trials without even the shadow of an injury
sustained by them. We cannot conceive a greater disparity
than between Pharaoh with his " six hundred chariots of war,"
and the unarmed hosts of Israel with a million of women and
children to protect : but God was on their side : and God is
on our side too : and " it is not his will that one of his little
ones should perish*." It matters not how numerous or potent
our enemies may be : let us only fear " the King of saints,"
and confide in him ; and we shall soon " behold them all dead
upon the sea-shore u ."]

What the redeemed in their song inculcate as so
reasonable, they look forward to as certainly to be
accomplished in due season throughout the whole
earth

[This is very particularly insisted on in the song of Moses :
" The people shall hear and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold
on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom
shall be amazed : the mighty men of Moab, trembling, shall
take hold upon them : all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt
away. Fear and dread shall fall on them : and the Lord shall
reign for ever and ever*." So shall our adorable Redeemer
be feared throughout the whole earth, as it is said in the words
following my text, " All nations shall come and worship before
thee ; for thy judgments y (thy saving truths) are made mani
fest." The obligation to fear and glorify our blessed Lord is
becoming more extensively known: and the time is not far
distant now when it shall be universally known and universally
acknowledged. The wonderful works that he has wrought
shall not be heard so partially and with such indifference as
they now are : the glad tidings of redemption shall be carried
to the utmost ends of the earth, and " all flesh shall see the
salvation of God :" " All kings shall fall down before him ;
all nations shall serve him." Blessed prospect ! worthy to be

&lt;i Ps. cvi. 11. * Isai. li. 10. s Isai. xi. 15.

* Matt, xviii. 14. u Exod. xiv. 30. x Exod. xv. 1418.

2519.] THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB. 209

celebrated by the heavenly hosts ! and worthy of the incessant
attention of every child of man !]

And now let me ASK, Who will not fear and glorify
our redeeming God ?

[Are any of you who are here present prepared to say,
that he does not deserve this tribute at your hands ? What
would you have thought of an Israelite who should have
made such an assertion at the Red Sea? And, if you would
have condemned him as a graceless and ungrateful wretch,
what must you think of yourselves, who have experienced
such infinitely richer mercy at his hands ? O come ; come
and stand upon this sea of glass : behold its waves all calmed
and smooth as crystal itself: see the coruscations of the cloud,
and the impress of the Deity himself upon it : reflect on what
has been wrought for you. Ponder the height and depth and
length and breadth of the incomprehensible love contained in
it : take your harps : tune them to the songs of the redeemed
above : begin the song of Moses and the Lamb : join, with
however feeble notes, the choir above : and look forward to the
day when you shall strike your harps even as they do ; and
your notes shall be heard as loud and as melodious as any of
theirs. O blessed day ! " Look for it : hasten to it." It is
but a little time longer, that you have to contend with princi
palities and powers. Your victory over them is sure : and
shall speedily be consummated. Your enemies are following
you indeed, as Pharaoh did, saying, " I will pursue, I will
overtake, I will divide the spoil : my lust shall be satisfied
upon them ; I will draw my sword ; my hand shall destroy
them." But, in a little moment, " God will blow with his
wind ; and the sea shall cover them : and they shall sink as
lead in the mighty waters 2 ." To the weakest amongst you all,
is this consolatory message sent : " Fear thou not ; for I am
with thee : be not dismayed ; for I am thy God : I will
strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousnesss. Behold, all
they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and
confounded : they shall be as nothing : and they that strive
with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not
find them, even them that contended with thee : they that war
against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought*."
May this glorious consummation speedily be accomplished !
Even so, Amen, and Amen !]

z Exod. xv. 9, 10. a Isai. xli. 10 12.

VOL. XXI.

210 REVELATION, XVI. 9. [2520.

MMDXX.

REPENTANCE.

Rev. xvi. 9. And they repented not to give Him glory.

THROUGHOUT this chapter, the Apostle is
speaking of the seven last plagues which were to be
poured out upon the earth by the instrumentality of
seven different angels, each of them having a vial of
wrath committed to his hands for that purpose a . As
no man can with certainty determine the periods and
the events to which these prophecies refer, I shall
forbear to speak of them, any further than to observe,
that God would by these afflictive dispensations bring
men to repentance ; but " they repented not to give
Him glory." The same, alas ! may be said of too
many amongst ourselves : for whose benefit I pro
pose to consider the subject of repentance, and to
commend it to them,

I. As giving glory to God

I conceive that all will readily acknowledge that
they need repentance ; so that I need not at present
enter upon that point, or endeavour to convince any
that it is their duty to repent. But the true light in
which repentance should be viewed is not generally
seen : it is regarded only as a means of averting
wrath : whereas it should be considered as " giving
glory to God." Sin has greatly dishonoured God :
it, in fact, pours contempt on every perfection of the
Deity, saying, " Tush, God shall not see ; neither
will the Almighty regard it." Repentance, on the
contrary, honours God, and " gives glory to Him ;"

1. As an omnipresent and omniscient God

[Repentance, if it be really genuine, enters into all the
secrets of the soul, and spreads them before God ; acknow
ledging, that God has seen them all, and that he will surely

call us into judgment for them Now, I entreat you,

brethren, to honour God in this view ; and, like Achan, to
"give glory to Him, confessing" before him what no human

a Rev. xv. 1, 7.

2520.] REPENTANCE. 211

eye has ever seen, even the most hidden abominations of your
hearts b ]

2. As a just and holy God

[An impenitent man considers his sins as light and venial ;
and thinks that God may well overlook them, without any
expressions of his wrath and indignation. But a true penitent
regards God as " of purer eyes than to behold iniquity," and
as bound, for the honour of his own moral government, to
execute vengeance on the transgressors of his law. Real
humility will justify God in all his threatenings ; and will
tremble at them, as sure to be executed in their appointed

season Do ye then, beloved, see how impossible it is

for you ever to dwell in the Divine presence, unless you be
first cleansed from your guilt in " the fountain opened for sin
and for uncleanness," and purified from your pollutions by the
influences of the Holy Spirit. See this; feel this ; acknowledge
this ; and hope for mercy in no other way than this

3. As a merciful and gracious God

[Nothing but a persuasion that God is merciful can ever
encourage true penitence. Without this view of the Deity, a

man will lie down in utter despair But look into the

Scriptures ; hear the representation which Jehovah gives of his
own character, as " merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for
thousands, and forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin ;" and
then will you come to him, not merely as to a Governor and a
Judge, but as to a Father and a Friend ]

4. As a true and faithful God

[Question not his invitations or his promises : but take
them ; trust in them ; plead them before the mercy-seat ; and
determine, that, if you ever perish, you will perish at the foot
of the cross, looking to Jesus as your only hope, and resting

altogether on his meritorious death and passion This

is the posture of every true penitent : nor shall any sinner in
the universe, who thus comes to God, ever fail of obtaining
mercy at his hands ]

But I would commend repentance to you further,
II. As answering the end of all his dispensations

God " delighteth not in the death of a sinner, but
rather that he turn from his wickedness and live."
To bring men to him with penitential sorrow, and
thus to effect their restoration to his favour, is the
end of all his dispensations. It is the end,

* Josh. vii. 19.
p 2

REVELATION, XVI. 9. [2520.

1. Of his mercies

[Considering what a world this is, it is wonderful that
God does not break forth in indignation against us, and over
whelm us all, as he did Sodom and Gomorrah. But on the
great mass of mankind he is conferring the richest benefits
from day to day ; " causing his sun to rise on the evil and
on the good, and his rain to descend on the just and on the
unjust." Let all of us survey the dealings of God with us
from our youth up ; and we shall see that God has borne with
us beyond all that we could have reasonably expected ; and
that our " blessings have been double" the amount of the
judgments we have merited . And what has been God s
design in all these dispensations ? Has it been to encourage
our thoughtlessness, and to lull us asleep in our sins? No:
it has been, as St. Paul expressly tells us, " to lead us to
repentance d ." And shall not these mercies be improved for
this end ? Let us blush, and be ashamed, that ever we could
continue in rebellion against so good a God, and so basely
requite our heavenly Benefactor ]

2. Of his judgments

[God does sometimes strive with men in a way of merited
displeasure : and, when he does so, he bids us " hear the rod,
and Him that hath appointed it." And is there any thing
difficult to be understood in such dispensations as these ?
No : he has told us " wherefore he visits men for sin :" and,
if he have threatened to punish the impenitent " seven-fold
more for their sins," and " to scourge them with scorpions,"
the deduction is clear, namely, that " he chastises us for our
profit, that he may make us partakers of his holiness." He
seeks by all means to " bring us to repentance, and to the
acknowledgment of the truth." Has he then afflicted any of
us, either in our own persons, or in the persons of those who
are dear unto us ? Are we troubled in any respect, in mind,
body, or estate ? Let us make it an occasion of inquiring
" wherefore God contendeth with us;" and of turning unto
him with truly penitential sorrow, if by any means he turn
from his fierce anger, and be pacified towards us e ]

Let me conclude with a word of salutary ADVICE
1. Let your repentance be genuine

[Let it not be such as is but too common in a season of
affliction, a forced acknowledgment of sins, which yet you have
no disposition to renounce f ; but such as the Corinthians ex
perienced under the remonstrances of St. Paul g O that

c Isai. xl. 2. andlxi. 7. d Rom. ii. 4. e Amos iv. 6 12.
Ps. Ixxviii. 3437. & 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11.

2521. J FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF CHRIST. 213

in all these different exercises of mind, you may make it clear
that your repentance is genuine, even " such a repentance as
is never to be repented of!"]

2. Delay it not

[Many defer their repentance, under an idea that in a
season of sickness or affliction they will find it more easy.
But, in truth, the very reverse of this will be found more
agreeable to fact and experience. Afflictions will not, of
themselves, humble the soul: they will rather irritate and
harden the soul of man ; just as they wrought on the proud
rebellious Pharaoh, and on the persons specified in my text h .
Ask of persons, when bowed down with pain or trouble,
whether they find the same freedom of mind as in seasons of
ease : and they will tell you, that they are rather impeded
than aided, in their repentance, by the distractions which they
suffer. Be ye then, brethren, careful to improve the present
time. And if ye will really give glory to your God, in
repenting of your sins, you need not fear but that he will
receive you to mercy, and honour you as his accepted and
peculiar people.]

15 See ver. 10, 11.

MMDXXI.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF CHRIST.

Rev. xvii. 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the
Lamb shall overcome them : for he is Lord of lords, and
King of kings : and they that are with him are called, and
chosen, and faithful.

THE book of Revelation is confessedly dark and
mysterious : yet there are many parts of it plain and
perspicuous. The prophecy before us is not without
its difficulties. We cannot doubt, however, but that
it declares the downfal of popery. But we forbear
to dwell on those parts which are difficult of inter
pretation : we confine our attention to what is most
obvious in the text : in illustrating which we shall
shew,
I. Who they are that war against the Lamb

The text speaks of those who should oppose the
cause of Christ, and the interests of his Gospel. Now
this is done by,

214, REVELATION, XVII. 14. [2521.

1. Those who maintain sentiments contrary to the
Gospel of Christ

[A person may err with respect to subordinate matters,
and yet have his heart, on the whole, right with God ; but an
error in the fundamental points argues a depraved state of
mind. A man who denies the divinity of Christ, the suf
ficiency of his atonement, the influences of his Spirit upon the
soul, or the necessity of an unreserved devotedness of heart to
God, sets aside the whole Gospel; he therefore opposes Christ
in his most essential interests, and wars against the Lamb a .]

2. Those who endeavour to subvert his influence
over his people s hearts

[There is scarcely an unconverted person that does not,
like Cain and Ishmael, revile and persecute the children of
God : and how many does such treatment intimidate and
subvert ! Whatever then a scoffing world may think of their
conduct, they are really fighting against Christ himself: in
touching his people, they touch the apple of his eye b .]

But we cannot doubt,

II. What will be the issue of the contest

The enemies of Christ may appear to triumph for
a while, but he will surely overcome them at the
last.

Over some he will triumph by his grace

[None are beyond the reach of his arm ; none are so vile
but that he feels compassion towards them ; nor are any so
stout-hearted but he is able to subdue them. He who van
quished the persecuting Saul, can and will make others also to
be similar monuments of his grace and mercy.]

But those who reject all his overtures of mercy, he
will break in pieces like a potter s vessel

[His triumphs over them are admirably painted in the
second Psalm; and he himself tells us what a sentence
he will pass upon them in the day of judgment . However
long their conflicts with him may be, this must at last be the
termination of them.]

To impress this on our minds, let us consider,

III. What assurance we have that such shall be the
issue of it

a Luke x. 16. b Acts ix. 4. Zech. ii. 8.

c Luke xix. 27.

2521.] FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF CHRIST. 215

Two pledges of his victory are mentioned in the
text:

1. His own power

[Were he the first of created beings, his success might
be uncertain ; but he is Lord of lords, and King of kings."
And though he is a Lamb, yet will he shew himself to be the
" Lion of the tribe of Judah." Whoever shall presume to
oppose him, he will go through them, and burn them up
together d .]

2. His people s constancy

[They have not indeed, of themselves, any strength or
constancy; but they have been "chosen" of God from before
the foundation of the world 6 . They have in due time been
" called" by the effectual operation of his grace; and they
are made "faithful" by him, so that nothing can induce them
to desert his cause f . The least and weakest among them all
is more than conqueror through the strength of Christ g ; and
all may adopt the language of triumph, even while conflicting
on the field of battle h .]

APPLICATION

1. Let us assist you in inquiring whether ye be
among the friends or enemies of Christ

[While some are against Christ, others " are with him :"
they are with him in sentiment, in affection, in profession, in
conduct. How great is the difference between those who in
outward appearance are the same ! O search and see whether
ye be the friends or enemies of Christ 1 : according as you
prove yourselves to be in this life, you will surely be found in
the day of judgment.]

2. Let us address each of those characters

[To his enemies we say, Consider whose enemies you are.
Is this the treatment he has deserved at your hands ? Is there
not a time coming when he will fearfully resent it ? If you be
of the number of his friends, " walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are calledV Let nothing, however pleasing, or
however formidable, tempt you to forsake him. Be faithful
unto death, and he will give you a crown of life 1 .]

d Isai. xxvii. 4. e Eph. i. 4. f Acts xx. 20.

g Rom. viii. 37. h Rom. viii. 5 Matt. xii. 30.

* Eph. iv. 1. * Rev. ii. 10.

216 REVELATION, XIX. 6. [2522.

MMDXXII.

GOD S GOVERNMENT, A GROUND OF JOY.

Rev. xix. 6. Alleluia : for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.

IN the government of Jehovah all acquiesce, so
far as relates to his conferring of rewards upon his
obedient people : but from his inflicting of punish
ment on the disobedient the minds of the generality
revolt ; because they have formed to themselves an
idea of a God whose mercy swallows up, as it were,
all his other attributes. But justice is, in its place,
as honourable to the Deity as mercy : and the exer
cise of it, towards those who shall die in their sins,
will be a subject of praise and thanksgiving through
all the hosts of heaven, no less than the exercise of
mercy itself. The whole preceding chapter pro
claims the destruction of the mystical Babylon, that
is, of Rome ; whose abominations have reached unto
heaven a , and whose persecutions of the saints have
been long crying out for vengeance against her b .
At the execution of God s judgments upon her, all
heaven is represented as rejoicing : and the one song
which is heard through all the regions of the blest, is
"Alleluia! for true and righteous are God s judg
ments : for he hath judged the great whore, which
did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And
again they said, Alleluia : and her smoke rose up for
ever and ever c ." In this, all on earth are called to
unite : and the entire chorus of the assembled
universe is " as the voice of many waters, and as the
voice of mighty thunderings, saying, " Alleluia ! for
the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth." Connected
with the ruin of antichrist is the diffusion of the
Redeemer s kingdom throughout the world : for then
will be the marriage of the Lamb, and his taking of
the Church into a visible union with himself, and his
consummation of her happiness. Then will the Lord

a Rev. xviii. 5. b Rev, xviii. 24. c ver. 1 3.

2522.] GOD S GOVERNMENT, A GROUND OF JOY. 217

God Omnipotent reign on earth; and nothing but
hallelujahs be heard throughout the universe. Let
me then call upon you, as it were by a voice from
heaven, to commence this song,
I. As an expression of grateful acknowledgment

Certain it is, that we have abundant ground for
this song in this present world

[Let us look back to the circumstances of our birth ; the
time, when the Sun of Righteousness had arisen upon the
earth ; and the place, where his rays were shining forth in their
meridian splendour. This can be traced to nothing but God s
sovereign will and pleasure : for it is to Him alone that we
owe it, that we were not born amidst all the errors of Popish
delusion ; or in a heathen land, under the darkness of Pagan
superstition, or of Mahometan imposture.

Let us survey our whole life ; our dangers, both seen and
unseen ; and our deliverances, which nothing but an overruling
Providence could ever have effected. Particularly, let us view
our temptations to sin, and the wonderful preservations which
we have experienced; sometimes, perhaps, through the re
monstrances of conscience ; sometimes through the intervention
of some seasonable occurrence; and sometimes through a mere
want of opportunity to execute the secret wishes of our hearts.
Let us, in this respect, compare ourselves with those who,
having been less favourably circumstanced in relation to their
temptations and restraints, have been left to carry into effect
the evil dictates of their hearts ; and we shall, if we know any
thing of ourselves, find abundant occasion for thanksgivings to
our God.

If, through the grace of God, we have been brought to the
knowledge of Christ, and been made partakers of his salvation,
shall we not, in that case, pour forth our acclamations and
hosannahs ? Or, if we be yet in our unconverted state, shall
we not praise him, that " space is yet given us for repentance?"
If there were no other ground of praise than this, that we are
not at this moment lifting up our eyes in the torments of hell,
and crying in vain for a drop of water to cool our tongues, there
is not one amongst us who may not well lift up his voice, even
as thunder itself, in hallelujahs to the Lord God Omnipotent,
who, by his sovereign power and grace, has distinguished us
from the millions who are gone beyond a possibility of re
demption.]

And shall we not burst forth into this song, the
very instant that we enter into the invisible world

[There we shall have a complete view of all the dangers to
which we ever were exposed, and all the deliverances that ever

218 REVELATION, XIX. 6. [2522.

were vouchsafed unto us here below. Our feelings will be not
unlike to those of Joshua and the Israelites after their esta
blishment in the land of Canaan. They doubtless would look
back on all their way, from the time that Moses had come to
Egypt for their deliverance : they would call to remembrance
the many successive plagues that had been inflicted on that
land for the humiliation of Pharaoh, and the terrible slaughter
of the first-born that had at last constrained him to consent :
they would have strongly painted also before their eyes the
dangers to which they had been exposed, when, with the sea
before them, and mountains and morasses on either side, the
enraged army of Pharaoh pressed upon their rear. They
would, in particular, review their passing of the Red Sea as on
dry ground, and the total destruction of their pursuers in the
returning waters. In a word, they would have before their
eyes the diversified events during the whole of their sojourning
in the wilderness, the mercies and the judgments of every kind,
till at last they were brought in safety to the possession of the
promised land. Nor would they be unmindful of the myriads,
who, through their unbelief, had fallen short of that rest ; and
of the distinguishing favours which they themselves had expe
rienced at the hands of God. Thus, I say, will our souls, if
ever they be permitted to reach the heavenly land, behold at
one glance all the wonders of grace and mercy which they have
experienced in this vale of tears : and, O with what rapture
will they adore and magnify their God ! Methinks the deafen
ing sound of cataracts, or the terrific roar of thunders, will be
as nothing, in comparison of the hallelujahs that shall burst
from the millions of the redeemed at that day.]

But there is another view, in which the words of
my text may be considered ; namely,
II. As an effusion of confident anticipation

This, indeed, is the precise view in which they
should be understood; for Rome is not yet destroyed;
and, consequently, the "alleluias" are uttered only
in the prospect of that event. And we too, with a
prospective regard to future events, may utter this
song : we may utter it,

1. In reference to the world at large

[Most awful is the state of the world at this time.
Revolutions and counter-revolutions are occurring in mighty
kingdoms, and in rapid succession: arid no one can foresee
what their end shall be. But it is a sweet consolatory thought,
that God reigneth, and is accomplishing his own designs by
these unconscious and unwitting agents. In the rise and fall

2522.] GOD S GOVERNMENT, A GROUND OF JOY.

of the four great empires, God wrought his own sovereign and
unerring will. Cyrus little thought whose instrument he was,
in the subversion of the Chaldean empire ; nor did the mighty
conquerors, who, in succession, reduced the Persian, Grecian,
and Roman empires, know whose decrees they executed, or
whose purposes they fulfilled. So, at this time, contending
nations little imagine that there is One on high who makes
use of them for the effecting of his own purposes ; and who
will infallibly direct their ambitious and selfish projects for
the attainment of his own ends. Nothing can appear more
independent of the Deity than " winds and storms:" yet they,
all of them without exception, " fulfil his will :" and truly this
may well compose our minds, in relation to the issue of these
events : and whilst others are filled with terrors, we may calmly
and confidently say, " Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent
reigneth."]

2. In reference to the Church of God

[This is at a low ebb. Whole countries, where religion
once flourished, are now as destitute of it as if the Gospel
had never been proclaimed unto them. Even the Churches
of Asia, once so distinguished by the favour of Heaven, have
their candlesticks removed, and are now immersed in total
darkness. And Christendom itself is in a very dark degraded
state; few, very few, experiencing the power of godliness,
or adorning in any respect the principles they profess. But
shall the light of divine truth be wholly extinguished, or the
powers of darkness ultimately prevail against the Church of
Christ ? No : we are assured that " the gates of hell shall
never prevail against it." Not all the efforts of God s enemies,
therefore, need intimidate us, or partial failures tempt us to
despond : for " God s counsel shall stand ; and He will do all
his will." God sees the impious conspiracies of the wicked ;
and he laughs them to scorn ; saying, " Yet have I set my
King upon my holy hill of Zion d ." And the time is surely
coming, when " all the kingdoms of the world shall become
the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ :" so that, with as
much confidence as if we saw this already actually existing,
we may celebrate it with the loudest hallelujahs to God and
to the Lamb.]

3. In reference to our own souls

[Many discouragements do we meet with in our way ; so
that we are ready at times to say, like David, " I shall one
day perish by the hands of my great enemy." But it is our
privilege to know, that " God has laid help for us upon One
that is mighty," and that " greater is He that is in us than he

d Ps. ii. 16.

220 REVELATION, XIX. 6. [2522.

that is in the world." See the spirit of David, when replying
to the boasts of the self-confident Goliath : such should be our
spirit, in the midst of all our conflicts : nor should we doubt
the issue of the contest, when we go forth in the name of the
God of Israel, though we have nothing but a sling and a stone
wherewith to oppose our mighty adversary. In a certain
prospect of being " more than conquerors through Him that
loveth us," we may adopt the language of the prophet, " The
Lord God will help me ; therefore shall I not be confounded :
therefore have I set my face like a flint ; and I know that I
shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me: who
will contend with me ? let us stand together : who is mine
adversary ? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God
will help me : who is he that shall condemn me ? lo, they all
shall wax old, as a garment: the moth shall eat them up e ."
Such was also the Apostle s boast f : and such also may be
ours. " Let the floods lift up their waves ever so high, He
who sitteth on high is mightier^:" and therefore, in a certain
dependence upon him, we may go on our way, assured of
victory, and saying, " Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent
reigneth."]

See then, beloved, what GROUND we have in this
passage,

1. For submission

[There will doubtless be many untoward circumstances,
which, at the time, will prove very afflictive to our minds. But
we must never forget, that, however fortuitous they may ap
pear, or with whatever hostile intention they may be contrived,
they are all ordered by unerring wisdom and unbounded love :
and, however bitter they may be, we should say, " The cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " We
should remember, that, though " clouds and darkness may be
round about him, righteousness and judgment are the basis of
his throne." Jacob s complaint, " All these things are against
me," was far from being justified by the event : for the very
events which he complained of, were the means ordained for
the preservation of his whole family. Only bear in mind, that
God rules on high ; and then, whatever may occur, you will
say, " It is the Lord : let him do what seerneth him good."]

2. For gratitude

[See the hand of God in every thing ; and your mouth
will be ever filled with praise. What is painful, will be re
ceived as a token of his love ; and what is pleasing, as a fruit
of his favour. But, above all, the security which will be felt

e Isai, 1. 79. f Rom. viii. 3439. s p s . xciii. 14.

2523.] THE CHURCH S UNION WITH CHRIST. 221

in the soul, and that in the midst of this tumultuous and en
snaring world methinks, in the contemplation of this, a man s
songs of praise should be as loud and constant as those in
heaven. Dear brethren, think of this : nothing is done, which
does not proceed from the hand of God : nor shall any thing
be done, which shall not " work together for your good." Re
joice then, and shout for joy: and let your Alleluias go forth
unto your God day and night.]

3. For affiance

[Put yourselves, and all your concerns, into the hands of
your Almighty Friend : and fear not, though all the men on
earth, and all the fiends in hell, should be confederate against
you. If you cannot comprehend God s dealings with you now,
be content ; and say, " What I know not now, I shall know
hereafter." Wait, to " see the end of the Lord :" and if, like
Job, you are afflicted now, expect that, like him, you shall ere
long see reason to glorify your God for all his dispensations,
however dark, however afflictive. Of this you may be assured,
that they who wait on him shall find him ready to help ; and
" those who trust in him shall not be ashamed or confounded
world without end."]

MMDXXIII.

THE CHURCH S UNION WITH CHRIST.

Rev. xix. 7, 8. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to
him : for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife
hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed injine linen, clean and white : for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints.

THERE are some passages of Scripture which are
particularly marked, as it were, by God himself, in
order that we might be aware of their importance,
and give to them the attention they deserve. The
destruction of antichrist, and the establishment of
Christ s universal kingdom, are here represented as
already effected, and as being the subjects of most
exalted joy to all the hosts of heaven. And that the
Church of God in all ages might look forward with
earnestness to these glorious events, St. John was
ordered to write them in a book, and to declare with
more than ordinary solemnity, that " they were the
true sayings of God."

REVELATION, XLX. 7, 8. [2523.

Without entering too minutely into the figure by
which the Church s connexion with Christ is here
expressed, we will call your attention to,

I. The nuptials here announced

The Bridegroom is our Lord Jesus Christ

[In this view he is spoken of throughout the whole Scrip
tures. In the Old Testament by Isaiah a , Ezekiel b , Hosea c ,
and by Solomon throughout the whole book of Canticles : and
in the New Testament by John the Baptist d , and John the
Evangelist 6 , and St. Paul f , and by Christ himself *.]

The bride is his Church both in her individual and
collective capacity

[Every soul at its first conversion is thus united to Christ,
being made, not one flesh only, but also one spirit with him h .
Of the Corinthian Church individually did St. Paul say, " I
have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as
a chaste virgin to Christ 1 ."

But it is of the whole Church more particularly that the
Apostle speaks in my text. The whole world both of Jews
and Gentiles shall in due season be united under one Head k ,
and be prepared as a bride altogether fit for the heavenly
Bridegroom. Doubtless it is the righteousness of Christ which
alone can avail for her justification before God 1 : but it is an
inward righteousness of which my text speaks; and which
constitutes the believer s meetness for this high honour. In
the latter day shall all the people of the world be converted to
God, and become " all righteous";" not so much as a single
Canaanite being left in the land . Then shall all of them " be
presented to him a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing, but be holy and without blemish p ." This
is the holy city that descends from God out of heaven, or in
other words, this is " The Lamb s wife q ."]

Let us next advert to,

II. The blessedness of the occasion
To the bride it will be most blessed

[Let every one look back and see from what a state his
soul has been brought to a participation of this honour r , and

a Isai. liv. 5. b Ezek. xvi. 8. c Hos. ii. 19.

d John in. 29. e Rev. xxi. 2, 9. f Eph. v. 31, 32.

e Matt. ix. 15. and xxii. 2. h Eph. v. 30. 1 Cor. vi. 17.

* 2 Cor. xi. 2. k Eph. i. 10. avaK^&gt;a\aiw&lt;rao-0cu.

1 Dan. ix. 24. and Rom. iii. 22. and x. 4. m Col. i. 12.

n Isai. Ix. 21. Zech. xiv. 21. P Eph. v. 27.

q Rev. xxi. 2, 9. before cited. r Ezek. xvi. 4 6.

2523.] THE CHURCH S UNION WITH CHRIST.

to what dignity it is exalted : and can this be any thing but

an occasion of joy ? Or let the state of the world at

large be surveyed, and then let the change that shall be
wrought in it be contemplated : verily the declarations of God
respecting it appear utterly incredible. But thus it shall be.
" All the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdom of
our God and of his Christ ;" and " all flesh shall see the sal
vation of God." Well then may the whole creation be called
on to exult with the saints, saying, " Sing, O ye heavens; for
the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth:
break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every
tree therein : for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified
himself in Israel 8 ."]

To the bridegroom himself it will be an occasion
of all imaginable honour and glory

[To his electing love will every soul ascribe the blessed
ness conferred upon him*. Nay more, in this blessedness will
every one see the fruit of redeeming love : " He loved the
Church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, and present
it to himself" in a state worthy of the relation which it has
been ordained to sustain". To all eternity will there be but
one song of praise amongst them all, " To him that loved us
and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to him be glory
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen x ." How sweet their
communion with him will be, or how rich their communica
tions from him, I shall not attempt to describe. Suffice it to
say, that, as he will be the only source of happiness to all, so
will he be to them the one object of love and gratitude, of
praise and thanksgiving.]

But here is matter for serious INQUIRY

[All of us hope to partake of this honour and happiness:
but are we all really seeking it ? Have we given up ourselves
to Christ ? If not, how can we hope that He should give up
himself to us ? Are we preparing daily for that blessed occa
sion, " putting off the old man which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts, and putting on the new man which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness y? If not,
how can we think that he will acknowledge us in that near
relation to him, the relation of a spouse ? His spouse must be
"all glorious within, and her clothing be of wrought gold 2 ,"
or she will create in his mind nothing but disgust. I pray you,

8 Isai. xliv. 23. * John xv. 16. u Eph. v. 26.

* Rev. i. 5, 6. y Eph. iv. 2224. * Ps. xlv. 13.

224- REVELATION, XIX. 9. [2524.

my dear brethren, deceive not your own selves. To surrender
up yourselves entirely to him is nothing but your " reasonable
service 3 ." It is nothing more than what we ourselves expect
in forming such a relation with a creature like ourselves. And,
if you have formed no such purposes, and adopted no such
measures, it is in vain to imagine that your unwarrantable
hopes shall ever be realized. If you have but begun to re
nounce all other lovers, and to set your affections on him alone,
the very angels before the throne of God have rejoiced on your
account b . But, if you die before this devotion of yourselves
to him has taken place, nothing remains to you to all eternity
but " weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." Behold
then, as the Apostle said to the whole Corinthian Church, so
say I to you, I am at this moment desirous of " espousing you
to one Husband, that I may present you, both in your indi
vidual and collective capacity, as a chaste virgin to Christ ."
O that my overtures may not be in vain ! If you be but willing
to accede to my proposals, in the name of the Most High God
do I declare to you, that " as a bridegroom rejoiceth over the
bride, so will your God rejoice over you d ." Be not discouraged
by the thought of past unfaithfulness : for he will not be ex
treme to mark what has been done amiss. He bids you to
return to him with an assurance of forgiveness 6 : and, if you
henceforth " walk worthy of your high calling, he will acknow
ledge you as his before the whole assembled universe, and raise
you to a full enjoyment of his presence and glory to all
eternity f .]

a Rom. xii. 1. b Luke xv. 10. c 2 Cor. ii. 2.

d Isai. Ixii. 5. e Jer. iii. 1, 14. f Zeph. iii. 17.

MMDXXIV.

THE MARRIAGE-SUPPER OF THE LAMB.

Rev. xix. 9. Write&gt; Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage- supper of the Lamb, And he saith unto me. These
are the true sayings of God.

THE period referred to seems to be that of the
millennium ; preparatory to which, we are well
assured, the popish power will be destroyed. That
is the power which, in the book of Revelation, is
designated the harlot, the whore of Babylon ; and
her destruction is that which is predicted in the
preceding context. The frequent repetition of the
word " Alleluia," (which is a Hebrew word,) in the

2524.] THE MARRIAGE-SUPPER OF THE LAMB. 225

preceding verses, has given occasion to commen
tators to suppose, that the destruction of popery
will, in a pre-eminent degree, attract the attention
of the Jews, and dispose them to embrace the faith
of Christ. However this may be, it will certainly
be a signal to the world at large for their uniting
themselves unto the Lord : and then will come what
is here called " The marriage-supper of the Lamb ;"
and a very extraordinary degree of happiness will
be poured out upon all the guests that are partakers
of it,

Let us consider,
I. What is the feast here spoken of

It is called, " The marriage-supper of the Lamb."
Now,

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Husband of his
Church-

[This is frequently declared in the Holy Scriptures. The
Prophet Isaiah says, " Thy Maker is thine husband a :" and
David enters very particularly into the subject, drawing a
parallel between the union of men with their female captives,
and the union which takes place between the Lord Jesus Christ
and his believing people. The captive maidens were to be
allowed a month to forget their friends and relatives. And
thus believers are first taken captive by the power of the Lord
Jesus ; and then, having forgotten all former bonds, they are to
be united unto him for ever b . In the New Testament the
same idea is frequently suggested. St. Paul speaks of believers
being " presented as a chaste virgin to Christ :" and, in another
place, after opening fully the duties of husbands and wives, he
says, " I speak concerning Christ and his Church d ."]

On occasion of his union with her, he gives a feast
to all who shall accept his gracious invitations

[The Church, collectively, is " the Lamb s bride :" but
individual believers are the guests invited to the marriage-
feast. On the conversion of any soul, there is a joy diffused
throughout all the angelic hosts 6 : and, in like manner, the
union of any soul with Christ should be regarded as a signal
for joy amongst all who " love the Lord Jesus Christ in

a Isai. liv. 5. b Isai. xlv. 10, 11. c 2 Cor. xi. 2.

d Eph. v. 32. e Luke xv. 10.

VOL. XXI. Q

REVELATION, XIX. 9. [2524.

sincerity." On every such occasion is there, as it were, a
feast prepared ; and guests are invited to partake of it. It is
an occasion worthy of a feast : for then all the purposes of God
respecting that soul are, in great measure, accomplished. As
far as relates to that soul, the Redeemer himself receives the
recompence of all that he has done and suffered for us ; yea,
" he sees of the travail of his own soul, and is satisfied." The
soul was indeed " given unto Christ" from all eternity, and in
that respect may be considered as " betrothed unto him." But,
when the soul surrenders up itself to Christ, and is united unto
him by faith, then does it " become one spirit with Christ*,"
and partakes of all that Christ himself possesses. Now, if
among men an union of any person with his bride is judged
worthy of feasting and congratulation amongst all their friends,
much more may the union before contemplated, even that of a
believing soul and the Lord Jesus Christ, be fitly considered
as a ground of most exalted joy.]

But that which the text speaks of, is not so much
the feast, as,

II. The blessedness of all who partake of it

Many reasons may be assigned why the guests at
such a feast should be happy :

1. They have the felicity of seeing the Bridegroom,
and of hearing his voice

[St. John tells us how highly he himself estemed this
privilege: " He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but
the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him,
rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom s voice : this my
joy therefore is fulfilled g ." And who can tell what it is to
have such communion with him, unless he have first himself
been admitted to it ? Who but the believer can comprehend
aright that declaration of St. John, " Truly our fellowship is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ 11 ?" Verily
this is " a joy with which the stranger intermeddleth not;" it
is " unspeakable and glorified 1 ;" even an earnest of heaven
itself.]

2. They partake of the highest enjoyment of which,
in this fallen state, their souls are capable

[The terms in which the feast itself is described may give
us some idea of this : it is " a feast of fat things, a feast of
wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the

f 1 Cor. vi. 17. e John iii. 29.

h I John i. 3. * 1 Pet. i. 8.

2524.] THE MARRIAGE-SUPPER OF THE LAMB.

lees well refined k ." But hear the testimony of a guest:
" Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies : thou anointest my head with oil : my cup runneth
over 1 ." Hear another testimony: " I sat down under his
shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet unto my
taste. He brought me to the banqueting-house, and his
banner over me was love m ." But why should we attend to
individuals? However strongly they may express themselves,
they can never convey to us any adequate idea of their bliss :
for we are expressly told, that " eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him"."]

3. The blessedness which they begin to taste on
earth shall be perfected and continued to all eternity
in heaven

[There shall the table be spread again, and every believer
be admitted to it. There are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
feasting before the Lord : there is Lazarus sitting next to
Abraham himself: and there shall all true believers sit down
with them : and the viands, of which they here obtained a
taste, shall, with infinitely augmented zest, be partaken of by
them to the full, through all eternity. But who shall paint
the blessedness of that state? If even here the believer s joy
is " unspeakable," what shall it there be ? But we must be
content to wait for our summons there : for, in attempting to
describe that bliss, we only " darken counsel by words without
knowledge."]

ADDRESS

1. Those who are disposed to decline the invitation
given them

[You make excuses, which you now judge sufficient to
justify your contempt of the mercy shewn you But
your " making light of it " is viewed with other eyes by the
heavenly Bridegroom. He feels that you are offering to him
the greatest indignity : and he declares, that "you shall never
taste of his supper," but shall be for ever excluded from it,
and be left in outer darkness to bewail your fate. O ! who
can declare what your feelings will then be ? and what weep
ing, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, will be your portion
for evermore? Bring not on yourselves, my dear brethren,
this awful judgment. I am sent, not only to invite, but to
" compel you to come in." O that I knew how to address you,
so that I might at last prevail! " Wherefore do you spend

k Isai. xxv. 7. l Ps. xxiii. 5.

m Cant. ii. 3, 4 "1 Cor, ii. 9.

228 REVELATION, XIX. 10. [2525.

your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for
that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good ; and let your souls delight themselves
in fatness ."]

2. Those who are willing to accept it

[Come without delay, lest the door should be closed, and
your exclusion be for ever sealed. If you say, " I am afraid
to come, because I do not possess a wedding-garment;" I
answer, The Bridegroom himself has provided garments for all
his guests ; and if only you seek one from him, it shall not be
withheld. Not only will he put upon you that justifying
righteousness which he himself wrought out for you by his
obedience unto death, but he will " make you all glorious
within," and render you fully meet for the enjoyment of his
presence, and the everlasting possession of his glory.

It may seem, perhaps, that we are speaking more than we
are authorized to declare. But indeed it is not so : for " these
are the true sayings of God," as my text informs you: and
you shall find them true, if you will accept the invitation now
sent you, and cast yourselves on him, in a firm reliance on his
word. " Faithful is He that calleth you ; who also will do it."
Only come to him " strong in faith ;" and you may rest assured
that " not one good thing shall fail you, of all that he lias ever
promised."]

Isai. Iv. 2.

MMDXXV.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS.

Rev. xix. 10. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

GOD is known by the works which he has made ;
on every one of which there is an impress of Omni
potence. Nor is his agency less visible in the sus
pension of the laws of nature (as they are called),
than in the formation of them. Hence the miracles
wrought by our blessed Lord were always appealed
to as undeniable attestations to his character, and
decisive evidences of his divine mission. There is
yet a third mark of a divine interposition, which is
not at all inferior to either of the former; I mean, the
accomplishment of prophecy. In some respects this
species of proof seems superior to the others, because

2525.] THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS. 229

its weight is continually increasing ; whilst that of
creation is stationary ; and that arising from miracles
loses half its force, as soon as the spectators of those
miracles are taken from us. On this account, per
haps, it is called " a more sure word of prophecy."
Certain it is, that God rests on this his exclusive
claim to divine honour ; and challenges the gods of
the heathen to evince their title to divinity by one
single proof of their prescience a .

From this conviction, St. John fell at the feet of
the angel who had revealed so many things to him,
and began to render him that worship which was due
from a creature to his Creator. But the angel unde
ceived him ; and forbad him to execute his purpose ;
because he was only the servant and messenger of
Jehovah, to whom alone such honour was due. " I
am thy fellow-servant," says he : " Worship God ;
for the testimony of Jesus," which you have so co
piously heard from me, is not mine, but is sent to
thee by the Spirit of prophecy," that is, by the Spirit
of God, from whom alone all prophetic knowledge
proceeds : he therefore, and he alone, is to receive
any such tribute at thy hands.

This appears to be the scope and meaning of the
words before us : in our further explanation of which
we shall shew,

I. That to testify of Jesus is the great end of all
prophecy

The lines of prophecy are indeed exceeding various ;
yet do they all meet in one common centre, the Lord
Jesus Christ b . In some view or other, the application
of prophecy to him will always be found just : it may
respect him more immediately or more remotely ; but
Him it always does respect ; and it presents us with
a clear compendious view of,

1. His nature and character

[It represents him as " Emmanuel, God with us," even
" the mighty God :" and at the same time informs us that he

a Isai. xli. 23.

b John i. 45. and Acts x. 42, 43. and John v. o9.

230 REVELATION, XIX. 10. [2525.

should be " a Child born, a Son given ;" and that being born of
a pure virgin, he should be " a man, Jehovah s fellow."

Such does it represent his nature to be, perfect God and
perfect man; and his character it describes in all its parts.
He was to be infinitely holy, " loving righteousness, and hating
iniquity." His wisdom also was to be infinite ; for he was to
have " a spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and of
might, of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord ; and was to
be quick of understanding in the fear of the Lord." He was
to be meek and lowly, so as " not to break a bruised reed or
quench the smoking flax ;" and tenderly compassionate, "carry
ing the lambs in his bosom, and gently leading them that were
with young." He was to be invincibly patient also, being, like
" a lamb led to the slaughter, or sheep before her shearers,
dumb:" he gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to
them that plucked off the hair. In short, he was to be "fairer
than ten thousand, and altogether lovely."]

2. His work and offices

[He was to be the " ever-living Redeemer," who should
" give redemption to his people," and by the blood of his
covenant should bring up his prisoners out of the pit wherein
there is no water." In order to execute this work, he was to
be " a Prophet like unto Moses," who should " give light to
the Gentiles " as Moses had done to the Jews, and " whose
instructions the whole world at the peril of their souls must
hear." He was also, as a Priest, to make, not beasts, but
" his own soul, an offering for sin;" "to have our iniquities
laid on him ;" to be himself " wounded for our transgressions
and bruised for our iniquities ;" yea, " to be cut off, but not
for himself;" and thus to " make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in an everlasting righteousness." He was also to
" make intercession for transgressors ;" and by presenting him
self before the mercy-seat as " the Lord our Righteousness," he
was entirely to " make an end of sin," so that " in him all the
seed of Israel might be justified and might glory." He was
also, as a King, to be " set on God s holy hill of Zion ;" and
to be enthroned " at God s right hand, till all his enemies
should be made his footstool." Whatever had before reduced
his people to " captivity, he was to lead captive," and to reign
over " a people rendered willing and obedient in the day of
his power."]

3. His kingdom and glory

[The rise and fall of other kingdoms are often the sub
jects of prophecy, but it is only because of their relation to
the kingdom of Christ. The smallest things that relate to
that are deemed of sufficient importance to occupy a very large

2525.] THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS. 231

space; in the sacred writings, whilst the numberless events
which appear great in our eyes are passed over without the
least notice. But the truth is, that " Christ is all, and in all :"
His kingdom alone is regarded by God ; and nothing has any
real importance but in proportion to the connexion which it
has with that. The empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and
Rome are mentioned as successively to flourish for an appointed
season ; but that of Christ was afterwards to be established on
the ruins of them all, and " to stand for ever:" " to Him
should be given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages should serve him : His dominion
is to be an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

What we read of respecting the destruction of antichrist and
all his adherents, is all with a view to the ultimate enlargement
and universal establishment of the Messiah s empire, that " He
may be King over all the earth, and that there may be one
Lord, and his name one."]

Now these prophecies have been delivered in a
variety of ways ; but it is certain,

II. That that testimony, by whomsoever delivered,
proceeds only from the Spirit of God

The angel who instructed John, told him, that the
testimony which he had given of Jesus proceeded
from " the Spirit of prophecy." This is universally
true. From him proceeds,

1 . The revelation of it to the world

[What was the substance of the prophetic declarations,
St. Peter tells us ; " The prophets testified beforehand the
sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." By
whose agency also they were made known, he tells us ; it
was " the Spirit of Christ :" and so far were the prophets from
being the authors of their own report, that they were forced
" to inquire and search diligently what the Spirit of Christ
which was in them did signify." In another place, he extends
this observation to all the prophets from the beginning of the
world : " Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man,
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost." Of the whole sacred volume also St. Paul affirms the
same : " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God."

What the motives were which induced God thus to reveal
his purposes to men, we are at no loss to declare. He did it,
first, to prepare the world for the reception of the Messiah ;
next, to point out that Messiah when he was to come, so that

232 REVELATION, XIX. 10. [2525.

no possibility of doubt could exist respecting him ; and, lastly
to make us know infallibly, that all which he has revealed
respecting the ultimate state of the righteous and the wicked
shall surely be fulfilled in its season.]

2. The manifestation of it to the souls of men

[Man can no more apply the prophecies with power to
his own soul, than he could have suggested them from his
own mind. He must have a spiritual discernment given him
before he can know the things of the Spirit . Could the
prophecies alone have enlightened the mind of man, St. Paul,
who was so conversant with them, would have been convinced
by them. But he knew not Christ, till "it pleased God to
reveal his Son in him," and " to open his understanding to
understand the Scriptures :" thus also was " the testimony of
Christ confirmed by the Holy Spirit in" the Christians at
Corinth d . And in like manner the Holy Spirit still " testifies
of Christ 6 ;" yea, it is his office to do so, even to " glorify
Christ, by taking of the things of Christ, and shewing them
unto us." Without his agency, the external publication of
the Gospel would have no effect : " Paul might plant, and
Apollos water, to no purpose, unless God interposed to give
the increase."]

We may LEARN then from this subject,

1. With what view we should study the Scrip
tures

[If the end of them all be to testify of Christ, then must
we search them, in order to obtain or grow in the knowledge
of Christ. It is of no use to amuse ourselves with studying
the prophecies, unless we be led by them to believe in Christ,
to put our trust in him as the only Saviour of the world, and
to commit all our concerns to his wise and gracious disposal.
All that has been accomplished, or is now accomplishing, or
yet remains to be accomplished, must lead us to realize the
thought of his superintending providence, and convince us
that not one jot or tittle that he has spoken shall ever fail.
Eternity shall give an infallible exposition of all that has been
revealed, and every soul of man attest its truth.]

2. In what manner we should study them

[We should study them not as the word of man, but as
the word of God ; we should study them with humble fervent
prayer ; we should beg that God would " open our eyes to
see the wondrous things of his law," and " give us the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ." If we

c 1 Gor. ii. 11, 12, 14. d 1 Cor. ii. 5, 6. e John xv. 26.

2526.] CHRIST S UNIVERSAL DOMINION. 233

lean to our own understandings, we shall err: but if we seek
the teaching of God s Spirit, " he will give us the anointing of
the Holy One, that shall teach us all things ;" he will shine into
our hearts " to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ." " The meek he will guide
in judgment, the meek he will teach his way."]

3. To whom we should give the glory, if we be
savingly instructed by them

[We cannot take it to ourselves, for " no man can say
that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Ghost." Nor are
we to give it to the instrument, whether he be man or angel ;
for he is but an instrument, a servant of the living God. He
may be, he ought to be, " esteemed very highly in honour for
his work s sake ;" but we must never rob God of his glory to
give it to a creature. Is any of you disposed to idolize the
creature ? " See thou do it not." " Worship God," and
God only ; for the testimony which you have received con
cerning Jesus Christ is not our testimony, but God s : " the
Spirit of prophecy" revealed it, and the " Spirit of prophecy"
applied it to your hearts and consciences : to him therefore be
ascribed exclusively, and at all times, the praise, the honour,
and the glory for evermore.]

MMDXXVI.

CHRIST THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev. xix. 16. He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
ivritten, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

OF all the Apostles none seem to have been so
highly favoured as John. While yet Jesus was on
earth, John was characterized above all others as the
Disciple whom Jesus loved ; and, after his exaltation
to heaven, John was preserved in the world many
years longer than any other Apostle, and was ho
noured with a multitude of visions declarative of the
state of the Church to the remotest period of time.
The vision contained in the context foretels the
destruction of antichrist in the latter days, and the
consequent establishment of Christ s kingdom upon
earth. The person riding upon a white horse as a
mighty Conqueror, is the Lord Jesus Christ himself ;
who is before described as having " eyes like a flame

234 REVELATION, XIX. 16. [2526.

of fire," and " a sharp sword going forth out of his
mouth a ;" who is beyond all doubt "the word of
God V and whose name is truly " Wonderful ;" being
incomprehensible to any except himself and his
eternal Father . In noticing that part of the descrip
tion which is contained in the text, there are two
things to be considered :

I. The name by which he is called

The august title which is here given to Christ
denotes,

1. His universal dominion

[The kings and lords of this world have only a limited
sway : they rule over a certain tract of country and a certain
portion of mankind, but they are independent of each other.
But Jesus Christ rules over them: they are all his vassals,
and more entirely subject to his will than the meanest of their
servants are to theirs. There is not a principality or power
in earth, or heaven, or hell, that is not altogether dependent
upon him. He has " a name given him that is above every
narne d ;" "he is Heir and Lord of all 6 ;" "and he doth
according to his will in the armies of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth; nor can any stay his hand or say
unto him, What doest thou f ?"

It is true that there are many who are enemies to him, and
rebels against his authority : but though they think to break
his bands asunder and cast away his cords from them, he
" has his hook in their nose and his bridle in their jaws," and
says to them, as he does to the sea, " Hitherto shalt thou
come, but no further." They all unwittingly fulfil his will,
even while they labour most to counteract it : and, when
they seem most to prevail against him, they accomplish only
his secret purposes g .]

2. His proper Godhead

[The name here given to Christ is that which belongs to

a Compare ver. 12, 15. with Rev. i. 14, 16.

b Compare ver. 13. with John i. 1, 14.

c Compare ver. 12. with Isai. ix. 6. and Matt. xi. 27.

a Phil. ii. 911. e Heb. i. 2. Rom. x. 36. * Dan. iv. 35.

s Exod. ix. 16. Isai. x. 5 7, 15. His dominion over his Church
in particular, might also be here opened, together with the manner
in which he protects his people, and reigns in all their hearts. Eph.
i. 2023.

2526.] CHRIST S UNIVERSAL DOMINION. 235

the one supreme God h , and to him alone 1 And well

may it be given to him, since there is not any other name of

the Deity which he does not bear k Nor any attribute

which he does not possess 1 Nor any honour peculiar

to the Deity, which he does not receive" 1 We may be

assured therefore that Jesus is not a mere subordinate King,
but " God over all, blessed for evermore n ."]

While the text proclaims his name, it leads us very
particularly to notice,

II. The manner in which it is manifested

Whether the inscription of his name upon " his
vesture" refer to any custom of that nature that ob
tained among great men or conquerors, we cannot
say : but the inscription of it upon " his thigh" must
certainly mean that his name was written upon his
sword, which hung upon his thigh . Of the general
import of the passage we have no doubt : his " ves
ture dipped in blood," denoted his past victories p , and
his sword hanging upon his thigh, denoted his state
of preparation for future triumphs ; the inscription
therefore altogether means,

1. That he has manifested his power in his past
victories

[Jesus has already given abundant proofs of his almighty
power and universal dominion. Look at Pharaoh and his hosts ;
how vain was their opposition to him ; how signal and complete
their ruin ! Behold the seven nations of Canaan ; how they
melted before him as snow before the meridian sun ! See his
once highly favoured people the Jews ; how he has verified his
word towards them, " wiping Jerusalem as a dish, and turning
it upside down q ." Look at all his enemies in every age ;
Have they prevailed ? Is not His cause still triumphant ?
and have not multitudes of his enemies already been made his
footstool ? Yes, not Julian only (the apostate), but thousands
and tens of thousands have been forced to acknowledge the
power of Jesus, and, with the affrighted Bethshemites, to cry,

h Deut. x. 17. i 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16.

k Isai. xl. 3. with Mark i. 1 3. The mighty God. Isai. ix. G.
1 Eternity, Mic. v. 2. Omnipresence, Matt, xxviii. 20. Omni
science, John, xxi. 17. Omnipotence, Matt, xxviii. 18.

m Acts vii. 59. John xiv. 1. John v. 23. n Rom. ix. 5.

Ps. xlv. 3. P Isai. Ixiii. 1 4. &lt;i 2 Kings xxi. 13.

236 REVELATION, XIX. 16. [2526.

" Who shall stand before this holy Lord God r ?" If then the
" Lord is known by the judgments which he executeth s ," our
blessed Saviour has made known in this very way his eternal
power and Godhead.]

2. That he will manifest it in his future victo
ries

[There is a time coming when Jesus shall put forth his
almighty power, and " subdue all nations to the obedience of
faith." In the words following our text, he declares how ex
tensive shall be his victories, and that all who oppose him shall
be as tow before the fire. His victories here will be easy,
certain, terrible*. But what if we look into the eternal world?
O what proofs shall we there see of his irresistible, almighty
power u ! Let us be assured of this, that, though we be kings
and lords, we must become his subjects ; and that, if we will
not bow to the sceptre of his grace, " we shall be broken in
pieces, as a potter s vessel."]

INFER

1. How deeply are we concerned to know whether
Christ be our King !

[We must not imagine that he is our King, merely
because we profess ourselves his subjects. We must inquire,
Whether we have been translated from the kingdom of Satan,
and brought as strangers into the kingdom of Christ*? We
must also inquire, Whether we are living in obedience to him ?
For there is nothing more certain, than that " his servants and
subjects we are to whom we obey y ." If we are not his, there
can be no doubt whose we are : and therefore we should
labour to ascertain the point, and to have our evidence clear
that " we are Christ s."]

2. How awful will it be to be found amongst his
enemies !

[ a We may be sure, whoever we are, that he will over
come at last:" his name is a pledge of universal conquest 2 .
And how terrible will be the wrath of THE LAMB*! O let us
kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and we perish from the way b .]

3. How secure are all his faithful subjects !
[Other kings may be subdued ; but He never can : other

kings may bring the heaviest calamities upon their subjects;

r 1 Sam. vi. 20. s Ps. ix. 16.

t Isai. xxv. 10, 11. Ps. vii. 1113. Deut. xxxii. 41, 42.

u Ps. xi. 6. and xxi. 8, 9. x Col. i. 13.

y Rom. vi. 16. John xv. 14. z Rev. xvii. 14. Lukexix. 27.

a Rev. vi. 16. b Ps. ii. 12.

2527.] TIIE FIRST RESURRECTION. 237

He will bring nothing to them but peace and joy. " None
can harm us, if we be his followers," " If He be for us, none
can be effectually against us." " Let the children of Zion
therefore be joyful in their King c :" yea, to all his subjects we
will say, with David, " The Lord is King over all the earth ;
sing ye praises with understanding d ."]

c Ps. cxlix. 2. d Ps. xlvii. 7.

MMDXXVII.

THE FIRST RESURRECTION.

Rev. xx. 6. .Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection.

RESPECTING the events spoken of in my text,
and which are generally known under the name of
the Millennium, commentators have been greatly
divided. What has been spoken on the subject by
wild enthusiasts, I shall pass over without notice :
but the two leading opinions of pious and judicious
men may fitly come under our review. Some have
thought that there will really be a resurrection of
saints and martyrs, who shall again live upon the
earth a thousand years, and that the Lord Jesus
Christ also will come down from heaven to reign
over them during that period. Others conceive the
resurrection to be altogether figurative, and that it
imports no more, than that for the space of a thou
sand years there will arise a succession of holy men,
resembling the saints and martyrs of former ages :
and that the spiritual kingdom of Christ will for that
period be established upon the face of the whole
earth. I confess that, in my opinion, this latter
sentiment is by far the more just and scriptural ;
and, feeling that persuasion, I will endeavour to
shew you,

I. What we are to understand by the first resurrec
tion

The whole of the book of Revelation is confessedly
mystical and figurative ; and, if we interpret this
passage in a literal sense, we make it essentially to

238 REVELATION, XX. 6. [2527.

differ from every other part. In confirmation of the
view which I have of the first resurrection, as being
not a literal, but only a mystical and figurative,
resurrection, I would observe,

1. That the words do not by any means of neces
sity require to be taken in a literal sense

[It is well known that a spiritual change is often spoken
of in the Scriptures as a resurrection from the dead : we are
said to be quickened when " dead in trespasses and sins ;" and
to have " passed thereby from death unto life a ." In several
places, where the terms are quite as strong, or even stronger
than those in the text, no one ever thought of putting a literal
interpretation. When the Prophet Hosea says, " Come, and
let us return unto the Lord : for he hath torn, and he will
heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up : after two
days will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, and
we shall live in his sight b ;" every one understands him as
speaking of a spiritual resurrection. The language used by the
Prophet Ezekiel is yet more to our purpose. He represents
the Jewish nation as not only dead, but as so long dead, that
their very bones are scattered on the earth, and almost pul
verized. And he speaks of their bones being re-united, each
to its kindred bones, and the whole covered with flesh, and
every body animated again by a living spirit which has entered
into them, and restored them to life c . But did ever any one
understand him as speaking of a literal resurrection ?

It may be said, that, in our text, particular persons are spe
cified, even those who have died as martyrs in the cause of
Christ, and that therefore the text must be literally applied
to them. I answer, that it is not of them personally that the
Apostle speaks, but of persons resembling them in mind and
spirit; just as Elijah is said to have come to introduce the
Messiah, because John the Baptist " came in the spirit and
power of Elias d ." And, if we make their resurrection per
sonal, we must then regard the resurrection of the wicked also
as personal, of whom it is said, that, " when the thousand
years shall be finished, the rest of the dead will live again 6 ."
But did ever any one suppose that the wicked would rise to
live on earth again ? Yet, if the pious dead, who have been
slain by the sword of martyrdom, are literally to rise and reign
on earth a thousand years, the ungodly dead, who have been

a Eph. ii. 1. 1 Johniii. 14. b Hos. vi. 1, 2.

c Ezek. xxxvii. 1 10.

d Compare Mai. iv. 5. with Matt. xi. 14. andxvii. 12. and Luke
i. 17.

2527. ] THE FIRST RESURRECTION. 230

slain by the avenging sword of the Almighty, must literally,
and in their own persons, rise at the expiration of that time f .

But shall any, whether the risen martyrs, or others resem
bling them, live, and reign " a thousand years ?" No : there
is no reason to think that their lives shall be protracted to any
such length : but there shall be a succession of saints during
that period : and as that succession will be uninterrupted
through that whole time, they are said to live through that
time ; because, though they do not personally live, their piety
does live, and is transmitted unimpaired through all the suc
cessive generations that shall arise. It is in this sense that
the two witnesses who prophesy in sackcloth, are said to
" prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore prophetic
days, (or years) g ." It relates not to their persons, but to others
rising in continued succession in their spirit, to bear the same
testimony. Indeed of them also is it said, that " they were
overcome by their enemies and killed ; and that their death
caused exceeding great joy ; but that, after three days (years)
and an half, to the utter dismay of their enemies, they rose
and lived again V But no one ever imagined, that this was
fulfilled literally ; every one understands this of a succession
of prophets who arose to bear the same testimony as they had
borne who had suffered martyrdom for their fidelity : and in
the same manner must the resurrection of the saints also, and
their reigning for a thousand years, be understood of a con
tinued succession of eminently pious persons reigning with
Christ over all the enemies of their salvation ; whilst the un
godly shall have no successors till the expiration of that time.

In any other sense than this, it would be extremely difficult
to make this passage agree with what is spoken of the resur
rection in other parts of Scripture ; for the resurrection is
always represented as taking place all at once, except that the
godly will rise first, before those who shall then be alive upon
the earth shall be changed 1 : but in the sense we have an
nexed to it, it accords exactly with the language of St. Paul,
when he says, " If the casting away of the Jews be the recon
ciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but

f The ol XoiTrot in ver. 5. are the same persons with ol \OTTOI in
Rev. xix. 21 ; and they, beyond all doubt, are spoken of symboli
cally, as designating, not individual persons, but persons of their spirit
and character. This shews that we must understand ver. 4. also,
not in a literal, but in a symbolical sense, as designating persons ivho
resemble the martyrs of old time. The same mode of explication
must apply to both ; if the one be taken literally, so must the other
be. Both must be literal, or both symbolical. And this quite, as it
appears to me, determines the point at issue.

8 Rev. xi. 3. h Rev. xi. 7, 10, 11.

1 1 Cor. xv. 5153. 1 Thess. iv. 1517.

240 REVELATION, XX. 6. [2527.

life from the dead* ?" If it be thought, that this similarity
of metaphor will occasion confusion in the sense, let it be
remembered, that our blessed Lord used the very same terms
to express the conversion of souls to him now, and their rising
again to judgment in the last day : " Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear
the voice of the Son of God ; and they that hear shall live ....
Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth /
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation V
Here our Lord distinguishes the two resurrections, both effected
by his almighty power ; the one upon the souls of men, and
the other on their bodies : the one in order to their reigning
with him on earth, (for " they are made kings and priests unto
God ;") and the other, in order to their reigning with him in
glory.

Thus the very terms themselves are best explained in refe
rence to a spiritual resurrection ; whilst, if taken in a literal
sense, they would establish a doctrine not found in any other
part of Holy Writ. To all of which I may add, that the text
speaks only of their souls living, which is never once in all the
Scriptures used to designate the resurrection of the body.

In confirmation of the foregoing statement, I proceed to
observe,]

2. That the event which a literal sense of them
would establish, is neither probable nor desirable

[One cannot conceive that the saints in glory should be
brought down from heaven, where their happiness is complete
and without alloy, and be placed again in a situation where
they must be encompassed with infirmities, and be subjected
even to death itself; or that the Saviour should leave his
bright abodes, to sojourn here again in a tabernacle of clay for
the space of a thousand years. If indeed he had plainly de
clared such an event, we should most readily submit to his
all-wise determinations, and should expect assuredly that he
would ultimately be glorified by it : but, when there is no other
passage of Scripture that sanctions such an idea; and all
similar expressions have confessedly a spiritual import ; and the
spiritual or figurative sense accords with innumerable other
declarations of Holy Writ ; I cannot hesitate about the true
interpretation of the words, or about the expectations which
they teach me to form respecting the glory of the latter day.

In this view of the passage I am confirmed by the circum
stances which will take place at the close of the Millennium :

k Rom. xi. 15. ] John v. 25, 28, 29.

2527.] THE FIRST RESURRECTION. 241

" Satan will then be loosed out of his prison, and will go forth
to deceive the nations, and to gather them together to battle,
the number of whom will be as the sand of the sea. And with
these he will compass the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city: and fire will come down from God out of heaven
to devour them m ." Now all this I can understand, on the
supposition that there be a succession of saints for a thousand
years; because I can easily conceive that hypocrites and
apostates may at last arise from among them, just as they did
from among the immediate converts of the Apostles : but I
cannot possibly conceive, either that Satan should so prevail
over saints that are brought down from heaven, as to occasion
them at last to be cut off by fire from heaven ; or that, though
preserved faithful to their God, they should ever be subjected
to such assaults from men and devils. We are told expressly,
that " the sun shall not light on them, nor any heat," and that
" they shall have no more sorrow, or crying, or pain :" and
therefore I cannot but conclude, that they shall be with Christ
in Paradise, till they shall come forth at the last day to be re
united to their bodies, and to possess both in body and soul
the inheritance provided for them from the foundation of the
world.]

With such a view of the first resurrection, we are
prepared to contemplate,

II. The blessedness of those that shall have a part
in it

" Blessed and holy" will they all be ; and that too
in a pre-eminent degree above the saints of other
ages:

1. Their views will be more enlarged

[Our light far surpasses that of the prophets : insomuch
that the least and meanest of the saints under the Christian
dispensation excels in that respect even the Baptist himself,
who was greater than all the prophets : and amongst ourselves,
some have far deeper and richer views of divine truth than
others. But in that day, the great mystery of redemption will
be exhibited in far brighter colours than it has yet been. Not
that any fresh revelation will be vouchsafed to men ; for I con
ceive that the canon of Scripture is closed : but there will be
a more abundant measure of the Spirit poured out upon them,
revealing to them the Saviour, in all " the brightness of his
glory," and in " the incomprehensible wonders of his love :"
" the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the
light of the sun seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day

m ver. 7 9.
VOL. xxi. R

REVELATION, XX. 0. [2527.

that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth
the stroke of their wound 11 ."]

2. Their graces will be more vigorous

[They will be " blessed and holy /" and blessed, because
hoi} 7 . This indeed will be a necessary consequence of the fore
going ; for the more " any man beholds the Saviour s glory,
the more will he be changed into the same image, from glory
to glory, by the Spirit of our God ." The whole vineyard of
the Lord will then be watered more abundantly ; and such
" showers of blessings" will be poured out upon it, that every
plant in it will grow, and " be fruitful in all the fruits of right
eousness, to the praise and glory of our God." We may form
some idea of their state from what is recorded of the saints
on the day of Pentecost : what exalted piety did they manifest
towards both God and man ! So will it be also in that day :
" for brass they will have gold, and for iron silver, and for
wood brass, and for stones iron?:" and that prayer of the
Apostle will in a more ample measure be answered to them ;
" The God of peace, that brought again from the dead the
Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant, will make them perfect in
every good work, to do his will, working in them that which
is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ q ."]

3. Their consolations more abundant

[As their communications from God will be increased, so
will their fellowship with him be more intimate and abiding.
Their communion with each other also will be most profitable
and endearing. Wherever they turn their eyes, they will
behold a brother, or a sister, a partaker of the same faith, an
heir of the same glory. If even now the communion of the
saints be so sweet, that it is almost a foretaste of heaven itself,
what will it be in that day, when the loveliness of each, and the
disposition of all to exercise the principle of love, will be so
greatly augmented ? And what will the ordinances be in that
day? What, but " the very gate of heaven?" Methinks,
the pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit will then be a daily
occurrence ; and the language of earth be like that of heaven,
one continued effusion of praise and thanksgiving. The descrip
tions given of that period in the Scriptures are precisely
similar to those which are given of heaven itself; because the
state of the Church then will be an emblem, and an earnest of
heaven. So happy will they be in their intercourse with God,
that " the sun will be no more their light by day, neither for
brightness will the moon give light unto them ; but the Lord

11 Isai. xxx. 26. 2 Cor. iii. 18.

P Isai. Ix. 17. i Heb. xiii. 20, 21.

2527.] TIIE FIRST RESURRECTION. 4tf

will be unto them an everlasting light, and their God their
glory ."]

4. Their progress more easy

[" Satan will then be bound, and sealed up in the bot
tomless pit, so that he can have no access to harass and deceive
them 8 ." Now it is well known, that this subtle enemy pre
sents more formidable obstacles in the Christian s way than all
other enemies together ; as the Apostle says, " We wrestle
not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers,
and spiritual wickedness in high places 1 ." How rapid then
will be the progress of those who have not this tide to stem,
and at the same time are carried forward by breezes the most
favourable that heaven can bestow, and amply sufficient to fill
all their sails ! To this subject we may well apply that beau
tiful description which the Prophet Amos has given of that
period ; " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the
ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes
him that soweth seed ; and the mountains shall drop wine, and
all the hills shall melt u :" for in a spiritual, as well as temporal
view, so fruitful shall be the seasons, that the blessings of
heaven shall almost supersede the labours of cultivation. And
all who are bending their course heavenward will fly with the
celerity of " doves to their windows," and without interruption,
as the clouds of heaven x .]

5. Their prospects more glorious

[Breathing thus, as they will do, the atmosphere of heaven,
they will be ever ready to take their flight, and to wing their
way to their celestial abodes. From the top of Pisgah they
will view their promised inheritance : and when the Lord Jesus
says, " Behold, I come quickly," the united cry of all will be,
" Amen : even so, come Lord Jesus y ." In a word, their whole
spirit and deportment will evince the presence, and the reign,
of Christ in all their souls.]

APPLICATION

But may not this period be anticipated ? May we
not at least have the commencement of it amongst
ourselves ? Yes, surely we may. We may assuredly
enjoy the dawn of that light, which they will behold
in its meridian splendour. With a view to assist you
in the noble enterprise of forestalling and anticipating
that blessed day, I would say,

r Compare Isai. Ix. 19. with Rev. xxi. 23. and xxii. 5.

* ver. 2, 3. * Eph. vi. 12. u Amos ix. 13.

x Isai. Ix. 8. y Rev. xxii. 7, 20.

REVELATION, XX. G. [2527.

1. Improve the privileges which you do enjoy
[These, let me say, are equal to any that have been

enjoyed since the apostolic age : for the light of the Gospel
shines with a splendour unknown to former ages, and is diffus
ing its rays to an extent which but a few years ago no human
being could have contemplated. Satan indeed exerts his
utmost efforts to obstruct the progress of divine truth ; but he
cannot succeed : he is foiled in almost every attempt ; and his
kingdom trembles to its centre. I need go no farther than to
you, my brethren, in proof of what I have asserted. You see
how the Lord Jesus Christ is extending his empire, amongst
yourselves, as well as in the world at large : and therefore you
have every encouragement to fight under his banners, and to
expect a successful issue of your warfare. It is worthy of
observation, that the saints of the millennial period have no
distinction above you, except that " they shall reign a thousand
years ;" for over you " the second death shall have no power,"
anymore than over them: and you, as well as they, are " priests
of God and of Christ 2 ." Improve then, I say, your privileges,
and seek to attain the graces that will distinguish them : they
are characterized by their freedom from the pollutions of the
world, and by the fidelity of their adherence to Christ 3 . " Be
ye then faithful unto death ; and know assuredly that God
will give you the crown of life."]

2. Look forward to a still better resurrection

[We are ready to envy the millennial saints : but think
how much more glorious a resurrection awaits you, than can
possibly be enjoyed by embodied souls on earth ! They will of
necessity be subject to infirmities, even in their best estate :
but in a little time you shall be as free from all infirmity as the
angels around the throne of God : your souls shall be altoge
ther perfected after the Divine image, and " your bodies be
made like unto Christ s glorious body, according to the mighty
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto
himself 15 ." Then " shall you be ever with the Lord," and pos
sess in all its fulness the complete fruition of your God. Look
forward with joy to that blissful period ; and in the mean time,
11 Comfort ye one another with these words 6 ."]

z Compare ver. 6. with 1 Pet. ii. 9. a ver. 4.

b Phil. iii. 20, 21. 1 Thess. iv. 17, 18.

2528.] THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 24&lt;5

MMDXXVIII.

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

Rev. xx. 11 15. I saw a great white throne, and him that
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ;
and there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened : and another book was opened, which is the
book of life : and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it ; and death
and hell delivered up the dead which were in them : and they
were judged every man according to their works. And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.

WE are not to imagine that the mysterious parts
of Scripture are unworthy of our most attentive
perusal : for though we should not succeed in our
endeavours to comprehend all that is contained in
them, we shall find much that is plain, intelligible,
and important. The chapter before us speaks of a
resurrection of all the martyred saints to reign with
Christ on earth a thousand years : it informs us also
that, at the expiration of that period, Satan shall be
loosed from his confinement, and prevail against
them, deceiving many, and destroying many. It tells
us moreover, that God, determining to execute ven
geance on that deceiver of the nations, and on such
ministers as have been his instruments, and upon all
those who have been deceived by them, will then
come to judge the world in righteousness.

We apprehend this reign of Christ on earth, though
not improbably attended with occasional manifesta
tions of himself as on Mount Tabor, will be chiefly
figurative : but, without dwelling on the points that
are of difficult interpretation, and which events alone
will with certainty explain, let us attend to the in
struction here given us respecting that in which we
are all so deeply interested, the solemnities of the day
of judgment. In these we may notice,

246 REVELATION, XX. 1115. [2528.

I. The appearance of the Judge

[Christ is the person who shall judge the world a : and he
is here, as elsewhere on the very same occasion b , declared to
be " God," as well as man, Emmanuel, God with us. His
being seated on a " throne " denotes, that from his decisions
there will be no appeal, but that, sanctioned as they will be
by the authority of the King of kings, they will be final and
irreversible. Nor is it without design that the throne is
described as " white," seeing that it will exceed the meridian
sun in brightness, nor ever be sullied by the smallest instance
of partiality or error.

The idea of " earth and the heavens that surround it, fleeing
from before his face, and no place being found for them," is
calculated to impress our minds with the most awful sense of
his majesty and glory. This guilty globe was once the place of
his residence, till its impious inhabitants rose up against him
with one consent, and put him to death. But in that day, as
though it was conscious of its own desert, it will flee from his
presence ; nor will any place be found for this theatre of sin to
exist any longer in its present polluted state .]

II. The persons that shall be summoned to his

tribunal

[Not only at the deluge, when the whole world was
drowned, but since that time, millions, who, for mercantile or
hostile purposes, have traversed the mighty waters, have found
their graves in the bosom of the ocean. But at the last day,
" the sea shall give them up;" " death" also shall surrender
up the bodies that have long since mouldered into dust, and
" hades," or the invisible world, shall deliver up the souls that
have long abode in happiness or misery. All who have ever
lived upon the earth, whether " small or great, shall stand
before the tribunal of their God." The God that formed them
out of nothing will collect with ease their scattered atoms, and
reunite them to their kindred souls. Every one shall appear
in his own proper body, nor shall he be able either to with
stand the summons, or elude the search. The king and the
beggar, the sage philosopher and the child that died ere it saw
the light, shall be no otherwise distinguished, than as they are
classed with the righteous or the wicked.]

III. The rule of judgment

[Various " books shall then be opened" to serve as grounds
of the Divine procedure d . The book of God s law, originally
inscribed on the hearts of our First Parents, and still not wholly

a Acts xvii. 31. Johnv. 22. b Rom. xiv. 10 12.

c 2 Pet. iii. 10. i Dan, vii. 9, 10.

2528.] THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 247

effaced even from the minds of heathens, will be the rule by
which they shall be judged, who never saw the light of reve
lation 6 . The book of the Gospel, wherein the mysteries of
redemption are unfolded to our view, will be the touchstone
by which our faith and practice shall be tried. The book of
conscience too, which now omits many things, or grossly mis
represents them, will then give a juster testimony to our
conduct : for then it will be a perfect transcript of another
book that shall be opened, namely, the book of God s remem
brance. In this, every action, word, and thought, was faithfully
recorded by the unerring hand of God himself: and every pur
pose, desire, or motive, shall have an influence on his decision
to enhance our happiness or augment our misery f .

There is yet another book, particularly specified in the text,
" the book of life." This is none other than the book of God s
decrees, wherein were written from the foundation of the world
the names of his elect. And as the other books will be opened
in order to vindicate the equity of his decisions, so will this,
in order to display the sovereignty of his grace. Twice is
this book mentioned in the text; but twice also is it declared,
that all " shall be judged according to their works:" while
therefore we honour God s electing love, we must carefully
dismiss every thought that may disparage his remunerative
justice. Though to God s election the saints will be indebted
for their salvation ; the wicked will never perish through any
influence of reprobation : their happiness men will owe to him ;
their misery to themselves alone.]

IV. The sentence that shall be executed

[Nothing is expressly mentioned in the text respecting
the sentence of the righteous ; though it is evidently implied,
that they, having their names written in the book of life, shall
have a very different end from that of the ungodly. Yes ; to
them there is no condemnation ; they shall never perish, but
shall have eternal life^. If indeed God should judge them by
the strict tenour of his law, they must perish : but he views
them as clothed in the Redeemer s righteousness ; and accepts,
for his sake, not their persons only, but their services, trea
suring up their tears in his vial, and noticing their very desires
in order to a future recompence h .

As for those whose names are not written in the book of
life, their state will be inexpressibly awful. They, together
with " death and hell," the present receptacles of the damned,
shall be " cast into the lake of fire ;" in order that, except in
that place, there may not remain any vestige of sin or misery

e Rom. ii. 14, 15. f 1 Cor. iv. 5.

8 Rom. viii. 1. John x. 27, 28. h Mai. iii. 10, 17.

248 REVELATION, XXI. 16. [2529.

in the whole creation. This is emphatically called " the second
death." The pangs of dissolution are often great, and the
consequent separation of soul and body very distressing: but
the anguish attendant upon these is a very faint emblem of the
torments that shall be endured in that state of separation from
God, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.

Nor will the ungodly have any just reason to complain that
their names were not written in the book of life, since they
never desired to be there registered, nor ever regarded the
Lamb of God, who alone could inscribe their names therein.]

INFER

1. How needful is it to secure an interest in
Christ!

[We all are hastening to his judgment-seat; nor will and
thing avail us there but an interest in his blood and righteous
ness By the law we are all condemned ; but by the

Gospel we may all have life Let us then not waste all

our time in seeking the things that perish with the using ; but
rather secure an inheritance that shall never fade, and that
shall continue when all earthly things shall be dissolved.]

2. How carefully should the professors of religion
take heed to their ways !

[All must be judged according to their works, the quantity
of which as well as the quality, will make an essential differ
ence in our state 1 . Every hour, as it passes, wings its way to
heaven, and records the manner in which it was spent. We
are, in fact, dictating daily our own sentence, and determining
the measure of our own happiness or misery. Let us then
frequently ask ourselves, what the last hour has recorded
respecting us ; and whether we shall be glad to see the trans
actions of it brought forth as evidences at the bar of judgment?
God help us to bear this in mind; and so to pass our few
remaining hours, as we shall wish we had passed them, when
we shall be standing naked before his tribunal !]

i Gal. vi. 8. 2 Cor. ix. 6.

MMDXXIX.

THE HEAVENLY GLORY.

Rev. xxi. 1 6. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away ;
and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city,
new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, pre
pared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a

2529.] THE HEAVENLY GLORY. 249

great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the former
things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me,
Write : for these words are true and faithful. And he said
unto me, It is done.

THIS passage is supposed by some to refer to the
millennial period. And it is certain that that period
is elsewhere spoken of under the image of new
heavens, and a new earth a . But others interpret
it as relating to the eternal world ; which sense
accords best both with the text and context. Of the
millennial era, it cannot be said that then "" all tears
shall be wiped away from our eyes, and that there
shall be no more death ;" for most distressing times
will follow it ; and, after it, death will proceed in its
work of desolation with uninterrupted sway. More
over, as the state of the wicked in the day of judg
ment is spoken of in the preceding context, it is
reasonable to suppose that the state of the righteous
should be mentioned also ; whilst, if it be not
adverted to in this passage, it is omitted altogether,
notwithstanding this book of revelation was intended
to make known the future destinies of the Church,
as well as of the world, to all eternity. Understand
ing therefore the vision as relating to the eternal
world b ,

I will proceed to consider,
I. The vision itself

The Apostle saw " a new heaven and a new earth ;
the first heaven and the first earth having passed

a Isai. Ixv. 17. and Ixvi. 22.

b Yet, as the words used by the Prophet most unquestionably re
late to the millennial state, they may be so interpreted here. Perhaps
the one being typical of the other, as the redemption from Babylon
of our redemption by Christ, the words may be interpreted of either,
as circumstances may require. Accordingly the Author has so ap
plied them in his Discourse on Isai. Ixv. 17, 18.

250 REVELATION, XXI. 10. [2529.

away : and, in that new creation, there was no more
sea ;" all storms and tempests having ceased, and all
occasions for tumultuous agitations having for ever
vanished.

He saw also the holy city, new Jerusalem, that is,
a model of it, " coming down from God out of
heaven :" and this city was in all respects fitted for
the habitation of the most high God in the midst of
all his redeemed people ; " its foundations garnished
with all manner of precious stones ;" " its walls great
and high," " its gates of pearl," " its streets of pure
gold;" and " God himself and the Lamb enlightening
it with their glory c ." In a word, it was fully " pre
pared for its glorious inhabitants, as a bride adorned
for her husband."

This vision seems to have been somewhat of the
same kind with that which had formerly been given
to Peter, when " a great sheet, filled with all manner
of living animals, descended to him from heaven d ."
But together with it " he heard a great voice out of
heaven," proclaiming to him the blessedness of those
who should inhabit that holy city. And this calls for
our more particular attention.

We see here,

1. The source of that bliss

[God dwelt, by a visible symbol of his presence, in his
tabernacle and temple of old. He was in a peculiar manner
the God of Israel ; and they were in a peculiar manner his
people. In his Church, and amongst his true Israel, he dwells
also at this time ; manifesting himself to them as he does not
unto the world ; and communicating to them a fulness of all
spiritual blessings. And as by this glorious distinction his
people of old were elevated above the heathen, so are his
spiritual Israel now distinguished above all other people upon
the face of the earth ; possessing a knowledge of God s will,
an enjoyment of his presence, a sense of his love, and an ex
perience of his power, which no other creature out of heaven
does, or can possess.

But in heaven God displays all the full radiance of his glory.
He is seen there, not in a mere symbol, like the bright cloud,
nor through the dim vision of faith ; but clearly, as with our

c ver. 10 23. d Acts x. 916.

2529.] THE HEAVENLY GLORY. 251

bodily organs we behold the sun in the firmament. Nor are
his communications there any longer partial, scanty, and occa
sional ; but constant and full, according to the measure of every
one s capacity to receive them.

The consciousness which every one will then have of his
interest in God ; of the relation which he bears to him ; and
of the indissolubleness of that bond which has united him to
God; O ! what a source of joy will this be ! But on a sub
ject like this, " we only darken counsel by words without
knowledge." We have no conception of the presence of God.
A new-born infant is not less capable of appreciating the
sublime exercises and enjoyments of spiritual perception, than
we are of comprehending the felicity of beholding God face to
face.]

2. The perfection of it

[The negative felicity of heaven comes more within the
grasp of our feeble minds. We know here, by sad experience,
what pain and sorrow mean: and frequent are the occasions
on which tears flow down our cheeks. Death too, that king
of terrors, warns us of the pains which we shall speedily endure
in our conflicts with him. This whole world is little else than
a vale of tears. At best it is a checquered scene, and sorrows
are continually intermingled with our joys. But in heaven
there will be no more pain, or sorrow, or crying: our happi
ness will be uninterrupted, and without alloy. Nor will there
be any termination of it; for " there will be no more death."
Whatever tears bedewed our cheeks in our departing hours,
they will all be wiped away by God himself; who will, from
the instant of our entrance into his presence, seat us on his
throne, and put a crown of pure gold upon our head, and invest
us with all the glory and felicity of his kingdom. When joy
and gladness have thus taken possession of our souls, not only
will " sorrow and sighing flee away," but all occasion for them,
all scope for the exercise of them, will vanish for ever. O be
loved, what a state will this be ! Would to God we were able
to speak of it as we ought ! But we feel the subject far too
great for our feeble grasp.]

Lest this vision should appear to exceed what will
ever be realized, let me draw your attention to,

II. The confirmation of it

" God, in giving us his covenant, confirmed it with
an oath, in order that we might have the stronger
consolation :" so here, he confirmed this vision to
the Apostle by an audible voice, declaring that the
things which he had seen,

REVELATION, XXL 16. [2529.

1. Were really true

[" Behold, I make all things new. Write ; for these words
are true and faithful." God would have this vision recorded
for the benefit of the Church : nor would he have any part of
it doubted : for every thing which had been spoken respecting
it was true, and might be fully relied on.

Now this at first sight appears to have been superfluous :
but it was in reality no more than what our necessities re
quired. When the soul is bowed down with pains and sor
rows, it needs support : and there is no support equal to that
which this vision affords. Our trials are but for a time : and
eternity is near at hand : and the very troubles which we are
called to endure, are subservient to our best interests, and
conducive to the augmentation of our happiness to all eternity.
Look at the saints of old, and see what supported them in all
their trials. What enabled the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, to leave their country and kindred, and to live as
pilgrims and sojourners on the earth? "They looked for a
city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is
God e ." What enabled the martyrs of following ages to sus
tain their accumulated afflictions ? They " looked forward to
the resurrection," when they should possess " a better and
an enduring substance f ." It is to that period that our blessed
Lord teaches us to look, as affording us a rich compensation
for all that we can now endure for his sake&. And it is the
prospect of that time which reconciles all the Lord s people
to the diversified afflictions of this present life. Hence it was
necessary that we should have the fullest testimony respecting
the certainty and the excellency of that future state.

Know then, that state does indeed await you : know, that
" light is sown for the righteous :" and " though weeping may
endure for a night, joy will come in the morning."]

2. Were in actual existence

[The voice which attested the truth of these things,
added also, " It is done." The very glory of which the vision
spake, is actually begun. Thousands and millions are already
in possession of it. What a blessed thought, to those espe
cially who have been bereaved of pious friends or relatives !
They are already joined to the general assembly and Church
of the first-born : their spirits are already perfect ; perfect in
purity, and perfect also in felicity. Think of the dying thief,
when, on the very night of his crucifixion, he was received
into the presence of his Lord in Paradise ! We wonder not
that " Paul desired to depart and to be with Christ," accounting
that infinitely better than the happiest state on earth. Nor

e Heb. xi. 10. f Heb. x. 34. and xi. 35. g Matt. v. 12.

2529.] THE HEAVENLY GLORY. 253

do we wonder that he made light of every thing which stood
between him and the consummation of his bliss h ; and longed
for the dissolution of his earthly tabernacle, that he might

have it reared anew in that better world 1 Let us only

think how near we are to that blissful state, and nothing will
be able to damp our ardour, or retard our progress, in the
pursuit of it.]

CONTEMPLATE heaven, then, I entreat you : contem
plate it,

1. As an object of pursuit

[What is there in the whole universe that is worthy to
be put in competition with it? O! blush that you can have
your heart engaged about the vanities of time and sense,
and that these eternal realities occupy so little of your atten
tion ]

2. As an object of expectation

[Can you really believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has
given you a title to this blessedness, and ever be weary in the
pursuit of it ? The wonder is, how you can be content to live
in this poor wretched world, when there is such blessedness
awaiting you at your departure from it. Go and survey it
from day to day : take Pisgah views of it : anticipate it : get
such a sense of God s presence with you, as shall be a fore
taste of it: and be daily "looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day," when you yourself shall be privileged to
say, " He hath made all things new."]

3. As an object of actual fruition

[Ask of " those who came out of great tribulation, and
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb, and are now in the immediate presence of their God :"
ask them, Whether they regret any labours or sufferings
which they ever endured in their way to that bliss. Ask them
too, How, with God s help, they would live, if they were again
permitted to begin their course on earth? Ask yourselves
too, what thoughts you will have of your present conduct, if
ever you should reach those realms of bliss ? These will be
profitable considerations to you : they will place all present
things in their just point of view: and will aid you greatly in
running the race that is set before you.]

h Rom. viii. 18. 2 Cor. v. 1 4.

1 It being delivered on the night of the funeral of his late Majesty
George TIL the audience were here led to contemplate the blessed
exchange which his Majesty now experienced. And the same may
be done on occasion of any one who dies in the Lord, See Rev. xiv. 13.

254 REVELATION, XXI. 22, 23. [2530.

MMDXXX.

GOD THE LIGHT AND TEMPLE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.

Rev. xxi. 22, 23. / saw no temple therein : for the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city
had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it :
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.

" GLORIOUS things," says the Psalmist, " are
spoken of thee, thou city of God a ." This was true of
Jerusalem, as it existed in the days of David : but far
more applicable is it to the new Jerusalem, which
yet remains to be built, at a period that is fast ap
proaching; the foundations of which, indeed, have
been already laid these eighteen hundred years !
Whether it is of that city that St. John is here
speaking, or of heaven itself, has been, and still is,
a subject of controversy amongst Christian divines.
It is not without a great appearance of truth that
this whole vision is considered as referring to the
millennial age : for " the holy city which St. John
saw, the New Jerusalem, came down from God out
of heaven*-" and therefore could scarcely be heaven
itself. Its foundations, and walls, and gates, are
described by the very terms which are confessedly
and exclusively applied by the prophets to the Church
which shall be established at that period : and the
flocking of all nations, with their kings and all their
wealth, to this city c , is the very event predicted in all
the prophecies, as now fast approaching, and as
ordained to continue for a thousand years. On the
other hand, it is not without strong reason that others
interpret this vision as relating to heaven itself: for
the order of prophecy seems to require it. The day
of judgment, and the punishment of the wicked,
having been foretold in the preceding chapter, it
seems reasonable to expect that the felicity of the
saints should be next described : and to come back

a Ps. Ixxxvii. 3. b ver. 2. c ver. 24, 26.

2530. J GOD THE LIGHT OF THE NEW JERUSALEM. 255

from the day of judgment to the millennium, is to
introduce confusion, where we should naturally expect
to find order ; and to cast a needless veil over pro
phecy, which, in itself, is necessarily involved in much
obscurity. It is also said by these persons, that some
of the expressions which are applied to this city-
such as, that " there is no night or death there," and
that "all former things are passed away d " appear
to determine the sense of the whole as pertaining,
not to this world, but the next. But perhaps the
exclusive application of the subject is not right on
either side : for it is indisputable, that the prophecies
in general have different periods of accomplishment.
Numberless passages had somewhat of a literal fulfil
ment in the Jewish state, and afterwards a spiritual
accomplishment in the apostolic age ; and are still to
receive their full and final accomplishment at a period
yet future. And sometimes these different events
are so intermixed (as in our Lord s description of the
clay of judgment, which was shadowed forth by the
destruction of Jerusalem 6 ), that you are necessitated
to separate them according to the terms by which
they are designated, rather than by any broad line
of distinction observable in the prophecies them
selves. Whilst, therefore, we suppose the state of
the glorified Church to be primarily intended, we
apprehend that its glory is considered as commenced
on earthy and completed in heaven : for, in truth, the
millennial age will be heaven, as it were, begun ;
and the heavenly glory will be the reign of Christ
and of the saints consummated.

Understanding then our text in this view, I shall
explain it,

I. In reference to the millennial age

The voice of Scripture, whether in the Old Testa
ment or the New, declares, that the period which is
usually called the millennium will be a season of
universal piety and most transcendent bliss. In this

d ver. 4. and xxii. 5. e Matt. xxiv.

256 REVELATION, XXI. 22, 23. [2530.

light it is described in my text : the saints being then
pre-eminently distinguished by,

1. The spirituality of their devotion

[In the Jewish Church, there were, a material temple, a
visible glory, and splendid ordinances ; and by these was God
chiefly honoured ; though, in comparison of real piety, even
then the outward ceremonies were of no account. But, under
the Christian dispensation, the place and manner of approach
ing God are matters of comparative indifference : the spirit
with which he is approached is the all in all f . Even now, at
this time, God and the Lamb may be said to be the temple of
our Jerusalem, by reason of the near access which his people
enjoy to the more immediate presence of their God. But, in
that day there will be such an abundant effusion of the Holy
Spirit upon them, that they will be brought into far nearer
communion with God than has fallen to the lot of believers,
either in past ages or at the present time. So devout will be
their worship, that they themselves will be, as it were, the
sacrifices that shall be offered, yea, and the priests too, that
offer them ; whilst the Lord Jesus Christ will be the altar on
which they are presented ; and the Holy Spirit, the fire that
will inflame their souls, and cause odours of a most grateful
smell to ascend to heaven ; their prayers and praises going
up at the same time as incense before the mercy-seat, and
God manifesting his acceptance of the services that are so
offered. Then will be experienced, in all its fulness, that
mutual indwelling of God in man, and man in God, of which
the Scriptures so frequently speak, and which is surpassed only
by the union of the Sacred Three in one glorious and eternal
Godhead^.]

2. The sublimity of their joy

[Under the Jewish dispensation, much stress was laid on
worldly prosperity ; which, in fact, constituted a very consi
derable portion of the blessings that were promised to God s
obedient people. The influences of the sun by day, and of
the moon by night, were engaged to them for their good, that
no earthly comfort might be lacking to them. But, in the
millennial Church, there will be no need either of the sun or
of the moon to shine upon it, since " God himself and the
Lamb will be the light thereof." There will be wonderful
discoveries of God to their souls, and such manifestations of
the Saviour, as now we have no conception of; so that the
saints will be superior to all earthly joy ; their delight in God
being as great as mortality itself can either exercise or endure.

f John iv. 23. s John xvii. 21.

2530.] GOD THE LIGHT OF THE NEW JERUSALEM. 257

Of this the prophets speak most copiously, and with the utmost
plainness, particularly specifying that THIS is to distinguish
the millennial age : " The light of the moon shall be as the
light of the sun, and the light of the sun be seven-fold, as the
light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the
breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound h ."
In another place, speaking expressly of that period, he uses
yet more closely the very language of my text : " The sun shall
be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the
moon give light unto thee : but the Lord shall be unto thee
an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory 1 ." So again, in
another place, with still greater force he says, " Then the
moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord
shall reign in Mount Zion, and before his ancients, gloriously^."
In the whole of this we cannot but see, that, as knowledge will
be marvellously increased in relation to heavenly things, so
also will be the happiness of those who are instructed in them.
Even at the present hour there are some persons who are thus
favoured with the manifestations of God and of Christ to their
souls ; but at that day " the knowledge and enjoyment of the
glory of the Lord will cover the earth, as diffusively and as
deeply as the waters cover the sea 1 ." And, whereas it is
thought that the expressions of St. John respecting there being
" no pain in that city, and no night there, and no death," are
too strong to be applied to the millennium, I must say that
these very expressions are, in fact, cited from the Prophet
Isaiah, who says of the millennial Church, " Thy sun shall
no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for
the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and thy God thy
glory m ."]

In somewhat of a similar, though doubtless a more
exalted, sense, the words before us may be explained,
II. In reference to the heavenly state-
In this view they may be understood as intimating,
1. That all external mediums will then be abo
lished

[We must not forget, that the whole of this is, if not a
literal citation from the Prophet Isaiah, yet so exactly corre
sponding with his words, as to be in fact his language ; in
which he conveys truths relative to the Christian Church in
terms taken from things existing in the Jewish Church ; and
that, consequently, we must refer to the Jewish Church for

h Isai. xxx. 26. * Isai. Ix. 19. k Isai. xxiv. 23.

i Hab. ii. 14. m Isai. Ix. 20. xxxv. 10. and xlix. 10.

VOL. xxi. s

258 REVELATION, XXI. 22, 23. [2530.

our explanation of them. Now, under the Mosaic dispensa
tion, the temple and ordinances were the necessary means of
approaching God, and of obtaining acceptance with him. But
in heaven they will be altogether superseded. There will be
no need of the word to inform us, or of ministers to instruct
us, or of ordinances whereby to serve God. As the Jewish
ordinances, in comparison with the simpler worship of the
Christian Church, were mere " beggarly elements," so the
Christian ordinances will be of no account in the eternal
world, by reason of the intimate and immediate communion
which we shall then have with God. The high-priest within
the vail had no sight of God in comparison of what we shall
have; nor had the Disciples, who beheld Christ transfigured
on the holy mount, any conception of his glory, in comparison
of that with which our souls shall be filled, when we shall
behold him face to face. Now, we are in a measure dependent
on others, as " helpers of our joy :" but then, not all the angels
in heaven can augment our enjoyment of God ; nor can all
the fallen angels in hell impede it. Our knowledge of God
and of Christ will be clear, certain, continued ; for we shall
" see them as we are seen, and know them even as we are
known."]

2. That all created glories will be eclipsed

[The stars, which afford a brilliant light by night, are no
longer visible when the sun is risen, because its radiance has
extinguished their fainter beams. Thus the light which has
been afforded by Prophets, or Apostles, or common ministers,
will be to us no brighter than a glow-worm, when He will be
then seen by us, not through the slow inductions of reason,
but by an intuitive perception of his glory : and the Lord Jesus
Christ, in all the glory of his person, and in all the wonders
of his love, will be made clear to us, as the sun at noon-day.
The angels who abide around the throne have not a more
distinct view of the Godhead, nor a clearer conception of his
perfections, his purposes, or his works, than we shall have,
when once we are admitted to those realms of bliss ; every one
of us being filled according to the measure of the gift of Christ,
and filled according to the utmost extent of our capacity.]

BEHOLD, then,

1. What enjoyments we should now affect

[I am no enemy to the pleasures of sense, when they are
pursued with moderation, and enjoyed with a due subser
viency to the interests of our souls : for we are expressly told,
that " God has given us all things richly to enjoy." But we
are born for higher things than this world can afford us. Not

2530.] GOD THE LIGHT OF THE NEW JERUSALEM. 259

even the sun or moon, nor any creature-comforts whatever,
should so fascinate us with their charms, as to bear any
comparison with those sublimer enjoyments which God has
ordained for us, in communion with himself, and with his dear
Son Jesus Christ. Would to God that we all acted up to
our professions in this respect ! We are too prone to rest in
external things, instead of aspiring to the possession of God
and his Christ. Our worship is, for the most part, of too
formal a cast, and our happiness is too much blended with
what is carnal. To soar above the world to God, and to
apprehend Christ himself, with all the heights and depths of
his love alas ! alas ! this is an attainment possessed by few,
and even by them only at some more favoured seasons. But
we should rise more above the things of time and sense : we
should go forth with more ardour to our God and Saviour :
we should soar more to heaven, and refresh ourselves with
draughts of living water from the fountain-head. I pray you,
brethren, be not satisfied with any thing that this world can
bestow. Be not satisfied without bright discoveries of the
Divine glory ; and especially of " the glory of God, as shining
in the face of Jesus Christ : " let your fellowship with the
Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, be daily more familiar : and
let every communication you receive from them cause you to
pant after yet more abundant blessings at their hands, till you
shall be satisfied in their presence, wherein alone will be found
the fulness of joy for evermore. Let God and the Lamb be
your heaven upon earth ; and they shall be both your temple
and your light to all eternity.]

2. What is the true state of the believing soul

[Truly, with him the millennium is begun; yea, and heaven
is begun also : for where God and the Lamb are our temple
and our light, there is the millennium, and there is heaven.
And is it I who say this ? Saith not the Scripture the same ?
Yes ; respecting the whole body of believers it saith, " Ye are
come (not, ye shall come, but, ye are come) unto Mount Zion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and Church of the first-born that are written in heaven, and to
God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made per-
feet, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to
the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that
of Abel n ." I know, indeed, that there is yet much amiss,
even in the best of men ; that their sun is darkened by many
a cloud; and their worship debased by much deadness and
langour. But still, the believer has " joys with which the

Heb. xii. 22, 23.

S r*

260 REVELATION, XXII. 2. [2531.

stranger intermeddleth not." He is, in fact, a child, in
structed and disciplined, by heavenly exercises, for heavenly
enjoyments. He is now tuning his golden harp, whereon he
shall play before the throne of God ; and rehearsing, as it
were, those heavenly songs in which he shall join with all the
choir of saints and angels to all eternity. In a word, his
knowledge of God, and his enjoyment of Christ, are pro
gressively advancing under all the diversified occurrences of
life : and when he dies, he will change his place only, but not
his company or his employment. " He now dwells in God,
and God in him :" " he is one with Christ, and Christ with
him :" and, when taken hence, it will only be, that his union
with the Deity may be more entire, and his communion with
him more complete.]

MMDXXXI.

THE TREE OF LIFE.

Rev. xxii. 2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either
side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month : and
the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

THE Scripture represents divine truth to us in
terms accommodated to our low and carnal appre
hensions. We know nothing on earth so attractive
to the eye as pompous palaces, fraught with exquisite
workmanship of every kind, and especially of rare and
precious stones, and enlivened with the gayest scenes
which art and nature can produce. On this account
St. John adopts these images to convey to our minds
an idea of all that is great and glorious in heaven ;
having described which as a city unparalleled for
beauty, he proceeds to tell us of a river, clear as
crystal, that waters it ; and of a tree of most wonder
ful qualities that adorns it.

It is our intention to shew,
I. What we are to understand by the tree of life

It should seem that the tree mentioned in the text
alludes to the tree of life which was created by God
in Paradise

2531.] THE TREE OF LIFE. 261

[Some have thought that St. John alludes to the trees
which are mentioned in Ezekiel s vision a : and it must be con
fessed that there is a striking coincidence of expression in the
two passages : but the river of which Ezekiel speaks, and the
trees growing on either side of it, represent the Gospel, pro
ducing life and fruitfulness wherever it flows: whereas the
tree, mentioned in the text, is expressly called " the tree of
life ;" and is spoken of as growing in the midst of Paradise.
Now this is the exact description given us of the tree of life
which was formed in Eden b : to that therefore we rather
suppose the reference to be made ; and this idea is confirmed
by various other passages, which we shall have occasion to
notice.]

In this view Christ himself is intended under this
figurative representation

[The tree of life in Paradise may be considered as typical
of Christ. It was a pledge to Adam, that, if he continued
obedient to the end of the time appointed for his probation,
he should live for ever. And the reason of his being driven
afterwards from that tree by cherubims with fiery swords, was,
that he might be compelled to seek those other means of
acceptance which God had ordained, and which were shadowed
forth by the tree of life c . As God in later ages destroyed
Jerusalem, that his people might not be able to offer their
former sacrifices, and might thereby be shut up, as it were, to
that great Sacrifice which the others typified ; so God dealt
with our first parents in the instance alluded to. Christ is to
fallen man, what the tree of life was to man in innocence ; he
is, under the covenant of grace, what that was under the
covenant of works ; that ensured life to obedience, and Christ
secures it to faith in his name. He is God s pledge to us,
that, if we believe on him, we shall be saved d : yea, even to
those that are in heaven he must be considered as the pledge
of their everlasting stability, since it is of his fruit that they
eat e , and their life is altogether bound up in him f .]

That all may be persuaded to pluck the fruits of
this tree, we proceed to shew,
II. Its transcendent excellence

a Ezek. xlvii. 12. Dr. Kennicott s Dissertation on this subject is
extremely ingenious ; but one of his strongest objections to the Au
thor s view of it seems wholly obviated by the explanation of Gen.
iii. 22 24, given in this Discourse. The Author does not judge it
necessary to assign all his reasons for differing from such great
authority, though he did not think it expedient wholly to omit them.

b Gen. ii. 9. Gen. iii. 22 24. &lt;* John xi. 24, 25.

e Rev. ii. 7. f Col. iii. 4. Eph. i. 10.

262 REVELATION, XXII. 2. [2531.

It is not in beauty only that this tree excels, but in
usefulness. It surpasses all others,

1. In its fruits

[So abundant are its fruits, that all in heaven, and all on
earth, may eat of them ; yea, if there were as many worlds as
there have been, or ever shall be, individuals in the world,
there would be sufficient for them all. But its fruits are also
various: other trees, however fruitful, bear but one kind of
fruit ; but this bears " twelve manner of fruits :" whatever is
suited to our different appetites, is to be derived from him :
pardon, peace, love, joy, holiness, and whatever else a devout
soul longeth after, it is all to be found in him, and to be
enjoyed through him. Besides, it has this surprising quality,
that its fruitfulness is continual: " In every month" we may
behold him laden with fruit, as well in the depths of winter, as
in the midst of summer ; in seasons of the deepest adversity,
as well as under the sunshine of prosperity: there never is a
moment wherein we shall meet with such a disappointment as
Christ experienced g : we may at all times go and " sit under
his shadow, and find his fruit sweet unto our taste."]

2. In its leaves

[The leaves of other fruit-trees are, for the most part,
worthless : but those of this tree are medicinal, and of most
astonishing virtue; they are designed on purpose " for the
healing of the nations." There is no wound, however deadly,
but the application of a leaf from this tree will heal it instantly.
As a sight of the brazen serpent cured the wounded Israelites,
and a touch of our Lord s garment the diseased woman 11 , so
will the efficacy of these leaves be made apparent, whensoever
they are applied. Nor is it one single wound that they will
cure, but the whole soul, however infected in every part: as
the tree, cast into the waters of Marah, healed the fountain
itself, and rendered all its streams salubrious 1 , so will a single
leaf of this tree restore the most diseased soul to purity and
peace. To every believer God will surely make known himself
by that name which he has assumed for our encouragement,
" I am the Lord that healeth thee k ."]

From hence we may LEARN,

1. What use we should make of Christ now

[We cannot but feel, if we be not altogether " past feel
ing," that we stand in need of a Saviour. And behold, what a
glorious salvation God has raised up for us! Should we not

e Matt. xxi. 19. h Numb. xxi. 8, 9. and Matt. ix. 2022.

1 Exod. xv. 25. k Exod. xv. 26.

2532.] OBEDIENCE, THE WAY TO LIFE. 263

then apply to this Saviour? Has the Sun of Righteousness
arisen with healing in his beams 1 , and shall we not go forth to
his light? Is there balm in Gilead, is an almighty Physician
there m , and shall we not seek the healing of our wounds?
Shall the tree of life be accessible to us at all times, yea, shall
the flaming sword be driving us to it instead of from it, and
we not go to apply its leaves and eat of its fruit? Let us,
whether dying of the wounds of sin, or agonizing through the
fiery darts of temptation, go to Christ without delay ; for
surely virtue shall come forth from him, and heal us all n . If
he submitted to suffer for us that he might " heal us by his
stripes ," and reconcile us to God by his death, " much more,
being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life p ." We may
consider him as God s pledge to us, that, where he is, there
shall also his servants be ; and that, because he liveth, we shall
live also q .]

2. What enjoyment we shall have of Christ here
after

[The words immediately following the text further con
firm the sense given to the text itself. Sin entered into Para
dise, and a tremendous curse followed it: but into heaven no
sin, and therefore " no curse shall ever come :" nothing shall
invade the peace, nothing disturb the security, of those who
inhabit that glorious city : while the tree of life continues
there, all that eat of its fruits are kept from a possibility of
falling. O blessed state! All feasting upon the glories of
Jesus; and eternity the duration of their bliss! May we all
arrive at that Paradise of God, and unite with all the choir of
heaven in singing, " Salvation to God and to the Lamb for ever
and ever."]

1 Mai. iv. 2. m Jer. viii. 22. n Luke vi. 19.

Isai. liii. 5. P Rom. v. 10. &lt;i John xiv. 19.

MMDXXXII.

OBEDIENCE, THE WAY TO LIFE.

Rev. xxii. 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter
in through the gates into the city.

IN the inspired volume we do not find such a rigid
adherence to systematic accuracy as the jealousies of
controversial writers have subsequently introduced.
The expressions which were used under the legal

264 REVELATION, XXII. 14. [2532.

dispensation have been sometimes adopted also under
the Christian dispensation ; and the law of faith been
delivered in terms nearly assimilated to those which
were characteristic of the law of works. For instance,
on one occasion, when a young man asked of our
blessed Lord, " what he must do to obtain eternal
life ;" our blessed Lord answered, " If thou wilt enter
into life, keep the Commandments a ." Now, if this
direction be taken without due explanation, it will
altogether invalidate the Gospel of Christ, and su
persede entirely the whole work which our blessed
Saviour came from heaven to accomplish for us. The
answer was given in order to convince this self-
deluded man, that he neither had kept the Command
ments, nor could keep them, perfectly ; and that,
consequently, he must seek for salvation in the way
provided for him in the Gospel. In like manner, the
passage which I have just read to you must also be
explained according to the analogy of faith. If we
were to interpret it as importing, that our obedience
to the Ten Commandments would entitle us to hea
ven, we must set aside all that the holy Apostles have
written, and go back to Moses as our only instructor;
or rather, I must say, we must consign over to per
dition every child of man ; since God has declared,
that " by the works of the law shall no flesh be jus
tified V To prevent any such fatal mistake, I will
unfold to you,

I. The true nature of evangelical obedience

When the commandments are mentioned, we are
apt to confine our attention to the Decalogue, i. e. to
the Ten Commandments which were written by God
upon tables of stone, and delivered to Moses on Mount
Sinai. But to us, under the Gospel, is another com
mandment given, and which is called in Scripture
"The law of faith c ." To "do God s command
ments" then, we must,

1. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

Matt. xix. 16, 17. b Rom. iii. 19, 20. c Rom. iii. 27.

2532.] OBEDIENCE THE WAY TO LIFE. 265

[The same inspired writer, who speaks to us in the text,
says, " This is God s commandment, that we should believe on
the name of his Son Jesus Christ d ." In truth, till we have
obeyed this command, all other obedience, except so far as the
mere letter of the commandments, is impracticable; and, if
rendered ever so perfectly, would be utterly ineffectual for our
salvation. All spiritual obedience is the fruit of faith. We
have no strength for it, till we have believed in Christ. It is
only by grace received from Christ that we can perform any
thing that is truly acceptable to God. A tree destitute of
roots might as well produce its proper fruits, and in a perfect
state, as we obey the law without the communication of grace
from Christ to our souls. He himself has said, " Without me
ye can do nothing 6 ."

But, supposing we could of ourselves obey the law, even in
its utmost extent, which not the most perfect man that ever
lived could do, seeing that "in many things we all offend f , )
still we never could atone to God for the sins we have already
committed : " after having done all that was required of us, we
should still be only unprofitable servants g ." And therefore
we must come to God through Christ, relying wholly on the
merits of his death, and pleading only his perfect righteousness
as the ground of our acceptance before God h . Till we have
obeyed this command, we are under a sentence of condemna
tion; which can never be reversed, but through faith in
Christ 1 .]

2. Comply with the whole of His revealed will

[The law of the Ten Commandments is not made void by
the Gospel, nor is one of its requirements lessened in any
degree. We are as much bound to love God with all our
heart and soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves, as
Adam was in Paradise : nor if we have truly believed in Christ,
shall we wish any one of its demands to be lowered. We shall
see that law to be " holy, and just, and good " in every respect ;
and we shall pant after, and labour for, a perfect conformity to
its every requirement. We shall not be satisfied with a literal
observance of its precepts : we shall aspire after the highest
possible attainments; and strive, according to our ability, to
be " holy as God is holy, and perfect even as our Father which
is in heaven is perfect " At the same time, our de
pendence will not be on our own obedience, but on the finished
work of Christ ; from a full conviction that there is "no other
foundation on which any man can build k ," " nor any other
name but His whereby any man can be saved 1 ."]

d 1 John iii. 23. e John xv. 5. f Jam. iii. 2.

g Luke xvii. 10. h Phil. iii. 9. J John iii. 18, 36.

k 1 Cor. iii. 11. ] Acts iv. 12.

266 REVELATION, XXII. 14. [2532.

Having shewn what evangelical obedience is, let
me point out to you,

II. The blessedness attached to it

To understand this aright, we should look to Adam
in Paradise

[He, whilst he continued in a state of innocence, had
liberty to eat of the tree of life, which was to him a sacramental
pledge, that, when his obedience should be completed, he
should enter into the Paradise above. But when he had
sinned, he was debarred from all access to the tree of life ;
because it could no longer be available for the benefits which,
during his state of innocence, it assured to him. He might
have ignorantly had recourse to it still as the means of life, if
he had continued in Paradise : and therefore God drove him
out from thence, and placed cherubims with a fiery sword at
the gate of Eden, to prevent him from making any such rash
attempt ; that so he might be shut up to the salvation which
was now revealed to him through the promised Seed m .

Now the privilege which he forfeited is, through Christ, re
newed to us : or rather, I should say, the privilege which he
enjoyed in the shadow, is now imparted to us in the substance.
He possessed his by obeying the commandments written on
his heart ; and we enjoy ours by obeying the commandments
revealed to us in the Gospel. He possessed not his by any
claim of merit, but by the free and sovereign gift of God : nor
do we obtain ours but in a way of sovereign grace. Yet, as in
his case, so in ours, the work and the reward are inseparable :
and the very " right" conceded to him by works, is vouchsafed
to us by faith. The very word which we here translate
" right," is, in another part of the same author s works, trans
lated " power :" " To as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that be
lieve on his name 11 ." There is between this passage and our
text a perfect identity of import. In both cases, access to
Christ, as the tree of life, was given by faith ; and that access
to Christ, and consequent participation of his benefits, was a
pledge of eternal life.

True, in order to a full enjoyment of the final reward, there
must be, as in Adam s case, an obedience also to the moral
law. But, in both cases, the reward is ultimately and equally
of grace. What would have been vouchsafed to him without
a Mediator, if he had continued obedient to God s commands,
will be vouchsafed to us through a Mediator, notwithstanding

m Gen. iii. 2224. n ifyvaia.

2532. ] OBEDIENCE THE WAY TO LIFE. 267

our past disobedience ; provided we comply with the requisi
tions of the Gospel, by a life of faith, and by a life of holiness.]

In both cases, obedience is equally a condition of
eternal life

[Persons are apt to take offence at the word condition.
But the word is proper or improper, according to the sense we
annex to it. Strictly speaking, obedience would not have
given to Adam in Paradise any claim to heaven, any further
than heaven had been promised to him as a reward, in the
event of his continuing faultless throughout the whole period
appointed for his probation. But to a person seeking salva
tion by the law, it would actually give ground for boasting,
because he would demand salvation as a debt. But under the
Gospel, however obedient we be, our hope of salvation is
founded on Christ alone ; and to all eternity must the glory of
it be given to him alone. Hence, when we speak of obedience
as a condition of eternal life, we mean no more, than that
without it no salvation can be attained ; obedience being the
necessary fruit of faith, and the only possible evidence of our
meetness for heaven. In this, its true and only proper sense,
we most cordially adopt the language of our text, and say,
" Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have a right to eat of the tree of life, and enter in through
the gates of the city." Whatever was accorded to Adam in
Paradise, during his obedience to the law, shall be vouchsafed
to us, if we be obedient to the Gospel. Was he strengthened
and comforted by the tree of life? so shall we be, by a life
of faith on Christ Jesus, who is the tree of life which beareth
twelve manner of fruits the summer-fruits of prosperity, and
the winter-fruits of adversity, according as the necessities of
his people shall require. And, as the heavenly Paradise would
have been his; so will that city, described in the foregoing
chapter, be ours, with the freest participation of all its riches
and of all its honours.]

APPLICATION To all then I SAY,

1. Perform your duties

[Come to Christ, every one of you, as sinners, that you

may be saved from wrath through him And endeavour

to live altogether to His glory, shewing forth, in all things,
your faith by your works ]

2. Enjoy your privileges

[Go to the tree of life ; take of it freely ; and eat of it every
hour of your lives. You are told, that " the very leaves of that
tree are for the healing of the nations." What then shall its
fruits be ? Verily, a life of faith in the Son of God, as having

268 REVELATION, XXII. 16. [2533.

loved you and given himself for you, shall richly supply your
every want; and be not a pledge only, but a foretaste also,
of heaven itself. And go now, and survey the heavenly city,
its foundations, its walls, its gates of pearls, its very pavement
of the purest gold: it is all yours; yours by " right," by title,
by the strongest of all possible claims the promise and the
oath of God. Live in expectation of it now, and you shall
soon enjoy it for evermore.]

MMDXXXIII.

CHRIST THE MORNING STAR.

Rev. xxii. 16. I am the root and the offspring of David, and
the bright and morning star.

THE Revelation which had been made to John,
contained predictions of an uninterrupted series of
events from that time even to the end of the world.
They had indeed been made to him through the
instrumentality of an angel : but they were never
theless as certain, as if they had been delivered im
mediately by God himself; seeing that the angel had
received his commission and instructions directly
from Jesus, who is "THE LORD OF THE HOLY PRO
PHETS a ." It seems to have been with a view to assure
John, together with the saints in all succeeding
ages, of the truth and certainty of all that had been
spoken, that Jesus gave this description of his own
character : in which we may see,

I. His personal character-
That Jesus was " the offspring of David," is obvious
enough

[He was to be so according to the Scriptures 5 : and that
he was so, both by his father s and his mother s side, the
genealogies that are given of him expressly affirm . Indeed
Divine Providence so ordered it, that, in consequence of a
taxation decreed throughout the Roman Empire in the time
of Cassar Augustus, his reputed father was under the necessity
of going up to Bethlehem, to be taxed there : by which means
there was a public enrolment of the name of Jesus, (who was

a Compare ver. 6. with the text. b Isai. xi. 1 .

c Matt. i. and Luke iii.

2533.] CHRIST THE MORNING STAR. 269

born there at that time,) as belonging to the house and lineage
of David d ."]

But He was no less " the Root " also of David

[How this could be, was but little understood, till after
the day of Pentecost. Jesus did indeed often speak of himself
as God; but still his Disciples did not clearly apprehend his
meaning. Yet that the Messiah, who was to be "a Child
born and a Son given," was also to be " the Mighty God,"
even " God with us," was fully and distinctly revealed in the
prophetic writings 6 . But the most learned of the Jewish
Rabbins, when a remarkable prophecy to this effect was adduced
from the Psalms by our blessed Lord, were unable to solve the
difficulty proposed to them : they could not explain how David s
Son could possibly be David s Lord f . Nor can our modern
Socinians ever return a satisfactory answer to our Lord s ques
tion ; which can only be answered by acknowledging, that
Jesus is God as well as man ; the Creator of all things in his
Divine nature, though himself a creature according to his
human nature. It is in this sense that he was " the Root,"
at the same time that he was also " the Offspring," of David :
and to this agree the most decided testimonies of Holy
Writs ]

Our Lord proceeds to mention,
II. His official character

The voice of prophecy announced him as " a Star
that should come out of Jacob V But in our text
he designates himself as " the Morning star." Now
it is the office of the morning star, not merely to
give light, as others do, but to usher in the day :
and in this particular view the title assumed by our
Lord should be exclusively considered. We observe
then, that,

1. By his first rising in the world he introduced
the Gospel day

[Previous to his appearing, there were some faint glim
merings of light, by means of the types and shadows of the
Mosaic law : but as soon as he entered on his ministry, he dif
fused a light around him ; dispelling the mists by which the

d Luke ii. 16.

e Isai. ix. 6. and Isai. vii. 14. with Matt. i. 23.

f Ps. ex. 1. with Matt. xxii. 4146.

8 John i. 1, 14. Rom. i. 3, 4. and ix. 5. h Numb, xxiv, 17.

270 REVELATION, XXII. 16. [2533.

Pharisees had obscured the law, and exhibiting in his own
person a perfect pattern of that obedience which the law re
quired. By his death he accomplished the prophecies, and
shewed more clearly what were the designs of God respecting
the redemption of the world: and by his resurrection and
ascension, and sending down the Holy Ghost to testify of him,
he gave to the benighted world the light of perfect day. Then
he appeared as " the Day-spring from on high 1 ," even as " the
Sun of Righteousness, that had arisen with healing in his
wings V]

2. By his rising in the heart he now introduces the
day of salvation into the soul

[That there is to be a manifestation of Christ to the
hearts of men, different from any thing that is vouchsafed to
the unregenerate soul, is certain 1 : and St. Peter speaks of it
expressly as " the day-star arising in our hearts" 1 ." What
kind of a manifestation this is, may be conceived from the
history of Zaccheus, to whose soul it was made, and who

experienced the instantaneous benefits arising from it n

This change was by no means peculiar to him ; it is wrought
in all who truly embrace the Gospel , though, in respect of
suddenness, it may greatly vary. The distinguishing effect of
this manifestation is, that the glorious character of Christ,
which was before hidden from our eyes, is now distinctly
seen p ; and he is embraced, as the most valued treasure of the
soul q , the ground of ineffable and eternal joy r .]

3. By his present light he gives us an assured
prospect of yet a brighter day even in this world-
fit is certain that there is a day approaching, when the

light now vouchsafed to the Church shall be greatly increased;
when " the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of
many days 8 ." This will surely take place in the Millennium,
when " the Lord will bind up the breach of his ancient people
the Jews, and heal the stroke of their wound." Then the
whole Gentile world also shall be made to behold his glory :
and " the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as com
pletely and as deeply as the waters cover the sea." This idea
seems to be peculiarly referred to, inasmuch as the morning-
star is the sure forerunner of a brighter state under the influ-
fluence of the rising sun. In this view, all that has hitherto

1 Luke i. 78. k Mai. iv. 2. 1 John xiv. 2123.

m 2 Pet. i. 19. n Luke xix. 5, 6, 9. Acts xxvi. 18.

P John i. 4, 5, 9, 14. and 2 Cor. iv. 6. q Phil. iii. 7, 8.
r 1 Pet. i. 8. s Isai. xxx. 26.

2533.] CHRIST THE MORNING STAR. 271

been done for the Church shall be only as the drop before the
shower, seeing that the whole world shall form, as it were, but
one great temple, which " God himself will fill with his glory,
and the Lamb shall be the light thereof 1 ."]

4. By his appearing at the end of the world, he
will introduce eternal day

[He tells us that at that period he will " give to his obe
dient people the Morning star u ." Yes, he will come again in
his glory, and in all the brightness and majesty of the God
head: and then will all remaining darkness be for ever banished.
Now we " know but in part," and " see but as in a glass
darkly: but then shall we see face to face." Then all the
mysterious designs of God from the beginning will be brought
forth to light, together with the reasons of all his dispensations :
then will all the perfections of God shine forth with united
splendour, not only in the work of redemption as wrought out
by Christ, but in the salvation of every individual amongst his
people. And how will the wisdom of a life of godliness then
appear! Then indeed will be consummated the happi
ness of man ; and God be glorified in all.]

ADDRESS

1. To those who have never yet beheld the glory
of Christ

[As in the days of his flesh, so in this day, it is not every
one to whom the light comes, that duly apprehends it x . Satan
is yet successful in blinding the eyes of many y . If you have
never yet seen Jesus as " fairer than ten thousand, and alto
gether lovely," this is your unhappy state. O pray then that
God would open your eyes, and " call you out of darkness
into his marvellous light!" Till then you can have no real
fellowship with God, nor any hope of acceptance through the
blood of Jesus 2 .]

2. To those who profess to know and love him

[Happy is it for you if your profession be justified by
your actual experience. But you must remember, that there
are many who " say, they are in the light, and yet are in dark
ness even until now ;" yea, they " walk in darkness, and know
not whither they go, because that darkness hath blinded their
eyes." Would you know, who are in that state : I answer,
All they who, in the midst of a profession of religion, are
indulging any of those tempers that are contrary to love and

* Rev. xxi. 23. u Rev. ii. 28. x John i. 5, 10, 11.

y 2 Cor. iv. 4. z 1 John i. 6, 7.

272 REVELATION, XXII. 17. [2534.

charity*. Hear ye this, O ye censorious and uncharitable,
ye proud and envious, ye fretful and passionate professors!
Talk not of the light ye have in your heads, whilst there is
such darkness in your hearts. You must be able to say of
your tempers, as well as of your principles, " The darkness is
past, and the true light now shinethV If you cannot appeal
both to God and man for the truth of this, deceive not your
own souls : for if you are children of light indeed, you must
walk in the light, " even as Christ himself walked ." But,
let such a change be wrought in your whole spirit and con
duct, and Christ will surely " give you the morning star,"
even the full enjoyment of his presence and glory in the eternal
world.]

a 1 John ii. 911. b 1 John ii. 8.

c 1 Thess. v. 58. 1 John ii. 8.

MMDXXXIV.

INVITATION TO COME TO CHRIST.

Rev. xxii. 17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And
let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.

RICH beyond expression are the blessings held
forth to us in the word of life : and as free as light
are the invitations given us to partake of them. Not
only in the epistles to the seven Churches, and in the
other parts of this prophetic book, but throughout
the whole Scriptures, is every possible encourage
ment afforded to the sinners of mankind, to repent
of sin, and to " lay hold upon the hope that is set
before them " in the Gospel. And here, in the close
of the inspired volume, are invitations to us reiterated
from every quarter, that we may be prevailed upon
to accept of mercy, ere the door of mercy be for ever
closed.

Let us consider,
I. The blessings to which we are invited

They are here designated by " the water of life."
We will notice them,

1. Generally

2534.] INVITATION TO COME TO CHRIST. 273

[The source from whence this water flows, is no other
than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. In
the very chapter before us, * the pure river of the water of
life" is said to " proceed out of the throne of God and of the
LambV As in the wilderness, the water gushing from the
rock that had been smitten supplied the necessities of all
Israel ; so the Lord Jesus Christ, when smitten with the rod
of the law, poured forth the waters of salvation for the benefit
of the whole world b . He is " the fountain of living waters ;"
and whosoever cometh to him, may drink and live for ever.
In the chapter before our text, the Lord Jesus Christ declared
this to the Apostle John : " I am Alpha and Omega, the be
ginning and the end. I will give to him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely d ." In the days of his flesh,
he spoke repeatedly to this effect. To the Samaritan woman,
of whom he had asked a draught of water, he said, " If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee,
Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he
would have given thee living water e ." On another occasion,
when the people had, according to custom, drawn water from
the pool of Siloam, he stood in the place of public concourse,
and cried, " If any man thirst, let him come unto me and
drink : and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
This latter expression is then explained by the Evangelist, who
adds, " This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on
him should receive f ." Now here we have, in a general view,
the import of the expression in my text. The Holy Spirit is
that water of life which Christ is empowered to bestow : and
wherever that blessed Spirit is imparted, there is within the
person s own bosom a principle of life, seeking for vent in all
suitable expressions of duty to God ; or, as our Lord elsewhere
expresses it, " there is within him a well of water springing
up unto everlasting life^;" to which the Holy Spirit, in all
his tendencies and operations, leads us to aspire,]

2. More particularly

[Three blessings in particular I will specify, as granted by
our Lord Jesus Christ unto all who come unto him ; namely,
pardon, and holiness, and glory.

The Lord Jesus will in the first place bestow the pardon of
our sins. He is said by the prophet to be " the Fountain
opened for sin and for uncleannessV and all who come to
wash in that fountain are cleansed from all their sins. In it
even " sins of a crimson dye" are made " white as snow 1 :"

ver. 1. b 1 Cor. x. 4. c Jer. ii. 13.

d Rev. xxi. 6. e John iv. 10. f John vii. 37 39.

8 John iv. 14. h Zech. xiii. 1. * Isai. i. 18.

VOL. XXI. T

274 REVELATION, XXII. 17. [2534.

as it is said, " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all
sin k ."

For the purposes of sanctification also shall this gift be
bestowed : for, by the Prophet Ezekiel, he says, " I will
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from
all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in my statutes, and to keep my judgments to do them 1 ."

Eternal glory also will he confer upon them: for, when
they have " washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb," he will " lead them unto living fountains
of waters," and will cause them to " drink of the rivers of
pleasure" which are " at God s right hand for evermore"."]

Let us now turn our attention to,
II. The invitation itself

Here we cannot but notice the very peculiar
urgency and freeness of it

1. The urgency, to overcome reluctance

[" The Spirit says, Come." The Holy Spirit of God
has undertaken the office of revealing Christ to men, and of
bringing sinners to Christ for the remission of their sins .
He descended visibly on the day of Pentecost for these ends ;
and by the ministry of the Apostles, as also by his operation
on the souls of men, wrought powerfully upon multitudes,
whom he " made willing in the day of his power," and effec
tually subdued to the obedience of faith. Thus at this time
also is he carrying on the work that has been assigned him in
the economy of redemption. In the written word, he speaks
to us : by the ministry of his servants, he pleads with us : by
the convictions which he fastens on our mind and conscience,
he strives with us individually ; if by any means he may con
strain us to accept the blessings offered to us in the Gospel.
His voice to us every day and hour is, " Come," come to
Christ as the Saviour of your soul.

" The Bride also says, Come." The Bride is the Church,
" the Lamb s wife," who has experienced in her own person
all the blessedness of that salvation which she is so desirous
of imparting to all around her. The Church of old addressed
her Lord, saying, " Draw me, and WE will run after thee p :"
that is, * Draw me, and I will not come alone : I will surely
labour to the utmost of my power to make known to others

k 1 John i. 7. l Ezek. xxxvi. 25 27.

m Rev. vii. 14, 17. n p s . xxxvi. 8. and xvi. 11.

John xvi. 8, 14. P Cant. i. 4.

2534.] INVITATION TO COME TO CHRIST. 275

the wonders of thy love, that they also may be partakers of my
felicity, and unite with me in honouring and adoring thee.
Thus the Church does in every age. She is " the pillar and
ground of the truth q ," supporting it firmly in the world, and
exhibiting, as by public inscriptions that are visible to all, the
glory and excellency of the Gospel salvation. She then unites
with the Spirit of God in saying to all around her, " Come :"
Come to Jesus and see what a Saviour he is. See in me what
he both can and will do for you also ; however far off you
may now be, you may draw nigh to him with a full assurance
of acceptance with him ; and though now " aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of
promise, you may become fellow-citizens with the saints and
of the household of God r ."

" Let him also that heareth, say, Corne." Those to whom
the foregoing invitations are announced, should unite their
efforts to make them known, and to induce every creature
under heaven to accept them. Think riot, brethren, that you
have performed your duty when you have heard these invita
tions from the lips of your minister ; no, nor when you have
yourselves complied with his advice. You are all to be
preachers in your own circles; all to repeat to your friends
and relatives, your families and dependents, the glad tidings
which you hear of a free and full salvation; and, with one
heart and one voice, should join in saying to all around you,
" Come, come, come." This was the conduct of Andrew and
of Philip, when they had found the Saviour 8 ; and this must
be the conduct of us all, in our respective spheres.]

2. The freeness, to counteract despondency

[We are all invited to " take of the water of life freely."
If we are " athirst," we are the very persons whose names, if
I may so speak, are especially written on the cards of invita
tion. Indeed, if our names had been expressly recorded in
this passage, we should not have had a thousandth part of the
assurance of God s willingness to accept us that we now have ;
for there might be other persons of our name : but no mourn
ing penitent in the universe can err in tracing his name in the
designation that is here given.

It may be, however, that some may say, * I am not suffici
ently athirst to be able to appropriate to myself this character.
I should be glad indeed to obtain mercy of the Lord ; but I
do not pant after it as the hart after the water-brooks, and
therefore I have not in myself the qualification that is here
required. To counteract such desponding fears, the Saviour
says, " Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."

&lt;J 1 Tim. iii. 15. r Eph. ii. 19. John i. 40, 41, 43, 45,

276 REVELATION, XXII. 17. [2534.

If you have not all the thirst that you can wish, have you the
inclination ? have you the desire ? Then you are the person
invited : and you must not dream of staying till you can bring
certain qualifications along with you, but come and take these
blessings "freely, without money and without price*."]

To impress this subject the more deeply on your
minds, let me ADDRESS a few words,

1. To the reluctant

[Many are the excuses which you urge for your declining
the invitation sent you in the Gospel : and to you they appear
perhaps sufficient to justify your refusal. But your Lord and
Saviour will not be deceived : he sees the radical indisposition
of your mind to the blessings which he offers you ; and will
say of you, as he did in reference to those of old, " They shall
never taste of my supper"." You may be offering a variety
of pleas : but he will put the true construction on them all,
" Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life V O think,
how bitterly you will regret your present conduct, when you
shall see unnumbered myriads, who were once as far off from
him as you now are, sitting down at the marriage-supper of
the Lamb, and you yourselves be cast out into outer darkness !
What weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth will you
then experience to all eternity y ! How will those words sound
in your ears at the last day, " Often would I have gathered
thee, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings ; but ye
would not 2 !" Do but reflect on this one moment, " I would;
and ye would not" Verily, that reflection will constitute the
very summit of your misery in hell. I pray you, hold not out
any longer against the urgent invitations which are now sent
you ; but come unto the Saviour, and accept the rest which
he has promised to all that are weary and heavy-laden.]

2. To the desponding

[What can the Saviour add to convince you of his willing
ness to accept and bless you ? Perhaps you will say, * I have
tried to come to him, and I cannot : and I have tried so long,
that I think it in vain to entertain a hope of final success. Is
this the case ? Then hear what the Saviour says to you by
the Prophet Isaiah : When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the
Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake
them : I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the
midst of the valleys : I will make the wilderness a pool of

t Isai. Iv. 1. u Luke xiv. 16 24. x John v. 40.

y Matt. viii. 11,12. z Matt, xxiii. 37.

2535.] PERFECTION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 277

water, and the dry land springs of water 3 . Now I cannot
conceive a case more desperate than that which is here de
picted : The person is in himself " poor and needy." (There
you will easily recognize your own character. He has " sought
for water," even for the waters of salvation. (That represents
what you also profess to have done.) He has " found none."
(There is your unhappy lot painted with the utmost precision.)
" His tongue faileth for thirst ;" so that he is ready to sink in
utter despair. (What can you add to that, to bring it home
more fully to your own case?) Yet this is the very person for
whom God has reserved his blessings, and to whom he engages
to impart them. l But I am in such a state, that it is almost
impossible to deliver me : you might as well expect a river to
be running over the highest mountains, as for the waters of
salvation to reach me. Is that the case ? says the Saviour :
then " / will open rivers in high places ,- I will make the wil
derness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water."
See here, my brethren, what wonderful condescension there is
in your Lord and Saviour, that he will so describe your case,
that it should not be possible for you to fail in recognising
your own character, or to doubt any longer his ability and
willingness to save you. Take then this passage ; and rely
upon it; and plead it with him; and expect the accomplish
ment of it to your own soul. Then shall " your light rise in
obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon-day b ." You shall
find that the Saviour is not " a fountain sealed ," but " a foun
tain opened d ;" and " out of that well of salvation you shall
drink water with joy" for evermore 6 .]

a Isai. xli. 17, 18. b Isai. Iviii. 10. c Cant. iv. 12.

d Ps. xxxvi. 9. Joel iii. 18. e Isai. xii. 3.

MMDXXXV.

THE PERFECTION AND SANCTITY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

Rev. xxii. 18, 19. I testify unto every man that heareth the
words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add
unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that
are written in this book : and if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book.

THE voice of inspiration carrying with it the
authority of Jehovah, it might be expected that per
sons, eager to establish particular sentiments of their
own, or to draw disciples after them, would profess

278 REVELATION, XXII. 18, 19. [2535.

to have received revelations from heaven, that so
they might obtain a more entire and extended influ
ence over their adherents. To prevent such imposi
tions under the Mosaic dispensation, God said to the
whole of Israel, " Ye shall not add unto the word
which I command you, neither shall ye diminish
ought from it a ." In like manner, at the close of the
Christian dispensation, our Lord directed his servant
John to record this solemn declaration : " I testify
unto every man that heareth the words of the pro
phecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book : and, if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life, and
out of the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book."

In its primary sense, this declaration seems to
refer to the particular book which contains the Re
velation of St. John : but, as this book completes
and closes the sacred canon, I consider the warning
as extending to the whole of the New Testament
Scriptures ; and as making known to us,

I. The perfection of the Scriptures

That may be considered as perfect, to which no
thing can be added, and from which nothing can be
withdrawn. Now the Scriptures, in this view of
them, are perfect : for there is nothing in them either
superfluous or defective. They are perfect,

1. As a revelation from God

[That they might discover to us many things which are
at present either altogether hid, or but obscurely revealed, is
certain ; but they have made known to us all that we are con
cerned to know ; and the secret counsels, which, if revealed,
would have only administered to our pride, are better hidden
from our view. Indeed, God has hidden many things on
purpose, that, whilst we behold much which he alone could
reveal, we may be constrained to humble ourselves before
him as creatures who are altogether indebted to him for all
the light they enjoy, and dependent on him for the instruction

a Dent. iv. 12.

2535.J PERFECTION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 279

which they hope yet farther to receive. In the Holy Scrip
tures, Jehovah displays, as it were, before our eyes, all his
glorious perfections, and opens to us his eternal purposes,
especially respecting the redemption of the world by the in
carnation and death of his only-begotten Son. In them too,
the person, work, and offices of Christ are all set before us ;
and that with such plainness that we cannot err, and with such
a weight of evidence that we cannot doubt.]

2. As a directory to us

[In this view also they are perfect: for whilst, on the
one hand, there is nothing revealed for the mere purpose
of gratifying our curiosity; so, on the other hand, there is
nothing withheld that could in any way conduce to the welfare
of our souls. Respecting the whole of spiritual life, we have
all the instruction that can be desired. The manner in which
that life is imparted, and carried on unto perfection, is so fully
delineated, that there is nothing wanting either for our direction
or encouragement. And for our behaviour towards men, there
is a path marked out for us in general principles, which are
applicable to every situation and circumstance in which we can
be placed ; and it is yet further traced out to us in examples,
which serve to illustrate every virtue which we can be called
to exercise. Nor have we any cause to complain that the
rules were not more minute and numerous : for to have made
a specific rule for every possible case would have been of no
service, because the Scriptures would have been so voluminous,
that a whole life of study would not have been sufficient to
make us acquainted with them : but by laying down a few
general principles, and embodying them in living examples,
God has given us all the information that we can need. In
every relation of life, whether as husbands or wives, parents
or children, masters or servants, magistrates or subjects, we
have rules laid down for us, from which we cannot greatly
deviate, if only we implore of God the guidance of his good
Spirit. Only " let our eye be single, and our whole body will
be full of light."]

In the prohibition to add to, or take from, the
Holy Scriptures, we also behold,
II. Their sanctity

Nothing can exceed the strictness with which the
smallest alteration of God s blessed word is for
bidden

[If we add to the inspired writings, God will lay on us all
the plagues which are there denounced against sin and sinners :
and, if we take from them, " God will take away our part from

280 REVELATION, XXII. 18, 19. [2535.

the book of life," and never suffer us to taste any of those
blessings which they hold forth in rich abundance to the upright
soul. In many other places we read of specific judgments de
nounced against sin ; but in no place are the denunciations of
God s wrath so full and comprehensive as in the passage before
us. It was necessary that a fiery sword should be thus waved
before our eyes, to prevent us from trespassing on that hallowed
ground : and though some slight alterations might seem allow
able for the purpose of accommodating the expressions of
Scripture more to our own apprehensions or desires, yet will
God on no account suffer us to suppress or add one single
word.]

Nor is the severity of the prohibition at all more
alarming than the occasion requires

[In no other way can we offer a greater insult to God, or
do a greater injury to man, than by erasing what God has
spoken, or by obtruding any conceits of our own under the
sanction of his authority. If we presume to leave out any
thing which God has revealed, what is it but an impeachment
of his wisdom in revealing it ? And if we presume to add any
thing to his word, what is it but a denial of his goodness, in
withholding from us information which he ought to have com
municated? And both in the one case and the other, it is a
most impious imposition upon man, whom we defraud by our
concealment of the truth, or deceive by substituting our own
fallible dogmas in the place of it.

When Moses made the tabernacle, this solemn injunction
was repeatedly given to him ; " See thou make all things ac
cording to the pattern shewn to thee in the mount." And it
would have been at his peril to have deviated in any respect
from it ; because the whole structure, together with all the
furniture thereof, was typical of things which were to be more
fully revealed under the Christian dispensation : and any de
parture from the instructions given him would have destroyed
the beauty and harmony of the whole. So will it be at our
peril to change or modify any part of that system which God
has revealed in his word. We must take the whole simply as
we have received it, and not in any respect presume to be wise
above what is written.]

The prohibition to alter the Scriptures yet farther
marks,

III. The reverence due to them

If we are not to change the word of Scripture,
neither are we to elude its force. On the contrary,

2535.] PERFECTION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 281

we are to maintain the strictest jealousy over our
selves, that we make not any portion of the inspired
writings void, but that we adhere to them with the
utmost possible fidelity,

1. In our exposition of their import

[It is perfectly surprising to see with what unhallowed
boldness many will put their own construction upon God s
blessed word, denying its plainest import, and annexing to it
a sense totally contrary to its most obvious meaning. To
what a fearful extent this liberty has been taken by Papists is
well known : but, to the shame of Protestants, I must con
fess, that in this guilt they also participate to a great extent.
Nor do I here speak of those only who fearlessly expunge
those parts of Scripture which are hostile to their views, but
of those adverse parties in the Church, who, whilst they pro
fess to reverence the whole of the inspired volume, wrest and
pervert its plainest assertions, in order to maintain a system of
their own. This it is that has introduced endless dissensions,
divisions, and bitter animosities into the Church of Christ.
Men have adopted sentiments of their own, instead of submit
ting to be taught of God ; and then they have laboured, by
forced constructions and ingenious criticisms, to make the
Scriptures accord with their views. The different parties all
see and condemn this disingenuousness in their adversaries,
whilst yet, without remorse, they practise it themselves. In
truth, so fettered are the great mass even of teachers them
selves by human systems, that there are scarcely any to be found,
who will dare to give to the whole of Scripture its true import,
and to bring forward in their ministrations all that God has
spoken in his word : and so vitiated is the taste of the gene
rality of their hearers, that scarcely any would be found to
approve of this fidelity, even if it were exercised towards them.
The pious reformers of the established Church were of a dif
ferent mind ; they have faithfully declared to us the whole
counsel of God : but amongst their degenerate children there
are few who follow their example ; almost all having ranged
themselves as partisans of opposite and contending opinions,
instead of conforming themselves simply to the declarations of
Holy Writ. But I hope the time is not far distant, when ALL
the articles of our Church will be equally esteemed, and EVERY
truth of Scripture be impartially brought forward in our public
ministrations.]

2. In our submission to their authority

[To every part of God s blessed word we should bow
with meek submission ; not regarding any doctrine as " an
hard saying," or doubting the truth of it because it exceeds

REVELATION, XXII. 18, 19. [2535.

our comprehension. We are but children; and, as children,
we should receive with implicit reverence whatever has been
spoken by our heavenly Instructor. And if with simplicity
of mind we receive the first principles of the oracles of God,
we shall have our understandings progressively enlarged, and
be gradually guided into all truth. In relation to those things
which we do not at present understand, we should be content
to say, " What I know not now, I shall know hereafter."

So likewise, in reference to the commands of God$ no
one of them should be considered as " grievous," but all be
viewed as "holy, and just, and good." To explain them
away, or to lower them to the standard of our own attain
ments is criminal in a high degree. We should have no wish
but to be conformed to the mind and will of God, and to have
our whole souls poured, as it were, into the mould of his
Gospel. As far as respects the impiety of the act, it matters
very little whether we change the words or the sense of the
Holy Scriptures: in either case we greatly offend God, and
entail on ourselves all the judgments that are denounced
against us in the text.]

APPLICATION

[The words immediately following my text may well
serve to enforce every word that has been spoken. It is
the Lord Jesus Christ himself who " testifies of these things,"
and who, to impress them the more deeply on our minds,
says, " Surely I come quickly." He will come quickly:
and whatever he has spoken shall surely come to pass ; not
one jot or tittle of it shall ever fail. We may now take
away from his word, or add to it, as seemeth us good ;
but in that day his word shall stand; and his judgments
be dispensed in perfect accordance with it. We may deceive
others by our perversions of Scripture, and may even deceive
ourselves : but him we cannot deceive : nor, when he shall pass
sentence on us for our temerity, shall we be able to elude his
vengeance. I pray you then to regard the Scriptures with the
veneration that is due to them. Imagine not that they were
given us for the purpose of displaying our skill in controversy ;
though I deny not but that we ought to combat error, and to
contend earnestly for the faith delivered to the saints : but the
inspired volume is holy ground : and we should " put off our
shoes," as it were, whenever we enter upon it, and implore
help from God, that we may be enabled to " receive it with
meekness as an engrafted word," and find it effectual to save
our souls.]

2536.] THE COMING OF CHRIST DESIRED. 283

MMDXXXVI

THE COMING OF CHRIST DESIRED.

Rev. xxii. 20. He which testifteth these things saith, Surely I
come quickly ; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

IN the Book of Revelation is contained a series of
prophecies, from the apostolic age to the end of the
world. To them must nothing be added : from them
must nothing be withdrawn. To alter any thing
contained in them is at the peril of our souls. In
perfect agreement with them will every event be
found at the last : the Church will triumph ; her
enemies will be put to shame ; and the Lord Jesus
Christ, into whose hands all things are committed,
will be glorified in all. Speedily, too, will this de
sirable result appear : for " He who testifieth of
these things," even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge
of quick and dead, says, " Surely I come quickly."
And his beloved Apostle, to whom he had revealed
these things, welcomed the glorious consummation,
saying, " Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Now, in these words we see Christ s coming to
judgment,
I. As a period to be expected

Of this period the whole Scriptures testify

[In the Old Testament indeed, little, in comparison, is
spoken of it : yet we can have no doubt but that it was known,
not only to the descendants of Abraham, but even before the
flood : for St. Jude tells us, that Enoch, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied respecting it, saying, "Behold, the Lord
cometh, with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment
upon allV In the New Testament it forms a very prominent
part of the inspired records ; continual reference being made
to that period, and the circumstances that shall then take
place being fully developed. The person of the Judge, the
manner of his advent, the establishment of his tribunal, the
solemnities of his judgment, the final sentence which he will
pronounce, and the eternal states of men fixed in perfect ac
cordance with it, are all described, with a minuteness which

a Jude, ver. 14, 15.

284 REVELATION, XXIL 20. [2536.

places every thing, as it were, before our eyes, and enables us
to anticipate with certainty the whole process b ]

And it is now fast approaching

[Time, in our eyes, appears long : but " with God, one
day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Our blessed Lord, when on earth, spake of it as near at hand.
St. Paul adverted to it in such strong terms, that he was mis
understood by many, whose misconceptions he afterwards
removed by a more plain and full declaration respecting it.
Since the period that this revelation was given to John, above
seventeen hundred years have elapsed : so that, if at that time
it could be said by our Lord, " Surely I come quickly," much
more must it be true at this day. Even in reference to the
general judgment, it is true; because the time that shall
intervene before it, is no more, in comparison of eternity, than
the twinkling of an eye. But, in reference to individuals, it is
true, even in the most obvious and literal sense : for our time
is only like a shadow that departeth, and hasteth away like the
eagle in its flight. " Surely," my beloved brethren, as it re
spects every one amongst us, " the Judge is at the door."
For aught that we know, we may this very day or hour be
summoned into his presence, and receive at his hands our final
doom ]

Yet, awful as the future judgment will be, we may
well contemplate it,
II. As an event to be desired

Not that it is desirable to all : for, when it shall
arrive, many will call upon the rocks to fall upon
them, and the hills to cover them from the presence
of their Judge. To those only can it be an object of
desire, who are " prepared to meet their God." For
this high attainment three things are requisite :

1. A view of salvation, as wrought out by Christ
[The proud self-righteous moralist can never desire that
day. He may indeed so harden himself in unbelief, as to feel
no dread of judgment ; and so deceive his own soul, as to think
that the issue of it will be favourable to him. But he cannot
look forward to that event with real satisfaction. He knows
not what it is to be " looking for, and hasting unto, the coming
of the day of Christ." He has no solid ground of hope : when
he reflects candidly on his state, he cannot but feel some secret
misgivings, that all will not be well with him ; and, conse
quently, he cannot really desire that day : on the contrary, it

b Matt. xxv. 3134.

2536.] THE COMING OF CHRIST DESIRED. 285

would be a satisfaction to him to be informed that there should
be no discrimination of persons, and that all should sleep a
perpetual sleep.]

2. A hope of salvation, as obtained through Christ
[It is not a mere knowledge of the Gospel that will bear

up the soul in the prospect of that great event. There must
be in us some consciousness that we have fled to Christ for
refuge, and laid hold on the hope that is set before us. It is
a small matter to us that Christ has come into the world, and
died for us, if we have not somewhat of a well-grounded hope
of an interest in him. When we can see the promises as freely
made to us, and are enabled to rest upon them, then may we
look forward with composure to the dissolution of our earthly
tabernacle, and to the transmission of our souls to " an house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens ."]

3. An earnest of salvation, as already enjoyed in
Christ

[This is given to many of God s favoured people : and,
though I say not that it is necessary to saving faith, I must
say, that without it no man can cordially adopt the language
of my text, and say, " Even so, come, Lord Jesus." We
must have some assurance of our acceptance with God, before
we can really desire to enter into his presence ; and some sense
of an interest in Christ, before we can truly " love his appear
ing." But if f( the Spirit of God bear witness with our spirits
that we are his children," then may we number death amongst
our " treasures^" and " desire to depart, that we may be with
Christ." Then may we adopt the triumphant language of the
Apostle, and say, " O death, where is thy sting ? O grave,
where is thy victory?" for then our great enemy is slain, and
" God has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ :"
yea, "death is swallowed up in victory 6 ," and heaven itself is
commenced in the soul.]

OBSERVE, then

1. How sad is the prospect of those who are yet in
their sins !

[Whether ye will believe it or not, know assuredly, that
the Lord Jesus Christ is coming quickly, to call you into
judgment: and to him shall ye give account, not only of your
words and actions, but of the most " secret counsels of your
hearts." How terrible is this thought to those who have never
repented of their sins, nor ever sought for mercy through the

c 2 Cor. v. 1. d 1 Cor. iii. 22.

e Isai. xxv. 8. with 1 Cor. xv. 54 57.

286 REVELATION, XXII. 20. [25361

Redeemer s blood ! I would that I might prevail upon you,
my beloved brethren, to lay to heart this awful consideration,
whilst it may yet avail for your good. But let death once
execute his commission, and drag you to the judgment-seat of
Christ, and all your future regrets will be in vain : your sen
tence will then be pronounced upon you, and your doom be
sealed for ever ]

2. What a sweet reality is there in religion !

[See what the Gospel can effect can effect even in this
present life 1 what peace it can bring into the soul ; and what
an assurance respecting its eternal interests ! I will not pre
sume to say that it will open to a man the book of God s de
crees, and shew him his name written in heaven ; but it will
give him a confidence respecting the issue of the future judg
ment, and a joyful anticipation of eternal blessedness. Only
therefore seek an acquaintance with the Lord Jesus, and an
experience of his love ; and then may you look forward to his
advent with exceeding joy, and welcome it as the consumma
tion and completion of your bliss.]

CLAUDE S ESSAY

ON THE

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON,

PREFACE.

THIS Essay on the Composition of a Sermon was originally written
by the Reverend John Claude, a minister of the reformed religion in
France, who preached upwards of forty years with great acceptance,
first at St. Afrique, afterwards at Nismes, and lastly at Charenton.

The Editor has bestowed considerable pains on it to improve it.
To distinguish his additions from the original, he has enclosed them in
brackets. For the elucidation of different parts, he has made several
references to his own Discourses.

The Editor, conceiving it of importance to illustrate the four
different methods of treating texts, viz. by Explication, by Observa
tions, by Propositions, and by perpetual Application, here adds four
distinct specimens, all of them upon the same text. And in the
second of them he has illustrated Mr. Claude s twenty-seven topics,
with a particular reference to each. He hopes this will be an accept
able addition to the Student.

If any Student choose to undertake the same task, 1 John v. 1 1, 12.
will afford him good scope for the purpose.

VOL. XXI. U

AN ESSAY

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

CHAPTER I.

ON THE CHOICE OF TEXTS.

^T^HERE are in general five parts of a sermon, the exordium,
the connexion, the division, the discussion, and the appli
cation : but, as connexion and division are parts which ought
to be extremely short, we can properly reckon only three
parts; exordium, discussion, and application. However, we
will just take notice of connexion and division after we have
spoken a little on the choice of texts, and on a few general
rules of discussing them.

1. Never choose such texts as have not a complete sense ; for
only impertinent and foolish people will attempt to preach
from one or two words, which signify nothing.

2. Not only words which have a complete sense of them
selves must be taken : but they must also include the complete
sense of the writer, whose words they are : for it is his lan
guage, and they are his sentiments, which you explain. For
example, should you take these words of 2 Cor. i. 3, " Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and the God of all comfort," and stop here, you would
include a complete sense : but it would not be the Apostle s
sense. Should you go farther, and add, " who comforteth us
in all our tribulation," it would not then be the complete sense
of St. Paul, nor would his meaning be wholly taken in, unless

AN ESSAY ON THE

you went on to the end of the fourth verse. When the complete
sense of the sacred writer is taken, you may stop ; for there are
few texts in Scripture, which do not afford matter sufficient
for a sermon ; and it is equally inconvenient to take too much
text, or too little ; both extremes must be avoided.

When too little text is taken, you must digress from the
subject to find something to say ; flourishes of wit and imagi
nation must be displayed, which are not of the genius of the
pulpit : and, in one word, it will make the hearers think, that
self is more preached than Jesus Christ ; and that the preacher
aims rather at appearing a wit, than at instructing and edifying
his people.

When too much text is taken, either many important consi
derations, which belong to the passage, must be left out, or a
tedious prolixity must follow. A proper measure, therefore,
must be chosen, and neither too little, nor too much matter
taken. Some say, preaching is designed only to make Scrip
ture understood, and therefore they take a great deal of text,
and are content with giving the sense, and with making some
principal reflections : but this is a mistake ; for preaching is
not only intended to give the sense of Scripture, but also of
theology in general ; and, in short, to explain the whole of
religion, which cannot be done, if too much matter be taken ;
so that, I think, the manner commonly used in our churches is
the most reasonable, and the most conformable to the end of
preaching. Every body can read Scripture with notes and
comments to obtain simply the sense : but we cannot instruct,
solve difficulties, unfold mysteries, penetrate into the ways of
divine wisdom, establish truth, refute error, comfort, correct,
and censure, fill the hearers with an admiration of the won
derful works and ways of God, inflame their souls with zeal,
powerfully incline them to piety and holiness, which are the
ends of preaching, unless we go farther than barely enabling
them to understand Scripture.

To be more particular, regard must be paid to circumstances,
times, places, and persons, and texts must be chosen relative
to them. 1st, In regard to times. I do not, I cannot, approve
of the custom of the late Mons. Daille, who used to preach
on the feast-days of the Church of Rome, and to choose texts
on the subjects of their feasts, turning them to censure super
stition : I do not blame his zeal against superstition : but as
for the Romish feasts, they are for the members of the Church

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 293

of Rome, and not for us ; and, it is certain, our hearers will
neither be instructed nor encouraged by such sorts of subjects:
methinks they should be preached seldom, and soberly. It is
not so with particular times, which belong to ourselves, which
are of two sorts, ordinary, which we call stata tempora, which
every year return at the same seasons ; or extraordinary,
which fall out by accident, or, to speak more properly,
when it pleases God. Of the first kind are Lord s supper-
days ; or days which are solemnized amongst us, as Christmas-
day, Easter, Whitsuntide, Ascension-day, New-year s-day, and
Good-Friday, as it is called. On these days particular texts
should be chosen, which suit the service of the day ; for it would
discover great negligence to take on such days texts which
have no relation to them. It is not to be questioned but on
these days peculiar efforts ought to be made, because then the
hearers come with raised expectations, which, if not satisfied,
turn into contempt, and a kind of indignation against the
preacher.

Particular days not fixed, but occasional, are fast-days,
ordination-days, days on which the flock must be extraordi
narily comforted, either on account of the falling out of some
great scandal, the exercise of some great affliction, or the
inflicting of some great censure. On fast-days, it is plain,
particular texts must be expressly chosen for the purpose :
but on other occasions it must rest on the preacher s judgment ;
for most texts may be used extraordinarily, to comfort, exhort,
or censure ; and, except the subject in hand be extremely im
portant, the safest way is not to change the usual text a . For
ordination-days extraordinary texts and agreeable to the sub
ject in hand must be taken, whether it regards the ordainer,
or the ordained ; for very often he, who is ordained in the
morning, preaches in the afternoon.

I add one word touching sermons in strange Churches.
1. Do not choose a text which appears odd, or the choice of
which vanity may be supposed to dictate. 2. Do not choose
a text of censure ; for a stranger has no business to censure
a congregation which he does not inspect : unless he have a
particular call to it, being either sent by a synod, or entreated
by the church itself. In such a case the censure must be

a Perhaps by texte accoutumc Mr. Claude means such a text as would
come in a precomposed set of sermons, or to a series of texts published by
authority.

294 AN ESSAY ON THE

conducted with wisdom and tempered with sweetness.
Nor, 3. Choose a text leading to curious knotty questions;
then it would be said, the man meant to preach himself. But, 4.
Choose a text of ordinary doctrine, in discussing which, doc
trine and morality may be mixed, and let moral things be said
rather by way of exhortation and consolation than by way of
censure : not that the vicious should not be censured ; for
reproof is essential to preaching : but it must be given
soberly, and in general terms, when we are not with our own
flocks.

CHAPTER II.

GENERAL RULES OF SERMONS.

ALTHOUGH the following general rules are well known, yet
they are too little practised : they ought, however, to be con
stantly regarded.

1. A sermon should clearly and purely explain a text, make
the sense easy to be comprehended, and place things before
the people s eyes, so that they may be understood without
difficulty. This rule condemns embarrassment and obscu
rity, the most disagreeable thing in the world in a gospel-
pulpit. It ought to be remembered, that the greatest part of
the hearers are simple people, whose profit, however, must be
aimed at in preaching: but it is impossible to edify them,
unless you be very clear. As to learned hearers, it is certain
they will always prefer a clear before an obscure sermon ; for,
first, they will consider the simple, nor will their benevolence
be content if the illiterate be not edified ; and next, they will
be loth to be driven to the necessity of giving too great an
attention, which they cannot avoid, if the preacher be obscure.
The minds of men, whether learned or ignorant, generally
avoid pain ; and the learned have fatigue enough in the study,
without increasing it at church.

2. A sermon must give the entire sense of the whole text, in
order to which it must be considered in every view. This rule
condemns dry and barren explications, wherein the preacher
discovers neither study nor invention, and leaves unsaid a great
number of beautiful things with which his text would have
furnished him. Preachments of this kind are extremely dis
gustful ; the mind is neither elevated, nor informed ; nor is

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 295

the heart at all moved. In matters of religion and piety, not
to edify much, is to destroy much : and a sermon cold and poor
will do more mischief in an hour, than a hundred rich sermons
can do good. I do not mean, that a preacher should always
use his utmost efforts, nor that he should always preach alike
well ; for that neither can nor ought to be. There are extra
ordinary occasions, for which all his vigour must be reserved.
But I mean, that, in ordinary and usual sermons, a kind of
plenitude should satisfy and content the hearers. The preacher
must not always labour to carry the people beyond themselves,
nor to ravish them into ecstasies ; but he must always satisfy
them, and maintain in them an esteem and an eagerness for
practical piety.

3. The preacher must be wise, sober, chaste. I say wise, in
opposition to those impertinent people, who utter jests, comical
comparisons, quirks, and extravagancies ; and such are a great
part of the preachers of the church of Rome. I say sober, in
opposition to those rash spirits, who would penetrate all, and
curiously dive into mysteries beyond the bounds of modesty.
Such are those, who make no difficulty of delivering in the
pulpit all the speculations of the schools, on the mystery of
the Trinity, the incarnation, the eternal reprobation of man
kind ; such as treat of questions beyond our knowledge : viz.
What would have been if Adam had abode in innocence; what
the state of souls after death ; or what the resurrection, and
our state of eternal glory in paradise. Such are they, who
fill their sermons with the different interpretations of a term,
or the different opinions of interpreters on any passage of
Scripture ; who load their hearers with tedious recitals of
ancient history; or an account of the divers heresies which
have troubled the Church upon any matter ; all these are con
trary to the sobriety of which we speak, and which is one of
the most excellent pulpit virtues. I say farther chaste, in
opposition to those bold and impudent geniuses who are not
ashamed of saying many things which produce unclean ideas
in the mind. A preacher cannot be called chaste, who, speak
ing of the conception of Jesus Christ in the virgin s womb by
the power of the Holy Ghost without the intervention of man,
is not careful of saying any thing, that may shock the modesty
of some, and give occasion of discourse to the profanity of
others. There are I know not how many subjects of this
kind ; as when the eternal generation of Jesus Christ the Son

296 AN ESSAY ON THE

of God is spoken of; when the term regeneration is explained,
which Scripture useth to express our conversion ; or when we
treat of that seed of God, of which, according to St. John, we
are born ; or when we enforce the duties of husbands to wives,
or of wives to husbands ; or when we speak of the love of
Jesus Christ to his Church, under the notion of a conjugal
relation ; or when eternal felicity is spoken of under the image
of a banquet, or of a marriage-feast. On all such subjects,
chastity should weigh the expressions, and make a judicious
choice, in order to keep the hearers minds at the greatest dis
tance from all sorts of carnal and terrestrial ideas. The
likeliest way of succeeding in these cases is to beware of press
ing metaphorical terms too far ; to adhere to general con
siderations, and if possible to explain the metaphorical terms
in few words, and afterwards to cleave entirely to the thing
itself.

4. A preacher must be simple and grave. Simple, speaking
things full of good natural sense without metaphysical spe
culations ; for none are more impertinent than they, who
deliver in the pulpit abstract speculations, definitions in form,
and scholastic questions, which they pretend to derive from
their texts ; as, on the manner of the existence of angels ;
the means whereby they communicate their ideas to each
other; the manner in which ideas eternally subsist in the
Divine understanding ; with many more of the same class, all
certainly opposite to simplicity. To simple I add grave, be
cause all sorts of mean thoughts and expressions, all sorts of
vulgar and proverbial sayings, ought to be avoided. The pul
pit is the seat of good natural sense ; and the good sense of
good men. On the one hand then, you are not to philosophize
too much, and refine your subject out of sight; nor, on the
other, to abase yourself to the language and thoughts of the
dregs of the people.

5. The understanding must be informed, but in a manner,
however, which affects the heart ; either to comfort the
hearers, or to excite them to acts of piety, repentance, or holi
ness. There are two ways of doing this, one formal, in turning
the subject to moral uses, and so applying it to the hearers ; the
other in the simple choice of the things spoken ; for if they be
good, solid, evangelic, and edifying of themselves, should no
application be formally made, the auditors would make it
themselves; because subjects of this kind, are of such a nature,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 297

that they cannot enter the understanding without penetrating
the heart. I do not blame the method of some preachers,
who, when they have opened some point of doctrine, or made
some important observation, immediately turn it into a brief
moral application to the hearers ; this M. Daille frequently did :
yet I think it should not be made a constant practice, because,
1st, what the hearer is used to, he will be prepared for, and
so it will lose its effect; and 2dly, because you would thereby
interrupt your explication, and consequently also the attention
of the hearer, which is a great inconvenience. Nevertheless,
when it is done but seldom, and seasonably, great advantage
may be reaped.

But there is another way of turning doctrines to moral
uses, which in my opinion is far more excellent, authoritative,
grand and effectual; that is, by treating the doctrine contained
in the text, in a way of perpetual application. This way
produces excellent effects, for it pleases, instructs, and affects
all together. But neither must this be made habitual, for it
would fatigue the hearer, nothing being more delicate, nor
sooner discouraged than the human mind. There are fast-
days, Lord s-supper-days, and many such seasonable times for
this method. This way, as I have said, is full of admirable
fruits ; but it must be well executed, with power and address,
with choice of thoughts and expressions, otherwise the preacher
will make himself ridiculous, and provoke the people to say,

" Quid dignum tanto feret hie promissor hiatu ?
Parturiunt montes ; nascetur ridiculus mus."

6. One of the most important precepts for the discussion of
a text, and the composition of a sermon, is, above all things,
to avoid excess : Ne quid nimis.

1. There must not be too much genius; I mean, not too
many brilliant, sparkling, and striking things ; for they would
produce very bad effects. The auditor will never fail to say,
The man preaches himself, aims to display his genius, and is
not animated by the Spirit of God, but by that of the world.
Besides, the hearer would be overcharged ; the mind of man
has its bounds and measures, and as the eye is dazzled with
too strong a light, so is the mind offended with the glare of
too great an assemblage of beauties. Farther, it would destroy
the principal end of preaching, which is to sanctify the con
science ; for when the mind is overloaded with too many

298 AN ESSAY ON THE

agreeable ideas, it has not leisure to reflect on the objects ; and
without reflection the heart is unaffected. Moreover, ideas
which divert the mind, are not very proper to move the con
science ; they flatter the imagination, and that is all. Such a
preacher will oblige people to say of him, He has genius, a
lively and fruitful imagination : but he is not solid. In fine,
it is not possible for a man, who piques himself on filling his
sermons with vivacities of imagination, to maintain the spirit
all along ; he will therefore become a tiresome tautologist :
nor is it hard in such sermons to discover many false brilliances,
as we see daily.

2. A sermon must not be overcharged with doctrine, because
the hearers memories cannot retain it all, and by aiming to
keep all, they will lose all ; and because you will be obliged
either to be excessively tedious, or to propose the doctrine in
a dry, barren, scholastic manner, which will deprive it of all
its beauty and efficacy. A sermon should instruct, please,
and affect ; that is, it should always do these as much as pos
sible. As the doctrinal part, which is instructive, should
always be proposed in an agreeable and affecting manner ; so
the agreeable parts should be proposed in an instructive man
ner : and even in the conclusion, which is designed wholly to
affect, agreeableness must not be neglected, nor altogether
instruction. Take care then not to charge your sermon with
too much matter.

3. Care must also be taken never to strain any particular
part, either in attempting to exhaust it, or to penetrate too
far into it. If you aim at exhausting a subject, you will be
obliged to heap up a number of common things without choice
or discernment : if at penetrating, you cannot avoid falling
into many curious questions, and unedifying subtilties; and
frequently in attempting it you will distil the subject till it
evaporates.

4. Figures must not be overstrained. This is done by stretch
ing metaphor into allegory, or by carrying a parallel too far.
A metaphor is changed into an allegory, when a number of
things are heaped up, which agree to the subject, in keeping
close to the metaphor. As in explaining this text, God is a sun
and a shield; it would be stretching the metaphor into an
allegory to make a great collection of what God is in himself;
what to us ; what he does in the understanding and conscience
of the believer ; what he operates on the wicked ; what his

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 299

absence causeth ; and all these under terms, which had a per
petual relation to the sun. Allegories may be sometimes used
very agreeably: but they must not be strained, that is, all
that can be said on them must not be said. A parallel is run
too far, when a great number of conformities between the
figure, and the thing represented by the figure, are heaped
together. This is almost the perpetual vice of mean and low
preachers ; for when they catch a figurative word, or a meta
phor, as when God s word is called afire, or a sword; or the
church a house, or a dove ; or Jesus Christ a light, a sun, a
vine, or a door,- they never fail making a long detail of con
formities between the figures and the subjects themselves ; and
frequently say ridiculous things. This vice must be avoided,
and you must be content to explain the metaphor in a few
words, and to mark the principal agreements, in order after
ward to cleave to the thing itself.

5. Reasoning must not be carried too far. This may be done
many ways ; either by long trains of reasons, composed of a
quantity of propositions chained together, or principles and
consequences, which way of reasoning is embarrassing and
painful to the auditor ; or by making many branches of reasons,
and establishing them one after another, which is tiresome
and fatiguing to the mind. The mind of man loves to be con
ducted in a more smooth and easy way ; all must not be proved
at once ; but, supposing principles, which are true and plain, and
which you, when it is necessary, are capable of proving and
supporting, you must be content with using them to prove
what you have in hand. Yet I do not mean, that in reasoning,
arguments should be so short and dry, and proposed in so
brief a manner, as to divest the truth of half its force, as many
authors leave them. I only mean, that a due medium should
be preserved ; that is, that without fatiguing the mind and
attention of the hearer, reasons should be placed in just as
much force and clearness, as are necessary to produce the
effect.

Reasoning also may be overstrained by heaping great num
bers of proofs on the same subject. Numerous proofs are
intolerable, except in a principal matter, which is like to be
much questioned or controverted by the hearers. In such a
case you would be obliged to treat the subject fully and ex
professo ; otherwise the hearers would consider your attempt
to prove the matter as an useless digression. But when you

300 AN ESSAY ON THE

are obliged to treat a subject fully, when that subject is very
important, when it is doubted and controverted, then a great
number of proofs are proper. In such a case you must
propose to convince and bear down the opponent s judgment,
by making truth triumph in many different manners. In
such a case, many proofs associated together to produce one
effect, are like many rays of light, which naturally strengthen
each other, and which altogether form a body of brightness
which is irresistible.

6. You must, as much as possible, abstain from all sorts of
observations foreign from theology. In this class I place,

1. Grammatical observations of every kind, which, not being
within the people s knowledge, can only weary and disgust
them. They may nevertheless be used when they furnish an
agreeable sense of the word, or open some important observa
tion on the subject itself, provided it be done very seldom and
very pertinently.

2. Critical observations about different readings, different
punctuations, &c. must be avoided. Make all the use you
can of critical knowledge yourself; but spare the people the
account, for it must needs be very disagreeable to them.

I add, 3dly, Avoid philosophical and historical observa
tions, and all such as belong to rhetoric ; or, if you do use
them, do not insist on them, and choose only those which
give either some light to the text, or heighten its pathos and
beauty ; all others must be rejected.

Lastly, I say the same of passages from profane authors,
or rabbies, or fathers, with which many think they enrich
their sermons. This farrago is only a vain ostentation of
learning, and very often they who fill their sermons with such
quotations, know them only by relation of others. However,
I would not blame a man who should use them discreetly.
A quotation not common, and properly made, has a very good
effect.

CHAPTER III.

OF CONNEXION.

THE connexion is the relation of your text to the foregoing
or following verses. To find this, consider the scope of the
discourse, and consult commentators; particularly exercise

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 301

your own good sense; for commentators frequently trifle, and
give forced and far-fetched connexions, all which ought to be
avoided, for they are not natural, and sometimes good sense
will discover the scope and design of a passage far better than
this kind of writers.

There are texts, the connexions of which (I own) it will be
sometimes difficult to perceive. In such a case endeavour to
discover them by frequent and intense meditation, or take
that which commentators furnish ; and among many which
they give, choose that which appears most natural ; and if
you can find none likely, the best way will be to let the
passage alone. The connexion is a part which must be very
little insisted on, because the hearers almost always pass it
over, and receive but little instruction from it.

When the coherence will furnish any agreeable considera
tions for the illustration of the text, they must be put in the
discussion ; and this will very often happen. Sometimes also
you may draw thence an exordium: in such a case the exor
dium and connexion will be confounded together.

[There is however one point in relation to the connexion,
to which very especial attention should be paid : and it is this :
the text should always be taken according to the precise sense
wliich it bears in connexion ivith the context ; and be always
treated in that precise view. For, in addition to this being
far more satisfactory to the audience, it will give an inex
haustible variety to the subjects, and infuse into every one of
them a force and a spirit, which nothing else could impart.]

CHAPTER IV.

OF DIVISION.

DIVISION, in general, ought to be restrained to a small
number of parts : they should never exceed four or five at the
most: the more admired sermons have only two or three parts.

There are two sorts of divisions, which we may very properly
make ; the first, which is the most common, is the division of
the text into its parts; the other is of the discourse) or sermon
itself, which is made on the text.

This last, that is to say, the division of a discourse, is proper,
when, to give light to a text, it is necessary to mention many
things, which the text supposes but does not formally express;

302

AN ESSAY ON THE

and which must be collected elsewhere, in order to enable you
to give in the end a just explication of the text. In such a
case you may divide your discourse into two parts, the first
containing some general considerations necessary for under
standing the text ; and the second, the particular explication
of the text itself.

1 . This method is proper when a prophecy of the Old Testa
ment is handled; for, generally, the understanding of these
prophecies depends on many general considerations, which, by
exposing and refuting false senses, open a way to the true
explication ; as appears by what has been said on Gen.iii. 15 a .
" I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel;" and on the covenant made with Abra
ham, &c. &c. b

[Agreeably to the different description given to this mode
of treating subjects, namely, as being topical in contradis
tinction to textual, I would call this topic, " The first pro
phecy relating to the redemption of fallen man." And, in
order to bring forward the general considerations proper for
the elucidation of the text, Gen. iii. 15, it might be treated
in some such way as this: 1. The occasion on which this
prophecy was given, (here state the fall of Adam, and the
condition of guilt, and misery, and helplessness, to which he
was reduced.) 2. The prophecy itself, in which must be
marked, first, the import of it; and then its accomplishment
in the death of Christ.]

2. This method is also proper on a text taken from a
dispute, the understanding of which must depend on the state
of the question, the hypotheses of adversaries, and the prin
ciples of the inspired writers. All these lights are previously
necessary, and they can only be given by general considera
tions : for example, Rom. iii. 28, " We conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Some general
considerations must precede, which clear up the state of the
question between St. Paul and the Jews, touching justifica
tion ; which mark the hypothesis of the Jews upon that sub
ject, and which discover the true principle which St. Paul
would establish ; so that in the end the text may be clearly
understood.

a See on Gen. iii. 15.

b These general considerations might properly enough form the exordium.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 303

[This topic might be called, St. Paul s argument on the
subject of justification by faith. And the text, Rom. iii. 28,
might be treated thus: 1. The argument of St. Paul on this
all-important subject, (here the grounds of his argument and
the various steps of it might be stated:) 2. The conclusion
founded upon it, (in this, the truth and importance of the
conclusion might be opened and enforced.)]

3. This method also is proper in a conclusion drawn from a
long preceding discourse ; as for example, Rom. v. 1, " There
fore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through
our Lord Jesus Christ." Some think that, to manage this
text well, we ought not to speak of justification by faith; but
only of that peace which we have with God, through our
Lord Jesus Christ. I grant, we ought not to make justifi
cation the chief part of the sermon : but the text is a conclu
sion drawn by the Apostle from the preceding discourse ; and
we shall deceive ourselves, if we imagine this dispute between
St. Paul and the Jews so well known to the people, that it is
needless to speak of it; they are not, in general, so well
acquainted with Scripture. The discourse then must be
divided into two parts, the first consisting of some general
considerations on the doctrine of justification, which St. Paul
establishes in the preceding chapters ; and the second, of
his conclusion, " That," being thus justified, " we have peace
with God," &c.

[A more simple way would be to consider, 1 . The Apostle s
argument, That all were fallen and needed a Saviour. That
God had provided such a Saviour as was wanted. That all
the most eminent saints had been justified solely by faith in
him. 2. His conclusion, That there is peace for us through
Christ and, that that peace must be obtained simply by
faith, both in our first acceptance with him ; and in our sub
sequent life and conversation.]

The same may be said of the first verse of the eighth of
Romans, " There is therefore now no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit ;" for it is a consequence drawn from what he
had been establishing before, [or of Rom. ix. 19 23. Which
might be treated thus: 1. The point at issue between the
objector and St. Paul. 2. The Apostle s determination of it
(in a way of just reprehension and of sound argument:)
3. The proper improvement of the subject.]

304 AN ESSAY ON THE

4. The same method is proper for texts which are quoted in
the New Testament from the Old. You must prove, by
general considerations, that the text is properly produced,
and then you may come clearly to its explication. Of this
kind are Heb. i. 5, 6, " I will be to him a father, and he
shall be to me a son :" ii. 6, " One in a certain place tes
tified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"
iii. 7, " Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day, if ye will
hear his voice, harden not your hearts." There are many
passages of this kind in the New Testament, [See on Heb. ii.
68.]

5. In this class must be placed divisions into different respects,
or different views. These, to speak properly, are not divisions
of a text into its parts, but rather different applications, which
are made of the same text to divers subjects. Typical texts
should be divided thus: and a great number of passages in the
Psalms, which relate not only to David, but also to Jesus
Christ ; such should be considered first literally, as they relate
to David ; and then in their mystical sense, as they refer to
the Lord Jesus. [See on Exod. xxxiv. 35, where Moses puts
on the veil, 1. As a kind expedient; 2. As an instructive
emblem.]

There are also typical passages, which, beside their literal
senses, have also figurative meanings, relating not only to
Jesus Christ, but also to the Church in general, and to every
believer in particular ; or which have different degrees of their
mystical accomplishment.

For example, Dan. ix. 7, " O Lord, righteousness belongeth
unto thee, but unto us confusion of face as at this day:"
(which is a very proper text for a fast-day,) must not be
divided into parts; but considered in different views. 1. In
regard to all men in general. 2. In regard to the Jewish
Church in Daniel s time. And, 3. In regard to ourselves at
this present day.

So again, Heb. iii. 7, 8, " To-day, if ye will hear his voice,
harden not your hearts, as in the day of temptation in the
wilderness," (which is taken from the ninety-fifth Psalm, and
which also is very proper for a day of censure or fasting,)
cannot be better divided than by referring it, 1. To David s
time. 2. St. Paul s. And, lastly, to our own c .

c See on John xix. 23, 24. or John xix. 26, 27. or on Acts ix. 3 6.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 305

As to the division of the text itself, sometimes the order of
the words is so clear and natural, that no division is necessary ; d
you need only follow simply the order of the words. As for
example, Eph. i. 3, " Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ." It is not necessary to
divide this text, because the words divide themselves ; and to
explain them we need only follow them. Here is a grateful
acknowledgment, " Blessed be God." The title under which
the Apostle blesses God, " The Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ." The reason for which he blesses him, because " he
hath blessed us." The plenitude of this blessing, " with all
blessings." The nature or kind, signified by the term ft spi
ritual." The place, where he hath blessed us, " in heavenly
places." In whom he hath blessed us, " in Christ." Remark,
as you go on, that there is a manifest allusion to the first
blessing, wherewith God blessed his creatures, when he first
created them, Gen. i. For as in the first creation he made
all things for his own glory, Prov. xvi. 4, " The Lord hath
made all things for himself;" so in this new creation, the end,
and perpetual exercise of the believer, ought to be to " bless
and glorify God." All things in nature bless God as their
Creator : but we bless him as " the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ." God blessed the creation immediately, because it
was his own work : here, in like manner, he blesses us, because
we are his own new creation ; " We are," says the Apostle,
" his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,"
chap. ii. 10. There the Lord divided his blessing, giving to
every creature a different blessing; he said to the earth,
" Bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree
yielding fruit :" to the fishes of the sea, and to the fowls of the
air, " Be fruitful and multiply ;" and to man he said, " Be
fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it,
and have dominion :" Here, believers have every one his whole
blessing, for each possesseth it entirely. The creatures then
received but an imperfect blessing : but we have received one
as full and entire as God could communicate to creatures.
Their blessing was in the order of nature a temporal blessing :
ours in the order of grace a spiritual blessing. There upon
earth; here in heavenly places. There in Adam; here in
Christ.

d See on Jer. viii. 4 8.
VOL. XXI. X

806 AN ESSAY ON THE

It may also be remarked, that the Apostle alludes to the
blessing of Abraham, to whom God said, " In thy Seed shall
all the families of the earth be blessed;" and a comparison
may very well be made of the temporal blessings of the
Israelites, with those spiritual benefits, which we receive by
Jesus Christ.

[The Editor considers the preceding illustration as by no
means proper, because the subject is lost sight of through an
undue attention to the words. He would never on any con
sideration whatever have the subject frittered away in this
manner : he would substitute in its place either such an expo
sition as that on Luke xii. 4, 5. Eph. i. 3 12, or the following
on 1 Pet. v. 10, 1 1, "But the God of all grace, who hath called
us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suf
fered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

We would call your attention to this most endearing cha
racter of God. (Whatever grace you need, he is the God of
that very grace as much as if his whole nature consisted in it.)
But, not to rest in this view of what he is in himself, we
would lead you especially to contemplate the displays which
he has already given you of his grace (Go, my Son, and die
for them, and invite them to a participation of my glory : and
Go, my Spirit, reveal my Son in them, and by thine influence
draw them unto me.) Do not however imagine that any suffer
ings you may experience in the way to glory, at all derogate
from his grace. (They are permitted for your good : and they
are even sent as tokens of his love, and as most honourable
marks of distinction.) See what is the end he aims at in all
his dispensations towards you (as the oak by tempests is made
to take root, so are you strengthened by your trials, and by
the grace imparted under them.) And now what is the dispo
sition of your minds towards this gracious God ? (Methinks,
it accords with the Apostle s ; " To him be," &c. Methinks,
every mouth and every heart already attests this by a silent,
but devout, Amen.)

Here, it will be perceived, the subject is adhered to, at the
same time that the order of the words is followed. If this be
not done, the whole sermon will be mere rhapsody.]

Most texts, however, ought to be formally divided; for
which purpose you must principally have regard to the order
of nature, and put that division, which naturally precedes, in

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 307

the first place ; and the rest must follow, each in its proper
order. This may easily be done by reducing the text to a
categorical proposition, beginning with the subject, passing to
the attribute, and then to the other terms ; your judgment will
direct you how to place them.

If, for example, I were to preach from Heb. x. 10, " By
the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all ;" I should not think it
proper to speak first of the will of God, then of our sancti
fication, and, lastly, of the cause of our sanctification, which is,
the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ : it would be much
better to reduce the text to a categorical proposition ; thus,
The offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once made, sanctifies
us by the will of God; for it is more natural to consider,
1. The nearer and more immediate cause of our acceptance,
which is, the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ; 2. Its
effect, our sanctification ; 3. Its first and more remote cause,
which makes it produce this effect, the will of God.

[The Editor wishes the student to pause here, and to avail
himself fully of the hint just thrown out, of reducing a subject
to a categorical proposition, and then treating it in its natural
order.

This is, in fact, the great secret, (so to speak,) of all com
position for the pulpit. Every text, whether long or short,
must be reduced to a categorical proposition ; 1st, In order to
preserve a perfect unity in the subject ; and, 2dly, in order to
take it up, and prosecute it in an orderly manner.

The manner of reducing every thing to a simple propo
sition is here well illustrated. If the passage contain a great
diversity of matter, the simple proposition should declare
its main scope only ; and the other points which are contained
in the text, should be no further noticed, than as they eluci
date the one great point which is intended to be considered.

THE RULES WHICH THE EDITOR WOULD GIVE FOR THE
COMPOSITION OF A SERMON, ARE THESE.

1. Take for your subject that which you believe to be the
mind of God in the passage before you.

(Be careful to understand the passage thoroughly : and
regard nothing but the mind of God in it.)

2. Mark the character of the passage,

x 2

308

AN ESSAY ON THE

(It may be more simple, as a declaration, a precept, a
promise, a threatening, an invitation, an appeal; or more
complex, as a cause and effect ; a principle, and a conse
quence ; an action, and a motive to that action, and, what
ever be the character of the text, (especially if it be clearly
marked) let that direct you in the arrangement of your
discourse upon it. (See what Mr. Claude says near the
beginning of Chap. V.)

For instance. 1 John iv. 18, " There is no fear in love ;
but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath tor
ment. He that feareth, is not made perfect in love."

This passage should not be treated in a common-place
way of shewing, 1 st. What this love is ; 2d. What is the
fear which it casts out; and 3d. How it casts out this
fear. The passage is intended to shew the influence of
the love of God upon the soul, and to set it forth as a
test of our attainments in true piety; and therefore the
scope and intent of it should be seized as the ground
work of the division. Thus Consider the love of God :
1 . Its influence as a principle (casting out all slavish fear ;)
and, 2. Its importance as a test ; (enabling us, by means
of its influence in this respect, to estimate the precise
measure of our attainments.) See the arrangement of
Rev. xix. 6.
3. Mark the spirit of the passage.

(It may be tender and compassionate, or indignant, or
menacing: but whatever it be, let that be the spirit of
your discourse. To be tender on an indignant passage, or
indignant on one that is tender, would destroy half the
force and beauty of the discourse. The soul should be
filled with the subject, and breathe out the very spirit of
it before the people. As God s ambassadors, we should
speak all that he speaks ; and as he speaks it. God him
self should be heard in us and through us.)

The true meaning of the text should be the warp, which
pervades the whole piece : and the words should be the
woof that is to be interwoven, so as to form one connected
and continued whole.

The spirit of the words should pervade the discourse
upon them. Whatever peculiarity there be either in the
matter or manner of the text, that should be transfused
into the discourse, and bear the same measure of promi
nence in the sermon, as it bears in the text itself.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

309

Take for instance, Ps. cxlvii. 11, " The Lord taketh
pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his
mercy ;" you would give the sense of the text, if you were
to set forth, 1st. The characters described, and, 2d. God s
favour towards them : but if you were to shew from that
text, 1st. How low God descends for the objects of his favour ,
and, 2d. How high he soars in his regards towards them;
you would mark, and every one of your audience would
feel, the spirit of them. If the reader consult the discourse
on John i. 45, he will find that the spirit of the text, that
is, the joy expressed in it, serves as a foundation for one
half of the discourse. So also if he will consult the dis
course on Jer. v. 23, 24, he will find that the spirit of that
text gives the entire tone to the subject. The common
way of treating that text would be to consider, 1. The
mercies which God has vouchsafed to us, and, 2. The effect
which they ought to produce upon us. But with such a
division of the subject the vituperative spirit of it would
be comparatively lost 6 .

If these few hints be thoroughly understood and duly
attended to, the composition of a sermon, which is sup
posed to be so difficult, will become extremely easy. And
the Editor cannot render the student a greater service,
than by entreating him to fix these short rules deeply in
his mind, and when studying for the pulpit, carefully to
seize the sense, the character* and the spirit of his text.]
It remains to be observed, that there are two natural orders,
one natural in regard to subjects themselves, the other natural
in regard to us. The first considers every thing in its natural
situation, as things are in themselves, without any regard to
our knowledge of them; the other, which I call natural in
regard to us, observes the situation, which things have as they
appear in our minds, or enter into our thoughts. For example,
in the last-mentioned text, the natural order of things would
require the proposition thus : By the will of God the offering
of the body of Christ sanctifies us; for, 1. The will of God is
the decree of his good pleasure to send his Son into the world ;
2. The oblation of Jesus Christ is the first effect of this will ;
and, 3. Our sanctification is the last effect of his oblation by
the will of God. On the contrary, the natural order in regard

e See on Dan. v. 22. or 1 Thess. iv. 1.

310 AN ESSAY ON THE

to us is, 1 . The offering ; 2. The sanctification, which it pro
duces; and, lastly, The will of God, which gives it this
efficacy.

When in any text the natural order of things differs from
that which regards our knowledge of them, we may take that
way which we like best ; however, I believe, it would be best
to follow that of our knowledge, because it is easiest, and
clearest for the common people.

[Jam. i. 18, " Of his own will begat he us with the word
of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his crea
tures," speaks of the conversion of souls to God : and it might
be taken in either way, In its natural order as it is in itself,
thus: 1. The source from whence conversion flows, 2. The
means by which it is effected, 3. The end for which it is
wrought. Or, in the order which is natural in regard to us,
thus: 1. God s design respecting his people. (That they may
be consecrated to him, as the first-fruits were :) 2. The way
in which he effects it (He begets them by his word and spirit :)
3. The true source and origin of this mercy (His own sove
reign will and pleasure.) But the order which is natural with
regard to us is preferable ; and will be found both more easy
and more instructive than the other.]

There are texts, which contain the end and the means ; the
cause and the effect ; the principle, and the consequence de
duced from the principle ; the action, and the principle of the
action ; the occasion, and the motive of the occasion : in these
cases it is arbitrary either to begin with the means, and after
wards treat of the end ; with the effect, and proceed to the
cause, and so on ; or to follow the contrary order. For in
stance, 2 Tim. ii. 10, " Therefore I endure all things for the
elect s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is
in Christ, with eternal glory." It is plain, that the text has
three parts: the sufferings of the Apostle; the end he pro
poses ; and the principle, from which he proposes this end.
The order is then arbitrary : you may either speak, first of
St. Paul s love to the elect ; secondly, of the salvation, which
he desired they might obtain in Jesus Christ ; and, thirdly,
of the sufferings, which he endured in order to their obtaining
it ; or, first, of his sufferings ; secondly, of the end, which he
proposed in them, the salvation of the elect with eternal glory ;
and, thirdly, of his love for the elect, which is the principle.

But though, in general, you may follow which of the two

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 311

orders you please, yet there are some texts that determine the
division ; as Phil. ii. 13, " It is God who worketh effectually
in you, both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure."
There are, it is plain, three things to be discussed ; the action
of God s grace upon men, God worketh effectually in you ; the
effect of this grace, to will and to do ; and the spring or source
of the action, according to his good pleasure. I think the
division would not be proper if we were to treat, 1 . Of God s
pleasure ; 2. Of his grace ; and, 3. Of the will and works of
men. I should rather begin with volition and action, which
are the effects of grace; then I should speak of the grace
itself, which produces willing and doing in us effectually ; and,
lastly, of the source of this grace, which is the good pleasure
of God. In short, it is always necessary to consult good
sense, and never to be so conducted by general rules as not to
attend to particular circumstances.

Above all things, in divisions, take care of putting any thing
in the first part, which supposes the understanding of the
second, or which obliges you to treat of the second, to make
the first understood ; for by these means you will throw your
self into a great confusion, and be obliged to make many
tedious repetitions. You must endeavour to disengage the
one from the other as well as you can ; and when your parts
are too closely connected with each other, place the most de
tached first, and endeavour to make that serve for a foundation
to the explication of the second, and the second to the third ;
so that at the end of your explication the hearer may with a
glance perceive, as it were, a perfect body, or a finished build
ing ; for one of the greatest excellences of a sermon is, the
harmony of its component parts, that the first leads to the
second, the second serves to introduce the third ; that they
which go before, excite a desire for those which are to follow :
and, in a word, that the last has a special relation to all the
others, in order to form in the hearers minds a complete idea
of the whole.

This cannot be done with all sorts of texts, but with those
only which are proper to form such a design upon. Remember
too, it is not enough to form such a plan, it must also be hap
pily executed.

You will often find it necessary in texts, which you reduce
to categorical propositions, to treat of the subject, as well as
of the attribute : then you must make of the subject one part.

AN ESSAY ON THE

This will always happen, when the subject of the proposition
is expressed in terms that want explaining, or which furnish
many considerations : For example ; " He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." This is
a categorical proposition, and you must needs treat of the
subject, he who abides in Jesus Christ, and in whom Jesus Christ
abides. So again, " He that believeth in me, hath everlasting
life." " He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
abideth in me, and I in him." " There is therefore now no
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit." " If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature." The two last ought to be re
duced to categorical propositions, the subjects of which are,
they ivho are in Christ. In these, and in all others of the
same kind, the subject must make one part, and must also be
considered first ; for it is more natural, as well as most agree
able to the rules of logic, to begin with the subject of a pro
position. Sometimes it is necessary not only to make one
part of the subject, and another of the attribute ; but also to
make a third of the connexion of the subject with the attribute.
In this case, you may say, after you have observed in the first
place the subject, and in the second the attribute, that you
will consider in the third the entire sense of the whole propo
sition : this must be done in these texts ; " If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature." " He that believeth in me hath
eternal life," &c.

[This needs clearer elucidation. Take 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18,
" Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; while
we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen : for the things which are seen are tem
poral, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Here is delineated the Christian s character : and it would
be proper to consider, 1. The disposition he cultivates; (hea-
venly-mindedness :) . The privilege he enjoys ; (to have his
afflictions sanctified:) 3. The connexion. (It is the dispo
sition that makes the affliction light ; which would otherwise
be heavy ; and that brings the blessing of God upon it ; which
otherwise it would not have.

The two first heads alone are expressly mentioned in the
text: but, without the third, they would have no unity: whereas
the third head consolidates them into one important subject.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 313

There are occasions whereon the connexion between the
parts of a text may make the entire subject of the discourse.
For instance, Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6, " They that sow in tears, shall
reap in joy. He that goeth on his way weeping, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him :" Here you might notice,
1. The events connected ; and 2. The certainty and blessed
ness of this connexion. Under the first head you might shew,
that tears are the proper seed for a Christian to sow ; and that
he is constantly sowing them ; and under the second head you
might shew, that in the text the affirmation is repeated ; and
then confirmed by the word, " doubtless :" and that the joys
of heaven would amply recompense the sorrows of this transient
world.

N. B. The reader is desired very particularly to consult the
first note in the Discourse on 1 John ii. 15 17. In that note
he will see the vast importance of bringing forth in a prominent
way the connexion on some occasions.]

Sometimes there are, in texts reduced to categorical pro
positions, terms which, in the schools, are called syncategore-
matica; and they relate sometimes to the subject, and some
times to the attributed

When in a text there are several terms, which need a par
ticular explanation, and which cannot be explained without
confusion, or without dividing the text into too many parts,
then I would not divide the text at all : but I would divide
the discourse into two or three parts ; and I would propose,
first to explain the terms, and then the subject itself. This
would be necessary on Acts ii. 27, " Thou wilt not leave my
soul in the grave, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see
corruption." To discuss this text properly, I think, the dis
course should be divided into three parts, the first consisting
of some general considerations, to prove that the text relates
to Jesus Christ, and that Peter alleged it properly : the second,
of some particular considerations on the terms; soul, which
signifies life; grave, which also signifies hell; on which the
Church of Rome grounds her opinion of Christ s descent into,
what her divines call, limbus patrum ; holt/, which in this place
signifies immortal, unalterable, indestructible; corruption,

{ Syncategorematica. Of this kind are those words, which of themselves
signify nothing, but in conjunction with others in a proposition are very
significant.

314 AN ESSAY ON THE

which means not the moral corruption of sin, but the natural
corruption of the body. Finally, we must examine the sub-
ject itself, the resurrection of Jesus Christ *.

There are many texts, in discussing which, it is not neces
sary to treat of either subject or attribute: but all the dis
cussion depends on the terms syncategorematica. For example,
John iii. 16, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life." The categorical proposition is,
God loved the world ; yet it is neither necessary to insist much
on the term God, nor to speak in a common-place way of the
love of God : but divide the text into two parts ; first, the gift
which God in his love hath made of his Son ; secondly, the
end for which he gave him, " that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life " In the first, you
must shew how Jesus Christ is the gift of God : 1. In that he
did not come by principles of nature. 2. Inasmuch as there
was nothing among men to merit it. 3. In that there was
nothing among men to excite even the least regard of any
kind. 4. There was not the least proportion between us and
so great a gift. But, 5. There was, on the contrary, an in
finite disproportion; and not only a disproportion, but an
opposition and a contrariety. Then pass to the cause of this
gift, which is love ; and after having observed that it was a
love of complacence, for which, on the creature s part, no
reason can be rendered, particularly press the term so, and
display the greatness of this love by many considerations.
Then go to the second point, and examine, 1. The fruit of
Christ s mission, the salvation of man, expressed negatively,
that he should not perish, and positively, that he should have
eternal life. Speak of these one after another. After this
observe, 2. For whom the benefit of Christ s mission is or
dained, believers. And, lastly, enlarge on the word whosoever,
which signifies two things; 1. That no believer is excluded
from the benefits of Jesus Christ ; and, 2. That no man, as
such, is excluded from faith, for all are indifferently called.

[This being, if not a very important, yet somewhat of a
curious, rule, the editor thinks it not inexpedient to add one or
two more illustrations of it. John xv. 15, " Henceforth I call
you not servants, &c. but friends," &c. The force of this

g See on Ps. ex. 1 7.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 315

passage depends on the word " Henceforth To mark it, shew,

I. The privileges of the Jewish Church ; (as his servants, they
were admitted into his house, instructed in their duty, protected
in the discharge of it, and rewarded for their services. And
these were great inestimable privileges when compared with
the blindness, rebellion, and misery of the heathen world .)

II. The superior privileges of the Christian Church. Great as
were the privileges of the Jewish Church, they were nothing
in comparison of ours. Consider, 1. Our superior light (What
the Jews were taught was dark, shadowy, typical : the pro
phets themselves understood not their own prophecies , 1 Pet.

1. 10, 11. But the darkness is past, and the true light now
shine th: and the whole mystery of godliness is fully revealed. )

2. Our superior liberty (the Jews were kept at a distance
from God : Heb. xii. 18 22. But we have the nearest access
to him : ib. 22 24*. The high-priest alone could enter into
the most holy place: but now every one of us may: compare
Heb. ix. 7, 8. with x. 19 22. On this may be founded an
exhortation to all; 1. To seek to be brought into this rela
tion to Christ ; 2. To improve it for their own highest inte
rests ; and 3. To walk worthy of it.)

Another passage to be treated in this may be Exod. xxxiv. 5.
" The Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there,
and proclaimed the name of the Lord." By comparing this
with Exod. xxxiii. 21, 22, it will be seen that very peculiar
stress is to be laid on the word " There .*" and the proper mode
of treating it would be this: 1. The situation in which Moses
was placed ; (Here it would be proper to shew, that the place
was the rock in Horeb ; which rock typified the Lord Jesus
Christ ; in whom alone a fallen creature can ever behold the
face of God and live :) 2. The revelation which God gave of
himself to him, (as a God of infinite majesty, unbounded
mercy, and inflexible justice.) See Discourse on Exod. xxxiv.
57.

In another passage, Deut. xxvii. 26, " Cursed be he that
confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all
the people shall say, Amen ;" the whole force of the passage
lies in the word, " Amen." See Discourse on the passage.]

In texts of reasoning, the propositions which compose the
syllogism must be examined one after another, and each apart.

Sometimes it will be even necessary to consider the force of
the reasoning, and to make one part of that also.

316 AN ESSAY ON THE

[In discoursing on Judg. xiii. 22, 23, " Manoah said unto
his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But
his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he
would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at
our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things,
nor would as at this time have told us such things as these :"
it would be proper to consider, I. Her argument. In doing
which you would notice particularly, 1 . The facts on which she
argued (which you would state from the history, interspersing
them with pertinent remarks.) 2. The argument she founded
on them (which, whilst it shewed the penetration of her own
mind, and the strength of her faith, was well calculated to
allay Manoah s fears.) II. The force and conclusiveness of it.
It was founded, 1. On the goodness of God, (who had given
such manifestations of himself, and such promises to her :
which could never be a prelude to the exercise of his wrath.)
2. On the truth of God, (who had promised them a child, and
given them directions in reference to his education, &c. who
therefore would defeat his own purposes, if he were to destroy
them at this time.) 3. On the immutability of God, (who
having given them such tokens of his love, would love them to
the end.) In improving which subject you might point out,

1. The grounds of faith the promises and perfections of God

2. The nature of faith a simple reliance on God, and an
expectation of his promised blessings 3. The excellence of
faith tranquillizing the mind.

I would add, that in some cases the force of the reasoning
may even constitute the chief part. See Discourse on Acts
ii. 36.]

Sometimes we shall find a proposition concealed, which it
will be proper to supply. You must in such a case consider,
whether the hidden proposition be important enough to make
a part, which it will sometimes be, as in Rom. iv. 1, " What
shall we then say, that Abraham, our father as pertaining to
the flesh, hath found ? for if Abraham were justified by works,
he hath whereof to glory, but not before God." Divide this
text into two parts. 1. Consider the question, "What shall
we then say that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the
flesh, hath found?" And, 2. The solution.

[I would rather say, (for Mr. Claude s whole illustration of
this is but dark, and has been rendered still more so by
the translator,) Consider, 1. His unquestionable statement:

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

2. His obvious, though hidden, conclusion. Under the first head
I would mark the force of his appeal ; thus : you acknowledge
that you must be justified in the same way that your father
Abraham was. But how was he justified? By works? If
so, he had whereof to glory. But, whatever he might have
to glory of before men, he had nothing before God: as the
Scripture testifies, when it declares that " his faith was
counted to him for righteousness."

Then, under the second head, the hidden conclusion might
be fully and firmly stated, that neither could they, nor any
child of man, be justified by works.

Another example will elucidate this more fully. Take
Acts vii. 48 50. " Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in
temples made with hands ; as saith the prophet, Heaven is
my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye
build me ? saith the Lord : or what is the place of my rest ?
Hath not my hand made all these things ? " Here is a hidden
conclusion, which it would be proper to bring forth. Stephen,
with exquisite tenderness and caution, had for a long time
kept out of view the ultimate scope of his discourse. But now
it began indistinctly to appear : and the very anticipation of it
filled all his audience with rage and madness against him.
Hence, in discoursing on these words, it would be proper to
open, 1. The passage cited; and, 2. The unquestionable infe
rence to be drawn from it. For, if whilst the Mosaic economy
was yet in all its glory, God poured contempt upon the temple,
which was his own more immediate residence, and the place in
which above all he was glorified, it was clear, that his glory
did not depend on that, or on the economy connected with it ;
but that it might equally be advanced among the Gentiles who
could have no access to that temple, and be equally maintained
by the simpler institutions of Christianity, when the whole
Mosaic economy should be swept away. This was the hidden
proposition which Stephen intended to establish : and in order
to treat the above passage with effect, it would be necessary
to bring it to light, and to give it a considerable prominence
in the discussion.]

There are texts of reasoning which are composed of an
objection and the answer, and the division of such is plain ; for
they naturally divide into the objection and the solution. As
Rom. vi. 1,2, " What shall we say then ? Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we,

318 AN ESSAY ON THE

that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ? " Divide this
into two parts, the objection and the answer. The objection
is, first, proposed in general terms, " What shall we say then ? "
2. In more particular terms, " Shall we continue in sin?"
And, 3. The reason and ground of the objection, " because
grace abounds." The solution of the question is the same. In
general, " God forbid." In particular, " How shall we live in
sin ?" And the reason, " We are dead to sin."

[This arrangement of Mr. Claude s is too technical; and
would be incapable of being formed into a profitable discourse.
The following may perhaps answer the end somewhat better.

I. The objection.

1 . The ground of it (It arises from the Apostle s magnify
ing the super-abounding grace of God.)

2. The validity of it (Were it well founded, it would utterly
subvert the Apostle s statement.)

II. The answer.

The character of the true Christian is, that " he is
dead to sin." (He is dead to sin by profession inasmuch
as he professes both obedience to Christ ; who died to
redeem us from it : and conformity to Christ ; who in all
that he did or suffered is a pattern to us, ver. 4 11.
He is dead to sin also by experience as appears, by the
promises made to him, ver. 14 ; by the lives of the first
Christians; and by the objections urged against him as
righteous over-much. From this very character it appears
that he cannot live in sin (allowed sin would shock all his
feelings ; give the lie to all his professions ; and prove,
that he had no part in Christ. The appeal is stronger
than the strongest affirmation.)
OBSERVE,

1 . What is the only true mode of stating the Gospel.

(If we clog it in such a manner as to preclude a possi
bility of such a cavil as this, we do not state it as St. Paul
did. We must not indeed be unguarded ; yet must we
declare the Gospel in all its freeness and in all its fulness.)

2. How diligently we should all consider our obligations and
professions.

(By not attending to these, we are tempted to act un
worthily. But we should treat temptations to sin, as a
prince would an overture or proposal to do any thing that
would disgrace even a common beggar.)]

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 319

There are some texts of reasoning which are extremely
difficult to divide, because they cannot be reduced to many
propositions without confusion, or savouring too much of the
schools, or having a defect in the division ; in short, without
being unsatisfactory. In such a case, let ingenuity and good
sense contrive some extraordinary way, which, if proper and
agreeable, cannot fail of producing a good effect. For example,
John iv. 10, " If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is
that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked
of him, and he would have given thee living water ;" I think
it might not be improper to divide it into two parts ; the first
including the general propositions contained in the words ; and
the second, the particular application of these to the Sama
ritan woman. In the first, observe these following propo
sitions : That Jesus Christ is the gift of God That though
he asked for drink, he is the fountain of living water himself
That he is the object of our knowledge, both as the gift of God,
and as the fount of living water That an application to him
for this living water, flows from our knowledge of him That
he gives the water of life to all who ask it. In the second
part you may observe, that Jesus Christ did not disdain to
converse with a woman, a Samaritan woman, a schismatic, out
of the communion of the visible Church, a very wicked woman,
a woman who in her schism and sin disputed against the truth
That Jesus Christ improved this opportunity to teach her his
grace, without amusing himself with directly answering what
she said. You may remark the ignorance of this woman in
regard to the Lord Jesus : she saw him ; she heard him ; but
she did not know him : from which you may observe, that this
is the general condition of sinners, who have God always be
fore their eyes, yet never perceive him That from the woman s
ignorance arose her negligence and loss of such a fair opportu
nity of being instructed. Observe also the mercy of Jesus
Christ towards her ; for he even promised to save her. When
he said, " If thou wouldest have asked of him, he would have
given thee living water ;" it was as much as if he had offered
to instruct her. Remark too, that Jesus Christ went even so
far as to command her to ask him for living water ; for when he
said, " If thou wouldest have asked him," he did as much as
say, Ask him now. Observe, finally, that he excited her to
seek and to know him, and removed her ignorance, the cause
of all her mistakes and miseries.

520 AN ESSAY ON THE

[Another text will elucidate this matter more fully. Take
Luke vii. 41 43, " There was a certain creditor which had
two debtors : the one owed five hundred pence, and the other
fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave
them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him
most ? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom
he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly
judged." Now in treating this text agreeably to the suggestion
of Mr. Claude, one might either take broad ground, (as I
would call it,) or narrow ground, according as might appear
most suitable to the persons to be addressed.

If broad ground were preferred, (and it would be preferable
for common congregations,) one might consider, I. The
occasion ; II. The scope ; and III. The application of the
parable.

I. The occasion. It arose from the Pharisee condemning

the woman for this exercise of her piety And similar
occasion arises daily; since there is no exercise of piety
which men will not condemn.

II. The scope Which was to vindicate the woman (and all
. who are like her shall be vindicated by God at the last

day).

III. The application Which was to shew the Pharisee, that
his readiness to condemn the woman arose from an igno
rance of his own deserts; and that he himself ought to
seek after the very graces which she had exercised.

If, on the contrary, narrow ground were preferred, and
only one or two points in the parable were seized, (which
would be better for a learned congregation,) it might be
treated thus : Observe,

I. Men will condemn every exercise of religion.

None could have been more blameless than hers ; yet
it provoked hostility ; even as Christ himself did, and we
also must expect to do.

II. They themselves may be condemned on their own prin
ciples.

Ought our Maker to be served? our Redeemer to be
loved? our obligations to be acknowledged? Then such
religion as hers is right.]

There are sometimes texts which imply many important
truths without expressing them ; and yet it will be necessary
to mention and enlarge upon them, either because they are

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 21

useful on some important occasion, or because they are im
portant of themselves. Then the text must be divided into
two parts, one implied, and the other expressed. I own this
way of division is bold, and must neither be abused, nor too
often used ; but there are occasions, it is certain, on which it
may be very justly and agreeably taken. A certain preacher,
on a fast-day, having taken for his subject these words of
Isaiah, " Seek the Lord while he may be found," divided his
text into two parts, one implied, the other expressed. In the
first he said, that there were three important truths, of which
he was obliged to speak : 1 . That God was far from us.
2. That we were far from him. And, 3. That there was a
time, in which God would not be found, although we sought
him. He spoke of these one after another. In the first, he
enumerated the afflictions of the Church, in a most affecting
manner; observing, that all these sad events did but too
plainly prove the absence of the favour of God. 2. He
enumerated the sins of the Church, and shewed how distant
we were from God. And, in the third place, he represented
that sad time, when God s patience was, as it were, wearied
out ; and added, that then he displayed his heaviest judgments
without speaking any more the language of mercy. At length
coming to the part expressed, he explained what it was to
seek the Lord ; and by a pathetic exhortation, stirred up his
hearers to make that search. Finally, he explained what was
the time in which God would be found, and renewed his
exhortations to repentance, mixing therewith hopes of pardon,
and of the blessing of God. His sermon was very much
admired, particularly for its order.

[It may not be amiss to suggest another illustration of this
also. Take 1 Cor. i. 30, " Of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption." Here we may notice,

I. What is implied

1. That we are destitute of all good (being ignorant, guilty,
polluted, and enslaved :)

2. That we are incapable of acquiring it by any powers of
our own

II. What is expressed

1. We must receive all from God in Christ Jesus

We must be in Christ as a branch in the vine. But
it is God only that can engraft us into him, and make

VOL. XXI. Y

AN ESSAY ON THE

him a perfect Saviour to us. This is twice expressly
declared.

2. In Christ Jesus we may have all the blessings that we
stand in need of. He will be to us wisdom, and right
eousness, and sanctification, and redemption 11 .]
In texts of history, divisions are easy : [Take for instance
Acts ii. 37 39, " Now when they heard this, they were
pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of
the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins ;
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the
promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Here
observe,

I. The inquiry Mark,

1. The importance of it which is infinite and universal.

2. The manner in which it should be made viz. with com
punction with earnestness with a readiness to receive
instruction.

II. The answer This consists of,

1. Direction repent believe confess Christ openly.

2. Encouragement This promise is necessary for all and
made to all. Isai. xliv. 3, and lix. 21 ; John vii. 3739 ;
Gal. in. 14 V]

Sometimes an action is related in all its circumstances, and
then you may consider the action in itself first, and afterwards
the circumstances of the action.

Sometimes it is necessary to remark the occasion of an
action, and to make one part of it k .

Sometimes there are actions and words which must be
considered separately.

Sometimes it is not necessary to make any division at all :
but the order of the history must be followed. In short, it
depends on the state of each text in particular.

To render a division agreeable, and easy to be remembered
by the hearer, endeavour to reduce it as often as possible to
simple terms. By a simple term I mean a single word, in the
same sense as in logic what they call terminus simplex is

h See also on Mai. i. 11. or on Acts iv. 12.

See on 1 Kings xxi. 20. or on Jer. xxxvi. 27, 28.

k See on 1 Chron. xxii. 19.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 323

distinguished from what they call terminus complex. Indeed,
when the parts of a discourse are expressed in abundance of
words, they are not only embarrassing, but also useless to the
hearers, for they cannot retain them. Reduce them then as
often as you can to a single term.

[To illustrate the way of simplifying a subject, which, if
ill divided, would be very complex, and of making the con
nexion of the parts clear, take the following. 1 Cor. i. 4 9,
" I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of
God which is given you by Jesus Christ ; that in every thing
ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge ;
even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you : so that
ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ : who shall also confirm you unto the end,
that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship
of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." Tn these words see,

I. The blessings which the Gospel imparts an enlightened
mind ; and a waiting spirit.

II. The blessings which it secures our continued preserva
tion and our ultimate acceptance.]

Observe also, as often as possible, to connect the parts of
your division together; either by way of opposition, or of
cause and effect, or of action and end, or action and motive,
or in some way or other; for to make a division of many
parts, which have no connexion, is exceedingly offensive to
the hearers, who will be apt to think that all you say, after
such a division, is nonsense : besides, the human mind natu
rally loving order, it will much more easily retain a division in
which there appears a connexion 1 .

[Division may sometimes be altogether arbitrary, provided
you attend to the words and matter of the text in the discus
sion. For instance, on Matt. x. 32 39, " Whosoever there
fore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also
before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall
deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father
which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace
on earth : I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am
come to set a man at variance against his father, and the

1 This direction of Mr. Claude s, like most of his other rules, is founded on
the knowledge of human nature, which delights in orderly connexions, and
is extremely disgusted with every thing incongruous.

324 AN ESSAY ON THE

daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law. And a man s foes shall be they of his own
household. He that loveth father or mother more than me,
is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more
than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross,
and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth
his life shall lose it : and he that loseth his life for my sake
shall find it." It would be proper to treat this passage with
out any division at all, or in an arbitrary way, thus :

We have here the rule of Christ s procedure in the day of
judgment I. Stated ; (He will confess or deny us then, accord
ing as we confess or deny him now :) II. Vindicated, (from
the objections, that such a rule is unnecessary, and unjust ;
unnecessary, since Christianity can produce nothing but peace ;
(which is not true :) and unjust, because such negative sinful-
ness can never deserve such heavy punishment ; whereas
a person whose love will not enable him to lay down his life
for Christ, is not worthy of him :) III. Confirmed ; (for He
only who will lose his life for Christ, shall find it unto life
eternal.)

This subject will further illustrate what was said before,
and what the reader should perfectly understand, viz. the
marking of the character of the text. Many good and profit
able things might be said on this passage, though it should be
treated in a loose and immethodical way: but by marking the
text as an announcement of the rule of Christ s procedure in
the last day, the arrangement is made easy, and perfect unity
is introduced into the whole discourse. That I call the cha
racter of the text.

But take another example of arbitrary division; John vi. 44,
" No man can come unto me, except the Father, which hath
sent me, draw him." Instead of shewing, I. What is meant
by the drawings of the Father ; and, II. Why we cannot come
to Christ without them; it would be far better to strike out
an arbitrary division, and to treat the subject, thus :

I. It is difficult ; and therefore I will explain it.

II. It is deemed objectionable ; and therefore I will assign the
reasons of it.

III. It is liable to abuse ; and therefore I will guard it m .

m See on Job v. 19 27. or on Ezek xviii. 25 30. or on Amos ix. 13. or
on Acts viii. 37.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 325

A subject so presented to the minds of an audience would
arrest their attention more than if it were set before them in
a hackneyed way, and would open a better field for discussion.]

As to subdivisions, it is always necessary to make them ;
for they very much assist composition, and diffuse perspicuity
through a discourse: but it is not always needful to mention
them ; on the contrary, they must be very seldom mentioned ;
because it would load the hearer s mind with a multitude of
particulars. Nevertheless, when subdivisions can be made
agreeably, either on account of the excellence of the matter,
or when it will raise the hearers attention, or when the just
ness of parts harmonize agreeably one with another, you may
formally mention them : but this must be done very seldom ;
for the hearers would be presently tired of such a method, and
by that means cloyed of the whole.

CHAPTER V.

OF TEXTS TO BE DISCUSSED BY WAY OF EXPLICATION.

I PROCEED now from general to more particular rules, and
will endeavour to give some precepts for invention and dis
position.

I suppose then, in the first place, that no man will be so
rash as to put pen to paper, or begin to discuss a text, till he
has well comprehended the sense of it. I have given no rule
about this before ; for a man who wants to be told, that he
ought not to preach on a text before he understands it, ought
at the same time to be informed, that he is fitter for any other
profession than that of a minister.

I suppose, secondly, that the student, having well under
stood the sense of his text, begins by dividing it; and that,
having the several parts before his eyes, he very nearly sees
what are the subjects which he will have to discuss, and, con
sequently, what ought to enter into his composition.

I suppose, farther, that he is a man not altogether a novice
in divinity; but that he is acquainted with common places,
and the principal questions of which they treat.

Supposing all these, the first thing that I would have such
a man do, is to observe the nature of his text ; for there are
doctrinal, historical, prophetical, and typical texts. Some
contain a command, others a prohibition ; some a promise,

326 AN ESSAY ON THE

others a threatening ; some a wish, others an exhortation ;
some a censure, others a motive to action; some a parable,
some a reason ; some a comparison of two things together,
some a vision, some a thanksgiving; some a description of the
wrath, or majesty of God, of the sun, or some other thing ;
a commendation of the law, or of some person ; a prayer ; an
amplification of joy, or affliction ; a pathetic exclamation of
anger, sorrow, admiration, imprecation, repentance, confession
of faith, patriarchal or pastoral benediction, consolation, &c.
I take the greatest part to be mixed, containing different
kinds of things. It is very important for a man, who would
compose, to examine his text well upon these articles, and
carefully to distinguish all its characters, for in so doing he
will presently see what way he ought to take.

Having well examined of what kind the text is, enter into
the matter, and begin the composition ; for which purpose
you must observe, there are two general ways, or two manners
of composing. One is the way of explication, the other of
observations: nor must it be imagined that you may take
which of the two ways you please on every text, for some
texts must be treated in the explicatory method, and others
necessarily require the way of observations. When you have
a point of doctrine to treat of, you must have recourse to
explication ; and when a text of history, the only way is
observation.

In discernment upon this article the judgment of a man
consists; for, as texts of Scripture are almost infinite, it is
impossible to give perfect rules thereupon ; it depends in
general on good sense : only this I say, when we treat of a
plain subject, common arid known to all the world, it is a
great absurdity to take the way of explication ; and when we
have to treat of a difficult or important subject, which requires
explaining, it would be equally ridiculous to take the way of
observations.

The difficulty of which we speak may be considered, either
in regard to the terms of the text only, the subject itself being
clear, after the words are explained ; or in regard to the
subject only, the terms themselves being very intelligible ; or
in regard to both terms and things.

If the terms be obscure, we must endeavour to give the true
sense : but if they be clear, it would be trifling to affect to
make them so ; and we must pass on to the difficulty, which

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

is in the subject itself. If the subject be clear, we must
explain the terms, and give the true sense of the words. If
there appear any absurdity or difficulty in both, both must be
explained : but always begin with the explanation of the
terms.

In the explication of the terms, first propose what they call
ratio dubitandi, that is, whatever makes the difficulty. The
reason of doubting, or the intricacy, arises often from several
causes. Either the terms do not seem to make any sense at
all; or they are equivocal, forming different senses; or the
sense, which they seem at first to make, may be perplexed,
improper, or contradictory ; or the meaning, though clear in
itself, may be controverted, and exposed to cavillers. In all
these cases, after you have proposed the difficulty determine
it as briefly as you can ; for which purpose avail yourself of
criticisms, notes, comments, paraphrases, &c. and, in one word,
of the labours of other persons.

If none of these answer your expectation, endeavour to find
something better yourself; to which purpose, examine all
the circumstances of the text, what precedes, what follows,
the general scope of the discourse, the particular design of the
writer in the place where your text is, the subject of which it
treats, parallel passages of Scripture, which treat of the same
subject, or those in which the same expressions are used, &c. ;
and by these means it is almost impossible that you should
not content yourself. Above all, take care not to make of
grammatical matters a principal part ; but only treat of them
as previously necessary for understanding the text.

To proceed from terms to things. They must, as I have
said, be explained, when they are either difficult or important.
There are several ways of explication. You may begin by
refuting errors, into which people have fallen ; or you may
fall upon the subject immediately, and so come to a fair and
precise declaration of the truth ; and, after this, you may
dilate (if I may venture to say so) by a deduction of the
principles, on which the text depends, and on the essential
relations, in which it ought to be considered 3 .

The same method must be taken, when texts are misunder
stood, and gross and pernicious errors adduced. In such a

* The Reader, if he wish to see an illustration of the point before him,
may refer to the first head of the Discourse on 2 Tim. ii. 19.

328 AN ESSAY ON THE

case, first reject the erroneous sense, and (if necessary) even
refute it, as well by reasons taken from the texts, as by
arguments from other topics; and at length establish the
true sense.

Take, for example, John xvi. 12, " I have yet many things
to say unto you; but ye cannot bear them now." You must
begin by proposing and rejecting the false senses which some
ancient heretics gave of these words. They said, Jesus Christ
spoke here of many unwritten traditions, which he gave his
Disciples by word of mouth after his resurrection ; an argu
ment which the Church of Rome has borrowed, to colour her
pretended traditions. After you have thus proposed the false
sense, and solidly refuted it, pass on to establish the true, and
shew what were the things which Jesus Christ had yet to say
to his Disciples, and which they could not then bear.

I would advise the same method for all disputed texts.
Hold it as a maxim, to begin to open the way to a truth by
rejecting a falsehood. Not that it can be always done ; some
times you must begin by explaining the truth, and afterwards
reject the error; because there are certain occasions, on which
the hearers minds must be pre-occupied ; and because also
truth, well proposed and fully established, naturally destroys
error: but, notwithstanding this, the most approved method
is to begin by rejecting error. After all, it must be left to a
man s judgment when he ought to take different courses.

There are texts of explication, in which the difficulty arises
neither from equivocal terms, nor from the different senses in
which they may be taken, nor from objections which may be
formed against them, nor from the abuse which heretics have
made of them ; but from the intricacy of the subject itself,
which may be difficult to comprehend, and may require great
study and meditation. On such texts you need not, you must
not, amuse yourself in proposing difficulties, nor in making
objections; but you must enter immediately into the explica
tion of the matter, and take particular care to arrange your
ideas well, that is to say, in a natural and easy order, beginning
where you ought to begin ; for if you do not begin right,
you can do nothing to the purpose ; and, on the contrary, if
you take a right road, all will appear easy as you go on to
the end b .

b See on Ps. li. 6. or on Jer. xvii. 9. or on Kph. i. 3 12. or on
%h. Hi. 1419.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 329

[The Editor, though not wholly approving of Mr. Claude s
elucidation of John i. 17, does not think it expedient to omit
it ; because he wishes the reader to see the difference between
a subject treated with too great a variety of subdivisions, and
one in which a more simple and contracted view of the text is
taken. Previously therefore to the considering of Mr. Claude s
elucidation of this topic, the Editor would submit to the reader
two brief expositions of intricate subjects.

In treating Col. i. 9 13, " For this cause we also, since
the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire
that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God ; strengthened
with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience
and long-suffering with joyfulness ; giving thanks unto the
Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the in
heritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the king
dom of his dear Son ;" he would open the passage thus : Here
we see, 1. What the Christian should desire (A knowledge of
God s will A life conformed to it An ability to bear cheer
fully whatever he may meet with in his Christian course:)
2. What he has to be thankful for (His change of state His
change of nature ) For IMPROVEMENT, observe what an exalted
character the Christian is how benevolent how happy.

Again In treating Col. ii. 10 12, " And ye are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power : in
whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh
by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God who hath raised him from the dead." Com
plex as the passage is, it may be made extremely simple.
The great point is to mark distinctly the great scope of the
passage. The Apostle is guarding the Colossians against
philosophy and vain deceit : and, to shew them how little
philosophy can add to them, he asserts, I. Our completeness
in Christ, (In him we have every thing wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. What can philosophy add even
to the weakest believer, in any one of these respects?) II. Our
conformity to Christ (The whole work of Christ, as well as his

330 AN ESSAY ON THE

life, is a pattern for us, and his faithful followers are conformed
to it that is, to his circumcision, his baptism, &c. What
was done to him externally, is done internally in us.) The
whole of this is capable of easy and profitable enlargement.]

If, for example, I were to preach from this text, " The law
was given by Moses ; but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ;" I would divide this text into two parts. The first
should regard the ministry of the law : the second, that of the
Gospel: the one expressed in these words, " The law was
given by Moses ;" the other in these, " Grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ."

[This literal method of explication is very justly accounted
the best way of interpreting Scripture. The Editor however
takes the liberty of observing, that it might have been better
if Mr. C. had made fewer subdivisions, and had been more
particular in his choice of them. It seems best to adopt those
which give a. just view of the subject, and to reject every thing
which appears forced or fanciful. The Editor is extremely
anxious that all who read this book with a view to instruction
in the composition of a sermon, should attend to this hint.

The specimen however that is here exhibited, though not
altogether free from exception, is by no means unworthy of
attention. And, as it may help to give the reader some in
sight into the nature and use of the author s own discourses,
it is here drawn out in the form of a skeleton. The reader is
requested to cast his eye over it first, omitting what is con
tained in the brackets.

I. The ministry of the law.

The law may be considered as a ministry of
Rigour, as opposed to Grace.

[Man knew neither himself nor his God

It was necessary therefore to discover to him his misery,
and his duty

This was the end which God proposed in the ministry of
the law

The ministration of the law was well calculated to answer
this end ]

It may be considered also as a ministry of Shadows.,
as opposed to Truth.

[It held out Promises of what was afterwards to be ac
complished

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 331

It exhibited in Types the mercies which God had in reserve
for them

It imparted the Beginnings of that salvation, which was to
be afterwards more largely bestowed

Yet it could only be called " Law" because, however the
grace of the Gospel was blended with that economy, the legal
part was predominant ]

The author, or dispenser of this law, was Moses.

[God indeed was the first and principal author of this
law

Moses was only the mediator by whom God dispensed it

Nor as a mediator was he a real, but only a typical me
diator ]

As the dispenser of it he was greatly honoured by
God.

[He was the Interpreter of the Israelites to God, and of
God to them

He was employed to shew forth the Mighty Power of Je
hovah

He was inspired to transmit in writing the history of his own
nation ]

II. The ministry of the Gospel.

" Grace and truth" are here put for the Gospel of

Jesus Christ

The Gospel is called Grace in opposition to the

Rigours of the Law.

[God manifested himself in it, not as on Mount Sinai with

thunderings, but in a gentle manner, under a veil of human

flesh-
In it he reveals his mercy and parental love
It is his free Gift, according to his own good Pleasure
It is accompanied with a Divine Efficacy to the souls of

men

It operates on us, not enthusiastically, but in a rational

manner ]

It is called Truth in opposition to Falsehood.

[It is the accomplishment of what existed only in Promises
before

It is the Substance of what was before exhibited in Types
It is the Completion of what, under the law, was only begun ]

332 AN ESSAY ON THE

The author of this Gospel was Jesus Christ.

[He, like Moses, was an Interpreter between God and
men

His ministry also, like Moses s, was accompanied with
miracles

He moreover caused his Gospel to be written for a perpetual
rule ]

As such He was honoured infinitely above Moses.
[Moses was only the Dispenser of the law, but Christ was
the Author of grace and truth

Moses did not procure the covenant of which he was me
diator ; whereas the covenant of grace was given, not only
through Christ, but on his account

Moses could only report God s will to men ; but Jesus Christ
both reported it to them, and became a Guarantee for their
performance of it

Moses was not the Source, nor even the Dispenser of the
Spirit, that accompanied the legal economy ; but Christ com
municates the Spirit out of his oivn Fulness*

Moses wrought miracles by a foreign power ; but Jesus
Christ by his own

Moses was established over God s house as a Servant; but
Jesus Christ as a Son, (i. e. a master and heir) over his own
house ]

There are some texts which must be discussed by way of
explication, although neither terms nor things are difficult
but because the matter is important, and a meditation of it
beautiful and full of edification. Passages of this kind must
needs be proposed in all their extent* 1 .

Take, for example, these words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 7.
" We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency
of the power may be of God, and not of us." This passage is
of this sort ; the terms are easy, and the subject, of which
St. Paul speaks, has no difficulty : but yet, on account of
the importance of the matter, it must needs be explained, or,
to speak more properly, extensively proposed.

I would then divide this text into two parts ; the first should
be the Apostle s proposition,- and the second, the reason
which he gives for it. His proposition is contained in these
words, " We have this treasure in earthen vessels." The
reason, which he assigns, is contained in the following words,
c John i. 16. d See on Ps. xlviii. 1214.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 333

" That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not
of us."

[The Editor left this discourse in many of the former editions,
in order to illustrate his reason for altering or omitting some
that follow ; but he has expunged it as unworthy of the author.
Mr. Claude s rules are so good as scarcely to admit of any im
provement ; and he is, for the most part, happy in his illus
tration of them. But in some of the longer discourses he
multiplies subdivisions, so as to obscure, and almost destroy,
the unity of the subject. This was the case, in the discourse
here omitted. Under the first subdivision of the first general
head, he had no less than eight subdivisions more (the four
last of which, at best, were superfluous, and tended to perplex,
rather than elucidate, the subject ;) and under the second sub
division of the same head, he had subdivision after subdivision.
The same fault obtained under the second general head also :
and in some other of his discourses, he seems (in opposition
to his own rule, p. 298, 3.) studious to say all that can be
said, instead of selecting what is most pertinent and proper.
The Editor conceives the present discourse would have been
more perspicuous and instructive, if the more select parts of
the latter subdivisions had been compressed into one continued
illustration of the former subdivision : Thus

I. The proposition ; " We have this treasure in

earthen vessels"

The Gospel is here justly represented under the
image of a treasure

[There is no other treasure so valuable, so abundant, so
substantial

Nor can it be possessed without joy, without jealousy,
without caution ]

And it was in the Apostles as "in earthen vessels"
[They were not authors of the Gospel, but mere instru
ments to receive and dispense it

Though honoured thus, they were still mean, and full of
infirmities ]

II. The reason which he gives for it; " That the

excellency," &c.
There is an excellency of power in the Gospel

[There is a divine virtue in the doctrine of the Gospel to
humble and comfort men

AN ESSAY ON THE

And, when confirmed by miracles, and applied by the Holy
Ghost, it had wonderful success in their conversion ]

God s design in committing such a treasure to
earthen vessels, was, that this power might appear to
be of him, and not of men.

[Men are ever inclined to ascribe to second causes, effects,
which belong only to the first cause : e. g. The heathens, the
Lycaonians, the Jews, and even St. John himself

Arid it was to preclude such an abuse of his Gospel, that
he employed such weak instruments to propagate it throughout
the world ]

If the reader will only bear in mind, that Mr. Claude s
discourses are introduced solely with a view to illustrate the
rules, he will require no further apology for the alteration or
omission of such as obstruct, rather than advance, the general
design of this Essay.

Another text to elucidate this mode of explication may be,
1 Cor. iii. 11, " Other foundation can no man lay than that
is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Shew,

1. What foundations men lay for themselves

[1. Their own works; 2. Their own works and Christ s
merits united.]

II. What is the foundation that God has laid
[Not any of the foregoing ; but the Lord Jesus Christ]

III. Why no other can be laid

[1. No other would be worthy of the divine Architect;

2. No other would support the weight that is laid upon it.]
Observe, farther, there are two sorts of explications. The

first is simple and plain, and needs only to be proposed, and
enlivened with clear and agreeable elucidations.

The other kind of explications must not only be stated, and
explained, but they must also be confirmed by sufficient evi
dence. Sometimes a text speaks of a/act, which can be con
firmed only by proofs of fact : sometimes it is a matter of
right, that must be established by proofs of right : and some
times it is a subject made up of both fact and right ; and con
sequently proofs of right, as well as proofs of fact, must be
adduced 6 . We will give an example of each.

e See on 1 Kings xii. 24. or on 2 Kings i. 11, 12. or on Ps.ci. 2.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 335

For the first, take this text, Phil. ii. 6, " Jesus Christ, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God." Having explained what it is to be in the " form of
God," and to " count it not robbery to be equal with God,"
namely, that it is to be God, essentially equal with the Father,
and co-eternal with him, &c. you must needs make use of
proofs of fact on this occasion ; for every one sees it is a fact,
which it is necessary to prove, not merely by the force of
St. Paul s terms, but also by many other Scripture-proofs,
which establish the divinity of Jesus Christ.

But were you to preach from the 14th and 15th verses
of the same chapter, " Do all things without murmurings and
disputings ; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons
of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding
forth the word of life ;" it is evident, that, after you have
explained the vices which St. Paul forbids, and the virtues
which he recommends, the exhortation must be confirmed by
reasons of right, which shew how unworthy and contrary to
our calling these vices are; how much beauty and propriety
in the virtues enjoined ; and how strong our obligations are
to abstain from the one, and to practise the other.

Our third example includes proofs of both kinds. Take the
7th verse of the same chapter, " Jesus Christ made himself
of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men :" or the 8th verse,
" And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient to the death of the cross :" or the 9th
verse, which speaks of Christ s exaltation. Having explained
the subject, you must endeavour to confirm it, not only by
proofs of fact, but also by proofs of right ; to which purpose
you must prove, 1. That the fact is as St. Paul says. And,
2. That it ought to be as it is, by reasons taken from the
wisdom of God, &c.

[This may be more clearly illustrated by 1 Cor. xvi. 22,
" If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be
Anathema, Maran-atha." To treat this, shew, I. The import.
II. The certainty. III. The reasonableness of this denun
ciation.]

In like manner, in discussing this text, " Whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth;" after you have proposed in a few words the

336 AN ESSAY ON THE

Apostle s doctrine, it ought to be confirmed, as well by proofs
of fact, which make it plain that God has always been pleased
to observe this method, as by proofs of right, which shew that
he does thus with a great deal of wisdom. You will meet
with an almost infinite number of texts of this nature.

There are sometimes texts of explication, in which we are
obliged to explain some one great and important article con
sisting of many branches. As for example, predestination ;
and efficacious converting grace. In this case you may either
reduce the matter to a certain number of propositions, and
discuss them one after another ; or you may reduce them to
a certain number of questions, and discuss them in like man
ner : but you ought (choose which way you will) to take par
ticular care not to lay down any proposition, or any question,
which is not formally contained in your text, or which does
not follow by a near and easy consequence ; for otherwise you
would discuss the matter in a common-place way.

For example. " It is God who worketh effectually in you
both to will and to do of his own good pleasure." After you
have explained what it is to will, and what to do, and have
observed in a few words, that St. Paul s meaning is, that
God is the author of both in us by the power of his grace,
you may reduce the whole explication of the operation of his
grace to five or six propositions. 1. God by his Holy Spirit
illuminates the understandings of men ; for working in us to
will must necessarily be by illuminating the understanding.
2. That operation of grace, which illuminates the understand
ing, is practical, and not barely speculative ; but descends even
to the heart. St. Paul says, God works in us to do. 3. The
first dispositions to conversion are effects of grace as well as
conversion itself; for St. Paul not only says, God worketh in
us to do, but he adds, he worketh in us to will; now this will
consists in dispositions to conversion. 4 This operation of
grace does not consist in putting us in a state capable of coi*-
verting ourselves, as the admirers of sufficient grace say ; but
it actually converts us : for the Apostle says, " God worketh
in us to will and to do." 5. The operation of this grace, which
converts us, is of victorious efficacy, and obtains its end in
spite of all the resistances of nature ; for St. Paul says, " God
effectually worketh in us to will and to do ;" which means, that
when he displays this grace, nothing can resist him. 6. When
God converts us, whatever irresistibility there is in his grace,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. OO r

he displays it nevertheless in us, in a way which neither
destroys our nature, nor offers any violence to our will ; for
St. Paul says, " God worketh in us to will ;" that is to say, he
converts us by inspiring us with love for his Gospel, in gentle
ways suited to the faculties of our souls f .

Above all, take care to arrange your propositions well, when
you take this method. Place the most general first, and follow
the order of your knowledge, so that the first propositions may
serve as steps to the second, the second to the third, and so
of the rest g .

Sometimes, what you have to explain in a text will consist
of one or more simple terms ; sometimes in certain ways of
speaking peculiar to Scripture, or at least of such great im
portance, that they will deserve to be particularly weighed
and explained ; sometimes in particles which they call syncate-
gorematica ; and sometimes in propositions. For example,
simple terms are, the divine attributes, goodness, mercy, wis
dom, c. The virtues of men, faith, hope, love, Sec. Their
vices and passions, ambition, avarice, vengeance, wrath, &c.
In short, simple terms are single words, and they are either
proper f or figurative. In order to explain figurative words,
you must give the meaning of the figure in a few words ; and
without stopping long upon the figure, pass to the thing itself.
And in general observe this rule, never insist long on a simple
term t unless it be absolutely necessary ; for to aim at exhaust
ing (as it were), and saying all that can be said on a single
word, is imprudent in a preacher, especially when there are
many important matters in the text to be explained. Should
any one (for example) in explaining these words of Isaiah,

The Editor takes the liberty of observing, that this mode of illustrating a
subject appears to him too refined and complex. He would rather recom
mend a more simple method. The thing to be explained is, the operation
of divine grace ; and it is to be explained in an immediate reference to the
text. It might be said then, that its operation is sovereign, rational, effica
cious. It is sovereign, the result of " God s good pleasure," since man has
not so much as a disposition to good, till God has given it him ; and there
fore can have nothing in himself that can induce God to give it him. It is
rational ; for God influences us to action, not as mere machines, but by illu
minating our understanding, and inclining our "will." It is efficacious;
for, if he work in us " to will," he will surely work in us " to do ;" nor, how
ever separate, in idea, volition and action may be, shall they ever be separated
in his people s experience.

This would include the principal observations of Mr. Claude, and render
them both more intelligible, and more easy to be remembered

8 Arrange your propositions well. Nothing elucidates a subject more than
a conformity to this rule. Cicero s three words are well known, apte, distincte,
ornate.

VOL. XXI. Z

338 AN ESSAY ON THE

" His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace ;" should a
preacher, I say, insist on each term, and endeavour to exhaust
each word, he would handle the text in a common-place way,
and quite tire the hearer. You ought then, in discussing such
passages, to select the most obvious articles, and to enlarge
principally on essential remarks.

Sometimes there are simple terms, of which you must only
take notice cursorily, and en passant, as it were, just as they
relate to the intention of the sacred auther. For example, in
St. Paul s ordinary salutations, " Grace be to you, and peace
from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ," it
must not be imagined that each of the terms or phrases is to
be considered ex professo, either grace, or peace, or God the
Father, or Jesus Christ : but the whole text is to be considered
as a salutation, a benediction, an introduction to the epistle,
and in these views make necessary remarks on the terms.
Observe the method of Mons. Daille in his expositions of the
Epistles to the Philippians and Colossians. In one word,
take care to explain simple terms as much as possible, in
relation to the present design of the sacred author, and to the
circumstances of the text ; for by these means you will avoid
common-places, and say proper and agreeable things.

Sometimes you will meet with texts, the simple terms of
which must be discussed professedly ; and in order to give a
clear and full view of the subject, you must give a clear and
distinct idea of the terms.

For example ; 1 Tim. i. 5. " Now the end of the com
mandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good
conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Divide the text into
three parts, the fast of which may be the commandment, of
which the Apostle speaks the second, its end, charity and
the third, the principles from which this charity or love pro
ceeds, from a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.
When there are many simple terms in a text, you must
consider, whether it would not be more proper to treat of
them comparatively, or by marking their relation to each
other, than to discuss them separately, or each apart ; for
sometimes it would be very injudicious to discuss them sepa
rately, and very agreeable to do it by comparison^.

11 The Editor thinks Mr. Claude s discourse far too complex. The reader
may consult the Discourse upon the same text, 1 Tim. i. 5.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 339

[Not thinking Mr. Claude s illustration of this so simple as
it might be, the Editor would suggest another. Say, on
2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, to shew, The excellency of the inspired
volume.

I. Its real origin, given by inspiration of God.

II. Its immediate uses. The establishment of truth, by
making known sound doctrines, and refuting false. The
promotion of virtue, by correcting evil ways, and directing
to such as are good.

III. Its ultimate end. The making the man of God perfect,
in mind and judgment, teaching him to view everything as
God views it; and in heart and life, stimulating him to a
perfect conformity to the mind and will of God.

N.B. Under this last head the topic before us would be illus
trated by shewing how admirably calculated the Scripture
is by its immediate uses to produce its ultimate end.~\
See also the Editor s Discourse on 1 Tim. i. 5. which should
be treated, not under the head of the explication of simple
terms, but under this head.

Take for example St. Luke s words, chap. ii. 8 11, " And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo !
the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the
Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not ; for, behold ! I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord." In my opinion it would be very
absurd to pretend to treat separately these simple terms, in
order to explain what is a shepherd, and what is an angel, &c.
But a comparison of these terms with each other would afford
very beautiful and agreeable considerations, as will appear
by the following analysis of the text. Let it then be divided
into two parts : let the first be the appearance of the angels
to the shepherds, with all the circumstances which the history
remarks : and the second, the angels message to them. The
first is contained in the eighth and ninth verses, and the
second in the tenth and eleventh.

Having spoken of simple terms, I proceed to add some
thing concerning expressions peculiar to Scripture. These
deserve a particular explication, and should be discussed and
urged with great diligence, as well because they are peculiar

340 AN ESSAY ON THE

modes of speaking, as because they are rich with meaning.
In this class I put such forms of speaking as these : "To be
in Christ Jesus." " To come to Jesus Christ." " To come
after Jesus Christ." " To live in the flesh." " To live after
the flesh." " From faith to faith." " From glory to glory."
" To walk after the flesh." " To walk after the Spirit."
"The old man." "The new man." "Jesus Christ lives in
you." " To live to Jesus Christ." " To live to ourselves."
" To die to the world." " To die to ourselves." " To be
crucified to the world." " The world to be crucified to us."
" Jesus Christ made sin for us ; we made the righteousness of
God in him." " Christ put to death in the flesh, quickened
by the Spirit." " Die unto sin." " Live unto righteousness."
" Quench the Spirit." " Grieve the Spirit." " Resist the
Holy Ghost." " Sin against the Holy Ghost:" and I know
not how many more such expressions, which are found almost
no where but in Scripture. Whenever you meet with such
forms of speech as these, you must not pass them over lightly,
but you must fully explain them, entering well into the spirit
and meaning of them. It would be very convenient for a
young man to procure for this purpose an exact collection, and
endeavour to inform himself of the sense of each.

This subject would require, as it well deserves, a particular
treatise; however, I will briefly give an example of the manner
in which expressions of this kind should be discussed. Let
us take these words ; Mark viii. 34, " Whosoever will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and
follow me."

Methinks it would not be improper to divide the sermon
into two parts. In the first we would treat of the expressions
which Jesus uses, " Come after me" " deny himself" " take
up his cross" " and follow me." And in the second we would
examine the entire sense of our Saviour s whole proposition.

[The Editor cannot recommend this formal way of explain
ing all the terms first : he would rather cast the subject itself
into some easy form, and explain the terms belonging to each
part of the subject when that particular part comes to be dis
cussed. Thus, Mark viii. 34.

I. The duties required of us in this injunction to deny, &c.

take, &c.

I 1. The universal and indispensable importance of it None
can be his without performing them.]

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 341

We have before observed 1 , that, beside simple terms, and
singular expressions peculiar to Scripture, there are also
sometimes in texts, particles, that are called syncategorematica,
which serve either for the augmentation or limitation of the
meaning of the proposition: as the word so in John iii. 16,
" God so loved the world :" the word now in the eighth of
Romans ; " There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus :" and in many more passages of
the same kind.

Whenever you meet with these terms, carefully examine
them ; for sometimes the greatest part, and very often the
whole of the explication, depends upon them, as we have
already remarked on that passage just now mentioned, " God
so loved the world :" for the chief article in the doctrine of the
love of God is its greatness, expressed by the word so. It is
the same with that other term now, " There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus ;" for the
word now shews, that it is a conclusion drawn from the doc
trine of justification, which the Apostle had taught in the
preceding chapters ; and it is as if he had said, From the
principles which I have established, it follows, that " there
is now no condemnation," &c. Having then explained,
1. What it is to be in Christ Jesus ; 2. What it is to be no more
subject to condemnation ; chiefly insist, in the third place, on
the word now ; and shew that it is a doctrine which necessarily
follows from what St. Paul had established touching justifica
tion, in the foregoing chapters: so that this term makes a
real part of the explication, arid indeed the most important
part.

Sometimes these terms in question are not of consequence
enough to be much dwelt on, but may be more properly passed
with a slight remark. The word Behold, with which many
propositions in Scripture begin, must be treated so ; you must
not make one part of this, nor insist on it too long. The same
may be said of that familiar expression of Jesus Christ, Verily,
verily, which is an asseveration, or, if you will, an oath : but
neither on this must you insist much. So again, Amen, or so
be it, which closes some texts ; Woe be to you, which Jesus

See before, page 314, where examples of it are given. It is exemplified
in the Editor s Discourse on John xv. 15. where the discussion turns upon
the word " henceforth." And again, in Discourse on Deut. xxvii. 26. where
the word " Amen " serves as the foundation of the whole discourse.

342 AN ESSAY ON THE

Christ often repeats in the Gospel ; with many more of the
same kind. I know no certain rule to distinguish when they
are important ; but it must be left to the preacher s taste, and
a little attention will make the necessary discernment very
easy.

When the matter to be explained in a text consists of a
proposition, you must, 1. Give the sense clearly and neatly,
taking care to divest it of all sorts of ambiguity. [See the
Discourse on John vi. 44.]

2. If it be requisite, shew how important in religion it is to
be acquainted with the truth in hand ; and for this purpose
open its connexion with other important truths, and its depen
dence on them ; the inconveniences that arise from negligence ;
the advantageous succours which piety derives thence; with
other things of the same nature.

3. Having placed it in a clear light, and shewn its import
ance, if it require confirmation, confirm it. In all cases
endeavour to illustrate, either by reasons or examples, or
comparisons of the subjects with each other, or by remarking
their relation to each other, or by shewing their conformities
or differences, all with a view to illustrate the matter that you
are discussing. You may also illustrate a proposition by its
consequences, by shewing how many important inferences are
included in it, and flow from it.

You may beautify a proposition by its evidence, by shewing
that the truth, of which you speak, is discoverable by the light
of nature ; or by its inevidence, observing that it is not dis
coverable by the light of nature, but is a pure doctrine of
revelation.

In fine, you may illustrate by the person, who proposes the
subject ; by the state in which he was when he proposed it ;
by the persons to whom it is proposed ; by cirumstances of time
and place, &c. All these may give great openings ; but
they must be judiciously and discreetly used ; for to attempt
to make an assemblage of all these in the discussion of one
proposition, would be trifling, endless, and pedantic.

Sometimes one single proposition includes many truths,
which it will be necessary to distinguish : but, in doing this,
take care that each truth, on which you intend to insist, be of
some importance in religion, not too common, nor too much
known. This your own good sense must discern.

Sometimes one proposition must be discussed in the different

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 313

views ill which it may be taken ; and in this case you must
remark those different relations.

Sometimes the doctrine contained in the proposition has
different degrees, which it will also be necessary to remark.

Sometimes the proposition is general, and this generality
seems to make it of little importance. In this case you must
examine, whether some of its parts be not more considerable :
if they be, you will be obliged to discuss these parts by a par
ticular application. But I will give you examples of each.

First, To give the sense of a proposition neat and clear,
and afterwards to confirm and illustrate it, let us take
Eph. i. 18, " The eyes of your understanding being en
lightened, may ye know what is the hope of his calling, and
what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints."

This text must be divided into two parts. The first is the
Apostle s prayer, May God enlighten the eyes of your under
standing ! The second is the end of this illumination, " that
ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the
riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints."

Secondly, to give an example of propositions, including
divers truths, which must be distinguished from each other.
We cannot choose a more proper text than the remaining
part of the passage which was just now explained : " That
you may know," says St. Paul, " what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in
the saints." The Apostle s proposition is, that by the illumi
nation of grace, we understand the innumerable blessings to
the enjoyment of which God calls us by his Gospel. Now
this proposition includes many truths, which it will be neces
sary to distinguish.

1. That the Gospel is a divine vocation, a loud voice, which
cries, " Awake, thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light." Therefore it is said in the fiftieth
Psalm, " The Lord hath called the earth, from the rising of
the sun, unto the going down thereof." The Church is not a
rash tumultuous assembly, produced by hazard, as many
societies seem to be. It is not a human society, which
reason and natural interests have associated. It is a society
that has God for its author ; for it is his word which calls,
and his command that assembles us.

2. It is a vocation wherein God proposes something to our
hope ; for which reason we are said to be * begotten again to

344 AN ESSAY ON THE

a lively hope." This may be discussed, either in opposition
to a vocation of simple authority, where we are called to
service without any recompence proposed (thus princes fre
quently command their subjects) ; or in opposition to a seduc
tion to sin, which punishes our services with death : " The
wages of sin is death," says St. Paul. (These words represent
sin as a tyrant, who calls us to obey him in order to destroy
us.) Or it may be considered in opposition to our natural
birth, which introduces us to a scene of numberless distresses
and miseries. All these vocations are either uncomfortable or
hopeless, or dangerous, and tending to despair: but the call
of the Gospel is a call to hope ; not like Adam s, when God
called him to be judged and condemned ; " Adam, where art
thou ?" but like Abraham s, when the Lord said to him, " Get
thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and I will
give thee the land whither thou goest :" not like that which
Isaiah addressed to Hezekiah, " Set thine house in order, for
thou shalt die ;" but like that which Jesus sounded to Lazarus,
" Lazarus, come forth !"

3. That this call proposes to our hope an inheritance ; not
a recompence proportioned to our merit ; but a good, which
God, as a father, bestows on us in virtue of adopting grace ;
a good which we have by communion with Jesus Christ ; for
we are " heirs of God" only as we are " joint-heirs of Jesus
Christ." Farther, this is an unalienable inheritance, which we
ourselves can never lose, and of which no other can deprive
us. The ancient Jewish inheritances could never pass from
families into foreign hands. This is an inheritance, in fine, in
opposition to that felicity which God gave Adam as a hire
ling, under the title of wages ; and not as a son, under the
title of inheritance.

4. That this is a heavenly inheritance (for so must the last
word saints be understood in sanctis, in holy, or heavenly
places.) The Apostle intends, not only to point out the
nature of divine blessings, which are spiritual and heavenly,
but to signify the place where we shall possess them, heaven,
the mansion of the majesty of God.

5. That these are blessings of an infinite abundance, of an
inexpressible value, for this is the meaning of these terms,
"The riches of the glory of his inheritance," a way of speaking
proper to the Hebrews, who, to express the grandeur or
excellence of a thing, heap many synonymous expressions on

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 3 4-5

each other. Thus the Apostle, to represent to the Corinthians
this same felicity of which he speaks here, calls it, " A weight
of glory excellently excellent." And in this chapter, a little
after our text, he speaks of " the exceeding greatness of his
power, the working of his mighty power." Here then the
" riches of the glory of his inheritance" signifies the value, the
excellence, the abundance, the plenitude of this inheritance.

6. The Apostle would have us know the admirable greatness
of this hope ; for all our deviations from virtue, and attach
ments to the world, arise only from our ignorance of this
glory : when we become acquainted with it, it is a chain that
fastens, an attractive which allures, an invincible force that
renders itself governess of all our affections. An ancient poet
tells us of a golden chain which his Jupiter let down from
heaven to earth : this thought may be sanctified, and applied
to this subject, by saying, that the divine hope of our calling,
and the riches of the glory of this inheritance, which God has
prepared for us, is a golden chain descending from heaven to
us. Similar to this is Christ s saying to his Apostles, " I will
make you fishers of men." When they cast their mystical
line into the sea, the wide world, they took an infinite number
of fishes : but the hook, which alone rendered them successful
in their divine fishing, was this great " hope of the calling
of God, these riches of the glory of his inheritance in the"
heavens.

7. Finally, the Apostle means that the knowledge which
we have of this matter comes from divine illumination. It
can come from no other influence, as we have already seen.
It comes also infallibly from this: and when God illuminates
us, it is not possible that we should be ignorant of what he
designs to inform us of k .

There are some propositions which must be considered in
different views. For example, let us take these words,
Psal. Ixix. 21, " They gave me gall for my meat, and in my
thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." This passage must be
considered in four different views : 1 . In regard to David.
2. In regard to Jesus Christ. 3. In regard to the Church in
general. 4. In regard to every believer in particular.

k Perhaps these seven heads might have been more profitably included in
the three following : 1 . That Christians have a very glorious portion. 2. That
it is their privilege to know their title to it. 3. That they must attain their
knowledge by spiritual illumination.

346 AN ESSAY ON THE

So again in these words, Psal. cxxix. 2, " Many a time
have they afflicted me from my youth ; yet have they not
prevailed against me." These words belong, as to the Jewish,
so to the Christian Church; and must be applied to both 1 .
In short, it is the same with all typical prophecies.

Of propositions, which have degrees to be remarked, take
this example : " And the Lord said, I have surely seen the
affliction of my people, which are in Egypt ; and have heard
their cry by reason of their task-masters : for I know their
sorrows, and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand
of the Egyptians." Exod. iii. 7, 8. The propositions contained
in this text, one touching the affliction, and the other concern
ing the deliverance of the people of God, must be consi
dered according to their different degrees of accomplishment.
For,

1. They were accomplished in the servitude and deliverance
of Israel from Egypt.

2. In the divers servitudes and deliverances which afterward
befell Israel, particularly in that of Babylon, which was a
second Egypt.

3. They have been accomplished in a more excellent sense,
in the servitude and deliverance of the Church at the coming of
Jesus Christ, and at the preaching of the Gospel.

4. In the deliverance of the Church from the bondage of
antichrist.

5. And, finally, they are yet to be fulfilled in the last and
great deliverance at Jesus Christ s second coming.

In like manner discuss these words of Isaiah, quoted by
St. Paul, " Behold me and the children whom the Lord hath
given me." Heb. ii. 13. The first degree of the accomplish
ment of these words was in Isaiah and his children; the
second, in Jesus Christ and his Disciples at the first preaching
of the Gospel; and the third, in Jesus and his followers at
the last day, when he shall present us to his Father to be
glorified.

The same may be said of Ezekiel s vision of the bones which
rose from the dead, for it has three degrees of accomplishment.
1. In the deliverance of the Jews from their Babylonian cap
tivity. 2. In the deliverance of the Church by the ministry
of the Gospel. 3. In the last resurrection. There are many

1 See on Exod. xxxiv. 35.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 347

passages of Scripture which must be explained in this
manner.

In regard to those propositions, which seem inconsiderable,
when taken in a general sense, but which are very important
in a particular explication, [see Discourse on Jer. xxv. 5, 6.]
they may be exemplified by these two passages :

Psal. xxxvii. 3, " Inhabit the land." At first sight, it seems
as if there was nothing in these words ; nevertheless, a parti
cular explanation will discover many excellent truths in them.

So again, Prov. xv. 3, " The eyes of the Lord are in every
place, beholding the evil and the good." In the general notion
of this proposition, which only regards the omniscience of God,
there does not seem to be any thing extremely important :
but if you descend, as you ought, to particulars, you will
perceive,

1. A providential knowledge regulating and determining
all events, and directing them to their ends.

2. A knowledge of approbation in regard to the good, and
of condemnation in regard to the wicked.

3. A knowledge of protection and recompence on the one
side, and of chastisement and punishment on the other. So
that this passage contains the whole doctrine of providence,
the punishments of the wicked, and the benedictions which
accompany the just.

CHAPTER VI.

OF TEXTS TO BE DISCUSSED BY WAY OF OBSERVATION.

SOME texts require a discussion by way of consideration, or
observation. The following hints may serve for a general
direction :

1. When texts are clear of themselves, and the matter well
known to the hearers, it would be trifling to amuse the people
with explication. Such texts must be taken as they are, that
is, clear, plain, and evident, and only observations should be
made on them a .

2. Most historical texts must be discussed in this way;
for, in a way of explication, there would be very little to

See on Isai. xliv. 23. or Mai. i. 16. or John xxi. 17.

348 AN ESSAY ON THE

say b . For example, what is there to explain in this passage ?
"Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from
the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served :
but Lazarus was one of them that sat at table with him."
John xii. Would it not be a loss of time and labour to attempt
to explain these words? and are they not clearer than any
comments can make them? The way of observation, then,
must be taken.

3. There are some texts which require loth explication and
observation, as when some parts may need explaining .

[Thus, Heb. xi. 2426.

I. The choice of Moses. 1. The choice itself. 2. The prin
ciple by which he was actuated. 3. The end at which he
aimed.

II. The excellency of that choice. It was, 1. Consonant
with reason. 2. Conducive to his interests. 3. Honour
able to his profession.]

For example, Acts i. 10, " And while they looked stead
fastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood
by them in white apparel." Here it will be necessary to
explain in a few words the cause of their " looking steadfastly
toward heaven ;" for by lifting their eyes after their Divine
Master, they expressed the inward emotions of their minds.
It will be needful also to explain this other expression, " as
he went up," and to observe, that it must be taken in its plain
popular sense ; and that it signifies not merely the removal of
his visible presence, while he remained invisibly upon earth ;
but the absolute absence of his humanity. This is the natural
sense of the words, and the observation is necessary to guard
us against that sense which the Church of Rome imposes on
them for the sake of transubstantiation. You may also briefly
explain this other expression, " behold ! two men," and shew
that they were angels in human shapes. Here you may dis
cuss the question of angelical appearances under human forms.
Notwithstanding these brief explications, this is a text that
must be discussed by way of observation.

Observe, in general, when explication and observation meet
in one text, you must always explain the part that needs

b See on Exod. xxxiii. 5, 6. or Job xxx. 25. or on Matt, xxvi. 56. or on
Luke x. 10 16. or Luke xv. 8 10.

c See on Deut. x. 1, 2. or on Zech. iv. 1114.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 349

explaining, before you make any observations ; for observations
must not be made till you have established the sense plain
and clear.

4. Sometimes an observation may be made by way of expli
cation, as when you would infer something important from the
meaning of an original term in the text. For example ;
Acts ii. 1, " And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,
they were all with one accord in one place."

It will be proper here to explain and enforce the Greek
word onodvpaSov, which is translated " with one accord," for it
signifies, that they had the same hope, the same opinions, the
same judgment ; and thus their unanimity is distinguished
from an exterior and negative agreement, which consists in a
mere profession of having no different sentiments, and in not
falling out ; but this may proceed from negligence, ignorance,
or fear of a tyrannical authority. The uniformity of which
the Church of Rome boasts, is of this kind ; for, if they have
no disputes and quarrels among them on religious matters
(which, however, is not granted), it is owing to the stupidity
and ignorance in which the people are kept, or to that in
difference and negligence which the greatest part of that
community discover towards religion, concerning which they
seldom trouble themselves; or to the fear of that tyrannical
domination of their prelates, with which the constitution of
their Church arms them. Now, consider such an uniformity
how you will, it will appear a false peace. If ignorance or
negligence produce it, it resembles the quiet of dead carcases
in a burying-ground, or the profound silence of night, when
all are asleep ; and, if it be owing to fear, it is the stillness of
a galley-slave under the strokes of his officer, a mere shadow
of acquiescence produced by timidity, and unworthy of the
name of unanimity. The Disciples of Jesus Christ were not
uniform in this sense : but their unanimity was inward and
positive, they " were of one heart, and one soul." This ex
plication, you perceive, is itself a very just observation, and
there are very many passages of Scripture which may be
treated of in the same manner.

5. Observations, for the most part, ought to be theological;
that is to say, they should belong to a system of religion.
Sometimes, indeed, we may make use of observations historical,
philosophical, and critical ; but these should be used sparingly
and seldom; on necessary occasions, and when they cannot

350

AN ESSAY ON THE

well be avoided ; and even then they ought to be pertinent,
and not common, that they may be heard with satisfaction.
Make it a law to be generally very brief on observations of
these kinds, and to inform your audience that you only make
them en passant.

There are, I allow, some cases, in which observations remote
from theology are necessary to the elucidating of a text. When
these happen, make your observations professedly, and explain
and prove them. But, I repeat it again, in general, observa
tions should be purely theological; either speculative, which
regard the mysteries of Christianity, or practical, which regard
morality : for the pulpit was erected to instruct the minds of
men in religious subjects, and not to gratify curiosity ; to
inflame the heart, and not to find play for imagination.

6. Observations should not be proposed in scholastic style,
nor in common-place guise. They should be seasoned with a
sweet urbanity, accommodated to the capacities of the people,
and adapted to the manners of good men. One of the best
expedients for this purpose is a reduction of obscure matters
to a natural, popular, modern air. You can never attain this
ability, unless you acquire a habit of conceiving clearly of
subjects yourself, and of expressing them in a free, familiar,
easy manner, remote from every thing forced and far-fetched.
All long trains of arguments, all embarrassments of divisions
and subdivisions, all metaphysical investigations, which are
mostly impertinent, and, like the fields, the cities, and the
houses, which we imagine in the clouds, the mere creatures of
fancy, all these should be avoided.

7. Care, however, must be taken to avoid the opposite
extreme, which consists in making only poor, dry, spiritless
observations, frequently said under pretence of avoiding school-
divinity, and of speaking only popular things. Endeavour to
think clearly, and try also to think nobly. Let your observa
tions be replete with beauty, as well as propriety, the fruits of
a fine fancy under the direction of a sober judgment. If you
be inattentive to this article, you will pass for a contemptible
declaimer, of mean and shallow capacity, exhausting yourself,
and not edifying your hearers; a very ridiculous character d !

d The reader may form a pretty accurate idea of these, by reading the
second of the annexed Skeletons, which was written on purpose to illustrate
them. For a general and popular view of them he may consult the Discourse
on John xix. 31 37.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 351

To open more particularly some sources of observations,
remark every thing that may help you to think and facilitate
invention. You may rise from species to genus, or descend
from genus to species. You may remark the different cha
racters of a virtue commanded, or of a vice prohibited. You
may inquire whether the subject in question be relative to any
other, or whether it do not suppose something not expressed.
You may reflect on the person speaking or acting, or on the
condition of the person speaking or acting. You may observe
time, place, persons addressed, and see whether there be any
useful considerations arising from either. You may consider
the principles of a word or action, or the good or bad conse
quences that follow. You may attend to the end proposed in
a speech or action, and see if there be any thing remarkable
in the manner of speaking or acting. You may compare
words or actions with others similar, and remark the differences
of words and actions on different occasions. You may oppose
words and actions to contrary words and actions, either by con
trasting speakers or hearers. You may examine the founda
tions and causes of words or actions, in order to develope the
truth or falsehood, equity or iniquity, of them. You may
sometimes make suppositions, refute objections, and distinguish
characters of grandeur, majesty, meanness, infirmity, necessity,
utility, evidence, and so on. You may advert to degrees of
more or less, and to different interests. You may distinguish,
define, divide, and, in a word, by turning your text on every
side, you may obtain various methods of elucidating it. I will
give you examples of all.

RISE FROM SPECIES TO GENUS 6 .

Psal. 1. 14, " Sacrifice to God thanksgiving, and pay thy
vows unto the Most High." In discussing this text, I would
observe first the terms Sacrifice thanksgiving, and would
elucidate them by going from the species to the genus. The
dignity of sacrifice in general would lead me to observe that
it is the immediate commerce of a creature with his God; an
action, in which it is difficult to judge whether earth ascend
to heaven, or heaven descend to earth that in almost all the
other acts of religion the creature receives of his Creator ; but

! This is a topic peculiarly proper in an exordium.

352 AN ESSAY ON THE

in this the Creator receives of his creature that the Lord of
the universe, who needs nothing, and who eternally lives in a
rich abundance, hath such a condescension as to be willing to
receive offerings at our hands that, of all dignities, that of
the priesthood was the highest, for which reason the ancient
priests dwelt in the tabernacle, or temple of God that, when
God divided Canaan among the children of Israel, each tribe
had its portion except that of Levi, to which God assigned
nothing. Why? because he loved them less? No, but be
cause he gave them the priesthood, and because he, who had
the priesthood, the altar, and the censer, had God for his
portion, and, consequently, could have no need of temporal
things. This is, you see, to rise from species to genus ; for
the text does not speak of sacrifice in general) but of the
sacrifice of praise in particular: yet, when these general
considerations are pertinent, they cannot fail of being well
received f .

II.

DESCEND FROM GENUS TO SPECIES.

An example may be taken from Psal. cxxiii. 2, " Behold,
as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, so
our eyes wait upon the Lord our God." Here you may
aptly observe, in masters with regard to servants, and in God
with regard to us, three senses of the phrase. There is a
hand of beneficence, a hand of protection or deliverance, and a
hand of correction. A servant expects favours from the hand
of his master, not from that of a stranger. He looks to him
for protection and deliverance in threatening dangers, and
refuses all help, except that of his master. He expects
correction from him when he commits a fault, and, when
corrected, humbles himself under his master s frown, in order
to disarm him by tears of repentance. The application of
these to the servants of God is easy. The word succour is
general, and may very well be considered by descending from
the genus to the species, and by observing the different occa
sions which we have for divine assistance, and, consequently,
the different assistances and succours which God affords us

f See Discourse on Neh. vi. 11. where, instead of treating specifically,
I. The proposal made, and II. His indignant rejection of it, the general sub
ject of temptations, and of our conduct under them, is considered.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 353

as the help of his word, to remove our ignorance, doubts, or
errors the help of his providence, to deliver us out of afflic
tions the help of his grace and Spirit, to guard us from the
temptations of the world, and to aid us against the weaknesses
of nature the help of divine consolations, to sweeten the
bitterness of our exercises under distressing circumstances,
and to give us courage to bear afflictions the help of his
mercy, to pardon our sins, and to restore to our consciences
that tranquillity which they have lost by offending God. You
will meet with a great number of texts which may be discussed
in this manner: but great care must be taken not to strain
the subject ; for that would make you look like a school-boy.
The best way is, to make only one general observation, and
then to apply it to several particular subjects, collecting all at
last into one general point of view.

III.

REMARK THE DIVERS CHARACTERS OF A VICE, WHICH IS
FORBIDDEN, OR OF A VIRTUE, WHICH IS COMMANDED.

For example, 2 Thess. iii. 5, " The Lord direct your hearts
into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."
Here I should describe the characters of true love to God;
and, perhaps, it might not be improper to subjoin the cha
racters of expectation of Christ ; and, that I might not seem
to travel the same road twice, I would call the latter,
emotions, which accompany hope in Christ.

To begin with the characters of true love to God.

1. The seat of it is the heart, which it penetrates and
possesses. This distinguishes it from the feigned love of
hypocrites, which is only in word, or in external actions,
while their hearts are full of sinful self-love ; so that it may
be said of them as God once said of the Israelites, " This
people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far
from me."

2. It is a love that possesses the whole heart, without
allowing a partition among different objects. Thus it is
distinguished from that partial love which almost-Christians
have, who have sometimes good desires towards zeal and
repentance ; but they are transient only, and never come to
perfection, because the soul is divided, and occupied with

VOL. XXI. A A

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AN ESSAY ON THE

various worldly objects ; and because the love of God, from
which true repentance and zeal proceed, is not rooted in the
heart: it is for this reason that Scripture commands us to
love God with all our hearts, or, as David speaks, to love him
with a cordial affection.

3. The love of God is not indeed alone in the heart of a
good man; he may also love creatures; a father loves his
children, a friend his friend, a master his servant, a king his
subjects, a wife her husband ; but the character of divine love
in us is, on the one hand, to suffer no love contrary to itself
in the heart, (for " no man can serve two masters," and the
" love of the world is enmity against God,") and, on the
other hand, love of God does not suffer any of the objects,
the love of which is compatible with itself, to hold the chief
place in the heart. This chief place is for God ; to put him in
a second place is to treat him opprobriously. Even to equal
another object with him is to insult him ; wherever he is, he
must fill the throne himself; and, if a holy heart be an image
of heaven, as it is in effect, God must reign there, and all
must be submissive to him.

4. The emotions and acts of this love must be infinite,
without measure as well as without subordination; without
bounds as well as without partition. The reason is, our love
must resemble its object ; and its object is infinite ; and this is
one sense of this command, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy soul." But how, say you, can we, who are
finite creatures, perform infinite acts? I answer, the acts of
the creature are, in a manner, infinite. This infinity consists,
in my opinion, in two things. First, our emotions go to the
utmost extent of our power, without coolness or caution ; and,
secondly, when we have stretched our souls to the utmost of
our power, we cannot be content with ourselves, and we
acknowledge our duty goes infinitely beyond our emotions
and actions. Thus we ought to love with all the powers of
our hearts, giving up (if I may so speak) our whole souls to
him, and at the same time we shall feel a secret dissatisfaction
with ourselves for not being able to love him enough.

5. This love, which has no bounds itself, set bounds to every
emotion towards other objects. It is, as it were, an immense
fire, emitting a few sparks, a few comparatively faint emotions
towards inferior objects. So a king collects in his own person
all the honours of his kingdom, and communicates some lucid

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 355

titles to inferior subjects : so the sea distributes of its bound
less waters to rivers, fountains, and rills. Not only must we
refuse to love what God has forbidden, and choose to respect
what he allows us to love, but, to speak properly, we ought
to love only what he commands us to love. This love should
be in our hearts, amidst all our other affections, as a prince is
among the officers of his army, or, to speak more strongly,
as God himself is amongst all the creatures of the whole
universe, giving to all life, motion, and being.

6. The love of God is accompanied with humility and fear,
as a salt to prevent corruption ; and by this mean we are kept
from degrading liberty into licentiousness. In effect, how
great mercy soever God has for us, it is the mercy of a
master. How great soever his paternal tenderness is, it is
the tenderness of a sovereign judge. His mercy, which is so
amiable to us, is never separated from his infinite justice and
power ; and one of the most essential marks of our love to him
is, to tremble and become nothing in his presence. These
two things always go together. To fear him rightly, we must
fear him as a father ; and to love him rightly, we must love
him as a sovereign Lord.

7. This love must in one respect imitate the love of God,
from which ours proceeds ; but in another respect it must not
imitate his. It must imitate his, by diffusing itself where his
diffuses itself; and follow it, even when it is bestowed upon
enemies, according to our Lord s precept, " Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute
you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven ; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." But
in another respect we must not imitate his love; for God s
love to us is a jealous love, which cannot consent to our
having any other object of supreme love besides himself: but
our love to him can have no greater perfection than that
which arises from a multiplicity of objects: our jealousy re
sembles that of the Prophet Elijah, who, being asked, when
he was in the cave of Beer-sheba, what he did there, answered,
" I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts ; for the
children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, and thrown
down thine altars." This was St. Paul s jealousy, when he
saw the Corinthians turned from the purity of his Gospel;

A A 2

356

AN ESSAY ON THE

I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy ; for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ." Indeed, one of the most indubitable
marks of our love to God is, to lament when his name is
dishonoured, his word neglected or despised, and his com
mands violated.

8. A Christian s love to God principally consists in obe
dience. This, I grant, is not always a certain character ; for
how many persons are there who abstain from evil and do
good, from principles of interest or fear rather than of love !
but, however, it is as a negative character always sure ; be
cause it may always be concluded, that they, who do not
obey God, do not love him ; for all, who do love God, obey
his laws. The reason is evident: all, who truly love God,
have an ardent desire of being loved by him ; and it is essential
to love to desire a return of affection from its object. We
cannot expect to be beloved of God, unless we strive to
please him ; nor can we please him without keeping his com
mandments. The love of God is always accompanied with a
holy diligence to please him, and an awful fear of offending
him. A true believer is always afraid lest any thing, through
negligence or infirmity, should escape him, and clash with his
duty, or provoke his God. This made St. Paul say, " Work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling ;" and else
where, " I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection ;
lest, after I have preached to others, I myself should become
a cast-away ;" and hence those prayers of holy men, " Teach
me thy ways, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth." " Unite my
heart to fear thy name." " May God make you perfect in every
good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well
pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ !"

9. The love of God is not only continued in a Christian,
but it is also inflamed under the rod of correction, contrary to
that false love which subsists only in prosperity, and is quite
extinct in adversity: for false love in religion flows from
temporal interest, and is dependent on irregular self-love ;
but true love to God regards his glory and our salvation, two
things which can never be separated, because God has united
them so, that they constitute the very essence of religion.
Whenever, then, it pleases God to chastise us, these two great
interests (I mean his glory and our salvation) present them
selves before our eyes ; and whether we consider chastisements

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 357

as the fruits of our own sins which have offended God, or as
paternal strokes to establish us in holiness, they cannot but
inflame our love. Add to these, that when a believer sees
his God frown, he cannot help apprehending, in some sense,
that his wrath will go farther, that the Lord will forsake, and
entirely leave him. Hence these expressions of David, " For
sake me not, O Lord : O my God, be not far from me !" " My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou
so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
And hence Asaph says, " Will the Lord cast off for ever ?
and will he be favourable no more ? Is his mercy clean gone
for ever ? Doth his promise fail for evermore ? "

The Tynans, it seems, when Alexander besieged them,
imagined they saw by some extraordinary motion, that the
image of Apollo, in which all their hopes of protection were
placed, intended to quit their city : to prevent this misfortune
they fastened their God with chains of gold. This I own
was a foolish superstition : but methinks we may sanctify the
thought, and almost learn a believer s conduct from it. When
he imagines his God means to forsake him, he holds him (if I
may be allowed to say so) with chains of love ; he throws
around him the tender arms of his piety; he weeps on his
bosom, and, to make use of a better example than that of the
Tyrians, he constrains him, as the Disciples did at Emmaus,
" Abide with me, for the day is far spent, and it is towards
evening."

10. True love to God is not superstitious. Superstition
usually springs from one of these four principles. Either,
first, from servile fear, which makes people believe that God
is always wrathful; and which invents means to appease him,
employing for this purpose ridiculous practices unworthy of
humanity itself; or, 2dly, from a natural inclination, which
we all have, to idolatry, which makes men think they see
some ray of the divinity in extraordinary creatures, and, on
this account, they transfer a part of their devotion to them ;
or, 3dly, from hypocrisy, which makes men willing to discharge
their obligations to God by grimace, and by zeal for external
services ; for which purpose they can perform a great number
of any kind. Finally, from presumption, which makes men
serve God after their own fancies, and establish such a worship
as pleases and flatters themselves, without regarding whether
they please God. All these appear in the superstitions of the

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AN ESSAY ON THE

Church of Rome, the greatest part of which sprang from fear
of the fire of purgatory; as mortifications, masses, jubilees,
indulgences, penal satisfactions, and many more of the same
kind. It is also evident, that some came from that dreadful
propensity natural to all mankind to deify creatures ; to this
may be referred the worshipping of images, the invocations of
saints and angels, the custom of swearing by creatures, the
adoration of relics, pilgrimages, the adoration of the host, and
many such things. Nor is it less true that hypocrisy produced
others, as beads, chaplets, rosaries, prayers by tale, frequent
fasts, visiting holy places, &c. And, finally, some came from
human vanity and presumption, as festivals, processions, the mag
nificence of churches ; and, in general, all pompous ceremonies
in the worship of God. All these are contrary to the love of
God, which is free from superstition. It is superior to servile
fear, and accompanied with a persuasion that God is good, and
that he loves us. It has only God for its object; it acknow
ledges between God and his creatures, however amiable the
latter may be, an infinite distance, and, consequently, cannot
bestow any part of that worship upon them, which is due to
him alone. It is sincere and solid, more attentive to the interior
than to the outward appearance ; for, having its principal seat
in the heart, it rectifies a man s sentiments, whence, as from
a sacred source, good works flow. In a word, it is humble
and submissive to the will of God, which it regards as the
only rule of its duty, without paying any respect to the vanity
of sense, or the caprice of the human mind.

11. Genuine love to God is tranquil and peaceable,
acquiescing in the ways of Providence without complaining,
happy in itself, without inquietude and without chagrin,
flying from quarrels and divisions, easy and gentle in all
things, yielding in every thing, except in the service of God
and the grand interest of salvation, in which love itself is
inflexible, and incapable of compounding.

12. Real love is always active. Its tranquillity is not
negligence ; it is lively and energetical, always in peace, but
always in action ; like the heavens, whence it came, without
noise, in profound silence, perpetually moving, and inces
santly shedding benign influences: it is not content to seek
God in his temples only, but it pursues him in houses,
chambers, and closets; it rises after him to heaven; it enjoys
him in the heart, where it entertains and adores him ; it goes

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

even to seek him in his members, and chiefly in the poor,
whose secret necessities it inquires after, and endeavours to
relieve.

Finally, One of the greatest evidences of love to God is,
spontaneous obedience, not waiting for chastisements to awake
us, after we have fallen into sin, but returning immediately
to repentance. Indeed, tardy repentances, which come after
we have exhausted the patience of God, and drawn the
strokes of his rod upon us, are much more likely to be effects
of nature, than of love to God. Self-love has so great a share
in such a conduct, that, if we do not attribute our repentance
wholly to it, we must in great part. Yet it is certain, when
repentance does not flow wholly from love to God, it is not
wholly heavenly and spiritual ; it is a compound of heaven and
earth, divine faith and human prudence ; and so much as it has
of nature and sinful self-interest, so much it loses of its worth
and excellence. Genuine love does not then wait for carnal
solicitations, nor till afflictions inform us of our state; it
freely comes to our aid, and constrains us to return to God,
even before we feel the effects of his indignation. So much
for the characters of love g .

In regard to the emotions included in the words patient
waiting, you may remark, 1. That the coming of Jesus
Christ being the subject in question, the expectation of a
believer is a true and real hope, directly opposite to the
expectation of the wicked, which is a fear. The latter con
sider Jesus Christ on this occasion as their judge, and enemy,
who will avenge himself, punish all their sins, and plunge
them for ever into perdition. Believers, on the contrary,
consider him as their Head, their Husband, their Saviour,
who will come to raise them from dust and misery, and to
exalt them to his glorious kingdom. The wicked, in their
fore-views, resemble the devils, who, at Christ s first appear
ance, exclaimed, " Let us alone ! what have we to do with

f The multiplying of divisions and subdivisions is, in the Editor s judg
ment, a great fault in composition. They should consist only of such a
number as will fairly embrace the whole subject, and may easily be remem
bered. All that really belongs to the subject in these thirteen heads might
have been introduced under the three following : True love to God is, 1. Su
preme, possessing the heart, the whole heart, &c. 2. Uniform, as well under
his corrections as under his smiles. 3. Obediential, instigating us, not to an
observance of superstitious rites, but to an humble and active performance
of his revealed will.

360 AN ESSAY ON THE

thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art tliou come to destroy
us?" but the righteous imitate those who attended his public
entry into Jerusalem ; " Hosanna," said they, " blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord."

2. This expectation is accompanied with a holy and ardent
desire, as being an expectation of the greatest blessings.
" Come, Lord Jesus," says the Church, " Lord Jesus, come."
Such was David s expectation, when he was among the
Philistines ; " As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so
panteth my soul after thee, O God." The desire of a be
liever is not less fervent, or (to speak more properly) it is far
more ardent, when he meditates on his entrance into the
heavenly Jerusalem, where we shall " hunger and thirst no
more, for the Lamb shall feed us, and lead us to fountains of
living waters." What the first appearance of Christ in the
flesh was to the ancient Church, that his second manifestation
is to us, with this difference, that then he was to appear in
grace, whereas now we expect him in glory then he was to
appear in the " form of a servant," and in the " likeness of
sinful flesh ;" but hereafter he will appear in the " form of
God," thinking it " not robbery to be equal with God." As
he was then " the desire of all nations," how should he not
now be the desire of all believers ?

3. This desire is accompanied with a holy inquietude, almost
like what we feel when we expect an intimate friend, of whose
coming we are sure, but are uncertain about the time : or, if
you will, such as an oppressed and enslaved people feel, while
they wait for a deliverer; or such as an affectionate consort
feels, while she waits for the return of her lord. On these
occasions days and hours move slowly, time is anticipated,
futurity is enjoyed, and there is a prelibation of the expected
pleasure. This is the holy inquietude which St. Paul attri
butes to the creatures in general, saying, They " groan and
travail in pain together with the earnest expectation of the
manifestation of the sons of God." How much more then
must believers do so !

4. But this inquietude does not prevent our possessing our
souls in patience; for it does not proceed to murmuring, but
submits to the will of God; knowing that times and seasons
are in his own power : " if he tarry, wait for him," as
St. Paul after Habakkuk says, Heb. x. 37 ; that is, be not
impatient, do not murmur, for he will certainly come, and will

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON,

361

not tarry. They are the profane only who say, " Where is
the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all
things continue as they were from the beginning of the crea
tion." We feel then an inquietude, but an inquietude blended
with submission to the will of God. " Why," says the be
liever, " art thou cast down, O my soul? why art thou dis
quieted within me ? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise
him, who is the health of my countenance and my God."

5. This expectation necessarily includes a holy preparation,
and such a preparation as relates to the majesty of Him whom
we expect, the greatness of the judgment that he will come to
execute, and the eternal benefits of which we hope to partake.
We must not imitate that wicked servant in the paraole, who
said, " My Lord delays his coming," and who, under cover of
that delay, beat his fellow-servants. When Esther was to
appear before Ahasuerus, she spent many days beforehand
in preparing herself, adorning herself with her most costly
habits, that she might appear before him in a proper manner.
Such is the waiting of a believer; he employs all his life-time
to prepare for that solemn hour, when eternity will begin.

You might easily take the characters of vices from this
pattern of characterizing virtues: however, I will add an
example on avarice, taking for a text Heb. xiii. 5, "Let
your conversation be without covetousness, and be content
with such things as ye have."

1. Avarice is a disposition so gross, that it obscures the
understanding and reason of a man, even so far as to make
him think of profit where there is nothing but loss, and
imagine that to be economy which is nothing but ruin. Is it
not in this manner that a covetous man, instead of preventing
maladies by an honest and frugal expense, draws them upon
himself by a sordid and niggardly way of living; and, by this
means, brings himself under an unavoidable necessity of con
suming one part of his substance to recover a health, which,
by an excessive parsimony, he has lost? There are even
some who bring inevitable death upon themselves, rather than
spend any thing to procure necessary relief; and are imperti
nent enough to imagine, that riches had better be without a
possessor, than a possessor without riches; as if man were
made for money, and not money for man.

But, 2. this would be but little, if avarice affected only
the avaricious themselves; it goes much farther, it renders a

362 AN ESSAY ON THE

man useless to society. It subverts the idea of our living to
assist one another ; for a covetous man is useless to the whole
world. He resembles that earth, of which St. Paul speaks,
which " drinketh in the rain, that comes often upon it, and
beareth only thorns and briers." He is an unfruitful tree, a
gulf which draws in waters from all parts, but from which no
stream runs ; or, if you will, an avaricious man is like death,
that devours all, and restores nothing ; whence it comes to
pass, that no man is in general so much despised, while he
lives, as a miser ; and no man s death is so much desired as
his. He never opens his treasures till he is leaving the
world ; he, therefore, can never receive the fruits of gratitude,
because his favours are never conferred till his death.

3. Farther, this vice not only renders a man useless to
society, but it even makes him hurtful and pernicious to it.
There is no right so inviolable, no law so holy, which he will
not violate greedily to amass riches, and cautiously to preserve
them. How many violent encroachments, how many criminal
designs, how many dark and treasonable practices, how many
infamies and wickednesses, have proceeded from this perverse
inclination ! If a covetous man is barren in kindnesses, he is
fruitful in sins and iniquities. There are no boundaries which
he cannot pass, no barriers which he cannot readily go over,
to satisfy his base passion for money.

4. By this we may already perceive how incompatible
this vice is with true faith, and with the genius of Christianity.
The spirit of Christianity is a spirit of love and charity, always
beneficent, always ready to prevent the necessities of our
Christian brethren ; kind and full of compassion, inquiring into
the wants of others, and, without asking, seeking means to
prevent them. But avarice, on the contrary, makes a man
hard, cruel, pitiless, beyond the reach of complaints and tears,
rendering the miser not only jealous of the prosperity of his
neighbour, but even making him consider the pittances of the
miserable as objects of his covetous desires.

5. It is not without reason that St. Paul calls avarice
idolatry ; for one of the principal characters of this cursed
inclination is a making gold and silver one s god. It is money,
in effect, which the covetous adores, it is this that he su
premely loves, this he prefers above all other things ; it is his
last end, his life, his confidence, and all his happiness. He
who fears God, consecrates to him his iirst thoughts, and

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

devotes to his glory and service the chief of his cares ; to his
interests, the whole of his heart ; and for the rest, commits
himself to the care of his providence. It is the same with a
covetous man in regard to his treasures ; he thinks only of
them, he labours only to increase and*preserve them, he feels
only for them; he has neither rest nor hope which is not
founded on his riches ; he would offer incense to them, could
he do it without expense.

6. It is surprising, and sometimes sufficiently diverting,
to see in what manner all the other inclinations of a miser,
good and bad, virtues and vices, his love and his hatred, his joy
and his sorrow, respect and obey his avarice. They move or rest,
act or do not act, agreeably to the orders which this criminal
passion gives them. If he be naturally civil, mild, and agree
able in his conversation, he will not fail to lay aside all his
civilities and good manners, when his avarice tells him he may
get something by doing so ; and, on the contrary, when he has
received some injury, when some insult has been offered him,
which is a just ground of resentment, you may see, in an
instant, his wrath is removed, and all his vehemence abated,
in hope of a little money offered to appease him, or in fear of
a small expense to gratify his resentment. If an object of
public joy or sorrow offer itself to his view, simply considering
it in a general view, he will be glad or sorry, according to the
nature of the thing in question ; but should this occasion of
public joy interest him ever so little, or in any manner preju
dice his pretensions, all on a sudden you will see all his joy
turned into sorrow. In like manner, when a public calamity
gives him an opportunity of gaining any thing, all his sorrow
is turned into joy. If he ardently loves any one, he will love
him no longer, if he begin to cost him any thing ; avarice will
turn all his love into indifference and coldness. If reason and
common honesty oblige him to be of a party who have justice
on their side, he will maintain and even exaggerate their
rights, and defend the equity of them, while his purse is not
engaged: engage his purse, and it is no longer the same
thing: what was just is become now unjust to him, he has
quickly whys and howevers in his mouth but, however, we
were mistaken in such a point why should we be obstinate in
such or such a thing ? &c.

In fine, his avarice gives the colour and tint to every subject,
it is the sole rule and measure, it makes things good or bad,

364

AN ESSAY ON THE

just or unjust, reasonable or unreasonable, according to its
pleasure-: crimes are no longer crimes, if they agree with
avarice ; virtues are no longer virtues, when they oppose it :
she reigns over the ideas of a miser s mind and the emotions
of his heart, sole arbitress in the judgments of his mind, sole
directress in the consultations of his heart, sole governess of
all his passions. Aristotle s definition of nature can be no
where better applied, she is the principle of motion and of
rest : for she does all that the centurion in the Gospel did ;
she says to one, Go, and he goeth ; to another, Come, and he
cometh, Do this, and he doeth it ; yea, she goes farther than
the centurion went ; for she says, Pause, and all things pause,
Cease, and all things cease to be h .

IV.

OBSERVE THE RELATION OF ONE SUBJECT TO ANOTHER.

For example, always when in Scripture God is called a
Father, the relation of that term to children is evident, and
we are obliged not only to remark the paternal inclinations
which are in God towards us, and the advantages which we
receive from his love, but also the duties to which we are
bound as children of such a Father. The same may be said of
all these expressions of Scripture, " God is our God," we are
" his people" he is our " portion," we are his " heritage "-
he is our " master," we are his " servants" he is our " king,"
we are the " subjects of his kingdom" he is our " prophet or
teacher," we are his " disciples" with many more of the same
kind. When we meet with such single and separate, they
must be discussed in relation to one another, and this relation
must be particularly considered. Thus, when the "kingdom"
of God, or of Jesus Christ, is spoken of, all things relative to
this kingdom must be considered as, its laws arms throne
crown subjects extent of dominion palace where the
king resides, &c. So when our mystical " marriage" with Jesus
Christ is spoken of, whether it be where he is called a bride
groom, or his Church a bride, you should, after you have ex
plained these expressions, turn your attention to relative things
as the love of Jesus Christ to us, which made him consent to

h These seven heads might, as in the foregoing instance, have been reduced
to three. Avarice, 1. Perverts our judgment ; 2. Destroys our happiness;
3. Is incompatible with true religion.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

this mystical marriage the dowry, that we bring him, our
sins and miseries the communication, which he makes to us,
both of his name and benefits the rest, that he grants us in
his house, changing our abode the banquet at his divine
nuptials the inviolable fidelity which he requires of us
the right and power he acquires over us the defence and
protection which he engages to afford us: but when these
relative things are discussed, great care must be taken neither
to insist on them too much, nor to descend to mean ideas, nor
even to treat of them one after another, in form of a parallel ;
for nothing is more tiresome than treating these apart, and one
after another. They must, then, be associated together ; a
body composed of many images must be formed ; and the
whole must be always animated with the sensible, and the
spiritual. I think a preacher ought to content himself with
making one single observation, or, at the most, two, in case
the relative things are too numerous to be collected into one
point of view. In such a case, you must endeavour to reduce
them to two classes, but in two different orders ; and always
make the difference perceptible, so that it may not be said
you have made two observations of what was naturally but one.

OBSERVE WHETHER SOME THINGS BE NOT SUPPOSED,
WHICH ARE NOT EXPRESSED.

This is a source of invention different from the former; for
the former is confined to things really relative ; but this speaks
in general of things supposed, which have no relation to eacli
other. For example, when we speak of a change, what they
call the terminus a quo necessarily supposes the terminus ad
quern ; and the terminus ad quern supposes the terminus
a quo.

A covenant supposes two contracting parties a reconcilia
tion effected, or a peace made, supposes war and enmity a
victory supposes enemies, arms, and a combat life supposes
death, and death life the day supposes night, and the night
day : sometimes there are propositions, which necessarily sup
pose others, either because they are consequences, depending
on their principles, or because they are truths naturally con
nected with others. It is always very important to under
stand well what things are supposed in a text ; for sometimes

366 AN ESSAY ON THE

several useful considerations may be drawn from them, and
not unfrequently the very expressions in the text include them.
For example, Rom. xii. 17: " Recompense to no man
evil for evil." In discussing this text, you may very properly
observe the truths, which are implied, or supposed in the
words ; as, 1 . The disorder into which sin has thrown man
kind, so that men are exposed to receive injuries and insults
from each other. A society of sinners is only a shadow of
society ; they are actually at war with each other, and, like
the Midianitish army, turning every one his sword against his
companion. The spirit of the world is a spirit of dispersion
rather than of association. Different interests, diversities of
sentiments, varieties of opinions, contrarieties of passions, make
a perpetual division ; and the fruits of this division are insults
and injuries. It may be said of each in such societies, as of
Ishmael in the prophecy, " His hand is against every man, and
every man s hand against him."

2. We must not imagine that faith, and the dignity of a
Christian calling, raise the disciple of Christ above injuries:
on the contrary, they expose him oftener to evils than others ;
as well because God himself will have our faith tried, that we
may arrive at heaven through many tribulations, as because a
Christian profession necessarily divides believers from infidels.
The world and sin form a kind of communion between the
wicked and worldly, which produces a mutual forbearance and
friendship : but there is no communion between a believer and
an unbeliever, any more than between light and darkness,
Christ and Belial. Thence come all the persecutions of the
Church, and thence will good men continue to meet with
opposition from the wicked, to the end of time. Jesus Christ,
when he sent his Apostles, did not fail to apprize them of this :
he said, " I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves ;"
and again, " If ye were of the world, the world would love his
own ; but because ye are not of the world, therefore the world
hateth you."

You may make an observation on each of these supposed
truths; and, having established the Apostle s precept, by
shewing that private revenge is contrary to the laws of Chris
tianity, and incompatible with true piety, you may observe a
third supposed truth:

3. That the Gospel not only forbids resentment and re
venge ; it even commands us to pardon offences ; and, farther,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 367

obligeth us to do good to our enemies, and to pray for our
persecutors, according to the precept of Jesus Christ, " Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them
that despitefully use you :" and, according to the doctrine of
St. Paul in another place, " If thine enemy hunger, feed him ;
if he thirst, give him drink."

It remains that you take care, in treating supposed truths,

1. Not to fetch them too far, or to bring them about by
long circuits of reasoning. Avoid this for two reasons : first,
because you would render your discourse obscure by it ; for
every body is not capable of seeing truths, which are very
distant from the text : and, secondly, because by this means
you might bring in all the whole body of divinity into your
text ; which attempt would be vicious, and contrary to the
rules of good sense. Of supposed truths, you must choose the
most natural, and those which lie nearest the text.

In the 2d place, do not enlarge on implied truths : it is
proper, indeed, that hearers should know them ; but they are
not principal articles.

And, 3dly, take care also that these supposed things be
important, either for instruction in general, or for casting light
particularly on the text, or for consolation, or for the correc
tion of vice, or practice of piety, or some useful purpose ;
otherwise you would deliver trifling impertinencies under the
name of implied truths.

VI.

REFLECT ON THE PERSON SPEAKING OR ACTING.

For an example, let us take the last-mentioned text of St.
Paul, " Recompense to no man evil for evil." Here you may
very pertinently remark, 1. That this precept is more beautiful
in the mouth of St. Paul than it could have been in that of
any other man. The reason is this ; he, of all the men in the
world, had the greatest reason for resentment upon worldly
principles ; for never was there a man more persecuted, never
a man more unjustly persecuted than he ; he was persecuted
by his own countrymen the Jews, persecuted by the Gentiles,
persecuted by false brethren, persecuted by false apostles,
persecuted when he preached the Gospel, persecuted even by
those for whose salvation he was labouring, persecuted to
prison, to banishment, to bonds, to blood ; how amiable, then,

368

AN ESSAY ON THE

is such a precept in the mouth of such a man ! How forcible
is such a precept, supported by one of the greatest examples
we can conceive ! by the example of a man whose interest
seems to dictate a quite contrary practice ! When we give
such precepts to the worldly, they never fail to say to us, Yes,
yes ! you talk finely ! you have never been insulted as we
have ! had you met with what we have, you would talk other
wise ! But there is no reason to say so to St. Paul, any more
than to Jesus Christ, his Master, the Author of this divine
morality ; for who was ever so persecuted as Jesus Christ ?
and, after him, who suffered more than his servant St. Paul ?

2. You may also very properly remark, that, to take a dif
ferent view of the Apostle Paul, no man was more obliged to
teach and love such a morality than himself. Why ? Because
of all those, whom God, in his ineffable mercy, had called to
the knowledge of the truth, he had been the most concerned
in cruel efforts of rage against God and his Church ; all
inflamed with fury, he went from Jerusalem to Damascus, to
ravage the flock of Jesus Christ. In this raging violence of
his hatred, God made him feel his love, pardoned his sins,
softened his heart, and from heaven cried to him, " Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me ?" Who, then, could be more obliged
to preach mercy than this man, to whom God had shewed so
much mercy ? Might he not say, when he gave these rules of
morality, what he said on another subject, " I have received
of the Lord that which I deliver unto you ;" I have received
the same mercy which I teach you. Add to this, the Apostle
had not only met with pardoning love to an enemy on God s
part, but he had also experienced it from the Church. Far
from rendering him evil for evil, far from avenging his perse
cutions, the disciples of Christ reached out the arms of their
love to him, received him into their communion, and num
bered him with the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

VII.

REFLECT ON THE STATE OF THE PERSONS SPEAKING OR

ACTING.

Thus, in explaining 1 Thess. v. 16, " Rejoice evermore,"
you must not fail to consider the state of St. Paul, when he
wrote that epistle ; for he was at Athens, engaged in that
superstitious city, where, as it is said in the seventeenth

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 369

of Acts, his spirit was "stirred in him," observing " the city
wholly given to idolatry ;" where he was treated as " a babbler,
a setter forth of strange gods," and where, in short, he was the
object of Athenian ridicule and raillery. Yet, amid so many
just causes of grief, he exhorts the Thessalonians always to
preserve their spiritual joy ; not that he meant to render them
insensible to the evils which he suffered, nor to the afflictions
of the new-born Church ; but because our spiritual afflictions,
I mean those which we suffer for the glory of God and the
good of his Church, are not incompatible with peace and joy
of conscience: on the contrary, it is particularly in these
afflictions that God gives the most lively joys, because then he
bestows on his children more abundant measures of his grace,
and more intimate communion with himself. Moreover, on
these sad occasions we generally become better acquainted
with the providence of God, we feel an assurance that nothing
happens without his order, and that, happen what will, " all
things work together for good to them that love God." This
gives us true rest, a joy which nothing is capable of dis
turbing.

VIII.

REMARK THE TIME OF A WORD OR ACTION.

For example, St. Paul, in his first Epistle to Timothy,
requires, that in the public services of the Church, prayers
should be made for " all men ;" but " first for kings, and for
those that were in authority." Here it is very natural to remark
the time. It was when the Church and the Apostles were
every where persecuted ; when the faithful were the objects
of the hatred and calumny of all mankind, and, in particular,
of the cruelty of these tyrants. Yet none of this rough treat
ment could stop the course of Christian charity. St. Paul
not only requires every believer to pray for all men ; but he
would have it done in public, that all the world might know
the maxims of Christianity, always kind, patient, and bene
volent. Believers consider themselves as bound in duty to all
men, though men do nothing to oblige them to it. He was
aware, malicious slanderers would call this worldly policy and
human prudence, and would say, Christians only meant to
natter the great, and to court their favour; yet even this
calumny does not prevent St. Paul ; he orders them to pray

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370 AN ESSAY ON THE

publicly, and first, for civil governors. We ought always to
discharge our duty, and, for the rest, submit to the unjust
accounts that men give of our conduct.

IX.

OBSERVE PLACE.

St. Paul says to the Philippians, " Forgetting the things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus." The place where he writes
this, furnishes a very beautiful consideration. He was then
in prison at Rome, loaded with chains, and deprived of his
liberty; yet he speaks as if he were as much at liberty as any
man in the world ; as able to act as he pleased, and to dispose
of himself as ever : he talks of having entered a course, run
ning a race, forgetting things behind, pressing tow r ard those
that were before, and, in short, of hoping to gain a prize ; all
these are actions of a man enjoying full liberty. How could
he, who was in prison, be at the same time on a race-course ?
how could he run, who was loaded with irons? how could he
hope to win a prize, who every day expected a sentence of
death ? But it is not difficult to reconcile these things : his
bonds and imprisonment did not hinder the course of his faith
and obedience. His prison was converted into an agreeable
stadium, and death for the Gospel might well be considered
under the image of a complete victory ; for a martyr gains an
unfading crown as a reward of his sufferings.

CONSIDER THE PERSONS ADDRESSED.

Let us again take St. Paul s words for an example : " Re
compense to no man evil for evil," Rom. xii. 17. They, to
whom the Apostle addressed these words, were Romans, whose
perpetual maxim was violently to revenge public injuries, and
totally to destroy those who intended to destroy them, or had
offered them any affronts; witness the Carthaginians and
Corinthians. They totally destroyed Carthage, because she
had carried her arms into Italy by Hannibal s means, and had
been upon the point of ruining Rome. Corinth they sacked
and burnt for having affronted their ambassadors. You may

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 371

also remark this particular circumstance ; that, although the
Romans had succeeded in avenging their injuries, and the
empire owed its grandeur to such excesses, yet their success
did not hinder the Apostle from saying, " Recompense to no
man evil for evil;" because neither examples nor successes
ought to be the rules of our conduct, but solely the will of
God and the law of Christianity.

XI.

EXAMINE THE PARTICULAR STATE OF PERSONS ADDRESSED.

For example, " Recompense to no man evil for evil,"
St. Paul writes to Romans ; but to Roman Christians, who
saw themselves hated and persecuted by their fellow-citizens,
and, in general, abused by the whole world. Yet, however
reasonable resentment might appear at first sight, the Apostle
would not have them obey such passions as the light of
reason, the instinct of nature, and the desire of their own
preservation, might seem to excite: he exhorted them to
leave vengeance to God, and advised them only to follow the
dictates of love. The greatest persecutors of the primitive
Christians were the Jews, on whom the Roman Christians
could easily have avenged themselves under various pretexts ;
for the Jews were generally hated and despised by all other
nations, and nothing could be easier than to avail themselves
of that public hatred to which the religion of the Jews exposed
them. Nevertheless, St. Paul not only says in general, " Ren
der not evil for evil ;" but, in particular, " Recompense to no
man evil for evil;" as if he had said, do not injure those on
whom you could most easily avenge yourselves ; hurt not the
most violent enemies of the name of Jesus Christ, and of the
Christian profession; not even those who have crucified your
Saviour, and every day strive to destroy his Gospel.

XII.

CONSIDER THE PRINCIPLES OF A WORD OR ACTION.

For example, John v. 14: " Behold, thou art made whole,
sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." This was the
language of Jesus Christ to the man whom he had just before
healed of an infirmity of thirty-eight years standing. Him
Jesus now found in the temple. It is not imaginable that this

BB 2

372 AN ESSAY ON THE

meeting was fortuitous, and unforeseen to Jesus Christ : his
providence, no doubt, conducted the man that way, directed
him to the temple, whither he himself went to seek him. Ex
amine, then, upon what principles Jesus Christ went to seek
this miserable sinner; and you will find, 1. He went in great
love to the poor man : he went in that same benevolence which
inclined him to do good to all who had need, and in every
place that he honoured with his presence. Jesus was, as it
were, a public source of benefits ; his hands every where be
stowed beneficent gifts, and he even sought occasions when
they did not present themselves. 2. He went by an engage
ment of ancient love, which he had made on behalf of this
paralytic : his second favour flowed from his first ; nor would
he leave his work imperfect. Thus, it is said, in regard to his
Disciples, " Having loved his own, which were in the world,
he loved them to the end." The bounty of Jesus Christ re
sembles that of his eternal Father, who calls, justifies, and, in
the end, glorifies those whom he first predestinated : and on
this, as on one of the principal foundations, St. Paul esta-
blisheth our hope for the future ; " God having begun a good
work in us, will perform it to the day of Christ:" and else
where, " God is faithful, who hath called you to the fellowship
of his Son." 3. It was by a principle of wisdom and fore
knowledge, that Jesus Christ sought this paralytic patient in
the temple, in order to teach him his duty, to furnish him
with the means of doing it, and to give him a more particular
knowledge of the Friend who had healed him ; for he well knew
that a tender faith, such as that of this man was, had need of
fresh and continual aid, as a young plant needs a prop to
support it against winds and storms.

In like manner, if you had to examine these words of Jesus
Christ to the Samaritan woman, " Go and call thy husband,"
(John iv.) you might examine the intention of Jesus Christ in
this expression. He did not speak thus because he was igno
rant what sort of a life this woman lived : he knew that, to
speak properly, she had no husband. It was then, 1. A word
of trial ; for the Lord said this to give her an opportunity
of making a free confession, " I have no husband." 2. It was
also a word of kind reproof ; for he intended to convince her of
the sin in which she lived. 3. It was also a word of grace ;
for the censure tended to the woman s consolation. 4. It was,
farther, a word of wisdom ,- for our Lord intended to take

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

occasion at this meeting to discover himself to her, and more
clearly to convince her that he had a perfect knowledge of all
the secrets of her life ; as he presently proved, by saying,
" Thou hast well said, I have no husband ; for thou hast had
five husbands, and he whom thou hast now is not thy husband."
Were you going to explain the ninth verse of the first of
Acts, where it is said, " When Jesus was taken up, his Dis
ciples beheld him," it would be proper to remark the sentiments
of the Disciples in that moment, and to shew from what prin
ciples proceeded that attentive and earnest looking after their
Divine Master, while he ascended to heaven.

XIII.

CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES.

Thus, when you explain the doctrine of God s mercy, it is
expedient (at least sometimes) to remark the good and lawful
uses which we ought to make of it. These uses are, to re
nounce ourselves to be sensible of our infinite obligations to
God, who pardons so many sins with so much bounty to
consecrate ourselves entirely to his service, as persons over
whom he has acquired a new right and to labour incessantly
for his glory, in gratitude for what he has done for our sal
vation.

You may also observe the false and pernicious consequences
which ungrateful and wicked men, who sin that grace may
abound, pretend to derive from this doctrine. They say, We
are no longer to consider justice now we are under grace ; the
more we sin, the more God will be glorified in pardoning us
this mercy will endure all the time of our lives, and therefore
it will be enough to apply to it at the hour of death with
many more such false consequences, which must be both
clearly stated, and fully refuted.

It is much the same with the doctrine of the efficacious
grace of the Holy Ghost in our conversion ; for the just and
lawful consequences which are drawn from it, are, 1. That
such is the greatness of our depravity, it can be rectified only
by Almighty aid ; 2. That we should be humble, because there
is nothing good in us ; 3. That we should ascribe all the glory
of our salvation to God, who is the only author of it ; 4. That
we must adore the depths of the great mercy of our God, who
freely gave his Holy Spirit to convert us.

374

AN ESSAY ON THE

You must remark at the same time the abuses and false
consequences which insidious sophisters draw from this doc
trine ; as, that since the conversion of men is by the almighty
power of God, it is needless to preach his word, and to address
to them, on God s part, exhortations, promises, and threat-
enings that it is in vain to tell a sinner it is his duty to turn
to God, as without efficacious grace (which does not depend
upon the sinner) he cannot do it that it has a tendency to
make men negligent about their salvation to tell them it does
not depend on their power. These, and such like abuses,
must be proposed and solidly refuted.

Moreover, this method must be taken when you have occa
sion to treat of the doctrines of election and reprobation the
propitiatory sacrifice of Christ s blood and, in general, almost
all religious subjects require it ; for there is not one of them
all which is not subject to use and abuse. Take care, however,
when you propose these good and bad consequences, that you
do it properly, and when an occasion naturally presents itself;
for were they introduced with any kind of affectation and
force, it must be disagreeable.

In general, then, this way of good and bad consequences
ought to be used when there is reason to fear some may infer
bad consequences, and when they seem to flow from the text
itself; for in this case they ought to be prevented and refuted,
and contrary consequences opposed against them.

XIV.

REFLECT ON THE END PROPOSED IN AN EXPRESSION OR
AN ACTION.

Although this is not very different from the way of prin
ciples, of which we have already spoken, yet it may afford a
variety in discussing them.

If, for example, you were speaking of justification, in the
sense in which St. Paul taught it, you must observe the ends
which the Apostle proposed, as, 1. To put a just difference
between Jesus Christ and Moses, the Law and the Gospel, and
to shew against those who would blend them together, and so
confound both in one body of religion, that they cannot be so
united. 2. To preserve men from that Pharisaical pride which
reigned among the Jews, who " sought to establish their own
righteousness, and not the righteousness of God. 3. To take
away such inadequate remedies as the law, by way of shadow,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 375

exhibited for the expiation of sins, as sacrifices and purifica
tions ; as well as those which Pagan superstition proposed,
such as washing in spring water, offering victims to their gods,
&c. 4f. To bring men to the true and only atonement for sin,
which is the blood of Jesus Christ.

XV.

CONSIDER WHETHER THERE BE ANY THING REMARKABLE
IN THE MANNER OF THE SPEECH OR ACTION.

For example; " In all these things we are more than con
querors through him that loved us." Rom. viii. 37. You may
remark, that there is a more than ordinary force in these
words, " more than conquerors;" for they express an heroical
triumph. He does not simply say, We bear our trials with
patience ; he not only says, We shall conquer in this conflict ;
but he affirms, " We are more than conquerors." It is much
that faith resists trials without being oppressed ; it is more to
conquer these trials after a rude combat; but to affirm, the
believer shall be more than a conqueror, is as much as to say,
he shall conquer without a combat, and triumph without re
sistance; it is as much as to say, he shall make trials the
matter of his joy and glory, (as the Apostle says, " We glory
in tribulation,") considering them not as afflictions and sorrows,
but as divine honours and favours. This was also the Apostle s
mind when he wrote to the Philippians, " Unto you it is given
in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to
suffer for his sake." He considers sufferings as gifts of the
liberality of God, for which the faithful are obliged to be
thankful. So in this other passage, " I am persuaded that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
You may here remark the heroism and magnanimity of
St. Paul. His faith seems to defy all the powers of nature.
He assembles them all life death angels, &c. to triumph
over them, and to exult in their defeat. This language marks
a full persuasion of the favour of God, and an invincible con
fidence in his love.

Such remarks as these may be made upon many expressions
of Jesus Christ, wherein are discovered dignity and majesty,

376 AN ESSAY ON THE

which cannot belong to any mere creature; as when he says,
" Before Abraham was, I am." " Whilst I am in the world,
I am the light of the world." " All mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I am glorified in them." " Ye believe in God,
believe also in me." " Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will I do." There are many passages of the same kind.

XVI.

COMPARE WORDS AND ACTIONS WITH SIMILAR WORDS AND

ACTIONS.

The Evangelist speaks of the things " that Jesus began to do
and to teach," Acts i. 1. Now he says the same of Moses,
" He was mighty in words and in deeds," Acts vii. 22. Here
you may observe, that these two things joined together, doing
and teaching, are distinguishing characters of a true prophet,
who never separates practice from doctrine. You may then
make an edifying comparison between Moses and Jesus Christ :
both did and taught; but there was a great difference between
the teaching of one and that of the other. One taught justice,
the other mercy one abased, the other exalted one terrified,
the other comforted. There was also a great difference be
tween the deeds of the one, and those of the other. Most of
the miracles of Moses were miracles of destruction, insects,
frogs, hail, and others of the same kind, with which he chas
tised the Egyptians. But the miracles of Jesus Christ were
always miracles of benevolence, raising the dead, giving sight
to the blind, &c.

So again, when the infidelity of the Jews, in rejecting the
Messiah, is discussed, you may examine their prejudices and
their maxims, as they are narrated in the Gospel ; and these
you may compare with those of the Church of Rome in re
jecting the reformation ; for they are very much alike.

So again, when you consider St. Paul s answers to the
objections of the Jews, who pleaded that they were the people
of God, and that his covenant belonged to Abraham and his
posterity, you may observe, that these answers are like ours
to the Roman Church, when they affirm they are the Church
of God. As the Apostle distinguished two Israels, one after
the flesh, and the other after the Spirit, so we distinguish two
churches ; one, which is only so in outward profession before
men, possessing the pulpits, the churches, and the schools ;

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 377

and the other, which is the Church in the sight of God, having
a holy doctrine, and a lively faith. These answer precisely to
the Apostle s Israel after the flesh, and Israel after the Spirit.
As the Apostle applies the promises of God, and their accom
plishment, not to Israel after the flesh, but to the Israelites
after the Spirit, so we also apply the promises which God has
made to his Church, not to those who occupy the pulpits, the
churches, and the schools, but to them who believe and prac
tise the pure doctrine of the Gospel. As St. Paul defines the
true people of God to be those whom God, by his electing love,
hath taken from among men, so we define the true Church by
the same electing grace, maintaining that the Lord has made
all the excellent promises, with which Scripture abounds,
to his elect only ; and that his elect are such as he has chosen
according to his good pleasure, without any regard to parti
cular places, conditions, or qualifications among men.

XVII.

REMARK THE DIFFERENCES OF WORDS AND ACTIONS ON
DIFFERENT OCCASIONS.

When a weak scrupulosity or a tenderness of conscience
was in question, which put some of the faithful upon eating
only herbs, St. Paul exhorted the strong to bear the infir
mities of the weak ; " Let not him that eateth despise him that
eateth not; and let not him which eateth not, judge him that
eateth ; for God hath received him." Rom. xiv. 3. But when
the same St. Paul speaks of false teachers, who wanted to
impose a yoke on conscience, and who, under pretext of meats
and days, were attempting to join Moses with Jesus Christ,
as if Christians were yet obliged to observe the ceremonial
law; then the Apostle has no patience with them, but con
demns and anathematizes them, as people who preached an
other Gospel, and exhorts the faithful to " stand fast in the
liberty wherewith Christ had made them free, and not to be
entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Gal. v. 1.

So again, when you find in the Gospel that Jesus Christ
sometimes forbad his Disciples to publish the miracles that he
wrought, and to declare his divinity, and, at other times, that
he ordered them to publish upon the house-tops what they
had heard in private, and to preach to all nations the mys
teries of his kingdom, you must remark, that this difference is

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AN ESSAY ON THE

owing to different occasions. While Jesus Christ was upon
earth, the mysteries of his kingdom were covered with the
veil of his humiliation, it being necessary in some sense to
conceal them ; but after his exaltation, it became proper to
publish them to the whole earth.

The same diversity may be remarked in what the Lord
Jesus said to the Canaanitish woman that he was " only sent
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ;" and that it was " not
meet to give the children s bread to dogs." This seems con
trary to an almost infinite number of passages of Scripture,
which affirm, Jesus Christ is " the light of the Gentiles;"
" to him shall the gathering of the people be." These, and
all other such passages, will perfectly agree, if you distinguish
time and occasion. While Jesus Christ was upon earth, he
was " the minister of the circumcision," as St. Paul speaks ;
that is, his personal ministerial commission was only to the
Jews : but when he was exalted to glory, his ministry ex
tended over the whole earth.

XVIII.

CONTRAST WORDS AND ACTIONS.

Thus you may oppose the agonies and terrors which seized
Jesus Christ at the approach of death, against the constancy
and joy of the martyrs, who flew to martyrdom as to a
victory. This contrariety of emotions is accounted for by the
difference of the persons. Jesus Christ was the Mediator
of men towards God, bearing their sins, and engaging with
the eternal justice of his Father : but the martyrs were be
lievers, reconciled to God, fighting under Christ s banner,
and, as mystical soldiers, maintaining his righteous claims.
One was filled with a sense of God s wrath against men : the
others were filled with a sense of his love. Christ met death
as an armed enemy, and as one who, till that time, had a
right to triumph over mankind : but martyrs approached him
as a vanquished enemy, or rather as an enemy reconciled,
who, having changed his nature, was become favourable to
men. In one word, Jesus Christ was at war with death ;
whereas death was at peace and in friendship with the
martyrs.

In general, we may affirm, that contrast is one of the most
beautiful topics of Christian rhetoric, and that which furnishes

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 3 tV

the most striking illustrations. Great care, however, must
be taken that the oppositions be natural, easy to comprehend,
and properly placed in a full clear light.

XIX.

EXAMINE THE GROUNDS, OR CAUSES OF AN ACTION OR AN
EXPRESSION; AND SHEW THE TRUTH OR EQUITY OF IT.

For example, When the incarnation of Jesus Christ is in
question, as in this text, " The Word was made flesh," you
may recur to the foundations of this truth, as revealed in
Scripture, in order to shew that a divine Person did take upon
him real true humanity, in opposition to the notions of some
ancient heretics, who imagined that the human nature of
Christ was only apparent. For this purpose you must look
into the ancient prophecies for such passages as attribute two
natures, the human and divine, to the one person of the
Messiah. To the same purpose you may also apply New
Testament texts, which speak of the same subject ; and you
may farther observe such reasons of this singular economy as
theology furnisheth, and which are taken from the design of
our salvation.

In like manner, when you treat of the resurrection of Christ,
or his ascension to heaven, you must take this topic, and shew
the fidelity and credibility of the testimony borne by his
Apostles. Your argument may be established by observing
what followed his resurrection and ascension ; as the effusion
of the Spirit, the abolition of the empire of the devil and his
idols, the conversion of whole nations to the worship of the
one true God, miracles, prophecies, &c.

The same method is proper when some predictions are your
subjects; as the destruction of Jerusalem, and the rejection of
the Jews : for you may either narrate history to shew the
execution, or you may reason upon the subject to shew how
wonderful the divine wisdom was in that dispensation : the
whole will evince the truth of the predictions.

I said also, the grounds and causes of an action or expression
might be examined, to shew the equity and truth of either.
This principally takes place when any thing surprising and
uncommon is in question, for such things at first seem to shock
the minds of auditors; or when you are pressing home an
exhortation to the practice of any duty which cannot be

380

AN ESSAY ON THE

performed without difficulty. For example : The Pharisees com
plain in the Gospel, that the Disciples of Christ did not keep
the traditions of the elders. In order to justify the Disciples,
shew the foundations of Christian liberty ; and remark, that
the true worship of God does not consist in the observation of
external ceremonies, much less in the observation of human
traditions and customs ; but it consists of true piety, real
inward holiness, and actual obedience to the commandments
of God.

So again, when Jesus Christ, after he had healed the
paralytic man, commanded him to sin no more, Less a worse
thing should come unto him. You must go to the grounds of
the expression to shew its equity. Now these are, that some
sins had drawn the wrath of God upon him before that, if
he continued in them, that wrath would certainly return that
the favours which we receive from God engage us to glorify
him by good works, &c. This topic is of great use in explain
ing the commandments of the law, the equity of which must
be made to appear; for it must be proved that they are all
founded in nature, and have an inviolable fitness in the order
of things.

In short, it is proper to take this method, with all exhorta
tions to piety, charity, &c. which are found in Scripture. In
order to persuade people to the practice of them, their fitness
must be shewed, by opening the grounds, reasons, and prin
ciples of our obligations to the practice of all these virtues.

XX.

REMARK THE GOOD AND BAD IN EXPRESSIONS AND ACTIONS.

This topic is of very great use in explaining the histories
recorded in the Gospel, where you will frequently find actions
and words which may be called mixed; because, in general,
they proceed from some good principles, and, in particular,
they have a good deal of weakness and infirmity in them. If
you would explain Matt. xvi. 22, " Then Peter took him and
began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord ; this
shall not be unto thee ;" you may observe what there is good,
and what bad, in this expression of St. Peter. 1. You see
herein his love to his Master ; for his not being able to bear
the discourse of Jesus Christ concerning his sufferings at Jeru
salem could only proceed from his ardent affection to him.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 381

2. Herein appears not that cold and lukewarm regard which
most men have for one another, but a most lively affection,
interesting him for his Master ; an affection full of tenderness,
which could not even bear to hear a word, or entertain a
thought, about the death of Jesus Christ. 3. You may ob
serve an honest freedom, which put him upon freely addressing
Jesus Christ himself, using that familiar access which his con
descension allowed his disciples, without a mixture of mean
and despicable timidity. 4. You see, in fine, a strong faith in
his Master s power, as by addressing him he seems persuaded
that it depended only on himself to suffer or not to suffer ;
" Lord, be it far from thee ; this shall not be unto thee."
Now all these are good dispositions. Here follow the bad
ones. 1. Peter discovers gross ignorance of the ways of divine
wisdom in sending Jesus Christ into the world; for he does
not seem yet to know that Jesus Christ must needs suffer: and
with this ignorance the Lord reproaches him in the next verse,
" Thou savourest not the things which are of God, but those
which are of men." 2. His love to his Master had something
merely human and carnal in it, since he only considered the
preservation of his temporal life, and concerned himself only
about his body, instead of elevating his mind to that superior
glory of Jesus Christ, which was to follow his sufferings, or
considering the great work of man s salvation, to perform which
he came into the world. 3. You may also remark a trouble
some and criminal boldness. He means to be wiser than Jesus
Christ. " Peter took him," says the Evangelist, " and began
to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee." Rash attempt!
as if Peter were called into the council of God and Jesus
Christ his Son, to give his opinion concerning this grand affair.
4. It even seems as if Peter, hearing Christ speak of his suf
ferings, imagined this discourse proceeded only from his fear of
death, and from a mean timidity ; for he aims to encourage
and comfort him as we do persons whose fears exceed the
bounds of reason. " Lord !" says he, " be it far from thee;
this shall not be to thee :" as if he had said to him, Do not
afflict yourself, your apprehensions of death are groundless,
nothing of this is like to happen to you.

AN ESSAY ON THE

XXI.

SUPPOSE THINGS.

This topic is principally used in controversy. For example :
When you are speaking of the merit of good works, you may
take this way of supposition, and say, Let us suppose that
Jesus Christ and his Apostles held the doctrines of the Church
of Rome, and that they believed men merited eternal life by
their good works : let us suppose that they intended to teach
us this doctrine in the Gospels and Epistles. Tell me, I be
seech you, if upon this supposition (which is precisely what our
adversaries pretend) they ought to have affirmed what they
have. Tell me, pray, do you believe yourself well and suffi
ciently instructed in the doctrine of the merit of good works,
when you are told, " When you have done all these things ye
are unprofitable servants?" Again, when the example of a
miserable Publican is proposed to you, who prays, " God
be merciful to me a sinner!" who smites his breast, and
dares not lift his eyes to heaven ; when he is placed in oppo
sition to a Pharisee glorying in his works : and when you are
informed, the first " went down to his house justified rather
than the other" when you are told, " if it be by grace, it is
no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace ; if it be
by works, it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more
work" when you are told, "you are saved by grace through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" when
you are assured, you are "justified freely by grace, through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, not of works, lest any
man should boast" when you hear, that " to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness" when you are taught
to believe " the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life" tell me, I once more entreat yon, can you per
suade yourself that Jesus Christ and his Apostles, by all these
means, intended to teach you, that man acquires justification,
and a right to eternal life, by the merit of his works ?

You may also make such suppositions in morality as well as
in controversy, in order to give greater weight to your exhor
tations.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 383

XXII.
GUARD AGAINST OBJECTIONS.

There are very few texts of Scripture where this topic may
not be made use of; and it is needless to mention examples,
they will occur to every one without much reflection.

Remark, however, objections must be natural and popular,
not far fetched, nor too philosophical ; in a word, they must
be such as it is absolutely necessary to observe and refute.

They must be proposed in a clear and simple style, without
rhetorical exaggerations : yet not unadorned nor unafFecting.

I think it is never advisable to state objections, and defer
the answers to them till another opportunity ; answer them
directly, forcibly, and fully.

Here it may be asked, whether, in stating objections to be
answered, it be proper to propose them altogether at once, and
then come to the answers ; or whether they should be pro
posed and answered one by one ? I suppose discretional good
sense must serve for both guide and law upon this subject.
If three or four objections regard only one part of the text, if
each may be proposed and answered in a few words, it would
not be amiss to propose these objections all together, distin
guishing them, however, by first second third ; this may be
done agreeably: but if these objections regard different parts
of the text, or different matters, if they require to be proposed
at full length, and if it would also take some time to answer
them, it would be impertinence to propose them all together :
in such a case they must be proposed and answered apart.

XXIII.

CONSIDER CHARACTERS OF MAJESTY MEANNESS INFIR
MITY NECESSITY UTILITY EVIDENCE, &C.

MAJESTY AND MAGNANIMITY.

Take an example of this from John xiv. 1 ; " Let not your
heart be troubled ; you believe in God, believe also in me."
These words are characterized by a majesty, which exalts Jesus
Christ above all ordinary pastors, and above all the prophets ;
for who beside the Son of God could say, " Ye believe in God,

384 AN ESSAY ON THE

believe also in me ? " These words equal Jesus Christ to the
eternal Father, and make him the object of our faith and con
fidence as well as the Father ; for they imply that faithful
souls may repose an entire confidence in his power, protection,
and government, and that the shadow of his wings will dissi
pate the sorrows of their minds, and leave no more room
for fear.

You see also a character of tenderness and infinite love
towards his disciples, which appears in the assurance with
which he inspires them, and in the promise which he tacitly
makes them, of always powerfully supporting, and never for
saking them. The same characters, or others like them, may
be observed in all this discourse of our Saviour, which goes on
to the end of the sixteenth chapter : as in these words, " I am
the way, the truth, and the life;" in these, " He that hath
seen me, Philip, hath seen the Father ;" in these, " Whatso
ever ye ask in my name, I will do it ;" and again, in these,
" I will not leave you orphans ; I will come to you." In
general, we see almost in every verse, majesty, tenderness, love
of holiness, confidence of victory, and other such characters,
which it is important to remark.

MEANNESS AND INFIRMITY.

You will very often observe characters of meanness and
infirmity in the words and actions of the disciples of Jesus
Christ: as when they asked him, "Wilt thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel ? " Acts i. 6. You see, even
after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they were full of that
low and carnal idea which they had entertained of a temporal
Messiah.

You also see a rash curiosity in their desiring to know the
times and seasons of those great events which God thought fit
to conceal.

Observe, again, Prter s vision. A great sheet was let down
from heaven, and filled with all sorts of animals ; a voice said
to him, " Rise, Peter, kill and eat ;" to which he answered,
" Not so, Lord ; for I have never eaten any thing that is com
mon and unclean." You see in this answer an over-scrupulous
conscience, all embarrassed with legal ceremonies ; and a very
defective imperfect knowledge of Gospel liberty.

There is almost an infinite number of texts in the New

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 385

Testament where such infirmities appear ; and you must not
fail to remark them, in order to prove 1. That grace is com
patible with much human weakness ; 2. That heavenly light
arises by degrees upon the mind, and that it is with the new
man as with the natural man, who is born an infant, lisps in his
childhood, and arrives at perfection insensibly and by little and
little; 3. That the strongest and farthest advanced Christians
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, since God himself
does not " break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking
flax." This he was pleased to exemplify in the most ample
manner, in the person of Jesus Christ, when he was upon earth.

NECESSITY.

In regard to necessity, you may very often remark this in
explaining the doctrines of religion ; as when you speak of the
mission of Jesus Christ into the world of his familiar conver
sation with men of his death resurrection and ascension
to heaven, &c. ; for you may not only consider the truth t but
also the necessity of each ; and by this mean open a most
beautiful field of theological argument and elucidation.

The same may be affirmed of sending the Comforter, that
is, the Holy Ghost, into the world ; in explaining these words,
" I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com
forter," John xiv. 16. You may very properly consider the
necessity of this Comforter ; either because without his light
and help we can never release ourselves from the bondage of
sin and Satan or because without his assistance all that Jesus
Christ has done in the economy of salvation would be entirely
useless to us. You may also observe the necessity of his
eternal abode with us ; because it is not enough to be once
converted by his efficacious power ; we need his continual
presence and efficacy, to carry on and finish the work of sanc-
tification ; otherwise we should quickly relapse into our first
condition.

UTILITY.

Where a thing does not appear absolutely necessary, you
may remark its utility; as, in some particular miracles of
Jesus Christ in some peculiar afflictions of the faithful in the
manner in which St. Paul was converted and in an infinite
number of subjects which present themselves to a preacher to
be discussed.

VOL. XXI. C C

AN ESSAY ON THE

EVIDENCE.

Evidence must be particularly pressed in articles which are
disputed, or which are likely to be controverted. For example :
Were you to treat of the second commandment, in opposition
to the custom and practice of worshipping images in the
Church of Rome, you should press the evidence of the words.
As, 1. It has pleased God to place this command not in some
obscure part of revelation, but in the moral law ; in that law,
every word of which he caused to proceed from the midst of
the flames. 2. He uses not only the term image, but likeness,
and specifies even the likenesses of all the things in the world,
of those which are " in heaven above," of those which are
" in the earth beneath," and of those which are " under the
the earth." 3. In order to prevent all the frivolous objections
of the human mind, he goes yet farther, not only forbidding
the worshipping of them, but also the making use of them in
any manner of way ; and, which is more, he even forbids the
making of them : " Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them.
Thou shalt not serve them. Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image," &c. 4. Add to all this, that the Lord
subjoined the highest interests to enforce it. He interested
herein his majesty, his covenant, and his infinite power ; " for,"
says he, " I am Jehovah thy God." He goes farther, and
interests his jealousy, that is, that inexorable justice, which
avenges affronts offered to his love. Yea, in order to touch
us still more sensibly, he even goes so far as to interest our
children, threatening us with that terrible wrath, which does
not end with the parents, but passes down to their posterity.
What could the Lord say more plainly and evidently, to shew
that he would suffer no image in his religious worship ? After
all this, is it not the most criminal presumption to undertake
to distinguish, in order to elude, the force of this command
ment ?

You may, if you choose, over and above all this, add Moses s
explication of this command in the fourth of Deuteronomy.

You may also use the same character of evidence when you
explain several passages which adversaries abuse ; as these
words, " This is my body, which is broken for you ;" and these
in the sixth of John, " Eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood;" and those passages also in St. James, which
speak of justification by works : for in treating these passages

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

387

in opposition to the false senses which the Church of Rome
gives of them, you must assemble many circumstances, and
place each in its proper light, so that all together they may
diffuse a great brightness upon the text, and clearly shew its
true sense.

XXIV.

REMARK DEGREES.

For example, Gal. i. " If we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed." After you have
remarked the extreme force and significancy of the words,
observe that the Apostle denounced an anathema twice, even
denouncing it against himself, should he ever be guilty of what
he condemns, denouncing it even against an angel from heaven
in the same case.

You must observe, the Apostle does not always use the
same vehemence when he speaks against error. In the four
teenth of the Epistle to the Romans, he contents himself
with calling those " weak in the faith" who would eat only
herbs, and exhorts the other believers to bear with them. In
the third chapter of the first to the Corinthians, he protests to
those who build with wood, hay, and stubble, upon Christ
the foundation, that their work should be burnt, but that
they should be saved, though it should be as by fire. In the
seventeenth of Acts, we are told, " his spirit was stirred"
when he saw the idolatry and superstition of the Athenians.
Elsewhere he says, " If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy." In all these there is a force ; but
nothing like what appears in these reiterated words, " Though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel to you
than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man
preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received,
let him be accursed." Why so ? because the Apostle speaks
here of an essential corruption of the Gospel, which the false
Apostles aimed at in the Churches of Galatia; they were
annihilating the grace of Christ by associating it with the
Mosaic economy ; they aimed at the entire ruin of the Church
by debasing the purity of the Gospel. In this case, the
conscience of this good man could contain no longer; he

cc 2

388

AN ESSAY ON THE

stretched his zeal and vehemence as far as possible; he
became inexorable, and pronounced anathemas ; nothing pre
vented him, neither the authority of the greatest men, no,
nor yet the dignity of the glorious angels : " If we, or an
angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel, let him be
accursed."

XXV.

OBSERVE DIFFERENT INTERESTS.

Thus, if you are explaining the miracle which Jesus Christ
wrought in the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, when he healed
the withered hand in the presence of the Herodians and
Pharisees, you may remark the different interests of the
spectators in that act of our Lord Jesus; for, on the one
hand, Moses and his religion seemed interested therein two
ways: 1. This miracle was done on a day in which Moses
had commanded them to do no manner of work. And,
2. This was done in a synagogue consecrated to the Mosaic
worship, so that it was in a manner insulting Moses in his
own house. Farther, the Herodians, who were particularly
attached to the person of Herod, either for political reasons,
or for some others unknown, were obliged to be offended ;
for this miracle had a tendency to prove Christ s Messiahship,
and thereby (as was commonly thought) his right to the
kingdom of Israel ; and, consequently, this must blacken the
memory of Herod, who endeavoured to kill him in his infancy.
The Pharisees were no less interested; for they considered
Christ as their reprover and enemy, and could not help
being very much troubled whenever they saw Jesus Christ
work a miracle. Observe the interest of our Lord Jesus
Christ; his concern was to do good, wherever he had an
opportunity, and to glorify God his Father, by confirming
the word of his Gospel by acts of infinite power. The poor
afflicted man had a double interest in it the healing of his
body, and the improvement of his mind.

Thus this action of Jesus Christ, having divers relations,
becomes, as it were, a point, whence many lines may be
drawn, one on this side, another on that; and hence arise the
different remarks which may be made upon it.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 38 ( J

XXVI.

DISTINGUISH DEFINE DIVIDE.

To speak properly, we distinguish when we consider a
thing in different views. As for example, Faith is consider
able, either objectively or subjectively. In the view of its
object, faith is the work of Jesus Christ ; his word and cross
produce it ; for take away the death of Jesus Christ, and there
is no more faith. His resurrection also is the cause of it ; " If
Jesus Christ be not risen, our faith is vain, we are yet in our
sins." But if you consider faith in regard to its subject, or, to
speak more properly, in regard to its efficient cause producing
it in the subject, it is the work of the Holy Ghost. So again (to
use the same example) faith may be considered with a view to
justification, or with a view to sanctification. In the first
view, it is opposed to works ; in the second, it is the principle
and cause of good works ; it contains them in summary and
abridgment.

Thus man may be considered with a view to civil society ;
so he is obliged to such and such duties, and partakes of such
and such advantages : or he may be considered with regard to
church fellowship; and so he is subject to other laws, and
enjoys other privileges. This custom of distinguishing into
different views is very common in preaching.

DEFINITION.

This is sometimes used when an act of God is spoken of, as
the pardon of our sins the justification of our persons, &c.~
or when a virtue or a vice is in question ; for then it may riot
be improper to define.

DIVISION.

This either regards different species of the genus, or dif
ferent parts of a whole ; and it may sometimes be used pro
fitably. Thus, in speaking of God s providence in general,
you may consider the extent of that providence ; to which are
subject, 1. Natural causes. 2. Contingent. 3. Independent.
4. Good and bad. 5. Great and small.

390 AN ESSAY ON THE

XXVII.
COMPARE THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TEXTS TOGETHER.

This is a very useful topic ; and it will often furnish very
beautiful considerations, if we know how to make a proper
use of it. For example, in this text of St. Paul to the
Romans, " There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit." You may make a very edifying comparison
between this last part, " who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit," with the first part, " There is no con
demnation;" and you may remark, that, in the one, the
Apostle expresses what God does in favour of the faithful,
and, in the other, what the faithful do for the glory of God.
God absolves them ; and they live holily, and devote them
selves to good works. God imposes holiness upon us in
justification; and justification is the parent of holiness: take
away justification, and there cannot possibly be any good
works; take away good works, and there is no more justi
fication.

You may also compare this last part with the condition in
which the believer is here considered ; he is " in Christ Jesus ;"
and remark that these two things perfectly agree together,
because Jesus Christ is the true cause of our justification ;
and sanctification is the principal effect of our communion
with Jesus Christ.

So again, in this beautiful passage in the second of Ephe-
sians ; " God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love where
with he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ: by grace are ye saved."
You may oppose and compare these two subjects in the text,
" dead in sin," and " rich in mercy," as being two extremes,
extreme misery and extreme mercy, one in us, and the other
in God. The greatness of our crimes manifests the riches of
God s mercy ; and the riches of his mercy absorb the greatness
of our crimes. Had our sins been less, it must indeed have
been mercy to pardon our sins, but not riches of mercy. If
God had been only lightly inclined to mercy, he might indeed
have pardoned smaller sins, but this would never have extended

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 391

to persons dead in their sins ; this belongs only to extraor
dinary and abounding mercy h .

CHAPTER VII.

OF TEXTS TO BE DISCUSSED IN A WAY OF CONTINUED
APPLICATIONS

WE have said there are two general ways of discussing a
text, that of explication, and that of observation. These two
ways of preaching we call textuary, because, in effect, they
keep to the text without digression, they regard it as the
subject matter of the whole discussion ; or, if you please, as
the field, which they have to cultivate, or to reap : but, beside
these, there is a third way, which is, without explaining or
making observations, the making of a continual application
of it, and the reducing of it immediately to practice.

In this manner we must principally manage texts exhorting
to holiness and repentance, as this of Zephaniah, " Examine
yourselves diligently, O nation not desirable ;" for instead of
explaining the terms, or making observations on the necessity of
the exhortation the prophet who spoke it the Jews to whom
it is addressed the description of the nation not desirable
the mercy of God in calling these sinners to repentance, &c.

h The Editor has omitted in this place a long discourse upon 1 Thess. iv. 7.
which Mr. Claude had subjoined with a view to exemplify the discussion of
a text by way of observations. But it was not altogether calculated to
answer the end proposed, because it exemplified very few of the preceding
topics, and those without any attention to their order, or any intimation what
topics he intended to exemplify. Though, therefore, the discourse con
tained, as every production of Mr. Claude s must, many striking and useful
sentiments, the reader, who seeks information respecting the Composition of
a Sermon, has no occasion to regret the omission of it; more especially as
the discourse was at least one-third as long as all the twenty-seven topics
taken together. To supply this defect, the Editor, who, from Mr. Claude s
failure, supposed at first that the object was unattainable, has been induced
to attempt it in four sketches upon The Gospel Message. They will be found
at the end of this Essay. It should be remembered, however, that these
topics are subject both to use and abuse. They are suggested in order to
aid invention ; but they require judgment and discretion in the use of them.
An observation of a learned writer on this subject deserves attention :
"Constat SCOPUM ET FINEM HUJUSCE RBI, ESSE PROMPTITUDINEM QUANDAM

ET EXPEDITUM USUM COGNITIONIS NOSTIl^, POTIUS QUAM EJUSDEM AMPLIFI-

CATIONEM AUT iNCREMENTUM." Bacon de Augment. Sclent, lib. v. c. 3.

See on Deut. xxxi. 6, or on Ps. iv. 4, 5. or on Ps. Ixix. 32, 33. or on
Luke xii. 4, 5.

AN ESSAY ON THE

the whole may very usefully be turned into practice, and we
may enter upon that serious self-examination which the pro
phet commands.

The same may be said of 1 Cor. xi. 28, " Let a man exa
mine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of
that cup ;" for, laying aside all theological observations, you
may actually enter upon self-examination.

This manner, well and wisely disposed, by choosing proper
occasions, will produce (as I have elsewhere said) an excellent
effect : but always remember on this rule, that, in using this
method something searching and powerful must be said, or it
would be better let alone.

We will exemplify one of the texts, which may be discussed
by way of perpetual application. Let us take St. Paul s words
to the Philippians, " Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling." Begin with a tender exordium, lamenting
the condition of mankind, that so few know the truth ; for
there is almost an infinite number, to whom it is not preached,
who are left in the thickest darkness ; almost an infinite num
ber, to whom it is preached, who corrupt it with errors and
superstitions, and who almost never hear it but with a confused
mixture of falsehoods and human inventions ; almost an infinite
number of such as know it clearly, but yet neglect it, and, by
their negligence, preclude the admirable fruits which it ought
to produce. Having expressed astonishment that so " few
will be saved," and, finally, having shewed the true causes why
so few apply to it in the manner they ought, the exordium
must be finished by an exhortation to profit by this time of
our calling, and not when we go out of the world to have to
ask ourselves what we have been doing in it, and to reproach
ourselves with having abused the patience and mercy of God.
" Let us NOW work out our salvation with fear and trembling,"
&c. This exordium must be rendered lively and agreeable,
and executed so that it may awaken the hearer, and obtain a
particular attention.

This being done, you must observe, that, were you about to
treat of these words in the ordinary way, you could not fail to
make several reflections on the doctrines; 1. On these terms,
" your own salvation," which are very weighty and of great im
portance; 2. On St. Paul s command, that we should "work
it out," on which you would have many things to say ; and,
finally, on that " fear and trembling" which must accompany

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 393

our labour ; for many important questions would also arise
from that but, you may add, that, laying apart all doctrines,
which very often serve only for amusement through our levity,
your design is to enable your auditors to do what St. Paul
commands, and to assist them actually in labouring during
this hour devoted to piety, and in " working out their salvation
with that fear and trembling" which so great a work demands.

CHAPTER VIII.

OF TEXTS TO BE DISCUSSED IN PROPOSITIONS.

To these three a fourth may be added, which consists in
reducing the texts to a number of propositions, two at least,
and three or four at most, having mutual dependence and con
nexion. Thus for example, Rom. viii. 13, " If ye live after
the flesh, ye shall die : but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Without pre
tending to explain the terms, flesh spirit death life, or
the phrases, " live after the flesh" " mortify the deeds of the
body" (which is the usual method) you may reduce the whole
to two propositions; the one, that the damnation of sinners is
inevitable and the other, that a good and holy life is both a
principal end of the Gospel, and an inseparable character of
Christianity. When this method is taken, there is much
more liberty than in the former, and a more extensive field
opens. In the former methods you are restrained to your
text, and you can only explain and apply that ; you can make
no other observations than such as precisely belong to it;
but here your subject is the matter contained in your propo
sitions^ and you may treat of them thoroughly, and extend
them as far as you please, provided you do not violate the
general rules of a sermon. Here you must propose not to
treat of the text, but of those subjects which you have chosen
from several contained in the text. The way of explication
is most proper to give the meaning of Scripture ; and this, of
systematical divinity. The way of application rather regards
practice than theory : but this, which we call the way of pro
positions, or points, is more proper to produce an acquaintance
with systematical divinity, and it will equally serve theory
and practice.

For example, let us take the text just now quoted : " If ye

394

AN ESSAY ON THE

live after the flesh, ye shall die : but if ye through the Spirit
do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." After saying
in a few words, that by those who " live after the flesh," the
Apostle means the worldly and wicked, such as are governed
by worldly interests and carnal passions ; and that by the
death, with which he threatens them, he means eternal
damnation; and that, on the contrary, by life, he intends that
eternal salvation and heavenly glory, which the Gospel pro
mises ; and that, by the " mortification of the deeds of the
body," of which he speaks, and of which he says the Holy
Spirit is the author, he intends a holy life, spent in the
exercise of virtues and practice of good works ; after briefly
saying this, reduce the whole discourse to two propositions.
First, The damnation of the wicked is inevitable. Secondly,
The practice of good works, and a holy and religious life, is
the principal end proposed in the Gospel, and a principal cha
racter of a true Christian.

[The discourse of Mr. Claude s in this place being much
longer than was necessary to illustrate the rule of discussion
by propositions, the author judges it expedient to give a shorter,
which on account of its brevity may answer the purpose
better.

John v. 23, " All men should honour the Son, even as they
honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, ho-
noureth not the Father which hath sent him."

Here, after mentioning the opposition which many have
made to the doctrine of the divinity of Christ, and the vast
importance of being well established in it, you may undertake
to establish it from these words ; and to shew,

I. That the Son is in every respect to be honoured as the

Father.

II. That every one who refuses this honour to the Son, does

by that very act withhold it from the Father also.
In establishing the first proposition you proceed to mark
the grounds on which it stands ;

1. That he is altogether entitled to it

(There is no ground on which the Father is entitled to
honour, but the same is found in Christ also; seeing
that he has equally the names and attributes of Deity
ascribed to him ; and his works equally bear witness to
him.)

2. That he actually claims it

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 395

(The words of the text are so strong, that no mere crea
ture could use them without blasphemy : and we cannot
account for Christ s using them on any other hypothesis,
than that he was God equal with the Father. And his
command to us to exercise faith in him precisely as we
do in the Father (John xiv. 1.) is a clear and strong con
firmation of it.)

3. That it is paid to him both in heaven and earth
(Stephen, when he saw the Father and Jesus standing at
his right hand, worshipped Jesus exactly in the way that
Jesus in his dying hour had worshipped the Father.
And Paul repeatedly prayed to Jesus to take away from
him the thorn in the flesh ; which prayer Jesus answered,
saying, " My grace is sufficient for thee." In heaven too
all the glorified saints and angels adore him exactly as
they adore the Father. Can we doubt then whether this
honour be due to him ?)

To prove the second proposition, you may shew, that a re
fusal of honour to Christ is a withholding of it from the
Father ;

1. Because the Father and Christ are one

(This the Lord has repeatedly affirmed : John x. 30. and
xiv. 7 9. and the whole Scripture attests it ; John i.
1, 14. Col. i. 19. and ii. 9. Heb. i. 3. Rom. ix. 5. so
that a denial or acknowledgment of Christ necessarily
involves in it a similar treatment of the Father, 1 John
ii. 22, 23.)

2. Because the Father has absolutely required it at our
hands

(God has commanded it, Jer. xxiii. 6. Isai. xiv. 23, 24.
and if we withhold it from Christ, the Father will resent
it as an indignity offered to himself. Deut. xviii. 18.)

3. Because in withholding honour from Christ we defeat, as
far as in us lies, the eternal counsels of the Father
(From eternity did the Father determine to reconcile the
world unto himself in and by Christ: and his whole
honour and authority were vested in Christ on purpose
that he might be glorified in his Son. Phil. ii. 9 11.
John xiv. 13.

But this whole plan is defeated, when we refuse to acknow
ledge God in Christ, or withhold from him any portion
of that honour which is due to his name.]

396 AN ESSAY ON THE

It must not be thought that these four ways of discussing
texts are so heterogeneous that they can never be mixed to
gether ; on the contrary, there are a great many texts in which
it will be necessary to make use of two, or three, and some
times even of all the four ways. When a text is explained, it
will be very often needful to make some observations also, and
the matter will require as long an application. Sometimes,
to explain a text well, the matter must be reduced into many
propositions, as we have observed on these words, " It is God
that worketh in you to will and do of his good pleasure."
In like manner, when the method of observation is used, it
very often happens that some part of the text needs explain
ing, and so of the rest. These four ways must be distinguished,
for two reasons : 1st. Because they are very different from one
another ; to explain, to make observations, to apply, and to
reduce to propositions, are four very different ways of treating
texts. A composer, then, must not confound them together ;
but he must observe the difference well, that he may use them
properly. 2d. Because it is customary to give the discussion
of a text the name of the prevailing manner of handling it.
We call that the way of explication, in which there is more
explication than observation. We not only call that the way
of observation which has only observations, but that in which
there is more observation than explication, or application ; and
so of the rest.

CHAPTER IX.

OF THE EXORDIUM.

THE Exordium is that part, in which the minds of the
hearers are prepared, and a natural and easy way opened to
the discussion.

But, first, a question presents itself (on which opinions are
much divided) whether exordiums be necessary ? or even whe
ther they be not in all cases quite useless, and in some hurtful ?
Whether it would not be better entirely to omit them, to
begin immediately with the connexion of the text with the pre
ceding verses, pass to the division, and so enter on the discus
sion ? There are many of this opinion, and their reasons are,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 397

1st. That there appears too much artifice in an exordium,
which is more likely to dissipate, than to conciliate, the atten
tion of your hearers. " It is evident (say they) to the audi
tors, that you design to come insensibly, and by a kind of
artful manoeuvre, to your matter, and to lead your hearers
almost imperceptibly to it ; but this seems a finesse altogether
unworthy of the Gospel, and contrary to that sincerity, inge
nuousness, gravity, and simplicity, which should reign in the
pulpit. Indeed, when a wise hearer perceives you design to
deceive him, he conceives a strong prejudice against you, and
that prejudice will certainly be hurtful in the following part of
the discourse."

They add, in the second place, that " exordiums are ex
tremely difficult to compose, and justly styled the crosses of
preachers. Should some small advantage be gained by ex
ordiums, it would not be of consequence enough to induce
us to compose them. In so doing we should waste a part of
cur time and strength, which might be much more usefully
employed."

They say, thirdly, that " the principal end proposed in an
exordium is, either to conciliate the hearer s affection, or to
excite his attention, or to prepare the way to the matters to
be treated of: but all these are to be supposed. As to their
affection, pastors, who preach to their own flocks, ought not to
doubt that. We speak to Christians, to persons who consider
us as the ministers of Jesus Christ, whom, consequently, they
respect and love. As to attention, it ought also to be sup
posed ; not only because pulpit-subjects are divine and salutary
to men, but also because such only come to public worship as
desire to hear the word of God attentively ; and, indeed, if the
auditors have not that disposition of themselves, an exordium
cannot give it them. Such a disposition is an effect of a man s
faith and piety ; and it is not to be thought, that an exordium
of eight or ten periods can convert the worldly and profane, or
give faith and piety to those who have them not. As to what
regards the introducing of the matter to be treated of, the bare
reading of the text sufficiently does that ; for, according to the
common way of preaching, the text contains the subject to be
discussed."

Finally, they add, " delivering an exordium is only mis-
pending time, uselessly dissipating a part of the hearers atten
tion, so that afterward they frequently sleep very quietly when

398

AN ESSAY ON THE

you enter on the discussion. Would it not be better, then,
immediately to engage them in the matter, so that their
attachment may afterward serve to maintain their attention,
according to the natural inclination which all men have to finish
what they have once begun ? "

But none of these reasons are weighty enough to persuade
us to reject exordiums, or to be careless about them. As to
the first ; The art which appears in an exordium, so far from
being odious in itself, and seeming unnatural to the hearers, is,
on the contrary, altogether natural. It is disagreeable to
enter abruptly into theological matters without any prepara
tion. It would not be necessary, were our minds all exercised
about divine things : but as, alas ! we are in general too little
versed in such exercises, it is good to be conducted to them
without violence, and to have emotions excited in us in a soft
and insensible manner. It is not finesse and deceit, since in
doing it we only accommodate ourselves to the weakness of
man s mind, and indeed, it is what he himself desires. More
over, it is to be observed, that hearers are now so habituated to
an exordium, that if they heard a preacher enter abruptly into
his matter, they would be extremely disgusted, and would
imagine the man was aiming to do with them what the angel
did with Habakkuk, when he took him by the hair of his head,
and transported him in an instant from Judaea to Babylon.
Some time, then, ought to be employed gently to lead the
mind of the hearer to the subjects of which you are going to
treat. You are not to suppose that he already understands
them, nor that he is thinking on what you have been meditating,
nor that he can apply himself to it incessantly without pre
paration.

The second reason may have some weight with weak and
lazy preachers ; but it has none with wise and diligent stu
dents : and, after all, exordiums are not so difficult as to be
impracticable : a little pains-taking is sufficient, as we every
day experience.

The third is not more considerable. I grant, preachers
ought to suppose the love and affection of their hearers ; yet it
does not follow, that they ought not to excite it, when they
preach to them. Perhaps their affection is not always in ex
ercise ; it may be sometimes suspended and even opposed by
contrary sentiments, by coolness and indifference, by hatred or
envy, arising from the defects of the pastor (for, however able,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 391)

he is not perfect) or from the depravity of the hearers. The
same may be said of attention, although they ought to have it
entirely for the divine truths which the preacher speaks ; yet,
it is certain, they have it not: and all that a preacher can
desire is, that his hearers have a general disposition to hear
the Gospel. The preacher must endeavour to give them a
peculiar attention to such matters as he has to discuss. As to
the rest, it must not be thought that the bare reading of the
text, or the connexion, or the division only, can produce that
effect : a greater compass must be taken, to move the human
mind, and apply the subject. And this also may be said of
preparation, for which an exordium is principally designed.
The reading of the text may do something ; connexion and
division may contribute more ; but all this, without an exor
dium, will be useless.

Nor is it difficult to answer the fourth reason ; for, beside
the advantages of an exordium, which are great enough to
prevent our calling it lost time, its parts are ordinarily so short,
that they cannot justly be accused of dissipating or fatiguing
the hearers minds. To which I add, that the exordium itself,
if well chosen, will always contain agreeable and instructive
matter, so that, considered in itself, something good is alwavs
to be learned from it.

We cannot approve, then, of the custom of those preachers,
who enter immediately into the literal explication of the text,
and make it serve for an exordium ; after which they divide
their discourses into several parts, which they discuss as they
go on. Surely the hearer is not suddenly able to comprehend
their explications, having yet neither emotions nor prepara
tion. Methinks it would be much better gently to stir them
up, and move them by something which gives them no pain,
than to load them all on a sudden with an explication, which
they can neither clearly comprehend, nor perhaps distinctly
hear.

Least of all do we approve of the custom of some other
preachers, who, intending to explain the text, or to make some
reflections throughout the whole sermon, enter immediately
into the matter without any exordiums at all. I am persuaded
they are induced to do thus only for the sake of avoiding the
difficulty of composing an exordium, that is, in one word, only
for the sake of indulging their idleness and negligence.

Taking it for granted, then, that an exordium must be used,

400

AN ESSAY ON THE

it may be asked, what are the principal benefits we expect to
receive from them ? and with what general views ought they
to be composed ? In answer, we say, the principal design of
an exordium is, to attract or excite the affections of the au
dience to stir up their attention and to prepare them for
the particular matters of which we are about to treat.

The two first of these must only be proposed indirectly.
A preacher would render himself ridiculous, if in ordinary
discourses, and without cases of extreme necessity, he should
labour by this mean to acquire the esteem and affection of his
congregation. This method would be more likely to make
them rather despise than esteem him.

You must not, then, compliment the people, nor praise
yourself, nor indeed speak of yourself in any manner of way.
These are affectations which never succeed ; and yet some able
preachers slip into this weakness, especially when they preach
to strange congregations, and, above all, when they address
assemblies of the rich, the learned, or the noble.

Then they never fail to interlard their exordiums with some
common-place saws either the pleasure it gives them to be
called to that pulpit or an affectation of self-contempt a
confession of their great weakness or something of this kind.
To speak my opinion freely, I think these are pedantic airs,
which have a very bad effect. Sensible auditors do not like
to hear such fantastical pretences, which are both contrary to
the gravity of the pulpit, and to the decency of a modest man.

How then, you will ask, must the affections of the hearers
be attracted? I answer, indirectly, by an exordium well
chosen, and well spoken : and this is the surest way of suc
ceeding.

In regard to attention, it is certain it ought to be awakened
and fixed in the same manner, that is, by something agreeable
and worthy of being heard, a composition of piety and good
sense. I do not disapprove of asking sometimes for attention,
either on account of the importance of the matter, the so
lemnity of the day, the state of the Church, or, in short, of
any other particular occasion ; but it must not be done often ;
for then it would never be minded ; and, when it is done, the
fewer words the better.

The principal use of an exordium is, to prepare the hearer s
mind for the particular matters you have to treat of, and in
sensibly to conduct him to it. If this end be not obtained,

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 401

the exordium cannot but be impertinent ; and, on the contrary,
if this end be answered, the exordium cannot be improper.

When I say the hearer s mind must be prepared for and
conducted to the matter, I mean to say, these are two different
things. You prepare the hearer for the matter, when you stir
up in him such dispositions as he ought to have, to hear well,
and to profit much. You insensibly conduct your hearer to
the matter, when, by the natural connexion of the subjects of
which you speak, you lead him from one thing to another, and
enable him to enter into the doctrine of your sermon.

Let us advert a moment to each. The preparation must be
determined by the subject of which you are going to speak ;
for if it be a sad and afflicting subject, in which you aim to
excite the compassion, the grief, and the tears of your audience,
you must begin the exordium by imparting such a disposition.

If you have to treat of a profound and difficult mystery, aim
to diffuse elevation and admiration among the hearers. If
some terrible example of God s justice be the subject, endea
vour to stir up fear. If some enormous crime, prepare the
mind for horror, by a meditation on the enormity of human
corruption. If you have to treat of repentance, and in an ex
traordinary manner to interest your hearers in it, you must
begin to dispose them to it by general ideas of God s wrath,
which we have deserved of the little fruit we have borne to
his glory or something of a like nature. If, on the contrary,
the matter you have to treat of be common and tranquil, aim
in your exordium to place the mind in its natural state, and
only endeavour to excite honest and Christian tempers, which
we all ought always to have. In a word, the exordium must
always participate the spirit of the subject that you mean to
discuss, in order to dispose your hearers for it. Not to speak
in this manner, is to lose all the benefit of an exordium ; and
to use it to an opposite purpose, would be to renounce com
mon sense, and to act like an idiot.

The second use of an introduction is, to conduct the hearer
gradually to the subject of which you are about to treat.
This (as I have said) depends on the connexion between the
subjects of the exordium with themselves, and with the matter
of the discussion. I say first with themselves ; for they must,
as it were, hold each other by the hand, and have a mutual
dependence and subordination ; otherwise the auditor will be
surprised to find himself suddenly transported from one topic

VOL. XXI. D D

/ AN ESSAY ON THE

to another. I say also with the discussion; for the exordium
is principally intended to introduce that.

The first quality of an exordium is brevity. This, however,
has a proper measure ; for as it ought not to be excessively
long, so neither should it be too short ; the middle way is the
best. The longest exordium may have ten or twelve periods,
and the shortest six or seven, provided the periods be not too
long. The reason is, that, on the one hand, proper time may
be given the hearer to prepare himself to hear you with atten
tion, and to follow you in the discussion of the matter ; and,
on the other, that in giving time sufficient for that, you may
prevent his wandering out of the subject, wearying himself,
and becoming impatient. If the exordium were too short, it
would oblige the hearer to enter too soon into the matter,
without preparation enough ; and excessive length would weary
him ; for it is with an auditor as with a man who visits a
palace, he does not like to stay too long in the court, or first
avenues ; he would only view them transiently without stop
ping, and proceed as soon as possible to gratify his principal
curiosity.

2. An exordium must be clear, and consequently disen
gaged from all sorts of abstruse and metaphysical thoughts.
It should be expressed in natural and popular terms, and not
overcharged with matter. Indeed, as the auditors are neither
enlivened nor moved yet, you must not expect of them at first
a great degree of penetration and elevation, nor even a great
attempt towards these, though they may be capable of them
when they are animated. You must therefore, in an exor
dium, avoid all that can give pain to the mind, such as physical
questions, long trains of reasoning, and such like. However,
do not imagine, that, under pretence of great clearness, an
exordium must have only theological matter, or consist rather
of words than things. This would be falling into the other
extreme. An exordium, then, must contain matter capable
of nourishing and satisfying the mind ; to do which, it must
be clear, easy to comprehend, and expressed in a very natural
manner.

3. An exordium must be cool and grave*. Consequently

a An exordium must be cool. Mr. Claude s rule is undoubtedly good in
general, and his reason weighty.

This, however, is a rule sometimes dispensed with. Cicero begins an
oration thus: " Quousque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 403

no grand figures may be admitted, as apostrophes, violent ex
clamations, reiterated interrogations, nor, in a word, any thing
that tends to give vehement emotions to the hearers : for as
the discourse must be accommodated to the state of the hearer,
he, in the beginning, being cool, and free from agitations, the
speaker ought to be so too. No wise man will approve exor
diums full of enthusiasms and poetical raptures, full of im
petuous or angry emotions, or of bold interrogations; or sur
prising paradoxes to excite admiration. You must, in the
beginning, speak gently, remembering that your auditors are
neither yet in heaven, nor in the air, nor at all elevated in
their way thither, but upon earth, and in a place of worship.

4. An exordium, however, ought not to be so cool and
grave, as not to be at the same time engaging and agreeable.
There are three principal ends which a preacher should pro
pose, namely, to instruct, to please, and to affect ; but, of these
three, that which should reign in an exordium is, to please.
I own, you should also aim to instruct and affect ; but less
to instruct than to please, and less still to affect than to in
struct. Indeed, if you can judiciously and properly introduce
any thing tender into an exordium (especially on extraordinary
occasions) you may to good purpose ; but, be that as it may,
the agreeable should reign in this part. You easily see by
this, that you must banish from the exordium all ill-natured
censures, terrible threatenings, bitter reproaches, and, in
general, all that savours of anger, contempt, hatred, or in
difference, and, in short, every thing that has the air of
quarrelling with the hearers. Their attention must not only
be excited (you may sufficiently do so by censures and re
proaches), but you must softly insinuate yourself into their
esteem, so that they may not only not oppose what you say,
but be well satisfied you are an honest and well-meaning man.

5. The whole of the exordium must be naturally connected
with all the matter of the text. I say first the whole of the
exordium ; for great care must be taken to put nothing there
foreign to your subject: therefore the best exordiums are
those which are composed of two propositions, the first of
which is naturally and immediately connected with the second,

Quamdin etiam furor iste tuus nos illudet ? Quern ad finem sese effrenata
jactabit audacia?" &c. [Perhaps an exordium somewhat more animated
than usual on such occasions, as the Discourses on Jer. ix. 23, 21. and
Eph. ii. 47.]

DD 2

404 AN ESSAY ON THE

and the second naturally and immediately with the text.
Each of these propositions may be either proved or amplified ;
but the last must always conduct you with ease to the subject
in question, nor must the first be very distant. According to
this maxim, all exordiums must be condemned, which, instead
of leading you into the text, make you, as it were, tumble
from a precipice into it, which is intolerable. Those also are
to be condemned which conduct to the text by many long
circuits, that is, by many propositions chained together, which
is certainly vicious, and can only fatigue the hearer. I add,
in the second place, the exordium must be connected with the
whole matter of the text. It ought not merely to relate to
one of its parts (or to one view only, if you intend to consider
it in different views) but to all. One of the principal uses of
an exordium is to prepare the mind of the hearer for the
matter to be discussed. If, therefore, the exordium refer only
to one of its parts, or to one view only, it will prepare the
mind of the hearer for that one part, for that one view only,
and not for the rest.

6. An exordium must be simple. We would not entirely
banish figures : on the contrary, we would always employ such
as may render the discourse pleasant and agreeable : but
pompous and magnificent expressions must be avoided, as far
as the things spoken will permit. Do not use a style too
elevated, bordering on bombast nor periods too harmonious
nor overstrained allegories nor even metaphors too common
or too bold ; for indeed the hearer s mind, yet cool and in its
natural state, can bear nothing of this kind.

7. An exordium must not be common. As this is a rule
much abused, it will be needful to explain it. By a common
exordium, I do not mean an exordium which will suit many
texts ; for if the texts are parallel, and the subject be managed
with the same views, and in the same circumstances, what
occasion is there to compose different exordiums? By a com
mon exordium, I mean, in the first place, one taken from
trivial things, and which have been said over and over again :
these the people already know, and your labour will be in
fallibly thrown away. Such are exordiums taken from com
parisons of the sun of kings of conquerors of the ancient
Romans, &c. or from some histories of the Old Testament,
which have been often repeated or of some well-known
types, as the Israelites passage through the Red Sea and

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 405

many more of the same kind, In the second place, I mean,
by a common or general exordium, one which may be alike
applied to two texts of different matter, or to two contrary
interpretations of the same text. It is in this sense that
common exordiums are vicious and distasteful.

8. Even in metaphorical or figurative texts it is quite
puerile to make an exordium join the text by a metaphor;
for, whatever ingenuity there may seem to be in it, it is
certain, there is no taste, no judgment discovered in the
practice ; and, however it may pass in college declamations,
it would appear too trifling in the pulpit. The exordium,
then, must be connected with the text by the matter itself,
that is, not by the figure, but by the subject intended to be
conveyed by the figure. I would not, however, forbid the
joining of the exordium to the text sometimes by the figure,
provided it be done in a chaste and prudent manner.

Let us give one example : " He that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life." John vi. 54. An
exordium to a sermon from this text may be taken from the
idea which Holy Scripture teaches us to form of our conver
sion, as if it were a NEW birth, which begins a new life
that, for this purpose, it speaks of a new man, a new heaven,
which illuminates, and a new earth, which supports him
that, attributing to this new man the same senses, which
nature has formed in us, as sight, hearing, feeling, smelling,
tasting, it attributes also to him objects proportioned to each
of these mystical senses, and ascribes to them effects like
those which our senses produce by their natural operations.
It tells us, that our eyes contemplate the celestial light, which
illuminates and guides us in the ways of righteousness that
our ears hear the voice of God, who calls us, and who, by
these means, makes us obey our vocation. It tells us that
the Gospel is a savour of life, which communicates salvation
to us. And, finally, it attributes to us a mouth, to eat the
flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, in order to
nourish us to life eternal. It is this last expression which
Jesus Christ has made use of in the sixth of John, and which
says in my text, " He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life."

This exordium joins itself to the text by the figure made
use of in the text, but in such a manner as not to be
chargeable with affectation or witticism ; for it is by a serious

406 AN ESSAY ON THE

reflection on the Scripture use of the figure, acknowledging
it to be a figure, and preparing the hearer to attend to the
explication.

To these rules I subjoin a word or two on the vices of
exordiums. 1. There are some preachers who imagine it a
fine thing to take exordiums from the persons of their hearers,
or the circumstances of times, places, general affairs, or news
of the world: but I believe this is altogether a vicious method,
and should never be used but on extraordinary occasions.
First, there is too much affectation in it. Is it not a vain
parade to begin a discourse with things which have no relation
to the matter ? It is certainly contrary to the chastity and
modesty of a Christian pulpit. Secondly, exordiums of this
sort are usually pulled in by head and shoulders. How
should it be otherwise, when the articles of which they are
composed, have, if any, only a very distant relation to the
text? By such means you defeat the principal design of an
exordium, which is to prepare the hearers minds, and to
conduct them insensibly to the subject. And, finally, it is
very difficult in such exordiums to avoid saying impertinencies;
for what, in a public discourse, can be more indelicate, than
to speak of yourself, or hearers, or times, or news ? In my
opinion, such exordiums ought to be entirely rejected.

2. You must also, for the most part, reject exordiums
taken from profane history, or what they call the apophthegms
of illustrious men. This method savours too much of the
college, and is by no means in the taste of pious, well-bred
men. Alexander, Caasar, Pompey, all the great names of
antiquity, have no business to ascend the pulpit; and if they
are not suffered now-a-days, either in orations in the senate,
or in pleas of the bar, much less ought they to be allowed
in Christian sermons. It may not be amiss if they appear
now and then in the discussion, or in the application; but
even there we ought to see them but seldom, not oftener
than once a year at most: but to introduce them at the
beginning of a sermon is intolerable. I say much the same
of citations from profane authors ; they must be forborne,
unless it be something so particular, so agreeable, and so apt
to the text, as to carry its own recommendation along with it.
Of this kind, I think, was the exordium of a sermon on this
text : " So teach us to number our days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom." It was taken from Plutarch, who

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 407

relates, that Alcibiades called one day to see Pericles, and
was told by his domestics that their master was busy in
preparing his accounts to lay before the republic: to which
he immediately replied, Instead of labouring to make up his
accounts, it would be incomparably better to render himself
not accountable to them at all. It was added, that this is the
notion of almost all wicked men, who, being ignorant of God
their governor, and feeling their consciences charged with a
thousand crimes, think only of eluding the judgment of God,
and of avoiding that account which they will one day be
obliged to give to the Master of all creatures that if only
one man, or two men, were in question, the attempt of
Alcibiades might succeed; but as it was God with whom
they had to do, it must be worse than foolish to imagine his
tribunal could be avoided that there was no other way to
take, than to prepare to give an account to God; nor any
advice more reasonable, than to labour continually to do it
well and that, for this purpose, even self-interest should
oblige us to have recourse to God to assist us by his grace
this is what the Church aims to teach us in the words of the
prophet, " So teach us to number our days, that we may
apply our hearts unto wisdom."

In general, the best exordiums are taken from theology ; for
as, on the one hand, they have always more relation to the
matter of the text, so, on the other, they much better prepare
the hearers minds, being more grave, and free from the
puerile pedantries of the college.

In order to compose an exordium, after you have well
considered the senses of the text, and observed what are the
principal matters which ought to enter into the discussion,
and after you have made the division, endeavour to reduce
the whole to one common idea, and then choose some other
idea naturally connected with that common idea, either imme
diately, or by means of another. If it be immediately con
nected with the subject, endeavour to reduce it to one
proposition, which may be cleared and proved as you go on;
or if it have parts, which require separate explications and
proofs, it must be managed so as to include them : and, finally,
by the natural connexion of that proposition with the discus
sion, enter into the text. If the proposition be connected
with the text only remotely, then establish the first, pass on
to the second, and so proceed from the second to the text.

408 AN ESSAY ON THE

Exordiums may be taken from almost all the same topics as
observations, that is, from genus, species, contraries, &c. For
there are but few good exordiums which might not go into the
discussion, under the title of general observations. Of such
observations, that must be chosen for an exordium which is
least essential, or least necessary to the discussion, and which,
besides, is clear, agreeable, and entertaining. A comparison
may sometimes be employed in an exordium, but not often ;
nor must trivial comparisons be used, which all the world
know, or which are taken from any thing mean; nor must
they be embarrassing, taken from things unknown to the
people, as those are which are borrowed from mechanics,
astronomy, &c. of which the people know nothing at all.

Bible history may be used, but sparingly ; and the appli
cation must be always just, agreeable, and, in some sort, new
and remarkable.

Types may also be employed, but with the same precautions,
always consulting good sense and taste.

The best method is, to compose several exordiums for the
same text, by turning your imagination divers ways, by taking
it in all its different relations ; for by such means you may
choose the most proper. But after all these general precepts,
which indeed ought to be known, and by which exordiums
must be regulated, it is certain, the invention and composition
of an exordium can only become easy by practice. A young
preacher ought not to complain of trouble, nor to be any way
negligent in the matter ; for he may be sure of succeeding by
attention and application.

CHAPTER X.

OF THE CONCLUSION. 3

THE conclusion ought to be lively and animating, full of
great and beautiful figures, aiming to move Christian affec
tions as the love of God hope zeal repentance self-

* Conclusion. This in a sermon answers to what in an oration is called
the peroration. " It recapitulates, or sums up the strongest and chief argu
ments, and, by moving the passions, endeavours to persuade the hearers to
meld to the force of them." Arist. Rhet.

The fire of the preacher should blaze here ; he should collect the ideas of
his whole sermon into this part, as rays are collected in the focus of a
burning-glass, and inflame the hearts of his auditors.

COMPOSITION OF A SERMON. 409

condemnation a desire of self-correction consolation
admiration of eternal benefits hope of felicity courage and
constancy in afflictions steadiness in temptations gratitude
to God recourse to him by prayer and other such dis
positions 1 .

There are three sorts of dispositions, or emotions; the
violent the tender and the elevated. The violent are, for
example, indignation, fear, zeal, courage, firmness against
temptations, repentance, self-loathing, &c.

The tender emotions are, joy, consolation, gratitude ; tender
subjects are, pardon, pity, prayer, &c. The elevated are,
admiration of the majesty of God, the ways of Providence, the
glory of Paradise, the expectation of benefits, &c.

There are some Christian passions which may be excited
either by a tender or violent method. Repentance is of this
kind ; for which extremely tender motives may be employed,
as the love and bounty of God, which we have so unworthily
treated. Violent motives may also be used, as censure, an
enumeration and description of the enormity of the sins
reigning amongst us, the horror of our ingratitude, the fear of
God s judgments, the justice of his scourges and chastise
ments, &c.

In like manner, firmness against temptations may be dis
cussed; for tender motives may be used, as the vanity of
the promises and hopes of this world, which are only false
and delusive appearances the consideration of the miserable
state of backsliders and apostates the dignity to which
God calls his children the eternal rewards which attend
perseverance the joy of a good man when he has gained a
signal victory over temptations. Violent methods may also
be employed, as inspiring a holy ambition to defeat the
designs of the world a contempt of the plots and powers
against us the hope, or rather the inviolable assurance we

b A conclusion should excite Christian dispositions. If the reader attend to
these observations of Mr. Claude, he will see more clearly the use that is to
be made of the APPLICATIONS and INFERENCES that are contained in the
"Horae Homileticse."

Bishop Burnet says, " A sermon, the conclusion whereof makes the
auditory look pleased, and sets them all talking with one another, was cer
tainly either not rightly spoken, or not rightly heard; it has been fine, and
has probably delighted the congregation rather than edified it : but that ser
mon that makes every one go away silent, and grave, and hastening to be
alone to meditate, and pray the matter over in secret, has had a true
effect." Past. Care, chap. ix.

410 AN ESSAY ON THE COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

have, that all the powers of earth joined together cannot
shake us. St. Paul uses mixed motives at the end of the
eighth of Romans : " Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these
things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord."

A conclusion should be diversified. I mean, we should
not be content to move one single Christian passion ; many
must be touched, and a proper length of discourse assigned to
each, in order to stir up the passion. Too long time, how
ever, must not be spent; but when the effect is evidently
produced, pass to another passion. As the conclusion ought
to be composed at least of four or five c reflections (naturally
arising from the text, either general, from the whole text, or
particular, from some of the parts into which it is divided ;) so,
if possible, these reflections must be placed in prudent order,
so that the weakest and least powerful may be the first, and
the strongest last; and so that the discourse may become
more rapid as it runs.

I think, however, it would be vicious to finish with motives
too violent, as subjects tending to horror indignation or
heavy censure. It would be much better, in general, to
close with a tender, or even with an elevating motive. Dif
ferent motives may be (and indeed they ought to be) mixed
in the same conclusion, that is, violent, tender, and elevated,
in order to stir up many passions of different kinds.

Conclusion sometimes delights in examples, similitudes,
short and weighty sentences, the inventions of a fine imagina
tion, and, in one word, it need not be either so chaste or so
regular as the body of the sermon, where more accuracy
must be observed. There is no danger when a preacher, in a
conclusion, gives himself up to the fire of his genius, provided
he say nothing extravagant or capricious, nothing that savours
of enthusiasm or declamation.

c Perhaps two or three would be preferable.

DISCUSSION BY EXPLICATION.

MCCCCLXII.

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

Mark xvi. 15, 16. He said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the Gospel to every creature : he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall
be damned.

MANY are prejudiced against the fundamental
doctrines of Christianity

Hence, while its authority is maintained, its mys
teries are suppressed

But the declaration before us is of infinite im
portance,
I. Explain its import.

The meaning of the terms being fixed, the whole
will be clear-
Salvation comprehends the everlasting happiness
of the soul.

[It cannot be limited to any temporal deliverance-
Believers have been often subjected to persecutions and
cruel deaths

Nor was the deliverance of the saints in Jerusalem a matter
of universal concern

Its import is properly expressed by St. Paul a ]

This is to be obtained by " believing" in Christ.
[The faith here spoken of is not a mere assent to the

Gospel

The devils themselves assent to truths at which they tremble b
To believe aright, is to receive Christ in all his offices
And such faith has the promise of eternal life d
Not that it is more meritorious than other graces ; but it

unites the soul to Christ ]

Damnation, on the contrary, imports everlasting
misery.

a 2 Tim. ii. 10. b Acts viii. 13, 23. Jam. ii. 19.

c John i. 12, 1 Cor. i. 3. d John iii. 1416, 18, 36.

412 MARK, XVI. 15, 10. [1462.

[The punishment of the wicked is elsewhere said to be

eternal e

And the contrast in the text fully expresses its duration
Our Lord himself puts this point beyond a doubt f ]
This will be our portion if we " believe not" in

Christ.

[It is not reserved only for avowed infidels and scoffers
They are in unbelief, who are destitute of saving faith
And therefore must want that salvation that is annexed to
faiths ]

To faith, baptism, when practicable, must be
added.

[The believer must openly profess his allegiance to Christ
But no observance of outward ordinances will profit an
unbeliever 11 ]

The objections ignorantly urged against this Gospel
lead us to,
II. Vindicate its reasonableness.

To ascribe salvation to good works, and damna
tion to evil works, would be thought reasonable
enough

But to connect the former with faith, and the
latter with unbelief, is deemed absurd and delusive

Nevertheless, the reasonableness of the Gospel in
both these points may be clearly evinced

It is not unreasonable that a man should be saved
by faith.

[If faith were a mere assent to any doctrines, it would
indeed be unreasonable to ascribe salvation to it

But it is an humble reliance on the promises of God in
Christ Jesus 1

Is it unreasonable then that he who trusts in the death of
Christ should feel its saving efficacy ?

Or that he who relies on God s promise, should experience
his fidelity ?]

Nor is it unreasonable that a man should be
damned for unbelief.

[If unbelief were a mere dissent from any doctrine, on
account of its wanting sufficient evidence, such unbelief would
be comparatively innocent

e Mark ix. 4348. f Matt. xxv. 46. e 2 Thess. i. 8.

h This is intimated by the omission of baptism in the latter clause
of the text. * Heb. xi. 13.

1462.] DISCUSSION BY EXPLICATION. 413

But the unbeliever rejects what has been established by the
strongest evidence

Through pride he denies God s representation of his fallen
state k

He accounts the wisdom of God to be foolishness 1 , and his
truth a lie m

He pours contempt on the richest displays of love and
mercy n

Such treatment we could not endure from a fellow-creature

How then can we expect to treat GOD thus with im
punity ?

Surely, if the wages of every sin is death, much more may
it be the reward of so complicated a sin as unbelief ]

This point satisfactorily established, we shall,
III. Display its excellency.

Angels admire the Gospel, as we also should, if
we understood its excellences

1 . It clearly defines the way of salvation.
[All other ways of salvation are indefinite

Who can say what portion of repentance will expiate sin
and purchase heaven?

Or what sincere obedience is ? or by whom performed ?
Or what degrees of insincerity will consist with it ?
But every one may know whether he believe in Christ
Hence every one may form a judgment of his state before
God-
Surely this may well recommend the Gospel to our ac
ceptance ]

2. It is equally suited to all persons in all con
ditions.

[How ill suited would any other way have been to the
dying thief!

How long must it have been before the murderers of our
Lord could have entertained a comfortable hope of accept
ance !

But the Gospel affords a prospect of salvation to all, how
ever vile

And is calculated to comfort us under every affliction

What excellency can it possess that should more endear it
to us ? ]

3. It refers all the glory of our salvation to Christ
alone.

k Rev. iii. 17. l 1 Cor. i. 18, 23. "i i j o h n v . 10.

n Eph. ii. 7. John vi. 37. Matt. xx. 9.

414 MARK, XVI. 15, 16. [1462.

[Every other way of salvation leaves room for man to
boast ?P

But, on the plan of the Gospel, all are equally indebted to
Christ 4

All on earth and in heaven ascribe salvation to him
alone r

Their happiness is the more dear to them as being the
purchase of his blood

Nor would any consent for an instant to rob him of his
glory 8 ]

4. It most secures the practice of good works.

[If the Gospel really gave a licence to sin it might well
be rejected

But it teaches us to mortify all sin, and to delight in good
works*

This effect has, in every age, been manifested in the lives of
God s people

St. Paul, the great champion of the faith, was inferior to
none in holiness 11

And the contradictory objections, now urged against the
preachers and professors of the Gospel, afford a strong testi
mony in their favour ]

APPLICATION

1. To ministers.

[They who preach the Gospel ought, above all, to
experience its power

If they do not, their condemnation will be greatly aggra
vated

Let us then examine whether we have truly, and indeed
believed

And let us comply with that solemn, but encouraging
inj unction x ]

2. To Christians in general.

[Baptism does not supersede, but increase our obligation
to believe y

However humiliating it be to seek salvation in another, we
must submit 2

The decree in the text is irreversible, and shall be executed
in its season

P Rom. iii. 27. * 1 Tim. iv. 10. r Rev. i. 5. and v. 12, 13.
8 Comp. Gal. vi. 14. with Rev. iv. 10. * Tit. ii. 11, 12.

u 2 Cor. xii. 11. x 1 Tim. iv. 16.

y 1 Pet. iii. 21. and Rom. vi. 4. z Rom. x. 3.

1463.]

DISCUSSION BY OBSERVATION.

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DISCUSSION BY PROPOSITIONS.

MCCCCLXIV.

MARK xvi. 15, 16. THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

I. THERE will be an awful difference between the

states of different men in the day of judgment.
It cannot be that the same portion should be
reserved for all.

[God, as our Lawgiver, must manifest a regard to his
own law

And, as our King, must distinguish between his faithful
and rebellious subjects

But there is no sufficient difference put between them in
this world*

The wicked have no certain punishment, nor the righteous
any adequate reward

On the contrary, they often riot in ease, affluence, and
honour, while these languish in pain, want, and infamy b

The notices also, which are on the consciences of men,
afford reason to expect a future day of retribution c ]

Some will be exalted to a state of unspeakable

felicity.

[They will be delivered from the corruption which here

cleaved to them

They will be admitted to the blissful regions of paradise
Their capacity of comprehension and enjoyment will be

greatly enlarged

They will join an assembly of most pure and blessed

spirits

Above all, they will behold their God and Saviour d
They will receive public testimonies of his approbation e
An unfading crown of righteousness will be given to them 1 "
They will be seated with him on his throne of glory g
They will praise and adore him with all their powers
Nor shall their happiness know either intermission or

end h ]

a Eccles. ix. 2. b Ps. Ixxiii. 314. c Rom. i. 32. and ii. 15.
d 1 Cor. xiii. 12. e Matt. xxv. 21. f 2 Tim. iv. 8.
g Rev. iii. 21. h Rev. iv. 8. and iii. 12.

1464.] DISCUSSION BY PROPOSITIONS. 421

Others will be cast down to a state of inconceivable
misery.

[They will not be permitted to stand in the congregation
of the righteous 1

The Judge will banish them with indignation from his
presence*

Shame and contempt shall be poured upon them before
all 1

They will be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone" 1

God himself will pour out upon them the vials of his
wrath n

Their own consciences also will bitterly reproach them

They will have a distant view of the happiness they have
lost?

And an enlarged capacity to endure the torment inflicted
on them

Nor shall they have any thing to assuage their anguish q

Not one moment s intermission of pain will be granted
them

Nor shall millions of ages terminate their misery r ]

There will be no intermediate state between these.
[The idea of purgatory is an absurd fiction

Punishment, in this world, does not change the nature of
man

Pharaoh was more and more hardened under ten successive
plagues 8

And in hell, so far from repenting, they blaspheme God*

The Scripture assures us that no change shall take place
after death"

If Judas ever were brought to heaven, our Lord s assertion
would be false x

Nor have the dead any prospect of annihilation y

Not the remotest period shall determine the existence of
one single soul ]

II. These states will be fixed according to men s

acceptance or rejection of the Gospel.
It is certainly true that our works will be the
criterion whereby we shall be judged in the last day.
[This is frequently asserted in the Holy Scriptures 55

1 Ps. i. 5. k Matt. xxv. 41. 1 Dan. xii. 2.

m Rev. xx. 10. n Ps. xi. 6. &lt;&gt; Wisd. v. 4.

P Luke xvi. 23. 1 Luke xvi. 24, 25. r Rev. xiv. ] 1.
s Exod. viii. 32. * Rev. xvi. 9.

11 Eccles. ix. 10. Rev. xxii. 11. x Mark xiv. 21.

y Luke xx. 36, 38. z Eccles. xii. 14. 2 Cor. v. 10.

MARK, XVI. 15, 16. [1464.

Our Lord has declared it in his account of the judicial pro
cess*

Nor can the smallest doubt be entertained respecting it ]

But a due reception of the Gospel is a very im
portant work.

[God has given it as his special command that we believe

on his Son b

And this command is as important as any in the decalogue
Cognizance therefore will be taken of our violations of this,

as well as of any other, duty ]

Indeed this work must be performed before we
can do any other with acceptance.

[Without faith in Christ we cannot do any thing that is
good 6

Nor can we derive any thing from him unless we be united
to him d

But faith is the only bond by which that union can be
effected 6

Till we believe, therefore, we can be only as withered
branches f

Hence that striking and positive declaration of the
Apostle s ]

There is an inseparable connexion between our
faith and our works.

[We may distinguish between them as between the cause
and effect

But we cannot possibly separate them in our practice
Our works are the fruits and evidences of our faith h
God, who searcheth the heart, might indeed decide upon
our faith as it is seated there

But man can judge of it only by the fruit it produces
The day of judgment is for the purpose of displaying to the
whole creation the equity of the divine procedure {

On this account our works will be brought forth as the
ground of God s decision

But, as he who judges of the fruit of a tree, judges of the
tree itself, so God, in deciding on the fruits of our faith, de
cides eventually on the faith that produced them ]

Nor shall this connexion be forgotten in the day
of judgment.

a Matt. xxv. 34 45. b 1 John iii. 23. c John xv. 6.

d ver. 4. e John vi. Compare ver. 35. and 56.

f John xv. 6. s Heb. xi. 6. h Jam. ii. 18.

* Rom. ii. 5.

1464.] DISCUSSION BY PROPOSITIONS. 423

[Our Lord will surely not forget his own repeated decla
rations k

In inquiring into our works, he will never overlook that
which is the root and principle of all other works

In considering how we acted towards each other, he will
not be indifferent about our conduct towards himself

We may be sure therefore that the text shall be fulfilled in
that day

And that, while the rejecters of his Gospel shall perish, the
true believer alone shall be saved ]

INFER

1. The folly of neglecting the Gospel

[Men usually respect the sanctions of human laws
What effect then should not the sanctions of the Gospel
have upon us ?

When the sentence shall be passed, can we reverse it 1 ?
If not, it must be madness to neglect this warning
Such folly degrades us below the beasts that perish
Let the past time suffice for such base and fatal conduct J

2. The wisdom of embracing it with our whole
hearts-
fit is wisdom to regard things in proportion to their

importance

But what so important as the declarations of the Gospel ?
Temporal things are nothing in comparison of heaven and

hell

Every temporal consideration therefore should be as nothing

in our eyes"

We should " buy the truth, and not part with it " at any

price

This is true wisdom, however it may be accounted folly
And " wisdom, ere long, shall be justified of all her

children"]

k John iii. 18, 36. l Isai. x. 3. 1 Cor. x. 22.

m Isai. i. 3. Luke ix. 25. and xii. 4.

Prov. xxiii. 23.

DISCUSSION BY PERPETUAL APPLICATION.

MCCCCLXV.

MARK xvi. 15, 16. THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

INCESSANT was our Lord s attention to the

welfare of his Church

Regardless both of his own sufferings and glory,

he was ever occupied in that one concern-
On the very eve of his crucifixion he instituted

the memorials of his dying love

And, at the moment of his ascension, provided for

the instruction of the world to the remotest period

of time

He had an eye to us, no less than to those of his

own age and nation-
Shall we not then pay attention to his parting

words ?

Shall we not consider them in reference to our
selves ?

The most important truths contained in them are

obvious and acknowledged-
Let us then consider them in a way of practical

inquiry,

I. What knowledge have we of the Gospel ?

The Gospel is a most stupendous display of the

divine mercy.

[It reveals salvation to a ruined world a

It discovers God himself as manifest in the flesh, and dying
for sin b

It offers, and entreats us to accept, redemption through his
blood c

It requires nothing to be done on our part to merit his
favour d

But teaches us to improve carefully what we receive
freely e ]

a 1 Tim. i. 15. *&gt; 1 Tim. iii. 1C. Acts xx. 28.

c 2 Cor. v. 19,20. * i sa j. i v . j. e Tit. ii. 11, 12.

1465.] DISCUSSION BY PERPETUAL APPLICATION. 425

But its true nature and design are not generally
understood.

[Some take up prejudices against it as a licentious system
Nor will they be at any pains to acquire just views of its
doctrines

Others adulterate it with a mixture of human inventions f
Or destroy its efficacy by a self-righteous dependence s ]

Let us however inquire what are our views respect
ing it-

[Do we indeed see it to be " worthy of all acceptation ?"-
Does the remedy it proposes appear suited to our neces
sities ?

Is it considered by us as " the power of God and the wis
dom of God h ?"

Do we " count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of it 1 ?"-

Has God shined in our hearts to give us these views k ?
Or does Satan yet blind our eyes that we cannot see
them 1 ?

Let us search whether the veil be yet taken from our
hearts" 1 ]

II. What effect have its sanctions produced upon

us?

We are astonished to see how little the sanctions
of the Gospel are regarded.

[We can form very little idea of the felicity of heaven
Nor have we any adequate conceptions of the torments of
hell-
But there is nothing grand, which is not used to represent
the one

Or terrible, which does not serve to describe the other
Yet, awful as they are, few are suitably affected with them
Motives taken from temporal and visible things have
weight

But eternal things, because invisible, engage no attention
They are esteemed, in great measure, as " cunningly de
vised fables""]

We ask then what effect they have produced on
us ?

[Are we stimulated to diligence by a prospect of
heaven ?

f 2 Cor. ii. 17. 8 Gal. v. 2, 4. - 1 Cor. i. 24. Rom. i. 10.
* Phil. iii. 8. k 2 Cor. iv. G. 2 Cor. iv. 4.

m 2 Cor. iii. 14. " 2 Pet. i. 16.

426 MARK, XVI. 15, 16. [1465.

Does the thought of hell impress us with holy fear ?
Does a dread of the destroying angel induce us to keep our
hearts sprinkled with the blood of Jesus ?

How obdurate must we be if we be not thus influenced ! ]

III. What evidence have we that our faith is scrip
tural and saving ?

We are apt to mistake the nature of saving faith.
[Some suppose it to mean no more than an assent to the

Gospel

Others imagine it to consist in assurance of our interest in

Christ

But both of these are equally remote from the truth
The former may accord with the indulgence of every sin
The latter is no where declared necessary to salvation
It is indeed an high privilege to know our sins forgiven p
But we must be pardoned before we can know that we are

pardoned ]

But the Scripture account of faith is clear and
precise.

[Faith, with respect to its nature, is a simple reliance on
Christ i

In its origin, it is a free, unmerited gift of God r

And in its effects, it is invariably productive of good
works s

Such was the faith of the first converts and the Jailor* ]

Let us then inquire whether we be really possessed
of it.

[Have we ever found the difficulty of believing ?

And under a sense of our weakness cried to God for
faith ? u

Has God in answer to our prayer wrought faith in our
hearts x ?

Are we enabled by it to overcome the maxims and habits
of the worlds?

Are we filled by means of it with love to the brethren 2

And are we purified by it from earthly, sensual, devilish
affections a ?

Let us thus examine ourselves whether we be in the
faith b

We may deceive ourselves ; but we cannot deceive God c ]

Heb.ix. 14. and xi. 28. P 1 John v. 13. 1 1 Pet. ii. 6.

r Phil. i. 29. s Jam. ii. 26. Col. i. 6.

* Acts ii. 37 47. Acts xvi. 30 34. u Mark ix. 24.

x Ephes. i. 19. y 1 John v. 5.

z Gal. v. 6. 1 Pet. i. 22. a Acts xv. 9. b 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

Gal. vi. 7.

1465.] DISCUSSION BY PERPETUAL APPLICATION.

ADDRESS

1. To those that are in unbelief.

[The Gospel was to be " preached to every creature in
the world"

And a woe is denounced against the ministers who preach it
not d

What it is their duty to preach, it must be our duty to
hear e

Know then that to you is the word of this salvation sent f

Put it not from you, nor adjudge yourselves unworthy of
eternal life g

A time will come when you will wish that you had re
ceived it

" Consider this ; and the Lord give you understanding in all
things h " ]

2. To those who are weak in faith.

[You greatly dishonour God by your doubts and fears
What could the Saviour have done more for you than he

has done 1 ?

What reason can you have to doubt his power or willingness

to save?

Does the guilt of sin dismay, or its power oppress your

soul ?

Christ will both expiate its guilt k , and subdue its power 1
Plead the promise in the text, and it shall be fulfilled to

you]

3. To those who are strong in faith.

[How glorious is the prospect opened to you by the Lord

Jesus !

Let it fill you with holy gratitude and joy

And now shew a concern for the honour of your Lord and

Saviour

Shew what is the genuine scope and tendency of the

Gospel-
Silence by your lives the calumnies of the ungodly
Let the efficacy of faith be seen in the excellence of your

works

And the Lord grant that you may ever be able to say with

the apostle" ]

d 1 Cor. ix. 16. Ezek. xxxiv. 2.

e Matt. x. 14, 15. 1 Thess. iv. 8. f Acts xiii. 26.

g Acts xiii. 46. h 2 Tim. ii. 7. * Isai. v. 4.

k 1 John ii. 1, 2. } Mic. vii. 19. Rom. vi. 14.

ni Tit. iii. 8. as connected with the foregoing verses 4 7.

11 Heb. x. 39.

MR. CLAUDE S Topics referred to in the Skeleton pp. 415 419
of this Volume.

\. RISE from species to genus.

2. Descend from genus to species.

3. Remark the divers characters of a vice, which is forbidden, or

of a virtue, which is commanded.

4. Observe the relation of one subject to another.

5. Observe whether some things be not supposed, which are not

expressed.

6. Reflect on the person speaking or acting.

7. Reflect on the state of the person speaking or acting.

8. Remark the time of a word or action.

9. Observe place.

10. Consider the persons addressed.

11. Examine the particular state of persons addressed.

12. Consider the principles of a word or action.

13. Consider consequences.

14. Reflect on the end proposed in an expression or an action.

15. Consider whether there be any thing remarkable in the manner

of the speech or action.

16. Compare words and actions with similar words and actions.

17. Remark the differences of words and actions on different occa

sions.

18. Contrast words and actions.

19. Examine the grounds, or causes of an action or expression ;

and shew the truth or equity of it.

20. Remark the good and bad in expressions and actions.

21. Suppose things.

22. Guard against objections.

23. Consider Characters of Majesty Meanness Infirmity-

Necessity Utility Evidence, &c.

24. Remark degrees.

25. Observe different interests.

26. Distinguish define divide.

27. Compare the different parts of the text together.

INDEXES.

I. ANALYTICAL INDEX to Mr. CLAUDE S Essay on the Composition of

a Sermon.

II. INDEX OF PASSAGES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, which are

not professedly considered in the order of Books and Chapters in
which they occur; but which are discussed in those parts of the
New Testament, in which they are cited.

III. A GENERAL INDEX (Alphabetical and Analytical) of the Subjects

of the several Skeletons, and of the various subordinate Topics,
which are incidentally treated or illustrated therein.

IV. A LITURGICAL INDEX, referring to such Skeletons or Homilies

as illustrate the portions of Scripture, read as Proper Lessons, or
cited in the Book of Common Prayer, or which explain or vindicate
particular parts thereof.

V. AN INDEX OF SUBJECTS, adapted to Sermons on various Public

Occasions.

ANALYTICAL INDEX

CLAUDE S ESSAY ON THE COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

EXAMPLES.

PAGE.

CHAP. I.

ON THE CHOICE OF TEXTS.
Parts of a Sermon five

9Q1

Each text must contain the complete sense of the
writer

2 Cor i 3 4

on i

Each text must not contain too little matter nor 1
too much

oqo

The end of preaching

909

Whether Protestants should preach on Romish
festivals

909

What subjects are proper for stated days of public
worship

OQQ

What for occasional, as ordinations, &c

onq

CHAP. II.

GENERAL RULES OF SERMONS.
Sermons should be explicit and clear . .

294

must give the entire sense of the text . .
must be wise, sober, chaste .

294
295

296

instructive and affecting ....
Whether a preacher should apply as he goes on
Preacher should avoid excess

296
297
297

297

298

Of figures of speech . .

298

299

Of grammatical remarks ... .

300

Of philosophical historical rhetorical observa
tions

300

Of quotations .

300

CHAP. III.

OF CONNEXION.

Connexion defined and how to find it
must seldom be enlarged on ....
must sometimes make a part of the

300
301

301

and sometimes it affords an exordium .
must be marked with precision ....

301
301

This Index has been prepared by the Rev. CHARLES SIMEON, M. A.

432

ANALYTICAL INDEX TO CLAUDES ESSAY.

EXAMPLES.

PAGE.

CHAP. IV.

OF DIVISION.

A text should not be divided into many parts . .
Two sorts of division, textual and topical ....
Division of the Sermon is proper in general for
obscure subjects

301
301

301

Division as for prophecies
for texts taken from disputes ....
for conclusions of long discourses .
for quoted texts

Gen. iii. 15.
Rom. iii. 28.
Rom. v. 1. viii. 1
Heb. i. 5, 6.

302
302
303
304

for texts treated of in different views

Division of the text after the order of the words
How to divide a text in form
Reducing a subject to a categorical pro-

ii. 6.
iii. 7.
Ex. xxxiv. 35.
Dan. ix. 7.
Heb. iii. 7, 8.
Eph. i. 3.
1 Pet. v. 10, 11.

Heb. x. 10.

304
304
304
304
304
305
306
306
307

307

Marking the character of a text ....
the spirit of a text
Natural order two-fold

1 John iv. 18.
Ps. cxlvii. 11.

307
308
308
309
309

Some texts divide themselves . .

Jam. i. 18.
2 Tim. ii. 10.
Phil ii 13

310
310
311

Nothing must be put in the first branch of division
that supposes a knowledge of the second ....
Division of subject and attribute .

311
311

Sometimes the connexion of subject and attribute )
must make a distinct part \

John xv. 5.
vi. 47, 56.
Rom. viii. 1.
2 Cor. v. 17.
2 Cor iv 17, 18

312
312
312
312
312

Sometimes it may make the entire subject ....
How to divide when texts need much explaining .
Discussion of terms Syncatevorematica ...

Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6.

Acts ii. 27.
John iii 16

313
313
314

John xv. 15.
Ex. xxxiv. 5.
Deut. xxvii. 26.

314
315
315
315

of objection and answer .
Division of difficult texts ....

Judg. xiii.22,23.
Rom. iv. 1.
Acts vii. 48 50.
Rom. vi. 1, 2.
John iv. 10.

316
316
317
317
319

of texts which imply something ....
of texts of history

jukevii.41 43.

Isa. Iv. 6.
1 Cor. i. 30.
Acts ii. 37 39.

320
320
321
321
322

Sometimes the occasion of an action may form one part

322

ANALYTICAL INDEX TO CLAUDES ESSAY.

433

EXAMPLES.

PAGE.

Division must be expressed simply for the sake of

1 Cor. iv. 19.
Matt. x. 3239
John vi. 44,

John xvi. 12.

Col. i. 913.
Col. ii. 1012.
John i. 17.
2 Cor. iv. 7.
1 Cor. iii. 11.

Phil. ii. 6.
Phil, il 14, 15.
Phil. ii. 79.
1 Cor. xvi. 22.
Hcb. xii. 6.
Phil. ii. 13.
Isai. ix. 6.
1 Tim. i. 5.
2 Tim. iii. 16,17.
Lukeii. 811.

Mark viii. 34.
John iii. 16.
Rom. viii. 1.

Eph. i. 18.
Eph. i. 18.
Ps. Ixix. 21.
Ps. cxxix. 2.

Exod. iii. 7, 8.
Heb. ii. 13.
Ez.xxxvii. 1--1J.
Ps. xxxvii. 3.
Prov. xv. 3.

322
323
323
324
325

325

325
325
325

326
326

326

326
326
327
328
328
328
329
329
330
332
334
334
835
335
335
335
335
336
338
338
339
339
339
340
341
341
341

343
343
345
346

34G
346
346
347
347

CHAP. V.

OF TEXTS TO BE DISCUSSED BY WAY OF
EXPLICATION.

Preacher must understand the sense of the text . .
Preacher must comprehend the whole subject to
gether, and perceive the parts of which it consists
Preacher must have a general idea of theology
Preacher must study the nature of his text
Two general ways of discussing a text ; explication

Rules to determine the choice . . .

Difficult passages must be treated of by way of

Difficulties arise from words or things

Difficult and important subjects must be explained .

Different ways of explaining disputed texts .
How to explain an intricate subject exemplified . .

How to explain texts not difficult but important
Explication with and without proof . . .

Explications of texts which have many parts . . .

of simple terms by comparison
of phrases peculiar to Scripture .
of terms Syncategorematica ....

sometimes not to be explained
How to explain and illustrate a proposition exem-

Explication of propositions which contain divers truths
considerable in divers views .

which have different degrees of ac
complishment

Inconsiderable propositions . . .

VOL, XXI.

434

ANALYTICAL INDEX TO CLAUDES ESSAY.

EXAMPLES.

PAGE.

CHAP. VI.

OF TEXTS TO BE DISCUSSED BY WAY OF
OBSERVATION.

Some texts must be discussed by way of observation

347

047

historical texts . ...

040

Some texts require both explication and observation .
How to arrange the discussion of passages of this

Heb. xi. 2426.
Acts i. 10.

348
348

040

Observation sometimes includes explication . . .
Observations should generally be theological . . .
But in some cases they may be taken from other

Acts ii. 1.

349
349

34Q

ocrv

T)0

351

Ps 1 14

Q C1

S19

III. Character of a virtue or a vice ....
IV Relation

2 Thess. iii. 5.

353
^fi4

365

VI Persons speaking or acting

Rom. xii. 17.

366

ofi7

VII State . ....

1 Thess v 16

OflQ

VIII Time

1 Tim ii 1

SfiQ

IX Place

Phil iii 13 14

S70

X Persons addressed ... .

o*7/\

XI. Particular state of persons addressed . .
XII Principles .

Rom. xii. 17.

371
S71

070

XIV End proposed . . .

XV Manner . ...

07 c

XVI. Comparison of some subjects with other

Acts i 1

&gt;7fi

XVII Difference

vii. 22.

376

Q77

XVIII Contrast .

Q7Q

XIX Ground . .

John i 14

070

XX Composition

v. 14.
Matt xvi 22

380
380

XXI Supposition .

QCO

XXII Objection

QJ3Q

XXIII. Character of expression
as of Majesty ....

383
383

xiv. 6

384

Meanness

Necessity

Acts i. 6.

384
385

Utility .

385

Evidence

Exod. xx. 3 5

386

XXIV. Degrees

Gal i 9

387

XXV. Interests

Matt. xii. 10.
1 Cor xv 14

388
389

Definition

389

XXVII. Comparison of one part of a subject
with another part of the same subject . .

Rom. viii. 1.
Eph. ii. 4, 5.

390
390

ANALYTICAL INDEX TO CLAUDES ESSAY.

EXAMPLES.

PAGE.

CHAP. VII.

OF APPLICATION.

Zeph. ii. 1.
1 Cor. xi. 28.
Phil. ii. 12.

Rom. viii. 13.
John v. 23.

John vi. 54.
Ps. xc. 12.

391

391
391
392
392

393
394
394

396
396
400
400
402
402
403
403
403
404
404
405
406
406
406
406
406
407
407

408

409
409
409
409
410
410

What

What subjects should be discussed in this way . .
Example of this method of discussion at large . .
CHAP. VIII.

OF PROPOSITION.

CHAP. IX.

OF THE EXORDIUM.

They are principally two .... *

clear . . .

engaging and agreeable .
connected with the text .
simple and unadorned . . .
not common .... .

Mav sometimes be figurative . .

Citations from profane authors
In what cases they are proper

The best are taken from theology . . .

How to compose them ... .

They may be taken from common-places sacred

CHAP. X.

OF THE CONCLUSION.

What conclusions ought to be in general ....
In particular, some should be
Violent

Tender

Elevated

May sometimes bp mixed

The GOSPEL MESSAGE, (Mark xvi. 15, 16.) illustrated in
different modes of Discussion, viz.
Disc 1462. By Explication

Four

411
415

420

424

1463. Observation

FF 2

II.

INDEX

PASSAGES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT,

WHICH ARE NOT PROFESSEDLY CONSIDERED IN THE ORDER OF THE BOOKS AND CHAPTERS

IN WHICH THEY OCCUR; BUT WHICH ARE DISCUSSED IN THOSE PARTS

OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IN WHICH THEY ARE CITED.*

VOL.

PAGES.

VOL.

PAGES.

Deut. xviii. 18, 19.

XIV.

278282.

Psalm cxviii. 22. .

XIII.

8083.

xxvii. 26. .

XVII.

7073.

Isa. viii. 14, 15. .)

XV.

367372.

xxxiii. 43. .

XV.

551.

xxviii. 16. .)

Josh. i. 5. ...

XIX.

494499.

xxviii. 16. . .

XX.

188190.

Psalm ii. 7.

XIV.

418421.

xxix. 13. . .

XI.

429432.

viii. 2. . .

XI.

488491.

xl. 35. . .

XII.

273275.

viii. 4 6. .

XIX.

161165.

xlix. 8. ...

XVI.

532535.

xiv. 1 3. .

XV.

6164.

Hi. 7. ...

XV.

389394.

xviii. 49.

XV.

551.

Hi. 11. . . .

XVI.

549555.

, xxxii. 1 2.

XV.

100 106.

Iv. 3. . .

XIV.

421 423.

xxxiv.15,16.

XX.

220223.

lix. 20. . . .

XV.

442444.

x l (j g.

XIX.

138143.

Ixiv. 4. ...

XVI.

76 82.

xli. 9. . .

XIV.

1014.

Ixv. 1, 2. . .

XV.

394400.

xlv. 6. . .

XIX.

138-143.

Jer. xv. 17. . .

14.

Ixviii. 18. .

XVII.

342347.

xxxi. 31 34..

XIX.

328333.

xcvii. 7.

XIX.

134137.

Hos. vi. 6. . . .

297300.

cii.25 27..

XIX.

143148.

Hab. ii. 4. . . .

XIX.

358366.

ex. 1. . .

515520.

Zech. xi. 12, 13. .

580583.

cxvii. 1. . .

XV.

551.

* This and the following Indexes, &c. have been prepared by the Rev. THOMAS
HARTWELL HORNE, B. D.

III.

A GENERAL INDEX

( ALPHABETICAL AND ANALYTICAL)

OF THE SUBJECTS OF THE SEVERAL SKELETONS,

AND OF

THE VARIOUS SUBORDINATE TOPICS,
WHICH ARE INCIDENTALLY TREATED OR ILLUSTRATED THEREIN.

** The Roman Numerals in this Index refer to the Volumes, and the Arabic Figures to the Paycs of

each Volume.

AARON, primary use of the breastplate of,
I. 471 473. Its typical intent, 473475.
Typical design of his mitre, 476, 477.
Reflections on the golden calf made by
him, and on the indignation of Moses
against its worshippers, 497 502. Aaron s
submission on the death of his sons
Nadab and Abihu, 614, 615. Aaron and
Miriam reproved, II. 45 49. His inter
cession for the Israelites, 92 97. Bud
ding of his rod, 97 102. Sentenced to
die in the wilderness, 108 114. His
death, 114121. The priesthood of
Aaron and of Christ, how severally con
firmed, II. 99101. Resemblance be
tween the Aaronic priests and Christ,
XIX. 288, 289. The infinite superiority
of Christ over them, 289, 290.

Abandoned : State of a soul abandoned
by God, I. 63. Final abandonment to
everlasting damnation, the consequence
of suffering unbelief to prevail, XVIII.
388, 389.

Abel, circumstances of the death of, I.
46 48. In what consisted the peculiar
excellence of his offering as contrasted
with that of Cain, XIX. 372, 373. In
struction it affords to us, 374, 375. His
blood speaking as from the dead, 376,
377. The efficacy of his blood, 480, 481.
Contrasted with the superiority of Christ s,
481, 482.

Abiding in Christ, and its effects, XX.
383385.

Abihu, death of, II. 613615.

Abijah, king of Judah, remonstrance of,
with Jeroboam, IV. 9699.

Abijah, son of Jeroboam, piety of, III.
385387. His reward, 388, 389.

Abimelech s reproof of Abraham for deny
ing his wife, I. 163169.

Abner, death of, and David s lamentation
over him, III. 238 241.

Abolition of the Mosaic law foretold, X.
593.

Abominations, hidden, exposed, IX. 347
349. 350, 351 ; especially of the Romish
Church, 349, 350. Of the heart of man,
351, 352.

Abram or Abraham : The call of Abram,
I. 9698. His faith and obedience, 99,
100. XIX. 389, 390. Journey to Canaan,
I. 100105. XIX. 390, 391. Separation
of Abram and Lot, I. 105110. Blessed
by Melchizedek, 110116. Encourage
ment of Abram, 116 118. Abram justi
fied by faith, 118125. The covenant
confirmed to him, 125 130. The cir
cumcision of Abraham, 133 139. His
care of his family, 144 150. His inter-
cession for Sodom, 150 156. Abraham
reproved by Abimelech for denying his
wife, 163169. His casting out of Hagar
and Ishmael, 169 175. His offering up
of Isaac, 175 179. XIX. 401 407.
God s approval of it, I. 179183; and
substitution of a sacrifice for Isaac, 183
189. Abraham s promised seed is Christ,
190 192. His purchasing of a burial-
place in Canaan, and its design, 193
198. His care in providing a wife for
Isaac, 198 204. Vain hopes of mercy
cherished by the Jews from their relation
to Abraham, XI. 19, 20. The spiritual
children of Abraham described, XIII.
455 458. His views of Christ, 471 ;
particularly as a Saviour, 471, 472 ; and
the method of a sinner s justification
through him, 472, 473. Why he exulted

438

GENERAL INDEX

in his views of Christ, 473475. The
Gospel, in what sense preached unto
Abraham, XVII. 65 68. Inquiry,
whether we are the children of Abraham,
XIX. 392, 393. How we may become
so, 393, 394.

Abrogation of the ceremonial law, XIV.
438440.

Absalom, dethronement of David by, III.
28 1 286. David s lamentation over him,
294298.

Abstaining from all appearance of evil, the
duty of, XVIII. 360, 361. Its import
ance, 362, 363.

Acceptance for all sincere worshippers,
VIII. 481 485. A forgiving spirit neces
sary to our acceptance with God, XL 207,
208. The reasonableness of it, 208210.
A. state of acceptance with God, one of
the benefits of justification by faith, XV.
117. Desirableness of it, at the day of
judgment, XVIII. 383. The Christian s
privilege, to be assured of his acceptance
with God, XX. 377, 378.

Access to God, in ordinances, V. 332 335.
Is one of the privileges of adoption, XV 1 1.
164. It is through the Son, 308 ; and by
the Spirit, 309. The excellency of this
way of access, 310, 311. Access to God
through the vail, XIX. 333. The grounds
of it, 334, 335. In what manner we are
to approach Him, 335, 336.

Accession of the king, improved, V. 522
524.

Account, final, importance of preparing
for, IV. 457462.

Accountableness of men to God, for all their
advantages, XIII. 79; especially for
their treatment of Jesus Christ, 80. The
grounds and measure of man s accounta-
bleness, XII. 485, 486. Accountableness
of those who hear the Gospel, XIII. 373
375. See JUDGMENT.

Accusation of Jesus before Pilate, XIII.
126128.

Accuser of the brethren, Satan why so
termed, XXI. 171, 172.

Achan s guilt, II. 575, 576. Its punish
ment, 576 578. Instruction derivable
from it, 578 580.

Acquaintance with God, nature of, IV.
418,419. How far attainable, 419. Be
nefits resulting from it, 419, 420. V. 464.
Necessity of caution in selecting our
acquaintance among men, III. 384, 385.
Actions, doubtful, the moral quality of, how

to be determined, III. 496, 497.
Activity, the duty of believers, V. 18, 19.
In what circumstances called for, VIII.
32, 33. When it must give way to con
fidence in God, 3335. Activity in
God s service recommended, XIX. 337
341.

Adam, creation of, in the Divine image,
I.I. The covenant made with, 12. Temp
tation and fall of, 24. Excuses made

by, after his fall, 31. The way of salva
tion illustrated to him, 40 44. Our fall
in Adam a mystery, V. 279. Death by
Adam, and life by Christ, XV. 132134.
Adam, a type of Christ, XVI. 367370.

Adherence to Christ, the necessity of, XI.
369373. Reason for it, XVIII. 221,
222.

Admonitions, danger of forgetting, III. 11.

Adonibezek, conduct and punishment of,
III. 16.

ADOPTION.

The nature of the spirit of adoption,
opened and explained, XVII. 162 164.
Is the privilege of the sons of God, XX.
415. Adoption to be the children of God,
the benefit of receiving Christ, XIII. 193
196. The spirit of adoption contrasted
with the spirit of bondage, XV. 276282.
The privileges which flow from adoption,
XVII. 164166. See further, Children
of God, and Sons of God,

Adoration of God, enforced, VI. 267, 268.

Adulterous woman, ensnaring question put
to Christ concerning, XIII. 430. In what
manner he escaped the snare, 430 432.
Reflections on his dismissal of the woman,
432, 433.

Adultery, prohibited in thought, as well as
in deed, XI. 128, 129. How punished by
the law of England, II. 193, note.

ADVENT OF CHRIST.

I. The FIRST Advent: The time of it
foretold, I. 305, 306. A ground of joy,
VI. 174 177. X. 495 499. XII. 231
235. The approach of Messiah, as God,
described, VIII. 125 127. The time
and manner of the first advent, XVII.
155 162. The time and end of it, IX.
562 567. The end or purpose of it,
XII. 229, 230. XIII. 503505. XVII.
16. Signs of it, X. 176179. Its
effects, 604608. XIII. 496, 497 ; ami
consequences, I. 307, 308.

II. The SECOND Advent : Its time and
manner, XIV. 237239. To be expected
by us, XI. 537 543. 571. Its certainty,
XIV. 470473. XXI. 11. Its aspect on
different classes of mankind, 11 13.
Improvement to be made of it, XVI.
513515. It is a motive to moderation,

XVIII. 117. In what manner Christ will
come, XX. 563. The ends of his coming,
564. How it is to be waited for, XII.
171173. Its suddenness, XIII. 13
20. It will be without sin unto salvation,

XIX. 312316.

Advice, in what manner to be given, XII.
329, 330.

Advocacy of Christ, illustrated, XX. 372
375. See INTERCESSION.

Affections, religious, counsels for the regu
lation of, I. 406. Our affections are to
he set on heavenly things, XVIII. 228,
229. And why, 229 231. The exercise

OF MATTERS.

439

of gracious affections, an evidence of the
work of God on the soul, V. 482.
Affiance in God, enforced and recom
mended, V. 282, 503. VI. 169. XX. 371,
372. The strengthening and augmenting
of our affiance in Christ, the design of
the Scriptures, 545, 546.

AFFLICTIONS.

I. Design and Uses of Afflictions .The
most eminent saints not exempt from
afflictions, IV. 322. The benefit of afflic
tions, 381, 382. XII. 12. The upright
person s consolation under them, IV.
420422. They are a mercy, 507. What
use we are to make of afflictive provi
dences, VI. 55. They open our ears to
instruction, 340 ; make us feel our need
of better things than this world can give,
341 ; drive us to God in prayer, ibid.
bring us to a saving knowledge of Christ,
ibid. 342. The blessedness of the know
ledge gained by affliction, 342, 343. Our
duty under overwhelming afflictions, 480.
They are designed for our good, VII.

195, 196 ; and will be of short duration,

196, 197. They are to be received as
from God, 537. A saint s view of his
afflictions, IX. 322324. They are a
means, by which God sifts his people,
X. 235, 236. How God deals with his
people in affliction, 533 535. The
Christian s experience in affliction deli
neated, XVI. 498 501. Afflictions are the
fruits of God s love, and topics of conso
lation under them, XIX. 459465. The
ends of affliction, XX. 141 144.

II. Examples of Resignation under Afflic
tions : AARON, on the death of his sons,
I. 614, 615. JOB, under his afflictions,
IV. 320 325. XX. 112118. DAVID,
III. 286 289. The WOMAN OF SHUNEM,
on the death of her only son, 484 487.
The Lord JESUS CHRIST, XIII. 557
560.

III. COUNSELS to the Afflicted .The be
nefit of afflictions, IV. 221. The afflicted
encouraged to pray, III. 20. V. 447 ;
also to trust in, and to wait upon God,
I. 188. II. 513. IV. 488, 489. V. 451.
VIII. 298, 299. 466. IX. 324. XIV. 184.
The afflicted soul comforted, V. 427
432. VI. 344. VIII. 286290. IX. 332
335. The compassion of Christ for the
afflicted, VIII. 131, 132. Where they
may find rest, when sinking, V. 431, 432.
468. To be thankful for the mitigating
circumstances of an affliction, III. 553,
554. Those who have been delivered
from afflictions must be grateful, III. 20;
and improve past afflictions, IV. 422.

Aged persons, short addresses to, III. 459.

VI. 124. VIII. 466. XIII. 479.
Agency of God, universal, II. 514, 515.
Agony of Christ in the garden, XIII. 106

109. Improvement of it, 110.

Agriculture, images of, opened: Plough
ing, IX. 50, 51. Sowing, VI. 403, 404,
406, 407. XI. 401404. Harvest, X.
180182. XI. 409, 410.

Agrippa, Paul s defence of himself before,
XIV. 574577. Paul s reply to his ex
clamation, explained, 581 586.

Agur s confession, explained, VII. 304
310; and wish, 311314.

Ahab, sin of, in sparing Benhadad, III.
425 429. Ahab and Elijah in Naboth s
vineyard, 429 435. His feigned repent
ance, 435439. His hatred of faithful
ministers, 439 445. Satan s stratagem
to deceive Ahab, 445 450. Destruction
of his family by Jehu, 514 517.

Ahaz, conduct of, in his distress, IV. 177
181.

Ahaziah, an example of the danger of
following evil counsel, IV. 140 146.

Ahilhophel, a type of Judas Iscariot, XIV.
1014.

Ai, defeat of the Israelites at, II. 569
574.

All in all, in what sense God is so, XV.
463465. And also Jesus Christ, XVI.
1732.

All-sufficiency of Christ, XIII. 405.

Almost Christian compared with the real
Christian, XIV. 581586.

Alms-deeds, cautions against ostentation in,

XI. 172 173. Directions concerning
them, 174, 175.

Altar of incense, typical institution of, I.
478 480. Its import as an emblematic
rite, 481483. Why the fire of the altar
was never to go out, 598 602. Design
of the altar of witness, 611615. The
pre-eminence of the Christian altar,
XIX. 525, 526 ; and the duties arising
from it, 526, 527.

Alternative, the sinner s great one, II.
335341, 456458.

Amaziah, conflict of, between duty and
interest, IV. 155160. Reproved for
despising the counsel of God, 160 165.

Ambassadors for Christ, ministers are,
XVI. 525. XIX. 545.

Ambition of James and John, reproved,

XII. 109114. What should be the
proper object of our ambition, 115. Legi
timate ambition illustrated, 116 12L
The ambitious guest reproved, 518 521.
Holy ambition encouraged, XVIII. 100
103.

Amen, import of the word, in the Lord s

Prayer, XL 206. Its use in the ancient

Christian Church, 205.
Amnon and Tamar, history of, III. 274

281.
Ananias and Sapphira, sin of, and its

punishment, XIV. 312, 313.
Anchor of the Christian described, XIX.

254256. On what it must be cast, 257,

258. Whence it derives its power and

tenacity, 258260.

440

GENERAL INDEX

c, Christ s superiorit